29.The word "afforded" in line 33 is closest in meaning to
(A) provided
(B) spent
(C) avoided
(D) absorbed
30.Which of the following was most likely to be found in a bedroom in the colder areas of the American colonies?
(A)A linsey-woolsey
(B)A vent from a central healing system
(C)A fireplace
(D)A wood stove
Questions 31-40
Growing tightly packed together and collectively weaving
a dense canopy of branches, a stand of red alder trees can
totally dominate a site to the exclusion of almost everything else.
Certain species such as salmonberry and sword ferns have
Line adapted to the limited sunlight dappling through the canopy,
but few evergreen trees (S) will survive there; still fewer can compete
with the early prodigious growth of alders. A Douglas fir
tree reaches its maximum rate of growth ten years later than
an alder, and if the two of them begin life at the same time,
the alder quickly outgrows and dominates the Douglas fir.
After an alder canopy has closed, the Douglas fir suffers a
marked decrease in growth, often dying within seven years.
Even more shade-tolerant species of trees such as hemlock may
remain badly suppressed beneath aggressive young alders.
Companies engaged in intensive timber cropping naturally
take a dim view of alders suppressing more valuable evergreen
trees. But times are changing; a new generation of foresters
seems better prepared to Include in their management plans
consideration of the vital ecological role alders, play.
Among the alder s valuable ecological contributions is its
capacity to fix nitrogen in nitrogen-deficient soils. Alder roots
contain clusters of nitrogen-fixing nodules like those found on
legumes such as beans. in addition, newly developing soils
exposed by recent glacier retreat and planted with alders show
that these trees are applying the equivalent of ten bags of high-
nitrogen fertilizer to each hectare per year. Other chemical
changes to soil in which they are growing Include a lowering of
the base content and rise In soil acidity, as well as a substantial
addition of carbon and calcium. to the soil.
Another important role many alders play in the wild, particularly
in mountainous areas, is to check the rush of water
during spring melt. In Japan and elsewhere, the trees are
planted to stabilize soil on steep mountain slopes. Similarly,
alders have been planted to stabilize and rehabilitate waste
material left over from old mines, flood deposits, and landslide
areas in both Europe and Asia.
31.What does the passage mainly discuss?
(A)Differences between alder trees and Douglas fir trees
(B)Alder trees as a source of timber
(C)Management plans for using alder trees to improve soil
(D)The relation of alder trees to their forest environments
32.The word "dense" in line I is closest in meaning to
(A) dark
(B) tall
(C) thick
(D) broad