Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford. He wanted to study mathematics, but took up the study of physics when math was unavailable. He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed (诊断) with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) while at Oxford in 1963. In 1985 he became ill with pneumonia (肺炎), and since then has required 24-hour nursing. Dr. Hawking’s determination, along with the help of his family and associates, has allowed him to continue to work. In 1970 he began studying black holes. His research led him to predict that black holes send out radiation in the X-ray to gamma-ray(伽马射线) range of the spectrum (光谱). In the 1980s he returned to an earlier interest, the origins of the universe. He has co-authored many publications, such as 300 Years of Gravity and The Large Scale Structure of Space time. Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others. He continues to give lectures, despite having been unable to speak since 1985, with the aid of a speech synthesizer (合成器) and a portable computer. He currently holds Isaac Newton’s chair as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge University in England.
小题1:Hawking went to University College, Oxford, in order to _____.
A. get a Ph.D. in physics
B. study mathematics
C. study the universe and black holes
D. seek help from the Lucasian Professor
小题2:Before Hawking started researching black holes, _____.
A．he gave lectures with the help of a speech synthesizer
B．he finished his book The Universe in a Nutshell
C．he was made the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics
D．he was diagnosed with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis小题3:Which of the following books was NOT written by Dr. Hawking alone?
A．300 Years of Gravity
B．A Brief History of Time
C．The Universe in a Nutshell
D．Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays.小题4:When did Hawking enter University College, Oxford?
A．in 1942
B．in 1970
C．in 1959
D．in 1963
小题1:B
小题2:D
小题3:A
小题4:C
题目分析：
小题1:B 细节题。根据文章第二行He wanted to study mathematics说明B正确。
小题2:D 细节题。根据3,4行He received a Ph.D. in physics despite being diagnosed (诊断) with Ameliotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (肌萎缩性脊髓侧索硬化症) while at Oxford in 1963.以及In 1970 he began studying black holes.说明D正确，
小题3:A 细节题。根据文章倒数4,5 Dr. Hawking has also written books such as A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universes and other Essays, The Universe in a Nutshell and others.说明A不是他写的。故A符合要求。
小题4:C 计算题。Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England, on January 8, 1942. At the age of 17, he entered University College, Oxford.他是1942年出生，17岁的时候也就是1959年进入牛津大学。
点评：本文介绍了著名的物理学家Stephen Hawking的生平和研究成果。本文的难点在于要消除语言的障碍，因为本文总的专业术语较多，考生能否不受这些专业术语的影响是解题的关键，要求考生有一定的上下文猜词能力。