Question

【题目】Weeping willow tree (垂柳) facts will astonish and amaze you. These beautiful trees are found through North America, Europe and Asia.

There are more than 400 species of weeping willow trees, with most found in the Northern Hemisphere. 【1】 They easily grow ten feet per year, and take over the landscape. Their rounded, drooping branches give the tree a unique shape. Willows can clear up troublesome spots in the landscape like floods.

【2】 While they prefer moist, cool conditions, they can tolerate some drought. They’re a great choice to create an oasis of shade, if you have space to grow these gentle giants.

【3】 In the fall, the color ranges from a light yellow-green shade to a pretty blue color, depending upon the type. Trees lose their leaves in the fall, and are ideal to create summertime shade.

In literature, the most famous literary reference to the willow is perhaps William Shakespeare’s Willow Song in Othello. Desdemona, the heroine of the play, sings the song in her despair.【4】

The earliest written record of The Willow Song is from 1583 and was written for the lute (琵琶), a stringed instrument like a guitar but with a much softer sound. Shakespeare uses the symbolism of the willow again in Hamlet, when doomed Ophelia breaks willow branches and throws them into the river where she eventually drowns herself.【5】 Even in the famous modem novel Harry Potter, Willows are described as characters.

A. Weeping willow trees are fast growing.

B. Many composers have set this song to music.

C. Willows are referenced also in Twelfth Night.

D. They also like to grow near ponds，streams and lakes.

E. Most willows have pretty, green, long and thin leaves.

F. Poets and artists usually like willows and sing them in their works.

G. Weeping willows aren’t particular about their soil type, and they’re very adaptive.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】A

【2】G

【3】E

【4】B

【5】C

【解析】文章介绍了垂柳的分布、生长习性、颜色的变化和在文学作品中的运用。

【1】A

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。根据下句They easily grow ten feet per year, and take over the landscape.它们很容易每年生长10英尺，可知垂柳生长很快，A项表达了此意，连接下句。故选A.

【2】G

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。本段表达了垂柳的生长习性，喜欢潮湿凉爽的气候，也能容忍干旱。G项：垂柳对土壤类型要求不挑剔适应性非常强，符合本段内容，故选G.

【3】E

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。本段讲垂柳叶子颜色的变化，下句讲到秋天垂柳叶子会由浅黄绿色到漂亮的蓝色。E项：多数垂柳有漂亮的、绿色细而长的叶子。与下句连接，符合本段内容，故选E.

【4】B

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。本段讲垂柳在文学作品中的运用，最有名的关于柳树的文学引用可能是威廉莎士比亚在奥赛罗中的柳曲，剧中的女主角Desdemona，在她的绝望中唱了这首歌。B项：许多作曲家把这首歌设置为音乐。承接上文，故选B.

【5】C

考查对上下文的理解和推理判断能力。本段讲柳树在莎士比亚文学作品中的具体运用的例子，C项：在第十二夜中也提到了柳树，符合本段内容，故选C.