SAT阅读练习题:Reading Comprehension Test 12

　　The ground is full of seeds that cannot rise into seedlings;　the seedlings rob one another of air, light and water, the　strongest robber winning the day, and extinguishing his　competitors. Year after year, the wild animals with which　5 man never interferes are, on the average, neither more nor　less numerous than they were; and yet we know that the　annual produce of every pair is from one to perhaps a　million young; so that it is mathematically certain that,　on the average, as many are killed by natural causes as10 are born every year, and those only escape which happen　to be a little better fitted to resist destruction than　those which die. The individuals of a species are like　the crew of a foundered ship, and none but good swimmershave a chance of reaching the land.

　　1. The robber in the first sentence is most like which of the following mentioned in the paragraph

　　A. wild animals

　　B. produce of every pair

　　C. individuals of a species

　　D. crew of a foundered ship

　　E. good swimmers

　　2. The main point the author conveys is that

　　A. natural populations of animals in the wild increase in numbers exponentially

　　B. all members of a species are in violent competition with one another

　　C. in the struggle to survive, the fittest survive

　　D. members of one generation of a population are all more or less alike

　　E. mans interference destroys the natural balance

　　The literature on drug addiction has grown at a rate that　defies anyone to keep abreast of the literature, and　apparently in inverse proportion to our understanding of　the subject. Addiction, or dependence, as it is more　5 fashionable to call it, excites controversy and speculation　yet true understanding of the phenomenon remains elusive.

　　In fact the area is fraught with speculation and　acrimonious debate. Definition of terms such as drug,　addiction, and abuse is obviously less controversial　10 than attempts to explain the nature of drug dependence,

　　yet even the terminology is imprecise and overlain with　subjective connotations. At its most basic, a drug, as　defined by the World Heath Organization, is simply any　substance which when taken into the living organism may　15 modify one or more of its functions. This kind of definition is too wide to be of any use in a discussion　of dependence: it covers everything from insulin to　aspirin, nicillin to alcohol.

　　3. The author implies that he thinks the term dependence in the context of drugs

　　A. is more accurate the older term addiction

　　B. has not always been the preferred term

　　C. is a currently under-used term

　　D. is an avant-garde aberration

　　E. is more controversial than the term addiction

　　4. We can infer from the first sentence that

　　A. not all that has been written on the subject of addiction has added to our understanding

　　B. no one can have read all the literature on any drug

　　C. the more that is published the more we are likely to understand

　　D. the rate of growth should be higher if we are to understand the subject

　　E. writing about addiction is fashionable