Unit 4 Adversity and Courage Learning about Language
一、填空
1.When you're busy all day the last thing you want to do is spend hours _______(slave) over a hot stove.
2.Some people think that the great Chinese scholar Confucius, who lived from ______(rough) 551 to 479 B.C., influenced the development of chopsticks.
3.There is a shortage of well _____(qualify) teachers of foreign languages, especially of French and Japanese.
4.The President spoke of a shared ______(commit) to world peace and economic development.
5.After two days' desperate struggle with the storm, the ship's crew _____(be) exhausted and utterly depressed.
6.The number of overseas students studying at UK universities ______(rise) to 330,000—one in seven of the total by now.
7.—Can I call you back at two o'clock this afternoon
—I'm sorry, but by then I ______ (fly) to Beijing. How about five
8.The number of deaths from heart disease ______(reduce) greatly if people are persuaded to eat more fruits and vegetables.
9.—Why, Jack, you look so tired!
—Well, I ______ (paint) the house and I must finish the work tomorrow.
10.After school we went to the reading-room to do some reading, only to be told that it ______(decorate). So we had to go home.
11.—When did the computer crash
—This morning, while I ______ (sort) the reading materials downloaded from some websites.
12."Life is like walking in the snow", Granny used to say, "because every step _____ (show)."
13.His first novel has received good reviews since it _____(come) out last month.
14.She was surprised to find the fridge empty; the children _____(eat) everything!
15.Tom __________(work) in the library every night over the last three months.
二、阅读理解
Jacob's Well is a spring in Hays County, an hour or so southwest of Austin, near the towns of Wimberley and Dripping Springs. The cool water there has lured locals and visitors to the Hill Country spot for hundreds of years. And, for almost that long, Jacob's Well has been a siren(危险的诱惑), too.
What's considered seriously fun for some—going around on the lip of the well, escaping the heat, spending time with friends—is a lifestyle to others. And it can be a deadly lifestyle.
Diego Adame, a 21-year-old from San Antonio, lost a flipppr free-diving the caves deep in the well last July and had to cut away his weight belt to make it back to the surface before his breath ran out. He even captured a part of the dive on video. "For a split second,'' he said, "I thought of death and myself dying that day."
At least eight or nine people have died at Jacob's Well—the exact number is hard to come by—which has prompted some people to call it one of the most dangerous diving spots in the world.
The danger beneath is belied(掩盖) by the beauty of the place. But even up top, Jacob's Well can be dangerous for those who make it that way. The well, by at least one estimate, is only about 13 feet wide at the opening. Yet many dare devils climb to the rocks overlooking the opening and jump straight into the well, into the upward current. Some dive. Some do flips.
All of that is forbidden by the Hays County Park Department. But, as many YouTube videos show, those rules aren't often obeyed.
1. What does the underlined word "lured" most probably mean
A. Attracted. B. Separated. C. Supported. D. Frightened.
2. Why do many people go to the place with their friends
A. To get away from the noisy city. B. To enjoy the coolness of the place.
C. To explore the mysteries of the well. D. To experience the deadly lifestyle.
3. Why does the author mention Diego Adame's experience
A. To tell us it is fun to swim in the well.
B. To tell us divers usually get lost in the well.
C. To tell us diving in the well is very dangerous.
D. To tell us divers are hard to breathe in the well.
4. What does the passage mainly tell us
A. The beauty of Jacob's Well. B. The danger of Jacob's Well.
C. Some fun facts of Jacob's Well. D. General introduction of Jacob's Well.
When Allen invited me to a camping trip to the mountains, I imagined a wooden cabin overlooking a lake, with a warm fireplace, hot cocoa, and soft beds. But my happy image became a nightmare when Allen and his older brother, Leo, showed up with a truck filled with camping equipment — tents, sleeping bags, and water bottles. We were going on survival training!
The ever-efficient Leo was keen to leave the city behind us and urged us to hurry. Several hours later, as we drove through the forest, the mountains seemed bigger than I remembered; the trees were larger, and the environment felt more threatening.
At the trailhead, Leo tied a sleeping bag onto my already heavy pack and told Allen and me about hiking rules. Then, with Leo in the lead, we set off along the narrow and steep dirt track that wound up.
After 6 hours of climbing, we finally reached the top. My legs aching, I dropped my pack and groaned (呻吟) but there was no time to rest. "We need to set up camp quickly," said Leo. "There are dark clouds coming. A storm is on its way."
I thought he was kidding, but Leo was quite serious. He and Allen worked expertly, while I stood around and pretended to help, thunder rumbling in the distance. We had just finished putting up the tents when it crashed. The wind, thunder, and lightning were relentless.
Leo, sensing that I was scared, started telling us some stories about his camping adventures. But each time lightning lit up the tent and thunder echoed, I jumped. "Don't worry. Summer storms pass quickly," Leo said, trying to comfort me. "And at least the rain will keep the bears away," he said with a teasing smile, which was less comforting.
And just as quickly as the storm came rushing in, it passed, and we exited the tent. The view was incredible — I could see for miles. As darkness set in, I stared in wonder at the millions of glowing stars in the night sky.
I won't lie ——I was still wishing for a hot shower and a soft bed, but as I gazed upward at the Milky Way, I knew this was an adventure I would never forget.
5. Why was the author surprised when Allen came to get him at the beginning of the story
A.Allen had arrived earlier than arranged.
B.He saw that Allen was not well prepared.
C.He realized their trip would be challenging.
D.Allen's brother was unexpectedly with him.
6.Why was it necessary to set up camp immediately after reaching the mountain top
A.It was almost night time.
B.The weather was changing.
C.They were tired and needed to rest.
D.They needed protections from animals.
7.What can we guess about Leo
A.He was an experienced and capable hiker.
B.He was inconsiderate of others' feelings.
C.He had known the author for a long time.
D.He had not been to this mountain before.
8.How did the author feel at the end of the story
A. Bitter. B. Optimistic. C. Scared. D. Satisfied.
答案以及解析
一、填空
1.答案：slaving
2.答案：roughly
3.答案：qualified
4.答案：commitment
5.答案：were
6.答案：has risen
7.答案：will be flying
8.答案：will be reduced
解析：考查动词的时态和语态。句意:如果说服人们吃更多的水果和蔬菜, 死于心脏病的人数将大大减少。分析句子结构可知, 设空处充当主句的谓语, 由句意可知用一般将来时态, 且主句主语与reduce之间为被动关系, 故用一般将来时的被动语态。
9.答案：have been painting
解析：后文句意: 嗯, 我一直在给房子上油漆, 而且必须在明天完成它。paint所表示的动作由过去开始, 一直持续到说话之时而且还要继续下去, 所以用现在完成进行时。
10.答案：was being decorated
11.答案：was sorting
12.答案：shows
13.答案：came
14.答案：had eaten
15.答案：has been working
二、阅读理解
答案：1-4 ABCB
解析：1.词义猜测题。根据“The cool water there has lured locals and visitors to the Hill Country spot for hundreds of years.（几百年来，那里凉爽的水吸引了当地人和游客来到这一丘陵地区）”可知，该词的意思相当于“吸引”，所以选A项。
2.细节理解题。根据第二段中的“...going around on the lip of the well, escaping the heat, spending time with friends…”可知，许多人和朋友去那里是为了避暑，所以选B项。
3.推理判断题。根据第二段中的“And it can be a deadly lifestyle.”以及第三段中的“…had to cut away his weight belt to make it back to the surface before his breath ran out.”可知，在泉里潜水是非常危险的，所以选C项。
4.主旨大意题。通读全文可知，雅各布泉是世界上最危险的地方之一，它曾经夺走过不止8名潜水员的性命。由此可知，本文主要介绍的是雅各布泉的危险性，所以选B项。
.答案：5-8 CBAB
解析：5. 细节理解题。根据第一段第二句中But my happy imagination became a nightmare和第一段最后一句We were going on survival training！可知作者因为将要进行一次具有挑战性的生存训练而不是去舒适的木屋而感到惊讶，故选择C项。
6. 细节理解题。根据第四段中的"We need to set up camp quickly," said Leo. "There are dark clouds coming in. A storm is on its way."可知必须马上搭建营地是因为变天了，天即将下雨，所以B项正确。
7. 推理判断题。第三段第一句中的Leo tied a sleeping bag onto my already heavy pack and lectured Allen and me about hiking rules表明Leo远足经验丰富，第五段第二句中的He and Allen worked expertly表明Leo能力非常强，故可推断A项正确。
8. 推理判断题。最后一段作者的心理活动表明作者虽然仍然想念热可可和柔软的床，但内心已感到这将是永远难忘的一次历险，故可推断作者不再那么排斥艰苦的生存训练，开始感受到其中的乐趣，所以B项正确。
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