1、大学英语六级（阅读）模拟试卷 18及答案与解析 Section B Directions: There are 2 passages in this section. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A, B, C and D. You should decide on the best choice. 0 The news about the worlds oceans in 2003 wasn
2、t that theyre in trouble that much was already clear but that the scale of devastation is far greater than anyone had realized. A shocking study revealed that a full 90 percent of the species most desirable to fishmongers(鱼商 ) tuna, halibut, sharks, swordfish, grouper has been wiped out in the past
3、half century. But there was hopeful news as well. An alternative to conventional fishing practices, while not a cure-all(万灵药 ), could significantly restore ravaged fish populations. The chilling centerpiece of last years marine research: just 50 years of industrial fishing has decimated(大批杀害 )the wo
4、rlds large predator(食肉动物 )fish species, according to a report published in Nature in May. Irresponsible fishing practices have resulted severe casualties: Shrimp trawling(拖网捕捞 )in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, a reckless process in which, for every ton of shrimp obtained, three tons of fin-fish(长
5、须鲸 )are destroyed and discarded has shrunk large fish stocks a thousandfold. “Across the board weve removed everything bigger than a bicycle from the o-cean,“ says Steve Palumbi, a Stanford University biologist, “and that has almost certainly changed the ocean in fundamental ways. “ But the urgent n
6、eed for large-scale conservation efforts is on a collision course with economic pressures to expand fishing even further, according to a 2003 report by the Pew Oceans Commission, an independent expert panel, as well as preliminary reports from members of the Bush-appointed U. S. commission on Ocean
7、Policy. Americans are eating more seafood than ever: Consumption was up 7 percent in 2002, to 4. 5 billion pounds. Worldwide, more than 130 billion pounds of marine species are caught annually, and that doesnt include the huge amount of sea life destroyed as by-catch. More than a billion people rely
8、 on fish for protein. “ We need to change the whole ethic of how we are viewing the oceans,“ says Andrew Rosenberg, a member of the Commission on Ocean Policy, “ from a place that we use to a place we care for. “ In September marine biologists Fiona Gell and Callum Roberts of the University of York
9、in England offered a solution, boldly asserting that at least 30 percent of the worlds ocean habitat had to become safe zones for marine life. Its a practical, not a sentimental matter, they contend. After studying 60 no-fishing zones around the world, Gell and Roberts discovered that the fish there
10、 live longer, grow larger, and produce more young than those in unprotected areas. Significantly, as populations growing, many fish head into less crowded areas outside the reserve, where fishermen reap the benefits indefinitely. “Its a no-brainer(无需用脑的事 ), really, isnt it?“ Roberts observes. “Like
11、money in the bank producing interest. “ 1 Whats the news about the oceans in 2003? （ A） People ignore what the oceans are suffering. （ B） The scale of the ocean devastation is out of our expectation. （ C） The fishmongers are making effort to improve their fishing practices. （ D） The oceans are losin
12、g many rare species. 2 What is the alternative to conventional fishing practices according to the passage? （ A） Setting up an ocean reserve which bans heavy fishing. （ B） Banning and opening fishing by turning around the world. （ C） Limiting the total amount of fishing of all the countries. （ D） Set
13、ting up more no-fishing zones around the world. 3 The author mentions Americas increasing seafood consumption to show_. （ A） the different life styles the Americans have （ B） U. S. should be blamed for the devastation of oceans （ C） how high the economic pressures on ocean reserves are （ D） the grea
14、t influence of human life on natural surroundings 4 Why are finfish destroyed in the process of shrimp trawling in the Gulf of Mexico? （ A） They are by-catch. （ B） They are dangerous. （ C） They grow too big. （ D） They have no economic value. 5 What does Roberts mean by “ Like money in the bank produ
15、cing interest“(Line 9, Para. 4)? （ A） Fish of outside the reserve dont meet the need. （ B） The reserve will surely benefit fishermen. （ C） Marine life is of great worth, as money in bank. （ D） We should love marine species as money. 5 Would some degree of warming be bad for most societies and natura
16、l environments? “During the 20th century, “ writes Dr. Patrick Michaels, “we have already proceeded more than half way to doubling the natural carbon dioxide greenhouse effect. Here is what resulted: Life expectancy doubled in the free and developed world. The developing world is catching up as thei
17、r emissions rise. Corn production peracre increased fivefold. The growing season in the coldest latitudes increased slightly, but enough to increase greenness by 10 percent. “ The small amount of warming that occurred during the past century consisted primarily of increased minimum temperatures at n
18、ight and during winters. This means higher average temperatures, should they occur, would not result in more daytime evaporation, which some claim would lead to droughts and desertification. Warmer winters would mean longer growing seasons and less stress on most plants and wildlife, producing a sub
19、stantial benefit for the global ecosystem. Finally, past warming has been accompanied by increased cloudiness, a phenomenon also predicted by most global climate models. This means a warmer world would probably be a wetter world, which once again would be beneficial to most plant and animal life. Ex
20、-Vice President Al Gore claimed that “ hundreds of millions of people may well become even more susceptible to the spread of diseases when populations of pests, germs, and viruses migrate with the changing climate patterns“. Gore has also claimed that global warming will cause floods, droughts, heav
21、y rainfall, forest fires, retreating glaciers, and heavier snowfall. In addition to often being at odds with each other, Gores claims are at odds with most scientific research. The two historical epidemics described by Gore to validate his prediction were unrelated to climate change. The Black Death
22、, for example, was transmitted by rats, which flourish in cool as well as warm climates. Cholera has been a threat in warm as well as cold climates, and is readily brought under control by treating water supplies with chlorine(氯 ). The latest research suggests that sea levels would decline, not rise
23、, if temperatures rise, due to increased evaporation from the oceans and subsequent precipitation over land. Increasing polar temperatures by a few degrees would not cause ice or snow to melt because the original temperatures are so low that an increase of a few degrees would leave them well below f
24、reezing. The IPCC itself found “ inadequate data to determine whether consistent global changes in climate variability or weather extremes have occurred over the 20th century,“ with some regions exhibiting greater variability and others less. In short, a slightly warmer world would probably be green
25、er and a little cloudier than our world today, but otherwise not much different. 6 Whats Dr. Patrick Michaels opinion towards global warming? （ A） It can prolong the grow season in the low latitudes. （ B） It will shorten peoples life span. （ C） Some degree of it can benefit human. （ D） Some degree o
26、f it can cause a reduction in grain yield. 7 The author may didnt agree that the temperature rise can result in_. （ A） sea-level change （ B） droughts and decertification （ C） the promotion of food production （ D） longer growing seasons 8 According to the third paragraph,_. （ A） with the changing cli
27、mate people began to transmit an infection （ B） Gores claim is identical to most scientific research （ C） the raging of the Black Death was due to the global warming （ D） the author thinks that Gores claim itself is contradictory 9 Which of the following may happen if temperatures rise according to
28、the latest research? （ A） The polar icecap may dissolve. （ B） The sea levels may rise. （ C） People may be more susceptible to more disease. （ D） There may be more plants. 10 The authors intention in writing this passage is to tell us that_. （ A） our world is becoming warmer and warmer （ B） we should
29、 take measures to control global warming to save our world （ C） global warming is threatening our lives （ D） a slightly rising of temperature wouldnt ruin our life 10 The energy crisis, which is being felt around the world, has dramatized how the reckless despoiling(掠夺 )of the earths resources has b
30、rought the whole world to brink of disaster. The overdevelopment of motor transport, with its spiral of more cars, more highway, more pollution, more suburbs, more commuting , has contributed to the near-destruction of our cities, the disintegration of the family, and the pollution not only of local
31、 air, but also of the earths atmosphere. The catastrophe has arrived in the form of the energy crisis. Our present situation is unlike war, revolution, or depression. It is also unlike the great natural catastrophes of the past. Worldwide resources exploitation and energy use have brought us to a st
32、ate where long-range planning is crucial. What we need is not a continuation of our present perilous state, which endangers the future of our country, our children, and our earth, but a movement forward to a new norm in order to work rapidly and effectively on planetary problems. This country has be
33、en reeling under the continuing exposures of loss of moral integrity and the revelation that lawbreaking has reached into the highest places in the land. There is a strong demand for moral reinvigoration and for some commitment that is vast enough and yet personal enough to enlist the loyalty of all
34、. In the past it has been only in a war in defense of their own country and their own ideals that any people have been able to invoke a total commitment. This is the first time that we have been asked to defend ourselves and what we hold dear in cooperation with all the other inhabitants of this pla
35、net, who share with us the same endangered air and the same endangered oceans. There is a common need to reas-sess our present course, to change that course, and to devise new methods through which the world can survive. This is a priceless opportunity. To grasp it, we need a widespread understandin
36、g of nature of the crisis confronting us and the world a crisis that is no passing inconvenience, nobly-product of the ambitions of the oil-producing countries, no figment(虚构的事物 )of environmentalists fears, no byproduct of any present system of government. What we face is the outcome of the inventio
37、n of the last four hundred years. What we need is a transformed lifestyle. This new life style can flow directly from science and technology, but its acceptance depends on an overriding commitment to a higher quality of life for the worlds children future generation. 11 Which of the following direct
38、ly leads to the near-destruction of our cities? （ A） The worldwide resources exploitation. （ B） The contaminate atmosphere of the earth. （ C） The overdevelopment of motor transport. （ D） The disintegration of the family. 12 What does the author think is the proper way to deal with our present situat
39、ion? （ A） Controlling the development of motor transport. （ B） Keeping the present state and let nature take its causes. （ C） Narrowing down resources exploitation and energy use. （ D） Making out a new norm to aim at planetary problem-solving. 13 Whats the similarity between the defense for countrie
40、s and our own ideals in the past and this defense for ourselves? （ A） Both of them need a total commitment. （ B） Both of them need cooperation with others. （ C） Both of them need moral reinvigoration （ D） Both of them need fund support. 14 To deal with the energy crunch, why do we attach importance
41、to cooperate with all the other inhabitants of the world? （ A） Because they can offer money to us. （ B） Because they have the past experience. （ C） Because they share the same environmental problem with us. （ D） Because they have methods to handle the problem. 15 What commitment does the speaker fee
42、l people must make now? （ A） Searching for new energy sources. （ B） Outlawing motor transportation. （ C） Accepting a new lifestyle. （ D） Adopting a new form of government. 15 Every year U. S. growers shower crops with an estimated 971 million pounds of pesticides, mostly to kill insects and weeds. B
43、ut pesticide residues linger on crops and the surrounding soil, leaching into groundwater, running into streams and getting gobbled up by wildlife. The constant chemical trickle is an old worry for environmentalists. In the mid-1990s agribusinesses(农业综合企业 )began advertising GM seeds that promised to
44、 reduce a farmers use of toxic pesticides. Today most GM crops mainly soybean, corn and cotton contain genes enabling them to either resist insect pests or tolerate weed-killing herbicides(除草剂 ). The insect-resistant varieties make their own insecticide, a property meant to reduce the need for chemi
45、cal sprays. The herbicidetoler-ant types survive when exposed to broad-spectrum weed killers, potentially allowing farmers to forgo more poisonous chemicals that target specific weed species. Farmers like to limit the use of more hazardous pesticides when they can, but GM crops also hold appeal beca
46、use they simplify operations(reducing the frequency and complexity of pesticide applications)and, in some cases, increase yields. But confirming environmental benefit is tricky. Virtually no peer-reviewed papers have addressed such advantages, which would be expected to vary from plant to plant and
47、place to place. Some information is available, however. According to the U. S. Department of Agriculture, farmers who plant herbicidetolerant crops do not necessarily use fewer sprays, but they do apply a more benign mix of chemicals. Insect-resistant crops also bring mixed benefits. To date, insect
48、 resistance has been provided by a gene from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis(Bt). This gene directs cells to manufacture a crystalline protein that is toxic to certain insects but does not harm other organisms. The toxin gene in different strains of Bt can affect different mixes of insects
49、, so seed makers can select the version that seems best suited to a particular crop. Defining the environmental risks of GM crops seems even harder than calculating their benefits. At the moment, public attention is most trained on Bt crops, thanks to several negative studies. Regulators, too, are surveying the risks intensely. This spring or summer the EPA is expected to issue major new guidelines for Bt crops, ordering seed producers to show more thoroughly that the crops can be planted safely and monitored in farm fields. In
