Many trees in the Brackham area were brought down in the terrible storms that March. The town itself lost two great lime trees from the former market square. The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town center entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).
Among the annoyed, under more normal circumstances, would have been Chief Inspector Douglas Pelham, head of the local police force. But at the height of that week's storm, when the wind brought down even the mature walnut tree in his garden, Pelham had in fact been in no fit state to notice. A large and healthy man, he had for the first time in his life been seriously ill with an attack of bronchitis.
When he first complained of an aching head and tightness in his chest, his wife, Molly, had tried to persuade him to go to the doctor. Convinced that the police force could not do without him, he had, as usual, ignored her and attempted to carry on working. Predictably, though he wouldn't have listened to anyone who tried to tell him so, this had the effect of fogging his memory and shortening his temper.
It was only when his colleague, Sergeant Lloyd, took the initiative (主動(dòng)) and drove him to the doctor's door that he finally gave in. By that time, he didn't have the strength left to argue with her. In no time at all, she was taking him along to the chemist's to get his medicine and then home to his unsurprised wife who sent him straight to bed.
When Molly told him, on the Thursday morning, that the walnut tree had been brought down during the night, Pelham hadn’t been able to take it in. On Thursday evening, he had asked weakly about damage to the house, groaned (含糊不清地說) thankfully when he heard there was none, and pulled the sheets over his head.
It wasn't until Saturday, when the medicine took effect, his temperature dropped and he got up, that he realized with a shock that the loss of the walnut tree had made a permanent difference to the appearance of the living-room. The Pelhams’ large house stood in a sizable garden. It had not come cheap, but even so Pelham had no regrets about buying it. The leafy garden had created an impression of privacy. Now, though, the storm had changed his outlook.
Previously, the view from the living-room had featured the handsome walnut tree. This had not darkened the room because there was also a window on the opposite wall, but it had provided interesting patterns of light and shade that hid the true state of the worn furniture that the family had brought with them from their previous house.
With the tree gone, the room seemed cruelly bright, its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness. And the view from the window didn’t bear looking at. The tall house next door, previously hidden by the tree, was now there, dominating the outlook with its unattractive purple bricks and external pipes. It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.
“Doesn’t it look terrible?” Pelham whispered to his wife. But Molly, standing in the doorway, sounded more pleased than dismayed. “That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.”

  1. 1.

    Why were some people in Brackham annoyed after the storm?

    1. A.
      No market could be held
    2. B.
      The police had done little to help
    3. C.
      The town looked different
    4. D.
      Fallen trees had not been removed
  2. 2.

    In the third paragraph, what do we learn about Chief Inspector Pelham’s general attitude to his work?

    1. A.
      He finds it extremely annoying
    2. B.
      Не is sure that he plays an important role
    3. C.
      Не considers the systems are not clear enough
    4. D.
      He does not trust the decisions made by his superiors
  3. 3.

    What aspect of the Pelhams’ furniture does “shabbiness” in paragraph 8 describe?

    1. A.
      its condition
    2. B.
      its colour
    3. C.
      its position
    4. D.
      its design
  4. 4.

    As a result of the storm, the Pelhams’ living-room ______.

    1. A.
      was pleasantly lighter
    2. B.
      felt less private
    3. C.
      had a better view
    4. D.
      was in need of repair
  5. 5.

    Why did Molly sound pleased by her husband’s comment?

    1. A.
      It proved that he was well again
    2. B.
      She agreed about the tree
    3. C.
      She thought he meant the sofa
    4. D.
      It was what she expected him to say
CBABC
試題分析：文章介紹Brackham風(fēng)暴后，整個(gè)城市看起來不同了。給人們的生活帶來了變化。
1.細(xì)節(jié)題：從第一段的句子：The disappearance of such striking features had changed the appearance of the town center entirely, to the annoyance of its more conservative inhabitants(居民).可知讓Brackham的人生氣的是城市看起來不同了。選C。
2.細(xì)節(jié)題：從第三段的句子：Convinced that the police force could not do without him, 可知Pelham認(rèn)為他在工作上起著重要作用。選B
3.細(xì)節(jié)題：從第八段的句子：its worn furnishings exposed in all their shabbiness.可知家具的樣子很破舊。選A
4.細(xì)節(jié)題：從第八段的句子：It seemed to have a great many upstairs windows, all of them watching the Pelhams' every movement.可知風(fēng)暴過后Pelhams家的起居室好像沒有隱私了。選B
5.從文章的最后一句話：可知“That's what I’ve been telling you ever since we came here. We have to buy a new sofa, whatever it costs.” Molly以為丈夫想買個(gè)沙發(fā)，所以高興。選C   
考點(diǎn)：考查故事類短文
點(diǎn)評(píng)：文章介紹Brackham風(fēng)暴后，整個(gè)城市看起來不同了。給人們的生活帶來了變化。本文細(xì)節(jié)題居多，答題時(shí)在文章找到對(duì)應(yīng)的地方，用筆進(jìn)行標(biāo)記，這有利于后期有時(shí)間檢查時(shí)可以立刻找到答案的位置。仔細(xì)理解作者所講的意思，再結(jié)合選項(xiàng)，通過排除法和自己對(duì)全文的把握，選出正確答案。
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