While much of the United States of
America put Prohibition to rest 73 years ago, large parts of the South have
remained strictly off-limits to alcohol sales. But local and
national business interests that {{U}}stand to profit from{{/U}} the sale of
alcohol, including real estate developers, grocery chains, restaurant groups and
Wal-Mart, are combining their {{U}}political and financial muscle{{/U}} to try to
persuade hundreds of dry towns and counties to go wet. In the process,
{{U}}they{{/U}} are changing the face of the once staunchly prohibitionist Bible
Belt. Attempts by Wal-Mart and others to allow alcohol sales in
other places that remain dry—415 counties in the South and in Kansas still
prohibit such sales—are meeting fierce resistance from some church groups and
religious leaders. {{U}}They{{/U}} argue that returning to the days when liquor
flowed will mean more family violence, underage drinking, drunken driving and a
general moral decay in the community. Wal-Mart, based in a dry
county in Arkansas, forbids drinking at events held at corporate headquarters.
But the {{U}}giant retailer{{/U}} has made a push in the last year to sell more
liquor, along with beer and wine, in its stores.
单选题
From the beginning of this passage we know that ______ .
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[分析] 细节题型
见第一句：While much of the United States of America put Prohibition to rest 73 years ago， large parts of the South have remained strictly off-limits to alcohol sales．此处只要理解put Prohibition to rest即可；put...to rest表：使……中止；例：The minister resigned，and the government hoped that the scandal would finally be laid(put)to rest．那位部长辞职了，政府希望那个丑闻从此终止。Prohibition在此指[美]禁酒令；既然美国许多州在73年前就中止了《禁酒令》……，当然指美国许多州那时就允许售酒了；因此D为答案。
单选题
According to the passage, we come to know that large parts of the South have ______ alcohol sales in the last 73 years.
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[分析] 细节题型
此处只要理解off-limits即可；off-limits表：禁止进入的；那么large parts of the South have remained strictly off-limits to alcohol sales．(南部大部分地区却仍然严格禁止酒类销售)；因此C为答案。
单选题
The phrase "stand to profit from" underlined in Paragraph 2 means to ______ .
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[分析] 词义题型
由于stand to表：守(约，条件等)；继续做下去；准备行动；坚决主张；坚持；进入阵地；见第二段第一句：But local and national business interests that stand to profit from the sale of alcohol，...(但当地和国有的企业界/商界坚决主张从售酒中获利……)；因此C为答案。
单选题
According to the passage, Wal-Mart is a ______ .
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[分析] 细节题型
见第二段第一句：But local and national business interests that stand to profit from the sale of alcohol，including real estate developers，grocery chains，restaurant groups and Wal-Mart，are combining their political and financial muscle to by to persuade hundreds of dry towns and counties to go wet．从中可看出此处Wal-Mart与real estate developers，grocery chains， restaurant groups表并列，都是business interests中的一分子；因此B为答案。
单选题
The expression "political and financial muscle" underlined in Paragraph 2 is an example of ______ .
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[分析] 词义题型
这几个词均是修辞用语：A．simile明喻，直喻(例如Childhood is like a swiftly passing dream．童年像一场迅速消逝的梦)B．metaphor隐喻，暗喻(例如：She's an angel and He's a lion in battle are metaphors．她是天使，他是雄狮都是比喻说法)C．metonymy换喻，转喻(例如：What is leant in the cradle is carded to the grade．)；D．personification拟人(法)；人格化(例如：The tree stands there，waiting for the wind of the spring．树木站立在那里，等待春风)；因此“political and financial muscle”应是换喻，C为答案。
单选题
According to the passage, a "dry" county is most probably a ______ .
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[分析] 推断题型
第一段中提到美国有些州取消了《禁酒令》，但南部各州中却有许多州仍然严格禁止酒类销售；在第二段中提到：但当地和国有的企业界/商界坚决主张从售酒中获利……他们试图说服hundreds of dry towns and counties to go wet．“dry”与”wet”意义相反，由此推断出可能是dry towns and counties是禁酒的，而go wet是取消禁酒；另外在第三段第一句中也可看到...other places that remain dry—415 counties in the South and in Kansas still prohibit such sales；破折号后表同义或解释；由此推断出A为答案。
单选题
The word "they" underlined in Paragraph 2 refers to ______ .
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[分析] 推断题型
见第二段最后一句；从句子结构判断，此处的“they”应指本段第一句中的“business interests”，而下面紧接着又谈到它们包括real estate developers，grocery chains，restaurant groups and Wal-Mart，因此选项D是其中一分子，D为答案。
单选题
We can assume from the last sentence of Paragraph 2 that the "Bible Belt" refers to ______ .
单选题
The word "They" underlined in Paragraph 3 refers to ______ .
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[分析] 细节题型
见第三段：Attempts by Wal-Mart and others...are meeting fierce resistance from some church groups and religious leaders．They argue that...；将句子简化可看出此处they指的即是前面一句中提到的some church groups and religious leaders；因此D为答案。
单选题
The phrase "giant retailer" in Paragraph 4 refers most possibly to ______ .
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[分析] 词义题型
见第四段：Wal-Mart，based in a dry county in Arkansas，forbids drinking at events held at corporate headquarters．But the giant retailer has made a push in the last year to sell more liquor，along with beer and wine，in is stores．将这两句简化即：Wal-Mart forbids drinking....But he(the giant retailer)has made a push…；由此可见the giant retailer指的就是前面所说的Wal-Mart。(本句意为：沃尔玛的总部位于阿肯色州一个禁酒的郡，那里禁止在总部举行任何活动时饮酒。但这个零售业巨人去年却将在它的各家店铺销售更多的酒，当然还有啤酒、葡萄酒的活动推进了一步)；因此A为答案。