备考英语四级--阅读理解天天练三 英语四级, 阅读

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Passage 5    建议用时：7.5分钟  From:    To: 　　Among the more colorful characters of Leadville’s golden age were H.A.W.Tabor and his second wife,Elizabeth McCourt,better known as “Baby Doe”.Their history is fast becoming one of the legends of the Old West.Horace Austin Warner Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont.With his first wife and two children he left Vermont by covered wagon in 1855 to homestead in Kansas.Perhaps he did not find farming to his liking,or perhaps he was lured by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines.At any rate,a few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch,which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.”he said.
　　As it turned out,it was silver,not lead,that was to make Leadville’s fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself,so he opened a general store,which sold everything from boots to salt,flour,and tobacco.『It was his custom to “grubstake” prospective miners,in other words,to supply them with food and supplies,or “grub”, while they looked for ore,in return for which he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered.』①He did this for a number of years,but no one that he aided ever found anything of value.
　　Finally one day in the year 1878,so the story goes,two miners came in and asked for “grub”. Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way.These were persistent, however,and Tabor was too busy to argue with them. “Oh help yourself.One more time won’t make any difference,” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers.the two miners took $17 worth of supplies,in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings.They picked a barren place on the mountainside and began to dig.After nine days they struck a rich vein of silver.Tabor bought the shares of the other two men,and so the mine belonged to him alone.This mine,known as the “Pittsburgh Mine,” made 1 300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.
　　Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000.This turned out to be even more fabulous than the Pittsburgh,yielding $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time.Leadville grew.Tabor became its first mayor,and later became lieutenant governor of the state.
　　1.Leadville got its name for the following reasons EXCEPT.
　　A.because Tabor became its leading citizen
　　B.because great deposits of lead is expected to be found there
　　C.because it could bring good fortune to Tabor
　　D.because it was renamed
　　2.The word “grubstake” in paragraph 2 means.
　　A.to supply miners with food and supplies
　　B.to open a general store
　　C.to do one’s contribution to the development of the mine
　　D.to supply miners with food and supplies and in return get a share in the mine,if one was discovered
　　3.Tabor made his first fortune.
　　A.by supplying two prospective miners and getting in return a one-third interest in the findings
　　B.because he was persuaded by the two miners to quit supplying
　　C.by buying the shares of the other
　　D.as a land speculator
　　4. The underlying reason for Tabor’s life career is.
　　A. purely accidental
　　B. based on the analysis of miner’s being very poor and their possibility of discovering profitable mining site
　　C. through the help from his second wife
　　D. he planned well and accomplished targets step by step
　　5.If this passage is the first part of an article,who might be introduced in the following part?
　　A.Tabor’s life.
　　B.Tabor’s second wife,Elizabeth McCourt.
　　C.Other colorful characters.
　　D.Tabor’s other careers.
　　Vocabulary
　　1.barren adj. 贫瘠的
　　2.fabulous adj. 神话般的，难以置信的
　　3.lure vt.诱惑，引诱
　　4.deposit n.沉淀，储蓄
　　5.grubstake v.下注
　　长难句解析
　　①【解析】“It”是形式主语，真正的主语是“to”后面的句子，“while”引导时间状语从句。
　　【译文】他的通常做法是对来采矿的人“下注”，说得更明确一点就是泰勃供给这些人食品、用品等物品，作为回报，当他们采到矿后就会分给他一部分股份。
　　答案与详解
　　【短文大意】本文主要讲述霍塞斯·奥斯汀·沃纳·泰勃发家的故事。
　　1. C细节题。因为Leadville可以为Tabor带来巨富。这一点不是Leadville得名的原因，因为在文章第二段中，讲到这一点时，提及三个原因：A.因为Tabor成为当地的居民代表人物，B.因为在Leadville有丰富的铅的储藏量。D.因为Leadville是因为Tabor重要而起的名，唯独C没有，因为到后来发现是银矿才给他带来巨富。
　　2. D词汇题。第二段中grubstake的词义与D所述内容是相同的，即“供给探矿者资金，衣物，食品以及其他物品”。(可参阅英华大辞典修订第二版64页)但此处还补充地讲，作为回报，供给者可以获得矿中资源一定份额。(见文章第二段第4行)
　　3. A细节题。Tabor第一次真正发财是他为两名矿工提供资助，为此他获得他们矿资源三分之一的股份。见文章第三段4-9行内容：两名开矿者从Tabor那儿借走价值17美元的物品，作为回报，Tabor获得他们矿资源三分之一股份。于是两位开矿者在一座山旁的不毛之地开始挖掘，九天之后，发现了银的富矿，于是Tabor又将两人的股份全买下，这样，银矿属于Tabor一个人所有，这个矿就是后来著名的“匹兹堡”矿。Tabor用17美元的投资换来了130万美元的收获。
　　4. B推断题。由原文可知泰勃的财产来源是有一定偶然性的，但是毕竟也是基于他开创的“grubstake”模式，因为A、D都不对，C更是没有根据，因为他还没有娶第二位夫人这一切就发生了。分析泰勃的做法，会得出B选项所示的结论。
　　5. B推断题。如果本文是一篇文章的第一部分，那么在文章的第二部分将介绍谁呢?key可以从文章第一句分析出来，在Leadville的黄金年代，其多彩的特点当中，Tabor及其第二任妻子Elizabeth McCourt是值得大书特书的，接着，文章都在讲述有关H.A.W.Tabor发家致富的历史，如先买下匹兹堡矿，后又买下Matchless矿，最后成为市长，代理州长，等等，所以涉及到的全是男主人公，因此下边再讲的话，应成为女主人公即Elizabeth McCourt的天地了，她是Tabor的第二任妻子。这是顺理成章的事。
　　Passage 6建议用时：6分钟From:To:
　　While the cities of China have undergone modernization evident in the rising towers and bright lights that have awakened the sleeping country, the countryside remains largely the same.
　　『Rectangular rows of rice fields litter the landscape separated by long lanes of water designed to provide the constant supply of water that is vital to producing the crop.』① The experience is not unlike driving through the American Midwest, only rice not corn dominates the landscape.
　　Four years ago, when I last took this trip, the roads were dust and telephone wires did not run parallel to the highway. Bare roads have been replaced by sleek, newly paved highways running from Shanghai to Nanking, to my smaller, home city, Wuhu. Unlike the changes I had heard of and expected in Shanghai, Wuhu was much more of a surprise. The small city where I was born had grown up as I have. There are large high-rise buildings, each ringed with smaller buildings around it, many of these apartment complexes. Little seemed familiar and I wonder what my grandparent’s flat built of brick and mortar had become.
　　『Perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised to find out that their home had been demolished and rebuilt as a six story apartment complex as well. 』②Walking up to the second floor I saw my grandfather’s face peering out of the screen door. He began to smile as he saw me, and so did I. Their home is now no different from a western apartment. Equipped with the modern amenities of a gas stove, a toilet, a showerthis was indeed different from four years ago.
　　1. According to the author, dramatic changes took place in.
　　A. cities but not countryside of China
　　B. both cities and countryside of China
　　C. countryside but not in large cities
　　D. everywhere
　　2. It can be inferred from the second paragraph that .
　　A. peasants lead similar life all over the world
　　B. Chinese irrigating system is more impressing than that in America
　　C. peasants in Midwest America raise more corns while Chinese peasants raise more rice
　　D. peasants in Midwest America raise more rice while Chinese peasants raise more corn
　　3. The author was traveling to Wuhu.
　　A. in order to take a stop during the trip from Shanghai to Nanking
　　B. in order to find some place similar to his hometown
　　C. in order to visit his grand parents
　　D. in order to find out changes in small cities
　　4. The author’s grand parents.
　　A. live in their house of brick and mortar
　　B. live in an apartment similar to westerners
　　C. led a totally westernized life
　　D. was poor as they always were
　　5. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
　　A. Flash back to China
　　B. From Shanghai to Nanking
　　C. Wuhu Today
　　D. Back With My Grand Parents
　　Vocabulary
　　1. mortar n. 灰泥
　　2. amenity n. 便利设施
　　3. rectangular adj.长方形的
　　4. litter n.乱七八糟的东西
　　5. lane n.小路
　　6. demolish vt.拆除
　　长难句解析
　　①【解析】句子的主干是“…landscape separated by…”，“that”引导的定语从句，修饰“water”。
　　【译文】长方形的稻田杂乱地分布在田野上，田野被一些长长的水槽所隔开，这些水槽是为了提供这些作物生长所必需的水。
　　②【解析】“as well”作“也，又”讲，一般放在句末，而“as well as”作“也，又”讲放在句中。
　　【译文】也许，对于他们家已被拆除，重新盖起了六层的公寓，我不应该感到惊奇。
　　答案与详解
　　【短文大意】本文主要讲述作者回家乡所看到的家乡的巨大变化。
　　1. A细节题。这道题很简单, 就是考察对第一段那个长句的理解。作者说虽然大城市有巨大的变化, 但是农村还是老样子。
　　2. C推断题。美国中西部的农民种植玉米较多而中国农民种植大米较多。根据第二段最后一句: 眼前的景象很容易让人想起美国的中西部地区, 只不过那里到处是玉米, 这儿到处是大米。
　　3. C推断题。芜湖是作者的家乡， 他回去是要看望自己的祖父母。
　　4. B细节题。作者的祖父母住在一个类似于西方人的房子里面。
　　5. A主旨题。芜湖，祖父母，旅途都只是文章涉及的一个方面， 做标题最适合的还是A选项