A
(2019·河南省实验月考)Eight years before his death in 1896, Alfred Nobel was surprised to read an obituary(讣告) in the local newspaper.This was a strange obituary, for it told Alfred Nobel, the man who was reading it, that he was dead.The newspaper had confused Alfred with his brother, Ludvig, who had recently died.
Nobel was shocked to read that he had passed away, and he was even more annoyed by the title of his obituary: The merchant of death is dead.Alfred was a very rich and successful armaments manufacturer(武器制造商)．
This incident got him thinking about his reputation.What would people think of him after his real death? Would they really say “That was a man who profited from killing”？It was this thought that led him to leave his money—a huge amount of it—for the founding of the famous Nobel prizes.His aim was for his money to be used to support the ongoing quest(追求) for excellence in the sciences and literature, and the ideal of peace.Thousands of men and women have been honored since the first awards were given out in 1901.The awards let the world know about the developments that may have a huge effect on our lives.
However, the prizes are controversial sometimes.There is often protest(抗议) at the award of the Peace Prize when not everyone thinks that the awardwinners deserve the award.Even the award for literature has sometimes been criticized because the award committee often neglects important writers.The highly influential novelists James Joyce and Marcel Proust, for example, were never honored by the Swedish Academy.
Still, for the most part the awards don't cause many complaints.Alfred Nobel founded the prizes to recognize those who have had “the greatest benefit to mankind” and few would disagree that most of the prizewinners—among them, Albert Einstein and Martin Luther King Jr—have made contributions that deserve to be honored and remembered.
语篇导读 1888年，Alfred Nobel偶然看到了一则“讣告”……他由此开始反思，并设立了诺贝尔奖，以奖励在科学、文学以及和平方面作出突出贡献的人。
1．How did Alfred Nobel feel when he read the obituary in the newspaper?
A．Sad and worried.
B．Shocked and upset.
C．Surprised and confused.
D．Amused and puzzled.
解析 B 细节理解题。根据第二段第一句可知，看到这则讣告时，他不仅吃惊，而且很生气，故选B项。
2．What did Alfred Nobel decide to do after reading the obituary?
A．Seek excellence in the sciences.
B．Donate all his money to the charity.
C．Stop producing any killing weapons.
D．Set up the Nobel prizes with his money.
解析 D 细节理解题。根据第三段可知，Alfred Nobel看到这则讣告之后，想了很多，最终决定把遗产中大部分的钱用于设立诺贝尔奖，故选D项。
3．Why does the author mention James Joyce and Marcel Proust?
A．To show the controversy of some Nobel prizes.
B．To give examples of influential Nobel prizewinners.
C．To explain the standard of giving out the Nobel prizes.
D．To prove the influence of the Nobel prizes on literature.
解析 A 推理判断题。根据第四段第一句并结合下文可知，作者提到这两位作家，是为了说明有时诺贝尔奖存在争议，故选A项。
4．What does the author think of the Nobel prizes?
A．There should be more female winners.
B．There are too many controversial winners.
C．They have honored many worthy winners.
D．The committee should be more selective.
解析 C 观点态度题。根据最后一段可知，作者认为诺贝尔奖奖励了很多值得赞赏的人，故选C项。
B
(2019·石家庄重点高中摸底)When Gitanjali Rao shared how she likes “finding solutions to real problems”， it was hard to imagine this dynamic girl could settle a problem that had escaped scientists for years.
In just three months, Rao came up with a device that can replace the costly and lengthy tests currently used to reliably determine lead levels in our fresh water. Inspired by the current litigation(诉讼) in Flint, Michigan, a case of water pollution from 2014 until present, Rao designed a new testing system that resulted in her being named “America's top young scientist” for 2017.
Rao had been following the water problem for about two years. She was amazed by the number of people affected by lead pollution in water and wanted to do something to change this. Rao spent months trying to convince local high schools and colleges to give her lab time to continue her experiment. At home, Rao worked on her project in the “science room” she asked her parents to create for her. Rao has created a device that uses three parts: a cartridge, a Bluetooth reader and an app. To put it simply, the cartridge contains carbon nanotubes(纳米管) that react to lead. This reaction is then registered by the Bluetooth reader, which sends a signal to a mobile app that can tell you immediately if your water is safe to drink.
Rao appropriately named the device Tethys and is hoping to make a little improvement to get the device on the market. While we may not be aware of any lead pollution present in our aging pipelines, lead poisoning can cause delays in physical and mental development. With Rao believing that “the purpose of science is to make a difference”， her incredible invention could make a difference to millions of people in the United States.
语篇导读 一个女孩发明了一款可以检测水中铅含量的装置，从而解决了一个多年来科学家忽视的问题。
【熟词生义】lead 常用义：v.引领 生义：n.铅
put 常用义：v.放，安置 生义：v.表达
reader 常用义：n.读者 生义：n.阅读器
5．What do we know about Rao's device?
A．It's cheap and quick.
B．It's cheap and inaccurate.
C．It's expensive and reliable.
D．It's portable and timeconsuming.
解析 A 推理判断题。根据第二段第一句可推知，与以前又贵又费时的设备相比，Rao所发明的设备既便宜又省时，与第三段最后一句相呼应，故选A项。
6．What made Rao have the idea of designing the device?
A．Her parents' suggestions.
B．Her desire for winning the award.
C．Her interest in settling real problems.
D．The water pollution litigation in Flint.
解析 D 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句可知，Rao设计这种装置的想法是受一起水污染诉讼的启发，故选D项。
7．What do the carbon nanotubes function as?
A．Sending immediate signals.
B．Detecting the presence of lead.
C．Recording the reaction results.
D．Showing the water quality results.
解析 B 细节理解题。根据第三段倒数第二句可知，这个碳纳米管可以对铅起反应，即可以检测出水中是否含有铅，故选B项。
8．What does the author think of Rao's invention?
A．It will lead Rao to make a fortune.
B．It will help millions of Americans drink safe water.
C．It will promote the development of science in America.
D．It will soon settle the leadpolluted problem thoroughly.
解析 B 观点态度题。根据最后一段最后一句可知，Rao的发明可以影响数百万美国人；再根据上文可知，该发明可以帮助检测饮用水的安全性，故选B项。
