泽熙美文Reading Comprehension
Are you interested in seeing the beautiful fall foliage of New England but tired of traffic jams and overbooked hotels? Then this year forget the crowds in New England and see the beautiful colors of autumn in the Catskills.
These rugged mountains in New York State, just 90 miles northwest of New York City, are famous for the legendary tales of Rip Van Winkle, and more recently for the summer hotels that sprang up in the region during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Families trying to escape the heat of New York City found the Catskills to be the perfect place to stay for a month or so each summer. By the late 1950s there were over 500 resorts and hotels offering nighttime entertainment as well as all kinds of outdoor activities. Famous comedies like Jackie Gleason, Joan Rivers, and Sid Caesar all got their start touring the hotel clubs here. Since the introduction of air-conditioning and cheaper air travel, however, families have stopped coming to the Catskills in such large numbers, chasing instead more distant locations at different times of the year. Many of the Catskills hotels closed in the 1970s, but some remain and have expanded and changed their facilities to meet the needs of today’s visitors.
Currently, there are many activities available to the traveler besides witnessing the changing colors of the leaves. There is an all-organic sheep farm where visitors can see how a traditional sheep farm operates. There are also hundreds of miles of scenic drives in the area. Route 42, for instance, is an excellent site for spotting bald eagles. For more information on vacations in the Catskills, call the office of Public Information.
1. The author’s main purpose is to ______.
A.promote the Catskills as a vacation destination
B.introduce visitors to famous Catskills entertainers
C.describe the history of the Catskills region
D.compare the Catskills to New England
正确答案：A
[解析] 本题考查作者意图。根据文章第一段第二句“Then this year forget the crowds in New England and see the beautiful colors of autumn in the Catskills.”和最后一段最后一句“For more information on vacations in the Catskills, call the office of Public Information.”可知，作者主要是想让人们来Catskills度假。所以，答案是A。
2. The word “rugged” underlined in Paragraph 2 means ______.
A.barren
B.rough
C.tall
D.lush
正确答案：B
[解析] 本题考查词义理解。画线单词rugged“崎岖的，高低不平的”；barren“贫瘠的”，rough“粗糙的”，tall“高的”，lush“丰富的，豪华的”。比较可知，答案是B。
3. According to the passage, the decline in the number of resorts in the 1970s was caused by ______.
A.television
B.shorter vacations
C.affordable air travel
D.more traffic
正确答案：C
[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据第二段中的“Since the introduction of air-conditioning and cheaper air travel, however, families have stopped coming to the Catskills in such large numbers”可知，由于空调的使用和更便宜的air travel，人们就不会这么集中地来Catskills。所以，答案是C。
4. The phrase “sprang up” underlined in Paragraph 2 refers to something that has ______.
A.burst forth
B.spread out
C.operated vigorously
D.joined together
正确答案：A
[解析] 本题考查词义理解。划线部分sprang up“出现”；burst forth“喷出”，spread out“展开”，operated vigorously“有力的操作”，joined together“连接在一起”。比较可知，答案是A。
5. In what season would a tourist most likely have visited the Catskills in the 1950s?
A.Fall.
B.Winter.
C.Spring.
D.Summer.
正确答案：D
[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据第二段中的“more recently for the summer hotels that spang up in the region during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. Families trying to escape the heat of New York City found the Catskills to be the perfect place to stay for a month or so each summer.”可知，20世纪40、50、60年代，人们夏天会把Catskills作为最好的避暑胜地。所以，答案是D。
6. The author’s tone in this passage is ______.
A.light and encouraging
B.informative and scientific
C.humorous and skeptical
D.regretful and reminiscent
正确答案：A
[解析] 本题考查作者态度。通读全文可知，作者通篇都在介绍人们去Catskills度假，并介绍了Catskills旅游的发展，最后介绍在那里我们可以做的事情，全文中作者的语气都很轻松愉快，并鼓励人们去Catskills旅游度假。所以，答案是A。
7. From the passage, what might a visitor be lucky enough to do?
A.See fall leaves in color.
B.See a kind of bird.
C.Work on a sheep farm.
D.Drive on scenic roads.
正确答案：B
[解析] 本题考查细节理解。根据文章最后一段中的“Currently, there are many activities available to the traveler besides witnessing the changing colors of the leaves. There is an allorganic sheep farm where visitors can see how a traditional sheep farm operates. There are also hundreds of miles of scenic drives in the area. Route 42, for instance, is an excellent site for spotting bald eagles.”可知，人们可以看树叶变化颜色，可以在传统的羊场工作，可以在景色优美的跑道驾驶。而且在42号线路上，那是观看秃鹰的最佳位置。应为秃鹰是一种鸟。所以，答案是B。
8. The word “drives” underlined in Paragraph 3 refers to ______.
A.excursions
B.tracks
C.paths
D.canyons
正确答案：A
[解析] 本题考查词义理解。画线单词drives“驾车，快车道”；excursions“远足，短途旅行”，tracks“轨道”，paths“路径”，canyons“峡谷”。比较可知，答案是A。
9. The word “spotting” underlined in Paragraph 3 means ______.
A.photographing
B.seeing
C.painting
D.shooting
正确答案：B
[解析] 本题考查词义理解。画线单词spotting“看见”；photographing“拍照”，seeing“看到”，painting“绘画”，shooting“射击”。比较可知，答案是B。
10. The author implies that in the Catskills there are few ______.
A.leaves
B.eagles
C.people
D.sheep
正确答案：C
[解析] 本题考查推理判断。根据文章最后一段可知，树叶、鹰和羊是人们在Catskills很容易就可以看到的。故答案选C。
First, of course, it is plain that in a few years everyone will have at his elbow several times more mechanical energy than he has today.
Second, there will be advances in biological knowledge as far-reaching as those that have been made in physics. We are only beginning to learn that we can control our biological environment as well as our physical one. Starvation has been prophesied twice to a
