The Arctic is not a safe place to be by any stretch of the imagination. Essentially a vast, floating block of ice, with only a small area of land, the landscape can be almost totally different from year to year. Even the most experienced explorers are lucky to return with all their fingers and toes, not to mention their lives.
Into this extreme environment stepped Nabil Al Busaidi. In fact, he didn’t just step—he stepped and skied his way across 650km, pulling 50kg of equipment. He also carried the flag of the Sultanate of Oman, which he held in the air at the North Pole, becoming the first Arab to achieve this impressive feat (壮举).
On the way to the North Pole, Nabil was driven by the reward of success and the pain at the thought of failure. “Through the 20-whatever days , every minute there was a different thing that kept me going, either the fear of failure, the fear of dying or the reward of finishing and getting somewhere warm. ”
The ever-present cold, averaging around -40℃ but dropping as low as a recorded -81℃, is his overriding (首要的) memory of the experience. As an Omani, Nabil had an additional 20℃ drop in temperature to get used to, compared to his British teammates. Apart from the extreme cold, polar bears were a common feature of the journey, and Nabil and the team had their fair share of bear encounters. “Polar bears are dangerous, but they are not that threatening because they don’t intend to harm humans. They’re usually either curious or just don’t care. We saw five bears, and none were aggressive,” said Nabil.
One final problem Nabil faced was the stress put on team relations by the severity of the conditions, especially during the first three stages of the journey. However, during the fourth and final leg, the team worked so well together that they travelled 130km in only two and a half days.
【小题1】What does Paragraph 1 show?| A．Nabil’s hard-won success. | B．The value of Arctic exploration. |
| C．Nabil’s good luck. | D．The change of the Arctic. |
| A．Gradually rising sea level. | B．Frequent polar bear attacks. |
| C．Constantly changing climate. | D．The heavy psychological burden. |
| A．He had gone on an Arctic journey before. |
| B．He explored the Arctic with pretty light packs. |
| C．He finished the exploration of the Arctic all alone. |
| D．He suffered more from extreme cold than his teammates. |
| A．Life in the Arctic. |
| B．Climate of the Arctic. |
| C．The first Arab to step into the Arctic. |
| D．Achievements scientists made in the Arctic. |
I was the nurse on duty that day. I didn’t think there would be any patients, sighing about having to work on Christmas. Just then five bodies showed up at my desk, a pale woman and four small children.
“Are you all sick?” I asked.
“Yes,” she said weakly and lowered her head.
But when it came to descriptions of their problems, things got a little unclear. Two of the children had headaches, but the headaches weren’t accompanied by the normal body language of holding the head or trying to keep it still. Two children had earaches, but only one could tell me which ear was affected. The mother complained of a cough but seemed to work to produce it.
Something was wrong, but I didn’t say anything but explained that it might be a little while before a doctor saw her. She responded, “Take your time; it’s warm here.”
Then I checked the chart after the admitting clerk had finished registering the family. No address—they were homeless. The waiting room was warm.
I looked out at the family gathering close together by the Christmas tree. The little one was pointing at the television and saying something to her mother. The oldest one was looking at something on the Christmas tree.
I went back to the nurses’ station and mentioned we had a homeless family in the waiting room. The nurses, complaining about working on Christmas, began to feel pity for a family just trying to get warm on Christmas. The team went into action, much as we do when there’s a medical emergency. But this one was a Christmas emergency.
We were all offered a free meal in the hospital cafeteria on Christmas Day, so we claimed that meal and prepared a banquet for our Christmas guests. We needed presents. We put together oranges and apples in a basket. We collected from different departments candies, crayons and other things available that could be presents. As seriously as we met the physical needs of the patients that came to us that day, our team worked to meet the needs of a family who just wanted to be warm on Christmas Day.
Later, as the family walked to the door to leave, the four-year old came running back, gave me a hug and whispered, “Thanks for being our angels today.”
【小题1】Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Working on Christmas Day |
| B．Christmas Day is Coming |
| C．A Happy Family |
| D．A Pale Woman and Four Small Children |
| A．Hardworking and outgoing |
| B．Serious and careful |
| C．Hardworking and warmhearted |
| D．Serious and stubborn |
| A．Something was wrong with one of the children’ s head. |
| B．The pale woman forgot to write the address. |
| C．One of the children had a language problem. |
| D．The whole family pretended to be sick. |
| A．The author didn’t think there would be any patients on Christmas Day |
| B．The woman was uncomfortable when she lowered her head |
| C．The family appeared in the emergency room on Christmas Eve |
| D．The woman and four small children were satisfied and grateful |
Teenagers in England do many as the same things as children in America do. They enjoy sending messages on their mobile phones and they also like swimming, listening to the latest music, watching TV and surfing the Internet. How do teenagers in England spend their free time and holidays? Let’s follow Sally, a British teenager, and spend five days with her during her school holiday.
Day One
After breakfast, Sally’s mother went out and left her alone at home. She checked her mobile phone during lunch —one of her friends sent her a message early in the morning. Dinner was at 6:30 p.m. After that, she finished her English homework. Then she surfed the Internet.
Day Two
Sally and her mother paid a visit to their friends and went swimming together. Later, they went shopping for clothes and books, and had dinner in a restaurant.
Day Three
She went to the supermarket with her mother to buy fish and chips for lunch as well as some pens. After she got back home, she spent the next few hours surfing the Internet and watching TV.
Day Four
She surfed the Internet. Her mother took her out for lunch before she went to work. She then read stories after lunch.
Day Five
She woke up at 2 p.m., and so did her mother. They went to a park. Her mother met some friends there. When they got home, it was already time for dinner. Afterwards, she did her homework until 10 p.m.
【小题1】When did Sally do her homework?| A．In the morning. | B．In the afternoon. |
| C．At lunch time. | D．In the evening. |
| A．food for lunch and pens | B．some books and pens |
| C．some fish and clothes | D．food and books |
| A．She went swimming. | B．She went out for breakfast. |
| C．She read books. | D．She went shopping. |
| A．Once. | B．Twice. | C．Three times. | D．Four times. |
A month before my first marathon，one of my ankles was injured and this meant not running for two weeks，leaving me only two weeks to train.Yet，I was determined to go ahead.
I remember back to my 7th year in school.In my first P．E.class，the teacher required us to run laps and hit a softball.I didn’t do either well.He later informed me that I was “not athletic”．
The idea that I was “not athletic” stuck with me for years.When I started running in my 30s，I realized running was a battle against myself，not about competition or whether or not I was athletic.It was all about the battle against my own body and mind.A test of wills!
The night before my marathon，I dreamt that I couldn’t even find the finish line.I woke up sweating and nervous，but ready to prove something to myself.
Shortly after crossing the start line，my shoe laces became untied.So I stopped to readjust(重新调整)．Not the start I wanted!
At mile 3，I passed a sign：“GO FOR IT，RUNNERS!”
By mile 17，I became out of breath and the once injured ankle hurt severely.Despite the pain，I stayed the course walking a bit and then running again.
By mile 21，I was starving!
As I approached mile 23，I could see my wife waving a sign.She is my biggest fan.She never minded the alarm clock sounding at 4 a．m.or questioned my expenses on running.
I was one of the final runners to finish.But I finished!And I got a medal.Actually，I got the same medal as the one that the guy who came in first place had.
Determined to be myself，move forward，free of shame and worldly labels(世俗标签)，I can now call myself a “marathon winner”．
【小题1】Why did the author refer to his experience in the 7th year?| A．To share a funny story. |
| B．To share his precious old days. |
| C．To show his inability in sports then. |
| D．To express his thanks to the teacher. |
| A．He walked to the end. |
| B．He made it to the end. |
| C．He quit running halfway. |
| D．He was awarded the first prize. |
| A．Strongminded and brave. |
| B．Confident and learned. |
| C．Outgoing and dependent. |
| D．Courageous and humorous. |
| A．One is never too old to learn. |
| B．Failure is the mother of success. |
| C．The secret to success lies in family support. |
| D．Success can be gained with a great effort of will. |
组卷网是一个信息分享及获取的平台，不能确保所有知识产权权属清晰，如您发现相关试题侵犯您的合法权益，请联系组卷网
