Question

Edmund Percival Hillary was one of the greatest explorers of the twentieth century. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand, in 1919. He discovered an interest in mountain climbing while he was still in high school and began climbing New Zealand's Southern Alps.

Like his father, Hillary earned his living as a beekeeper. However, he continued to climb mountains. His goal was to climb Mt. Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world. By the early 1950s, several expeditions（探险队）had attempted to reach the summit of Everest, but all had failed. Then, in 1953, Hillary and a Nepalese climber named Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to reach the top of the world.

Hillary's spirit of exploration was not satisfied. He joined an expedition to Antarctica and reached the South Pole in 1958. He also made an expedition up the Ganges River to its source in the Himalayas. Sir Edmund Hillary was a brave adventurer. He went where no man or woman had gone before.

Although Hillary was best known as the young man who climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest in the 1950s, he continued his journeys to far-off places into his senior years. For instance, in his mid-sixties Hillary flew to the North Pole with Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Moreover, Hillary authored many books. However, his most lasting gift, perhaps, was the Sir Edmund Hillary Himalayan Trust（信托基金）. It raised millions of dollars and contributed to schools, hospitals and many other public improvements in the Sherpa villages of Nepal. In January 2008, Sir Edmund Hillary died at the age of 88.

Despite being a great adventurer and known for the treasure he left Sir Edmund Hillary always modestly referred to himself as a simple beekeeper from New Zealand.

1.Hillary was interested in ________ when he was in high school.

A. mountain-climbing    B. bee-keeping

C. money-raising    D. story-writing

2.Hillary became well-known because ________.

A. he reached both the South Pole and the North Pole

B. he was the first to reach the top of Mt. Everest

C. he lived in places where no humans had gone

D. he made a lot of money as a beekeeper

3.We can learn from the passage that Hillary is ________.

A. outgoing and fearless

B. talented and honest

C. determined and caring

D. hardworking and careful

Answer

1.A

2.B

3.C

【解析】本文主要讲了登山爱好者Hillary生命中那些令人惊叹的探险历程。与此同时，他还是一名慈善家，为公益事业做出了重要贡献。而在他本人看来，他是一名普通的养蜂人。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段“He discovered an interest in mountain climbing while he was in high school”可知，Hillary在高中的时候对爬山感兴趣。故选A。

2.细节理解题。根据第二段“Hillary and a Nepalese climber named Tenzing Norgay became the first two people to reach the top of the world” “Mt. Everest, which is the highest mountain in the world.”可知，Hillary是第一个登上 Mt. Everest 即世界上最高的山的人。第三段“Although Hillary was best known as the young man who climbed to the summit of Mt. Everest”可知，Hillary由此出名，故选B。

3.推理判断题。A. outgoing and fearless开朗而无畏；B. talented and honest有天分的和诚实的；C. determined and caring意志坚定的和有同情心的；D. hardworking and careful努力的和细心的。结合文中所讲他登山的经历，如他在失败后再次尝试终于成功登上Mt. Everest，可以总结出他是一个意志坚定的人；下文写他对慈善事业的贡献反映出他也是一个很有同情心的人。故选C。