Some people get more unwilling to take risks as the years go by.Not Gail MacCallum，who at age 40 quit a secure job and left the city she had enjoyed her whole adult life to step into the unknown.
MacCallum spent her formative years in a farmhouse without electricity and enjoyed the freedom of the natural world.During her adult life，she moved through several jobs before finding her calling in book publishing and then magazines.One day she and her partner Ian Connellan were on a holiday on Hobart，enjoying the chance to get close to wildlife，when they ran into some friends，who asked them to dinner.The next day，recalls MacCallum，"They said，'We think you should buy our house.'" With no intention of uprooting their lives she and Connellan thought this was "entirely ridiculous（荒謬的）"，yet they got really excited talking about the possibilities such a move might present. "At last，we said，'Let's give it a go.'"
They resigned from their jobs and moved to Hobart.Both of them are brave travelers who had spent time with scientists working in various remote spots around the world.They wondered if they could make a living by helping others to experience those unique places for themselves.Then came the new company Curious Traveler."It works brilliantly.Scientists get helpers and funding.Guests get to see what scientists do and how the world is changing because of it.They leave，excited and inspired." MacCallum says.
In two and a half years，the pair still has to replenish their incomes with some writing and editing，but the business is growing and within five years they hope to be helping fund half a dozen research projects.It is a big task. "Some days we think it would be great to turn it off." MacCallum says，"but when we see the wonder on the face of a person who is experiencing somewhere like the Galapagos for the first time，we know we are living a wonderful life."
（1）What caused MacCallum and Connellan to give up their jobs？ AA
A．A casual offer from some friends.
B．Their childhood experiences with nature.
C．Their boredom with their then jobs.
D．The desire to protect the wildlife.
（2）What does MacCallum and Connellan's company do？ CC
A．It promotes tourism in remote places.
B．It gets courageous travelers to explore the world.
C．It organizes trips to places of scientific research.
D．It helps scientists find proper spots for research.
（3）What mainly inspires MacCallum and Connellan to keep going？ DD
A．Their dream for a booming business.
B．The financial gain from their work.
C．The prospect of research programs.
D．The satisfaction of their customers.
（4）Which of the following can best describe MacCallum？ BB
A．Independent and honest.
B．Adventures and generous.
C．Humorous and far-sighted.
D．Scholarly and warm-hearted.
【答案】A；C；D；B
【解答】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：2引用：1難度：0.5
相似題
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Math departments alone are unlikely to solve this dilemma.Several of the promising calculus reforms were spearheaded by professors outside of math departments.STEM faculty are prioritizing cooperation across disciplines to transform math classes to cultivate a diverse generation of STEM researchers and professionals.
This is not uncharted territory.In 2013，life sciences faculty at the University of California，Los Angeles，developed a two-course sequence that covers classic calculus topics，but also emphasizes their application in a biological context.Creating this course，Mathematics for Life Scientists，wasn't easy.The life sciences faculty involved，none of whom had a joint appointment with the math department，said they turned to designing the course themselves after math faculty rejected their request for cooperation.
In Ohio，Wright State University's Engineering departments also revised math offerings.Rather than changing the content of the calculus course，they focused on preparing students for calculus by emphasizing "engineering motivation for math." The approach enhanced opportunities for students with weaker math backgrounds to succeed in engineering and doubled the average graduation rate of engineering students without reducing the average grade of graduates.Math learning is fundamental to all STEM fields，but the opposite also appears to be true.
（1）What problem is mentioned in paragraph 1？
A．Increasing STEM dropout rate.
B．The reform of calculus courses.
C．Shrinking admission to STEM majors.
D．The shaken belief in the role of calculus.
（2）What does "spearheaded" in paragraph 2 probably mean？
A．challenged
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（3）What do we know about the calculus course reform according to the text？
A．STEM departments made calculus content easier to improve students' grades.
B．Math departments sought cooperation with STEM counterparts to urge reforms.
C．Placing calculus learning in specific STEM contexts is a workable approach.
D．Removing calculus is the key to increasing graduation rate of STEM students.
（4）What does "the opposite" in the last paragraph refer to？
A．The STEM fields may be the foundation of other science subjects.
B．The STEM fields may be central to making math learning effective.
C．Math learning may set barrier for science study in the STEM fields.
D．Math learning may make way for science study in the STEM fields.發(fā)布：2025/1/1 17:30:2組卷：24引用：3難度：0.5 -
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（1）Why did the author want to have a good appearance when she was young？
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C．Because she wanted to get higher scores in the job interviews.
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C．Without the TV advertisements，there wouldn't have been a boom in plastic surgery.
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keyboard
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