3. The Sahara can be described as_______. A) a place of contrasts
B) a place where no one Iives
C) an area where the winters are cold D) an area that appeals to many tourists
4. The phrase \of_______.
A) northern Africa B) Niger C) the Sahara D) all of Africa
5. In this passage caravan means _______. A) traveling circus
B) group traveling together through difficult country C) railroad train
D) a small，fast sailing ship 答案与题解:
1. A 本题问的是:这篇文章主要讲了什么?根据文段，本文主要介绍了撒哈拉沙漠的地理概 况，城镇的农业，以及城镇之间的日常来往。B 选项范围过宽。C 选项不全面，文章不止介绍了比尔马的情况。D 选项文中没有具体介绍。所以 A 是对的。
2. A 本题问的是:在撒哈拉的绝大多数地区，降雨情况如何?根据第一段的最后一句话，撒哈拉的绝大多数地区每年降雨量低于 5 英寸。所以 A 正确。
3. A 本题问的是:撒哈拉沙漠可以被描述成什么? A 的意思是，一个具有强烈对比的地方。B 的意思是杳无人烟的地方。C 的意思是冬天很冷的地区。D 的意思是吸引很多游客的地方。B，C，D 均不符合文意，因此 A 正确。
4. C 本题问的是:句子―大约和美国大小相当的地区‖指明的是什么地方的大小?根据第一段的第二句话可知，本句的主语是撒哈拉沙漠。因此 C 正确。
5. B 本题问的是:文中―caravan‖的意思是什么? A 的意思是旅行马戏团。C 是火车。D 是又小又快的帆船。根据文中的介绍，穿过沙漠的驼队由上百只骆驼组成，来到绿洲城镇收集 盐，因此 B 选项―一群人一起穿过条件恶劣的国家‖是正确的。 *第十九篇 The Family
The structure of a family takes different forms around the world and even in the same society. The family's form changes as it adapts to changing social and economic influences. Until recently, the most common form in North America was the nuclear family，consisting of a married couple with their minor children. The nuclear family is an independent unit. It must be prepared to fend for itself. Individual family members strongly depend on one another. There is little help from outside the family in emergencies. Elderly relatives of a nuclear family are cared for only if it is possible for the family to do so. In North America，the elderly often do not live with the family ; they live in retirement communities and nursing homes.
There are many parallels between the nuclear family in industrial societies，such as North America，and of families in societies such as that of the Inuits，who live in harsh environments. The nuclear family structure is well adapted to a life of mobility. In harsh conditions，mobility allows the family to hunt for food. For North Americans，the hunt for jobs and improved social status also requires mobility.
The nuclear family was not always the North American standard. In a more agrarian time，the small nuclear family was usually part of a larger extended family. This might have included grandparents，mother and father，brothers and sisters，uncles，aunts，and cousins. In North America today，there is a dramatic rise in the number of single-parent households. Twice as many households in the United States are headed by divorced，separated，or never-married individuals as are comprised of nuclear families. The structure of the family，not just in North America, but throughout the world，continues to change as it adapts to changing conditions. 词汇:
nuclear /'nju:kh/ adj. 原子核的，中心的 harsh /ha:?/ n. 严酷的
emergency /I'm?:d??nsI/ n. 紧急状况 agranan / ?'gre?rl?n/ adj. 土地的，耕地的 注释:
1. lt must be prepared to fend for itself. 它必须能够照料自己。
2. In North America，the elderly often do not live with the family; they live in retirement communities and nursing homes. 在北美洲，老人很少和家人一起生活;他们一般住在退休社区和养老机构。
3. In harsh conditions，mobility allows the family to hunt for food. :在恶劣的条件下，流动性能让一个家庭吃饱饭。 练习:
1. Another good title for this passage would be_____. A) What Makes a Family? B) The Life of the Inuits. C) Living with Hardship.
D) The Failure of theNuclear Family. 2. A nuclear family is defined as_____.
A) a married couple with their minor children B) a single father with，minor children C) parents，grandparents，and children D) parents，children，and aunts and uncles
3. The information in this passage would most likely be found in_____. A) an anthropology textbook B) a biology textbook C) a mathematics textbook D) a geography textbook
4. The information in the first paragraph is presented mainly through _____. A) listing statistics B) telling a story
C) pointing out similarities D) pointing out differences
5. The word mobility means_____. A) money
B) readiness to move C) organization D) skill
答案与题解:
1. A 本题问的是:这篇文章的题目还可以是什么? A 的意思是是什么构成了一个家。B 的意 思是因纽特人的生活。C 的意思是生活得很艰难。D 的意思是核心家庭的失败之处。根据文意，本文主要介绍了与家庭相关的信息。B 不是主要内容。C 未提到。D 未提到。因此A 是正确的答案。
2. A 本题问的是:核心家庭的定义是什么?根据第一段的第三句话:Until recently，the most common form in North America was the nuclear family，consisting of a married couple with their minor children. 可知 A 是正确的答案。
3. A 本题问的是:这篇文章最有可能出自哪里? A 的意思是人类学课本。B 的意思是生物课本。C的意思是数学课本。D 的意思是地理课本。本文主要介绍了家庭，因此最有可能是人类学课本。所以 A 是正确的答案。
4. C 本题问的是:第一段的信息主要以何种方式陈述的?根据第一段的陈述方式，并没有列 出数据或者讲故事，而是通过描述共性而阐述出核心家庭的概念。因此 C 是正确的答案。
*第二十篇 Tales of the Terrible Past
It is not the job of fiction writers to analyze and interpret history. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. Among those taking on the task of recounting history are some black writers who attempt to examine slavery from different points of view.
Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison deals specifically with the legacy of slavery in her book Beloved. The main character in this novel，a former slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War，but she cannot free herself from her horrific memories. Through a series of flashbacks and bitter reminiscences，the reader learns how and why Sethe escaped from the plantation she had lived on; the fate of her husband，who also tried to escape; and finally，what happened to the child called Beloved. Morrison's scenes of torture and murder are vivid and strongly convey the desperation of the slaves and the cruelty of their owners.
Charles Johnson's Middle Passage approaches slavery from a different，yet no less violent，vantage point. His main character，Rutherfprd Calhoun，is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its \discovered，Calhoun witnesses firsthand the appalling conditions in which the captured Africans are transported. When they finally rebel and take over the ship，he finds himself in the middle -- and is forced to come to terms with who he is and what his values are.
Neither Beloved nor Middle Passage is an easy read，but both exemplify African American writers' attempts to bring significant historical situations alive for a modem audience. 词汇:
interpret /in't?:prit/ v. 解释，翻译 desperation /desp?'rei??n/ n. 绝望的境地 recount /ri'kaunt / v. 叙述 capture /'k?pt?? / v. 俘获 slavery /'sleiv?ri / n. 奴隶制度 注释:
1. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. 然而通过用一种生动有趣的方式来描写过去，小说家可以将早期时代重现，并引起读者的重视。
2. His main character. Rutherford Calhoun. is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its \.他的主人公叫做 Rutherford Calhoun，是一个游手好闲，身份自由的美国黑人。他偷偷登上了一艘开往非洲贩卖奴隶的
船只。 练习:
1. This passage is mostly about__________. A) the causes of slavery in America B) black writers in the late 20th century
C) why Morrison and Johnson wrote the books they did D) two novels that deal with slavery 2. Beloved is set__________. A) on a slave ship
B) on a plantation before the Civil War C) in Ohio after the Civil War D) in an African town
3. The writer seems to feel that__________.
A) eveyone should read Morrison's and Johnson's novels B) the books are worthwhile but challenging C) black writers should ignore racial issues
D) we will repeat the past if we don‘t learn about it
4. The writer emphasizes that the two books are similar in their__________. A) use of flashbacks B) treatment of women C) criticism of whites D) portrayal of violence
5. The word appalling means__________. A) terrible B) surprising C) guilty D) unrealistic 答案与题解:
1. D 本题问的是:这篇文章主要讲什么? A的意思是美国奴隶制的原因。B的意思是20世纪的黑人作家。C的意思是莫里森和约翰逊写书的原因。D的意思是关于奴隶制的两本小说。本文主要介绍了莫里森和约翰逊各自关于奴隶制的小说的主要内容，因此D是正确的答案。
2. C 本题问的是:―宠儿‖的设置背景是什么?根据第二段的第二句话:a fornier slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War可知其背景是在内战之后的俄亥俄州。因此C是正确的答案。
3. B 本题问的是:作者的感觉是什么?A的意思是每个人都应该读莫里森和约翰逊的小说。B的意思是这些作品非常值得写但又很有挑战性。C的意思是黑人作家应当忽略种族问题。D的意思是如果我们没有学习过去，那么这些过去会重现。A，C，D原文没有体现，因此B是正确的答案。
4.D 本题问的是:作者强调两部作品的共同之处是什么?根据第三段的第一句话:yet no less violent可知两部作品都有对暴力的描写。因此D是正确的答案。
5. A 本题问的是:appalling的意思是什么?根据第三段对运送非洲人去美国的描述可知，此状况必然是不好的，糟糕的。A的意思是糟糕的。B的意思是令人惊讶的。C的意思是有罪的。D的意思是不现实的。因此根据文意，A是正确的答案。
