阅读理解（第1期）-2022届新高考名校英语好题速递分项汇编（学生版）

专题01阅读理解（第01期）-2022届新高考名校英语好题速递分项汇编

阅读理解【重庆市中学2022届高考适应性月考卷（…）】

TheBestWorkoutAppsin2021

Takealookatourpicksforthebestworkoutappstofindaprogramthatfitsinwithyourexercisegoalsand

dailyroutines.

Fitbit

Fitbitusesthedailyactivityloggedbyyourfitnesstrackertorecommendworkoutsandactivities,whichadjust

notonlytowhatyou'vedone,butyourfitnessgoalsandfeedback.Itoffershundredsofroutinessothere'sboundto

beaworkoutinthereforyou.Userscanevenhireone-on-onetrainerswithdifferentfitnessspecialties.Butyou

willhavetopayfortheprivilege.

Seven

Alltheday-to-daydemandsonyourschedulemakeSevenoneofthebestworkoutappsforsqueezingaquick

workoutintoyourdailyroutine.Allyouneedis7minutesaday.Theappcomescompletewithdetailedinstructions,

exerciselog,andprogresstracker.Whiletheappoffersmanyfeaturesforfree,asubscriptionunlocksmore

exercises.

Shred

Shredletsyouchoosebetweendifferenttypesoftraining,whichserveupdifferentexerciseroutinesthatpush

youtowardmeetingyourgoals.Theappfeaturesinteractivevisualsandactivitylogging,sothatyoucanseeyour

progressonadailybasis.ThefreeversionofShredisad-supported,whileaproversionoffersmorefeaturesand

removesadvertising.

PEAR

ThePEARPersonalFitnessCoachappsprovidesuserswithabroadrangeofguidedworkouts.Theappplays

wellwithavarietyoffitnesstrackersanddevices,allowingyoutokeeptrackofyourperformance.PEARcomes

withafree14-daytrial,afterwhichyou'llneedtosubscribeforaccesstotheworkouts.

1.Whichappcanbethebestchoicefbrbusypeople?

A.Fitbit.B.Seven.C.Shred.D.PEAR.

2.Whatdothelistedappshaveincommon?

A.Theyrequireasubscription.B.Theyareforprofessionaltrainers.

C.Theymonitorusers'progress.D.Theyofferpersonalizedworkouts.

3.Inwhichsectionofamagazinemaythistextappear?

A.Transportation.B.Finance.C.Media.D.Lifestyle.

Disturbedbyreportsofrisingdomesticviolenceundercoronaviruslockdown,aPolishhighschool

studentlaunchedafakeonlineshoptoofferalifelinetovictimstrappedintheirhomes.HerideawonaEuropean

Unionprizethatcamewith€10,000（$12,120）.

"IheardaboutaFrenchinitiative（计划），wherepeoplegotothepharmacy（药房）andaskforaspecialmask

thatletsthepharmacistknowtheyareavictimofdomesticviolence,"KrystynaPaszkoexplained."Ithoughtitwas

sobrilliant!"InApril,shedecidedtoopenhershop"CamomilesandPansies"tosellthosecosmetics.Whena

victimwritesaskingtobuyacream,apsychologistrespondsinsteadofasalespersonandaskshowlongthe"skin

problems'1havebeengoingonfor.Ifsomeoneplacesanorderandleavesanaddress,itisactuallyacodeaskingfor

authoritiestovisittheirhome.

AfterKrystynaopenlywroteaboutherplanonherownFacebookpage,shewasfloodedwithquestions.UI

thoughtitwouldonlybeformyfriends,butthesharesonFacebookwerebiganditbecameahit,'1shesaid.Withso

muchinterest,shecontactedtheWomen'sRightsCentre,aPolishNGO,askingforassistance.Inresponseit

providedpsychologistsandlawyerstoworkwiththewebsite.Sinceitslaunch,morethan350peoplehave

contactedthewebsite.Mostofthevictimsareyoung,under40,andabout10%aremale.Thepresidentofthe

Women'sRightsCentre,UrszulaNowakowska,saidshewas"veryimpressed1'byKrystyna*sproject."Thereare

around70,000domesticviolencecasesannuallyinPoland,ofwhich56,000aretreatedasfamilyconflictsrather

thancrimes."

Krystynacreditsherinterestinhumanrightstoherroleinthescouts（童子军）一sheleadsaWarsawscout

groupandcreateditsFacebookpage.Aftershewontheprize,sheclaimedtoputthemoneytogooduseandwas

pleasedthataspotlightwasbeingshoneontheproblemofhomeabuse.

4.WhatmighthaveinspiredKrystynawiththeidea?

A.Thedecreasingdomesticviolencecases.

B.TheFrenchinitiativetosellspecialmasks.

C.TheurgetowintheEuropeanUnionprize.

D.Theadvicefromaprofessionalpsychologist.

5.HowcanavictimgethelpfromKrystyna'sproject?

A.Byappearingtobeshoppingonline.B.Byrequestingpsychologicalsupport.

C.Bypurchasingaspecially-madecream.D.Byloggingonafakeaccounttoplaceorders.

6.WhatcanweknowaboutthewebsitementionedinParagraph3?

A.KrystynashareditssuccessonFacebook.

B.APolishNGOofferedfinancialassistancetoit.

C.Itclassifiesdomesticviolenceasfamilyconflicts.

D.Youngfemalevictimshavebenefitedmostfromit.

7.WhichofthefollowingwordsbestdescribeKrystyna?

A.Caringandeasy-going.B.Supportiveandtolerant.

C.Courageousandhumorous.D.Sympatheticandintelligent.

CollegedebtisbecomingasmuchofaproblemforAmericansclosetoretirementasitisfornew

graduates.Therearenowabout8.7millionAmericansagedover50whoarestillpayingoffcollegeloans.They

tookouteithertopayfbraneducationfortheirchildrenorthemselves.Theirdebtisgrowingfast,increasingby

abouthalfsince2017toatotalof$370billion—anaverageof$40,900perboiTOwer.In2019,roughly$4.9

billionwasdeducted（扣除）rightfromretirees*SocialSecurityincome.

PartoftheblamefallsonthefederallybackedPLUSprogram,saidTaraSiegelBernardinTheNewYork

Times.''ParentPLUSloans",whichhavefewapplicationrequirementsotherthanabasiccreditcheck,have

broadenedaccesstocapitalfbrmanyparents.Butthe"loanscanbeunforgiving'1.WilliamandKateSchweizer

"didn'twanttheirtwodaughterstobegintheiradultlivesburdenedwithcollegedebt'*.Sotheyborrowed$220,000

fortheirschooling.Increasinglytheyhadtroublepaying.Nowtheirdebthasballoonedto$500,000.The

consequencesofdefaulting（拖欠）areserious:"ThegovernmentcantaketheirwagesandSocialSecurity."

Unfortunately,PresidentBiden's$6trillionbudgetdoesn'toffermuchassistance,saidEricLevitzinNYMag.

com.Duringhiscampaign,"Bidencalledforforgiving$10,000infederalstudentloandebtforeveryborrower'1

amongotherwaystoeasethecollegedebtburden.ButthechancesofpassingsuchmeasuresthroughCongressare

slim.

Don'tbankruptyourselfforyourkids,saidBethAkersinUSAToday.Thesaferoptiontopayforcollegeis"a

studentloantakenoutinyourchild'sname".Afederalstudentloan—notaprivateone—canprotectborrowers

throughincome-drivenrepaymentprograms.Thereisalsoabetterchancethataloanforgivenessprogramcould

materializetohelpoutstudentborrowers.Andrememberthat"ifyouoverextendyourselffinanciallytomakea

collegedreamcometrueforyourchild,youaretakingawayyourabilitytobeyourchild'sfinancialbackstop.H

8.HowdoestheauthorillustratehispointinParagraph1?

A.Bylistingstatistics.B.Bygivingexamples.

C.Bymakingcomparisons.D.Byusingquotes.

9.WhatisthedisadvantageofParentPLUSloans?

A.Theyhavedemandingrequirements.

B.Theycantrapparentsinfinancialcrises.

C.Theyarenotenoughtocovercollegecosts.

D.Theysetlimitsonhowmuchonecanborrow.

10.WhatdoesEricLevitzthinkofPresidentBiden's$6trillionbudget?

A.Itisflexible.B.Itistight.C.Itisbeneficial.D.Itisimpractical.

11.Whichofthefollowingisasuitabletitleforthetext?

A.AmericansAreBurdenedbyCollegeDebt

B.StudentLoans:ASteppingStonetoCollege

C.LessonsinFinanceHelpRepayStudentLoans

D.Debt:CollegeCostsSwallowRetirementNestEggs

Whatisthemostshockingaboutheatwavesisnotmerelythattheyhavehitausuallytemperatearea,northat

somanylong-standingtemperaturerecordsarebeingbroken.Itisthatthoserecordsarebeingbrokenbysuchlarge

margins(幅度).InPortland,Oregon,thetemperaturereached46.6℃(116℃)—makingitoneofseveralcitiesin

theregionwherepreviousrecordshavebeenbeatenbyafull5℃(9℃).

Heatwavesmaygenerateheadlines,butlessattentionispaidtothemthantheydeserve.In2018roughly

300,000peopleovertheageof65diedasaresultofextremeheat,a54%increasesince2000.Unlikestormsand

floods,heatdoesnotleadtodramaticbefore-and-afterpictures.Itsvictimsareoftenapparentonlywhen

statisticiansaddupexcessdeathsandhospitaladmissions.Thefactthatasmanyas70,000peoplediedasaresult

ofaheatwaveinEuropein2003,forexample,becameapparentonlyin2008.Heatalsoworsensconditionssuchas

heartproblems,sonotallthedeathsitcausesmaybedirectlyattributedtoit.

Toprotectpeopleagainstextremeheat,govemmentscansetupearly-warningsystemstoalerthealthworkers,

shutdownschoolsandsuspendoutdooractivities.Theycanprovidethepublicwithforecastsofcomingheatwaves,

explanationsofthedangersanddetailedadviceonwhattodo.Whateverourstrategy,weshouldgettoit,because

theprognosisisnotgood.AccordingtoareportbyNRDC,thetotalnumberofexcessiveheatdaysintheUnited

Stateswillincreasetomorethaneighttimesthebaselinelevelbytheendofthecentury.

Theworldis,understandably,focusedonadifferenthealthcrisisrightnow.Butheatwavesposeanentirely

foreseeablethreatinthedecadestocome.Thetimingandseverityofthecoronaviruspandemic（新冠疫情）could

nothavebeenforeseen.Theseotherfarmorepredictableandpreventablecrisesaredifferent.Thereisnoexcusefor

failingtotakethemmoreseriously.

12.Whatisthemostsurprisingaboutheatwaves?

A.Howlargetheaffectedregionsare.

B.Howgreatlyhumanhealthisimpacted.

C.Howmuchhigherthetemperaturerecordsgo.

D.Howmanytemperaturerecordshavebeenbeaten.

13.WhatcanwelearnabouttheheatfromParagraph2?

A.Itisamildheadache.B.Itisanunderratedproblem.

C.Itcausesapparentdestruction.D.Itcauseswidespreadconcern.

14.Whatdoestheunderlinedword"prognosis"meaninParagraph3?

A.Forecast.B.Intention.C.Harvest.D.Response.

15.Whyisthecoronaviruspandemicmentionedinthelastparagraph?

A.Towarnpeopleofunforeseenhealthrisks.

B.Toillustratehowextremeheatthreatensus.

C.Tostressthenecessityofaddressingtheheat.

D.Todrawattentiontotheseverityofhealthcrises.

阅读【福建省泉州市2022届高中毕业班质量检测（一）】

SanFranciscoBayAreaisagreatplacetobeifyou'reasportsfan,asyou'llfindseveraleventsallyear

roundandplentyofteampride.Ifyouareanywhereclosetotheareaduringagame,thesefantasticsportsevents

arehereforyou.

SanFranciscoGiantsBaseball

TheSanFranciscoGiantsbaseballteamplaysinSFatOraclePark.Thisisafunballparkbecauseifsalways

packedwithgreatenergyandoffersviewsofthebay.It'soneofthemostpopularSanFranciscosportsevents.The

GiantsarepartoftheNationalLeagueWestDivision.Sincetheirarrivalherein1958,theyhavebeenWorldSeries

Championsthreetimes.

GoldenStateWarriorsBasketball

ThefanbaseoftheGoldenStateWarriorsdistributesthewholeSanFranciscoBayAreaasthisregion'sonly

NBAteam.TheirregularseasonrunsfromlateOctoberthroughmid-April,andallhomegamesareplayedatthe

ChaseCenterinSanFrancisco.Intotal,theWaiTiorshaswonsixNBAchampionships.

SanFiancisco49ersFootball

The49ersareSanFrancisco'sNFLteam,thoughtheyhaverecentlymovedtoLevi*sStadiuminSantaClara,

aboutanhoursouthofSF.Thefootballteamwasnamedfortheprospectors（探矿者）whoarrivedintheareain

1849fortheGoldRush.They'vewon5SuperBowlchampionships,allbetween1981and1994.

SanJoseShaiksHockey

TheSanJoseSharksrepresenttheBayAreainhockey（冰球）.Theywerefoundedin1991astheonlyBay

AreateamtocompeteintheNHL.SharksfanslovegoingtotheseSanFranciscosportseventsattheSAPCenter,

whichtheycalltheSharkTank,locatedaboutanhoursoutheastofSF.

1.Whichteamoncewonworldchampionships?

A.TheGiants.B.TheGoldenStateWarriors.

C.The49ers.D.TheSanJoseSharks.

2.Whichofthefollowingisbasketballfans1favourite?

A.TheOraclePark.B.TheChaseCenter.

C.Levi'sStadium.D.TheSAPCenter.

3.Whoisthetextintendedfor?

A.Tourguides.B.Coaches.

C.Teamleaders.D.Sportsfans.

ElianaYidreamedof'pursuingpianoperformanceincollege,nevermindthatherfingerscouldbarelyreach

thelengthofanoctave.UnabletofullyplaymanyworksbyRomantic-eracomposersincludingBeethovenand

Brahms,shetriedanyway-andinherdeterminationtospendhourspracticingaChopinconcerto,woundup

injuringherself.

TheeffortsofProfessorCarolLeonefromtheSouthernMethodistUniversity（SMU）arechangingallthat:

twentyyearsago,theschoolbecamethefirstmajoruniversityintheU.S,tointroducesmallerkeyboardsintoits

musicprogram,levelingtheplayingfieldforYiandotherpianomajors.

Yi,21,triedoneofthesmallerkeyboards,"Irememberbeingreallyexcited,becausemyhandscouldactually

reachandplayalltherightnotes,"shesaid.

Fordecades,fewquestionedthesizeofthetraditionalpiano.Forthosewithsmallhandspans,it'sdifficultto

properlyplaymanyworksofBeethovenandBrahms.Thosewhoattempttoplaythemeithergetusedtoskipping

notesorriskinjurywithrepeatedplay.Leoneisfamiliarwithsuchchallenges.Bornintoafamilyofmusicians,she

favoredclassicalmusicandpursuedpianodespitehersmallhandspanandearnedadegreeasadoctorinmusical

arts.

Theideaofsmallerkeyboardsfirstmetresistancefromsometraditionalists.Leonealsosaidthatwhenshe

raisedtheissuewithoneVienneseprofessor,hetoldhertherewerealreadytoomanypianistsanyway.

Thoughsuchresistanceisfading,therearesomeverytraditionalpeoplewhothinkofpianoasacompetitive

thing.Leonesaid,nThisisart,it'snotsport.Itsaboutmakingasmuchbeautifulartaspossible,andweshouldgive

everybodytheopportunitytodothat."

4.WhydidElianaYifindithardtoplayaChopinconcertotowell?

A.Herfingersgotinjured.B.Itwastime-consuming.

C.Herhandspansweresmall.D.Thetraditionalpianowasoutoftune.

5.Whatisparagraph4intendedtodo?

A.Summarizethepreviousparagraphs.B.Providesomeadviceforpianists.

C.Introduceanewtopicfordiscussion.D.Addsomebackgroundinformation.

6.WhatistheVienneseprofessor'sattitudetowardssmallerkeyboards?

A.UnclearB.ObjectiveC.Disapproving.D.Positive.

7.Whichisthemostsuitabletitleforthetext?

A.AHard-workingSMUProfessorB.TheStoryBehindSmallerKeyboardPianos

C.TraditionalPiano:ACompetitiveThingD.Yi'sRoadtoaBrilliantArtist

WhenIworkedonthemanufacturingshop（车间）floor,werarelysawplantmanagers.Exceptforone.

Heoftenwalkedthroughtheplant.Hecheckedoutproductquality.Hestoppedforabriefword-usuallynomore

thana"hello,"Hewasn*toutgoing.Hedidn*tdisplayanyofthequalitiestypicallyassociatedwitha"leader."Yetwe

likedhim.

Ina1992UniversityofPittsburghstudy,researchershadfourwomenattendanumberofdifferentclasses.

Theirattendancevaried:onewomanmightattendeveryclass;adifferentwomanmightattendonlyafew.What

didn'tvarywastheirbehavior.Noneofthewomenspokeinclassorspoketootherstudents.

Attheendoftheterm,studentswereaskedwhichwomantheylikedbest.Who"won"?Womenwhoattended

thehighestnumberofclasses.Accordingtotheresearchers,nMereexposurehadweakeffectsonfamiliarity,but

strongeffectsonattractionandsimilarity."Orinnon-researcher-speak:IfIseeyoufrequently,Inaturallylikeyou

more.That'sthepowerofshowingup.

Knowingsomeonewillshowupinthefuturealsomatters.Ina1967UniversityofMinnesotastudy,

researchersgavestudyparticipantsprofilesoftwopeopleandtoldthemthatonewouldbeapartnerinfuture

discussiongroups.Whenasked,theparticipantssaidtheylikedtheirfuturepartnermore.Eventhoughtheprofiles

werealmostidentical.

Wantyourteamoryourcustomerstolikeyoumore?Showup.Dropin.Dropby.Sendabriefnote.Makea

quickphonecall.Youdon*thavetosayordomuch.Then,beconsistentinyourbehavior.Intime,peoplewill

expectyoutodropinordropby,whetherinpersonorvirtually.Anticipatingfuturecontactwillmakethemlikeyou

more.

8.Whatdoesthefirstparagraphserveas?

A.Anintroduction.B.Abackground.

C.Acomment.D.Anexplanation.

9.Accordingtothe1992study,whathelpsmakeastudentwelcome?

A.Answeringquestionsfrequently.B.Greetingothersenthusiastically.

C.Behavingmorelikeothers.D.Attendingclassesmoreoften.

10.WhatdidtheUniversityofMinnesotastudyfind?

A.Familiaritycontributestolikability.

B.Identicalbehavioursenhancelikability.

C.Futurepartnershipincreaseslikability.

D.Virtualcontactsbenefitlikability.

11.Whatisthetextmainlyabout?

A.Poweroflikability.B.Researchonlikability.

C.Definitionoflikability.D.Applicationoflikability.

Peopletodayarenotunfamiliarwithtermsuchas"goingeco-friendly"and''sustainablelifestyle".

However,thereexistsagroupofsceptics（怀疑论者）whobelievethatgoingeco-friendlyismerelyafad（一—时的

风尚）.Idisagreewiththisviewpoint,Goingeco-friendlyisnotmerelyafadanditdoes,infact,changethebeliefs

andattitudesofpeople.

Thelong-termpresenceofenvironmentalorganisationsshowstheeffortsthatpeoplehavemadetowardsgoing

eco-friendly.OrganisationssuchasWorldWildlifeFundadvocatepeopletogoeco-friendly.Thehighinvolvement

oftheorganisationsandtheparticipantsisthusastrongindicatorthatgoingeco-friendlyisnotmerelyafadbuta

trendthatcanlastdecades.

Anotherstrongindicatoristheemergenceofsustainableproductsinmanyindustries,suchasorganicproduce

andelectricvehicles.Theconsumerdemand,coupledwitheco-conscious（环保意识的）businesses,isbehindthe

sharpincreaseinsuchproducts.Thisshowsashiftinthebeliefsandattitudesofpeopletowardsadoptinga

sustainablelifestyle.Thus,itseemsquitecertainthatgoingeco-friendlyisnotmerelyafad.

Whilesomepeoplewhobroadcasttheireco-friendlypracticesarecriticisedforjusthopingtoprojectan

eco-consciousimage,thereareanumberofcelebritieswhohavebeenpractisingthezero-wastelifestyleforyears.

Forthosewhodosofbryears,andnotmeredaysormonths,itisindeedacommitmentthatcanonlycomewitha

truechangeinbeliefsandattitudestowardscaringfortheearth.

Thecalltosavetheearthlookssettostay.Withthedevelopmentoftechnologyandtheappearanceofmany

platformsadvocatinggoinggreen,peoplearemorewillingtochangetheirbeliefsandattitudeswhentheycanlearn

aboutandappreciatethepositiveimpactoftheworkofdifferentenvironmentalorganisationsandindividuals.Itis

hopedthattheseeffectswillgoalongwayinensuringthatourplanetwillremainasuitableplacetolivein.

12.WhydoestheauthormentionWorldWildlifeFund?

A.Toappreciateitsenvironmentalefforts.

B.Toencouragepeopletogoeco-friendly.

C.Toevidencetheuniversalrecognitionofgoinggreen.

D.Tohighlightthedifficultyinchangingpeople'sattitudes.

13.Whatdoestheunderlinedword''emergence'*meaninparagraph3?

A.Suddendisappearance.B.Sharpincrease.

C.Gradualdevelopment.D.Limitedapplication.

14.Whatdoestheauthorexpectoftechnologydevelopment?

A.Itmaydiscouragepeoplefromsustainablelifestyle.

B.Itmayboostthebusinessoforganicproduce.

C.Itwillbeusedtoprojectaneco-consciousimage.

D.Itwillpromoteenvironmentalawareness.

15.Whatistheauthor'spurposeinwritingthistext?

A.Toprovegoingeco-friendlyalastingtrend.

B.Topopularizetheeco-friendlyproducts.

C.Toofferstrategiestogoeco-friendly.

D.Toadvertiseforeco-friendlyplatforms.

阅读【江苏省南京市第一中学2021-2022学年高三上学期期初考试】

HumpbackWhales

Humpbackwhalesaresometimescalledperformersoftheocean.Thisisbecausetheycanmakeimpressive

movementswhentheydive.Thename“humpback"，whichisthecommonnamefbrthiswhale,referstothetypical

curveshapethewhale'sbackformsasitdives.

Sometimesthehumpbackwilldivewithafantasticmovementknownasabreach.Duringbreachingthewhale

usesitspowerfultailflukestoliftnearlytwo-thirdsofitsbodyoutofthewaterinagiantleap.Abreachmightalso

includeasidewaystwistwithfinsstretchedoutlikewings,asthewhalereachestheheightofthebreach.

Ahumpbackwhalebreathesairatthesurfaceofthewaterthroughtwoblowholeswhicharelocatednearthe

topofthehead.ltblowsadoublestreamofwaterthatcanriseupto4metresabovethewater.

Thehumpbackhasasmalldorsalfinlocatedtowardsthetailflukesabouttwo-thirdsofthewaydownits

back.Otherdistinguishingfeaturesincludelargepectoralfins,whichmaybeuptoathirdofthebodylength,and

uniqueblackandwhitespotsontheundersideofthetailflukes.Thesemarkingsarelikefingerprints:notwoarethe

same.

Humpbackwhalesliveinlargegroups.Theycommunicatewitheachotherthroughcomplex“songs”.

QuickFacts

14m-18minlength;

Size:

30-50tonsinweight

LivingOpenoceanandshallowcoastlinewaters

Fromwarmtropicalwaters,wheretheybreed,tocoldpolarwaters,

Environment

wheretheyeat

Diet:Shellfish,plantsandfishofsmallsize

Sometimesingroups,inwhichseveralwhalesformacircleunderthewater,

Hunting:blowingbubblesthatfonna"net"aroundaschooloffish.Thefisharethen

forceduptothesurfaceinaconcentratedmass.

Endangered:itisestimatedthatthereareabout5000-7500humpbackwhales

Currentstate:

worldwide

1.AccordingtoQuickFacts,ahumpbackwhale.

A.cannotsurviveinwatersneartheshore

B.doesn*tliveinthesamewatersallthetime

C.livesmainlyonunderwaterplants

D.preferstoworkalonewhenhuntingfood

2.Tomakeabreach,ahumpbackwhalemust.

A.useitstailflukestoleapoutofthewater

B.twistitsbodysidewaystojumphigh

C.blowtwostreamsofwater

D.communicatewithagroupofhumpbacks

3.Fromthepassagewecanlearnthatahumpbackwhale.

A.hasitsuniquemarkingsonitstailflukes

B.hasblackandwhitefingerprints

C.getsitsnamefromthewayithunts

D.isagreatperformerduetoitssongs

AlfredNobel,theSwedishinventorandindustrialist,wasamanofmanycontrasts.Hewasthesonofa

bankrupt,butbecameamillionaire;ascientistwithaloveofliterature;anindustrialistwhomanagedtoremainan

idealist.Hemadeafortunebutlivedaverysimplelife,andalthoughcheerfulincompanyhewasoftensadin

private.Aloverformankind,heneverhadawifeorfamilytolovehim;apatrioticsonofhisnativeland,hedied

aloneonforeignsoil.Heinventedanewexplosivebombtoimprovethepeacetimeindustriesofminingandroad

building,butsawitwasusedasaweaponofwartokillandinjurehisfellowmen.Duringhisusefullife,heoften

felthewasuseless."AlfredNobel,"heoncewroteofhimself,Moughttohavebeenputtodeathbyakinddoctoras

soonas,withacry,heenteredlife."World-famousforhisworks,hewasneverpersonallywell-known,for

throughouthislifeheavoidedpublicity."1donotsee,"heoncesaid,''thatIhavedeservedanyfameandIhaveno

tasteforit."Butsincehisdeath,hisnamehasbroughtfameandglorytoothers.

HewasborninStockholmonOctober21,1833,butmovedtoRussiawithhisparentsin1842,wherehis

father,Immanuel,madeastrongpositionforhimselfintheengineeringindustry.ImmanuelNobelinventedthe

landmineandmadealotofmoneyfromgovernmentordersduringtheCrimeanWar,butwentbankruptsoonafter.

MostofthefamilyreturnedtoSwedenin1859,whereAlfredrejoinedthemin1863,beginninghisownstudyof

bombsinhisfather'slaboratory.Hehadneverbeentoschooloruniversitybuthadstudiedprivately.Andbythe

timehewastwenty,hewasaskillfulchemistandexcellentlinguist,speakingSwedish,Russian,German,French

andEnglish.Likehisfather,AlfredNobelwasimaginativeandinventive,buthehadbetterluckinbusinessand

showedmorefinancialsense.Hewasquicktoseeindustrialopeningsforhisscientificinventionsandbuiltupover

80companiesin20differentcountries.Indeedhisgreatnesslayinhisoutstandingabilitytocombinethequalities

ofanoriginalscientistwiththoseofaforward-lookingindustrialist.

ButNobel'smainconcernwasneverwithmakingmoneyorevenwithmakingscientificdiscoveries.Seldom

happy,hewasalwayssearchingforameaningtolife,andfromhisyouthhadtakenaseriousinterestinliterature

andphilosophy.Perhapshecouldnotfindordinaryhumanlove-henevermarried-hecametocaredeeplyabout

thewholeofmankind.Hewasalwaysgeneroustothepoor:'Tdrathertakecareofthestomachsofthelivingthan

thegloryofthedeadintheformofstonematerials."heoncesaid.Hisgreatestwish,however,wastoseeanendto

wars,andthuspeacebetweennations,andhespentmuchtimeandmoneyworkingforthiscauseuntilhisdeathin

Italyin1896.Hisfamouswill,inwhichheleftmoneytoprovideprizesforoutstandingworkinPhysics,Chemistry,

Physiology,Medi