Passage One The blue, mystic Lake Ellsinore lies in an inland California valley, which is teeming and steaming with hot springs. Rimmed by shaggy mountains whose forested crests are reflected in its clear waters, Lake Ellsinore is the very personification of peace—but on it rests the curse of Tondo. The lake had a colorful history. Much of it lies buried in legend, and it is difficult to separate fact from fiction. There have been stories of underground volcanoes on the lake bottom, erupting, killing fish and discoloring the water. There have been stories of a playful sea serpent that lived in its depths. Long noted for its scenic beauty and health-giving waters, the lake was a famous resort in the Nineties. But long before the first white man had set foot along the shore of the lake, this part of California had been the home of the Soboba Indians. Their chief was Tondo, a stern and unforgiving man. He had a daughter, Morning Star, who was in love with Palo, son of the chief the Pales, a neighboring tribe. The Sobobas and Pales were sworn enemies. For a time the lovers met secretly. Then one day they were discovered by Tondo. His rage was terrible to behold. He forbade the lovers ever to meet again. Morning Star tried in every way to appease her father's anger, to soften his heart toward Palo. But in time she saw that it was useless; that he would never give his consent to their marriage. Vowing that they would never be separated, the Indian maid and her lover walked hand in hand into the lake, as the dreary November sun cast long shadows on the land. They were followed by a group of orphan children whom Morning Star had befriended. All walked into the lake, singing the mournful death song of their people, while Tondo stood on the shore and cursed the lovers, cursed the blue water into which they all walked to their death. Ever since that day it would see that a jinx has been laid over Lake Ellsinore. Old-timers tell of a great upheaval in the lake which caused water to spout into the air like a geyser and turn blood-red. Later, it became known that three hundred springs of boiling mud and water were born in the valley during that upheaval. The springs reeked with sulphur. For many years after this phenomenon the lake remained peaceful. Then boats were overturned for an apparent reason, and few of their occupants ever returned to tell the story. This continued for several years. At the same time, strong swimmers dived into the lake never to reappear. In 1833 and again in 1846, fish in the lake suddenly died. In the spring of 1850 came the Battle of the Gnats. They bred in the water of the lake and swarmed over the land. They invaded the countryside until the harassed inhabitants called for help. And in July 1951, the sky-blue waters of the lake vanished like mist before a noonday sun. When the bottom was laid bare there was no trace of a volcano, the bottomless pits, or the other disturbances of legend or fact. The copious winter rains of 1951—1952 have replenished the lake. But what menace does its haunting beauty hold today? For tomorrow? The once mighty Sobobas are few now. But the old men swear that their ancestors still haunt the lake. They nod grizzled head and murmur that the Great Tondo's curse will forever remain upon the lake. Only Time, the wise and silent one, can tell.
1. Which of the following statements is true of Lake Ellsinore?
A.It is considered by legend to be rich in gold.
B.It was once famous as a beautiful resort.
C.It is located in a volcanic crater in California.
D.It used to be the center of a mining village.
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题的依据句是第三段开头“Long noted for its scenic beauty and health-giving waters, the lake was a famous resort in the Nineties.”注意其他选项都有legend的成分在里面。因此正确答案为B。
2. Probably Tondo's rage was due to the fact that ______.
A.Morning Star was too young to marry
B.Tondo's tribe and Palo's tribe were enemies
C.Palo mistreated his Soboba girl friend
D.Palo vowed meet Morning Star in secret
A B C D
B
[解析] 按文中内容推测,原因可能是两个部落是夙敌。
3. According to the old-timers, on two occasions ______.
A.the water of the lake turned red
B.lake water sprouted into the air
C.the Gnats invaded the countryside
D.fish in the lake suddenly died
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题的依据句是原文的“In 1833 and again in 1846, fish in the lake suddenly died.”据此可知,D项为正确答案。
4. The word "jinx" (Para. 6) probably means ______.
A.spell of bad luck
B.hot air current
C.strange tranquility
D.storm of unusual duration
A B C D
A
[解析] 此处应为恶毒的咒语,spell of bad words与句中的lay...over也能搭配。因此正确答案为A。
5. Which can be considered the best title for the passage?
Passage Two Distance education is enrollment and study with an educational institution that provides lesson materials prepared in a sequential and logical order for study by students on their own. When each lesson is completed, the student mails or transmits the assigned work to the institution for correction, grading, comment, and subject matter guidance by qualified instructors. Corrected assignments are returned promptly to the student. This exchange provides a personalized student-teacher relationship. If a student slows his or her pace or fails to send assignments, the school provides encouragement. Although some institutions provide employment placement information and assistance, no reputable school ever guarantees a job to graduates. Distance education and self-study are different. Self-study materials provide no instructional service. Corrected assignments, examinations, and special help provided by a qualified facility are vital to a good learning situation. However, these are not part of self-study. There are many self-study courses and recordings available, and they may have value, but they clearly are not correspondence or distance education courses. Some institutions offer combination courses that provide training-in-residence for students who complete their distance education lessons. In-service or on-the-job training is required or provided with other courses and is a feature of many vocational distance education programs. Quality distance education institutions screen prospective students to assure that only those who can benefit from the courses are enrolled. While there are educational prerequisites for some academic subjects, interest and aptitude are the primary factors leading to success in most distance education courses. Because they provide alternative educational opportunities, distance education institutions try not to deny a prospective student the opportunity to succeed in a course; interest and experience are good indicators of future success. Distance education courses vary greatly in scope, level, and length. Some have few lessons and require only weeks to complete, while others have a hundred or more assignments requiring three or four years of conscientious study. Also, a wide variety of subjects is offered. Subjects include yacht design, accounting, medical transcription, nutrition, robotics, travel agent training, gun-repair, gem identification, computer programming, catering and cooking, and earning an entire high school diploma, just to name a few. There is an increasing recognition of "distance education" and many colleges offer credit for their distance learning courses or accept some distance education credits of resident students working toward a degree. In fact, many distance education institutions award their own academic degrees. Acceptance of students and awarding of academic credit is the prerogative of the receiving academic institution. Also, the employing organization may set its own credit acceptance policies.
1. Which of the following questions does the passage seek to answer?
A.Why is distance education important to the modern society?
B.What is distance education?
C.How does distance education differ from self-study?
D.How is distance education different from college education?
A B C D
B
[解析] 从文章第一句“Distance education is enrollment and study with an educational institution that provides lesson materials prepared in a sequential and logical order for study by students on their own.”可知,本文开篇就回答了“什么是远程教育”这个问题,接下来文章其他部分进一步阐述了远程教育各方面的问题,因此B项为正确答案。
2. Which of the following is true of distance education?
A.The majority of the students fail to pass its examinations.
B.Personal tutors are assigned to students to offer regular help.
C.Teachers and students communicate through correspondence.
D.The courses are set up to suit the pace of each individual student.
A B C D
C
[解析] 本题的依据句是第一段的“When each lesson is completed...returned promptly to the student.”据此可知,在远程教育中,师生通过通信进行交流,因此C项为正确答案。
3. Distance education is different from self-study in that it ______.
A.provides training-in-residence for students
B.caters to the interest of each individual student
C.is available to vast majority of students
D.offers instructional service to students
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题的依据句是第二段第一、二句话“Distance education and self-study are different. Self-study materials provide no instructional service.”据此可知,远程教育与自学的不同之处在于自学不提供指导性的服务,因此D项为正确答案。
4. In the third paragraph, the word "prospective" probably means ______.
5. It is implied in the passage that students of distance education ______.
A.enjoy greater freedom in choosing the subjects to study
B.do not have to meet any enrolling requirement at all
C.take longer to complete their study than college students
D.can usually enter college to work toward a degree
A B C D
A
[解析] 本题可参照第四段和第五段,据此可以判断A项是正确的。从第三段第一句话“Quality distance education institutions screen prospective students to assure that only those who can benefit from the courses are enrolled.”可以判断B项错误。C、D两项都与文意不符。
Passage Three I wonder if you realize just how many others share your problem. It is so common for people to distort the truth about themselves. Sometimes it's just an invented excuse when you're late for something or a pretence that you like someone you don't. These white lies don't usually harm anyone and indeed often help smooth over difficult social situations. They certainly are embarrassing if exposed but, on the whole, they're easily forgiven. What you describe is a habit of lying that is more serious than this. I suspect that the lies you tell are ways of defending an idea you have of your own worth. People who have doubts about their own self-esteem often worry that others will judge them as harshly as they feel they deserve because of a secret idea that they are pretty worthless. In other words, they create a false picture of themselves, a picture of someone who meets all the expectations they think others have of them, and as you say, that causes problems—since they have to keep living up to that image. At the same time, they have to tell further lie to cover the stories they have already told. According to some authorities, this is particularly among women especially those who have few opportunities to develop an adequate sense of self-worth. I suggest you give yourself one day during which you stick solidly to the truth about yourself. Give yourself a small treat at the end of the day if you have managed to keep it up. Wait a week and then try it again. Once you have achieved three separate lie-free days, see if you can cope with three days running, then extend it to a whole week. Don't make a promise to yourself that you will never lie again because almost certainly you will—it's too much to take on at once. Try to change things little by little, by setting yourself manageable targets. After a while, you'll wonder why you ever had the problem at all.
1. This passage is a reply to someone who ______.
A.keeps a habit of lying for vain reasons
B.works hard to meet others' expectations
C.does not know the truth about himself and is too sure of himself
D.does not know how to make a realistic plan for himself
2. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.White lies often cause embarrassment in social situations.
B.It is important for women to have an adequate sense of self-worth.
C.It takes a little time to get rid of your habit.
D.Take exercise like running if you are free and keep it up.
A B C D
B
[解析] 本题的依据是文章第2段的最后一句话:According to some authorities, this is particularly among women especially those who have few opportunities to develop an adequate sense of self-worth。从中可知B项是正确答案。
3. The expression "living up to" in the second paragraph can best be replaced by ______.
A.growing up with
B.living with
C.seeking
D.sticking to
A B C D
D
[解析] 本题中,living up to的意思是“符合”,与D项意思一致。因此D项为正确答案。
4. In the last paragraph the writer implies that ______.
A.you will solve the problem with patience and a strong will
B.you must be hard on yourself to accomplish something
C.your problem lies in the fact that you hasten to make promises
D.you must set different targets at different stages of your life
Passage Four St. Paul has transformed soaring energy costs into a golden opportunity for economic development by putting the final touches on plans to: 1. Build the nation's first system that will heat all major downtown buildings with waste heat now being dumped into the Mississippi River by electric utilities. 2. Create a $9-million "energy bank" to lend money to improve the energy efficiency of homes at low 9-to-11-percent interest rates. 3. Construct the nation's first "energy park". The area will include only those commercial, residential, and industrial facilities that are doing something energy-related. More than $ 150-million worth of commitments has already been lined up. These developments did not just happen. They resulted when Mayor George Latimer asked volunteers to chart a new future for a city that is twice as cold as New York. "We cannot any longer look to foreign nations, old companies or the federal government to solve our energy crisis," Latimer told his constituents. "We must look to ourselves to find the answers."
1. The reason why these developments did not happen before was (that) ______.
A.the city imported enough foreign oil for its major downtown buildings
B.the federal government didn't approve the necessary money for the construction
4. Which of the following facilities are/is NOT energy-related?
A.Shops or supermarkets.
B.A computer center or a factory.
C.Private homes.
D.Advertisement boards.
A B C D
A
[解析] 这是一道细节题。问的是选项中哪个不是与能源相关的设施。根据第四段的industrial facilities that are doing something energy-related,其主语是“工业设施”,B、C、D选项都符合要求,因此本题答案为A。
5. Judging from what Mayor Latimer said, we are sure that ______.
A.these developments will some day become true
B.foreign nations and oil companies are not reliable
C.the future of St. Paul is quite uncertain
D.high energy costs will soon be eliminated
A B C D
B
[解析] 这是一道推理题。根据本文最后一段的"We cannot any longer-look to foreign nations…We must look to ourselves to find the answers.”可知,Mayor Latimer并不信任其他国家和联邦政府,他认为应该自谋出路。只有B项符合题意,因此正确答案为B。