英语专业四级阅读练习题(四).doc

英语专业四级阅读练习题(四)温馨提示：帮考网外语免费练习题，如需完整题库请登录 California is a land of variety and contrast. Almost every type of physical land feature， sort of arctic ice fields and tropical jungles can be found within its borders. Sharply contrasting types of land often lie very close to one another.People living in Bakersfield， for instance， can visit the Pacific Ocean and the coastal plain， the fertile San Joaquin Valley， the arid Mojave Desert， and the high Sierra Nevada， all within a radius of about 100 miles. In other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day， without having to travel long distance.Contrast abounds in California. The highest point in the United States （outside Alaska ） is in California， and so is the lowest point （including Alaska）。 Mount Whitney， 14，494 feet above sea level， is separated from Death Valley， 282 feet below sea level， by a distance of only 100 miles. The two areas have a difference in altitude of almost three miles.California has deep， clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe， the deepest in the country， but it also has shallow， salty desert lakes. It has Lake Tulainyo， 12，020 feet above sea level， and the lowest lake in the country， the Salton Sea，236 feet below sea level. Some of its lakes，like Owens Lake in Death Valley， are not lakes at all： they are dried up lake beds. In addition to mountains，lakes，valleys，deserts，and plateaus，California has its Pacific coastline， stretching longer than the coastlines of Oregon and Washington combined.1. Which of the following is the lowest point in the United States？A. Lake Tulainyo.B. Mojave desert.C. Death Valley.D. The Salton Sea. 2. Where is the highest point in the United States located？A. Lake Tahoe.B. Sierra Nevada.C. Mount Whitney.D. Alaska. 3. How far away is Death Valley from Mount Whitney？A. About 3 miles.B. Only 100 miles.C. 282 feet.D. 14，494 feet. 4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being within a radius of about 100 miles of Bakersfield？A. The Pacific Ocean.B. San Joaquin Valley.C. Mojave Desert.D. Oregon and Washington. 5. Which statement best demonstrates that California is a land of variety and contrastA. The highest lake in California is Lake Tulainyo.B. It is possible to go surfing and snow skiing in some parts of California without having to travel long distance. C. Sierra Nevada， San Joaquin Valley， Mojave Desert and the Pacific Ocean all lie within a radius of about 100 miles.D. Owens Lake， in Death Valley， is not really a lake at all.答案及解析1. C） 这是一道细节题。根据第三段所给的海拔高度，可知美国最低点在death valley。2. D）此题很容易误选为C，这是因为第三段提到Mount Whitney的海拔高度；但是要注意此段第二句提到美国最高点时在括号中补充说明这个最高点是在Alaska以外的。这就说明美国的海拔最高点不是Mount Whitney，而是位于Alaska。3. B）这是一道细节题。根据第三段可找出答案。4. D）根据第二段可知答案。5. C）文中说加利福尼亚是一个地貌多样，富于变化的地方，而选项C是一个最突出的例子。Before the mid 1860s，the impact of the railroads in the United States was limited， in the sense that the tracks ended at this Missouri River，approximately the center of the country. At the point the trains turned their freight，mail，and passengers over to steamboats，wagons，and stagecoaches. This meant that wagon freighting，stagecoaching，and steamboating did not come to an end when the first train appeared; rather they became supplements or feeders. Each new “end of track” became a center for animal drawn or waterborne transportation. The major effect of the railroad was to shorten the distance that had to be covered by the older，slower，and more costly means. Wagon freighters continued operating throughout the 1870s and 1880s and into the 1890s. Although over constantly shrinking routes，and coaches and wagons continued to crisscross the West wherever the rails had not yet been laid. The beginning of a major change was foreshadowed in the later 1860s， when the Union Pacific Railroad at last began to build westward from the Central Plains city of Omaha to meet the Central Pacific Railroad advancing eastward from California through the formidable barrier of the Sierra Nevada. Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the original Pacific Railroad bill in 1862 and a revised，financially much more generous version in 1864， little construction was completed until 1865 on the Central Pacific and 1866 on the Union Pacific. The primary reason was skepticism that a Railroad built through so challenging and thinly settled a stretch of desert，mountain，and semiarid plain could pay a profit. In the words of an economist，this was a case of “premature enterprise”，where not only the cost of construction but also the very high risk deterred private investment. In discussing the Pacific Railroad bill， the chair of the congressional committee bluntly stated that without government subsidy no one would undertake so unpromising a venture; yet it was a national necessity to link East and West together. 1. The author refers to the impact of railroads before the late 1860s as “limited” because _A. the track did not take the direct route from one city to the nextB. passengers and freight had to transfer to other modes of transportation to reach western destinationsC. passengers preferred stagecoachesD. railroad travel was quite expensive 2. What can be inferred about coaches and wagon freighters as the railroad expanded？A. They developed competing routes.B. Their drivers refused to work for the railroads.C. They began to specialize in private investment.D. There were insufficient numbers of trained people to operate them. 3. Why does the author mention the Sierra Nevada in line 17？A. To argue that a more direct route to the West could have been taken.B. To identify a historically significant mountain range in the West.C. To point out the location of a serious train accident.D. To give an example of an obstacle faced by the central pacific.4. The word “subsidy” in line 27 is closest in meaning to _.A. persuasion B. financing C. explanation D. penalty答案解析1. B）根据文章前五句可知，在十九世纪六十年代晚期