Question

    In 2003, Mary Marggraff was a 47-year-old California mother, devoted to school committees and car pool schedules. But after losing her trusty notebook and buying a new one, she had an inspiration. “It was blank,” says Marggraff, now 64. “What else could I fill it with?” Soon she was thinking about her childhood love of flying, and next thing she knew, she determined to register in flight school. “In my first class, all the students were single men half my age. I felt like a housemother attending a fraternity (兄弟会), but I loved it too much to walk away.” she says.

Marggraff earned her first pilot’s license in 2005. Six years and four additional licenses later, her addiction to being in the air changed into something grander: a desire to go to space. To move closer to her starry dreams, Marggraff got a part-time job as a mission support representative at Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson’s commercial space line. In that role, she attended space-related gatherings where she educated people about the future of universe voyages. Though space tourism isn’t quite a reality yet, Marggraff has already begun space training in expectation of being on one of Virgin’s early flights. “I’ve completed acceleration force exercises,” she says, “which require getting inside a machine, spinning around at 2,500 miles per hour, and trying not to black out.”

Marggraff’s training has meant more than getting her wings — it’s expanded her sense of what the future may hold. “It turns out I’m capable of much more than I imagined,” she says. “I used to think it’d be a miracle if I got my first license. Now I’ve completed nearly 1,000 hours of flight! I'm rotten in the kitchen and I burn anything I iron, but if you need someone to land a plane, call me.”

1.Marggraff registered in flight school in order to __________.

A.break away from car pool schedules

B.make her new blank notebook popular

C.prove women are equal to men in flying

D.pursue her childhood dream of flying

2.What did Marggraff do after earning five licenses?

A.She got into space on one of Virgin’s early flights.

B.She instructed people in how to make universe voyages.

C.She received space training in preparation for space tourism.

D.She tried in vain to overcome faintness from high speed.

3.What does Marggraff benefit from her space training besides getting a license?

A.It proves her a miracle. B.It increases her self-confidence.

C.It wins her a qualification. D.It improves her imagination.

4.Which of the following words can best describe Marggraff?

A.Aggressive and hopeful. B.Creative and fragile.

C.Energetic and sensitive. D.Considerate and persistent.

Answer

1.D

2.C

3.B

4.A

【解析】

本文是记叙文，讲述了47岁的Marggraff为了实现当飞行员和去太空的梦想而不断努力的故事。

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段中“Soon she was thinking about her childhood love of flying, and next thing she knew, she determined to register in flight school.”47岁的Marggraff觉得生活比较空闲，就想起了童年时对飞行的热爱，于是决定在飞行学校注册。由此可知，她上飞行学校是为了追求她儿时的飞行梦想。故选D项。

2.

细节理解题。第二段中提到“Six years and four additional licenses later ,her addiction to being in the air changed into something grander: a desire to go to space. Marggraff got a part-time job as a mission support representative… she attended space-related gatherings where she educated people about the future of universe voyages.… Marggraff has already begun space training in expectation of being on one of Virgin’s early flights”（在获得了五份执照后，Marggraff对飞行的痴迷变成了更大的愿望——去太空。她在商业太空公司做兼职工作，参加与太空有关的聚会，向人们传授关于宇宙航行的未来，并且接受太空训练，期待能参加Virgin公司的早期飞行。）由此可知， Marggraff所做的这一切，都是为太空旅行做准备。故选C项。

3.

推理判断题。根据最后一段中Marggraff 所说的话“It turns out I’m capable of much more than I imagined(事实证明，我的能力远远超出了我的想象。)”… “I used to think it’d be a miracle if I got my first license.( 我曾经认为，如果我拿到了我的第一个驾照，那将是个奇迹。)”可以推断，除了获得执照外，Marggraff通过太空训练，觉得自己比想象的更有能力，从而增加她的自信。故选B项。

4.

推理判断题。通读全文可知，Marggraff在47岁的时候上飞行学校，在获得了五份执照之后，六年后又有了去太空的梦想，并为之不懈地努力。从中可以看出，Marggraff是一个很有进取心、有闯劲的人，对未来总是满怀希望。故选A项。