SSAT阅读 Posttest 5

Posttest FivePassage 1Back in the seventeenth century, when Abraham Rycken owned it, Rikers Island was a tiny spit of land in the East River. It became part of New York City in the 1890s and was used as a convenient place to deposit the rock and soil debris of subway construction. Later, the island became the end of the line for the discards of city households, in a landfill operation that went on until Rikers Island reached its present size of 400 acres.Robert Moses, then New York’s Park Commissioner, was looking for ways to supply city parks with shade trees and eliminate the expense of buying them from commercial nurseries. He noted that weeds grew prodigiously in the landfill, thought that trees and plants might do the same, and arranged to clear a few acres for a trial planting. In 1944, the first 287 shrubs and trees were transplanted from the fledgling nursery to the city’s parks. The nursery now covers some 115 acres of the island, and several hundred thousand of its shrubs and trees have been planted along city streets, in parks, around housing projects, and around the malls and paths of the United Nations.1. To obtain plantings for New York City, authoritiesA. buy them from the United NationsB. purchase them from commercial nurseriesC. transplant them from city-owned propertyD. buy them from Robert MosesE. grow them in Central Park2. Rikers Island is currentlyA. 115 acres in areaB. a landfill operationC. owned by Abraham RychenD. 400 acres in areaE. a dumping ground for subway debris3. The soil of the islandA. is volcanicB. was enriched by discarded rubbishC. was brought in from commercial nurseriesD. is a combination of mud and rockE. was brought in on subways4. The first plantings were taken from Rickers IslandA. a decade agoB. about 1890C. in the seventeenth centuryD. quite recentlyE. in 1944Passage 2America’s national bird, the bald eagle, which has flown high since the Revolutionary War, may soon be grounded. The eagle population of the United States is decreasing at an alarming rate, and the National Audubon Society has just launched a full-scale survey to find out how many bald eagles are left and what measures are necessary to protect them from extinction. The survey, a yearlong project, focuses attention on the bird chosen to appear on the Great Seal of the United States.When it gained its official status over 200 years ago, the bald eagle was undisputed king of America’s skies. Many thousands of the great birds roamed the country, and both the sight of the bald eagle and its piercing scream were familiar to almost every American. Today, naturalists fear that there are less than a thousand of them still in this country.Nature is partly to blame. Our severe hurricanes have destroyed many eggs, fledglings, and aeries, the eagles’ mammoth nests. But man is the chief culprit. Despite legislation passed by Congress in 1940 to protect the emblematic birds, thousands of them have been gunned out of the skies by over-eager shooters who perhaps mistook them for large hawks.The bald eagle was known as the bald-headed eagle when Congress began the search for a seal in 1776. The archaic meaning of bald----white or streaked with white----refers to his head, neck, and tail coloring rather than to any lack of plumage in our fine-feathered friend.5. The Audubon Society is trying toA. rid the country of the bald eagleB. have the bald eagle chosen as the national bird of the United StatesC. prevent the extinction of the bald eagle in this countryD. have Congress pass a law forbidding the shooting of eaglesE. band more eagles6. There are nowA. more eagles in this country than in 1776B. fewer eagles here than there were 200 years agoC. many thousands of bald eaglesD. eagles whose scream is familiar to every AmericanE. too many eagles7. Aeries areA. fledglingsB. eggsC. young mammothsD. nestsE. mating areas8. The eagle is called an emblematic bird because it isA. baldB. decreasingC. handsome and powerfulD. prized by huntersE. a symbol of a nation9. The design for the Great Seal of the United States was first consideredA. in 1776B. in 1783C. in 1840D. in 1876E. at an unknown datePassage 3You known, of course, that in China the Emperor is a Chinaman, and all the people around him are Chinamen too. It happened a good many years ago, but that’s just why it’s worthwhile to hear the story, before it is forgotten. The Emperor’s palace was the most splendid in the world; entirely and altogether made of porcelain, so- costly, but so brittle, so difficult to handle that one had to be terribly careful. In the garden were to be seen the strangest flowers, and to the most splendid of them silver bells were tied, which tinkled so that nobody should pass by without noticing the flowers. Oh, the Emperor’s garden had been laid out very smartly, and it extended so far that the gardener himself didn’t know where the end was. If you went on and on, you came into the loveliest forest with high trees and deep lakes. The forest went right down to the sea, which was blue and deep; tall ships could sail right in under the branches of the tree; and in the trees lived a nightingale, which sang so sweetly that even the poor fisherman, who had many other things to do, stopped still and listened when he had gone out at night to take up his nets and then heard the nightingale.——from the Nightingale by Hans Christian Andersen10. The author wants to tell this storyA. because he can’t forget the nightingaleB. before it is forgottenC. to teach us about ChinaD. because he is a writer and storytellerE. in order to describe the garden11. The Emperor’s palace was made ofA. brickB. silver bellsC. high treesD. large stones and bouldersE. porcelain12. Silver bells were tied to flowers in the garden toA. draw attention to their beautyB. frighten birds and mice awayC. play soft melodiesD. remind the gardener not to pick themE. sparkle in the sun13. The Emperor’s gardenA. was very strangeB. was too large to care forC. led into a lovely forestD. housed a rare nightingaleE. was a source of pleasure for all in the kingdom14. The forestA. was dark and threateningB. contained many rare animalsC. was an easy place in which to get lastD. housed the nightingaleE. was a fisherman’s hiding placePassage 4Almost everyone enjoys hearing some kind of live music. But few of us realize the complex process that goes into designing the acoustics of concert and lecture halls. In the design of any building where audibility of sound is a major consideration, architects have to carefully match the space and materials they used to the intended purpose of the venue. One problem is that the intensity of sound may build too quickly in an enclosed space. Another problem is that only part of the sound we hear in any large room or auditorium comes directly from the source. Much of it reaches us a fraction of a second later after it has been reflected off the walls, ceiling and floor as reverberated sound. How much each room reverberates depends upon both its size, and the ability of its contents to absorb sound. Too little reverberation can make music sound thin and weak; too much can blur the listener’ssense of where one note stops and the next begin.Consequently the most important factor in acoustic design is the time it takes for these reverberations to die down altogether, called the reverberation time.15. Which of the following is the main topic of this passage?A. the challenges of an architect’s jobB. the differences between speech and musicC. the experience of hearing live musicD. the role of reverberation in acoustic designE. the construction of large buildings16. The passage suggests that the “complex process” of acoustic design (line 2) isA. not widely appreciated by the publicB. really a matter of listener sensitivityC. wholly dependent on the choice of construction materialsD. an engineer’s problem, not an architect’sE. most difficult in concert hall construction17. According to the passage, audibility of sound is influenced by which of the following factors?I. the type of materials used to construct a building.II. the reflection of sound off a room’s ceiling or walls.III. the size and purpose of a particular room or space.A. I onlyB. II onlyC. I and IID. II and IIIE. I, II and III18. According to the passage, too little reverberation in a concert hall can result inA. a rapid increase in the volume of soundB. the blurring of details in a piece of musicC. a quiet and insubstantial quality of soundD. confusion among a listening audienceE. an inaccurate estimate of its reverberation time19. Which of the following does the author regard as the most significant consideration in the design of a concert hall?A. an appreciation for musicB. an understanding of reverberation timeC. the choice of building materialsD. the purpose of the venueE. the audience capacityPassage 5The police department of New York City has one branch that many do not know about, although it was established almost a century ago. This is the harbor precinct’s 14-boat fleet of police launches, which patrols 578 miles of waters around the city, paying particular attention to the areas containing 500 piers and some 90 boat clubs.The boats are equipped for various jobs. One boat is an ice-breaker; another is equipped to render aid in the event of an airplane crash at La Guardia Airport. All of the boats are equipped with lifeline guns, heavy grappling irons to raise sunken automobiles, and lasso-sticks to rescue animals in the water. They have power pumps to bail out sinking craft, first-aid kits, extra life preservers, signal flags, and searchlights.The force of 183 officers has all had previous experience with boats. Some of the officers are Navy and Coast Guard veterans. Many of the harbor police officers have oceangoing Master’s or Harbor Captain’s licenses. All are highly trained in the care and handling of engines and in navigation. All are skilled in giving first aid, and each officer is a qualified radio operator and a trained marksman with a revolver.The work of the police includes many tasks. One duty of this force is to check the operation of the fleet of 43 junk boats that ply their trade in the harbor, buying scrap, rope, and other items for resale ashore. These boats could just as easily be used to smuggle narcotics, gems, aliens, or spies into the country, so they are watched closely by the city’s harbor police force. During the last summer, the police launches towed 450 disabled boats and gave some kind of help to thousands of others. The officers also arrest those who break navigation laws or who endanger the safety of bathers by approaching too near the shore in speed boats.20. The harbor police wereA. introduced by order of the mayorB. first used in the twentieth centuryC. in use before the Civil WarD. introduced by veterans of World War IIE. in full force almost 100 years ago21. The boats usedA. are uniform in designB. can all serve as ice-breakersC. are all equipped with deck gunsD. work at Kennedy AirportE. vary in function22. The harbor policeA. arrest any man found on a junk boatB. prevent the resale of scrap materialC. regulate the admission of spiesD. ensure legal traffic in junkE. regulate disabled boats23. Their services includeA. towing, life-saving, and salvageB. customs collection, towing, and the sending of radio messagesC. first aid, the rescue of animals, and fire patrolD. ice-breaking, the collection of junk, and the transportation of aliensE. smuggling, first aid, and rescue24. The police boatsA. have no responsibility for bathersB. unload ships at the piersC. assist boats of all kindsD. warn offenders but do not make arrestsE. cannot detain other boatsPassage 6One day recently, a man in a tengallon hat appeared at the gate of New York’s famous Bronx Zoo. “Just stopped by on my way through town,” he told zoo officials. “I’ve got an animal outside I think you might like to see.”The officials raised their eyebrows and looked at each other meaningfully, but the man in the hat didn’t seem to notice. He went on to introduce himself as Gene Holter. “I call it a Zonkey,” he said calmly, “because it’s a cross between a donkey and a zebra. I’ve got his parents out there, too.”The zoo officials didn’t wait to hear about the parents. They left their desks and started for the gate. Outside, Mr. Holter opened the side door of a huge truck and reached inside. Calmly, he pulled out a gibbon, and hung it, by its tail, from a tree. Then he walked past five ostriches and carried out the baby Zonkey.Just three weeks old, the only Zonkey in the world had long ears, a face and legs covered with candy stripes, and a body covered with brown baby fuzz. The parents were on hand, too. The father was no ordinary zebra. He was broken to ride, and one of the zoo officials realized a lifelong dream when he jumped on the zebra’s back and cantered around.When last seen, Mr. Holter and his caravan were on their way to Dayton and then to Anaheim, California, where then live year-round.25. Mr. Holter’s manner wasA. boastfulB. excitableC. demandingD. matter-of-factE. personable26. When Mr. Holter first approached the zoo officials, theyA. were excited about his announcementB. thought he was telling a tall taleC. thought he was an interesting personD. couldn’t wait to realize a lifelong dreamE. laughed behind his back27. Mr. Holter probably made a livingA. as a veterinarianB. traveling and showing his animalsC. breeding animals for scientific experimentsD. working as a zoo officialE. filming animalsPassage 7There is evidence that the usual variety of high blood pressure is, in part, a familial disease. Since families have similar genes as well as similar environment, familial diseases could be due to shared genetic influences, to shared environmental factors, or both. For some years, the role of one environmental factor commonly shared by family, namely dietary salt, has been studied at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The studies suggest that excessive ingestion of salt can lead to high blood pressure in man and animals. Some individuals and some rats, however, consume large amounts of salt without developing high blood pressure. No matter how strictly all environmental factors were controlled in these experiments, some salt-fed animals never developed hypertension, whereas a few rapidly developed very severe hypertension followed by early death. These marked variations were interpreted to result from differences in genetic makeup.28. The main idea of this article is thatA. Research is desperately needed in the field of medicine.B. A cure for high blood pressure is near.C. Research shows salt to be a major cause of high blood pressure.D. A tendency toward high blood pressure may be inherited.E. Some animals never develop high blood pressure.29. According to the article, high blood pressure isA. strictly a genetic diseaseB. strictly an environmental diseaseC. due to both genetic and environmental factorsD. caused only by dietary saltE. a more severe form of hypertensionPassage 8The dark and the sea are full of dangers to the fishermen of Norway. A whale may come and destroy the floating chain of corks that edge the nets, break it, and carry it off. Or a storm may come suddenly, unexpectedly, out of the sight. The sea seems to turn somersaults. It opens and closes immense caverns with terrible clashed, chasing boats and men who must flee from their nets and the expected catch. Then the men may lift their nets as empty as they set them. At other times the herring may come in such masses that the lines break from the weight when lifted, and the men must return home empty-handed, without lines, nets, or the herring.But often the nets are full of herring that shine and glisten like silver. Once in a while, a couple of men will venture in their boats along the net lines to see whether the herring are coming, and when the corks begin to bob and jerk, as if something were hitting the nets to which they are attached, then they know that the herring are there. The nets are being filled, and all the men sit in quiet excitement. They dare only to whisper to each other, afraid to disturb, and quite overcome by the overwhelming generosity of the sea. Eyes shine in happy anticipation; hands are folded in thanks. Then muscles strain with power. It is as though the strength of the body doubled. They can work day and night without a thought of weariness. They need neither food nor rest; the thought of success keeps their vigor up almost endlessly. They will take food and rest when it is all over.30. The best title for this passage isA. “Whaling in Norway”B. “The Perils and Rewards of Fishing”C. “Hard Work in Norway”D. “Risky Business”E. “The Generosity of the Sea”31. The fishermen’s difficulties includeA. the eating of the herring by whalesB. becalmingC. an attack on the men by the herringD. the jerking of the corksE. interference by rough seas32. at the first indication that herring are entering the nets, the menA. try not to frighten the fish awayB. strain every muscle to haul in the catchC. glisten like silverD. collect the nets quicklyE. row quickly along the edge of the nets33. Which quality of the sea is NOT mentioned?A. its sudden changesB. its generosityC. its beautyD. its powerE. its destroying strength34. The fishermen are described asA. patient, brave, and cautiousB. angry, weary, and sicklyC. strong, angry, and recklessD. skillful, impatient, and wearyE. hardworking, surly, and excitable35. Which is NOT mentioned as a problem to fishermen?A. destruction of the netsB. too large a catchC. rough seasD. unexpected stormsE. theft of the nets by other fishermenPassage 9The Pony Express holds a place in the popular imagination as the first reliable express mail carrying service. It only operated, however, for the eighteen months between April 3, 1860 and late October 1861, when the completion of the transcontinental telegraph line rendered it obsolete. In that short time, the Pony Express set the standard by which all express mail delivery is judged. Riders carried mail in a specially-designed leather square called a mochilla. The mochilla was thrown over the saddle and had a hole in the middle for the saddle horn and a slit for the cantle. Letters were carried in four leather boxes attached to the corners of the mochilla.The Pony Express carried mail between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. From Sacramento, the mail was taken across the bay to San Francisco by steamer ship. Pony Express riders rode for an exhausting seventy-five to 100 miles, exchanging horses every ten to fifteen miles. The first trip took ten days, and later trips were usually made in eight or nine days. This was about two-thirds the time regular mail service took to make deliveries. The Pony Express delivered the news of Abraham Lincoln’s election in a record-breaking seven and one-half days. In the eighteen months it was operational, the Pony Express only lost the mail once.36. The passage implies that the Pony Express held a place in popular imagination becauseA. It was the most reliable form of mail delivery for many years during the1800's.B. It was made famous by the skilled riding of the delivery personnel.C. It was the only way to get main to and from the war front.D. Pony express riders were known for their unwavering bravery.E. It was the first reliable and fast mail delivery service.37. According to the passage initial trips made by the pony expressA. took longer than later onesB. were complicated by bad weatherC. were essential to notifying the country of Lincoln’s assassinationD. were the only ones in which mail was lostE. were essential for building its reputation for reliability38. From information provided by the passage, it can be inferred that the Pony Express stopped running in October, 1861 becauseA. The telegraph transported information faster than the Pony Express.B. The Pony Express riders kept losing the mail.C. Abraham Lincoln was elected president.D. Sending mail via Pony Express was too expensive.E. Regular mail service got faster.39. On the Pony Express, mail traveled from Missouri to San Francisco viaA. horse and rider, horse and buggy, and then steamer shipB. horse and rider and trainC. horse and riderD. horse and rider and steamer shipE. horse and rider, train, and bicycle40. The passage implies that the transcontinental telegraphA. delivered messages across long distancesB. was better able to deliver messages across water than was the Pony ExpressC. was first developed in EuropeD. was developed in response to Lincoln’s requestE. could only deliver messages under certain lengths。