Formostofhumanhistory,peoplethoughttheworldwasflat.Thatis,theythoughtthatifyoutraveledfarenoughinonedirection,youwouldeventuallycometotheedgeoftheworld.Then,abouttwothousandyearsago,peoplestartedtocome

Question

　　For most of human history, people thought the world was flat. That is, they thought that if you traveled far enough in one direction, you would eventually come to the edge of the world. Then, about two thousand years ago, people started to come up with the theory(理论) that the earth was round. This meant that traveling far enough in a straight line, you would eventually come back to where you started.

　　It wasn't until the sixteenth century that Ferdinand Magellan's expedition(探险队) became the first to travel around the world. The expedition first sailed west from Portugal(葡萄牙), around South America, across the Pacific, before returning around South Africa back to Portugal. Although Magellan died during the trip, one of his captains, Sebastian del Cano, made it all the way.
　　In 1872, the French author Jules Verne published a book called Around the World in 80 Days. The novel was about a man who travels around the world, starting from London, to win a bet(赌).
　　In 1889, an American reporter, Nellie Bly, was sent by her newspaper to complete the journey taken by the characters in Verne's book. She traveled around the world, sending reports back to her newspaper about her journey. She finally arrived back home after her trip, taking 72 days, six hours, eleven minutes, and fourteen seconds to go around the world.
　　Even though traveling around the world these days is very easy, and can be done in one or two days by plane, people are still interested in breaking records(打破纪录).
　　From 1970 to 1974, an American, Dave Kunst, was the first person to walk all the way around the world. He wore out twenty-one pairs of shoes on his trip! The first airplane flight around the world took place in 1924, completed by Lt. Lowell H. Smith and five other American pilots, and the first solo helicopter flight around the world was done by an Australian explorer, Dick Smith, in 1982-83.
　　As for a nonstop balloon flight all the way around the world, this wasn't completed until 2002, when Steve Fossett succeeded at last.

Who first said that the world was not flat?

• A

  Ferdinand Magellan
• B

  Nellie Bly
• C

  Jules Verne
• D

  The passage doesn't say

The underlined word “eventually” means “________”.

• A

  finally
• B

  really
• C

  perhaps
• D

  certainly

Which of these people did Not go on a journey around the world?

• A

  Ferdinand Magellan
• B

  Jules Verne
• C

  Nellie Bly
• D

  Dave Kunst

What did Jules Verne and Nellie Bly have in common(共同)?

• A

  They both traveled around the world.
• B

  They were both American.
• C

  They both wrote about traveling around the world.
• D

  They were both reporters.

Which is Not true about Dave Kunst's journey?

• A

  He wore out a lot of shoes.
• B

  He traveled through twenty-one countries.
• C

  He took four years to complete it.
• D

  He set a world record.

Which of these people did NOT travel around the world by air?

• A

  Nellie Bly
• B

  Dick Smith
• C

  Lowell H. Smith
• D

  Steve Fossett

The best title of the passage is ________.

• A

  The earth is round
• B

  Around the world
• C

  Traveling
• D

  The first trip around the world

Answer 1

【分析】1. 通读全文可知，文章并未告诉我们谁是第一个说地球不是扁平的人。
2. eventually“最后”，相当于finally。
3. 由第三段第一句...the French author Jules Verne published a book called...可知Jules Verne并未踏上环游世界的旅途。
4. 由三、四两段可知Jules Verne和Nellie Bly都写到了环游世界，故选C。
5. 由倒数第二段前两句From 1970 to 1974...was the first person to walk all the way around the world. He wore out twenty-one pairs of shoes on his trip!可知B项错误。
6. 由最后两段可知Lt. Lowell H. Smith乘飞机环游世界，Dick Smith开直升机环游世界，Steve Fossett坐热气球环游世界，故选A。文中未提及Nellie Bly用何种方式旅行的。
7. 文章主要讲了人们环游世界的各种记录，中心词为around the world，故选B。