[冲刺中考]英语阅读与填空：8-Thursday 名人 306词

8-Thursday 名人 306词

题材： 名人　 词数： 306　 建议阅读时间： 6分钟

阅读下面的短文，选择正确答案。

Look carefully at the back of a California state quarter．A man with a walking stick is pictured there．A bird called a California condor is flying overhead．Who is this man，and why is he so important that he is featured on the back of a coin？

The man on this quarter is John Muir．Even as a child，Muir loved watching nature．As a young man，he spent much of his life exploring the beauty of the wilderness．He walked more than a thousand miles across the country，through fields and woods．John Muir liked writing about the places he visited，describing their beauty.

Muir also wrote about problems．In order to create more farmland for sheep and cattle，many trees were being cut down．This made Muir unhappy and worried，because he knew that trees were important to forests and to the animals that lived in them．Muir believed that nature should be conserved instead of being changed by human beings．He wrote articles in magazines and newspapers to spread the word about conserving forests．Soon，others began to listen.

Muir wrote letters to important people，such as President Theodore Roosevelt．The president admired Muir's love for nature．When Roosevelt came to visit Muir in California，Muir convinced the president to go camping with him for three nights under the trees so they could talk about conservation．Later，President Roosevelt set aside 148 million acres of land for national forests and established five national parks．National parks are large areas of land that are protected from development．This means that people cannot build homes or businesses there．One of these parks is Yosemite National Park，the area that is featured on the back of the California quarter.

Though it has been almost one hundred years since John Muir died，people continue his work today．His work as a conservationist helped us to see the beauty of our natural world．John Muir made us understand the importance of protecting our earth and our resources—then，now，and for the future.

生词

quarter　n． 四分之一元；（美国和加拿大的）25分硬币：I deposited a quarter and two dimes in the slot.我往槽缝里投了一个25分币和两个10分币。

feature　v． 专题介绍；以……为主要内容：The scenery is featured in railway advertising.铁路广告以介绍风景为主。

wilderness　n． 荒野，不毛之地：The whole region is just a dry wilderness，where no plants grow.整个地区只是干旱荒野，没有植物生长。

conserve　v． 保护，保存：conserve national forests保护国有森林

set aside 　留出，拨出：The government set aside barely thirteen percent of this money for health and education.政府只拨出这笔款的13％用于卫生教育事业。

1．What did John Muir spend much of his life doing when he was a young man？

A．Watching natural views.

B．Writing about the places he visited.

C．Exploring the beauty of the wilderness.

D．Creating farmland for sheep and cattle.

2．Why did President Theodore Roosevelt visit John Muir？

A．Because Roosevelt loved watching nature.

B．Because Roosevelt received letters from John Muir.

C．Because Roosevelt admired John Muir's love for nature.

D．Because Roosevelt was sad about the problems with farmland.

3．What happened after President Roosevelt went camping with John Muir？

A．Many trees were cut down.

B．Five national parks were established.

C．More homes and businesses were built.

D．More farmland was used for sheep and cattle.

4．Why is John Muir featured on the back of a California state quarter？

A．Because he walked over a thousand miles across the country.

B．Because he helped people understand the importance of protecting the natural world.

C．Because he wrote articles to spread the word about conserving forests.

D．Because he once wrote several letters to President Theodore Roosevelt.

5．What is the writer's purpose of writing this article？

A．To advise readers to become active conservationists.

B．To make us interested in the story about a great man.

C．To tell us something about an important person in history.

D．To give information about how to conserve the environment.

参考译文

仔细观察加利福尼亚州25美分硬币的背面，你会发现上面印着一个拄拐杖的人。一只名为加利福尼亚大秃鹫的鸟在头顶盘旋。这个男人是谁？为什么他如此重要，以至于竟被印在硬币背面的显要位置？

硬币上的人就是约翰·缪尔。很小的时候，缪尔就非常热爱观察自然。年轻时，他把生命中的大部分时间都用在了探索荒原之美上。他徒步跨越了1000英里的国土，走过田野，穿过丛林。约翰·缪尔喜欢撰写与到访之地有关的文章，畅言其美。

当然，缪尔也会揭露存在的问题。为了给牛羊创造更多的牧场，大量树木遭到砍伐。这使缪尔难过、忧虑，因为他知道树木之于森林以及居住其中的动物的重要性。缪尔认为，自然应当受到保护而不是被人为改变。他在杂志、报纸上发表文章，传播保护森林的理念。很快，其他人开始倾听他的意见。

缪尔曾给西奥多·罗斯福总统之类的要人写信。总统很欣赏缪尔对自然的热爱。当罗斯福到加利福尼亚拜访缪尔时，缪尔说服总统和他一起在树下露营3晚，这样就可以畅谈保护自然的问题了。后来，罗斯福总统将1.48亿英亩土地上的森林划归国有，并设立5处国家公园。国家公园是受到保护、不能用于开发的大片土地。也就是说，人们不能在那里建造房屋或开办企业。优山美地国家公园就是其中之一，它的名字也刻在加利福尼亚25美分硬币的背面。

尽管约翰·缪尔去世已近百年，但今天的人们仍在延续他的工作。作为环保主义者，他的工作帮助我们认识到这个世界的自然之美，并使我们明白保护地球及资源的重要性——无论过去、现在，还是将来。

参考答案

Thursday 1．C　2．C　3．B　4．B　5．C