She was known to millions as the "Queen of Crime" or the "Duchess (女公爵) of Death". But surprisingly, she hated violence and blood, and knew nothing of the weapons most often used in murder. "I don't think I dare look at a really horrible and damaged body," Agatha Christie once said. But her pen dared to travel where her eyes would not. In a 50-year writing career, Christie's murder stories made her the world's best-known mystery writer. She is outsold only by the Bible (《圣經(jīng)》) and Shakespeare.

Her works have been turned into films and TV series, and a line of computer games is set to be released over the next six years.

"My grandmother liked to use new ways to reach people who wanted to enjoy her work," said Christie's grandson, Mathew Prichard. "Turning her stories into PC games allows us to introduce classic mysteries to new audiences."

Born in 1890 in England, Christie was educated at home and began her writing career while working as a nurse during World War I. She went on to produce 79 novels and numerous (大量的) short stories, dying at the age of 86. "With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies," said one fan.

Her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (《斯泰爾斯莊園奇案》), also introduced Hercule Poirot, a retired Belgian (比利時的) police officer who starred in 30 of her works. Among the most popular are "Murder on the Orient Express" (《東方快車謀殺案》) (1934), and "Death on the Nile" (《尼羅河上的慘案》) (1937).

Poirot is a tidy little man with a funny-looking moustache, an egg-shaped head, and a high opinion of himself. He draws conclusions from observing the behavior of those around him, always managing to spot patterns that others cannot see. Poirot has become so famous that someone has even written his biography (傳記), "The Life and Times of Hercule Poirot".

Starring in 17 novels, another Christie character, Miss Marple, is nearly as well known as Poirot. But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. As she once said, "Human nature is the same everywhere."

1. Agatha Christie was a ________ woman.

A. rich B. kind C. bold D. outstanding

2. Christie's murder stories ranked the ________ in sale amount.

A. second B. first C. third D. fourth

3. Christie's stories have been turned into ________ other forms.

A. two B. three C. four D. five

4. Christie's knowledge of murder was ________ .

A. poor B. rich C. limited D. poor

5. Poirot's success lies in his power of ________ while Miss Marple's success belongs to her knowledge of ________ .

A. observation； human nature

B. murder； imagination

C. imagination； murder

D. human nature； observation

(D)篇

1. D。歸納綜合題，可用綜合歸納法來解。認真閱讀分析原文不難發(fā)現(xiàn)，Christie一生寫了79部小說和大量短篇小說，當然是一個很出色的人。

2. C。推理判斷題，可用邏輯推斷法來解。由原文第一節(jié)末句可推出答案。

3. B。細節(jié)判斷題，可用直接就題找文法來解。原文第二節(jié)體現(xiàn)答案。

4. B。推理判斷題，可用邏輯推斷法來解。由原文第四節(jié)"With her knowledge of murder, Christie could have been a teacher at police academies,"said one fan.可以推出答案。

5. A。細節(jié)判斷題，可用直接就題找文法來解。原文末節(jié)But while the Belgian uses his powers of observation, the old Miss Marple relies on her knowledge of human nature to solve crimes. 體現(xiàn)答案。