1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 40及答案与解析 0 Fair Fares Railways: Cheaper Tickets Will Not Solve Rails Problems Most of the time, parliamentary committee reports embody every foreign stereotype of the British dry, reserved and slightly dull, with only the occasional flash of sarcasm to lighten the mood. Not so those o
2、f the transport committee. Its latest report, on rail fares, accuses the rail industry of “ holding passengers to ransom “ with “extravagant“ fares and an “impenetrable jungle“ of ticket types. Some of these criticisms are fair. Ticketing arrangements, especially for long distance journeys, are Byza
3、ntine: the National Fares Manual describes over 70 ticket types within its 102 pages. Stung by public criticism, several big train companies, including Virgin, GNER and First Great Western, promise to simplify things. The MPS are on shakier ground with their complaints They point to the amount of st
4、ate money given out to the railways 4.4 billion this year, with 5. 3 billion planned for next year and argue that train firms should be forced to cut prices. Costly tickets, they claim, are “ pricing many passengers out of the market“. That is a tough argument to sustain at a time when more people t
5、han ever are using the railways. On some parts of the network, overcrowding, not under-use, is the biggest problem, with commuter routes into big cities such as London, Leeds and Manchester especially jammed. Fares on these routes are already capped. Thats unwise, says Stephen Glaister of Imperial C
6、ollege. “ If there is traffic jams in the system, then the economically correct solution is higher prices,“ he says. “Otherwise you just end up with shortages and queues.“ Giving railway firms greater freedom to set their own prices would let them spread demand around peak times, cutting traffic jam
7、s. The only way to reduce traffic jams and prices together is to do things like lengthening platforms and upgrading signals,. which would mean more people could be carried in the busiest areas. That would require tough decisions. A big improvement to the railway network would be expensive, and the g
8、overnment has shown little enthusiasm for increasing subsidies still further. Extra cash could be found by closing little-used (and heavily subsidised) rural lines, but that would be unpopular with fans of rail transport, who argue that branch lines provide a vital service to the poor and the earles
9、s. The report occasionally hints at such dilemmas, only to shy away from discussing them in a satisfactory way. The transport committee plans a broader look at rail policy next year. Perhaps then it will do a more thorough job. 1 Parliamentary committee reports are mentioned in the first paragraph t
10、o highlight_. （ A） typical characteristics of British people （ B） general features of government reports （ C） the peculiarity of the transport committees reports （ D） wrong opinions about the rail industry 2 The word “Byzantine“ (Line 3, Para. 2) most probably means_. （ A） absurd （ B） complex （ C） e
11、xcessive （ D） puzzling 3 The author believes that raising railway ticket prices is_. （ A） the result of government underfunding （ B） not complying with the market rules （ C） an effective way to relieve crowding （ D） vital to maintain the railway system 4 Which of the following is one of the chief pr
12、oblems confronting the train companies? （ A） They are blamed by the public for overcharging. （ B） They have no freedom of pricing. （ C） They lack funds to upgrade main-line services. （ D） They have not sufficiently used rural lines. 5 Which of the following is true of the text? （ A） Spending more to
13、 avoid high traffic appeals to commuters. （ B） The government is aware of the high cost of railway operation. （ C） The train companies plan to spend their money more rationally. （ D） The transport committee supports the improvement of railway system. 5 David Sylvester Although celebrated for his art
14、 criticism and his interviews with Francis Bacon and other artists, the late David Sylvester began his writing career as a cricket correspondent for the Observer. It was, he said, “the most testing literary exercise I have undergone“. But it proved invaluable, for the qualities that make a good cric
15、ket commentator a sense of timing and acute observation, a passion for elegant ritual and the psychology mixed with physicality of a sport that is puzzling to outsiders all contributed to making Sylvester one of the greatest art critics of his time. This collection of his writings and interviews pub
16、lished after his death provides a valuable opportunity to re-examine his talent for observing the long game of art. The book displays in full Sylvesters catholic interests. There is an interview with Diaghilevs friend, the Russian-born Leonide Massine, and also a conversation with Sir Harrison Birtw
17、istle, a British composer whose son Adam was one of many artists to paint Sylvesters portrait. It includes Sylvesters catalogue essay, as well as an interview, for an exhibition he organized of the film designs of his school friend Ken Adam, creator of Dr. Strangeloves war room and of James Bond set
18、s. There are encounters with visual artists both old (William Coldstream, Henry Moore) and new (Rachel Whiteread, Douglas Gordon). The collection is by no means comprehensive there are none of the famous Bacon interviews here and would have benefited from more entries, illustrations and a stronger i
19、ntroduction to the man and his work. But it makes up for this with numerous insights into the creative life. In one interview, for example, Howard Hodgkin says, “for an artist time can always be regained, wonders never cease because by any act of imagination, you can always go back.“ Perhaps the mos
20、t touching interview is his last, a few months before his death. In it, he asks Mike Brearley, a retired cricketer, now a psychoanalyst and art enthusiast, about the similarities between greatness in sport and in art. Mr Brearley replies that both share a sense of the uncompromising, of “not turning
21、 ones face away“. In a way, this is also an attribute of a great critic. Sylvester was firm in his gaze. The descendant of a teacher of Jewish law, he was unreligious, reserving his awe for art and his intense anger for anyone who violated it. He spoke only when he had something to say and was sacke
22、d as a radio critic for what became known as the “Sylvester pause“, his long silences during conversations. Yet his sleep-inducing voice could lure the most revealing admissions from artist not about their personal lives, a topic he considered superficial but about the mystery of how they made their
23、 work, of creation itself. He had a Socratic gift for dialogue, drawing out from artists ideas that had never occurred to them before; unlike Socrates, however, he didnt prove his conversational partner wrong at the end. It is clear from these interviews that both parties made discoveries. So will a
24、nyone who reads this intelligent and elegant book. 6 It can be inferred from the text that David Sylvester_. （ A） was widely known as a sports commentator （ B） benefited from his early work experience （ C） had a passion for both sports and arts （ D） started his career in art criticism at late age 7
25、Which of the following best defines the word “catholic“ (Line 1, Para. 2)? （ A） Religious. （ B） Extensive. （ C） Lifelong. （ D） Particular. 8 According to the author, the collection of Sylvesters works_. （ A） records his encounters with leading artists such as Francis Bacon （ B） shows his talent at o
26、bserving and commentating matches （ C） betrays his masterful understanding of modern artists （ D） contains his last interview with a retired sportsman 9 What leads to Sylvesters success as an art critic includes? （ A） his preference for using exact words and elegant style in writing. （ B） his habit
27、of having long silences during conversations. （ C） his ability to get great artists to talk about their personal lives. （ D） his principle of refusing to make concessions. 10 This passage appears to be_. （ A） a book review （ B） an introduction to art （ C） a personal profile （ D） an art critics biogr
28、aphy 10 Americas New Dietary Advice Trying to get Americans to eat a healthy diet is a frustrating business. Even the best-designed public-health campaigns cannot seem to compete with the tempting flavours of the snack-food and fast-food industries and their fat-and sugar-loaded products. The result
29、s are apparent on a walk down any American street more than 60 % of Americans are overweight, and a full quarter of them are overweight to the point of obesity. Now, health advocates say, an ill-conceived redesign has taken one of the more successful publichealth campaigns the Food Guide Pyramid and
30、 rendered it confusing to the point of uselessness. Some of these critics worry that Americas Department of Agriculture caved in to pressure from parts of the food industry anxious to protect their products. The Food Guide Pyramid was a graphic which emphasizes that a healthy diet is built on a base
31、 of grains, vegetables and fruits, followed by ever-decreasing amounts of dairy products, meat, sweets and oils. The agriculture department launched the pyramid in 1992 to replace its previous programme, which was centred on the idea of four basic food groups. The “ Basic Four“ campaign showed a pla
32、te divided into quarters, and seemed to imply that meat and dairy products should make up half of a healthy diet, with grains, fruits and vegetables making up the other half. It was replaced only over the strenuous objections of the meat and dairy industries. The old pyramid was undoubtedly imperfec
33、t. It failed to distinguish between a doughnut and a whole-grain roll, or a hamburger and a skinless chicken breast, and it did not make clear exactly how much of each foodstuff to eat. It did, however, manage to convey the basic idea of proper proportions in an easily understandable way. The new py
34、ramid, called “My Pyramid“, has been simplified to a mere logo. The food groups are replaced with unlabelled, multicoloured vertical stripes. Anyone who wants to see how this translates into a healthy diet is invited to go to a website, put in their age, sex and activity level, and get a custom-desi
35、gned pyramid, complete with healthy food choices and suggested portion sizes. This is fine for those who are motivated, but might prove too much effort for those who most need such information. Admittedly, the designers of the new pyramid had a tough job to do. They were supposed to condense the adv
36、ice in the 84-page United States Dietary Guidelines into a simple, meaningful graphic suitable for printing on the back pf a cereal box. Nevertheless, many health advocates believe the new graphic is a missed opportunity. On the other hand, it is not clear how much good even the best graphic could d
37、o. Surveys found that 80% of Americans recognized the old Food Guide Pyramid a big success in the world of public-health campaigns. Yet only 16% followed its advice. 11 The first paragraph is written to imply that_. （ A） it is difficult to change the eating habits of Americans （ B） Americans do not
38、place enough emphasis on health （ C） America failed to carry out public-health campaigns （ D） it is difficult to promote a healthy diet among Americans 12 What can we learn from the text? （ A） Health advocates think that the old pyramid is a success. （ B） The food industry agrees on being against th
39、e old pyramid. （ C） Basic Four focuses on the equal importance of every food. （ D） The new pyramid is likely to win wide acceptance. 13 According to the text, the new food pyramid_. （ A） attaches great value to grains, vegetables and fruits （ B） replaced the “Basic Four“ food guide （ C） conveys the
40、general concepts of a healthy diet （ D） is designed to be a logo under the industry pressure 14 In the authors opinion, the Food Guide Pyramid is_. （ A） close to perfect （ B） extremely puzzling （ C） troublesome to some people （ D） accepted by the public 15 Which of the following can help to recommen
41、d the proportion of food for individuals? （ A） Basic Four. （ B） The Food Guide Pyramid. （ C） My Pyramid. （ D） United StatesDietary Guidelines. 15 Distance Learning in Britain In times of inflation, smart investors look for a safe haven. So, with universities complaining about grade inflation and Cam
42、bridge warning applicants away from 20 fluffy A-level subjects, it is perhaps not surprising that the fastest-growing A-level by far is “further mathematics“, the second, harder exam in what is already seen as one of the hardest subjects of all. In the past scientifically-minded boys at selective sc
43、hools would take A-levels in maths, further maths and physics, and then study yet more maths at university. But recently many comprehensive schools, without enough keen A-level students to justify redirecting a precious maths teacher from teaching the basics to younger students, have dropped further
44、 maths entirely. Students, meanwhile, have been lured away by fancy new subjects such as media studies and information technology. Afraid of turning away talented state-school applicants, most universities stopped asking for further maths, even for maths or physics degrees removing any remaining inc
45、lination among state schools to offer the subject. The number of students taking A-level further maths fell from around 15,000 in the late 1980s to a low of some 5,000 by the late 1990s. Now, however, it is picking up. Last summer 7,270 students took the exam, up more than a fifth on the previous ye
46、ar. And this autumn, for the first time, every A-level student in England can study further maths, if not at school, then at one of the 46 centres set up by the Further Mathematics Network (FMN). And a clever redesign of the syllabus has made it easier to teach further maths over two years along wit
47、h standard maths, thus boosting its popularity. Universities are delighted to see the return of students who need less hand holding. John Begg, who runs the FMN centre in Manchester, says that more than half of maths undergraduates at the citys university have done further maths, up from a quarter j
48、ust a few years ago. The maths department at the University of Warwick, one of the top-ranked in the country, is thinking of requiring further maths again, for the first time in more than a decade. For students, the main attraction of the subject is getting a qualification with hard-currency purchas
49、ing power. Maths departments are so keen on candidates with further maths that they often accept them with lower grades in other subjects. And students looking for places on sought-after courses such as medicine and veterinary science see advanced maths as a way to stand out. There are signs, too, that the wider availability of further maths will boost the dwindling number of maths teachers. More graduates may be willing to pass up tempting salaries elsewhere for the chanc
