Question

Not all bodies of water are so evidently alive as the Atlantic Ocean, an S-shaped body of water covering

33 million square miles. The Atlantic has, in a sense, replaced the Mediterranean as the inland sea of Western civilization. Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness. It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.

    “Storm at Sea”, a short poem written around 700, is generally regarded as one of mankind’s earliest artistic representations of the Atlantic.

When the wind is from the west

All the waves that cannot rest

To the east must thunder on

Where the bright tree of the sun

Is rooted in the ocean’s breast.

    As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise-it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.

It is easy to imagine the Atlantic trying to draw breath-perhaps not so noticeably out in mid-ocean, but where it meets land, its waters bathing up and down a sandy beach. It mimics(模仿)nearly perfectly the steady breathing of a living creature. It is filled with symbiotic existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony, giving to the waters a feeling of heartbeat, a kind of sub-ocean vitality. And it has a psychology. It has personalities: sometimes peaceful and pleasant, on rare occasions rough and wild; always it is strong and striking.

1. Unlike real inland seas, the Atlantic Ocean is __________.

A. always energetic        B. lacking in liveliness

C. shaped like a square    D. favored by ancient poets

2. What is the purpose of using the poem “Storm at Sea” in the passage?

A. To describe the movement of the waves. 

B. To show the strength of the storm.

C. To represent the power of the ocean. 

D. To prove the vastness of the sea.

3.What does the underlined word “symbiotic” mean?

A. Living together.              B. Growing fast.

C. Moving harmoniously.         D. Breathing peacefully.

4.In the last paragraph, the Atlantic is compared to __________.

A. a beautiful and poetic place 

B. a flesh and blood person

C. a wonderful world 

D. a lovely animal

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：大西洋是世界上最有生气的水体。大西洋充满了活力充满了生机，它有心理活动有个性。

1.A细节推理题。根据根据Unlike real inland seas, which seem strangely still, the Atlantic is rich in oceanic liveliness.可知不像真正的静得不可思议的内陆海，大西洋富有海洋活力。故选A.

2.C推理判断题。根据第1段It is perhaps not surprising that its vitality has been much written about by ancient poets.早在很久以前，大西洋的生命力就在古诗词中被大量的歌颂。这句话起承上启下的作用，第2段接着引用了700多年前的一首小诗。根据诗后As the poem suggests, the Atlantic is never dead and dull. It is an ocean that moves, impressively and endlessly. It makes all kinds of noise-it is forever thundering, boiling, crashing, and whistling.可知这首诗表现了大西洋的力量，故选C.

3.A猜测词义题。根据第4段It is filled with symbiotic existences, too: unimaginable quantities of creatures, little and large alike, mix within its depths in a kind of oceanic harmony,….根据冒号后面的解释，应该是“一起生存的”，只有A项符合。故选A.

4.文章最后一段描述大西洋trying to draw breath尝试着呼吸，it has a psychology. It has personalities它有心理活动，它有个性，就像一个有血有肉的人。故选C.

考点：考查自然科学类短文阅读。

【名师点睛】

关于词义猜测题

做这种类型的题，要根据词、词组、句子所在的语境上下文来判断其意义。因此熟练掌握一些猜词技巧是做好这类题的关键。命题者在出这类题时惯用常规词义来麻痹考生，我们要特别注意熟词生义，切不可脱离语境主观臆断。

下面结合文本及近几年高考试题，对词义猜测的技巧加以解读。

1.根据定义或上下文解释进行猜测

有时短文中出现一个需要猜测其意义的词或短语，下面接着出现其定义或解释，这就是判断该词或短语意义的主要依据。例如：It will be very hard but also very brittle—that is, it will break easily.从后面that is(也就是说)的解释中我们可以了解到brittle 是“脆”的意思。

2.根据同位关系进行猜测

阅读中出现的难词有时后面紧跟一个同位语，对前面的词进行解释，这时可利用同位关系对前面或后面的词义或句意进行猜测。例如：The “Chunnel”, a tunnel(隧道) connecting England and France, is now complete.此句中a tunnel connecting England and France是Chunnel的同位语。因此，The “Chunnel”就是英法之间的海底隧道。

3.根据构词法(前缀、后缀、复合、派生等)进行猜测

在英语中，有很多词可以在前面加前缀，在后面加后缀，从而构成一个词，乍看起来，这个词可能是新词，但掌握了一定的构词知识，就不难猜出它的词义。例如：“Our parties are aimed for children 2 to 10,” Anaclerio said, “and they’re very interactive and creative in that they built a sense of drama based on a subject.”文中interactive是由前缀inter-(相互的)和active(活动的，活跃的)而构成的，同时根据上下文的意思可以判断，该词的含义应是“互动的”。

4.根据转折或对比关系进行猜测

根据上下句的连接词，如but, however, otherwise等就可以看到前后句在意义上的差别，从而依据某一句的含义，来确定另一句的含义。另外，分号也可以表示转折、对比或不相干的意义。例如：A child’s birthday party doesn’t have to be a hassle; it can be a basket of fun.从前后两句的意思可以看出，hassle和a basket of fun肯定是近乎相反的意义。所以不难判断hassle的意思是“困难，麻烦”。