Question

Most students, when asked about their ideal graduation gift, would probably reply, “A car”, or “Money for a deposit on a house”. Cai Kaiyuan, 21, made a different choice. As a graduation gift to himself, he decided to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village in Tibet.

Cai, a senior majoring in electrical engineering at Huan Railway Professional Technology College, originally planned to cycle from Sichuan to Tibet. During his journey, Cai’s idea for a different graduation gift to himself began to take shape. “I did not know beforehand what the journey would mean to me. I just want to gain a unique experience and have pleasure in appreciating the view there,” he said.

It turned out cycling on a plateau (高原) was extremely challenging. And it has kept changing his outlook on life. Cai’s fingers even became frostbitten while cycling up a 5008-meter-high mountain, where temperatures often dropped to 18 below zero. At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak. “At the most serious moment, I felt that my life was on the line,” said Cai.

However, he also gained something unexpected. At Ya’an, a city in Sichuan, he met a group of tourists who are also university students. A girl called Wu Ling told him that she planned to work as a teacher in a primary school in Tibet after her journey. He was impressed by the idea as she looked slender and weak.

It was not until he reached a family-run hotel in Shigatse that Cai’s spirits began to rise. The hotel manager’s two daughters enjoyed talking with him. The kids asked about his experiences on his trip, and showed him the beautiful local lakes. “They told me that they always liked to talk to guests, as they wanted to improve their Mandarin,” he said, “Their parents and many locals can only speak Tibetan.”

Cai was touched by the girls’ story. Their situation is tough and the local people have little chance to learn Mandarin because the schools are short of teachers. “I want to do something to improve the situation for kids like them,” said Cai. His parents finally gave their agreement and his teachers also supported him.

1.According to the passage, Cai Kaiyuan’s graduation gift to himself is _________.

A. to have money for a deposit on a house

B. to travel by cycling from Sichuan to Tibet

C. to own a new car and marry a slender girl

D. to work as a volunteer teacher in Tibetan school

2.What words can be used to describe Cai’s journey to Tibet?

A. unique and pleasant

B. challenging but rewarding

C. relaxing but unexpected

D. freezing cold and boring

3.The underlined phrase “on the line” in the third paragraph means “ ____________”.

A. in a dilemma(进退两难)

B. making a phone call

C. at risk

D. very painful

4.The purpose of writing this passage is to ____________.

A. tell us about an unusual graduation gift

B. introduce a dangerous journey to us

C. give advice on how to travel to Tibet

D. encourage us to be a teacher in Tibet

5.Which of the followings is NOT the reason for Cai to make his decision?

A. He met Wu Ling and was impressed by her plan.

B. His parents and teachers persuaded him to go to Tibet.

C. He was moved by the kid’s desire to improve their Mandarin.

D. A lack of teachers makes the local people have little chance to learn.

Answer

1.D

2.B

3.C

4.A

5.B

【解析】

试题分析：这篇文章的主要目的是告诉读者大学毕业生Cai Kaiyuan收到的一个不寻常的毕业礼物，他的毕业礼物是到西藏的学校做志愿者老师，文章也介绍了他会做出这样的决定的原因。

1.D考查细节理解题。从文章第一段的句子：As a graduation gift to himself, he decided to work as a volunteer teacher in a remote village in Tibet.作为给自己的毕业礼物，他决定在西藏遥远的山村作志愿者教师可知Cai Kaiyuan 的毕业礼物是到西藏的学校做志愿者老师，可知选D项。

2.B 考查细节理解题。A. unique and pleasant唯一的且愉悦的；B. challenging but rewarding具有挑战性但有报酬；C. relaxing but unexpected放松但不是所期望的；D. freezing cold and boring非常冷而且乏味的。从文章第三段的句子和第四段的句子：It turned out cycling on a plateau was extremely challenging. However, he also gained something unexpected结果在高原骑行是非常具有挑战性的。尽管如此，他也获得了意想不到的东西。可知Cai Kaiyuan 的西藏之行是有挑战的，但是也是有回报的，故选B。

3.3】C考查猜测词义题：从第三段的句子：At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak在晚上，冰覆盖路面，并且他从自行车上摔下三次，缺氧使他感到眩晕和虚弱。可知“on the line”是“有危险的”的意思，故选C。

4.4】A考查写作意图题：从文章第一段的句子：Most students, when asked about their ideal graduation gift, would probably reply, “A car”, or “Money for a deposit on a house”. Cai Kaiyuan, 21, made a different choice大部分学生在被问及关于自己理想的毕业礼物时都会回答“小汽车”或者“购房款”。蔡开源，21岁，作出了不同的选择。可知这篇文章的主要目的是告诉读者一个不寻常的毕业礼物，故选A

5.5】B考查细节理解题：从文章第四段的句子：A girl called Wu Ling told him that she planned to work as a teacher in a primary school in Tibet after her journey. He was impressed by the idea as she looked slender and weak一位叫做武陵的女孩告诉他她计划在旅行之后在西藏的一所小学当老师。可知A是对的，从第五段的句子：“They told me that they always liked to talk to guests, as they wanted to improve their Mandarin,”他们告诉我他们总是喜欢和客人谈话，因为他们想学习普通话，可知C是对的，从最后一段的句子：Their situation is tough and the local people have little chance to learn Mandarin because the schools are short of teachers他们的处境是艰苦的，并且当地人们因为学校缺少老师很少有机会说普通话。Cai Kaiyuan 做这个决定的原因没有提到B项。由此可知B是正确的，

【名师点睛】

猜词悟义，扫除阅读拦路虎。

猜词是应用英语的重要能力。它不但需要准确无误地理解上下文，而且要有较大的泛读量，掌握或认识较多的课外词汇。我们要学会“顺藤摸瓜”，通过构词，语法，定义，同位，对比，因果，常识，上下文等线索确定词义。

a. 定义法

It will be very hard but also very brittle...that is, it will break easily. 从后面的解释中我们可以了解到brittle 是“脆”的意思。如：6.3】C考查猜测词义题：从第三段的句子：At night, the ice covered the road and he fell off his bike three times. The lack of oxygen made him feel dizzy and weak在晚上，冰覆盖路面，并且他从自行车上摔下三次，缺氧使他感到眩晕和虚弱。可知“on the line”是“有危险的”的意思，选C

b. 同位法

They traveled a long way, at last got to a castle, a large building in old times. 同位语部分a large building in old times 给出了 castle 的确切词义，即“城堡”。

c. 对比法

She is usually prompt for all her class, but today she arrived in the middle of her first class. but一词表转折，因此but 前后的意思正相反。后半句的意思是她今天“第一节上了一半才来”，因此反向推理，可得出她平时一向“准时”的结论。

d. 构词法(前缀、后缀、复合、派生等)

Perhaps, we can see some possibilities for next fifty years. possibility 是 possible 的同根名词， 据此可以断定 possibility 意思是“可能性”。

e. 因果法

The lack of movement caused the muscles to weaken. Sometimes the weakness was permanent. So the player could never play the sport again. 从后面的结果“永远不能再运动”中，可以推测 permanent 的意思为“永远的，永久的”。

考点：新闻报道类阅读理解