专题六 人物传记类
专项强化·训练
A
(2015湖南怀化一模)
In my first week as a graduate student at Cambridge University in 1964 I met with a fellow student,two years ahead of me in his studies;he was unsteady on his feet and spoke with great difficulty.This was Stephen Hawking.I learned that he had a bad disease and might not live long enough even to finish his PhD degree.
But,amazingly,he has reached the age of 73.Even mere survival would have been a medical miracle,but of course,he didn’t merely survive.He has become arguably the most famous scientist in the world for his brilliant research,for his bestselling books,and,above all,for his astonishing victory over hardship.
Stephen received his “death sentence” in 1964,when I thought it was hard for him to go on with his study.Stephen went from Albans School to Oxford University.He was said to be a “lazy” undergraduate,but his brilliance earned him a first-class degree,an “entry ticket” to a research career in Cambridge and a uniquely inspiring achievement.Within a few years of the burst of his disease he was wheelchair-bound,and his speech was so unclear that it could only be understood by those who knew him well.But his scientific career went from strength to strength:he quickly came up with a series of insights into the nature of black holes (then a very new idea) and how the universe began.In 1974 he was elected to the Royal Society at the exceptionally early age of 32.
The great advances in science generally involve discovering a link between phenomena that were previously conceptually unconnected—for instance,Isaac Newton realized that the force making an apple fall to earth was the same as the force that holds the moon and planets in their orbits.Stephen’s revolutionary idea about a link between gravity and quantum(量子) theory has still not been tested.However,it has been hugely influential;indeed,one of the main achievements of string theory(弦理论) has been to confirm and build on his idea.He has undoubtedly done more than anyone else since Einstein to improve our knowledge of gravity and he is one of the top-ten living theoretical physicists.
【语篇导读】本文主要介绍了当代著名的科学家:斯蒂芬·霍金。身患严重疾病的他早在1964年就被医学界判处死刑,能活到70多岁已经是一个奇迹,更何况还有那么多重大发现。难怪他能与牛顿、爱因斯坦等巨匠齐名。
1.What impressed the author most about Stephen Hawking?
A.His brilliant research.
B.His bestselling books.
C.His serious disease.
D.His defeating hardship.
解析:细节理解题。根据第二段中的“and,above all,for his astonishing victory over hardship.”可知令作者感受最深的是他能克服常人难以逾越的困难。选D项。
答案:D
2.What made Stephen Hawking start his research career at Cambridge?
A.His death sentence.
B.His “lazy” attitude.
C.His above-average talent and ability.
D.His rich experience.
解析:细节理解题。第三段中的“He was said to be a ‘lazy’ undergraduate,but his brilliance earned him a first-class degree...”意思是:有人说霍金是一个懒学生,但他的聪明让他成为班里的第一名。
答案:C
3.It can be inferred that Stephen Hawking was born .
A.in the early 1940s
B.in the late 1940s
C.in the early 1930s
D.in the late 1930s
解析:推理判断题。根据句子“In 1974 he was elected to the Royal Society at the exceptionally early age of 32.”可判断霍金出生于1941年。选A项。
答案:A
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.Hawking’s theory was proved years ago.
B.Hawking was not as successful as Newton.
C.String theory built on Hawking’s idea.
D.Hawking’s theory has had little influence on others.
解析:细节理解题。由最后一段句子“...indeed,one of the main achievements of string theory(弦理论) has been to confirm and build on his idea.”可知,霍金的理论帮助弦理论得到证实。C项正确。
答案:C
5.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.He achieved one success after another in his career despite his disease.
B.He couldn’t walk when the author first met him at Cambridge.
C.He not only survived his disease but contributed greatly to science.
D.He is among the greatest scientists to improve the knowledge of gravity.
解析:细节理解题。第一段句子“he was unsteady on his feet,...”告诉我们作者开始见到霍金的时候,他走路不稳,所以B项的表达是错误的。
答案:B
B
(2015安徽淮北二模)
They say that good wine needs no bush,but a TV show means that people now know Li Jian is a fine wine indeed.
On the reality show I Am a Singer 3,the 40-year-old singer-songwriter has been praised for his singing ability.On stage,Li sings quiet songs slowly and “rescues the program”,commented Cheng Zhenwei on People’s Daily Online.
Harbin-born Li has a clear and smooth voice,which he inherited(继承) from his Peking Opera singer father.And his shy nature has also earned him the nickname(绰号)“Poetic Musician”.“In my younger days,music was like therapy(疗法),” he said.Music was also the bridge that got him into Tsinghua University.In the 1990s,a group ShuimuNianhua,which Li formed with another Tsinghua student called Lu Gengxu,was one of the best groups of the type.But the pair went their separate ways in 2002.Li was tired of doing commercial performances.Also,he didn’t agree with their decision to change their style from folk to rock.Afterward,Li released(发行) several albums on his own.They were all in his own musical style.
Unlike some other musicians who release their songs quickly,Li took his time to write heartfelt music.“Writing songs is like collecting water in a cup.When the cup is full,the water comes out naturally,” he told China Daily.
For nearly ten years,he did very few interviews or concerts.His low-key life may well have continued if Wang Fei hadn’t sung his song,Legend,at 2010s CCTV Spring Festival Gala.Li said the song brought him out of his “cave” and back into spotlight:concerts and reality shows have been endless,including this year’s I Am a Singer.
【语篇导读】这是人物阅读。文章主要讲述了李健在舞台上取得成功的经历和成就。
6.According to the passage,what’s the implied meaning of the underlined sentence at the beginning?
A.Li Jian likes to drink the good wine in his spare time.
B.Li Jian is considered to be a good singer after participating in the TV show.
C.The audience recommended a place for Li Jian to buy the good and old wine.
D.Li Jian celebrated a success with the audience after taking part in the TV show.
解析:句意猜测题。根据文章第一段的“good wine needs no bush”酒香客自来,和第二段对李健的介绍可知李健被认为是参加电视表演秀的一名优秀歌唱演员。故选B项。
答案:B
7.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Li Jian’s singing ability and rock songs have left a deep impression on the people.
B.Nowadays,the group Shuimu Nianhua,is one of the best groups of the type in China.
C.Li Jian’s father preferred him to learn the Peking Opera rather than sing popular songs.
D.The song Legend attracted people’s attention to Li Jian,bringing him back to the stage.
解析:推理判断题。根据文章的第二段的第二句话排除A项;根据文章第三段的第四句话排除B项;通读全文文章没有暗示或说明李健的父亲更愿意让他学京剧而不是唱流行歌曲;根据文章最后一段的最后一句话可知歌曲《传奇》让人们关注李健,并将他带回到舞台上。故选D项。
答案:D
8.What can be inferred from the passage?
A.As for Li Jian,writing songs is a process of accumulating.
B.The pair ShuimuNianhua went separately due to lack of money.
C.Li has a clear and smooth voice so he can release songs quickly.
D.Music was one of the bridges that got him into Tsinghua University.
解析:推理判断题。根据文章第四段李健所说的话进行推断:对于李健来说,写歌词就是一个积累的过程。故选A项。
答案:A
9.Which of the following can best describe Li Jian?
A.Ambitious.B.Optimistic.
C.Aggressive. D.Talented.
解析:推理判断题。ambitious“有雄心的”;optimistic“乐观的”;aggressive“有暴力倾向的”;talented“有天赋的”。通读全文,特别是根据文章的第三段可推断李健很有天赋。故选D项。
答案:D
C
(2015北京东城一模)
Etymology,the study of words and word roots,may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small,dusty rooms.Yet etymologists actually have a uniquely interesting job.They are in many ways just like archaeologists(考古学家)digging up the physical history of people and events.The special aspect of etymology is that it digs up history,so to speak,through the words and phrases that are left behind.
The English language,in particular,is a great field to explore history through words.As a language,English has an extraordinary number of words.This is partly due to its ability to adapt foreign words so readily.For example,“English” words such as kindergarten (from German),croissant (from French),and cheetah (from Hindi) have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings.So English-language etymologists have a vast world of words to explore.
Another enjoyable thing about etymology for most word experts is solving word mysteries.No,etymologists do not go around solving murders,like the great detective Sherlock Holmes.What these word experts solve are mysterious origins of some of our most common words.
One of the biggest questions English language experts have pursued is how English came to have the phrase OK.Though it is one of the most commonly used expressions,its exact beginning is a puzzle even to this day.Even its spelling is not entirely consistent—unless you spell it Okay,it is hard even to call it a word.
Etymologists have been able to narrow OK’s origin down to a likely,although not certain,source.It became widely used around the time of Martin Van Buren’s run for president in 1840.His nickname was Old Kinderhook.What troubles word experts about this explanation is that the phrase appeared in some newspapers before Van Buren became well known.It is likely that Van Buren could be called its primary source.Etymologists will doubtlessly keep searching for the initial source.However,it is clear that OK’s popularity and reputation have topped those of the American president to whom it has been most clearly linked.
【语篇导读】本文是语言知识文章阅读。本文主要告诉我们英语单词或词根给人们带来学习语言的快乐。
10.The author mentions the words like “croissant” in Paragraph 2 to indicate .
A.words have changed a lot in the two languages
B.what English-language etymologists are exploring now
C.English has absorbed many words from other foreign languages
D.the English vocabulary is difficult to the non-English-speaking people
解析:词义推测题。A项“在两种语言中话语已经改变了很多”;B项“现在英文词源学者正在开发的东西”;C项“英语已经引进了许多的外来语言的单词”;D项“对于不说英语的人们来说英语词汇很难”。根据文章的第二段的“...have become part of the language with little or no change from their original sounds and spellings.”可知英语已经引进了太多的外来词。故选C项。
答案:C
11.The underlined word “pursued” in Paragraph 4 means .
A.looked upon B.dug up
C.put in D.set down
解析:词义推测题。look upon“看作”;dig up“挖掘”;put in“插进”;set down“放下”。根据“One of the biggest questions English language experts...”语言专家挖掘的最大问题之一是……。故选B项。
答案:B
12.We can learn from the passage that etymologists .
A.discover the possible origin of words
B.help detectives to solve mysterious murders
C.write interesting stories for some newspapers
D.explore the English language as well as the recent events
解析:推理判断题。根据文章最后一段的第一句话“Etymologists have been able to narrow OK’s origin down to a likely,although not certain,source.”和文章的第一句话“Etymology,the study of words and word roots,may sound like the kind of thing done by boring librarians in small,dusty rooms.”可知语言学家发现词汇的来源。故选A项。
答案:A
13.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To present the history of English words.
B.To explain the procedure of an etymologist’s job.
C.To introduce the pleasure of the study of words and word roots.
D.To teach readers how to distinguish English and non-English words.
解析:主旨大意题。通读全文,并根据第二、三、四、五段可知文章主要是介绍学习单词和词根的快乐。故选C项。
答案:C