Ⅰ.阅读理解
Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure (肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.
As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew (炖菜). Dad pulled out a pressure cooker and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn't look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn't offend the nose so much, either. I took a taste. It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup!
本文是一篇记叙文。没有什么能阻止父亲劳动——他在乡下买了一个小农场，种植蔬菜水果，饲养蜜蜂，还每周打扫Old Man McColgin的鸡窝，收集肥料。
1．Why did Dad clean Old Man McColgin's chicken house regularly?
A．To earn some money for the family.
B．To collect manure for his crops.
C．To get rid of the terrible smell.
D．To set a good example to us.
答案：B
解析：细节理解题。由第二段中的“And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure (肥料)”可知，父亲每周打扫Old Man McColgin的鸡窝是为了收集肥料。
2．What can we infer about Dad's stew?
A．It is popular among the neighbors.
B．It contains honey and vegetables.
C．It looks very wonderful.
D．It tastes quite delicious.
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。由最后一段中的“It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup！”可知，父亲炖的菜很可口。
3．What does the underlined word “offend” in the last paragraph mean?
A．To attract. B．To upset.
C．To air. D．To shut.
答案：B
解析：词义猜测题。根据画线词所在段中的信息“after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell”以及“I took a taste”可知，后来炖菜的气味也不是很难闻。所以offend意为“令人不适”，这与B选项相符。
4．What can we learn about Dad from the text?
A．He is an experienced cook.
B．He is a troublesome father.
C．He has a positive attitude to life.
D．He suffers a lot from his disability.
答案：C
解析：推理判断题。从第一段中的“Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country...”以及下文父亲炖菜的经历可知，父亲的生活态度很乐观。
