Passage One
A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement(新拓居地) spread over farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the toad, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there’ were thousands of. miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.
The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental sys tem. In 1862 congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska west ward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a t
A. 9 years
B. 7 years
C. 4 years
D. 3 years
Passage One
A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement(新拓居地) spread over farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the toad, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there’ were thousands of. miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.
The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental sys tem. In 1862 congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska west ward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a t
A. The possibility of government support for such a task.
B. The need to explore Utah.
C. The need to connect the east coast with the west.
D. The need to develop the railroad industry in the west.
Passage Two
A rapid means of long-distance transportation became a necessity for the United States as settlement (新拓居地) spread ever farther westward. The early trains were impractical curiosities, and for a long time the railroad companies met with troublesome mechanical problems. The most serious ones were the construction of rails able to bear the load, and the development of a safe, effective stopping system. Once these were solved, the railroad was established as the best means of land transportation. By 1860 there were thousands of miles of railroads crossing the eastern mountain ranges and reaching westward to the Mississippi. There were also regional southern and western lines.
The high point in railroad building came with the construction of the first transcontinental system. In 1862 Congress authorized two western railroad companies to build lines from Nebraska westward and from California eastward to a meeting point, so as to complete a transconti
A. The possibility of government support for such a task.
B. The need to explore Utah.
C. The need to connect the east coast with the west.
D. The need to develop the railroad industry in the west.
Passage Five
Although no one is certain why migration occurs, there are several theories. One theory is based upon the premise that prehistoric birds of the northen Hemisphere were forced south during the Ice Age, when glaciers covered large parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. As the glaciers melted, the birds came back to their homelands, spent the summer, and then went south again as the ice advanced in winter. In time, the migration became a habit, and now, although the glaciers have disappeared, the habit continues.
Another theory proposes that the ancestral home of all modern birds was the tropics. When the region became overpopulated, many species were crowded north. During the summer, there was plenty of food, but during the winter, scarcity forced them to return to the tropics.
A more recent theory, known as photoperiodism, suggests a relationship between increasing daylight and the stimulation of certain glands in the birds’ bod
A. To test the relationship between daylight and a disease of the glands common to birds.
B. To test the relationship between daylight and migration.
C. To test the relationship between migration and temperature.
D. To test the relationship between daylight and changes in the season.
Passage 1
I am one of those unfortunate people who have a very (61) sense of direction. When I was young I was (62) shy that I never dared to ask complete strangers the way to the spot I was heading (63) .
Things have now changed, but I often receive replies that puzzle me because (64) do not like to admit that they do not know their hometown and will insist (65) telling you the way even if they do not know it; others, (66) are anxious to prove that they know their hometown very well, will give you a long list of directions (67) you cannot possibly hope to remember; and (68) others do not seem to be able to tell between left and right and you will find it in the end that you are going in the opposite to that (69) you should be going.
If anyone ever asks me the way somewhere, I always tell him that I am a stranger to the town in order to avoid (70) them wrong directions.
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