Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports

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Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis Cricket—anything with a round ball, I was useless, “he says now with a laugh. But back then he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits(成就).Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many peiole dismissed his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy, ’”Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter(遭遇) with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis.
小题1:The turning point in Saunders’life came when _____

A．he started to play ball games

B．he got a mountain bike at age 15

C．he ran his first marathon at age 18

D．he started to receive Ridgway’s training

小题2:We can learn from the text that Ridgway _______.

A．dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy

B．built up his body together with Saunders

C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience

D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic

小题3:What do we know about Saunders?

A．He once worked at a school in Scotland.

B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole.

C．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid.

D．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole.

小题4:The underlined word “Intrigued” in the third paragraph probably means_____.

A．Excited

B．Convinced

C．Delighted

D．Fascinated

小题5:It can be inferred tat Saunders’ journey to the North Pole ______.

A．was accompanied by his old playmates

B．set a record in the North Pole expedition

C．was supported by other Arctic explorers

D．made him well-known in the 1960s

答案

小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:D
小题5:B

解析

小题1:本题考查理解细节信息的能力。由第二段第一句话 “It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him.”可知正确答案为B。
小题2:本题考查根据文章有关细节进行推理判断的能力。由第三段第一句话 “The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean.”可知正确答案为D。
小题3:本题考查理解细节信息的能力。由第三段第二句话 “Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland,…”可知正确答案为A。
小题4:本题考查根据上下文信息猜测词语含义的能力。由第三段划线部分上下句知道，Ridgway的事迹引起Saunders的兴趣，由此知道intrigued表示“入迷的；痴迷的”。
小题5:本题考查根据文章有关细节进行推理判断的能力。由倒数第二段第一句话 “Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton.”知道Saunders是到达北极最年轻的滑雪选手。故正确答案为B。