2014-2015学年人教版高中英语选修23 (3)英语练习题.pdfVIP

语 篇 提 能 阅读理解 A I was fascinated (着迷的) by the images of the eruption of the volcano in Iceland. Legend has it that the early settlers called the place “Iceland” to make it sound forbidding to their enemies. But for me its the fire that makes Iceland such a kick. When I first traveled to Iceland, the first thing that caught my eye was a cloud of steam in the distance. It was a geothermal (地热的 ) lake. I couldnt resist taking a dip in the mineral­rich waters that had been heated by the primal (原始的) fire. Later I attended a horse show. Although it was June, it was cold. As horses walked in green fields, I grew increasingly uncomfortable. Finally, I lay down and curled up in the grass. Within minutes I could feel it — warmth. But it was not coming from me. It was flowing up from below. On a day trip with an Icelandic friend, as we drove, he pointed out a rise of steam in the distance. “Thats Hveragerdi， ” he said. “An important farming town.” Farming town? In Iceland? Well, there were no waves of grain, but there were greenhouses that grew tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers, etc. These were built over steam vents (蒸气裂口), using the free energy. We saw a burning pile of bananas outside one of these greenhouses. “Have you ever seen such a thing ？” asked my friend. “No，” I said, “but in America theres a famous book that describes the burning of grapes during the Great Depression, because the price had fallen so low that it was cheaper to destroy them.” “Yes ，” said my friend, “Thats the way it is here.” My friends home in Reykjavik was heated by geothermal energy. We enjoyed hot tea and sweet bread. “This is delicious，” I remarked. “Did you bake it yourself ？” “No，