故事类阅读理解模拟训练(118397)-高三英语阅读(622)-21英语网

A

Six years ago at the age of 35, I suddenly decided I wanted to learn the cello (大提琴). Straight away I rented an instrument and appeared before Wendell Margrave, professor of musical instruction.

“You can be as good as you want to be,” Margrave said rather mysteriously. On a piece of paper he drew the notes E and F. He showed me where to put my fingers on the neck of the cello and how to draw the bow. Then he entered my name in his book: 10 am, Tuesday. Tuesday followed Tuesday, and soon it was spring.

Thus began my voyage out of ignorance and into the dream. E-F, E-F, we played together – and moved on to G. It was a happy time. I was again becoming something new, and no longer trapped as the same person. Surely the most terrible recognition of middle life is that we are past changing. We do what we can already do. The cello was something I couldn’t do. Yet each Tuesday this became less and less true. Riding home on the bus one snowy night and learning the score of Mozart’s C-Major Quintet, I felt the page burst into music in my hands. I could by then more or less read a score, and was humming (哼唱) the cello line, when suddenly all five parts came together harmonically in my head. The fellow sitting opposite stared. I met his glance with tears, actually hearing the music in my head for the first time. Could he hear it too, perhaps? No, he got off at the next stop.

As the years slipped by, my daughter grew up, playing the piano well. My goal was that she and I would one day perform together. I also wanted to perform in public with and for my peers, and to be secretly envied. I continued to play, to perform, but it is not the same. Before, when I heard a cello, it was all beauty and light. Now, as the TV camera gets close to Rostropovich’s face, I recognize that his smile shows his incredible determination. Even for him, the cello is a difficult instrument that doesn’t respect your ambitions. I picked up my cello and practiced. As good as I wanted to be, I am as good as I’m going to get. It is good enough.

1. From the first two paragraphs, we can learn that _______.

A. the author went to a cello lesson every Tuesday

B. Wendell Margrave was a famous but mysterious professor

C. the author bought a cello after he decided to learn it

D. the author already knew some cello basics

2. The author writes that “it was a happy time” in Paragraph 3 mainly because _______.

A. he used to feel very bored with his unchallenging life

B. it was beautiful to be able to hear the music in his mind

C. Professor Margrave made learning the cello very easy for him

D. he enjoyed the feelings of growth and getting closer to his dream

3. From the last paragraph, it can be inferred that the author ______.

A. put on shows with his daughter

B. was determined to catch up with Rostropovich

C. is happy to have kept up his personal development

D. was confident that his peers would envy him for his cello playing ability

4. The purpose of the article is mainly to ________.

A. describe his incredible efforts to overcome difficulties

B. advise readers on how to improve their cello skills

C. encourage readers that it’s never too late to pursue their dreams

D. show his deep gratitude to his cello tutor

B

“How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?” Queen Victoria of the UK asked Helen Keller. “How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf, you were able to accomplish so much?”

Ms Keller’s answer is a tribute (致敬) to her dedicated teacher. “If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.”

According to speaker Zig Ziglar, “Little Annie” Sullivan, as she was called when she was young, was no stranger to hardship. She was almost sightless herself and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly “insane” by her caregivers. She was locked in the basement of a mental institution outside of Boston. On occasion, Little Annie would violently attack anyone who came near. Most of the time she generally ignored everyone in her presence.

An elderly nurse believed there was hope, however, and she made it her mission to show love to the child. Every day she visited Little Annie. For the most part, the child did not acknowledge the nurse’s presence, but she still continued to visit. The kind woman left cookies for her and spoke words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.

Eventually, doctors noticed the change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hatred, they now noted a gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly “hopeless” child was released.

Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as she, herself, was helped by the kind nurse. It was she who saw the great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her, played with her, pushed her and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne Sullivan worked wonders in Helen’s life; but it was a loving nurse who first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.

“If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown.” But if it had not been for a kind and dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained unknown.

5. The dialogue between Queen Victoria and Helen Keller is mentioned mainly to _______.

A. show a deep admiration for Helen Keller

B. prove that Helen Keller made a great contribution

C. begin telling the story of Helen Keller’s teacher Anne Sullivan

D. get the reader interested in how Helen Keller achieved so much

6. What is the hardship mentioned in the third paragraph?

A. Sullivan had a strange disease.

B. Almost everyone ignored Sullivan.

C. Sullivan was kept away from her parents.

D. Sullivan was believed to have an incurable mental problem.

7. What can we conclude from the article?

A. Sullivan liked the nurse from the very beginning.

B. Sullivan experienced firsthand how terrible the life of a deaf child was.

C. The elderly nurse had no doubt that Sullivan would be a great teacher.

D. Without the nurse, Sullivan couldn’t have helped Helen Keller later.

8. Which of the following would be the best title for the article?

A. The Power of Love B. Making a Difference

C. The Secret to Being a Good Teacher

D. Similarities Between Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller

C

English teacher and internet entrepreneur (企业家) Jack Ma founded Alibaba 18 years ago in his tiny apartment in Hangzhou, China. Now, Ma has become the richest man in China. Every current entrepreneur and business leader should learn from how a Chinese English teacher became such a great success.

Start here, go anywhere. Recognizing the importance of English, young Ma would ride his bike to a nearby hotel and guide foreigners around the city just to learn and practice the language.

He had vision … and he had help. Ma saw the internet’s enormous potential to bridge businesses across China’s huge population early on. So he and his wife brought 17 friends together and pooled $60,000 to start the company. That formed the basis for the company’s dynamic partnership structure and unique culture.

Big problems lead to big opportunities. China’s lack of infrastructure (基础设施) has always been a problem for the enormous nation’s small businesses. Alibaba solved that and now accounts for 80% of the country’s e-commerce.

Innovation comes from unique individuals who think and act differently. Everyone talks about changing the world and making tons of money these days, but those who actually do it are exceptional individuals with breakthrough ideas, uncommon vision and a passion to do great work.

What’s in a name? Jack Ma was sitting in a San Francisco coffee shop when he thought of how Alibaba overheard the secret password of the 40 thieves in his story – “open sesame” – and unlocked untold riches. He simply wanted his company to have a global and interesting name, and realized that Alibaba was a story known across the world. As an added bonus, Ma said that because it begins with A, it also appears at the top of lists.

Now you know some of the reasons why he accomplished his dream.

9. The article is about ________.

A. Jack Ma’s life story B. the secrets to Jack Ma’s success

C. Jack Ma’s business team D. the development of Alibaba

10. According to the article, the first step in Jack Ma’s success came from ________.

A. mastering the English language B. the unique culture of his partnership

C. innovation from his team D. the foundation of his company

11. Jack Ma named his company after Alibaba mainly because ________.

A. it begins with an A

B. it came from a story that is well-known around the world

C. inspiration came to him when he was listening to a story

D. his team worked out such a good idea

12. Which of the following words best describe Jack Ma?

A. Ambitious and creative. B. Humorous and generous.

C. Strict and intelligent. D. Warm-hearted and considerate.

D

In 1989 in a Zulu village, Daphne gave birth to a baby named Nkosi. As the months passed, the doctor found that the baby was infected with HIV, and so was his mother. The identity of his father would remain Daphne’s secret. Daphne was not yet 20, yet she was dying, and so was her tiny son.

Meanwhile, another South African woman, Gail Johnson, was living a different life. She and her husband were not wealthy, but a visit to a friend’s brother, who was in the last stage of AIDS, made her determined to do something. By October, she had raised enough money to set up a guest house and take in 12 people who were dying of AIDS. Daphne sent her boy to the guest house, where he became a star.

But in 1992 the guest house had to close for lack of money. Gail offered to adopt Nkosi. In 1997, Gail sent Nkosi to school, as there was no law preventing HIV-positive kids from entering South Africa’s schools. Eight-year-old Nkosi had lived longer than any other child ever born HIV-positive. In the three years at school Nkosi had only one accident. He fell in the playground and cut his mouth. The bleeding was handled with care. His school performance was satisfactory.

Nkosi’s progress was followed by the media. Gail took advantage of the coverage to raise money and found a house in Johannesburg for some women and their kids. She called it Nkosi’s Haven. Nakosi and Gail became icons (标志) in the international AIDS community. They were invited to the United States and made appearances. Then in July 2000, the 13th International Conference on AIDS was scheduled to be held in Durban.

Nkosi was introduced to a huge audience. “Hi,” he said. “My name is Nkosi Johnson. I’m 11 years old. I was born HIV-positive. I hate having AIDS, because I get very sick and I get very sad when I think of all the other children and babies with AIDS.

“Care for us and accept us. We are all human beings. We are normal. We have needs just like everyone else. Don’t be afraid of us. We are all the same.” His tiny body was being attacked by AIDS, but his big heart inspired a nation.

A week after the Christmas in the year 2000, Nkosi asked if he could take a bath. He lay in the hot water and smiled. A few minutes later he went into a coma (昏迷). Early on June 1, 2001, Nkosi died. Gail kissed him. “I love you,” she said. “Go quietly, my darling boy.”

13. From Paragraph 1, we can learn that _______.

A. Nkosi was found to have the HIV infection on his first birthday

B. it was Nkosi’s father who passed the HIV to him

C. Daphne got married and gave birth after she was 20

D. the deadly HIV would take Daphne and Nkosi’s lives

14. What can we learn about Gail Johnson?

A. Gail and her husband were rich, warm-hearted and generous.

B. Her visit to someone dying of AIDS led her to help people fight it.

C. The guest house was set up using Gail’s savings.

D. Gail offered to adopt Nkosi and sent him to school in 1992.

15. Nkosi became famous in the international AIDS community probably because _____.

A. he was a great inspiration and example to people

B. he lived longer than others who were born HIV positive

C. his school performance in his class was perfect

D. Gail’s love and care for him moved people

16. From Nkosi’s speech, we can learn that _______.

A. he received great medical treatment and a great education

B. he ignored the fact that he was born HIV-positive

C. his bravery and struggles could defeat the disease eventually

D. he held a positive attitude and called for people to care for those with AIDS

E

It’s a year I could never have imagined getting through. A year since I lost the love of my life, the man I expected to be with forever. My husband, Rick, was the commander of the space shuttle Columbia. Last February 1, he was supposed to come home to our two kids and me, but instead he went to his eternal home in heaven when the shuttle broke apart in midair over east Texas.

I had admired Rick since high school. He was a year older, popular and good-looking. For Rick and me, it was love at first date. There was none of the first-date awkwardness. We parked by the lake and talked. That’s when Rick told me about his dream of being an astronaut. He had written to NASA for a list of the requirements: a master’s degree in science, math or engineering, a good number of hours as a pilot – which was why he was going to the Air Force after graduation. I was beyond impressed. We dated all through college and got married on February 27, 1982.

Rick was chosen for a US-British test pilot exchange program in 1992. We moved to the English countryside. Later, Rick applied a fourth time for the space program and got the call from NASA.

No matter how tired Rick was after a long day of NASA training, he was 100 percent involved in family at home. There was no sweeter music to me than the sound of our kids laughing with their dad.

I was anxious at Rick’s first shuttle mission, as pilot of the Discovery in 1999. The memory of the Challenger explosion was still clear. The Discovery mission was a success so I was much at ease about Rick’s next trip, as commander of the Columbia, even though the launch date got put off several times. I peacefully watched the shuttle lift off last January 16. Then two weeks later, as the Columbia entered Earth’s atmosphere, it broke apart. It was like watching my whole life break into pieces and fall from the sky.

This February 27 would have been our 21st wedding anniversary. Grief seems to bring time to a halt. Yet love is always going on. There was a voice deep inside me that assured me I would be OK, the same voice that had brought me comfort during the other hard times in my life. I knew I would have the strength to go on, and where that strength would come from. It was love that would save me now.

17. The author wrote this article mainly to ______.

A. remember and express her deep love for her husband

B. explain the reasons why the Columbia broke apart

C. tell readers how her husband became the commander of the Columbia

D. describe her hardships after the death of her husband

18. From Paragraph 5, it can be inferred that _____.

A. the Columbia showed signs of problems right before it took off

B. the author always felt nervous about Rick’s missions

C. the Columbia broke into pieces when it lifted off on January 16

D. Rick’s death was an extreme blow to the author

19. How is the article mainly developed?

A. With comparisons. B. Through examples.

C. By following the order of time.

D. Through an analysis of cause and effect.