阅读理解 I’m always baffled when I walk into a pharmacy and see shelves bursting with various vitamins, extracts and other supplements, all promising to accelerate or promote weight loss. Aisles of marketing genius belie (掩饰) the fact that, 【C1】 ________ weight loss is dictated by the laws of arithmetic. Economist Jessica Irvine wrote a book about how she used math to help her lose more than 18 kilograms. If calories taken in are less than calories 【C2】 ________ , weight shall be lost, and so it is with money. Despite the 【C3】 ________ of financial products, services and solutions geared towards accumulating wealth, if all begins with the same 【C4】 ________ : getting ahead financially requires a reduction of spending, so that income is greater than expenses. I was reminded of this again recently listening to an interview with Nicole Haddow, the author of Smashed Avocado, explaining how she cracked the property market at 31. It was quite a 【C5】 ________ , given where she had been two years earlier. Nicole didn’t celebrate her 30th birthday as she had 【C6】 ________ . She was sobbing at the dinner table with her parents, with whom she had just moved back in. She had no stable income, $ 12,000 in credit-card debt and no plan, but to her 【C7】 ________ , her father, an accountant, told her that her financial 【C8】 ________ wasn’t as bad as she thought. He said, on her income, with some changes, she would be able to buy an investment unit within two years, which she did. Nicole admitted she was fortunate, as she was able to live with her parents and 【C9】 ________ her spending— and life—to get herself on track financially. Creating a gap between her income and spending required a paradigm shift and 【C10】 ________ sacrifice and commitment, but by going into financial lockdown, Nicole gained financial independence. A) abundance F) expended K) permanently B) astonishment G) feat L) plight C) entailed H) fiscally M) prosper D) envisaged I) impetus N) shatter E) equation J) overhaul O) ultimately
问答题 【C1】
【正确答案】O
【答案解析】副词辨析题。空格位于that引导的同位语从句的句首,其后的同位语从句结构完整,句意连贯,因此空格处应填入副词,修饰整个从句。上一句提到,药店货架上的商品全都承诺能加速或促进减肥,紧接着该句指出药店的销售人员掩盖的事实是减肥是由算术法则决定的,表明药店的销售人员也明白最终决定减肥的是算术法则而不是补品。因此,空格处填入的副词应表达“最终”的意思,故O) ultimately为本题答案。
问答题 【C2】
【正确答案】F
【答案解析】动词辨析题。空格前面是名词calories,而该句主语也是calories,由than可知,两个calories在进行对比。过去分词短语taken in作后置定语修饰第一个calories,因此空格处很可能填动词的过去分词形式,作后置定语修饰第二个calories。修饰主语calories的taken in表示“被摄入的”,可推测空格所在的词应表示“被消耗的”,从而前后形成对比,故答案为F)expended。
问答题 【C3】
【正确答案】A
【答案解析】名词辨析题。空格前面是冠词the,后面是介词of,因此空格处需要填入名词作介词despite的宾语。由of可知,空格处填入的名词应表示of之后的并列名词短语financial products、services和solutions共有的特点,结合句首引导让步状语的介词despite以及主句中的all可知,空格处填入的名词应与“数量”有关,故答案为A)abundance。
问答题 【C4】
【正确答案】E
【答案解析】名词辨析题。空格前面是介词with以及限定词the same,因此空格处需要填入名词作介词with的宾语。空格后面的冒号表示其后的句子是对空格处的名词进行解释说明,由income is greater than expenses “收入大于支出”可知,空格处填入的名词应与“等式”有关,故答案为E)equation。
问答题 【C5】
【正确答案】G
【答案解析】名词辨析题。空格前面是was和冠词a,因此空格处需要填入名词作句子表语。空格所在句的主语it指代上一句中提到的“妮可在31岁时进入房地产市场”,结合空格后的“考虑到她两年前的处境”以及下文对她两年前困境的描述可知,空格处填入的名词应表达 “成就”的意思,故答案为G)feat。
问答题 【C6】
【正确答案】D
【答案解析】动词辨析题。空格位于as引导的方式状语从句中,空格前面是主语she和助动词had,结合主句时态是一般过去时可推知,空格处应填入动词的过去分词形式,与had一起构成过去完成时作从句谓语。主句提到,妮可并未庆祝她的30岁生日,因此空格处所在从句是指如同她所预想的那样。空格处填入的动词应表达“设想,想象”的意思,故D)envisaged为答案。
问答题 【C7】
【正确答案】B
【答案解析】名词辨析题。空格前面是介词to和形容词性物主代词her,因此空格处需要填入名词作介词to的宾语。该句的第一个分句具体指出妮可面临的困境,而空格所在的第二个分句由but引导,表示转折,指出父亲告诉她,目前的财务状况没她想的那么糟糕,由此可知父亲的话令妮可感到非常吃惊,而短语“to + one’s +情感名词”意为“令某人……”,因此空格处填入的名词应表示“惊讶”的意思,故B) astonishment为答案。
问答题 【C8】
【正确答案】L
【答案解析】名词辨析题。空格前面是形容词性物主代词her和形容词financial,后面为be动词was,因此空格处需要填入名词作句子主语。上文指出妮可没有稳定的收入,信用卡债务高达12 000美元,也没有任何计划,可知,妮可的财务状况并不乐观,因此空格处填入的名词应表达“困境”的意思,故L)plight为答案。
问答题 【C9】
【正确答案】J
【答案解析】动词辨析题。空格前面是动词短语live with her parents和并列连词and,空格后面为名词短语her spending,因此空格处需要填入动词原形,和her spending构成动词短语与live with her parents并列。由该句最后的目的状语“让自己的财务步入正轨”可知,妮可达到此目的是通过与父母同住以及改变自己的消费和生活方式,因此空格处填入的动词应表达“改变”的意思,故J)overhaul为答案。
问答题 【C10】
【正确答案】C
【答案解析】动词辨析题。空格所在句的谓语required是一般过去时。其后跟宾语a paradigm shift,由空格前面的并列连词and和后面的名词短语sacrifice and commitment可知,空格处需要填入动词的过去式作谓语,与required a paradigm shift并列。由第一个并列谓语“需要范式转变”可知,实现收入大于支出还需要牺牲和投入,因此空格处填入的动词应表达“需要”的意思,故C)entailed为答案。