阅读模拟

　　The ground is full of seeds that cannot rise into seedlings;

　　the seedlings rob one another of air, light and water, the

　　strongest robber winning the day, and extinguishing his

　　competitors. Year after year, the wild animals with which

　　5 man never interferes are, on the average, neither more nor

　　less numerous than they were; and yet we know that the

　　annual produce of every pair is from one to perhaps a

　　million young; so that it is mathematically certain that,

　　on the average, as many are killed by natural causes as

　　10 are born every year, and those only escape which happen

　　to be a little better fitted to resist destruction than

　　those which die. The individuals of a species are like

　　the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmers

　　have a chance of reaching the land.

　　1. The “robber” in the first sentence is most like which of the following mentioned in the paragraph

　　A. wild animals

　　B. produce of every pair

　　C. individuals of a species

　　D. crew of a foundered ship

　　E. good swimmers

　　2. The main point the author conveys is that

　　A. natural populations of animals in the wild increase in numbers exponentially

　　B. all members of a species are in violent competition with one another

　　C. in the struggle to survive, the fittest survive

　　D. members of one generation of a population are all more or less alike

　　E. man’s interference destroys the natural balance

阅读理解第二页

　　The literature on drug addiction has grown at a rate that

　　defies anyone to keep abreast of the literature, and

　　apparently in inverse proportion to our understanding of

　　the subject. Addiction, or dependence, as it is more

　　5 fashionable to call it, excites controversy and speculation

　　yet true understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive.

　　In fact the area is fraught with speculation and

　　acrimonious debate. Definition of terms such as ‘drug’,

　　‘addiction’, and ‘abuse’ is obviously less controversial

　　10 than attempts to explain the nature of drug dependence,

　　yet even the terminology is imprecise and overlain with

　　subjective connotations. At its most basic, a drug, as

　　defined by the World Heath Organization, is simply ‘any

　　substance which when taken into the living organism may

　　15 modify one or more of its functions’. This kind of

　　definition is too wide to be of any use in a discussion

　　of dependence: it covers everything from insulin to

　　aspirin, penicillin to alcohol.

　　3. The author implies that he thinks the term “dependence” in the context of drugs

　　A. is more accurate the older term “addiction”

　　B. has not always been the preferred term

　　C. is a currently under-used term

　　D. is an avant-garde aberration

　　E. is more controversial than the term “addiction”

　　4. We can infer from the first sentence that

　　A. not all that has been written on the subject of addiction has added to our understanding

　　B. no one can have read all the literature on any drug

　　C. the more that is published the more we are likely to understand

　　D. the rate of growth should be higher if we are to understand the subject

　　E. writing about addiction is fashionable

　　Paragraph one

　　When the explorer comes home victorious, everyone goes out

　　to cheer him. We are all proud of his achievement — proud

　　on behalf of the nation and of humanity. We think it is a

　　new feather in our cap, and one we have come by cheaply.

　　5 How many of those who join in the cheering were there when

　　the expedition was fitting out, when it was short of bare

　　necessities, when support and assistance were most urgently

　　wanted? Was there then any race to be first? At such a time

　　the leader has usually found himself almost alone; too

　　10 often he has had to confess that his greatest difficulties

　　were those he had to overcome at home before he could set

　　sail. So it was with Columbus, and so it has been with many

　　since his time.

　　Paragraph two

　　Amundsen has always reached the goal he has aimed at, this

　　15 man who sailed his little yacht over the whole Arctic Ocean,

　　round the north of America, on the course that had been

　　sought in vain for four hundred years. So, when in 1910 he

　　left the fjord on his great expedition in the Fram, to drift

　　right across the North Polar Sea, would it not have been

　　20 natural if we had been proud of having such a man to support?

　　But was it so? For a long time he struggled to complete his

　　equipment. Money was still lacking, and little interest was

　　shown in him and his work. He himself gave everything he

　　possessed in the world. But nevertheless had to put to sea

　　25 loaded with anxieties and debts, as he sailed out quietly

　　on a summer night.

　　5. In paragraph one, the ‘race to be first’ refers ironically to the

　　A. lack of response to urgent appeals for help

　　B. willingness to give credit

　　C. lack of support to the explorer before he achieves his goals

　　D. rush to laud the explorer

　　E. eagerness of the explorer to be alone

　　6. The ‘feather in our cap’ refers to

　　A. our willingness to take unearned credit for a triumph

　　B. the pride we have in being human

　　C. our sense of having got a reward for our investment

　　D. way we respond to all success

　　E. the way we express our joy

　　7. Both paragraphs make their point with the aid of

　　A. repetition and parallel construction

　　B. specific details of time and place

　　C. metaphor

　　D. reference to historical documents

　　E. rhetorical questions

　　8. From both paragraphs taken together, it appears that Amundsen and Columbus shared all of the following except the fact that they

　　A. were explorers

　　B. were not always supported when they most needed it

　　C. achieved feats that should have received accolades

　　D. had difficulties to face apart from those they faced on their expeditions

　　E. sailed the seas alone

　　SAT阅读习题:Reading Comprehension Test 12参考答案见下一页

答案及解析

　　SAT阅读:Reading Comprehension Test12 参考答案

　　1.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　The “robber” is the seedling that survives and the “good swimmers” are also those that survive. Both the “robber” and the “good swimmer” are metaphors for the strong individuals in a population.

　　2.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　The author clearly states that large numbers of individuals are produced yet numbers stay more or less the same (on the average, neither more nor less numerous than they were). He is also clear that it is the fittest that survive (those only escape which happen to be a little better fitted to resist destruction than those which die). Answer C is clearly the best. You can eliminate answer choice B because of the word “violent”. Answer D is counter to the fact that some are better fitted to survive. A and E may be true statements but neither is the main point of the paragraph.

　　3.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　We are told that the term “dependence” is more fashionable, but being fashionable does not make it more accurate (eliminate A). Certainly the word “aberration” is wrong and strong (eliminate D). There is nothing to suggest that the term is under-used (the author himself goes on to use to twice more, so eliminate C), and he says that all the terms are controversial, making the words “more controversial” wrong (eliminate E). B is correct because the author implies that the word is more fashionable now and that addiction was the older term.

　　4.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　By saying that the increase in literature on the subject is in “inverse proportion” to our understanding the author means that the more that is written, the less we understand. This is the exact opposite of answer choice C, but closest in sense to answer A, the right answer. He does say that the rate of growth “defies anyone to keep abreast”, but this does not mean that no one can have read the literature on any particular drug, so B is clearly wrong. There is nothing to say the growth rate should be higher, making D wrong. E is wrong because it simply picks the word “fashionable” from the next sentence and applies it incorrectly to the first sentence.

　　5.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　“Was there then any race to be first” refers to the situation described in the previous sentence: no one rushed to give support and assistance to the explorer before the expedition. It is ironical because there never was a race to be first at the time when help was needed, only a race to be first to cheer the ultimate success. (This is actually a very easy question.)

　　6.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　“A feather in our cap” is an idiomatic expression that refers to some outstanding achievement. (If, for example, you score very high marks in the SAT it will be a feather in your cap.) In this case people feel a sense of triumph when the explorer comes home, but the triumph is not really ours, and that is why the correct answer (A) refers to “unearned credit”.

　　7.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Rhetorical questions are questions that are used for effect and do not expect a direct answer. Both passages use this technique, hence answer (E) is correct. The first paragraph has no references to specific times or places. Neither makes reference to historical documents, or uses metaphor. Only the first uses repetition and parallel construction (see for example, the last sentence of paragraph one).

　　8.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　Be careful with “except” questions. Check that you have found four correct things that the two men shared before isolating the right answer (which will be wrong, if you see what I mean!) Amundsen and Columbus were obviously explorers (A is correct). Both passages are making the case that such explores should (but don’t) receive support before their expeditions, that they have difficulties to face before they even set sail, but that they are lauded after the event. This makes statements B, C, and D correct. There is no evidence that they did or did not sail alone, making E incorrect, and hence the right answer!