2015年3月24日PSAT完整样题阅读部分第五篇文章解析

　　第五篇 第38-47题

　　这是一组双长对比文章。拿到双长对比文章的时候，我们首先要弄清楚这两篇文章的异同点以及两篇文章的关系。P1和P2都在讨论使灭绝的动物复活的内容。P1认为科技可以使已经灭绝的动物复活，并探讨了这样做积极的意义;P2认为使已灭绝的动物复活这一项目会带来很多问题。这篇文章一共有10题，我们发现除了常规的双长篇会出现的题型外，意外发现有两题是将在16年新SAT阅读中会考察的引证题，考察考生做题是否真正基于对文章内容的理解。

　　这篇文中的10道题中，信息和观点题共6道，修辞题1道，综合题3道。这10道题是非常符合美国新课标CCSS中CCR的几点要求：

　　Key Ideas and Details

　　1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.

　　Craft and Structure

　　4. Interpret words and phrases as they are used in a text, including determining technical, connotative, and figurative meanings, and analyze how specific word choices shape meaning or tone.

　　5. Analyze the structure of texts, including how specific sentences, paragraphs, and larger portions of the text (e.g., a section, chapter, scene, or stanza) relate to each other and the whole.

　　Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

　　9. Analyze how two or more texts address similar themes or topics in order to build knowledge or to compare the approaches the authors take.

　　具体的题目解析如下

　　Question 38.

　　The author of Passage 1 suggests that the usefulness of de‑extinction technology may be limited by the ( )

　　A. amount of time scientists are able to devote to genetic research.

　　B. relationship of an extinct species to contemporary ecosystems.

　　C. complexity of the D N A of an extinct species.

　　D. length of time that a species has been extinct.

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：信息和观点/仔细阅读

　　正确答案：D

　　解析：原文L9-11行解释道” D N A may eventually bring the animals back to life. Only species whose D N A is too old to be recovered, such as dinosaurs, are the ones to consider totally extinct, bodily and genetically” DNA可能最终会使动物复活。只有那些DNA年代太久远的动物无法复原，这些动物可以被认为已经完成灭绝了，包括动物肉体的和基因上的。显然原文的意思是如果DNA年代太久远，时间太长，就无法复活。这道题的意思是问动物复活技术使用性会因为下列哪一个受到限制。根据原文的意思，显然答案是D：物种灭绝的时间长度。

　　Question 39.

　　Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to question 38?

　　A. “Thanks to new developments in genetic technology, that D N A may eventually bring the animals back to life,”

　　B. “Only species whose D N A is too old to be recovered, such as dinosaurs, are the ones to consider totally extinct, bodily and genetically,”

　　C. “It will be expensive and difficult,”

　　D. “It will take decades. It won’t always succeed,”

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：信息和观点/引用文本证据

　　正确答案B

　　解析：这一题是我们16年改革后新SAT阅读中的一个新题型：引证题。引证题需要学生找出上一题答案的出处，来检验学生做题是否基于对原文内容的理解之上。上一题解析中已经讲到，根据P1的L9-11行得出的答案，所以此题的答案为B。

　　Question 40.

　　As used in sentence 4 of paragraph 5 in Passage 1 , “deepest” most nearly means ( )

　　A. most engrossing.

　　B. most challenging.

　　C. most extensive.

　　D. most fundamental.

　　难度：高

　　考察内容：信息和观点/解释单词和词组在文中的意思

　　正确答案：D

　　解析：词汇题一定根据上下文来进行理解，回到deepest所在的原文句子，”Furthermore, the prospect of de‑extinction is profound news.”再者，去灭绝化的前景是一个意义深远的消息。”Just the thought of mammoths and passenger pigeons alive again invokes the awe and wonder that drives all conservation at its deepest level”原文认为“想到可以让猛犸象和候鸽复活再次唤起了敬畏和惊叹，这个会激发最基本、最深入的讨论。”所以这里的deepest意思表示fundamental的意思，因此答案是D。其他答案都不符合。

　　Question 41.

　　The authors of Passage 2 indicate that the matter of shrinking biodiversity should primarily be considered a ( )

　　A. historical anomaly.

　　B. global catastrophe.

　　C. scientific curiosity.

　　D. political problem.

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：信息和观点/仔细阅读

　　正确答案：B

　　解析：P2提到”Species today are vanishing in such great numbers—many from hunting and habitat destruction—that the trend has been called a sixth mass extinction, an event on par with such die‑offs as the one that befell the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. ”今天物种如此大量的消失，可以被称之为第六次物种大灭绝，这次灭绝可以和6千5百万年之前恐龙灭绝相提并论。根据原文的“a sixth mass extinction”，因此这次灭绝是非常大范围的，所以答案为B。答案A，历史的异常，根据刚才分析的这一句话，历史上也发生或同等规模的灭绝，所以不是anomaly。其他C和D 都不符合原文的意思。

　　Question 42.

　　Which choice provides the best evidence for the answer to question 41? ( )

　　A. “Species today are vanishing in such great numbers—many from hunting and habitat destruction—that the trend has been called a sixth mass extinction, an event on par with such die‑offs as the one that befell the dinosaurs 65 million years ago,”

　　B. “A program to restore extinct species poses a risk of selling the public on a false promise that technology alone can solve our ongoing environmental woes,”

　　C. “Against that backdrop, a costly and flamboyant project to resuscitate extinct flora and fauna in the name of conservation looks irresponsible,”

　　D. “Such investigations, however, should be conducted under the mantle of preserving modern biodiversity rather than conjuring extinct species from the grave,”

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：信息和观点/引用文本证据

　　正确答案：A

　　解析：此题又是引证题，考察上一题答案在原文中的出处。根据上一题的解题思路，我们是根据原文”Species today are vanishing in such great numbers—many from hunting and habitat destruction—that the trend has been called a sixth mass extinction, an event on par with such die‑offs as the one that befell the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. ”这句话得出来的，所以答案很明显是A。

　　Question 43.

　　As used in sentence 4 of paragraph 6 in Passage 2 , “great” most nearly means ( )

　　A. lofty.

　　B. wonderful.

　　C. large.

　　D. intense.

　　难度：低

　　考察内容：信息和观点/解释单词和词组在文中的意思

　　正确答案：C

　　解析：词汇题根据定位，回到所在的句子”Species today are vanishing in such great numbers—many from hunting and habitat destruction—that the trend has been called a sixth mass extinction”，原文中”in such great numbers”和”sixth mass extinction”是同义词，因此great number就是表示数量大、数量多的意思，所以答案是C。

　　Question 44.

　　The reference to the “black‑footed ferret and the northern white rhino” serves mainly to ( )

　　A. emphasize a key distinction between extinct and living species.

　　B. account for types of animals whose numbers are dwindling.

　　C. provide examples of species whose gene pools are compromised.

　　D. highlight instances of animals that have failed to adapt to new habitats.

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：修辞/分析文本结构

　　正确答案：C

　　解析：这是一道例子题，例子的作用是证明主旨，根据定位，我们在例子所在的句子往前找，发现”Aspects of it could conceivably help save endangered species. For example, extinct versions of genes could be reintroduced into species and subspecies that have lost a dangerous amount of genetic diversity, such as the black‑footed ferret and the northern white rhino.”第一句话是主旨句，说明“去灭绝化”这一项目可以帮助拯救已经灭绝的物种。这些灭绝的物种包括“the black‑footed ferret and the northern white rhino”，而”endangered”根据原文是指”have lost a dangerous amount of genetic diversity”，已经失去了基因的多样化。因此答案为C：提供基因池受到危害的物种的例子。

　　Question 45.

　　Which choice best states the relationship between the two passages? ( )

　　A. Passage 2 attacks a political decision that Passage 1 strongly advocates.

　　B. Passage 2 urges caution regarding a technology that Passage 1 describes in favorable terms.

　　C. Passage 2 expands on the results of a research study mentioned in Passage 1.

　　D. Passage 2 considers practical applications that could arise from a theory discussed in Passage 1.

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：综合/分析多文本

　　正确答案B

　　解析：这道题是非常典型的互联题，问P1和P2两者的关系，其实我们在开始分析这一对双长对比的时候就提到过，P1认为科技可以使已经灭绝的动物复活，并探讨了这样做积极的意义(在原文可以通过”to preserve biodiversity, to restore diminished ecosystems, to advance the science of preventing extinctions, and to undo harm that humans have caused in the past.”，”profound news”, “stunning realization”等体现作者的观点)。P2认为使已灭绝的动物复活这一项目会带来很多问题(在原文可以通过”Yet with limited intellectual bandwidth and financial resources to go around, de‑extinction threatens to divert attention from the modern biodiversity crisis. ”)所以，答案是B。

　　Question 46.

　　How would the authors of Passage 2 most likely respond to the “prospect” referred to in sentence 1 of paragraph 5 in Passage 1? ( )

　　A. With approval, because it illustrates how useful de‑extinction could be in addressing widespread environmental concerns.

　　B. With resignation, because the gradual extinction of many living species is inevitable.

　　C. With concern, because it implies an easy solution to a difficult problem.

　　D. With disdain, because it shows that people have little understanding of the importance of genetic diversity.

　　难度：高

　　考察内容：综合/分析多文本

　　正确答案：C

　　解析：这也是一道非常典型的互联题，问P2对于P1某个词的观点。这样的题目，我们首先要确认P2和P1两者总体关系是如何的。通过前面的分析，我们知道P2作者认为“去灭绝化”这一项目的有很多负面的问题，P1作者认为这一科技项目有积极的意义。所以我们可以首先排除A和B。P2原文提到”A program to restore extinct species poses a risk of selling the public on a false promise that technology alone can solve our ongoing environmental woes”，认为这个使灭绝物种复活的项目会让公众产生单单科技就可以解决我们目前的环境灾难这样错误的印象。P2作者认为单单科技是不足以解决环境灾难的，所以答案是C。

　　Question 47.

　　Which choice would best support the claim that the authors of Passage 2 recognize that the “imagination soars” in response to de‑extinction technology? ( )

　　A. “The idea of bringing back extinct species holds obvious gee‑whiz appeal and a respite from a steady stream of grim news,”

　　B. “Yet with limited intellectual bandwidth and financial resources to go around, de‑extinction threatens to divert attention from the modern biodiversity crisis,”

　　C. “That is not to say that the de‑extinction enterprise lacks merit altogether,”

　　D. “For example, extinct versions of genes could be reintroduced into species and subspecies that have lost a dangerous amount of genetic diversity,”

　　难度：中

　　考察内容：综合/分析多文本

　　正确答案：A

　　解析：这道题也是比较典型的互联题。首先我们要知道P1对imagination soars对应的句子，应该是在原文L22-24”That something as irreversible and final as extinction might be reversed is a stunning realization. The imagination soars.”表达出让灭绝的物种复活是一个惊人的发现。对应P2，也有类似的一句话，在P2 L28-30”The idea of bringing back extinct species holds obvious gee‑whiz appeal and a respite from a steady stream of grim news. ”表示让灭绝的物种复活有惊人的吸引力，是残酷消息的一个缓冲剂。P2的这句话是比较符合P1中的。imagination soars。因此答案是A。而B、C、D都不符合。

(编辑：Joe)

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