1、国家公共英语四级（综合）练习试卷 14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 The destruction of our natural resources and contamination of our food supply continue to occur, largely because of the e
2、xtreme difficulty in affixing legal responsibility on those who continue to treat our environment with reckless abandon. Attempts to prevent pollution by legislation, economic incentives and friendly persuasion have been met by lawsuits, personal and industrial denial and long delays-not only in acc
3、epting responsibility, but more importantly, in doing something about it. It seems that only when government decides it can afford tax incentives or production sacrifices is there any initiative for change. Where is industry s and our recognition that protecting mankind s great treasure is the singl
4、e most important responsibility? If ever there will be time for environmental health professionals to come to the frontlines and provide leadership to solve environmental problems, that time is now. We are being asked, and, in fact, the public is demanding that we take positive action. It is our res
5、ponsibility as professionals in environmental health to make the difference. Yes, the ecologists, the environmental activists and the conservationists serve to communicate, stimulate thinking and promote behavioral change. However, it is those of us who are paid to make the decisions to develop, imp
6、rove and enforce environmental standards, I submit, who must lead the charge. We must recognize that environmental health issues do not stop at city limits, county lines, state or even federal boundaries. We can no longer afford to be tunnel-visioned in our approach. We must visualize issues from ev
7、ery perspective to make the objective decisions. We must express our views clearly to prevent media distortion and public confusion. I believe we have a three-part mission for the present. First, we must continue to press for improvements in the quality of life that people can make for themselves. S
8、econd, we must investigate and understand the link between environment and health. Third, we must be able to communicate technical information in a form that citizens can understand. If we can accomplish these three goals in this decade, maybe we can finally stop environmental degradation, and not m
9、erely hold it back. We will then be able to spend pollution dollars truly on prevention rather than on bandages. 1 We can infer from the first two paragraphs that the industrialists disregard environmental protection chiefly because _ . （ A） they are unaware of the consequences of what they are doin
10、g （ B） they are reluctant to sacrifice their own economic interests （ C） time has not yet come for them to put due emphasis on it （ D） it is difficult for them to take effective measures 2 The main task now facing ecologists, environmental activists and conservationists is _ . （ A） to prevent pollut
11、ion by legislation, economic incentives and persuasion （ B） to arouse public awareness of the importance of environmental protection （ C） to take radical measures to control environmental pollution （ D） to improve the quality of life by enforcing environmental standards 3 The word “tunnel-visioned“
12、(Line 2, Para. 4) most probably means “ _ “. （ A） narrow-minded （ B） short-sighted （ C） blind to the facts （ D） able to see only one aspect 4 Which of the following, according to the author, should play the leading role in the solution of environmental problems? （ A） Legislation and government inter
13、vention. （ B） The industry s understanding and support. （ C） The efforts of environmental health professionals. （ D） The cooperation of ecologists, environmental activists and conservationists. 5 Which of the following is true according to the last paragraph? （ A） Efforts should be exerted on pollut
14、ion prevention instead of on remedial measures. （ B） More money should be spent in order to stop pollution. （ C） Ordinary citizens have no access to technical information on pollution. （ D） Environmental degradation will be stopped by the end of this decade. 5 In the atmosphere, carbon dioxide acts
15、rather like a one-mirror-the glass in the roof of a green-house which allows the sun s rays to enter but prevents the heat from escaping. According to a weather expert s prediction, the atmosphere will be warmer in the year 2050 than it is today, if man continues to burn fuels at the present rate. I
16、f this warming up took place, the ice caps in the poles would begin to melt, thus raising sea level several meters and severely flooding coastal cities. Also, the increase in atmospheric temperature would lead to great changes in the climate of the northern hemisphere, possibly resulting in an alter
17、ation of the earth s chief food-growing zones. In the past, concern about a man-made warming of the earth has concentrated on the Arctic because the Antarctic is much colder and has a much thicker ice sheet. But the weather experts are now paying more attention to West Antarctic, which may be affect
18、ed by only a few degrees of warming: in other words, by a warming on the scale that will possibly take place in the next fifty years from the burning of fuels. Satellite pictures show that large areas of Antarctic ice are already disappearing. The evidence available suggests that a warming has taken
19、 place. This fits the theory that carbon dioxide warm the earth. However, most of the fuel is burnt in the northern hemisphere, where temperatures seem to falling. Scientists conclude, therefore, that up to now natural influences on the weather have exceeded those caused by man. The question is: Whi
20、ch natural cause has most effect on the weather? One possibility is the variable behavior of the sun. Astronomers at one research station have studied the hot spots and “cold“ spots (that is, the relatively less hot spots) on the sun. As the sun rotated, every 27.5 days, it presents hotter of “colde
21、r“ faces to the earth, and different aspects to different parts of the earth. This seems to have a considerable effect on the distribution of the earth s atmospheric pressure, and consequently on wind circulation. The sun is also variable over a long term: its heat output goes up and down in cycles,
22、 the latest trend being downward. Scientists are now finding mutual relations between models of solar-weather interactions and the actual climate over many thousands of years, including the last Ice Age. The problem is that the models are predicting that the world should be entering a new Ice Age an
23、d it is not. One way of solving this theoretical difficulty is to assume a delay of thousands of years while the solar effects overcome the inertia of the earth s climate. If this is right, the warming effect of carbon dioxide might thus be serving as a useful counter-balance to the suns diminishing
24、 heat. 6 It can be concluded that a concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere would _ . （ A） prevent the sun s rays from reaching the earth s surface （ B） mean a warming up in the Arctic （ C） account for great changes in the climate in the northern hemisphere （ D） raise the temperature of th
25、e earth s surface 7 The article was written to explain _ . （ A） the greenhouse effect （ B） the solar effects on the earth （ C） the models of solar-weather interactions （ D） the causes affecting weather 8 Although the fuel consumption is greater in the northern hemisphere, temperatures there seem to
26、be falling. This is _ . （ A） mainly because the levels of carbon dioxide are rising （ B） possibly because the ice caps in the poles are melting （ C） exclusively due to the effect of the internal of the earth s climate （ D） partly due to variations in the output of solar energy 9 On the basis of thei
27、r models, scientists are of the opinion that _ . （ A） the climate of the world should be becoming cooler （ B） it will take thousands of years for the inertia of the earth s climate to take effect （ C） the man-made warming effect helps to increase the solar effects （ D） the new Ice Age will be delaye
28、d by the greenhouse effect 10 If the assumption about the delay of a new Ice Age is correct, _ . （ A） the best way to overcome the cooling effect would be to burn more fuels （ B） ice would soon cover the northern hemisphere （ C） the increased levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could warm up
29、the earth even more quickly （ D） the greenhouse effect could work to the advantage of the earth 10 Smog is something combined by smoke and fog. London is always known for its “black fogs“. In the winter of 1952, a milky white fog rolled into the city. It soon turned into black smog as the smoke of t
30、he city poured into the air. When it was over, more than 4,000 people had been killed by the thick black smog. New York City has had several London type smog since 1950. Each time there were from 100 to 400 deaths caused by the smog. In all the killer smog, factories and homes poured smoke and fumes
31、 into the air from the furnaces. The chemical fumes combined with the water-droplets in the fog to form harmful substances. These substances caused the illness of those who breathed the polluted air. Usually, such harmful fumes rise into the upper air and are blown away by the wind. But sometimes, t
32、here is an unusual weather condition called a temperature inversion. A layer of cold air remains near the ground as smoke and fumes pour into it. This is covered by an upper layer of warm air that acts like a lid. It prevents the polluted cooler air rising. The harmful fumes piles up and make people
33、 iii. These fumes contain sulfur dioxide, soot particles, and other chemicals. The smog may be so thick that airports are closed and chains of collisions occur on the highways. Another type of smog occurs in Los Angeles. Here the weather may be clear and sunny, but stinging eyes and dry coughs show
34、that harmful chemicals fill the air. The smog is due to invisible gases, mostly from automobile exhausts. Because these chemicals are changed by the sun up in the air, Los Angeles smog is called Photochemical smog. It contains automobile exhaust fumes and nitrogen oxides changed by the sun s rays. A
35、dded to these are sulfur dioxide and other fumes from factories of oil refineries. Photochemical smog is found in many large cities all over the world. Killer smog doesn t happen very often, fortunately. But in many large cities, a combination of automobiles exhaust fumes, home furnace smoke, and fa
36、ctory waste gases pours into the air. This may also happen in the suburbs in the country, where large factories have been built. A number of harmful substances have affected the health of the population. 11 All of the following together form smog Except _ . （ A） smoke and fumes （ B） snow （ C） water
37、drops （ D） fog 12 Which is NOT mentioned in the passage as a result of the harmful fumes? （ A） Factories catch fire. （ B） People feel ill. （ C） Airport are closed. （ D） Many accidents take place on the highways. 13 What is special with the smog occurring in Los Angeles compared with those occurring
38、in London and New York? （ A） People do not feel ill. （ B） The weather is clear and sunny. （ C） There are fewer car accidents. （ D） It is natural disaster. 14 Killer smog will also happen in the suburbs if _ . （ A） there are too many cars （ B） it is too densely populated （ C） it is always cloudy （ D）
39、 too many factories are built 15 As more and more large factories are built in China, it can be infered that _ . （ A） China will face the big challenge of pollution （ B） no pollution problem occurs in China （ C） there will be more traffic accidents in China （ D） the weather will become bad in China
40、15 The controversial Anglo-French supersonic transport plane, the Concorde, had attracted much attention because it is unusually loud. A late-model jumbo 747, for example, creates 100 or more decibels of sound over an eight-square-kilometer area. The Concorde spreads a 100-decibel-plus blanket of no
41、ise over some 140 square kilometers. On takeoff, the Concorde sounds like four F-4 fighter jets taking off at once. Its penetrating, low-frequency rumble makes the Concorde “completely distinctive“ from other jets. What bothers noise experts is that plenty of commonplace machines are just as loud as
42、, or even louder than, the Concorde. A sanitation truck can be noisier, and so can a heavy diesel truck pulling away from a stop sign. One expert who has gone out of his way to dramatize the prevalent offensiveness of the city sound-scale is Dr. Thomas H. Fay, director of speech and hearing at Colum
43、bia-Presbyterian Medical Center in New York. Dr. Fay took a sound-meter into a New York City subway and proved that an approaching train can be twice as loud as the Concorde. Since World War , the number of the high-powered noise-makers, from trucks and motorcycles to air conditioners and sirens has
44、 increased almost geometrically. It s no wonder that in many areas of the country, especially in the suburbs, the average sound level has doubled in 20 years. Noise experts estimate that city noises are increasing a half-decibel a year. They found that in 1971 the quietest parts of Los Angeles-thoug
45、ht to be a relatively quiet city-were louder than the loudest districts of New York in 1937. 16 This passage mainly talks about _ . （ A） the problem of the supersonic transport plane, the Concorde （ B） a comparison between the Concorde and other machines （ C） the problem of noise （ D） noise in the s
46、uburbs 17 The Concorde is completely distinctive from other jets in that it _ . （ A） flies with a large blanket （ B） is as powerful as four F-4 fighter jets （ C） produces low-level noise （ D） is unusually loud 18 The word “geometrically“ in the first sentence of the last paragraph means _ . （ A） ver
47、y rapidly （ B） very slowly （ C） strangely （ D） doubly 19 From the last sentence we can learn that _ . （ A） city noises are increasing rapidly in Los Angeles （ B） city noises are increasing slowly but steadily in Los Angeles （ C） in 1971 Los Angeles was louder than New York （ D） New York was very qui
48、et in 1937 20 The loudest noisemaker described in this passage is _ . （ A） the Concorde （ B） a heavy diesel truck （ C） an approaching train in a New York City subway （ D） a siren 国家公共英语四级（综合）练习试卷 14答案与解 析 Part B Directions: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choos
49、ing A, B, C or D . Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET 1. 【知识模块】 Environment 1 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 从文章开头可以看出。 【知识模块】 Environment 2 【正确答案】 C 【试题解析】 见文章开头第三段。 【知识模块】 Environment 3 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 就像通过隧道向外看一样，只能看到一部分事物。 【知识模块】 Environment 4 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 本题可采用排除法。 【知识模块】 Environment 5 【正确答案】 A 【试题解析】 见文章最后。 【知识模块】 Environment 【知识模块】 Environment 6 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 见文章 第一段最后。 【知识模块】 Environment 7 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 从全文所谈的内容可以得出此结论。 【知识模块】 Environment 8 【正确答案】 D 【试题解析】 见第四段和第五段。 【知识模块】 Environment
