Question

Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering 33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.

“Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.

When the wind is from the west

All the waves that cannot rest

To the east must thunder on

Where the bright tree of the sun

Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.

As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise—it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.

It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath—perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿) nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.

1.Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is______.

A．always energetic

B．lacking in liveliness

C．shaped like a square

D．favored by ancient poets

2.What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?

A．To describe the movement of the waves.

B．To show the strength of the storm.

C．To represent the power of the ocean.

D．To prove the vastness of the sea.

3.What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?

A．Living together.

B．Growing fast.

C．Moving harmoniously.

D．Breathing peacefully.

4.In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to______.

A．a beautiful and poetic place

B．a flesh and blood person

C．a wonderful world

D．a lovely animal

 

Answer 1

【答案】

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.B

【解析】

【語篇解讀】本文是一篇論說文，題材是大西洋。全文講述了大西洋是世界上最有生氣的水體。大西洋充滿了活力，充滿了生機，它有心理活動，它有個性。

1.細節(jié)題。難度：較易。題干第一段。根據(jù)Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness.（不像真正的靜得不可思議的內陸海，大西洋富有海洋活力。）故選A項。

2.推理判斷題。難度：較難。根據(jù)第1段It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.（早在很就以前，大西洋的生命力就在古詩詞中被大量的歌頌，或許這一點也不讓人驚訝）。這一句話起著承上啟下的作用，第2段接著引用了700多年前的一首小詩。故選C項。

3.猜詞詞義。難度：中等。根據(jù)第4段It is filled with symbiotic existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony,….根據(jù)冒號后面的解釋，應該是“一起生存的”，只有A項符合。

4.細節(jié)理解題。難度：中等。文章最后一段描述大西洋trying to draw breath（嘗試著呼吸），it has a psychology. It has personalities（它有心理活動，它有個性。），就像一個有血有肉的人。故選C項。