When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelte

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When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter（炼铜厂），and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest．One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area．Paul knocked him down．From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office．He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back．The answer from that big industry was “No”.
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants．Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren’t any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds．It would be a waste of his life to try to do it．Everyone knew that, he was told．Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted．
Paul later got married and had some kids．But his dream would not die．And then one night he did what he could with what he had．As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote．Attainable good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass．For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense．Slowly rabbits appeared．Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.
Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has．It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.
小题1:When Paul was a boy，______________.

A．he had decided never to leave his hometown

B．the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter

C．no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution

D．he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area

小题2:Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants？

A．Because he wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself.

B．Because he was interested in planting trees since he was young.

C．Because he wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him.

D．Because he thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive.

小题3:What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?

A．That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland.

B．That his normal work and life would be greatly affected.

C．That no one would like to join him in the efforts.

D．That he had to keep everything he did secret.

小题4:The company hired Paul to plant trees and grass because___________.

A．they realized the importance of environmental protection

B．What Paul was doing moved them

C．Paul persuaded them to help him

D．they had legal pressure

小题5:The message of the passage is that _____________.

A．action speaks louder than words

B．perseverance（持之以恒）will work wonders

C．God helps those who help themselves

D．many hands make light work

答案

小题1:C
小题1:D
小题1:A
小题1:D
小题1:B

解析

小题1:C　综合判断题。 根据第一、二段可知,Paul小时住在炼铜厂附近,深受其害(动物没了,树木少了),从小就立志改变这种状况.，所以他几年后就到工厂去，询问工厂是否制定计划植树获让他植树，但工厂拒绝了。这就说明当时还没有环境保护法。D选项的时态错误。
小题1:D 推理判断题。 从第二段中Paul 没有说服工厂植树，树立环保意识可知，他认为知识会使他的建议更有说服力。
小题1:A 词义猜测题。 从短语的上下文可知Paul每天秘密第去那片荒地去植树。这么做是明知道荒地上种不了树，还这么做。
小题1:D 细节推断题。根据倒数第二段最后一句Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.可知由于法律上的压力。
小题1:B 主旨大意题。 纵观全文可知Paul 从小就关注环境问题，决心把建工厂造成的荒地种上树木，而后上大学学习环保专业；结婚成家后，也没有放弃；终于在荒地上种上了绿树，各种动物也回来了。这足以说明Paul持之以恒，坚持不懈，实现了自己的梦想。所以答案是B项。