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. You may not use any of the words in the bank more than once.

Morocco is responding to increasing energy demands by setting up one of the largest solar plants in the world.

The Noor solar power station is (26) ______ in the city of Ouarzazate and, once completed, will generate 580 million watts of electricity. The World Bank estimates it will serve 1.1 million people. It's (27) ______ to be completed soon.

Morocco's current energy comes (28) ______ from imports. The nation hopes to get 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. With demand for energy (29) ______ at an annual rate of 7 percent, the new solar plant could be a (30) ______ part of that goal.

“This makes Morocco a big (31) ______ in the field of solar energy in the Arab region and the African continent. It could also be a forerunner for many other countries in the world that (32) ______ on foreign imports of energy,” said Ali Hajji, a solar energy specialist and engineering professor.

Experts believe that the Middle East and North Africa have huge (33) ______ for solar energy projects. This is partly because of adequate sunlight and partly because technology has become more (34) ______ in the region.

“The last few years have seen a realization of (35) ______ how competitive solar technologies can be,” said Michael Taylor, a senior analyst at the International Renewable Energy Agency.

Word Bank

A) affordable

B) ancestor

C) crucial

D) depend

E) initial

F) insist

G) just

H) located

I) mostly

J) operating

K) perhaps

L) pioneer

M) potential

N) rising

O) scheduled

Answers & Explanations

26. H (located)。解析：位于系动词 is 之后，搭配介词 in，需要填入过去分词构成被动或状态。`be located in` 意为“位于/坐落于 (located)”。

27. O (scheduled)。解析：位于系动词 It's (It is) 之后，接动词不定式 to be completed，需要填入过去分词。`be scheduled to` 意为“被计划/被安排 (scheduled)”。

28. I (mostly)。解析：修饰动词 comes，位于介词 from 之前，需要填入副词。意为摩洛哥目前的能源“主要/大部分 (mostly)”来自进口。

29. N (rising)。解析：这是一个 `With + 宾语 + 宾语补足语` 的复合结构。宾语是 demand for energy，与补足语是主动关系，需要填入现在分词。意为随着能源需求以每年 7% 的速度“上升/增加 (rising)”。

30. C (crucial)。解析：位于不定冠词 a 和名词 part 之间，需要填入形容词。太阳能发电厂可能成为实现该目标的“至关重要的 (crucial)”一部分。

31. L (pioneer)。解析：位于形容词 big 之后，介词 in 之前，需要填入单数名词。这使摩洛哥成为该地区太阳能领域的一大“先驱/开拓者 (pioneer)”，呼应后文的 forerunner（先行者）。

32. D (depend)。解析：这是一个 that 引导的定语从句，修饰先行词 countries，从句缺少谓语动词，且搭配介词 on。`depend on` 意为“依赖 (depend)”外国能源进口。

33. M (potential)。解析：位于形容词 huge 之后，搭配介词 for，需要填入名词。有巨大的“潜力 (potential)”来发展太阳能项目。

34. A (affordable)。解析：位于系动词 become more 之后，需要填入形容词作表语。部分原因是该地区的技术变得更容易“负担得起 (affordable)”。

35. G (just)。解析：位于介词 of 之后，how 引导的宾语从句之前，需要填入副词起强调作用。`just how` 意为“究竟/恰好 (just) 有多大”。

核心搭配与高分句型

【核心搭配与高频短语】

• respond to：回应，应对（responding to increasing energy demands）
• set up：建立，设立（setting up one of the largest solar plants）
• be located in：位于，坐落于（is located in the city of Ouarzazate）
• be scheduled to：计划，安排做某事（It's scheduled to be completed soon）
• depend on：依赖，依靠（depend on foreign imports of energy）
• have potential for：在...方面有潜力（have huge potential for solar energy projects）

【亮点句型解析】

• With 复合结构作伴随状语：
  "With demand for energy rising at an annual rate of 7 percent, the new solar plant could be a crucial part of that goal."
  （随着能源需求以每年7%的速度上升，这座新的太阳能发电厂可能成为实现该目标的关键部分。）`With + 名词 + 现在分词 (rising)` 构成了伴随状态，比使用 `As demand is rising...` 从句更精炼，是四级写作的加分项。
• 拟人化主语 (The last few years have seen...)：
  "The last few years have seen a realization of just how competitive solar technologies can be..."
  （过去几年见证了人们认识到太阳能技术究竟能有多大竞争力...）使用时间词（The last few years）作主语，搭配动词 `see`，这种拟人化的表达方式在英文外刊中极为常见，让句子生动地描绘了时代的变迁。