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SAT语法之段落优化题:Improving Paragraphs
Questions 1-6 refer to the following passage, which is a draft of an essay:
(1) I recently revisited the city which I was born in, which is a place well known for a castle built on a rock overlooking the surrounding plains, and even better known for a legendary figure who robbed the rich to give to the poor. (2)As I toured the castle and its museum, visited the town center, and roamed around old haunts, I reflected on how the buildings that people of different eras build reflect their central preoccupations.
(3) The castle was originally built in the eleventh century, and remained important for several centuries. (4)Throughout the medieval period castles and fortified houses were built. (5)The powerful landowners surveyed and dominated the surrounding lands, the source of their wealth and prestige.
(6) Once the industrial era began, castles were sidelined. (7)The merchants and factory owners built town halls, churches, factories and imposing office buildings. (7)The town center reflects this era. (8)An imposing town hall, complete with massive pillars and monumental lions, overlooks the town square. (9)The square is surrounded by equally massive blocks of shops, banks and offices, built to reflect the power of trade in the heyday of the British Empire.
(10) Most people who enter the city today never visit the castle or the old market square, they head for the two shopping malls situated at either end of the city center. (11)Here the visitor can shop to their hearts content in an environment of glass and polished chrome. (12)Modern man is no longer a warrior defending his land, or a builder of churches, or a governor of people: he is primarily a consumer. (13)The buildings our generation leaves to posterity will reflect our predominant interest – shopping.
1. The author's approach to the topic can best be described as
A. rhetorical
B. a reminiscence
C. a specific example to illustrate a general point
D. personal narrative
E. several examples used to contradict a viewpoint
2. The sentence (or sentences) which most clearly expresses the author's primary purpose is
A. (1)
B. (2)
C. (12)
D. (13)
E. (1) and (13)
3. Which is the best version of the underlined portion of sentence (1), (reproduced below)?
I recently revisited the city which I was born in, which is a place well known for a castle built on a rock overlooking the surrounding plains, and even better known for a legendary figure who robbed the rich to give to the poor.sat
A. I recently revisited the city which I was born in, which is a place
B. I recently revisited the city in which I was born in, which is
C. I recently revisited the city in which I was born, a city
D. Recently I revisited the place which I was born in, which is a city
E. Recently I revisited the city which I was born in, which is
4. The best way to rewrite the underlined parts of sentences 4 and 5 (reproduced below) in order to combine the sentences is:
Throughout the medieval period castles and fortified houses were built. The powerful landowners surveyed and dominated the surrounding lands, the source of their wealth and prestige.
A. Throughout the medieval period castles and fortified houses were built from which powerful landowners surveyed and dominated
B. Castles and fortified houses were built throughout the medieval period, from which powerful landowners surveyed and dominated
C. Castles and fortified houses were built throughout the medieval period, when powerful landowners surveyed and dominated
D. Throughout the medieval period, powerful landowners built castles and fortified houses from which to survey and dominate
E. Throughout the medieval period, powerful landowners built castles and fortified houses from which they would have surveyed and dominated
5. The change most needed in sentence 10 is
A. change or to nor
B. change “either end” to “both ends”
C. change the comma to a semicolon
D. avoid the repetition of the word “city”
E. change people to persons
6. Sentence 11 has faulty
A. pronoun usage
B. parallelism
C. verb tenses
D. diction
E. verb agreement
Questions 7-12 refer to the following passage, which is a draft of an essay:
(1)Nowadays we tend to use the expression “plain vanilla” in a derogatory sense for something simple and unadorned. (2)But have you ever thought about the ways in which the vanilla bean has improved the taste of what we eat?
(3)One of the most used, and presumably, most appreciated, flavors known to man, worldwide we use more than one thousand tons of vanilla beans every year, mainly to flavor ice cream, cakes and confectionery. (4)Since the 1930s chemical companies have also been making huge amounts of synthetic vanilla essence mainly from the byproducts of the paper pulp industry. (5)In fact, most of the “vanilla flavor” products on the supermarket shelves have never seen a vanilla pod. (6)However, good cooks keep real vanilla pods in their sugar to enhance the taste of their cakes and cookies and would not buy synthetic vanilla.sat
(7)Natural vanilla is the product of a creeper that grows best in hot wet climates. (8)It requires hand pollinating and the growing, harvesting and curing need skill and are labor intensive. (9)With the advent of biotechnology it remains to be seen how long the traditional growing and production methods would survive.
(10)But whatever the source, vanilla has become essential to the human palate. (11)Think about it: do you even know what “plain” ice cream would taste like without vanilla?
7. The writer uses all of the following techniques except
A. rhetorical questions
B. statement of facts
C. speculation
D. address to the reader
E. personal experience
8. Which version of the underlined part best corrects and improves sentence 3 (reproduced below)?
One of the most used, and presumably, most appreciated, flavors known to man, worldwide we use more than one thousand tons of vanilla beans every year, mainly to flavor ice cream, cakes and confectionery.
A. Vanilla is certainly one of the most used, and presumably most appreciated, flavors known to man. Worldwide
B. Vanilla is certainly one of the most used, and presumably most appreciated, flavors known to man, worldwide
C. Vanilla is certainly one of the most used, and presumably most appreciated, flavors known to man worldwide:
D. One of the most used, and presumably most appreciated, flavors known to man worldwide, vanilla
E. Worldwide vanilla is certainly one of the most used, and presumably most appreciated, flavors known to man.
9. The best replacement for the word “it” in sentence 8 is
A. vanilla
B. the pod
C. vanilla flowers
D. the plant
E. pods
10. The change most needed in sentence 9 is
A. change “would” to “will”
B. change “methods” to “method”
C. rewrite to avoid “to be”
D. insert “for” in front of “how”
E. substitute “arrival” for “advent”
11. One reason the writer uses the word “plain” in the last sentence is probably
A. to contrast with “vanilla”
B. to link to the use of the same word in the first sentence
C. to emphasis an opposite
D. to clarify what is meant by flavor
E. to add more force to the argument
12. Which sentence best states the author's contention about vanilla?
A. 1
B. 2
C. 9
D. 10
E. 11
答案：
1.Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
The author uses the examples of his/her home city to make the point that buildings reflect the concerns of an era
2.Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
The author intends to show how the different buildings reflect the concerns of different ages.
3.Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Answer (C) is the most concise and avoids the awkward repetition of which.
4.Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
Answers A, B and C all use the passive voice. Of choices D and E, which use the active voice, D is the more concise.
5.Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
The major grammar error is the use of the comma to link two full sentences. Other changes are matters of style.sat
6.Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A visitor is singular and so the sentence should state "to his or her heart's content".
7.Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
The author does not give her own experience but makes general statements.
8.Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
The original version has a dangling modifier, which needs to be corrected. “Worldwide” refers to the use of vanilla. Sentence A deals with both problems.
9.Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
A singular subject is required. We are referring to the creeper, which is a plant.
10.Correct Answer: A
Explanation:
A simple future tense is needed.
11.Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
The author starts with the idea of “plain vanilla” and rounds of by returning to the same idea.
12.Correct Answer: D
Explanation:
The author is making a strong claim that vanilla is now essential. (Whether she has adequately justified her contention is another matter.)
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