题目内容
One day, a train was approaching the small town of Cheekyville. On the train was a 1 man with a big suitcase. He was called William Warbler and he looked very 2 indeed. But what made him most unusual was the fact that whenever he needed to 3 , he did so by singing opera. Even if someone said “good day” to him, he would clear his throat and 4 : “Goood dayyy to youuuuuu..... toooooo!”
Almost everyone considered William unusual, since no one could get a normal 5 word out of him. As no one knew how he made his living — he lived quite 6 , always wearing the same old second-hand suit — they often had no ___7__for him and sometimes even made fun of him.
William had been in Cheekyville for some years, when one day a rumor (谣言) spread that William had received a role in a very important 8 in the nation’s capital, that there had been posters everywhere advertising the event, and that it had been a great 9 . And to everyone’s surprise, when William was being interviewed by reporters, he answered their questions by speaking with good 10 , and with a clear and pleasant voice.
From that day on, William gave up 11 at all hours. Now he sang only during his stage appearances. People wouldn’t have thought him 12 if they had seen what William kept in his big suitcase. It was a large 13 , with a hand-carved message on it.
The message said, “Practice every second, for you never know when your 14 will come.” Little did people realize that he only got the role in the opera because the 15 had heard William singing while out buying a newspaper.
1. A. tall B. sensitive C. handsome D. strange
2. A. common B. concerned C. wealthy D. confident
3. A. appear B. practice C. communicate D. debate
4. A. whisper B. respond C. repeat D. tease
5. A. advised B. printed C. written D. spoken
6. A. simply B. naturally C. calmly D. fortunately
7. A. mercy B. respect C. trust D. money
8. A. concert B. documentary C. opera D. film
9. A. experience B. benefit C. discovery D. success
10. A. movements B. manners C. efforts D. signs
11. A. pretendingB. recording C. singing D. wandering
12. A. mad B. skillful C. artificial D. desperate
13. A. knife B. stone C. medal D. diamond
14. A. solution B. inspiration C. performance D. chance
15. A. neighbor B. visitor C. director D. Teacher
D
A
C
B
D
A
B
C
D
B
C
A
B
D
C
【解析】略
I don’t want to talk about being a woman scientist again. There was a time in my life when people asked constantly for stories about what it’s like to work in a field dominated (controlled) by men. I was never very good at telling those stories because truthfully I never found them interesting. What I do find interesting is the origin of the universe, the shape of space, time and the nature of black holes.
At 19, when I began studying astrophysics(天体物理学), it did not bother me in the least to be the only woman in the classroom. But while earning my Ph.D. at MIT and then as a post-doctor doing space research, the issue started to bother me. My every achievement—jobs, research papers, awards—was viewed through the lens (镜片) of gender (性别) politics. So were my failures. Sometimes, when I was pushed into an argument on left brain versus (相对于) right brain, or nature versus nurture (培育), I would instantly fight fiercely on my behalf and all womankind.
Then one day a few years ago, out of my mouth came a sentence that would eventually become my reply to any and all provocations (挑衅) : I don’t talk about that anymore. It took me 10 years to get back the confidence I had at 19 and to realize that I didn’t want to deal with gender issues. Why should curing sexism be yet another terrible burden on every female scientist? After all, I don’t study sociology or political theory.
Today I research and teach at Barnard, a women’s college in New York City. Recently, someone asked me how many of the 45 students in my class were women. You cannot imagine my satisfaction at being able to answer, 45. I know some of my students worry how they will manage their scientific research and a desire for children. And I don’t dismiss those concerns. Still, I don’t tell them “war” stories. Instead, I have given them this: the visual of their physics professor heavily pregnant doing physics experiments. And in turn they have given me the image of 45 women driven by a love of science. And that’s a sight worth talking about.
【小题1】Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?
| A．She is fed up with the issue of gender discrimination (歧视). |
| B．She feels unhappy working in male-dominated fields. |
| C．She is not good at telling stories of the kind. |
| D．She finds space research more important. |
| A．the burden she bears in a male-dominated society |
| B．her involvement in gender politics |
| C．her over-confidence as a female astrophysicist |
| D．the very fact that she is a woman |
A. Lack of confidence in succeeding in space science.
B. Unfair accusations from both inside and outside her circle.
C. People’s fixed attitude toward female scientists.
D. Widespread misconceptions about nature and nurtured.
【小题4】What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?
| A．Women students needn’t have the concerns of her generation. |
| B．Women can balance a career in science and having a family. |
| C．Women have more barriers on their way to academic success. |
| D．Women now have fewer problems pursuing a science career. |