Question

Not many women have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Until 2004, no African woman ever had. That was when Dr. Wangari Maathai won it — for planting trees. You might ask, what do trees have to do with peace? “Many wars are fought over resources  (资源),” Dr. Maathai said as she accepted the prize. “If we conserve resources better, the fighting will stop.”

Dr. Maathai was born in Kenya in 1940. Unlike most African women, she went to school. High school woke up a hunger in her for more knowledge. She went to college in Kansas and earned a master’s degree in science from the University of Pittsburgh. She became the first Kenyan woman ever to earn a Ph.D. Later, Dr. Maathai taught animal science at Kenya’s University of Nairobi.

As an educated woman, Dr. Maathai feels responsible for leading others. Dr. Maathai started her work in 1977 by planting nine trees in her backyard in Kenya. Trees are important in Africa for several reasons. First, they keep soil from eroding (流失) into streams, thus cutting down on pollution and improving the soil. Second, trees provide firewood. So many trees have been cut down in Africa that women must walk far from home to find wood for cooking. New trees can also keep deserts from spreading.

Dr. Maathai’s Green Belt Movement pays local women for every tree they plant that is still alive three months later. In its first 15 years, the Green Belt Movement employed at least 50,000 women and planted more than 10 million trees. Following Dr. Maathai’s example, the Kenyan government increased its own tree-planting efforts. The movement has spread to 30 countries in Africa. When the land and people’s lives have improved, Dr. Maathai says, peace will follow.

1.The underlined word “conserve” in Paragraph 1 probably means “_____”.

A. use    B. protect

C. find    D. provide

2.Dr. Wangari Maathai is the first African woman to _____.

A. win the Nobel Peace Prize

B. encourage people to plant trees

C. get a master’s degree in science

D. realize the power of knowledge

3.What’s Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A. The importance of trees.

B. How trees prevent pollution.

C. How planting trees works in Africa.

D. The history of tree-planting in Africa.

4.The Green Belt Movement _____.

A. aims to provide job opportunities for women

B. attracted the world’s attention to Africa

C. pays for every newly-planted tree

D. covered a large area in Africa

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

本文是一篇记叙文。文章主要介绍了诺贝尔和平奖获得者Wangari Maathai种树带来的巨大影响。

1.词义猜测题。根据文章第一段Many wars are fought over resources 以及下文描述种树带来的诸多益处可知，如果资源能很好地被保护，那么以争夺资源为由的战争也就会停止，由此可推测出conserve为“保护”之意。故选B。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第一段Not many women have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Until 2004, no African woman ever had. That was when Dr. Wangari Maathai won it — for planting trees.可知，Dr. Wangari Maathai是非洲第一个获得诺贝尔和平奖的女性。故选A。

3.段落大意题。根据文章第三段的主题句Trees are important in Africa for several reasons.可知，本段主要说明树的重要性。故选A。

4.细节理解题。根据文章最后一段he movement has spread to 30 countries in Africa.可知，绿带运动涵盖了非洲大片区域。故选D。