EDU20140515-阅读 Upper-冲刺-模考第五套

Section 2 - Reading Comprehension

Time—40 minutes
40 Questions

Read each passage closely and answer the associated questions. Be sure to choose
the answer that BEST answers the question being asked.

Nature

1 As a fond mother, when the day is o’er,

2 Leads by the hand her little child to bed,
3 Half willing, half reluctant to be led,
4 And leave his broken playthings on the floor,
5 Still gazing at them through the open door,
6 Nor wholly reassured and comforted
7 By promises of others in their stead,
8 Which, though more splendid, may not please him more;
9 So Nature deals with us, and takes away
10 Our playthings one by one, and by the hand
11 Leads us to rest so gently, that we go
12 Scarce knowing if we wish to go or stay,
13 Being too full of sleep to understand
14 How far the unknown transcends the what we know.
— — by Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow

1. In this poem, the author compares

A a mother to a child
B childhood to adulthood
C life to sleep
D death to sleep
E a mother to Mother Nature

2. Which best describes the author’s attitude toward death?

A Children are not afraid of death
B Death is not to be feared
C The death of a child is a terrible thing
D A sudden death is better than a long and lingering one
E Death brings an end to illness and pain

3. What are the “playthings” mentioned in line 10?

A a child’s toys
B adult status symbols
C the people and things that fill our lives
D irritating things that happen in life
E favorite activities

4. The tone of this poem is best described as

A calm and reassuring
B hostile and angry
C troubled and sad
D full of fear
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E troubled and uncertain

5. In which line does the speaker switch points of view?
A 2
B 5
C 9
D 12
E 14

One of the most impressive feats in nature is the ability of birds to travel hundreds or
even thousands of miles to distant lands where they breed and spend the winter.
Migration is not just the seasonal movement of birds each fall and spring. In every
month, some percentage of the Western Hemisphere’s five billion birds are in the midst
of migration. Their journeys can take weeks or months to complete, depending on the
species and difficulties encountered along the way.

Impending cold weather is one of a number of factors that encourage birds to

migrate. The main trigger is depletion of the food supply, as when insects go into
hibernation or when snow cover makes seeds inaccessible. Diminishing daylight means
that there is less time to feed, and birds begin to have difficulty maintaining sufficient
energy stores to cope with lower temperatures. This cause-and-effect relationship creates
another signal that it is time to head south. Once the instinct to migrate is triggered,
activities such as feeding, resting, and aggression are often suppressed, allowing birds to
focus on little else but reaching their destination.

Most large-scale migration occurs at night when the air is cool and calm and there
are few predators. Warblers, vireos, thrushes, and tanagers are all nighttime flyers, as are
shorebirds. Daylight migrants include ducks, geese, cranes, loons, swallows, and swifts.
Soaring birds, such as hawks and vultures, migrate during the day to take advantage of
the warm updrafts created by heat from the sun.

Migrating birds use mountain ranges, narrow peninsulas, and coastlines as landmarks
to help them navigate. They are also known to use the setting sun and star patterns for
migration, and some bird species appear to rely on the magnetic field of the Earth.
Overcast or foggy nights can hamper the progress of birds that rely on the stars for
navigational cues. Birds have help, however, from seasonal wind patterns that blow in
the general direction they need to travel. Whatever the means of navigation, it is
extraordinary that many species are capable of returning not only to their home ranges,
but to their exact nesting or winter feeding sites.

6. This passage is primarily about

A how and why birds migrate
B using landmarks to navigate
C reasons why birds fly at night
D locating the right nesting and feeding sites
E preparations for a long flight

7. All of the following prefer to migrate at night EXCEPT

A thrushes
B warblers
C hawks
D shorebirds
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E tanagers
8. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward migration?
A hostile
B admiring
C amused
D skeptical
E concerned

9. The author suggests that most large-scale migration occurs at night primarily because
A there are few predators at night
B birds can fly faster at night
C birds are better able to take advantage of seasonal wind patterns at night
D birds have good night vision
E the stars make it easier for birds to navigate

10. The instinct to migrate is triggered primarily by

A longer days
B warmer temperatures
C increased activity of predators
D insufficient food supplies
E the need to hibernate

11. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A migrations can take months to complete
B spring and fall are the times when birds migrate
C many species return to their exact nesting sites
D during migration instincts such as feeding and resting may be suppressed
E seasonal wind patterns blow in the direction birds need to travel

There was at this time among the Onondagas a chief of high rank whose name,
variously written—Hiawatha, Hayonwatha, Ayongwhate, Taoungwatha—is rendered,
“he who seeks the wampum belt.” He had made himself greatly esteemed by his wisdom
and his benevolence. He was now past middle age. Though many of his friends and
relatives had perished by the machinations of Atotarho, he himself had been spared. The
qualities which gained him general respect had, perhaps, not been without influence
even on that redoubtable chief. Hiawatha had long beheld with grief the evils which
afflicted not only his own nation, but all the other tribes a.bout them, through the
continual wars in which they were engaged, and the misgovernment and miseries at
home which these wars produced. With much meditation he had elaborated in his mind
the scheme of a vast confederation which would ensure universal peace. In the mere plan
of a confederation there was nothing new. There are probably few, if any, Indian tribes
which have not, at one time or another, been members of a league or confederacy. It may
almost be said to be their normal condition. But the plan which Hiawatha has evolved
differed from all others in two particulars. The system which he devised was to be not a
loose and transitory league, but a permanent government. While each nation was to
retain its own council and its management of local affairs, the general control was to be
lodged in a federal senate, composed of representatives elected by each nation, holding
office during good behavior, and acknowledged as ruling chiefs throughout the whole
confederacy. Still further, and more remarkably, the confederation was not to be a
limited one. It was to be indefinitely expansible. The avowed design of its proposer was
to abolish war altogether. He wished the federation to extend until all the tribes of men
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should be included in it, and peace should everywhere reign. Such is the positive
testimony of the Iroquois themselves; and their statement, as will be seen, is supported
by historical evidence.
——Horatio Hale from The Iroquois Confederation

12. Which of the following best describes the author’s attitude toward Hiawatha?
A amused
B dubious
C hostile
D respectful
E unimpressed

13. It can be inferred from the passage that the Onondagas looked upon Hiawatha as
A fierce and warlike
B ruthless and unsparing
C caring and wise
D old and frail
E cautious and indecisive

14. As used in line 2, the word “rendered” most nearly means

A provided
B translated
C surrendered
D handed down
E caused to become

15. According to the passage, Hiawatha’s plan for a confederation of Indian nations
contained all of the following provisions EXCEPT:
A It was to be a permanent government.
B Each nation was to retain its own council and manage its local affairs.
C Control was to be in the hands of a federal senate composed of elected
representatives.
D Membership in the confederation was open to all nations.
E Only the head chief could declare war.

16. The author’s main purpose for writing this passage is to

A describe the conditions under which native peoples lived at the time
B inform readers about Hiawatha’s plan for a confederacy of Indian nations
C compare Hiawatha to other chiefs of the time
D dispel myths about Hiawatha
E describe the derivation of the name Hiawatha

17. The style of the passage is most like that found in a

A personal letter
B novel about native peoples
C history textbook
D explorer’s diary
E autobiography

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced the availability of an

additional $10 million in grants to eligible states, territories, and tribes to monitor beach
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water quality. This brings the five-year total to nearly $42 million. As a critical part of
the Administration’s Clean Beaches Plan, this is the fifth year that grants are being made
available since the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health (BEACH)
Act passed in October 2000.
“Americans want clean and healthy beaches,” said EPA’s Assistant Administrator
for Water Ben Grumbles. “These funds will help improve water monitoring and public
information programs to alert beachgoers about the health of their beaches.”
The grants are designed to support water monitoring, which helps to ensure that the
public receives information on how to protect their health when visiting beaches. Beach
water monitoring results are used to issue warnings and closures if bacteria levels are at
unsafe levels and to help identify actions needed to reduce pollution.
In addition, as part of the Clean Beaches Plan, EPA is developing new technology
that will provide faster test results, which will enable local health agencies to more
quickly determine if a beach should be open for swimming.

18. This passage is mainly about

A the Environmental Protection Agency
B how to get an EPA grant
C monitoring the quality of beach water
D developing better ways to test water
E what the public can do to ensure beach safety

19. This passage can best be described as a

A news item
B textbook excerpt
C biography
D short story
E research report

20. Beach water monitoring results are used primarily to

A direct swimmers to the nearest public beaches
B close beaches that do not test water
C alert swimmers to rough surf conditions
D issue warnings when bacteria levels are too high
E make the public aware of what they can do to keep beaches clean

21. Which of the following questions is answered by information in the passage?

A What is the Environmental Protection Agency?
B When was the Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act passed?
C How much grant money is available to a particular state, territory, or tribe?
D When should grants be submitted?
E How many individual grants have been awarded over the past five years?

22. The tone of the passage is best described as

A humorous
B cautious
C impersonal
D argumentative
E enthusiastic

When the door below was opened, a thick stream of men forced a way down the
stairs, which were of an extraordinary narrowness and seemed only wide enough for one
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at a time. Yet they somehow went down almost three abreast. It was a difficult and
painful operation.

The crowd was like a turbulent water forcing itself through one tiny outlet. The
men in the rear, excited by the success of the others, made frantic exertions, for it
seemed that this large band would more than fill the quarters and that many would be
left upon the pavements. It would be disastrous to be of the last, and accordingly men,
with the snow biting their faces, writhed and twisted with their might. One expected that
from the tremendous pressure, the narrow passage to the basement door would be so
choked and clogged with human limbs and bodies that movement would be impossible.
Once indeed the crowd was forced to stop, and a cry went along that a man had been
injured at the foot of the stairs. But presently the slow movement began again, and the
policeman fought at the top of the flight to ease the pressure on those who were going
down.

A reddish light from a window fell upon the faces of the men when they, in turn,
arrived at the last three steps and were about to enter. One could then note a change of
expression that had come over their features. As they thus stood upon the threshold of
their hopes, they looked suddenly content and complacent. The fire had passed from
their eyes and the snarl had vanished from their lips. The very force of the crowd in the
rear, which had previously vexed them, was regarded from another point of view, for it
now made it inevitable that they should go through the little doors into the place that was
cheery and warm with light.

The tossing crowd on the sidewalk grew smaller and smaller. The snow beat with
merciless persistence upon the bowed heads of those who waited. The wind drove it up
from the pavements in frantic forms of winding white, and it seethed in circles about the
huddled forms, passing in, one by one, three by three, out of the storm.

——Stephen Crane from “The Men in the Storm”

23. According to the author, the men forcing their way down the stairs most closely
resembled which of the following?
A a swirling blizzard
B a raging stream
C a marching band
D a roaring fire
E a strong wind

24. The men are pushing their way down the stairs primarily because they want to
A escape from the police
B get medical help
C find shelter from the storm
D go home
E avoid being crushed by the crowd

25. Based on the passage each of the following words may be used to describe the men
waiting at the top of the stairs EXCEPT:
A frozen
B snarling
C frantic
D vexed
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E complacent

26. Which of the following caused the change of expression to come over the faces of
the men when they reached the last three steps?
A They knew that the snowstorm was over
B They knew that they would make it into the shelter
C They found other family members inside
D They watched in dismay as a fire broke out.
E Their faces were illuminated by a red light.

27. The passage suggests that the men in the story regard the room at the foot of the
stairs as a
A place to be feared
B place to be avoided
C welcoming place
D prison
E place for sick people

28. This passage can best be described as an excerpt from

A a news article
B a research study
C an epic poem
D a short story
E an autobiography

The results of a four-year study of the Arctic conducted by an international team of

300 scientists show that the region is warming much more rapidly than previously
known. Some areas in the Arctic have warmed 10 times as fast as the world as a whole,
which has warmed an average of 1 degree Fahrenheit (5/9℃) over the past century.
Increasing greenhouse gases from human activities are projected to make the Arctic
warmer still.

At least half of the summer sea ice in the Arctic is projected to melt by the end of
this century, along with a significant portion of the Greenland Ice Sheet because the
region is expected to warm an additional 7 to 13゜F（4-7℃）by 2100. These changes will
have major global impacts. They will contribute to global sea-level rise and intensify
global warming. In addition, the disappearance of summer sea ice is likely to have
devastating consequences for some arctic animal species such as ice-living seals and for
local people for whom these animals are a primary food source, according to the final
report of the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA).

The assessment was commissioned by the Arctic Council (a ministerial

intergovernmental forum comprised of the eight Arctic countries, and six Indigenous
Peoples organizations) and the International Arctic Science Committee (an international
scientific organization appointed by 18 national academies of science). The assessment’s
projections are based on a moderate estimate of future emissions of carbon dioxide and
other greenhouse gases. They incorporate results from five major global climate models
used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“The impacts of global warming are affecting people now in the Arctic,” says
Robert Corell, chair of the ACIA. “The Arctic is experiencing some of the most rapid
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and severe climate change on earth. The impacts of climate change on the region and the
globe are projected to increase substantially in the years to come.”

29. The primary purpose of this passage is to

A argue the need for immediate action to halt Arctic warming
B record the impact of Arctic warming on the Greenland Ice Sheet
C illustrate the impact of global warming on the world as a whole
D relate the results of a research study of the Arctic
E compare Arctic warming with warming in the world as a whole

30. In the line 5, “projected” most nearly means

A promoted
B predicted
C designed
D delegated
E prepared

31. Which of the following best describes the Arctic Council?

A an international scientific organization
B an intergovernmental forum
C an organization commissioned to study global warming
D an organization that governs Arctic nations
E an organization of Indigenous Peoples

32. According to the passage, all of the following are true about Arctic warming
EXCEPT:
A the Arctic is warming more rapidly than the world as a whole
B melting summer sea ice will have major global impacts
C the world as a whole has warmed an average of 1 degree F (5/9 degree C) over the
past century.
D The impacts of global warming are already affecting people in the Arctic
E Climate change in the Arctic is less pronounced than it is in other parts of the world.

33. Melting sea ice will result in

I. a rise in global sea level
II. more greenhouse gases
III. intensified global warming
A II only
B III only
C I and III only
D I, II, and III
E Nether I, II, or III

34. According to the passage it is reasonable to assume that

A Arctic warming is affected by greenhouse gases
B The Greenland Ice Sheet will disappear by 2100
C Arctic temperatures will return to normal by the end of this century
D The impact of climate change on the Arctic will decrease over time
E Increasing arctic temperatures primarily affect arctic wildlife

1 The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its

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introduction into education would remove the conventionality,

artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic;
of classical studies, but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in
5 their time had the humanists thought that the study of the classical
authors in the original would banish at once the dull pedantry and
superstition of mediaeval scholasticism. The professional
schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost
managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull
10 and as dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid.

The chief claim for the use of science in education is that it

teaches a child something about the actual universe in which he is
living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific
15 discovery, and at the same time teaches him how to think logically
and inductively by studying scientific method. A certain limited
success has been reached in the first of these aims, but practically
none at all in the second. Those privileged members of the
community who have been through a secondary or public school
20 education may be expected to know something about the
elementary physics and chemistry of a hundred years ago, but they
probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from
an interest in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours.
As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably
25 a farce. Actually, for the convenience of teachers and the
requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the
pupils not only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely
the reverse, that is, to believe exactly what they are told and to
reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to them or
30 not. The way in which educated people respond to such quackeries
as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such
as racial theories or currency myths, shows that fifty years of
education in the method of science in Britain or Germany has
produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of learning the
35 method of science is the long and bitter way of personal
experience, and, until the educational or social systems are altered
to make this possible, the best we can expect is the production of a
minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques
of science and a still smaller minority who are able to use and
40 develop them.

35. The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) has
A no interest in teaching science
B thwarted attempts to enliven education
C aided true learning
D supported the humanists
E been a pioneer in both science and humanities.

36. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the sciences is
A ambivalent
B neutral
C supportive
D satirical
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E contemptuous
37. The word ‘palpably’ (line 24) most nearly means
A empirically
B obviously
C tentatively
D markedly
E ridiculously

38. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method
through the education system EXCEPT
A poor teaching
B examination methods
C lack of direct experience
D the social and education systems
E lack of interest on the part of students

39. Astrology (line 31) is mentioned as an example of

A a science that needs to be better understood
B a belief which no educated people hold
C something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of science
D the gravest danger to society
E an acknowledged failure of science

40. All of the following can be inferred from the text EXCEPT
A at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school education
B the author finds chemical reactions interesting
C science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some children
D the author believes that many teachers are authoritarian
E it is relatively easy to learn scientific method.

STOP
IF YOU FINISH BEFORE THE TIME IS CALLED,
YOU MAY CHECK YOUR WORK ON THIS SECTION ONLY.
DO NOT TURN TO ANY OTHER SECTION IN THIS TEST

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