1、专业英语八级（阅读）模拟试卷 46及答案与解析 0 Growth Secrets Of Alaskas Mysterious Field of Lakes The thousands of oval lakes that dot Alaskas North Slope are some of the fastest-growing lakes on the planet. Ranging in size from puddles to more than 15 miles in length, the lakes have expanded at rates up to 15 feet per
2、 year, year in and year out for thousands of years. The lakes are shaped like elongated eggs with the skinny ends pointing northwest. How the lakes grow so fast, why theyre oriented in the same direction and what gives them their odd shape have puzzled geologists for decades. The field of lakes cove
3、rs an area twice the size of Massachusetts, and the lakes are unusual enough to have their own name: oriented thaw lakes. “Lakes come in all sizes and shapes, but theyre rarely oriented in the same direction,“ said Jon Pelletier, an assistant professor of geosciences at The University of Arizona in
4、Tucson. Now Pelletier has proposed a new expla-nation for the orientation, shape and speed of growth of oriented thaw lakes. The lakes unusual characteristics result from seasonal slumping of the banks when the permafrost thaws abruptly, he said. The lakes grow when rapid warming melts a lakes froze
5、n bank, and the soggy soil loses its strength and slides into the water. Such lakes are found in the permafrost zone in Alaska, northern Canada and northern Russia. Previous explanations for the water bodies shape and orientation invoked wind-driven lake circulation and erosion by waves. On Alaskas
6、North Slope, the prevailing winds blow perpendicular to the long axis of the lakes. According to the traditional explanation, such winds set up currents within the lakes that erode the banks, particularly at the lakes ends. Such currents would erode coarse grained, sandy soils faster than fine-grain
7、ed clay soils. According to Pelletier, one key ingredient for oriented thaw lakes is permafrost the special mixture of soil and ice that forms the surface of the land in the Far North. On the north coast of Alaska and at similar latitudes throughout the world, the top, or active, layer of the permaf
8、rost melts at some point in the summer and refreezes again in the fall. If the temperature warms gradually, the ice portion of the permafrost melts slowly, allowing the water to drain out of the soil and leave relatively firm sand or sediment behind. However, if an early heat wave melts the permafro
9、sts ice rapidly, the result is a soggy, unstable soil. When such rapidly thawed permafrost is part of the vertical bank of a lake, the bank slumps into the water, enlarging the lake. More of the bank collapses if the soil is fine-grained, rather than sandy. Another ingredient in Pelletiers explanati
10、on is a long, gentle slope. Because Alaskas oriented lakes are embedded in a gently sloping landscape, the downhill end of a lake always has a shorter bank. According to Pelletiers Computer model, shorter banks melt more and have bigger slumps. Therefore when the lake experiences thaw slumping, Pell
11、etiers model says the lake grows more in the downhill direction than it does uphill, generating the lakes characteristic elongated egg shape. 1 The most mysterious part about Alaskas lakes is_. （ A） their fast-growing speed （ B） their variety in size （ C） their elongated-egg shape （ D） their uniform
12、 orientation 2 The word “thaw“ (Line 7, Para. 2) most probably means_. （ A） melting （ B） erosion （ C） freezing （ D） growing 3 According to Pelletier, the driving force behind the formation of Alaskas lakes is_. （ A） the prevailing winds （ B） heat wave （ C） fine-grained soil （ D） permafrost 4 Which o
13、f the following statement will support Pelletiers theory? （ A） More big lakes occurred on coarse-grained, sandy soils. （ B） The lakes are oriented perpendicular to the wind. （ C） Larger lakes generally have lower banks. （ D） The lakes have indeed grown more in the uphill direction. 5 Which of the fo
14、llowing is true according to the text? （ A） Alaskas lakes have unique names because of their coverage. （ B） Pelletier used a computer model to describe the formation of lakes. （ C） Traditional explanations focus on why the lakes grow fast. （ D） The permafrost zone in Alaska melts in the fall. 5 Disg
15、ust Makes Us Truly Sick “He makes me sick“ is not usually a statement about the flu. Its a judgment about someones behavior, a sentence delivered with complete disgust about one of our fellow human beings who doesnt know how to behave properly. Its interesting that this metaphor for disapproval can
16、also be very real. When we see bad behavior, we often do feel sick. The hand goes to the mouth, the disgust sets in, and we turn up our noses as if something foul just walked by. Researchers at the University of Toronto have also just discovered that people react to disgusting photographs, and moral
17、 disgust with similar facial movements. In other words, the moral code must be biologically based because we react the same to rotten milk, pictures of rotten feet. The idea that morality has a deep, evolutionary basis has been around for a while In 1996, primatologist Frans de Waal wrote in his boo
18、k “Good Natured“ that humans were not the only species to feel moral outrage and the need for social justice; chimpanzees, too, are moral animals with a social code that keeps the group in line. If chimps had the beginning of morality, then it must have been part of our nature for ages. At the time,
19、 de Waals evolutionary perspective on morality went against the very foundations of Western civilization. Philosophers, cultural anthropologists and historians held that moral rules were a recent addition to human societies, something that separated us from the apes. But clearly, it has deep roots.
20、Morality is, after all, universal among us, which suggests that it is part of human nature. But just because we wrinkle our noses at bad behavior and just because chimpanzees are moral philosophers does not mean that the contents of the moral code itself is all hardwired. Children in some cultures a
21、re beaten regularly, while in other places, physical punishment is completely wrong. The moral code also shifts with time. Smoking is considered morally wrong in U. S. social situations these days but not so long ago was accepted in every house and every office. We need these mutually agreed upon so
22、cial rights and wrongs because without some structure wed be a bunch of headless chickens running around unable to function as a group. Its therefore a good thing evolution has given us the capacity to make some moral rules and be disgusted by those who break them. For once, it seems, the nature and
23、 nurture people are both right. Our capacity to have a moral code is surely part of our fundamental social nature, a necessary part of group living. But at the same time, we get to decide what is right and wrong, and that makes morality a collective thought process that works for the group, not just
24、 the individual. It also apparently allows us to judge when the milk has gone sour and that there are some things wed just as soon not look at. 6 “He makes me sick“ is mentioned to_. （ A） illustrate the diversity of language expressions （ B） emphasize the influence of the bad behaviors （ C） correlat
25、e morality and physical reaction （ D） exemplify the role of metaphor in daily life 7 According to Frans de Waal, chimpanzees_. （ A） are the only animals with moral code （ B） could get angry at the unfair treatment （ C） share the same emotions with human （ D） maintain the hierarchy by making rules 8
26、The word “hard-wired“ (Line 4, Para. 7) is closest in meaning to_. （ A） correct （ B） compulsory （ C） complicated （ D） consistent 9 We can learn from the text that moral code_. （ A） is what separates human from animals （ B） ensures the normal societal operation （ C） is part of humans basic social nat
27、ure （ D） has its origin in human beings biology 10 The passage is mainly about the moralitys_. （ A） literary source （ B） physical reaction （ C） societal function （ D） evolutionary purpose 10 In 1966,They Refused to Sue? Not Now Whenever the phrase “ compensation culture“ is used, an active coalition
28、 of trade unionists, Whitehall officials and Left-leaning publications leap into action to deny that such a thing exists in Britain. They point out that the number of claims has been falling for the past two or three years, that the average payout is low, that it isnt easy to get compensation, and t
29、hat the media blow up absurd cases that come to court but bury the fact that the case subsequently failed. All this may be true; yet it is equally undeniable in this weekend that marks the 40th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster, that a compensation culture exists today where it never did before. I
30、ts hard to read about that day in Merthyr Tydfil without your feelings welling up. On the one hand, the example of the deputy headmaster found dead with five children in his arms, as if protecting them. On the other, the life-on-Mars behaviour of the Coal Board, which demanded 150,000 out of the 160
31、, 000 relief fund in order to move the slag heaps. And yet the villagers refused to sue the board as that would be “to bow to vengeance“. Then, a generation later in 1990, a young woman issued a writ suing the board for the psychological damage she suffered as a witness to the events. She received m
32、ore than any of the more proximate victims. Whatever the rights and wrongs of her claim, it demonstrated a very significant social shift a compensation culture didnt exist at the time of the disaster in 1966 but had clearly started to form 25 years later. And it evolved rapidly. Nine years after the
33、 Hillsborough disaster in 1989, a number of police officers who had attended the carnage at the football ground claimed substantial payments for post traumatic stress. A former sergeant got 2300, 000. Fourteen other officers accepted 1.2 million between them. Phil Hammond, who lost a 14-year-old son
34、, received 3,500. He called the payments to the police (who belonged to an organisation that had caused the disaster to happen, as Lord Justice Taylor reported) “disgusting“. The culture has now mutated and we hear daily reports of its manifestations. It is in this context that you can connect a wid
35、e range of different phenomena. The fact that cans of nuts present the warning “Contains nuts“ is connected to the fact that teachers wont put a piaster on your childs knee without written consent, which is also connected to the fact that tens of thousands of gravestones all over the country are bei
36、ng laid flat. Why? Because people sue for compensation when things go wrong. The authorities say its to do with public safety; it isnt true. A child was killed when a gravestone fell on him. But the councils reacted only when a 30, 000 award was made to the mother three years later. It is the cost t
37、o the public purse caused by compensation cases that produces this bizarre behaviour. Its the threat of legal suit and large pay-outs that give bite to Health and Safety procedures. 11 What does the example of the Aberfan disaster illustrate? （ A） Disaster victims dont tend to get proper compensatio
38、n. （ B） Compensation culture didnt exist in Britain. （ C） The authorities statements are far from truth. （ D） The public was poorly educated concerning its legal rights. 12 When mentioning “a wide range of different phenomena“ (Lines 3 Para. 4). the author is talking about_. （ A） all kinds of sues f
39、or compensation （ B） exaggerated media reports of cases （ C） precautionary measures against law suits （ D） the beneficiaries of compensation culture 13 The author believes that safety procedures have now been drawn up because of_. （ A） the consideration of public safety （ B） the denial of compensati
40、on culture （ C） the pressure from the public （ D） the fear of compensation 14 Which of the following is true according to the text? （ A） The British government has attached importance to compensation culture. （ B） One indirect victim of Aberfan disaster has been compensated. （ C） All Hillsborough vi
41、ctims have been granted good compensation. （ D） the councils reacted swiftly to the gravestone accident. 15 Toward compensation culture, the writers attitude can he said to be_. （ A） supportive （ B） objective （ C） disgusted （ D） indifferent 15 The Journal of Public Trust The Wall Street Journal has
42、continued as the worlds most credible news source and one that refused to conform to the passing prejudice and error of the journalistic herd. Naturally the Journal receives ongoing abuse from the herd for its distressing independence. Yet, rarely is the criticism straightforward but rather an assau
43、lt on the conservatism of the Journals editorial page, which strikes conformist journalists as an insult and is the real cause of the herds distress. Rather the criticism focuses on the Journals bottom line, its sluggish share price, and rumors that the family controlling the paper, the Bancroft fam
44、ily, is unhappy and about to sell it. The rumors of the Bancrofts unhappiness are all highly exaggerated and quickly refuted. For this proud family whose ancestor, Clarence W. Barron, purchased the Journal and with it the Dow Jones news service in 1902 conceives of its ownership as a “public trust“.
45、 That is how Roy A. Hammer, a lawyer and trustee for the entities through which the Bancrofts control the paper, described their sense of owner ship. This is not so unusual. Great newspapers have always played a major role in American civil life. I said “great newspapers,“ serious newspapers, the ki
46、nd that put gathering news ahead of sensationalism. Most of the truly profitable newspapers in the country today are essentially shopping circulars with some cheap journalism printed on those pages not devoted to shopping mall sales. The great newspaper chains take over local papers, fire journalist
47、s, and set out to fill their pages with still more advertisements. Well, they supply a service. They let readers know about the price, say, of chicken at the Giant or snow tires at the CVS. But fewer and fewer local newspapers supply much news and analysis. Great newspapers do, and not one that I kn
48、ow of makes a vast amount of money. Great newspapers do help to set the agenda for the nation. They break stories of corruption or on other vital matters. One of the few things I find admirable about the New York Times is that its controlling family, the Sulzberger family, is not intent on squeezing
49、 every penny of profit out of its flagship paper. Thus last week when I read a long critique in the Times of the Wall Street Journals management for its sluggish financial performance, I discovered hypocrisy. Profits are essential to all businesses. For one thing they are a very accurate poll of the populaces tastes, but there are other services some corporations supply to society. Both the Journal and the Times supply at too high a cost inf
