五年高考（2011-2015）英语试题分项精解：专题24 阅读理解之人物传记类（原卷版）

　　精品5年高考分类精编之专题24 阅读理解之人物传记类

　　2015年人物传记

　　【2015·新课标全国I】C

　　Salvador Dali (1904-1989) was one of the most popular of modern artists. The Pompidou Centre in Paris is showing its respect and admiration for the artist and his powerful personality with an exhibition bringing together over 200 paintings, sculptures, drawings and more. Among the works and masterworks on exhibition the visitor will find the best pieces, most importantly The Persistence of Memory. There is also L’Enigme sans Fin from 1938, works on paper, objects, and projects for stage and screen and selected parts from television programmes reflecting the artist’s showman qualities.

　　The visitor will enter the World of Dali through an egg and is met with the beginning, the world of birth. The exhibition follows a path of time and subject with the visitor exiting through the brain.

　　The exhibition shows how Dali draws the viewer between two infinities (无限). “From the infinity small to the infinity large, contraction and expansion coming in and out of focus: amazing Flemish accuracy and the showy Baroque of old painting that he used in his museum-theatre in Figueras,” explains the Pompidou Centre.

　　The fine selection of the major works was done in close collaboration (合作)with the Museo Nacional Reina Sofia in Madrid, Spain, and with contributions from other institutions like the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida.

　　28.

　　Which of the following best describe Dali according to Paragraph 1?

　　A. Optimistic.

　　B. Productive.

　　C. Generous.

　　D. Traditional.

　　29.

　　What is Dali’s The Persistence of Memory considered to be?

　　A. One of his masterworks.

　　B. A successful screen adaptation.

　　C. An artistic creation for the stage.

　　D. One of the best TV programmes.

　　30.

　　How are the exhibits arranged at the World of Dali?

　　A. By popularity.

　　B. By importance.

　　C. By size and shape.

　　D. By time and subject.

　　31.

　　What does the word “contributions” in the last paragraph refer to?

　　A. Artworks.

　　B. Projects.

　　C. Donations.

　　D. Documents.

　　2017年人物传记

　　【2017·山东卷】 C

　　Elizabeth Freeman was born about 1742 to African American parents who were slaves. At the age of six months she was acquired, along with her sister, by John Ashley, a wealthy Massachusetts slaveholders. She became known as “Mumbet” or “Mum Bett.”

　　For nearly 30 years Mumbet served the Ashley family. One day, Ashley’s wife tried to strike Mumbet’s sister with a spade. Mumbet protected her sister and took the blow instead. Furious, she left the house and refused to come back. When the Ashleys tried to make her return, Mumbet consulted a lawyer, Theodore Sedgewick. With his help, Mumbet sued(起诉) for her freedom.

　　While serving the Ashleys, Mumbet had listened to many discussions of the new Massachusetts constitution. If the constitution said that all people were free and equal, then she thought it should apply to her. Eventually, Mumbet won her freedom---- the first slave in Massachusetts to do so under the new constitution.

　　Strangely enough, after the trial, the Ashleys asked Mumbet to come back and work for them as a paid employee. She declined and instead went to work for Segdewick. Mumbet died in 1829, but her legacy lived on in her many descendants(后裔). One of her great-grandchildren was W.E.B. Du Bois, one of the founder of the NAACP, and an important writer and spokesperson for African American civil rights.

　　Mumbet’s tombstone still stands in the Massachusetts cemetery where she was buried. It reads, in part: “She was born a slave and remained a slave and remained a slave for nearly thirty years. She could neither read nor write, yet in her own sphere she had no superior or equal.”

　　51. What do we know about Mumbet according to Paragraph 1?

　　A. She was born a slave

　　B. She was a slaveholder

　　C. She had a famous sister

　　D. She was born into a rich family

　　52. Why did Mumbet run away from the Ashleys?

　　A. She found an employer

　　B. She wanted to be a lawyer

　　C. She was hit and got angry

　　D. She had to take care of her sister

　　53. What did Mumbet learn from discussions about the new consititution?

　　A. She should always obey her owners’ orders B. She should be as free and equal as whites

　　C. How to be a good servant

　　D. How to apply for a job

　　54. What did Mumbet do after the trial?

　　A. She chose to work for a lawyer

　　B. She found the NAACP

　　C. She continued to serve the Ashleys

　　D. She went to live with her grandchildren

　　55. What is the test mainly about?

　　A. A story of a famous writer and spokesperson B. The friendship between a lawyer and a slave

　　C. The life of a brave African American woman D. A trial that shocked the whole world

　　【2017·广东卷】A

　　Samuel Osmond is a 19-year-old law student from Cornwall, England. He never studied the piano. However, he can play very difficult musical pieces by musicians such as Chopin and Beethoven just a few minutes after he hears them. He learns a piece of music by listening to it in parts. Then he thinks about the notes in his head. Two years ago, he played his first piece Moonlight Sonata（奏鸣曲）by Beethoven. He surprised everyone around him.

　　Amazed that he remembered this long and difficult piece of music and played it perfectly, his teachers say Samuel is unbelievable .They say his ability is very rare, but Samuel doesn’t even realize that what he can do is special. Samuel wanted to become a lawyer as it was the wish of his parents, but music teachers told him he should study music instead. Now, he studies law and music.

　　Samuel can’t understand why everyone is so surprised. “I grew up with music. My mother played the piano and my father played the guitar. About two years ago, I suddenly decided to start playing the piano, without being able to read music and without having any lessons. It comes easily to me ---I hear the notes and can bear them in mind---each and every note,” says Samuel.

　　Recently, Samuel performed a piece during a special event at his college. The piece had more than a thousand notes. The audience was impressed by his amazing performance. He is now learning a piece that is so difficult that many professional pianists can’t play it. Samuel says confidently,” It’s all about super memory---I guess I have that gift.”

　　However, Samuel’s ability to remember things doesn’t stop with music. His family says that even when he was a young boy, Samuel heard someone read a story, and then he could retell the story word for word.

　　Samuel is still only a teenager. He doesn’t know what he wants to do in the future. For now, he is just happy to play beautiful music and continue his studies.

　　What is special about Samuel Osmond?

　　A. He has a gift for writing music.

　　B. He can write down the note he hears.

　　C. He is a top student at the law school.

　　D. He can play the musical piece he hears.

　　What can we learn from Paragraph 2?

　　Samuel chose law against the wish of his parents.

　　B. Samuel planned to be a lawyer rather than a musician.

　　C. Samuel thinks of himself as a man of great musical ability.

　　D. Samuel studies law and music on the advice of his teachers.

　　Everyone around Samuel was surprised because he _________.

　　received a good early education in music

　　played the guitar and the piano perfectly

　　could play the piano without reading music

　　could play the guitar better than his father

　　What can we infer about Samuel in Paragraph 4?

　　He became famous during a special event at his college.

　　He is proud of his ability to remember things accurately.

　　He plays the piano better than many professional pianists.

　　He impressed the audience by playing all the musical pieces.

　　Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

　　The Qualities of a Musician

　　The Story of a Musical Talent

　　The Importance of Early Education

　　The Relationship between Memory and Music.

　　阅读理解分类汇编之人物传记类

　　2017·山东卷]

　　B

　　George Gershwin, born in 1898, was one of America's greatest composers. He published his first song when he was eighteen years old. During the next twenty years he wrote more than five hundred songs.

　　Many of Gershwin's songs were first written for musical plays performed in theatres in New York City. These plays were a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and 1930s. Many of his songs have remained popular as ever. Over the years they have been sung and played in every possible way — from jazz to country.

　　In the 1920s there was a debate in the United States about jazz music. Could jazz, some people asked, be considered serious music? In 1924 jazz musician and orchestra leader Paul Whiteman decided to organize a special concert to show that jazz was serious music. Gershwin agreed to compose something for the concert before he realized he had just a few weeks to do it. And in that short time, he composed a piece for piano and orchestra which he called Rhapsody in Blue. Gershwin himself played the piano at the concert. The audience were thrilled when they heard his music. It made him world－famous and showed that jazz music could be both serious and popular.

　　In 1928, Gershwin went to Paris. He applied to study composition (作曲)with the well－known musician Nadia Boulanger, but she rejected him. She was afraid that classical study would ruin his jazz－influenced style. While there, Gershwin wrote An American in Paris. When it was first performed, critics (评论家)were divided over the music. Some called it happy and full of life, to others it was stilly and boring. But it quickly became popular in Europe and the United States. It sill remains one of his most famous works.

　　George Gershwin died in 1937, just days after doctors learned he had brain cancer. He was only thirty－nine years old. Newspapers all over the world reported his death on their front pages. People mourned the loss of the man and all the music he might have still written.

　　61．Many of Gershwin's musical works were ________．

　　A．written about New Yorkers

　　B．composed for Paul Whiteman

　　C．played mainly in the countryside

　　D．performed in various ways

　　62．What do we know about the concert organized by Whiteman?

　　A．It attracted more people to theatres.

　　B．It proved jazz could be serious music.

　　C．It made Gershwin leader of the orchestra.

　　D．It caused a debate among jazz musicians.

　　63．What did Gershwin do during his stay in Paris?

　　A．He created one of his best works.

　　B．He studied with Nadia Boulanger.

　　C．He argued with French critics.

　　D．He changed his music style.

　　64．What do we learn from the last paragraph?

　　A．Many of Gershwin's works were lost.

　　B．The death of Gershwin was widely reported.

　　C．A concert was held in memory of Gershwin.

　　D．Brain cancer research started after Gershwin's death.

　　65．Which of the following best describes Gershwin?

　　A．Talented and productive.

　　B．Serious and boring.

　　C．Popular and unhappy.

　　D．Friendly and honest.

　　2017年阅读理解分类汇编之人物传记类

　　2017·上海卷]

　　(A)

　　Phil White has just returned from an 18,000­mile, around­the­world bicycle trip. White had two reasons for making this epic journey. First of all, he wanted to use the trip to raise money for charity, which he did. He raised

　　￡70,000 for the British charity, Oxfam. White's second reason for making the trip was to break the world record and become the fastest person to cycle around the world. He is still waiting to find out if he has broken the record or not.

　　White set off from Trafalgar Square, in London, on 19th June 2004 and was back 299 days later. He spent more than 1,300 hours in the saddle (车座) and destroyed four sets of tyres and three bike chains. He had the adventure of his life crossing Europe, the Middle East, India, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Americas. Amazingly, he did all of this with absolutely no support team. No jeep carrying food, water and medicine. No doctor. Nothing! Just a bike and a very, very long road.

　　The journey was lonely and desperate at times. He also had to fight his way across deserts, through jungles and over mountains. He cycled through heavy rains and temperatures of up to 45 degrees, all to help people in need. There were other dangers along the road. In Iran, he was chased by armed robbers and was lucky to escape with his life and the little money he had. The worst thing that happened to him was having to cycle into a headwind on a road that crosses the south of Australia. For 1,000 kilometres he battled against the wind that was constantly pushing him. This part of the trip was slow, hard work and depressing, but he made it in the end. Now Mr. White is back and intends to write a book about his adventures.

　　65. When Phil White returned from his trip, he ________.

　　A. broke the world record

　　B. collected money for Oxfam

　　C. destroyed several bikes

　　D. travelled about 1,300 hours

　　66. What does the word “epic” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?

　　A. Very slow but exciting.

　　B. Very long and difficult.

　　C. Very smooth but tiring.

　　D. Very lonely and depressing.

　　67. During his journey around the world, Phil White ________.

　　A. fought heroically against robbers in Iran

　　B. experienced the extremes of heat and cold

　　C. managed to ride against the wind in Australia

　　D. had a team of people who travelled with him

　　68. Which of the following words can best describe Phil White?

　　A. Imaginative.

　　B. Patriotic.

　　C. Modest.

　　D. Determined.

　　2017·四川卷]

　　C

　　I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I_was_treading_water,_just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I get a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.

　　I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep­down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.

　　It takes confidence to make a new start－there’s a dark period in­between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.”My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.

　　The I met an agent(代理商)who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.

　　The next problem was finding a publisher. After two­and­a­half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal－that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.

　　It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there's no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract(合同)of the publisher—to be a published writer—is unbelievably rewarding(有回报的)．

　　49. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?

　　A．I was waiting for good fortune.

　　B．I was trying to find an admirable job.

　　C．I was being aimless about a suitable job.

　　D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time.

　　50. The author decided to write a novel________.

　　A．to finish the writing course

　　B．to realize her own dream

　　C．to satisfy readers’ wish

　　D．to earn more money

　　51. How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?

　　A．Disturbed.

　　B．Ashamed.

　　C．Confident.

　　D．Uncertain.

　　52. What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?

　　A．It pays to stick to one’s goal.

　　B．Hard work can lead to success.

　　C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.

　　D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something.

　　2017·安徽卷]

　　When Frida Kahlo's paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “ a ribbon （丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kahlo had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.

　　Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City , Kahlo suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine （脊柱）become bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but noting was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kahlo taught herself to paint.

　　In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kahlo’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.

　　Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953.For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kahlo’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last.

　　64. What does the phrase “a much bigger name” in Paragraph 1 most nearly mean?

　　A. a far better artist

　　B. a far more gifted artist

　　C. a much stronger person

　　D. a much more famous person

　　65. The terrible pain Kahlo suffered was caused by ________.

　　A. polio

　　B. her bent spine

　　C. back injuries

　　D. the operations she had

　　66. Kahlo's style had become increasingly independent since the ________.

　　A. 1930s

　　B. 1940s

　　C. 1950s

　　D. 1970s

　　67. What is the author's attitude toward Kahlo?

　　A. Devotion.

　　B. Sympathy.

　　C. Worry.

　　D. Encouragement.

　　2011年高考题

　　1.（2011·山东卷）A

　　Arthur

　　Miller(1915-2005)is universally

　　recognized

　　as one of the greatest dramatists

　　of the 20th

　　century.

　　Miller` s father

　　had

　　moved to the USA from

　　Austria Hungary,drawn like so many others by the“ Great American

　　Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the

　　early l930s.

　　Millers' s most famous play, Death of a Salesman , is a powerful attack on the American system ,with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as indicators of worth. In Willy Loman , the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with his worth. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sentiment : if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.

　　When it was first staged in 1949 ,the

　　play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews ,and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics` Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.

　　Miller

　　died

　　of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut ,on the evening of February 10,2005,the 56th anniversary

　　of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.高

　　&考56. Why did Arthur Miller' s father move to the USA?

　　A. He suffered from severe hunger in his home country.

　　B. He was attracted by the "Great American Dream.

　　C. He hoped to make his son a dramatist.

　　D. His family business failed.

　　57. The play Death of a Salesman

　　A. exposes the cruelty of the American business world

　　B. discusses the ways to get promoted in a company

　　C. talks about the business career of Arthur Miller

　　D. focuses on the skills in doing business

　　58. What can we learn about Willy Loman?

　　A. He treats his employer badly.

　　B. He runs the Wagner Company.

　　C. He is a victim of the American system.

　　D. He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues.

　　59. After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman

　　A. achieved huge success

　　B. won the first Tony Award

　　C. was warmly welcomed by salesmen

　　D. was severely attacked by dramatists

　　60. What is the text mainly about?

　　A. Arthur Miller and his family.

　　B. The awards Arthur Miller won.

　　C. The hardship Arthur Miller experienced.

　　D. Arthur Miller and his best-known play.

　　2.（2011·陕西卷）B

　　Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.

　　Born in September, 1987, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.

　　Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities（设备） to help save the lives of wounded soldiers.Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgrum. Her services were recognised in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government.

　　In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taught him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.

　　Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity（辐射能）. Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.

　　49．Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?

　　A.Because she received a degree in mathematics.

　　B.Because she contributed to saving the wounded.

　　C.Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic.

　　D. Because she worked as a helper to her mother.

　　50．Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederio joliot?

　　A.At the Curie Institute.

　　B.At the Cniversity of Paris.

　　C.At a military hospital.

　　D.At the College of Sevigne.

　　51．When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?

　　A. In 1932.

　　B. In 1927.

　　C. In 1897.

　　D. In

　　1926.

　　52． In which of the following aspects was Irene Cuire different from her mother?

　　A.Irene worked with radioactivity.

　　B.Irene combined family and career.

　　C.Irene won the Nobel Prize once

　　D.Irene died from leukemia.

　　3.（2011·重庆卷）D

　　William Butler Yeats, a most famous Irish writer, was born in Dublin on June 13,1865. His childhood lacked the harmony (和睦) that was typical of a happy family. Later, Yeats shocked his family by saying that he remembered “little of childhood but its pain”. In fact, he inherited (继承) excellent taste in art from his family—both his father and his brother were painters. But he finally settled on literature, particularly drama (戏剧) and poetry.

　　Yeats had strong faith in coming of new artistic movements. He set himself the fresh task in founding an Irish national theatre in the late 1890s. His early theatrical experiments, however, were not received favorably at the beginning. He didn’t lose heart, and finally enjoyed success in his poetical drama.

　　Compared with his dramatic works, Yeats’s poems attract much admiring notice. The subject matter includes love, nature, history, time and aging. Though Yeats generally relied on very traditional forms, he brought modern sensibility to them. As his literary life progressed, his poetry grew finer and richer, which led him to worldwide recognition.

　　He had not enjoyed a major public lift since winning the Nobel Price in 1923. Yet, he continued writing almost to the end of his life. Had Yeats stopped writing at age 40, he would probably now be valued as a minor poet, for there is no other example in literary history of a poet who produces his greatest works between the age of 50 and 75. After Yeats’s death in 1939, W. H. Auden wrote, among others, the falling liners:

　　Earth, receive an honoured guest:

　　William Yeats is laid to rest.

　　Let the Irish vessel (船) lie

　　Emptied of its poetry.

　　68. Which of the following can describe Yeats’s family?

　　A. It filled Yeats’s childhood with laughter.

　　B. It was shocked by Yeats’s choice.

　　C. It was a typically wealthy family.

　　D. It had an artistic atmosphere.

　　69. According to these passage, what do we know about Yeats’s life?

　　A. Yeats founded the first Irish theater.

　　B. Yeats stuck to modern forms in his poetry.

　　C. Yeats began to produce his best works from the 1910s.

　　D. Yeats was not favored by the public until the 1923 Noble Prize.

　　70. What kind of feeling is expressed in W.H.Auden’s lines?

　　A. Envy.

　　B. Sympathy.

　　C. Emptiness.

　　D. Admiration.

　　71. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A. Yeats’s literary achievements.

　　B. Yeats’s historical influence.

　　C. Yeats’s artistic ambition.

　　D. Yeats’s national honor.