Question

On the morning of May 20, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. took off from a muddy airfield in New York and headed for Paris. During the first fourteen hours of flying, he had had some anxious moments. Sleet had gathered on the wings of the plane and the fog was so thick that he could hardly see the tips of the wings. However, he had come across equally dangerous flying conditions before. Of course, now that he was over the ocean, his parachute（降落伞）was useless. He had only one choice: he had to go on.

Although he had waited a long time to make this trip, he did not feel strange or nervous. He was accustomed to flying alone, and he had flown this route in his imagination many times. The idea of flying across the Atlantic had occurred to him one night when he had been carrying the mail between St. Louis and Chicago. That night, he told himself that a solo non-stop flight between New York and Paris was possible. He knew that airplanes capable of making the long flight over the ocean could be built. A man of skill and endurance could make his dream come true.

As he was recalling that night, he reduced the altitude of the plane. Close to the surface of the ocean, he found that the ice on the wings began to melt and the fog disappeared. For the time being, at least, he was safe. The steady sound of the motor seemed like music in his ears. He had perfect confidence in his plane because he knew that there was not a more dependable plane than his. The Ryan Aircraft Company had constructed the plane to meet his special needs. He had worked with the chief engineer of the company, Donald Hall, to produce the airplane as rapidly as possible. Although Hall had worked with the basic design of the Ryan airplane, he had had to make many modifications. As a result, it was a very special airplane. He had named it “The Spirit of St. Louis,” in honour of the St. Louis businessmen whose financial backing had made the trip possible. Besides their money, he had invested all of his own savings, which came to two thousand dollars, in the venture.

At 12 :10 on the afternoon of May 21, Lindbergh caught sight of the coast of Ireland. Now that the flight was almost over, he began to relax a little. Finally, after thirty-four hours in the air without sleep, he arrived at Le Bourget Field, in Paris.

1.According to Paragraph 2, Lindbergh Jr. didn’t feel nervous about the flight because of the following reasons EXCEPT that _________.

A. he was used to flying alone

B. he had waited a long time for the trip

C. he had imagined flying the route many times

D. his plane was specially designed

2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?

A. The pilot listened to music as he reduced the altitude of the plane.

B. The trip was made possible thanks to the financial support from some businessmen.

C. The plane got its name in memory of a non-stop trip.

D. The chief engineer designed the airplane independently to meet the pilot’s needs.

3.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?

A. beautiful decorations    B. regular repairs

C. small changes    D. careful arrangements

4.Which of the following would be the best title?

A. Wings Across the Atlantic

B. A Solo Non-stop Flight of 24 Hours

C. The Spirit of St. Louis

D. An Outstanding Pilot—Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.

Answer

1.B

2.B

3.C

4.A

【解析】文章讲述了技术过硬的飞行员Lindbergh Jr.驾驶专门设计的飞机历经34小时从纽约到巴黎横过大西洋的飞行。

1.B

细节推理题。根据第二段He was accustomed to flying alone, and he had flown this route in his imagination many times.和He knew that airplanes capable of making the long flight over the ocean could be built.可知Lindbergh Jr.已经习惯了独自飞行，这条路线在他的想象中已经飞行了很多次了，他的飞机是专门设计的。这些条件让他对这次飞行不紧张，B项不是其原因，故选B.

2.B

推理判断题。根据第三段最后He had named it “The Spirit of St. Louis,” in honour of the St. Louis businessmen whose financial backing had made the trip possible. Besides their money, he had invested all of his own savings, which came to two thousand dollars, in the venture.可知把飞机命名为The Spirit of St. Louis是为了纪念那些在经济上支持他的圣路易斯商人，他们的经济援助使飞行成为可能。故选B.

3.C

猜测词义题。此处指虽然Hall曾参与过Ryan航空的基本设计，但他不得不做了很多修改，因此这是一个专门设计的飞机。modifications指修改，与small changes同义，句中Although和As a result也能帮助推测语境，故选C.

4.A

标题判断题。文章讲述的是技术过硬的飞行员驾驶专门设计的飞机历经34小时从纽约到巴黎横过大西洋的飞行，Wings Across the Atlantic能概括全文，又能吸引读者，适合作为本文标题。故选A.

【名师点睛】

词义猜测题，要根据词、词组、句子所在的语境上下文来判断其意义。因此熟练掌握一些猜词技巧是做好这类题的关键。命题者在出这类题时惯用常规词义来麻痹考生，我们要特别注意熟词生义，切不可脱离语境主观臆断。

下面结合文本及近几年高考试题，对词义猜测的技巧加以解读。

1.根据定义或上下文解释进行猜测

有时短文中出现一个需要猜测其意义的词或短语，下面接着出现其定义或解释，这就是判断该词或短语意义的主要依据。例如：It will be very hard but also very brittle—that is, it will break easily.从后面that is(也就是说)的解释中我们可以了解到brittle 是“脆”的意思。

2.根据同位关系进行猜测

阅读中出现的难词有时后面紧跟一个同位语，对前面的词进行解释，这时可利用同位关系对前面或后面的词义或句意进行猜测。例如：The “Chunnel”, a tunnel(隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.此句中a tunnel connecting England and France是Chunnel的同位语。因此，The “Chunnel”就是英法之间的海底隧道。

3.根据构词法(前缀、后缀、复合、派生等)进行猜测

在英语中，有很多词可以在前面加前缀，在后面加后缀，从而构成一个词，乍看起来，这个词可能是新词，但掌握了一定的构词知识，就不难猜出它的词义。例如：“Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10,” Anaclerio said, “and they’re very interactive and creative in that they built a sense of drama based on a subject.”文中interactive是由前缀inter-(相互的)和active(活动的，活跃的)而构成的，同时根据上下文的意思可以判断，该词的含义应是“互动的”。

4.根据转折或对比关系进行猜测

根据上下句的连接词，如but, however, otherwise等就可以看到前后句在意义上的差别，从而依据某一句的含义，来确定另一句的含义。另外，分号也可以表示转折、对比或不相干的意义。例如：A child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun.从前后两句的意思可以看出，hassle和a basket of fun肯定是近乎相反的意义。所以不难判断hassle的意思是“困难，麻烦”。小题3此处指虽然Hall曾参与过Ryan航空的基本设计，但他不得不做了很多修改，因此这是一个专门设计的飞机。modifications指修改，与small changes同义，句中Although和As a result也能帮助推测语境，故选C.