1、国家公共英语四级（综合）练习试卷 10及答案与解析 Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D . Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. 0 Humans are forever forgetting that they can t control nature. Exactly 20 years ago, a Time magazine cover story announced
2、 that scientists are on the verge of being able to predict the time, place and even the size of earthquakes. “The people of quake-ravaged Kobe learned last week how wrong that assertion was.“ None of the methods conceived two decades ago has yet to discover a uniform warning signal that preceded all
3、 quakes, let alone any sign that would tell whether the coming tremor is mild or a killer. Earthquake formation can be triggered by many factors, says Hiroo Kanamori, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology. So, finding one all-purpose warning sign is impossible. One reason: Quakes
4、start deep in the earth, so scientists can t study them directly. If a quake precursor were found, it would still be impossible to warn humans in advance of all dangerous quakes. Places like Japan and California are riddled with hundreds, if not thousands, of minor faults. Prediction would be less i
5、mportant if scientists could easily build structures to withstand tremors. While seismic engineering has improved dramatically in the past 10 to 15 years, every new quake reveals unexpected weaknesses in “quake-resistant“ structures, says Terry Tullis, a geophysicist at Brown University. In Kobe, fo
6、r example, a highway that opened only last year was damaged. In the Northridge earthquake, on the other hand, well-built structures generally did not collapse. A recent report in science adds yet more anxiety about life on the faulty lines. Researchers ran computer simulations to see how quake-resis
7、tant buildings would fare in a moderate-size tremor, taking into account that much of a quakes energy travels in a large “pulse“ of focused shaking. The results: Both steel-frame buildings and buildings that sit on insulating rubber pads suffered severe damage. More research will help experts design
8、 stronger structures and possibly find quake precursors. But it is still a certainty that the next earthquakes will prove once again that every fault cannot be monitored and every highway cannot be completely quake-proofed. 1 From what the author said in Para. 1, it can be inferred that _ . （ A） sci
9、entists can never be able to predict the coming of earthquakes （ B） the existing power on predicting earthquakes is somewhat exaggerated （ C） quite a lot of scientific assertions are groundless （ D） earthquake predictions are beyond the reach of scientists 2 One of the chief difficulties in accurate
10、 earthquake warning is that _ . （ A） earthquakes may take place in anywhere possible （ B） earthquakes may happen at any unexpected moment （ C） most earthquakes take place simultaneously and unexpectedly （ D） the occurrence of earthquakes involves too many unforeseen factors 3 What does the word “pre
11、cursor“ in the context in Para. 3 mean? （ A） A man that may come before the happening of an earthquake. （ B） The leading factor that may cause a series of events to occur. （ C） Any meaningful sign that indicates some would-be happenings. （ D） An event that may have symbolic or significant nature. 4
12、What does the author mean to say when he talks about the damage caused by earthquakes to the buildings? （ A） It is hard to build structures strong enough to withstand serious tremors. （ B） Not all structures can be made to withstand the tremor of the earthquakes. （ C） The degree of damage caused by
13、earthquakes to different buildings can hardly be predicted accurately. （ D） No structures would be strong enough to endure violent earthquakes. 5 All the following statements are TRUE except that _ according to the passage. （ A） stronger materials will be developed to withstand serious earthquakes （
14、 B） seismic engineering has been greatly improved in the past years （ C） it won t be long before earthquakes can be predicted accurately （ D） something unpredictable may still happen beyond the expectations of the seismologist 5 When Jules Verne wrote Journey to the Center of the Earth in 1864, ther
15、e were many conflicting theories about the nature of the Earth s interior. Some geologists thought that it contained a highly compressed ball of incandescent gas, while others suspected that it consisted of separate shells, each made of different materials. Today well over a century later, there is
16、little direct evidence of what lies beneath our feet. Most of our knowledge of the Earth s interior comes not from mines or boreholes, but from the study of seismic waves-powerful pulses of energy released by earthquakes. The way that seismic waves travel shows that the Earth s interior is far from
17、uniform. The continents and the seabed are formed by the crust-a thin sphere of relatively light, solid rock. Beneath the crust lies the mantle, a different layer that extends approximately halfway to the Earth s center. There the rock is the subject of a battle between increasing heat and growing p
18、ressure. In its high levels, the mantle is relatively cool; at greater depths, high temperatures make the rock behave more like a liquid than a solid. Deeper still, the pressure is even more intense, preventing the rock from melting in spite of a higher temperature. Beyond a depth of around 2,900 ki
19、lometers, a great change takes place and the mantle gives way to the core. Some seismic waves cannot pass through the core and others are bent by it. From this and other evidence, geologists conclude that the outer core is probably liquid, with a solid center. It is almost certainly made of iron, mi
20、xed with smaller amounts of other elements such as nickel. The conditions in the Earth s core make it a far more alien world than space. Its solid iron heart is subjected to unimaginable pressure and has a temperature of about 9,000F. Although scientists can speculate about its nature, neither human
21、s nor machines will ever be able to visit it. 6 What is today s richest source of information about the Earth s interior for geologists? （ A） Journey to the Center of the Earth, the book written by Jules Verne. （ B） Conflicting theories about the nature of the Earth s interior. （ C） The study of Sei
22、smic waves-powerful pulses of energy released by earthquakes. （ D） The theories that there is little direct evidence of what lies beneath our feet. 7 The word “There“, the first word in the last sentence of paragraph 2 refers to which of the following? （ A） A layer beneath the crust that extends hal
23、fway to the Earth. （ B） A thin sphere of relatively light, solid rock with high temperature. （ C） The continents and the crust that are with both heat and pressure. （ D） Earth s center where the rock is the subject of battle between heat and pressure. 8 Which of the following is a primary characteri
24、stic of the Earth s mantle? （ A） Light, solid rock. （ B） Uniformity of composition. （ C） Dramatically increasing pressure. （ D） Compressed, incandescent gas. 9 The phrase “gives way to“ in the paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _ . （ A） runs along （ B） turns into （ C） rubs against （ D） floats on 1
25、0 Why does the author state in the last paragraph that the Earth s core is “more alien“ than space? （ A） Government funds are not available to study the Earth s core. （ B） Scientists aren t interested in the characteristic of the Earth s core. （ C） It is impossible to go to the Earth s core to do re
26、search. （ D） The Earth s core is made of elements that are dangerous to humans. 10 Most scientists blame people, at least in part, for global warming. Now, some researchers say people may be partly to blame for the cooling of Antarctica as well. While average global temperatures have risen about one
27、 degree Fahrenheit over the past century, Antarctica over all appears to have cooled slightly in the past few decades. That has been puzzling, because the polar regions are thought to be more sensitive to warming trends than the rest of the globe. Even more puzzling, a small portion of Antarctica-th
28、e peninsula that stretches north toward South America-defies the cooling trend. It has been warming very rapidly, about five degrees over the past 50 years, 10 times the global average. Writing in today s issue of the journal Science, Dr. David Thompson, a professor of atmospheric science at Colorad
29、o State University, and Dr. Susan Solomon, a senior scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Boulder, Colo., argue that the ozone hole, which has opened up each spring over Antarctica in recent years, may help explain both contradictory trends. A vortex of winds continuall
30、y blows around Antarctica, tending to trap cold air at the South Pole. In the new paper, Dr. Thompson and Dr. Solomon show that the winds have strengthened in the past few decades, keeping the cold air even more confined. The peninsula, which lies outside the wind vortex, escapes the cooling effect,
31、 the scientists said. They say the ozone hole may be the cause of the stronger winds. Close to the ground, ozone, a molecule consisting of three oxygen atoms, forms a large and unhealthy component of smog. High in the atmosphere, however, nature occurring ozone is essential for life, blocking ultrav
32、iolet rays that would fatally mangle DNA. However, fewer ozone molecules mean the atmosphere absorbs less ultraviolet radiation. Instead of warming the air, the rays bounce off the snow and ice of Antarctica and reflect back into space. Scientists already knew that the ozone hole had cooled the uppe
33、r atmosphere. Dr. Thompson and Dr. Solomon show that the troposphere, the lowest six miles of the atmosphere, has also cooled. “It s a lot of food for thought in there,“ said Dr. John Walsh, a professor of atmospheric science at the University of Illinois and an author of a paper in Science in Janua
34、ry that indicated Antarctica was cooling. He noted that the ozone hole was usually largest in November or December, but that the greatest cooling had been about six months later. 11 The author of the passage is mainly concerned with _ . （ A） the trend of global warming because of the ozone hole （ B）
35、 the warming trend in Antarctica because of the ozone hole （ C） the cooling trend in Antarctica because of the ozone hole （ D） the warming trend in the peninsula that stretches north toward South America 12 People used to think that due to the ozone hole over it, the temperature of Antarctica _ . （
36、A） should have risen at the same rate of the average global warming （ B） should have cooled slightly in the past few decades （ C） should have been affected more than average （ D） should have been warming very rapidly 13 The main reason for the cooling trend of Antarctica is that _ . （ A） the ozone h
37、01e forms cold air around Antarctica to cool down its temperature （ B） ultraviolet radiation come down from the ozone hole bounces off and reflects back into space （ C） the ozone layer absorbs many sunrays （ D） the troposphere close to Antarctica has cooled much 14 Which of the following is NOT the
38、reason for the rapid warming of the peninsula mentioned in Para. 2? （ A） Its position of being outside of the wind vortex. （ B） Its special sensitivity to warming trends. （ C） Extra ultraviolet radiation because of the ozone hole. （ D） Ultraviolet radiation reflecting back into space. 15 We can infe
39、r that in Antarctica the coldest period is _ . （ A） spring （ B） winter （ C） November or December （ D） May or June 15 For many years, Antarctica was thought to be only an archipelago whose islands were tied together above sea level by ice. It was thought to be made up of two small subcontinents-East
40、Antarctica, the larger, and West Antarctica, containing the Antarctic Peninsula. The two continents were supposed to be separated by a large trough, below sea level, that connected the Ross and Weddell Seas. Geophysical studies have now revealed a fairly complete picture of the Antarctic landform be
41、low its ice cover. We know now that West Antarctica is connected to the main part of the continent by a chain of mountains well above sea level, though largely buried by ice and snow. The bedrock of much of East Antarctica appears to be above sea level. Whether mineral wealth lies hidden by the vast
42、 ice sheets is unknown. No more than 2 percent of the continent is actual rock outcrop and much of this small and probably unrepresentative sample has yet to be visited by geologists. Certainly no deposits rich enough to be economically useful have been found. Geologists now know that the ice-buried
43、 rocks of the Antarctic are similar to rocks of the other continents of the world. Minor amounts of potentially valuable minerals have been reported. The presence of petroleum has been speculated upon by several geologists, but none has yet been found. Low-grade deposits of coal are widespread, espe
44、cially in the Transantarctic Mountains, but there has been no attempt at exploitation. Even if rich mineral deposits were to be found in Antarctica, the cost of removal from this remote and inhospitable land would be exorbitant. Interpretation of continental structure is an important objective of an
45、y extensive geologic investigation. Yet except for the earth s ocean basins, no area the size of Antarctica is so geologically unknown. With 98 percent of the continent covered by ice, it is extremely difficult to decipher the continent s general structure. Geologists determine geologic structure by
46、 studying rock outcrops, and many of these are small and widely separated. No outcrops are known in the vast interior of East Antarctica. Working out the continental structure of Antarctica is analogous to learning that of the entire United States from studies of a few scattered counties in Californ
47、ia and mountain ranges scattered at irregular intervals across the country. 16 Little is known about Antarctica s _ . （ A） climate （ B） landform and size （ C） mineral wealth （ D） natural resources 17 How much of Antarctica is covered by ice? （ A） 52 percent. （ B） 98 percent. （ C） 76 percent. （ D） 10
48、0 percent. 18 Antarctica is made up of _ . （ A） several islands. （ B） two subcontinents （ C） connected land masses （ D） thick layers of ice 19 In Antarctica, petroleum _ . （ A） may be present （ B） cannot form （ C） is common （ D） none of them 20 Low-grade deposits of coal have been found in Antarctic
49、a s _ . （ A） valleys （ B） coastline （ C） mountains （ D） plains 国家公共英语四级（综合）练习试卷 10答案与解析 Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D . Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. 【知识模块】 Geography 1 【正确答案】 B 【试题解析】 从第一段最后一句可以看出。 【知识模块】 Geography 2 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 见文章第二段中间。 【知识模块】 Geography 3 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 即 “前兆 ”之意。 【知识模块】 Geography 4 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 见文章第四段。 【知识模块】 Geography 5 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 可采取排除法。 【知识模块】 Geography 【知识 模块】 Geograp
