单选题
Britain's Solo Sailor

Ellen MacArthur started sailing when she was eight, going out on sailing trips with her aunt.
She loved it so much that she saved her money for three years to buy her first small sailing boat. When she was 18, she sailed alone around Britain and won the "Young Sailor of the Year" award.
But Ellen really became famous in 2001. Aged only 24, she was one of only two women who entered the Vendee Globe round the world solo race, which lasts 100 days. Despite many problems, she came second in the race out of 24 competitors and she was given a very warm welcome when she returned.
Ambition and determination have always been a big part of Ellen's personality. When she was younger, she lived in a kind of hut for three years while she was trying to get sponsorship to compete in a transatlantic race. Then she took a one-way ticket to France, bought a tiny seven meter class mini yacht, slept under it while she was repairing it, and then she raced it 4,000 kilometers across the Atlantic in 1997, alone for 33 days.
Ellen has had to learn many things, because sailing single-handed means that she has to be her own captain, electrician, sail maker, engineer, doctor, journalist, cameraman and cook. She also has to be very fit, and because of the dangers of sleeping for long periods of time she's in the middle of the ocean, she has trained herself to sleep for about 20 minutes at a time.
And she needs courage. Once, In the middle of the ocean, she had to climb the mast of a boat to repair the sails at four o'clock in the morning, with 100kph winds blowing around her. It took her many hours to make the repairs. Ellen says, "I was exhausted when I came down. It's hard to describe how it feels to be up there. It's like trying to hold onto a big pole, which for me is just too big to get my altos around, with someone kicking you all the time and trying to shake you off."
But in her diary, Ellen also describes moments which make it all worthwhile: "A beautiful sunrise started the day, with black clouds slowly lit by the bright yellow sun. I have a very strong feeling of pleasure, being out here on the ocean and having the chance to live this. I just feel lucky to be here./

单选题 In the Vendee Globe race, Ellen won ______.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】文章第2段提到,“她是进入Vendee Globe环球个人帆船比赛的唯一的两个女选手之一。”“尽管遇到了许多困难,在24名参赛的选手中她获得了第二名”。B选项与文章内容相符,因此答案为B。
单选题 Ellen lived in a kind of hut for three years ______.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】文章第3段第2句指出,“为了努力获得资助去参加穿越大西洋的帆船比赛时,她在一个棚屋里住了三年。”选项D短语“get financial support for a race”与文章中短语“get sponsorship to compete in a transatlantic lace”同义,因此D为答案。
单选题 The word "solo" in the title could be best replaced by ______.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】solo:唯一的、单独的;single-handed:单人完成的、独自。
单选题 According to paragraph 4, which of the following statements is NOT true?
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】通过对文章第4段的仔细阅读,可以判断选项A:她必须是自己的教师,没有在这一段出现。因此这个选项不符合文章内容。
单选题 How does Ellen feel about the Vendee Globe race?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】文章最后一段记述了Ellen当时的心情。通过句子“随着美丽的日出一天开始了,灿烂的阳光慢慢照亮了乌云,心情非常快乐。在大海上有这样生活的机会,我感到很幸运。”清楚地表现出Ellen快乐的心情。因此,答案选择D。