外研版SB4 MODULE 4GREAT SCIENTISTS 同步阅读3篇

Stephen Hawking, the 67­year­old British physicist, was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by American President Barack Obama on August 12. The medal is the highest civilian (平民) honor given in the US.
Few scientists have won this medal. Hawking is not an ordinary scientist. He is a hero in the field of scientific thought. He was seriously disabled by a disease and has spent most of his adult life in a wheelchair. However, that didn't stop him from coming up with some of the most important discoveries in modern science.
Hawking's_work_is_difficult_for_non­experts_to_understand. For this reason, he has also written special books for the general public. His best­selling book A Brief History of Time, as well as books for children, has introduced scientific topics to millions of people outside of universities.
At the award ceremony, President Obama said of Hawking：“His popular books have advanced science. From his wheelchair, he has led us on a journey to the farthest and strangest reaches of the cosmos (宇宙)．”
Former US President Harry Truman started the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1945 to recognize people who have made great contributions to society. Professor Hawking said in a speech after the ceremony that it was a great honor to receive the medal. He said freedom is important for scientists.
“We need freedom to develop our theories, exchange ideas, and communicate our discoveries with each other and the public，” he said.“We also need the freedom to raise ideas which shake common perceptions (感知) of ourselves, or our place in the universe.”
In that, he said, he has been much more fortunate than some of his forebears (前辈) in science.
He compared himself with astronomer Galileo Galilei(伽利略)who was put in prison for suggesting that the Earth goes around the sun, rather than the other way around.
1．According to the passage, we know Stephen Hawking ________.
A．was the only scientist who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom
B．was 67 when he was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom
C．was an ordinary scientist
D．spent all his adult life in a wheelchair
解析：选B。根据文章第一段第一句可判断B项为正确答案。C项表述显然错误；有极少数的科学家获得这项奖章，由此可知A项错误；根据文章第二段“...and has spent most of his adult life on wheelchair”可知D项不正确。
2．Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?
A．Even the experts can't understand Hawking's work.
B．Nobody can understand Hawking's work.
C．If you are not an expert, Hawking's work is hard for you to understand.
D．None of the experts have difficulty in understanding Hawking's work.
解析：选C。画线句子的含义为：霍金的作品对非专业人士来说是难以理解的。由此可知C项表述与画线句子的含义最相近。
3．Who stated the Presidential Medal of Freedom?
A．Barack Obama.　　　　                            B．George Washington.
C．Galileo Galilei.                                  D．Harry Truman.
解析：选D。根据文章第五段第一句很容易得出正确答案。
4．According to what Hawking said, we can infer that ________.
A．he compared himself to astronomer Galileo Galilei
B．he thought Galileo Galilei had no freedom to put forward his ideas
C．he was no more fortunate than some of his forebears in science
D．freedom was not everything in science
解析：选B。根据文章倒数第二段“...he said, he has been much more fortunate than some of his forebears (前辈) in science”可知C项错误；由文章最后一段的表述可知A项错误，B项正确。
5．Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．Stephen Hawking became disabled because of an accident.
B．His Books have introduced scientific topics to common people.
C．His best­selling book is A Brief History of Time.
D. President Obama thinks highly of his books.
解析：选A。细节判断题。根据第二段的 “He was seriously disabled by a disease” 可知A不正确。根据第三段的最后一句可知B、C正确；第四段可判断D正确。A
This year, the American researcher May Berenbaum was the winner of the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. She is searching for ways to solve the bee problem in North America.
For thousands of years, people have had a love­hate relationship with bees. Many people have experienced being hurt by bees. But on the other hand, farmers depend on bees to pollinate (给……授粉) a lot of crops. The insects also provide a natural sweetener, honey. However, many bees have disappeared in what scientists call colony collapse (群体衰退). The worker bees suddenly disappear, and the colony dies. This has been a serious problem in North America，especially in the past five years.
Scientists do not fully understand the problem. May Berenbaum says there are many likely reasons for the collapse. One is the long­distance transport of bees for pollination and the spread of bee diseases from one area to another. The use of insect­killing pesticides (杀虫剂) can also make this worse.
May Berenbaum and her team are studying the problem. She suggests one way that people can help. She says, “People can buy local honey. The more local honey is needed, the more bees the beekeepers would keep. We have, over the last twenty­five years, seen a fast decrease in the number of beekeepers. The interest is returning, which is the best news for bees！”
May Berenbaum says people can also help bees by planting more flowers and showing less hate toward weeds (野草). They can provide food for bees.
Recently, Ms. Berenbaum was in Los Angeles to accept the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. She received two hundred thousand dollars with the award. She says the money will help continue her research on studying more ways of protecting bees.
1．What happens to the bees in North America?
A．They pollinate fewer crops than before.
B．They produce less honey than in the past.
C．Their population is decreasing greatly.
D．They are more likely to hurt people.
解析：选C。细节理解题。由第二段 “However, many bees have disappeared in what scientists call colony collapse(群体衰退) ...”可知，北美的蜜蜂的数量在急剧减少。
2．All of the following are the reasons for the collapse of bees EXCEPT ________.
A．the long way bees travel to pollinate crops
B．the use of insect­killing pesticides
C．the spread of diseases among bees
D．the fight among bee groups
解析：选D。推理判断题。由第三段“One is the long­distance transport of bees for pollination and the spread of bee diseases from one area to another. The use of insect­killing pesticides(杀虫剂) can also make this worse.” 可知，文中并没有提到蜜蜂群体间的战争。
3．May Berenbaum might agree with ________.
A．increasing the price of local honey
B．leaving more honey for bees as their food
C．increasing beekeepers' interest in keeping bees
D．developing new bees that can produce more honey
解析：选C。推理判断题。由第四段“The more local honey is needed, the more bees the beekeepers would keep ... which is the best news for bees！” 可推知，她会同意提高人们的养蜂积极性。
4．May Berenbaum will spend her prize money ________.
A．building a plant garden
B．finding more ways to protect bees
C．planting more flowers
D．doing research on flowers

(责任编辑：邓勇)