Nooneknowswherethephrase"Indiansummer"gotstarted,wearesurethatthephrasewaswellknownbytheyear1778,becauseCrevecoeur,anAmericanwriter,describeditlikethis:"ahardfrost(霜冻)followstheautumnrains.Thispreparesthegroundtoreceivethesnowsofwinter.Butbeforethesnowscome,theearthturnswarmonceagainandthereareafewdaysofsmokeandmildnesscalledIndiansummer."

ThereisastoryaboutIndiansummerthatgoesbacktotheveryfirstsettlersoftheNewWorld.Thefirstfrostmeantwinterwascoming.Snowwouldsoonfollow.

TheIndians,seeingthesettlerspreparingforwinter,toldthemnottohurry.Theweatherwouldturnwarmagain,mildbreezeswouldblowandtheskywouldturnsoftandsmoky.Andsoitdid.Thesunbecamehotter,andabrightwarmsmokeflowedoverthefieldsandwoods.Thesettlers,rememberingthewordsoftheIndians,calledthiswonderfulperiodIndiansummer.

ButtheIndianshavetheirownstoriesaboutthislateperiodofwarmweather.OneoftheirstoriesisaboutagodcalledShawondasee.

ShawondaseewasasadgodbecausehehadlosttheloveofatallandbeautifulIndianmaiden.ThesadandbeautifulstorycaughttheimaginationoftheAmericanpoetHenryWadsworthLongfellow.In1855heincludedthestoryofShawondaseeinhispoem"ThesongofHiawatha".

Thestorygoeslikethis:GodShawondasee,fatandlazy,livedunderthedreamyandnever-endingsouthernsun.Hesentbirdsandwildgeesetothenorth,aswellasmelonsandgrapes.Hesmokedabigpipe,andasthesmokerises,itfilledtheskywithdreamysoftness,gaveabrightshinetothewaterandbroughtthetenderIndiansummertothemelancholynorthland.

Thereissomethingaboutthisperiodofwarmweatherthatgivespeoplealiftandmakesthemfeelwarmandhappybeforethelongsnowsofwintercome.Whichseasondoes"Indiansummer"referto?

Whichofthefollowingbestdescribestheweatherofthisperiodoftime?

TheIndians'explanationtothisnaturalphenomenonisthatGodShawondasee_______.

Whatisthemeaningoftheunderlinedword"melancholy"?

A.Earlyspring.

B.Latesummer.

C.Mid-autumn.

D.Earlywinter.

A.Hotandhumid.

B.Warmandmild.