screamed and fainted(晕倒)．The other two boys jumped up with fright，staring at Tom.Suddenly，they burst out laughing.Some green swamp ivy(常春藤) had covered Tom's face.It was a while before Tom could appreciate the joke.

1．The underlined word "dare" in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to .

A．courage B．assistance

C．instruction D．challenge

答案　D

解析　词义猜测题。通过对上下文的理解可知，他们接受了Jack的挑战，而来到这片沼泽地。

2．Why did Jack tell Tom and Martin the story?

A．To frighten them.

B．To satisfy their curiosity.

C．To warn them of the danger of the place.

D．To persuade them to camp in the swamp.

答案　B

解析　细节理解题。由第二、四段可知，Martin和Tom对沼泽地名字的由来感到很好奇。

3．Why did Dennis ignore the warning of the old man?

A．The old man envied him.

B．The old man was foolish.

C．He was too busy to listen to others.

D．He was greedy for more crops.

答案　D

解析　细节理解题。根据"If I clear more land，I can grow more crops.I'll become wealthier.He's just jealous！"可知，Dennis认为，开垦更多的土地，就能种植更多的庄稼，他就会变得更加富有。因此，D项正确。

4．Why did Tom scream and faint?

A．He saw Dennis's shadow.

B．He was scared by a plant.

C．His friends played a joke on him.

D．The weather became extremely cold.