Question

Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century. She made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes (染色体).

Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.

She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.

Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed a master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for a doctorate degree.

McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s were not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic Depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.

An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started in a temporary job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a permanent position with the laboratory. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without having to teach or repeatedly ask for financial aid.

By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.

1.When did McClintock receive a doctorate degree?

A. In 1921.    B. In 1923.    C. In 1925.    D. In 1927.

2.During the great economic Depression in the US, _______.

A. young scientists had trouble finding a job

B. female geneticists were not wanted at all

C. male geneticists were in great demand

D. male scientists were mostly out of job

3.Which of the following jobs may be most beneficial to McClintock’s research?

A. The job as a botany teacher.

B. The temporary job in the genetics department.

C. The permanent position in the laboratory.

D. The job of cancer research.

4.McClintock was awarded a Nobel Prize because of _______.

A. her life-long research in botany and biology

B. her contribution to genetic engineering

C. her discoveries about genes and chromosomes

D. her unshared work in the laboratory

5.The text is likely to appear in _______.

A. a biography    B. a history paper

C. a newspaper    D. a philosophy textbook

Answer

1. D

2. A

3. C

4. C

5. A

【解析】

这是一篇人物传记类阅读。本文主要讲述了著名女科学家Barbara McClintock的经历以及她在基因和染色体研究方面取得的重大成就。

1.细节理解题。答案定位在第四段McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed a master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for a doctorate degree. （McClintock 决定在Cornell继续她的研究。在1925年她完成了硕士学位。两年后，她完成了博士学位的所有的要求。）可知她在1927年取得博士学位，故选D。

2.细节理解题。答案定位在第五段The 1930s were not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic Depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed.在20世纪30年代，在美国，对一个年轻的科学家来说，不是一个好时候，这个国家正处于经济危机的中期，上百万的美国人失业了。可知年轻的科学家很难找到工作，故选A。

3.细节理解题。答案定位在倒数第二段A short time later, she accepted a permanent position with the laboratory. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without having to teach or repeatedly ask for financial aid.（不久之后，她接受了实验室的一个永久职位。这给了她继续研究的自由，而不必去教书或反复要求经济资助。）由此可知在实验室的永久职位对McClintock的研究最有帮助，故选C。

4.细节理解题。答案定位在最后一段McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes.在1983年，因对基因和染色体的发现，McClintock获得诺贝尔奖，故选C。

5.推理判断题。这篇文章介绍了著名女科学家McClintock的经历以及她在基因和染色体研究方面取得的重大成就，可知这是她的一个传记，故选A。