[外语类试卷]雅思（阅读）模拟试卷75及答案与解析.doc

1、雅思（阅读）模拟试卷 75及答案与解析 0 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. Attitudes to language It is not easy to be systematic and objective about language study. Popular linguistic debate regularly deteriorates into invective and polemic. Language belon

2、gs to everyone, so most people feel they have a right to hold an opinion about it. And when opinions differ, emotions can run high. Arguments can start as easily over minor points of usage as over major policies of linguistic education. Language, moreover, is a very public behaviour, so it is easy f

3、or different usages to be noted and criticised. No part of society or social behaviour is exempt: linguistic factors influence how we judge personality, intelligence, social status, educational standards, job aptitude, and many other areas of identity and social survival. As a result, it is easy to

4、hurt, and to be hurt, when language use is unfeelingly attacked. In its most general sense, prescriptivism is the view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community. The view is propounded especially in

5、 relation to grammar and vocabulary, and frequently with reference to pronunciation. The variety which is favoured, in this account, is usually a version of the standard written language, especially as encountered in literature, or in the formal spoken language which most closely reflects this style

6、. Adherents to this variety are said to speak or write correctly; deviations from it are said to be incorrect! All the main languages have been studied prescriptively, especially in the 18th century approach to the writing of grammars and dictionaries. The aims of these early grammarians were threef

7、old: (a) they wanted to codify the principles of their languages, to show that there was a system beneath the apparent chaos of usage, (b) they wanted a means of settling disputes over usage, and (c) they wanted to point out what they felt to be common errors, in order to improve the language. The a

8、uthoritarian nature of the approach is best characterised by its reliance on rules of grammar. Some usages are prescribed, to be learnt and followed accurately; others are proscribed, to be avoided. In this early period, there were no half-measures: usage was either right or wrong, and it was the ta

9、sk of the grammarian not simply to record alternatives, but to pronounce judgement upon them. These attitudes are still with us, and they motivate a widespread concern that linguistic standards should be maintained. Nevertheless, there is an alternative point of view that is concerned less with stan

10、dards than with the facts of linguistic usage. This approach is summarised in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe - to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language cha

11、nge. In the second half of the 18th century, we already find advocates of this view, such as Joseph Priestley, whose Rudiments of English Grammar (1761) insists that the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any language! Linguistic issues, it is argued, cannot be solved by lo

12、gic and legislation. And this view has become the tenet of the modern linguistic approach to grammatical analysis. In our own time, the opposition between descriptivists and prescriptivists has often become extreme, with both sides painting unreal pictures of the other. Descriptive grammarians have

13、been presented as people who do not care about standards, because of the way they see all forms of usage as equally valid. Prescriptive grammarians have been presented as blind adherents to a historical tradition. The opposition has even been presented in quasi-political terms - of radical liberalis

14、m vs elitist conservatism. Questions 1-8 Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet, write YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer NOT GIVEN if it i

15、s impossible to say what the writer thinks about this 1 There are understandable reasons why arguments occur about language. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 2 People feel more strongly about language education than about small differences in language usage. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 3 Our asse

16、ssment of a persons intelligence is affected by the way he or she uses language. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 4 Prescriptive grammar books cost a lot of money to buy in the 18th century. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 5 Prescriptivism still exists today. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 6 Accordi

17、ng to descriptivists it is pointless to try to stop language change. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 7 Descriptivism only appeared after the 18th century. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 8 Both descriptivists and prescriptivists have been misrepresented. （ A） YES （ B） NO （ C） NOT GIVEN 8 Complete th

18、e summary using the list of words, A-l, below. Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet. The language debate According to【 R9】 _, there is only one correct form of language. Linguists who take this approach to language place great importance on grammatical【 R10】 _ Conversely

19、, the view of【 R11】 _, such as Joseph Priestley, is that grammar should be based on【 R12】 _ A descriptivists B language experts C popular speech D formal language E evaluation F rules G modern linguists H prescriptivists I change 9 【 R9】 10 【 R10】 11 【 R11】 12 【 R12】 13 What is the writers purpose i

20、n Reading Passage 1? （ A） to argue in favour of a particular approach to writing dictionaries and grammar books （ B） to present a historical account of differing views of language （ C） to describe the differences between spoken and written language （ D） to show how a certain view of language has bee

21、n discredited 13 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1426, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. Tidal Power Undersea turbines which produce electricity from the tides are set to become an important source of renewable energy for Britain. It is still too early to predict the extent

22、of the impact they may have, but all the signs are that they will play a significant role in the future A Operating on the same principle as wind turbines, the power in sea turbines comes from tidal currents which turn blades similar to ships propellers, but, unlike wind, the tides are predictable a

23、nd the power input is constant. The technology raises the prospect of Britain becoming self-sufficient in renewable energy and drastically reducing its carbon dioxide emissions. If tide, wind and wave power are all developed, Britain would be able to close gas, coal and nuclear power plants and expo

24、rt renewable power to other parts of Europe. Unlike wind power, which Britain originally developed and then abandoned for 20 years allowing the Dutch to make it a major industry, undersea turbines could become a big export earner to island nations such as Japan and New Zealand. B Tidal sites have al

25、ready been identified that will produce one sixth or more of the UKs power - and at prices competitive with modern gas turbines and undercutting those of the already ailing nuclear industry. One site alone, the Pentland Firth, between Orkney and mainland Scotland, could produce 10% of the countrys e

26、lectricity with banks of turbines under the sea, and another at Alderney in the Channel Islands three times the 1,200 megawatts of Britains largest and newest nuclear plant, Sizewell B, in Suffolk. Other sites identified include the Bristol Channel and the west coast of Scotland, particularly the ch

27、annel between Campbeltown and Northern Ireland. C Work on designs for the new turbine blades and sites are well advanced at the University of Southamptons sustainable energy research group. The first station is expected to be installed off Lynmouth in Devon shortly to test the technology in a ventur

28、e jointly funded by the department of Trade and Industry and the European Union. AbuBakr Bahaj, in charge of the Southampton research, said: The prospects for energy from tidal currents are far better than from wind because the flows of water are predictable and constant. The technology for dealing

29、with the hostile saline environment under the sea has been developed in the North Sea oil industry and much is already known about turbine blade design, because of wind power and ship propellers. There are a few technical difficulties, but I believe in the next five to ten years we will be installin

30、g commercial marine turbine farms. Southampton has been awarded 215,000 over three years to develop the turbines and is working with Marine Current Turbines, a subsidiary of IT power, on the Lynmouth project. ELI research has now identified 106 potential sites for tidal power, 80% round the coasts o

31、f Britain. The best sites are between islands or around heavily indented coasts where there are strong tidal currents. D A marine turbine blade needs to be only one third of the size of a wind generator to produce three times as much power. The blades will be about 20 metres in diameter, so around 3

32、0 metres of water is required. Unlike wind power, there are unlikely to be environmental objections. Fish and other creatures are thought unlikely to be at risk from the relatively slow-turning blades. Each turbine will be mounted on a tower which will connect to the national power supply grid via u

33、nderwater cables. The towers will stick out of the water and be lit, to warn shipping, and also be designed to be lifted out of the water for maintenance and to clean seaweed from the blades. E Dr Bahaj has done most work on the Alderney site, where there are powerful currents. The single undersea t

34、urbine farm would produce far more power than needed for the Channel Islands and most would be fed into the French Grid and be re-imported into Britain via the cable under the Channel. F One technical difficulty is cavitation, where low pressure behind a turning blade causes air bubbles. These can c

35、ause vibration and damage the blades of the turbines. Dr Bahaj said: We have to test a number of blade types to avoid this happening or at least make sure it does not damage the turbines or reduce performance. Another slight concern is submerged debris floating into the blades. So far we do not know

36、 how much of a problem it might be. We will have to make the turbines robust because the sea is a hostile environment, but all the signs that we can do it are good. Questions 14-17 Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter

37、, A-F, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet. NB You may use any letter more than once. 14 the location of the first test site 15 a way of bringing the power produced on one site back into Britain 16 a reference to a previous attempt by Britain to find an alternative source of energy 17 mention of the

38、 possibility of applying technology from another industry 17 Choose FIVE letters, A-J. Write the correct letters in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet. Which FIVE of the following claims about tidal power are made by the writer? A It is a more reliable source of energy than wind power. B It would repl

39、ace all other forms of energy in Britain. C Its introduction has come as a result of public pressure. D It would cut down on air pollution. E It could contribute to the closure of many existing power stations in Britain. F It could be a means of increasing national income. G It could face a lot of r

40、esistance from other fuel industries. H It could be sold more cheaply than any other type of fuel. I It could compensate for the shortage of inland sites for energy production. J It is best produced in the vicinity of coastlines with particular features. 22 Label the diagram below.Choose NO MORE THA

41、N TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet. An Undersea Turbine 26 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below. Information theory - the big idea Information theory lies at the heart of ever

42、ything - from DVD players and the genetic code of DNA to the physics of the universe at its most fundamental It has been central to the development of the science of communication, which enables data to be sent electronically and has therefore had a major impact on our lives A In April 2002 an event

43、 took place which demonstrated one of the many applications of information theory. The space probe, Voyager I, launched in 1977, had sent back spectacular images of Jupiter and Saturn and then soared out of the Solar System on a one-way mission to the stars. After 25 years of exposure to the freezin

44、g temperatures of deep space, the probe was beginning to show its age. Sensors and circuits were on the brink of failing and NASA experts realised that they had to do something or lose contact with their probe forever. The solution was to get a message to Voyager I to instruct it to use spares to ch

45、ange the failing parts. With the probe 12 billion kilometres from Earth, this was not an easy task. By means of a radio dish belonging to NASAs Deep Space Network, the message was sent out into the depths of space. Even travelling at the speed of light, it took over 11 hours to reach its target, far

46、 beyond the orbit of Pluto. Yet, incredibly, the little probe managed to hear the faint call from its home planet, and successfully made the switchover. B It was the longest-distance repair job in history, and a triumph for the NASA engineers. But it also highlighted the astonishing power of the tec

47、hniques developed by American communications engineer Claude Shannon, who had died just a year earlier. Born in 1916 in Petoskey, Michigan, Shannon showed an early talent for maths and for building gadgets, and made breakthroughs in the foundations of computer technology when still a student. While

48、at Bell Laboratories, Shannon developed information theory, but shunned the resulting acclaim. In the 1940s, he single-handedly created an entire science of communication which has since inveigled its way into a host of applications, from DVDs to satellite communications to bar codes - any area, in

49、short, where data has to be conveyed rapidly yet accurately. C This all seems light years away from the down-to-earth uses Shannon originally had for his work, which began when he was a 22-year-old graduate engineering student at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1939. He set out with an apparently simple aim: to pin down the precise meaning of the concept of information. The most basic form of information, Shannon argued, is whether something is true or false - which can be captured in the binary uni