4．China produces 58，000 tons of silk each year．Yet one of the most popular silk companies in the world is Jim Thompson，a brand based in Thailand．
Thompson，a Delaware native，was trained to be an architect in the mid-1920s，but joined the United States army in the early 1940s in response to the rise of World War II． He was soon appointed to the Office of Strategic Services （ which eventually became the CIA） and traveled around the world，including Thailand，where he fell in love with the people and their country．
There were few hotels that accommodated international travelers in the capital of Bangkok，and Thompson thought that with the rise of leisure travel，the Far East would make an appealing destination for Westerners． Upon his discharge from the military in 1946，he returned to Thailand to start his own silk business．
At the time，silk was main y being produced in the northeast of Thailand，but due to the dullness of the collection process，silk production was on the decline． Thompson was determined to revive（振興） the business，so in 1947，he took a variety of silk thread～back to New York City to see if the product would be marketable to foreign consumers． He received a positive response9 so the Jim Thompson Silk Company was founded in 1948．
Jim Thompson is credited for reviving the silk industry．After the establishment of his company，silk costumes soon-appeared in Broadway plays and popular films such as Ben Hur，and Thai royalty，such as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit，began wearing silk often． Many also think his work contributed greatly to the Thai economy，since the silk industry continues to employ thousands of Thai citizens even today．
Jim Thompson's success is no mystery．'However，his disappearance on March 26，1967 certainly is one． Thompson made a trip to Malaysia to visit friends and one day，ventured into the jungle on an afternoon walk． He was never seen again despite search parties sent out by the Royal Army Air Corps and British troops． Many have their own theories on his disappearance，but none have been completely confirmed．
43． What conclusion can you make about silk since the Jim Thompson Silk Company's establishment？C
A． Siik has only been worn by royalty．
B． Silk has become harder to get．
C． Silk has become more popular．
D． Silk has become more expensive．
44．According to the passage，which of the following statements is NOT true about Thompson？D
A． His military service ended after World WarⅡ．
B． His disappearance remains a mystery．
C． He is the founder of Jim．Thompson．
D． He is a Thai American．
45．Which one of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word"credited"in paragraph 5？A
A． Honoured．
B． Sorry．
C． Accounted．
D． Blamed．
46．What is this passage mostly about？A
A． The revival of the silk industry．
B． The mysterious disappearance of Jim Thompson．
C． How the silk industry improved the Thai economy．
D． How Jim Thompson Silk Company came into being．
分析 本文主要講述了特拉華人Thompson在泰國建立絲綢公司，從而振興了絲綢工業(yè)的故事．文中首先介紹了Thompson的歷史背景，選擇泰國建立絲綢公司的原因以及該公司的成立所帶來的影響（使得絲綢服裝開始變得受歡迎，并且也帶動了泰國經濟的發(fā)展）；文章最后講到，Jim Thompson去馬來西亞看朋友時，離奇地消失在了灌木叢里．
解答 答案：43-46．CDAA
43．C 細節(jié)推理題 根據(jù)第五段"After the establishment of his company，silk costumes soon-appeared in Broadway plays and popular films such as Ben Hur，and Thai royalty，such as Her Majesty Queen Sirikit，began wearing silk often．在他的公司成立之后，絲綢服裝出現(xiàn)在了百老匯戲劇以及像《賓虛》這種受歡迎的電影中，泰國皇室，像詩麗吉王后也開始經常穿絲綢"可知，絲綢很受歡迎；故選C
44．D 細節(jié)理解題 根據(jù)第二段"Thompson，a Delaware native，…Thompson，特拉華本地人…"可知，Thompson是土生土長的美國特拉華州人，并不是泰籍美國人；故選D
45．A 詞義猜測題 根據(jù)第五段"reviving the silk industry"意為：振興絲綢工業(yè)；并結合本段的大意：Jim Thompson的公司成立之后，絲綢服裝開始受到歡迎；可推知，"Jim Thompson is credited for reviving the silk industry"意為：Jim Thompson的公司被贊譽為振興了絲綢工業(yè)；因此"credited"與"Honoured"都有"贊譽"的意思；故選A
46．A 主旨大意題 通讀全文可知，本文主要介紹了美國特拉華本地人在泰國建立絲綢公司，振興了絲綢工業(yè)的故事．因此"A． The revival of the silk industry．絲綢工業(yè)的振興"符合本文的意思；故選A
點評 做閱讀題時，首先要通讀全文，掌握文中大意，理清作者的寫作思路；然后針對短文后面的問題，通過細節(jié)閱讀，在文中相應段落找到或概括出正確答案；做好閱讀題，需要平時擴大課外閱讀，積累一些常識，例如本文提到的Thompson的出生地 Delaware，要知道它是美國的特拉華州；另外，還要積累足夠的詞匯量；這都將有利于增強對閱讀短文的正確理解．
