A
Dear Editor，
Please publish more articles about women scientists. Women scientists have made outstanding contributions to the world. These women make excellent role models. More young women may choose science as a profession if women read featured articles on female scientists like Marie Curie and Rachel Carson. Both women were encouraged to study science，and they both accomplished great things.
With her father's encouragement, Marie Curie made the world a better place through her scientific accomplishments. She studied the emission (放射) of rays from uranium (铀), a feature she called “radioactivity (放射性)”. Later, Curie and her husband，also a scientist, processed the mineral pitchblende before separating two radioactive elements (元素). With this discovery, Marie Curie earned her doctorate, and shortly thereafter，both she and her husband were awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in physics. In 1911 Marie Curie won the Nobel Prize in chemistry for her work with the newly discovered elements；this work laid the foundation for Xrays and atomic physics.
When Rachel Carson was young, her mother encouraged her to study nature. As an adult, she became known as the mother of the modern environmental movement. After studying marine biology and zoology in college, Carson worked as a government scientist and wrote several books on how all living things relate to each other. In 1951 her book The Sea Around Us made scientific knowledge about the sea accessible to the general readers and remained on the bestseller list for eightysix weeks. In 1962 Carson wrote Silent Spring, a book that helped lead to improvements in the use of chemical pesticides(农药)．
Humans have benefited greatly from the work of Marie Curie and Rachel Carson. What if these women had not been encouraged to become scientists? I believe that we need to encourage young women to enter the field of science.With that goal in mind，I sincerely hope your magazine can publish more articles about the contributions that women make to science.
Sincerely，
Annie Bastien，Grade 7
Capistrano Middle School
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇应用文。作者在信中建议杂志编辑多刊登一些关于女性科学家的文章，以鼓励更多女性从事科学事业。
1．According to the text, Marie Curie ．
A．achieved success with her father's help
B．separated two radioactive elements alone
C．made contributions to the study of Xrays
D．won the Nobel Prize twice with her husband
C [细节理解题。由第二段中的“this work laid the foundation for Xrays and atomic physics”可知，玛丽·居里的工作为研究X射线和原子物理奠定了基础。]
2．What can we learn about Rachel Carson?
A．She was a physicist and chemist.
B．Her books had a great influence on the public.
C．She was inspired by her father to become a scientist.
D．Her role as an environmentalist was rarely known by people.
B [细节理解题。由倒数第二段中的“her book The Sea Around Us made scientific knowledge about the sea... a book that helped lead to improvements in the use of chemical pesticides(农药)”可知，雷切尔·卡逊所著的两本书对大众都产生了很大的影响。]
3．What can we infer about the author?
A．She aims to become a scientist.
B．She likes reading and writing stories.
C．She has a great interest in women scientists.
D．She wants to publish articles in the magazine.
C [推理判断题。由最后一段中的“I believe that we need to encourage young women to enter the field of science”可知，作者对女性科学家的故事很感兴趣。]
