人物类阅读理解模拟训练(51995)-高三英语阅读(360)-21英语网

A

Loved and hated, but never boring. That is what people say of American writer Norman Mailer, who died late last year at the age of 84. He was the author of some of the greatest books of the 20th century.

But Mailer will be remembered as much for his personality as for his writing. He was arrogant, rude and bad-tempered. He violently attacked other authors and even stabbed (刺伤) one of his six wives.

However, this never stopped Mailer from being successful. People always wanted to read his books. His provocative (煽动性的) writing style and willingness to deal with difficult subjects made his books bestsellers.

"He was willing to take risks with just about everything," says the author Gore Vidal. "He had a radical (激进的) imagination, a way of approaching subjects that was never boring."

In a career that lasted six decades, Mailer wrote about a wide variety of subjects from history and politics to sport and celebrities. But he was most famous for writing novels and he twice won the Pulitzer Prize.

His best book was The Naked and the Dead, a story about the tensions between American soldiers fighting Japan in World War II. Drawn on his own experiences as a soldier, it is a study of men at war examining their cruelty and bravery.

Mailer's brilliance as an author was his ability to capture human behavior. He did so through interesting characters, realistic dialogue and rich descriptions. The author William F. Buckley said, "He created the most beautiful metaphors (比喻) in the English."

Mailer left behind more than 40 books as his literary legacy (遗产). However, he never achieved his life's goal. He wanted to write what he called the "big one" — the greatest novel ever written about America. Well, at least it wasn't for lack of trying.

1. Which of the following is NOT the reason why Mailer was successful in his

writing career?

A. He had an interesting way of dealing with subjects.

B. He was full of new ideas. C. He enjoyed taking risks.

D. He was willing to write about difficult subjects.

2. Mailer was most famous for writing ________.

A. history B. politics C. sport D. novels

3. The underlined word "it" in the last paragraph refers to ________.

A. the greatest novel ever written about America B. Mailer's life's goal

C. Mailer's failure in achieving his life's goal D. the "big one"

4. What's the author's attitude towards Mailer?

A. Negative. B. Objective. C. Positive. D. Critical.

B

If Shayne Ward didn't join the British singing talent show X-Factor in 2005, he might still be working in the local clothing shop. However, life often favors those who have the courage to try, and the nation voted him the winner.

Recently, Ward came to China to promote his second album, Breathless, which was released on January 10.

"Shayne has got a magnetic (磁性的) voice, and his songs are rhythmic and soothing (舒心的) to listen to," said Feng Yu, a Senior 2 student from Beijing Xicheng Foreign Language School, who came to support him.

However, the 23-year-old Ward doesn't just have an extraordinary voice and beautiful looks. He also has a passion for performing on stage and a determination to go after his dream.

Life has been difficult for the Manchester boy. He's the youngest of a large family with three brothers and three sisters, and money was tight.

To help his family, Ward left school as soon as he could. He worked in factories making everything from chocolate to clothes to cardboard boxes. But he never forgot his true love was music.

At age 16, Ward joined a band called Destiny and spent his weekends singing karaoke. The band auditioned (试镜) for the X Factor series, but got nowhere. A year later, Ward wanted to try alone.

"I couldn't believe I kept getting through," he said. "I didn't want my family to be the ones going away looking sad."

However, Ward doesn't want to be discredited (被误认为) as a talent show winner. He has proved his worth with a No. 1 single and two best-selling albums. Instead of trying to predict the future, Ward only wants to enjoy his life right now.

"I just carry on doing what I'm doing. That's all," he said firmly, "I don't want to look too far ahead."

1. How did Shayne Ward make a living before he joined the British singing talent

show X-Factor?

A. He worked as a clothing shop assistant. B. He worked in a band.

C. He sang karaoke in clubs. D. He was a cardboard box salesman.

2. Which of the following facts does NOT contribute to Shayne Ward's popularity?

A. He has an extraordinary voice. B. He has beautiful looks.

C. He has great determination to realize his dream.

D. He was a member of a band.

3. What's the right order of the events related to Shayne Ward?

a. He joined a band. b. He left school.

c. He worked in factories.

d. He joined the British singing talent show X-Factor alone.

e. His band auditioned for the X Factor series but failed.

A. b, a, c, d, e B. a, d, b, c, e C. a, b, d, e, c D. b, c, a, e, d

4. What can we learn from Shayne Ward's success?

A. Practice makes perfect. B. All's well that ends well.

C. Where there's a will, there's a way. D. Actions speak louder than words.

C

I was born an albino (白化病人) in Pennsylvania in 1945. No one in my family had ever known what an albino was and what it meant to be an albino.

My family and friends treated me like everybody else. That was just about the best thing they could have done. It helped me trust myself, so when troubles came along, I could deal with them.

Like most albinos, I had terrible eyesight, but the fact that I could hardly see didn't bother me that much.

Kids would tease me, calling me "Whitey". People stared at me when I held reading material right at the tip of my nose so that I could see it well enough. Even when I was eight, movie-theatre clerks started asking me to pay full price because I "looked older".

The worst part for me was that because my eyesight was so bad, I couldn't play sports very well. I didn't give up trying, though. I shot hoops (投篮) every day. And I studied harder.

Eventually, I got better at school and loved it. By the time I got to college, I was double majoring, going to summer school and busying myself with every activity I could find. I had learned to be proud of being an albino. I did my best to make "albino" a positive word. And I decided to make my living with my eyes – and in sports.

I couldn't see very well to play sports, but with a solid education and a drive to do it, I could make a living involved in the area I loved. I've done it now for over thirty years in print and in video, and now in cyberspace (网络空间). People make jokes about how I'm the only "blind editor" they know, but the jokes are affectionate, some of them signs of respect.

I was just a proud albino kid from the coal country of Pennsylvania. I now realize that being born an albino helped me to overcome difficulties, gain confidence and be proud of my personal achievement.

1. According to the author, ______ helped him a lot in dealing with troubles.

A. the special care from his family and friends

B. the sympathy from the public

C. the equal way his family and friends treated him

D. his education in school

2. All the following are the signs of being an albino for the author EXCEPT _____.

A. abnormally white skin B. poor eyesight

C. an older appearances D. being unable to play sports

3. The author's good education and strong motivation made him successful as a

(an) ________.

A. sports editor B. Disc Jockey (DJ) C. printer D. IT engineer

4. We can infer from the passage that ________.

A. the author's poor eyesight made him very upset

B. the author finally did well in playing sports after years of practice

C. many people laugh at the author because he attempts to do more than he can.

D. the author holds an optimistic attitude towards his illness

D

Andrew Carnegie was a 19th century steel tycoon (大亨) who became one of the 20th century's most famous philanthropists (慈善家). His life story is one of the most famous rags-to-riches accounts in United States history.

Carnegie was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, on November 25, 1835. The son of a weaver, he came with his family to the United States in 1848 and settled in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. At age thirteen, Carnegie went to work as a bobbin (线轴) boy in a cotton mill (纱厂). He then moved rapidly through a succession of jobs with Western Union and the Pennsylvania Railroad. In 1865, he resigned to establish his own business enterprises and eventually organized the Carnegie Steel Company, which started the steel industry in Pittsburgh. At age sixty-five, he sold the company to J. P. Morgan for $480 million and devoted the rest of his life to his philanthropic activities and writing, including his autobiography (自传).

Many persons of wealth have contributed to charity, but Carnegie was perhaps the first to state publicly that the rich have a moral obligation to give away their fortunes. In 1889 he wrote The Gospel (福音) of Wealth, in which he asserted that all personal wealth beyond what was required to supply the needs of one's family should be regarded as a trust fund to be administered for the benefit of the community.

Carnegie set about giving away his fortune through innumerable personal gifts and through the establishment of various trusts. In his thirties, Carnegie had already begun to give away some of his fast-accumulating funds. His first large gifts were made to his native town. Later he created seven philanthropic and educational organizations in the United States, including Carnegie Corporation of New York, and several more in Europe.

One of Carnegie's lifelong interests was the establishment of free public libraries to make available to everyone a means of self-education. There were only a few public libraries in the world when, in 1881, Carnegie began to promote his idea. He and the Corporation subsequently (随后) spent over $56 million to build 2,509 libraries throughout the English-speaking world.

After this program was ended in 1917, the Corporation continued for about forty years an interest in the improvement of library services. Other major programs in the Corporation's early history included adult education and education in the fine arts.

During his lifetime, Carnegie gave away over $350 million. He died in Lenox, Massachusetts, on August 11, 1919.

1. Carnegie became wealthy by ________.

A. his investment in weaving industry B. his father's financial support

C. starting his steel business from nothing D. his philanthropic activities

2. What is the correct order of events related to Carnegie?

a. He sold his company. b. He organized the Carnegie Steel Company.

c. He worked in a cotton mill. d. He came to the United States.

e. He wrote The Gospel of Wealth.

A. c, d, e, b, a B. c, b, a, d, e C. d, c, b, e, a D. d, b, a, e, c

3. Which of the following is TRUE about Carnegie?

A. He was the first wealthy person who contributed to charity.

B. He believed that it was the duty of the wealthy to help society.

C. He called on the wealthy to give away all of their fortune to help the poor.

D. He was willing to give personal gifts only to his friends and relatives.

4. Carnegie established public libraries in order to ________.

A. become famous B. earn more money

C. improve library services D. help people educate themselves

E

Barack Obama is the strongest African-American candidate (候选人) to run for the US Presidency. Over the course of his campaign, Obama has shared a unique relationship with African-American voters. At first their votes were not guaranteed.

But now, as Obama has become the Democratic (民主党) front-runner over rival (对手) Hillary Clinton, he has won 29 states to her 17, although many of those victories were in small states, he is exciting black voters like no candidate has ever done.

Obama was born to an African father and a mother from a small town in Kansas. He was raised in Hawaii and Indonesia. This is an unusual background and some African-American voters questioned whether he was "black" enough.

At the beginning of his campaign, four out of five black Democrats viewed Clinton favorably, much higher than the 54 percent who had a favorable view of Obama, according to combined findings from two polls (民意调查).

But that was the beginning and a lot has changed since then. It has been Obama's message of change and his catch phrase "We can" that has brought into politics people who normally stay out.

Obama's great speeches and dynamic (有活力的) personality inspired young people and people wanting change. With their support Obama started to win different states. His character appealed to everyone regardless of race.

Obama is seen as someone different. He is a different type of politician, one who believes that bringing the country together is not done by insulting (侮辱) your opponent but by exciting the voters. Obama excites voters so much that women have been known to faint during his speeches.

"African-American Democrats used to be reluctant (勉强的) to support Obama because they didn't think a black man could be elected," Bill Schneider, a political analyst told CNN. "But now they believe."

That belief is contributing to even greater success for Obama. On Tuesday night he won the primary in the state of Mississippi, which has the most registered black voters in the US. Obama won nearly 90 percent of their votes.

"He's inspired me, and it's been a while since I've been inspired politically," truck driver Jasper Clark was quoted in a US newspaper.

1. Which of the following statements about Obama is TRUE?

A. His father was an African. B. He was born and raised in Africa.

C. His mother was an African. D. He was born in Indonesia.

2. What has caused many people to support Obama?

A. His African-American background.

B. His exciting speeches and appealing personality.

C. His financial promises.

D. His charming appearances.

3. What does the underlined phrase "That belief" refer to in Paragraph 9?

A. The belief of change.

B. The belief that a black man could be elected.

C. The belief in bringing the country together by exciting the voters.

D. The belief in Obama's political ideas.

4. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Obama has a great advantage over Hillary Clinton from the very beginning

B. many people doubted Obama's African origin

C. no white people supported Obama

D. Obama would bring great changes to America if he was elected

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