It was the small hours of the morning when we reached London Airport. I
had cabled London from Amsterdam, and there was a hired car to meet, but there
was one more unfortunate happening before I reached my fiat. In all my travels I
have never, but for that once, been required by the British customs to open a
single bag or to do more than state that I carried no goods liable to duty. It
was, of course, my fault; the extreme tiredness and nervous tension of the
journey had destroyed my diplomacy. I was, for whichever reason, so tired that I
could hardly stand, and to the question, "have you read this?" I replied with
extreme foolishness, "Yes, hundreds of times. " "And you have
nothing to declare?" "Nothing. " "How long
have you been out of this country?" "About three months.
" "And during that time you have acquired nothing?"
"Nothing but what is on the list I have given you. " He
seemed momentarily at a loss, but then he attacked. The attack, when it came,
was utterly unexpected. "Where did you get that
watch?" I could have kicked myself. Two days ago, when playing
water games with a friend in the bath, I had forgotten to take off my ROLEX
OYSTER, and it had, not unnaturally, stopped. I had gone into the market and
bought, for twelve shillings and six pence, an ugly time piece that made a
strange noise. It had stopped twice, without any reason, during the
journey. I explained, but I had already lost face. I produced
my own watch from a pocket, and added that I should be grateful if he would
confiscate the replacement. "It is not a question of
confiscation," he said, "there is a fine for failing to declare dutiable goods.
And now may I please examine that Rolex?" It took another
quarter of an hour to persuade him that the Rolex was not contraband; then he
began to search my luggage.
单选题
When did the writer arrive at London airport?
A. In the early morning.
B. Late at night.
C. At noon.
D. Late in the morning.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。文章第一句话说“It was the small hours of the morning when we arrived at London Airport.”，这里的“small hours”意思是“凌晨”，可知作者是在凌晨到达。故选A。
单选题
What can we conclude from the questions asked by the customs officer?
A. He was just doing his duty by asking the passenger some usual
questions.