Question 01-08

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Question 09-20

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Question 21-31 A type of western wild vegetation (全對！)

      __Legend__ has it that sometime toward the end of the Civil War (1861-1865) a

government train carrying oxen traveling through the northern plains of eastern

Wyoming was caught in a snowstorm and had to be abandoned. The driver returned

the next spring to see what had become of his cargo. Instead of the skeletons he had

expected to find, he saw his oxen, living, fat, and healthy. How had they survived?

      The answer lay in a resource that unknowing Americans had trampled underfoot in

their haste to cross the "Great American Desert" to reach lands that sometimes proved

barren. In the eastern parts of the United States, the preferred grass for forage was a

__cultivated plant__. It grew well with enough rain, then when cut and stored it would cure

and become nourishing hay for winter feed. But in the dry grazing lands of the West

that familiar bluejoint grass was often killed by drought. To raise cattle out there

seemed risky or even hopeless.

      Who could imagine a fairy-tale grass that required no rain and somehow made it

possible for cattle to feed themselves all winter__? But __the surprising western wild

grasses did just that. They had wonderfully convenient features that made them

superior to the cultivated eastern grasses. Variously known as buffalo grass, grama

grass, or mesquite grass, not only were they immune to drought; but they were actually

preserved by the lack of summer and autumn rains. They were not juicy like the

cultivated eastern grasses, but had short, hard stems. And they did not need to be cured

in a barn, but dried right where they grew on the ground. When they dried in this way,

they remained naturally sweet and nourishing through the winter. Cattle left outdoors

to fend for themselves thrived on this hay. And the cattle themselves helped plant the

fresh grass year after year for they trampled the natural seeds firmly into the soil to be

watered by the melting snows of winter and the occasional rains of spring. The dry

summer air cured them much as storing in a barn cured the cultivated grasses.

21. What does the passage mainly discuss?

   (A) Western migration after the Civil War

   (B) The climate of the western United States

   (C) The raising of cattle.

   (D) A type of wild vegetation

22. What can be inferred by the phrase "Legend has it" in line 1?

   (A) The story of the train may not be completely factual.

   (B) Most history books include the story of the train.

   (C) The driver of the train invented the story.

   (D) The story of the train is similar to other ones from that time period.

23. The word "they" in line 5 refers to

   (A) plains

   (B) skeletons

   (C) oxen

   (D) Americans

24. What can be inferred about the "Great American Desert" mentioned in line 7?

   (A) It was not originally assumed to be a fertile area.

   (B) Many had settled there by the 1860's.

   (C) It was a popular place to raise cattle before the Civil War.

   (D) It was not discovered until the late 1800's.

25. The word "barren" in line 8 is closest in meaning to

   (A) lonely

   (B) dangerous

   (C) uncomfortable

   (D) infertile.

26. The word "preferred" in line 8 is closest in meaning to

   (A) ordinary

   (B) available

   (C) required

   (D) favored

27. Which of the following can be inferred about the cultivated grass mentioned in the second paragraph?

   (A) Cattle raised in the western United States refused to eat it.

   (B) It would probably not grow in the western United States.

   (C) It had to be imported into the United States.

   (D) It was difficult for cattle to digest.

28. Which of the following was NOT one of the names given to the Western grasses?

   (A) Grama grass

   (B) Bluejoint grass

   (C) Buffalo grass

   (D) Mesquite grass

29. Which of the following was NOT mentioned as a characteristic of western grasses?

   (A) They have tough stems.

   (B) They are not affected by dry weather.

   (C) They can be grown indoors.

   (D) They contain little moisture.

30. The word "hard" in line 19 is closest in meaning to

   (A) firm

   (B) severe

   (C) difficult

   (D) bitter

31. According to the passage, the cattle helped promote the growth of the wild grasses by

   (A) stepping on and pressing the seeds into the ground

   (B) naturally fertilizing the soil

   (C) continually moving from one grazing area to another

   (D) eating only small quantities of grass.

註釋

• Paragraph 1: A legend. How had the oxen in the story survived?
• Paragraph 2: Eastern cultivated grass
• Paragraph 3: Western wild grass required no rain (the answer !)

題解

DACAD DBBCA A

21. 第一段問了個問題，而它的答案就是第三段的 western wild grass，所以全文主角也就是它

22. legend: a story coming down from the past; especially one popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable

23. Instead of the skeletons he had expected to find, he saw his oxen, living, fat, and healthy. How had they survived?

24. desert 除了「沙漠」，也有「荒野、不毛之地」之意，也正是 not a fertile area 之意

25. barren ≒ infertile

26. preferred ≒ favored

27. But in the dry grazing lands of the West that familiar bluejoint grass (eastern cultivated grass) was often killed by drought.

28. Variously known as buffalo grass, grama grass, or mesquite grass, not only were they immune to drought ...

29. not only were they immune to drought (not affected by dry weather)

      They were not juicy (little moisture) like the cultivated eastern grasses, but had short, hard stems (tough stems).

30. hard ≒ firm

31. he cattle themselves helped plant the fresh grass year after year for they trampled the natural seeds firmly into the soil.

單字

• oxen (ox 的複數) 公牛
• plains (常加s)平原;曠野 a large area of flat dry land
• unknowing 沒發覺的;不知道的 (unware) not realizing what you are doing or what is happening
• trample 踩,踐踏 to step heavily on something, so that you crush it with your feet
• underfoot (adv.)踐踏地 under your feet where you are walking
• trample sb./sth. underfoot

  to crush someone or something on the ground by stepping heavily on them

  to completely destroy someone or something

• haste 急忙;迅速 great speed in doing something, especially because you do not have enough time
• in your haste to do sth. 在你急忙做什麼事的時候
• barren 貧瘠的,荒蕪的,不毛的 land or soil that is barren has no plants growing on it
• forage 草料,飼料 food supplies for horses and cattle
• cultivated 栽培的,非野生的;有教養的 cultivated crops or plants are ones grown by people
• cure (用醃,曬,燻等方法)保存(食品) to preserve food, tobacco etc by drying it, hanging it in smoke, or covering it with salt
• hay (做飼料用的)乾草 long grass that has been cut and dried, often used as food for cattle
• grazing (noun) (graze: 放牧、擦過) 放牧 if an animal grazes, or if you graze it, it eats grass that is growing
• bluejoint (？) (藍成一片？)
• cattle 牛;牲口,家畜 (集合名詞) cows and bulls kept on a farm for their meat or milk
• immune to 免疫的;免除的;免於...的 not affected by something that happens or is done
• barn 穀倉,糧倉 a large farm building for storing crops, or for keeping animals in
• fend 供養;照料

  fend for yourself 自謀生計 to look after yourself without needing help from other people

• thrive 茁壯成長;茂盛生長 to become very successful or very strong and healthy

  thrive on sth. 靠...(本來很難的)茂盛生長 to enjoy or be successful in a particular situation, especially one that other people find difficult or unpleasant

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Question 32-44

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Question 45-50 How a bloodhound's sense of smell works (全對！)

Bloodhounds are biologically adapted to trailing their prey. The process by which

the nose recognizes an odor is not fully understood, but there are apparently specific

receptor sites for specific odors. In one explanation, recognition occurs when a scent

molecule fits into its corresponding receptor site, like a key into a lock, causing a

mechanical or chemical change in the cell. Bloodhounds apparently have denser

concentrations of receptor sites tuned to human scents.

When a bloodhound trails a human being, what does it actually smell? The human

body, which consists of about 60 trillion living cells, sheds exposed skin at a rate of 50

million cells a day. So even a trail that has been dispersed by breezes may still seem

rich to a bloodhound. The body also produces about 31 to 50 ounces of sweat a day.

Neither this fluid nor the shed skin cells have much odor by themselves, but the

bacteria working on both substances is another matter. One microbiologist estimates

the resident bacteria population of a clean square centimeter of skin on the human

shoulder at "multiples of a million." As they go about their daily business breaking

down lipids, or fatty substances, on the skin, these bacteria release volatile substances

that usually strike the bloodhound's nose as an entire constellation of distinctive scents.

45. What does the passage mainly discuss?

   (A) Why people choose bloodhounds for household pets

   (B) How a bloodhound's sense of smell works

   (C) How humans compensate for an underdeveloped sense of smell

   (D) The way in which bacteria work on skin cells and body sweat.

46. The author compares a scent molecule with a

   (A) key

   (B) lock

   (C) cell

   (D) bloodhound

47. In line 7, the word "it" refers to

   (A) bloodhound

   (B) human being

   (C) smell

   (D) body

48. According to the passage, how many cells of skin does the human body rid itself of every day?

   (A) 60 trillion

   (B) 50 million

   (C) 1 million

   (D) Between 31 and 50

49. In line 10, the word "rich" is used to mean that a trail is

   (A) paved with precious materials

   (B) a profitable business to get into

   (C) a very costly undertaking

   (D) filled with an abundance of clues.

50. Which of the following acts as a stimulus in the production of the human scent?

   (A) Sweat

   (B) Dead skin cells

   (C) Bacteria

   (D) Fatty substances

註釋

• Paragraph 1: Bloodhounds have receptor sites tuned to human scents
  • odor to a receptor site, like a key to a lock
• Paragraph 2. What does a Bloodhound smell when it trails a human being ?
  • shed skin cells: the body sheds exposed skin at a rate of 50 million cells a day
  • sweat: the body produces 31 to 50 ounces of sweat a day
  • bacteria (> shed skin cells & sweat) : as they break down lipids, or fatty substances, the bacteria release volatile substances

題解

BAABDC

45. 主要就是討論 bloodhounds, human being, odor (smell), recepto site

46. odor(scent) to a receptor site, like a key to a lock

47. When a bloodhound trails a human being, what does it actually smell?

48. sheds(rid of) exposed skin at a rate of 50 million cells a day

49. rich 在該句是指「量的豐富」

50. as they break down lipids, or fatty substances, the bacteria release volatile substances(scent)

單字

• bloodhound 獵犬
• trail V.:跟蹤;追獵 N.:痕跡;蹤跡;足跡

  V.: to follow someone by looking for signs that they have gone in a particular direction N.: a sign that a person or animal has been in a place, used for finding or catching them

• odor 氣味 a smell, especially an unpleasant one
• receptor 感覺器官 (receive)
• trillion 兆,一千的四次冪 (K, M, G, T)
• shed 脫落 (三態同) to get rid of something that you no longer need or want
• disperse 消散 if something disperses or is dispersed, it spreads in different directions over a wide area
• multiples of a million 的 multiple 應是當「倍數」解
• go about 開始工作、著手處理
• lipid 脂質
• volatile 易揮發的 a volatile liquid or substance changes easily into a gas
• constellation, a constellation of 薈萃;群集 a group of people or things that are similar

  本意為星座，con-stella (together - star)

• stimulus 刺激;刺激品;興奮劑 (複數: stimuli) something that helps a process to develop more quickly or more strongly

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