高考英语-原创题-阅读理解-01
▲来自国外网站的材料：
John Muir, the “Father
of the National Park System”
John
Muir is a significant figure of the 19th century as he stood opposed to the
exploitation of natural resources at a time when many believed the resources of
the earth were infinite.
Muir’s
writings were influential, and as co-founder and first president of the Sierra
Club, he was an icon and inspiration to the conservation movement. He is widely
remembered as “the father of the National Parks.”
As
a young man, Muir demonstrated an unusual talent for building and maintaining
mechanical devices. And his skill as a machinist might have made a very good
living in a rapidly industrializing society.
Yet
his love of nature drew him away from workshops and factories. And he would
joke about how he gave up pursuing the life of a millionaire to live like a
tramp.
Early Life
John
Muir was born at Dunbar, Scotland on April 21, 1838. As a
small boy, he enjoyed the outdoors, climbing hills and rocks in the rough
Scottish countryside.
His
family sailed to America in
1849 with no apparent destination in mind but wound up settling on a farm in Wisconsin. Muir’s father
was tyrannical and ill-suited to farm life, and young Muir, his brothers and
sisters, and his mother did much of the work on the farm.
After
receiving some infrequent schooling and educating himself by reading what he
could, Muir was able to attend the University
of Wisconsin to study
science. He gave up college to pursue various jobs which relied on his unusual mechanical
aptitude. As a young man, he received recognition for being able to make
working clocks out of carved wooden pieces and also inventing various useful
gadgets.
Travels to the American South and West
During
the Civil War, Muir moved across the border to Canada to avoid being conscripted.
His action was not viewed as a terribly controversial maneuver at a time when
others could legally buy their way out of the draft.
After
the war, Muir moved to Indiana,
where he used his mechanical skills in factory work until an accident nearly
blinded him.
With
his sight mostly restored, he fixated on his love of nature and decided to see
more of the United States.
In 1867 he embarked on an epic hike from Indiana
to the Gulf of Mexico. His ultimate goal was
to visit South America.
After
reaching Florida,
Muir became ill in the tropical climate. He abandoned his plan to go to South
America, and eventually caught a boat to New York,
where he then caught another boat that would take him “around the horn” to California.
John
Muir arrived in San Francisco
in late March 1868. That spring he walked to the place that would become his
spiritual home, California’s spectacular Yosemite Valley.
The valley, with its dramatic granite cliffs and majestic waterfalls, touched
Muir deeply and he found it difficult to leave.
At
that time, parts of Yosemite were already
protected from development, thanks to the Yosemite Valley Grant Act signed by
President Abraham Lincoln in 1864.
Early
tourists were already coming to view the astonishing scenery, and Muir took a
job working in a sawmill owned by one of the early innkeepers in the valley.
Muir stayed in the vicinity of Yosemite,
exploring the area, for most of the next decade.
Settling Down, for a Time
After
returning from a trip to Alaska to study
glaciers in 1880, Muir married Louie Wanda Strentzel, whose family owned a
fruit ranch not far from San Francisco.
Muir
began working the ranch, and became reasonably prosperous in the fruit
business, thanks to the attention to detail and enormous energy he typically
poured into his pursuits. Yet the life of a farmer and businessman didn’t
satisfy him.
Muir
and his wife had a somewhat unconventional marriage for the time. As she
recognized that he was most happy in his travels and explorations, she
encouraged him to travel while she remained at home on their ranch with their
two daughters. Muir often returned to Yosemite, and also made several more
trips to Alaska.
Yosemite National Park
Yellowstone
was named the first National Park in the United
States in 1872, and Muir and others began to campaign in
the 1880s for the same distinction for Yosemite.
Muir published a series of magazine articles making his case for further
protection of Yosemite.
Congress
passed legislation declaring Yosemite a National
Park in 1890, thanks in large part to Muir’s advocacy.
▲材料来源网站的网址：
https://www.thoughtco.com/john-muir-inspired-the-conservation-movement-1773625
▲改编后的阅读理解题：
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的
A、B、C、D
四个选项中选出最佳选项。
John
Muir is a significant figure of the 19th century as he stood opposed to the
exploitation of natural resources at a time when many believed the resources of
the earth were in too great an amount to be used up. He is widely remembered as
“the father of the National Parks.”
John
Muir was born at Dunbar, Scotland on April 21, 1838. As a small boy, he enjoyed
the outdoors, climbing hills and rocks in the rough Scottish countryside. When
he was 11, his family sailed to America and settled on a farm in Wisconsin.
When
the Civil War began, Muir moved across the border to Canada to avoid being sent
to fight in the war. And after the war, he went to Indiana and worked in a factory
until an accident nearly blinded
him. With his sight mostly restored, his interests were fixed on his love of
nature and decided to see more of the United States. In 1867 he began his long
hike from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico. His final goal was to visit South
America. But after reaching Florida, Muir became ill. He abandoned his plan to
go to South America, and eventually caught a boat to New York, where he then
caught another boat that would take him “around the horn” to California.
John
Muir arrived in San Francisco in late March 1868. That spring he walked to the
place that would become his spiritual home, California’s spectacular Yosemite Valley. The place touched Muir deeply
and he found it difficult to leave. He took a job in a factory in Yosemite,
exploring the area for most of the next decade.
Yellowstone
was named the first National Park in the United States in 1872, and Muir and
others began to campaign in the 1880s for the same distinction for Yosemite.
Muir published a series of magazine articles for further protection of
Yosemite. In 1890 Congress passed a law declaring Yosemite a National Park,
thanks in large part to Muir’s efforts.
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