Question

    As she ran her eyes over the flight-test calculation sheets the engineer had given her, Katherine Goble could see there was something wrong with them. The engineer had made an error with a square root (平方根). And it was going to be tricky to tell him so. It was her first day on this assignment, when she and another girl had been picked out of the computing pool at the Langley aeronautical laboratory, to help the all-male flight research unit.

But there were other, more significant snags (障碍) than simply being new—he was a man and she was a woman. In 1953 women did not question men. They stayed in their place, in this case usually the computing pool, tapping away on their desktop calculators or filling sheets with figures, she as neatly turned out as all the rest. Men were the grand designers, the engineers; the women were “computers in skirts”, who were handed a set of equations (方程式) and exhaustively, diligently checked them. Men were not interested in things as small as that.

Nonetheless, this engineer’s calculation was wrong. If she did not ask the question, an aircraft might not fly, or might fly and crash.

So, very carefully, she asked it. Was it possible that he could have made a mistake? He did not admit it but, by turning the colour of a cough drop, he ceded (屈服) the point. She asked more such questions, and they got her noticed. As the weeks passed, the men “forgot” to return her to the pool. Her incessant “why?” and “how?” made their work sharper. It also challenged them. Why were their calculations of aerodynamic forces so often out? Because they were maths graduates who had forgotten their geometry, whereas she had not; her high-school brilliance at maths had led to special classes on analytic geometry in which she, at 13, had been the only pupil.

Why was she not allowed to get her name on a flight-trajectory report when she had done most of the work? Because women didn’t. That was no answer, so she got her name on the report, the first woman to be so credited. Why was she not allowed into the engineers’ lectures on orbital mechanics and rocket propulsion? Because “the girls don’t go”. Why? Did she not read Aviation Week, like them? She soon became the first woman there.

As NASA’s focus turned from supersonic flight to flights in space, she was therefore deeply involved, though still behind the scenes. She ensured that Alan Shepards mercury capsule splashed down where it could be found quickly in 1961, and that John Glenn in 1962 could return safely from his first orbits of the earth. Indeed, until she had checked the figures by hand against those of the newfangled electronic computer, he refused to go.

Later she calculated the timings for the first moon landing (with the astronauts’ return), and worked on the space shuttle. But in the galaxy of space-programme heroes, despite her 33 years in the flight research unit, for a long time she featured nowhere.

It did not trouble her. First, she also had other things to do: Raise her three daughters, cook, sew their clothes, care for her sick first husband. Second, she knew in her own mind how good she was—as good as anybody. She could hardly be unaware of it, when she had graduated from high school at 14 and college at 18, expert at all the maths anyone knew how to teach her.

But when their story emerged in the 21st century, most notably in a book and a film called “hidden figure”, she had a NASA building named after her and a shower of honorary doctorates.

Do your best, she always said Love what you do. Be constantly curious. And learn that it is not dumb to ask a question; it is dumb not to ask it. Not least, because it might lead to the small but significant victory of making a self-proclaimed (自称的) superior realise he can make a mistake.

1.Why did Katherine hesitate about pointing out the engineer’s error?

A.Because she lacked working experience and wasn’t sure of the error.

B.Because she was worried about being sent back to the computing pool.

C.Because men played a dominant role in the lab and couldn’t be questioned.

D.Because the man was an authority in that field and wouldn’t admit his error.

2.Women took on the calculation work in the lab because ________.

A.they were more careful and diligent than men B.men showed great respect for them

C.they were fond of doing lighter work D.men were unwilling to do such minor thing

3.What happened after Katherine Goble asked many questions in the flight research unit?

A.Male engineers ignored her deliberately. B.She gave male engineers a deep impression.

C.She made small errors occasionally. D.Special classes on analytic geometry were arranged.

4.The example of John Glenn is given in Paragraph 6 to show that ________.

A.Katherine Goble was considered reliable

B.he was a stubborn but cautious person

C.computers were of less significance at that time

D.male engineers preferred checking figures by hand

5.Katherine Goble didn’t get troubled by being nameless, because ________.

A.she led a relatively busy life and was confident about her ability

B.she devoted all her time to taking care of her children

C.she received a good education at an early age

D.she was ordinary among mathematicians

6.What’s the best title of the passage?

A.a girl who asked questions B.A figure who worked up to her fame

C.A woman who was ignored by male workmates D.A scientist who was crazy about maths

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.A

5.A

6.A

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。文章主要记叙了Katherine Goble在都是男性主导的飞行研究单位工作的第一天，就发现了飞行测试计算表上有错误，如果她不问这个问题，飞机可能飞不起来，或者飞起来就会坠毁。她小心地问了工程师是否出错的问题和其他更多这样的问题，引起了男人们的注意。最终Katherine的名字出现在飞行轨迹报告上，她的能力得到他人的肯定和信任。她总是说，尽自己最大的努力，热爱自己的工作。要不断地好奇。并学会问问题不是笨，不问才是笨。

1.

细节理解题。根据第二段中But there were other, more significant snags (障碍) than simply being new—he was a man and she was a woman. In 1953 women did not question men.可知但除了单纯的“新”之外，还有其他更重要的障碍——他是男人，她是女人。1953年，女人不会质疑男人。由此可知，Katherine在指出工程师的错误时犹豫不决，因为男人在实验室里占主导地位，不容置疑。故选C。

2.

细节理解题。根据第二段中Men were the grand designers, the engineers; the women were “computers in skirts”, who were handed a set of equations (方程式) and exhaustively, diligently checked them. Men were not interested in things as small as that.可知男人是伟大的设计师、工程师；这些妇女就像“穿着裙子的电脑”，她们拿到一组方程式，然后竭尽全力、孜孜不倦地检查它们。男人对那样的小事不感兴趣。由此可知，女性承担了实验室的计算工作，因为男性不愿意做这样的小事。故选D。

3.

细节理解题。根据第四段中She asked more such questions, and they got her noticed.可知她问了更多这样的问题，这些问题让她被引起了注意。由此可知，在Katherine Goble在飞行研究部门问了很多问题之后，她给男工程师留下了深刻的印象。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据第六段中She ensured that Alan Shepards mercury capsule splashed down where it could be found quickly in 1961, and that John Glenn in 1962 could return safely from his first orbits of the earth. 可知她确保了1961年Alan Shepards的水银舱飞落到可以迅速被发现的地方，确保了1962年John Glenn可以从他的第一次地球轨道安全返回。由此可推知，第六段给出了John Glenn的例子来说明Katherine Goble被认为是可靠的。故选A。

5.

细节理解题。根据倒数第三段中It did not trouble her. First, she also had other things to do: Raise her three daughters, cook, sew their clothes, care for her sick first husband. Second, she knew in her own mind how good she was—as good as anybody.可知这并没有使她烦恼。首先，她还有其他事情要做：抚养她的三个女儿，做饭，缝制她们的衣服，照顾她生病的第一任丈夫。其次，她心里知道自己有多好——和任何人一样好。由此可知，Katherine Goble并没有因为默默无闻而烦恼，因为她的生活相对忙碌，而且对自己的能力很有信心。故选A。

6.

主旨大意题。根据最后一段中Do your best, she always said Love what you do. Be constantly curious. And learn that it is not dumb to ask a question; it is dumb not to ask it.可知她总是说，尽自己最大的努力，热爱自己的工作。要不断地好奇。并学会问问题不是笨，不问才是笨。结合文章主要记叙了Katherine Goble在都是男性主导的飞行研究单位工作的第一天，就发现了飞行测试计算表上有错误，如果她不问这个问题，飞机可能飞不起来，或者飞起来就会坠毁。她小心地问了工程师是否出错的问题和其他更多这样的问题，引起了男人们的注意。最终Katherine的名字出现在飞行轨迹报告上，她的能力得到他人的肯定和信任。她总是说，尽自己最大的努力，热爱自己的工作。要不断地好奇。并学会问问题不是笨，不问才是笨。由此可知，A选项“一个问问题的女孩”最符合文章标题，故选A。