Nine times as many Americans died in the farmlands near Antietam Creek in the fall of 1862 than died on the beaches of Normandy on D-Day, the so-called longest day of World War II. The bloodiest single day of war in the nation's history came when General Robert E. Lee's Confederate Army undertook its first engagement on northern soil. According to the Antietam National Battlefield park service, when the fighting had subsided, more than 23,000 soldiers lay dead or wounded, more than all of the dead or wounded Americans in the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Mexican War, and Spanish-American War combined.
Just a week after his army's victory in the Second Battle of Bull Run, Lee resolved to advance the front into Northern territory. The vast farm fields of western Maryland were ready for harvest, and Lee saw in them an opportunity to nourish his soldiers, replenish his supplies, and turn the residents of the undecided border state to his cause.

单选题 Which of the following most logically completes the first paragraph?

A. How then did this terrible battle come about?
B. The Confederacy was famous for the tactical genius of its generals.
C. Clearly the battle strategy on both sides was ineffective.
D. Despite these casualties, the war dragged on for another three years.
E. It was an inexcusable waste of human life.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】The passage needs a link between the first paragraph, which focuses on the catastrophic results of the Battle of Antietam, and the second paragraph, which focuses on Lee's reasons for advancing into Maryland. Only choice A leads the reader logically from one idea to the next.

单选题 Which of the following statements about Maryland can be inferred from the passage?

A. Numerous farmers in Maryland had freed their slaves before the commencement of the Civil War.
B. While Maryland was not a Confederate state, some residents were sympathetic to the Southern cause.
C. General Lee intended to pillage the farms of Maryland in order to feed his troops.
D. Many Southern fighters were originally from Maryland.
E. The battle at Normandy is more important than the battle at Antietam.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】Maryland is identified as an undecided border state and Lee thought it could be swung to support the South. These points support choice B. Note that, while more than one answer choice is factually true, only choice B is implied within the passage.

单选题 In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the author is most likely suggesting that

A. the other American wars of the 18th and 19th centuries did not have heavy casualties
B. the Antietam National Battlefield park service is an unreliable source of information
C. the Battle at Antietam was the most significant battle of the American Civil War
D. General Lee was overly encouraged by his success in the Second Battle of Bull Run
E. the troops at Antietam suffered catastrophic losses compared to other battles in that century

【正确答案】 E

【答案解析】This last sentence serves to compare the losses at Antietam with those of other wars. It illustrates the scope of the casualties in a contemporary time frame.