1、雅思（阅读）历年真题试卷汇编 20 及答案解析(总分：80.00，做题时间：90 分钟)You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Thomas Young The Last True Know-It-AllThomas Young(1773-1829)contributed 63 articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica, including 46 biographical entries(mostly on
2、 scientists and classicists)and substantial essays on “Bridge,“ “Chromatics,“ “Egypt,“ “Languages“ and “Tides“. Was someone who could write authoritatively about so many subjects a polymath, a genius or a dilettante? In an ambitious new biography, Andrew Robinson argues that Young is a good contende
3、r for the epitaph “the last man who knew everything.“ Young has competition, however: The phrase, which Robinson takes for his title, also serves as the subtitle of two other recent biographies: Leonard Warrens 1998 life of paleontologist Joseph Leidy(1823-1891)and Paula Findlens 2004 book on Athana
4、sius Kircher(1602-1680), another polymath.Young, of course, did more than write encyclopedia entries. He presented his first paper to the Royal Society of London at the age of 20 and was elected a Fellow a week after his 21st birthday. In the paper, Young explained the process of accommodation in th
5、e human eyeon how the eye focuses properly on objects at varying distances. Young hypothesised that this was achieved by changes in the shape of the lens. Young also theorised that light traveled in waves and he believed that, to account for the ability to see in color, there must be three receptors
6、 in the eye corresponding to the three “principal colors“ to which the retina could respond: red, green, violet. All these hypotheses were subsequently proved to be correct.Later in his life, when he was in his forties, Young was instrumental in cracking the code that unlocked the unknown script on
7、the Rosetta Stone, a tablet that was “found“ in Egypt by the Napoleonic army in 1799. The stone contains text in three alphabets: Greek, something unrecognisable and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The unrecognisable script is now known as demotic and, as Young deduced, is related directly to hieroglyphic. Hi
8、s initial work on this appeared in his Britannica entry on Egypt. In another entry, he coined the term Indo-European to describe the family of languages spoken throughout most of Europe and northern India. These are the landmark achievements of a man who was a child prodigy and who, unlike many rema
9、rkable children, did not disappear into oblivion as an adult.Born in 1773 in Somerset in England, Young lived from an early age with his maternal grandfather, eventually leaving to attend boarding school. He had devoured books from the age of two, and through his own initiative he excelled at Latin,
10、 Greek, mathematics and natural philosophy. After leaving school, he was greatly encouraged by his mothers uncle, Richard Brock-lesby, a physician and Fellow of the Royal Society. Following Brocklesbys lead, Young decided to pursue a career in medicine. He studied in London, following the medical ci
11、rcuit, and then moved on to more formal education in Edinburgh, Gottingen and Cambridge. After completing his medical training at the University of Cambridge in 1808, Young set up practice as a physician in London. He soon became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a few years later was
12、appointed physician at St. Georges Hospital.Youngs skill as a physician, however, did not equal his skill as a scholar of natural philosophy or linguistics. Earlier, in 1801, he had been appointed to a professorship of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution, where he delivered as many as 60 lec
13、tures in a year. These were published in two volumes in 1807. In 1804 Young had become secretary to the Royal Society, a post he would hold until his death. His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London and methods of ship construction. Fr
14、om 1819 he was superintendent of the Nautical Almanac and secretary to the Board of Longitude. From 1824 to 1829 he was physician to and inspector of calculations for the Palladian Insurance Company. Between 1816 and 1825 he contributed his many and various entries to the Encyclopedia Britan-nica, a
15、nd throughout his career he authored numerous books, essays and papers.Young is a perfect subject for a biographyperfect, but daunting. Few men contributed so much to so many technical fields. Robinsons aim is to introduce non-scientists to Youngs work and life. He succeeds, providing clear expositi
16、ons of the technical material(especially that on optics and Egyptian hieroglyphs). Some readers of this book will, like Robinson, find Youngs accomplishments impressive; others will see him as some historians haveas a dilettante. Yet despite the rich material presented in this book, readers will not
17、 end up knowing Young personally. We catch glimpses of a playful Young, doodling Greek and Latin phrases in his notes on medical lectures and translating the verses that a young lady had written on the walls of a summerhouse into Greek elegiacs. Young was introduced into elite society, attended the
18、theatre and learned to dance and play the flute. In addition, he was an accomplished horseman. However, his personal life looks pale next to his vibrant career and studies.Young married Eliza Maxwell in 1804, and according to Robinson, “their marriage was a happy one and she appreciated his work.“ A
19、lmost all we know about her is that she sustained her husband through some rancorous disputes about optics and that she worried about money when his medical career was slow to take off. Very little evidence survives about the complexities of Youngs relationships with his mother and father. Robinson
20、does not credit them, or anyone else, with shaping Youngs extraordinary mind. Despite the lack of details concerning Youngs relationships, however, anyone interested in what it means to be a genius should read this book.Questions 1-7Do the following statements agree with the information given in Rea
21、ding Passage 1?In boxes 1-7 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 this（分数：14.00）(1).The last man who knew everything has also been claimed to other people.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.
22、Not Given(2).All Youngs articles were published in Encyclopedia Britannica.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.Not Given(3).Like others, Young wasnt so brilliant when growing up.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.Not Given(4).Youngs talent as a doctor surpassed his other skills.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.Not Given(5).Youngs advice was sought by
23、people responsible for local and national issues.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.Not Given(6).Young was interested in various social pastimes.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.Not Given(7).Young suffered from a disease in his later years.（分数：2.00）A.真B.假C.Not GivenAnswer the questions below.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A
24、NUMBER from the passage for each answer.（分数：12.00）(1).How many life stories did Young write for the Encyclopedia Britannica?（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(2).What aspect of scientific research did Young focus on in his first academic paper?（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(3).What name did Young introduce to refer to a group of l
25、anguages?（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(4).Who inspired Young to start his medical studies?（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(5).Where did Young get a teaching position?（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(6).What contribution did Young make to London?（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Pas
26、sage 2 below.Antarctica - in from the cold?A A little over a century ago, men of the ilk of Scott, Shackleton and Mawson battled against Antarcticas blizzards, cold and deprivation. In the name of Empire and in an age of heroic deeds they created an image of Antarctica that was to last well into the
27、 20th centuryan image of remoteness, hardship, bleakness and isolation that was the province of only the most courageous of men. The image was one of a place removed from everyday reality, of a place with no apparent value to anyone.B As we enter the 21st century, our perception of Antarctica has ch
28、anged. Although physically Antarctica is no closer and probably no warmer, and to spend time there still demands a dedication not seen in ordinary life, the continent and its surrounding ocean are increasingly seen to be an integral part of Planet Earth, and a key component in the Earth System. Is t
29、his because the world seems a little smaller these days, shrunk by TV and tourism, or is it because Antarctica really does occupy a central spot on Earths mantle? Scientific research during the past half century has revealedand continues to revealthat Antarcticas great mass and low temperature exert
30、 a major influence on climate and ocean circulation, factors which influence the lives of millions of people all over the globe.C Antarctica was not always cold. The slow break-up of the super-continent Gondwana with the northward movements of Africa, South America, India and Australia eventually cr
31、eated enough space around Antarctica for the development of an Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC), that flowed from west to east under the influence of the prevailing westerly winds. Antarctica cooled, its vegetation perished, glaciation began and the continent took on its present-day appearance. To
32、day the ice that overlies the bedrock is up to 4km thick, and surface temperatures as low as -89.2deg C have been recorded. The icy blast that howls over the ice cap and out to seathe so-called katabatic windcan reach 300 km/hr, creating fearsome wind-chill effects.D Out of this extreme environment
33、come some powerful forces that reverberate around the world. The Earths rotation, coupled to the generation of cells of low pressure off the Antarctic coast, would allow Astronauts a view of Antarctica that is as beautiful as it is awesome. Spinning away to the northeast, the cells grow and deepen,
34、whipping up the Southern Ocean into the mountainous seas so respected by mariners. Recent work is showing that the temperature of the ocean may be a better predictor of rainfall in Australia than is the pressure difference between Darwin and Tahitithe Southern Oscillation Index. By receiving more ac
35、curate predictions, graziers in northern Queensland are able to avoid overstocking in years when rainfall will be poor. Not only does this limit their losses but it prevents serious pasture degradation that may take decades to repair. CSIRO is developing this as a prototype forecasting system, but w
36、e can confidently predict that as we know more about the Antarctic and Southern Ocean we will be able to enhance and extend our predictive ability.E The oceans surface temperature results from the interplay between deep-water temperature, air temperature and ice. Each winter between 4 and 19 million
37、 square km of sea ice form, locking up huge quantities of heat close to the continent. Only now can we start to unravel the influence of sea ice on the weather that is experienced in southern Australia. But in another way the extent of sea ice extends its influence far beyond Antarctica. Antarctic k
38、rillthe small shrimplike crustaceans that are the staple diet for baleen whales, penguins, some seals, flighted sea birds and many fishbreed well in years when sea ice is extensive and poorly when it is not. Many species of baleen whales and flighted sea birds migrate between the hemispheres and whe
39、n the krill are less abundant they do not thrive.F The circulatory system of the worlds oceans is like a huge conveyor belt, moving water and dissolved minerals and nutrients from one hemisphere to the other, and from the oceans abyssal depths to the surface. The ACC is the longest current in the wo
40、rld, and has the largest flow. Through it, the deep flows of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans are joined to form part of a single global thermohaline circulation. During winter, the howling katabatics sometimes scour the ice off patches of the seas surface leaving large ice-locked lagoons, or
41、 polynyas. Recent research has shown that as fresh sea ice forms, it is continuously stripped away by the wind and may be blown up to 90km in a single day. Since only fresh water freezes into ice, the water that remains becomes increasingly salty and dense, sinking until it spills over the continent
42、al shelf. Cold water carries more oxygen than warm water, so when it rises, well into the northern hemisphere, it reoxygenates and revitalises the ocean. The state of the northern oceans, and their biological productivity, owe much to what happens in the Antarctic.Questions 14-18Reading Passage 2 ha
43、s six paragraphs, A-F.Which paragraph contains the following information?Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.（分数：10.00）(1).The example of a research on building weather prediction for agriculture（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(2).An explanation of how Antarctic sea ice brings back oc
44、eans vitality（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(3).The description of a food chain that influences animals living pattern（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(4).The reference of an extreme temperature and a cold wind in Antarctica（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(5).The reference of how Antarctica was once thought to be a forgotten and insignificant con
45、tinent（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_Match the natural phenomenon with the correct determined factor. Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 19-21 on your answer sheet.A Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC)B katabatic windsC rainfall D temperatureE glaciers F pressure（分数：6.00）(1).Globally, Antarcticas massive size
46、and 1 would influence our climate.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(2). 1circulated under contributory force from wind blowing from the west.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(3).The ocean temperature and index based on air pressure can help predict 1in Australia.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Write the corre
47、ct letter in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.（分数：10.00）(1).In paragraph B, the author intends to（分数：2.00）A.show Antarctica has been a central topic of global warming discussion in Mass media.B.illustrate how its huge sea ice brings food to millions of lives in the world.C.emphasise the significance
48、 of Antarctica to the global climate and ocean currents.D.illustrate the geographical location of Antarctica as the central spot on Earth.(2).Why should Australian formers keep an eye on the Antarctic ocean temperature?（分数：2.00）A.It can help farmers reduce their economic loss.B.It allows for recover
49、y of grassland lost to overgrazing.C.It can help to prevent animals from dyingD.It enables astronauts to have a clear view of the Antarctic continent.(3).The decrease in the number of whales and seabirds is due to（分数：2.00）A.killer whales activity around Antarctica.B.the correlation between sea birds migration and the salin
