1、自考英语（二）模拟试卷 40 及答案与解析一、阅读判断0 They Say Irelands the BestIreland is the best place in the world to live for 2005 , according to a life quality ranking (排名) that appeared in Britain s Economist magazine last week.The ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the world is based on the princip
2、le that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction and well-being.The index of 111 countries uses data on incomes, health, unemployment, climate, political stability Job security, gender (性别) equality as well as what the magazine calls “freedom, family and community life“.Despite the bad w
3、eather, troubled health service, traffic congestion(拥挤) , gender inequality, and the high cost of living, Ireland scored an impressive 8. 33 points out of 10.That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which managed 8. 07. Zimbabwe troubled by political insecurity and hunger, is rated the gl
4、oomiest (最差的) ,picking up only 3. 89 points.“Although rising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued,“ the report said, “some of the factors associated with modernization such as the breakdown in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a positive impact.“
5、Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain warm elements of the old, such as stable family and community life. “The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would
6、 have their critics.No. 2 on the list is Switzerland. The other nations in the top 10 are Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden, Australia, Iceland, Italy, Denmark and Spain.The UK is positioned at No. 29, a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics.
7、 The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP after Luxembourg, took the 13th place in the survey. China was in the lower half of the league at 60th.1 For 2,005 years, Ireland has been the best place for humans to live in.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given2 Level of education is a measure of life
8、quality.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given3 Cost of living in Ireland is pretty high.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given4 Family life in Zimbabwe is not stable.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given5 Breakdown in family values does not affect the happiness level.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given6 Ireland is positioned at N
9、o. 1 because it combines the most desirable elements of the new with some good elements of the old.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given7 Modernization does not necessarily contribute to high quality of life.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given8 Many people criticize the magazine s survey on life quality.（A）True（B
10、） False（C） Not Given9 To measure life quality is easy.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given10 The United States of America is among the top 10 countries.（A）True（B） False（C） Not Given二、阅读选择10 Skyscrapers and EnvironmentIn the late 1960s, many people in North America turned their attention to environmental pr
11、oblems, and new steel-and-glass skyscrapers were widely criticized. Ecologists pointed out that a cluster of tall buildings in a city often overburdens public transportation and parking lot capacities.Skyscrapers are also lavish consumers, and wasters, of electric power. In one recent year, the addi
12、tion of 17 million square feet of skyscraper office space in New York City raised the peak daily demand for electricity by 120,000 kilowattsenough to supply the entire city of Albany, New York, for a day.Glass-walled skyscrapers can be especially wasteful. The heat loss (or gain) through a wall of h
13、alf-inch plate glass is more than ten times that through a typical masonry wall (砌筑墙) filled with insulation board (隔热板) . To lessen the strain on heating and air-conditioning equipment, builders of skyscrapers have begun to use double-glazed panels of glass, and reflective glasses coated with silve
14、r or gold mirror films that reduce glare as well as heat gain. However, mirror-walled skyscrapers raise the temperature of the surrounding air and affect neighboring buildings.Skyscrapers put a severe strain on a citys sanitation facilities, too. If fully occupied, the two World Trade Center towers
15、in New York City would alone generate 2. 25 million gallons of raw sewage each yearas much as a city the size of Stanford, Connecticut, which has a population of more than 109,000.11 The main purpose of the passage is to_.（A）discuss the advantages and disadvantages of skyscrapers（B） compare skyscrap
16、ers with other modern structures（C） describe skyscrapers and their effect on the environment（D）illustrate various architectural designs of skyscrapers12 According to the passage, what is one disadvantage of skyscrapers that have mirrored walls?（A）The exterior surrounding air is heated.（B） The buildi
17、ng materials are very expensive.（C） Construction time is increased.（D）Extra air-conditioning equipment is needed.13 According to the passage, which aspect of skyscrapers were some residents of North America concerned with in the late 1960s?（A）The poor reception of radio and TV signals.（B） The remova
18、l of trees and grass from building sites.（C） The harmful effects on the citys plans.（D）The obstruction of air traffic.14 Which of the following groups would the skyscraper issue most concern?（A）Electricians.（B） Environmentalists.（C） City planners.（D）Television viewers.15 Which of the following is tr
19、ue according to the passage?（A）Skyscrapers provide more usable space than other buildings.（B） The skyscrapers first appeared in the late 1960s.（C） Where there are skyscrapers, television reception is poor.（D）The two World Trade Center towers are skyscrapers.三、概括段落大意和补全句子15 Soot(烟灰) and Snow: a Hot C
20、ombinationNew research from NASA scientists suggests emissions (释放) of black soot alter the way sunlight reflects off snow. According to a computer simulation (模拟), black soot may be responsible for 25 percent of observed global warming over the past century.Soot in the higher latitudes(纬度) of the E
21、arth, where ice is more common, absorbs more of the sun s energy and warmth than an icy, white background. Dark-colored black carbon, or soot, absorbs sunlight, while lighter colored ice reflects sunlight.Soot in areas with snow and ice may play an important role in climate change. Also, if snow and
22、 ice covered areas begin melting, the warming effect increases, as the soot becomes more concentrated on the snow surface. “This provides a positive feedback, as glaciers and ice sheet smelt, they tend to get even dirtier,“ said Dr. James Hansen, a researcher at NASA s Goddard Institute for Space St
23、udies, New York. Hansen found soot s effect on snow albedo (反照率) (solar energy reflected back to space) , which may be contributing to trends toward early springs in the Northern Hemisphere, such as thinning Arctic sea ice, melting glaciers and permafrost(永冻层). Soot also is believed to play a role i
24、n changes in the atmosphere above the oceans and land.“ Black carbon reduces the amount of energy reflected by snow back into space, thus heating the snow surface more than if there were no black carbon,“ Hansen said. Soot s increased absorption of solar energy is especially effective in warming the
25、 world s climate. “ This forcing is unusually effective, causing twice as much global warming as a carbon-dioxide (二氧化碳) forcing of the same magnitude (量，大小) ,“ Hansen noted.Hansen cautioned, although the role of soot in altering global climate is substantial, it does not alter the fact that greenho
26、use gases are the primary cause of climate warming during the past century. Such gases are expected to be the largest climate forcing for the rest of this century.The researchers found that observed warming in the Northern Hemisphere was large in the winter and spring at middle and high latitudes. T
27、hese observations were consistent with the researchers climate model simulations, which showed some of the largest warming effects occurred when there were heavy snow cover and sufficient sunlight.A. Soots Role in Climate Changes Above Oceans and LandB. Observations of Warming in the Northern Hemisp
28、hereC. Explanation of Increased Warming Effect Caused by SootD. Black Soot in Snow and Icy Areas Leading to Climate ChangeE. Black Soot Contributing to Global WarmingF. Greenhouse Gases as the Main Factor of Global Warming16 Paragraph 17 Paragraph 18 Paragraph 19 Paragraph 20 Paragraph 20 A. produce
29、s much more global warming than a carbon-dioxide forcing of the same magnitudeB. contributed to 25 percent of observed global warmingC. winter and springD. the warming effects increaseE. still surpass soot in warming the worlds climate during the last centuryF. can he seen mostly in the Northern Hem
30、isphere21 In the twentieth century, soot _.22 If snow and ice covered areas begin melting, _.23 A soot forcing is unusually effective, which _.24 Hansen cautioned that greenhouse gases_.25 Warming in the Northern Hemisphere was large in _at middle and high latitudes.四、填句补文25 Presidential ElectionsPr
31、esidential election is an important event that happens once every four years. Currently, the president is always elected from one of the two main parties in the United States: the Republicans and the Democrats. There are other presidential candidates. However, it is unlikely that any of these “third
32、 party“ candidates will win.【T1】_In order to become the presidential nominee (候选人 ) of a party, the candidate must win the primary election. Primary elections are held throughout each state in the United States in the first half of any election year. Then, the delegates attend their party convention
33、 (政党代表大会 ) in order to nominate their chosen candidate. Usually, its clear who will be the nominee. However, in the past parties have been divided and choosing a nominee has been a difficult process.Once the nominees have been selected, they campaign throughout the country. A number of debates are u
34、sually held in order to better understand the candidates points of view.【T2】_ A party platform is best described as the general beliefs and policies that a party holds. Candidates cross the country by plane, bus, train or by car giving speeches.【T3】_ In the 19th century candidates would stand on tre
35、e stumps to deliver their speeches. These stump speeches repeat the candidates basic views and wishes for the country. They are repeated many hundreds of times by each candidate.Many people believe that campaigns in the United States have become too negative.【T4】_ These short ads contain sound bites
36、 which often distort (扭曲) the truth.The United States maintains an extremely old, and some say inefficient, voting system. This system is called the Electoral College (总统选举团 ). Each state is assigned electoral votes based on the number of senators (参议院) and representatives that state has in Congress
37、.【T5】_ The number of representatives is determined by the states population, but is never less than one. The electoral votes are decided by the popular vote in each state. One candidate wins all of the electoral votes in a state. In other words, Oregon has 8 electoral votes. If 1 million people vote
38、 for the Republican candidate and one million and ten people vote for the Democratic candidate, all 8 electoral votes will go to the democratic candidate. In the end, many people feel that this system should be abandoned.A. Each night you can see many attack ads on the television.B. These speeches a
39、re often called “stump speeches“.C. These points of view often reflect their partys platform.D. It certainly hasnt happened in the last one hundred years.E. Each state has two Senators.F. Parliamentary and presidential elections should then follow.26 【T1】27 【T2】28 【T3】29 【T4】30 【T5】五、填词补文30 Preservi
40、ng Nature for FutureDemands for stronger protection for wildlife in Britain sometimes hide the fact that similar needs are felt in the rest of Europe. Studies by the Council of Europe have【B1】_ that 45 per cent of reptile (爬行动物) species and 24 per cent of butterflies (蝴蝶 ) are in【B2】_ of dying out.E
41、uropean concern for wildlife was outlined by Dr. Peter Baum, an expert in the environment and natural resources division of the council, when he spoke at a conference arranged by the administrators of a British national park. The【B3】_ is one of the few areas in Europe to hold the councils diploma(证书
42、)for nature reserves (自然保护区) , he was【B4】_ that public opinion was turning against national parks, and that those set up in the 1960s and 1970s could not be【B5】_ up today.“No area could be expected to survive both as a true【B6 】_ reserve and as a tourist attraction, “he went on. The short-sighted vi
43、ew that reserves had to serve【B7】_ human demands for outdoor recreation should be【B8】_ by full acceptance of their importance as places to preserve nature for the future.“We forget that they are the guarantee of life systems, on which any built-up area ultimately depends.“ Dr. Baum went on. “We coul
44、d manage without most【B9】_ products, but we could not manage without nature. However, our natural environment areas, which are the original parts of our countryside, have shrunk (缩小) to mere islands in a spoiled and【B10】_ polluted landmass. “A. natureB. heavilyC. immediateD. setE. shownF. saidG. afr
45、aidH. industrialI. replacedJ. parkK. danger L. risk31 【B1 】32 【B2 】33 【B3 】34 【B4 】35 【B5 】36 【B6 】37 【B7 】38 【B8 】39 【B9 】40 【B10 】六、完形补文40 Problems Caused by Using ComputersLong hours at the screen can cause【C1】_ (ache) eyes,【C2】_ (blur) vision and headaches, experts say. In fact, eyestrain surpas
46、ses even wrist pain as the top physical【C3】_ (complain) among heavy computer users. When peering into the computer screen, the eye s focusing muscle is at constant tension. Like any muscle, it feels sore when【C4】_ (overload). And when someone spends a lot of time looking at something close, the eye
47、muscle can get【C5 】_ (stick) on the near-focus setting and have difficulty relaxing, leaving the person【C6 】_ (temporary) nearsighted, a condition called accommodative spasm (痉挛) that can last seconds or hours. The letters on the screen are not as clearly【C7】_ (define) as on a printed page. Take a m
48、agnifying glass to your monitor and youll see the letters, each made up of pinpoint sources of light, have no sharp edges. But those liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors, like those found on laptop computers, are【 C8】_ (easy) on the eyes because they display sharper images. And studies have shown t
49、hat when people are working on a computer, their rate of【C9】_ (blink) goes down by two-thirds, which can result in dry, stinging eyes. This is especially a problem for contact-lenses【C10 】_ (wear).41 【C1 】42 【C2 】43 【C3 】44 【C4 】45 【C5 】46 【C6 】47 【C7 】48 【C8 】49 【C9 】50 【C10 】七、短文写作51 天津的一项调查发现，98的高校生和 92的小学生都把周末用来做作业。请根据这个调查说明你的看法，写一篇 150 词左右的英文短文。自考英语（二）模拟试卷 40 答案与解析一、阅读判断1 【正确答案】 B【试题
