2014届高考英语第一轮复习课时练习题24_高考复习指南

2014届高考英语第一轮复习课时练习题24

　　As soon as the light in the bedroom went out, there was a big noise all through the farm buildings. Word had gone round during the day that old Major, the prize Middle White pig, had had a strange dream on the previous night and wished to communicate it to the other animals. It had been agreed that they should all meet in the big barn(谷仓) as soon as Mr.Jones was safely out of the way.Major lay on his bed of straw comfortably. He was twelve years old and had lately grown rather heavy, but he was still a nicelooking pig, with a wise and easygoing appearance. Before long the other animals began to arrive and make themselves comfortable after their different fashions. First came the three dogs, Bluebell, Jessie, and Pincher, and then the pigs, who settled down in the straw immediately beside Major. The two carthorses, Boxer and Clover, came in together, walking very slowly and setting down their vast hairy hoofs(蹄子) with great care for fear that there should be some small animals hidden in the straw. Clover was a motherly big horse approaching middle life, who had never quite got her figure back after her fourth kid.

　　Boxer was an enormous beast, nearly eighteen hands high, and as strong as any two ordinary horses put together. A white stripe down his nose gave him a somewhat stupid appearance, and in fact he was not of firstrate intelligence, but he was well respected for his steadiness of character and extraordinary abilities. After the horses came Benjamin, the donkey, Benjamin got angry easily. He seldom talked, and when he did, it was usually to make all such remarks—for instance, he would say that God had given him a tail to keep the flies off, but that he would rather have had no tail and no flies. Alone among the animals on the farm he never laughed. If asked why, he would say that he saw nothing to laugh at.