单选题
California—a Land of Variety and Contrast

California is a land of variety and contrast. Almost every type of physical land feature, sort of arctic lee fields and tropical jungles can be found within its borders. Sharply contrasting types of land often lie very close to one another. People living in Bakersfield, for instance, can visit the Pacific Ocean and the coastal plain, the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the arid Mojave Desert, and the high Sierra Nevada, all within a radius of about 100 miles. In other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day, without having to travel long distance.
Contrast abounds in California. The highest point in the United States (outside Alaska) is in California, and so is the lowest point (including Alaska). Mount Whitney, 14,494 feet above sea level, is separated from Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, by a distance of only 100 miles. The two areas have a difference in altitude of almost three miles.
California has deep, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe, the deepest in the country, but it also has shallow, salty desert lakes. It has Lake Tulainyo, 12,020 feet above sea level, and the lowest lake in the country, the Salton Sea, 236 feet below sea level. Some of its lakes, like Owens Lake in Death Valley, are not lakes at all: they are dried up lake beds.
In addition to mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, and plateaus, California has its Pacific coastline, stretching longer than the coastlines of Oregon and Washington combined.
单选题 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being within a radius of about 100 miles of Bakersfield?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第一段第四句话可知,贝克斯菲尔德的居民可以在半径100英里的地域范围内游览太平洋、海岸平原、肥沃的圣金华河谷、干旱的莫哈韦沙漠和内华达山脉,并未提到俄勒冈和华盛顿,故选D。
单选题 Where is the highest point in the United States located?
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第二段第二句话可知,除了阿拉斯加,美国的最高处在加利福尼亚。因此阿拉斯加才是美国的最高处。故选D。
单选题 Which of the following is the lowest point in the United States?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第二段第二、三句话可知,除了阿拉斯加山脉之外的美国最高处和包括阿拉斯加在内的美国最低处均在加利福尼亚;海拔高度达14494英尺的惠特尼山与低于海平面282英尺的死亡峡谷被100英里的距离分开了。因此,除了阿拉斯之外的美国最高处指的就是惠特尼山,美国最低处指的就是死亡峡谷。故选C。
单选题 How far away is Death Valley from Mount Whitney?
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第二段第三句中的“a distance of only 100 miles.”可知,惠特尼山和死亡峡谷仅仅有100英里的距离。故选B。
单选题 Which statement best demonstrates that California is a land of variety and contrast?
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 文章第一段讲述的就是加利福尼亚多样且对比强烈的地形地貌。文章通过第一段第四句话的例子——贝克斯菲尔德的居民可以在半径100英里的地域范围内游览太平洋、海岸平原、肥沃的圣金华河谷、干旱的莫哈韦沙漠和内华达山脉,充分解释了它的这一特征。故选C。