1、大学英语六级模拟试卷 342及答案与解析 一、 Part I Writing (30 minutes) 1 Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a passage in the title of My Views on Tele education. You should write at least 150 words following the outline given below in Chinese: 1. 许多人赞成远程教育，是因为 2.也有人认为远程教育效果不明显。 3.你的观点。 二、 P
2、art II Reading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning) (15 minutes) Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions attached to the passage. For questions 1-4, mark： Y (for YES) if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage
3、; N (for NO) if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage; NG (for NOT GIVEN) if the information is not given in the passage. 1 Has a Runaway Greenhouse Effect Begun? (Adapted) By Norm Dixon Urgent Action for Governments In recent weeks, scientists have released two separate fin
4、dings that indicate the consequences of global warming due to the emission of “greenhouse gases“ primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) from the industrial burning of fossil fuels may be far greater than previously estimated. The new findings stress the need for governments around the world, in particular t
5、he industrialized First World countries that are responsible for more than 80% of past emissions and 75% currently, to take urgent action to massively reduce the worlds industrial greenhouse gas emissions by 60-80%. Rajendra Pachauri, chairperson of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Clim
6、ate Change (IPCC), which pools the expertise of more than 2,000 of the worlds climate scientists, warned on October 25 that the greenhouse gas emission reduction targets established in the 1997 Kyoto agreement do not go far enough and far more radical solutions must be found. Pachauri welcomed the R
7、ussian parliaments October 22 approval of the Kyoto agreement, which will allow the treaty to come into legal force despite the refusal by the worlds major polluter, the United States, to sign. However, “this mustnt deceive us into thinking that the problem is solved“, Pachauri told Reuters(路透社 ). “
8、Kyoto is not enough. We have to look at the problem afresh. “The Kyoto treaty aims for a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of around 5% of 1990 levels, far short o the 60-800/oo over the next 50 years necessary to arrest global warming. CO2 Accumulation Increasing The new evidence on the pace of
9、 global warming suggests that world governments may have even less time to act than previously estimated. The October 11 British Guardian(英国卫报 ) reported that CO2 in the atmosphere is at record levels and increasing at an accelerating rate, while the September 23 edition of Science revealed that gla
10、ciers in western Antarctica flowing into the sea are speeding up, indicating an increased level of melting. The scientists who make up the IPCC estimate that unless levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are stabilized by mid-century, Earths average temperature will rise by up to 5.8C by 2100.
11、 According to the IPCC figures, if unchecked, CO2 levels in the air will be between 650 and 970 parts per million (ppm). However, these estimates may be too conservative. According to the October 11 Guardian, measurements of average atmospheric CO2 levels in 2002 and 2003 may confirm that the rate o
12、f CO2 accumulation is now increasing at an alarming rate. Scientists at Hawaiis Mauna Loa Observatory(气象台 ) reported that average CO2 levels increased by 2.08 ppm in 2002, to 373.1 ppm, and in 2003, to an average of 375.64 ppm. This is the first recorded example of the average CO2 level jumping more
13、 than 2 ppm in two successive years. The average increase in the CO2 level over the last few decades, reports the Guardian, has been 1.5 ppm. The current level of CO2 is the highest in at least 420,000 years! Associated Press (美联社 ) reported earlier this year, on March 20, that scientists at Mauna L
14、oa Observatory had recorded the CO2 level in the atmosphere peaking at a record of 379 ppm, compared to 376 ppm a year earlier and 373 ppm in 2002. Global Warming The increase has implied a “runaway“ greenhouse effect already underway. Previous increases of CO2 levels of above 2 ppm1973, 1988, 1994
15、and 1998have coincided with the El Nino(厄尔尼诺现象 ) weather pattern in the Pacific. However, this cannot explain the latest rises. Weather scientist Charles Keeling, who began measuring atmospheric CO2 at Mauna Loa in 1958, told the Guardian that “it is possible that this is merely a reflection of natu
16、ral events like previous peaks in the rate, but it is also possible that it is the beginning of a natural process unprecedented in the record. The rise could be a weakening of the Earths carbon sinks, associated with world warming, as part of a climate change feedback mechanism. It is cause for conc
17、ern.“ Piers Forster, senior research fellow at the University of Readings department of meteorology, added that “if this is a rate change, it will be of enormous concern, because it will imply that all our global warming predictions for the hundred years or so will have to be redone“. Friends of the
18、 Earths Scotland head Duncan McLaren, speaking to Agence France Press(法新社 ) on October 11, demanded action to achieve the 60-80% reductions in industrial greenhouse gas emissions required within 30 years: “Instead of just keeping our fingers crossed, these findings should send an urgent reminder to
19、governments everywhere of the urgent need to tackle the growing threat of climate change.“ The Rise of Sea Level Predictions about the rate of CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere might not be the only estimates that have to be revised. Based on the IPCCs present forecasts, global warming triggered by
20、 unchecked greenhouse gas emissions will cause a sea level rise of between 20 centimeters and almost 1 meter by the end of the century. However, the IPCCs prediction is based on an assumption that the polar ice caps will not melt significantly. Glaciers into Oceans However, according to the Septembe
21、r 23 journal Science, NASA researchers have found that six vast glaciers in the west Antarctic are flowing into the Amundsen Sea at a rate up to 25% faster than in the 1970s. The Pine Island Glacier is entering the ocean at a rate of six meters a day and as more enters the sea, the remainder speeds
22、up further. Glaciologists(冰河学家 ) told Science that within five years, 700 square kilometers of the thick Pine Island Glacier alone will be floating (and melting) in the ocean. According to Eric Rignot, a glaciologist at NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (喷气推进实验定 ), should the six glaciers completely m
23、elt, they alone will cause the worlds sea level to rise by more than a meter. Researchers using ice-penetrating radar also found that the glaciers are on average 430 meters thicker than previously thought, meaning they are dumping considerably more fresh water into the ocean. One reason why Antarcti
24、c glaciers are entering the sea at a much faster rate is because floating 500- metre ice shelves, which significantly slow the entry of the glaciers into the sea, have begun to collapse and melt. Antarctica has warmed by an average 2.5 since the 1940s, and winter temperatures have jumped by almost 5
25、 . The Larsen A ice shelf suddenly collapsed in 1995. The Wilkins Ice Shelf is shrinking. In 2002, the 3400-square kilometer Larsen B shelfat least 12,000 years old and up to 70 stories thickdisintegrated into the Weddell Sea in the space of a few months. The break of monster icebergs is now common.
26、 Ted Scamhos, an expert from the University of Colorados National Snow and Ice Centre, found that after Larsen Bs collapse, nearby glaciers began entering the sea up to eight times faster than previously. According to NASAs Robert Thomas, the ice shelves are melting rapidly and have been thinning at
27、 the rate of 10 to 15 metres a year since the 1990s. The rate of thinning today is double that in the 1990s, he added. The Larsen and Wilkins ice shelves are relatively insignificant in Antarctic terms, but their decrease may indicate that similar processes may be underway on the massive Ross and th
28、e Filchner-Ronne ice shelves. “Ice-shelf thinning could be happening elsewhere in the Antarctic, but we just dont know“, Scambos told Science. The Ross and the Filchner Ronne ice shelves prevent the gigantic land-based Western Antarctic Ice Sheet from rapidly entering the ocean and melting. The West
29、ern Antarctic Ice Sheet, the smaller of Antarcticas two vast ice sheets, contains an incredible 3.2 million cubic kilometers of ice, about 10% of the worlds total ice enough to raise the sea level six meters. (If the more secure Eastern Antarctic Ice Sheet melted, the sea would rise more than 60 met
30、ers! ) Within the western sheet are five ice streams enormous glaciers more than 50 kilometers wide and one kilometer thick. The Ross Ice Shelffloating ice nearly the size of New South Wales-and the similarly sized Filchner-Ronne Ice Shelf prevent them sliding into the sea where they would rapidly m
31、elt. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet may have melted at least once before, between 110,000 and 130,000 years ago, causing the sea level to rise about five meters higher than todays lev61. An article in the August 1995 Scientific American pointed out that the five-meter rise was followed by a 10-metre d
32、ecreaseall in the space of 100 or so years! The May 2002 edition of Science reported that researchers from the Oregon State University, the University of Toronto and the University of Durham in Britain had found that a massive and unusually abrupt 23-metre rise in the sea level about 14,200 years ag
33、o was caused by the partial collapse of both major ice sheets in Antarctica. The sea level took just 500 years to reach that height. 2 The industrialized First World countries should take the main responsibility for the emission of CO （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 3 Kyoto agreement is accepted by most of th
34、e worlds major polluters of countries. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 4 An international organization should be legally built to prevent countries from emitting greenhouse gases. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 5 The October 11 Guardian claimed that the rate of CO2 accumulation was increasing at an alarming rate in 20
35、02 and 200 （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 6 According to the scientists it is the emission of CO(2 by human beings that causes the increases of CO2 levels. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 7 The glaciers have been entering oceans at a higher rate than before. （ A） Y （ B） N （ C） NG 8 According to the scientists at Hawai
36、is Mauna Loa Observatory, the average CO2 levels increased by _in 200 9 The sea level rise is mainly caused by_ triggered by unchecked greenhouse gas emissions. 10 The Pine Island Glacier is entering the ocean at a rate of_. 11 Glaciers are much thicker than previously thought, which means _into the
37、 ocean. Section A Directions: In this section, you will hear 8 short conversations and 2 long conversations. At the end of each conversation, one or more questions will be asked about what was said. Both the conversation and the questions will be spoken only once. After each question there will be a
38、 pause. During the pause, you must read the four choices marked A, B, C and D, and decide which is the best answer. （ A） They dont have room for any more volunteers. （ B） He hopes the story will raise money for the newspaper. （ C） More people need to get involved in the campaign. （ D） Voter registra
39、tion is controversial on campus. （ A） Nothing. （ B） To check out books from the library. （ C） To see a movie and write a paragraph. （ D） To read the next chapter in the textbook. （ A） John should not talk to Bill anymore. （ B） John should take Bills remarks seriously. （ C） John should tell Bill not
40、to think negatively. （ D） John should pay little attention to what Bill says. （ A） Try to operate the program. （ B） Wait for the manual. （ C） Ask the woman about a nice place to go running. （ D） Place an order from the menu. （ A） Take a taxi. （ B） See the show some other night. （ C） Get there on hor
41、se. （ D） Walk to the theatre. （ A） He has some work to do. （ B） The woman is going to do that. （ C） His boss is coming to see him. （ D） He doesnt feel like eating any bread today. （ A） By car. （ B） By plane. （ C） By train. （ D） By bus. （ A） Make a phone call. （ B） Go on a business tour. （ C） Read a
42、book. （ D） Rent an office. （ A） The TV program. （ B） The appearance of Elizabeth. （ C） The mans headache. （ D） The mid-term examination. （ A） He has nothing to do at that time. （ B） He just wants to have a break. （ C） He doesnt have math stuff. （ D） He gets a hundred on the last test. （ A） To study
43、together. （ B） To go to Elizabeths room. （ C） To call Elizabeth. （ D） To watch TV together. （ A） Her taking improper sleeping medications. （ B） Her having unusual stress lately. （ C） Her having a poor digestion. （ D） Her having insufficient physical activities. （ A） going regularly to a gym. （ B） ta
44、king the right medicine. （ C） keeping a close watch on her weight. （ D） taking walking regularly. （ A） The woman should go in for vigorous exercise to lose extra weight. （ B） The woman should sign up at a gym to improve sleeping. （ C） The woman should get more exercise and a healthy diet to ease her
45、 complaints. （ D） The woman should deal with the unusual stress in her life on her own. （ A） The patient has no stress in her life. （ B） The patient suffers from stress in her work, life and finances. （ C） The patient is very busy and does not have enough time for sleep. （ D） The biggest problem wit
46、h the patient is her tack of physical exercise. Section B Directions: In this section, you will hear 3 short passages. At the end of each passage, you will hear some questions. Both the passage and the questions will be spoken only once. After you hear a question, you must choose the best answer fro
47、m the four choices marked A, B, C and D. （ A） Many students try to study the whole night before an exam. （ B） Sleep may improve memory. （ C） Exams may harm memory. （ D） Sleep can improve listening ability. （ A） Sleep can strengthen memories. （ B） Sleep can recover memories. （ C） Sleep can protect me
48、mories against interference. （ D） Sleep can harm memories. （ A） Its similar to playing notes on a piano. （ B） It requires a nights sleep. （ C） Its similar to the way a computer stores information. （ D） It requires no sleep. （ A） Two. （ B） Three. （ C） Four. （ D） Five. （ A） Business success takes a hi
49、gh level of activity. （ B） Top managers are generally gifted at judging people. （ C） Business success takes the ability m cope with stress. （ D） Different executives make their communications come through in different ways. （ A） Be unable to breathe. （ B） Be overcome by pressure. （ C） Become speechless. （ D） Be scared by pressure. （ A） Ways to control New Yorks population. （ B） The growth of New Yorks population. （ C） The structure of New Yorks population. （ D） Ways to increase New Yorks popu
