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（1）
If you are in any major city in America， the chances are high that you are not far from a Starbucks. In fact， you might be very close to several of these coffee stores. The company started in the west coast city of Seattle， Washington， in 1971. Starbucks was named after a character in the famous American novel “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville. Today， there are more than twelve thousand Starbucks stores around the world.
Sales last year were almost eight billion dollars. The company believes in opening many stores in busy areas of cities. For example， there are about thirty Starbucks stores in downtown Seattle. Recently， three Starbucks opened in the area near VOA headquarters in Washington， D.C.
Starbucks sells more than just plain coffee. It started a whole coffee culture with its own special language and coffee workers called it baristas. It sells many kinds of hot and cold coffee drinks， like White Chocolate Mocha and Frappuccino. It also sells music albums， coffee makers， food， and even books. But most of all， it sells the idea of being a warm and friendly place for people to sit， read or talk.
Starbucks is a great success story. Buyers are willing to pay as much as five dollars for a coffee drink. People we talked to said they go to Starbucks because they can depend on it to have exactly what they want and to be nearby.
However， some people do not like the company’s aggressive expansion. Owners of independent coffee stores cannot compete with Starbucks. One small coffee seller is taking the company to court. She says the way the company does business is illegal because it stops property owners from renting out stores to other coffee companies. She sees Starbucks as controlling the market and forcing out competition.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “baristas”.
74. What do people think of Starbucks？ （回答词数不超过8个）
75. According to some people， what will be the result of Starbucks’ doing？（回答词数不超过6个）
（2）
Baloney is a kind of sausage that many Americans eat often. The word also has another meaning in English. It is used to describe something that is false or wrong or foolish.
Baloney sausage comes from the name of the Italian city， Bologna. The city is famous for its sausage， a mixture of smoked， spiced meat from cows and pigs. But， boloney sausage does not taste the same as beef or pork alone.
Some language experts think this different taste is responsible for the birth of the expression baloney. Baloney is an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth—in the same way that baloney sausage tastes nothing like the meat that is used to make it.
Baloney is a word often used by politicians to describe the ideas of their opponents.
The expression has been used for years. Fifty years ago， a former governor of New York State， Alfred Smith， criticized some claims by President Franklin Roosevelt about the successes of the Roosevelt administration. Smith said， “No matter how thin you slice it， it is still baloney.”
A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds almost the same. The word is blarney. It began in Ireland about 1600.
The lord of Blarney castle， near Cork， agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And， he made them sound like very good excuses， “this is just more of the same blarney.”
The Irish castle now is famous for its Blarney stone. Kissing the stone is thought to give a person special powers of speech. One who has kissed the Blarney stone， so the story goes， can speak words of praise so smoothly and sweetly that you believe them， even when you know they are false.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “baloney”.
74. According to Americans， what does baloney refer to？ （回答词数不超过8个）
75. What do you know about the lord of Blarney castle， near Cork？（回答词数不超过6个）
（3）
Housing policies differ from school to school. Students might be able to choose whatever housing they can find. Or they might have to live in a dormitory， at least for the first year.
Dorms come in all sizes. A building may house a small number of students or many hundreds. Some have suites. Each suite has several bedrooms， a common living area and a bathroom. Six or more students may live in one suite. Other dorms have many rooms along a common hallway， usually with two students in each room.
Many students say dormitories provide the best chance to get to know other students. Also， dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school.
Most colleges and universities offer single-sex dorms， but usually males and females live in the same building. They might live on the same floors and share the same common bathrooms. But， in most cases， they may live in the same room only if they are married.
At many schools， male students can join fraternities （联谊会，兄弟会） and females can join sororities （女生联谊会，姊妹会）. These are mainly social organizations but members may also be able to live at their fraternity or sorority house.
Edward Spencer is the associate vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He says it is important to understand the rules of the building in which you will live.
He advises students to ask questions before they decide about their housing. For example: If a student requires a special diet， will the school provide for it？
Virginia Tech， for example， had a ban against candles in dorms. But it changed that policy to let students light candles for religious purposes.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “suite”.
74. According to Edward Spencer， when can a student decide about their housing？（回答词数不超过8个）
75. According to some students， what is the advantage of dormitories？ （回答词数不超过6个）
（4）
The Sahel is the area of Africa that lies between the Sahara desert to the north and more fertile land to the south. The dry plains of the Sahel are mostly treeless. Yet in Niger， one of the once also poor nations along the Sahel， millions of trees are now growing.
Researchers have been studying the progress of a re-greening campaign in Niger. Chris Reij is a scientist from the Netherlands. In a message at frameweb.org last February， he described how， in some places， “densities are so high that you almost look at a wall of trees.”
A United Nations news service reported in October that Niger’s government said the campaign had already reclaimed three million hectares （公顷）. Teams of workers have used simple methods such as planting trees and protecting natural vegetation to save land from being lost to desert.
Ten to twenty times more trees were reported in parts of southern Niger in 2005 than there were thirty years earlier.
Some reclaimed land can now be farmed again. The land became infertile during the 1970’s and early 80’s. But about twenty years ago， local farmers recognized that their once-productive soil was being carried away by severe winds.
Trees were traditionally cut down for firewood or cleared for agriculture. Instead of clearing trees， farmers began to let them grow among their crops. At the same time， rainfall levels began to rise after a long dry period. Today， the rate of desert expansion in Niger is dropping and the amount of harvested crops is up.
The success of the effort suggests that earlier damage to the Sahel may not have been permanent. And some say it could put Niger in a better position to deal with whatever effects climate change might bring.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “reclaim”.
74. What was the situation of Niger’s land before the 1950’s？（回答词数不超过6个）
75. According to the passage， what does people’s effort show？（回答词数不超过8个）
（5）
Beetles are invading ash trees in the United States and now have killed at least twenty million of them. Experts believe the small green insects arrived in the 1990s in shipments of goods from China.
The emerald ash borer has destroyed trees in the Midwest and as far east in the United States as Maryland. The insects have also spread as far north as Ontario， Canada.
Ash trees are popular. They grow well in heavy clay soils， and they can survive ice storms well. They produce many leaves， so they provide shade protection from the sun. And in the fall the leaves turn a beautiful gold and purple.
Ash trees can resist many diseases. But they cannot resist the emerald ash borer. It lays eggs on the bark. Then the young larvae drill into and feed on the inner bark. This harms the ability of the tree to transport water and nutrients.
The insect is attacking tree farms and can also spread when logs and firewood are transported.
The United States Department of Agriculture is working to save the ash tree. So are agriculture departments and university extensions in a number of states.
In some places， farmers are using “detection trees.” These have an area where the bark has been cut away. The area circles the tree and is called a girdle. The girdling process weakens the trees. It makes them easier targets for borers， and shows if the insects are nearby.
Efforts to stop the spread of the emerald ash borer include cutting down affected trees. A tree farmer in Maryland， for example， recently faced the loss of hundreds of trees.
There are worries that the ash tree might disappear unless the invasion is controlled. To prepare for such a possibility， a government laboratory is collecting seeds from ash trees.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “invading”.
74. According to the passage， how do the emerald ash borers destroy the trees？ （回答词数不超过8个）
75. What is the purpose of collecting seeds from ash trees by a government laboratory？（回答词数不超过6个）
【答案及解释】
（1）
73. culture。根据上文的 It started a whole coffee culture with its own special language 可知。
74. （1）Starbucks can provide them what they want. 根据句子 People we talked to said they go to Starbucks because they can depend on it to have exactly what they want and to be nearby 可知。
（2） It is a strong and aggressive company. 根据句子 some people do not like the company’s aggressive expansion 可知。
（3） Starbucks does its business illegally. 根据句子 She says the way the company does business is illegal because it stops property owners from renting out stores to other coffee companies 可知。
75. （1） Starbucks will have more customers. 根据句子 Starbucks is a great success story. Buyers are willing to pay as much as five dollars for a coffee drink. People we talked to said they go to Starbucks because they can depend on it to have exactly what they want and to be nearby 可知。
（2） Starbucks will control the market alone. 根据文章最后一句 She sees Starbucks as controlling the market and forcing out competition 可知。
（2）
73. blarney。根据句子A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds almost the same. The word is blarney可知。
74. （1） It is something false or wrong or foolish. 根据句子 It is used to describe something that is false or wrong or foolish 可知。
（2） It is a false idea or statement. 根据句子 Baloney is an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth 可知。
75. （1） He was a clever man. 根据句子 he made them sound like very good excuses 可知。
（2） He didn’t surrender to British troops. 根据句子 But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender 可知。
（3）
73. apartment。根据句子 Also， dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school 可知。
74. If the school can’t provide a special diet 根据他所提的问题 If a student requires a special diet， will the school provide for it？可知。
75. （1） They are places to make friends. 根据句子 Many students say dormitories provide the best chance to get to know other students 可知。
（2）They are the cheapest housing. 根据 Also， dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school 可知。
（4）
73. re-green。根据句子 Teams of workers have used simple methods such as planting trees and protecting natural vegetation to save land from being lost to desert 及句子 Researchers have been studying the progress of a re-greening campaign in Niger 可知。
74. The soil was productive. 根据句子 The land became infertile during the 1970’s and early 1980’s 和 But about twenty years ago， local farmers recognized that their once-productive soil was being carried away by severe winds 可知。
75. We can stop the damage to the Sahel. 根据句子 The success of the effort suggests that earlier damage to the Sahel may not have been permanent 可知。
（5）
73. attacking。根据划线单词所在句子的语境 Beetles are invading ash trees in the United States and now have killed at least twenty million of them可知，invading 意为“攻击，袭击”，于是在文章的第五段 The insect is attacking tree farms and can also spread when logs and firewood are transported 可找到 attacking 一词。
74. Their larvae drill into the trees’ inner bark. ／ Their larvae feed on the trees’ inner bark. 根据文章第四段最后两句 Then the young larvae drill into and feed on the inner bark. This harms the ability of the tree to transport water and nutrients 可知。
75. To stop the trees disappearing. 根据文章最后一段 There are worries that the ash tree might disappear unless the invasion is controlled. To prepare for such a possibility， a government laboratory is collecting seeds from ash trees 可知。
（编辑 周贞雄）
If you are in any major city in America， the chances are high that you are not far from a Starbucks. In fact， you might be very close to several of these coffee stores. The company started in the west coast city of Seattle， Washington， in 1971. Starbucks was named after a character in the famous American novel “Moby-Dick” by Herman Melville. Today， there are more than twelve thousand Starbucks stores around the world.
Sales last year were almost eight billion dollars. The company believes in opening many stores in busy areas of cities. For example， there are about thirty Starbucks stores in downtown Seattle. Recently， three Starbucks opened in the area near VOA headquarters in Washington， D.C.
Starbucks sells more than just plain coffee. It started a whole coffee culture with its own special language and coffee workers called it baristas. It sells many kinds of hot and cold coffee drinks， like White Chocolate Mocha and Frappuccino. It also sells music albums， coffee makers， food， and even books. But most of all， it sells the idea of being a warm and friendly place for people to sit， read or talk.
Starbucks is a great success story. Buyers are willing to pay as much as five dollars for a coffee drink. People we talked to said they go to Starbucks because they can depend on it to have exactly what they want and to be nearby.
However， some people do not like the company’s aggressive expansion. Owners of independent coffee stores cannot compete with Starbucks. One small coffee seller is taking the company to court. She says the way the company does business is illegal because it stops property owners from renting out stores to other coffee companies. She sees Starbucks as controlling the market and forcing out competition.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “baristas”.
74. What do people think of Starbucks？ （回答词数不超过8个）
75. According to some people， what will be the result of Starbucks’ doing？（回答词数不超过6个）
（2）
Baloney is a kind of sausage that many Americans eat often. The word also has another meaning in English. It is used to describe something that is false or wrong or foolish.
Baloney sausage comes from the name of the Italian city， Bologna. The city is famous for its sausage， a mixture of smoked， spiced meat from cows and pigs. But， boloney sausage does not taste the same as beef or pork alone.
Some language experts think this different taste is responsible for the birth of the expression baloney. Baloney is an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth—in the same way that baloney sausage tastes nothing like the meat that is used to make it.
Baloney is a word often used by politicians to describe the ideas of their opponents.
The expression has been used for years. Fifty years ago， a former governor of New York State， Alfred Smith， criticized some claims by President Franklin Roosevelt about the successes of the Roosevelt administration. Smith said， “No matter how thin you slice it， it is still baloney.”
A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds almost the same. The word is blarney. It began in Ireland about 1600.
The lord of Blarney castle， near Cork， agreed to surrender the castle to British troops. But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender. And， he made them sound like very good excuses， “this is just more of the same blarney.”
The Irish castle now is famous for its Blarney stone. Kissing the stone is thought to give a person special powers of speech. One who has kissed the Blarney stone， so the story goes， can speak words of praise so smoothly and sweetly that you believe them， even when you know they are false.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “baloney”.
74. According to Americans， what does baloney refer to？ （回答词数不超过8个）
75. What do you know about the lord of Blarney castle， near Cork？（回答词数不超过6个）
（3）
Housing policies differ from school to school. Students might be able to choose whatever housing they can find. Or they might have to live in a dormitory， at least for the first year.
Dorms come in all sizes. A building may house a small number of students or many hundreds. Some have suites. Each suite has several bedrooms， a common living area and a bathroom. Six or more students may live in one suite. Other dorms have many rooms along a common hallway， usually with two students in each room.
Many students say dormitories provide the best chance to get to know other students. Also， dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school.
Most colleges and universities offer single-sex dorms， but usually males and females live in the same building. They might live on the same floors and share the same common bathrooms. But， in most cases， they may live in the same room only if they are married.
At many schools， male students can join fraternities （联谊会，兄弟会） and females can join sororities （女生联谊会，姊妹会）. These are mainly social organizations but members may also be able to live at their fraternity or sorority house.
Edward Spencer is the associate vice president for student affairs at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. He says it is important to understand the rules of the building in which you will live.
He advises students to ask questions before they decide about their housing. For example: If a student requires a special diet， will the school provide for it？
Virginia Tech， for example， had a ban against candles in dorms. But it changed that policy to let students light candles for religious purposes.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “suite”.
74. According to Edward Spencer， when can a student decide about their housing？（回答词数不超过8个）
75. According to some students， what is the advantage of dormitories？ （回答词数不超过6个）
（4）
The Sahel is the area of Africa that lies between the Sahara desert to the north and more fertile land to the south. The dry plains of the Sahel are mostly treeless. Yet in Niger， one of the once also poor nations along the Sahel， millions of trees are now growing.
Researchers have been studying the progress of a re-greening campaign in Niger. Chris Reij is a scientist from the Netherlands. In a message at frameweb.org last February， he described how， in some places， “densities are so high that you almost look at a wall of trees.”
A United Nations news service reported in October that Niger’s government said the campaign had already reclaimed three million hectares （公顷）. Teams of workers have used simple methods such as planting trees and protecting natural vegetation to save land from being lost to desert.
Ten to twenty times more trees were reported in parts of southern Niger in 2005 than there were thirty years earlier.
Some reclaimed land can now be farmed again. The land became infertile during the 1970’s and early 80’s. But about twenty years ago， local farmers recognized that their once-productive soil was being carried away by severe winds.
Trees were traditionally cut down for firewood or cleared for agriculture. Instead of clearing trees， farmers began to let them grow among their crops. At the same time， rainfall levels began to rise after a long dry period. Today， the rate of desert expansion in Niger is dropping and the amount of harvested crops is up.
The success of the effort suggests that earlier damage to the Sahel may not have been permanent. And some say it could put Niger in a better position to deal with whatever effects climate change might bring.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “reclaim”.
74. What was the situation of Niger’s land before the 1950’s？（回答词数不超过6个）
75. According to the passage， what does people’s effort show？（回答词数不超过8个）
（5）
Beetles are invading ash trees in the United States and now have killed at least twenty million of them. Experts believe the small green insects arrived in the 1990s in shipments of goods from China.
The emerald ash borer has destroyed trees in the Midwest and as far east in the United States as Maryland. The insects have also spread as far north as Ontario， Canada.
Ash trees are popular. They grow well in heavy clay soils， and they can survive ice storms well. They produce many leaves， so they provide shade protection from the sun. And in the fall the leaves turn a beautiful gold and purple.
Ash trees can resist many diseases. But they cannot resist the emerald ash borer. It lays eggs on the bark. Then the young larvae drill into and feed on the inner bark. This harms the ability of the tree to transport water and nutrients.
The insect is attacking tree farms and can also spread when logs and firewood are transported.
The United States Department of Agriculture is working to save the ash tree. So are agriculture departments and university extensions in a number of states.
In some places， farmers are using “detection trees.” These have an area where the bark has been cut away. The area circles the tree and is called a girdle. The girdling process weakens the trees. It makes them easier targets for borers， and shows if the insects are nearby.
Efforts to stop the spread of the emerald ash borer include cutting down affected trees. A tree farmer in Maryland， for example， recently faced the loss of hundreds of trees.
There are worries that the ash tree might disappear unless the invasion is controlled. To prepare for such a possibility， a government laboratory is collecting seeds from ash trees.
73. Find in the passage a word closest in meaning to the underlined word “invading”.
74. According to the passage， how do the emerald ash borers destroy the trees？ （回答词数不超过8个）
75. What is the purpose of collecting seeds from ash trees by a government laboratory？（回答词数不超过6个）
【答案及解释】
（1）
73. culture。根据上文的 It started a whole coffee culture with its own special language 可知。
74. （1）Starbucks can provide them what they want. 根据句子 People we talked to said they go to Starbucks because they can depend on it to have exactly what they want and to be nearby 可知。
（2） It is a strong and aggressive company. 根据句子 some people do not like the company’s aggressive expansion 可知。
（3） Starbucks does its business illegally. 根据句子 She says the way the company does business is illegal because it stops property owners from renting out stores to other coffee companies 可知。
75. （1） Starbucks will have more customers. 根据句子 Starbucks is a great success story. Buyers are willing to pay as much as five dollars for a coffee drink. People we talked to said they go to Starbucks because they can depend on it to have exactly what they want and to be nearby 可知。
（2） Starbucks will control the market alone. 根据文章最后一句 She sees Starbucks as controlling the market and forcing out competition 可知。
（2）
73. blarney。根据句子A similar word has almost the same meaning as baloney. It even sounds almost the same. The word is blarney可知。
74. （1） It is something false or wrong or foolish. 根据句子 It is used to describe something that is false or wrong or foolish 可知。
（2） It is a false idea or statement. 根据句子 Baloney is an idea or statement that is nothing like the truth 可知。
75. （1） He was a clever man. 根据句子 he made them sound like very good excuses 可知。
（2） He didn’t surrender to British troops. 根据句子 But he kept making excuses for postponing the surrender 可知。
（3）
73. apartment。根据句子 Also， dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school 可知。
74. If the school can’t provide a special diet 根据他所提的问题 If a student requires a special diet， will the school provide for it？可知。
75. （1） They are places to make friends. 根据句子 Many students say dormitories provide the best chance to get to know other students 可知。
（2）They are the cheapest housing. 根据 Also， dorms generally cost less than apartments or other housing not owned by the school 可知。
（4）
73. re-green。根据句子 Teams of workers have used simple methods such as planting trees and protecting natural vegetation to save land from being lost to desert 及句子 Researchers have been studying the progress of a re-greening campaign in Niger 可知。
74. The soil was productive. 根据句子 The land became infertile during the 1970’s and early 1980’s 和 But about twenty years ago， local farmers recognized that their once-productive soil was being carried away by severe winds 可知。
75. We can stop the damage to the Sahel. 根据句子 The success of the effort suggests that earlier damage to the Sahel may not have been permanent 可知。
（5）
73. attacking。根据划线单词所在句子的语境 Beetles are invading ash trees in the United States and now have killed at least twenty million of them可知，invading 意为“攻击，袭击”，于是在文章的第五段 The insect is attacking tree farms and can also spread when logs and firewood are transported 可找到 attacking 一词。
74. Their larvae drill into the trees’ inner bark. ／ Their larvae feed on the trees’ inner bark. 根据文章第四段最后两句 Then the young larvae drill into and feed on the inner bark. This harms the ability of the tree to transport water and nutrients 可知。
75. To stop the trees disappearing. 根据文章最后一段 There are worries that the ash tree might disappear unless the invasion is controlled. To prepare for such a possibility， a government laboratory is collecting seeds from ash trees 可知。
（编辑 周贞雄）