The house was quiet at 5 a.m. and Tim's mother was asleep. Only the sound of the big freezer broke the quiet. He'd dreamt of the cave last night. The purring(轻微颤动声) of the freezer had been the sea.
Tim pulled on a sweater and put some apples into his schoolbag. It was too early for breakfast. He'd eat after he'd been through the cave, sitting on the rocks and staring at the sea.
He wished he had a proper pack. His schoolbag would have to do. What else? Sandwiches－but his mother might wake up if he started pulling out bread for sandwiches, she'd want to know why he had to leave so early. He settled for some biscuits, and left a note stuck to the table:
Gone to Michael's. Back tonight. Tim.
The sky was high and soft and light outside, though the sun still wasn't up. Even the highway up the hill was quiet as he made his way down the street. The wind from the sea was fresh and sweet.
The sandhills still breathed heat from yesterday's sun, though the top of the sand was cool. He ran down to the beach impatiently, but there was no one, just dry sand dancing in the early wind and seabirds marching up and down watching the waves.
The light changed suddenly. The first rays of sunlight stretched(延伸) across the sea. The sun was pushing its way over the edge of the world.
Over the first rocks, along to the point, Tim glanced back. The beach was still empty. The sun sailed higher in the sky.
He could see the cave now, even darker in the morning light. The sand turned silver then dark gold as the water flowed away from it. He had to force himself to go closer. Why was it so much more mysterious(神秘的)now? But it would be silly to go back now after so much trouble. He needn't go in all the way…
1．What did Tim do at the beginning of the story?
A．He left the house quietly.
B．He had breakfast at home.
C．He left a note on the freezer.
D．He put a sweater in his schoolbag.
2．“He settled for some biscuits”(in Paragraph 3)means that Tim _______.
A．had to leave the biscuits on the table
B．liked biscuits better than sandwiches
C．had to take biscuits instead of sandwiches
D．could only find some biscuits in the kitchen
3．What made it possible for Tim to see the entry to the cave?
A．The height of the first rocks.
B．The ups and downs of the waves.
C．The change in the position of the sun.
D．The vast stretch of the sunlit beach.
4．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the story?
A．The sea looked like a piece of gold.
B．Seabirds flew away when Tim arrived.
C．Tim was the only person on the beach.
D．The sky got dark as Tim reached the cave.
5．In the story, Tim's mood(心情)changed from _______.
A．loneliness to craziness
B．anxiousness to excitement
C．helplessness to happiness
D．eagerness to nervousness
Key:
[语篇解读] 本文叙述了一个小男孩Tim从家到一个山洞去的过程。比较具体地描写了他的起床，准备食物，以及到山洞去的情况，也加入了一些对自然境况变化的描写。
1．A
本题考查细节。本题可用排除法，由第二段第二句“It was too early for breakfast”可知B项错；由note之上那句“…left a note stuck to the table”可知C项错误；由第二段第一句“Tim pulled on a sweater…”可知D项错误。
2．C
推理判断题。因为Tim怕吵醒母亲，更怕母亲醒后问他为什么那么早走，所以他没敢去取面包做三明治，而只是拿了点饼干。settle for sth. －to accept or agree to sth. less than the best, or less than one hoped for(勉强或不完全称心地)接受。
3．C
本题属于推理判断题。短文中倒数第三段和倒数第二段均提及太阳位置的变化，再由倒数第一段的第一句“现在他可以看到山洞了，在早上的光线下显得更暗了”可知C项正确。
4．C
本题是细节考查题。由短文中倒数第四段的第二句“他焦躁地跑向海滩，但那里没有人，只有……”可知C项“Tim是海滩上惟一的一个人”正确。由这段的最后一句中的“…and seabirds marching up and down…”可知B项中的flew away错误；A项短文中未提及；由后几段可知D项显然错误。
5．D
本题属于推理判断题。前半部分写Tim早早起来，匆忙地穿上(pulled on)衣服，顾不上吃早饭可知应是eagerness(热切，渴望)；后半部分写到。impatiently(焦躁地，不耐心地)，最后一段“强迫(forced)自己走近”，及“它为什么那么神秘?”可以看出应是nervousness(紧张)。
