题目内容
A Race Against Death
It was a cold January in 1925 in Nome, Alaska. The town was cut off from the rest of the world due to heavy snow.
On the 20th of that month, Dr. Welch ______ a sick boy, Billy, and knew he had diphtheria, a deadly infectious(传染的) disease mainly affecting children. The children of Nome would be ______ if it struck the town. Dr. Welch needed medicine as soon as possible to stop other kids from getting sick. ______, the closest supply was over 1,000 miles away, in Anchorage.
How could the medicine get to Nome? The town’s ______ was already full of ice, so it couldn’t come by ship. Cars and horses couldn’t travel on the ______ roads. Jet airplanes and big trucks didn’t exist yet.
____ January 26, Billy and three other children had died. Twenty more were ______. Nome’s town officials came up with a(n) ______. They would have the medicine sent by ______ from Anchorage to Nenana. From there, dogsled(狗拉雪橇) drivers—known as “mushers”—would ______ it to Nome in a relay(接力).
The race began on January 27. The first musher, Shannon, picked up the medicine from the train at Nenana and rode all night. ______ he handed the medicine to the next musher, Shannon’s face was black from the extreme cold.
On January 31, a musher named Seppala had to ______ a frozen body of water called Norton Sound. It was the most ______ part of the journey. Norton Sound was covered with ice, which could sometimes break up without warning. If that happened, Seppala might fall into the icy water below. He would ______, and so would the sick children of Nome. But Seppala made it across.
A huge snowstorm hit on February 1. A musher named Kaasen had to brave this storm. At one point, huge piles of snow blocked his ______. He had to leave the trail (雪橇痕迹)to get around them. Conditions were so bad that it was impossible for him to ______ the trail again. The only hope was Balto, Kaasen’s lead dog. Balto put his nose to the ground, ______ to find the smell of other dogs that had traveled on the trail. If Balto failed, it would mean disaster for Nome. The minutes passed by. Suddenly, Balto began to _______. He had found the trail.
At 5:30 am on February 2, Kaasen and his dog ______ in Nome. Within minutes, Dr. Welch had the medicine. He quickly gave it to the sick children. All of them recovered.
Nome had been ______.
1.A. examined B. warned C. Interviewed D. cured
2.A. harmless B. helpless C. fearless D. careless
3.A. Moreover B. Therefore C. Otherwise D. However
4.A. airport B. station C. harbor D. border
5.A. narrow B. snowy C. busy D. dirty
6.A. From B. On C. By D. After
7.A. tired B. upset C. pale D. sick
8.A. plan B. excuse C. message D. topic
9.A. air B. rail C. sea D. road
10.A. carry B. return C. mail D. give
11.A. Though B. Since C. When D. If
12.A. enter B. move C. visit D. cross
13.A. shameful B. boring C. dangerous D. foolish
14.A. escape B. bleed C. swim D. die
15.A. memory B. exit C. way D. destination
16.A. find B. fix C. pass D. change
17.A. pretending B. trying C. asking D. learning
18.A. run B. leave C. bite D. play
19.A. gathered B. stayed C. camped D. arrived
20.A. controlled B. saved C. founded D. Developed
