高中英语故事类阅读试题

Celebrity TV presenter Ju Ping has been a host on China Central Television for 30 years, but her recent experience fronting a charity event was one of the most special moments in her career.
On April 2, World Autism Day, Ju partnered with Xia Junqi, a 17-year-old autistic teenager, to host a charity gala at the Beijing National Aquatics Center, otherwise known as the Water Cube.
The event was organized by One Foundation, which aims to increase public awareness of autistic people and their needs.
Autism is a neural disorder that impairs sufferers’ communication skills and social interactions. Sufferers have restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior. It affects about 1.6 million people in China, with medical studies suggesting autism may affect one in every 166 children.
Autism has no cure. For many years it went largely undiagnosed in China but early intervention and continuous education may help to teach the autistic self-help skills and lessen their disruptive behavior.
The gala featured autistic children singing, dancing and performing, and was greeted with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Cai Chunzhu, a celebrity playwright, recalled feeling heartbroken when his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2. He says his family struggled to accept the reality but finally made peace with the diagnoses in the past four years. He says the boy lives in his own world and is trained in an intervention facility. Sun Zhongkai, executive director of the Beijing Stars and Rain Institute for Autism, one of the earliest intervention facilities for autistic children in China, shared with audience his deep sorrow for parents who often collapsed with desperation when he told them there was no cure for their autistic children.
Over the years, Chinese society has become more supportive of autistic people and their families, but there are still challenges in terms of getting autistic people employed and looking after them when their parents pass away.
Actor Zhou Xun also called on society to show greater understanding and support toward autistic children and their families.
Where did the gala take place?

A．In a theater in Shanghai.	B．In the Water Cube.
C．In a Children’s Palace.	D．In Nanjing.

What does the underlined word “impairs” mean in the fourth paragraph?

A．damages sth or makes sth worse.

B．improve sth or become sth better.

C．feel what they do the saddest.

D．increase the interest of knowing sth

What can we know from the seventh paragraph?

A．Some parents were in deep sorrow when they heard their children can be cured.

B．Cai Chunzhu is executive director of the Beijing Stars and Rain Institute for Autism.

C．Sun Zhongkai recalled feeling heartbroken when his son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.

D．Autism is a kind of disease that can not be cured.

What is the attitude of our society and enthusiastic people?

A．Some actors like Zhou Xun called on people to do nothing for autistic children.

B．Chinese society and people have become more supportive of autistic people and their families.

C．Some people want to give up helping autistic people because of many challenges they face.

D．Autistic children won’t be looked after when their parents pass away.

Pablo Picasso was born in Spain in 1881. His father was an artist and also an art teacher. He gave little Picasso the first lesson in drawing. The boy showed great interest in it and learned it very quickly. Picasso drew so well that he won a prize – “Science and Charity” for his first important painting at the age 15. Later he studied in several cities in Spain. But no one could teach him because he had known so much.
When he was 19, he visited Paris. At that time, Paris was the center of the world for artists. Everything in the painting world was new to Picasso. When he was 23, he moved to Paris to live and spent the rest of his life in France.
In his 80s, Pablo Picasso still worked like a young man. He kept on looking for new ideas and new ways to work. He never stopped painting all his life.
Pablo Picasso died in 1973 as a great artist in the world.
Pablo Picasso was born _____.

A．in France in 1973	B．in Spain in 1973
C．in Spain in 1881	D．in Paris in 1881

Pablo Picasso won the prize______.

A．“Science and Art” at the age of 15

B．“Science and Charity” at the age of 15

C．“Science and Art” at the age of 19

D．Science and Charity” at the age of 23

______was the center of the world for artists when Pablo Picasso was young

A．Spain	B．New York
C．London	D．Paris

Pablo Picasso was good at _________

A．teacher	B．acting
C．painting	D．thinking

What about Pablo Picasso when he was over 80 years old?________________

A．He still worked and kept painting all his life

B．He gave lessons in drawing

C．He studied in several cities in Spain

D．He spent the rest of his life with his father

Beethoven, a famous musician in the world, was born in Germany in 1770.
In his childhood Beethoven didn’t have a happy life．His father was a singer. When he was only four, his father began to make him practise hour after hour on different musical instruments(乐器). If he did not put his heart into it, his father would beat him or make it hard on him.
Beethoven loved music and he learned so fast that he was able to go around to give concerts, when he was only a boy of eleven. At the age of seventeen, he won high praise from Mozart, the great musician at that time.
Beethoven was often poor and ill during his life. After one illness, he suddenly found himself deaf. At that time he was only thirty-one. It was a blow(打击)to him indeed.
But he still went on working and writing music pieces. To people’s surprise, some of his best pieces were written after he lost his hearing.
In 1827, leaving more than 300 pieces, the great musician died. But his name is still remembered to this day.
Beethoven was a ______ musician.

A．America	B．French
C．German	D．British

What happened when he was thirty-one? ___________.

A．He was blind	B．He was deaf
C．He gave concerts	D．He won high praise

Why didn’t Beethoven have a happy life in his childhood? ___________.

A．Because his family was poor

B．Because he had to practise a lot of musical instruments

C．Because his father was strict with him

D．Both B and C

The great musician lived in the world for only ______ years.

A．43

B．70

C．57

D．60

When were some of his best pieces written? ____________.

A．At the age of 11

B．At the age of 17

C．Before he was deaf

D．After he became deaf

What did Beethoven do after he lost his hearing? ____________.

A．He never gave in

B．He stopped writing music pieces

C．He lost his heart

D．He went to see a doctor

Former South African President Nelson Mandela who was treated for a recurring (复发的) lung infection, dies on Dec. 5th, 2013, at the age of 95.
People around the world are mourning the loss of the country's first black president. He was often called humble, charming, loyal person and a man who cared about others.
“He seemed to have that special charismatic(有魅力的) personality,” said Herman Cohen, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa from 1989 to 1993. “He became the symbol in the fight against apartheid.”
Mandela was born on July 18, 1918. As a young man he became active in the anti-apartheid movement and joined the African National Congress, or ANC, in the 1940s.
The white-led government banned the ANC in 1960, but the group continued to operate secretly. Mandela became head of the group's new military wing, coordinating a sabotage campaign against South African military and government targets.
In 1962, he was arrested and put on trial for his actions and sentenced to life in prison on Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town. He spent 18 years there, refusing a government offer to release him if he would renounce the ANC's armed struggle. But he was freed in 1990 after South African President Frederik de Klerk legalized all political parties and discharged most political prisoners.
Shortly after his release, Mandela was elected president of the African National Congress. And in 1994, when the ANC won South Africa's first all-race elections, he was inaugurated (就职) as the county's first black president at age 75.
“Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another,” he said.
President Mandela said he would stay for only one five-year term. Cohen says Mandela earned international respect for South Africa's national reconciliation.
“Mandela devoted himself mainly to rallying the Africans to this new era to work on economic development, having good education, also he was very much of a spokesman on the international scene.” he said.
In 1993, Mandela shared the Nobel Peace Prize with his once bitter enemy F.W. de Klerk for their contribution to the peace process in South Africa. After receiving the award, Mandela praised the South African people.
“All have created a society which recognizes that all people are born equal,” he said. In a country torn apart by years of racial conflict, Nelson Mandela is considered a remarkable leader -- a man who turned South Africa away from violence and hatred into a country of greater peace and understanding.
The underlined word “apartheid” in the 3^rd paragraph probably means______.

A．racial separation	B．financial aid
C．infectious illness	D．fulfilling life

How long was Nelson Mandela sent to prison?

A．18 years	B．28 years
C．6 years	D．19 years

What is the author’s attitude in the passage?

A．negative	B．positive
C．subjective	D．neutral

Why was his bitter enemy F.W. de Klerk awarded the Nobel Peace Prize with Mandela?

A．F.W. de Klerk did not kill Mandela during his presidency.

B．F.W. de Klerk was one of Mandela’s friends in the early years.

C．F.W. de Klerk made his own contribution to the process peacefully as well.

D．F.W. de Klerk was considered a remarkable leader turning South Africa away from violence.

It was about 11:15 pm on the passenger ship California. The night was freezing cold and the water was filled with ice from the North Pole, making it difficult for the ship to sail on.
In the radio room, ship California’s operator Cyril Evans listened to the radio-talk between a nearby passenger ship and the telegraph station on the Canadian island of Newfoundland. Evans interrupted it and said, “We’re stopped and surrounded by ice. Be careful as you pass through these waters.” The radio operator on the nearby ship replied, “I’m too busy to talk now. I have many messages to send to the telegraph station. ” Twenty minutes later, as he turned off his radio and went to bed, Evans could still hear the ship sending its passengers’ telegrams.
Earlier in the evening the California’s captain, Stanley Lord, had seen another ship approaching. It looked about the size of his own, but attempts to contact the ship failed. It lay dark and mysterious about 10 miles away. At 00:40 am there appeared a sudden flash of light just over the mystery ship. Captain Lord, thinking the ship might need help, ordered his officers to signal the ship by lamp. There was no reply. Three more rockets then exploded, none appeared to go higher than halfway up the mast(桅杆）of the mystery ship. Then at about 2:00 am it turned and slipped into the darkness.
In the light of the dawn there was no mystery ship, but 20 miles away was the scene of a great disaster. Unfortunately, the mystery ship had stopped directly in front of the California, preventing people on board from seeing clearly. If this ship had not been there, Captain Lord would have recognized that the rockets were SOS rockets that came not from the mystery ship but from a more distant ship which the California could not see. If Cyril Evans had kept his radio on for just 30 minutes more he would have heard SOS signals coming from that distant ship he spoke with the night before. That ship was the Titanic which was sinking fast, leaving 1,500 of its passengers dead. It was April 14, 1912.
Why were the rockets really fired?

A．To celebrate the journey.

B．To signal for help.

C．To contact the Titanic.

D．To warn other ships.

What is the main function of the last paragraph of this passage?

A．It shows how unlucky the Titanic was.

B．It describes how the Titanic sank.

C．It indicates that the people on the California were careless.

D．It lists how many people died in the disaster.

How many ships are mentioned in the passage?

A．One.

B．Two.

C．Three.

D．Four.

From the passage we know that       .

A．the rockets were fired from the mystery ship

B．Cyril Evans worked on the mystery ship that night

C．the Titanic started sinking at dawn the next day

D．the Titanic sent out many telegrams that night

The day of my holiday arrived, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. I had little money and had only been able to afford to stay with my Aunt Rosa in Spain. So, I wasn’t really excited as I knew exactly what it was going to be like; Lots of noisy cousins and Aunt Rosa begged me to take her for a ride.
After I had checked in, I made my way slowly to the departure gate. As I was waiting to board the plan, I kept thinking about my ideal holiday destination; Jamaica, with its long, sandy beaches and crystal clear water.
As soon as the plane took off, I fell fast asleep and only woke to the sound of the announcement; “Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts, as we will shortly be landing in Kingston.” I froze in my seat. Was I dreaming? Kingston? Jamaica? I had boarded the wrong plane!
Immediately after the plane landed, I explained the situation to the authorities. It seems there were also three of other passengers heading for Spain. Apparently it had been the airline’s fault, since the flight numbers for Spain and Jamaica were exactly the same! Therefore, with no flight to London for a week, the airline had no choice except to pay for our stay.
So there I was, lying on the beach, enjoying the music and marvelous food of Jamaica! As for Aunt Rosa, I suppose she just had to live without me!
Why did the waiter choose to spend her holiday with her aunt in Spain?

A．She could hardly afford any better trip.

B．Her aunt begged her to go there.

C．She missed her cousins very much.

D．Spain was her ideal destination.

In the story, the writer ended up _____.

A．heading for Spain from Jamaica

B．flying to London immediately

C．enjoying a free beach holiday

D．complaining to the authorities

Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．Terrible Adventure	B．Nice Dream
C．A Well-Planned	D．A Lucky Mistake

One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humblest（卑微的） to the most powerful came for breakfast．I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled．He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone．I asked if I might join him．He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast．
We cautiously began a conversation and spoke about a wide rang of things．We never introduced ourselves．I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat．So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked,
“May I get you something?”
“A coffee would be nice．”
Then I bought him a cup of coffee, We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee, Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit．At the door I met one of my friends．He asked,
“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with．He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs．”
I could hardly believe it．I was buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Galbreath changed my life．Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and no matter another human being with kindness and sincerity．
What does the underlined word “disheveled” mean?

A．Unfriendly．	B．Untidy．
C．Gentle．	D．Kind．

The author bought coffee for the old man because

A．he thought the old man was poor

B．he wanted to start a conversation

C．he intended to show his politeness

D．he would like to thank the old man

What is the message mainly expressed in the story?

A．We should learn to be generous．

B．It is honorable to help those in need．

C．People in high positions are not like what we expect．

D．We should avoid judging people by their appearances．

Growing up in Philadelphia, Lieberman started cooking with his stay-at-home dad when he was seven．His food-loving family had two kitchens, and he quickly learned what was the best way to bake his cakes．Lieberman improved his kitchen skills greatly during a year abroad before college, learning from a cook in Italy and studying local specialties（地方特色菜）in Germany, Spain and France．At Yale, he was known for throwing dinner parties, single-handedly frying and baking while mixing drinks for dozens of friends．Just for fun, he and some friends decided to tape a show named Campus Cuisine about his cooking．Lieberman was a real college student showing his classmates how to do things like make drinks out of dining-hall fruit．That helped the show become very popular among the students．They would stop Lieberman after classes to ask for his advice on cooking．Tapes of the show were passed around, with which his name went beyond the school and finally to the Food Network．
Food Network producer Flay hopes the young cook will find a place on the network television．He says Lieberman’s charisma is key．“Food TV isn’t about food anymore,” says Flay．“It’s about your personality（个性）and finding a way to keep people’s eyeballs on your show．”
But Lieberman isn’t putting all his eggs in one basket．After taping the first season of the new show, Lieberman was back in his own small kitchen preparing sandwiches．An airline company（航空公司）was looking for someone to come up with a tasteful, inexpensive and easy-to-make menu to serve on its flights, Lieberman got the job．
We can learn from the text that Lieberman’s family ____．

A．have relatives in Europe	B．love cooking at home
C．often hold parties	D．own a restaurant

The Food Network got to know Lieberman ____．

A．at one of his parties	B．from his teachers
C．Through his taped show	D．on a television program

What does the word “charisma” underlined in the text refer to?

A．A natural ability to attract others．

B．A way to show one’s achievement．

C．Lieberman’s after-class interest．

D．Lieberman’s fine cooking skill．

Why did the airline company give Lieberman the job?

A．He could prepare meals in a small kitchen．

B．He was famous for his shows on Food TV．

C．He was good at using eggs to make sandwiches．

D．He could cook cheap, delicious and simple meals．

It is a bright morning in the Ethiopian countryside. Yohannes walks beside a pair of donkeys that are pulling a two-wheeled cart. They arrive at the agricultural town of Awassa where Yohannes opens the sides of the cart to display, not the usual vegetables or tools, but children’s books. This is the Donkey Mobile Library, the first of its kind in Ethiopia and one of only a few in the world.
Yohannes was born in Ethiopia, North Africa, but trained to be a librarian in the USA and returned to Ethiopia years ago. The cart is full of picture books donated by American libraries, teachers and school children.
Yohannes arranges small painted benches in the shade of the trees, and suddenly Ethiopian children come shouting and racing down every road and path. It’s mobile library day! They circle the bookshelves with great excitement. Until the Donkey Mobile Library began its regular two-monthly visits, many of these children had never seen a book.
“Without books, education is very dull, like food without salt. You can survive but you can’t really come alive,” says Yohannes. “The ability to read is the basis for greater productivity, better health and longer life. Even though the children lack material goods, with books they can imagine a world of possibilities.”
Yohannes first worked in the children’s section of the main library in America. Surrounded by books he had never seen before, he realized how joyful and imaginative children’s literature is. He says, “I always thought of Ethiopia. But how could I bring children’s books to my home country when it had almost no libraries to keep the books in?”
He contacted Jane Kurtz, a writer born in America but brought up in Ethiopia, and together they created the Donkey Mobile Library. The children say that the Library has given them ideas about what they might do in the future. A child called Dareje wants to be a scientist and find a cure for life-threatening diseases. An eleven year-old girl, Fikerte, wants to do research about the moon and discover new facts about outer space. Tamrat, aged 10, comes every time.
“What brings you back here time and time again?” the librarian asks him.
“The stories,” Tamrat replies instantly.
How do the children feel when they see the Donkey Mobile Library?

A．Curious.	B．Surprised.
C．Interested.	D．Excited.

We can conclude from the passage that      .

A．Ethiopian children have no idea about their future

B．Yohannes and Kurtz share similar life experiences

C．donkey carts in Awassa usually carry vegetables and tools

D．most books in the Donkey Mobile Library were bought in America

According to the passage, the Donkey Mobile Library      .

A．visits the countryside every day

B．benefits Ethiopian children a lot

C．was created by Yohannes himself

D．was the first of its kind in the world

Where is the passage most likely to have been taken from?

A．A news report.	B．A book review.
C．A historical story.	D．An advertisement.

There is a story about a man who lost his legs and left arm in an accident. After the accident, only a finger and thumb on his right hand remained.
He was a brilliant, creative, and educated man. He had gained a lot of experience while traveling around the world, so he became very depressed after his accident. He was afraid that he would spend the rest of his life suffering and would no longer be able to spend his life in a meaningful way. Then, he realized that he still had partial function of his right hand and could still write even though it was very difficult. An idea occurred to him, “Why not write to other people who need encouragement?”
He wrote to the prison ministry about sending letters to the prisoners. The prison minister replied, “Writing to the prisoners is acceptable, but your letters will not be answered.”
Filled with excitement, the man knew he could write his letters. He began sending one-way messages of God’s love, hope, strength, and encouragement. He wrote twice a week, testing his strength and ability to the limit. He poured his heart and soul into his words and shared his experience, sense of humor, optimism, and faith.
It was difficult to write those letters, especially without hope of a reply. One day he received a letter from the prison ministry. It was a short note from the officer who monitored and checked the prison mail.
The letter said, “Please write on the best paper you can afford. Your letters are passed from room to room until they fall to pieces!”
No matter what circumstances life may present, we all have unique experiences, abilities, and God-given talents. We can discover ways to reach others who desperately need messages of encouragement and strength.
Before the man had the accident, he __________.

A．had toured around the world

B．had visited local prisons

C．had tried doing exercise to recover himself

D．had been friends with the prison minister

In order to live in a meaningful way, the man began to ________.

A．receive the school education

B．write to other people who needed encouragement

C．meet the people who were depressed

D．help other people who lost arms and legs

From the officer’s short note we are told that __________.

A．the man would be offered free paper to write letters on

B．some of the prisoners were not satisfied with his letters

C．the prisoners eagerly wanted to write back to the man

D．his letters were very popular among the prisoners

What can be the best title for the passage?

A．Stories about a Humorous Person

B．Popularity of Special Letters

C．Special Letters of Encouragement

D．Relationship between Writers and Prisoners

“It was all his own idea, ” says Pat Peters, the 38-year-old wife of Palo Alto, California high school football coach Bob Peters, 39. Bob had just drawn up a “motherhood contract” --a document stating that for 70 days this summer he would take over the care and feeding of the couple’s four children, plus all household chores. Although he didn’t even know how to make coffee when he signed, he was quite confident. (He thought the experience would make a nice book.)
After 40 of the 70 days, he was ready to give up. “I was beaten down, completely humbled（挫败的）,”  admits Peters. Three weeks later he spoke to the local press, stating, “Not only is motherhood a difficult task, not only is it never-ending, it is an impossible job for any normal human being.”
Bob and Pat were high school sweethearts. After they were married in 1960, she worked as a secretary to help put him through university. Since then Bob has been the football and wrestling coach at Palo Alto’s Cubberley High while Pat raised the kids. Then two years ago Pat went back to work as a secretary at Cubberley. “I had been around children so much,” she sighs, “I couldn’t talk to a grown-up.” She continued to run the household, however----until Bob signed the contract, therefore, she decided to relax and enjoy it.
Although Peters had consulted with his school’s home economics teachers and the head of the cafeteria, his meals were sometimes a disaster. “I tried to slip the butter I’d forgotten under the eggs after they were frying, ” he says. For the last three weeks, the family ate out a lot—sometimes having Macdonald’s hamburgers for lunch and dinner.
As for housekeeping, a home economics teacher had told Bob that a room always looks clean if the bed is made. “I found an easier way-I shut the doors, ” he says. Soon the kids were wearing the same clothes for a week. “I made them wear their shirts inside out, and when we went to pick up Pat at work they turned them right side out so they would look clean.”
Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat. The tentative（暂时的） title of his book about the summer is taken from something he shouted at the kids one day.
The couple signed the contract because _______.

A．Pat complained a lot about her doing the housework all by herself

B．Bob loved taking care of children and wanted his wife to have a good rest

C．they agreed that husband and wife should share household tasks

D．Bob thought it easy to take care of the family and wanted the experience for a book

It was agreed that if Bob failed to keep to the contract, he would have to _______.

A．pay a certain amount of money

B．admit publicly he was wrong about motherhood

C．say sorry to his wife Now that Bob has publicly admitted he was wrong, he is routinely sharing the child-raising and household tasks with Pat.

D．do all the housework for years

What can we learn about Pat Peters?

A．She was hard-working and selfless.

B．She was pretty and kind-hearted.

C．She was tired of the child-raising and household tasks.

D．She did not love Bob any longer.

Which of the following can best end the news story?

A．“Wait till your mother gets home!”

B．“My experience of being a mother.”

C．“I’m proud of you all, my dear!”

D．“Motherhood: an impossible job for anyone.”

In 1985, a lionfish was caught off the coast of Florida. Now they can be found not only in the Atlantic Ocean but also in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. And they are continuing to move south. Lionfish are native to the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. So how did they end up in the Atlantic? Scientists believe some pet owners abandoned their unwanted lionfish and poured them into the sea. Little did they know the trouble their actions would cause.
The Atlantic Ocean turned out to be a comfortable home for lionfish. Their venomous spines (毒刺) protect them from sharks and other fish. Female lionfish can spawn (产卵) every few days, producing as many as 2 million eggs per year. Other big fish would have competed with lionfish for food. Bet overfishing has removed many of these large fish. As a result, the fish have eaten so much that they have grown to be more then three times the size of their cousins in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. “They eat mostly fish,” says Stephanie Green, a scientist at Oregon State University.
All that eating has caused great changes. Scientists have found that when lionfish are present somewhere, many other fish, which are small enough for them to eat, disappear. Some of the fish they eat are greatly missed in their habitats. For example, parrotfish eat certain plants off corals(珊瑚), which allows corals to grow better. But they are now disappearing due to lionfish.
Scientists say lionfish are here to stay. But there are ways to deal with the problem. The key, says Green, is to keep lionfish numbers in check. In Florida, drivers can now go though a special training program and get certified(授予合格证书) to catch lionfish in areas where fishing is not usually allowed. And a number of restaurants have added the fish to the menu. “It’s going to be a long-term battle, but the missing sea species will come back someday,” says Green.
What can we learn about lionfish?

A．Its population is growing very quickly.

B．All of them are almost the same size.

C．They eat other big fish and even sharks

D．Most of them have gathered in the Atlantic.

Parrotfish were mentioned to show lionfish’s _____.

A．loneliness	B．carelessness
C．weakness	D．harmfulness

What is Stephanie Green’s attitude to the battle against lionfish?

A．She doubts it.

B．She is hopeful of it.

C．She is worried about it.

D．She thinks it is against the law.

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.

What impressed the author most about Stephen Hawking?

A．His brilliant research.

B．His bestselling books.

C．His serious disease.

D．His defeating hardship.

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.

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

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.

Which of the following is Not True according 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.

More than four decades ago British scientist Robert Edwards first witnessed the miracle of human life growing inside a test tube at his Cambridge lab． Since that ground-breaking moment, more than four million babies have been born through IVF and in 2010 his great contribution to science was finally recognized as he was awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine．
The prize for Dr Edwards, who was given a Daily Mirror Pride of Britain Award in 2008, includes a ￡900,000 cheque． The Nobel Assembly described IVF as a "milestone in modern medicine"．
With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, the Manchester-born physiologist developed IVF — leading to the birth of the world's first test tube baby． Dr Steptoe died 10 years later but their work has transformed fertility treatment and given hope to millions of couples．
It was a scientific breakthrough that transformed the lives of millions of couples． They said: "His achievements have made it possible to treat infertility, a disease which makes human unable to have a baby． This condition has been afflicting a large percentage of mankind including more than 10% of all couples worldwide．"
Louise Brown, the world's first test tube baby, made international headlines when she was born in Oldham, Gtr Manchester, in 1978 to parents Lesley and John who had been fruitlessly trying for a baby since 1969．
Ivf-in-vitro fertilisation is the process whereby egg cells are fertilised outside the body before being implanted in the womb． After a cycle of IVF, the probability of a couple with infertility problems having a baby is one in five — the same as healthy couples who conceive naturally．
Professor Edwards, who has five daughters and 11 grandchildren, began his research at Cambridge University in 1963, after receiving his PhD in 1955．He once said: "The most important thing in life is having a child． Nothing is more special than a child．" With the help of fellow scientist Patrick Steptoe, Prof． Edwards founded the Bourn Hall clinic in Cambridge shire, which now treats more than 900 women a year． Each year, more than 30,000 women in Britain now undergo IVF and 11,000 babies are born as a result of the treatment．
But his work attracted widespread criticism from some scientists and the Catholic Church who said it was "unethical and immoral"．
Martin Johnson, professor of reproductive（生殖的） sciences at the University of Cambridge, said the award was "long overdue"． He said: “We couldn't understand why the Nobel has come so late but he is delighted — this is the cherry on the cake for him．”
Professor Edwards was too ill to give interviews but a statement released by his family said he was "thrilled and delighted"．
What is Robert Edwards’ contribution to science?

A．Challenging a disease which stops human having a baby．

B．Seeing the wonder of the first tube baby growing.

C．Enabling millions of couples to live a better life．

D．Helping couples with infertility to have tube babies．

What does the underlined word “afflicting”（Paragraph 4）most probably refer to?

A．Troubling.	B．Developing.
C．Improving.	D．Confusing.

Why did Professor Edwards begin his research on tube baby?

A．Because he thought it of great significance to have a child in life．

B．Because the birthrate around the world was unexpectedly low then．

C．Because a special child did make a difference to an ordinary family．

D．Because his fellow scientist wanted to give hope to the unlucky couples．

It can be inferred from Paragraph 8 and Paragraph 9 that ___________．

A．some people envied Professor Edwards for his being awarded

B．different opinions were voiced on Professor Edwards’ finding

C．Professor Edwards deserved the prize for his breakthrough

D．the prize was late because the finding was first considered immoral

What might be the best title for the passage?

A．Life Stories of Robert Edwards

B．Preparations for Having a Baby

C．Nobel Prize for IVF Expert Edwards

D．Treatment of Infertility in a Lab

【原创】Noah McQueen is part of "My Brother's Keeper," a White House program aimed at young men of color.
His teen years have been rough, and include several arrests and a short period of being in prison. But last week, he was at the White House talking with President Obama.
"Growing up, I didn't have a stable household. I attended eight schools in three years," McQueen says.
McQueen adds his dad lives down the street from him, but he doesn't really have a relationship with him.
"That's one of the things we have in common," Obama says. "As I get older, I start reflecting on how that affected me. How do you think that affected you?"
"I think I learn right and wrong on my own terms." McQueen says.
"Obviously you've straightened yourself out and become successful as a black man. " Obama says. " But did you feel pressure to look back on the way you once acted?"
"Definitely, there's always pressure." McQueen says, "People will say, 'You are the success story,' but it's hard to always make the right decision and always be the leader."
"You shouldn't feel like you can't make mistakes.” Obama says. “You've discovered this strength inside yourself. If you stay true to that voice that clearly knows what's right and what's wrong, sometimes you're going to mess up, but you can steer back and keep going."
About his future plan, McQueen says" I want to do education because I want to work with kids," "You know, to see the beginnings, and to see where I was, to see the exact same kid doing the exact same thing. And it's like, we owe it to everyone and ourselves to come back and change that. That's like our duty.
"Yeah, and Noah, I just want to say how proud I am of you, man," Obama says. "It's not an easy thing to do what you've done. And I think you give others a lot of confidence and a sense of what's possible for them. And that makes me real proud. I know you're going to do great things."
What doe the underlined words “steer back” possibly mean?

A．Turn to the right direction.

B．Hesitate to go ahead.

C．Stop to have a rest.

D．Adapt to the environment.

From the passage we can know Obama ____.

A．got along well with his father when young

B．cares about the growth of the American youth

C．hates the youth to make mistakes

D．asks McQueen to work with kids

Why does McQueen want to do education?

A．Because he wants to make a living.

B．Because he wants to help children grow healthily.

C．Because he is encouraged by Obama.

D．Because there is a great need for teachers.

Which is wrong about Noah McQueen ?

A．Heisa black boy.

B．He did something wrong

C．He is praised by the president.

D．He founded “My Brother's Keeper”.

What can be the best title?

A．You Have This Strength Inside Yourself.

B．Don’t be Afraid to Make Mistakes.

C．My Brother's Keeper—A Nice Program.

D．Black People should be Treated Equally.