Passage One
Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.
In the history of horse racing, few horses have captured the affection of the British public like Red Rum. Today, three decades after his retirement, he is still one of the best-known and most beloved racehorses of all time.
Red Rum was passed around to several owners before being purchased for Noel Le Mar. The agent who made the purchase was the now-legendary horse trainer Donald "Ginger" McCain.
It wasn't apparent at the time, but Red Rum had a serious bone disease in his foot. For many horses (and many trainers) this would mean the end of a racing career before it even began. For Ginger and Red Rum, though, it was just an obstacle to greatness that had to be overcome.
Red Rum's true talent came out in steeplechases (障碍赛马). His power, speed and jumping ability carried him to his first Grand National title in 1973. The very next year, Red Rum returned to take his second title. He was the first horse to take successive firsts since Reynoldstown in 1935-1936. Red Rum's spirit and grace had already begun to charm the leagues of Grand National fans.
In the following two years, Red Rum lost out on the title, coming in second both times. When he returned in 1977 to try again, he was largely regarded as past his prime. He was 12 years old and not expected to place highly. He surprised sporting fans around the world when he came in a remarkable 25 lengths ahead of the nearest horse, taking his third Grand National win. To this day, Red Rum's third win is known as one of the greatest moments in horse racing history.
Red Rum was headed for the Grand National once again in 1978 but suffered an injury in one of his heels shortly before the race. He was retired soon after, but his public life and fame by no means decreased with the end of his carer. Red Rum traveled all over the country for various engagements. He often led pre-race parades at Aintree Racecourse and was a popular guest at charity benefits and public events.
46. What do we learn from the passage about Red Rum the racehorse?
A) He captured public affection long before he won national tiles.
B) He won enormous fame and love from British people.
C) He became a myth three decades after his retirement.
D) He owed his great success to several well-known horse trainers.
47. What did the serious bone disease in Red Rum's foot mean to himself and his trainer?
A) It was simply a hindrance they had to get over to excel.
B) It was surely a disadvantage though not considered fatal.
C) It was actually the end of a racing career that had just begun.
D) It was really a major obstacle hard to overcome on their own.
48. What does the author say Red Rum did with his power, speed and jumping ability?
A) He won his first Grand National title at 12.
B) He took two firsts successively in 1935-1936.
C) He surprised sporting fans worldwide in 1973.
D) He took three Grand National wins in the 1970s.
49. What did people generally think of Red Rum when he returned to the racecourse in 1977?
A) He had already passed the peak of his racing life.
B) He would have no rival in Grand National steeplechases.
C) He had lost his charm with the leagues of Grand National fans.
D) He could be expected to repeat his glory in the prime of his career.
50. What became of Red Rum after his career ended?
A) He suffered from severe pain in a heel.
C) He lived on various charity benefits.
B) He spent almost all his time traveling.
D) He remained famous and popular.
答案解析：
46. 由题干中的关键词“Red Rum the racehorse”定位到第一段。第一段提到“In the history of horse racing, few horses have captured the affection of the British public like Red Rum...he is still one of the best-known and most beloved racehorses of all time.”，即在赛马史上，很少有马能像Red Rum那样赢得英国公众的喜爱……他仍然是有史以来最著名、最受欢迎的赛马之一。这表明Red Rum赢得了英国人民的巨大声誉和喜爱，所以选B。
47. 由题干中的关键词“serious bone disease in Red Rum's foot”定位到第三段。第三段提到“For Ginger and Red Rum, though, it was just an obstacle to greatness that had to be overcome.”，即对Ginger和Red Rum来说，这只是通往伟大道路上必须克服的一个障碍。这说明对他和他的驯马师来说，这只是他们必须克服的阻碍，所以选A。
48. 由题干中的关键词“Red Rum did with his power, speed and jumping ability”定位到第四段和第五段。第四段提到“His power, speed and jumping ability carried him to his first Grand National title in 1973. The very next year, Red Rum returned to take his second title.”，第五段提到“He surprised sporting fans around the world when he came in a remarkable 25 lengths ahead of the nearest horse, taking his third Grand National win.”，即他的力量、速度和跳跃能力使他在1973年赢得了第一个Grand National冠军，第二年又赢得了第二个冠军，1977年又赢得了第三个冠军。所以作者说Red Rum在20世纪70年代赢得了三次Grand National冠军，选D。
49. 由题干中的关键词“Red Rum...returned to the racecourse in 1977”定位到第五段。第五段提到“When he returned in 1977 to try again, he was largely regarded as past his prime.”，即1977年当他再次回来尝试时，人们普遍认为他已经过了巅峰时期。所以选A。
50. 由题干中的关键词“after his career ended”定位到最后一段。最后一段提到“but his public life and fame by no means decreased with the end of his career. Red Rum traveled all over the country for various engagements. He often led pre-race parades at Aintree Racecourse and was a popular guest at charity benefits and public events.”，即但他的公众生活和声誉并没有随着职业生涯的结束而减少。Red Rum全国各地参加各种活动，他经常在Aintree赛马场领跑赛前游行，也是慈善活动和公共活动的受欢迎嘉宾。这说明Red Rum在职业生涯结束后仍然很有名且受欢迎，所以选D。
