the cars. We were afraid they would get stuck in the mud.

　　Eventually, we located the mine near the top of the mountain. There was a very small hole, running about two or three hundred feet into the mountainside. The passage (通道) was so narrow that we could touch both sides with our hands, and not tall enough to allow us to stand up straight. The first boy held the torch; we took hold of the backs of each other's coats, in a line, and followed him in, ducking our heads. After getting in, we were disappointed because it was not the mine our teacher was looking for.

　　The rain was coming down hard as we started back to the cars to go home. Back at Deary, we went into a drugstore and stood around its big heating stove to dry out. The clerk was a middle­aged lady. Seeing our entirely wet hair and clothes, she handed each of us a cup of hot water immediately and asked if there was anything wrong with any of us.

　　Hiking eight miles in the rain had not reduced our interest at all. We all felt we had had a wonderful time, even if we didn't find the mine.

　　【语篇解读】　本文是一篇记叙文，主要讲述了作者的老师带领全班同学进行了一次户外寻矿活动。

　　1．Why did the class leave the cars halfway?

　　A．Because their cars broke down in Deary.

　　B．Because it was not easy to drive in the mud.

　　C．Because townsmen were curious about their cars.

　　D．Because the store owner gave them a wrong direction.

　　答案与解析：B　细节理解题。根据第二段的"We were afraid they would get stuck in the mud."可知，下雨天路上全是泥，开车很困难，他们担心车陷在泥里。

　　2．What does the underlined word "ducking" in Paragraph 3 mean?

　　A．Turning. B．Touching.

　　C．Lowering. D．Hitting.

答案与解析：C　词义猜测题。根据第三段的"The passage was... not tall enough to allow us to stand up straight."可知，通道不够高，他们不能抬头，只能猫着腰，"低"头前进。