4.In 1880,fourteen-year-old Matthew Henson loved to hear sailors tell tales of their exciting lives at sea.Travel was attractive to young Henson.So he made up his mind to find a job on a beautiful ship called the Katie Hinds.For the next five years,Henson sailed around the world.With the help of the ship's captain and other sailors,Henson learned many subjects.By the time he left the Katie Hinds in 1885,Henson was well educated and had become an excellent seaman.
Unable to find work anywhere else,Henson took a job in a hat shop in Washington,D.C.One day in 1887,Lieutenant (海軍上尉) Robert Peary came in to buy a hat and he asked the owner if he knew anyone with experience at sea.Peary would soon travel to South America and he needed a man to help him.The shop owner knew about Henson's skills and experience at sea,so he introduced Peary to Henson.Peary and Henson had a lot in common,including their love of the sea.
One day Peary told Henson about his real dream:to be the first man to stand on"the top of the world"at the North Pole (北極).He asked Henson to help him make his dream come true.
Over the next five years,the two explorers (探險家) made two trips together to the North Pole.However,they were not able to reach the pole either time.The cold,wind,and ice were worse than either of them had ever imagined.In 1908,Peary and Henson were ready to make their final attempt (嘗試) at reaching the North Pole.Both men were over forty years old.The years of hardship in the North Pole cold had taken their toll on both men.
They made a mad dash (猛沖) straight across the ice toward the pole.In April 1909,Peary and Henson finally arrived at the North Pole.
29.According to Paragraph 1,HensonA.
A.had an interest in sailing B.built the Katie Hinds in 1885
C.was highly educated at school D.learnt sailing skills from his father
30.The second paragraph is mainly aboutA.
A.how Peary met Henson
B.why Henson went to the hat shop
C.how Peary traveled to South America
D.why Henson stopped working on the Katie Hinds
31.The underlined words"taken their toll on"in Paragraph 4 mean"C".
A.helped B.satisfied C.weakened D.encouraged
32.The author develops the text mainly byC.
A.examples B.order in space
C.time and events D.cause and effect.