Unit 13 杰出人物
训练1
Ⅰ 阅读理解
A
Until 13, Parker Liautaud was an ordinary kid. That changed after he met polar explorer Robert Swan. They began an e-mail correspondence which turned into a friendship that eventually saw the then 14-year-old invited to join a trip to the Antarctic. He said yes almost instantly. Friends and family, to whom he’d so far shown he had no particular interest in outdoor pursuits, particularly polar ones, were thrown into total confusion, to say the least. He ate lots of chicken, spent a long time in the gym, and proved them wrong.
The following year, Liautaud cooked up a more ambitious plan: to become the youngest-ever person to go to the North Pole. He found a new partner, Doug Stoup, and through a mixture of charm and luck raised the roughly $150, 000 needed for the record attempt. Then disaster struck. The early months of the year, when the two set out, were among the warmest on record. The North Pole, which is essentially a GPS location on a constantly-drifting collection of ice sheets, became virtually inaccessible, surrounded by pieces of uncovered ocean.
A trip which had intended to raise awareness of melting ice caps had been obstructed by melting ice caps. “We would get up, battle through these difficult conditions for 150 hours, then wake up the next morning and find that we were further away from the Pole than we’d started the previous morning,” he said. After 14 days’ trying, they admitted defeat.
Liautaud came home and decided to try again the next spring. Conditions were cold but perfect, and he and Stoup reached the Pole in no time. While it might not have made him the youngest North-Poler, the success did give Liautaud a platform to continue advocacy against climate change, through his campaigning website. His view is that it’s his generation that must push hardest for cuts in carbon emissions. He has already contributed to research projects carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency and will soon set up two stations to record weather data.
( )1.How did Liautaud’s family react to his decision to go to the Antarctic
A.They made fun of it.
B.They were puzzled about it.
C.They turned a deaf ear to it.
D.They tried to talk him out of it.
( )2.What prevented Liautaud and Stoup from reaching the North Pole
A.The lack of funds.
B.A natural disaster.
C.The movement of the ice.
D.The failure of the equipment.
( )3.Why was Liautaud determined to go to the North Pole
A.To push his physical limits.
B.To support environmental protection.
C.To become an experienced North-Poler.
D.To finish a research project for his website.
( )4.Which of the following words can best describe Liautaud as a young man
A.Demanding. B.Generous.
C.Responsible. D.Cooperative.
B
When Mexican scientist of the evolution of animal behaviour, Laura Cuaya, moved to Hungary for her postdoctoral studies in Budapest, she brought her pet dog, Kun-kun, along for the ride. Cuaya couldn’t help noticing how locals warmed to dogs. This prompted her naturally curious scientific mind to start asking questions. “Here people are talking all the time to Kun-kun, but I always wonder if Kun-kun can recognize that people in Budapest speak Hungarian, not Spanish ” So she set out to find an answer through a scientific study.
Cuaya and her colleagues decided to use brain images from MRI scanning to shed light on her hunch. They worked with dogs of various ages that had, until the experiment, only heard their owners speak just one of the two languages, Spanish or Hungarian. Not surprisingly, getting the dogs to happily take part in the experiment took some creative coaxing (劝诱) and animal training! The researchers first needed to teach Kun-kun and her 17 fellow participating dogs including a labradoodle, a golden retriever and Australian shepherds, to lie still in a brain scanner. Their pet parents were always present, and they could leave the scanner at any point.
The research team played children’s classic book The Little Prince in both Spanish and Hungarian while scanning the dogs’ brains with an MRI machine. They were looking for evidence that their brains reacted differently to a familiar and unfamiliar language. The researchers also played scrambled versions of the story to find out if dogs could distinguish between speech and non-speech.
The images reveal that dogs’ brains show different patterns of activity for an unfamiliar language than for a familiar one—the first time anyone has proved, researchers say, that a non-human brain can distinguish between two languages. This means that the sounds and rhythms of a familiar language are accessible to non-humans.
The team also found that the brains of older dogs were more skilled at detecting speech “suggesting a role for the amount of language exposure”. They suggest that dogs have refined their ability to distinguish between human languages over the long process of domestication.
( )5.What is the first paragraph mainly about
A.The concern of the researcher.
B.The significance of the study.
C.The background of the study.
D.The introduction to the researcher.
( )6.What did Cuaya consider when choosing dogs for study
A.Age limits.
B.Language exposure.
C.Brain patterns.
D.Owners’ commands.
( )7.How do researchers comment on the results of the study
A.Unreasonable.
B.Contradictory.
C.Compromising.
D.Groundbreaking.
( )8.Which of the following can be the best title
A.Dogs can tell foreign languages
B.Dog brains have different patterns
C.Old dogs know more about human speech
D.Dogs can differ speech from non-speech
Ⅱ 应用文写作
你校正在组织英语作文比赛。请以“我最喜欢的中国历史人物”为题,写一篇短文参赛, 内容包括:
1.该人物及其主要贡献简介;
2.该人物对你的影响。
注意:1.词数80左右;
2.短文题目已为你写好。
My favourite figure in Chinese history
训练2
Ⅰ 语法填空
A 90-year-old has been awarded “Woman Of The Year”for 1. (be) Britain’s oldest full-time employee—still working 40 hours a week. Now Irene Astbury works from 9 am to 5 pm daily at the pet shop in Macclesfield, 2. she opened with her late husband Les. Her years of hard work have 3. (final)been acknowledged after a customer nominated(提名) her to be Cheshire’s Woman Of The Year.
Picking up her“Lifetime Achievement”award,proud Irene 4. (declare) she had no plans 5. (retire) from her 36-year-old business. Irene said,“I don’t see any reason to give up work. I love coming here and seeing my family and all the friends I 6. (make) over the years. I work not because I have to, 7. because I want to.”
Granddaughter Gayle Parks,31—who works alongside her in the family business—said it remained unknown as to who nominated Irene for the award. She said,“We don’t have any idea who put grandma forward. When we got a call 8. (say) she was short-listed,we thought it was 9. joke. But then we got an official letter and we were blown away. We are so proud of her. It’s 10. (wonder).”
Ⅱ 读后续写
阅读下面材料,根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段,使之构成一篇完整的短文。
Alvin Bamburg, 66, was deep in the woods in Grand Cane, Louisiana, last December when something caught his eye. Twisted in a fallen tree, it looked like litter. As Alvin approached, he saw that the object was a broken balloon. Attached was a piece of paper decorated with sparkly star stickers. It was a child’s Christmas wish list.
“Dear Santa,” the handwritten note read. “My name is Luna. I am four years old. I live in Liberal, Kansas. This year I have been nice. I would like candy, Spider-Man ball, Frozen doll, puppy. With love, Luna.”
Alvin’s heart hammered in his chest. Ever since he was a child, he had dreamed of this very scenario. He believed this was his childhood wish coming true. And he decided to make Luna’s wish come true too. Given the distance of more than 650 miles from Grand Cane to Liberal, Alvin followed the advice from his wife, Lee Ann Bamburg, and posted a photo of the balloon and the Christmas list on his Facebook page, asking for help locating the sender.
Meanwhile, Leticia Flores-Gonzalez, the mother of four-year-old Luna and her twin sister, Gianella, had no idea that such an effort was underway. It had been a hard year for Leticia and her girls. As COVID-19 spread, the family felt lonely, scared, and isolated, with no relatives living nearby.
On a particularly tough day last December, Leticia had come up with the idea of having the girls send letters to Santa by balloon. She told them that Santa would grab the balloons while he flew through the air on his sled. The twins were excited. Leticia helped them write down all the things that they dreamed Santa might bring them, and put the notes into Christmas red balloons. Then she took them outside to release their wishes to the universe on the chilly windy morning.
注意:续写词数应为150左右。
Paragraph 1:
One day in January, a friend called Leticia and said, “Someone found Luna’s balloon.”
Paragraph 2:
In April, Alvin and his wife made a trip to meet the girls.
Unit 13 杰出人物
训练1
Ⅰ.A
【文章大意】 本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了年轻的Liautaud为了支持环保去北极的故事。他的观点是,他这一代人必须最努力地推动减少碳排放。他已经为国际原子能机构开展的研究项目做出了贡献,并将很快建立两个气象站来记录天气数据。
1.B 细节理解题。根据第一段中“Friends and family, to whom he’d so far shown he had no particular interest in outdoor pursuits, particularly polar ones, were thrown into total confusion, to say the least.”可知,Liautaud的家人对他去南极的决定感到困惑。 故选B项。
2.C 细节理解题。根据第二段中“The North Pole, which is essentially a GPS location on a constantly-drifting collection of ice sheets, became virtually inaccessible, surrounded by pieces of uncovered ocean.”可知,是冰的运动阻止了Liautaud和Stoup到达北极。故选C项。
3.B 细节理解题。根据最后一段中“While it might not have made him the youngest North-Poler, the success did give Liautaud a platform to continue advocacy against climate change, through his campaigning website.”可知,Liautaud决定去北极是为了支持环保。故选B项。
4.C 推理判断题。根据最后一段中“Liautaud came home and decided to try again the next spring. Conditions were cold but perfect, and he and Stoup reached the Pole in no time.”和“His view is that it’s his generation that must push hardest for cuts in carbon emissions. He has already contributed to research projects carried out by the International Atomic Energy Agency and will soon set up two stations to record weather data.”可知,“负责”最能描述Liautaud。故选C项。
B
【文章大意】 本文是一篇说明文,主要介绍了墨西哥科学家Cuaya通过研究发现狗能够区分外语。
5.C 段落大意题。根据第一段“Cuaya couldn’t help noticing how locals warmed to dogs. This prompted her naturally curious scientific mind to start asking questions.”(Cuaya不禁注意到当地人对狗的喜爱。这促使她天生好奇的科学头脑开始提出问题。)和“So she set out to find an answer through a scientific study.”(于是,她开始通过科学研究找到答案。)可知,由于Cuaya注意到当地人对狗的喜爱,这促使她开始了这项研究。所以第一段主要交代了这项研究的背景。故选C项。
6.B 细节理解题。根据第二段“They worked with dogs of various ages that had, until the experiment, only heard their owners speak just one of the two languages, Spanish or Hungarian.”(他们研究不同年龄的狗,在实验之前,这些狗只听到主人说这两种语言中的一种,西班牙语或匈牙利语。)可知,被选择的狗在实验之前只听到主人说过两种语言中的一种。所以Cuaya在选择做实验的狗时,考虑了语言的接触问题。故选B项。
7.D 推理判断题。根据第四段“…the first time anyone has proved, researchers say, that a non-human brain can distinguish between two languages.”(……研究人员说,这是第一次有人证明非人类的大脑能够区分两种语言。)可知,研究人员认为这是第一次有这样的研究成果,由此推知,研究人员评价这项研究成果是具有开创性的。故选D项。
8.A 主旨大意题。根据第一段可知,作者在开头就提出了Cuaya要对狗能否区分外语进行研究。再根据第四段“…the first time anyone has proved, researchers say, that a non-human brain can distinguish between two languages.”可知,研究发现狗能够区分两种语言。所以A项“Dogs can tell foreign languages”(狗能够区分外语)为最佳标题。故选A项。
Ⅱ.One possible version:
My favourite figure in Chinese history
When it comes to my favourite figure in Chinese history, it must be Confucius. As is known to all, he is one of the greatest thinkers and educators in China. He established an educational system, which made an enormous impact on the development of traditional Chinese culture. Furthermore, he made many wise sayings in ancient China that helped many people learn about nature, the world, and the human behaviour. To develop friendships with other countries and popularize the Chinese culture, we set up Confucius Institutes all over the world.
In fact, his thoughts always inspire me to pursue knowledge and I’d like to be a teacher like him one day.
训练2
Ⅰ.【文章大意】 本文是一篇记叙文,主要讲述了一位90岁的英国女士Irene Astbury因为仍然坚持每周上班,而获得“年度女性”称号的故事。
1.being 考查非谓语动词。空格前面用介词for,后面要用v.-ing的形式作介词的宾语,故填being。
2.which 考查非限制性定语从句。the pet shop是先行词,指物,空格后面的句子中缺少宾语,故用which引导非限制性定语从句。
3.finally 考查副词。分析语境可知,此处是副词修饰动词,作状语, 故填finally。
4.declared 考查时态。本句缺少谓语,同时结合空后的had可知,应使用一般过去时。故填declared。
5.to retire 考查非谓语动词。根据语境可知,此处表示“她宣布她还没有要退休的计划”。用不定式作plans的后置定语。
6.have made 考查时态。结合空格后面的时间状语over the years可知,此处应用现在完成时。故填have made。
7.but 考查连词。此处是“not…but…”结构,意为“不是……而是……”,故填but。
8.saying 考查非谓语动词。say与前面的call之间是主谓关系,故填saying作后置定语,修饰前面的call。
9.a 考查冠词。根据语境可知,此处意为“我们以为这是一个玩笑”。a joke一个玩笑。故填a。
10.wonderful 考查词形转换。前面是系动词is,后面跟形容词作表语,故填wonderful。
Ⅱ.【思路点拨】 本文以人物为线索展开,讲述了阿尔文在树林深处发现了一只破气球,气球上面附有一个4岁小女孩的圣诞节礼物清单。阿尔文为了帮助这个小女孩,就在Facebook上面发布了这个清单和气球的照片,后来他帮助小女孩实现了愿望。
【详解】
1.段落续写:
①由第一段首句内容“一月的一天,一位朋友给莱蒂西亚打电话说:‘有人发现了卢娜的气球。’”可知,第一段可描写莱蒂西亚看到了Facebook上的帖子,并与阿尔文取得了联系,以及阿尔文为小女孩准备礼物的过程。
②由第二段首句内容“四月,阿尔文和他的妻子去见了女孩们。”可知,第二段可描写阿尔文和妻子一起去给小女孩送圣诞节礼物,以及小女孩的惊喜和感动。
2.续写线索:看到帖子——取得联系——准备礼物——送礼物——两家人相聚——表达感激
One possible version:
One day in January, a friend called Leticia and said, “Someone found Luna’s balloon.” Her jaw dropped. At her friend’s urging, Leticia logged onto Facebook and saw Alvin’s post, where she further learned that people from all over were asking if they, too, could be part of fulfilling the wish list. Leticia was deeply touched and gave Alvin a call. Knowing how much it would mean to Alvin to grant the girls’ wishes, she agreed to let him bring them some gifts. Back in Louisiana, Alvin got busy collecting toys from his newfound Facebook community.
In April, Alvin and his wife made a trip to meet the girls. That morning, just as chilly and windy as the day Luna and Gianella waved goodbye to their balloons, Alvin got out of the car in front of their house. He presented all the gifts to the twins, including a puppy, all greeted with the girls’ delightful cries. Later, both families sat down together to share homemade breakfast. They all felt as if they had been long lost friends. Having received so much generosity, Leticia and her girls expressed their gratitude and intended to pay it forward.
