Buck’s first day in the frozen Northland was terrible. Every hour there was filled with shock and frightening surprise. Here was neither peace, nor rest, nor a moment’s safety—only endless noise and movement. At every moment life itself was in danger, because these dogs and men were not town dogs and men. They knew only the law of club and tooth.
Buck had never seen dogs fight like these dogs: they were like wolves. He learnt this from his friend, Curly. She tried to make friends with a big dog. But without warning, the dog jumped on Curly. Curly’s face was torn open from eye to mouth. And the fight did not finish then. More dogs ran up and made a circle around the fight, watching silently. Curly tried to attack the dog who had bitten her. He bit her a second time, and jumped away. When Curly tried to attack again, he knocked her backwards. And she fell on the ground. Curly never stood up, and this was what the other dogs were waiting for. In a moment, she was under a crowd of dogs. Then Francois and other men with clubs jumped in among the dogs. Soon the dogs were chased away. But Curly lay dead in the snow, her body torn almost to pieces. Curly’s death often came back to Buck in his dreams. He understood that once a dog was down on the ground, he was dead.
That night Buck discovered a problem. Where was he going to sleep? He found Francois was in the tent. Buck followed him quietly. But when he went in and wanted to sleep in the corner, Francois shouted angrily and beat him with a club. Buck ran out and walked around the tent, very, very cold, wondering what to do. Suddenly, the snow under his feet fell in, and he felt something move. He jumped back, waiting for the attack, but heard only a friendly bark. There, in a warm hole under the snow, was Billee. So he knew what he could do. ▲ . He slept well, although his dreams were bad.
In the north, Buck was learning the law of club and tooth. He learnt to eat any food—anything that he could get his teeth into. He learnt to break the ice on water holes with his feet when he wanted to drink. He learnt to travel through the forest and kill for meat with wild dogs. He was stronger, and could see and smell better than ever before. It was easy for him to learn to fight like a wolf, because it was in his blood.
31. Curly’s death made Buck realize ________ in the north.
①how terrible the new life was
②the secret of winning a friend
③how dangerous the men were
④the importance of fighting like wolves
32. Which of the following can be put in
▲ .
A.Buck slept outside the tent silently |
B.Buck lay on the snow and finally fell asleep |
C.Buck ran into the tent secretly and rested in the corner |
D.Buck dug himself a hole and soon was warm and asleep |
33. What’s the best title for the passage?
A.The way to be wild. | B.A cold world for dogs. |
C.The terrible days. | D.A clever dog. |