.reading comprehension

passage 1

    questions 1-5 are based on the following passage

    trees are useful to man in three important ways: they provide him shade; and they help to prevent droughts and floods.

    unfortunately, in many parts of the world, man has not realized that the third of these services is the most important. 76) in his eagerness to make money from trees, he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. and besides, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. so the forests slowly disappear.

    this does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. the results are even more serious: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil-allowing the rain to sink in – and also bind the soil, thus preventing it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. when all the top-soil is gone, nothing remains but worthless desert.

    1. what is the most important service of trees to man according to the passage?

    a. they help him make money.

    b. they give him wood and other products.

    c. they help him prevent droughts and floods.

    d. they give him shade.

    2. why do forests in many parts of the world slowly disappear?

    a. new trees are not looked after properly.

    b. many trees have been cut down by man.

    c. man has not paid enough attention to planting trees.

    d. all of the above.

    3. why did the country mentioned in the passage suffer from floods and starvation?

    a. because an empire was set up.

    b. because the empire fell to pieces.

    c. because it lost all its trees.

    d. because too much had been spent on wars.

    4. why did the country mentioned in the passage suffer from floods and starvation?

    a. because nothing remains on land except floods.

    b. because there are no longer trees to keep the rain and protect the top-soil.

    c. because too much rain sinks in and washes away the top-soil.

    d. because roots of the trees break up the soil.

    5. what does the author tell us in this passage?

    a. how trees help prevent droughts and floods.

    b. the relationship between trees and man.

    c. how an empire fell to pieces in ancient times.

    d. a story of trees.

    树在三方面对人类有益:提供树荫、帮助预防干旱和水灾.

    不幸的是在世界许多地方,人类尚未意识到树的第三个作用是最重要的.人类迫切希望利用树来赚钱,大量砍伐树木,却发现失去了树人类就失去了最好的朋友.此外,人类马马虎虎地种树,又不细心地照顾树,结果森林渐渐地消失了.

    这不仅仅意味着树少了.后果甚至更加严重:在有树的地方,树根松土让雨水渗入,还可以巩固泥土,防止泥土轻易被雨水冲走:但是在没有树的地方,雨水落在坚硬的土地上后就流走了,造成水灾并且冲走了富饶的上层泥土.上层泥土冲走后就只留下贫瘠的沙漠.

    1c 第一段提到树的三点作用"提供树荫、帮助预防干旱和水灾",第二段第一句提到"人类尚未意识到树的第三个作用是最重要的","预防水灾"是最重要的.

    2d 第二段提到人类大量砍伐树木,马马虎虎地种树,不细心照顾树木,这些都是导致森林消失的原因.因此选择d,其他三项都是对的.

    3c 第三段提到失去树木后,雨水会导致水灾并且冲走了富饶的上层泥土.上层泥土冲走后就只留下贫瘠的沙漠.贫瘠的土壤是导致饥荒的原因.因此,失去树木是导致水灾和饥荒的根源.

    4b 第三段提到失去树木后,雨水会导致水灾并且冲走了富饶的上层泥土.上层泥土冲走后就只留下贫瘠的沙漠.贫瘠的土壤是导致饥荒的原因.因此,失去树木是导致水灾和饥荒的根源.

5b 本文主要介绍失去森林对人类的影响,即树木与人类的关系,因此应选b.

passage 2

    questions 6-10 are based on the following passage

    people travel for a lot of reason. some tourists go to see battlefields or religious shrines. others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their picture taken in front of famous places. but most european tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on.

    77northern european are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it. residents of cities like london, copenhagen, and amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest the year in the rain. this is the reason the mediterranean has always attracted them. every summer, more than 25 million people travel to mediterranean resort and beaches for their vacation. they all come for the same reason sun!

    the huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of mediterranean countries. italy's 30,000 hotels are booked solid every summer. and 13 million people camp out on french beaches, parks and roadsides. spain's long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living in spain.78) but there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can handle. the mediterranean is already one the most polluted seas on earth. and with increased tourism, it's getting worse. the french can't figure out what to do with all the garbage left by campers around st. tropez. and in many places, swimming is dangerous because of pollution.

    none of this, however, is spoiling anyone's fun. the mediterranean gets more popular every year with tourists. obviously, they don't go there for clean water and solitude. they tolerate traffic jams and seem to like crowded beaches. they don't even mind the pollution. no matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. and as long as the sun shines, it's still better than sitting in the cold rain in berlin, london, or oslo.

    6. the writer seems to imply that europeans travel mostly for the reason that_____ .

    a. they want to see historic remains or religious spots.

    b. they are interested in different cultural traditions and social customs.

    c. they would like to take pictures in front of famous sites.

    d. they wish to escape from the cold, dark and rainy days back at home.

    7. in paragraph 2, cities like london, copenhagen, and amsterdam are mentioned_______ .

    a. to show that they are not good cities in terms of geography and climate.

    b. to tell us how wealthy their residents are.

    c. to suggest that these cities lack places of historic interest and scenic beauty.

    d. to prove that they have got more tourism than they can handle.

    8. according to the passage, which of the following countries attracts more tourists than the others?

    a. italy b. spain c. france d. greece

    9. the latter half of the last sentence in paragraph 3, "or one tourist for every person living in spain" means .

    a. all the 37 million people living in spain are tourists.

    b. every year almost as many tourists visit spain as there are people living in that country.

    c. every person living in spain has to take care of a tourist.

    d. every spanish is visited by a tourist every year.

    10. according to the passage, which of the following factors might spoil the tourists ' fun at mediterranean resorts and beaches?

    a. polluted water  b. crowded buses

    c. traffic jams    d. rainy weather

    答案解析:

    6d 第二段提到北欧游客为了享受阳光而到地中海度假,因为北欧日照短而且阴雨天多.所以选择d

    7a 第二段中提到伦敦、哥本哈根和阿姆斯特丹的地理位置:地处北欧,和气候:冬季日照时间短,长期的阴雨天气,与阳光充足的地中海相比这三个城市不适合度假,因此选a

    8b 第三段介绍"西班牙长长的海岸线较之其他旅游胜地吸引更多的游客",因此选择b

    9b 本句介绍西班牙的游客数量,意思是"西班牙有多少居民,就有多少游客",即西班牙游客的数量与居民的数量一样多.所以应选b

10d 最后一段介绍虽然地中海存在污染、交通堵塞,但游客兴致不减,他们去地中海是为了享受阳光.因此阴雨的天气会败坏他们的游兴.

passage 3

questions 11-15 are based the following passage

long bus rides are like television shows. they have a beginning, a middle, and an end-with commercials thrown in every three or four minutes. the commercials are unavoidable. they happen whether you want them or not. every couple of minutes a billboard glides by outside the bus window. "buy super clean toothpaste." "drink good'n wet root beer." "fill up with pacific gas." only if you sleep, which is equal to turning the television set off, are you spared the unending cry of "you need it! buy it now!"

    the beginning of the ride is comfortable and somewhat exciting, even if you've traveled that way before. 79usually some things have changed-new houses, new buildings, sometimes even a new road. the bus driver has a style of driving and it's fun to try to figure it out the first hour or so. if the driver is particularly reckless or daring, the ride can be as thrilling as a suspense story. will the driver pass the truck in time? will the driver move into the right or the left-hand lane? after a while, of course, the excitement dies down. sleeping for a while helps pass the middle hours of the ride. food always makes bus rides more interesting. but you've got to be careful of what kind of food you eat. too much salty food can make you very thirsty between stops.

    the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning. you know it will soon be over and there's a kind of expectation and excitement in that. 80the seat, of course, has become harder as the hours have passed. by now you've sat with you legs crossed, with your hands crossed behind your head. the end comes just at the right time. there are just no more ways to sit.

    11. according to the passage, what do the passengers usually see when they are on a long bus trip?

    a. buses on the road.

    b. films on television.

    c. advertisements on the board.

  d. gas stations.

    12. what is the purpose of this passage?

    a. to give the writer's opinion about long bus trips.

  b. to persuade you to take a long bus trip.

    c. to explain how bus trips and television shows differ.

    d. to describe the billboards along the road.

    13. the writer of this passage would probably favor

    a. bus drivers who weren't reckless

    b. driving alone

    c. a television set on the bus

    d. no billboards along the road

    14. the writer feels long bus rides are like tv shows because

    a. the commercials both on tv shows and on billboards along the road are fun

    b. they both have a beginning, a middle, and an end, with commercials in between

    c. the drivers are always reckless on tv shows just as they are on buses

    d. both traveling and watching tv are not exciting

    15. the writer thinks that the end of the ride is somewhat like the beginning because both are

a.      exciting b. comfortable c. tiring d. boring

乘坐长途车就如同欣赏电视秀,有开端、有情节、也有结尾,每隔三四分钟插播商业广告.商业广告不可避免.无论是否需要,都会出现.车窗外每几分钟就有商业广告牌闪过."买超级清洁牙膏""喝个痛快就喝无醇饮料""充太平洋天然气".只有睡觉,如同关掉电视机,才能躲避无休止的叫喊"你需要这个!现在就买吧!"

    旅程的开始是舒适并且有些兴奋的,即使曾经走过那条路.通常一些事物有变化,新房子、新建筑、有时甚至新道路.司机有驾驶的风格,在一开始辨认出这种风格是一种乐趣.

    如果司机横冲直撞、敢于冒险,旅程将如同悬念小说一样惊险刺激.司机会恰好超过那辆卡车吗?司机会开左车道还是右车道?当然,不久刺激感渐渐消失了.睡一会有助于度过旅途中间几个小时.食物始终让旅行更有趣味.但是要注意吃哪种食物.过于咸的食物能使你在站间非常口渴.

    旅行结尾与开端有些相似.你知道旅程将很快结束,就会产生一种期待和兴奋.座位一定随着时间变得更加坚硬.现在你双腿交叉着坐着,双手交叉垫在脑后.旅程适时结束.恰好没有其他坐姿了.

       答案解析:

    11c 第一段中介绍了乘客在坐长途车过程中所见的是广告牌. "the commercials""商业广告"的意思;"billboard" "广告牌"的意思, "advertisements on the board".

    12 a 全文主要介绍作者对乘车长途旅行的感受.

    13 d 第一段作者认为"商业广告不可避免""只有睡觉才能躲避广告",由此可以推断出作者不喜欢沿途的广告牌.

    14 b 根据文章第一段第一句和第二句"乘坐长途车就如同欣赏电视秀,有开端、有情节、也有结尾,每隔三四分钟插播商业广告"可知.

    15a 根据文章第二段第一句"旅程的开始是舒适并且有些兴奋的"和第三段第二句"你知道旅程将很快结束,就会产生一种期待和兴奋"可知.