1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 62及答案与解析 0 Yellowstone National Park is the oldest national park in the world. About three million people visit it each year. Its great natural beauty has made it one of the most popular national parks. Most visitors like to see “Old Faithful,“ the worlds most famous geyser. A geyser
2、shoots hot water high into the air. There are more than three hundred geysers in Yellowstone. Old Faithful is not the biggest or the most beautiful geyser. But it is the most popular. Visitors gather around Old Faithful before each eruption. Experts at the park are able to predict when these will ha
3、ppen. The average time between eruptions is about ninety minutes. Old Faithful shoots water an average of forty meters into the air. This eruption lasts between two and five minutes. Old Faithful releases up to about thirty thousand liters of water into the air each time. The hot spot deep under the
4、 ground produces geysers like Old Faithful. Old Faithful is evidence of the volcanic activity at Yellowstone. But will the Yellowstone volcano erupt again? Most experts think the answer is yes. But no one knows when. The most recent of the three extremely powerful eruptions was about six hundred fif
5、ty thousand years ago. Experts say at least thirty smaller volcanic eruptions have taken place at Yellowstone. Some of these were perhaps as big as the nineteen ninety-one eruption at Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines. Several are believed to have been much larger. The most recent of these smaller e
6、ruptions took place about seventy thousand years ago. Volcano experts say it is extremely difficult to tell when Yellowstone might become an active volcano again. However, earthquakes near a volcano are usually good evidence that a volcano might become active again. For example, Mount Saint Helens i
7、n the northwestern state of Washington exploded in nineteen eighty. Several earthquakes took place near the volcano before that time. On the morning that it exploded, Mount Saint Helens experienced an earthquake of five point one on the Richter scale. Yellowstone National Park experiences several th
8、ousand earthquakes each year. Most are very small. They cannot be felt. They can only be measured by scientific instruments. However, in August of nineteen fifty-nine, an earthquake at Yellowstone measured seven point five on the Richter scale. Twenty-eight people were killed. It was one of the stro
9、ngest earthquakes ever recorded in the United States. But Yellowstones sleeping giant volcano did not erupt. In two thousand one, the United States Geological Survey, Yellowstone National Park and the University of Utah signed an agreement. That agreement established the Yellowstone Volcano Observat
10、ory. Under the agreement, the park, the Geological Survey and the university are responsible for improving efforts to study the volcanic system of Yellowstone. The observatory uses information from many different instruments on the ground and from satellites to study the volcano. The information wil
11、l help officials decide if Yellowstones huge volcano is becoming a danger. Then they could warn the public quickly if necessary. Experts at the observatory say Yellowstone represents some danger to the public. It always has. However, its natural beauty also makes it a treasure that could not be poss
12、ible without the sleeping giant volcano that is under Yellowstone National Park. 1 The Old Faithful shows that the volcanic activity at Yellowstone is （ A） constant. （ B） perilous. （ C） inactive. （ D） unstable. 2 What is true about the volcanic eruption in Yellowstone? （ A） Experts predict that volc
13、anic eruption is unlikely to happen recently. （ B） There are at least 30 small volcanic eruptions every year. （ C） The volcanic eruptions can be compared to that at Mount Pinatubo. （ D） There have been three extremely powerful volcanic eruptions so far. 3 What do the experts find out about the volca
14、no at Yellowstone? （ A） Its eruption is closely related to the earthquakes nearby. （ B） The stronger an earthquake nearby is, the more possibly it erupts. （ C） Earthquakes nearby are useless in regard to the prediction of its eruption. （ D） Its eruption has nothing to do with the earthquakes nearby.
15、 4 Which of the following question has been illustrated in the passage? （ A） Why is the Old Faithful the most popular geyser? （ B） How is the formation of geysers related to volcanoes? （ C） What makes Yellowstone a national treasure? （ D） What causes Mount Saint Helens to erupt in 1980? 5 Experts at
16、 the observatory are most concerned about （ A） when the next earthquake happens. （ B） when the volcano becomes active. （ C） if the volcano threatens the public. （ D） if the volcano will erupt before long. 5 The regular use of text messages and e-mails can lower the IQ more than twice as much as smok
17、ing marijuana. That is the claim of psychologists who have found that tapping away on a mobile phone or computer keypad or checking them for electronic messages temporarily knocks up to 10 points off the users IQ. This rate of decline in intelligence compares unfavorably with the four-point drop in
18、IQ associated with smoking marijuana, according to British researchers, who have labeled the fleeting phenomenon of enhanced stupidity as “infomania“. Research on sleep deprivation suggests that the IQ drop caused by electronic obsession is also equivalent to a wakeful night. Infomania is mainly a p
19、roblem for adult workers, especially men, the study commissioned by Hewlett Packard, the technology company, has concluded. The noticeable drop in IQ is attributed to the constant distraction of “always on“ technology when employees should be concentrating on what they are paid to do. Infomania mean
20、s that they lose concentration as their minds remain fixed in an almost permanent state of readiness to react to technology instead of focusing on the task in hand. The brain also finds it hard to cope with juggling lots of tasks at once, reducing its overall effectiveness, the report added. And whi
21、le modern technology can have huge benefits, excessive use can be damaging not only to a persons mind, but to their social life. Eighty volunteers took part in clinical trials on IQ deterioration and 1,100 adults were interviewed. More than six in ten(62 per cent)of people polled admit that they wer
22、e addicted to checking their e-mails and text messages so often that they scrutinized work-related ones even when at home or on holiday. Half said that they always responded immediately to an email and one in five(21 per cent)will interrupt a meeting to do so. Furthermore, infomania is having a nega
23、tive effect on work colleagues, increasing stress and dissenting feelings. Nine out of ten polled thought that colleagues who answered e-mails or messages during a face-to-face meeting were extremely rude. Yet one in three Britons believes that it is not only acceptable, but actually diligent and ef
24、ficient to do so. 6 According to the passage, “infomania“ tends to （ A） be caused by a decline in intelligence. （ B） leave a permanent influence on ones IQ. （ C） be caused by electronic obsession. （ D） result in ones sleep deprivation. 7 To initiate the study, Hewlett Packards research is most proba
25、bly about （ A） the relevance between ones IQ and his use of technology. （ B） the influence of technology on ones decline in intelligence. （ C） the different damage to our brain done by technology and unhealthy habits. （ D） the relationship between ones intelligence and his working effectiveness. 8 I
26、nfomania employees are more ready to react to technology than the tasks in hand because （ A） the tasks cant be done without technology. （ B） technology is conveniently available. （ C） the tasks are technologically diverse. （ D） technology can help lessen work pressure. 9 By saying that the infomania
27、 people “scrutinized work-related“ emails on holiday, the author intends to illustrate （ A） how infomania affects our working effectiveness. （ B） how infomania affects our attitude towards relaxation. （ C） how infomania damages our brain. （ D） how infomania damages our social life. 10 This passage r
28、eveals _ disadvantages of overuse of technology. （ A） two （ B） three （ C） four （ D） five 10 Moderate drinking reduces stroke risk, study confirms. Similar to the way a drink or two a day protects against heart attacks, moderate alcohol consumption wards off strokes, a new study found. The study also
29、 found that the type of alcohol consumed beer, wine or liquor was unimportant. Any of them, or a combination, was protective, researchers reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association recently. “No study has shown benefit in recommending alcohol consumption to those who do not drink“,
30、cautioned the authors, led by Dr. Ralph L. Sacco of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. But the new data support the guidelines of the National Stroke Association, which say moderate drinkers may protect themselves from strokes by continuing to consume alcohol, the au
31、thors said. The protective effect of moderate drinking against heart attacks is well established, but the data has been conflicting about alcohol and strokes, the authors said. The new study helps settle the question and is the first to find blacks and Hispanics benefit as well as whites, according
32、to the authors. Further research is needed among other groups, such as Asians, whose past studies suggest they may get no stroke protection from alcohol or may even be put at great risk. Among groups where the protective effect exists, its mechanism appears to differ from the protective effect again
33、st heart attacks, which occurs through boosts in levels of so-called “good“ cholesterol, the authors said. They speculated alcohol may protect against stroke by acting on some other blood trait, such as the tendency of blood platelets to accumulate, which is key in forming the blood clots that can c
34、ause strokes. The researchers studied 677 New York residents who lived in the northern part of Manhattan and had strokes between July 1, 1993 and July 1, 1997. After taking into account differences in other factors that could affect stroke risk, such as high blood pressure, the researchers estimated
35、 that subjects who consumed up to two alcoholic drinks daily were only half as likely to have suffered clot-type strokes as nondrinkers. Clot-type strokes account for 80 percent of all strokes, a leading cause of US deaths and disability. Stroke risk increased with heavier drinking. At seven drinks
36、per day, risk was almost triple that of moderate drinkers. 11 The principle of protecting oneself from strokes by consuming alcohol reasonably cannot be applied to （ A） heavy drinkers. （ B） light drinkers. （ C） mild drinkers. （ D） non-drinkers. 12 What did researchers find about the relationship bet
37、ween strokes and alcohol consumption before the new study? （ A） They agreed that alcohol consumption could cause strokes. （ B） They could not find any data to support the relationship. （ C） What they found was totally opposite to the new study. （ D） Their findings were not consistent with one anothe
38、rs. 13 How does moderate alcohol consumption most probably protect us from strokes? （ A） By enhancing the level of the good cholesterol. （ B） By reducing the possibility of the blood platelets to deposit. （ C） By reducing the number of blood platelets and blood clots. （ D） By enhancing the quality o
39、f overall blood traits. 14 According to the last paragraph, _ are the least likely to suffer clot-type strokes. （ A） people who have two alcoholic drinks daily （ B） people who dont have any alcoholic drinks （ C） people who have more than two alcoholic drinks daily （ D） people who have less than seve
40、n alcoholic drinks daily 14 When Scrooge awoke it was so dark, that, looking out of bed, he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from the opaque walls of his chamber. He was endeavouring to pierce the darkness with his ferret eyes, when the chimes of a neighbouring church struck the fou
41、r quarters. So he listened for the hour. To his great astonishment, the heavy bell went on from six to seven, and from seven to eight, and regularly up to twelve; then stopped. Twelve! It was past two when he went to bed. The clock was wrong. An icicle must have got into the works. Twelve! He touche
42、d the spring of his repeater, to correct this most preposterous clock. Its rapid little pulse beat twelve, and stopped. “Why, it isnt possible,“ said Scrooge, “that I can have slept through a whole day and far into another night. It isnt possible that anything has happened to the sun, and this is tw
43、elve at noon! “ The idea being an alarming one, he scrambled out of bed, and groped his way to the window. He was obliged to rub the frost off with the sleeve of his dressing-gown before he could see anything; and could see very little then. All he could make out was, that it was still very foggy an
44、d extremely cold, and that there was no noise of people running to and fro, and making a great stir, as there unquestionably would have been if night had beaten off bright day, and taken possession of the world. This was a great relief, because “Three days after sight of this First of Exchange pay t
45、o Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge or his order,“ and so forth, would have become a mere United States security if there were no days to count by. Scrooge went to bed again, and thought, and thought, and thought it over and over, and could make nothing of it. The more he thought, the more perplexed he was; and,
46、 the more he endeavoured not to think, the more he thought. Marleys Ghost bothered him exceedingly. Every time he resolved within himself, after mature enquiry, that it was all a dream, his mind flew back again, like a strong spring released, to its first position, and presented the same problem to
47、be worked all through, “Was it a dream or not?“ Scrooge lay in this state until the chime had gone three-quarters more, when he remembered, on a sudden, that the Ghost had warned him of a visitation when the bell tolled one. He resolved to lie awake until the hour was passed; and, considering that h
48、e could no more go to sleep than go to heaven, this was, perhaps, the wisest resolution in his power. The quarter was so long, that he was more than once convinced he must have sunk into a doze unconsciously, and missed the clock. At length it broke upon his listening ear. “Ding, dong! “ “A quarter
49、past,“ said Scrooge, counting. “Ding, dong! “ “Half past,“ said Scrooge. “Ding, dong! “ “A quarter to it,“ said Scrooge. “Ding, dong! “ “The hour itself,“ said Scrooge triumphantly, “and nothing else! “ He spoke before the hour bell sounded, which it now did with a deep, dull, hollow, melancholy ONE. Light flashed up in the room upon the instant, and the curtains of his bed were drawn. 15 When Scrooge woke up, he found that it was （ A） six oclock in the morning. （ B） six oclock in the evening. （ C） twelve oclock at midnight. （ D） twelve oclock at noon.
