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Part Ⅱ
Reading Comprehension(35 minutes)
Passage One
Questions 21 to 25 are based on the following passage:
Scientists say there has been a severe decrease in the amount of water in Lake Chad in northern Africa in the last thirty years. They report that nature and humans share equal blame for this loss.
In 1963 the fresh water lake covered twenty-five-thousand-square kilometers.Now the lake is only about five percent of that size.It measures only about one-thousand-three-hundred square kilometers in the dry season.
Four nations surround Lake Chad. People in Niger, Nigeria, Chad, and Cameroon use it for water, fish and plant life.
Michael Coe and Jonathan Foley are water experts at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.They reported about Lake Chad in the Journal of Geophysical Research.They say the area has suffered from a lack of heavy rain for more than thirty years.This has forced people to build systems to carry water to dry land.These irrigation systems further decrease the lake.
Mister Coe says Lake Chad will be only a small body of water in the future. He says people still can get water from the lake to drink and for crops. But he says the lake will no longer provide a healthy environment for fish and plant life.
The researchers used a computer to study what caused the water loss. Their computer study estimated the climate and amount of water in the area. The estimate started with the early 1960s. Then the researchers compared the estimates with the area's recorded climate and water supply for the same period.
The computer study showed results similar to the recorded ones for the first twenty years. But there was a big change in the 1980s. At that time, the lake got smaller much faster than the computer research had estimated.
The researchers say major irrigation systems were built in the 1980s. The systems took water from two rivers that flow into Lake Chad. The Chari and Logone rivers carry most of the water that enters the lake. The study showed the increased irrigation reduced the flow in the two rivers. Climate changes also were responsible for the reduction. Today the flow of the two rivers has been reduced by almost seventy-five percent.
Scientists say the problem is expected to worsen in the coming years as the population and demand for water continue to increase.
21.What is this passage mainly about?
A) Demonstrating the serious weather condition around Lake Chad.
B) Introducing people's activity around Lake Chad.
C) Analyzing of the factors that cause water decreases in Lake Chad.
D) Introducing scientists' work about water condition in Lake Chad.
22.What did people do to solve the problem of rain lack around Chad Lake?
A) They moved out of this area.
B) They drew water from Lake Chad.
C) They carried water from other areas.
D) They utilize seawater near this area.
23.Which of the following is true according to this passage?
A) Chad Lake located in the middle of Chad in northern Africa.
B) The water from Chad water can now only be used for irrigation.
C) The area around Chad Lake has suffered from heavy rain lack many decades.
D) Population around the Chad Lake now begins to decrease due to water lack.
24.Why computer data become imprecise in 1980s?
A) The related programs on the computer were out of date.
B) More and more people drew water directly from the lake for drink.
C) A heavy rain happened around 1980.
D) The irrigation from the source water increases.
25. What is scientists' attitude towards the future of Chad Lake?
A) Pessimism. B) Hopeful.
C) Indifferent. D) Doubtful.
Passage Two
Questions 26 to 30 are based on the following passage:
Scientists have long believed one way to stop the Earth's atmosphere from warming is by planting more trees.The idea is that more trees will take in or absorb some of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.Carbon dioxide is a gas released by cars,factories and other human activities.The gas traps heat in the Earth's atmosphere,which warms the planet.However,two new studies have found that trees may not be as helpful in reducing carbon dioxide as had been thought.
The first study was done at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. Researchers pumped extra carbon dioxide into a test area where pine trees were growing. The trees grew thirty-four percent faster during the first three years. However, in time, the trees slowed to about their normal growth rate. The scientists say this is because trees need other nutrients, such as nitrogen.
In the second study, researchers from Duke and Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine examined the soil around trees. They discovered that as the leaves broke down into the soil, all the carbon was not trapped in the soil. Much of it was released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
The findings of the two studies were published last month in Nature magazine. They suggest there is limited value in planting trees to reduce the carbon dioxide pollution in the atmosphere.
Forest planting has been a part of negotiations on a world agreement to reduce greenhouse gases that scientists believe cause global warming. The United States, Canada, Japan and some other industrial countries have supported the idea. But this new research suggests the idea is not as effective as environmental activists had thought. Scientist Ram Oren of Duke University led the study on tree growth. He says that earlier estimates on the ability of forests to absorb carbon dioxide were overly hopeful.
Some scientists not involved in the studies say the research provides some of the first evidence on how trees react to carbon dioxide. Other scientists say the research disputes a belief among some coal and power companies. The companies say that rising levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will not create harmful global warming. Instead, they say it will increase forests and other plants.
26.What is the purpose of this passage?
A) Introduce some new ideas about the relationship between trees and carbon dioxide.
B) Introduce recent condition of global industrial pollution.
C) Call on people to plant more trees to reduce greenhouse gases.
D) Point out that power companies should be responsible for the rising levels of carbon dioxide.
27. Why researchers put trees in extra carbon dioxide in the first study?
A) To learn whether trees can still absorb carbon dioxide under extreme conditions.
B) To get more oxygen from these trees.
C) To evaluate the maximum carbon dioxide that trees can absorb.
D) To see the growth rate of these trees.
28.What happened to the leaves falling from the trees in the second study?
A)They broke down and the main parts turned into oxygen.
B)They broke down and the carbon content had mainly turned into carbon dioxide.C)They broke down and the carbon content was mainly absorbed in the soil.
D)They absorbed more carbon dioxide.
29.Scientist Ram Oren is of the opinion that common beliefs of the tree's ability to absorb carbon dioxide are____.
A) biased B) insightful
C) overoptimistic D) totally wrong
30.The word "it" (Line 7, Para.6) probably refers to ____.
A) carbon dioxide B) nitrogen
C) atmosphere D) coal
Passage Three
Questions 31 to 35 are based on the following passage:
An American scientist has found that many images of dinosaurs may be wrong. For years, pictures of the ancient creatures have shown their nose openings near the top of the head. The new study suggests the dinosaurs' nostrils were just above the mouth.
Dinosaurs used their nostrils to breathe,smell and control their body temperature.The new theory could help explain how the huge creatures were able to survive by using their sense of smell to find food,a mate and possible enemies.
Lawrence Witmer of Ohio University in Athens,Ohio led the study.The publication science reported his findings.
Many of the early dinosaur remains recovered by scientists were from huge creatures called sauropods. Scientists believed that sauropods must have lived in water because their bodies were so huge and their necks were so long.
Nostrils high on the head would have permitted the dinosaurs to breathe while partly under water. The discovery of a sauropod head bone in 1884 added support for this belief. The skull had a large hole at the top of the head.
Professor Witmer says experts learned years later that sauropods generally were not sea creatures. But he says the earlier theory about nostril position was extended to other dinosaurs.
Only dinosaur bones have survived as fossil remains. Scientists have never recovered dinosaur remains of soft tissue. Scientists interested in the physical appearance of dinosaurs often study birds and animals similar to the ancient creatures. Professor Witmer examined forty-five kinds of birds, crocodiles and lizards that are the closest living relatives to dinosaurs. He noted the placement of soft tissue through hundreds of x-ray images and by cutting pieces of tissue. Soft tissue leaves markings on bone. Professor Witmer used this information to make a map of the likely position of soft tissue in the dinosaurs' noses. He found that the birds and reptiles he studied share a common nostril position.
Professor Witmer found that the hole scientists once thought was a nostril in dinosaurs is just one part of the larger nasal passage. He found that the nostrils were farther forward and closer to the mouth. He says this new nostril position was true for all dinosaurs.
31.Where is this article likely to be excerpted from?
A) Biology textbook. B) Scientific report.
C) Science fiction. D) Essay.
32.One advantage with Nostrils high on the head is to ____.
A) use sense of smell more efficiently
B) help them move fast and alert
C) enable them to find more food
D) help them live under water more easily
33.Which of the following may not be a reason why Professor Witmer studies crocodiles and lizards in his experiments?
A) They are close relatives to dinosaurs.
B) Their soft tissues survive as fossil remains.
C) Their soft tissues have similar traits with dinosaurs.
D) He cannot find living dinosaurs.
34.What does "this information" (in paragraph 7) refer to?
A) Soft tissues. B) Bone.
C) Markings. D) Nose.
35.The word "passage" (Line 2, Para.8) means____.
A) gate B) channel
C) cross D) paragraph
Passage Four
Questions 36 to 40 are based on the following passage:
Carbon dioxide makes up less than one percent of the Earth's atmosphere. But the gas is very important to life on Earth. Scientists are finding that processes involving carbon dioxide affect our climate in ways that are difficult to understand. Last month, a committee of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington released a report. It confirmed that world temperatures increased about six-tenths of a degree Celsius in the last one hundred years. The report also confirmed evidence that the level of carbon dioxide is increasing.
The best information about climate in the past comes from tests of ice many kilometers deep in Antarctica and Greenland. The tests show changes in temperature during the past four-hundred-thousand years. These tests show that levels of carbon dioxide today are the highest ever measured. These findings have led scientists to believe that carbon dioxide is a major cause of climate warming.
Carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere when fuel is burned. Oil, coal and wood are all fuels that release the gas. When biological waste breaks down, it also releases carbon dioxide.
However, plants use carbon dioxide in the process called photosynthesis. This process provides food for almost all life on Earth. Some groups that support burning oil and coal want to increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They oppose international efforts to control carbon dioxide.
Some scientists believe that forests and trees are able to capture large amounts of carbon dioxide from the air. Some groups even suggest that an increase in carbon dioxide could cause plants to grow faster.
A recent study in North Carolina found that more carbon dioxide in the air could cause trees to grow faster. But the researchers found the effect appears to last for only three years. Another study showed that much of the carbon dioxide that is taken in by trees is released within three years. The study noted that leaves release carbon dioxide when they fall from trees and break down in the soil. Plants also naturally release carbon dioxide through the process of respiration.
The natural balance of gases in the atmosphere is a complex scientific issue. The debate over carbon dioxide is only one part of efforts to understand world climate change.
36.Which one is NOT mentioned in this passage that can be the source of carbon dioxide?
A) Oil. B) Trees.
C) Wood. D) Soil.
37.The committee report of National Academy of Sciences in Washington reveal that____.
A) ice from Antarctica and Greenland is appropriate to show the change
B) carbon dioxide is released mainly from the fuel
C) level of carbon dioxide increases with global temperatures
D) carbon dioxide is helpful for tree growth
38.According to this passage, those people disagree with the control of carbon dioxide because____.
A) they think that carbon is beneficial for plant growth
B) they want to use more fuels that can emit carbon dioxide
C) they think carbon dioxide is not the main reason for global warming
D) they think it will destroy the natural balance of gases in the world
39.The word "issue" in the last paragraph can be replaced as ____.
A) organ B) topic
C) publication D) result
40.Those studies carried out in North Carolina suggest that ____.
A) trees' function for absorbing carbon dioxide is limited
B) carbon dioxide is the main cause for global warming
C) leaves falling from trees can emit more oxygen
D) more carbon dioxide is beneficial for trees' growth for many decades
Part Ⅲ
Vocabulary (20 minutes)
Directions:There are 30 incomplete sentences in this part. For each sentence there are four choices marked. A), B), C) and D). Choose the ONE that best completes the sentence. Then mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.
41.In the ____ of my doctor, I should be well enough to travel by next week.
A) opinion B) conviction
C) judgment D) idea
42.She ____ her wedding presents on the table.
A) presented B) displayed
C) exhibited D) demonstrated
43.Contrary to my expectations, the experiment ended ____ failure.
A) at B) to
C) in D) till
44.These machines all look much the same, but each has its ____ function.
A) extraordinary B) special
C) peculiar D) exceptional
45. It took a week of investigation to get a reasonably ____ account of the accident.
A) accurate B) precise
C) strict D) positive
46.After seven years' work, Chinese scientists ____ the task of launching their country's first spaceship in seven years.
A) achieve B) accomplish
C) fulfill D) complete
47.The little boy ____ at the funny-looking man for a few minutes before answering his question.
A) glared B) stared
C) gazed D) gaped
48.The service operates 36 libraries throughout the country,while six〖CD#2*2〗libraries specially serve the countryside.
A) mobile B) shifting
C) drifting D) rotating
49.These young people's ____ to the City Council is considered brilliant.
A) proposal B) plan C) plot D) scheme
50.The knife is a strong piece of ____ against the defendant.
A) proof B) clue
C) indication D) evidence
51.She was overwhelmed with ____ and couldn't speak for a moment.
A) feeling B) sensitivity
C) emotion D) reason
52.Before he sank into unconsciousness, he ____ towards the window and managed to open it.
A) fought B) struggled
C) walked D) dragged
53.In spite of all effort the doctors had done, her burns refuse to ____.
A) heal B) revive C) recover D) survive
54.Although somehow abstract, the article is full of biblical and historical ____.
A) illusion B) allusion
C) accountants D) literarcy
55.We told him to prepare for the coming cold wave, but he simply ____ our advice.
A) scorn B) neglect C) deny D) ignore
56.Although thrift all his life, the man left the____ fortune to his son.
A) huge B) immense
C) magnificent D) rich
57.The old building is in a good state of ____ except for the wooden floors.
A) observation B) preservation
C) conservation D) compensation
58.The council was asked to ____ the engineer's estimates for the coming year.
A) answer B) approve
C) confirm D) converge
59.Is that a(n)____Roman statue, or a modern copy?
A) authentic B) true
C) legitimate D) authorized
60.Babies begin to be ____ sounds three months after they are born.
A) responsible for B) retort to
C) responsive to D) reply
61.The world's governments have done____ nothing to combat the threat of nuclear accidents.
A) inherently B) vitally
C) virtually D) identically
62.We were warned that even a slight ____ in calculation might ruin the whole project.
A) mistake B) fault
C) flaw D) error
63.The patient is in a critical state. He doesn't ____pulling through this time.
A) bear B) have time
C) stand any chance of D) desire
64.It is too noisy in the room, we had to use ____ to get those trouble makers out of the place.
A) force B) power
C) vigor D) strength
65.Parents often faced the ____ between doing what they felt was good for the development of the child and what they could stand by way of undisciplined noise and destructiveness.
A) junction B) premise
C) paradox D) dilemma
66.I have got an exam tomorrow, so for ____ reasons I won't go out tonight.
A) direct B) plain
C) unknown D) obscure
67.The driver responsible for the accident was ____ punished.
A) seriously B) totally
C) severely D) clearly
68.My parents died young, but I have done well in this repect ____ my other ancestors.
A) to B) for
C) as regards D) with
69.The man was sitting on the floor shivering with ____; a bullet had been fired through the window.
A) severity B) fear
C) terror D) excitement
70.The person who ____ this type of research deserves our praise.
A) originated B) manufactured
C) generated D) estimated
Part Ⅴ
Writing (30 minutes)
Directions:For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic My View on Choosing the Right Career.[WTBX] You should write at least 150 words and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below:
1.选择适合自己的职业的重要性
2.如何选择适合自己的职业
3.我的看法 |
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发表于 2016-7-29 08:44:46