I know what courage looks like. I saw it on a flight I took six years ago, and only now can I speak of it without tears filling eyes at the memory.
Our flight left the Orlando Airport one Friday morning. But immediately upon take-off, it was clear that something was wrong. The aircraft was bumping( 颠簸 ) up and down. All the experienced travellers, including me, looked around with knowing smiles. If you fly much, you see these things and learn to act calmly about them. However, we did not remain calm for long.
Minutes after we were in the air, our plane began falling quickly. The pilot soon made a serious announcement. “We are having some difficulties,” he said. “Our indicators show that the control system has failed. We will be returning to the Orlando Airport. The flight attendants will prepare you for a bumpy landing. Also, if you look out of the windows, you will see that we are dumping fuel from the airplane. We want to have as little on board as possible in the event of a rough touchdown.” In other words, we were about to crash. Many travellers looked visibly frightened now. No one faces death without fear, I thought.
Then a couple of rows to my left, I heard a still calm voice, a woman’s voice, speaking in an absolutely normal conversational tone. I had to find the source of this voice. All around, people cried. Many screamed. Finally, I saw her. In this chaos, a mother was talking to her child. The woman, in her mid-30s, was staring full into the face of her daughter, who looked to be four years old. The child listened closely, sensing the importance of her mother’s words. The mother’s gaze held the child so fixed that she seemed untouched by the sounds of grief and fear around her.
Finally, I leaned over and by some miracle could hear this soft sure voice with the tone of comfort. Over and over again, the mother said, “I love you so much. Remember, no matter what happens, I love you always.” Fortunately, our landing gear held at last and our touchdown was not a tragedy.
However, the voice I heard that day never faded. That mom showed me what a real hero looks like.
1 . What does the author imply by saying “some travellers’ knowing smiles” in Paragraph 2?
A . They were used to this kind of experience.
B . They were quite familiar with each other.
C . They were well-educated passengers.
D . They were pretending to be calm.
2 . What happened shortly after take-off?
A . The plane met bad weather and had to return immediately.
B . The flight indicators showed the plane’s control system failed.
C . One of the passengers was badly ill and the plane had to turn back.
D . A flight attendant explained flight safety instructions to the passengers.
3 . Hearing the pilot’s announcement, how did most travellers respond?
A . They asked for help.
B . They remained calm.
C . They cried and screamed.
D . They rejected the bumpy landing.
4 . What is the best title for the passage?
A . The shape of love.
B . The voice of courage.
C . The wisdom of a pilot.
D . The danger of a journey.
1 . A
2 . B
3 . C
4 . B
【分析】
本文是一篇记叙文。文章讲述了在飞机飞行中控制系统损坏,在所有人惊恐之时,一位母亲一遍又一遍的抚慰是这次飞行意外的勇气之声。
1 .推理判断题。根据文章第二段 “All the experienced travellers, including me, looked around with knowing smiles. If you fly much, you see these things and learn to act calmly about them.” (所有有经验的旅客,包括我在内,都环视四周,会心一笑。如果你经常乘飞机,你会看到这些东西,学会冷静对待它们)可知,作者在第二段中用 “ 一些旅客会心的微笑 ” 说明他们已经习惯了这种经历。故选 A 项。
2 .细节理解题。根据文章第三段飞行员说的话 “Our indicators show that the control system has failed.” (我们的指示器显示控制系统已经失效。)可知,起飞后不久飞行指示器显示飞机的控制系统失灵了。故选 B 项。
3 .细节理解题。根据文章第四段 “All around, people cried. Many screamed.” (周围的人都在哭喊,许多人都在尖叫)可知,听到机长的通知后,大多数旅客的反应是哭喊尖叫。故选 C 项。
4 .主旨大意题。根据文章倒数第二段 “Finally, I leaned over and by some miracle could hear this soft sure voice with the tone of comfort. Over and over again, the mother said, “I love you so much. Remember, no matter what happens, I love you always.” Fortunately, our landing gear held at last and our touchdown was not a tragedy.” (终于,我弯下身去,奇迹般地听到了这轻柔而坚定的声音,声音里充满了安慰。母亲一遍又一遍地说 :“ 我非常爱你。记住,无论发生什么,我永远爱你。 “ 幸运的是,我们的起落架终于挂住了,我们的着陆并不是一场悲剧。)及全文可知,本文主要就是讲述在飞机遇到险情的时候,一位母亲一遍又一遍地安慰,这是勇气之声。故选 B 项。
请认真阅读下列短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Feeling extreme loneliness can increase an older person’s risk of premature (过早的)death by 14 percent, according to research by John Cacioppo, professor of psychology at the University of Chicago.
Cacioppo and his colleagues’ work shows that the impact of loneliness on premature death is nearly as strong as the impact of disadvantaged socioeconomic status, which they found increases the chances of dying early by 19 percent. A 2010 meta﹣analysis showed that loneliness has twice as much impact on early death as obesity does, he said.
The researchers looked at dramatic differences in the rate of decline in physical and mental health as people aged. Cacioppo and his colleagues have examined the role of satisfying relationships on older people to develop their resilience ([rɪˈzɪliəns] 快速恢复的能力;适应力), the ability to feel better quickly after something unpleasant, and grow from stresses in life.
The consequences for health are dramatic, as feeling isolated or separated from others can disturb sleep, elevate blood pressure, increase morning rises in the stress hormone cortisol ([‘kɔ:tɪsɒl] 皮质醇), change the gene expression in immune cells, increase depression and lower overall subjective well﹣being, Cacioppo pointed out in a talk, “ Rewarding Social Connections Promote Successful Aging.”
Cacioppo, one of the nation’s leading experts on loneliness, said older people can avoid the consequences of loneliness by staying in touch with former co﹣workers, taking part in family traditions, and sharing good times with family and friends ﹣ all of which give older adults a chance to connect with others about whom they care and who care about them.
”Retiring to Florida to live in a warmer climate among strangers isn’t necessarily a good idea if it means you are disconnected from the people who mean much to you,” said Cacioppo. Population changes make understanding the role of loneliness and health all the more important,he explained. “People have to think about how to protect themselves from depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. “
Although some people are happy to be alone, most people develop from social situations in which they provide mutual support and establish a strong bond. Evolution encourages people to work together to survive and accordingly most people enjoy companionship compared to be alone.
It is not solitude (独处)or physical isolation itself, but rather the subjective sense of isolation that Cacioppo’s work shows to be so destructive. Older people living alone are not necessarily lonely if they remain actively engaged in social life and enjoy the company of those around them. Some aspects of aging, such as blindness and loss of hearing, however, place people at special risk of becoming isolated and lonely, he said.
Passage outline | Supporting details |
The main idea | Chances are that older people will die early if they feel extremely 51.. |
52. with loneliness | • Like disadvantaged socioeconomic status and obesity, loneliness can 53. old men’s premature death. • When 54. from others, one will find physical health impacted and tend to feel depressive and unhappy. |
Suggestions | • Keep in touch with others and take part in 55. activities. • Choosing to live in a pleasant climate don’t necessarily make sense if the elder are disconnected from people who are 56. to them. • Think about how to57. depression, low subjective well﹣being and early death. • Work together with others to 58., to gain mutual support and establish a strong bond. |
Conclusions | • The sense of isolation, rather than solitude or physical isolation itself, isn’t 59.to elders. • Living alone doesn’t mean loneliness if older people live an 60. social life. |