1、雅思（阅读）历年真题试卷汇编 10及答案与解析 0 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below. Going Nowhere Fast THIS is ludicrous! We can talk to people anywhere in the world or fly to meet them in a few hours. We can even send probes to other planets. But when it comes
2、to getting around our cities, we depend on systems that have scarcely changed since the days of Gottlieb Daimler. In recent years, the pollution belched out by millions of vehicles has dominated the debate about transport. The problem has even persuaded Californiathat home of car cultureto curb traf
3、fic growth. But no matter how green they become, cars are unlikely to get us around crowded cities any faster. And persuading people to use trains and buses will always be an uphill struggle. Cars, after all, are popular for very good reasons, as anyone with small children or heavy shopping knows. S
4、o politicians should be trying to lure people out of their cars, not forcing them out. Theres certainly no shortage of alternatives. Perhaps the most attractive is the concept known as personal rapid transit(PRT), independently invented in the US and Europe in the 1950s. The idea is to go to one of
5、many stations and hop into a computer-controlled car which can whisk you to your destination along a network of guideways. You wouldnt have to share your space with strangers, and with no traffic lights, pedestrians or parked cars to slow things down, PRT guideways can carry far more traffic, nonsto
6、p, than any inner city road. Its a wonderful vision, but the odds are stacked against PRT for a number of reasons. The first cars ran on existing roads, and it was only after they became popularand after governments started earning revenue from themthat a road network designed specifically for motor
7、 vehicles was built. With PRT, the infrastructure would have to come firstand that would cost megabucks. Whats more, any transport system that threatened the cars dominance would be up against all those with a stake in maintaining the status quo, from private car owners to manufacturers and oil mult
8、inationals. Even if PRTs were spectacularly successful in trials, it might not make much difference. Superior technology doesnt always triumph, as the VHS versus Betamax and Windows versus Apple Mac battles showed. But “dual-mode“ systems might just succeed where PRT seems doomed to fail. The Danish
9、 RUF system envisaged by Palle Jensen, for example, resembles PRT but with one key difference: vehicles have wheels as well as a slot allowing them to travel on a monorail, so they can drive off the rail onto a normal road. Once on a road, the occupant would take over from the computer, and the RUF
10、vehiclethe term comes from a Danish saying meaning to “go fast“would become an electric car. Build a fast network of guideways in a busy city centre and people would have a strong incentive not just to use public RUF vehicles, but also to buy their own dual-mode vehicle. Commuters could drive onto t
11、he guideway, sit back and read as they are chauffeured into the city. At work, they would jump out, leaving their vehicles to park themselves. Unlike PRT, such a system could grow organically, as each network would serve a large area around it and people nearby could buy into it. And a dual-mode sys
12、tem might even win the support of car manufacturers, who could easily switch to producing dual-mode vehicles. Of course, creating a new transport system will not be cheap or easy. But unlike adding a dedicated bus lane here or extending the underground railway there, an innovative system such as Jen
13、sens could transform cities. And its not just a matter of saving a few minutes a day. According to the Red Cross, more than 30 million people have died in road accidents in the past centurythree times the number killed in the First World Warand the annual death toll is rising. And whats more, the Re
14、d Cross believes road accidents will become the third biggest cause of death and disability by 2020, ahead of diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis. Surely we can find a better way to get around? Questions 1-6 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In box
15、es 1-6 on your answer sheet, write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 1 City transport developed slower than other means of communication. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 2 The pollution caused
16、by city transport has been largely ignored. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 3 Most states in America have taken actions to reduce vehicle growth. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 4 Public transport is particularly difficult to use on steep hills. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 5 Private cars are much more convenie
17、nt for those who tend to buy a lot of things during shopping. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 6 Government should impose compulsory restrictions on car use. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 6 Classify the following descriptions as referring to A PRT only B RUF only C both PRT and RUF Write the correct letter,
18、A, B, or C in boxes 7-12 on your answer sheet. 7 It is likely to be resisted by both individuals and manufacturers. 8 It can run at high speed in cities. 9 It is not necessary to share with the general public. 10 It is always controlled by a computer. 11 It can run on existing roads. 12 It can be bo
19、ught by private buyers. 13 Choose THREE letters, A-G. Write the correct letters in box 13 on your answer sheet. Which THREE of the following are advantages of the new transport system? A economy B space C low pollution D suitability for families E speed F safety G suitability for children 13 You sho
20、uld spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. THE SEEDHUNTERS With Quarter of the worlds plants set to vanish within the next 50 years, Dough Alexander reports on the scientists working against the clock to preserve the Earths botanical heritage. They trav
21、el the four corners of the globe, scouring jungles, forests and savannas. But theyre not looking for ancient artefacts, lost treasure or undiscovered tombs. Just pods. It may lack the romantic allure of archaeology, or the whiff of danger that accompanies going after big game, but seed hunting is an
22、 increasingly serious business. Some seek seeds for profit hunters in the employ of biotechnology firms, pharmaceutical companies and private corporations on the lookout for species that will yield the drugs or crops of the future. Others collect to conserve, working to halt the sad slide into extin
23、ction facing so many plant species. Among the pioneers of this botanical treasure hunt was John Tradescant, an English royal gardener who brought back plants and seeds from his journeys abroad in the early 1600s. Later, the English botanist Sir Joseph Banks who was the first director of the Royal Bo
24、tanic Gardens at Kew and travelled with Captain James Cook on his voyages near the end of the 18th century was so driven to expand his collections that he sent botanists around the world at his own expense. Those heady days of exploration and discovery may be over, but they have been replaced by a p
25、ressing need to preserve our natural history for the future. This modern mission drives hunters such as Dr Michiel van Slageren, a good-natured Dutchman who often sports a wide-brimmed hat in the field he could easily be mistaken for the cinematic hero Indiana Jones. He and three other seed hunters
26、work at the Millennium Seed Bank, an 80million international conservation project that aims to protect the worlds most endangered wild plant species. The groups headquarters are in a modern glass-and-concrete structure on a 200-hectare estate at Wakehurst Place in the West Sussex countryside. Within
27、 its underground vaults are 260 million dried seeds from 122 countries, all stored at -20 Celsius to survive for centuries. Among the 5,100 species represented are virtually all of Britains 1,400 native seed-bearing plants, the most complete such collection of any countrys flora. Overseen by the Roy
28、al Botanic Gardens, the Millennium Seed Bank is the worlds largest wild-plant depository. It aims to collect 24,000 species by 2010. The reason is simple: thanks to humanitys efforts, an estimated 25 per cent of the worlds plants are on the verge of extinction and may vanish within 50 years. Were cu
29、rrently responsible for habitat destruction on an unprecedented scale, and during the past 400 years, plant species extinction rates have been about 70 times greater than those indicated by the geological record as being normal. Experts predict that during the next 50 years a further one billion hec
30、tares of wilderness will be converted to farmland in developing countries alone. The implications of this loss are enormous. Besides providing staple food crops, plants are a source of many medicines and the principal supply of fuel and building materials in many parts of the world. They also protec
31、t soil and help regulate the climate. Yet, across the globe, plant species are being driven to extinction before their potential benefits are discovered. The World Conservation Union has listed 5,714 threatened plant species worldwide, but it admits this is only scratching the surface. With only fou
32、r per cent of the worlds described plants having been evaluated, the true number of threatened species is sure to be much higher. In the UK alone, 300 wild plant species are classified as endangered. The Millennium Seed Bank aims to ensure that even if a plant becomes extinct in the wild, it wont be
33、 lost forever. Stored seeds can be used to help restore damaged or destroyed environments or in scientific research to find new benefits for society in medicine, agriculture or local industry that would otherwise be lost. Seed banks are an insurance policy to protect the worlds plant heritage for th
34、e future, explains Dr Paul Smith, another Kew seed hunter. “Seed conservation techniques were originally developed by farmers,“ he says. “Storage is the basis of what we do, conserving seeds until you can use them just as in farming.“ Smith says theres no reason why any plant species should become e
35、xtinct, given todays technology. But he admits that the biggest challenge is finding, naming and categorising all the woods plants. And someone has to gather these seeds before its too late. “There arent a lot of people out there doing this,“ he says. “The key is to know the flora from a particular
36、area, and that knowledge takes years to acquire.“ There are about 1,470 seed banks scattered around the globe, with a combined total of 5.4 million samples, of which perhaps two million are distinct non-duplicates. Most preserve genetic material for agricultural use in order to ensure crop diversity
37、; others aim to conserve wild species, although only 15 per cent of all banked plants are wild. Many seed banks are themselves under threat due to a lack of funds. Last year, Imperial College, London, examined crop collections from 151 countries and found that while the number of plant samples had i
38、ncreased in two thirds of the countries, budgets had been cut in a quarter and remained static in another 35 per cent. The UNs Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research has since set up the Global Conservation Trust, which aims to raise US$26
39、0 million( 156 million)to protect seed banks in perpetuity. Questions 14-18 Complete the summary below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage. Write your answers in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet. People collect seeds for different purposes: some collect to protect certain species from【 R
40、1】_; others collect seeds for their potential to produce【 R2】 _. They are called the seed hunters. The【 R3】 _of them included both gardeners and botanists, such as【 R4】 _, who sponsored collectors out of his own pocket. The seeds collected are often stored in seed banks. The most famous among them i
41、s known as the Millennium Seed Bank, where seeds are all stored in the【 R5】 _at low temperature. 14 【 R1】 15 【 R2】 16 【 R3】 17 【 R4】 18 【 R5】 18 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes 19-24 on your answer sheet, write TRUE if the statement agrees
42、with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this 19 The reason to collect seeds is different from the past. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 20 The Millennium Seed Bank is one of the earliest seed banks. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 21 A ma
43、jor reason for plant species extinction is farmland expansion. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 22 The method scientists use to store seeds is similar to that used by farmers. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 23 Technological development is the only hope to save plant species. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 24 The
44、works of seed conservation are often limited by insufficient financial resources. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 24 Choose TWO letters, A-E. Write the correct letters in boxes 25 and 26 on your answer sheet. Which TWO of the following are provided by plants to the human world? A food B artefact C treasu
45、re D energy E clothes 26 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below. Assessing the Risk How do we judge whether it is right to go ahead with a new technology? Apply the precautionary principle properly and you wont go far wrong, says Colin Tudge.
46、Section 1 As a title for a supposedly unprejudiced debate on scientific progress, “Panic attack: interrogating our obsession with risk“ did not bode well. Held last week at the Royal Institution in London, the event brought together scientists from across the world to ask why society is so obsessed
47、with risk and to call for a “more rational“ approach. “We seem to be organising society around the grandmotherly maxim of better safe than sorry,“ exclaimed Spiked, the online publication that organised the event. “What are the consequences of this overbearing concern with risks?“ The debate was pre
48、ceded by a survey of 40 scientists who were invited to describe how awful our lives would be if the “precautionary principle“ had been allowed to prevail in the past. Their response was: no heart surgery or antibiotics, and hardly any drugs at all; no aeroplanes, bicycles or high-voltage power grids
49、; no pasteurisation, pesticides or biotechnology; no quantum mechanics; no wheel; no “discovery“ of America. In short, their message was: no risk, no gain. They have absolutely missed the point. The precautionary principle is a subtle idea. It has various forms, but all of them generally include some notion of cost-effectiveness. Thus the point is not simply to ban things that are not known to be absolutely safe. Rather, it says: “Of course you can make no progress without risk. But if there is no obvious gai
