Question

Bissel is a small village of the West Sahara. It lies next to a l.5-square-kilometer oasis（綠洲）, from where three days and nights are generally required to go out of the desert. However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert. Reportedly, they were not unwilling to leave this barren land. Many had previously tried but failed, always somehow finding themselves back at the oasis after several days of trying to walk out.

When interviewed by Ken Levin, an expert at the British Royal College of Sciences, the villagers explained that no matter which direction they walked it always brought them back to the village.Why couldn’t the Bissel villagers walk out of the desert? Levin was very puzzled. He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days. He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery. He and a Bissel villager called Argutel, would walk out of the desert together. They prepared enough water for a half-a-month journey and two camels. But this time Ken Levin didn't bring his compass. Levin would follow Argutel.

Ten days later, they had walked for about 500 miles but were still in the desert. On the 11th morning, an oasis came into their view. They were back at Bissel. Levin now understood why the Bissel people couldn’t escape the desert. They had no knowledge of the North Star, which had for centuries provided sailors and other travelers with a point of direction. In the desert, if a person goes forward relying only on their senses, they will not be able to travel in a straight line. Rather they will travel in a very large circle and eventually track back to where they began. Levin explained to Argutel the function of the North Star and said, “As long as you rest in the daytime and walk towards the brightest star at night, you would be able to walk out of the desert.” Argutel did as he was told. Three days later, he came to the edge of the desert.

Now in the West Sahara, Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year. Argutel’s bronze statue stands in the center of the town. On its base are the words: __________________________.

1.Ken Levin asked Argutel to walk to the north in order to ________.

A. prove that people could walk out of the desert see

B. how far away Bissel was to the edge of the desert

C. tell people not to walk in circles

D. show Argutel was a great person

2.According to the passage, Ken Levin ________.

A. knew Argutel before he came to the village

B. came to Bissel to do experiments on behalf of his college

C. became the first man to walk out of the desert from Bissel Village

D. taught Bissel villagers knowledge of the North Star when he first arrived

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A. Ken Levin didn’t walk south because it would take more days

B. the use of a compass was necessary to walk out of the desert

C. tourism in Bissel has been greatly developed and improved

D. Argutel became the leader of Bissel after his return

4.Which of the following can most probably be found at the base of Argutel’s statue?

A. A new life starts from the fixed direction.

B. Where there is a will , there is a way .

C. A long journey starts with the first step .

D. Two heads are better than one.

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.C

3.C

4.A

【解析】

試題分析：Bissel是位于撒哈拉沙漠中的一個小村子，從村子走出沙漠需要三天三夜的時間，然而在1926年肯.列文發現它之前沒有人走出過沙漠，一次次的嘗試都失敗了。為什么呢？于是肯.列文做了個實驗，終于發現原來是當地人不懂得利用北極星辨認方向的緣故，只憑著感覺走的話人們很容易走的是一個大圓圈。

1.A細節理解題。根據上文內容可知在肯.列文來之前沒人能走出沙漠，于是He decided to carry out an experiment to solve the mystery.，由此可知他做實驗為了證實人們可以走出沙漠，所以A選項正確。

2.C細節理解題。根據第一段中However, before Ken Levin discovered it in 1926, none of the Bissel villagers had ever walked out of the desert.和第二段中 He had, by himself, managed to walk north from the village and reach the nearest town in three and a half days.的講述可知C選項正確。

3.C細節理解題。根據文章最后一段Bissel has become a bright pearl, where tens of thousands of tourists come every year.可知現在Bissel旅游業發展了，所以答案選C。

4.A主旨大意題。文章講述了肯.列文通過親身嘗試知道了當地人走不出沙漠的原因是因為他們不懂得利用北極星定位，由此推測當人們知道后就可以走出沙漠了，而且文章最后提到了Bissel現在的興盛，縱觀選項，A項內容能貼切的表述文章內容，所以答案選A。

考點：考查社會知識類短文閱讀。