EMost of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows
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E
Most of us are used to seasons. Each year, spring follows winter, which follows autumn, which follows summer, which follows spring. And winter is colder than summer. But the earth goes through temperature cycles over much longer periods than those that we experience.
Between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, the planet was much colder than it is now. During that time the temperature also changed a lot, with periods of warming and cooling. Ice melted during the warm periods, which made sea levels rise. Water froze again during the cold periods.
A new study from Switzerland sheds light on where ice sheets melted during the ice age.
It now seems that the ice melted at both ends of the earth, rather than just in either northern or southern areas. This surprised the researchers from the University of Bern.
Scientists have long assumed(认为) that most of the ice that melted was in the Northern hemisphere(半球) during the 30,000-year-long ice age. That belief was held because the North Pole is surrounded by land, while the South Pole is surrounded by theAntarctic Ocean. It is easier for ice sheets to grow on land. If surrounded by sea, the ice can easily just slip to the ocean instead of building up.
The researchers used a computer model to look at the ways the ice could melt and how it might affect sea levels. They compared these results to evidence(迹象) of how temperatures and currents actually changed during that time.
The model showed that if it was only in the Northern hemisphere that ice melted, there would be a bigger effect on ocean currents(洋流) and sea temperatures than what actually happened. Studies suggest that melting just in the Southern hemisphere would have been impossible, too.
The only reasonable conclusion, the scientists could make, was that the ice melted equally in the North and the South.
It is still a mystery(谜) as to what caused the temperature changes that caused the ice to melt.
72. We can learn from the text that _____.
A.we have experienced temperature cycles since they began
B.what caused ice to melt is still unknown
C. the planet was much colder than it is now between 65,000 and 35,000 years ago, during which time temperature hardly changed
D. before the new study, scientists long believed that ice melted just in either northern or southern areas
73. The underlined phrase "sheds light on" （in Paragraph 3） can be replaced by _____.
A. throws doubts on B. beats down on C. makes it clear D. makes light of
74. The first two paragraphs were written _____.
A. to lead up to the subject that ice melted during the 30,000-year-long ice age
B. to describe what the weather was like during the ice age
C. to compare climate nowadays with that of the ice age
D. to explain what a temperature cycle is
75. Which of the following best shows the relationship between ice, ocean currents and temperatures according to the text?
A. Ice can easily slip into the ocean.
B. Temperature and currents changed as a result of ice melting.
C. Temperature changes lead to ice melting or water freezing, which in turn has an effect on ocean currents and temperature.
D. Ice melted and then froze again due to temperature. |
答案
| DCAC |
解析
72. D。推理判断题。根据第四段第一句“冰川是在地球两极融化的，而非在某一极”推知在新的研究结果之前，科学家们长期认为“冰川是在地球一极融化的”。
73. C。猜测词义题。短语在第三段，但要根据第四段第一句推断。新的研究结果已解决了冰川时期冰川在哪儿融化的问题。由此推出shed light on意为“使事情清楚明白地显示”，因此选C项。
74. A。推理判断题。前两段提到气温循环和冰川时代的气温状况，这都在为冰川时期“冰川融化”的话题作铺垫。
75. C。推理判断题。从倒数第三段第一句可知。 |
举一反三
Think of London and you’re likely to think of the city’s famous bright red double-decker(双层) buses．Think of Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok，and the noisy tuk-tuk(三轮摩托车) may come to mind．Picture the American city of San Francisco and you might see the city’s cable cars(电车)．
Imagining what these cities would look like without their red buses，tuk-tuks or cable cars is difficult．They are symbols of these cities that make them different from anywhere else in the world．However,these city symbols，which are so 1oved by tourists，are not always so well loved by their city 1eaders． City 1eaders want what is best for their city, which often means the most modern transport．
In Thailand，Bangkok city authorities have forbidden new tuk-tuks because they consider them noisy and polluting．However, the ban has largely been unsuccessful，as it has not changed Thai people’s preference for the inexpensive tuk-tuks over taxis．
In London，the city’s first ever mayor got rid of the red double-decker buses． which he thought were old—fashioned, by selling them to other countries．His plan worked．but Londoners were upset to lose the charming old buses that they believed represented the best of their city. They made their upset felt， when the mayor came up for re-election 1ast year．Most Londoners voted for his competitor, who promised to bring the bus back．Now, an improved version(版本)of the double-decker bus will hit London’s streets in 2012．
AS for San Francisco, several cable cars remain in use but mainly as tourist attractions．They are too slow to be used for anything other than scenic trips．
City transport symbols may have palace in their city people’s hearts，but it seems they are increasingly out of step with the modern world．As Londoners have proved，their continued 1ife depends on people’s willingness to fight for their survival．
5．What’s the purpose of writing the first paragraph?
A．To show the cultural significance of several cities’unique transport systems．
B．To introduce some old-fashioned means of transport, which are symbols of three tourist cities．
C．To use the old transport symbols to attract more tourists to visit the cities．
D．To explain why those cities are popular with tourists around the world．
6．Bangkok’s ban on tuk-tuks is unsuccessful due to ________.
A．people’s unawareness of environmental protection
B．tourists’preference for tuk-tuks over taxis
C. the lack of severe punishment for violation
D．1ocals’willingness to take the tuk-tuks
7．The London double Decker bus is returning mainly because______.
A．it is an improved version B．The new mayor also loves it
C. it is popular with tourists D．Londoners fought for it
8．Which example can prove old city transport symbols are not loved by city leaders?
A．Bangkok city authorities tried to get rid of the cheap tuk-tuks．
B．The mayor who sold double-decker buses lost the re-election．
C．The new mayor will bring back improved double-decker buses．
D．Only a few cable cars remain in use by tourists in San Francisco．
9．We can conclude from reading the passage that_______.
A．Tourist cities will lose their charm if their old transport symbols disappear
B．A modern city should get rid of inefficient old transport
C．Old city transport symbols now face the problem of survival
D．The writer is in favor of keeping the old city transport symbols |
I had my first job at the age of thirteen, when a friend of my mother’s who owned a book shop 36 me for six hours a week to help her in the shop. I was very 37 to earn my own pocket money and my parents 38 interfered with how I spent it, even when I was spending it 39 . They believed that by earning money, spending it, and learning from the 40 , I would become more mature and 41 about how to handle work, relationships with others, and money.
Like many 42 parents, my parents also let me and my brothers do things over which they 43 a great deal. When I was sixteen, for example, after I finished high school and before I entered university, I wanted to spend the summer months traveling around 44 . My mother was against the idea of my traveling alone at such a young age, but my father felt that it would be a great 45 for me. In the end, my father won the 46 on the condition that I limited my traveling to France, my mother’s home, where I had many uncles, aunts and cousins 47 through the country who could 48 shelter and help if I needed them.
Three years later, my younger brother decided to 49 a year off after his first year in university and travel through the United States and the Caribbean. Again my mother was very worried and not 50 to see my brother leave school, but my father encouraged him and my brother had a(n) 51 year working his way on trains and ships to 52 passage to different ports and cities, and discovering many fascinating places and people.
These kinds of experiences are probably rare for children in many countries but in the US they are fairly 53 . Most parents start 54 their children at a young age to do small things by themselves. By the time they have finished high school, many American kids have already had part-time jobs, traveled around the US or other countries on their own, have 55 the university they plan to attend and maybe even decided on their future career, and so on.
36. A. taught B. allowed C. treated D. hired
37. A. anxious B. content C. proud D. hopeful
38. A. never B. ever C. always D. even
39. A. quickly B. foolishly C. seriously D. honestly
40. A. work B. mistakes C. others D. books
41. A. strict B. reasonable C. polite D. responsible
42. A. American B. Japanese C. Chinese D. British
43. A. helped B. supported C. shared D. worried
44. A. Asia B. Africa C. Europe D. Oceania
45. A. journey B. experience C. chance D. possibility
46. A. argument B. game C. discussion D. plan
47. A. send out B. give out C. carry out D. spread out
48. A. promise B. afford C. provide D. serve
49. A. leave B. make C. take D. prepare
50. A. angry B. eager C. sorry D. sad
51. A. unusual B. hard C. strange D. busy
52. A. accept B. earn C. find D. search
53. A. welcome B. fit C. necessary D. common
54. A. bringing B. forcing C. pushing D. protecting
55. A. selected B. admired C. afforded D. left |
Stepping into a pool of water is common enough, but who could ever imagine stepping into a pool of fish? In February of 1974, Bill Tapp, an Australian farmer, saw a rain of fish that covered his farm. How surprised he must have been when he heard many fish hitting against his roof!
What caused this strange occurrence? This is a question that had long puzzled people who study fish. The answer turned out to be a combination of wind and storm.
When it is spring in the northern part of the world, it is fall in Australia. Throughout the autumn season, terrible storms arise and rains flood the land. The strong winds sweep over Australia like huge vacuum cleaners, collecting seaweed, pieces of wood, and even schools of fish. Strong winds may carry these bits of nature for many miles before dropping them on fields, houses, and astonished people.
Although they seem unusual, fish-falls occur quite frequently in Australia. When Bill Tapp was asked to describe the scene of fish, he remarked, “They look like millions of dead birds falling down.” His statement is not surprising. The wonders of the natural world are as common as rain. Nature, with its infinite wonders, can create waterfalls that flow upward and fish that fall out of the sky.
56. What is this passage about?
A. A sad story. B. A rain of fish.
C. Australia’s northern part. D. The damage done by floods.
57. Fish-falls occur in Australia_________ .
A. quite often B. on large farms
C. only in winter D. when the air is calm
58. It is a known fact that ________.
A. one should watch where one steps
B. Bill Tapp is a scientist who studies farming
C. the natural world can never create waterfalls that fall upward
D. the seasons in the southern part are different from those in the northern part
59. The word “infinite” is closest in meaning to _________.
A. easy B. difficult C. countless D. dangerous |
Sometimes, the simplest ideas are the best. For example, to absorb heat from the sun to heat water, you need large, flat, black surfaces. One way to do that is to build those surfaces specially, on the roofs of buildings. But why go to all that trouble when cities are full of black surfaces already, in the form of asphalt (柏油) roads?
Ten years ago, this thought came into the mind of Arian de Bondt, a Dutch engineer. He finally persuaded his boss to follow it up. The result is that their building is now heated in winter and cooled in summer by a system that relies on the surface of the road outside.
The heat-collector is a system of connected water pipes. Most of them ran from one side of the street to the other, just under the asphalt road. Some, however, dive deep into the ground.
When the street surface gets hot in summer, water pumped through the pipes picks up this heat and takes it underground through one of the diving pipes. At a depth of 100 metres lies a natural aquifer (蓄水层) into which several heat exchangers (交换器) have been built. The hot water from the street runs through these exchangers, warning the ground-water, before returning to the surface through another pipe. The aquifer is thus used as a heat store.
In winter, the working system is changed slightly. Water is pumped through the heat exchangers to pick up the heat stored during summer. This water goes into the building and is used to warm the place up. After performing that task, it is pumped under the asphalt and its remaining heat keeps the road free of snow and ice.
小题1:Which of the following is true according to the first two paragraphs? | A．Arian de Bondt got his idea from his boss. | | B．Large, flat, black surfaces need to be built in cities. | | C．The Dutch engineer’s system has been widely used. | | D．Heat can also be collected from asphalt roads. |
小题2:For what purpose are the diving pipes used? | A．To absorb heat from the sun. | B．To store heat for future use. | | C．To turn solar energy into heat energy. | D．To carry heat down below the surface. |
小题3:From the last paragraph we can learn that __ | A．some pipes have to be re-arranged in winter | | B．the system can do more than warming up the building | | C．the exchangers will pick up heat from the street surface | | D．less heat may be collected in winter than in summer |
小题4:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows? | A．What we shall do if the system goes wrong. | | B．What we shall do if there are no asphalt roads. | | C．How the system cools the building in summer. | | D．How the system collects heat in spring and autumn |
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A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below l6℃．Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate．Without the forest cover，these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns，potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world．
In the past hundred years，humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources(资源): land for crops，wood for paper and other products，land for raising farm animals．This action affects the environment as a whole．For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) in the air comes from burning the rainforests．People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this．Firstly，when people cut down trees，generally they can only use the land for a year or two．Secondly，cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now，but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply．
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store．More than 25％ of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests．However，fewer than l％of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value．It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests．
小题1:Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they ．| A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere | | B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world | | C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than l6℃ | | D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth |
小题2:What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to? | A．We will lose much more than we can gain． | | B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests． | | C．People have a strong desire for resources． | | D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests． |
小题3:It can be inferred from the text that . | A．we can get enough resources without rainforests | | B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests | | C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land | | D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns |
小题4:What might be the best title for the text? | A．How to Save Rainforests | B．How to Protect Nature | | C．Rainforests and the Environment | D．Rainforests and Medical Development |
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