专题十七词义猜测Passage1(湖北,E)体裁:说明文词数:342Formostcitypeople,theelevatorisanunremarkablemachinethatinspiresnoneoftheenthusiasmorinterestthatAmericansaffordtrains,jets,andevenbicycles.Dr.ChristopherWilkisamemberofasmallgroupofelevatorexpertswhoconsiderthisamisunderstanding.Withouttheelevator,theypointout,therecouldbenodowntownskyscrapersortallbuildings,andcitylifeasweknowitwouldbeimpossible.Inthatsense,theyargue,theelevatorsroleinAmericanhistoryhasbeennolesssignificantthanthatofcars.Infact,accordingtoWilk,thecarandtheelevatorhavebeenlockedina“secretwar”foroveracentury,withcarsmakingitpossibleforpeopletospreadhorizontally(水平地),andelevatorspushingthemtowardlifeinclosegroupsoftoweringvertical(垂直的)columns.Ifwetendtoignorethesignificanceofelevators,itmightbebecauseridinginthemtendstobesuchabrief,boring,andevenawkwardexperience—onethatcaninvolveunexpectedlymeetingpeoplewithwhomwehavenothingincommon,andanunpleasantawarenessofthefactthatwerehangingfromacableinalongpassage.Inanewbook,Lifted,GermanjournalistandculturalstudiesprofessorAndreasBernarddirectedallhisattentiontothisexperience,studyingtheoriginsofelevatoranditsrelationshiptohumankindandfindingthatridinginanelevatorhasneverbeenatotallycomfortableexperience.“After150years,wearestillnotusedtoit,”Bernardsaid.“Westillhavenotexactlylearnedtocopewiththemixtureofclosenessanddispleasure.”Thatmixture,accordingtoBernard,setstheelevatorrideapartfromjustabouteveryothersituationwefindourselvesinaswegoaboutourlives.Today,astheworldsurbanpopulationexplodes,andcitiesbecomemorecrowded,taller,andmorecrowded,Americastotalnumberofelevators—900,000atlastcount,accordingtoElevatorWorldmagazines“VerticalTransportationIndustry”—areaforcethatsbecomingmoreimportantthanever.Andforthepeoplewhoreally,reallylovethem,itseemslikehightimethatwelookedseriouslyatjustwhatkindofforcetheyare.1.Whatdoestheunderlinedword“this”inParagraph1referto?A.Theenthusiasmfortransportvehicles.B.Thedesireforaremarkablemachine.C.Theparticularinterestsofexperts.D.Thegeneralviewofelevators.2.Theauthorspurposeinmentioningcarsis.A.toexplainpeoplespreferenceforelevatorsB.torevealtheirsecretwaragainstelevatorsC.toemphasizetheimportanceofelevatorsD.tocontrasttheirfunctionswithelevators3.AccordingtoProf.Bernard,whathasmadetheelevatorridedifferentfromotherlifeexperiences?A.Uncomfortableconditions.B.Littlephysicalspace.C.Lackofexcitement.D.Verticaldirection.4.Theauthorurgesreaderstoconsider.A.therelationshipbetweencarsandelevatorsB.theroleofelevatorsincitydevelopmentC.theseriousfuturesituationofelevatorsD.theexactnumberofelevatorlovers答案[语篇解读]本文为说明文。题材为科普知识类。文章主要介绍了电梯在城市发展中所起的巨大作用。1.D2.C3.B4.BPassage2(课标Ⅰ,B)体裁:说明文词数:298Passengerpigeons(旅鸽)onceflewovermuchoftheUnitedStatesinunbelievablenumbers.Writtenaccountsfromthe18thand19thcenturiesdescribedflocks(群)solargethattheydarkenedtheskyforhours.Itwascalculatedthatwhenitspopulationreacheditshighestpoint,thereweremorethan3billionpassengerpigeons—anumberequalto24to40percentofthetotalbirdpopulationintheUnitedStates,makingitperhapsthemostabundantbirdintheworld.Evenaslateas1870whentheirnumbershadalreadybecomesmaller,aflockbelievedtobe1milewideand320miles(about515kilometers)longwasseennearCincinnati.Sadly,theabundanceofpassengerpigeonsmayhavebeen...