剑桥雅思11雅思阅读Test1passage1原文+译文:作物生长的“摩天大厦”
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剑桥雅思写作11task1
剑桥雅思写作11书中的Task 1是关于饼状图的描述和分析。
这个任务要求我们根据提供的饼状图数据,进行描述和分析,并写一篇150字的报告。
首先,让我们来看一下饼状图的内容和数据。
根据图中所示,这个饼状图展示了2010年某国家的能源消耗情况。
图中将能源消耗分为四个部分,煤炭、天然气、石油和可再生能源。
每个部分的能源消耗量用百分比表示。
根据饼状图的数据,煤炭是该国家2010年最主要的能源来源,占总能源消耗的40%。
其次是石油,占总能源消耗的35%。
天然气的能源消耗量为20%,而可再生能源的能源消耗量最低,仅占总能源消耗的5%。
从这个饼状图可以得出一些结论。
首先,煤炭和石油是该国家主要的能源来源,这可能是因为这两种能源在该国家更为丰富和容易获取。
其次,可再生能源的能源消耗量相对较低,这可能是因为该国家在可再生能源开发方面还有较大的发展空间。
最后,天然气的能源消耗量相对较高,这可能是因为天然气在该国家的能源结构
中具有一定的重要性。
除了描述饼状图的数据和得出结论,我们还可以从其他角度进行分析。
例如,我们可以比较2010年和之前几年的能源消耗情况,以了解能源消耗的趋势和变化。
我们还可以将该国家的能源消耗与其他国家进行比较,以了解该国家在能源利用方面的优势和劣势。
总的来说,剑桥雅思写作11书中的Task 1要求我们根据提供的饼状图数据进行描述和分析。
通过分析饼状图,我们可以得出关于能源消耗情况的结论,并从其他角度进行进一步的分析。
这个任务旨在考察我们对图表数据的理解和分析能力,以及我们的写作能力。
雅思11test1写作范文一、开头段。
Hey there! When it comes to university education, the big question of whether it should focus more on theoretical knowledge or practical skills is like a hot potato. Some people firmly believe that theory is the king, while others think that getting your hands dirty with practical skills is the real deal. Well, let's dig into this topic a bit deeper.二、主体段1 阐述理论知识的重要性(站在支持理论知识的角度)On one hand, theoretical knowledge is like the foundation of a big, shiny skyscraper. Without it, the whole building would just come tumbling down. In university, students study all kinds of theories. For example, in physics, they learn about the laws of motion. These theories might seem a bit dry and abstract at first, but they are super important. They give students a framework to understand how the world around them works.It's like having a map before you go on a journey. Theoretical knowledge helps students develop their critical thinking skills. They learn to analyze different concepts, make connections between different ideas, and question the existing knowledge. This kind of intellectual exercise is really valuable. Also, a strong theoretical background can open up many career opportunities in fields like research. Scientists need a deep understanding of theories to make new discoveries. So, it's not just about passing exams, but about building a solid base for future development.三、主体段2 阐述实践技能的重要性(站在支持实践技能的角度)On the flip side, practical skills are like the tools in a toolbox. You can't build a house just by looking at the blueprints, right? You need topick up those hammers and nails and start working. In university, practical skills are becoming more and more crucial. Take engineering students, for instance. They can't just know all the equations and theories aboutbuilding structures. They need to know how to actually build things, test materials, and operate machinery.Practical skills also make students more employable right after graduation. In today's job market, employers are often looking for people who can hit the ground running. If a student has already had some hands on experience in their field, they are more likely to get a job. Moreover, practical skills can enhance students' creativity. When they are working on real world projects, they often come up with innovative solutions to problems. It's like they are learning by doing, and this kind of learning can be really effective.四、结尾段。
剑桥雅思11雅思阅读Test1passage2原文+译文:法尔柯克水轮---------------------------------------雅思给大家带来了剑11雅思阅读Test1passage2原文+译文:法尔柯克水轮,相关解析,请点击:剑11雅思阅读Test1Passage2解析。
更多真题解析,请点击:剑桥雅思11阅读解析。
剑11雅思阅读Test1passage2原文+译文:法尔柯克水轮READING PASSAGE 2THE FALKIRK WHEELA unique engineering achievementThe Falkirk Wheel in Scotland is the world’s first and only rotating boat lift. Opened in 2002, it is central to the ambitious £84.5m Millennium Link project to restore navigability across Scotland by reconnecting the historic waterways of the Forth & Clyde and Union Canals.The major challenge of the project lay in the fact that the Forth & Clyde Canal is situated 35 metres below the level of the Union Canal. Historically, the two canals had been joined near the town of Falkirk by a sequence of 11 locks — enclosed sections of canal in which the water level could be raised or lowered — that stepped down across a distance of 1.5 km. This had been dismantled in 1933, thereby breaking the link. When the project was launched in 1994, the British Waterways authority were keen to create a dramatic twenty-first-century landmark which would not only be a fitting commemoration of the Millennium, but also a lasting symbol of the economic regeneration of the region.Numerous ideas were submitted for the project, including concepts ranging from rolling eggs to tilting tanks, from giant see-saws to overhead monorails. The eventual winner was a plan for the huge rotating steel boat lift which was to become The Falkirk Wheel. The unique shape of the structure is claimed to have been inspired by various sources, both manmade and natural, most notably a Celtic double-headed axe, but also the vast turning propeller of a ship, the ribcage of a whale or the spine of a fish.The various parts of The Falkirk Wheel were all constructed and assembled, like one giant toy building set, at Butterley Engineering’s Steelworks in Derbyshire, some 400 km from Falkirk. A team there carefully assembled the 1,200 tonnes of steel, painstakingly fitting the pieces together to an accuracy of just 10 mm to ensure a perfect final fit. In the summer of 2001, the structure was then dismantled and transported on 35 lorries to Falkirk, before all being bolted back together again on the ground, and finally lifted into position in five large sections by crane. The Wheel would need to withstand immense and constantly changing stresses as it rotated, so to make the structure more robust, the steel sections were bolted rather than welded together. Over 45,000 bolt holes were matched with their bolts, and each bolt was hand-tightened.The Wheel consists of two sets of opposing axe-shaped arms, attached about 25 metres apart to a fixed central spine. Two diametrically opposed water-filled ‘gondolas’,each with a capacity of 360,000 litres, are fitted between the ends of the arms. These gondolas always weigh the same, whether or not they are carrying boats. This is because, according to Archimedes’ principle of displacement, floating objects displace their own weight inwater. So when a boat enters a gondola, the amount of water leaving the gondola weighs exactly the same as the boat. This keeps the Wheel balanced and so, despite its enormous mass, it rotates through 180° in five and a half minutes while using very little power. It takes just 1.5 kilowatt-hours (5.4 MJ) of energy to rotate the Wheel — roughly the same as boiling eight small domestic kettles of water.Boats needing to be lifted up enter the canal basin at the level of the Forth & Clyde Canal and then enter the lower gondola of the Wheel. Two hydraulic steel gates are raised, so as to seal the gondola off from the water in the canal basin. The water between the gates is then pumped out.A hydraulic clamp, which prevents the arms of the Wheel moving while the gondola is docked, is removed, allowing the Wheel to turn. In the central machine room an array of ten hydraulic motors then begins to rotate the central axle. The axle connects to the outer arms of the Wheel, which begin to rotate at a speed of 1/8 of a revolution per minute. As the wheel rotates, the gondolas are kept in the upright position by a simple gearing system. Two eight-metre-wide cogs orbit a fixed inner cog of the same width, connected by two smaller cogs travelling in the opposite direction to the outer cogs — so ensuring that the gondolas always remain level. When the gondola reaches the top, the boat passes straight onto the aqueduct situated 24 metres above the canal basin.The remaining 11 metres of lift needed to reach the Union Canal is achieved by means of a pair of locks. The Wheel could not be constructed to elevate boats over the full 35-metre difference between the two canals, owing to the presence of the historically important Antonine Wall, which was built by the Romans in the second century AD. Boats travel under this wall via a tunnel, then through the locks, and finally on to the Union Canal.PASSAGE 2参考译文:法尔柯克水轮一个独一无二的工程学成就苏格兰的法尔柯克水轮是世界上首个也是唯一一个船只升降转轮。
《剑11》来了,除去个别有些题目较难以外,整体难度并没有很难。
这只是一本模考题,我们不需要过度重视,但也不能轻视。
下面我们先来看一下题型设置:在全套160题中,填空题49,判断题44,Heading13,选词填空11,Matching20,选择题12,信息包含题11。
重点题型依旧是判断和填空,这也是考试中考查最多的题型。
Matching题数量不多,但每套题都会出现,大家也需要仔细练习。
难度较大的Heading题,以及最难题型的信息包含题在《11》中并没有出现太多,但这两种题是考试中常考题型,大家仍需要有针对性地练习。
难度非常大的选择题出现频率依旧不是很高。
《剑10》中没有出现的分类题,在《11》中依旧没有出现,此外填空题的变型之一:简答题也没有出现。
下面我们解析一下第一套题第一篇文章,大家来感觉一下《11》的难度Crop-growing Skyscrapers 促进作物增产的摩天大楼,这是一篇农业科技类文章,讲的是垂直农业,人们将来利用科技把农业种植在立体高楼中,以及垂直农业的优缺点。
下面我们来看一下题目,题目下载可以关注yasiyuedu365公号1.Some food plants, including ____ , are already grown indoors.原文:The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time.读题干,确定需要填写的是一种食物作物,名词复数,定位词indoors,题目不难,在第二段首句,答案是tomatoes2.Vertical farms would be located in _____, meaning that there would be less need to takethem long distances to customers.原文:Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers.定位词be located in,be less need,依旧在第二段,分别对应situated in,reduce the transportation required,此外,customer和consumer也是一组替换词,答案为urban centres3.Vertical farms could use methane from plants and animals to produce ____原文:although the system would consume energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation from composting nonedible parts of plants.定位词methane,produce对应第四段倒数第八行,methane原词重现。
剑11中的作文范文怎么像中国人写的和评的调皮的表妹作文简介:我的表妹今年5岁了,她天真活泼,机灵顽皮,非常可爱.一天中午,我和表妹坐在床铺上玩耍.她歪着脑袋,右手拿根红色的小塑料管,眨巴着一双明亮的大眼睛,调皮地对我说:“姐姐,咱俩用这根管子吹气,比比谁的气力的大,好吗?” “好…我的表妹今年5岁了,她天真活泼,机灵顽皮,非常可爱.一天中午,我和表妹坐在床铺上玩耍.她歪着脑袋,右手拿根红色的小塑料管,眨巴着一双明亮的大眼睛,调皮地对我说:“姐姐,咱俩用这根管子吹气,比比谁的气力的大,好吗?”“好,现在就吹!”话音刚落,俩就喊着细管的一头,吹起来.我使出最大的力气,却吹不过她.我偷偷地看了一眼,一瞧,只见他在暗笑,红红的嘴唇紧紧地抿着,想在说“哈哈,你吹不过我吧!你真是个大笨蛋”难道表妹会有这么大的气力?我就不信我赢不了她小丫头!于是,我使劲儿地吹起来.我憋得脸红脖子粗,嘴巴都吹疼了,而表妹却冷不防地伸出小手,在我鼓得溜圆的腮帮上一捏,“噗哧”一声,笑了.这是,我忽然看见表妹那边管头上地有几个深深的牙印,这时,我才恍然大悟;她是把管子咬死了呀!我怎么能吹过她呢?我吐掉管子,伸手嬉戏着打她,表妹一闪身,嗖的跳下床,撩起门帘,跑到屋子外面去了,“咚!”表妹正撞在了刚要出门买菜的阿姨身上.阿姨假装生气地说:“你怎么啦?到处乱撞!像个石头人一样重,要是个孩子儿,非让你这下压成肉饼不可?”表妹笑得弯下了腰,用食指指着我,断断续续地说:“姐姐她.才是.‘石头人’呢!”说着,她跌跌撞撞地笑着地冲出了家门玩耍去了.这我的表妹,她是那样地调皮,机灵,天真可爱.剑10 test1 小作文什么意思剑10 test1 小作文什么意思求雅思剑桥9的test1大作文范文的翻译剑桥雅思5 test1 tsak2范文Test1 Passage 11-3.A题干中的all过于绝对化,所以不选,B题干中only太过于绝对,亦不选。
更多完整内容可以找我发给你。
2011年1月8日雅思(阅读)真题试卷(题后含答案及解析)题型有:1.You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Going BananasThe world’s favourite fruit could disappear forever in 10 years’ time.The banana is among the world’s oldest crops. Agricultural scientists believe that the first edible banana was discovered around ten thousand years ago. It has been at an evolutionary standstill ever since it was first propagated in the jungles of South-East Asia at the end of the last ice age. Normally the wild banana, a giant jungle herb called Musa acuminata, contains a mass of hard seeds that make the fruit virtually inedible. But now and then, hunter-gatherers must have discovered rare mutant plants that produced seedless, edible fruits. Geneticists now know that the vast majority of these soft-fruited plants resulted from genetic accidents that gave their cells three copies of each chromosome instead of the usual two. This imbalance prevents seeds and pollen from developing normally, rendering the mutant plants sterile. And that is why some scientists believe the world’s most popular fruit could be doomed. It lacks the genetic diversity to fight off pests and diseases that are invading the banana plantations of Central America and the smallholdings of Africa and Asia alike.In some ways, the banana today resembles the potato before blight brought famine to Ireland a century and a half ago. But “it holds a lesson for other crops, too”, says Emile Frison, top banana at the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain in Montpellier, France. “The state of the banana”, Frison warns, “can teach a broader lesson: the increasing standardisation of food crops round the world is threatening their ability to adapt and survive.”The first Stone Age plant breeders cultivated these sterile freaks by replanting cuttings from their stems. And the descendants of those original cuttings are the bananas we still eat today. Each is a virtual clone, almost devoid of genetic diversity. And that uniformity makes it ripe for disease like no other crop on Earth. Traditional varieties of sexually reproducing crops have always had a much broader genetic base, and the genes will recombine in new arrangements in each generation. This gives them much greater flexibility in evolving responses to disease - and far more genetic resources to draw on in the face of an attack. But that advantage is fading fast, as growers increasingly plant the same few, high-yielding varieties. Plant breeders work feverishly to maintain resistance in these standardised crops. Should these efforts falter, yields of even the most productive crop could swiftly crash. “When some pest or disease comes along, severe epidemics can occur,”says Geoff Hawtin, director of the Rome-based International Plant Genetic Resources Institute.The banana is an excellent case in point. Until the 1950s, one variety, the Gros Michel, dominated the world’s commercial banana business. Found by French botanists in Asia in the 1820s, the Gros Michel was by all accounts a fine banana, richer and sweeter than today’s standard banana and without the latter’s bitter aftertaste when green. But it was vulnerable to a soil fungus that produced a wiltknown as Panama disease. “Once the fungus gets into the soil it remains there for many years. There is nothing farmers can do. Even chemical spraying won’t get rid of it,”says Rodomiro Ortiz, director of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria. So plantation owners played a running game, abandoning infested fields and moving to “clean” land - until they ran out of clean land in the 1950s and had to abandon the Gros Michel. Its successor, and still the reigning commercial king, is the Cavendish banana, a 19th-century British discovery from southern China. The Cavendish is resistant to Panama disease and, as a result, it literally saved the international banana industry. During the 1960s, it replaced the Gros Michel on supermarket shelves. If you buy a banana today, it is almost certainly a Cavendish. But even so, it is a minority in the world’s banana crop.Half a billion people in Asia and Africa depend on bananas. Bananas provide the largest source of calories and are eaten daily. Its name is synonymous with food. But the day of reckoning may be coming for the Cavendish and its indigenous kin. Another fungal disease, black Sigatoka, has become a global epidemic since its first appearance in Fiji in 1963. Left to itself, black Sigatoka - which causes brown wounds on leaves and premature fruit ripening - cuts fruit yields by 50 to 70 per cent and reduces the productive lifetime of banana plants from 30 years to as little as 2 or 3. Commercial growers keep Sigatoka at bay by a massive chemical assault. Forty sprayings of fungicide a year is typical. But despite the fungicides, diseases such as black Sigatoka are getting more and more difficult to control. “As soon as you bring in a new fungicide, they develop resistance,” says Frison. “One thing we can be sure of is that the Sigatoka won’t lose in this battle.”Poor farmers, who cannot afford chemicals, have it even worse. They can do little more than watch their plants die. “Most of the banana fields in Amazonia have already been destroyed by the disease,” says Luadir Gasparotto, Brazil’s leading banana pathologist with the government research agency EMBRAPA. Production is likely to fall by 70 per cent as the disease spreads, he predicts. The only option will be to find a new variety.But how? Almost all edible varieties are susceptible to the diseases, so growers cannot simply change to a different banana. With most crops, such a threat would unleash an army of breeders, scouring the world for resistant relatives whose traits they can breed into commercial varieties. Not so with the banana. Because all edible varieties are sterile, bringing in new genetic traits to help cope with pests and diseases is nearly impossible. Nearly, but not totally. Very rarely, a sterile banana will experience a genetic accident that allows an almost normal seed to develop, giving breeders a tiny window for improvement. Breeders at the Honduran Foundation of Agricultural Research have tried to exploit this to create disease-resistant varieties. Further backcrossing with wild bananas yielded a new seedless banana resistant to both black Sigatoka and Panama disease.Neither Western supermarket consumers nor peasant growers like the new hybrid. Some accuse it of tasting more like an apple than a banana. Not surprisingly, the majority of plant breeders have till now turned their backs on the banana and got to work on easier plants. And commercial banana companies are now washing their hands of the whole breeding effort, preferring to fund a search for new fungicides instead. “We supported a breeding programme for 40 years, but it wasn’table to develop an alternative to Cavendish. It was very expensive and we got nothing back,”says Ronald Romero, head of research at Chiquita, one of the Big Three companies that dominate the international banana st year, a global consortium of scientists led by Frison announced plans to sequence the banana genome within five years. It would be the first edible fruit to be sequenced. Well, almost edible. The group will actually be sequencing inedible wild bananas from East Asia because many of these are resistant to black Sigatoka. If they can pinpoint the genes that help these wild varieties to resist black Sigatoka, the protective genes could be introduced into laboratory tissue cultures of cells from edible varieties. These could then be propagated into new, resistant plants and passed on to farmers.It sounds promising, but the big banana companies have, until now, refused to get involved in GM research for fear of alienating their customers. “Biotechnology is extremely expensive and there are serious questions about consumer acceptance,”says David McLaughlin, Chiquita’s senior director for environmental affairs. With scant funding from the companies, the banana genome researchers are focusing on the other end of the spectrum. Even if they can identify the crucial genes, they will be a long way from developing new varieties that smallholders will find suitable and affordable. But whatever biotechnology’s academic interest, it is the only hope for the banana. Without it, banana production worldwide will head into a tailspin. We may even see the extinction of the banana as both a lifesaver for hungry and impoverished Africans and as the most popular product on the world’s supermarket shelves.Questions 1-3Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.Write your answers in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.1.Banana was first eaten as a fruit by humans almost_____years ago.正确答案:ten thousand解析:题目答案一定为数字信息,同时根据顺序原则,答案应该出现在文章开头,于是定位于原文第一段第二句话“Agricultural scientists believe that the first edible banana was discovered around ten thousand years ago”,题目信息“eaten”对应原文中的“edible”,所以答案为ten thousand。
雅思真题第⼀册阅读翻译A Workaholic Economy1.FOR THE first century or so of the industrial revolution, increased productivity led to decreases in working hours.因为公元⼀世纪或是那些⼯业发展,增长了⽣产⼒导致⼯作时间的下降。
2.Employees who had been putting in 12-hour days, six days a week, found their time on the job shrinking to 10 hours daily, then, finally, to eight hours, five days a week.那些每天⽤12⼩时⼯作,⼀周⼯作6天的被雇⽤者发现他们⼯作的时间缩短到每天10个⼩时,然后,最终到8⼩时,⼀个星期5天。
3.Only a generation ago social planners worried about what people would do with all this new-found free time.只有上⼀代的社会规划者担⼼⼈们将要如何处理这些新找到的⾃由时间。
4.In the US, at least, it seems they need not have bothered.在美国,⾄少,似乎他们需要不被打扰。
5.Although the output per hour of work has more than doubled since 1945, leisure seems reserved largely for the unemployed and underemployed.尽管每个⼩时⼯作输出都⽐1945年以来的两倍还多,空闲似乎主要都留给失业⼈员和未充分就业的⼈。
In a Polyglot Place, the Most Welcome of Voices 多国语目的地万,最受欢迎的声音The United Nations building would be little more than a glass Tower of Babel without them.没有他们,联合国大厦只不过是一座玻璃巴别塔。
But the United Nations* core of inter-preters, who sit tucked away in badly ventilated glass booths overlooking the General Assembly hall, are to most delegates hardly more than disembodied voices that come piped in through white plastic earphones.但是,联合国核心口译员隐蔽地坐在能俯视大会大厅的通风不好的玻璃小房间里,对干大多数代表来说,他们只不过是从白色塑胶耳机里传过来的脱离实体的声音。
“We are al l performers at heart,” said Monique Corvington, who has worked as an interpreter since 1968. “We get stage fright and the rush of adrenaline. Unfortunately, we do not pick the script.”“我们实质上都是表演者,”自1968 年就开始做口译工作的莫妮克•考温特说道:“我们得了怯场症和肾上腺素涌出症。
不幸地是,我们不挑选剧本。
”The United Nations Interpretation Service has been sorely tested of late by the crush of world leaders who have shown up here for the General Assembly session and the recent World Summit for Children, which was attended by more than 70 heads of state and government.联合国口译服务中心已接受了出席联合国大会会议和最近召开的世界儿童问题首脑会议的世界各国领导人的严峻考验,大会有70多个国家元首和政府首脑参加。
剑桥雅思阅读10答案精讲(test1)雅思阅读部分的真题资料,同学们需要进行一些细致的总结,比如说解析其实就是很重要的内容,接下来就是小编给同学们带来的关于剑桥雅思阅读10原文翻译解析(test1)的内容,一起来详细的分析一下吧,希望对你们的备考有所帮助。
剑桥雅思阅读10原文(test1)READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13,which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.StepwellsA millennium ago, stepwells were fundamental to life in the driest parts of India. Richard Cox travelled to north-western India to document these spectacular monuments from a bygone era During the sixth and seventh centuries, the inhabitants of the modern-day states of Gujarat and Rajasthan in north-western India developed a method of gaining access to clean, fresh groundwater during the dry season for drinking, bathing, watering animals and irrigation. However, the significance of this invention —the stepwell —goes beyond its utilitarian application.Unique to this region, stepwells are often architecturally complex and vary widely in size and shape. During their heyday, they were places of gathering, of leisure and relaxation and of worship for villagers of all but the lowest classes. Most stepwells are found dotted round the desert areas of Gujarat (where they are called vav) and Rajasthan (where they are called baori), while a few also survive in Delhi. Some were located in or near villages as public spaces for the community; others were positioned beside roads as resting places for travellers.As their name suggests, stepwells comprise a series of stone steps descending from ground level to the water source (normally an underground aquifer) as it recedes following the rains. When the water level was high, the user needed only to descend a few steps to reach it; when it was low, several levels would have to be negotiated.Some wells are vast, open craters with hundreds of steps paving each sloping side, often in tiers. Others are more elaborate, with long stepped passages leading to the water via several storeys. Built from stone and supported by pillars, they also included pavilions that sheltered visitors from the relentless heat. But perhaps the most impressive features are the intricate decorative sculptures that embellish many stepwells, showing activities from fighting and dancing to everyday acts such as women combing their hair or churning butter.Down the centuries, thousands of wells were constructed throughout north?western India, but the majority have now fallen into disuse; many are derelict and dry, as groundwater has been diverted for industrial use and the wells no longer reach the water table. Their condition hasn’t been helped by recent dry spells: southern Rajasthan suffered an eight-year drought between 1996 and 2004.However, some important sites in Gujarat have recently undergone major restoration, and the state government announced in June last year that it plans to restore the stepwells throughout the state.In Patan, the state’s ancient capital, the stepwell of Rani Ki Vav (Queen’s Stepwell) is perhaps the finest current example. It was built by Queen Udayamati during the late 11th century, but became silted up following a flood during the 13th century. Butthe Archaeological Survey of India began restoring it in the 1960s, and today it is in pristine condition. At 65 metres long, 20 metres wide and 27 metres deep, Rani Ki Vav features 500 sculptures carved into niches throughout the monument. Incredibly, in January 2001, this ancient structure survived an earthquake that measured 7.6 on the Richter scale.Another example is the Surya Kund in Modhera, northern Gujarat, next to the Sun Temple, built by King Bhima I in 1026 to honour the sun god Surya. It actually resembles a tank (kund means reservoir or pond) rather than a well, but displays the hallmarks of stepwell architecture, including four sides of steps that descend to the bottom in a stunning geometrical formation. The terraces house 108 small, intricately carved shrines between the sets of steps.Rajasthan also has a wealth of wells. The ancient city of Bundi, 200 kilometres south of Jaipur, is renowned for its architecture, including its stepwells.One of the larger examples is Raniji Ki Baori,which was built by the queen of the region, Nathavatji, in 1699. At 46 metres deep, 20 metres wide and 40 metres long, the intricately carved monument is one of 21 baoris commissioned in the Bundi area by Nathavatji.In the old ruined town of Abhaneri, about 95 kilometres east of Jaipur, is Chand Baori, one of India’s oldest and deepest wells; aesthetically it’s perhaps one of the most dramatic. Built in around 850 AD next to the temple of Harshat Mata, the baori comprises hundreds of zigzagging steps that run along three of its sides, steeply descending 11 storeys, resulting in a striking pattern when seen from afar. On the fourth side, verandas which are supported by ornate pillars overlook the steps.Still in public use is Neemrana Ki Baori, located just off the Jaipur-Delhi highway. Constructed in around 1700, it is nine storeys deep, with the last two being underwater. At ground level, there are 86 colonnaded openings from where the visitor descends 170 steps to the deepest water source.Today, following years of neglect, many of these monuments to medieval engineering have been saved by the Archaeological Survey of India, which has recognised the importance of preserving them as part of the country’s rich history. T ourists flock to wells in far-flung corners of north?-western India to gaze in wonder at these architectural marvels from hundreds of years ago, which serve as a reminder of both the ingenuity and artistry of ancient civilisations and of the value of water to human existence.Questions 1-5Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this1 Examples of ancient stepwells can be found all over the world.2 Stepwells had a range of functions, in addition to those related to water collection.3 The few existing stepwells in Delhi are more attractive than those found elsewhere.4 It took workers many years to build the stone steps characteristic of stepwells.5 The number of steps above the water level in a stepwellaltered during the course of a year.Questions 6-8Answer the questions below.Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 6-8 on your answer sheet6 Which part of some stepwells provided shade for people?7 What type of serious climatic event, which took place in southern Rajasthan, is mentioned in the article?8 Who are frequent visitors to stepwells nowadays?Questions 9-13Complete the table below.Choose ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheetStepwell Date Features Other notesRani Ki Vav Late11thcentury As many as 500 sculptures decorate the monument Restored in the 1960sExcellent condition, despite the 9 _______ of 2001Surya Kund 1026 Steps on the10 ______ produce ageometrical patternCarved shrines Looks more like a 11 _______than a wellRaniji Ki Baori 1699 Intricately carved monument One of 21 baoris in the area commissioned by Queen Nathavatji Chand Baori 850 AD Steps take you down 11 storeys to the bottom Old, deep and very dramaticHas 12 _____ whichprovide a view of the stepsNeemrana Ki Baori 1700 Has two 13 ______levels Used by public todayREADING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 on the following pages.Questions 14-21Reading Passage 2 has nine paragraphs, A-I.Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-E and G-I from the list of headings below.Write the correct number,i-xi, in boxes 14-21 on your answer sheetList of Headingsi A fresh and important long-term goalii Charging for roads and improving other transport methods iii Changes affecting the distances goods may be transportediv Taking all the steps necessary to change transport patterns v The environmental costs of road transportvi The escalating cost of rail transportvii The need to achieve transport rebalanceviii The rapid growth of private transportix Plans to develop major road networksx Restricting road use through charging policies alonexi Transport trends in countries awaiting EU admission14 Paragraph A 19 Paragraph G15 Paragraph B 20 Paragraph H16 Paragraph C 21 Paragraph I17 Paragraph D18 Paragraph EExample AnswerParagraph F viiEUROPEAN TRANSPORT SYSTEMS1990-2010What have been the trends and what are the prospects for European transport systems?A It is difficult to conceive of vigorous economic growth without an efficient transport system. Although modern information technologies can reduce the demand for physical transport by facilitating teleworking and teleservices, the requirement for transport continues to increase. There are two key factors behind this trend. For passenger transport, the determining factor is the spectacular growth in car use. The number of cars on European Union (EU) roads saw an increase of three million cars each year from 1990 to 2010, and in the next decade the EU will see a further substantial increase in its fleet.B As far as goods transport is concerned, growth is due to a large extent to changes in the European economy and its system of production. In the last 20 years, as internal frontiers have been abolished, the EU has moved from a ‘stock’ economy to a ‘flow’ economy. This phenomenon has been emphasised by the relocation of some industries, particularly those which are labour intensive, to reduce production costs, even though the production site is hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away from the final assembly plant or away from users.C The strong economic growth expected in countries which are candidates for entry to the EU will also increase transport flows, in particular road haulage traffic. In 1998, some of these countries already exported more than twice their 1990 volumes and imported more than five times their 1990 volumes. And although many candidate countries inherited a transport systemwhich encourages rail, the distribution between modes has tipped sharply in favour of road transport since the 1990s. Between 1990 and 1998,road haulage increased by 19.4%, while during the same period rail haulage decreased by 43.5%, although — and this could benefit the enlarged EU — it is still on average at a much higher level than in existing member states.D However, a new imperative — sustainable development —offers an opportunity for adapting the EU’s common transport policy. This objective, agreed by the Gothenburg European Council, has to be achieved by integrating environmental considerations into Community policies, and shifting the balance between modes of transport lies at the heart of its strategy. The ambitious objective can only be fully achieved by 2020, but proposed measures are nonetheless a first essential step towards a sustainable transport system which will ideally be in place in 30 years’ time, that is by 2040.E In 1998,energy consumption in the transport sector was to blame for 28% of emissions of CO2,the leading greenhouse gas. According to the latest estimates, if nothing is done to reverse the traffic growth trend, CO2 emissions from transport can be expected to increase by around 50% to 1,113 billion tonnes by 2020,compared with the 739 billion tonnes recorded in 1990. Once again, road transport is the main culprit since it alone accounts for 84% of the CO2 emissions attributable to transport. Using alternative fuels and improving energy efficiency is thus both an ecological necessity and a technological challenge.F At the same time greater efforts must be made to achieve a modal shift. Such a change cannot be achieved overnight, all the less so after over half a century of constant deterioration infavour of road. This has reached such a pitch that today rail freight services are facing marginalisation, with just 8% of market share, and with international goods trains struggling along at an average speed of 18km/h. Three possible options have emerged.G The first approach would consist of focusing on road transport solely through pricing. This option would not be accompanied by complementary measures in the other modes of transport. In the short term it might curb the growth in road transport through the better loading ratio of goods vehicles and occupancy rates of passenger vehicles expected as a result of the increase in the price of transport. However, the lack of measures available to revitalise other modes of transport would make it impossible for more sustainable modes of transport to take up the baton.H The second approach also concentrates on road transport pricing but is accompanied by measures to increase the efficiency of the other modes (better quality of services, logistics, technology). However, this approach does not include investment in new infrastructure, nor does it guarantee better regional cohesion. It could help to achieve greater uncoupling than the first approach, but road transport would keep the lion’s share of the market and continue to concentrate on saturated arteries, despite being the most polluting of the modes. It is therefore not enough to guarantee the necessary shift of the balance.I The third approach, which is not new, comprises a series of measures ranging from pricing to revitalising alternative modes of transport and targeting investment in the trans-European network. This integrated approach would allow the market shares of the other modes to return to their 1998 levels and thus makea shift of balance. It is far more ambitious than it looks, bearing in mind the historical imbalance in favour of roads for the last fifty years, but would achieve a marked break in the link between road transport growth and economic growth, without placing restrictions on the mobility of people and goods.Questions 22-26Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?In boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this22 The need for transport is growing, despite technological developments.23 To reduce production costs, some industries have been moved closer to their relevant consumers.24 Cars are prohibitively expensive in some EU candidate countries.25 The Gothenburg European Council was set up 30 years ago.26 By the end of this decade, CO2 emissions from transport are predicted to reach 739 billion tonnes.READING PASSAGE 3You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.The psychology of innovationWhy are so few companies truly innovative?Innovation is key to business survival,and companies put substantial resources into inspiring employees to develop new ideas. There are, nevertheless, people working in luxurious, state-of-the-art centres designed to stimulate innovation who find that their environment doesn’t make them feel at all creative. And there are those who don’t have a budget, or much space, but who innovate successfully.For Robert B. Cialdini, Professor of Psychology at Arizona State University, one reason that companies don’t succeed as often as they should is that innovation starts with recruitment. Research shows that the fit between an employee’s values and a company’s values makes a difference to what contribution they make and whether, two years after they join, they’re still at the company. Studies at Harvard Business School show that, although some individuals may be more creative than others, almost every individual can be creative in the right circumstances.One of the most famous photographs in the story of rock’n’roll emphasises Ciaidini’s views. The 1956 picture of singers Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis jamming at a piano in Sun Studios in Memphis tells a hi dden story. Sun’s ‘million-dollar quartet’ could have been a quintet. Missing from the picture is Roy Orbison, a greater natural singer than Lewis, Perkins or Cash. Sam Phillips, who owned Sun, wanted to revolutionise popular music with songs that fused black and white music, and country and blues. Presley, Cash, Perkins and Lewis instinctively understood Phillips’s ambition and believed in it. Orbison wasn’t inspired by the goal, and only ever achieved one hit with the Sun label.The value fit matters, says Cialdini, because innovation is, in part, a process of change, and under that pressure we, as a species,behave differently, ‘When things change, we are hard-wired to play it safe.’ Managers should therefore adopt an approach that appears counter?intuitive — they should explainwhat stands to be lost if the company fails to seize a particular opportunity. Studies show that we invariably take more gambles when threatened with a loss than when offered a reward.Managing innovation is a delicate art. It’s eas y for a company to be pulled in conflicting directions as the marketing, product development, and finance departments each get different feedback from different sets of people. And without a system which ensures collaborative exchanges within the company, it’s also easy for small ‘pockets of innovation’ to disappear. Innovation is a contact sport. You can’t brief people just by saying, ‘We’re going in this direction and I’m going to take you with me.’Cialdini believes that this ‘follow-the-leader syndrome is dangerous, not least because it encourages bosses to go it alone. ‘It’s been scientifically proven that three people will be better than one at solving problems, even if that one person is the smartest person in the field.’ To prove his point, Cialdini cites an interview with molecular biologist James Watson. Watson, together with Francis Crick, discovered the structure of DNA, the genetic information carrier of all living organisms. ‘When asked how they had cracked the code ahead of an array of highly accomplished rival investigators, he said something that stunned me. He said he and Crick had succeeded because they were aware that they weren’t the most intelligent of the scientists pursuing the answer. The smartest scientist was called Rosalind Franklin who, Watson said, “was so intelligent she rarely sought advice”.’Teamwork taps into one of the basic drivers of human behaviour. ‘The principle of social proof is so pervasive that we don’t even recognise it,’ says Cialdini. ‘If your project is beingresisted, for example, by a group of veteran employees, ask another old-timer to speak up for it.’ Cialdini is not alone in advocating this strategy. Research shows that peer power, used horizontally not vertically, is much more powerful than any boss’s speec h.Writing, visualising and prototyping can stimulate the flow of new ideas. Cialdini cites scores of research papers and historical events that prove that even something as simple as writing deepens every individual’s engagement in the project. It is, he says, the reason why all those competitions on breakfast cereal packets encouraged us to write in saying, in no more than 10 words: ‘I like Kellogg’s Com Flakes because… .’ The very act of writing makes us more likely to believe it.Authority doesn’t have to inhibit innovation but it often does. The wrong kind of leadership will lead to what Cialdini calls ‘captainitis, the regrettable tendency of team members to opt out of team responsibilities that are properly theirs’. He calls it captainitis because, he says, ‘crew members of multipilot aircraft exhibit a sometimes deadly passivity when the flight captain makes a clearly wrong-headed decision’. This behaviour is not, he says, unique to air travel, but can happen in any workplace where the leader is overbearing.At the other end of the scale is the 1980s Memphis design collective, a group of young designers for whom ‘the only rule was that there were no rules’. This environment encouraged a free interchange of ideas, which led to more creativity with form, function, colour and materials that revolutionised attitudes to furniture design.Many theorists believe the ideal boss should lead from behind, taking pride in collective accomplishment and givingcredit where it is due. Cialdini says: ‘Leaders should en courage everyone to contribute and simultaneously assure all concerned that every recommendation is important to making the right decision and will be given full attention.’ The frustrating thing about innovation is that there are many approaches, but no magic formula. However, a manager who wants to create a truly innovative culture can make their job a lot easier by recognising these psychological realities.Questions 27-30Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.27 The example of the ‘million-dollar quartet’ underlines the writer’s point aboutA recognising talent.B working as a team.C having a shared objective.D being an effective leader.28 James Watson suggests that he and Francis Crick won the race to discover the DNA code because theyA were conscious of their own limitations.B brought complementary skills to their partnership.C were determined to outperform their brighter rivals.D encouraged each other to realise their joint ambition.29 The writer mentions competitions on breakfast cereal packets as an example of how toA inspire creative thinking.B generate concise writing.C promote loyalty to a group.D strengthen commitment to an idea.30 In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that it isimportant for employees toA be aware of their company’s goals.B feel that their contributions are valued.C have respect for their co-workers’ achievements.D understand why certain management decisions are made.Questions 31-35Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-G, below.Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet31 Employees whose values match those of their employers are more likely to32 At times of change, people tend to33 If people are aware of what they might lose, they will often34 People working under a dominant boss are liable to35 Employees working in organisations with few rules are more likely toA take chances.B share their ideas.C become competitive.D get promotion.E avoid risk.F ignore their duties.G remain in their jobs.Questions 36-40Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet, writeYES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinksabout this36 The physical surroundings in which a person works play a key role in determining their creativity.37 Most people have the potential to be creative.38 Teams work best when their members are of equally matched intelligence.39 It is easier for smaller companies to be innovative.40 A manager’s approval of an idea is more persuasive than that of a colleague.剑桥雅思阅读10原文参考译文(test1)Passage 1 参考译文:梯水井一千年前,对存活于印度最干旱的地区的生命来说,阶梯水丼是非常重要的。
剑桥雅思阅读11原文真题解析雅思阅读部分的真题资料,同学们需要进行一些细致的总结,比如说雅思阅读解析其实就是很重要的内容,接下来就是小编给同学们带来的关于剑桥雅思阅读11原文解析(test2)的内容,一起来详细的分析一下吧,希望对你们的备考有所帮助。
剑桥雅思阅读11原文(test2)READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Raising the Mary RoseHow a sixteenth-century warship was recovered from the seabedOn 19 July 1545, English and French fleets were engaged in a sea battle off the coast of southern England in the area of water called the Solent, between Portsmouth and the Isle of Wight. Among the English vessels was a warship by the name of Mary Rose. Built in Portsmouth some 35 years earlier, she had had a long and successful fighting career, and was a favourite of King Henry VIII. Accounts of what happened to the ship vary: while witnesses agree that she was not hit by the French, some maintain that she was outdated, overladen and sailing too low in the water, others that she was mishandled by undisciplined crew. What is undisputed, however, is that the Mary Rose sank into the Solent that day, taking at least 500 men with her. After the battle, attempts were made to recover the ship, but these failed.The Mary Rose came to rest on the seabed, lying on her starboard (right) side at an angle of approximately 60 degrees. The hull (the body of the ship) acted as a trap for the sand and mud carried by Solent currents. As a result, the starboard sidefilled rapidly, leaving the exposed port (left) side to be eroded by marine organisms and mechanical degradation. Because of the way the ship sank, nearly all of the starboard half survived intact. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the entire site became covered with a layer of hard grey clay, which minimised further erosion.Then, on 16 June 1836, some fishermen in the Solent found that their equipment was caught on an underwater obstruction, which turned out to be the Mary Rose. Diver John Deane happened to be exploring another sunken ship nearby, and the fishermen approached him, asking him to free their gear. Deane dived down, and found the equipment caught on a timber protruding slightly from the seabed. Exploring further, he uncovered several other timbers and a bronze gun. Deane continued diving on the site intermittently until 1840, recovering several more guns, two bows, various timbers, part of a pump and various other small finds.The Mary Rose then faded into obscurity for another hundred years. But in 1965, military historian and amateur diver Alexander McKee, in conjunction with the British Sub-Aqua Club, initiated a project called ‘Solent Ships’. While on paper this was a plan to examine a number of known wrecks in the Solent, what McKee really hoped for was to find the Mary Rose. Ordinary search techniques proved unsatisfactory, so McKee entered into collaboration with Harold E. Edgerton, professor of electrical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1967, Edgerton’s side-scan sonar systems revealed a large, unusually shaped object, which McKee believed was the Mary Rose.Further excavations revealed stray pieces of timber and aniron gun. But the climax to the operation came when, on 5 May 1971, part of the ship’s frame was uncovered. McKee and his team now knew for certain that they had found the wreck, but were as yet unaware that it also housed a treasure trove of beautifully preserved artefacts. Interest in the project grew, and in 1979, The Mary Rose Trust was formed, with Prince Charles as its President and Dr Margaret Rule its Archaeological Director. The decision whether or not to salvage the wreck was not an easy one, although an excavation in 1978 had shown that it might be possible to raise the hull. While the original aim was to raise the hull if at all feasible, the operation was not given the go-ahead until January 1982, when all the necessary information was available.An important factor in trying to salvage the Mary Rose was that the remaining hull was an open shell. This led to an important decision being taken: namely to carry out the lifting operation in three very distinct stages. The hull was attached to a lifting frame via a network of bolts and lifting wires. The problem of the hull being sucked back downwards into the mud was overcome by using 12 hydraulic jacks. These raised it a few centimetres over a period of several days, as the lifting frame rose slowly up its four legs. It was only when the hull was hanging freely from the lifting frame, clear of the seabed and the suction effect of the surrounding mud, that the salvage operation progressed to the second stage. In this stage, the lifting frame was fixed to a hook attached to a crane, and the hull was lifted completely clear of the seabed and transferred underwater into the lifting cradle. This required precise positioning to locate the legs into the ‘stabbing guides’ of the lifting cradle. The lifting cradle was designed to fit the hull using archaeological surveydrawings, and was fitted with air bags to provide additional cushioning for the hull’s delicate timber framework. The third and final stage was to lift the entire structure into the air, by which time the hull was also supported from below. Finally, on 11 October 1982, millions of people around the world held their breath as the timber skeleton of the Mary Rose was lifted clear of the water, ready to be returned home to Portsmouth.Questions 1-4Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?In boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this1 There is some doubt about what caused the Mary Rose to sink.2 The Mary Rose was the only ship to sink in the battle of 19 July 1545.3 Most of one side of the Mary Rose lay undamaged under the sea.4 Alexander McKee knew that the wreck would contain many valuable historical objects.Questions 5-8Look at the following statements (Questions 5-8) and the list of dates below.Match each statement with the correct date, A-G.Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet.5 A search for the Mary Rose was launched.6 One person’s exploration of the Mary Rose site stopped.7 It was agreed that the hull of the Mary Rose should be raised.8 The site of the Mary Rose was found by chance.List of DatesA 1836 E 1971B 1840 F 1979C 1965 G 1982D 1967Questions 9-13Label the diagram below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.Raising the hull of the Mary Rose: Stages one and twoREADING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 on the following pages.Questions 14-20Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.List of Headingsi Evidence of innovative environment management practicesii An undisputed answer to a question about the moaiiii The future of the moai statuesiv A theory which supports a local beliefv The future of Easter Islandvi Two opposing views about the Rapanui peoplevii Destruction outside the inhabitants’ controlviii How the statues made a situation worseix Diminishing food resources14 Paragraph A15 Paragraph B16 Paragraph C17 Paragraph D18 Paragraph E19 Paragraph F20 Paragraph GWhat destroyed the civilisation of Easter Island?A Easter Island, or Rapu Nui as it is known locally, is home to several hundred ancient human statues ?— the moai. After this remote Pacific island was settled by the Polynesians, it remained isolated for centuries. All the energy and resources that went into the moai — some of which are ten metres tall and weigh over 7,000 kilos —came from the island itself. Yet when Dutch explorers landed in 1722, they met a Stone Age culture. The moai were carved with stone tools, then transported for many kilometres, without the use of animals or wheels, to massive stone platforms. The identity of the moai builders was in doubt until well into the twentieth century. Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer, thought the statues had been created by pre-lnca peoples from Peru. Bestselling Swiss author Erich von Daniken believed they were built by stranded extraterrestrials. Modern science —linguistic, archaeological and genetic evidence — has definitively proved the moai builders were Polynesians, but not how they moved their creations. Local folklore maintains that the statues walked, while researchers have tended to assume the ancestors draggedthe statues somehow, using ropes and logs.B When the Europeans arrived, Rapa Nui was grassland, with only a few scrawny trees. In the 1970s and 1980s, though, researchers found pollen preserved in lake sediments, which proved the island had been covered in lush palm forests for thousands of years. Only after the Polynesians arrived did those forests disappear. US scientist Jared Diamond believes that the Rapanui people — descendants of Polynesian settlers — wrecked their own environment. They had unfortunately settled on an extremely fragile island —dry, cool, and too remote to be properly fertilised by windblown volcanic ash. When the islanders cleared the forests for firewood and farming, the forests didn’t grow back. As trees became scarce and they could no longer construct wooden canoes for fishing, they ate birds. Soil erosion decreased their crop yields. Before Europeans arrived, the Rapanui had descended into civil war and cannibalism, he maintains. The collapse of their isolated civilisation, Diamond writes, is a ‘worst-case scenario for what may lie ahead of us in our own futu re’.C The moai, he thinks, accelerated the self-destruction. Diamond interprets them as power displays by rival chieftains who, trapped on a remote little island, lacked other ways of asserting their dominance. They competed by building ever bigger figures. Diamond thinks they laid the moai on wooden sledges, hauled over log rails, but that required both a lot of wood and a lot of people. To feed the people, even more land had to be cleared. When the wood was gone and civil war began, the islanders began toppling the moai. By the nineteenth century none were standing.D Archaeologists T erry Hunt of the University of Hawaii andCarl Lipo of California State University agree that Easter Island lost its lush forests and that it was an ‘ecological catastrophe’ —but they believe the islanders themselves weren’t to blame. And the moai certainly weren’t. Archaeological excavations indicate that the Rapanui went to heroic efforts to protect the resources of their wind-lashed, infertile fields. They built thousands of circular stone windbreaks and gardened inside them, and used broken volcanic rocks to keep the soil moist. In short, Hunt and Lipo argue, the prehistoric Rapanui were pioneers of sustainable farming.E Hunt and Lipo contend that moai-building was an activity that helped keep the peace between islanders. They also believe that moving the moai required few people and no wood, because they were walked upright. On that issue, Hunt and Lipo say, archaeological evidence backs up Rapanui folklore. Recent experiments indicate that as few as 18 people could, with three strong ropes and a bit of practice, easily manoeuvre a 1,000 kg moai replica a few hundred metres. The figures’ fat bellies tilted them forward, and a D-shaped base allowed handlers to roll and rock them side to side.F Moreover, Hunt and Lipo are convinced that the settlers were not wholly responsible for the loss of the island’s trees. Archaeological finds of nuts from the extinct Easter Island palm show tiny grooves, made by the teeth of Polynesian rats. The rats arrived along with the settlers, and in just a few years, Hunt and Lipo calculate, they would have overrun the island. They would have prevented the reseeding of the slow-growing palm trees and thereby doomed Rapa Nui’s forest, even withou t the settlers’ campaign of deforestation. No doubt the rats ate birds’ eggs too. Hunt and Lipo also see no evidence that Rapanuicivilisation collapsed when the palm forest did. They think its population grew rapidly and then remained more or less stable until the arrival of the Europeans, who introduced deadly diseases to which islanders had no immunity. Then in the nineteenth century slave traders decimated the population, which shrivelled to 111 people by 1877.G Hunt and Lipo’s vision, therefore, is one of an island populated by peaceful and ingenious moai builders and careful stewards of the land, rather than by reckless destroyers ruining their own environment and society. ‘Rather than a case of abject failure, Rapu Nui is an unlikely story of succe ss’, they claim. Whichever is the case, there are surely some valuable lessons which the world at large can learn from the story of Rapa Nui.Questions 21-24Complete the summary below.Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 21-24 on your answer sheet.Jared Diamond’s ViewDiamond believes that the Polynesian settlers on Rapa Nui destroyed its forests, cutting down its trees for fuel and clearing land for 21 __________. Twentieth-century discoveries of pollen prove that Rapu Nui had once been covered in palm forests, which had turned into grassland by the time the Europeans arrived on the island. When the islanders were no longer able to build the 22 __________ they needed to go fishing, they began using the island’s 23 __________ as a food source, according to Diamond. Diamond also claims that the moai were built to show the power of the island’s chieftains, and that the methods of transporting the statues needed not only a great number of people, but also a great deal of 24 __________.Questions 25 and 26Choose TWO letters, A-E.Write the correct letters in boxes 25 and 26 on your answer sheet.On what points do Hunt and Lipo disagree with Diamond?A the period when the moai were createdB how the moai were transportedC the impact of the moai on Rapanui societyD how the moai were carvedE the origins of the people who made the moaiREADING PASSAGE 3You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.NeuroaestheticsAn emerging discipline called neuroaesthetics is seeking to bring scientific objectivity to the study of art, and has already given us a better understanding of many masterpieces. The blurred imagery of Impressionist paintings seems to stimulate the brain’s amygdala, for instance. Since the amygdala plays a crucial role in our feelings, that finding might explain why many people find these pieces so moving.Could the same approach also shed light on abstract twentieth-century pieces, from Mondrian’s geometri cal blocks of colour, to Pollock’s seemingly haphazard arrangements of splashed paint on canvas? Sceptics believe that people claim to like such works simply because they are famous. We certainly do have an inclination to follow the crowd. When asked to make simple perceptual decisions such as matching a shape to its rotated image, for example, people often choose a definitively wrong answer if they see others doing the same. It is easy toimagine that this mentality would have even more impact on a fuzzy concept like art appreciation, where there is no right or wrong answer.Angelina Hawley-Dolan, of Boston College, Massachusetts, responded to this debate by asking volunteers to view pairs of paintings — either the creations of famous abstract artists or the doodles of infants, chimps and elephants. They then had to judge which they preferred. A third of the paintings were given no captions, while many were labelled incorrectly —volunteers might think they were viewing a chimp’s messy brushstrokes when they were actually seeing an acclaimed masterpiece. In each set of trials, volunteers generally preferred the work of renowned artists, even when they believed it was by an animal or a child. It seems that the viewer can sense the artist’s vision in paintings, even if they can’t explain why.Robert Pepperell, an artist based at Cardiff University, creates ambiguous works that are neither entirely abstract nor clearly representational. In one study, Pepperell and his collaborators asked volunteers to decide how ‘powerful’ they considered an artwork to be, and whether they saw anything familiar in the piece. The longer they took to answer these questions, the more highly they rated the piece under scrutiny, and the greater their neural activity. It would seem that the brain sees these images as puzzles, and the harder it is to decipher the meaning, the more rewarding is the moment of recognition.And what about artists such as Mondrian, whose paintings consist exclusively of horizontal and vertical lines encasing blocks of colour? Mondrian’s works are deceptively simple, but eye-tracking studies confirm that they are meticulously composed, and that simply rotating a piece radically changes the way weview it. With the originals, volunteers’ eyes tended to stay longer on certain places in the image, but with the altered versions they would flit across a piece more rapidly. As a result, the volunteers considered the altered versions less pleasurable when they later rated the work.In a similar study, Oshin Vartanian of Toronto University asked volunteers to compare original paintings with ones which he had altered by moving objects around within the frame. He found that almost everyone preferred the original, whether it was a Van Gogh still life or an abstract by Miro. Vartanian also found that changing the composition of the paintings reduced activation in those brain areas linked with meaning and interpretation.In another experiment, Alex Forsythe of the University of Liverpool analysed the visual intricacy of different pieces of art, and her results suggest that many artists use a key level of detail to please the brain. Too little and the work is boring, but too much results in a kind of ‘perceptual overload’; according to Forsythe. What’s more, appealing pieces both abstract and representational, show signs of ‘fractals’ —repeated motifs recurring in different scales. Fractals are common throughout nature, for example in the shapes of mountain peaks or the branches of trees. It is possible that our visual system, which evolved in the great outdoors, finds it easier to process such patterns.It is also intriguing that the brain appears to process movement when we see a handwritten letter, as if we are replaying the writer’s moment of creation. This has led some to won der whether Pollock’s works feel so dynamic because the brain reconstructs the energetic actions the artist used as hepainted. This may be down to our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, which are known to mimic others’ actions. The hypothesis will need to be thoroughly tested, however. It might even be the case that we could use neuroaesthetic studies to understand the longevity of some pieces of artwork. While the fashions of the time might shape what is currently popular, works that are best adapted to our visual system may be the most likely to linger once the trends of previous generations have been forgotten.It’s still early days for the field of neuroaesthetics — and these studies are probably only a taste of what is to come. It would, however, be foolish to reduce art appreciation to a set of scientific laws. We shouldn’t underestimate the importance of the style of a particular artist, their place in history and the artistic environment of their time. Abstract art offers both a challenge and the freedom to play with different interpretations. In some ways, it’s not so different to science, where we are constantly looking for systems and decoding meaning so that we can view and appreciate the world in a new way.Questions 27-30Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.27 In the second paragraph, the writer refers to a shape-matching test in order to illustrateA the subjective nature of art appreciation.B the reliance of modern art on abstract forms.C our tendency to be influenced by the opinions of others.D a common problem encountered when processing visual data.28 Angelina Hawley-Dolan’s findings indicate that peopleA mostly favour works of art which they know well.B hold fixed ideas about what makes a good work of art.C are often misled by their initial expectations of a work of art.D have the ability to perceive the intention behind works of art.29 Results of studies involving Robert Pepperell’s pieces suggest that peopleA can appreciate a painting without fully understanding it.B find it satisfying to work out what a painting represents.C vary widely in the time they spend looking at paintings.D generally prefer representational art to abstract art.30 What do the experiments described in the fifth paragraph suggest about the paintings of Mondrian?A They are more carefully put together than they appear.B They can be interpreted in a number of different ways.C They challenge our assumptions about shape and colour.D They are easier to appreciate than many other abstract works.Questions 31-33Complete the summary using the list of words, A-H, below.Write the correct letters, A-H, in boxes 31-33 on your answer sheet.Art and the BrainThe discipline of neuroaesthetics aims to bring scientific objectivity to the study of art. Neurological studies of the brain, for example, demonstrate the impact which Impressionist paintings have on our 31 __________. Alex Forsythe of the University of Liverpool believes many artists give their works the precise degree of 32 __________ which most appeals to the viewer’s brain. She also observes that pleasing works of artoften contain certain repeated 33 __________ which occur frequently in the natural world.A interpretationB complexityC emotionsD movementsE skillF layoutG concern H imagesQuestions 34-39Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?In boxes 34-39 on your answer sheet, writeYES if the statement agrees with the views of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the views of the writerNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this34 Forsythe’s findings contradicted previous beliefs on the function of ‘fractals’ in art.35 Certain ideas regarding the link between ‘mirror neurons’ and art appr eciation require further verification.36 People’s taste in paintings depends entirely on the current artistic trends of the period.37 Scientists should seek to define the precise rules which govern people’s reactions to works of art.38 Art appreciation should always involve taking into consideration the cultural context in which an artist worked.39 It is easier to find meaning in the field of science than in that of art.Question 40Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.40 What would be the most appropriate subtitle for the article?A Some scientific insights into how the brain responds toabstract artB Recent studies focusing on the neural activity of abstract artistsC A comparison of the neurological bases of abstract and representational artD How brain research has altered public opinion about abstract art剑桥雅思阅读11原文参考译文(test2)PASSAGE 1 参考译文:打捞玛丽玫瑰号船记一艘16世纪的战舰是如何从海底被打捞的索伦特水域地处英国南部海岸,位于朴茨茅斯和怀特岛之间,1545年7月19日,英国与法国舰队在这里展开了一场海战。
雅思给大家带来了剑11雅思阅读Test1passage1原文+参考译文,更多真题解析,请点击:剑桥雅思11阅读解析READING PASSAGE 1Crop-growing skyscrapersBy the year 2050, nearly 80% of the Earth’s population will live in urban centres. Applying the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, the human population will increase by about three billion people by then. An estimated 109 hectares of new land (about 20% larger than Brazil) will be needed to grow enough food to feed them, if traditional farming methods continue as they are practised today. At present, throughout the world, over 80% of the land that is suitable for raising crops is in use. Historically, some 15% of that has been laid waste by poor management practices. What can be done to ensure enough food for the world’s population to live on?The concept of indoor farming is not new, since hothouse production of tomatoes and other produce has been in vogue for some time. What is new is the urgent need to scale up this technology to accommodate another three billion people. Many believe an entirely new approach to indoor farming is required, employing cutting-edge technologies. One such proposal is for the ‘Vertical Farm’. The concept is of multi-storey buildings in which food crops are grown in environmentally controlled conditions. Situated in the heart of urban centres, they would drastically reduce the amount of transportation required to bring food to consumers. Vertical farms would need to be efficient, cheap to construct and safe to operate. If successfully implemented, proponents claim, vertical farms offer the promise of urban renewal, sustainable production of a safe and varied food supply (through year-round production of all crops), and the eventual repair of ecosystems that have been sacrificed for horizontal farming.It took humans 10,000 years to learn how to grow most of the crops we now take for granted. Along the way, we despoiled most of the land we worked, often turning verdant, natural ecozones into semi-arid deserts. Within that same time frame, we evolved into an urban species, in which 60% of the human population now lives vertically in cities. This means that, for the majority, we humans have shelter from the elements, yet we subject our food-bearing plants to the rigours of the great outdoors and can do no more than hope for a good weather year. However, more often than not now, due to a rapidly changing climate, that is not what happens. Massive floods, long droughts, hurricanes and severe monsoons take their toll each year, destroying millions of tons of valuable crops.The supporters of vertical farming claim many potential advantages for the system. For instance, crops would be produced all year round, as they would be kept in artificially controlled, optimum growing conditions. There would be no weather-related crop failures due to droughts, floods or pests. All the food could be grown organically, eliminating the need for herbicides, pesticides and fertilisers. The system would greatly reduce the incidence of many infectious diseases that are acquired at theagricultural interface. Although the system would consume energy, it would return energy to the grid via methane generation from composting non-edible parts of plants. It would also dramatically reduce fossil fuel use, by cutting out the need for tractors, ploughs and shipping.A major drawback of vertical farming, however, is that the plants would require artificial light. Without it, those plants nearest the windows would be exposed to more sunlight and grow more quickly, reducing the efficiency of the system. Single-storey greenhouses have the benefit of natural overhead light: even so, many still need artificial lighting. A multi-storey facility with no natural overhead light would require far more. Generating enough light could be prohibitively expensive, unless cheap, renewable energy is available, and this appears to be rather a future aspiration than a likelihood for the near future.One variation on vertical farming that has been developed is to grow plants in stacked trays that move on rails. Moving the trays allows the plants to get enough sunlight. This system is already in operation, and works well within a single-storey greenhouse with light reaching it from above: it is not certain, however, that it can be made to work without that overhead natural light.Vertical farming is an attempt to address the undoubted problems that we face in producing enough food for a growing population. At the moment, though, more needs to be done to reduce the detrimental impact it would have on the environment, particularly as regards the use of energy. While it is possible that much of our food will be grown in skyscrapers in future, most experts currently believe it is far more likely that we will simply use the space available on urban rooftops.作物生长的“摩天大厦”到2050年,近80%的地球人口将在城市中心生活。