2014湖北襄阳二调英语试题答案(4)

C. North China is the worst polluted compared to the 90 cities
D. people preferred to live in South China after 1980
58. Where can you most probably read this passage?
A. On a fashion website. B. In a science paper.
C. In a guide book. D. In a health magazine.


                                           C
As a little boy I read a book with a picture showing a man reading while floating in the Dead Sea. What a miracle! How would it feel to lie back in water so thick with salt that it was impossible to sink?
Fed by the Jordan River and smaller streams, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth’s surface, and its water is ten times saltier than the Mediterranean. As evaporation (蒸发)is its only outlet, salt and other minerals become super-concentrated.
Earlier this year, I drove down the long, steep hill to realize my dream. The shoreline was a broad area of bare salt-mud, but the water edge was out of sight. It seemed as if somebody had pulled the Dead Sea’s plug(插头). Eli Dior, an Israeli official, explained the problem “The Dead Sea is drying up. Every year, the surface falls about one meter, and as the water level falls, shallow areas are left high and dry.”
Over the last half-century, the five neighboring countries have used up almost all the water flowing into the Dead Sea to meet human and agriculture needs. Result the Dead Sea is being emptied.
With population in the neighbouring countries to double at least in the next 50 years, there is little hope of restoring the water being used in this area. No country has a drop to spare for the Dead Sea, where they know it will just evaporate. To dream of opening the dams and restoring natural balance is unrealistic.
Yet one ambitious high-tech dream may turn out to be not only the solution to the Dead Sea but also a ticket to peace around its shores. The “Red-Dead” is a proposed $5 billion project to bring sea water some 240 kilometers by pipeline and canal from the Red Sea to the Dead Sea. The Red-Dead may be the only solution, but even if the project is carried out successfully, the Dead Sea will be 10 to 20 meters lower than now and two thirds of its current size.
Whatever the future holds, the Dead Sea’s magical mix of sun, mud, sea and salt will surely survive. Many might complain that the Dead Sea is half empty—but for me the Dead sea will always be half full.
59. What's the passage mainly about ?
A. The Dead Sea is a miracle of the world.  
B. How to save the environment of the Dead Sea.  
C. The Dead Sea is slowly becoming smaller.  
D. Why the Dead Sea is so salty.
50. According to the passage,the Dead Sea is drying up mainly because ____.
A. nearly no water flows into the Dead Sea
B. the water is evaporated in the Dead Sea area
C. much water is drawn from the Dead Sea
D. there is low annual rainfall in the Dead Sea area
61. It can be inferred from the passage that_____.  
A. the countries around the Dead Sea will join hands to spare water for the Sea
B. as a result of the project “Red-Dead”, the Dead Sea will be two thirds larger
C. water crisis is a potential threat to the peace of the area around the Dead Sea
D. If the Dead Sea dried up, great natural disasters would happen in the region
62. What is the writer's attitude towards the future of the Dead Sea?
A. reserved               B. concerned C. doubtful           D. optimistic


 D
When people talk about Golden Age in Leadville, Horace Austin Warner Tabor and his second wife, Elizabeth McCourt must be included. Their story is becoming one of the legends of the Old West. H.A.W.Tabor was a school teacher in Vermont. With his first wife and two children he left Vermont in 1855 to settle in Kansas. Perhaps he was attracted by rumors of fortunes to be made in Colorado mines. A few years later he moved west to the small Colorado mining camp known as California Gulch, which he later renamed Leadville when he became its leading citizen. “Great deposits of lead are sure to be found here.”he said.
As it turned out, it was silver, not lead, that was to make Leadville's fortune and wealth. Tabor knew little about mining himself, so he opened a general store selling everything from boots to salt, flour, and tobacco. He often “grubstook” miners, in other words, to supply them with food and supplies, or“grub”, while they looked for more. In return he would get a share in the mine if one was discovered. He did this for several years，but nobody he helped ever found anything of value.
Finally one day in the year 1878, so the story goes, two miners came in and asked for “grub”.Tabor had decided to quit supplying it because he had lost too much money that way. They were persistent, however, and Tabor was too busy to argue with them, “ Oh help yourself. One more time won’t make any difference，” He said and went on selling shoes and hats to other customers. The two miners took $17 worth of supplies, in return for which they gave Tabor a one-third interest in their findings. They picked a barren(贫瘠的)place on the mountain side and began to dig. After nine days they struck a rich amount of silver. Tabor bought the shares of the other two men, and so the mine belonged to him alone. This mine, known as the “Pittsburgh Mine，”made $300 000 for Tabor in return for his $17 investment.  
Later Tabor bought the Matchless Mine on another barren hillside just outside the town for $117 000. This turned out to be even more successful than the Pittsburgh, earning $35 000 worth of silver per day at one time. Leadville grew. Tabor became its first mayor.