A
On January 18, 1803, President Thomas Jefferson sent the U．S. Congress a message. He wanted to send a group of men to explore a_large_area_of_land that is now part of the United States. That group, led by men named Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, set out on May 14, 1804.
The first part of Lewis and Clark's journey involved (包括) traveling up the Missouri River by boat. They had to travel upstream (逆流而上), so they pulled, pushed or forced the boats forward with poles. Heat and insects made the trip difficult. One member of the group died from an infection (感染) after only a few months.
But the trip was very successful. Lewis and Clark discovered at least 180 species of plants and 120 animals on their journey. The explorers also named geological features they came across such as mountains and rivers. Many of these places still have the names of group members, their loved ones and even the group's dog.
Native peoples lived in the lands that Lewis and Clark explored. Lewis and Clark met many Native American tribes (部落) on their journey. The explorers brought gifts for the Native Americans — beads, cloth, knives, mirrors and more. They hoped to build up trade with them. Most tribes agreed to trade with them, though some did not.
Finally the group made it all the way to the Pacific Ocean in November 1805. They built a fort (营地) and spent the winter there. It was a difficult winter, but the group lived to head home.
Lewis and Clark returned home to a hero's welcome. They had greatly expanded their country's knowledge of the lands to the west of it. They had developed friendly relations with many tribes and expanded scientific knowledge.
【语篇解读】 本文是记叙文。文章介绍了美国探险者刘易斯和克拉克北美西部荒地探险之旅。
1．What does the underlined part in the first paragraph probably refer to?
A．The west of the United States.
B．The area along the Missouri River.
C．The coldest area of the United States.
D．The eastern coast of the United States.
答案与解析：A 推理判断题。由最后一段中的“greatly expanded their country's knowledge of the lands to the west of it”可知，刘易斯和克拉克探险队所勘察的一大片土地位于美国西部。
2．What can we learn about Lewis and Clark's journey?
A．It was a sudden decision.
B．It ended in November 1805.
C．It was filled with danger and discovery.
D．It got little support from the government.
答案与解析：C 推理判断题。由第二段中的“travel upstream... Heat and insects made the trip difficult. One member... died from an infection”可知，刘易斯和克拉克探险队的这次旅程充满了危险；再由第三段中的“discovered at least 180 species of plants and 120 animals”和“named geological features they came across”可知，这次旅程又收获颇丰。
3．What did Lewis and Clark do when they met Native American tribes?
A．They invited one Native American to be their guide.
B．They shared their scientific knowledge with them.
C．They passed on the President's message to them.
D．They successfully traded with most of them.
答案与解析：D 细节理解题。由倒数第三段中的“Most tribes agreed to trade with them”可知，刘易斯和克拉克探险队成功地与土著人建立了贸易关系，进行了交易。
4．How did the Americans react to Lewis and Clark's return?
A．They were so surprised.
B．They built a fort for them.
C．They gave them a warm welcome.
D．They sent them many gifts from Native Americans.
答案与解析：C 细节理解题。由最后一段中的“Lewis and Clark returned home to a hero's welcome”可知，刘易斯和克拉克返乡后受到了美国人民热烈的欢迎。
