A．the iron remaining in it

　　B．the fungus in the tree

　　C．the groove in the bark

　　D．its own immune system

　　A　[推理判断题。根据倒数第二段中"The plant experts decided that it was the chain that saved the elm's life.They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the chain that it became immune to the fungus(真菌)．"可知，老榆树活下来是因为它吸收了大量的铁元素从而对真菌具有了免疫力，故答案为A。]

　　3．The underlined sentence"let nature take its course"means " "．

　　A．have nature give a lesson to the elm

　　B．help the elm grow normally

　　C．let nature take the elm away

　　D．leave the elm at the mercy of nature

　　D　[词义猜测题。从上下文可知，此处是让老榆树听从大自然的摆布，故答案为D。]

　　4．What is the best title for the text?

　　A．Never Lose Heart in Trouble

　　B．Strike While the Iron Is Hot

　　C．Stronger after Suffering

　　D．Brave to Face Failure

　　C　[主旨大意题。通读全文，可知文章主要讲了老榆树在遭遇磨难后，当自然灾难来临时，反而变得更坚强的故事。故答案为C。]

　　B

In a movie，a woman reads a storybook to her friend's daughter.As they approach the last page，she reads，"...and Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after."She closes the book and looks at the young girl，adding，"You know，things don't always happen like this in real life，I just think you should know that now."