EDU20140515-冲刺-模考第一套

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.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks support a wide diversity of animal species,
reflecting the range in elevation, climate, and habitat variety here. Over 260 native
vertebrate species are in the parks; numerous additional species may be present but have
not been confirmed. Of the native vertebrates, five species are extirpated (extinct here),
and over 150 are rare or uncommon. There have been some studies of invertebrates here,
but there is not enough information to know how many species occur in the parks. Many
of the parks’ caves contain invertebrates, some of which occur only in one cave and are
known nowhere else in the world. Plant life in the foothills, where summers are hot and
dry and winters are mild, is largely chaparral on the lower slopes, with blue oak and
California buckeye in the valleys and on higher slopes. A number of animals live in this
area year-round; some breed here, while others winter here. Local species include the
gray fox, bobcat, striped and spotted skunks, black bear, woodrat, pocket gopher,
white-footed mouse, California quail, scrub jay, lesser goldfinch, wrentit, acorn
woodpecker, gopher snake, California kingsnake, striped racer, western whiptail lizard,
and the California newt.

1. This passage is mainly about

(A) animals in caves.
(B) extinct animals.
(C) animal species in two National Parks.
(D) plant life in the foothills.
(E) elevation and climate in two National Parks.

2. How is this passage structured?

(A) cause and effect
(B) main idea and detail
(C) chronological order
(D) compare and contrast
(E) proposition and support

3. Why are the parks’ caves important?

(A) vertebrates live in them
(B) five species are extirpated
(C) they provide a year-round home
(D) they are at a high elevation
(E) they are home to unique species

4. What was the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

(A) to entertain the reader
(B) to bore the reader
(C) to persuade the reader
(D) to inform the reader
(E) to humor the reader

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From 1892 to 1954, over twelve million immigrants entered the United States through
the portal of Ellis Island, a small island in New York Harbor. Ellis Island is located in
the upper bay just off the New Jersey coast, within the shadow of the Statue of Liberty.
Through the years, this gateway to the new world was enlarged from its original 3.3
acres to 27.5 acres by landfill supposedly obtained from the ballast of ships, excess earth
from the construction of the New York City subway system and elsewhere.

Before being designated as the site of one of the first Federal immigration station by
President Benjamin Harrison in 1890, Ellis Island had a varied history. The local Indian
tribes had called it "Kioshk" or Gull Island. Due to its rich and abundant oyster beds and
plentiful and profitable shad runs, it was known as Oyster Island for many generations
during the Dutch and English colonial periods. By the time Samuel Ellis became the
island’s private owner in the 1770’s, the island had been called Kioshk, Oyster, Dyre,
Bucking and Anderson’s Island. In this way, Ellis Island developed from a sandy island
that barely rose above the high tide mark, into a hanging site for pirates, a harbor fort,
ammunition and ordinance depot named Fort Gibson, and finally into an immigration
station.

5. Which of the following is true about Ellis Island?

I. It houses the Statue of Liberty.
II. The local Indian tribes called it Oyster Island.
III. It was expanded using dirt from the construction of the subway system.
(A) I only
(B) I and II only
(C) II and III only
(D) III only
(E) I, II, and III

6. The word “portal” in the first paragraph most likely means

(A) island.
(B) gateway.
(C) boat.
(D) subway.
(E) beach.

7. The style of this passage is most like that found in a(n)

(A) immigrant’s diary.
(B) business letter.
(C) history textbook.
(D) persuasive essay.
(E) short story.

8. How did the island get its current name?

(A) It was named after its private owner, Samuel Ellis.
(B) It developed from a sandy island to an immigration station.
(C) It was named after its abundant oyster beds.
(D) It was an ordinance and ammunition depot.
(E) The local Indian tribes named the island.

9. The author probably included the different names of Ellis Island to show
(A) how many owners the island had.
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(B) that pirates used the island.

(C) that its size was increased.
(D) it was occupied during the Dutch and English colonial periods.
(E) the rich and varied history of the island.

His pride,” said Miss Lucas, “does not offend me so much as

pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder
that so very fine a young man, with family, fortune, everything in his
favour, should think highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a
right to be proud.”

That is very true,” replied Elizabeth, “and I could easily forgive

his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”

“Pride,” observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of

her reflections, “is a very common failing I believe. By all that I have
ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed, that human
nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us
who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some
quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different
things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may
be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of
ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us.”

10. Why doesn’t the gentleman’s pride offend Miss Lucas?

(A) She admires his vanity.
(B) He offended Elizabeth.
(C) It is human nature to be proud.
(D) He is poor and homeless.
(E) He is handsome and rich.

11. What are Elizabeth’s feelings towards the gentleman?

(A) She is offended by him.
(B) She enjoys his company.
(C) She is proud of him.
(D) She wants to get to know him better.
(E) She is glad he is rich.

12. Which sentence best states the theme of this passage?

(A) Pride and vanity are offensive.
(B) Fame and fortune can make a person proud.
(C) Every person is proud in one way or another.
(D) Pride can bring you fortune.
(E) If you have a fortune, you deserve to be proud.

13. According to the passage, what is the difference between pride and vanity?
(A) Pride relates to a person’s abilities; vanity relates to a person’s looks.
(B) Men are proud; women are vain.
(C) Pride and vanity are synonymous.
(D) Pride is what you think of yourself; vanity is what you want others to think of you.
(E) Pride is part of human nature; vanity is not.
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In this excerpt from Sherman Alexie’s novel Reservation Blues, Thomas struggles with
his feelings about his father, Samuel.

Thomas, Chess, and Checkers stayed quiet for a long time. After a while, Chess and
Checkers started to sing a Flathead song of mourning. For a wake, for a wake. Samuel
was still alive, but Thomas sang along without hesitation. That mourning song was B-7
on every reservation jukebox.
After the song, Thomas stood and walked away from the table where his father lay flat
as a paper plate. He walked outside and cried. Not because he needed to be alone; not
because he was afraid to cry in front of women. He just wanted his tears to be individual,
not tribal. Those tribal tears collected and fermented in huge BIA [Bureau of Indian
Affairs] barrels. Then the BIA poured those tears into beer and Pepsi cans and
distributed them back onto the reservation. Thomas wanted his tears to be selfish and
fresh.
“Hello,” he said to the night sky. He wanted to say the first word of a prayer or a joke.
A prayer or a joke often sound alike on the reservation.
“Help,” he said to the ground. He knew the words to a million songs: Indian,
European, African, Mexican, Asian. He sang “Stairway to Heaven” in four different
languages but never knew where that staircase stood. He sang the same Indian songs
continually but never sang them correctly. He wanted to make his guitar sound like a
waterfall, like a spear striking salmon, but his guitar only sounded like a guitar. He
wanted the songs, the stories, to save everybody.

14. Thomas, Chess, and Checkers are

(A) Mexican.
(B) European.
(C) Asian.
(D). African.
(E). Native American.

15. In line 2, a wake means

(A) the turbulence left behind by something moving through water.
(B) no longer asleep.
(C) a viewing of a dead person before burial.
(D) aftermath.
(E) celebration.

16. The fact that Thomas, Chess, and Checkers sing a song of mourning while Samuel is
still alive suggests that
(A) Samuel is afraid to die.
(B) Samuel doesn’t belong on the reservation.
(C) Samuel’s life is tragic.
(D) they believe the song has healing powers.
(E) Samuel is a ghost.

17. Thomas wants his tears to be “selfish and fresh” (line 10) because
(A) it is difficult for him to share his feelings with others.
(B) he wants to mourn his father as an individual, not just as another dying Indian.
(C) he feels guilty mourning his father before his father has died.
(D) he doesn’t think the tribe will mourn his father’s passing.
(E) tribal tears were meaningless.

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18. The sentence Then the BIA poured those tears into beer and Pepsi cans and
distributed them back onto the reservation (lines 9–10) is an example of
(A) a paradox.
(B) dramatic irony.
(C) onomatopoeia.
(D) flashback.
(E) figurative language.

19. In line 14, Thomas asks for help because

(A) he can’t stop crying.
(B) he wants to be a better guitar player.
(C) he wants to be able to rescue people with his music.
(D) he can’t remember the words to the song.
(E) no one wants to listen to him play.

Harriet Tubman was a runaway slave from Maryland who became known as the
"Moses of her people." Over the course of 10 years, and at great personal risk, she led
hundreds of slaves to freedom along the Underground Railroad, a secret network of safe
houses where runaway slaves could stay on their journey north to freedom. She later
became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she was a spy
for the federal forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse.
Harriet Tubman’s name at birth was Araminta Ross. She was one of 11 children of
Harriet and Benjamin Ross born into slavery in Dorchester County, Maryland. As a
child, Ross was "hired out" by her master as a nursemaid for a small baby. Ross had to
stay awake all night so that the baby wouldn’t cry and wake the mother. If Ross fell
asleep, the baby’s mother whipped her. From a very young age, Ross was determined to
gain her freedom.
As a slave, Araminta Ross was scarred for life when she refused to help in the
punishment of another young slave. A young man had gone to the store without
permission, and when he returned, the overseer wanted to whip him. He asked Ross to
help but she refused. When the young man started to run away, the overseer picked up a
heavy iron weight and threw it at him. He missed the young man and hit Ross instead.
The weight nearly crushed her skull and left a deep scar. She was unconscious for days,
and suffered from seizures for the rest of her life.
In 1844, Ross married a free black named John Tubman and took his last name. She
also changed her first name, taking her mother’s name, Harriet. In 1849, worried that she
and the other slaves on the plantation were going to be sold, Tubman decided to run
away. Her husband refused to go with her, so she set out with her two brothers, and
followed the North Star in the sky to guide her north to freedom. Her brothers became
frightened and turned back, but she continued on and reached Philadelphia. There she
found work as a household servant and saved her money so she could return to help
others escape.

20. This passage is mainly about

(A) slaves in the Civil War.
(B) how slaves escaped along the Underground Railroad.
(C) Harriet Tubman’s role as an abolitionist leader.
(D) Harriet Tubman’s life as a slave.
(E) how Harriet Tubman became a nurse.

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21. The author of the passage describes Harriet Tubman’s life as a slave to show
(A) why she wanted to escape slavery.
(B) why she was a spy during the Civil War.
(C) why she suffered from seizures.
(D) how she loved babies.
(E) why she left her husband.

22. Harriet Tubman’s seizures were caused by

(A) a whipping.
(B) a severe head injury.
(C) loss of sleep.
(D) a birth defect.
(E) her escape to freedom.

23. How is this passage structured?

(A) cause and effect
(B) problem and solution
(C) chronological order
(D) compare and contrast
(E) proposition and support

24. How did Araminta Ross come to be known as Harriet Tubman?

(A)She took her husband’s last name and changed her first name to her mother’s name.
(B)She was named after the plantation owner’s wife.
(C)She changed her name because she was wanted as an Underground Railroad runner.
(D)She changed her name to remain anonymous as a Civil War spy.
(E) The overseer began calling her Harriet Tubman.

There Will Come Soft Rains

1 There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,
2 And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;
3 And frogs in the pools singing at night,
4 And wild plum trees in tremulous white;
5 Robins will wear their feathery fire
6 Whistling their whims on a low fence-wire;
7 And not one will know of the war, not one
8 Will care at last when it is done.
9 Not one would mind, neither bird nor tree
10 If mankind perished utterly;
11 And Spring herself, when she woke at dawn,
12 Would scarcely know that we were gone.
——by Ray Bradbury

25. What is the author’s tone in this poem?

(A)Melancholy
(B) Naive
(C) Reflective
(D) Skeptical
(E) Biased

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26. Which line uses personification?

(A) Line 2
(B) Line 4
(C) Line 7
(D) Line 10
(E) Line 11

27. The “we” used in the last line refers to

(A) all of mankind.
(B) the victors of the war.
(C) Americans.
(D) the poet and the reader.
(E) the animals.

28. This poem is an example of a(n)

(A) sonnet.
(B) rhymed verse.
(C) free verse.
(D) lyric.
(E) epic.

29. Which of these statements offers the best summary of the poem?
(A) Nature does not care about the affairs of mankind.
(B) It is the government’s responsibility to fight a war.
(C) War has a devastating impact on nature.
(D) Wars should not be fought in the spring.
(E) Robins will sing about the war.

The excerpt is taken from a novel. Mr. Harding, now an old man, has lost his position as
the Warden of a hospital for old men. He has just come from an unsuccessful interview
with Mr. Slope concerning his reappointment to the position

1 Mr. Harding was not a happy man as he walked down

the palace pathway, and stepped out into the close. His
position and pleasant house were a second time
gone from him; but that he could endure. He had been
5 schooled and insulted by a man young enough to be
his son; but that he could put up with. He could even
draw from the very injuries which had been inflicted
on him some of that consolation which, we may
believe, martyrs always receive from the injustice of
10 their own sufferings. He had admitted to his daughter
that he wanted the comfort of his old home, and yet he
could have returned to his lodgings in the High Street,
if not with exultation, at least with satisfaction, had
that been all. But the venom of the chaplain's
15 harangue had worked into his blood, and sapped the
life of his sweet contentment.
'New men are carrying out new measures, and
are carting away the useless rubbish of past centuries!'
What cruel words these had been- and how often are
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20 they now used with all the heartless cruelty of a

Slope! A man is sufficiently condemned if it can only
be shown that either in politics or religion he does not
belong to some new school established within the last
score of years. He may then regard himself as rubbish
25 and expect to be carted away. A man is nothing now
unless he has within him a full appreciation of the
new era; an era in which it would seem that neither
honesty nor truth is very desirable, but in which
success is the only touchstone of merit. We must
30 laugh at everything that is established. Let the joke be
ever so bad, ever so untrue to the real principles of
joking; nevertheless we must laugh - or else beware
the cart. We must talk, think, and live up to the spirit
of the times, or else we are nought. New men and new
35 measures, long credit and few scruples, great success
or wonderful ruin, such are now the tastes of
Englishmen who know how to live! Alas, alas! Under
such circumstances Mr. Harding could not but feel
that he was an Englishman who did not know how to
40 live. This new doctrine of Mr. Slope and the rubbish
cart sadly disturbed his equanimity.
'The same thing is going on throughout the
whole country!' 'Work is now required from every
man who receives wages!' And had he been living all
45 his life receiving wages, and doing no work? Had he
in truth so lived as to be now in his old age justly
reckoned as rubbish fit only to be hidden away in
some huge dust-hole? The school of men to whom he
professes to belong, the Grantlys, the Gwynnes, are
50 afflicted with no such self-accusations as these which
troubled Mr. Harding. They, as a rule, are as satisfied
with the wisdom and propriety of their own conduct
as can be any Mr. Slope, or any Bishop with his own.
But, unfortunately for himself, Mr. Harding had little
55 of this self-reliance. When he heard himself
designated as rubbish by the Slopes of the world, he
had no other resource than to make inquiry within his
own bosom as to the truth of the designation. Alas,
alas! the evidence seemed generally to go against him.

30. The main cause of Mr. Harding’s unhappiness as he leaves the Bishop’s Palace is
A. the loss of his house
B. the loss of his position
C. the need to live with his daughter
D. the thought-provoking words of the chaplain
E. the injustice he has suffered

31. The word ‘equanimity’ (line 42) most nearly means

A. status
B. happiness
C. justice
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D. complacency
E. composure

32. It can be inferred that Mr Harding is especially disturbed because he

A. does not feel himself to be old
B. is offended by the young man’s impertinence
C. believes no one else feels as he does
D. believe his life’s work has been worthwhile
E. feels there may be some truth in regarding himself as ‘rubbish’

33. Mr. Harding differs from others of his ‘school’ (line 49) because they
A. do not believe Slope
B. have never been called ‘rubbish’
C. are sure their conduct is irreproachable
D. have already examined their consciences sat
E. feel that Mr. Harding is not one of them

34. The tone of the sentence 'New men....live' (lines 34~37) is

A. objective
B. ironic
C. derogatory
D. expository
E. ambivalent

35. The first two sentences of paragraph 3 relate the

A. words of Mr. Slope
B. thoughts of Mr. Harding
C. view of the old school of men
D. viewpoint of the author
E. opinions of all young men

The fish of the deep sea are among the most elusive and unusual looking creatures
on Earth. The deep sea is also an extremely hostile environment, with high pressure
levels and a lack of oxygen. The fish that have evolved to this harsh environment are not
capable of surviving in laboratory conditions, and any attempts to keep them in captivity
have led to their deaths. For this reason little is known about them.
Our lack of knowledge is unfortunate, since in this deep unknown lie many unusual
and fascinating creatures. Since many of these fish live in regions where there is no
natural illumination, they cannot rely solely on their eyesight for locating prey and mates
and avoiding predators. Many deep sea fish are bioluminescent, with extremely large
eyes adapted to the dark. Some have long feelers to help them locate prey or attract
mates in the pitch dark of the deep ocean. The deep sea angler fish in particular has a
long fishing-rod-like adaptation protruding from its face, on the end of which is a
bioluminescent piece of skin that wriggles like a worm to lure its prey.
Due to the poor level of photosynthetic light reaching deep sea environments, most
fish need to rely on organic matter sinking from higher levels, or, in rare cases,
hydrothermal vents for nutrients. Consequently many species of deep sea fish are
noticeably smaller and have larger mouths and guts than those living at shallower
depths. It has also been found that the deeper a fish lives, the more jelly-like its flesh and
the more minimal its bone structure. This makes them slower and less agile than surface
fish.
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36. According to the passage, we do not know much about deep sea fish because
(A) they are agile creatures that escape easily
(B) they can only live in their natural habitat
(C) they are extremely rare
(D) it is too expensive to catch them
(E) their defensive features prevent them from being caught

37. According to the passage, the angler fish

I. is large
II. has adapted to the darkness of the environment
III. locates prey primarily by use of feelers

(A) I only
(B) II only
(C) I and II only
(D) II and III only
(E) I, II and III

38. This passage is primarily about

(A) the angler fish
(B) adaptive features of fish
(C) characteristics of deep sea fish
(D) the incompetence of scientists
(E) the harsh conditions of the deep sea

39. The attitude of the writer toward the subject is

(A) enraptured
(B) condescending
(C) indifferent
(D) critical
(E) interested

40. The author’s style is best described as

(A) surprised
(B) mysterious
(C) dramatic
(D) skeptical
(E) informative

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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