A
Born on May 27，1907 in Springdale, Pennsylvania, Rachel Carson became an avid explorer as well as reader, and took an interest in writing stories. By age 10, she had published her first story in St. Nicholas. She would often read this magazine, as well as many others that concerned the natural world. In 1925, she finished at the top of her class in high school in a class of 45 students.
Carson would go on to attend the Pennsylvania College for Women, which is known as Chatham University now. This is where she would end up pursuing the sciences. She would eventually attend Johns Hopkins University in 1929, continuing her studies in zoology and genetics.
Carson completed her Master's in zoology in June of 1932, and went to work at a local radio station. Here she would write educational broadcasts for a weekly radio show called Romance Under the Waters. This led her to her job at the U．S. Bureau of Fisheries, and she became just the second woman to be employed by the bureau.
In 1951, Carson had her book The Sea Around Us published, which explains the complexity of the ocean to nonscientists. Carson wrote the book with poetry and science, and she intended to spark in her readers a sense of the fragility of the world's ecosystem. The Sea Around Us made Carson the voice of public science in America, an internationally recognised authority on the oceans, and established her reputation as a nature writer of the first rank.
In 1962, Carson became wellknown when her most famous book Silent Spring was published. This book described the negative effects of pesticides on the environment. Her concern with pesticides dated back to the 1940s, but no one would take her seriously until this book was finally published. On April 14, 1964, Carson passed away due to a heart attack but her work towards preserving the environment has continued to this day. Silent Spring was even republished in 1994 with an introduction from then vicepresident AI Gore.
( A )1．What do we know about Carson's early life?
A．She was a great fan of St. Nicholas.
B．She worked at a radio station.
C．She pursued the sciences in high school.
D．She moved to Springdale at the age of 10.
( C )2．According to the passage, The Sea Around Us ________．
A．is a science book for professionals
B．was published after Carson passed away
C．aimed to raise public environmental awareness
D．has made Carson a fiction writer of international significance
( D )3．What might be AI Gore's attitude toward Silent Spring?
A．Critical. B．Ambiguous.
C．Skeptical. D．Approving.
答案及解析：
【语篇解读】本文是一篇记叙文。文章介绍了一位著名的科学家兼作家Rachel Carson的有关情况。
1．A 细节理解题。根据文章第一段“By age 10, she had published her first story in St. Nicholas. She would often read this magazine, as well as many others that concerned the natural world.(到了10岁，她在St. Nicholas发表了她的第一篇小说。她经常读这本杂志，以及许多其他有关自然世界的杂志)”可知，Rachel Carson从小就喜欢看St. Nicholas这本杂志，是其忠实的读者。故选A。
2．C 推理判断题。根据第四段“Carson wrote the book with poetry and science, and she intended to spark in her readers a sense of the fragility of the world's ecosystem.(Rachel Carson用诗歌和科学来写这本书，她想激发读者对世界生态系统脆弱性的认识)”可知，Rachel Carson写这本书目的是提高人们对环保的意识。故选C。
3．D 推理判断题。根据文章最后一句“Silent Spring was even republished in 1994 with an introduction from then vicepresident AI Gore.(《寂静的春天》在1994年再版时，甚至是由当时任副总统AI Gore写的介绍)”可推知，副总统AI Gore对《寂静的春天》这本书的态度是非常认可和支持的。故选D。
