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.

1.Why doesn’t the author want to talk about being a woman scientist again?

2.From Paragraph 2, we can infer that people would attribute (把…归因于) the author’s failures to ________.

3.What did the author constantly fight against while doing her Ph.D. and post-doctoral research?

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.

4.What does the image the author presents to her students suggest?

阅读理解

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。

　　We had hardly got above the clouds over the airport when a calm voice said over the loudspeaker:“For technical reasons we shall be returning immediately to London Airport. Please keep your seatbelts fastened.”

　　I was rather surprised and glanced at the old lady next to me. She had been very chatty while we were waiting to take off.

　　“I'm going to New York to visit some relatives there. I always sleep wonderfully welt whenever I get into a plane.”she had told me.

　　And indeed, she seemed to he in a very deep sleep already.

　　Just then a passenger behind me shouted,“Oh, my God! The wing's on fire.”

　　I looked out of the window and my blood froze. Smoke and flames were pouring out of one of the engines. The plane was already turning and losing altitude fast.

　　“What's happening? Are we going to crash?”an American in front of me demanded.

　　The cabin crew were already moving up and down the aisle (走道), reassuring (安慰) people, saying things like,“It's just all right. There's no need to worry. Now, if you just sit still, everything will be all right. Don't get up. Don't get upset.”

　　I looked out again. The ground was rushing up at us with shocking speed. We were already so low that I could make out cars and even people.

“It's only a slight emergency,”a stewardess told me with a tense smile.

Suddenly there was a sickening bump and we were rushing along the runway at a terrifying speed. The brakes screeched (发出尖锐刺耳的声音). The engines roared even more loudly. We came to a trembling stop. The cabin crew quickly opened the emergency exits and the passengers began sliding down huge, stocking-like chutes (滑道) to the ground. A fire engine was already putting out the fire in one engine. I had to shake the old lady violently to wake her up.

　　“What's wrong? Surely the journey isn't over already! I mean, have we got to New York?”she asked sleepily.

1．When did the emergency occur?

[　　]

A．We are not told.

B．Just before the plane landed in New York.

C．Shortly after the plane took off.

D．Sometime in the middle of the flight.

2．What does the underlined word“altitude”(in Paragraph 6) refer to?

[　　]

A．Height above sea-level.

B．Place or area high above sea-level.

C．Way of thinking or behaving.

D．Way of positioning the body.

3．What would be the best title for the text?

[　　]

A．An unpleasant flight.

B．An interesting experience.

C．An unforgettable experience.

D．Brave cabin crew.

4．When they landed, the old lady _____.

[　　]

A．was one of the first to get out

B．asked when they were going on lo New York

C．was shaking violently with fear

D．was not even sure where they were

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?

　　“I would almost rather see you dead,” Robert S．Cassatt, a leading banker of Philadelphia shouted when his twenty-year-old eldest daughter announced that she wanted to become an artist．In the 19th century, playing or drawing or painting on dishes was all right for a young lady, but serious work in art was not．And when the young lady's family ranked among (跻身于) the best of Philadelphia's social families, such an idea could not even be considered．

　　That was how Mary Cassatt, born in 1844, began her struggle as an artist．She did not tremble before her father's anger．Instead, she opposed (抗拒) him with courage and at last made him change his mind．Mary Cassatt gave up her social position and all thoughts of a husband and a family, which in those times was unthinkable for a young lady．In the end, after long years of hard work and perseverance (坚持), she became America's most important woman artist and the internationally recognized leading woman painter of the time．

1．What was Cassatt's main reason in opposing his daughter's wish?

[　　]

A．Drawing or painting was simply unthinkable in those days．

B．He thought his daughter had no talent for art．

C．He believed an artist's life would be too hard for his daughter．

D．Ladies of good families should not become artists in those times．

2．What do we know about Mary Cassatt's marriage?

[　　]

A．Her marriage failed because she never gave a thought to her husband and family．

B．She never married because she did not want to be just a wife and a mother．

C．After marriage she decided to give up her husband．

D．She didn't marry because she couldn't find an ideal husband．

3．What did women consider the most important in Mary Cassatt's times?

[　　]

阅读下列短文，从所给的四个选项中，选出最佳答案

　ARLES, France-The world's oldest person turned 120 yesterday．

　Frenchwoman Jeanne Calment met artist Vincent Van Gogh and remembers the first moving pictures．

　She is blind, almost deaf and confined（限制）to a wheelchair．She celebrated her birthday at a home for the aged in the provincial town of Arles．She was born there in February, 1875 and spent all her life in the same place．

　Calment has been named the oldest person on the planet in“The Guinness Book of World Records”．Calment was born four years before scientist Albert Einstein, and a decade（十年）after the assassination（刺杀）of the US President Abraham Lincoln．

　“Always keep your chin up．That's what I attribute（归因于）my long life to．I think I'll die smiling．It's part of my plan, ”she said．

　A book, “Jeanne Calment's 120 Years”, was written about her．

　(February 22-28, 1995 2lst Century)

(1) Which of the following isn't true about Calment?　　　

[　　]

A．She is older than anyone else in the world．

B．She celebrated her 120th birthday at her elder sister's home．

C．She spent all her life in Arles．

D．She was born earlier than Albert Einstein．

(2) According to Calment, the secret of long life is to ________．

[　　]

A．insist on taking exercise

B．control our diet

C．be always optimistic（乐观的）

D．give up smoking and drinking

(3) People put her name in “The Guinness Book of World Records”mainly because ________．

[　　]

A．her secret of long life can make people live longer

B．she once met the famous artist

C．she was born 4 years earlier than Albert Einstein

D．so far she has lived longer than anyone else

(4) From the passage we know that ________．

[　　]

A．her memory is very poor now

B．her husband is still alive

C．her eyesight and hearing are very poor

D．the book “Jeanne Calment's 120 Years”was written by herself

(5) From the passage we can infer that ________．

[　　]

A．President Abraham Lincoln died in 1865

B．she will die smiling

C．she can do some shopping on foot at present

D．she has never married