In memory of Eleanor
— a woman ________
[1] Eleanor Lowenthal — my grandmother — in desperate need of income to put her husband through graduate school, walked into the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. There, she convinced the scientists that she was the perfect person to mount (安放) and catalog their growing ant collection.
[2] At the time, a promising graduate student named E.O. Wilson was coming up in the department. Wilson, who passed away in December 2021, was called the “father of biodiversity”. When Eleanor joined the department, researchers were racing to collect and catalog specimens (标本). As Wilson shifted research towards smaller, less glamorous species that nonetheless held ecological significance, he set the stage for conservation biology. Behind the scenes, technicians like my grandmother preserved the specimen that furthered Wilson’s work and continue to provide new insights and opportunities for researchers across the globe.
[3] At the time, hiring a 21-year-old woman who had dropped out of art school was a significant gamble. It paid off. Eleanor’s job as a technician required the same manual flexibility and coordination that art school had demanded. The job required her to work quickly, yet precisely. Rushing could risk ruining a rare specimen, but Eleanor could process ants as quickly as Wilson could mail them back from his expeditions to Australia and Papua New Guinea. She sometimes mounted as many as 200 a day.
[4]It wasn’t a coincidence that Eleanor found work in entomology. Wilson’s high-profile research on ants cracked an opening for women in previously male-dominated field of conservation, which was centered around studying big game in the first half of the 20th century.
[5] Even when women’s early work has been credited, the language used to describe their contributions often minimized their role in the team, not mentioning them by name. A recently discovered department report includes lines such as, “A large amount of spreading and setting insects was done by the lady assistant,” and “The collection has been remarkably free from pests… due to the continuous care of the lady assistant.”
[6] The department now functions like a library (specimen can be borrowed for study or examined on site), and serves as a training center for the next generation of scientists who use the collection in ways Wilson and my grandmother probably never imagined.
[7] Eleanor didn’t realize the impact of her contribution at the time — the technician role was just a job that paid $38 a week. But she’s come to appreciate the significance of her work on a project that spans centuries. “You can see how it goes from one era to another,” says Eleanor. “It’s so important to have this library for people to make connections and new discoveries.”
1. The first two paragraphs write about _________.| A．why Eleanor was chosen to be an assistant for Wilson |
| B．what convinced Wilson switch to the study of ants |
| C．how Eleanor’s and Wilson’s career paths crossed |
| D．when technicians like Eleanor started to get hired |
| A．To prove how important women’s early work was. |
| B．To show women’s role at the time was not fully recognized. |
| C．To give a vivid description of the nature of women’s work. |
| D．To teach the wisdom of writing good science reports. |
| A．Today’s researchers are still enjoying the benefits of Eleanor’s work. |
| B．Eleanor is now working as a supervisor in the department. |
| C．New scientific discoveries are the results of collective wisdom. |
| D．Nobody’s work is as important as Eleanor’s in the department. |
| A．whose struggle mirrored the social changes in the status of women |
| B．whose work won her fame in the then male-dominated field of conservation |
| C．who pioneered a unique ant management system at the Harvard Museum |
| D．who worked behind the scenes with extraordinary speed, accuracy and artistry |
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【推荐1】I’m 28 and live in AixenProvence in the south of France. I have walked 975.5km (605 miles) for the environment, from AixenProvence to Paris, picking up all the rubbish left on roads: 810kg in total. I left my home on July 12 with my green bin, wanting to raise awareness of the state of the planet and its climate change problem.
Over 57 days, I managed around 17km of walking a day. I picked up 61kg of recyclable plastic, 3, 977 cigarette packets and 2, 083 cigarette butts (烟蒂), 117kg of glass, 162.5kg of metal and 325kg of nonrecyclable waste.
I got the idea to do a walk for the environment during a trip to Latin America. I had gone to Brazil for the World Cup, and then I took a bus to see my friend Lola, who was studying in Peru at the time. The whole way, I found it amazing that so much rubbish was collected up along the roads.The plastic bags, cans, boxes, empty bottles...a total shock. Lima was playing host to the COP 20 climate summit, which was the precursor (前身) to the climate summit (顶点) in France.
After the UN climate summit in Paris, I’ll keep going with an organisation called Petra Patrimonia. We’ll be able to do so much if we can keep recycling and sorting (分类；整理) our rubbish properly. It’s a strategic step in promoting clean energy. Lola and I will also fight against the plant to be built in Gardanne, which apparently needs wood from Canada to work.
1. The author got the idea of taking a walk for the environment ________．| A．under the influence of Petra Patrimonia |
| B．when watching the World Cup |
| C．on his way to visit a friend |
| D．when studying in Peru |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Uninterested. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．He picked up rubbish on roads. |
| B．He walked instead of taking vehicles. |
| C．He only used recyclable items in his daily life. |
| D．He called for awareness of the climate change problem. |
| A．It was 975.5 miles in length. |
| B．It lasted for about two months. |
| C．It focused on nonrecyclable waste. |
| D．It started from Paris to AixenProvence. |
【推荐2】I will never forget the tenth summer of childhood with my grandfather in western Norway at the mountain farm, where my mother was born. As a boy, I always thought people simply bought whatever they need. Whether Grandfather know this, I don’t know. One day he said, “Come, I have something for you.”
I followed him to a workroom. “You should have a toy boat. You can sail it at Storvassdal.” He said. “Great!” I jumped, looking around for the boat. But there was none.
Grandfather pointed to a block of wood. “The boat is in there.” Then he handed me some tools and showed me how to use them properly. “It’ll be a fine boat, and you’ll make it with your own hands,” he said, “No one can give you what you do for yourself.” The words rang in my head as I worked. Finished the boat, it wasn’t much to look at, but I was pound. Then I sailed it at Storvassdal.
We had to return to America. “You cannot bring that boat home with you,” my mother said. “We’ve already had too much baggage.” Feeling sad, I hid my boat under a big rock at Storvassdal.
I said good-bye to grandfather, not knowing I would never see him again.
In 1964, I went to Storvassdal with my parents and my wife and children. To my surprise, for 34 years, my treasure stayed here, waiting for my return. I felt we three were together again although my grandfather had died 22 years ago.
I carved “1930” and “1964” on its side and put it back.
I returned to the lake in 1968, 1971, 1977 and 1988. Each time I had the boat and carved the year, my grandfather seemed near.
My last trip to Storvassdal was in 1991. I brought my granddaughters: Catherine,13; Claire,12. I hoped they would understand the importance of the little boat and its simple message. At Storvassdal, Claire said softly, Grandpa, someday I’ll come back.” She added, “And I’ll bring my children.”
1. What did the writer learn from his grandfather?| A．Boy should make a toy by himself. | B．People simply buy whatever they need. |
| C．How to make a boat out of wood. | D．No one can give you what you do for yourself. |
| A．the writer’s mother was born in eastern Norway | B．Claire understood the meaning of the boat |
| C．the author came back to Norway four times | D．the writer’s grandfather died in 1930 |
| A．Mother, the boat and me | B．Grandfather, mother and me |
| C．Catherine, Claire and me | D．Grandfather, the boat and me |
| A．The Little Boat that Sailed Through Time | B．The Little Boat and My Life |
| C．The Little Boat in My Childhood | D．The Little Boat and My Grandfather |
【推荐3】In the Pacific Northwest during winter, 5:15 a.m. might be the dead of night. The alarm goes off and the only light is the red glow from my clock. My body says, “Go back to bed.” But I don’t. I know my running partner will be waiting in the street and I’m not going to stand her up. Then I walk onto the road, complaining about the cold and wishing I were back under my warm covers.
If you asked me a year ago if I could see myself running at 5:15 on a winter morning, my answer would be surely no. Running in the morning was something I didn’t even consider. While my friends went to the gym before work, I preferred to work out in the middle of the morning or in the afternoon.
Then, last fall I met an old friend. She’d been running in the morning and lost forty pounds. When I looked in the mirror, I knew I could benefit from the same kind of weight loss. I asked if I could join her. I knew I needed to change something if I wanted to get back in shape.
The first two months was especially hard, because we ran twice a week at 5:15 a.m. and I slept till 7:00 the other mornings. But as I’ve adjusted to the morning run, I’ve discovered great joys that make it even more worthwhile than a little weight loss.
While I haven’t lost forty pounds yet, I fall in love with the morning run. It’s amazing that I have more energy and feel stronger. Because of the morning run, the rest of my day is more productive.
1. What can we know about the author from paragraph 1?| A．5:15 a.m. is the best time for her to exercise. |
| B．She prefers to run alone without any company. |
| C．She always goes running with many warm clothes on. |
| D．She goes for a run despite the cold and the need to rise early. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Scared. | C．Confused. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Her friend’s suggestion. | B．Her partner’s encouragement. |
| C．Realizing the harm of being fat. | D．Realizing the benefit of running. |
| A．She has become slim again. | B．She has become more energetic. |
| C．She has become more confident. | D．She has become a better runner. |
【推荐1】LaPierre is no stranger to long, strange trips. As a young man, he worked as a baking chef, then as a real housing agent. But at age 30, he went to sleep under a Massachusetts bridge, a bridge happening to be on the route of the Boston Marathon. LaPierre would watch the runners speed past, longing to join them in running. Marathons became a symbol and an inspiration-surviving for the long journey.
About two decades ago, Lapierre started running in as many marathons as he could. To date, the 54-year-old man has crossed the finish line 32 times. Without a doubt, his most recent race was the most memorable.
LaPierre had flown from Boston to Chicago last fall, sleeping in O’Hare International Airport due to his poor finance support. Early on the morning of October 13, he boarded the train to the Chicago Marathon. The train was full of energetic marathoners. LaPierre noticed a man asking for spare change. At the Cumberland station, several stops before the one for the marathon, many passengers suddenly fled the train car. The panicked people shouted that the man asking for money was, in fact, an armed robber.
Just then, the robber himself escaped from the train car and hopped onto the next one.
LaPierre followed him quickly. “You don’t move!” LaPierre shouted, leaning into the armed man firmly with his left side and grabbing his gun firmly. “Let me go!” the man begged loudly. After a while, the police flooded to the train, and LaPierre returned the robber over to the police. The police expressed thanks to him. He fled quickly, for he had a marathon to run.
This was not the first time Lapierre had done good deeds. He had done a lot of good things. LaPierre knows there’s more to why he’s become a serial good guy than that. “I’ve lived a hard life,” he says. “But I believe change starts within yourself. For the last 25 years, I’ve tried to make myself into a good man.”
1. What happened to LaPierre when living under a bridge?| A．He had his job changed. | B．He baked cakes for marathon runners. |
| C．He was inspired by the Boston Marathon. | D．He was woken up by some marathon runners. |
| A．To cut down on living expenses. | B．To take care of other marathoners. |
| C．To help the police to catch a robber. | D．To catch the plane full of marathoners. |
①LaPierre delivered the robber to the police. ②LaPierre followed the robber and fought against him.
③LaPierre got on the train to the Chicago Marathon. ④The panicked passengers fled the train car.
⑤He went on to compete in the marathon.
| A．⑤④②③① | B．③①②④⑤ | C．③④②①⑤ | D．⑤④③①② |
| A．Good deeds have their rewards. | B．Kindness makes a real difference. |
| C．Happiness lies in the pursuit of dreams. | D．Outer changes always begin with inner changes. |
【推荐2】When it comes to money, the world’s luckiest woman appears to be a 63-year-old American called Joan Ginther. She has managed to win the jackpot (头奖) four times.
Mrs. Ginther’s first win was in 1993 when she won half of the $11 million first prize of the Texas Lottery (彩票). The rest of her money has come from scratch (刮) cards. You scratch these cards to expose if you have a winning code. They are very popular, but not many people who buy them win anything. However, Mrs. Ginther won $2 million from a Holiday Millionaire scratchcard in 2006 and then she won another $3 million from a Millions and Millions scratch card in 2008.
As a result of these wins, the Times Market in Bishop, where Mrs. Ginther bought her card, has become very popular.
However, not much is known about Mrs. Ginther.
Sun Bae, the owner of Times Market, remembers that Mrs. Ginther bought a new car for one of the town residents, even though she herself drives around in an old car.
| A．That time, the card won $10 million. |
| B．In total, she has won over $20 million! |
| C．Obviously, her private life is very important to her. |
| D．Additionally, she also bought a van for the local church. |
| E．So she is perhaps as lucky with cards as with the lottery. |
| F．Her answering machine says, “Please do not leave a message.” |
| G．There are often long queues outside the shop and along the road nearby. |
【推荐3】In 1892, the Sierra Club was formed. In 1908, an area of coastal redwood trees north of San Francisco was established as Muir Woods National Monument. In the Sierra Nevada mountains, a walking trail from Yosemite Valley to Mount Whitney was dedicated in 1938. It is called John Muir Trail.
John Muir was born in 1838 in Scotland. His family name means moor, which is a meadow full of flowers and animals. John loved nature from the time he was small. He also became interested in climbing rocky cliffs and walls.
When John was eleven, his family moved to the United States and settled in Wisconsin. John was good with tools and soon became an inventor. He first invented a model of a sawmill(大型锯机). Later he invented an alarm clock that would cause the sleeping person to be tipped out of bed when the timer sounded.
Muir left home at an early age. He took a thousand-mile walk south to the Gulf of Mexico in 1867 and 1868. Then he sailed for San Francisco. The city was too noisy and crowded for Muir, so he headed inland for the Sierra Nevadas.
When Muir discovered the Yosemite Valley in the Sierra Nevada, it was as if he had come home. He loved the mountains, the wildlife, and the trees. He climbed the mountains and even climbed trees during thunderstorms in order to get closer to the wind. He put forth the theory in the late 1860s that the Yosemite Valley had been formed through the action of glaciers(冰川). People ridiculed him. Not until 1930 was Muir’s theory proven correct.
Muir began to write articles about the Yosemite Valley to tell readers about its beauty. His writing also warned people that Yosemite was in danger from timber mining and sheep farming interests. In 1901, Theodore Roosevelt became the President of the United States. He was interested in conservation. Muir took the President through Yosemite, and Roosevelt helped get legislation passed to create Yosemite National Park in 1906.
Although Muir won many conservation battles, he lost a major one. He fought to save the Hetch Valley, which people wanted to dam(筑坝) in order to provide water for San Francisco. In the late 1913, a bill was signed to dam the valley. Muir died in 1914. Some people say losing the fight to protect the valley killed Muir.
1. Which time order of the events related to Muir is correct?a. The Sierra Club was formed.
b. Muir Woods National Monument was created.
c. John Muir learned to climb rocky cliffs.
d. John Muir walked to the Gulf of Mexico.
e. The Muir family moved to the United States.
| A．abced | B．abbad | C．ceabd | D．cedab |
| A．While his family lived in Wisconsin. |
| B．While his family still lived in Scotland. |
| C．After he sailed to San Francisco. |
| D．After he travelled in Yosemite. |
| A．He wrote short stories for the local newspaper. |
| B．He put forth a theory about how Yosemite was formed. |
| C．He headed inland for the Sierra Nevadas. |
| D．He began to write articles about the Sierra Nevadas. |
| A．He proved the valley had been formed through the action of glaciers. |
| B．He tried to tell his readers about the Valley’s beauty. |
| C．He warned Yosemite was in danger from timber mining and sheep farming. |
| D．He won the president’s support to create Yosemite National Park. |
