Question

Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. "Football, tennis, Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless." he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England's rural Devonshire.

It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind on building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.

The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man's cold-water exploits（成就）. Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.

Journeys to the Pole aren't the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed his dream as fantasy." John Ridgway was one of the few who didn't say, 'You are completely crazy,'" Saunders says.

In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter（遭遇）with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.

Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he's skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.

This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.

1.The turning point in Saunders' life came when _________.

A. he started to play ball games

B. he got a mountain bike at age 15

C. he ran his first marathon at age 18

D. he started to receive Ridgway's training

2.We can learn from the text that Ridgway __________.

A. dismissed Saunders' dream as fantasy

B. built up his body together with Saunders

C. hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D. won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

3.What do we know about Saunders_________?

A. He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B. He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C. He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

D. He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

4.The underlined word "Intrigued" in the third paragraph probably means_________.

A. Excited   B. Convinced  

C. Delighted    D. Fascinated

5.It can be inferred tat Saunders' journey to the North Pole __________.

A. was accompanied by his old playmates

B. set a record in the North Pole expedition

C. was supported by other Arctic explorers

D. made him well-known in the 1960s

 

Answer 1

1.B

2.D

3.A

4.D

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：Saunders的个子不高，而且是一个很害羞的人，班里的同学认为他是最不可能加入某一个体育队的。Saunders15岁时得到的山地自行车改变了他，通过骑行，Saunders决定锻炼身体来增加体力和耐力。在18岁时，Saunders参加了马拉松。

1.It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him.”可知，是他15岁时收到的一辆山地自行车改变了他，故选B。。

2.who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean”可知，Ridgway因划船穿过大西洋而出名，故选D。

3.Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway's school of Adventure in Scotland”可知，Saunders曾经在苏格兰的一所学校任教，故选A。

4.Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions”可知，Saunders对极地探险很感兴趣，并尽可能的了解相关的信息，故选D。

5.Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole”可知，Saunders成为单独滑到北极的最年轻的人，故选B。

考点：人物类短文阅读