[外语类试卷]专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷103及答案与解析.doc

1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 103及答案与解析 SECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONS In this section there are several passages followed by fourteen multiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggested answers marked A , B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the best answer. 0 (1)Da

2、ylight saving time(DST)is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907 by William Willett. Many count

3、ries have used it since then; details vary by location and change occasionally. (2)General agreement about the days layout confers so many advantages that a standard DST schedule usually outranks efforts to get up earlier, even for people who personally dislike the DST schedule. The practice is mixe

4、d blessing, however. (3)For instance, retailers, sporting goods makers, and other businesses benefit from extra afternoon sunlight, as it induces customers to shop and to participate in outdoor afternoon sports. As the 1984 Fortune magazine estimated that a seven-week extension of DST would yield an

5、 additional $30 million for 7-Eleven stores, and the National Golf Foundation estimated the extension would increase golf industry revenues $200 million to $300 million. Conversely, DST can adversely affect farmers and others whose hours are set by the sun. For example, grain harvesting is best done

6、 after dew evaporates, so when field hands arrive and leave earlier in summer their labor is less valuable. DST also hurts prime-time broadcast ratings and drive-in and other theaters. (4)Clock shifts correlate with decreased economic efficiency. In 2000 the daylight-saving effect implied an estimat

7、ed one-day loss of $31 billion on U.S. stock exchanges. Clock shifts and DST rule changes have a direct economic cost, since they entail extra work to support remote meetings, computer applications and the like. For example, a 2007 North American rule change cost an estimated $500 million to $1 bill

8、ion. (5)Extra afternoon daylight is said to reduce traffic fatalities. In 1975 the U.S. DOT conservatively identified a 0.7% reduction in traffic fatalities during DST, and estimated the real reduction to be 1.5% to 2%, but the 1976 NBS review of the DOT study found no differences in traffic fatalit

9、ies. In 1995 the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimated a reduction of 1.2%, including a 5% reduction in crashes fatal to pedestrians. Others have found similar reductions. Single/Double Summer Time(SDST), a variant where clocks are one hour ahead of the sun in winter and two in summer, ha

10、s been projected to reduce traffic fatalities by 3% to 4% in the UK, compared to ordinary DST. A correlation between clock shifts and accidents has been observed in North America but not in Sweden. If this effect exists, it is far smaller than the overall reduction in fatalities. (6)However, the eff

11、ect of DST on crime is less clear. In the 1970s the U.S. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration(LEAA)found a reduction of 10% to 13% in Washington, D.C.s violent crime rate during DST. However, the LEAA did not filter out other factors, and it examined only two cities and found crime reductions o

12、nly in one and only in some crime categories; the DOT decided it was “impossible to conclude with any confidence that comparable benefits would be found nationwide“. Outdoor lighting has a marginal and sometimes even contradictory influence on crime and fear of crime. (7)DST also has mixed effects o

13、n health. In societies with fixed work schedules it provides more afternoon sunlight for outdoor exercise. It alters sunlight exposure; whether this is beneficial depends on ones location and daily schedule, as sunlight triggers vitamin D synthesis in the skin, but overexposure can lead to skin canc

14、er. Sunlight strongly influences seasonal affective disorder. DST may help in depression by causing individuals to rise earlier, but some argue the reverse. The Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation Fighting Blindness, chaired by blind sports magnate Gordon Gund, successfully lobbied in 1985 and 2005 for

15、U.S. DST extensions, but DST can hurt night blindness sufferers. (8)Clock shifts disrupt sleep and reduce its efficiency. Effects on seasonal adaptation of the circadian rhythm can be severe and last for weeks. The government of Kazakhstan cited health complications due to clock shifts as a reason f

16、or abolishing DST in 2005. (9)Although the DST increases opportunities for outdoor leisure activities during afternoon sunlight hours, obviously it does not change the length of the day; the longer days nearer the summer solstice in high latitudes merely offer more room to shift apparent daylight fr

17、om morning to evening. And the DST is commonly not observed during most of winter, because its mornings are darker: workers may have no sunlit leisure time, and children may need to leave for school in the dark. 1 According to the passage, the DST _. （ A） offers one more hour in the afternoon both i

18、n the seasons of summer and winter （ B） causes people to get up one hour earlier in summer but not in winter （ C） adjusts the time of peoples activity arrangement to make full use of the day time （ D） causes people to end the activities in the morning one hour later in winter 2 Which of the followin

19、g businesses may NOT benefit from the DST? （ A） Building trade. （ B） Open-air recreation industry. （ C） Outdoor sports business. （ D） Computer-based services. 3 What is the role of the third paragraph in the development of the topic? （ A） To show the advantages and disadvantages of the adoption of D

20、ST. （ B） To provide supporting evidence for the preceding paragraph. （ C） To emphasize how the adoption of DST affect certain other businesses. （ D） To illustrate that the agreement of the days layout is not always beneficial. 4 What kind of writing does the passage belong to? （ A） Persuasion. （ B）

21、Description. （ C） Expository. （ D） Narration. 4 (1)It was the spring of 1985, and President Reagan had just given Mother Teresa the Medal of Freedom in a Rose Garden ceremony. As she left, she walked down the corridor between the Oval Office and the West Wing drive, and there she was, turning my way

22、. What a sight: a saint in a sari coming down the White House hall. As she came nearer, I could not help it: I bowed. “Mother“, I said, “I just want to touch your hand.“ She looked up at me it may have been one of Gods subtle jokes that his exalted child spent her life looking up to everyone else an

23、d said only two words. (2)Later I would realize that they were the message of her mission. “Luff Gott,“ she said. Love God. She pressed into my hand a poem she had written, as she glided away in a swoosh of habit. I took the poem from its frame the day she died. It is free verse, 79 lines, and is ca

24、lled “Mothers Meditation(in the Hospital).“ In it she reflects on Christs question to his apostles: “Who do you say I am?“ She notes that “he was the boy born in Bethlehem“, “put in the manger full of straw. kept warm by the breath of the donkey, who grew up to be an ordinary man without much learni

25、ng.“ Donkeys are not noble; straw is common; and it was among the ordinary and ignoble, the poor and sick, that she chose to labor. Her mission was for them and among them, and you have to be a pretty tough character to organize a little universe that exists to help people other people arent interes

26、ted in helping. Thats how she struck me when I met her as I watched her life. She was tough. There was the worn and weathered face, the abrupt and definite speech. We think saints are great organizers, great operators, and great combatants in the world. Once I saw her in a breathtaking act of courag

27、e. She was speaker at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington in 1995. (3)A11 the Washington Establishment was there, plus a few thousand born-again Christians, orthodox Catholics and Jews, and searchers looking for a faith. Mother Teresa was introduced, and she spoke of God, of love, of familie

28、s. She said we must love one another and care for one another. There were great purrs of agreement. But as the speech continued it became more pointed. She asked, “Do you do enough to make sure your parents, in the old peoples homes, feel your love? Do you bring then each day your joy and caring?“ T

29、he baby boomers in the audience began to shift in their seats. And she continued. “I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion,“ she said, and then she told them why, in uncompromising term. (4)For about 1.3 seconds there was complete silence, then applause built and swept across t

30、he room. But not everyone: the President and the First Lady, the Vice President and Mrs. Gore, looked like seated statues at Madame Tussauds, glistening in the lights and moving not a muscle. She didnt stop there either, but went on to explain why artificial birth control is bad and why Protestants

31、who separate faith from works are making a mistake. When she was finished, there was almost no one she hadnt offended. A US Senator turned to his wife and said, “Is my jaw up yet?“ Talk about speaking truth to power! But Mother Teresa didnt care, and she wasnt afraid. The poem she gave me included h

32、er personal answers to Christs question. She said he is “the Truth to be told. the Way to be walked. the Light to be lit.“ She took her own advice and lived a whole life that showed it. 5 To Mother Teresas understanding, God refers to _. （ A） the boy who was born in Bethlehem and was put in the stab

33、le full of straws （ B） the ordinary and ignoble man who grew up without much learning （ C） the spirit that encourages people to help others, to bring them truth and light （ D） the ordinary and poor people that others are uninterested in helping 6 The sentence “Donkeys are not noble; straw is common.

34、“ in the second paragraph implies that_. （ A） it is pitiful that God was born in such an ordinary condition inconsistent with his nobility （ B） it is Gods ignoble and ordinary birth that causes him to grow to be ordinary and unlearned （ C） God was rooted in the ordinary, so good deeds should be done

35、 for and among the common （ D） God originated from the ordinary, so it is the poor and sick needs special help and care 7 Which of the following best describes Mother Teresa as seen by the author? （ A） Stirring and critical. （ B） Brave but offensive. （ C） Bold and picky. （ D） Honest and brave. 8 The

36、 senators question “Is my jaw up yet?“ in the last paragraph indicates that_. （ A） he was thoroughly astonished （ B） he felt asleep during the speech （ C） he was angry with the speech （ D） he was totally excited 8 (1)The Boy Scouts of America(BSA), the largest youth organization in the United States

37、, has policies which prohibit atheists, agnostics, and “known or avowed“ homosexuals from membership in its Scouting program; both youths and adults have had their memberships revoked as a result The BSA contends that these policies are essential in its mission to instill in young people the values

38、of the Scout Oath and Law. (2)According to its mission statement, the Boy Scouts of America seeks “to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law“. All members are required, as a condition of membership, to pr

39、omise to uphold and obey both of these pledges. (3)In reciting the Scout Oath, a Scout promises to be morally straight and to do their duty to God; the Scout Law holds that a Scout is clean and reverent. The BSA also prohibits girls from participating in Cub Scouting and Boy Scouting. These policies

40、 are controversial and are considered by some to be unfair. (4)The organizations legal right to have these policies has been upheld repeatedly by both state and federal courts. The Supreme Court of the United States has affirmed that as a private organization, the BSA can set its own membership stan

41、dards. In recent years, the policy disputes have led to litigation over the terms under which the BSA can access governmental resources including public lands. (5)In certain municipalities, the conditions under which the Boy Scouts of America can access public and nonpublic governmental resources ha

42、ve become controversial, sometimes resulting in litigation. (6)When a private organization such as the BSA receives access on terms more favorable than other private organizations, it is known as “special“ or “preferential“ access. For example, state and local governments may lease property to nonpr

43、ofit groups on terms that are preferential to or equal to the terms they offer to commercial groups. Special access includes access at a reduced fee or access to places off-limits to other groups. The categorization of access as “special“ or “equal“ is not always clear-cut. (7)Some cities, counties,

44、 and states have ordinances or policies that limit government support for organizations that practice some types of discrimination. When the BSAs membership policies are contrary to these laws, some government organizations have moved to change the terms under which the BSA is allowed to access its

45、resources. Private individuals have filed lawsuits to prevent governmental entities from granting what they see as preferential access. The BSA on the other hand has sued governmental entities for denying what it sees as equal access. (8)In response to these changes and litigation, the federal gover

46、nment passed laws mandating the BSAs equal access to local and state-level governmental resources. However, state and local governments still have flexibility regarding the provision of special access to the BSA. (9)There also has been opposition to BSAs membership policies, both from organizations

47、and individuals. Some within the Scouting movement, as well as long-time Scouting supporters, parents, chartered organizations, and religious organizations have expressed opposition to the policies in ways ranging from protests to forming organizations that advocate inclusiveness. Some push for a vo

48、luntary change within the BSA, others seek involuntary change by filing lawsuits, still others choose to disassociate themselves from the BSA or encourage others to do so. (10)The Unitarian Universalist Associations opposition to the BSAs membership exclusions led to a dispute between the organizati

49、ons. In 2001, the Union for Reform Judaisms Commission on Social Action, citing a commitment to ending discrimination in all forms, issued a memorandum recommending that congregations stop hosting BSA troops and that parents withdraw their children from all of the Boy Scouts of Americas programs. Additionally, the General Synod of the United Church of Christ issued a statement urging the BSA to change policy and stated that, “Discrimination against anyone based on sexual orientation is contrary to our understanding of the teachings of C