三、阅读理解(16分)
A
The 19th century was a time when there were lots of changes. This is known as the Victorian age in Britain. There were many new inventions that helped make people’s lives better.
Hertha Ayrton
Hertha Ayrton was born in England. She was an engineer, a mathematician and inventor. She studied electricity(电) and physics. She invented a way to make street lights quieter and brighter.
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard was an engineer and inventor. He built the Great Western Railway. He also built tunnels(隧道), bridges, and big steam(蒸汽) ships.
Alexander Graham Bell
Alexander Graham Bell was a British scientist, engineer and inventor. He made the first ever telephone call in history to his assistant Thomas Watson in March 1876.
Elijah McCoy
Elijah McCoy was an engineer and inventor who was born in Canada and studied at a university in Scotland. He worked on the design of Paddington Station in London, and he also invented the portable ironing board.
() 1. What is this passage about?
A. Great inventors. B. Important inventions.
C. British history. D. Western culture.
() 2. What do these people have in common(共同点)?
① They were all from the Victorian age.
② They were all inventors and engineers.
③ Their inventions were connected(相关) with electricity.
④ They all made it easier for people to travel around.
A. ①③ B. ①④ C. ①② D. ②④
() 3. Which is not built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel?

B
When Naraya was invited to a dinner by a friend who worked at NASA, she was excited. Many people flew planes there. “I showed my great interest,” she said, and someone told her, “You should join the flying club!” The next day, Naraya, who was 57 then, decided to meet a coach(教练). She asked, “Am I too old?” He said, “We’ve got students in their 80s.” ①
Naraya grew up in Southhall, west London, and got terrible racist bullying(种族歧视) school. As she reached her late teens, her family hoped she could be married(结婚) soon. “I didn’t like it,” she says. “I want to be an astronaut(宇航员)! My mother made a promise(承诺), ‘If you get an education, we will not ask you to get married.’” ② Naraya studied Biology at Leicester University, then got further education at St. Andrew.
After that, she went on to study at the University of California. “I didn’t feel I would be able to get away if I didn’t do that,” she says.
In 2020, Naraya’s seven years’ dream came true. She got her pilot’s licence(飞行证). Then she tried to join NASA’s astronaut companies, but they didn’t want her.
She once said, “I wasn’t able to find out what to do. It didn’t go away.” ③
Flying helped her out. It tells her what is more important in life. “I can see eagles, bears and mountain lions. I love the beauty of the clouds. They are like hills, but much larger than our hills,” she says. Now Naraya chairs(担任主席) the board of the General Aviation Awards in the US. She is comfortable with this new job, but she still enjoys flying. She says, “When flying, I’m part of a large group of people who are talking by radio. There is no sense of skin colour. We are all tied together by our voices.” ④
( ) 4. What does the underlined sentence mean?
A. You are too old to learn. B. You are never too old to learn.
C. Some students were born in the 1980s. D. There are about 80 students in the club.
( ) 5. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to(指)?
A. Getting married. B. Making a promise.
C. Learning to fly. D. Getting an education.
( ) 6. How old was Naraya when she got her pilot’s licence?
A. 57 years old. B. 64 years old. C. 67 years old. D. 82 years old.
( ) 7. The sentence “The racist bullying she met as a child was a very long shadow(阴影).” should be put in ______.
A. ① B. ② C. ③ D. ④
( ) 8. What does flying bring to Naraya?
A. A different view of life. B. A good way of travelling.
C. A lot of knowledge(知识) of flying. D. An excellent ability of study.