英语专业四级模拟试题附参考答案 第8套

PART V       READING COMPREHENSION                                         [25 MIN]

In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.

Mark your answers on your answer sheet.

TEXT A
The Netherlands borders Germany to the east, Belgium to the south, and the North sea to the north and west. The landscape is extremely flat. There are a few hills in the southeast corner of the country. Water is everywhere -- lakes, rivers, and canals, of many types, ranging from the large transport arteries for barge traffic to the narrow drainage ditches that crisscross the fields where Holland's five million cows graze, making fences unnecessary.

Land is very precious in the Netherlands. The special relationship between the Dutch and their lands, which they have so painstakingly reclaimed from the sea or converted from swamp, has shaped their character. The history has been a constant struggle to tame the natural forces of water, and they love the saying that "God made the world, but the Dutch made Holland themselves." Hardly any patch of ground is wasted in the Netherlands. The extreme care in land use can be frustrating to people who would like to build their own house, but it is also the reason why the second most crowded country in the world (after Bangladesh) can be a net exporter of food. In fact only the Americans export more food than the Dutch. Each of the Netherlands' three largest cities is a capital in its own way and each has its own special flavour. Amsterdam is the social and cultural centre, and its theatres, concert halls, museums and cafes are famous. It is full of visitors from many other countries. Rotterdam, with its huge international port, is the industrial centre and the country's commercial capital. Bombs flattened much of Rotterdam in the Second World War, so that its modern buildings contrast sharply with the 17-century centre of Amsterdam. The Hague is the seat of government and diplomacy and the residence of the Queen.

66. ______ make fences unnecessary in keeping the cows.
A. lakes and rivers
B. the large transport arteries for barge traffic
C. the narrow drainage ditches that crisscross the fields
D. all of the above

67. Holland can be a net exporter of food, mainly because ______
A. the soil in the Netherlands is very rich and productive.
B. the Dutch are very good at planting grains.
C. the Dutch have most advanced machines that help planting.
D. the Dutch value every inch of the ground and make full use of it.

68. If a president of a certain country wants to meet the leader of Holland, he should go to ______
A. Amsterdam.
B. Rotterdam.
C. Hague.
D. Utrecht.

69. Holland is a(n) ______
A. a republic.
B. an empire.
C. a monarchy.
D. not mentioned.