1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 41及答案与解析 0 Greenhouse and Airlines British green groups spanked the Prince Charles for deciding to fly to the U. S. to pick up a prestigious environmental award, arguing that the carbon emissions created by his travel canceled out his green credit. His critics may be onto something. J
2、ets are uniquely polluting. On an individual level, a single long-haul flight can emit more carbon per passenger than months of SUV driving. Though air travel is responsible for only 1.6% of total greenhouse gas emissions, according to one estimate, in many countries its the fastest-growing single s
3、ource. One of the biggest problems, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) points out, is that the carbon emitted by air travel currently has “no technology“. As messy a source of pollution as electricity generation and ground transportation are, technologies do exist that could dra
4、stically cut carbon from power plants and cars. Not so for planes. Admittedly, the airline industry has improved efficiency over the past 40 years, with technological upgrades more than doubling efficiency. There are slight adjustments in aircraft operations that could cut carbon emissions even furt
5、her. Virgin Atlantic airlines tycoon Richard Branson, who last year pledged $ 3 billion in the fight against climate change, advocates having planes towed on the ground rather than taxiing, which he has said could cut a yet unspecified portion of fuel on long flights. Emissions trading for the air i
6、ndustry could help as well, with airlines given carbon caps and then being required to purchase credits from other industries if they exceed their limits. But theres nothing on the horizon for aircraft with the carbon-cutting potential of hydrogen engines or solar energy. Nor is there any replacemen
7、t for long-haul air travel itself. I can take a train from Boston to Washington, but the only way Im getting from Tokyo to New York City is in aircraft. On an individual level, you can try to make your flight carbon neutral by donating to, say, a forestry project that will soak up the greenhouse gas
8、es you have created. An increasing number of airlines and travel agents do offer such options. The London-based Carbon Neutral Company reports that requests for carbon offsetting from individual travelers have jumped over the past six months. But the still tiny number of neutralized flights can hard
9、ly compensate for the rapid increases in global air travel. So is grounding ourselves the only answer? That seems to be the conclusion of environmentalists in Britain, who also went after Prime Minister Tony Blair for a recent holiday trip to Miami. Though Blair finally promised to begin offsetting
10、his leisure travel, he insisted that telling people to fly less was simply impractical and hes probably right. Our best bet for now may be to limit any business and leisure flights that we can and offset the rest. 1 What can we infer from the first two paragraphs? （ A） Prince Charles is blamed for h
11、is indifference towards environment. （ B） Air industry is the major contributor to global greenhouse gases. （ C） No technology solution can greatly reduce airline emissions presently. （ D） Airline emissions havent aroused peoples concern. 2 The measures taken by the air industry to reduce carbon emi
12、ssions possibly include_. （ A） purchasing fuel-efficient aircrafts （ B） taking part in emission trading （ C） using alternative energies （ D） donating to green projects 3 What does the phrase “neutralized flights“(Line 15, Para. 4)most probably imply? （ A） Passengers cut down their flights to reduce
13、airline emissions. （ B） Passengers compensate for their flight carbon by joining environmental activities. （ C） Carbon Neutral Company offers assessment of carbon emissions for airlines. （ D） Passengers choose transportation options other than airplanes. 4 Which of the following is true of the text?
14、 （ A） Richard Branson suggested some adjustment to aircraft operation. （ B） Richard Branson advocated taking the plane rather than the taxi. （ C） the British government requires airlines to join emission trading. （ D） Tonny Blair supports reducing flight. 5 It can be inferred that the author_. （ A）
15、is concerned about the rapid growth of aviation （ B） regards airline emission as a solvable problem （ C） is in approval of environmentalists suggestion （ D） suggests developing technologies to reduce flight carbon 5 Disappearing Act There have been rumors. Theres been gossip. All Hollywood is shocke
16、d to learn that Calista Flockhart, star of Foxs hit TV show Ally McBeal, is so thin. And we in the media are failing all over ourselves trying to figure out whether Flockhart has an eating disorder, especially now that she has denied it. Well, Im not playing the game. If the entertainmnt industry re
17、ally cared about sending the wrong message on body image, it wouldnt need so many slender celebrities in the first place. But the fact remains that 2 million Americans most of them women and girls do suffer from eating disorders. In the most extreme cases they literally starve them, selves to death.
18、 And those who survive are at greater risk of developing life-threatening infections, kidney damage and heart problems. Fortunately, doctors have learned a lot over the past decade about what causes eating disorders and how to treat them. The numbers are shocking. Approximately 1 in 150 teenage girl
19、s in the U. S. falls victim to anorexia nervosa, broadly defined as the refusal to eat enough to maintain even a minimal body weight. Not so clear is how many more suffer from bulimia, in which they binge on food, eating perhaps two or three days worth of meals in 30 minutes, then remove the excess
20、by taking medicine to move the bowels or inducing vomiting. Nor does age necessarily protect you. Anorexia has been diagnosed in girls as young as eight. Most deaths from the condition occur in women over 45. Doctors used to think eating disorders were purely psychological. Now they realize theres s
21、ome problematic biology as well. In a study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry recently, researchers found abnormal levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain, in women who had been free of bulimia for at least a year. That may help explain why drugs have allowed a lot of peop
22、le to stop swallowing in large doses of food. Unfortunately, the pills dont work as well for denial of food. Nor do they offer a simple one-stop cure. Health-care workers must reeducate their patients in how to eat and think about food. How can you tell if someone you love has an eating disorder? “B
23、ulimia will often leave evidence around as if they want to get caught.“ Says Tamara Pryor, director of an eattng-disorders clinic at the University of Kansas in Wichita Anorexia nervosa, by contrast, are more likely to go through long periods of denial. 6 We can infer from the first paragraph that_.
24、 （ A） the media has mislead the publics view of celebrities （ B） there is much misunderstanding about eating disorders （ C） becoming too thin is an indication of eating disorders （ D） the entertainment industry is combating eating disorders 7 The victims of eating disorders, more often than not, wil
25、l_. （ A） starve themselves to death （ B） suffer greatly from the complications （ C） puzzle doctors in the years to come （ D） recover completely with no aftereffects 8 The word “binge“ (Line 7, Para. 3) most probably means （ A） eat excessively （ B） refuse to eat （ C） fail to digest （ D） enjoy a good
26、appetite 9 Bulimia is found to be_. （ A） related to the level of serotonin （ B） psychological rather than biological （ C） identical with anorexia nervosa in the cure （ D） a leading cause of death among middle-aged women 10 The way to find a person with eating disorders_. （ A） focuses on hidden sympt
27、oms （ B） varies with type of the condition （ C） is oriented at the victims response （ D） remains perplexing despite efforts made 10 A Gated Community far Organ Donors Americans love a square deal. The idea of the something for something, lies at the heart of our very sense of fairness. But theres on
28、e area in which something for nothing is much closer to the rule, and its a transaction on which peoples very lives turn: organ donation. About 90% of Americans say they support organ donation, but only 30% have actually signed up to part with their parts after they die. The cost of such an all-take
29、, no-give setup is high. Nearly 100, 000 patients in the U. S. are idling on the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) matching list, waiting for a donor and 18 a day will die waiting. Dave Undis thinks he has a good solution. Undis is the founder of the Nashville-based nonprofit Lifesharers. Life
30、sharers is a no-fee network of about 9, 000 members nationwide who have pledged to donate their organs when they die but only to other members on the list. To avoid “freeloaders“ as Undis calls them you must have signed up at least 180 days before youre ill. Undis believes that as a proof of princip
31、le, Lifesharers shows how to fix the donor mess. If UNOS demanded what Lifesharers does and patients were required to register before they fell ill, he believes, the nation could essentially eliminate its organ shortage within three years. The idea of this ultimate in gated communities gives a lot o
32、f people pause. For one thing, Undis admits, for the system to do what he promises, he would need 85% of Americans to sign on, not likely in a country that rarely reaches that kind of near unanimity on anything. Whats more, Dr. Donald Landry, a nephrologist at Columbia University, points out there a
33、re people who consciously dont register for organ donation for religious and other reasons, and it would be unfair to press them on their beliefs. Most folks, however, hesitate simply because they dont want to face their own mortality, preferring to leave the post-mortem choice to their loved ones.
34、Reciprocity would force the issue earlier, and despite his misgivings, Landry believes thats a good thing. “You may never need a new kidney,“ he says, “but a lot of people arent going to risk not having that extra insurance just in case.“ One thing that might trip up the entire Lifesharers concept i
35、s that the idea behind itfairness can also argue against it. Elisa Gordon, a bioethics professor, notes that socioeconomics and health are linked, and some poor people may never be healthy enough to qualify as donors. Undis disagrees, arguing that there is now no criterion for becoming a donor beyon
36、d signing up at your local Department of Motor Vehicles. He concedes that some exceptions would have to be made, but he maintains that giving an organ to a non-donor is “like giving the lottery jackpot to someone who didnt buy a ticket.“ Sadly, the odds of winning an organ under the current rules se
37、em only slightly better. 11 According to the author, the organ shortage is mainly caused by_. （ A） the unfairness of the organ donation system （ B） the general unwillingness of people to donate their organs （ C） the large demand for organ transplants （ D） the strict matching criteria for a donor and
38、 a patient 12 Which of the following statement about Lifesharers is true? （ A） It provides organs to those who have already agreed to donate theirs. （ B） Its members have priority in receiving organs. （ C） It encourages people to join in before they need transplants. （ D） It aims to eliminate organ
39、shortage within three years. 13 Why would some people not take part in Undis scheme? （ A） They havent realized the significance of donating organs. （ B） Organ donation is a forbidden subject in traditional beliefs. （ C） They havent the courage to face their own death. （ D） They are afraid of the ris
40、ks for organ donation. 14 What does the phrase “trip up“ (Line 1, Para. 5) most probably mean? （ A） Define. （ B） Clarify. （ C） Support. （ D） Contradict. 15 It can be inferred that Undis_. （ A） wants to cooperate with UNOS to solve organ shortage （ B） thinks it is unfair to give an organ to a non-don
41、or （ C） wants to expand Lifesharers to include most Americans （ D） admits something is wrong with the concept of Lifesharers 15 The Battle For Planet Earth There is no question that some “greenwashing“ is going on in the corporate world. Bayemwerk, a Bavarian utility, began selling “Aqua Power“ last
42、 year when Germany began to let customers choose their electricity supplier. Bayernwerk markets Aqua Power as 100 percent green, renewable, hydroelectric energy. But any customer who signs up gets power from the same mix of sources as before: hydro, gas, coal and nuclear. Nothing changes except some
43、 accounting, and there is no net benefit to the environment. There is a benefit, though, to Bayernwerk, which charges more for Aqua Power and has been swamped with orders for it. Greenwashing takes many forms. “Companies often advertise themselves as environmentally friendly even though they might h
44、ave some pretty horrible environmental records,“ says Jill Johnson of the group Earth Day. Californias PG solar panels power much of the energy grid. “We really wanted the students to be excited about learning from the moment they walk on campus,“ says the schools principal. More than two dozen U.S.
45、 primary schools have poured thousands of dollars into fancy facilities and shiny green curricula. Theres little doubt as to the value of green education how trading outdated textbooks for the great outdoors lets developing minds wander more freely. But some teachers and parents wonder whether the s
46、ame effects could be reached with far fewer resources, giving students in more ordinary schools the same chance to excel by interacting and solving problems with the world around them. Environmental learning isnt always about climate change or the Earths plight. Rather, teachers with green lesson pl
47、ans use the natural world as a tool, like leading a study on an ordinary stream, which can include language, math and social studies. “If you take kids outside, it typically engages them, especially ones who are struggling,“ says Jerry Lieberman, an educational researcher. A handful of studies show
48、the same connection, that students exposed to a nature-based curriculum score higher more than 90 percent of the time than students taught the same subjects in the classroom out of a textbook. Some schools take that as a must, making sure that their students have immediate access to the natural worl
49、d. Administrators at Sidwell Friends Middle School figured that the best way to acquaint kids with the water cycle would be to build a sewage-treatment plant in the middle of campus to recycle wastewater. But for much of the rest of the country, elementary schools often stricken with inadequate funding and little room to deviate from state-standardized curricula rarely find money or time for promoting real world learning. Brian Day, director of the North American Asso
