Part III Reading Comprehension (40 minutes)
Section A
Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.
Question 26 to 35 are based on the following passage.
For many Americans, 2013 ended with an unusually bitter cold spell. Late November and December 36 early snow and bone-chilling temperatures in much of the country, part of a year when, for the first time in two 37 , record-cold days will likely turn out to have outnumbered record-warm ones. But the U. S. was the exception: November was the warmest ever 38 , and current data indicates that 2013 is likely to have been the fourth hottest year on record.
Enjoy the snow now, because 39 are good that 2014 will be even hotter, perhaps the hottest year since records have been kept. That’s because, scientists are predicting, 2014 will be an El Nino year.
El Nino, Spanish for “the child”, 40 when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm. So large is the Pacific, covering 30% of the planet’s surface, that the 41 energy generated by its warming is enough to touch off a series of weather changes around the world. El Ninos are 42 with abnormally dry conditions in Southeast Asia and Australia. They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa 43 dry weather. Marine life may be affected too: El Ninos can 44 the rising of the cold, nutrient-rich(营养丰富的) water that supports large fish 45 , and the unusually warm ocean temperatures can destroy coral(珊瑚).
A) additional | I) logically |
B) associated | J) occurs |
C) bore | K) populations |
D) chances | L) realize |
E) communicated | M) reduce |
F) decades | N) saw |
G) Experiences | O) Specific |
H) globally |
|
答案解析：
26. N 根据“Late November and December...early snow and bone - chilling temperatures”，可知这里说的是11月下旬和12月“见证了”早期的降雪和刺骨的低温，“saw”有“见证”的意思，所以选N。
27. F 根据“for the first time in two...”，结合语境这里说的是两“十年”以来第一次出现记录中寒冷天数可能超过温暖天数的情况，“decades”表示“十年”，所以选F。
28. H 根据“November was the warmest ever...”，这里需要一个副词修饰“warmest”，表示范围，“globally”表示“全球地”，即11月是全球有记录以来最热的，所以选H。
29. D 根据“...are good that 2014 will be even hotter”，“chances are good that...”是固定表达，意思是“很有可能……”，所以选D。
30. J 根据“El Nino...when surface ocean waters in the southern Pacific become abnormally warm.”，这里解释厄尔尼诺现象“发生”的条件，“occurs”表示“发生”，所以选J。
31. A 根据“the...energy generated by its warming”，这里说的是由海洋变暖产生的“额外的”能量，“additional”表示“额外的”，所以选A。
32. B 根据“El Ninos are...with abnormally dry conditions”，这里考查固定搭配“be associated with”，表示“与……有关”，所以选B。
33. I 根据“They can lead to extreme rain in parts of North and South America, even as southern Africa...dry weather.”，表示当北美和南美部分地区出现极端降雨时，南部非洲会遭遇干燥天气，所以选G 。
34. M 根据“El Ninos can...the rising of the cold, nutrient - rich(营养丰富的) water”，厄尔尼诺现象会“减少”富含营养的冷水上升，“reduce”表示“减少”，所以选M。
35. K 根据“that supports large fish...”，这里说的是支持大型鱼类“种群”，“populations”表示“种群”，所以选K。
