Lesson 18 A Young Detective’s Adventures: The Mystery

1. Distant Education College, Jilin University Lesson 18A Young Detective’s Adventures:The Mystery 1.Text Analysis 2.Exercises 3.Questions For Discussion Extensive Reading II

2. Distant Education College, Jilin University Exercises 1. True/False Questions 2. Multiple-choice Questions Return

3. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 1.The blind girl thought Smith had no ability to solve the mysterious deaths. 2.Smith thought what the girl said about poisonous plants suggested that the second wife of Mr. Fitch died from food poisoning. 3.Smith didn’t want to spend another night in Mr. Fitch’s house because he wanted to tell Chief Hutch what had happened there as soon as possible. 4.Amelia felt extremely guilty when her father died and she nearly killed herself. Answer

4. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 1.The blind girl thought Smith had no ability to solve the mysterious deaths. T 2.Smith thought what the girl said about poisonous plants suggested that the second wife of Mr. Fitch died from food poisoning. 3.Smith didn’t want to spend another night in Mr. Fitch’s house because he wanted to tell Chief Hutch what had happened there as soon as possible. 4.Amelia felt extremely guilty when her father died and she nearly killed herself. Answer

5. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 1.The blind girl thought Smith had no ability to solve the mysterious deaths. T 2.Smith thought what the girl said about poisonous plants suggested that the second wife of Mr. Fitch died from food poisoning. T 3.Smith didn’t want to spend another night in Mr. Fitch’s house because he wanted to tell Chief Hutch what had happened there as soon as possible. 4.Amelia felt extremely guilty when her father died and she nearly killed herself. Answer

6. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 1.The blind girl thought Smith had no ability to solve the mysterious deaths. T 2.Smith thought what the girl said about poisonous plants suggested that the second wife of Mr. Fitch died from food poisoning. T 3.Smith didn’t want to spend another night in Mr. Fitch’s house because he wanted to tell Chief Hutch what had happened there as soon as possible. F 4.Amelia felt extremely guilty when her father died and she nearly killed herself. Answer

7. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 1.The blind girl thought Smith had no ability to solve the mysterious deaths. T 2.Smith thought what the girl said about poisonous plants suggested that the second wife of Mr. Fitch died from food poisoning. T 3.Smith didn’t want to spend another night in Mr. Fitch’s house because he wanted to tell Chief Hutch what had happened there as soon as possible. F 4.Amelia felt extremely guilty when her father died and she nearly killed herself. T More

8. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 5.Amelia was forbidden by her father’s will to live together with her husband, so she had to live alone on the hill. 6.Mrs. Munsing could solve the mystery if there was not a police investigation. 7.Amelia had to tell Smith the truth in order to prevent further police investigations. 8. Smith investigated the daughter first. The girl was blind and she kept many poisonous plants in her garden. Answer

9. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 5.Amelia was forbidden by her father’s will to live together with her husband, so she had to live alone on the hill. T 6.Mrs. Munsing could solve the mystery if there was not a police investigation. 7.Amelia had to tell Smith the truth in order to prevent further police investigations. 8. Smith investigated the daughter first. The girl was blind and she kept many poisonous plants in her garden. Answer

10. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 5.Amelia was forbidden by her father’s will to live together with her husband, so she had to live alone on the hill. T 6.Mrs. Munsing could solve the mystery if there was not a police investigation. F 7.Amelia had to tell Smith the truth in order to prevent further police investigations. 8. Smith investigated the daughter first. The girl was blind and she kept many poisonous plants in her garden. Answer

11. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 5.Amelia was forbidden by her father’s will to live together with her husband, so she had to live alone on the hill. T 6.Mrs. Munsing could solve the mystery if there was not a police investigation. F 7.Amelia had to tell Smith the truth in order to prevent further police investigations. T 8. Smith investigated the daughter first. The girl was blind and she kept many poisonous plants in her garden. Answer

12. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 5.Amelia was forbidden by her father’s will to live together with her husband, so she had to live alone on the hill. T 6.Mrs. Munsing could solve the mystery if there was not a police investigation. F 7.Amelia had to tell Smith the truth in order to prevent further police investigations. T 8. Smith investigated the daughter first. The girl was blind and she kept many poisonous plants in her garden. T More

13. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 9.From their talk, Smith learned that the girl hated her stepmothers. 10.Smith was anxious to report to his chief. He was sure that the two women were murdered by the daughter and Mrs. Munsing. 11.Mr. Fitch married Amelia for her wealth and deserted her after he used up her money. 12.Amelia told Smith in her letter the facts about the deaths of the three Mrs. Fitches. 13. The Police Chief did not want to offend people who had more power than he had. Answer

14. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 9.From their talk, Smith learned that the girl hated her stepmothers. T 10.Smith was anxious to report to his chief. He was sure that the two women were murdered by the daughter and Mrs. Munsing. 11.Mr. Fitch married Amelia for her wealth and deserted her after he used up her money. 12.Amelia told Smith in her letter the facts about the deaths of the three Mrs. Fitches. 13. The Police Chief did not want to offend people who had more power than he had. Answer

15. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 9.From their talk, Smith learned that the girl hated her stepmothers. T 10.Smith was anxious to report to his chief. He was sure that the two women were murdered by the daughter and Mrs. Munsing. F 11.Mr. Fitch married Amelia for her wealth and deserted her after he used up her money. 12.Amelia told Smith in her letter the facts about the deaths of the three Mrs. Fitches. 13. The Police Chief did not want to offend people who had more power than he had. Answer

16. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 9.From their talk, Smith learned that the girl hated her stepmothers. T 10.Smith was anxious to report to his chief. He was sure that the two women were murdered by the daughter and Mrs. Munsing. F 11.Mr. Fitch married Amelia for her wealth and deserted her after he used up her money. F 12.Amelia told Smith in her letter the facts about the deaths of the three Mrs. Fitches. 13. The Police Chief did not want to offend people who had more power than he had. Answer

17. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 9.From their talk, Smith learned that the girl hated her stepmothers. T 10.Smith was anxious to report to his chief. He was sure that the two women were murdered by the daughter and Mrs. Munsing. F 11.Mr. Fitch married Amelia for her wealth and deserted her after he used up her money. F 12.Amelia told Smith in her letter the facts about the deaths of the three Mrs. Fitches. T 13. The Police Chief did not want to offend people who had more power than he had. Answer

18. Distant Education College, Jilin University True/False Questions 9.From their talk, Smith learned that the girl hated her stepmothers. T 10.Smith was anxious to report to his chief. He was sure that the two women were murdered by the daughter and Mrs. Munsing. F 11.Mr. Fitch married Amelia for her wealth and deserted her after he used up her money. F 12.Amelia told Smith in her letter the facts about the deaths of the three Mrs. Fitches. T 13. The Police Chief did not want to offend people who had more power than he had. T Return

19. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 1.“She looked right at me, or I should say right through me.” From this sentence we learned that ______. A)she knew what Smith was thinking B)she was blind C)she looked directly into the eyes of Smith D)she recognized Smith immediately Answer

20. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 1.“She looked right at me, or I should say right through me.” From this sentence we learned that ______. B A)she knew what Smith was thinking B)she was blind C)she looked directly into the eyes of Smith D)she recognized Smith immediately More

21. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 2.The girl, born of Fitch’s _______ wife, _______. A)first, was long-sighted B)second, had poor vision C)third, was blind D)first, lost her sight Answer

22. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 2.The girl, born of Fitch’s _______ wife, _______. D A)first, was long-sighted B)second, had poor vision C)third, was blind D)first, lost her sight More

23. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 3.In the opinion of the blind girl, those other women her father married _______. A)did not belong to the Fitch family and died outside the hill B)died easily like a weed taken away by the wind C)did not die accidentally but were killed on purpose D)were fated to die Answer

24. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 3.In the opinion of the blind girl, those other women her father married _______. D A)did not belong to the Fitch family and died outside the hill B)died easily like a weed taken away by the wind C)did not die accidentally but were killed on purpose D)were fated to die More

25. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 4.Before Smith read the letter from Amelia, he ________. A)discussed a lot of things about the Fitches with the Chief B)was interested to continue the investigation C)was unable to figure out who was the killer D)was at a loss as to what to do Answer

26. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 4.Before Smith read the letter from Amelia, he ________. C A)discussed a lot of things about the Fitches with the Chief B)was interested to continue the investigation C)was unable to figure out who was the killer D)was at a loss as to what to do More

27. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 5.“We could never take such a crazy person into our confidence.” This sentence implies that _____. A)they couldn’t believe what Munsing said because she was very stupid B)Munsing was easily confused and probably would have misunderstood the truth about the Fitch family C)they would like to tell Munsing the truth of the mystery but she was too foolish D)Munsing was insane and therefore could not be trusted Answer

28. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 5.“We could never take such a crazy person into our confidence.” This sentence implies that _____. B A)they couldn’t believe what Munsing said because she was very stupid B)Munsing was easily confused and probably would have misunderstood the truth about the Fitch family C)they would like to tell Munsing the truth of the mystery but she was too foolish D)Munsing was insane and therefore could not be trusted More

29. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 6.“We had not counted on your cleverness, however.” These words showed that Amelia ______. A)thought Smith was very clever and had worked out who the killer was B)didn’t think that Smith had the ability to solve the mysterious deaths C)knew very clearly about Smith’s methods and ideas concerning the investigation D)had not expected to meet such a skillful investigator Answer

30. Distant Education College, Jilin University Multiple-choice Questions 6.“We had not counted on your cleverness, however.” These words showed that Amelia ______. D A)thought Smith was very clever and had worked out who the killer was B)didn’t think that Smith had the ability to solve the mysterious deaths C)knew very clearly about Smith’s methods and ideas concerning the investigation D)had not expected to meet such a skillful investigator Return

31. Distant Education College, Jilin University Questions for Discussion 1.What do you think of Amelia’s letter? Did she tell the truth? Please explain your answer. 2.Do you think the deaths of the second and the third Mrs. Fitches were accidental? Could the daughter have murdered both of them? Or were their deaths a cooperative effort between mother and daughter? 3.What would you do if you were Smith? Would you arrest the mother and daughter on suspicion of murder? Would you arrest Mr. Fitch for the crime of having more than one wife at the same time? Or would you drop the case? Return

32. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis My balcony looked directly onto the garden, and I saw a young woman I hadn’t seen before on the porch. She was tending the plants and carefully and slowly touching each one. That must be the daughter, I thought; at the same time, I made my decision to start my investigation with her. The house was quiet as I passed through the halls and found the door that opened onto the garden. As I approached the garden, the girl looked up quickly and said in a frightened voice, “Who’s there? Who’s there?” She looked right at me, or I should say right through me. Next

33. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis “My name is Dwight Smith. I’m a guest of your father.” “You must be with the police,” she said. “My father said someone was coming to investigate.” She turned back to her plants. “I didn’t recognize your step and you frightened me. But now I will know it, and you won’t be able to surprise me anymore. You may ask me questions if you want. I know all about police investigations. I have listened to a lot of stories about famous detectives. Dwight Smith is such a common name though. It won’t sound very romantic in the newspapers when they write about all the famous crimes that you solve.” Previous Next

34. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis I laughed and said I didn’t expect to find many crimes in Flagstaff. “Then why are you here? You don’t believe that these women whom my father married really died an accidental death, do you?” She didn’t wait for an answer. I think she had already lost any faith she had in me. “Nothing on earth is an accident. My blindness is not an accident. These plants are not an accident. Those women my father married were not part of this hill. They were not part of the scheme of things; it was obvious they had to be taken away, like a weed in a garden.” Previous Next

35. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis “This has a beautiful flower,” I said, hoping to express my interest in the garden when I really wanted to hear more about this blind girl’s hatred of the two intruders, her stepmothers. “Where? Let me feel. Yes, it may be beautiful. It has a very delicate smell. But it’s very poisonous, you know.” “Why do you have poisonous plants in your garden?” “Oh, I have lots of them. Sometimes the most beautiful, innocent flower is deadly. Can you see the foxglove there?” She pointed toward some tall plants with purple flowers. Previous Next

36. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis I began to think about the second wife, who died from food poisoning. I looked around the garden to see if there were any other dangerous plants I could recognize. From the porch, Ms. Ryan was calling for us to come in to tea. Previous Next

37. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis I did not sleep well that night. I listened to every sound. And there were lots of them. I decided I would not spend another night in that house. I planned to finish my investigation and leave that morning. I would let the Chief figure out who killed the wives. But I knew he didn’t really want to know. Nobody wanted to know. And maybe they weren’t murdered. It all could have been accidental: a missing plane, food poisoning, a fall. But what if someone fixed the motor of the plane so it would malfunction at a certain point; what if someone put some poisonous leaves in the food; what if the third wife was pushed off the cliff rather than fell? Did the same person kill all three? Or was the first an accident and the second two murders? Were the last two wives killed by one person or by two different people? Previous Next

38. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis I left the Fitch house without saying thank you to my hosts. I ran down the hill and stopped a passing car. I had a lot to tell the Chief. I wondered how much he already knew. The car that picked me up stopped in front of the police station; inside I was told the Chief was away for a few days. My tale would have to wait. I spent the afternoon at my desk trying to piece the story together. At five o’clock, I had finished my report and returned to Mrs. Johnson’s house. It was just like being home with my mother again. She handed me a letter that had been delivered by hand in the afternoon. Previous Next

39. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis Dear Mr. Smith, We always had such a quiet life on the hill. When my father was alive, he never allowed visitors. Darjo was the only person my father had confidence in; he never had any in me. Nor in my choice of a husband. When he died of a heart attack after my marriage, I blamed myself and was overcome with guilt. I would have killed myself, but I had a little daughter to take care of and a husband I loved. To keep the land and the money, my husband and I were prohibited by my father’s will from living together. It seemed that the only way to provide for my daughter and husband and still stay close to the land I loved was to “disappear.” Small plane crashes are very convenient. Previous Next

40. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis It was a very difficult life for both my husband and me. Fortunately I had the comfort of the good Sisters of the Valley who sheltered me. I never had to worry about their talking to someone about me. My husband was not a good businessman, as my father had suspected. He began to lose our fortune, and we were faced with selling the land I loved and perhaps separation. I reluctantly agreed to his plan to marry a wealthy woman. That plan was helped along by the efforts of Ms. Ryan, a very capable woman who was my best friend in school. Previous Next

41. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis One wife led to another, and you know the rest. What you don’t know is: how did those women die? And why did we call the police in? Mrs. Munsing was letting her suspicions run in unpleasant directions, and we could never take such a crazy person into our confidence. We thought we could appease her with a police investigation. We felt safe leaving the investigation to our local police; we had not counted on your cleverness, however. The Chief of Police is a kind soul, but not very intelligent. He was more concerned with keeping my husband’s goodwill than in doing his duty. Besides the deaths were accidental in a manner of speaking. Previous Next

42. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis Mrs. Munsing herself killed the second Mrs. Fitch, but only by her own stupidity. She mistakenly used the leaves of a poisonous plant instead of mint in the lemonade she gave the second Mrs. Fitch. But was that her fault really? I grew the plant and my blind girl picked the leaves and gave them to Mrs. Munsing. The rest was fate. The death of the third Mrs. Fitch was fate as well. She became frightened when she saw me coming toward her down the narrow cliff path. She took an unfortunate step backwards and fell off the cliff. Could I really be to blame? Previous Next

43. Distant Education College, Jilin University Text Analysis I’m sorry we won’t be able to answer any more of your questions. You got more information than you need, anyway. We wish you every possible success in Flagstaff. Warmly, Amelia Fitch From The great Preposition Mystery, ed., Lin Lougheed, Washington, D.C., 1981. Approximately 1,200 words. Previous Return

44. Distant Education College, Jilin University balcony [5bAlkEnI] n.阳台=a platform that projects from the wall of a building and is surrounded by a railing, balustrade, or parapete.g. Xiao Wang does morning exercises in his balcony every day.每天小王都在阳台上做早操。 Words to Know Return

45. Distant Education College, Jilin University tend [tend] vt.照料，看护=take care ofe.g. Peter will tend the store while his father is away.父亲不在时彼德负责看店。 Words to Know Return

46. Distant Education College, Jilin University solve [sRlv] vt.解释，解答=find a solution toe.g. Can you solve the riddle?你能解开这个谜吗？ Words to Know Return

47. Distant Education College, Jilin University romantic [rE5mAntIk] a.传奇式的=relating to, or characteristic of romancee.g. Robinson Crusoe’s romantic adventures became the bedside stories of thousands of children round the world.罗宾逊•克鲁索传奇式的冒险成为全世界成千上万孩子的床边故事。 Words to Know Return

48. Distant Education College, Jilin University scheme [ski:m] n.计划，方案=a systematic plan of actione.g. He thought of a scheme to get some money. 他想出了一个弄钱的方案。the scheme of things （事物的）格局e.g. It seemed that the scheme of things had been set even before we started.看起来事物的格局在我们开始之前就确定了。 Useful Phrases and Expressions Return

49. Distant Education College, Jilin University intruder [In5tru:dE] n.闯入者，入侵者=the person who comes in rudely or inappropriatelye.g. Any intruder of the private land will be sent to the police.私人土地上的任何闯入者将被送交警方。 Words to Know Return

50. Distant Education College, Jilin University delicate [5delikit] a.（气味）清淡的=pleasing to the senses, especially in a subtle waye.g. Since I often have a stomachache, I prefer delicate food.因为我经常胃痛，所以我喜欢清淡的食物。 Words to Know Return