1、大学英语四级综合-24 及答案解析(总分：180.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Unit 2(总题数：4，分数：180.00)Passage OneMajor companies are already in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology. They dream of placing enzymes(酶) in the automobile to monitor exhaust and send data on pollution to a microprocessor that will then adjust
2、the engine. They speak of what The New York Times calls “metal-hungry microbes that might be used to mine valuable trace metal from ocean water“. They have already demanded and won the right to patent new life forms.Nervous critics, including many scientists, worry that there is corporate, national,
3、 international, and inter-scientific rivalry in the entire biotechnological field. They create images not of oil spills, but of “microbe spills“ that could spread disease and destroy entire populations. The creation and accidental release of extremely poisonous microbes, however, is only one cause f
4、or alarm. Completely rational and respectable scientists are talking about possibilities that stagger the imagination.Should we breed people with cow stomachs so they can digest grass and hay, thereby relieving the food problem by modifying us to eat lower down on the food chain? Should we biologica
5、lly alter workers to fit the job requirement, for example, creating pilots with faster reaction times or assembly-line workers designed to do our monotonous work for us? Should we attempt to eliminate “inferior“ people and breed a “superrace“?(Hitler tried this, but without the genetic weaponry that
6、 may soon issue from our laboratories.) Should we produce soldiers to do our fighting? Should we use genetic forecasting to pre-eliminate “unfit“ babies? Should we grow reserve organs for ourselves, each of us having, as it were, a “savings bank“ full of spare kidney, livers, or hands?Wild as these
7、notions may sound, every one has its advocates (and opposers) in the scientific community as well as its striking commercial application As two critics of genetic engineering Jeremy Rifkin and Ted Howard, state in their book Who Should Play God, “Broad scale genetic engineering will probably be intr
8、oduced to America much the same way as assembly lines, automobiles, vaccines, computers and all the other technologies. As each new genetic advance becomes commercially practical, a new consumer need will be exploited and a market for the new technology will be created./（分数：45.00）(1).According to th
9、e passage, the exhaust from a car engine could probably be checked by_（分数：9.00）A.using metal-hungry microbesB.making use of enzymesC.adjusting the engineD.patenting new life forms(2).According to the passage, which of the following would worry the critics the most?（分数：9.00）A.The unanticipated explos
10、ion of population.B.The creation of biological solar cells.C.The accidental spill ofoil.D.The unexpected release of destructive microbes.(3).Which of the following notions is NOT mentioned?（分数：9.00）A.Developing a “savings bank“ of ones organs.B.Breeding soldiers for a war.C.Producing people with cow
11、-like stomachs.D.Using genetic forecasting to cure diseases.(4).According to the passage, Hitler attempted to _（分数：9.00）A.change the pilots biologically to win the warB.develop genetic farming for food supplyC.kill the people he thought of as inferiorD.encourage the development of genetic weapons fo
12、r the war(5).What does Jeremy Ritkin and Ted Howards statement imply?（分数：9.00）A.The commercial applications of genetic engineering are inevitable.B.America will depend on other countries for biological progress.C.Americans are proud of their computers, automobiles and genetic technologies.D.The pote
13、ntial application of each new genetic advance should be controllePassage TwoStudies of the effect that makes many of us slumber or feel sleepy during the Queens speech on Christmas Day have revealed that changes may be required in Britains drink drive legislation.Dr James Home, director of the Sleep
14、 Research Laboratory at Southborough University, is investigating post-lunch sleepiness. “We humans are designed to sleep twice a day, once at night and a short nap after lunch, but in this part of the world we tend to repress that.“It is a remnant of the same primeval(原始的) programming that makes al
15、l animals in the bush rest in the hot afternoon sun to conserve energy.“Hot environments make it worse and many cultures living near the equator,“ says Dr Home, “have conceded to the inevitable, where the afternoon siesta is the way of life.“In this study Dr Home has been investigating the role of a
16、lcohol. “The theory is that if you are more sleepy after lunch then it figures that alcohol will be more potent after lunch. One would figure then that a pint of beer at lunchtime has more effect than in the evening, when people are more alert. Indeed, we find that it has about twice the effect.“Thi
17、s has more sinister(险恶的) implications. “If people take alcohol up to the legal driving limit, their performance is seriously impaired after lunch,“ he said.It seems that alcohol interacts with the circadian rhythm of sleep to cause afternoon sleepiness, so that one pint at lunchtime is equivalent, i
18、n effect, to a quart in the evening.“For this reason, most drivers ought not to drink at all at lunchtime and the legal blood alcohol limit is no guide to safe driving here,“ said Dr Home.For those who wish to enjoy the Queens speech, Dr Home recommends mild exercise, a splash of cold air or cold wa
19、ter on the face, or a cup of coffee. Otherwise, take a catnap. But this should be less than 15 minutes, otherwise, sleep really sets in and one can wake up feeling very groggy(头昏眼花的) and far sleepier than to begin with.（分数：45.00）(1).It is implied that British people _（分数：9.00）A.like to take a short
20、nap after lunchB.dont take a short nap after lunchC.dont feel sleepy after lunchD.like to sleep twice a day(2).All animals in the bush rest in the hot afternoon sun to_（分数：9.00）A.conserve energyB.stay healthyC.avoid feeling hungryD.gain strength(3).Most drivers ought not to drink at all at lunchtime
21、 because _（分数：9.00）A.alcohol will be less potent after lunchB.a pint of beer at lunchtime is equivalent to a quart in the eveningC.people are more alert at lunchtimeD.it is not legal to drink at lunchtime(4).According to the passage, if you sleep more than 15 minutes after lunch _（分数：9.00）A.you will
22、 be refreshedB.you will be waken upC.you will feel far sleepierD.you will take a catnap(5).It can be inferred that_（分数：9.00）A.people are not allowed to drive after they drink one quart in the eveningB.people are still allowed to drive after they drink one quart in the eveningC.people are still allow
23、ed to drive after they drink one pint at lunchtimeD.people ought not to drink at all at lunchtimePassage ThreeAbout ten men in every hundred suffer from color blindness in some way; women are luckier, only about one in two hundred is affected in this manner. There are different forms of color blindn
24、ess. A man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shades of green. Sometimes a person cannot tell the difference between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man may see everything in shades of green-a strange world indeed.In certain occupations color b
25、lindness can be dangerous and candidates are tested most carefully. For example, when fighting at night, soldiers use lights of flares to signal to each other. A green light may mean “Advance“ and a red light may mean “Danger! Keep back!“ You can see what will happen if somebody thinks that red is g
26、reen! Color blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions of very small things called “cones“. These help to see in a bright light and to tell the difference between colors. There are also millions of “rods“ but these are used for seeing when it is nearl
27、y dark. They show us shape but not color. Wait until it is dark tonight, and then go outside. Look round you and try to see what colors you can recognize.Birds and animals which hunt at night have eyes which contain few or no cones at all, so they cannot see colors. As far as we know, bats and adult
28、 owls cannot see colors at all, only light and dark shapes. Similarly cats and dogs cannot see colors as well as we can.Insects can see ultraviolet rays which are invisible to us, and some of them can even see X rays. The wings of a moth may seem grey and dull to us, but to insects they may appear b
29、eautiful, showing colors which we cannot see. Scientists know that there are other colors around us which insects can see but which we cannot see. Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes like blue, but do not like yellow. A red light will not attract insects but a blue lamp will.（分数：45.00）(1).
30、Among people who suffer from color blindness, _（分数：9.00）A.some may see everything in shades of greenB.few can tell the difference between blue and greenC.few may think that red, orange and yellow are all shades of greenD.very few may think that everything in the world is in green(2).When millions of
31、 rods in our eyes are at work in darkness we can see _（分数：9.00）A.colors onlyB.shapes and colorsC.shapes onlyD.darkness only(3).According to the passage, bats and adult owls cannot see colors because _（分数：9.00）A.they hunt at nightB.they cannot see lightC.they have no cones and rodsD.they have no cone
32、s(4).According to the passage, dogs and cats _（分数：9.00）A.as well as human beings cannot see some colorsB.have fewer cones than human beingsC.have less rods than human beingsD.can see colors as well as human beings(5).Which of the following is NOT true about insects?（分数：9.00）A.Insects can see more co
33、lors than human beings.B.Insects can see ultraviolet rays which are invisible to men.C.All insects have their favorite colors.D.The world is more colorful to insects than to human beings,Passage FourElectric cars are dirty. In fact, not only are they dirty, they might even be more dirty than their g
34、asoline-powered cousins.People in California love to talk about “zero-emissions vehicles“, but people in California seem to be clueless about where electricity comes from. Power plants most all use fire to make it. Aside from the few folks who have their roofs covered with solar cells, we get our el
35、ectricity from generators. Generators are fueled by something-usually coal, oil, but also by heat generated in nuclear power plants. There are a few wind farms and geothermal plants as well, but by far we get electricity mainly by burning something.In other words, those “zero-emissions“ cars are lik
36、ely coal-burning cars. Its just the coal is burned somewhere else so it looks clean. It is not. Its as if the California Greens are covering their eyes-“If I cant see it, its not happening.“ Gasoline is an incredibly efficient way to power a vehicle; a gallon of gas has a lot of energy in it. But wh
37、en you take that gas (or another fuel) and first use it to make electricity, you waste a nice part of that energy, mostly in the form of wasted heat-at the generator, through the transmission lines, etc.A gallon of gas maypropel your car 25 miles. But the electricity you get from that gallon of gas
38、wont get you nearly as far-so electric cars burn more fuel than gaspowered ones. If our electricity came mostly from nukes, or geothermal, or hydro, or solar, or wind, then an electric car truly would be clean. But for political, technical, and economic reasons, we dont use much of those energy sour
39、ces.In addition, electric cars batteries which are poisonous for a long time will eventually end up in a landfill. And finally, when cars are the polluters, the pollution is spread across all the roads. When its a power plant, though, all the junk is in one place. Nature is very good at cleaning up
40、when things are not too concentrated, but it takes a lot longer when all the garbage is in one spot.（分数：45.00）(1).Which of the following words can replace “be clueless about“ in Paragraph 2?（分数：9.00）A.Be familiar with.B.Be curious about.C.Show their interest in.D.Fail to understan(2).What can we lea
41、rn about the California Greens from their idea “IfI cant see it, its not happening“?（分数：9.00）A.They do not know those clean cars are likely coal-burning cars.B.They do believe the coal is burned somewhere else so it looks clean.C.They tend to hold that electricity is a nice part of energy.D.They ten
42、d to maintain that gasoline is a good way to run a vehicl(3).The electricity we get from a gallon of gas may make our car run _（分数：9.00）A.not less than 25 milesB.more than 25 milesC.no less than 25 milesD.less than 25 miles(4).Compared with cars using gas, electric cars are more _（分数：9.00）A.environm
43、entally-friendlyB.expensiveC.efficientD.harmful(5).It can be inferred from the passage that _（分数：9.00）A.being green is good and should be encouraged in communicationsB.electric cars are not clean in that we get electricity mainly by burning somethingC.zero-emissions vehicles should be chosen to prot
44、ect our environmentD.electric cars are now the dominant vehicle compared with gasoline-powered大学英语四级综合-24 答案解析(总分：180.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、Unit 2(总题数：4，分数：180.00)Passage OneMajor companies are already in pursuit of commercial applications of the new biology. They dream of placing enzymes(酶) in the automo
45、bile to monitor exhaust and send data on pollution to a microprocessor that will then adjust the engine. They speak of what The New York Times calls “metal-hungry microbes that might be used to mine valuable trace metal from ocean water“. They have already demanded and won the right to patent new li
46、fe forms.Nervous critics, including many scientists, worry that there is corporate, national, international, and inter-scientific rivalry in the entire biotechnological field. They create images not of oil spills, but of “microbe spills“ that could spread disease and destroy entire populations. The
47、creation and accidental release of extremely poisonous microbes, however, is only one cause for alarm. Completely rational and respectable scientists are talking about possibilities that stagger the imagination.Should we breed people with cow stomachs so they can digest grass and hay, thereby reliev
48、ing the food problem by modifying us to eat lower down on the food chain? Should we biologically alter workers to fit the job requirement, for example, creating pilots with faster reaction times or assembly-line workers designed to do our monotonous work for us? Should we attempt to eliminate “infer
49、ior“ people and breed a “superrace“?(Hitler tried this, but without the genetic weaponry that may soon issue from our laboratories.) Should we produce soldiers to do our fighting? Should we use genetic forecasting to pre-eliminate “unfit“ babies? Should we grow reserve organs for ourselves, each of us having, as it were, a “savings bank“ full of spare kidney, livers, or hands?Wild as these notions may sound, every one has its advocates (and opposers) in the scientific community as well as its striking com
