【正文】 ) dismal(C) mountain(D) maximum018. Although the growth in Canada39。s population had slowed down by 1966 (the increase the first half of the 196039。s was only nine percent) , another large population wave was ing over the horizon. It would be posed of the children who were born during the period of the high birth rate prior to 1957.The phrase prior to is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) behind(B) since(C) during(D) preceding在先的 在前的 前面的019. Advocates of organic foods a term whose meaning varies greatly frequently proclaim that such products are safer and more nutritious than others.The word Advocates is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) Proponents(B) Merchants(C) Inspectors(D) Consumers020. There are numerous unsubstantiated（未經(jīng)證實的 沒有事實根據(jù)的） reports that natural vitamins are superior to synthetic ones, that fertilized eggs are nutritionally superior to unfertilized eggs, that untreated grains are better than fumigated grains, and the like.The word unsubstantiated is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) unbelievable(B) uncontested(C) unpopular(D) unverified021. But in many cases consumers are misled if they believe organic foods can maintain health and provide better nutritional quality than conventionally grown foods. So there is real cause for concern if consumers, particularly those with limited ines, distrust the regular food supply and buy only expensive organic foods instead.The word maintain is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) improve(B) monitor(C) preserve(D) restore022. In addition, there were performers and since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task.The word considerable is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) thoughtful(B) substantial 牢固的 充實的 實質(zhì)上的(C) relational(D) ceremonial023. In addition, there were performers and since considerable importance was attached to avoiding mistakes in the enactment（演出 展現(xiàn) 規(guī)定 通過） of rites, religious leaders usually assumed that task.The word enactment is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) establishment(B) performance(C) authorization(D) season024. Staggering（難以置信的 令人震驚的） tasks confronted the people of the United States, North and South, when the Civil War ended. About a million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized, readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by the devastated economy. The word Staggering is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) specialized(B) confusing(C) various(D) overwhelming025. About a million and a half soldiers from both sides had to be demobilized, readjusted to civilian life, and reabsorbed by the devastated（毀滅性的） economy. The word devastated is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) developing(B) ruined(C) plicated(D) fragile026. Some botanists hypothesized that the living cells of plants acted as pumps. But many experiments demonstrated that the stems of plants in which all the cells are killed can still move water to appreciable heights.The word demonstrated is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) ignored(B) showed(C) disguised(D) distinguished027. As water is lost from the surface of the leaves, a negative pressure, or tension, is created. The evaporated water is replaced by water moving from inside the plant in unbroken columns that extend from the top of a plant to its roots. The same forces that create surface tension in any sample of water are responsible for the maintenance of these unbroken columns of water.The word extend is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) stretch(B) branch(C) increase(D) rotate028. By opening vast areas of unoccupied land for residential expansion, the omnibuses, horse railways, muter trains, and electric trolleys pulled settled regions outward two to four times more distant from city centers than they were in the premodern era.The word vast is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) large(B) basic(C) new(D) urban029. The new accessibility of land around the periphery of almost every major city sparked（導致 火花 火星） an explosion of real estate development and fueled what we now know as urban sprawl. Between 1890 and 1920, for example, some 250,000 new residential lots were recorded within the borders of Chicago, most of them located in outlying areas.The word sparked is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) brought about帶來(B) surrounded(C) sent out(D) followed030. Anxious to take advantage of the possibilities of muting, real estate developers added 800,000 potential building sites to the Chicago region in just thirty yearslots that could have housed five to six million people.The word potential is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) certain(B) popular(C) improved(D) possible031. The quality of preservation is outstanding, but what is even more impressive is the number of ichthyosaur fossils containing preserved embryos.The word outstanding is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) extensive(B) surprising(C) vertical(D) excellent032. Ichthyosaurs with embryos have been reported from 6 different levels of the shale in a small area around Holzamden, suggesting that a specific site（位置 場所 地點） was used by large numbers of ichthyosaurs repeatedly over time.The word site is closest in meaning to which of following?(A) example(B) location(C) development(D) characteristic033. The quality of preservation is almost unmatched, and quarry operations have been carried out carefully with an awareness of the value of the fossils. But these factors do not account for the interesting question of how there came to be such a concentration of pregnant ichthyosaurs in a particular place very close to their time of giving birth.The phrase ac