Robert Ballard was born in 1942.From an early age, he loved the sea.Ballard grew up in Southern California.He spent his free time at the beach near his home.He enjoyed fishing and swimming.He even learned to dive.
When Ballard wasn’t at the ocean, he loved reading about it.At the age of 10, he read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a book which describes the undersea adventures of Captain Nemo.Ballard decided he wanted to be like Captain Nemo when he grew up.His parents helped him follow his dream.
Ballard was a hardworking student.He spent many years learning all he could about the ocean.By the age of 28, he was an expert.In 1970, he took a job as a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts.There he studied underwater mountains of the Atlantic Ocean.He came up with ways to predict volcanoes under the oceans.Working with other scientists, Ballard also found previously unknown sea animals.These animals lived far below the ocean’s surface, where scientists had believed no animals could live.
By the 1980s, Ballard’s interests changed.He developed unmanned vehicles to explore the ocean bottom.His first find, the wellknown ship Titanic, made Ballard famous.He was not happy with just one big find, however.He looked for — and found — other wellknown ships.One was the German battleship Bismarck.Another was the USS Yorktown, an aircraft carrier (航空母舰) that sank during World War Ⅱ.
Today Robert Ballard is still an underwater explorer.He also heads an organization that encourages students to learn about science.Ballard hopes that some of the students will follow in his footsteps.After all, the world’s huge oceans are mostly unknown.Who knows what remains to be discovered under the sea?
语篇解读：本文介绍了海底探险家罗伯特·巴拉德的人生经历，包括他小时候的理想、学习经历以及长大后的成就。
1．What was Ballard’s dream when he was young?
A．To be an animal expert.
B．To be a professional diver.
C．To be a famous writer.
D．To be an underwater explorer.
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“At the age of 10, he read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a book which describes the undersea adventures of Captain Nemo.Ballard decided he wanted to be like Captain Nemo when he grew up.”可知，巴拉德小时候的梦想是做一名海底探险者。故选D项。
2．When Ballard worked at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, he________.
A．explored mountains with other scientists
B．thought of ideas to predict underwater volcanoes
C．found some unknown sea animals alone
D．developed unmanned vehicles to change interests
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第三段中的“There he studied underwater mountains of the Atlantic Ocean.He came up with ways to predict volcanoes under the oceans.”可知，巴拉德在伍兹霍尔海洋研究所工作时，提出了预测海底火山的方法。故选B项。
3．What can be a suitable title for the passage?
A．The Unknown Ocean World
B．A Hardworking Student
C．The Life of an Undersea Explorer
D．An Underwater Exploration
解析：选C 标题归纳题。根据文章的时间线索可知，本文是一篇人物传记，主要介绍了海底探险家罗伯特·巴拉德的人生经历。故选C项。
4．Which of the following is TRUE about Ballard according to the passage?
A．Ballard set up an organization to teach students science.
B．Ballard has explored more than half of the world’s oceans.
C．Ballard disappointed his parents at his undersea adventures.
D．Ballard was greatly influenced by Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.
解析：选D 推理判断题。根据第二段中的“At the age of 10, he read Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, a book which describes the undersea adventures of Captain Nemo.Ballard decided he wanted to be like Captain Nemo when he grew up.”可知，巴拉德受《海底两万里》这本书的影响很大。故选D项。
