1、雅思（阅读）历年真题试卷汇编 20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. Thomas Young The Last True Know-It-All Thomas Young(1773-1829)contributed 63 articles to the Encyclopedia Britannica, including 46 biographical entries(mostly on scientists and
2、classicists)and substantial essays on “Bridge,“ “Chromatics,“ “Egypt,“ “Languages“ and “Tides“. Was someone who could write authoritatively about so many subjects a polymath, a genius or a dilettante? In an ambitious new biography, Andrew Robinson argues that Young is a good contender for the epitap
3、h “the last man who knew everything.“ Young has competition, however: The phrase, which Robinson takes for his title, also serves as the subtitle of two other recent biographies: Leonard Warrens 1998 life of paleontologist Joseph Leidy(1823-1891)and Paula Findlens 2004 book on Athanasius Kircher(160
4、2-1680), another polymath. Young, of course, did more than write encyclopedia entries. He presented his first paper to the Royal Society of London at the age of 20 and was elected a Fellow a week after his 21st birthday. In the paper, Young explained the process of accommodation in the human eye on
5、how the eye focuses properly on objects at varying distances. Young hypothesised that this was achieved by changes in the shape of the lens. Young also theorised that light traveled in waves and he believed that, to account for the ability to see in color, there must be three receptors in the eye co
6、rresponding to the three “principal colors“ to which the retina could respond: red, green, violet. All these hypotheses were subsequently proved to be correct. Later in his life, when he was in his forties, Young was instrumental in cracking the code that unlocked the unknown script on the Rosetta S
7、tone, a tablet that was “found“ in Egypt by the Napoleonic army in 1799. The stone contains text in three alphabets: Greek, something unrecognisable and Egyptian hieroglyphs. The unrecognisable script is now known as demotic and, as Young deduced, is related directly to hieroglyphic. His initial wor
8、k on this appeared in his Britannica entry on Egypt. In another entry, he coined the term Indo-European to describe the family of languages spoken throughout most of Europe and northern India. These are the landmark achievements of a man who was a child prodigy and who, unlike many remarkable childr
9、en, did not disappear into oblivion as an adult. Born in 1773 in Somerset in England, Young lived from an early age with his maternal grandfather, eventually leaving to attend boarding school. He had devoured books from the age of two, and through his own initiative he excelled at Latin, Greek, math
10、ematics and natural philosophy. After leaving school, he was greatly encouraged by his mothers uncle, Richard Brock-lesby, a physician and Fellow of the Royal Society. Following Brocklesbys lead, Young decided to pursue a career in medicine. He studied in London, following the medical circuit, and t
11、hen moved on to more formal education in Edinburgh, Gottingen and Cambridge. After completing his medical training at the University of Cambridge in 1808, Young set up practice as a physician in London. He soon became a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and a few years later was appointed ph
12、ysician at St. Georges Hospital. Youngs skill as a physician, however, did not equal his skill as a scholar of natural philosophy or linguistics. Earlier, in 1801, he had been appointed to a professorship of natural philosophy at the Royal Institution, where he delivered as many as 60 lectures in a
13、year. These were published in two volumes in 1807. In 1804 Young had become secretary to the Royal Society, a post he would hold until his death. His opinions were sought on civic and national matters, such as the introduction of gas lighting to London and methods of ship construction. From 1819 he
14、was superintendent of the Nautical Almanac and secretary to the Board of Longitude. From 1824 to 1829 he was physician to and inspector of calculations for the Palladian Insurance Company. Between 1816 and 1825 he contributed his many and various entries to the Encyclopedia Britan-nica, and througho
15、ut his career he authored numerous books, essays and papers. Young is a perfect subject for a biography perfect, but daunting. Few men contributed so much to so many technical fields. Robinsons aim is to introduce non-scientists to Youngs work and life. He succeeds, providing clear expositions of th
16、e technical material(especially that on optics and Egyptian hieroglyphs). Some readers of this book will, like Robinson, find Youngs accomplishments impressive; others will see him as some historians have as a dilettante. Yet despite the rich material presented in this book, readers will not end up
17、knowing Young personally. We catch glimpses of a playful Young, doodling Greek and Latin phrases in his notes on medical lectures and translating the verses that a young lady had written on the walls of a summerhouse into Greek elegiacs. Young was introduced into elite society, attended the theatre
18、and learned to dance and play the flute. In addition, he was an accomplished horseman. However, his personal life looks pale next to his vibrant career and studies. Young married Eliza Maxwell in 1804, and according to Robinson, “their marriage was a happy one and she appreciated his work.“ Almost a
19、ll we know about her is that she sustained her husband through some rancorous disputes about optics and that she worried about money when his medical career was slow to take off. Very little evidence survives about the complexities of Youngs relationships with his mother and father. Robinson does no
20、t credit them, or anyone else, with shaping Youngs extraordinary mind. Despite the lack of details concerning Youngs relationships, however, anyone interested in what it means to be a genius should read this book. Questions 1-7 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading
21、Passage 1? In boxes 1-7 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 The last man who knew everything has also been claimed to other people. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 2
22、 All Youngs articles were published in Encyclopedia Britannica. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 3 Like others, Young wasnt so brilliant when growing up. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 4 Youngs talent as a doctor surpassed his other skills. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 5 Youngs advice was sought by people respo
23、nsible for local and national issues. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 6 Young was interested in various social pastimes. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 7 Young suffered from a disease in his later years. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） Not Given 7 Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER
24、from the passage for each answer. 8 How many life stories did Young write for the Encyclopedia Britannica? 9 What aspect of scientific research did Young focus on in his first academic paper? 10 What name did Young introduce to refer to a group of languages? 11 Who inspired Young to start his medica
25、l studies? 12 Where did Young get a teaching position? 13 What contribution did Young make to London? 13 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. Antarctica - in from the cold? A A little over a century ago, men of the ilk of Scott, Shackleton
26、 and Mawson battled against Antarcticas blizzards, cold and deprivation. In the name of Empire and in an age of heroic deeds they created an image of Antarctica that was to last well into the 20th century an image of remoteness, hardship, bleakness and isolation that was the province of only the mos
27、t courageous of men. The image was one of a place removed from everyday reality, of a place with no apparent value to anyone. B As we enter the 21st century, our perception of Antarctica has changed. Although physically Antarctica is no closer and probably no warmer, and to spend time there still de
28、mands a dedication not seen in ordinary life, the continent and its surrounding ocean are increasingly seen to be an integral part of Planet Earth, and a key component in the Earth System. Is this because the world seems a little smaller these days, shrunk by TV and tourism, or is it because Antarct
29、ica really does occupy a central spot on Earths mantle? Scientific research during the past half century has revealed and continues to revealthat Antarcticas great mass and low temperature exert a major influence on climate and ocean circulation, factors which influence the lives of millions of peop
30、le all over the globe. C Antarctica was not always cold. The slow break-up of the super-continent Gondwana with the northward movements of Africa, South America, India and Australia eventually created enough space around Antarctica for the development of an Antarctic Circumpolar Current(ACC), that f
31、lowed from west to east under the influence of the prevailing westerly winds. Antarctica cooled, its vegetation perished, glaciation began and the continent took on its present-day appearance. Today the ice that overlies the bedrock is up to 4km thick, and surface temperatures as low as -89.2deg C h
32、ave been recorded. The icy blast that howls over the ice cap and out to sea the so-called katabatic wind can reach 300 km/hr, creating fearsome wind-chill effects. D Out of this extreme environment come some powerful forces that reverberate around the world. The Earths rotation, coupled to the gener
33、ation of cells of low pressure off the Antarctic coast, would allow Astronauts a view of Antarctica that is as beautiful as it is awesome. Spinning away to the northeast, the cells grow and deepen, whipping up the Southern Ocean into the mountainous seas so respected by mariners. Recent work is show
34、ing that the temperature of the ocean may be a better predictor of rainfall in Australia than is the pressure difference between Darwin and Tahiti the Southern Oscillation Index. By receiving more accurate predictions, graziers in northern Queensland are able to avoid overstocking in years when rain
35、fall will be poor. Not only does this limit their losses but it prevents serious pasture degradation that may take decades to repair. CSIRO is developing this as a prototype forecasting system, but we can confidently predict that as we know more about the Antarctic and Southern Ocean we will be able
36、 to enhance and extend our predictive ability. E The oceans surface temperature results from the interplay between deep-water temperature, air temperature and ice. Each winter between 4 and 19 million square km of sea ice form, locking up huge quantities of heat close to the continent. Only now can
37、we start to unravel the influence of sea ice on the weather that is experienced in southern Australia. But in another way the extent of sea ice extends its influence far beyond Antarctica. Antarctic krill the small shrimplike crustaceans that are the staple diet for baleen whales, penguins, some sea
38、ls, flighted sea birds and many fish breed well in years when sea ice is extensive and poorly when it is not. Many species of baleen whales and flighted sea birds migrate between the hemispheres and when the krill are less abundant they do not thrive. F The circulatory system of the worlds oceans is
39、 like a huge conveyor belt, moving water and dissolved minerals and nutrients from one hemisphere to the other, and from the oceans abyssal depths to the surface. The ACC is the longest current in the world, and has the largest flow. Through it, the deep flows of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oce
40、ans are joined to form part of a single global thermohaline circulation. During winter, the howling katabatics sometimes scour the ice off patches of the seas surface leaving large ice-locked lagoons, or polynyas. Recent research has shown that as fresh sea ice forms, it is continuously stripped awa
41、y by the wind and may be blown up to 90km in a single day. Since only fresh water freezes into ice, the water that remains becomes increasingly salty and dense, sinking until it spills over the continental shelf. Cold water carries more oxygen than warm water, so when it rises, well into the norther
42、n hemisphere, it reoxygenates and revitalises the ocean. The state of the northern oceans, and their biological productivity, owe much to what happens in the Antarctic. Questions 14-18 Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct le
43、tter, A-F, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet. 14 The example of a research on building weather prediction for agriculture 15 An explanation of how Antarctic sea ice brings back oceans vitality 16 The description of a food chain that influences animals living pattern 17 The reference of an extreme
44、temperature and a cold wind in Antarctica 18 The reference of how Antarctica was once thought to be a forgotten and insignificant continent 18 Match the natural phenomenon with the correct determined factor. Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 19-21 on your answer sheet. A Antarctic Circumpolar
45、Current(ACC)B katabatic winds C rainfall D temperature E glaciers F pressure 19 Globally, Antarcticas massive size and_ would influence our climate. 20 _circulated under contributory force from wind blowing from the west. 21 The ocean temperature and index based on air pressure can help predict _in
46、Australia. 21 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet. 22 In paragraph B, the author intends to （ A） show Antarctica has been a central topic of global warming discussion in Mass media. （ B） illustrate how its huge sea ice brings food to
47、millions of lives in the world. （ C） emphasise the significance of Antarctica to the global climate and ocean currents. （ D） illustrate the geographical location of Antarctica as the central spot on Earth. 23 Why should Australian formers keep an eye on the Antarctic ocean temperature? （ A） It can h
48、elp farmers reduce their economic loss. （ B） It allows for recovery of grassland lost to overgrazing. （ C） It can help to prevent animals from dying （ D） It enables astronauts to have a clear view of the Antarctic continent. 24 The decrease in the number of whales and seabirds is due to （ A） killer
49、whales activity around Antarctica. （ B） the correlation between sea birds migration and the salinity level of the ocean. （ C） the lower productivity of food source resulting from less sea ice. （ D） the failure of seals to produce babies. 25 What is the final effect of the katabatic winds? （ A） Increasing the moving speed of ocean current （ B） Increasing the salt level near ocean surface （ C） Bringing fresh ice into the oceans （ D） Piling up the mountainous ice cap respected by mariners 26 What factor drives Antarctic water to move beyond the
