The light from the campfire brightened the darkness,
but it could not prevent the damp cold of Dennis’s Swamp (沼澤地) creeping into their bones. It was a strange place.
Martin and Tom wished that they had not accepted Jack’s dare. They liked
camping, but not near this swamp.
“So,” Martin asked as they sat watching the hot coals.
“How did this place get its name?”
“Are you sure you want to hear it ? It’s a scary
story,” warned Jack.
“Of course!” cried out Tom. “If there were anything to
be scared of, you wouldn’t have chosen this place!”
“Ok, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” said Jack, and
he began this tale.
“Way back in time, a man called Dennis tried to start
a farm here. He built that cottage over there to live in. In those days, the
area looked quite different ---- it was covered with tall trees and the swamp
was a crystal-clear river. After three hard years, Dennis had cleared several
fields and planted crops. He was so proud of his success that he refused to
listen to advice.
“‘You are clearing too much land,’ warned one old man.
‘ The land is a living thing. It will hit back at you if you abuse it. ’
“‘Silly fool,’ said Dennis to himself. ‘If I clear
more land, I can grow more crops. I’ll become wealthier. He’s just jealous!’”
“Dennis continued to chop down trees. Small animals
that relied on them for food and shelter were destroyed. He was so eager to
expand his farm that he did not notice the river flowing slowly towards his
door. He did not notice salt seeping to the surface of the land. He did not
notice swamp plants choking all the native plants.”
“What happened?” Martin asked. It was growing colder.
He trembled, twisting his body closer to the fire.
“The land hit back ---- just as the old man warned,”
Jack shrugged. “Dennis disappeared. Old folks around here believe that swamp
plants moved up from the river and dragged him underwater. His body was never
found.”
“What a stupid story,” laughed Tom. “Plants can’t …”
Before he had finished speaking, he screamed and fainted (暈倒). The other two boys jumped up with fright, staring
at Tom. Suddenly, they burst out laughing. Some green swamp ivy (常春藤) had covered Tom’s face. It was a while before Tom
could appreciate the joke.
1.The underlined word “dare” in Paragraph 1 is closed
in meaning to ________.
A．courage B．a(chǎn)ssistance C．instruction D．challenge
2.Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?
A．To frighten
them.
B．To satisfy
their curiosity.
C．To warn them
of the danger of the place.
D．To persuade
them to camp in the swamp.
3.Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?
A．The old man
envied him. B．The old man
was foolish
C．He was too
busy to listen to others. D．He was greedy
for more crops.
4.Why did Tom scream and faint?
A．He saw Dennis’s shadow B．He was scared
by a plant
C．His friends
played a joke on him. D．The weather
became extremely cold.
5.What lesson can we learn from the story of Dennis?
A．Grasp all,
lose all
B．No sweat, no
sweet.
C．It is no use
crying over spilt milk
D．He who makes
no mistakes makes nothing.
