Whoever has made a voyage up the Hudson River must remember the Catskill Mountains. They are a branch of the great Appalachian family, and can be seen to the west rising up to a noble height and towering over the surrounding country. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their beautiful shapes on the clear evening sky, but sometimes when it is cloudless, gray steam gathers around the top of the mountains which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will shine and light up like a crown of glory(华丽的皇冠).
At the foot of these mountains, a traveler may see light smoke going up from a village.
In that village, and in one of the houses (which, to tell the exact truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years ago, a simple, good-natured fellow by the name of Rip Van Winkle.
Rip’s great weakness was a natural dislike of all kinds of money-making labor. It could not be from lack of diligence, for he could sit all day on a wet rock and fish without saying a word, even though he was not encouraged by a single bite. He would carry a gun on his shoulder for hours, walking through woods and fields to shoot a few birds or squirrels. He would never refuse to help a neighbor, even in the roughest work. The women of the village, too, used to employ him to do such little jobs as their less helpful husbands would not do for them. In a word, Rip was ready to attend to everybody’s business but his own.
If left to himself, he would have whistled life away in perfect satisfaction; but his wife was always mad at him for his idleness(懒散). Morning, noon, and night, her tongue was endlessly going, so that he was forced to escape to the outside of the house—the only side which, in truth, belongs to a henpecked husband.
21．Which of the following best describes the Catskill Mountains?
A. They are on the west of the Hudson River.
B. They are very high and beautiful in this area.
C. They can be seen from the Appalachian family.
D. They gather beautiful clouds in blue and purple.
22．The hero of the story is probably ______.
A. hard-working and likes all kinds of work
B. idle and hates all kinds of jobs
C. simple, idle but very dutiful
D. gentle, helpful but a little idle
23．The underlined words “henpecked husband” in the last paragraph probably means a man who _______.
A. likes hunting B. is afraid of hens
C. loves his wife D. is afraid of his wife
24．What would be the best title for the text?
A. Catskill Mountains. B. A Mountain Village.
C. Rip Van Winkle. D. A Dutiful Husband.