Section A: Banked Cloze

Directions: In this section, there is a passage with ten blanks. You are required to select one word for each blank from a list of choices given in a word bank following the passage. Read the passage through carefully before making your choices. Each choice in the bank is identified by a letter. Please mark the corresponding letter for each item on Answer Sheet 2 with a single line through the centre. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

The desert is deceiving

The desert is deceiving. At first glance it looks lifeless, barren, and bone-dry. For most passersby humming through the Mojave on their way to try their luck in Las Vegas or heading towards the Grand Canyon, it’s just a (26) ______ stretch of land with some mountains in the distance and more (27) ______ to be a setting for a movie that takes place on Mars. The desert, however, is (28) ______ with life, mystery, and magic.

The Mojave desert sees less than two inches of rain a year, and like most deserts, is a land of (29) ______. Temperature fluctuations vary from freezing to (30) ______ hot, not only between seasons, but even within the same day.

At the heart of this vast, 25,000-square-mile desert is Mojave National Preserve. The folks managing and working there wear the wide-brimmed hats that have become (31) ______ with places like Yosemite. The preserve is rich with history, culture, biodiversity, and endless opportunities to (32) ______ your interest, especially for anyone who loves the outdoors. For a photographer, it requires patience and (33) ______ a few spare tires to maneuver the network of unpaved “roads”, but the rewards are plenty.

Photographing here requires a good, (34) ______ pair of shoes and a lot of preparation. Plenty of water, spare tires, and a full tank of gas are needed to explore this unit of the national park system, which is the third largest in the country.

Like all deserts, though, if you are patient, you will be rewarded, as they often reveal their secrets slowly. During my last outing, I was surprised to see how much of the area was shaped by ancient volcanoes and geological forces, much of which remains today, giving the area a (35) ______ feel and painting a colorful background for great photographs.

A) apt

B) burning

C) extremes

D) flat

E) fractions

F) overflowing

G) parasites

H) probably

I) sparingly

J) sprinkle

K) steer

L) stimulate

M) sturdy

N) synonymous

O) unique

Answers & Explanations (答案与解析)

Section A: Banked Cloze

26. D (flat)。解析：空格位于冠词 a 和名词短语 stretch of land 之间，需要填入形容词作定语。结合常识和语境，沙漠给人第一眼的印象是一片“平坦的”土地，因此填入 flat。

27. A (apt)。解析：空格在 more 之后，与 to be 连用。be apt to do sth. 为固定短语，意为“倾向于，易于...”。句意为：这片土地“更适合/更有可能”作为火星电影的取景地。因此填入 apt。

28. F (overflowing)。解析：空格在系动词 is 之后，并与介词 with 搭配。be overflowing with 意为“充满...，洋溢着...”。句意为：然而，沙漠里却“充满”了生命、神秘和魔法。因此填入 overflowing。

29. C (extremes)。解析：空格位于介词 of 之后，需要填入名词。后文提到温度从冰点到酷热剧烈波动，说明沙漠是一个充满“极端”的土地，因此填入 extremes。

30. B (burning)。解析：空格修饰形容词 hot，需要填入副词或相当于副词的现在分词。burning hot 为常见搭配，意为“极其炎热的，酷热的”。因此填入 burning。

31. N (synonymous)。解析：空格位于系动词 become 之后，与介词 with 搭配。be synonymous with 意为“与...同义，是...的代名词”。句意为：宽边帽已经成为优胜美地等地方的代名词。因此填入 synonymous。

32. L (stimulate)。解析：空格位于不定式符号 to 之后，且后接宾语 your interest，需要填入动词原形。stimulate one's interest 意为“激发某人的兴趣”，因此填入 stimulate。

33. H (probably)。解析：空格位于名词短语 a few spare tires 之前，用来修饰整个并列成分。句意为：这需要耐心，“或许/可能”还需要几个备用轮胎。填入副词 probably 符合语境。

34. M (sturdy)。解析：空格位于形容词 good 之后，修饰名词短语 pair of shoes，需要填入形容词。在沙漠中拍摄需要一双好而“结实的”鞋子，因此填入 sturdy。

35. O (unique)。解析：空格位于冠词 a 和名词 feel 之间，需要填入形容词作定语。前文提到古老火山和地质力量塑造了该地区，这赋予了该地区一种“独特的”感觉。因此填入 unique。

【核心搭配与亮点句型】

at first glance：乍一看（At first glance it looks lifeless...）

be apt to do sth.：倾向于，更有可能（more apt to be a setting for a movie）

be overflowing with：充满，洋溢着（The desert, however, is overflowing with life...）

be synonymous with：与...等同，是...的代名词（have become synonymous with places like Yosemite）

stimulate one's interest：激发兴趣（opportunities to stimulate your interest）

全文翻译

沙漠是具欺骗性的。乍一看它了无生机、荒芜且极度干燥。对大多数在莫哈维沙漠中疾驰而过的过客来说——他们要么是去拉斯维加斯碰运气，要么是前往大峡谷——这只是一片荒凉的土地，远处有些山脉，更适合作为一部以火星为背景的电影外景地。然而，沙漠却充满生命、神秘和魔力。

莫哈维沙漠每年的降雨量不到两英寸，像大多数沙漠一样，是一片极端的土地。温度波动从冰点到灼热，不仅在不同季节之间，甚至在同一天内也是如此。

这片广阔的25000平方英里沙漠的中心是莫哈维国家保护区。在那里管理和工作的人戴着宽边帽，这种帽子已经成为像优胜美地这样的地方的标志。保护区拥有丰富的历史、文化、生物多样性，以及无数激发你兴趣的机会，尤其对于热爱户外活动的人来说。对于摄影师而言，这需要耐心，可能还需要几个备用轮胎来应对那些未铺砌的"道路"网络，但回报是丰厚的。

在这里拍照需要一双好的、结实的鞋子和大量的准备。探索这个国家公园系统中第三大的单位需要充足的水、备用轮胎和一满箱油。

不过，和所有沙漠一样，如果你有耐心，你会得到回报，因为它们往往慢慢地揭示自己的秘密。在我最近一次出行中，我惊讶地发现该地区的大部分是由古代火山和地质力量塑造的，其中许多至今仍然存在，赋予了这一地区一种原始的感觉，并为伟大的摄影作品描绘出色彩斑斓的背景。