1、专业英语四级（阅读）模拟试卷 6及答案与解析 0 Creationists are deeply enamored of the fossil record, because they have been taught to repeat over and over that it is full of “gaps“ : “Show me your intermediates ! “ They fondly imagine that these “gaps“ are an embarrassment to evolutionists. Actually, we dont need fossil
2、s. The evidence for evolution would be entirely secure even if not a single corpse had ever fossilized, for there is more than enough evidence for the fact of evolution in the comparative study of modern species and their geographical distribution. The case for evolution is watertight without fossil
3、s, so it is paradoxical to use gaps in the fossil record as though they were evidence against evolution. What would be evidence against evolution would be the discovery of even a single fossil in the wrong geological stratum. As J. B. S. Haldane famously retorted when asked to name an observation th
4、at would disprove the theory of evolution, “Fossil rabbits in the Precambri-an!“ No such rabbits, no authentically anachronistic fossils of any kind, have ever been found. All the fossils that we have, and there are many indeed, occur, without a single authenticated exception, in the right temporal
5、sequence. Yes, there are gaps where there are no fossils at all, and that is only to be expected. But not a single solitary fossil has ever been found before it could have evolved. That is a very telling fact. A good theory is one that is vulnerable to disproof, yet is not disproved. Evolution could
6、 so easily be disproved if just a single fossil turned up in the wrong date order. Evolution has passed this test with flying colors. Skeptics of evolution who wish to prove their case should be diligently scrabbling around in the rocks, desperately trying to find anachronistic fossils. Maybe theyll
7、 find one. Want a bet? The biggest gap, and the one the creationists like best of all, is the one that preceded the so-called Cambrian Explosion. A little more than half a billion years ago, in the Cambrian era, most of the great animal phyla(门类 )“suddenly“ appear in the fossil record. Suddenly, tha
8、t is, in the sense that no fossils of these animal groups are known in rocks older than the Cambrian, not suddenly in the sense of instantaneously; the period we are talking about covers about 20 million years. Anyway, it is still quite sudden. And the Cambrian shows us a substantial number of major
9、 animal phyla “ already in an advanced state of evolution, the very first time they appear. It is as though they were just planted there, without any evolutionary history. “ Evolutionists of all stripes believe, however, that this really does represent a very large gap in the fossil record. On the e
10、volutionary view, are there so few fossils before the Cambrian era? Well, presumably , whatever factors applied to the flatworms(扁虫 )throughout geological time to this day, those same factors applied to the rest of the animal kingdom before the Cambrian. Probably, most animals before the Cambrian we
11、re soft-bodied like modern flatworms, probably rather small like modern turbellarians(涡虫类 ) just not good fossil material. Then something happened half a billion years ago to allow animals to fossilize freely the arising of hard, mineralized skeletons, for example. 1 According to the first paragraph
12、, we can learn that_. （ A） the evolutionists do not admit that there are “gaps“ in the fossil record （ B） evolutionists greatly rely on the fossil record to detect the evolution trace （ C） studies of modern species and their geographical distribution can support the evolution theory （ D） the evoluti
13、on theory can not be established without the fossil record 2 The “ telling fact“ in Paragraph 2 refers to the fact that_. （ A） no fossil has ever been found before it could have evolved （ B） there are gaps where there are no fossils at all （ C） there has been no strong evidence against evolution the
14、ory （ D） a fossil belonging to the wrong date order can disprove evolution 3 According to Paragraph 3, the following claims are correct EXCEPT that_. （ A） no animal phyla exist before the Cambrian era （ B） Cambrian Explosion is a fossil discovery （ C） only fossils of advanced animal phyla have been
15、found yet （ D） Cambrian Explosion indicates a gap in the animal phyla fossil record 4 On the evolutionary view, there are so few fossils before the Cambrian era probably because_. （ A） some complex factors destroyed the evolutionary process （ B） something happened to prevent animals from fossilizing
16、 freely before the Cambrian （ C） most animals bodies before the Cambrian were soft and too small to form fossils （ D） there was really a very large gap in the fossil record 5 In the passage, the author does NOT_. （ A） explain why evolution theory has not been disproved （ B） introduce the biggest gap
17、 in the fossil record to refute the creationists （ C） encourage the skeptics of evolution to collect evidence against evolution （ D） explain why the fossil record is not the only evidence of evolution 5 Traditionally, we associate the early years with risky behavior but one consequence of the recess
18、ion appears to be a shift in the way 18-to 34-year-olds handle money. Affluent rnil-lennials and 30-somethings say their tolerance for risky investment is much lower than it was a year ago, rivaled only by people over the age of 65, according to a new study by Merrill Lynch Global Wealth Management.
19、 “It truly is a generational change, “ says Dave Geske, an executive at Ameriprise Financial. “The market got cut in half. Housing got cut in half. People saw their asset classes get blown up. Avoiding risk may feel sensible to a generation whose financial coming-of-age has been bookended by the dot
20、com bubble and the subprime-mortgage meltdown. In 2010, only 41 percent of 18-to 29-year-olds reported working full time, compared with 50 percent in 2006, according to the Pew Research Center. Millennials were more likely to report losing their jobs than workers over the age of 30, and many recent
21、college graduates have had a hard time finding a toehold in a tight labor market, even as the national unemployment rate rose Friday to 9. 6 percent. If the 18-to 34-year-olds feel more cautious about investing, its partly because they have less money to spend and little economic security. In respon
22、se, financial firms have begun adjusting their products. Target-date retirement funds for young investors, managed by mutual-fund giant John Hancock, recently decreased exposure to stocks by 10 to 15 percent. Anecdotally, financial planners say young clients are keeping more cash on hand, and online
23、 banks such as INC Direct have rolled out savings accounts with slightly higher interest rates. “ Were seeing people try to put bells and whistles on very conservative investment, “ says David Carter, chief investment officer at Lenox Advisors. But in the long term, is it wise for 18-to 34-year-olds
24、 to avoid stocks, load up on bonds, and keep more cash in their bank accounts? Perhaps not, if they want to live comfortably in retirement. “You need the growth potential of stocks, “ says Christine Benz, director of personal finance for Morningstar. com. “ Investors cannot expect the same returns f
25、rom bonds and bond funds. One feature remains this generations attitude toward money. The Pew Research Centers findings show that 85 percent of adults under 30 feel optimistic about their financial future, compared with 45 percent of the 50-and-up crowd. Three quarters of young adults surveyed by th
26、e center say they feel confident they will have enough money to retire. So, while the twin busts may have diminished their appetite for risk now, theres reason to believe young adults faith in the market will eventually return. Dollar-sign tattoo, anyone? 6 Millennials attitude towards investment is
27、_. （ A） as risky as before （ B） riskier than before （ C） as cautious as before （ D） more cautious than before 7 According to Paragraph 2, young peoples present attitude towards investment is caused by the following reasons EXCEPT that_. （ A） they work less time than before （ B） they have a difficult
28、 time finding a job （ C） they have less money to make investment （ D） they feel safer about the financial situation 8 What does the phrase “bells and whistles“ in Paragraph 3 refer to? （ A） Attractive accessories. （ B） Unimportant accessories. （ C） Their extra money. （ D） All their asset. 9 Accordin
29、g to Christine Benz, it is wise for young people to_. （ A） buy stocks （ B） avoid stocks （ C） buy bonds （ D） save money 10 The author is_about young peoples financial future. （ A） neutral （ B） pessimistic （ C） uncertain （ D） optimistic 10 First the good news; 9 in 10 people said they were satisfied w
30、ith their jobs or the work that they do and that remained steady throughout 2008, despite the economy. And now the bad, even if its not so surprising: The number of people who said their employer reduced the size of the workforce rose dramatically during the year, from 15 % in the first quarter to 2
31、3% in the fourth quarter. Thats according to a survey from Gallup and health management company Healthways. Nearly each day in 2008, about 1, 000 adults were asked about their physical, emotional, economic and workplace well-being. When it came to their work environment, many of the 355 , 334 people
32、 surveyed by phone were positive. But there were some labor pains. Just 47% of respondents from Hawaii said they were satisfied with their jobs, used their strengths at work, were treated by a supervisor as a partner and worked in an “ open, trusting environment“. That was the lowest score of any st
33、ate on a work environment index that was compiled by calculating positive responses in those four areas. Utah nabbed top honors, with 59% of its respondents saying those four elements were prevalent in work lives. Among the biggest differences between Utah and Hawaii; 73% of Utah respondents said th
34、eir supervisor created a trusting environment, while only 58% of folks in Hawaii felt that way. The national average was 65%. The Gallup-Healthways AHIP Congressional Report didnt offer any insights into why Utah ruled and Hawaii ranked so poorly on the workplace front. Hawaiis residents took the No
35、. 1 slot in another two survey areas, emotional health and living conditions. “Maybe having a job while youre in paradise may not be all that great, “ says Jim Harter, a chief scientist of workplace and well-being at Gallup. Utah has done well in separate workplace studies, as well. After considerin
36、g factors such as unemployment rate, job growth, income growth, median household income and the cost of living, Moodys Economy, com named its capital, Salt Lake City, the best US city to work in for 2007 and 2008. But those glory days have faded, says Gus Faucher, Moodys Economy. com director of mac
37、roeconomics. Utahs housing boom turned into a bust later than most states. The national recession began in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Salt Lake Citys recession began in November 2008, according to Moodys Economy. com. From a non-economic angle, Faucher says
38、 he can see why Utah would earn strong marks on the work front. “The state is really Mormon, so there is a sense of solidarity“ among many employees, he says. “People feel very connected to each other. “ Also, with its high birth rate, Utah has a robust population of younger employees who often add
39、enthusiasm to the workplace, Faucher says. Thats the case at the Wasatch Music Coaching Academy in Salt Lake City, school owner David Murphy says. Most instructors are between 22 and 35 years old and are extremely passionate and excited about teaching students, he says. Murphy, 52, who says he has a
40、 “dream“ job, takes a collaborative approach in managing all staffers, “I see myself working side by side with my staff, not over my staff. 11 What can we infer from the first two paragraphs? （ A） The economy of 2008 is still steady. （ B） More people had to change their jobs. （ C） From Jan. to Apr.
41、, about 54, 000 people lost their jobs. （ D） Most of the people surveyed felt hopeless. 12 The word “ruled“ in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to_. （ A） decreed （ B） governed （ C） prevailed （ D） paralleled 13 From Paragraph 4, we can infer the following EXCEPT that_. （ A） Hawaiis residents may fee
42、l more relaxed （ B） the word “paradise“ may refer to Hawaii （ C） people may prefer living to working in Hawaii （ D） Jim Harter may be a scientist in Hawaii 14 Which of the following is CORRECT about Utah? （ A） Wasatch Music Coaching Academy is located in Utah. （ B） Utah had advantage over Hawaii in
43、all aspects. （ C） Utahs economy remained booming till December 2007. （ D） In 2008, almost every day about 1, 000 adults were surveyed in Utah. 15 Whats the authors intention of referring to the case of Wasatch Music Coaching Academy in the last paragraph? （ A） To prove that Utah indeed has a higher
44、birth rate. （ B） To support Fauchers viewpoint about strong marks on the work front in Utah. （ C） To show that Murphy is really a qualified principal. （ D） To tell us young teachers are good for school. 15 Children as young as four will study Shakespeare in a project being launched today by the Roya
45、l Shakespeare Company. The RSC is holding its first national conference for primary school teachers to encourage them to use the Bards plays imaginatively in the classroom from reception classes onwards. The conference will be told that they should learn how Shakespearian characters like Puck in A M
46、idsummer Nights Dream are “jolly characters“ and how to write about them. At present, the national curriculum does not require pupils to approach Shakespeare until secondary school. All it says is that pupils should study “texts drawn from a variety of cultures and traditions“ and “myths, legends an
47、d traditional stories“. However, educationists at the RSC believe children will gain a better appreciation of Shakespeare if they are introduced to him at a much younger age. “ Even very young children can enjoy Shakespeares plays, “ said Mary Johnson, head of the learning department. “ It is just a
48、 question of pitching it for the age group. Even reception classes and key stage one pupils(five- to seven-year-olds)can enjoy his stories. For instance, if you build up Puck as a character who skips, children of that age can enjoy the character. They can be inspired by Puck and they could even star
49、t writing about him at that age. “ It is the RSCs belief that building the Bard up as a fun playwright in primary school could counter some of the negative images conjured up about teaching Shakespeare in secondary schools. Then, pupils have to concentrate on scenes from the plays to answer questions for compulsory English national-curriculum tests for 14-year-olds. Critics of the tests have complained that pupils no longer have the time to study or read the whole play and therefore lose inte
