SAT og 5閱讀真題解析

1、SAT test 51.For a long time, most doctors maintained that taking massive doses of vitamins was relatively harmless; now, however, some are warning that excessive dosages can be _.(A) healthy adj. 健康的(B) expensive adj. 昂貴的(C) wasteful adj. 浪費(fèi)的(D) toxic adj. 有毒的(E) inane adj. 愚蠢的解析：D，在很長(zhǎng)的一段時(shí)間里，大多數(shù)醫(yī)生認(rèn)為

2、用大量的維他命是無害的;不過現(xiàn)在有些人警告過量食用會(huì)-。這里however表示轉(zhuǎn)折與前面的harmless是相反的意思。2. In Jamaica Kincaid's novel Lucy, the west Indian heroine _ her employers' world, critically examining its assumptions and values.(A) idealizes v. 理想化(B) avoids v. 避開(C) beautifies v. 美化(D) scrutinizes v. 仔細(xì)檢查(E) excludes v. 排除，解析

3、：E，在牙買加金彩的小說露西，這個(gè)西印度群島英雄-她的雇主的世界，精細(xì)的審視他的猜測(cè)和價(jià)值。這個(gè)句子中前后兩句意思是一致的，沒有轉(zhuǎn)折詞，所以空格所需的東西與examining是同義詞，所以D。3.The frequent name changes that the country has undergone _ the political turbulence that has attended its recent history.(A) argue against v. 真鈔，辯論(B) contrast with v. 對(duì)比，差異(C) testify to v. 證明(D) jeopa

4、rdize v. 危及(E) sustain v. 支撐解析：C，這個(gè)國(guó)家經(jīng)歷了頻繁的國(guó)名變更-這個(gè)國(guó)家的近點(diǎn)史上的政治動(dòng)亂。從句意可以看后句和前句是因果關(guān)系，前面證明了后面。4.Brachiopods, clamlike bivalves of prehistoric times, were one of the most _ forms of life on the Earth: more than 30,000 species have been _ from fossil records.(A) plentiful adj. 豐富的.subtracted v. 減去(B) ornate

5、 adj. 華麗的.retrieved v. 重新取回(C) multifarious adj. 多方面的.catalogued v. 登記分類(D) scarce adj. 缺乏的，罕見的.extracted v. 萃取的(E) anachronistic adj. 時(shí)代錯(cuò)誤的.extrapolated v. 推算，推斷解析：C，腕足類就像遠(yuǎn)古時(shí)代的雙殼蚌一樣，是地球上生物形式的一種：30000多種已經(jīng)從化石記錄上-。從后面的species 可以看出與前面的空格是同義詞，多樣性的種類。后面可以看出從化石記錄中登記了。5 Some interactive computer games are

6、so elaborately contrived and require such _ strategies that only the most _ player can master them.(A) byzantine adj. 錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的.adroit adj. 熟練的，機(jī)敏的(B) nefarious adj. 極壞的，惡毒的.conscientious adj. 認(rèn)真的，勤奮的(C) devious adj. 迂回的，狡猾的.lackadaisical adj. 無精打采的(D) onerous adj. 困難的，繁重.slipshod adj. 穿著不整齊的，潦草的(E) pre

7、dictable adj. 可預(yù)言的pulsive adj. 強(qiáng)制的，強(qiáng)迫的解析：A，一些電腦互動(dòng)的游戲設(shè)計(jì)的如此精致巧妙需要-策略只有那些最玩家能夠駕馭他們。這里前面空格與elaborately 是同義詞，所以A。Questions 6-7 are based on the following passage.The critic Edmund Wilson was not a self-consciousletter writer or one who tried to sustain studied mannerisms.Nor did he resort to artifice or

8、entangle himself incircumlocutions. The young, middle-aged, and old Wilson5 speaks directly through his letters, which are informal forthe most part and which undisguisedly reflect his changingmoods. On occasion-in response, perhaps, to the miseryof a friend or a public outrage or a personal challen

9、ge-hecan become eloquent, even passionate, but that is not his10 prevailing tone.文章大意：文章主要講評(píng)論家埃德蒙威爾遜在寫信的風(fēng)格上不拘一格，直言不諱，他的一生都是這樣的風(fēng)格不扭捏拘謹(jǐn)，應(yīng)對(duì)各種挑戰(zhàn)時(shí)候也能從容不會(huì)能言善辯。長(zhǎng)難詞：mannerisms特殊習(xí)慣，矯揉造作，artifice 欺騙entangle 是糾纏，混亂circumlocution委婉的說法 eloquent雄辯的，有口才的， outrage 憤怒 undisguisedly公開的，不偽裝的。6. Based on the informatio

10、n in the passage,Wilson's letters can best be described as(A) cynical冷嘲的(B) spontaneous自發(fā)的無意識(shí)的(C) critical批判的(D) preachy愛嘮叨的(E) witty詼諧的，機(jī)智的解析：B，這是主旨題，考察對(duì)文章全文的把控，文章開篇就提到埃德蒙的寫信風(fēng)格是不矯揉造作的，直言的。7. The reference 10 the "young, middle-aged, andold Wilson" (line 4) serves to suggest the(A) mul

11、tifaceted nature of Wilson's literarypersona(B) maturity Wilson displayed even as a youth(C) effect aging had on Wilson's temperament(D) longevity of Wilson's literary career(E) consistency of Wilson's letter-writing style解析：E，這里說從青年，中年，到老年他的寫作風(fēng)格都是informal和undisguisedly,一直都沒有變過。Quest

12、ions 8-9 are based on the following passage.The belief that it is harmful to the Black communityfor authors to explore the humanity of our leaders canhave troubling effects. At the least, it promotes the beliefthat our heroes have to be perfect to be useful. At worst.5 it censors our full investigat

13、ion of Black life. If our paintingsof that life are stock and cramped, their colors draband predictable, the representations of our culture are likelyto be untrue. They will not capture the breadth andcomplexity of Black identity.文章大意：文中描述對(duì)于黑人區(qū)的探索，對(duì)黑人生活的描述過于晦澀難懂的話很可能我們展現(xiàn)的形式會(huì)失真，所以整篇文段是對(duì)黑人生活展現(xiàn)形式的討論。長(zhǎng)難

14、詞：censor監(jiān)察官 cramp難懂的狹隘的 drab無生氣的，褐色的 breadth寬度幅度8. The passage implies that Black leaders have sometimes been portrayed as being(A) overly sentimental(B) deeply complex(C) above reproach(D) without regret(E) beyond understanding解析：C，文中提到“At the least, it promotes the belief that our heroes have to b

15、e perfect to be useful.”暗示有時(shí)候?qū)㈩I(lǐng)導(dǎo)人展現(xiàn)為不可挑剔的英雄。 9. In context, the "paintings" (lines 5-6) are bestunderstood as a reference to(A) realistic sculptures(B) historical biographies(C) whimsical novels(D) political cartoons(E) colorful theorems解析：B，paiting這里是對(duì)黑人領(lǐng)導(dǎo)生活的描述，那么一般就是我們所說的歷史傳記。Questions 1

16、0-18 a re based on the following passage.The following passage was written by a physicist in 1986.When astronomers point their telescopes to the nearestgalaxy, Andromeda, they see it as it was two million yearsago. That's about the lime Auslralopithecus was baskingin the African sun. This little

17、 bit of lime travel is possible5 because tight takes two mill ion years to make the trip fromthere to here. Too bad we couldnt turn things around andobserve Earth from some cozy planet in Andromeda.But looking at light from distant objects isn't real timetravel, the in-the-flesh participation in

18、 past and future found10 in literature. Ever since I've been old enough 10 read sciencefiction. I've dreamed of time traveling. The possibilitiesare staggering. You could take medicine back to fourteenth centuryEurope and stop the spread of plague, or you couldtravel to the twenty-third cent

19、ury, where people take their15 annual holidays in space stations.Being a scientist myself. I know that time travel isquite unlikely according to the laws of physics. For onething, there would be a causality violation. If you couldtravel backward in time, you could alter a chain of events20 with the

20、knowledge of how they would have turned out.Cause would no longer always precede effect. For example,you could prevent your parents from ever meeting.Contemplating the consequences of that will give you aheadache. and science fiction writers for decades have25 delighted in the paradoxes that can ari

21、se from travelingthrough time.Physicists are, of course. horrified at the thought ofcausality violation. Differential equations for the waythings should behave under a given set of forces and30 initial conditions would no longer be valid. since whathappens in one instant would not necessarily determ

22、inewhat happens in the next. Physicists do rely on a deterministicuniverse in which to operate. and time travel wouldalmost certainly put them and most other scientists35 permanently out of work.Still. I dream of time travel. There is something verypersonal about lime. When the first mechanical cloc

23、kswere invented. marking off time in crisp. regular intervals,it must have surprised people 10 discover that time40 flowed outside their own mental and physiological processes.Body time flows at its own variable rate, obliviousto the most precise clocks in the laboratory. In fact, thehuman body cont

24、ains its own exquisite timepieces, all withtheir separate rhythms. There are the alpha waves in the45 brain; another clock is the heart. And all the while tick themysterious, ruthless clocks that regulate aging.Recently, I found my great-grandfather's favorite pipe.Papa Joe, as he was called, di

25、ed more than seventy yearsago, long before I was born. There are few surviving photo-50 graphs or other memorabilia of Papa Joe. Butl do have hispipe, which had been tucked away in a drawer somewherefor years and was in good condition when I found il. I rana pipe cleaner through it, filled it with s

26、ome tobacco I hadon hand. and settled down to read and smoke. After a cou-55 pic of minutes. the most wonderful and foreign blend ofsmells began wafting from the pipe. All the different occasionswhen Papa Joe had lit his pipe, all the different placeshe had been that I will never know-all had been l

27、ockedup in that pipe and now poured out into the room. I was60 vaguely aware that something had got delightfully twistedin time for a moment, skipped upward on the page. Thereis a kind of time travel 10 be had, if you don't insist on howit happens.文章大意：文中主要通過描寫現(xiàn)下最流行的穿越小說，穿越時(shí)空，很多科幻小說都選取穿越題材，過度到作者

28、物理學(xué)上的時(shí)間，人類心理對(duì)于時(shí)間的概念，人的生物鐘。長(zhǎng)難詞：basking曬太陽staggering蹣跚的 paradox 悖論equation 方程式crisp脆的新鮮的 timepiece 鐘等計(jì)時(shí)器alpha 希臘第一個(gè)字母，開端ruthless無情的殘忍的 memorabilia大事記 waft含糊的 vaguely 飄蕩吹拂10. The author mentions Australopithecus in line 3in order to(A) note an evolutionary progression in the physicalworld(B) dramatize

29、how different Earth was two millionyears ago(C) commend the superior work of astronomers inisolating a moment early in time(D) establish a link between the length of time thatAfrica has been inhabited and the discovery ofthe Andromeda galaxy(E) emphasize the relatively long period of humanlife compa

30、red to the age of the universe解析：B，文中提到“they see it as it was two million years ago. That's about the lime Auslralopithecus was basking in the African sun.”好像兩百萬年前南方古猿在非洲享受日光浴的時(shí)代，這里戲劇化的想掉了地球兩百萬年前與現(xiàn)在的不同。11. The statement in lines 6·7 ("Too bad . Andromeda")suggests that(A) scientis

31、ts would like to observe events thatoccurred on Earth in the distant past(B) there may be planets in Andromeda that arereachable through space travel(C) the study of Andromeda would offer interestingcomparisons to planet Earth(D) a planet in Andromeda will be a likelyobservation point for Earth in t

32、he future(E) Andromeda is much older than Earth解析：E，這里指的是想從一些想仙女座這樣比較舒適的星球來觀察地球，這里說的是仙女座要比地球12. The author mentions "plague" (line 13) and "space stations" (line 15) primarily to(A) give an example of the themes of novels aboutlime travel(B) suggest contrasting views of the futur

33、e(C) scoff at the scientific consequences of time travel(D) give examples of the subjects that scientists areinterested in(E) suggest why time travel is such a fascinating topic解析：A，這里句“瘟疫”和“太空站”的意思就是針對(duì)穿越小說給大家舉例。13. The author introduces the third paragraph with thewords "Being a scientist"

34、; in order toA) explain an in tense personal interest in the topic(B) lend an air of authority to the discussion of timetravel(C) suggest why certain forms of literature are soappealing(D) provoke those who defend science fiction(E) help illustrate the term "causality violation"解析：B，在這里作者前

35、面提到的是穿越時(shí)間接著作者說這與物理學(xué)是不符合的，表明自己是科學(xué)家這里更有權(quán)威性。14. In discussing causality violations (lines 16·35), theauthor addresses concerns about all of the following EXCEPTCA) anticipatory knowledge of events(B) the belief in a deterministic universe(C) the mechanics of space travel(D) cause-and-effect relati

36、onships(E) differential equations based on known forces解析：C，作者在這里提到因果關(guān)系時(shí)ABED這四個(gè)選項(xiàng)文中都有提到，但是C時(shí)空穿越的機(jī)械性是沒有提到的。15. Which of the following, if true, would undermine the validity of the author's assumption about the impact of mechanical clocks ("When the first . the laboratory")in lines 37-42

37、 ?(A) People were oblivious to time on a physical levelbefore clocks were in vented.(B) People have always perceived time as composedof discrete. uniform intervals.(C) Concern about time was unnecessary until clockswere invented.(D) Mental and physiological processes are verypredictable.(E) Body lim

38、e does not move at a constant rate.解析：B，下面哪一個(gè)成立會(huì)削弱機(jī)械鐘的影響力這一假設(shè)，那么如果人們總是能夠非常準(zhǔn)確一致的感知時(shí)間機(jī)械鐘也就不那么重要了，所以直接排除法選擇B。16. The author mentions the brain and the heart(lines 44-45) in order to(A) demonstrate the rhythmical qualities of timepieces(B) explain the historical significance of mechanicalclocks(C) empha

39、size how the two organs interact to regulateinternal rhythms(D) illustrate the body's different internal clocks(E) demystify the precision of organic processes解析：D，這里就是解釋人體不同器官所反射的一種生物鐘。17. The author uses the word '"ruthless" (line 46) tosuggest that(A) people are bewildered by th

40、e prospect of aging(B) the human body has mysterious capacities(C) some people age more rapidly than others do(D) people's sense of time changes as they age(E) the process of aging is relentless解析：E，這里我們可以找到文中的位置，大腦是一個(gè)生物鐘，心臟是另一個(gè)，他們每天都在滴滴答答的無情的推著我們變老，所以選擇E。18. The author mentions that "somet

41、hing . skippedupward on the page" (lines 60-61) to suggest that(A) he reread a portion of the page(B) his vision was affected by the smoke(C) he traveled back in time in his imagination(D) his reading reminded him of Papa Joe(E) he believes that reading is the best way to recreatethe past解析：C，這

42、里文中說“I was vaguely aware that something had got delightfully twisted in time for a moment, skipped upward on the page. Thereis a kind of time travel to be had,”這里作者接著煙霧想象自己穿越旅行。Questions 19-24 are based on the following passage.The following passage is an excerpt from a book abouttwentieth-century d

43、evelopment in art. The author refershere to the modern art that emerged shortly after the filmof the century. Many people found this art shocking.If the new art is not accessible to everyone, whichcertainly seems 10 be the case, this implies that its impulsesare not of a generically human kind. It i

44、s an art not forpeople in general but for a special class who may not be5 better but who are evidently different.Before we go further, one point must be clarified. Whatis it that the majority of people call 3esthetic pleasure?What happens in their minds when they "like" a work ofart: for e

45、xample, a play? The answer is easy. They like a10 play when they become interested in the human destiniesthat are represented. when the love and hatred. the joys andsorrows of the dramatic personages so move them that theyparticipate in it all as though it were happening in real life.And they call a

46、 work "good" if it succeeds in creating the15 illusion necessary to make the imaginary personages appearlike living persons. In poetry the majority of people seekthe passion and pain of the human being behind the poet.Paintings attract them if they find in them figures of men orwomen it wo

47、uld be interesting to meet.20 It thus appears that to the majority of people aestheticpleasure means a state of mind that is essentiallyindistinguishable from their ordinary behavior. II differsmerely in accidental qualities. being perhaps less utilitarian.more intense. and free from painful consequ

48、ences. But the25 object toward which their attention and. consequently, alltheir other mental activities are directed is the same as indaily life: people and passions. When forced to considerartistic forms proper-for example. in some surrealistic orabstract an-most people will only tolerate them if

49、they do30 not interfere with their perception of human forms andfates. As soon as purely aesthetic elements predominateand the story of John and Susie grows elusive. most peoplefeel out of their depth and are at a loss as to what to makeof the scene. the book. or the painting. A work of art35 vanish

50、es from sight for a beholder who seeks in that workof an nothing but the moving fate of John and Susie orTristan and Isolde.· Unaccustomed to behaving in anymode except the practical one in which feelings are arousedand emotional involvement ensues. most people are unsure40 how to respond to a

51、work that does not invite sentimentalintervention.Now this is a point that has to be made perfectly clear.Neither grieving nor rejoicing at such human destinies asthose presented by a work of an begins to define true45 artistic pleasure: indeed. preoccupation with the humancontent of the work is in

52、principle incompatible withaesthetic enjoyment proper .文章大意：本文一直圍繞的主題是大多數(shù)人稱之為審美樂趣的東西到底是什么，大部分人對(duì)于藝術(shù)上的審美情趣是在于作品中的人文因素這是不對(duì)的，而單單是藝術(shù)元素。人類對(duì)于藝術(shù)的審視角度也是不一樣。長(zhǎng)難詞：hatred 憎恨personage 角色，名人surrealistic elusive rejoice19. The passage is primarily concerned with the(A) Jives artists lead as opposed to the ones they

53、 imagine(B) emotional impact of a painting's subject matter(C) nature of the pleasure that most people find in awork of an(D) wide variety of responses that audiences have to different works of an(E) contrast between the formal elements of the new an and those of the old20. As used in· line

54、 18. "figures" most nearly means(A) crude images(B) abstractions(C) representations(D) numbers(E) famous persons解析：C，這里“In poetry the majority of people seekthe passion and pain of the human being behind the poet.Paintings attract them if they find in them figures of men or women it would

55、be interesting to meet.”figures 這里指的是一些代表，后面說道這里一些男女是他們想要見到的人。21. It is most likely that "the story of John and Susie"(line 32) refers to(A) a fictional work that the author will proceed to critique(B) a typical narrative of interpersonal relationships(C) an account of an affair in the for

56、m of a mystery(D) a legendary couple that has fascinated artiststhrough the ages(E) a cryptic chronicle of renowned historicalpersonages解析：B，這里提到當(dāng)約翰和蘇西的故事變的難懂，大部分人理解不了他的深度的時(shí)候很多人就會(huì)茫然了，所以作者批評(píng)的是這中典型的敘述關(guān)系。22. The author suggests that the majority of people resist modem art because they(A) consider modem

57、 artists to be elitist(B) are too influenced by critics to view the an on itsown merits(C) are annoyed by its social message(D) find in it little of human interest to engage them(E) find it too difficult to guess at the artists sourceof inspiration解析：D，這里作者說道“is not for people in general.”后面說道大部分的人不知道怎么藝術(shù)的元素來源和組成，所以對(duì)于現(xiàn)代藝術(shù)是抵觸的。23. The author's attitude toward the majority of people can best be described as(A) genuinely puzzled(B) aggressively hostile(C) solemnly respectful(D) generally indifferent(E) condescendin