Question

M When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter(煉銅廠), and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.

Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back.. The answer from that big industry was “No.”

Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted.

Paul later got married and had some kids. But his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.

And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.

Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.

When Paul was a boy, _____.

he had decided never to leave his hometown

the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter

no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution

he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area

Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants?

He wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.

He was interested in planting trees since he was young.

He wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.

He thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.

What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

That he had to keep everything he did secret.

The message of the passage is that _____.

action speaks louder than words

perseverance(持之以恒) will work wonders

God helps those who help themselves

many hands make light work

Answer 1

【小題1】C

【小題2】D

【小題3】A

【小題4】B

解析:

【小題1】綜合判斷題。 根據第一、二段可知,Paul小時住在煉銅廠附近,深受其害(動物沒了,樹木少了),從小就立志改變這種狀況.，所以他幾年后就到工廠去，詢問工廠是否制定計劃植樹獲讓他植樹，但工廠拒絕了。這就說明當時還沒有環境保護法。D選項的時態錯誤。

【小題2】 推理判斷題。 從第二段中Paul 沒有說服工廠植樹，樹立環保意識可知，他認為知識會使他的建議更有說服力。

【小題3】 詞義猜測題。 從短語的上下文可知Paul每天秘密第去那片荒地去植樹。這么做是明知道荒地上種不了樹，還這么做。

【小題4】 主旨大意題。 縱觀全文可知Paul 從小就關注環境問題，決心把建工廠造成的荒地種上樹木，而后上大學學習環保專業；結婚成家后，也沒有放棄；終于在荒地上種上了綠樹，各種動物也回來了。這足以說明Paul持之以恒，堅持不懈，實現了自己的夢想。所以答案是B項。