Unit 1 课文挖空-（2022新）人教版高中英语选择性必修第二册.docx

1、(1)JOHN SNOW DEFEATS KING CHOLERACholera used to be one of the most feared diseases in the world, _1_ a British doctor, John Snow, showed how it could be overcome. This illness causes severe diarrhoea, dehydration, and even death. In the early 19th century, when an outbreak of cholera hit Europe, mi

2、llions of people died from the disease. As a young doctor, John Snow became frustrated because no one knew how to prevent or treat cholera. In time, he _2_(rise) to become a famous doctor, and even attended_3_ Queen Victoria when she gave birth. However, he never lost his desire _4_ (destroy) choler

3、a once and for all. In general, doctors in those days had two contradictory theories to explain how cholera spread. One theory was that bad air caused the disease. Another was that cholera was caused by an infection _5_ germs in food or water. Snow subscribed _6_ the second theory. It was correct, b

4、ut he still needed proof. Consequently, when an outbreak of cholera hit London in 1854, Snow began to investigate. He discovered that in two particular streets the cholera outbreak was _7_ severe that more than 500 people died in ten days. He was determined to find out _8_. Snow began by marking on

5、a map the exact places _9_ all those who died had lived. There were multiple deaths near the water pump in Broad Street (especially house numbers 16, 37, 38, and 40). _10_, some households (such as 20 and 21 Broad Street, and 8 and 9 Cambridge Street) had had no deaths. These people worked in the pu

6、b at 7 Cambridge Street. They had been given free beer, and so had not drunk the water _11_ the pump. Snow suspected that the water pump was to blame. What is more, in another part of London, a woman and her daughter had died of cholera after moving away from Broad Street. It seemed that the woman l

7、iked the water from the pump so much that she had it _12_ (deliver) to her house every day. As a result of this evidence, John Snow was able to announce that the pump water carried cholera germs. _13_ (according), he had the handle of the pump removed so that it could not be used. Through this inter

8、vention, the disease was stopped in its tracks.The truth was that the water from the Broad Street pump _14_ (infect) by waste. Moreover, Snow was later able to show a link between other cases of cholera and the different water companies in London. Some companies sold water from the River Thames that

9、 was polluted by raw waste. The people who drank this water were much _15_ (likely) to get cholera than those who drank pure or boiled water. Through Snows _16_ (tire) efforts, water companies began to sell clean water, and the threat of cholera around the world saw a substantial decrease. However,

10、cholera is still a problem. Each year, millions of people around the world get cholera and many die from it. _17_ (fortunate), we now know how to prevent cholera, thanks to the work of John Snow. Moreover, in his use of maps and statistics, Snow transformed the way scientists study diseases. For thi

11、s reason, Snow _18_ (consider) the father of modern epidemiology.(2)THE FATHER OF CHINAS AEROSPACEPerhaps no other scientist has had a greater impact _1_ Chinas aerospace science than Qian Xuesen. Described by the authors of the Story of Qian Xuesen as a man with great scientific thought and scienti

12、fic spirit who was patriotic and served his homeland with effort, achievement, and devotion, Qian was an _2_ (extreme) well-respected man.Born in Hangzhou in 1911, Qian attended schools in Beijing and then entered Shanghai Jiao Tong University to study Railway Mechanical Engineering. _3_, after the

13、Songhu Battle broke out in 1932, Qian made the decision to switch his major to aviation because he realised that China needed its own powerful air force to protect and defend the country.Qian went to the United States in 1935 to pursue his graduate studies. Over the course of the 1930s and 1940s, Qi

14、an became a pioneer in American jet and rocket technology. _4_ a graduate assistant at the California Institute of Technology during the 1930s, Qian helped conduct important research into rocket propulsion, and in the 1940s, he and several other people _5_ (found) the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, now

15、one of NASAs leading space-exploration centres. After overcoming some difficulties during his final few years in the US, Qian returned to China in 1955. He received a heros welcome from his homeland and was put _6_ charge of not only developing Chinas rocket science but also its space and missile pr

16、ogramme. At that time, China was poor and its rocket science was undeveloped. No institute or university in China _7_ (offer) rocket science as a major, and there were no talents or experts in this field in China. Nevertheless, Qian did not let that discourage him from taking on the challenge. When

17、_8_ (ask) Can we Chinese possibly make missiles?, his reply was a _9_ (determine) Why not? We Chinese are able to make the same things that other people make. Under Qians leadership, China developed the Dongfeng missiles, _10_ (follow) by the first generation of Long March rockets. In 1970, China su

18、ccessfully launched its first man-made satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, from a Long March rocket. Because much of the technology behind the Shenzhou rockets can also _11_ (trace) back to Qians research, Qian earned the name of the father of Chinas aerospace. Qian read a lot and was extremely _12_ (knowl

19、edge), especially in the area of frontier science research. However, what might have made him such an outstanding and creative scientist was probably his strong interest _13_ other things, such as music and drawing. His deep appreciation _14_ art often gave him _15_ (inspire) in his scientific resea

20、rch. On 31 October 2009, the whole country _16_ (sadden) by Qians death, and people honoured and remembered him in different ways.(3)A WORLD OF PURE THOUGHTStephen Hawking was one of the most famous and _1_ (gift) scientists in physics. Most people are familiar with images of him in his wheelchair,

21、unable to move and _2_ (use) a computer to talk. Since he came down _3_ a disease which caused him to lose the use of most of his muscles, his world became one of abstract thought. Hawking first achieved fame when he was still healthy enough to walk, as a graduate student in physics at Cambridge Uni

22、versity in 1964. In general, there were two main theories _4_ the origin of the universe. The first was the steady state theory, which holds that the universe has no beginning or end. The other was the big bang theory, _5_ holds that the universe began at a single point in time and space. The bigges

23、t champion of the steady state concept was Fred Hoyle, a professor at Cambridge. During the question and answer period after one of Hoyles _6_ (lecture), Hawking stood up and pointed out that Hoyle had made a mistake in his maths. Once the maths was corrected, it showed that the big bang theory - an

24、d not the steady state theory -was true. Hawkings own work on the big bang theory was soon proven by astronomers with telescopes. A star was born.So, what made Stephen Hawking a genius? Besides being brilliant, he was brave, though sometimes careless in what he said or did. He was willing to say wha

25、t others were afraid to say, and to dream of _7_ others were afraid to dream about. Furthermore, he was quite determined. This had helped him as a scientist, and had helped him even more in his fight _8_ his disease. Above all, Hawking was willing to admit his faults. This odd _9_ (combine) of chara

26、cteristics had made him one of the greatest thinkers of the 20th and 21st centuries.(4)AI AND HUMAN BEINGSIs it possible to make machines think like humans? This is one question in research in the field of Artificial Intelligence, or Al. To think like a human, it involves feelings, morality, hopes,

27、and dreams. Humans are capable _1_ making decisions by themselves without input from others, and they can learn from experience. In addition, humans are able to create things from their own inspiration for their own pleasure. The question is _2_ machines can ever really think in all these aspects. T

28、he idea of a computer that is all-powerful and can think and make decisions for _3_ (it) terrifies many people. In some films, Al even decides that all humans must be killed. Many people are also concerned that Al will be used to replace humans. Yet others are comforted by the thought of Al. Maybe w

29、ith Al, robots can be made to replace loved ones who _4_ (die). Today, the creation of an all-powerful computer capable of human thought is still in progress. We have companion robots, and it is likely that they will grow more important in our lives as time _5_ (go) by. However, the need for such ro

30、bots does not seem to be as critical as our need for intelligent machines that can solve problems by learning from their observations and experience. For example, Al is already being used with great success in Internet search engines and _6_ a personal assistant in our smartphones. It learns from ou

31、r habits to help us find what we want and like. Al is also used to diagnose problems and suggest solutions. Researchers are also experimenting with the use of Al in _7_ (driver) cars which can sense their surroundings and decide _8_ the best way to reach a destination. It is also being used in educa

32、tion, particularly in online courses. Furthermore, industries that use robots for repetitive or dangerous work often turn to Al to manage these electronic workers. In addition, virtual assistants are also being used in some homes today. In the near future, _9_ is likely that Al will be used to manag

33、e smart homes and handle an even greater _10_ (various) of tasks such as setting out favourite clothes and helping us with our personal grooming. The Al of today has already proven its superiority to humans in many areas. Do you think that we can create a robot that thinks like a human or one that i

34、s even _11_ (intelligent)? If so, is there _12_ (true) a difference between Al and a human?(5)DA VINCIS WORLDEveryone is quiet as they enter the narrow room. The crowd ignores the many beautiful paintings on the walls and pushes to the rooms far end. There, they gaze _1_ a single small painting of a

35、 smiling woman. So many people have crowded in to have a look at the painting that most can only get a quick look at it. Then they _2_ (force) to move on. This painting is the Mona Lisa created in the early 16th century by the Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci. It was kept away from the public until

36、 1797, 3_ it was put on display at the Louvre Museum in Paris. Art critics only first began to notice the painting in the 1850s. Then, in 1911, the painting was stolen. By the time the painting was finally recovered in 1914, it _4_ (become) an international sensation. Many agreed that it was one of

37、the greatest paintings ever made, by one of the worlds greatest painters. Even as a young boy, da Vinci showed promise as an artist. When he was fourteen years old, he was sent to learn art in Florence, Italy. He trained for seven years, and then _5_ (strike) out on his own, working for wealthy men

38、throughout Italy, and later for the king of France. Even though Leonardo began his career as a painter, he most often worked as an engineer. One reason was that he painted very slowly, and sometimes did not even finish his work. Another reason was that Italy was at war, and people needed engineers t

39、o help build city defences more than they needed artists. _6_, even though da Vinci worked as an engineer, he still found time to paint, creating some of his greatest artworks during this period.After da Vincis death, _7_ was discovered that he had kept many notebooks describing and illustrating his

40、 work, his inventions, and his scientific research. While his notebooks were collected and prized by the kings of Europe, none of _8_ were published until the late 19th century. Until then, few people had had any idea _9_ they contained. _10_ it turned out, his notebooks are an amazing treasure box

41、of drawings of people, animals, plants, and fantastic inventions, such as airplanes, tanks, robots, and diving equipment. Then, there are accurate studies of the human body, _11_ (show) bones and muscles with such detail that would not be seen elsewhere for four hundred years. Along with these drawi

42、ngs are notes describing his work. _12_ (odd), many of these notes are written backwards: You have to hold them up to the mirror in order to read them. Many of these notes are scientific in nature, _13_ (involve) his research in many different fields. His notebooks show that he was not only the grea

43、test artist of his time, but the greatest scientist as well. This raises the question: What was more important to da Vinci, science or art? Da Vinci once said, Practice must always _14_(found) on sound theory . The painter who draws merely by practice and by eye, without any reason, is like a mirror

44、 which copies everything placed in front of it but does not know those things exist. Here, reason means an understanding of what is being painted. In da Vincis mind, before he could paint something, he had to examine it, take it apart, and even see _15_ it worked. Thus, his scientific research serve

45、d his art. Yet, this is too simple of a picture of the man. Da Vinci was always full of _16_ (excite) to explore, to discover, and to create. He saw no division between art, invention, and science - they were all a part of his wonderful new world of discovery. Thus, some of da Vincis paintings were

46、really science experiments, in that they used new chemicals and processes from his research. At the same time, his scientific drawings are considered beautiful pieces of art in their own right, _17_ many of them were created to help him understand what he was painting. Da Vincis desire to create and

47、 his interest in the world around him drove both his art and his science. So what can we learn from this? Few of us will ever be _18_ gifted and intelligent as da Vinci. Yet, all of us can learn from his spirit. We can produce things of beauty, create new inventions, and increase our scientific knowledge. Furthermore, we can be creative in solving difficult problems. _19_