A
John von Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker，and his speed of learning new ideas and of solving problems stood out early.At 17，his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician，and so von Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well.In 1926，at 23，he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph.D.in mathematics.From then on，mathematics provided well enough for him，and he never had to turn to chemistry.
In 1930，von Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there.His first book was published in 1932.In 1933，the Institute for Advanced Study was formed，and he became one of the 6 fulltime people(Einstein was one of the others)in the School of Mathematics.
World War Ⅱ hugely changed von Neumann's areas of interest.Until 1940 he had been a great pure(纯粹的)mathematician.During and after the war，he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematics theories into practice.During the last part of the war he became interested in computing machines and made several fundamental contributions.After the war，von Neumann continued his work with computers，and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards，was president of the American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission.He died in 1957 of cancer.
Von Neumann made several great contributions and any one of them would have been enough to earn him a firm place history.He will be remembered as one of the greatest minds of the 20th century.
Von Neumann really was a legend(传奇)in his own time，and there are a number of stories about him.His driving ability is a part of this legend.He reported one accident this way，“I was driving down the road.The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour.Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍了伟大的数学家John von Neumann(约翰·冯·诺依曼)的生平事迹。
1．According to the text，von Neumann's father believed that ．
A. a mathematician couldn't earn a lot of money
B．a mathematician needed a good memory
C．von Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time
D．von Neumann had a gift for solving problems at a high speed
A [ 细节理解题。根据第一段“his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician”可知，他的父亲认为数学家的生活可能会比较清贫。]
2．Von Neumann published his first book at the age of ．
A．23 B．26 C．29 D．32
C [推理判断题。根据第一段“In 1926，at 23...”和第二段“His first book was published in 1932.”不难得出，他29岁时出版了第一本书。]
3．How did World War Ⅱ affect John von Neumann?
A．He realized the importance of engineering.
B．He began to research how to put mathematics into practice.
C．He left college and served at the government department.
D．He lost interest in chemistry.
B [细节理解题。根据第三段前三句可知，第二次世界大战使他的兴趣从纯粹数学领域转到了应用数学领域。]
4．Which of the following is TRUE of von Neumann?
A．He had three children.
B．He died from an accident.
C．He received many awards in his life.
D．He and Einstein were classmates in Princeton University.
C [细节理解题。A选项对第一段第一句话理解有误，是错误的；由第三段末句可知，B选项错误；由第三段第六句可知，C项正确；由第二段末句可知，D项错误。]
