Question

    In 2007, Barrington Irving became the youngest person to fly alone around the world. He was just 23 years old—and he built the plane himself. How did he achieve this?

Irving's interest in flying started when he was 15. He was working in his parents’ bookstore in Miami, Florida. One of the customers was a pilot, Gary Robinson. One day, Robinson asked Irving if he was interested in flying. Irving didn't think he was smart enough. But the next day, Robinson took Irving to an airport. He showed Irving inside the cockpit (驾驶舱) of a Boeing 777. That experience changed Irving’s life.

Irving really wanted to fly, but flight school was expensive. To achieve his dream, he worked different jobs. He washed airplanes and cleaned swimming pools. At home, he practiced flying on a video game. In the end, he got enough money for flight school.

At flight school, Irving achieved his dream of learning how to fly. But he wasn’t finished. Next, he planned to build his own plane and fly alone around the world.

Building the plane was difficult. Irving asked more than 50 companies for airplane parts. Most said no, but he persisted (顽强地坚持) in asking. Three years later, he had parts worth $300,000. Columbia, an airplane company, agreed to build a plane using the parts. Soon, his airplane was ready to fly.

On March 23, 2007, Irving began his round-the-world trip. After 97 days—with 145 hours in the air—he landed back in Miami. A cheering crowd of people was there to welcome him.

Irving saw many young people in the crowd, and this had a powerful effect (影响) on him. He wanted to use his experience to help other young people achieve their own dreams.

“Everyone told me what I couldn’t do,” says Irving. “They said I was too young, that I didn’t have enough money. But even if no one believes in your dream,” he says, “you have to pursue (追求) it.”

1.Why was Gary Robinson important in Irving's life?

A.He got Irving interested in flying. B.He sent Irving to a flight school.

C.He helped Irving build a plane. D.He taught Irving how to fly.

2.Put the events about Irving in the correct order.

a. Irving got the parts for his plane.      b. Irving flew around the world,

c. Irving met Gary Robinson.          d. Irving learned to fly.

A.c—d—a—b B.c—a—d—b C.b—c—a—d D.b—c—d—a

3.What can we know about Irving's personality according to the passage?

A.Clever and honest. B.Humorous and responsible.

C.Polite and powerful. D.Hard-working and persistent.

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.Becoming a Pilot. B.Life in Flight School.

C.Achieving a Dream. D.Building Your Own Plane.

Answer

1.A

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这篇短文讲述的是2007年，年仅23岁的Barrington Irving成为了独自飞行环游世界的最年轻的人，而且他是乘坐他自己制造的飞机飞行的。短文中通过讲述Irving的飞行故事告诉我们年轻人应该有梦想，并要为了梦想努力。

1.

细节理解题。根据短文第二段“One day, Robinson asked Irving if he was interested in flying. Irving didn't think he was smart enough. But the next day, Robinson took Irving to an airport. He showed Irving inside the cockpit (驾驶舱) of a Boeing 777. That experience changed Irving’s life.”可知，是Robinson让Irving对飞行产生了兴趣，因此他对于Irving来说是一个很重要的人。故选A。

2.

细节理解题。根据短文第二段到第六段的描述可知，Irving15岁时在Robinson的带领下，对飞行产生了兴趣，然后去了飞行学校学习飞行；接下来他自己制造了飞机，开始环游世界的飞行。正确的顺序是cdab，故选A。

3.

推理判断题。根据短文第三段“To achieve his dream, he worked different jobs.”和第五段“Building the plane was difficult. Irving asked more than 50 companies for airplane parts. Most said no, but he persisted (顽强地坚持) in asking.”可知，Irving为了实现自己的飞行梦，努力工作去赚钱上航校。在找公司制造自己的飞机时，他被拒绝了很多次，但仍然顽强坚持。由此可知，hard-working“工作努力的”和persistent“顽强坚持的”这两个词最能体现Irving的个性。故选D。

4.

主旨大意题。根据文意可知，这篇短文讲述了Barrington Irving从15岁开始对飞行有了兴趣，然后努力学习飞行，克服种种困难，制造了自己的飞机，并环游世界的故事。由文章的最后“He wanted to use his experience to help other young people achieve their own dreams.”可知，通过Irving的故事，短文是鼓励年轻人们要努力实现自己的梦想。C选项“实现梦想”能够体现文章的主题，作为题目最为合适。故选C。