1、职称英语理工类 A 类-阅读理解专项突破及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、阅读理解(总题数：12，分数：100.00)Trying to Find a PartnerOne of the most striking findings of a recent poll in the UK is that of the people interviewed, one in two believes that it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a family with.Why are many fi
2、nding it increasingly difficult to start and sustain intimate relationships? Does modern life really make it harder to fall in love? Or are we making it harder for ourselves?It is certainly the case today that contemporary couples benefit in different ways from relationships. Women no longer rely up
3、on partners for economic security or status. A man doesnt expect his spouse to be in sole charge of running his household and raising his children.But perhaps the knowledge that we can live perfectly well without a partnership means that it takes much more to persuade people to abandon their indepen
4、dence.In theory, finding a partner should be much simpler these days. Only a few generations ago, your choice of soulmate (心上人) was constrained by geography, social convention and family tradition. Although it was never explicit, many marriages were essentially arranged.Now those barriers have been
5、broken down. You can approach a builder or a brain surgeon in any bar in any city on any given evening. When the world is your oyster (牡蛎), you surely have a better chance of finding a pearl.But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint: the tyranny of choice
6、The expectations of partners are inflated to an unmanageable degree: good looks, impressive salary, kind to grandmother and right socks. There is no room for error in the first impression.We think that a relationship can be perfect. If it isnt, it is disposable. We work to protect ourselves against
7、 future heartache and dont put in the hard emotional labor needed to build a strong relationship. Of course, this is complicated by realities. The cost of housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable income and career before a life partnership.（分数：10.00）(1).What does the recent poll s
8、how?AIt is getting more difficult for a woman to find her husband.BIt is getting increasingly difficult to start a family.CIt is getting more difficult for a man to find his wife.DIt is getting increasingly difficult to develop an intimate relationship with your spouse.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of
9、the following is NOT true about a contemporary married couple?AThe wife doesnt have to raise the children all by herself.BThe husband doesnt have to support the family all by himself.CThe wife is no longer the only person to manage the household.DThey will receive a large sum of money from the gover
10、nment.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following was NOT a constraint on ones choice of soulmate in the old days?AThe health condition of his or her grandmother.BThe geographical environment.CThe social convention.DThe family tradition.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following is NOT expected of
11、a partner according to this passage?AGood looks. BAn impressive career.CA high salary. DA fine sense of humor.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The word “sustain“ (paragraph 2) could be best replaced byA“reduce“. B“shake“.C“maintain“. D“weaken“.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.AVery Slow RideThe surface of the earth may seem ve
12、ry stable to you. But you might be amazed if you knew some of the things that are going on under that surface.The earth has an outer shell of rigid pieces called tectonic plates (地壳构造板块). The plates include both ocean floor and dry land. Some have whole continents on top of them. The continents on t
13、op of the plates are just going along for a slow ride, moving only about four inches per year. But even this small movement causes three types of big interactions.One type is ocean ridges. These ridges develop in places where two plates are moving away from each other. As the plates separate, hot ma
14、gma (岩浆) flows up to fill the space. New crust (地壳) builds up on the plate boundaries and causes ocean ridges. These ridges form long mountain ranges, which only rise above the ocean surface in a few places.Another type of reaction-trenches-occurs between two plates that are moving toward each other
15、 As the plates meet, one bends downward and plunges underneath the other. This forms deep ocean trenches. The Marianas Trench off Guam in the western Pacific Ocean has a depth of more than 36,000 feet. This is the lowest point on the ocean floor. If the leading edges of the two colliding plates car
16、ry continents, then the layers of rock in the overriding plate crumple (变皱) and fold. A plate that carried what is now India collided with the southern edge of the plate that carried Europe and most of Asia. This caused the Himalayas, the worlds highest mountains.The third reaction is transform faul
17、ts (转换断层). These faults occur where two plates that are traveling in opposite directions slide past each other. Severe earthquakes can occur. The San Andreas Fault in California is a good example of this type of movement.（分数：10.00）(1).The word “stable“ (paragraph 1) meansA“a place for horses“. B“cal
18、m and easygoing“.C“steady or firm“. D“a collection of animals“.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).To explain the effect of trenches, the writer gives the example ofAthe sea floor in the Atlantic Ocean.Bthe Himalayan Mountains.CEurope.DIndia.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).The San Andreas Fault is an example ofAa severe eart
19、hquake.Ba California rock formation.Ctwo plates moving apart.Dtwo plates sliding past each other.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).According to the passage, the earth isAalways changing.Bbecoming smaller.Cmoving faster.Dgetting hotter.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).This passage is mostly aboutAeffects of movements of the
20、earths plates.Bdifferent types of continents.Cthe Marianas Trench.Dtransform faults.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.Mobile Phones: Are They about to Transform Our Lives?We love them so much that some of us sleep with them under the pillow, yet we are increasingly concerned that we cannot escape their electronic re
21、ach. We use them to convey our most intimate secrets, yet we worry that they are a threat to our privacy. We rely on them more than the Internet to cope with modern life, yet many of us dont believe advertisements saying we need more advanced services.Sweeping aside the doubts that many people feel
22、about the benefits of new third generation phones and fears over the health effects of phone masts (天线竿), a recent report claims that the long-term effects of new mobile technologies will be entirely positive so long as the public can be convinced to make use of them. Research about users of mobile
23、phones reveals that the mobile has already moved beyond being a mere practical communications tool to become the backbone (支柱) of modern social life, from love affairs to friendship to work. One female teacher, 32, told the researchers: “I love my phone. Its my friend. “The close relationship betwee
24、n user and phone is most pronounced among teenagers, the report says, who regard their mobiles as an expression of their identity. This is partly because mobiles are seen as being beyond the control of parents. But the researchers suggest that another reason may be that mobiles, especially text mess
25、aging, are seen as a way of overcoming shyness. “Texting is often used for apologies, to excuse lateness or to communicate other things that make us uncomfortable,“ the report says. The impact of phones, however, has been local rather than global, supporting existing friendships and networks, rather
26、 than opening users to a new broader community. Even the language of texting in one area can be incomprehensible to anybody from another area.Among the most important benefits of using mobile phones, the report claims, will be a vastly improved mobile infrastructure (基础设), providing gains throughout
27、 the economy, and the provision of a more sophisticated location-based services for users. The report calls on government to put more effort into the delivery of services by mobile phone, with suggestions including public transport and traffic information and doctors text messages to remind patients
28、 of appointments. “I love that idea,“ one user said in an interview. “It would mean I wouldnt have to write a hundred messages to myself. “There are many other possibilities. At a recent trade fair in Sweden, a mobile navigation product was launched. When the user enters a destination, a route is au
29、tomatically downloaded to their mobile and presented by voice, pictures and maps as they drive. In future, these devices will also be able to plan around congestion (交通堵塞) and road works in real time. Third generation phones will also allow for remote monitoring of patients by doctors. In Britain sc
30、ientists are developing an asthma (哮喘) management solution, using mobiles to detect early signs of an attack.（分数：10.00）(1).What does the writer suggest in the first paragraph about our attitudes to mobile phones?AWe cant live without them.BWe are worried about using them so much.CWe have contradicto
31、ry feelings about them.DWe need them more than anything else to deal with modern life.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Which of the following statements is true?AModern social life relies significantly on the use of mobile phones.BMobile phones make romantic communication more difficult.CMobile phones encourage
32、 people to make friends.DMobile phones enable people of different countries to talk without translation.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Teenagers have a close relationship with their mobile phones partly because theyAuse text messages more than any other group.Bare more likely to be late than older people.Cten
33、d to feel uncomfortable in many situations.Dtake mobile phones as an indication of independence from their parents.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).It is suggested that mobile phones should be used toAgive the address of the nearest hospital.Bshow bus and train timetables.Carrange delivery of mails.Dcure diseas
34、es.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The navigation product launched in Sweden is helpful to drivers because it canAsuggest the best route to get to a place.Bdownload maps of the area.Ctell them which roads are congested.Dshow them how to avoid road works.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.Is the Tie a Necessity?Ties, or neckties
35、 have been a symbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries. But the casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems with them. Reports suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties. So, are the famously formal British really going to abandon the neckties?Maybe. Last week, th
36、e UKs Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed a tieless era. He hinted that civil servants would soon be free of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives.In fact, Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to a cocktail party. Many of them were c
37、elebrities (知名人士) without ties, which would have been unimaginable even in the recent past.For some more conservative British, the tie is a must for proper appearance. Earlier, Labor leader Jim Callaghan said he would have died rather than have his children seen in public without a tie. For people l
38、ike Callaghan, the tie was a sign of being complete, of showing respect. Men were supposed to wear a tie when going to church, to work in the office, to a partyalmost every social occasion.But today, people have begun to accept a casual style even for formal occasions.The origin of the tie is tricky
39、 It started as something called simply a “band“. The term could mean anything around a mans neck. It appeared in finer ways in the 1630s. Frenchmen showed a love of this particular fashion statement. Their neckwear (颈饰) impressed Charles II, the king of England who was exiled (流放) to France at that
40、 time. When he returned to England in 1660, he brought this new fashion item along with him.It wasnt, however, until the late 18th century that fancy young men introduced a more colorful, flowing piece of cloth that eventually became known as the tie. Then, clubs, military institutions and schools b
41、egan to use colored and patterned ties to indicate the wearers membership in the late 19th century. After that, the tie became a necessary item of clothing for British gentlemen.But now, even gentlemen are getting tired of ties. Anyway, the day feels a bit easier when you wake up without having to d
42、ecide which tie suits you and your mood.（分数：10.00）(1).The tie symbolizes all of the following exceptArespect. Belegance.Cpoliteness. Ddemocracy.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Why does Blair sometimes show up in a formal event without a tie?ABecause he wants to make a show.BBecause he wants to attract attentio
43、n.CBecause ties are costly.DBecause he wants to live in a casual way.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following is NOT a social occasion?AGoing to church. BGoing to work in the office.CStaying at home. DGoing to a party.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Who brought the Frenchmens neckwear to Britain?ATony Blair
44、 BCharles II.CJim Callaghan. DAndrew Turnbull.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.(5).When did British gentlemen begin to wear ties regularly?AAfter the late 19th century. BIn the 1630s.CIn 1660. DIn the late 18th century.（分数：2.00）A.B.C.D.Where Have All the Frogs Gone?In the 1980s, scientists around the world began t
45、o notice something strange: Frogs were disappearing. More recent research has shown that many kinds of amphibians (两栖动物) are declining or have become extinct. They have been around for a long timeover 350 million years. Why are they dying out now?Scientists are seriously concerned about this questio
46、n. First of all, amphibians are an important source of scientific and medical knowledge. By studying amphibians, scientists have learned about new substances that could be very useful for treating human diseases. Further research could lead to many more discoveries, but that will be impossible if th
47、e amphibians disappear.The most serious aspect of amphibian loss, however, goes beyond the amphibians themselves. Scientists are beginning to think about what amphibian decline means for the planet as a whole. If the earth is becoming unlivable for amphibians, is it also becoming unlivable for other
48、 kinds of animals and human beings as we?Scientists now believe that amphibian decline is due to several environmental factors. One of these factors is the destruction of habitat, the natural area where an animal lives. Amphibians are very sensitive to changes in their habitat. If they cannot find t
49、he right conditions, they will not lay their eggs. These days, as wild areas are covered with houses, roads, farms, or factories, many kinds of amphibians are no longer laying eggs. For example, the arroyo toad (蟾蜍) of southern California will only lay its eggs on the sandy bottom of a slow-moving stream. There are very few streams left in southern California, and those streams are often muddy because of building projects. Not surprisingly, the arroyo toad is now in danger of extinction.There a
