《2026年江苏13大市中考名卷优选38套英语》

D
I was travelling on a British ship from India to
London in 1905. Among all the passengers, no one
would fail to notice Padishah, an Indian
businessman. From the moment he got on the ship,
he kept showing off the diamond on his turban. The
big diamond successfully attracted attention,
including that of the five ostriches on the deck.
One morning, as Padishah passed by the
ostriches, one swallowed his diamond suddenly.
The bird ran around and mixed itself with the others
in no time.
"Whose are these stupid ostriches? I want my
diamond back!" Padishah shouted angrily. People
began to crowd on the deck. I was among the first to
arrive. I didn't feel half sorry for the man as he was
asking everyone what to do for the diamond's
return.
Word swept across the ship about the accident,
reaching a man named Potter. After lunch in the
hall, Potter went to Padishah and claimed, "I've
contacted the ostriches' owner in London. He
accepted my offer for all five and now I am the
owner. I have the right to keep the birds and the
diamond inside." I thought Potter was rather smart
and regretted deeply at a lost chance.
Padishah was so upset and blurted, "There's no
way you can get my diamond." He continued as he
got calmer, "I can offer you 100 pounds for the
birds." Potter simply refused and left.
After a while, Potter came back to the hall with
a sly smile. He announced that he wanted to sell
four birds separately to separate people by auction
(拍卖). The starting price was 80 for a bird. One of
them, he would keep for himself.
Before the crowd realized what was happening,
a diamond businessman got one bird for 100 pounds.
The prices for the following birds rose higher and
higher. After the fourth being sold, Padishah got
half mad, not knowing what to do. Potter seemed
suddenly sorry and said, "I should have kept them
all. But... Trust me! The last bird must be
the one."
I stared at the last bird for quite a while and
asked Potter for a private conversation. After a long
talk, I finally got the bird for 700 pounds. B
The next morning, I was waiting in line to get
off the ship, picturing the amazing future life in
mind. Then, I saw Padishah and Potter walk arm in
arm on the shore, just like old friends. At that
moment, I learnt a lesson worth a diamond.
36. What happened to Padishah on the deck?
A. He was hurt by a passenger.
B. He failed to get others' attention.
C. People shouted angrily at him.
D. An ostrich took away his diamond.
37. Potter came back to the hall to C.
A. say sorry to Padishah
B. tell people he was the new owner
C. sell ostriches at high price
D. talk with the diamond businessman
38. Which of the following can be put into in
Paragraph 8?
A. How worried I was!
B. What a great deal it was!
C. How upset Padishah was!
D. What an honest man Potter was!
39. What does the writer mean by the last sentence
in the last paragraph?
A. He found showing off the diamond led to the
loss of his money.
B. He realized the friendship between Padishah
and Potter was valuable.
C. He understood the diamond was finally found
in the ostrich he bought.
D. He learned that he had been tricked and the
experience cost him dearly.
40. What is the best title for this story?
A. A Cheating Diamond Trick
B. Padishah's Regretful Journey
C. The Diamond in the Ostrich
D. A Smart Business Deal on the Ship

答案： 36.D 细节理解。根据第二段中“as Padishah passed by the ostriches，one swallowed his diamond suddenly”可知，Padishah在甲板上时，一只鸵鸟突然吞掉了他头巾上的钻石。 37.C 细节理解。根据倒数第四段中“After a while，Potter came back to the hall with a sly smile. He announced that he wanted to sell four birds separately to separate people by auction.”可知，Potter回到大厅是为了通过拍卖高价出售四只鸵鸟。 38.B 推理判断。根据倒数第二段可知，作者认为钻石在最后一只鸵鸟的肚子里，于是花了700英镑买下了最后一只鸵鸟，认为自己做了一笔划算的交易，B项符合语境。 39.D 推理判断。根据最后一段可知，作者看到Padishah和Potter像老朋友一样一起下船，意识到自己被欺骗了，这次经历让他付出了沉重的代价。 40.A 标题归纳。根据文章内容可知，故事围绕被鸵鸟吃进肚子的钻石展开，A项“一个钻石骗局”最适合做文章标题。