四、阅读理解。（2026·江苏常州期末）
I'm Henry Adams. When I was 27, I worked in an office in San Francisco. One Saturday afternoon, I sailed my little boat out into the Bay of San Francisco. The strong wind pushed my boat out of the bay and into the Pacific Ocean. Luckily, I was saved by a British ship. The ship was heading to London.
I had only one dollar when I arrived in London. I walked around Portland Place, hungry and tired. At that moment, the window of a nearby house opened and a man said to me, “Come in here, please!” I was taken to a nice room. There two old gentlemen were sitting and discussing something. They were brothers. They had been arguing about(争论) a strange subject for several days. One brother said, “If an honest and clever stranger arrives in London without a friend or money, except for a 5,000,000 banknote(钞票), he will die of hunger. If he goes to the bank or anywhere else to change this big note, the police will put him in prison. Everyone will think he stole it.” The other brother answered, “No, I disagree.”
The two gentlemen decided to end their argument with a bet. They chose me because I had an honest and clever face and because I was a stranger to England. One of them gave me a little packet and told me not to open it until I was in my hotel room.
After leaving the house, I opened the packet and saw that there was money inside. I rushed to the nearest restaurant. After eating, I tried to pay with the money but discovered that it was a banknote worth five million dollars! It made my head swim. No one could possibly cash(兑换现金) it. The owner said, “You can pay for the meal whenever you want, sir. I understand that you are a very rich gentleman. You like playing jokes on people by dressing like a poor man.”
I quickly returned to the house but was told that they had left on a trip. Then I remembered the letter inside the packet. It said, “In this packet you'll find some money. It is yours for only 30 days. At the end of that time, return to this house. We have a bet on you.” How amazing!
(
A. He sailed his little boat to London.
B. A strong wind pushed his boat into London.
C. A British ship saved him and took him to London.
D. The two gentlemen took him to London.
(
A. Because he was very hungry and tired.
B. Because he was an honest and clever stranger.
C. Because he was good at arguing and betting.
D. Because he was poor and had only one dollar.
(
A. He asked Henry to pay with cash.
B. He asked Henry to cash the banknote.
C. He thought Henry told a lie to him.
D. He thought Henry played a joke on him.
(
①Henry was taken into a nice room.
②Henry used the banknote to pay for a meal.
③Henry got to know that the banknote should be returned in a month.
④Henry was given a packet with a banknote.
A. ①④②③ B. ①②③④ C. ③①④② D. ④②①③
I'm Henry Adams. When I was 27, I worked in an office in San Francisco. One Saturday afternoon, I sailed my little boat out into the Bay of San Francisco. The strong wind pushed my boat out of the bay and into the Pacific Ocean. Luckily, I was saved by a British ship. The ship was heading to London.
I had only one dollar when I arrived in London. I walked around Portland Place, hungry and tired. At that moment, the window of a nearby house opened and a man said to me, “Come in here, please!” I was taken to a nice room. There two old gentlemen were sitting and discussing something. They were brothers. They had been arguing about(争论) a strange subject for several days. One brother said, “If an honest and clever stranger arrives in London without a friend or money, except for a 5,000,000 banknote(钞票), he will die of hunger. If he goes to the bank or anywhere else to change this big note, the police will put him in prison. Everyone will think he stole it.” The other brother answered, “No, I disagree.”
The two gentlemen decided to end their argument with a bet. They chose me because I had an honest and clever face and because I was a stranger to England. One of them gave me a little packet and told me not to open it until I was in my hotel room.
After leaving the house, I opened the packet and saw that there was money inside. I rushed to the nearest restaurant. After eating, I tried to pay with the money but discovered that it was a banknote worth five million dollars! It made my head swim. No one could possibly cash(兑换现金) it. The owner said, “You can pay for the meal whenever you want, sir. I understand that you are a very rich gentleman. You like playing jokes on people by dressing like a poor man.”
I quickly returned to the house but was told that they had left on a trip. Then I remembered the letter inside the packet. It said, “In this packet you'll find some money. It is yours for only 30 days. At the end of that time, return to this house. We have a bet on you.” How amazing!
(
C
)1. How did Henry Adams reach London?A. He sailed his little boat to London.
B. A strong wind pushed his boat into London.
C. A British ship saved him and took him to London.
D. The two gentlemen took him to London.
(
B
)2. Why was Henry chosen to end their argument by the two gentlemen?A. Because he was very hungry and tired.
B. Because he was an honest and clever stranger.
C. Because he was good at arguing and betting.
D. Because he was poor and had only one dollar.
(
D
)3. What did the owner do when Henry paid for the meal with the banknote?A. He asked Henry to pay with cash.
B. He asked Henry to cash the banknote.
C. He thought Henry told a lie to him.
D. He thought Henry played a joke on him.
(
A
)4. Which is the correct order of the events in the story?①Henry was taken into a nice room.
②Henry used the banknote to pay for a meal.
③Henry got to know that the banknote should be returned in a month.
④Henry was given a packet with a banknote.
A. ①④②③ B. ①②③④ C. ③①④② D. ④②①③
答案：1. C 【点拨】根据“Luckily, I was saved by a British ship. The ship was heading to London.”可知,亨利是由一艘开往伦敦的英国船带到伦敦的。故选 C。
2. B 【点拨】根据“They chose me because I had an honest and clever face and because I was a stranger to England.”可知,两位绅士选择亨利的原因有两个:他看起来诚实聪明,且是刚到英国的陌生人。故选 B。
3. D 【点拨】根据“You can pay for the meal whenever you want, sir. I understand that you are a very rich gentleman. You like playing jokes on people by dressing like a poor man.”可知,店主以为亨利是一位富人,喜欢通过穿得寒酸来捉弄别人,也就是认为他在开玩笑。故选 D。
4. A 【点拨】根据全文内容可知,事情发生的正确顺序是①④②③。故选 A。
2. B 【点拨】根据“They chose me because I had an honest and clever face and because I was a stranger to England.”可知,两位绅士选择亨利的原因有两个:他看起来诚实聪明,且是刚到英国的陌生人。故选 B。
3. D 【点拨】根据“You can pay for the meal whenever you want, sir. I understand that you are a very rich gentleman. You like playing jokes on people by dressing like a poor man.”可知,店主以为亨利是一位富人,喜欢通过穿得寒酸来捉弄别人,也就是认为他在开玩笑。故选 D。
4. A 【点拨】根据全文内容可知,事情发生的正确顺序是①④②③。故选 A。