Question

The Arctic is not a safe place to be by any stretch of the imagination. Essentially a vast, floating block of ice, with only a small area of land, the landscape can be almost totally different from year to year. Even the most experienced explorers are lucky to return with all their fingers and toes, not to mention their lives.

Into this extreme environment stepped Nabil Al Busaidi. In fact, he didn’t just step—he stepped and skied his way across 650km, pulling 50kg of equipment. He also carried the flag of the Sultanate of Oman, which he held in the air at the North Pole, becoming the first Arab to achieve this impressive feat (壮举).

On the way to the North Pole, Nabil was driven by the reward of success and the pain at the thought of failure. “Through the 20-whatever days , every minute there was a different thing that kept me going, either the fear of failure, the fear of dying or the reward of finishing and getting somewhere warm. ”

The ever-present cold, averaging around -40℃ but dropping as low as a recorded -81℃, is his overriding (首要的) memory of the experience. As an Omani, Nabil had an additional 20℃ drop in temperature to get used to, compared to his British teammates. Apart from the extreme cold, polar bears were a common feature of the journey, and Nabil and the team had their fair share of bear encounters. “Polar bears are dangerous, but they are not that threatening because they don’t intend to harm humans. They’re usually either curious or just don’t care. We saw five bears, and none were aggressive,” said Nabil.

One final problem Nabil faced was the stress put on team relations by the severity of the conditions, especially during the first three stages of the journey. However, during the fourth and final leg, the team worked so well together that they travelled 130km in only two and a half days.

1.What does Paragraph 1 show?

A. Nabil’s hard-won success.    B. The value of Arctic exploration.

C. Nabil’s good luck.    D. The change of the Arctic.

2.Which is the problem Nabil faced on his journey?

A. Gradually rising sea level.    B. Frequent polar bear attacks.

C. Constantly changing climate.    D. The heavy psychological burden.

3.What can we know about Nabil?

A. He had gone on an Arctic journey before.

B. He explored the Arctic with pretty light packs.

C. He finished the exploration of the Arctic all alone.

D. He suffered more from extreme cold than his teammates.

4.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Life in the Arctic.

B. Climate of the Arctic.

C. The first Arab to step into the Arctic.

D. Achievements scientists made in the Arctic.

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.D

4.C

【解析】 本人讲述了纳比尔不畏极端的天气，克服了重重困难，到达了北极点，成为到南极点的第一个阿拉伯人。

1.A

推理判断题。第一段讲述了北极的令人难以想像的极端环境，几乎无法居住，除了一小部分土地外全是漂浮着的冰块。即使是最有经验的探险家能安全地返回就是幸运了。由此可知北极是很难征服的。故选A。

2.D

推理判断。根据第三段内容“On the way to the North Pole, Nabil was driven by the reward of success and the pain at the thought of failure.”“…, either the fear of failure, the fear of dying or the reward of finishing and getting somewhere warm. …”可知，在去北极点的路上，纳比尔在心理上承受着巨大压力。故选D项。

3.D

细节理解题。根据倒数第二段中的“As an Omani, Nabil had an additional 20℃ drop in temperature to get used to, compared to his British teammates.”可知D符合题意。

4.C

主旨大意，从本文可知是阿拉伯人纳比尔第一次去北极的经历。文章第二段最后“He also carried the flag of the Sultanate of Oman, which he held in the air at the North Pole, becoming the first Arab to achieve this impressive feat (壮举).” 他高举着阿曼王朝的旗帜，在北极点的冷风中他举着旗帜，成为进入北极点的第一个阿拉伯人，故选C。