PASSAGE 1
SURGE GLACIERS
During most of their lives, surge glaciers behave like normal glaciers, traveling perhaps only a couple of inches per day. However, at intervals of 10 to 100 years, these glaciers move forward up to 100 times faster than usual. The surge often progresses along a glacier like a great wave, proceeding from one section to another. Subglacial streams of meltwater, which create water pressure under the glacier, might lift it off its bed, overcoming the friction between ice and rock, thus freeing the glacier, which rapidly sliders downhill. Surge glaciers also might be influenced by the climate,volcanic heat, or earthquakes. however many of these glaciers often almost side by side.these glaciers exist in the same area as normal glaciers, often almost side by side
1. What is the main topic of the passage?
A. The classification of different types of surge glaciers
B. The causes and consequences of surge glaciers
C. The definition of a surge glacier
D. The history of a particular surge glacier
2. The word intervals is closest in meaning to
A. records
B. speeds
C. distances
D. frequencies
3. The author compares the surging motion of a surge glacier to the movement of a:
A. fish
B. wave
C. machine
D. boat
4. Which of the following does the author mention as a possible cause of surging glaciers?
A. The decline in sea levels
B. The occurrence of unusually large ocean waves
C. The shifting Antarctic ice shelves
D. The pressure of meltwater underneath the glacier
5: The word freeing is closest in meaning to:
A. pushing
B. releasing
C. strengthening
D. draining
Some 800 years ago, Alaska’s Hubbard Glacier advanced toward the sea, retreated, and advanced again 500 years later. Since 1895, this seventy-mile-long river of ice has been flowing steadily toward the Gulf of Alaska at a rate of approximately 200 feet per year. In June 1986,however, the glacier surged ahead as much as 47 feet a day. Meanwhile, a western tributary, called Valerie Glacier, advanced up to 112 feet a day. Hubbard's surge closed off Russell Fiord with a formidable ice dam, some 2,500 feet wide and up to 800 feet high, whose caged waters threatened the town of Yakutat to the south.
About 20 similar glaciers around the Gulf of Alaska are heading toward the sea. If enough surge glaciers reach the ocean and raise sea levels, West Antarctic ice shelves could rise off the seafloor and become adrift. A flood of ice would then surge into the Southern Sea. With the continued rise in sea level, more ice would plunge into the ocean, causing sea levels to rise even higher, which in turn would release more ice
and set in motion a vicious cycle. The additional sea ice floating toward the tropics would increase Earth‘s Albedo and lower global temperatures, perhaps enough to initiate a new ice age. This situation appears to have occurred at the end of
the last warm interglacial (the time between glaciations), called the Sangamon, when sea ice cooled the ocean dramatically, spawning the beginning of the ice age.
6: According to the passage 1, the Hubbard Glacier:
A. moves more often than the Valerie Glacier
B. began movement toward the sea in 1895
C. is 800 feet wide
D. has moved as fast as 47 feet per day
7. Yakutat is the name of:
A. an Alaskan town
B. the last ice age
C. a surge glacier
D. an antarctic ice shelf
8. The word plunge is closest in meaning to:
A. drop
B. extend
C. melt
D. drift
9. The term vicious cycle refers to the:
A. movement pattern of surge glaciers.
B. effect surge glaciers could have on the temperature of tropical areas.
C. effect that repeated rising sea levels might have on glacial ice
D. constant threat surge glaciers could pose to the Gulf of Alaska. "
10. Which of the following statements is supported by the passage 2 ?
A. The movement of surge glaciers can be prevented.
B. The next ice age could be caused by surge glaciers.
C. Surge glaciers help to support Antarctic ice shelves.
D. Normal glaciers have little effect on Earth’s climate.
PASSAGE 2
ART NOUVEAU
The end of the nineteenth century and the early years of the twentieth century were marked by the development of an international Art Nouveau style,characterized by sinuous lines, floral and vegetable motifs, and soft evanescent coloration. The Art Nouveau style was an eclectic one, bringing together elements of Japanese art, motifs of ancient cultures, and natural forms. The glass objects of this style were elegant in outline, although often
deliberately distorted, with pale or iridescent surfaces. A favored device of the style was to imitate the iridescent surface seen on ancient glass that had been buried. Much of the Art Nouveau glass produced during the years of its greatest popularity had been generically termed “art glass." Art glass was intended for decorative purposes and relied for its effect on carefully chosen color combinations and innovative techniques.
France produced a number of outstanding exponents of the Art Nouveau style; among the most celebrated was Emile Galle (1846-1904). In the United States, Louis Comfort Tiffany (1843- 1933) was the most noted exponent of this style, producing a great variety of glass forms and surfaces, which were widely copied in their time and are highly prized today. Tiffany was a brilliant designer, successfully combining ancient Egyptian, Japanese, and Persian motifs.
11. What does paragraph 1 mainly discuss?
A. Design elements in the Art Nouveau style
B. The popularity of the Art Nouveau style
C. Production techniques for art glass
D. Color combinations typical of the Art Nouveau style
12. The word one refers to:
A. century
B. development
C. style
D. coloration
13. Paragraph 1 mentions that Art Nouveau glass was sometimes similar to which aspect of ancient buried glass:
A. The distortion of the glass
B. The appearance of the glass surface
C. The shapes of the glass objects
D. The size of the glass objects
14. What is the main purpose of paragraph 2?
A. To compare different Art Nouveau styles
B. To give examples of famous Art Nouveau artists
C. To explain why Art Nouveau glass was so popular in the United States
D. To show the impact Art Nouveau had on other cultures around the world
15. The word prized is closest in meaning to:
A. valued
B. universal
C. uncommon
D.preserved
The Art Nouveau style was a major force in the decorative arts from 1895 until 1915, although its influence continued throughout the mid-1920's. It was eventually to be overtaken by a new school of thought known as Functionalism that had been present since the turn of the century. At first restricted to a small avant-garde group of architects and designers, Functionalism emerged as the dominant influence upon designers after the First World War. The basic tenet of the movement- that function should determine form-was not a new concept. Soon a distinct aesthetic code evolved: from should be simple, surfaces plain, and any ornament should be based on geometric relationships. This new design concept,coupled with the sharp postwar reactions to the styles and conventions of the preceding decades, created an entirely new public taste which caused art
Nouveau types of glass to fall out of favour. The new taste demanded dramatic effects of contrast, stark outline and complex textural surfaces:
16. The word overtaken is closest in meaning to:
A. Supplanted
B. inclined
C. expressed
D. applied
17. What does the author mean by stating that “function should determine form:” :
A. A useful object should not be attractive.
B. The purpose of an object should influence its form.
C. The design of an object is conSidered more Significant than its function
D. The form of an object should not include decorative elements.
18. It can be inferred from the passage that one reason Functionalism became popular was that it:
A. clearly distinguished between art and design
B. appealed to people who liked complex painted designs
C. reflected a common desire to break from the past
D. was easily interpreted by the general public
19. Paragraph supports which of the following statements about
Functionalism?
A. lts design concept avoided geometric shapes.
B. It started on a small scale and then spread gradually.
C. It was a major force in the decorative arts before the First World War.
D. It was not attractive to architects all designers.
20. According to the passage, an object made in the Art Nouveai.style would most likely include:
A. a flowered design
B. bright colors
C. modern symbols
D. a textured surface
B
D
B
D
B
D
A
A
D
B
B
C
B
B
A
A
B
C
B
A