I grew up in Algeria and as a female, I’ve had to pay an extra price throughout my scientific journey as a result. I knew studying abroad would be key to my success, so I was extremely excited when I won a scholarship to attend a British university for graduate school. But there was one condition: I needed to take an English test. I was fluent in Arabic and French, the languages spoken in Algeria, but I didn’t have a solid grasp of English. I learned it hard but didn’t score high enough to secure entrance. I had to stay in Algeria to complete a master’s degree instead. But I kept learning English on my own. Two years later, I earned a Ph. D. scholarship to study in Switzerland.
Midway through my Ph. D., a professor remarked, “ You are quite productive, but why don’t you publish in the regular journals in our field? ” Shocked, I responded, “ What do you mean by regular journals? ” He gave a few examples of all journals dominated by researchers from the Global North. I had been publishing my papers in specialized, low-impact journals. That was counted as a great achievement in my home country, where even professors struggle to get published. Now, I realized that the scientific accomplishments abroad I was proud of were regarded as below average at best. The professor’s comment heartened me to adjust my research to address issues of broader interest. By the time I graduated, I had started publishing in so-called “ regular ” journals, which helped me land a postdoctoral degree in Canada. I told all this to the members of my lab, adding that they were privileged to grow up speaking English and have access to tremendous expertise and funding. Facing global inequities, I’ve started to try using a preprint server to integrate an English language proofing (校对) system into its platform, which would connect authors who need language help. We can take steps to make the global scientific community more inclusive. And I want to be part of that push for change.
1. Why was the author unable to go to a British university?A.She didn’t learn English. | B.She failed the English test. |
C.She lacked a master’s degree. | D.She got the lowest entrance score. |
A.Inspiring. | B.Heartless. | C.Regular. | D.Confusing. |
A.To establish an English language proofing system. |
B.To set up a platform where English authors write. |
C.To make the global community more inclusive. |
D.To aid those who need help with language. |
A.Honest and athletic. | B.Humble and considerate. |
C.Strong-willed and positive. | D.Energetic and sympathetic. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Outside her shabby cottage, old Mrs. Tailor was hanging out laundry on a wire line, unaware that some children lay hidden in the leaves of a nearby tree watching her every move. They were determined to find out if she really was a witch.
They watched as she took a broomstick to clean the dirt from her stone steps. But, much to their disappointment, she did not mount the broomstick and take flight. Suddenly, the old lady's work was interrupted by the cackling of her hen-a signal that an egg had been laid in the warm nest on top of the haystack.
The old broomstick was put aside as she hobbled off towards the haystack followed by Sooty, a black cat she had rescued from a fox trap some time back. With only three legs, it was hard for Sooty to keep up with the old lady. The cat provided proof-the children were sure that only a witch could own a black cat with three legs.
There, standing on a wooden box, was Mrs. Tailor, stretching out to gather her precious egg. Taking the egg in one of her hands, she began to climb down when, without warning, the box broke and the old lady fell.
"We have to got and help her," whispered Amy.
"What if it is a trick?" replied Ben.
"Don't be silly, Ben. If she were a witch, she would have turned us into frogs already," reasoned Meg. "Come on Amy, let's go." The girls climbed down the tree and ran all the way to the haystack.
Approaching carefully, they could see a wound on the old lady's face. She had knocked her head on a stone and her ankle was definitely broken. "Go and get Dad," Amy yelled to her brother. "Tell him about the accident."
The boys did not need another excuse to leave. They ran as fast as they could for help, hoping that Mrs. Tailor would not wake and turn the girls into frogs.
1. Why were the children hiding in the tree?A.They wanted to watch Mrs. Tailor do her housework closely |
B.They were playing a hide-and-seek game |
C.They wanted to find out if the story about Mrs. Tailor was true |
D.They were pretending to be spies |
A.her front steps were clean |
B.she noticed the children in the tree |
C.she was ready to take a flight |
D.she heard the hen cackling |
A.he thought that she could be tricking them |
B.he knew that they could not have been in the tree |
C.he did not see the old lady fall down |
D.he was afraid of the three-legged cat |
A.Make hay while the sun shines |
B.Never judge a book by its cover |
C.People in glasshouses should not throw stones |
D.A bird in the hands worth two in the bush |
【推荐2】Soft cries came from the back seat about halfway through road trip home. Allison heard her 2-year-old daughter’s voice asking: “Ruff? Ruff?” She suddenly realized her daughter’s favorite toy dog, Ruff, had been left behind at the Doubletree, a hotel in the capital. Allison said she felt terrible about forgetting her daughter Juniper’s comfort companion. As soon as the family unloaded the car that night, she called the hotel and learned that Ruff was in the lost-and-found and would be mailed to them in a day or two.
Three days later, a box arrived at the Allison’s home addressed to Juniper. Inside, next to Ruff, she found a tin of cookies, a note and some photos, which showed how Juniper’s toy dog had spent her solo vacation at the Doubletree. “Dear Juniper,” the note read, “thanks for letting us borrow Ruff for a day! Don’t worry, she didn’t work hard and we gave her plenty of playtime! Hope you and Ruff visit us again soon! Love, Doubletree Team.” The funny photos were taken by front-desk clerk Maria. The photos showed her talking on the phone, using a computer, hanging out at the hotel swimming pool and sleeping in the middle of a king-size bed.
“Juniper couldn’t stop laughing as she looked at the photos,” said Allison, who runs a photography business. “The love and care they put into doing this is unbelievable. A lot of times, when kids lose their toys or toy animals at a hotel, they might never see them again.”
She decided to write a post about the hotel’s kind deed on the Internet. She included photos she had taken of Juniper after she was reunited with her dog. “I wanted to do something to cheer people up during the pandemic (疫情), and it seems to have worked,” she said. “People started sharing it almost immediately.”
1. When did Allison find Ruff missing?A.Half way to the hotel. | B.On the way home. |
C.When she called the Doubletree. | D.After she unloaded the car. |
A.Juniper. | B.Allison. | C.Maria. | D.Ruff. |
A.To thank the clerk at the Doubletree. |
B.To advertise her photography business. |
C.To make people happy during the pandemic. |
D.To share the photos of Juniper with the toy dog. |
A.A Lost Toy Dog | B.A Warm-hearted Clerk |
C.An Unbelievable Post | D.A Careless Mother |
【推荐3】I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt’s house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then. I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.
I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see — the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving and never to come back was hardly in my head then.
The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism (乐观), but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost — having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to “the hard times.”
My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers (移民局官员), took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.
From my experiences I have learned one important rule: Almost all common troubles go away at last! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up, and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.
1. How did the author get to know America?A.From radio programs | B.From books and pictures |
C.From her mother | D.From her relatives |
A.excited | B.confused |
C.worried | D.amazed |
A.often lost her way |
B.did not think about her future |
C.studied in three different schools |
D.got on well with her stepfather |
A.She worked as a translator. |
B.She attended a lot of job interviews. |
C.She paid telephone bills for her family. |
D.She helped her family with her English. |
【推荐1】It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.
My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbor, we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps (脊背) in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it—there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale—actually as big as our boat—was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools (漩涡) and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe, and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.
1. The author says “I’m so glad I did.” in Para.2 because __________.A.he witnessed the whole process of fishing | B.he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea |
C.he experienced the rescue of the whales | D.he spent the weekend with his family |
A.the shape of the harbour | B.the arms of the bay |
C.the still water in the channel | D.the long coastline |
A.she had stayed in the polluted water for too long |
B.the whirlpools she had made were not big enough |
C.she had no other whales around to turn to for help |
D.the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction |
A.Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness. |
B.Fishing provides excitement for children. |
C.It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals. |
D.It’s vital to protect the environment. |
【推荐2】I had graduated from college with an engineering degree and was working at Xerox, but I’d always dreamed of a career in comedy. For this reason I had taken Claire’s comedy class. According to her website, Claire was a “world-known” teacher of “comedy arts”. “So You Want to Do Stand-Up(单口相声)? ” She was telling me, in front of the entire class, that my comedy wasn’t any good.
“The problem with you,” she said, “is that you don’t act like an comedian. ”
I wasn’t exactly sure what Claire meant, but I understood that there were a lot of different ways to be funny and I wanted my comedy to be a reflection of myself: warm and easy-going. Most of all, I wanted to make jokes about the world I saw around me, like the crazy things that happened at work every day.
I learned an important lesson that night. Claire - the supposed comedy “expert”- didn’t know a thing about me or what I could do onstage. All Claire knew was what I looked like. For her, that was enough to decide who I should be.
Claire was the first industry expert to try to make me fit her expectations. But she surely wasn’t the last. Fighting against other people’s assumptions is a challenge I’ve had to face for most of my career. I’m hardly alone.
No matter who you are or where you go in this life, people are going to try to put you in a box. Once they put you there, they’re going to try to convince you that it’s the best place for you. But if they are wrong about you, you’ve got to stand up and let them know it. In comedy and in life, you can’t expect people to give you permission to be yourself. You have to march onstage, claim your space, tell your story, and live your truth. If you don’t do it, who will?
1. What can be inferred about the author from paragraph 1?A.She was eager to learn comedy. |
B.She was a famous comedy artist. |
C.She majored in comedy in university. |
D.She was admired by her comedy teacher. |
A.Funny and crazy. | B.Warm and friendly. |
C.Crazy and stubborn. | D.Warm and admirable. |
A.Those that fit experts’ expectation. |
B.Those that reflected real daily life. |
C.Those that met the audience’s need. |
D.Those that fought against others’ assumptions. |
A.Bear it. | B.Ignore it. |
C.Make it clear. | D.Make up for it. |
【推荐3】I was 68 when I first stepped on stage as a standup comedian in 2003. I’d never set foot in a comedy club before. I’ve always been a performer - I’ve worked as a singer, actor and musician - but all that came to an end after 9/11. I live in New York, and we watched the twin towers fall from my apartment building. For a year afterwards, nobody wanted to go out or be entertained.
It was then that I started to think about comedy. I realised people needed to laugh, to enjoy themselves again, and thought that with a little training I could do it. I took a few classes, tried to work out a routine, and finally plucked up the courage to get up on stage. That first time was terrifying. I had no idea what the audience would make of me.
In New York, comedians are typically young men with beards. It’s hard enough to break through as a woman, even harder as someone old enough to be their grandmother. As I stepped on stage that first time, people laughed nervously. They were clearly surprised to see me. I introduced myself, stated my age and tried my first joke. There was silence. But by the time I got to the third line, people were properly laughing, I was addicted.
Now my sets differ. I might be on stage for 10 minutes in front of a dozen people, or my one-woman show is a full hour in front of a crowd of 100. Even today, I’m nervous before I step out. My first line is, “Hello, everybody. I’m 88 and three-quarters years old. I’m telling you that in case I don’t make it all the way through the show.” Then people laugh and I relax.
After a show, people young and old come up to me, saying what an inspiration I am. They say they want to be as active as me when they reach my age. I’m pleased I can show that as an older person you don’t need to take a back seat in life.
I’ve no intention of stopping comedy. I’m taking all these pills, trying to stay alive, and I hope to still be performing when I’m 100. My goal is to still be up there making people laugh. It’s hard work, but it stops me being bored. I’d only be playing golf otherwise
1. What made the writer take up comedy?A.She wanted to overcome her fears | B.She wanted to brighten others’ lives |
C.She was unwilling to quit performing | D.She wanted to work out a routine |
A.To show the challenge she was facing |
B.To explain her attraction to the job |
C.To illustrate her special advantage |
D.To describe her new friends in comedy |
A.She now performs before larger audiences |
B.She no longer feels nervous before performances |
C.She remains on the stage for a longer time |
D.She has learned to make a joke of her age |
A.Age is just a number |
B.Advancing years bring greater wisdom |
C.Old age means a chance to sit back |
D.Being elderly means you have to slow down |