[专业英语考试复习资料]专业八级分类模拟46

1、专业英语考试复习资料专业八级分类模拟46专业英语考试复习资料专业八级分类模拟46专业八级分类模拟46READING COMPREHENSION Humans are damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate and raising risks of abrupt collapses in nature that could spur disease, deforestation or dead zones in the seas, an international report said on Wednesday. The study, by 1

2、,360 experts in 95 nations, said a rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two-thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past 50 years. At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning, said the 45-member board of the Mille

3、nnium Ecosystem Assessment. Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planets ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted, it said. Ten to 30 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species were already threatened wi

4、th extinction, according to the assessment, the biggest review of the planets life support systems. Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh water, timber,

5、 fibre and fuel, the report said. This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on earth, it added. More land was changed to cropland since 1945, for instance, than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. The harmful consequences of this degradation could

6、 grow significantly worse in the next 50 years, it said. The report was compiled by experts, including from UN agencies and international scientific and development organizations. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the study shows how human activities are causing environmental damage on a massive

7、scale throughout the world, and how biodiversitythe very basis for life on earthis declining at an alarming rate. The report said there was evidence that strains on nature could trigger abrupt changes like the collapse of cod fisheries off Newfoundland in Canada in 1992 after years of over-fishing.

8、Future changes could bring sudden outbreaks of disease. Warming of the Great Lakes in Africa due to climate change, for instance, could create conditions for a spread of cholera. And a build-up of nitrogen from fertilizers washed off farmland into seas could spur abrupt blooms of algae that choke fi

9、sh or create oxygen- depleted dead zones along coasts. It said deforestation often led to less rainfall. And at some point, lack of rain could suddenly undermine growing conditions for remaining forests in a region. The report said that in 100 years, global warming widely blamed on burning of fossil

10、 fuels in cars, factories and power plants, might take over as the main source of damage. The report mainly looks at other, shorter-term risks. And it estimated that many ecosystems were worth more if used in a way that maintains them for future generations. A wetland in Canada was worth $6,000 a he

11、ctare (2.47 acres), as a habitat for animals and plants, a filter for pollution, a store for water and a site for human recreation, against $2,000 if converted to farmland, it said. A Thai mangrove was worth $1,000 a hectare against $200 as a shrimp farm. Ecosystems and the services they provide are

12、 financially significant and., to degrade and damage them is tantamount to economic suicide, said Klaus Toepfer, head of the U.N. Environment Program. The study urged changes in consumption, better education, new technology and higher prices for exploiting ecosystems. Governments should recognize th

13、at natural services have costs, A.H. Zakri of the UN University and a co-chair of the report told Reuters. Protection of natural services is unlikely to be a priority for those who see them as free and limitless. 1. The part of sentence irreversible loss in the diversity of life in Paragraph 3 refer

14、s to _.A.extinction of some speciesB.variety of living thingsC.damage of ecosystemD.shortage of natural resources答案:A解析 第3段首句指出10%30%的野生动物濒临灭绝，接着论述由于增长的资源需求给生命多样性带来不可逆转的损失。因此，选A。2. In the last but one paragraph, two examples are cited to prove _.A.the limitation of natural servicesB.the worth of eco

15、system for future generationsC.the economical loss of exploiting ecosystemsD.the financial value of protecting ecosystems答案:D解析 该段首句提到，很多生态系统如果以一种可持续方式发展会更有价值，紧接着举了两个例子，最后总结出，生态系统及其服务是有经济价值的，破坏它等于经济自杀，故这两个例子是证明保护生态系统的经济价值，选D。3. The international report is mainly put forward to _.A.show the environme

16、ntal damage of human activitiesB.indicate the urgency of environmental protectionC.show the significance of ecosystem on the earthD.blame the negative effects of technology on environment答案:B解析 根据全文内容可知该项报告简述了人类活动给生态环境造成的破坏。第2段第2句指出该评估报告的核心是警告，最后一段呼吁人类认识到可持续发展的重要性，因此选B。A、C有迷惑性，该报告确实是关于人类对生态系统的破坏，但提出

17、报告的目的是要呼吁保护环境，因而此类主旨题不能局限在表层论述，而要挖掘深层含义。4. What made rainfall become less according to the passage?答案:Deforestation解析 根据题目中的rainfall定位到倒数第3段第4句。该句提到，森林砍伐会导致降雨减少，本题直接用原文原词Deforestation作答即可。 Peanuts, a dietary outcast during the fat-phobic 1990s, have made a comeback, with consumption soaring to its h

18、ighest level in nearly two decades and more doctors recommending nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet. When peanut butter and snack peanuts plummeted as Americans switched to lowfat diets, the peanut industry responded with studies showing the health benefits of peanuts. Total consumption of peanuts

19、 jumped last year to nearly 1.7 billion pounds, compared to 1.5 billion pounds the year before. The amount of snack peanuts eaten climbed to 415 million pounds in the 2003-2004 crop year, the highest since the mid-1990s. And peanut butter consumption soared to 900 million pounds, from a low of about

20、 700 million in the 90s. Mothers gave us peanuts and peanut butter. Now, weve figured out that Mom was right. But it took a lot of researchers and universities to figure that out, said Don Koehler, executive director of Georgias Peanut Commission. The federal governments latest dietary guidelines sa

21、y peanuts, which contain unsaturated fats, can be eaten in moderation. Now we know that the type of fat found in peanuts is actually good for us, said Lona Sandon with the American Dietetic Association. It doesnt clog our arteries like saturated fat. It helps keep the arteries clean. But thats only

22、if you dont overdo it, and thats the part that often trips up peanut lovers. There are 14 grams of fat in one serving of peanuts, which is only one ounce. A handful can have up to 200 calories. The problem is that the portions need to be low so you dont overconsume the caloriesthats where the public

23、 has a disconnect, said Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Its a well-spent 200 calories if you can limit it to that. The problem is volume. Its very hard to have a small serving of peanuts, meaning a small handful. When peanut

24、s were out of favor in the last decade, American consumers seemed to overlook the respectable list of nutrientsvitamin E, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, and minerals such as copper, phosphorous, potassium, zinc and magnesium. They also are a good source of fiber and protein. Peanuts also h

25、ave a small amount of resveratrol, the antioxidant in red wine that has been linked to the French Paradoxa low incidence of heart disease among the French, despite their love of cheese and other high-fat foods. Research at several universities suggests peanuts may help prevent heart disease, that th

26、ey can lower bad cholesterol and that they can help with weight loss, possibly by making people feel satisfied so they eat less overall. One Harvard study showed an association between peanut butter consumption and a reduced risk of diabetes. Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized

27、 a qualified health claim for peanuts and some tree nuts. Producers can say they may reduce their risk of heart disease by eating 1.5 ounces daily. Anna Resurreccion, a University of Georgia food scientist, has focused her research on the resveratrol found in peanuts. By subjecting the nuts to stres

28、sslicing the kernels, or subjecting them to ultrasoundthe resveratrol level greatly surpassed that found in red wine, she said. This development opens the door for new products, such as enhanced peanut butter that could offer even more health benefits and serve as a way to get resveratrol into child

29、rens diets, she said. Young children cant very well drink wine, Resurrecction said. But most of them love peanut butter and peanut snack foods. 5. The rhetorical device in the sentence of the first paragraph Peanuts, a dietary outcast during the fat-phobic 1990s, have made a comeback. is _.A.personi

30、ficationB.simileC.metaphorD.contrast答案:C解析 该句意为“在人们对脂肪满怀恐惧的上世纪90年代，花生成了食品中的弃儿。现在，它又盛行起来”。可见这里将花生比喻成弃儿，且未出现比喻词like，as，因此是暗喻(metaphot)，故选C。6. The relationship between the second and third paragraphs is that _.A.they both describe the health benefits of peanutsB.the latter presents a striking contrast

31、to the formerC.the latter provides conclusive statement to the formerD.the latter offers further supplementation to the former答案:D解析 第2段主要说花生含有不饱和脂肪，适当食用对身体有益。第3段接着进一步用数字阐述适当食用且要控制花生食用数量，可见这是对前一段的补充说明，故选D。7. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as health benefits of peanuts?A.To he

32、lp with weight loss.B.To decrease harm of wine.C.To reduce risk of diabetes.D.To lower bad cholesterol.答案:B解析 第4段第3句提到，花生含有一种抗氧化剂白藜芦醇，红酒中也含这种物质，法国人喜欢喝红酒，所以心脏病发病率很低，由此可见白藜芦醇对心脏起保护作用，而不是降低喝酒的危害，B符合题意。8. What has Anna Resurreccion studied in her research?答案:The resveratrol found in peanuts.解析 根据题目中的Ann

33、a Resurreccion定位到最后一段首句。该句明确指出，Anna Resurreccion已集中研究花生中所含的白藜芦醇，可见答案为The resveratrol found in peanuts。 Yu Zhuoping hasnt taken a vacation in two years, nor does the 44-year-old take many weekends off. Instead he logs 12-hour days in a soccer-pitch-size laboratory filled with flashing computer screen

34、s and disemboweled electric motors. Hes trying to build the futurein the form of hydrogen-powered cars that can not only work, but can sell. Since Yus team of 28 Ph.D.-level scientists and 200 students at Shanghais Tongji University began the work in 2002, theyve come out with two generations of car

35、sbuilt with Chinese technology. Thats something that nobody thought we could do, he says, glancing out from under the silver hood of Start II, the projects newest prototype. Now people say we wont be able to make them marketable. So well just keep working. In China such optimism is par for the cours

36、e. Beijing is undaunted in its ambitions to become a world leader in hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered cars. The dream is not far-fetched. Making hydrogen cars a reality is only partly a matter of coming up with technological breakthroughs. It also involves replacing gasoline filling stations, refineries a

37、nd internal-combustion engines with hydrogen equivalents. Chinas relative lack of development may thus be a virtue; the countrys leadership has a relatively clean slate upon which to build a hydrogen-car industry, should it choose to do so. If the technology could be made cost-competitive with fossi

38、l fuelswhich many analysts predict will happen in the next two decadeshydrogen cars would make sense as a national strategy. By marketing China the worlds biggest market for hydrogen cars, Beijing could attract investment in the latest technology and bootstrap a world-class Chinese auto industry, re

39、ducing Chinas demand for imported oil in the bargain. Of course, theres a sizable industry that is pushing the country in the opposite direction, toward fast growth using quick and dirty conventional technology and fuelsand even fighting against tighter emissions controls than in the West. Which str

40、ategy China chooses stands to have a huge impact on the countryand on the rest of the world. At present, the Middle Kingdom is traversed by relatively few carsonly about 20 million. That amounts to barely eight cars per 1,000 people, which is a far cry from the 100 in Brazil or the 940 in the United

41、 States. China is catching up quickly, however. At its current rate of growth, the country will surpass Japan and become the worlds second largest auto market by 2011, with annual sales of 5 million cars, says Yale Zhang, a research director for the consulting firm GSM worldwide. China, already the

42、worlds second largest importer of oil, would have to double import every 7 or 8 years to keep all these wheels spinning, says James Brock, an energy consultant in Beijing. By steering China toward more fuel-efficient hybrid cars as a precursor to a hydrogen-based auto industry, Beijing would take a

43、giant step toward curbing green-house-gas emissions and reducing the worldwide demand of oil. It would also give the big carmakers an incentive to develop similar vehicles for the China market. Beijing has already begun to create an alternative-energy-vehicle fleet of buses. The central Yangtze port

44、 city of Wuhan runs several hybrid buses and, Wang Gang, the chief scientist in charge of Chinas electric-vehicles project, says, city officials are planning to buy more. Beijings public transportation armada includes 120 pure-battery buses. Beijing and Shanghai plan to build hydrogen-fueling statio

45、ns. That will help them when it comes time to convert the countrys 190,000 natural-gas taxis and buses, one of the worlds biggest naturalgas fleets, to hydrogen. State-funded R 答案:A解析 A意为“中国并不畏惧自己拥有领头氢动力汽车工业的雄心”，其中以表示局部的Beijing指代表示全体概念的“中国”，是提喻或举隅修辞法。C的干扰性较强，事实上，wheels在这里就是“汽车”的意思，而不是“轮子”指代“汽车”，故不是提

46、喻。10. A hydrogen-based auto industry can NOT benefit China in _.A.establishing hydrogen-fueling stationsB.promoting tighter emissions controlsC.dropping conventional technology and fuelsD.attracting more foreign investment答案:A解析 本题关键在于抓住题眼NOT和benefit。根据第2段第5句可知，A是伴随新汽车工业建立而产生的，不是新工业带来的益处，故为答案。B、C、D在

47、第3段均有体现，其中B、C是现行汽车工业管理经营体系的反例，也能作为新汽车工业给中国带来的益处，故排除。11. The point of the fourth paragraph is that _.A.China is catching up quickly in the amount of carsB.Chinas car market has enormous potentialC.Chinas oil consumption will still increase in the futureD.China would take measures to protect the envir

48、onment答案:B解析 第4段提到，中国汽车的数量不断增长，汽车耗油量也随之上升，发展新型汽车工业不仅能控制温室气体排放，还能减少对汽油的需求，进而促使汽车制造商制造出类似的新型汽车。据此可知，中国汽车市场具有极大潜力，因此选B。A、C是该段中的细节，是中国汽车拥有巨大市场潜力的两个方面；D无原文依据，故不选。12. How does the auto industry push the country toward fast growth?答案:By using quick and dirty conventional technology and fuels.解析 根据题目中的towar

49、d fast growth定位到第3段末句。该句指出，现今存在一个相当大的工业正把我国朝着相反方向推进，使用见效快、有污染的传统技术和燃料来促进快速发展。该句中的a sizable industry指的是the auto industry，可见它促进发展的方式是使用见效快、有污染的传统技术和燃料，答案可采用原文原词By using quick and dirty conventional technology and fuels。 The U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday urged governments to ban all human cloning, i

50、ncluding the cloning of human embryos for stem-cell research, in a divided vote that handed a symbolic victory to the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. Capping four years of contentious debate, the 191-nation assembly voted 84 to 34, with 37 abstentions, to approve a nonbinding statem

51、ent on cloning. The United States did not play a public role in promoting the statement. But it had worked behind the scenes, hand-in-hand with U.S. anti-abortion groups, to obtain a call for a blanket ban on all cloning. The United States and the international community have now spoken clearly that

52、 human cloning is an affront to human dignity, Bush said in a statement welcoming the strong vote. The measure was proposed by Honduras and generally supported by predominantly Roman Catholic countries, in line with Pope John Pauls condemnation of human cloning. It was generally opposed by nations w

53、here stem-cell research is being pursued. Many Islamic nations were among those abstaining; on grounds there was no U.N. consensus on the hot-button issue of whether stem-cell research was a valid medical pursuit or the destruction of human life. Opponents said the text was not legally binding and w

54、ould have no impact on their scientists pursuit of stem cell research. At the heart of the debate was so-called therapeutic cloning, in which human embryos are cloned to obtain stem cells used in medical studies and later discarded. Many scientists, backed by governments including Belgium, Britain,

55、Singapore and China, say the technique offers hope for a cure to some 100 million people with such conditions as Alzheimers, cancer, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. But the United States, Costa Rica, Italy and anti-abortion groups argued that this type of research, for whatever purpose, constitut

56、es the taking of human lives. The U.N. debate began with a 2001 proposal by France and Germany for a binding global treaty banning the cloning of human beings, a plan that had broad international backing. But that effort failed last year after the Bush administration fought to broaden the ban to all

57、 cloning of human embryos, including therapeutic cloning. The assemblys treaty-writing legal committee, deeply divided, abandoned the idea of a treaty and decided instead to pursue a nonbinding declaration. Costa Rican Ambassador Bruno Stagno Ugarte praised the assembly vote as a historic step that

58、recognized that therapeutic cloning involves the creation of human life for the purpose of destroying it. U.S. envoy Sichan Siv made only a brief comment welcoming the statement. But British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, who voted no, lamented the intransigence of those who were not prepared to recognize that other sovereign statesafter extensive dialogue and due democratic processmay decide to permit strictly contro