Water

　　From the beginning, water has furnished man with a source of food and a highway to travel upon. The first civilizations arose ____1_____ Water was a dominant element in the environment, a challenge ____2____ man’s ingenuity. The Egyptians invented the 365-day calendar in response to the Nile’s annual flooding. The Babylonians, ___3___were among the most famous law-makers in ancient times, invented laws ____4____ water usage. Water inspired the Chinese to build a 1,000-___5___ canal, a complex system which, after nearly 2,500 years, remains still practically ____6____ and still commands the astonishment of engineers. But _____7____ never found complete solutions to their water problems. The Yellow River is also known as “China’s Sorrow”; it is so unpredictable and dangerous ____8____ in a single flood it has caused a million ____9____. Floods slowed the great ____10____ of the Indus River Valley, and inadequate drainage ruined _____11______ of its land. Today water dominates man ____12____ it always has done. Its presence continues to ____13_____ the location of his homes and cities; its violent variability can ____14___man or his herds or his crops; its routes links him_____15____ his fellows; its immense value may add to already dangerous political conflicts. There are many examples of this in our own time.

　　詞匯：

　　furnish v.提供 annual ['?nju?l] adj.每年的

　　ingenuity n. 聰敏，才智 Babylonian n. 巴比倫人

　　Egyptian n. 埃及人 dominate ['d?mineit] v.主宰，統治

　　calendar n. 日歷 variability [?vε?ri?'biliti] n. 多變

　　1. A) where B) the place C) when D) in the place

　　2. A) with B) as C) to D) on

　　3. A) they B) / C) that D) who

　　4. A) regulates B) regulate C) regulated D) regulating

　　5. A) miles B) mile C) mile’s D) miles’

　　6. A) in use B) for use C) by use D) on use

　　7. A) ancient B) the ancients C) ancients D) ancients people

　　8. A) that B)/ C) because D) which

　　9. A) people B) deaths C) damages D) ruins

　　10. A) influence B) effect C) society D) civilization

　　11. A) many B) lot C) much D) a lots

　　12. A) for B) as C) because D) whereas

　　13. A) govern B) control C) lead D) influence

　　14. A) cause B) violate C) kill D) damage

　　15. A) by B) on C) and D) to

　　答案與題解：

　　1. A 這個句子的意思是說，最初的人類文明出現于水在周圍的環境中起著重要作用的地方。所以要用where引導一個表示地點的狀語叢集。又如：The young people should go where the country needs them the most.

　　2. C 在英語中，表示“對……的挑戰”的意思要用 a challenge to … 。

　　3. D 這個句子的主語是 the Babylonians，謂語是后面的invented laws … ?？梢?，都好后面的成分要做補充說明用。根據已有的信息，我們可以推出這里who是正確的，它同后面的部分組成一個非限制性的定語從句，修飾主語。注意，that雖然也可以引導定語從句，但它不能引導非限制性定語從句。

　　4. D 這里只能填regulating，該詞同后面的短語構成現在分詞短語，修飾上文的laws。整個名詞短語的意識是“管理用水的法律”。

　　5. B 當一個名詞修飾另一個名詞時，該名詞往往用其單數形式(當然并非總是如此，下面這樣的句子也是有人說的：We had a two weeks holiday.)。根據這一原則，1000-后接mile,像上文的 the 365-day就是遵循了這一原則。又如： a four-hour ride，a twenty-mile trip ,a five-room house, a six-storey building。

　　6. A remain in use 表示仍然在使用。 in use 是“在使用”的意思。又如：The textbook is no longer in use. If this is not in use, I’d like to borrow it.

　　7. B ancient 既是形容詞也是名詞，the ancients 尤指古代文明的人。

　　8. A 前文有so，這里應該填入that，that引導的小句表示一種結果。又如：The weather was so bad that the children stayed indoors the whole day.

　　9. B death 是可數名詞，也是不可數名詞。作可數名詞時，是指某種類型的死(如：He died a natural death.)也可指死了多少人。 damage 是不可數名詞，它的復數形式 damages 主要用在法律領域，指損害賠償。如：The court ordered him to pay $1,000 damages to the person he had hurt. ruin 是不可數名詞?？蓴敌问絩uins 常指“遺跡”、“廢墟”等，如： The majestic ruins of Rome impressed her immensely.可以看出，在這三個選項中，只有deaths 是合適的。 cause 是使役動詞，可以說“… it caused a million people to die.”但不可以說*“… it caused a million people.”所以填入people是錯誤的。