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Unit 10 Frightening nature

http://www.sina.com.cn 2004/10/25 09:35 新浪教育

　　巧解主旨题

　　主旨题是阅读理解试题常考的题型之一，主要测试应试者对整篇文章的理解能力。主旨题涉及的方面通常包括文章的标题、主题思想、概括主要内容、说明作者的态度和目的等。

　　做主旨题时，最有效的办法是找到并仔细研读文章的主题句，主题句大多数情况下出现在比较重要的位置，如文章的开头或结尾。文章主题句之外的其他内容一般都是对主题句加以解释、补充说明或列举事实等。另外，有些阅读材料的主题不是十分明确，需要通读全文，抓住主要论点或论题来归纳出中心思想。应该注意的是，在归纳中心思想时，要从文章实际内容出发，在事实和依据的基础上进行判断、推论和归纳。

　　Passage A

　　阅读理解…………………………………………………………………

　　Sandstorms Strike as 2001 dawns

　　Sandstorms hit northwestern Chinas Gansu Province and North Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region (内蒙古自治区) on the first day of the new century①.According to Sun Landong, a meteorologist (气象学者) with the Lanzhou Meteorology observatory, visibility (能见度) was less than 100 metres in Minqin, a Gansu country near Inner Mongolia, because of sand. When visibility drops to less than 1 kilometre, it is called a sandstorm. The sandstorm in Minqin blew up dust in nieghbouring town, such as Baiyin, Wuwei, Jinchang and Lanzhou, the capital city of Gansu Province. Dustladen winds also swept into Beijing.

　　Brought by northwester blowing at more than 20 metres per second, dust first reached the capitals suburbs at 7：00 a.m., downtown areas 9：00 a.m. The winds, which died down to as low as 8℃ below zero and many flights put off their planned time from the citys airport.

　　It is quite rare for sandstorms, which are frequent between March and June, to happen in winter, when the earth is frozen②. The sandstorms in Gansu and Inner Mongolia do not necessarily mean there will be more of them in the spring than last year, when they were serious, but Beijing is taking it very seriously. It is reported that Beijing will spend 6 billion yuan (US ＄ 725 million) in preventing sandstorms in the capital and has already set up a special team to make sure what causes them.

　　注释

　　………………………………

　　① Sandstorms hit northwestern Chinas Gansu Province and North Chinas Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the first day of the new century. 新世纪的第一天，沙尘暴袭击了中国西北的甘肃省和北部的内蒙古自治区。

　　② It is quite rare for sandstorms, which are frequent between March and June, to happen in winter, when the earth is frozen. 对于频繁出现在三、六月份的沙尘暴来说发生在大地冻结的冬季是罕见的。

　　根据文章内容，选择正确答案：

　　1. What is the main idea of the passage?

　　A. Sandstorms took place in Gansu.

　　B. Sandstorms happened on the first day of the new century.

　　C. Sandstorms are very serious, compared with last year.

　　D. The experts are trying their best to determine the cause of the sandstorm formed last year.

　　2. Why did sandstorms begin in the winter of 2001?

　　A. Because there was little snow in the winter.

　　B. Because a lot of trees have been cut down.

　　C. Because people took few measures to control them.

　　D. It is not mentioned in this passage.

　　3. Which of the following doesnt belong to the bad effect the sandstorms have done in Beijing?

　　A. The temperature fell.

　　B. Many flights put off their planned time.

　　C. The air was dirty.

　　D. People had three days off.

　　4. The author wrote the passage to ____ .

　　A. tell us the environments are becoming worse and worse

　　B. explain what measures people have taken to control sandstorms

　　C. make people realize the need to protect the environment

　　D. call on us to do what we can to save the earth

　　Passage B

　　阅读理解…………………………………………………………………

　　In the past hundred years a million people have died in earthquakes, another million have been killed by hurricanes and tornadoes (龙卷风) and 9 million have lost their lives in floods. In additional to this many millions more have died as a result of hunger and disease①. We should also not forget in many of the worlds countries drought, serious water shortage, is a fact of life, especially in the African Sahel area bordering the Sahara Desert.

　　Scientists and engineers around the world have made great advances in earthquake engineering. It is, of course, impossible physically to move cities such as Tokyo and San Francisco that have been built on earthquake belts②. But most often it is not the earthquake that kills people. It is the falling buildings, bridges and so on that cause deaths, and such a happening can be greatly reduced by better building programs.

　　Finally, perhaps we need to consider the natural disaster that we are causing ourselves. Through our mismanagement of the planets resources we have sped up the dying out of hundreds of sorts of plants and animals, at the same time possibly destroying our own longterm surroundings for life. Maybe this is one disaster that could be prevented if we are willing to act with a sense of responsibility.

　　注释

　　………………………………

　　① In additional to this many millions more have died as a result of hunger and disease. 除此之外，还有许许多多的人死于饥饿和疾病。

　　② It is, of course, impossible physically to move cities such as Tokyo and San Francisco that have been built on earthquake belts. 当然，要想把像东京和旧金山那样建在地震带上的城市移走是不可能的。

　　根据文章内容，选择正确答案：

　　1. ____ people have been killed in natural disasters in the past 100 years.

　　A. More than 11 million

　　B. 11 million

　　C. 10 million

　　C. More than 1 million

　　2. Which of the following hasnt killed people?

　　A. Earthquakes and floods.

　　B. Hurricanes and tornadoes.

　　C. Droughts and water shortages.

　　D. None of the above.

　　3. According to the text, we can say that ____ .

　　A. earthquakes can be prevented from happening

　　B. cities built on earthquakes can be moved in time

　　C. losses and deaths caused by earthquakes can be reduced with human efforts

　　D. nothing can be done with earthquakes

　　4. What does the underlined “one disaster” in the last paragraph refer to?

　　A. Earthquakes.

　　B. Mans mismanagement of natural resources.

　　C. The text doesnt tell us.

　　D. All of the disasters mentioned.

　　Passage C

　　阅读理解…………………………………………………………………

　　After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report. The damage and death toll (伤亡) could have been much worse.

　　More than 60 people died in this earthquake. By comparison, an earthquake of similar intensity that shook America in 1988 claimed 25,000 victims.

　　Injures and deaths were relatively less in Los Angles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. on a holiday, when traffic was light on the citys highways. In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the citys buildings and highways, making them more resistant (有抵抗力的) to quakes①.

　　Despite the good news, civil engineers arent resting on their successes. Pinned to their drawing boards are blueprints (蓝图的) for improved quakeresistant buildings. The new designs should offer even greater security to cities where earthquakes often take place.

　　In the past, making structures quakeresistant meant firm yet flexible (柔韧的) materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking②. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to reduce the impact (影响) of ground vibrations (颤动). The most recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports, called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquakes vibrations. When the ground shakes and the buildings tip forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.

　　The new smart structures could be very expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

　　注释

　　………………………………

　　① In addition, changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city's buildings and highways, making them more resistant to quakes. 此外，在近20年来，洛杉矶建筑程序上的改变加固了城市的建筑物和公路，使得它们更加抗震。

　　②In the past, making structures quakeresistant meant firm yet flexible materials, such as steel and wood, which bend without breaking.过去，使建筑物抗震就意味着坚固而柔韧的材料，如钢和木材，这种材料弯曲而不折断。

　　根据文章内容，选择正确答案：

　　1. One reason why the loss of lives in the Los Angeles earthquake was comparatively low is that ____ .

　　A. new computers had been installed in the buildings

　　B. occurred in the residential areas (居民区) rather than on the highways

　　C. large numbers of Los Angeles residents had rushed into Los Angeles for holiday

　　D. improvements had been made in the construction of buildings and highways

　　2. The function of the computer mentioned in the passage is to ____ .

　　A. counterbalance an earthquakes action on the building

　　B. predict the coming of an earthquake with accuracy

　　C. help strengthen the foundation of the building

　　D. measure the impact of an earthquakes vibrations

　　3. The smart buildings discussed in the passage ____ .

　　A. would cause serious financial problems

　　B. would be worthwhile though costly

　　C. would increase the complexity of architectural design

　　D. can reduce the ground vibrations caused by earthquakes

　　4. It can be inferred from the passage that in minimizing (最小化) the damage caused by earthquakes attention should be focused on ____ .

　　A. the increasing use of rubber and steel in capital construction

　　B. the development of flexible building materials

　　C. the reduction of the impact of ground vibrations

　　D. early forecasts of earthquakes

　　5. The authors main purpose in writing the passage is to ____ .

　　A. compare the results of the earthquakes that occurred in the US

　　B. encourage civil engineers to make more extensive use of computers

　　C. outline the history of the development of quakeresistant building materials

　　D. report new developments in constructing quakeresistant building

　　Passage D

　　完形填空…………………………………………………………………

　　One way of preventing floods may be by making rain! This may sound rather 1. As we know, heavy rain is the 2 of floods, and in Malaysia most of the 3 are caused by the annual monsoon (季风), which brings heavy rain to the east coast. If, 4, the rain cloud be made 5 in the South China Sea, there would be 6 floods since the rain clouds would not reach the east coast.

　　Is it possible to make 7 give up their rain? Yes, it is.

　　As you 8 know, clouds are caused 9 air containing watervapour. The air rises and, since water vapour becomes water when it cools, very tiny drops of water are formed①. Since these drops are very 10, they float in the air and 11 a cloud. When the cloud rises, however, the drops become 12. Because of this, they 13 together and become big drops. The big drops are no longer able to float because of their 14, and they fall. As they 15, they pick up more drops and become bigger. This is the cause of rain.

　　Rain making 16 making these bigger drops from and fall 17 they would normally do so. This can be done by “seeding” the clouds with chemicals, 18 planting seeds in the ground. Rain can be produced 19 by three chemicals. The seeding is done by 20 which fly through the clouds.

　　注释

　　………………………………

　　①The air rises and, since water vapour becomes water when it cools, very tiny drops of water are formed. 空气升高，由于水蒸气遇冷变成水，微小的水滴就形成了。

　　根据文章内容，选择正确答案：

　　1. A. wonderfulB. strange C. interesting D. terrible

　　2. A. causeB. course C. wayD. means

　　3. A. rain B. rains C. flood D. floods

　　4. A. howeverB. so C. as well D. then

　　5. A. rise B. fall C. to rise D. to fall

　　6. A. no longer B. no moreC. many D. a lot of

　　7. A. MalaysiaB. the east coast C. clouds D. floods

　　8. A. probablyB. surely dontC. never D. perhaps not

　　9. A. of B. byC. with D. for

　　10.A. big B. small C. wet D. dry

　　11.A. formB. change C. meet D. bring

　　12.A. hotterB. warmerC. lighter D. colder

　　13.A. appear B. join C. fall D. make

　　14.A. sizeB. length C. colour D. height

　　15.A. floatB. form C. rise D. fall

　　16.A. meansB. shows C. suggestsD. needs

　　17.A. afterB. until C. before D. when

　　18.A. as B. like C. such asD. for

　　19.A. by the way B. to cause floods C. like it D. in this way

　　20.A. tractorsB. planes C. farmersD. sowing machines

　　Passage A

　　短文向读者介绍了一次沙尘暴对中国某些地区所造成的巨大危害，以号召人们意识到环保的必要性。

　　1.B本题为主旨大意题。对于有标题的文章，有时同学们可以通过它的标题来找主题。本文的标题为“Sandstorms Strikes as 2001 Dawns”，可得出答案B。

　　2.D本题为细节考查题。通读全文可知，作者并没有说出今年冬天发生沙尘暴的真正原因。

　　3.D本题为细节考查题。通读全文，读者不难发现，这次沙尘暴对于北京的气温、航班和空气质量都有很大影响，唯独没有谈到人们因此而放假三天的事。

　　4.C本题为推理判断题。短文通过向读者讲述沙尘暴给人们带来的危害，来引起人们对环保重要性的认识。

　　Passage B

　　本文主要讲述了造成人类死亡的几种自然灾难，人们可以通过努力去减少灾难造成的死亡人数。同时，不合理利用自然资源加速了一些物种的灭绝和自然灾难的到来，而这是我们通过努力可以避免的灾难。

　　1.A本题为推理判断题。地震、飓风、龙卷风和洪涝灾害都属于natural disasters，这几种自然灾害造成的死亡人数已达11 million，再加上其他自然灾害造成的死亡人数，由于自然灾害所造成的死亡人数也就超过了11 million。

　　2.D本题为细节考查题。文章的第一段谈到了A、B、C所说自然灾害所造成的死亡人数，由此得出答案D。

　　3.C本题为推理判断题。由第二段可知，地震中人们的死亡并非都是地震本身造成的，更多是倒塌的建筑物、桥梁等等造成的，因此人们可以通过改进建筑物的构造等大大减少死亡人数。

　　4.B本题为猜测词义题。本句中 one disaster 应是指代上文所谈到的人类对于自然资源的不合理使用。

　　Passage C

　　本文主要报道了在建造抗震建筑物方面的一些发展，让读者了解这方面的一些常识。

　　1.D本题为推理判断题。由第三段第二句可知该城市的建筑和公路等增加了对地震的抵抗力，从而导致死亡人数的下降。

　　2.A本题为推理判断题。由短文第五段最后一句“When the ground shakes and the buildings tip forward, the computer would force the building to shift in the opposite direction.”可知电脑的功能不是为准确预报地震的来临、加固建筑物的根基和测量地震结果，而是为了平衡地震对建筑物的作用。因此答案为A。

　　3.B本题为细节考查题。短文最后一段告诉我们这种新型的智能性建筑虽然造价高，但可以拯救很多人的生命等，从而得出答案B。

　　4.C本题为推理判断题。本题判断正确答案的依据为第五段第二句话。

　　5.D本题为主旨大意题。选项A只是涉及到文章的一个方面，故排除；选项B、C涉及的内容，包含了文中未提到内容，故排除。只有D项恰当地概括了文章的大意：报道建造抗震建筑的新发展。

　　Passage D

　　本文主要讲述了阻止洪涝灾害的一种方法：造雨。

　　1.B以造雨来防洪，在常人眼中是不可思议的，因此选“奇怪的”。

　　2.A正是大雨导致洪水泛滥，从而可得出答案cause(起因)。

　　3.D联系上文谈的floods，可推出答案。如选rains，则和下文定语从句中的“...brings heavy rain...”相矛盾。

　　4.A由上下文可以看出，此处有明显的转折关系。

　　5.Dmake用于被动语态时，其后需接带to的不定式，从而排除C和D；再根据句意可知，此处表示“雨水落到South China Sea”里，选出答案D。

　　6.B该句中since引导的是一个原因状语从句，可推断出该空应从A和B里面选择，又no more多侧重次数上“不再”，而no longer多侧重时间上“不再”，可得出答案B。

　　7.C由上文可知，此处为让“云”停止下雨。

　　8.A此处用probably较为婉转。

　　9.B此处是考查被动语态，应用“by”。

　　10.B与上文的“tiny”形成对比。

　　11.A小水珠漂浮在空中，形成(form)云朵。

　　12.D由下文的“...and become big drops”，表明是温度下降。

　　13.B单词join在此处的意思为“聚集”，小水滴聚集成大水滴。

　　14.A有上文说到big drops，可知答案为size(大小)。

　　15.D由上一句末“...and they fall.”可知此处用fall。

　　16.A本句是对rain making的英语解释，应用means。

　　17.C使大水滴能比在通常情况下提前形成。

　　18.B单词like意思是“像”，多作介词；as意思是“像”时，多作连词，后接句子；such as表列举；for作介词时，意思是“为了”。

　　19.D词组in this way的意思是“用这种方法”。

　　20.B由后面定语从句中的fly可得出答案plane。其他几个选项表示的交通工具不能在云中飞行。

　　One way of preventing floods may be by making rain! (Passage D, Para 1, Sentence 1)

　　阻止洪涝的一个办法可以是通过造雨。

　　名词way作为“方法”、“方式”解释时，其后可跟不定式或of doing sth.短语作定语。两者基本相同。如：

　　①Man is trying to find ways to cure cancer. 人类正努力寻找治愈癌症的方法。

　　②He had a strange way of making his classes lively and interesting. 他有一个别出心裁的方式使他的课生动有趣。

　　但要注意 way of后面不能接名词，如后接名词，则不用 way of, 而要用 means of来代替。如：

　　①Ive tried all possible means of communication.

　　我已经试了一切可能的联系方式。(此句不能说...ways of communication)

　　②We can also express our thoughts by means of body language. 我们也可以通过身体语言来表达思想。(不能说 ways of body language)

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