2011年專四考試模擬試題(閱讀篇).doc

Before the mid 1860s, the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited, in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River, approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight, mail, and passengers over to steamboats, wagons, and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting, stagecoaching, and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older, slower, and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870s and 1880s and into the 1890s. Although over constantly shrinking routes, and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860s, when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised, financially much more generous version in 1864, little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert, mountain, and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist, this was a case of “premature enterprise”, where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill, the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together.1. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860s as “l(fā)imited” because _A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the nextB. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinationsC. passengers preferred stagecoaches D. railroad travel was quite expensive 2. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded? A. They developed competing routes. B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.C. They began to specialize in private investment.D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them. 3. Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17? A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific. 4. The word “subsidy” in line 27 is closest in meaning to _.A. persuasion B. financing C. explanation D. penaltyBDDBCertainly no creature in the sea is odder than the common sea cucumber. All living creature, especially human beings, have their peculiarities, but everything about the little sea cucumber seems unusual. What else can be said about a bizarre animal that, among other eccentricities, eats mud, feeds almost continuously day and night but can live without eating for long periods, and can be poisonous but is considered supremely edible by gourmets?For some fifty million years, despite all its eccentricities, the sea cucumber has subsisted on its diet of mud. It is adaptable enough to live attached to rocks by its tube feet, under rocks in shallow water, or on the surface of mud flats. Common in cool water on both Atlantic and Pacific shores, it has the ability to suck up mud or sand and digest whatever nutrients are present.Sea cucumbers come in a variety of colors, ranging from black to reddishbrown to sandcolor and nearly white. One form even has vivid purple tentacles. Usually the creatures are cucumbershapedhence their nameand because they are typically rock inhabitants, this shape, combined with flexibility, enables them to squeeze into crevices where they are safe from predators and ocean currents.Although they have voracious appetites, eating day and night, sea cucumbers have the capacity to become quiescent and live at a low metabolic ratefeeding sparingly or not at all for long periods, so that the marine organisms that provid their food have a chance to multiply. If it were not for this faculty, they would devour all the food available in a short time and would probably starve themselves out of existence.But the most spectacular thing about the sea cucumber is the way it defends itself. Its major enemies are fish and crabs, when attacked, it squirts all its internal organs into water. It also casts off attached structures such as tentacles. The sea cucumber will eviscerate and regenerate itself if it is attacked or even touched; it will do the same if the surrounding water temperature is too high or if the water becomes too polluted.1. According to the passage, why is the shape of sea cucumbers important?A. It helps them to digest their food.B. It helps them to protect themselves from danger.C. It makes it easier for them to move through the mud.D. It makes them attractive to fish. 2. The fourth paragraph of the passage primarily discusses _.A. the reproduction of sea cucumbersB. the food sources of sea cucumbersC. the eating habits of sea cucumbersD. threats to sea cucumbers existence 3. What can be inferred about the defence mechanisms of the sea cucumber?A. They are very sensitive to surrounding stimuli.B. They are almost useless.愛思英語網(wǎng)C. They require group cooperation.D. They are similar to those of most sea creatures. 4. Which of the following would NOT cause a sea cucumber to release its internal organs into the water?A. A touch. B. Food.愛思英語網(wǎng)C. Unusually warm water. D. Pollution.BCABCalifornia is a land of variety and contrast. Almost every type of physical land feature, sort of arctic ice fields and tropical jungles can be found within its borders. Sharply contrasting types of land often lie very close to one another.People living in Bakersfield, for instance, can visit the Pacific Ocean and the coastal plain, the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the arid Mojave Desert, and the high Sierra Nevada, all within a radius of about 100 miles. In other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day, without having to travel long distance.愛思英語網(wǎng)Contrast abounds in California. The highest point in the United States (outside Alaska ) is in California, and so is the lowest point (including Alaska). Mount Whitney, 14,494 feet above sea level, is separated from Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, by a distance of only 100 miles. The two areas have a difference in altitude of almost three miles.愛思英語網(wǎng)California has deep, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe, the deepest in the country, but it also has shallow, salty desert lakes. It has Lake Tulainyo, 12,020 feet above sea level, and the lowest lake in the country, the Salton Sea, 236 feet below sea level. Some of its lakes, like Owens Lake in Death Valley, are not lakes at all: they are driedup lake beds.In addition to mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, and plateaus, California has its Pacific coastline, stretching longer than the coastlines of Oregon and Washington combined.1. Which of the following is the lowest point in the United States?A. Lake Tulainyo.B. Mojave desert.C. Death Valley.D. The Salton Sea. 2. Where is the highest point in the United States located?A. Lake Tahoe.B. Sierra Nevada.C. Mount Whitney.D. Alaska. 3. How far away is Death Valley from Mount Whitney?A. About 3 miles.B. Only 100 miles.C. 282 feet. D. 14,494 feet. 4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being within a radius of about 100 miles of Bakersfield? A. The Pacific Ocean.B. San Joaquin Valley.C. Mojave Desert.愛思英語網(wǎng)D. Oregon and Washington. 5. Which statement best demonstrates that California is a land of variety and contrastA. The highest lake in California is Lake Tulainyo.B. It is possible to go surfing and snow skiing in some parts of California without having to travel long distance. C. Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, Mojave Desert and the Pacific Ocean all lie within a radius of about 100 miles.愛思英語網(wǎng)D. Owens Lake, in Death Valley, is not really a lake at all.CDBDCMost earthquakes occur within the upper 15 miles of the earths surface. But earthquakes can and do occur at all depths to about 460 miles. Their number decreases as the depth increases. At about 460 miles one earthquake occurs only every few years. Near the surface earthquakes may run as high as 100 in a month, but the yearly average does not vary much. In comparison with the total number of earthquakes each year, the number of disastrous earthquakes is very small.愛思英語網(wǎng)The extent of the disaster in an earthquake depends on many factors. If you carefully build a toy house with an erect set, it will still stand no matter how much you shake the table. But if you build a toy house with a pack of cards, a slight shake of the table will make it fall. An earthquake in Agadir, Morocco, was not strong enough to be recorded on distant instruments, but it completely destroyed the city. Many stronger earthquakes have done comparatively little damage. If a building is well constructed and built on solid ground, it will resist an earthquake. Most deaths in earthquakes have been due to faulty building construction or poor building sites. A third and very serious factor is panic. When people rush out into narrow streets, more deaths will result.The United Nations has played an important part in reducing the damage done by earthquakes. It has sent a team of experts to all countries known to be affected by earthquakes. Working with local geologists and engineers, the experts have studied the nature of the ground and the type of most practical building code for the local area. If followed, these suggestions will make disastrous earthquakes almost a thing of the past.There is one type of earthquake disaster that little can be done about. This is the disaster caused by seismic sea waves, or tsunamis. (These are often called tidal waves, but the name is incorrect. They have nothing to do with tides.)愛思英語網(wǎng)In certain areas, earthquakes take place beneath the sea. These submarine earthquakes sometimes give rise to seismic sea waves. The waves are not noticeable out at sea because of their long wave length. But when they roll into harbors, they pile up into walls of water 6 to 60 feet high. The Japanese call them “tsunamis”, meaning “harbor waves”, because they reach a sizable height only in harbors.Tsunamis travel fairly slowly, at speeds up to 500 miles an hour. An adequate warning system is in use to warn all shores likely to be reached by the waves.愛思英語網(wǎng)But this only enables people to leave the threatened shores for higher ground. There is no way to stop the oncoming wave.愛思英語網(wǎng)1. Which of the following CANNOT be concluded from the passage?A. The number of earthquakes is closely related to depth.B. Roughly the same number of earthquakes occur each year.C. Earthquakes are impossible at depths over 460 miles.D. Earthquakes are most likely to occur near the surfaces.2. The destruction of Agadir is an example of A. faulty building construction愛思英語網(wǎng)B. an earthquakes strengthC. widespread panic in earthquakesD. ineffective instruments愛思英語網(wǎng)3. The United Nations experts are supposed to_A. construct strong buildingsB. put forward proposals愛思英語網(wǎng)C. detect disastrous earthquakesD. monitor earthquakes愛思英語網(wǎng)4. The significance of the slow speed of tsunamis is that people mayA. notice them out at sea愛思英語網(wǎng)B. find ways to stop themC. be warned early enoughD. develop warning systems愛思英CABCNatures Gigantic Snow PloughOn January 10, 1962, an enormous piece of glacier broke away and tumbled down the side of a mountain in Peru. A mere seven minutes later, when cascading ice finally came to a stop ten miles down the mountain, it had taken the lives of 4,000 people.This disaster is one of the most “devastating”examples of a very common event: an avalanche of snow or ice. Because it is extremely cold at very high altitudes, snow rarely melts. It just keeps piling up higher and higher. Glaciers are eventually created when the weight of the snow is so great that the lower layers are pressed into solid ice. But most avalanches occur long before this happens. As snow accumulates on a steep slope, it reaches a critical point at which the slightest vibration will send it sliding into the valley below.Even an avalanche of light power can be dangerous, but the Peruvian catastrophe was particularly terrible because it was caused by a heavy layer of ice. It is estimated that the ice that broke off weighed three million tons. As it crashed down the steep mountainside like a gigantic snow plough, it swept up trees, boulders and tons of topsoil, and completely crushed and destroyed the six villages that lay in its path.At present there is no way to predict or avoid such enormous avalanches, but, luckily, they are very rare. Scientists are constantly studying the smaller, more common avalanches, to try to understand what causes them. In the future, perhaps dangerous masses of snow and ice can be found and removed before they take human lives.1. The first paragraph catches the readers attention with a _A. first hand reportB. dramatic descriptionC. tall taleD. vivid world picture 2. In this passage devastating means _.A. violently ruinousB. spectacularly interestingC. stunningD. unpleasant 3. The passage is mostly about _.A. avalanchesB. glaciersC. PeruD. mountainsAAAAs the merchant class expanded in the eighteenthcentury North American Colonies, the silversmith and the coppersmith businesses rose to serve it. Only a few silversmiths were available in New York or Boston in the late seventeenth century, but in the eighteenth century they could be found in all major colonial cities. No other colonial artisans rivaled the silversmiths prestige. They handled the most expensive materials and possessed direct connections to prosperous colonial merchants. Their products, primarily silver plates and bowls, reflected their exalted status and testified to their customers prominence. Silver stood as one of the surest ways to store wealth at a time before neighborhood banks existed. Unlike the silver coins from which they were made, silver articles were readily identifiable. Often formed to individual specifications, they always carried the silversmiths distinctive markings and consequently could be traced and retrieved. Customers generally secure the silver for the silver object they ordered. They saved coins, took them to smiths, and discussed the type of pieces they desired. Silversmiths complied with these requests by melting the money in a small furnace, adding a bit of copper to form a stronger alloy, and casting the alloy in rectangular blocks. They hammered these ingots to the appropriate thickness by hand, shaped them and pressed designs into them for adornment. Engraving was also done by hand. In addition to plates and bowls, some customers sought more intricate products, such as silver teapots. These were made by shaping or casting parts separately and then soldering them together. Colonial coppersmithing also come of age in the early eighteenth century and prospered in northern cities. Coppers ability to conduct heat efficiently and to resist corrosion contributed to its attractiveness. But because it was expensive in colonial America, coppersmiths were never very numerous. Virtually all copper worked by Smiths was imported as sheets or obtained by recycling old copper goods. Copper was used for practical items, but it was not admired for its beauty. Coppersmiths employed it to fashion pots and kettles for the home. They shaped it in much the same manner as silver or melted it in a foundry with lead or tin. They also mixed it with zinc to make brass for maritime and scientific instruments.1.According to the passage, which of the following eighteenth century developments had strong impact on silversmiths? A. A decrease in the cost of silver. B. The invention of heat efficient furnaces. C. The growing economic prosperity of colonial merchants. D. The development of new tools used to shape silver. 2.In colonial America, where did silversmiths usually obtain the material to make silver articles? A. From their own mines. B. From importers. C. From other silversmiths. D. From customers.3.The passage mentions all of the following as uses for copper in Colonial America EXCEPT _.A. cooking pots B. scientific instruments C. musical instruments D. maritime instruments4.According to the passage, silversmiths and coppersmiths in colonial America were similar in which of the following ways? A. The amount of social prestige they had.B. The way they shaped the metal they worked with. C. The cost of the goods they made. D. The practicality of the goods they made.CDCBPeople have been painting pictures for at