Question

Beldon and Canfield are two seashore towns, not far apart. Both towns have many hotels, and in summer the hotels are full of holiday-makers and other tourists.

Last August there was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel in Beldon. The next day, this news appeared on page two of the town’s newspaper. The Beldon Post:

FIRE AT SEABREEZE

Late last night firemen hurried to the Seabreeze Hotel and quickly put out a small fire in a bedroom. The hotel manager said that a cigarette started the fire. We say again to all our visitors： “Please don’t smoke cigarettes in bed.” This was Beldon’s first hotel fire for five years.

The Canfield Times gave the news in these words on page one：

ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE

Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel. An angry holiday-maker said, “An electric lamp probably started the fire. The bedroom lamps are very old at some of these hotels. When I put my bedside light on, I heard a funny noise from the lamp.” We are glad to tell our readers that this sort of adventure does not happen in Canfield.

What are the facts, then? It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident. There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August: that is one fact. Do we know anything else? Yes, we know that firemen went to the hotel.

Now what do you think of the rest of the “news” ?

Which of the following best gives the main idea of this text?

A. Beldon and Canfield are both good places for tourists in summer.

B. A fire broke out night in Seabreeze Hotel last summer.

C. It was not easy to find out exact truth from newspapers.

D. Two newspapers gave reports on the same matter.

Which of the following are probably facts? 

a. The fire broke out in a bedroom at the hotel.

b. A cigarette started the fire.

c. An old lamp started the fire.

d. The fire broke out at night.

e. There has never been a fire in Canfield.

A. b and c      B. a and d       C. c and e                     D. a and c

The Canfield Times used the headline like this in order to make its readers think _______. 

A. hotels in Beldon often catch fire

B. hotels in Beldon don’t often catch fire

C. this was the second fire at the Seabreeze Hotel

D. Beldon was a good place except that hotels there are not quite safe

The Canfield newspaper gave a report just the opposite to the Beldon Post by saying that _______. 

A. the bedroom lamps were very old at the Seabreeze Hotel

B. the bedroom lights made funny noise when the fire took place

C. the firemen failed to save clothing, bedclothes and other things

D. such accidents never happened in Canfield for the past 5 years

Answer 1

【小題1】C

【小題2】B

【小題3】A

【小題4】C

解析:

本文通過講述兩個對手城市的報紙對同一件火災事故的不同報道，對新聞報道的真實性提出了質疑。

【小題1】主旨題。從主題句It is never easy to find out the exact truth about an accident.可得出答案。

【小題2】細節題。根據There was a fire at the Seabreeze Hotel last August及兩張報紙都報道了火災是在晚上發生的，故可以確定的事實只有兩項a和 d。而其他選項都只是兩份報紙的片面之辭，到度是真是假，我們無法得知，因此答案為B。

【小題3】推斷題。ANOTHER BELDON HOTEL CATCHES FIRE中ANOTHER是個關鍵詞，它暗示了Beldon賓館頻繁發生的火災。

【小題4】細節題。The Canfield Times 報道說Last night Beldon firemen arrived just too late to save clothing, bedclothes and some furniture at the Seabreeze Hotel.，而The Beldon Post則說消防隊員及時把這場小火撲滅了，（沒有造成損失），兩者報道相反。可此題答案為C。