阅读理解

閱读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。

（一）

The Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay

Long before there wasnt any Washington or any United States， there were trader Indians on the shores of the river that flows by the place where the present Washington D.C. stands. These Indians paddled canoes up and down the river and traded with other Indians， swapping things they had for things they wanted — beads for furs， bows for arrows， and corn for potatoes. In the Indian language the name for traders was Potomac， so now we call the river the Potomac River after these trader Indians. The Potomac separates two states—Maryland and Virginia. They are named after two English queens — Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth I， who never married and was called the Virgin Queen. The Potomac Indians paddled their canoes down the river until they came to a much broader body of water. This body of water was so big that it seemed to them like the ocean， and they called it “the Mother of Water”， which in their own language was “Chesapeake”.

Though Chesapeake Bay is not the ocean， it is the biggest bay in the United States.

1. How did the Indians trade with each other？

A. They traded beads for furs， bows for arrows， corn for potatoes.

B. They traded beads for furs， bows for guns， corn for tomatoes.

C. They traded gold for furs， knives for arrows， corn for potatoes.

D. They traded beads for furs， bows for meat， corn for potatoes.

2. The article states that Virginia and Maryland were named _______.

A. after two Indian words      B. after two states

C. after two queens          D. after two rivers

3. The word Potomac is Indian for _______.

A. river        B. the Mother of Water

C. Washington          D. traders

4. according to the article， which of the following statements is correct？

A. The Potomac Indian traders could not be trusted.

B. The Potomac River was created by the Indians.

C. The Chesapeake Bay looked like an ocean to the Indians.

D. The Potomac Indian traders traded only with the people living in

Washington.

5. Which body of water is the narrowest？

A. The Mother of Waters.    B. The Potomac River.

C. Chesapeake Bay.          D. The Atlantic Ocean.

（二）

In America， drivers education is part of the regular high school curriculum. Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in drivers education. However， unlike other courses， it is not given during the regular school year. Instead it is a summer course.

The course is divided up into two parts： class time for learning laws and regulations and driving time to practice driving. Class time is not unlike any other class. The students have a text from which they study the basic laws they must know to pass the written driving test that is given to anyone wanting to get a drivers license. Driving time is a chance for the students to get behind the wheel（steering wheel） and practise starting steering， backing up， parking， lanes， turning corners， and all the other maneuvers[操作] required to drive a car. Each student is required to drive a total of six hours. The students are divided up into groups of four. The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time. Thus， each student gets half an hour driving time per outing. The instructor and “driver” sit  in the front seats and the other three students sit in the back.

Drivers Ed cars are unlike other cars in which they have two sets of brakes， one on the drivers side and one on the other side where the instructor sits. Thus， if the student driver should run into difficulties the instructor can take over. The car also has another special feature. On the top of the car is a sign that reads： STUDENT DRIVER. That lets nearby drivers know that they should use extra caution[小心] because the student driver is a beginning driver， not very experienced and prone to driving slowly.

After the student has passed the drivers education course and reached the appropriate age to drive（this age differs in every state but in most cases the person must be 16 years old）， they can go to a designated state office to take their drivers test， which is made up of an eye examination， a written test， and a road test. The person must pass all three tests in order to be given a drivers license. If the person did well in his or her drivers education class， he or she will pass the test with flying colors and get a drivers license.

1. In America， the drivers course mentioned above _______.

A. is considered as part of the advanced education

B. is given to anyone wanting to get a drivers license

C. is carried on at the same time as other courses

D. is offered to all the students of Grade 2 in high schools

2. To prevent accidents， a drivers Ed car _______.

A. has a sign inside it  B. has two sets of brakes

C. is big enough to hold five persons  D. cant run very fast

3. We can infer that the students are required to _______ in their whole driving practice.

A. go out driving for twelve times        B. spend at least six hours driving

C. drive for two-hour blocks of time    D. get half an hour driving

4. Which of the following does NOT agree with the requirements for the students wanting to get their drivers license？

A. They must be 16 years of age.

B. They should go to have their drivers test.

C. They must have their eyes examined.

D. They ought to do well in their drivers course.

5. In the last sentence， “with flying colors” means ________.

A. happily      B. successfully

C. colorfully D. quickly

参考答案与解析

（一）

文章介绍的是美国的Potomac River和Chesapeake Bay的地理特征。

1. A。事实细节题。从…beads for furs， bows for arrows， and corn for potatoes可知答案A正确。

2. C。事实细节题。从They are named after two English queens—Queen Mary and Queen ElizabethⅠ可知答案C正确。

3. D。事实细节题。从In the Indian language the name for traders was Potomac可知答案D正确。

4. C。事實细节题。从This body of water was so big that it seemed to them like the ocean可知答案C正确。

5. B。推理判断题。The Potomac Indians paddled their canoes down the river until they came to a much broader body of water，其中canoe是独木舟的意思，Potomac River很窄，只容得下独木舟，而Chesapeake Bay却像大海一样大，A项指的也是Chesapeake Bay，由此可见Potomac River在四个选项当中是最窄的，即答案选B。

（二）

本文介绍的是在美国中学二年级的学生必修的驾驶课。

1. D。细节题。根据地一段Every student in his or her second year of high school is required to take a class in drivers education可知答案为D。

2. B。细节题。根据第4段Drivers Ed cars are unlike other cars in which they have two sets of brakes可知答案为B。

3. A。推断题。根据第3段Each student is required to drive a total of six hours. The students are divided up into groups of four. The students and the instructor go out driving for two hour blocks of time. Thus， each student gets half an hour driving time per outing可推断答案为A。

4. A。推断题。根据最后1段…reached the appropriate age to drive（this age differs in old）可推知答案为A。

5. B。推断题。根据文章最后1句If the person did well in his or her drivers education class， he or she will pass the test …and get a drivers license可推知答案为B。