阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
Joseph Francis Charles Rock (1884–1962)
was an Austrian-American explorer, botanist, and anthropologist (人类学家). For more than 25 years, he travelled
extensively through Tibet and Yunnan, Gansu, and Sichuan provinces in China
before finally leaving in 1949.
In 1924, Harvard sent Joseph Francis
Rock on a treasure hunt through China's southwestern provinces—the Wild West of
their day. But gold and silver weren't his task: Rock, a distinguished
botanist, sought only to fill his bags with all the seeds, saplings, and shrubs
he could find. During his three-year expedition, he collected 20,000 specimens
for the Arnold Arboretum (阿诺德植物园).
Botany, though, was just one of Rock's
strengths. As an ethnologist (民族学者), he took hundreds of photographs of
the Naxi, a tribe in Yunnan province, recording their now-lost way of life for
both Harvard and National Geographic, and took notes for an eventual 500-page
dictionary of their language. His hand-drawn map of his travels through China's
"Cho-Ni" territory, in the Harvard Map Collection, includes more than
a thousand rivers, towns, and mountains indicated in both English and Chinese,
and was so well made that the U.S. government used it to plan aerial missions
in World War II.
Scientist, linguist, cartographer,
photographer, writer—Rock was not a wallflower in any sense. Arrogant and
self-possessed, he would walk into a village or warlord's place "as if he
owned the place," said Lisa Pearson, the Arboretum's head librarian.
In declaring his successful return
under the headline "Seeking Strange Flowers, in the Far Reaches of the
World", the Boston Evening Transcript ran a large photo of the daring
explorer wearing in a woolly coat and fox-skin hat. "In discussing his
heroism including hair-raising escapes from death either from mountain slides,
snow slides and robber armies, he waves the idea away as if it is of no
importance."
The Arboretum and Rock parted ways
after 1927, mainly because his trip cost Harvard a fortune—about $900,000 in
today's dollars. Fortunately, many of his specimens, many of his amazing
photos, and his great stories remain.
(1)
What is the passage mainly about?
A . Rock's service for the U.S government.
B . Rock's cooperation with Harvard.
C . Rock's work as a botanist.
D . Rock's exploration in Southwest China.
(2)
What contribution did Rock make to the USA besides collecting new plants and specimens?
A . He traveled through some uncivilized places in China.
B . His hand-drawn map was used in WWII.
C . He showed heroism by escaping difficulties.
D . He made headlines in Boston Evening News.
(3)
How did Rock respond when people mentioned his heroic deeds?
A . Excitedly.
B . Proudly.
C . Calmly
D . Nervously.
(4)
What caused Rock to stop work for The Arboretum?
A . The vast expense.
B . The dangerous journey.
C . The challenging tasks.
D . The unknown world.
答案: D
B
C
A