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。
A
Generations of creators have improved our lives with everything that touches off our imagination. Here are some of the brilliant inventors.
Ellen Swallow Richards (1842 — 1911)
After earning a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College in 1870, Richards was accepted as a “special student”at all-male MIT, becoming the first woman in the United States to attend a science school. She conducted a huge survey of water quality in Massachusetts, an effort that led to the first state water-quality standards in US.
Gregor Mendel (1822 — 1884)
In the mid-1800s, he experimented with pea plants to determine how physical features pass from one generation to the next. The experiments established the basic rules needed to cross-breed (杂交繁殖) plants to create a new variety with desired characteristics.
Ray Kroc (1902 — 1984)
As the founder of McDonald’s restaurants, Kroc changed the way Americans eat. In 1954, Kroc was selling industrial mixers and visited the California restaurant of two of his best customers, Maurice and Richard McDonald. Kroc was impressed by the methods the brothers used to make their hamburgers, cheeseburgers, French fries, and milkshakes.
Kroc, an Illinois native, talked the McDonalds into allowing him to create a group of drive-in hamburger restaurants using their methods and name. The first of his restaurants opened in Des Plaines, Illinois, on April 15, 1955.
Jane Jacobs (1916 — 2006)
Jacobs was not a formally trained urban planner and didn’t have a college degree, but her intelligent views on community planning changed the way Americans thought about cities. In her 1961 book, Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs advocated human-friendly neighborhoods featuring short city blocks and mixed-use buildings that encouraged resident interaction. She also strongly opposed high-rise developments and expressways that cut through neighborhoods.
1. What did Gregor Mendel do?
A. He found a new fast food making method.
B. He discovered the basic cross-breeding laws.
C. He established the water-quality standards in US.
D. He helped to plan human-friendly neighborhoods.
2. Who is the founder of McDonald’s restaurants?
A. Ray Kroc. B. Jane Jacobs.
C. Richard McDonald. D. Maurice McDonald.
3. When did Jane Jacobs publish Death and Life of Great American Cities?
A. In 2006. B. In 1984. C. In 1961. D. In 1916.
【答案】1. B2. A3. C
【解析】
【导语】本文是一篇说明文。文章简要介绍了几个著名的发明家。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据Gregor Mendel (1822 — 1884)部分的“The experiments established the basic rules needed to cross-breed (杂交繁殖) plants to create a new variety with desired characteristics.(这些实验建立了杂交植物所需的基本规则，以创造出具有所需特征的新品种)”可知，孟德尔发现了杂交繁殖的基本规律，故选B项。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据Ray Kroc (1902 — 1984)部分的“As the founder of McDonald’s restaurants, Kroc changed the way Americans eat.(作为麦当劳餐厅的创始人，克罗克改变了美国人的饮食方式)”可知，雷·克罗克是麦当劳的创始人，故选A项。
【3题详解】
细节理解题。根据Jane Jacobs (1916 — 2006)部分的“In her 1961 book, Death and Life of Great American Cities, Jacobs advocated human-friendly neighborhoods featuring short city blocks and mixed-use buildings that encouraged resident interaction.(在1961年出版的《美国大城市的死与生》一书中，雅各布斯倡导以短街区和混合用途建筑为特色的人性化社区，鼓励居民互动)”可知，简·雅各布斯于1916年出版了《美国大城市的死与生》一书，故选C项。
