D
[2026 南通市张謇第一初级中学期中]“Look! Letters from Leo! Granny will be excited!” Mum said.
Andy turned toward his mother. “Leo?”
“Granny's oldest and favourite brother. He made her a special box. It sits beside the window but it was locked because the key was lost for a long time. Now about those letters . . . Granny will want them.”
Andy picked up that special box and letters, and then took them to the kitchen. “What did you put in the box, Granny?” Andy asked.
“Nothing! I knew Leo would join the army(军队) soon. Just before he left, he locked my box and hid the key. He said he'd invented a word game for me and told me he'd send clues(线索). We got letters but not one clue. Leo's final letter arrived after we heard the heart-breaking news. Mother was so sad. She tore(撕) it in half.”
Granny watched Andy spread the letters on the table. She whispered, “I always thought Mother threw away all of Leo's letters.”
Andy pointed at one letter in two pieces. “This must be the last letter Leo sent home.” Granny picked up one half of the letter, and read, “Dearest Sister . . .”
“Leo did send clues. Let's tape the halves together,” Andy said. Andy read, “Ewe reed four make?”
“Nonsense words,” Granny said.
Andy looked at the paper and said, “Wait! If we read down, in columns(列), not rows.” He read the words one by one, “You need to read this aloud to understand it better.”
Granny's eyes opened wide. “Leo was using homophones(同音异形词)!” She began to read, “Go to the room where we ate.
See the flower like the sun?” Granny smiled. “The dining room is where we ate. The painting of a sunflower.”
Andy was on his way. In a few seconds, he returned, carrying the painting. They discovered another clue printed in light pencil on the back. Andy read, “Look above the hole where rain does not come down. See the broken time piece? There! Inside! ”
He ran to the fireplace and then gave the clock to Granny. “This clock has never kept time.” Granny opened the clock's small glass door and reached inside. “All those years. It's been right here.” She opened the box with the key and looked into it.
There is a photo of a girl and her big brother. On the back of the photo was printed: I KNEW you'd worked it out. Use this box for all your special treasures. Love, Leo.
Granny gently put the photo and the letters inside the box. “My treasures,” she said.
(
B
)37. How may the underlined words “See the flower like the sun” be shown in the letter?
(
C
)38. When Granny said “Nonsense words”, she most probably felt
.
A. lucky
B. patient
C. hopeless
D. glad
(
A
)39. What's the correct order of the following events?
a. Leo locked the box and hid the key.
b. Andy read letters from Leo with Granny.
c. Leo sent clues to Granny in his letters.
d. Granny put something important in the box.
e. Leo's mum tore his last letter into two halves.
A. a-c-e-b-d
B. d-a-c-e-b
C. a-c-b-e-d
D. d-a-c-b-e
(
C
)40. What is the best title for this story?
A. Granny's favourite brother
B. Ways to find treasures
C. Letters from Leo
D. Leo's life in the army
