Question

London will stage its biggest political funeral in almost half a century on Wednesday when Britain's governing elite join the Queen and global leaders to bid farewell to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, better known as the “ Iron Lady".

In an event comparable to that of Winston Churchill's funeral in 1965, Thatcher's coffin will be carried on a horse-drawn gun carriage through streets lined with admirers from parliament to the city's most famous cathedral.

The bells of London's symbolic Big Ben clock tower will fall silent for the first time since Churchill's funeral and more than 700 men and women from Britain's armed forces will honor a woman who led them to victory in the 1982 Falklands War as foreign politicians from around 170 nations look on.

Surveys have shown that many are unhappy that the estimated l0-million($15 million)pound bill for the funeral is being picked up by the taxpayer, while some left-wing lawmakers say the luxurious funeral is too expensive.                                                                            

But her admirers, of whom there are many in her party and in southern England, argue that her historical profile deserves such a funeral. She was the country's first and only woman premier, was Britain's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century, and won three general elections.

More than 2,300 mourners will attend including 11 serving prime ministers from around the world, the British government's entire cabinet, two heads of state and 17 foreign ministers.

But there will be notable absences. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is too ill to attend and Nancy Reagan, the widow of Thatcher's great U·S. ally Ronald Reagan, is also unable to come.

Thatcher struck up a close relationship with Reagan during the Cold War, backed the first President  George Bush during the 1991 Gulf War, and was among the first to discover that Gorbachev was a man she could "do business with. ”

Covered in the red, white and blue British flag, Thatcher's coffin lay overnight in a 13th-century church in Britain's parliament, a forum she dominated for years.

1.From the passage we know that Big Ben clock tower will fall silent to         .

A. get repaired for the first time

B. honour the passing away of the great woman

C. tell the specific time to the public

D. welcome the officials from all over the world

2.Who that are still alive will be absent from the funeral?

A. Mikhail Gorbachev and Nancy Reagan.

B. Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan.

C. Nancy Reagan and Ronald Reagan.

D. George Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev.

3.From the passage we can learn that Margaret Thatcher was        .

A. strong and smart               B. weak and disappointing

C. aggressive and warlike                   D. stubborn and luxurious

4.Which of the following might serve as the best title of the passage?

A. The legend of Thatcher, the “Iron Lady".

B. Why Big Ben falls silent for the first time?

C. Who will pay for such a luxurious funeral?

D. London will witness its biggest political funeral.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.B

2.A

3.A

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：這是一篇新聞報道，該文報道了倫敦將于當?shù)貢r間本周三（4月17日）在圣保羅大教堂為前首相撒切爾夫人舉辦半個世紀以來最盛大的政治葬禮的有關信息。

1.B 推理判斷題。根據(jù)常識我們知道“葬禮進行期間，倫敦大本鐘將處于靜音狀態(tài)”是對“這位偉大女性逝世的紀念”。AC選項是“無中生有”；D選項是“張冠李戴”，均可以排除。

2.A細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)“Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev is too ill to attend and Nancy

Reagan, the widow of Thatcher's great U·S. ally Ronald Reagan, is also unable to come.”我們知道：前蘇聯(lián)領導人米哈伊爾·戈爾巴喬夫病重不能出席葬禮；前美國總統(tǒng)里根的遺孀南希•里根也無法出席葬禮。故選擇答案A。

3.A推理判斷題。從首段中“Margaret Thatcher, better known as the ‘Iron Lady’ "可知撒切爾夫人被認為是“鐵娘子”說明她“strong強硬”；根據(jù)第五段中“She was the country's first and only woman premier, was Britain's longest-serving prime minister of the 20th century, and won three general elections.(她是英國首位也是唯一一位女首相，是20世紀在任時間最長的首相，曾經(jīng)贏得過三次選舉)” 可以推斷撒切爾夫人是一個“睿智聰明”的人。其余三個選項“ B. 軟弱的和令人失望的、C.具有攻擊性的和好戰(zhàn)的、D.固執(zhí)的和生活奢侈的”均不對。

4.D 主旨大意題。一般說來新聞報道的第一句話或第一段就已經(jīng)明確點明了主題。將這個主題濃縮一下就是新聞報道的標題。第一段說：倫敦將于當?shù)貢r間本周三（4月17日）在圣保羅大教堂為前首相撒切爾夫人舉辦半個世紀以來最盛大的政治葬禮。將其濃縮一下就是：London will witness its biggest political funeral(倫敦將見證他的最盛大的政治葬禮)。

考點：新聞報道類閱讀理解