Passage One

Questions 46 to 50 are based on the following passage.

You may have heard that Coca-Cola once contained an ingredient capable of sparking particular devotion in consumers: cocaine. The“coca” in the name referred to the extracts of coca leaf that the drinks originator, chemist John Pemberton, mixed with his sugary syrup(姜汁). At the time, coca leaf extract mixed with wine was a common tonic(滋补品), and Pemberton’s sweet brew was a way to get around local laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol. But the other half of the name represents another ingredient，less infamous(名声不好的), perhaps, but also strangely potent: the kola nut.

In West Africa, people have long chewed kola nuts as stimulants, because they contain caffeine that also occurs naturally in tea, coffee, and chocolate. They also have heart stimulants.

Historian Paul Lovejoy relates that the cultivation of kola nuts in West Africa is hundreds of years old. The leafy, spreading trees were planted on graves and as part of traditional rituals. Even though the nuts, which need to stay moist, can be somewhat delicate to transport, traders carried them hundreds of miles throughout the forests and grasslands.

Europeans did not know of them until the 1500s, when Portuguese ships arrived on the coast of what is now Sierra Leone. And while the Portuguese took part in the trade, ferrying nuts down the coast along with other goods, by 1620, when English explorer Richard Jobson made his way up the Gambia, the nuts were still peculiar to his eyes.

By the late 19th century, kola nuts were being shipped by the tonne to Europe and the US. Many made their way into medicines, intended as a kind of energy boost. One such popular medicinal drink was Vin Mariani, a French product consisting of coca extract mixed with red wine. It was created by a French chemist, Angelo Mariani, in 1863. So when Pemberton created his drink,it represented an ongoing trend. When cocaine eventually fell from grace as a beverage ingredient, kola-extract colas became popular.

The first year it was available, Coca-Cola averaged nine servings a day across all the Atlanta soda fountains where it was sold. As it grew more popular, the company sold rights to bottle the soda, so it could travel easily. Today about 1.9 billion Cokes are purchased daily. It’s become so iconic that attempts to change its taste in 1985 — sweetening it in a move projected to boost sales — proved disastrous, with widespread anger from consumers. “Coca-Cola Classic”， returned to store shelves just three months after the “New Coke” was released.

These days, the Coca-Cola recipe is a closely guarded secret. But it’s said to no longer contain kola nut extract, relying instead on artificial imitations to achieve the flavour.

你可能听说可口可乐曾经含有一种能够使消费者“死忠”的成分：可卡因。名中的“coca”指的是古柯叶的提取物，该饮料的创始人化学家约翰·彭伯顿用它与含糖的姜汁混合在一起。当时，古柯叶提取物与葡萄酒混合是常见的滋补品，而当地法律禁止出售含酒精饮料，彭伯顿的甜饮则避开了该法律。“cola”代表另一种成分——可乐果：尽管名声不太好，但非常给力。

在西非，人们长期以来一直嚼着可乐果作为兴奋剂，因为它们含有咖啡因。咖啡因在茶、咖啡和巧克力中也天然存在。它们也有心脏兴奋剂。

历史学家保罗·洛夫乔伊指出，西非的可乐果种植已有数百年的历史。枝繁叶茂的可乐果树被种植在坟墓上，作为传统仪式的一部分。尽管可乐果需要保持湿润，在运输上需要谨慎处理，但是贸易商却带着它们穿越森林和草原，运送了数百英里。

直到十六世纪，葡萄牙船只抵达现在的塞拉利昂海岸时，欧洲人才知道它们。尽管葡萄牙人也加入了可乐果贸易，将可乐果和其他货物一起装船运输，但1620年英国探险家理查德·乔布森前往冈比亚看到可乐果时，仍觉得它奇怪。

到十九世纪后期，可乐果才被大量运往欧洲和美国。很多可乐果入了药，把它做能量增强剂。当时有一种受欢迎的药用饮料叫马里亚尼葡萄酒，是一种法国产的古柯提取物与红葡萄酒的混合。该产品由法国化学家安杰洛·马里亚尼于1863年创建。所以当彭伯顿创造了他的饮料，代表着不断发展的趋势。可卡因作为饮料配料最终“失宠”时，可乐果提取物变得受欢迎起来。

第一年，可口可乐在所有亚特兰大的冷饮小卖部的销量只有平均九份每天。随着它越来越受欢迎，该公司开始销售瓶装苏打水，所以它更便于随身携带。现在每天的销量高达约十九亿瓶。可口可乐俨然已成为一种标志，以至于1985年改变其的口味的尝试被证明是灾难性的 ： 原以为使其变得更甜可以促进销售 ，不料引起了消费者普遍愤慨。“经典可口可乐”在“新可乐”发布后的三个月后重新回到货架上。

直到现在，可口可乐的配方仍是一个严格保守的秘密。据说它不再含有古柯提取物，而是依靠人造的仿制品来达到相同的口味。

46. What do we learn about chemist John Pemberton?

A) He used a strangely potent ingredient in a food supplement.

B) He created a drink containing alcohol without breaking law.

C) He became notorious because of the coca drink he developed.

D) He risked breaking local law to make a drink with coca leaves.

【答案详解】答案是A。由第一自然段最后一句“But the other half of the name represents another ingredient，less infamous, perhaps, but also strangely potent: the kola nut”我们可以得知“cola”代表另一种成分——可乐果：尽管名声不太好，但非常给力。很多同学首先就把A排除，理由是可口可乐不属于食品（food）的范畴。食品定义是“可供人类食用或饮用的物质”，饮料当然也属于广义的食品。做阅读理解，几个选项一定要仔细比较、揣摩。

【干扰分析】B、D选项具有很大的迷惑性。C选项很容易排除。由第一自然段第三句“Pemberton’s sweet brew was a way to get around local laws prohibiting the sale of alcohol”我们可以得知：当地法律禁止出售含酒精饮料，彭伯顿的甜饮则避开了该法律。换言之，可口可乐是不含酒精的，他本人也没有冒违反法律的风险。故可排除B、D选项。C选项“变得声名狼藉（became notorious）”很容易排除，因为文章中提到声名狼藉的是可乐果，而不是彭伯顿。

47. What does the passage say about kola nuts?

A) Their commercial value was first discovered by Portuguese settlers.

B) They contain some kind of energy boost not found in any other food.

C) Many were shipped to Europe in the late 19th century for medicinal use.

D) They were strange to the Europeans when first imported from West Africa.

【答案详解】答案是C。由第5自然段的头两句“By the late 19th century, kola nuts were being shipped by the tonne to Europe and the US. Many made their way into medicines, intended as a kind of energy boost”我们可以得知：到十九世纪后期，可乐果才被大量运往欧洲和美国。很多可乐果入了药，把它做能量增强剂。

【干扰分析】本题相关的阅读点散布在2--5自然段多个地方，信息量大。B选项容易排除，A、D有较大的迷惑性，需仔细比较。文中第四自然段提到，葡萄牙人用船只将可乐果运往欧洲，并从事可乐果贸易，但并不能断定葡萄牙定居者首先发现可乐果的商业价值，排除A。第二自然段提到，可乐果含有咖啡因，它在茶、咖啡和巧克力中也存在，排除B。第二、三自然段多次提到西非，但没有明确提及欧洲人首次从西非进口可乐果的相关信息。第四自然段中提到十六世纪时葡萄牙船只抵达现在的塞拉利昂海岸，塞拉利昂是西非国家，但并不能由此断定首次进口可乐果是葡萄牙人所为，故排除D。

48. How come kola-extract colas became popular?

A) Cocaine had become notorious.

B) Alcoholic drinks were prohibited.

C) Fountains were set up to sell them.

D) Rights were sold to bottle the soda.

【答案详解】答案是A。由第五自然段最后一句“When cocaine eventually fell from grace as a beverage ingredient, kola-extract colas became popular”我们可以得知：可卡因作为饮料配料最终“失宠”（fell from grace）时，可乐果提取物变得受欢迎起来。其“失宠”是因为它声名狼藉，此后作为代替品的可乐果提取物变得受欢迎。

【干扰分析】B、C选项与题干相关度低，而D有一定的迷惑性。B、C选项在文中的确有提到，但与题干相关度低。倒数第二自然段第二句话提到，随着可口可乐越来越受欢迎，该公司开始销售瓶装苏打水，所以它更便于随身携带。这里讲的是可口可乐受欢迎与瓶装苏打水两者的关系，而不是讲可乐果提取物是如何变得受欢迎的，故排除D。

49. What is known about the taste of Coca-Cola?

A) It was so designed as to create addiction in consumers.

B) It still relies on traditional kola nut extract.

C) It has become more popular among the old.

D) It has remained virtually unchanged since its creation.

【答案详解】答案是D。由倒数第二自然段的最后两句我们可以得知，1985年改变其的口味的尝试被证明是灾难性的，“经典可口可乐”在“新可乐”发布后的三个月后重新回到货架上。另外，由文章的最后一句我们可以得知，它不再含有可乐果提取物，而是依靠人造的仿制品来达到相同的口味。综上所述，可口可乐自创立以来，其味道几乎没有变化。

【干扰分析】B选项很容易排除，A、C在文中没有提及。有的同学错选A，认为A选项中的上瘾与文中提到的可卡因有关，早期的可口可乐含可卡因，而可卡因可能让人上瘾，由此臆断这是该产品设计的目的。其实文中并未明确提及addition,而它也绝非创始人设计产品的初衷。做阅读理解切忌先入为主，想当然。可口可乐自创立以来，其味道几乎没有变化，确定D为正确选项的同时又可以排除B。文中没有明确的提及该饮料是否会让消费者上瘾或它是否在老年人群中越来越受欢迎，属“无中生有”，故排除A、C。

50. What is the passage mainly about?

A) The evolution of Coca-Cola. C) The medicinal value of Coca-Cola.

B) The success story of Coca-Cola. D) The business strategy of Coca-Cola.

【答案详解】答案是A。本文从可口可乐的名字谈起，然后说到该产品的创立与发展。全文贯穿了其发展史中较为有趣的几件代表性事件，究其主旨，可口可乐的发展演变最为贴切。

【干扰分析】B、C、D等干扰项在文中都有提及，但均以偏概全，不能作为全文的主旨大意，故排除。

Passage Two

Questions 51 to 55 are based on the following passage.

Twenty years ago, the Urban Land Institute defined the two types of cities that dominated the US landscape: smaller cities that operated around standard 9-5 business hours and large metropolitan areas that ran all 24 hours of the day. Analyzing and comparing cities using the lens of this basic divide gives interesting context to how investment capital flows and housing prices have shifted.

In recent years, many mid-sized cities have begun to adopt a middle-of-the-road approach incorporating the excitement and opportunity of large cities with small cities’ quiet after midnight. These 18-hour cities are beginning to make waves in real estate rankings and attract more real estate investment. What is underlying this new movement in real estate, and why do these cities have so much appeal?

18-hour cities combine the best of 24-hour and 9-5 cities, which contributes to downtown revitalization. For decades, many downtown cores in small to mid-sized cities were abandoned after work hours by workers who lived in the suburbs. Movement out of city centers was widespread, and downtown tenants were predominantly made up of the working poor. This generated little commerce for downtown businesses in the evenings, which made business and generating tax revenue for municipal upkeep difficult. With the rise of a new concept in urban planning that aims to make life easier and more convenient, however, increasing popularity for urban areas that caused the real estate pushes, in major cities like San Francisco or New York, has inspired a type of forward thinking urbanity and policy in smaller cities.

Transforming downtown areas so that they incorporate modem housing and improved walkability to local restaurants, retail, and entertainment — especially when combined with improved infra structure for cyclists and public transit — makes them appeal to a more affluent demographic. These adjustments encourage employers in the knowledge and talent industries to keep their offices downtown. Access to foot traffic and proximity to transit allow the type of entertainment-oriented businesses such as bars and restaurants to stay open later, which attracts both younger, creative workers and baby boomers nearing retirement alike. Because of their smaller size，most keep hours that allow people to enjoy themselves, then have some quiet after midnight, as opposed to large major cities like New York, where the buzz of activity is ongoing.

These 18-hour cities are rapidly on the rise and offer great opportunities for homeowner investment. In many of these cities such as Denver, a diverse and vigorous economy attracted to the urban core has offered stable employment for residents. The right urban mix has propped up home occupancy, increased property values, and attracted significant investment capital.

二十年前，美国城市土地学会限定了主导美国的两类城市：围绕朝九晚五工作时间的小城市，以及24小时全天候的大都市区。以基本分类的视角来分析和比较城市，给资本流动和房价变化提供了有趣的背景。

近年来，许多中等城市开始采取折中的方式，将大城市的精彩和机遇与小城市的夜间的宁静地结合起来。这些18小时城市开始在房地产排名上掀起波澜并吸引更多的房地产投资。隐藏在新房地产运动背后的秘密是什么，为什么这些城市有如此的吸引力？

18小时城市集24小时城市和朝九晚五式小城市的优势于一身，而这有助于城市复兴。几十年来，许多工人在中心区上班，下班后返回郊区的家，以至于中小城市的许多中心区在下班后被“遗弃”。“迁出市区运动”普遍存在，在市中心居住的主要是在市区上班的贫困人口。这就导致了市中心区夜间商机微乎其微，生意难做，税收减少，市政维护难。城市规划新概念旨在使生活更轻松、更方便，然而诸如旧金山、纽约等大城市中，城区越来越受欢迎，推动了地产发展。城市规划新概念激发了中小城市关于都市风格和政策的前瞻思维。

改造市中心区域，将现代住宅与可步行性结合，让人们步行就可以到达当地的餐馆，零售和娱乐场所，特别是为骑自行车者和公共交通系统提供更好的基础配套 。这样，市中心区对富裕人口也有吸引力。这些调整鼓励知识和人才行业的雇主将办公室留在市中心。

获得更大的人流量以及便利的交通使得诸如酒吧和餐馆等娱乐导向型产业营业到更晚，这对年轻人，创意工作者和接近退休的婴儿潮一代同样具有吸引力。由于这些城市规模较小，人们在营业时间享受乐趣，然后在午夜之后有一份安静，而不是像纽约那样的大城市，时刻喧嚣不停。

这些18小时的城市正在迅速崛起，为房主投资提供了巨大的商机。众多诸如丹佛这样的城市，其多元和有活力的经济吸引人们走向中心城区，并为居民提供了稳定的就业机会。城市商住恰当组合推高了住宅的入住率，提高了房地产价值，吸引了大量的投资资本。

51. What do we learn about American cities twenty years ago?

A) They were divided into residential and business areas.

B) Their housing prices were linked with their prosperity.

C) There was a clear divide between large and small cities.

D) They were places where large investment capital flowed.

【答案详解】答案是C。由文章首句我们得知：二十年前，美国城市土地学会限定了主导美国的两类城市：围绕朝九晚五工作时间的小城市，以及24小时全天候的大都市区。简而言之，大小城市之间存在明确的划分，故C为正确选项。

【干扰分析】本题属事实细节题，关键在于找到对应的阅读点。作为第一题，其在文中对应的阅读点通常出现在开头部分，选错的同学应该对顺序法进行反思。文中并没有提及美国城市住宅区和商业区的划分，不应将第三自然段中“许多工人在中心区上班，下班后返回郊区的家”与住宅区和商业区的划分等同起来。文中提到了房价变化，却没有明确提及房价与城市的繁华二者之间的关系；文中最后一自然段中提到了诸如丹佛这样的18小时城市，提高了房地产价值，吸引了大量的投资资本，讲的是现状，与题干中“二十年前”不符，所以B、D选项也可以排除。

52. What can be inferred from the passage about 18-hour cities?

A) They especially appeal to small businesses.

B) They have seen a rise in property prices.

C) They have replaced quiet with excitement.

D) They have changed America’s landscape.

【答案详解】答案是B。由第五自然段最后一句“The right urban mix has propped up home occupancy, increased property values, and attracted significant investment capital”可以得知：城市商住恰当组合推高了住宅的入住率，提高了房地产价值，吸引了大量的投资资本。换言之，以丹佛为代表的18小时城市，随着住宅入住率提高，房价也会相应提高，故B为正确答案。

【干扰分析】本题干扰项中既有文中提到的信息，出题人将它们故意和一些无中生有的信息甚至是错误的信息放在一起，考生要注意甄别。A、D选项的部分信息在文中确有提到，如“businesses”和“landscape”,但出题人故意增加了文中没有的信息。文中不止一次提到“businesses”，但没有提到“small businesses”，二者不能等同;文中第一自然段中提到“landscape”，但讲述的是大小城市的划分，而本题谈论的是介乎大小城市之间的第三种类型——18小时城市，更不能混为一谈，故A、D可以排除。而C选项明显不对，第二自然段第一句告诉我们，近年来，许多中等城市开始采取折中的方式，将大城市的精彩和机遇与小城市的夜间的宁静地结合起来。由此我们可以判断出，18小时并非是用精彩取代了安静，也可以排除B。

53. Years ago, many downtown cores in small to mid-sized cities________.

A) had hardly any business activity.

B) were crowded in business hours.

C) exhibited no signs of prosperity.

D) looked deserted in the evenings.

【答案详解】答案是D。由第三自然段第二句话“For decades, many downtown cores in small to mid-sized cities were abandoned after work hours by workers who lived in the suburbs.”可以得知：几十年来，许多工人在中心区上班，下班后返回郊区的家，以至于中小城市的许多中心区在下班后被“遗弃”。换言之，许多工人下班后离开中心区回到郊区的家，那么中心城区在夜间显得萧条。这里deserted与abandoned是同义转换。

【干扰分析】由于本题定位信息明确，干扰项迷惑性小。本自然段后面提到，市中心区夜间商机微乎其微，生意难做。A选项缺少关键限定词“夜间”，所以排除。 至于C选项，本自然段还提到，中小城市税收减少，市政维护难，但没有展现出任何繁荣的迹象的说法过于极端，同样可以排除。

54. What characterizes the new downtown areas in 18-hour cities?

A) A sudden emergence of the knowledge industry.

B) Flooding in of large crowds of migrant workers.

C) Modernized housing and improved infrastructure.

D) More comfortable life and greater upward mobility.

【答案详解】答案是C。由第四自然段第一句我们可以得知，改造市中心区域，将现代住宅与可步行性结合，让人们步行就可以到达当地的餐馆，零售和娱乐场所，特别是为骑自行车者和公共交通系统提供更好的基础配套。换言之，18小时城市以现代化的住房和已改善的基础设施为特征，故选A。

【干扰分析】本题定位信息明确，干扰项迷惑性不大。本自然段虽提到鼓励知识和人才行业的雇主将办公室留在市中心，但不能由此得出知识产业的异军突起的结论，故排除A。同样，本自然段提到对年轻人、创意工作者和接近退休的老年人同样具有吸引力，并不能将它与流动工人的大量涌入等同起来，也可以排除B。D选项中“greater upward mobility”在文中没有提及，也不能选。

55. What have 18-hour cities brought to the local residents?

A) More chances for promotion.

B) Healthier living environment.

C) Greater cultural diversity.

D) Better job opportunities.

【答案详解】答案是D。由最后一自然段的第二句话“In many of these cities such as Denver, a diverse and vigorous economy attracted to the urban core has offered stable employment for residents”可以得知，众多诸如丹佛这样的城市，其多元和有活力的经济吸引人们走向中心城区，并为居民提供了稳定的就业机会。A选项“better job opportunities”对应文章中“stable employment for residents”。

【干扰分析】本题在文中对应信息明确，B、C、D干扰项在文中没有提及，迷惑性小。

2017年12月六级仔细阅读真题及解析（卷二）