阅读理解l练习.docx

阅读理解l练习.docx

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阅读理解l练习

Passage5

ElizabethI

ThebirthofElizabethtoHenryVIII’ssecondwife,AnneBoleyn,wasawkwardasAnnewaspregnantwithHenry’schildwhentheymarried.AtthattimeinEnglishhistory,thekingcouldnotdivorcewithouttheRomanCatholicPope’spermission.HenrywasmarriedtohisfirstwifeCatherinewhodidnotproduceasonandafterElizabeth’sbirth,Annewaskilled.

HenrydecidedtodivorceCatherinetomarryayoungerwifetoproduceanheir.Thepoperefused,causingthekingtodeclarehimselftheleaderoftheChurchofEngland.Hethenmarried６wivesinallandonlyonesonsurvived.ThissonfollowedHenryaskingwiththenameEdwardVI.

Hewassicksohisreignwasonlysixyearsuntilhisdeath.Hishalf-sisterMarybecamequeenforfiveyearsandshereassignedthepopeasheadoftheEnglishchurch.However,uponherdeath,Elizabethbecamequeenin1558andreignedfor45yearsuntil1603.Shenevermarriedandwaswidelyrespectedbecausesheruledwithoutthehelpofafather,husbandorson’sadvice.ShealsoreturnedtheleadershipofthechurchbacktoEnglandwithherselfastheleaderbutsheappointedanarchbishopattheCanterburyCathedraltotakeoverallreligiousduties.

Shechosegoodofficialsandmaintainedgoodrelationshipswithparliament.Mary’swidowerwasKingPhilipofSpainandhetriedtogetElizabethtomarryhim.However,sheremainedsinglethroughoutherreignsosheiscalledtheVirginQueen.

In1588,PhilipsentthepowerfulSpanishnavytofightEnglandbecauseQueenElizabethhadaidedtheNetherlandswhentheywerestillaSpanishpossession.England’snavyfoughtwellagainstthefamousSpanishArmada,whichcausedtheworldtorecognizeEnglandasanewseapower.

DuetoElizabeth’slongandessentiallypeacefulreign,theartsofEnglandgrewingreatstature.ItwastheageoftheplaysofShakespeare,andMarlow.BaconandSpenserwerewritinggreatliterature.ThecontributionsofthesegreatwritersofliteraturecausedtheworldtorecognizethesignificanceofBritishliteratureintheacademicworld.

WiththereignofElizabethwhowassometimescalled“GoodQueenBess”,Englandbecamestronginthemilitaryandacademicfields.ElizabethisstillreveredwarmlybytheEnglishpeople.

Passage6

WilliamShakespeare

WilliamShakespearewasbornin1564inthetownofStratford-on-Avon.ThetitlemeansthetownwasnamedStratfordanditwasontheAvonRiver.HemarriedhiswifeAnneHathawaywhenhewasonly18yearsold.Theyhadababygirlin1583andtwins（boyandgirl）in1585.Today,touristscanvisitthethatchedcottagethatwastheirhome.

LittleisknownofShakespeareuntil1592whenheshowedupinLondonasanactor.HejoinedatroupeofactorscalledtheLordChamberlain’sMen.WhenJameslbecamethekingofEngland,theychangedthenameoftheirtroupetotheKing’sMen.ItwasthemostfamousactingtroupeinLondonandShakespeareinvestedhismoneyinitasashareholderandhebecameitsprincipleplaywright.

In1599,thistroupebuiltatheatreinLondoncalledTheGlobe.ItwasthemostimpressivetheatreatthattimeanditbecametheshowpieceforallofShakespeare’splays.

Hewrotenearly50plays.ManyofthephrasesheusedbecameverycommonintheEnglishlanguage.HisinterestinwritingforentertainmentcausedhimtoresearchandwriteaboutEnglishhistory.HisfirstplayshavethenamesofthekingslikeRichardII,RichardIII,HenryIVandKingJohn.However,hisinterestinthatfamouslovestoryfromVerona,Italy,causedhimtowritethewell-lovedRomeoandJuliet.

HethenwrotesomecomediesliketheComedyofErrors,AsYouLikeIt,TwelfthNightandMuchAdoaboutNothing.HisAMidsummerNight’sDreamhasbeenafavoriteofyoungpeopleasthereissomesillinessthateventheyoungestspectatorwillunderstand.

However,hisbestplaysweretragedieslikeMacbeth,Hamlet,Othello,KingLearandAnthonyandCleopatra.Theseplaysrevealhisskillinmovinghisaudienceemotionallyastheywatchthestorycometolife.

Shakespearediedin1616.Therewasnocollectionofhisplaysatthattime.Sevenyearslater,twooftheactorsinhistroupegatheredtheplaysandpublishedthem.NowtheworldrecognizesShakespeareasthegreatestplaywrightofalltime.

Passage7

IsaacNewton

Newton（1642-1727）wasanEnglishmathematicianwholaidthefoundationsforphysicsasamodernscientificdiscipline.Everyoneknowsthestorythatwhenhewassittingunderatree,hewatchedanapplefalltotheground.Ashethoughtaboutthereasonofitsfalling.Hereasonedthatbothapplesandplanetsaresimilarinthattheyareobjectsthatrespondtoaforcethatattractsthem.Theyearofthisobservationwas1666whenhewas24yearsold.

NewtonwaseducatedatTrinityCollegeinCambridge.Hewassobrilliantthathewasofferedafullprofessorshipatage27inmathematics,alsoatplanetmovementfor21yearsbecauseeveryonethoughthisreasoningwasfaulty.Hetoldhisfriendsthathewouldprintnothingabouthisideasbecauseitwouldattracttoomuchattention,whichwouldinterferewithhisscientificwork.

However,in1687,hefinallypublishedathreevolumebookentitledmathematicalprinciplesofNaturalphilosophy.Today,itisconsideredthegreatestscientificworkeverwritten.

Newtonbelievedthatthelawofgravitymadetheuniverserunlikeahugeclock,asifdesignedbyamasterdesigner.ScientistswhoreadthisworkduringhislifetimedidnotbelieveNewton’stheoryofgravitationalpullwascorrect.OneclaimedthatNewtonwouldnothavetwentyfollowersofhisresearchinhislifetime.Actually,therewereevenless,becauseveryfewscientistsseemedinterestedinhiswork.

Newtonsaid,“Justgivemethemass,andthepositionofthemotionofasystemofheavenlybodiesatanygivenmomentandIwillcalculatetheirfuturepositionsandmotionsbyasetofrigidandunerringmathematicalcalculation.Iwillcalculatethetidesoftheoceansandthemotionsofthewatersandtheearth.Fortheearthattractsthemoonandthemoonattractstheearth,andtheforceofeachinturntendstokeeptheminastateofperpetualresistance.“

Newtonalsodevelopedthemathematicalsystemthatiscalledcalculus.Hisstudiesofwhitelightledtotheunderstandingthatlightismadeupofmanycolors.However,themostimportanttheorywashistheoryofgravitationalpull,whichisthebasisofallflightsintospacetoday.

Passage8

CharlesDarwin

OriginofSpecies

TheEnglishscientist,CharlesDarwinwasbornonFebruary12,1809,thesamedaythatAbrahamLincolnwasborn.Darwincausedachangeinthinkingaboutevolution,whereasLincolncausedachangeintheroleoftheblackslaveallowingtheblackmantobefreemaninAmericansociety.

Darwin’sfathertriedtoinfluencehissontobecomeaworthystudentinschool.However,CharlesdidnotliketostudyLatinorGreek,whichwasrequiredforaclassicaleducation.Instead,hemadeasecretlaboratoryinhisfather’sgardenwherehecouldexperimentinchemistryandphysics.

Hisheadmasterhadaverylowopinionofhisscholarlyabilities.SohisfatherdecidedtosendhimtoEdinburgh,Scotland,tomedicalschool.However,Charlescouldn’tbearthesightofsurgicaldemonstrations.Onetime,achildwasbeingoperatedonwithoutanypainkilleroranesthesia.ThechildbegantoscreaminagonyandCharlesranfromtheroom.Thosescreamshauntedhismindformanyyears.

Sincehefailedatmedicalschool,hisfathersenthimtostudytheologyatChrist’sChurchatCambridgeUniversity.However,inhisownwords,hesaidhistimewassadlywasted”inplaying,drinking,singing,flirtingandcardplaying.”ButhefoundascienceprofessortherewhorecommendedhesailasanaturalistontheshipcalledtheBeagle.Thisshipwouldtravelfor5yearsexploringSouthAmericaandtheGalapagosIslandsoffthecoastofEcuadorinthePacificOcean.

Ontheseislands,heobservedtheworld’slargestturtles,theiguanalizards,andfinches,atypeofbird.Thesebirdswereondifferentislandsandvariedfromeachother,especiallyintheirbeaks.

Darwintookmanynotesonthislongadventure.WhenhereturnedtoEngland,hisbodywasbrokenandhewasessentiallyillfortherestofhislife.However,hecametotheinterestingconclusionthatcertainfinchesadaptedbettertotheirenvironmentinaprocesscallednaturalselection.Thosespeciesmorefittedtotheirenvironmentwouldbetheonesmostlikelytobreedandsucceedinproducingthenextgeneration.

In1859,hewroteOntheOriginofSpecies,whichbecamethemostsignificantbookeverwrittenonthetheoryofevolution.Hisideashavehadmoreinfluencethananyoneconcerninghowlivingspeciesdevelopedovertime.

Passage9

WinstonChurchill

Themostdifficultwarofthe20thcenturywasWorldWarll.ThebraveryandleadershipofWinstonChurchillcausedhimtobenamedbytheAmericanTimeMagazineas“ManoftheCentury.”

HewasBritain’smostoutstandingstatesmanduringthistimeandhebecameanauthorinhislateryears.

Winstonwasbornin1874toanAmericanmotherandaBritishfather.Hisfamilywaswealthybuthisparentsweretoobusytoraiseasonproperly.Theysenthimtoamilitaryschooltobecomeasoldier.However,WinstonpreferredwritingtobecomingasoldiersoheleftthemilitarytobecomeacorrespondentforaLondonnewspaper.

HecoveredtheBoerWarinthe1890’sandwascaptured.TheBoerswereDutchpeoplewholivedinSouthAfrica.Thewarlastedthreeyearsfrom1899to1902andtheBritishwon.Winstonwroteabouthisescapefromcaptivityin1899,whichwasveryinterestingreadingtothepeoplelivinginLondon.

Uponhisreturnhome,WinstonwaselectedtotheHouseofCommo