高中英语趣味阅读

高中英语趣味阅读

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Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.

“I’ll be the first millionaire in Coleford!” Richard used to boast.

“And you’ll be sorry you knew me,” George would reply “because I’ll be the best lawyer in the town!”

George never did become a lawyer and Richard never made any money. Instead both men opened bookshops on opposite sides of Coleford High Street. It was hard to make money from books, which made the competition between them worse.

Then Richard married a mysterious girl. The couple spent their honeymoon on the coast—but Richard never came back. The police found his wallet on a deserted beach but the body was never found. He must have drowned.

Now with only one bookshop in town, business was better for George. But sometimes he sat in his narrow, old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window, thinking about his former rival(竞争对手). Perhaps he missed him?

George was very interested in old dictionaries. He’d recently found a collector in Australia who was selling a rare first edition. When the parcel arrived, the book was in perfect condition and George was delighted. But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in. He was astonished—the smiling face was older than he remembered but unmistakable! Trembling, George started reading.

“Bookends have bought ten bookstores from their rivals Dylans.The company, owned by multi-millionaire Richard Pike, is now the largest bookseller in Australia.”

1. George and Richard were ______ at school.

A. roommates

B. good friends

C. competitors

D. booksellers

2. How did George feel about Richard after his disappearance?

A. He envied Richard’s marriage.

B. He thought of Richard from time to time.

C. He felt lucky with no rival in town.

D. He was guilty of Richard’s death.

3. George got information about Richard from ______.

A. a dictionary collector in Australia

B. the latter’s rivals Dylans

C. a rare first edition of a dictionary

D. the wrapping paper of a book

4. What happened to George and Richard in the end?

A. Both George and Richard became millionaires.

B. Both of them realized their original ambitions.

C. George established a successful business while Richard was missing.

D. Richard became a millionaire while George had no great success.

Keys: C B D D

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Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on neighboring farms fell into conflict(冲突) . It was the first serious one between them in 40 years of farming peacefully side by side. In the end, they fell apart.

One morning, a man with a carpenter’s toolbox came for some work. The elder brother said, “I have a job for you. Look at the farm a cross the creek（河沟）. My younger brother lives there. It was he who used his bulldozer（推土机）to dig the creek last week to spite(刁难) me. So I want you to build me a fence, an 8 –foot –high fence, in order not to see his place any more.” The carpenter smiled and said, “I see. I’ll try to do a job that satisfies you.” Then the elder brother went downtown.

At sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide! To his surprise, there was no fence there at all! Instead, there was a bridge stretching from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work! He saw his younger brother coming to him with the hands outstretching. The brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, tak ing each other’s hands. They turned to see the carpenter lift his toolbox on his shoulder.

“No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other work for you,” said the elder brother.

“I’d love to stay on,” the carpenter said, “but I have so many more bridges to build.”

5．What was the life like for the two brothers before the conflict?

A．They lived a poor life. B．They lived in peace.

C．They never spoke to each other. D．They lived on the same farm.

6．It can be learned that the carpenter was ________.

A.unwilling to obey the farmer

B.fond of building bridges

C.unable to build a fence

D.willing to help others

7．The best title for this passage is ________.

A．A Fine Piece of Work B．A Carpenter

C．A Conflict between Two Brother D．Two Brothers 8．Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．The elder brother used his bulldozer to dig a creek.

B．The elder brother helped the carpenter build the bridge.

C．The brothers were both satisfied with the carpenter’s work.

D．The carpenter planned to build an 8-foot - high fence as asked to.

Keys: B D A C

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