SAT閱讀:Reading Comprehension Test13 參考答案

　　1.Correct Answer: A

　　Explanation:

　　The passage tells us that the framers of the Constitution would not have been so surprised at the changes in technology and other areas as they would have been by the Prohibition Amendment. It goes on to indicate that there is some fundamental change in principle involved in this amendment, but does not elaborate. We can conclude that the author is about to go into details of this amendment and why it is apparently so different. This is why we can say the passage is an introduction to a discussion of the amendment.

　　2.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　The author refers to the breaking down of a principle that the founders would have thought “axiomatic”. Axiomatic means assumed to be true. It is the Prohibition Amendment that apparently breaks down or “violates” this principle, making C the correct answer. This principle would not have bewildered the founders; the amendment would (eliminating E). Similarly the amendment represents a change in belief (eliminating D). B is too strong because of the word “all”, and A can be ruled out because of “not”.

　　3.Correct Answer: B

　　Explanation:

　　The author says in sentence two that his previous definition was “too absolute”. Yet he admits that the less man “upsets the balance of Nature” the better. Hence his definition is not entirely right (because it is too idealistic) but it is not entirely wrong either. It is now easy to eliminate answers A, C, D, and E because they are strongly negative.

　　4.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　In “except” questions find the true statements first. In this case find four statements that weaken the idea that destroying pests is beneficial. That means finding statements that show that it is not a good idea to destroy the pests. Answers A, B, C, and E give reasons why destroying these insects might be a mistake. D, however, is the right answer because it suggests that eliminating these insects might not be wrong, since they are not even natural inhabitants of the area.

　　5.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　The main point of paragraph one is that, though Priestley made important contributions to factual knowledge, “he had no comprehension of the deeper significance of his work”, and. in fact, spent his life defending wrong ideas. This suggests that the first part of answer C and E could be right. The main point of paragraph two is that, though Priestley was not as great as some other scientists, he managed to make important discoveries that were “truly wonderful if we consider the disadvantages under which he labored”. This idea is most accurately conveyed in answer E.

　　6.Correct Answer: E

　　Explanation:

　　The words “dephlogisticated air” are placed in inverted commas because the name used by Priestley is misleading; its true nature and important role in combustion etc. had to be elucidated by others. Hence we can say that the substance was important but the name was a misnomer. (A misnomer is a wrong name.) Paragraph two clearly tells us that it was one of the gases discovered by Priestley. It is obvious from paragraph one that Preistley’s ideas about his discovery were in error, and that he had no real idea of the theoretical implications of this work. Thus all three statements are correct.

　　7.Correct Answer: D

　　Explanation:

　　We can eliminate answer A because “the pinnacle” implies the topmost point. Priestley made important discoveries but it is obvious that the author thinks there are other scientists who are more important, making “pinnacle” too strong. There is no suggestion of “fighting”, eliminating answer B. Similarly “opposition” is wrong in E. There is no mention that he escaped “traditional ideas”; in fact paragraph one suggests that he has hampered by his adherence to old ideas. This leaves us with the idea that scaling the walls of science means succeeding in doing something difficult.

　　8.Correct Answer: C

　　Explanation:

　　Both passages say both positive and negative things about Priestley. So we can eliminate the entirely positive (B), and the entirely negative (A). The authors cannot be described as neutral because they take a position (eliminate D). Both are rather firm in their attitudes so ambivalence is inappropriate (eliminate E). By saying “qualified approval” we mean that the authors approve up to a point. The word “qualified” is a favorite with examiners because students often misunderstand; used in this way it actually means “modified, moderated, or limited”.