Question

【题目】 At 18, you say goodbye to your childhood and become an adult. You are legally allowed to do a lot of things from voting to driving a car. 【1】

On March 10, California lawmakers voted to change the legal age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21. It meant that the US state in which the most people live was about to become the second after Hawaii to ban teenagers from smoking. 【2】 Up to now, over 100 cities in the US, including New York and San Francisco, have passed similar laws of their own.

“We can save billions of dollars in direct health care costs and, most importantly, save lives,” senator Ed Hernandez, who wrote the bill, told the Associated Press.

【3】 Last year the Institute of Medicine(IOM) in the US predicted that if the legal age were raised to 21, by the time today’s teenagers became adults, the smoking rate would be cut by 12 percent. 【4】For example, Vending machines (自动售货机) would go away and less than 10 percent of stores would sell cigarettes illegally to teenagers.

【5】 An article in USA Today pointed out that taking in nicotine(尼古丁) during your teenage years is likely to badly affect brain function and development. Teenagers get addicted to smoking more easily than adults because the parts of the brain that control most decision making and self-control are still developing. As for the health effects, the risks of smoking-related illness rise with the number of years a person smokes.

A. There is evidence that supports Hernandez's words.

B. There are many reasons to cut youth smoking further.

C. The law will take effect 90 days after the governor signs it.

D. Meanwhile, other ways of getting cigarettes would disappear.

E. Some people argue that 18-year-olds are mostly able to make adult decisions.

F. Many countries in the world, including China, have set the legal smoking at 18.

G. But in some parts of the US, there’s still one thing an 18-year-old can’t do—smoke.

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】G

【2】C

【3】A

【4】D

【5】B

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。3月10日，加州议员投票决定将购买香烟的法定年龄从18岁改为21岁。这意味着美国人口最多的州将成为继夏威夷之后第二个禁止青少年吸烟的州。这对进一步保证青年少的身体健康和成长发育意义重大。

【1】根据下文On March 10, California lawmakers voted to change the legal age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21.（3月10日，加州议员投票决定将购买香烟的法定年龄从18岁改为21岁。）可知，虽然18岁时，法律允许你做很多事情，从投票到开车。但是在美国的一些地方，仍然有一件事是18岁的孩子不能做的——吸烟。故选G。

【2】根据本句第一句On March 10, California lawmakers voted to change the legal age for buying cigarettes from 18 to 21.（3月10日，加州议员投票决定将购买香烟的法定年龄从18岁改为21岁。）可知，法律经过投票之后，需要该州长签署90天后生效。故选C。

【3】根据上文"We can save billions of dollars in direct health care costs and, most importantly, save lives," senator Ed Hernandez, who wrote the bill, told the Associated Press.（“我们可以节省数十亿美元的直接医疗费用，最重要的是，可以挽救生命，”起草该法案的参议员Ed Hernandez对美联社说。）以及下文Last year the Institute of Medicine(IOM) in the US predicted that if the legal age were raised to 21, by the time today's teenagers became adults, the smoking rate would be cut by 12 percent.（去年，美国医学研究所预测，如果法定年龄提高到21岁，到今天的青少年成年时，吸烟率将下降12%。）可知，美国医学研究所印证了Hernandez的话，故选A。

【4】根据下文For example, Vending machines would go away and less than 10 percent of stores would sell cigarettes illegally to teenagers.（例如，自动贩卖机将会消失，只有不到10%的商店会非法向青少年出售香烟。）可知，青年少获取香烟的方式，如在自动贩卖机和商店买到香烟的机会将会消失。故选D。

【5】根据下文An article in USA Today pointed out that taking in nicotine during your teenage years is likely to badly affect brain function and development.（《今日美国》的一篇文章指出，青少年时期摄入尼古丁可能会严重影响大脑功能和发育。）可知，是在进一步论证应该减少青少年吸烟的理由。故选B。

七选五题型看似简单，实际上有时完全作对并不容易，需要方法和分析能力及足够的耐力。这种题一般可从以下方面来做：

（1）看首段，跳过空格快速通读全篇，了解文章大意。首段的末句一般是全文的主题所在，首段的末句对于快速掌握文章的主题具有重要意义。

（2）首先快速浏览一遍七个备选答案，先确定哪个选项适合放在文章的什么位置。

（3）精读空格前后两句，利用各种衔接手段选择正确的选项填入空格。七选五空出的是整个句子，而这些句子与句子之间，必然有一种联系，因此我们可以通过选项中某个名词或动词跟空前或空后的一致性或者相关性来确定这两个句子之间有一种关联性，从而选择正确的答案。考查对上下文的理解及推理判断能力。

（4）看选项，找出与空前空后句中心词同义，近义或相关性的词语。实现关键词的对接，先易后难，各个突破。此外要通过句子的逻辑关系或句子的标点来判断该句在文章的位置。

（5）解题的关键是能娴熟地利用各种衔接手段。尤其要注意代词，连词等。如表示转折关系的but，though, however等。

做完后，通读全文。将所选项放入空白处，通读一遍，看看是否与上下文构成语义及逻辑上的直接关系，是否符合该处语境。能否承接前后的写作线索。

如第五小题，根据下文An article in USA Today pointed out that taking in nicotine during your teenage years is likely to badly affect brain function and development.（《今日美国》的一篇文章指出，青少年时期摄入尼古丁可能会严重影响大脑功能和发育。）可知，是在进一步论证应该减少青少年吸烟的理由。故选B。