Question

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 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.

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 （競爭對手）。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. ”

George and Rivhard were    at school.

 A. roommates                      B. good friends 

 C. competitors                    D. booksellers

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.

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

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 white Richard was missing.

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

Answer 1

【小題1】C

【小題2】B

【小題3】D

【小題4】D

解析:

【小題1】細節理解題。由第一段“Even at school there had been an unhealthy competition between George and Richard.”可知從上學開始，喬治和理查德就是競爭對手。A、B、D三項沒有根據，可排除。

【小題2】細節理解題。由第五段“But sometimes he sat in his narrow , old kitchen and gazed out of the dirty window , thinking about his former rival （競爭對手）, Perhaps he missed him?”可知理查德消失后喬治常常想起他來，故B項正確。A、D兩項文中沒有交代，屬于主觀臆測。C項也無從推斷出喬治在沒有了競爭對手后感到很幸運。

【小題3】細節把握題。由第六段“But while he was having lunch, George glanced at the photo in the newspaper that the book had been wrapped in.”一句可知喬治是從包書的一張報紙上得知理查德的消息的，故答案為D。

【小題4】細節理解題。由最后一段可知理查德成了澳大利亞最大的書商，身價數百萬，而仍然固守自己的小書店的喬治，沒有取得大成就，故答案為D。