Question

An African farmer had heard tales about other farmers who had made millions of dollars by discovering diamond mines. These tales so excited the farmer that he could hardly wait to sell his farm and go prospecting for diamonds himself.

So he sold the farm and spent the rest of his life wandering the African continent, searching unsuccessfully for the shining stone that brought such high prices on the markets of the world.

Finally, broke and worn out, he threw himself into a river and drowned.

Meanwhile, back at the farm, the man who had bought his farm happened to be crossing a small river on the property one day when he saw something shining at the bottom of the river. He picked it up. It was a sparkling stone - a good size stone - and, admiring it, he later put it on his fireplace mantel（壁爐架） as an interesting curiosity.

Several weeks later, a visitor admired the stone, looked closely at it, lifted it in his hand and nearly fainted. He asked the farmer if he knew what he'd found. When the farmer said no, that he thought it was just a piece of crystal, the visitor told him he had found one of the largest diamonds ever discovered.

The farmer was astonished. He told the man that his small river was full of these brilliant stones, and his farmland was covered with them. Not all were as large, perhaps, as the one on his mantel, but they were sprinkled generously throughout his property.

Needless to say, the farm the first farmer had sold, so that he could search for a diamond mine, turned out to be the most productive diamond mine on the entire African continent.

【小題1】Why did the first farmer sell his farm?

A. He had made a fortune by selling diamonds.

B. He was tired of his life as a farmer.

C. He wanted to make more money elsewhere.

D. He was told that there was no diamonds on his farm.

【小題2】What happened to him after he sold his property?

A. He found a river full of diamonds on his farm.

B. He lost everything including his own life.

C. He discovered a mine filled with brilliant stones.

D. He finally got his property back with diamonds.

【小題3】When the second farmer first found a shining stone, he ______.

A. felt sorry for what he had done to the first farmer

B. was excited to see he would soon be very rich

C. found it special and brought it home

D. couldn’t wait to share his joy with his friends

【小題4】The visitor nearly passed out after a close look at the stone because _______.

A. he was shocked by the misfortune of the first farmer

B. the discovery was too good to be true

C. it was not discovered on his own farm

D. he was blinded by the light from the stone

【小題5】What do we learn from the story?

A. Treasure a farm with a river running across it.

B. Show your belongings to others to find their real value.

C. Dig deep into what we have instead of wandering elsewhere.

D. Ask for professional advice before selling anything to others.

Answer 1

【小題1】C

【小題2】B

【小題3】C

【小題4】B

【小題5】C

【解析】