Is Adelbert Gruner really a murderer as Sherlock Holmes suspects? Fans of the great detective will be able to find out by reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original version of the Holmes story The Adventure of the Illustrious Client. His manuscript will be displayed for the first time, in a major new exhibition opening next month at the Museum of London.

The manuscript was left to the Scottish nation in the will of Conan Doyle’s daughter, yet was held in a vault at Coutts bank in London, out of public view, for many years while Scottish museums competed for the honor of displaying it.

After the author’s death in 1930, the manuscript was inherited by his daughter, Dame Jean Conan Doyle (Lady Bromet), who died at the age of 84 in 1997. One of the terms of her will was that a Holmes manuscript from her collection should be chosen and given to, in her lawyer’s words, “a museum in Edinburgh”. Conan Doyle studied medicine in Edinburgh and is thought to have based his detective in part on the lecturer Dr Joseph Bell, whom he met in 1877.

Written in 1924, and published in 1927, the story The Adventure of the Illustrious Client tells how the detective saved a young Englishwoman from a potentially deadly marriage. It appeared in the last Holmes collection, containing 12 short stories, entitled The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes.

Alex Werner, who is in charge of the new Sherlock Holmes exhibition, said: “One of the central themes of the exhibition is that Sherlock Holmes is immortal and all attempts to kill him fail. The manuscript shows a violent attempt to kill Sherlock Holmes. Dr Watson learns of the 'murderous attack' from a newspaper poster near Charing Cross station.”

The worldwide popularity of BBC1’s Sherlock drama, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman, is expected to create the greatest interest in the exhibition when it opens its doors on 17 October.

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1.What is mainly discussed in the passage?

A Holmes fans will find out if Adelbert Gruner is the murderer.

B Sherlock Holmes suspected that Adelbert Gruner was a murderer.

C Many people are attracted by The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.

D Conan Doyle’s manuscript will be displayed at the Museum of London.

解析：选D。D 主旨大意题。本文第一段是文章的主题段落，介绍了本文的主要内容：柯南•道尔的《显赫的主顾》手稿将在伦敦博物馆展出。

2.What was the will of Conan Doyle’s daughter?

A The manuscript must be kept in a vault at Coutts bank in London.

B A Conan Doyle’s manuscript should be given to a museum in Edinburgh.

C A Conan Doyle’s manuscript should be displayed in the Museum of London.

D Scottish museums also have the right to display Conan Doyle’s manuscript.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第三段…her will was that a Holmes manuscript…given to… “a museum in Edinburgh”可知，Jean Conan Doyle的遗嘱是将柯南道尔的一份书稿捐赠给爱丁堡的博物馆。

3.What can we infer from the passage?

A Dr Joseph Bell had something in common with Sherlock Holmes.

B Dr Joseph Bell was the best medicine teacher in Edinburgh.

C Fans showed great concern to where the manuscript was kept.

D Holmes stories have been turned into drama by BBC 1.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据文章第三段based his detective in part on the lecturer Dr Joseph Bell可知，柯南道尔是根据约瑟夫医生创作福尔摩斯这个人物形象的，因此判断，福尔摩斯与约瑟夫医生一定有着某种共同点。

4.What is the content of The Adventure of the Illustrious Client?

A A newspaper poster gave away that Holmes would be in danger.

B The rivals attempted to kill Sherlock Holmes but in vain.

C Holmes saved a young woman from a would-be dangerous marriage.

D Holmes faced murderous attack and managed to survive.

解析：选C。C 细节理解题。根据文章第四段…tells how the detective saved a young Englishwoman from a potentially deadly marriage可知，《显赫的主顾》讲述的是福尔摩斯帮助年轻的英国女郎摆脱危险婚姻的故事。

5.What does the underlined word most probably mean in Paragraph Five?

A Too powerful to die.

B Being in a dangerous situation.

C Able to accept any challenge.

D Clever enough to stay safe.

解析：选A。A 猜测词义题。根据…all attempts to kill him fail，结合福尔摩斯的睿智和勇敢精神判断，immortal意为“不死的，不朽的”。