全真模拟习题Unit 1-Passage2
When Archaeopteryx, a feathered skeleton that was seemingly half dinosaur and half bird, turned up in 1862—three years after the publication of “The Origin of Species”—the origin of birds became a subject of raging debate among palaeontologists. Suggestions that they were the direct descendants of theropod dinosaurs (a group of bipedal meat-eaters that include Allosaurus, Velociraptor and Tyrannosaurus) caused quite a flap. Today, most researchers agree that birds are, indeed, a branch of the Dinosauria. How they made the transition from the land to the sky, though, has yet to be agreed. But a paper in this week's Current Biology, by Christopher Glen and Michael Bennett of the University of Queensland, makes a strong case that they did it by jumping.
Considering the diversity of life on Earth, flight is surprisingly rare. It has evolved only four times: among the insects about 300m years ago, the pterosaurs (230m), the birds (150m) and the bats (50m). That suggests it is a hard trick to pull off. For birds, there is general agreement that feathers came before flight. Fossils from north-eastern China show animals that had feathers but clearly could not have flown, as well as ones that look like proper birds. The best guesses are that feathers evolved either for insulation (as fur did in mammals) or for display, and that natural selection took advantage by turning them into a means of transport.
There are two broad schools of thought about what happened next. One argues that birds' immediate ancestors lived in trees. Members of this school think that powered flight developed as a natural extension of gliding (such controlled falling is used as a way of travelling from tree to tree by several arboreal species today). Gliding itself developed because of the lift provided by feathered forearms.
The alternative is that flight evolved on the ground. Some researchers who belong to this school of thought suggest that the power provided by flapping protowings may have given their owners an edge in the pursuit of prey. Others hypothesise that feathery forearms helped animals steer and stabilise themselves.
Unfortunately, behaviour does not fossilise, so it looked as though the question might never be answered. But Dr Glen, a palaeobiologist, and Dr Bennett, a biomechanic, think they have worked out how to do so. Their crucial observation is that in modern birds the curvature of the third toe (which carries a lot of weight during walking and climbing) varies with species' lifestyles. Birds that spend lots of time climbing around on the trunks of trees have dramatically curved third toes. Those that hop around on branches have mildly curved ones. Those that forage mainly on the ground have the least curved of all.
The two researchers compared these observations with their findings for the bird-like dinosaurs and dinosaur-like birds of China. They noticed that the toes of both feathered dinosaurs and of the earliest flying birds were similar to those of modern birds that spend most of their time on the ground. Flight, in other words, came before birds took to the trees. They are not fallen angels, but risen reptiles.
1. Which one of the following statements is NOT true of the current debate on the origin of birds?
[A] The opinion that birds were the direct descendants of dinosaurs gives the world a shock.
[B] Palaeontologists have get consensus on the specie’s transition from the land to the sky.
[C] Palaeontologists have different opinions on the process of the transition.
[D] The paper in this week's Current Biology demostrate that the specie moved by hopping before they flied.
2. The reason why flight is surprisingly rare is that _____
[A] life on earth is diversified.
[B] many species of this kind were eliminated during evolution.
[C] feathers evolved not for a means of transport.
[D] it is very hard to have such evolution.
3.The two schools of thought have different opinions on _____
[A] the functions of feathered forearams in transition from ground to sky.
[B] the location of living place befor e the animals’ evolution to birds.
[C] the development of powered flight.
[D] the power provided by either gliding or flapping.
4. The conclusion of the study carried out by Dr. Glen and Dr. Bennet is that_____
[A] powered flight developed as feathered forearms provided lift.
[B] flight evolved on the ground before they descend on the trees.
[C] earliest birds share similar toes with their modern counterparts.
[D] earliest flying birds evovled from feathered dinosaurs.
5.Which one of the following statements is NOT true of opinions of Dr. Glen and Dr. Bennet?
[A]Birds realized the transition from reptile to flight by jumping.
[B] Dinasaurs are, as a matter of fact, the direct ancester of birds.
[C]Feathers evolves not for the purpose of flight.
[D] Bird’s behaviors is indeed fossilised by their various shape of the third toe.
题目分析：
1. Which one of the following statements is NOT true of the current debate on the origin of birds?
1.关于鸟类起源的争论，下列哪个陈述是错误的？
[A] The opinion that birds were the direct descendants of dinosaurs gives the world a shock.
[A]鸟类是恐龙直接后裔，这个观点让世界很震惊。
[B] Palaeontologists have get consensus on the specie’s transition from the land to the sky.
[B]古生物学家就该物种从地上到空中的转化这个问题上达成了一致。
[C] Palaeontologists have different opinions on the process of the transition.
[C]古生物学家对于转变的过程有不同的观点。
D] The paper in this week's Current Biology demostrate that the specie moved by hopping before they flied.
[D]本周《当今生物》上的论文显示了它们在掌握飞行能力之前是靠跳跃来移动的。
[答案] D
[难度系数] ☆☆
[分析]细节题。A选项，第一段中有提到了这点；B选项，第一段提到许多研究者同意鸟类是恐龙的一个分支，与这点相符；C选项，第一段提到了他们在该问题上有争议；D选项，是靠跳跃实现由地到空的转变，不是移动。因此，答案为D选项。
2. The reason why flight is surprisingly rare is that _____
2. 为什么飞行动物很少是因为_____
[A] life on earth is diversified. [A] 地球上的生物是多元化的。
[B] many species of this kind were eliminated during evolution.
[B]飞行动物的许多物种在进化过程中都灭绝了。
[C] feathers evolved not for a means of transport.
[C]鸟类并不是为了移动的方式才进化的。
[D] it is very hard to have such
evolution.
[D] 发生这样的进化很难。
[答案] D
[难度系数] ☆☆☆☆
[分析] 细节题。根据第二段“Considering the diversity of life on Earth, flig ht is surprisingly rare. It has evolved only four times: among the insects about 300m years ago, the pterosaurs (230m), the birds (150m) and the bats (50m). That suggests it is a hard trick to pull off”，非行动物只进化了四次，进化是很艰难的过程，因此飞行动物品种少。答案为D选项。
3.The two schools of thought have different opinions on _____
3. 两派在_____上有不同的观点。
[A] the functions of feathered forearams in transition from ground to sky.
[A]长有羽毛的前臂在从地上到空中转变的作用
[B] the location of living place before the animals evolution to birds.
[B] 这些动物进化为鸟类之前生活的地方
[C] the development of powered [C] 动力飞行的发展过程
flight.
[D] the power provided by either gliding or flapping.
[D]力量是由滑翔或者拍动翅膀提供的
[答案] C
[难度系数] ☆☆☆
[分析]细节题。根据第三段和第四段，两派科学家在鸟类的飞行是靠滑行还是靠翅膀提供的升力形成的这一点上有分歧，选项C符合题意。此外B选项比较具有干扰性，文章中提到两种观点认为这些动物在进化为鸟类之前是分别住在地面上和树上，但这只是一个表面的原因，深层次的原因还在C选项。
4. The conclusion of the study carried out by Dr. Glen and Dr. Bennet is that_____
4.Glen博士和Bennet博士在该研究中得到的最后结论是_____
[A] powered flight developed as feathered forearms provided lift.
[A]长有羽毛的前臂提供了升力，从而使得动力飞行发展起来。
[B] flight evolved on the ground before they descend on the trees.
[B] 飞行是从地上发展而来的，其发生在它们降落到树上之前。
[C] earliest birds share similar toes with their modern counterparts.
[C]飞行是鸟类在到树上之前生活发生的。
[D] earliest flying birds evovled from feathered dinosaurs.
[D]最早飞行的鸟类与现代鸟类有着相似的第三脚趾。
[答案] B
[难度系数] ☆☆☆
[分析]细节题。根据第五段和第六段，他们通过研究鸟类脚趾得出结论，鸟类是一开始是在地上生活，后来在到树上生活之前就可以飞翔了，那么它们的飞翔是从地面发展而来的。答案为B选项。C选项具有一定的迷惑性，但是要注意的是“modern counterparts”范围过于广泛，而文中指的是“modern birds that spend most of their time on the ground”，因此该选项错误。
5.Which one of the following statements is NOT true of opinions of Dr. Glen and Dr. Bennet?
5．关于Glen博士和Bennet博士的观点，下列哪个陈述是错误的？
[A]Birds realized the transition from reptile to flight by jumping.
[A] 鸟类依靠跳跃实现了从爬行动物到飞行动物的转变。
[B] Dinasaurs are, as a matter of fact, the direct ancestor of birds.
[B] 恐龙实际上是鸟类直接的后裔。
[C]Feathers evolves not for the purpose of flight.
[C] 鸟类的羽毛不是为了飞行而形成的。
[D] The bird’s behavior is indeed fossilised by their various shape of the third toe.
[D] 最早飞行的鸟类的第三个脚趾是轻微弯曲的。
[答案] B
[难度系数] ☆☆☆
[分析] 细节题。B选项，这一点不符合他们的观点，文章中的意思应该是鸟类是恐龙的直接后裔。A选项是正确的，这一点在第一段中就有所提及“But a
paper in this week's Current Biology, by Christopher Glen and Michael Bennett of the University of Queensland, makes a strong case that they did it by jumping”。C选项的表述也是正确的，因为文章提到羽毛的出现甚至在鸟类掌握飞行能力之后，因此不是为了这个目的。D选项的表述是正确的，文章倒数第二段提到“Unfortunately, behaviour does not fossilise, so it looked as though the question might never be answered. But Dr Glen, a palaeobiologist, and Dr Bennett, a biomechanic, think they have worked out how to do so”，进而指出他们采用的方法就是研究鸟类的第三脚趾。因此答案为B选项。
参考译文：
当始祖鸟——一种一半是恐龙一半是鸟类的羽毛动物——的骨架出现在1862年，也就是《物种起源》出版的三年后，鸟类的起源成为古生物学家激烈争论的主题。有人提出它们是兽脚亚目的恐龙（一群两足食肉恐龙，包括异龙、…和暴龙）的直接后裔，这引起了一片哗然。现在，许多研究者同意鸟类实际上是恐龙的一个分支。但是，它们是如何从陆地转到空中生活，在这个问题上还有分歧存在。但是本周《当今生物》发表了昆士兰州Christopher Glen 和Michael Bennett的一篇文章，证明了正是靠跳跃实现了这种转变的。
鉴于陆地上生命的多样性，飞行动物的种类相对是比较少的。飞行动物只进化过四次：三亿年前昆虫类的进化，两亿三千万年前的翼龙，一亿五千万年前的鸟类和五千万年前的蝙蝠。这表明了进化是艰难的历程。大家普遍同意在能够飞行之前，这些动物先有了翅膀。华东发现的化石表明拥有羽毛的动物当时不一定能飞行，即使那些看起来完全像鸟类的也是这样。可能的情况就是羽毛的出现或者是充当隔离层（作用和动物的皮毛一样），或者是为了好看，而自然选择又将它们转变成运动的工具。
对于接下来的进化，有两派不同看法。一派认为鸟类的直接祖先生长在树上，该派成员认为滑行（今天还有些树栖种类动物依靠这种有控制的坠落来从一棵树转移到另外一棵树上）自然会发展成为飞行。滑行自身也会发展，因为长了羽毛的前臂为其提供了升力。
另外一派的观点是飞行是从地面活动发展而来的。该派的一些研究者认为相当于翅膀的那个部分拍动起来产生的动力让这些动物在捕食时动起来。其他的一些假设还有长了羽毛的前臂有助于动物前行或保持平衡。
不幸的是，动作不能变成化石，因此看起来这个问题可能永远都没有答案了。但是古生物学家Glen博士和生物力学家Bennett博士认为他们已经找出了具体的方案。他们关键的观察报告是有关于现代鸟类第三个脚趾（在行走或爬行的时候这个脚趾承载许多重量）的弯曲度因鸟类生活方式的不同而各有差异。多数时候在树干上爬行鸟类的第三个脚趾非常弯曲，而在树上跳来跳去的鸟类第三个脚趾稍微弯曲，而那些在地上搜索食物的鸟类第三个脚趾是最不弯曲的。
这两位研究者将这些观察结果与中国的类鸟类恐龙和类恐龙鸟类的发现作了比较，他们发现有翅膀的恐龙和最早飞行的鸟类的脚趾与那些大多数时间在地上活动的鸟类相似。换句话说，鸟类在上树生活之前就可以飞翔了。它们不是坠落的天使，而是飞起来的爬行动物。
篇章剖析：
这篇文章讲述了关于鸟类进化的一些研究情况。第一段讲述研究者对于鸟类如何从陆地转到空中生活的进化史有一定的分歧；第二段讲述了鸟类羽毛出现的过程；第三、四段讲述了两派不同看法；第五、六段讲述研究者根据鸟类脚趾情况断定了上述转化是如何发生的。
词汇注释：
Archaeopteryx n. 始祖鸟palaeontologists n. 古生物学家
theropod adj. 兽脚亚目的bipedal adj. 两足动物的
Allosaurus n. 异龙Velociraptor n.
Tyrannosaurus n. 暴龙arboreal adj. 树栖的
biomechanic n. 生物力学家curvature n. 弯曲
hop v.跳跃forage v. 翻寻搜寻食物
难句突破：
When Archaeopteryx, a feathered skeleton that was seemingly half dinosaur and half bird, turned up in 1862—three years after the publication of “The Origin of Species”—the origin of birds became a subject of raging debate among palaeontologists.
[主体句式] When Archaeopteryx turned up …, the origin of birds became…
[结构分析] 这是一个复合句，when引导的是时间状语从句。
[句子译文] 当始祖鸟——一种一半是恐龙一半是鸟类的羽毛动物——的骨架出现在1862年，也就是《物种起源》出版的三年后，鸟类的起源成为古生物学家激烈争论的主题。
Fossils from north-eastern China show animals that had feathers but clearly could not have flown, as well as ones that look like proper birds.
[主体句式] Foss ils …show animals … as well as ones …
[结构分析] 这是一个复合句。两个that引导的都是定语从句修饰前面的名词。
[句子译文] 华东发现的化石表明拥有羽毛的动物当时不一定能飞行，即使那些看起来完全像鸟类的也是这样。
Time to cool it 1 REFRIGERATORS are the epitome of clunky technology： solid， reliable and just a little bit dull. They have not changed much over the past century， but then they have not needed to. They are based on a robust and effective idea--draw heat from the thing you want to cool by evaporating a liquid next to it， and then dump that heat by pumping the vapour elsewhere and condensing it. This method of pumping heat from one place to another served mankind well when refrigerators' main jobs were preserving food and， as air conditioners， cooling buildings. Today's high-tech world， however， demands high-tech refrigeration. Heat pumps are no longer up to the job. The search is on for something to replace them. 2 One set of candidates are known as paraelectric materials. These act like batteries when they undergo a temperature change： attach electrodes to them and they generate a current. This effect is used in infra-red cameras. An array of tiny pieces of paraelectric material can sense the heat radiated by， for example， a person， and the pattern of the array's electrical outputs can then be used to construct an image. But until recently no one had bothered much with the inverse of this process. That inverse exists， however. Apply an appropriate current to a paraelectric material and it will cool down. 3 Someone who is looking at this inverse effect is Alex Mischenko， of Cambridge University. Using commercially available paraelectric film， he and his colleagues have generated temperature drops five times bigger than any previously recorded. That may be enough to change the phenomenon from a laboratory curiosity to something with commercial applications. 4 As to what those applications might be， Dr Mischenko is still a little hazy. He has， nevertheless， set up a company to pursue them. He foresees putting his discovery to use in more efficient domestic fridges and air conditioners. The real money， though， may be in cooling computers. 5 Gadgets containing microprocessors have been getting hotter for a long time. One consequence of Moore's Law， which describes the doubling of the number of transistors on a chip every 18 months， is that the amount of heat produced doubles as well. In fact， it more than doubles， because besides increasing in number，the components are getting faster. Heat is released every time a logical operation is performed inside a microprocessor， so the faster the processor is， the more heat it generates. Doubling the frequency quadruples the heat output. And the frequency has doubled a lot. The first Pentium chips sold by Dr Moore's company，Intel， in 1993， ran at 60m cycles a second. The Pentium 4--the last "single-core" desktop processor--clocked up 3.2 billion cycles a second. 6 Disposing of this heat is a big obstruction to further miniaturisation and higher speeds. The innards of a desktop computer commonly hit 80℃. At 85℃， they
雅思阅读模拟试题:音乐 Background music may seem harmless, but it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it. Recorded background music first found its way into factories, shop and restaurants in the US. But it soon spread to other arts of the world. Now it is becoming increasingly difficult to go shopping or eat a meal without listening to music. To begin with, “ muzak ” (音乐广播网) was intended simply to create a soothing (安慰) atmosphere. Recently, however, it’s become big business –thanks in part to recent research. Dr. Ronald Milliman, an American marketing expert, has shown that music can boost sales or increase factory production by as much as a third. But, it has to be light music. A fast one has no effect at all on sales. Slow music can increase receipts by 38%. This is probably because shoppers slow down and have more opportunity to spot items they like to buy. Yet, slow music isn’t always answered. https://www.doczj.com/doc/6c15150783.html,liman found, for example, that in restaurants slow music meant customers took longer to eat their meals, which reduced overall sales. So restaurants owners might be well advised to play up-tempo music to keep the customers moving – unless of course, the resulting indigestion leads to complaints! ( )1. The reason why background music is so popular is that ______. A. it can have a powerful effect on those who hear it B. it can help to create a soothing atmosphere C. it can boost sales or increase factory production everywhere D. it can make customers eat their meals quickly ( )2. Background music means ________. A. light music that customers enjoy most B. fast music that makes people move fast C. slow music that can make customers enjoy their meals D. the music you are listening to while you are doing something ( )3. Restaurant owners complain about background music because ______. A. it results in indigestion B. it increases their sales C. it keeps customers moving D. it decreases their sales ( )4. The word “ up-tempo music” probably means_____. A.slow music B.fast music C.light music D.classical music
永远的鹤 ①太阳渐渐地西斜了，夕阳的余晖洒遍了偌大的一片湿地保护区。水如胭脂，而一小块一小块并不相连的洲土上，萋萋芳草也被染上了一层醉人的嫣红。那些丹顶鹤，或在水边觅食，或在洲土上尽兴地起舞，或振翅高飞，发出一串串清脆的长唳。 ②年轻的谭立，一个人在瞭望竹楼上，整整守望了一天。师傅杜三早饭后，驾着船领给养去了。他要把船划出湿地，三十里水路啊，再泊船上岸，到镇上把给养和报纸挑回船上，然后又划回到这里。回来的时候，天就落黑了。 ③临走的时候，杜三对谭立说：“你给我睁大眼睛，好好地看住这些鹤，得防着那些盗鹤贼。” ④谭立说：“师傅，我都做了三年护鹤工了，你放心吧，保管一根鹤毛也掉不了。” ⑤谭立就这样守了一天，拿着望远镜看了一天，盗鹤贼连个影子也没有，却让他越看越感到孤单、寂寞。公鹤、母鹤成双成对，互相嬉戏，互相唱和，情意绵绵。而他呢，至今还 ⑥忽然，谭立听见有凄厉的鹤唳声传来，拖得很长，带着颤音。谭立大吃一惊，拿起望远镜仔细地搜索起来。他看到在三百米开外的一片浅浅的水面上，一只母鹤的细腿似乎被什么咬住了，正在拼命地抖翅挣扎；旁边的一只公鹤，焦急地胡乱扑打翅膀。是怎么回事呢？ ⑦谭立操起一把木桨，顺着竹楼的梯子飞快地奔到地面，再窜到水边，解开船缆，“咚”地跳上船，然后着力地划起桨来。小船绕过一块一块的小洲，迂回着朝母鹤的方向划去。虽是暮春时分，风凉嗖嗖的，不一会儿，谭立的后背就渗出了一层热汗。 ⑧小船划到离母鹤大约十米远的地方，水浅得载不动船了。谭立停下船，把鞋、袜、长裤脱下来，跳到水里，水不深，但很清澄，看得见水底密密匝匝纠结在一起的绒绳般的丝草，像柔软的绿绒毡毯。他突然明白了，肯定是丝草缠住了母鹤的细腿。他一步步朝母鹤靠近。公鹤见有人来，“呼”地飞了起来，母鹤则拼命挣扎，惊惶地鸣叫……谭立知道，此刻母鹤越挣扎，丝草会缠得越紧。 ⑨“怕什么，真不懂事，我是来救你们的！” ⑩水渐渐深了，底下软软的，踩在厚厚的丝草上，脚板心痒痒的，好像被柔软的手指搔着，搔得他一身发软发酥。 ○11终于走到了母鹤的身边。猛地，他感到身子往下沉。水先是没到了膝关节，再往上漫，没到了大腿根，再漫到了腰部。这一切让他猝不及防。他慌了——沼泽地！他想挣挫着把身子往上抬，身子却沉重如铁，依旧往下沉去，他挥舞着双手，想抓住什么……惊骇的母鹤尖利地叫着，凄凄哀哀。他冷静下来，伸出手去抚着母鹤的细腿，从上向下伸向鹤的趾爪，果然是被丝草缠了一道又一道。他迅速地扯断那些丝草。母鹤也似乎明白了这个人是来解救它的，变得很温驯，眨巴着眼睛感激地望着他。丝草都扯断了，谭立双手托起母鹤的身子，往
雅思阅读练习题：Global warming 很多同学在备考雅思时找不到雅思阅读练习题，今天新通教育小编为大家带来了雅思阅读练习题一篇，希望对大家有用，更多雅思阅读练习题目请关注新通教育官网。 Global warming You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. Questions 1-5 Reading Passage 1 has six paragraphs A-F . Choose the most suitable headings for paragraphs B-F from the list of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers i-viii in boxes 1 - 5 on your answer sheet. List of Headings i The plaintiffs?viewpoints on regulating emission ii Federal government being taken to court iii Possible impact of the case on other lawsuits iv Regulating air pollution by twelve States v Stance of the Bush administration vi Viewpoints of Bill Clinton on regulation vii The call for emission caps and reduction 1
雅思阅读模拟试题及答案解析（2）
Next Year Marks the EU's 50th Anniversary of the Treaty A. After a period of introversion and stunned self-disbelief，continental European governments will recover their enthusiasm for pan-European institution-building in . Whether the European public will welcome a return to what voters in two countries had rejected so short a time before is another matter. B. There are several reasons for Europe’s recovering self-confidence. For years European economies had been lagging dismally behind America (to say nothing of Asia)， but in the large continental economies had one of their best years for a decade， briefly outstripping America in terms of growth. Since politics often reacts to economic change with a lag，’s improvement in economic growth will have its impact in ， though the recovery may be ebbing by then. C. The coming year also marks a particular point in a political cycle so regular that it almost seems to amount to a natural law. Every four or five years， European countries take a large stride towards further integration by signing a new treaty： the Maastricht treaty in 1992， the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997， the Treaty of Nice in . And in they were supposed to ratify a European constitution， laying the ground for yet more integration—until the calm rhythm was rudely shattered by French and Dutch voters. But the political impetus to sign something every four or five years has only been interrupted，not immobilised， by this setback. D. In the European Union marks the 50th anniversary of another treaty—the Treaty of Rome， its founding charter. Government leaders have already agreed to celebrate it ceremoniously， restating their commitment to “ever closer union” and the basic ideals of European unity. By itself， and in normal circumstances， the EU’s 50th-birthday greeting to itself would be fairly meaningless， a routine expression of European good fellowship. But it does not take a Machiavelli to spot that once governments have signed the declaration (and it seems unlikely anyone would be so uncollegiate as to veto
2019年雅思阅读模拟试题：流程图题(1) BAKELITE The birth of modern plastics In 1907, Leo Hendrick Baekeland, a Belgian scientist working in New York, discovered and patented a revolutionary new synthetic material. His invention, which he named 'Bakelite,’was of enormous technological importance, and effectively launched the modern plastics industry. The term 'plastic' comes from the Greek plassein, meaning 'to mould'. Some plastics are derived from natural sources, some are semi-synthetic (the result of chemical action on a natural substance), and some are entirely synthetic, that is, chemically engineered from the constituents of coal or oil. Some are 'thermoplastic', which means that, like candlewax, they melt when heated and can then be reshaped. Others are 'thermosetting'： like eggs, they cannot revert to their original viscous state, and their shape is thus fixed for ever. Bakelite had the distinction of being the first totally synthetic thermosetting plastic. The history of today's plastics begins with the discovery of a series of semi-synthetic thermoplastic materials in the mid-nineteenth century. The impetus behind the development of these early plastics was generated by a number of factors—immense technological progress in the domain of chemistry, coupled with wider cultural changes, and the pragmatic need to find acceptable substitutes for dwindling supplies of 'luxury' materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory.
雅思阅读练习题及答案 ★Next Year Marks the EU's 50th Anniversary of the Treaty A. After a period of introversion and stunned self-disbelief, continental European governments will recover their enthusiasm for pan-European institution-building in 2007. Whether the European public will welcome a return to what voters in two countries had rejected so short a time before is another matter. B. There are several reasons for Europe’s recovering self-confidence. For years European economies had been lagging dismally behind America (to say nothing of Asia), but in 2006 the large continental economies had one of their best years for a decade, briefly outstripping America in terms of growth. Since politics often reacts to economic change with a lag, 2006’s improvement in economic growth will have its impact in 2007, though the recovery may be ebbing by then. C. The coming year also marks a particular point in a political cycle so regular that it almost seems to amount to a natural law. Every four or five years, European countries take a large stride towards
ACADEMIC READING 60 minutes READING PASSAGE 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. Striking Back at Lightning With Lasers Seldom is the weather more dramatic than when thunderstorms strike. Their electrical fury inflicts death or serious injury on around 500 people each year in the United States alone. As the clouds roll in, a leisurely round of golf can become a terrifying dice with death - out in the open, a lone golfer may be a lightning bolt's most inviting target. And there is damage to property too. Lightning damage costs American power companies more than $100 million a year. But researchers in the United States and Japan are planning to hit back. Already in laboratory trials they have tested strategies for neutralising the power of thunderstorms, and this winter they will brave real storms, equipped with an armoury of lasers that they will be pointing towards the heavens to discharge thunderclouds before lightning can strike. The idea of forcing storm clouds to discharge their lightning on command is not new. In the early 1960s, researchers tried firing rockets trailing wires into thunderclouds to set up an easy discharge path for the huge electric charges that these clouds generate. The technique survives to this day at a test site in Florida run by the University of Florida, with support from the Electrical Power Research Institute (EPRI), based in California. EPRI, which is funded by power companies, is looking at ways to protect the United States' power grid from lightning strikes. 'We can cause the lightning to strike where we want it to using rockets,' says Ralph Bernstein, manager of lightning projects at EPR!. The rocket site is providing precise measurements of lightning voltages and allowing engineers to check how electrical equipment bears up. Bad behaviour But while rockets are fine for research, they cannot provide the protection from lightning strikes that everyone is looking for. The rockets cost around $1,200 each, can only be fired at a limited frequency and their failure rate is about 40 per cent. And even when they do trigger lightning, things still do not always go according to plan. 'Lightning is not perfectly well behaved,' says Bernstein. 'Occasionally, it will take a branch and go someplace it wasn't supposed to go.' And anyway, who would want to fire streams of rockets in a populated area? 'What goes up must come down,' points out Jean-Claude Diels of the University of New Mexico. Diels is leading a project, which is backed by EPRI, to try to use lasers to discharge lightning safely and safety is a basic requirement since no one wants to put themselves or their expensive equipment at risk. With around $500,000 invested so far, a promising system is just emerging from the laboratory. The idea began some 20 years ago, when high-powered lasers were revealing. their ability to extract electrons out of atoms and create ions. If a laser could generate a line of ionization in the air all the way up to a storm cloud, this conducting path could be used to guide lightning to Earth, before the electric field becomes strong enough to break down the air in an uncontrollable surge. To stop the laser itself being struck, it would not be pointed straight at the clouds. Instead it would be directed at a mirror, and from
雅思阅读模拟试题精选
雅思阅读模拟试题精选 1. Washing， brushing and varnishing fossils — all standard conservation treatments used by many fossil hunters and museum curators alike —vastly reduces the chances of recovering ancient DNA. 2. Instead， excavators should be handling at least some of their bounty with gloves， and freezing samples as they are found， dirt and all， concludes a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today. 3. Although many palaeontologists know anecdotally that this is the best way to up the odds of extracting good DNA， Eva-Maria Geigl of the Jacques Monod Institute in Paris， France， and her colleagues have now shown just how important conservation practices can be. This information， they say， needs to be hammered home among the
一、读懂一段话 自然段就是指在文章里提行排版空两格为标志的一段文字。在自然段中的句子间有一定的关系，有的一个或几个句子可以组成一个意思，分析段中句子间的关系，有利于理解段落的内容。 段落中句子间的关系常有以下几种形式： 1、总分关系。［⑴总叙→分叙、⑵分叙→总叙、⑶总叙→分叙→总叙］，阅读时抓住了中心句就了解了段落的内容。 船夫的驾驶技术特别好。‖行船的速度极快，来往船只多，他操纵自如，毫不手忙脚乱。不管怎么拥挤，他总能左拐右拐在挤过去。遇到极窄的地方，他总能平稳在穿过，而且速度非常快，还能作急转弯。两边的建筑飞一般地往后倒退，我们的眼晴忙极了，不知看一处好。（《威尼斯的小艇》） 这段话是按“总叙→分叙”形式构成的。全段是围绕“船夫的驾驶技术特别好”这一内容［中心句］来叙述的。 2、并列关系。围绕一个内容，从几个方面进行叙述，这几个方面是相互并列的。“漓江的水真静啊，静得让你感觉不到它在流动；漓江的水真清啊，清得可以看见江底的沙石；漓江的水真绿啊，绿得仿佛那是一块无瑕的翡翠。”“桂林的山真奇啊，一座座拔地而起，各不相连。像老人，像巨象，像骆驼，奇峰罗列，形态万千；桂林的山真秀啊，像翠绿的屏障，像新生的竹笋，色彩明丽，倒映水中；桂林的山真险啊，危峰兀立，怪石嶙峋，好像一不小心就会栽倒下来。”（《桂林山水》） 这两段话分别从“静、清、绿”“奇、秀、险”写出了漓江水、桂林山的特点。 3、递进关系。段落中的句子在意思上一层更进一层，或者是在范围上由小到大；或者是在程度上由轻到重…… 泸定桥离水面有十多米高，是由13根铁链组成的：两边各有两根，算是桥栏；底下并排9根，铺上木板，就是桥面。人走在桥上摇摇晃晃，就像荡秋千似的。现在连木板也被敌人抽掉了，只剩下铁链。向桥下一看，真叫人心惊胆寒，红褐色的河水像瀑布一样，从上游山峡里直泻下来，撞击在岩石上，溅起三米多高的浪花，涛声震耳欲聋。桥对岸的泸定城背靠着山，西门正对着桥头。守城的两个团敌人早已在城墙和山坡上筑好工事，凭着天险，疯狂地向红军喊叫：“来吧，看你们飞过来吧！” 这段中分别写了“桥的险要”“河水湍急”“桥头被堵”“敌人猖狂”层层深入，为衬托展现红军大无畏的革命精神埋下了伏笔。 句子间的关系还有“因果关系”“转折关系”“顺承关系”等等，在阅读中认真去体味，去感悟，对提高我们的阅读理解能力是大有裨益的。 二、读懂一篇文章 ⑴掌握读懂一篇文章的基本方法； ⑵结合上下文理解文中的重点词语、句子，体会其感情； ⑶运用读写例话中有关阅读的重点训练项目中的知识分析文章内容，回答提出的问题。 理解词语的基本方法、体会句子的含义基本方法 1、理解词语的基本方法 ⑴词素法：先对词语中的每个词素进行理解，然后整体理解。如“置之不理”一词先分别理解每个字意“置”－－放置，“之”－－指它，物品，“不”－－表
2019年雅思考试阅读理解模拟练习试题及答案A. When Denis Hennequin took over as the European boss of McDonald’s in January 2004，the world’s biggest restaurant chain was showing signs of recovery in America and Australia，but sales in Europe were sluggish or declining.One exception was France，where Mr Hennequin had done a sterling job as head of the group’s French subsidiary to sell more Big Macs to his compatriots.His task was to replicate this success in all 41 of the European countries where anti- globalisers’favourite enemy operates. B. So far Mr Hennequin is doing https://www.doczj.com/doc/6c15150783.html,st year European sales increased by 5.8%and the number of customers by 3.4%， the best annual results in nearly 15 years.Europe accounted for 36%of the group’s profits and for 28%of its sales.December was an especially good month as customers took to seasonal menu offerings in France and Britain，and to a promotion in Germany based on the game of Monopoly. C Mr Hennequin’s recipe for revival is to be more open about his company’s operations，to be“locally relevant”，and to improve the experience of visiting his 6，400 restaurants.McDonald’s is blamed for making people fat，exploiting workers，treating animals cruelly，polluting the environment and simply for being American.Mr Hennequin says
雅思阅读模拟试题及答案解析（4）
Selling Digital Music without Copy-protection Makes Sense A. It was uncharacteristically low-key for the industry’s greatest showman. But the essay published this week by Steve Jobs， the boss of Apple，on his firm’s website under the unassuming title “Thoughts on Music” has nonetheless provoked a vigorous debate about the future of digital music，which Apple dominates with its iPod music-player and iTunes music-store. At issue is “digital rights management” (DRM)—the technology guarding downloaded music against theft. Since there is no common standard for DRM， it also has the side-effect that songs purchased for one type of music-player may not work on another. Apple’s DRM system， called FairPlay， is the most widespread. So it came as a surprise when Mr. Jobs called for DRM for digital music to be abolished. B. This is a change of tack for Apple. It has come under fire from European regulators who claim that its refusal to license FairPlay to other firms has “locked in” customers. Since music from the iTunes store cannot be played on non-iPod music-players (at least not without a lot of fiddling)， any iTunes buyer will be deterred from switching to a device made by a rival firm， such as Sony or Microsoft. When French lawmakers drafted a bill last year compelling Apple to open up FairPlay to rivals， the company warned of “state-sponsored piracy”. Only DRM， it implied， could keep the pirates at bay. C. This week Mr. Jobs gave another explanation for his former defence of DRM： the record companies made him do it. They would make their music available to the iTunes store only if Apple agreed to protect it using DRM. They can still withdraw their catalogues if the DRM system is compromised. Apple cannot license FairPlay to others， says Mr Jobs， because it would depend on them to produce security fixes promptly. All DRM does is restrict consumer choice and provide a barrier to entry， says Mr Jobs； without it there would be far more stores and players， and far more innovation. So， he suggests， why not do away with DRM and sell music unprotected？“This is