第四部分：閱讀理解(第31～45題，每題3分，共45分)
下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道題，每題后面有4個(gè)選項(xiàng)。請(qǐng)仔細(xì)閱讀短文并根據(jù)短文回答其后面的問(wèn)題，從4個(gè)選項(xiàng)中選擇1個(gè)最佳答案涂在答題卡相應(yīng)的位置上。
第一篇
Eiffel Is an Eyeful
Some 300 meters up, near the Eiffel Tower's wind-whipped summit the world comes to scribble. Japanese, Brazilians. Americans-they graffiti their names, loves and politics on the cold iron-transforming the most French of monuments into symbol of a world on the move.
With Pairs laid out in miniature below, it seems strange that visitors would rather waste time marking their presence than admiring the view. But the graffiti also raises a question: Why, nearly 114 years after it was completed, and decades after it ceased to be the world's tallest structure, is the Tour Eiffel still so popular?
The reasons are as complex as the iron work that graces a structure some 90 stories high. But part of the answer is, no doubt, its agelessness, regularly maintained, it should never rust away. Graffiti is regularly painted over, but the tower lives on.
“Eiffel represents Paris and Paris is France. It is very symbolic,” says Hugues Richard, a 31-year-old Frenchman who holds the record for cycling up to the tower's second floor-747 steps in 19 minutes and 4 seconds, without touching the floor with his feet. “It's iron lady, it inspires us,” he says.
But to what? After all, the tower doesn't have a purpose. It ceased to be the world's tallest in 1930 when the Chrysler Building went up in New York. Yes, television and radio signals are beamed from the top, and Gustave Eiffel, a frenetic builder who died on December 27, aged 91, used its height for conducting research into weather, aerodynamics and radio communication.
But in essence the tower inspires simply by being there-a blank canvas for visitors to make of it what they will. To the technically minded, it's an engineering triumph. For lovers, it's romantic.
“The tower will outlast all of us, and by a long way,” says Isabelle Esnous, whose company manages Eiffel Tower.
31 Why does the author think the Eiffel Tower is transformed into symbol of a world of the move? ____________
A Tourists from all over the world come to the Eiffel Tower by car or by plane.
B Tourists of all nationalities come to scribble on the cold iron of the tower.
C The Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in the world.
D The Eiffel Tower represents all the towers in the world.
32 What seems strange to the author? ____________
A Visitors prefer wasting time scribbling to enjoying the view.
B Visitors spends much time watching other people scribbling.
C Only Japanese, Brazilians and Americans like to mark their presence.
D Scribbling spread from country to country.
33 Which statements is NOT true of Hugues Richard? ____________
A He is a cyclist.
B He is a record holder.
C He climbed 747 steps up the tower in 19 minutes and 4 seconds.
D He cycled up to the tower's second floor.
34 What did the builder use the Eiffel Tower for? ____________
A Sending radio and television signals all over the world.
B Conducting research in various fields.
C Giving people inspiration.
D Demonstrating French culture.
35 Which of the following is nearest in meaning to “(The Eiffel Tower is like) a blank canvas for visitors to make of it what they will”?____________
A Visitors can do whatever they want on the tower.
B Visitors can paint on the tower whatever they want.
C Visitors can imagine freely what the tower represents.
D Visitors can draw on a blank canvas provided by the Tower management company.
第二篇
Investment and Consumption
Investment in the public sector, such as electricity, irrigation, public services and transport (excluding vehicles, ships and planes) increased by about 10%, although the emphasis moved to the transport and away from the other sectors mentioned. Trade and services recorded a 16 % ～17 % investment growth, including a 30 % increase in investment in business premises. Industrial investment is estimated to have risen by 8%. Although the share of agriculture in total gross investment in the economy continued to decline, investment grew by 9 % in absolute equipment. Housing construction had 12% more invested in it in 1964, not so much owing to increased demand, as to fears of new taxes and limitation of building.
Total consumption in real terms rose by close on 11% during 1964, and per capita personal consumption by under 7 %, as in 1963. The undesirable trend towards a rapid rise in consumption, evident in previous years, remained unaltered. Since at current prices consumption rose by 16 % and disposable income by 13 %, there was evidently a fall in the rate of saving in the private sector of the economy. Once again consumption patterns indicated a swift advance in the standard of living. Expenditure on food declined in significance, although consumption of fruit increased. Spending on furniture and household equipment, health, education and recreation continued to increase. The greatest proof of altered living standards was the rapid expansion of expenditure on transport (including private cars) and personal services of all kinds, which occurred during 1964. The progressive wealth of large sectors of the public was demonstrated by the changing composition of durable goods purchased. Saturation (飽和) point was rapidly being approached for items such as the first household radio, gas cookers, and electric refrigerators, whereas increasing purchases of automobiles and television sets were registered.
36 From this passage, we learn that people ____________.
A spent more money than they earned
B saved more money than previously
C invested and consumed at an accelerated pace
D spent their money wisely
37 The author thinks that the trend towards a rapid rise in consumption was “undesirable”because ____________.
A expenditure on luxuries increased
B people were wealthy
C people consumed less
D people saved less
38 Expenditure increased on all the following EXCEPT ____________.
A food
B automobiles
C education
D entertainment
39 It can be inferred from the increase of fruit consumption that ___________.
A people had to spend more on transportation and furniture
B the price of fruit dropped dramatically
C people were more money conscious
D people were more healthy conscious
40 The word "registered" in the last line most probably means ____________.
A marked
B approached
C listed
D booked
第三篇
The Effects of Global Warming on Weather
There are hidden factors which scientists call “feedback mechanisms”. No one knows quite how they will interact with the changing climate. Here's one example: plants and animals adapt to climate change over centuries. At the current estimate of half a degree centigrade of warming per decade, vegetation (植物) may not keep up. Climatologist James Hansen predicts climate zones will shift toward the poles by 50 to 75 kilometres a year—faster than trees can naturally migrate. Species that find themselves in an unfamiliar environment will die. The 1000-kilometer-wide strip of forest running through Canada, the USSR and Scandinavia could be cut by half. Millions of dying trees would soon lead to massive forest fires, releasing tons of CO2 and further boosting global warming.
There are dozens of other possible “feedback mechanism”. Higher temperatures will fuel condensation and increase cloudiness, which may actually damp down global warming. Others, like the “albedo” effect, will do the opposite. The “albedo” effect is the amount of solar energy reflected by the earth's surface. As northern ice and snow melts and the darker sea and land pokes (戳) through, more heat will be absorbed, adding to the global temperature increase.
Even if we were to magically stop all greenhouse-gas emissions tomorrow the impact on global climate would continue for decades. Delay will simply make the problem worse. The fact is that some of us are doing quite well the way things are. In developed world prosperity has been built on 150 years of cheap fossil fuels.
Material progress has been linked to energy consumption. Today 75 percent of all the world's energy is consumed by a quarter of the world's population. The average rich-world resident adds about 3.2 tons of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere, more than four times the level added by each Third World citizen. The US, with just seven per cent of the global population, is responsible for 22 per cent of global warming.
41 “Feedback mechanisms” in paragraph 1 most probably refer to ____________.
A how plants and animals adapt to hidden factors
B how plants and animals interact with the changing climate
C how climate changes
D how climate zones shift
42 We can learn from the passage that ____________.
A some feedback mechanisms may slow down global warming
B the basic facts of global warming are unknown
C developing countries benefit from cheap fossil fuels
D developed countries have decided to reduce their energy consumption
43 James Hansen predicts that the shift of climate zones will be accompanied by ____________.
A the cutting of many trees
B desirable environmental changes
C successful migration of species
D unsuccessful migration of trees
44 It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.
A the developing world has decided to increase its energy consumption
B a third-world citizen adds less than a ton of CO2 yearly to the atmosphere
C the world climate would soon gain its balance if we stopped greenhouse gas emissions
D future prosperity of the world is dependent on cheap fossil fuels
45 Which of the following is the main topic of the passage? ____________
A Impact of global warming on climate.
B Prosperity and cheap fossil fuels.
C Material progress and energy consumption.
D Plants and animals in the changing climate.
