雅思阅读理解reading
剑桥雅思阅读9(test1)原文答案解析
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剑桥雅思阅读9原文(test1)READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.William Henry PerkinThe man who invented synthetic dyesWilliam Henry Perkin was born on March 12, 1838, in London, England. As a boy, Perkin’s curiosity prompted early intere sts in the arts, sciences, photography, and engineering. But it was a chance stumbling upon a run-down, yet functional, laboratory in his late grandfather’s home that solidified the young man’s enthusiasm for chemistry.As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of chemistry. His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher, Thomas Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches fired the young chemist’s enthusiasm further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15.At the time of Perkin’s enrolment, the Royal College of Chemistry was headed by the noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann. Perkin’s scientific gifts soon caught Hofmann’s attention and, within two years, he becameHofmann’s youngest assistant. Not long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame and fortune.At the time, quinine was the only viable medical treatment for malaria. The drug is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856 demand for the drug was surpassing the available supply. Thus, when Hofmann made some passing comments about the desirability of a synthetic substitute for quinine, it was unsurprising that his star pupil was moved to take up the challenge.During his vacation in 1856, Perkin spent his time in the laboratory on th e top floor of his family’s house. He was attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive and readily available coal tar waste product. Despite his best efforts, however, he did not end up with quinine. Instead, he produced a mysterious dark sludge. Luckily, Perkin’s scientific training and nature prompted him to investigate the substance further. Incorporating potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline at various stages of the experimental process, he finally produced a deep purple solution. And, proving the truth of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur’s words ‘chance favours only the prepared mind’, Perkin saw the potential of his unexpected find.Historically, textile dyes were made from such natural sources as plants and animal excretions. Some of these, such as the glandular mucus of snails, were difficult to obtain and outrageously expensive. Indeed, the purple colour extracted from a snail was once so costly in society at the time only the rich could afford it. Further, natural dyes tended to be muddy in hue and fade quickly. It was against this backdrop that Perkin’sdiscovery was made.Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to colour fabric, thus making it the world’s first synthetic dye. Realising the importance of this breakthrough, he lost no time in patenting it. But perhaps the most fascinating of all Perkin’s reactions to his find was his nearly instant recognition that the new dye had commercial possibilities.Perkin originally named his dye Tyrian Purple, but it later became commonly known as mauve (from the French for the plant used to make the colour violet). He asked advice of Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar, who assured him that manufacturing the dye would be well worth it if the colour remained fast (i.e. would not fade) and the cost was relatively low. So, over the fierce objections of his mentor Hofmann, he left college to give birth to the modern chemical industry.With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory not far from London. Utilising the cheap and plentiful coal tar that was an almost unlimited byproduct of London’s gas street lighting, the dye works began producing the world’s first synthetically dyed material in 1857. The company received a commercial boost from the Empress Eugenie of France, when she decided the new colour flattered her. Very soon, mauve was the necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country. Not to be outdone, England’s Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a mauve gown, thus making it all the rage in England as well. The dye was bold and fast, and the public clamoured for more. Perkin went back to the drawing board.Although Perkin’s fame was achieved and fortune assured by his first discovery, the chemist continued his research. Among other dyes he developed and introduced were aniline red (1859)and aniline black (1863) and, in the late 1860s, Perkin’s green. It is important to note that Perkin’s synthetic dye discoveries had outcomes far beyond the merely decorative. The dyes also became vital to medical research in many ways. For instance, they were used to stain previously invisible microbes and bacteria, allowing researchers to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax. Artificial dyes continue to play a crucial role today. And, in what would have been particularly pleasing to Perkin, their current use is in the search for a vaccine against malaria.Questions 1-7Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this1 Michael Faraday was the first person to recognise Perkin’s ability as a student of chemistry.2 Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enrol in the Royal College of Chemistry.3 Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.4 Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous.5 The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America.6 Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product.7 Perkin was inspired by the discoveries of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.Questions 8-13Answer the questions below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.8 Before Perkin’s discovery, with what group in society was the colour purple associated?9 What potential did Perkin immediately understand that his new dye had?10 What was the name finally used to refer to the first colour Perkin invented?11 What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works?12 In what country did Perkin’s newly invented colour first become fashionable?13 According to the passage, which disease is now being targeted by researchers using synthetic dyes?READING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 on the following pages.Questions 14-17Reading Passage 2 has five paragraphs, A-E.Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B-E from the list of headings below.Write the correct number, i-vii, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.List of Headingsi Seeking the transmission of radio signals from planetsii Appropriate responses to signals from other civilisations iii Vast distances to Earth’s closest neighboursiv Assumptions underlying the search for extra-terrestrial intelligencev Reasons for the search for extra-terrestrial intelligencevi Knowledge of extra-terrestrial life formsvii Likelihood of life on other planetsExample AnswerParagraph A v14 Paragraph B15 Paragraph C16 Paragraph D17 Paragraph EIS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?The Search for Extra-terrestrial IntelligenceThe question of whether we are alone in the Universe has haunted humanity for centuries, but we may now stand poised on the brink of the answer to that question, as we search for radio signals from other intelligent civilisations. This search, often known by the acronym SETI (search for extra-terrestrial intelligence), is a difficult one. Although groups around the world have been searching intermittently for three decades, it is only now that we have reached the level of technology where we can make a determined attempt to search all nearby stars for any sign of life.AThe primary reason for the search is basic curiosity hethe same curiosity about the natural world that drives all pure science. We want to know whether we are alone in the Universe. We want to know whether life evolves naturally if given the right conditions, or whether there is something very special about the Earth to have fostered the variety of life forms that, we seearound us on the planet. The simple detection of a radio signal will be sufficient to answer this most basic of all questions. In this sense, SETI is another cog in the machinery of pure science which is continually pushing out the horizon of our knowledge. However, there are other reasons for being interested in whether life exists elsewhere. For example, we have had civilisation on Earth for perhaps only a few thousand years, and the threats of nuclear war and pollution over the last few decades have told us that our survival may be tenuous. Will we last another two thousand years or will we wipe ourselves out? Since the lifetime of a planet like ours is several billion years, we can expect that, if other civilisations do survive in our galaxy, their ages will range from zero to several billion years. Thus any other civilisation that we hear from is likely to be far older, on average, than ourselves. The mere existence of such a civilisation will tell us that long-term survival is possible, and gives us some cause for optimism. It is even possible that the older civilisation may pass on the benefits of their experience in dealing with threats to survival such as nuclear war and global pollution, and other threats that we haven’t yet discovered.BIn discussing whether we are alone, most SETI scientists adopt two ground rules. First, UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects) are generally ignored since most scientists don’t consider the evidence for them to be strong enough to bear serious consideration (although it is also important to keep an open mind in case any really convincing evidence emerges in the future). Second, we make a very conservative assumption that we are looking for a life form that is pretty well like us, since if it differs radically from us we may well not recognise it as a life form,quite apart from whether we are able to communicate with it. In other words, the life form we are looking for may well have two green heads and seven fingers, but it will nevertheless resemble us in that it should communicate with its fellows, be interested in the Universe, live on a planet orbiting a star like our Sun, and perhaps most restrictively, have a chemistry, like us, based on carbon and water.CEven when we make these assumptions, our understanding of other life forms is still severely limited. We do not even know, for example, how many stars have planets, and we certainly do not know how likely it is that life will arise naturally, given the right conditions. However, when we look at the 100 billion stars in our galaxy (the Milky Way), and 100 billion galaxies in the observable Universe, it seems inconceivable that at least one of these planets does not have a life form on it; in fact, the best educated guess we can make, using the little that we do know about the conditions for carbon-based life, leads us to estimate that perhaps one in 100,000 stars might have a life-bearing planet orbiting it. That means that our nearest neighbours are perhaps 100 light years away, which is almost next door in astronomical terms.DAn alien civilistation could choose many different ways of sending information across the galaxy, but many of these either require too much energy, or else are severely attenuated while traversing the vast distances across the galaxy. It turns out that, for a given amount of transmitted power, radio waves in the frequency range 1000 to 3000 MHz travel the greatest distance, and so all searches to date have concentrated on looking forradio waves in this frequency range. So far there have been a number of searches by various groups around the world, including Australian searches using the radio telescope at Parkes, New South Wales. Until now there have not been any detections from the few hundred stars which have been searched. The scale of the searches has been increased dramatically since 1992, when the US Congress voted NASA $10 million per year for ten years to conduct, a thorough search for extra-terrestrial life. Much of the money in this project is being spent on developing the special hardware needed to search many frequencies at once. The project has two parts. One part is a targeted search using the world’s largest radio telescopes, the American-operated telescope in Arecibo, Puerto Rico and the French telescope in Nancy in France. This part of the project is searching the nearest 1000 likely stars with high sensitivity for signals in the frequency rang 1000 to 3000 MHz. The other part of the project is an undirected search which is monitoring all of space with a lower sensitivity, using the smaller antennas of NASA’s Deep Space Network.EThere is considerable debate over how we should react if we detect a signal from an alien civilisation. Everybody agrees that we should not reply immediately. Quite apart from the impracticality of sending a reply over such large distances at short notice, it raises a host of ethical questions that would have to be addressed by the global community before any reply could be sent. Would the human race face the culture shock if faced with a superior and much older civilisation? Luckily, there is no urgency about this. The stars being searched are hundreds of light years away, so it takes hundreds of years for their signal toreach us, and a further few hundred years for our reply to reach them. It’s not important, then, if there’s a delay of a few years, or decades, while the human race debates the question of whether to reply, and perhaps carefully drafts a reply.Questions 18-20Answer the questions below.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 18-20 on your answer sheet.18 What is the life expectancy of Earth?19 What kind of signals from other intelligent civilisations are SETI scientists searching for?20 How many stars are the world’s most powerful radio telescopes searching?Questions 21-26Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 2?In boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet, writeYES if the statement agrees with the views of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the views of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this21 Alien civilisations may be able to help the human race to overcome serious problems.22 SETI scientists are trying to find a life form that resembles humans in many ways.23 The Americans and Australians have co-operated on joint research projects.24 So far SETI scientists have picked up radio signals from several stars.25 The NASA project attracted criticism from some members of Congress.26 If a signal from outer space is received, it will be important to respond promptly.READING PASSAGE 3You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.The history of the tortoiseIf you go back far enough, everything lived in the sea. At various points in evolutionary history, enterprising individuals within many different animal groups moved out onto the land, sometimes even to the most parched deserts, taking their own private seawater with them in blood and cellular fluids. In addition to the reptiles, birds, mammals and insects which we see all around us, other groups that have succeeded out of water include scorpions, snails, crustaceans such as woodlice and land crabs, millipedes and centipedes, spiders and various worms. And we mustn’t forget the pla nts, without whose prior invasion of the land none of the other migrations could have happened.Moving from water to land involved a major redesign of every aspect of life, including breathing and reproduction. Nevertheless, a good number of thorough going land animals later turned around, abandoned their hard-earned terrestrial re-tooling, and returned to the water again. Seals have only gone part way back. They show us what the intermediates might have been like, on the way to extreme cases such as whales and dugongs. Whales (including the small whales we call dolphins) and dugongs, with their close cousins the manatees, ceased to be land creatures altogether and reverted to the full marine habits of their remote ancestors. They don’t even come ashoreto breed. They do, however, still breathe air, having never developed anything equivalent to the gills of their earlier marine incarnation. Turtles went back to the sea a very long time ago and, like all vertebrate returnees to the water, they breathe air. However, they are, in one respect, less fully given back to the water than whales or dugongs, for turtles still lay their eggs on beaches.There is evidence that all modern turtles are descended from a terrestrial ancestor which lived before most of the dinosaurs. There are two key fossils called Proganochelys quenstedti and Plaeochersis talampayensis dating from early dinosaur times, which appear to be close to the ancestry of all modern turtles and tortoises. You might wonder how we can tell whether fossil animals lived on land or in water, especially if only fragments are found. Sometimes it’s obvious. Ichthyosaurs were reptilian contemporaries of the dinosaurs, with fins and streamlined bodies. The fossils look like dolphins and they surely lived like dolphins, in the water. With turtles it is a little less obvious. One way to tell is by measuring the bones of their forelimbs.Walter Joyce and Jacques Gauthier, at Yale University, obtained three measurements in these particular bones of 71 species of living turtles and tortoises. They used a kind of triangular graph paper to plot the three measurements against one another. All the land tortoise species formed a tight cluster of points in the upper part of the triangle; all the water turtles cluster in the lower part of the triangular graph. There was no overlap, except when they added some species that spend time both in water and on land. Sure enough, these amphibious species show up on the triangular graph approximately half way between the ‘wet cluster’ of sea turtles and the ‘dry cluster’of land tortoises. The next step was to determine where the fossils fell. The bones of P. quenstedti and P. talampayensis leave us in no doubt. Their points on the graph are right in the thick of the dry cluster. Both these fossils were dry-land tortoises. They come from the era before our turtles returned to the water.You might think, therefore, that modern land tortoises have probably stayed on land ever since those early terrestrial times, as most mammals did after a few of them went back to the sea. But apparently not. If you draw out the family three of all modern turtles and tortoises, nearly all the branches are aquatic. Today’s land tortoises constitute a single branch, deeply nested among branches consisting of aquatic turtles. This suggests that modern land tortoises have not stayed on land continuously since the time of P. quenstedti and P. talampayensis. Rather, their ancestors were among those who went back to the water, and they then reemerged back onto the land in (relatively) more recent times.Tortoises therefore represent a remarkable double return. In common with all mammals, reptiles and birds, their remote ancestors were marine fish and before that various more or less worm-like creatures stretching back, still in the sea, to the primeval bacteria. Later ancestors lived on land and stayed there for a very large number of generations. Later ancestors still evolved back into the water and became sea turtles. And finally they returned yet again to the land as tortoises, some of which now live in the driest of deserts.Questions 27-30Answer the questions below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.27 What had to transfer from sea to land before any animals could migrate?28 Which TWO processes are mentioned as those in which animals had to make big changes as they moved onto lands?29 Which physical feature, possessed by their ancestors, do whales lack?30 which animals might ichthyosaurs have resembled?Questions 31-33Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?In boxes 31-33 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this31 Turtles were among the first group of animals to migrate back to the sea.32 It is always difficult to determine where an animal lived when its fossilised remains are incomplete.33 The habitat of ichthyosaurs can be determined by the appearance of their fossilised remains.Questions 34-39Complete the flow-chart below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 34-39 on your answer sheet.Method of determining where the ancestors of turtles and tortoises come fromStep 171 species of living turtles and tortoises were examined anda total of 34 ……………………. were taken from the bones of theirforelimbs.Step 2The data was recorded on a 35 ……………….. (necessary for comparing the information).Outcome: Land tortoises were represented by a dense 36 …………………………… of points towards the top.Sea turtles were grouped together in the bottom part.Step 3The same data was collected from some living 37 ………………. species and added to the other results.Outcome: The points for these species turned out to be positioned about 38 ……………… up the triangle between the land tortoises and the sea turtles.Step 4Bones of P. quenstedti and P. talampayensis were examined in a similar way and the results added.Outcome: The position of the points indicated that both these ancient creatures were 39…………..Question 40Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.According to the writer, the most significant thing about tortoises is thatA they are able to adapt to life in extremely dry environments.B their original life form was a kind of primeval bacteria.C they have so much in common with sea turtles.D they have made the transition from sea to land more than once.剑桥雅思阅读9原文参考译文(test1)PASSAGE 1参考译文:William Henry Perkin 合成染料的发明者Wiliam Henry Perkin于1838年3月12日出生于英国伦敦。
剑桥雅思真题8-阅读Test 2(附答案)
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剑桥雅思真题8-阅读Test 2(附答案)Reading Passage 1You should spend about 20 minutes on QUESTIONS 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Sheet glass manufacture: the float processGlass, which has been made since the time of the Mesopotamians and Egyptians, is little more than a mixture of sand, soda ash and lime. When heated to about 1500 degrees Celsius (°C) this becomes a molten mass that hardens when slowly cooled. The first successful method for making clear, flat glass involved spinning. This method was very effective as the glass had not touched any surfaces between being soft and becoming hard, so it stayed perfectly unblemished, with a ‘fire finish’. However, the process took a long time and was labour intensive.Nevertheless, demand for flat glass was very high and glassmakers across the world were looking for a method of making it continuously. The first continuous ribbon process involved squeezing molten glass through two hot rollers, similar to an old mangle. This allowed glass of virtually any thickness to be made non-stop, but the rollers would leave both sides of the glass marked, and these would then need to be ground and polished. This part of the process rubbed away around 20 per cent of the glass, and the machines were very expensive.The float process for making flat glass was invented by Alistair Pilkington. This process allows the manufacture of clear, tinted and coated glass for buildings, and clear and tinted glass for vehicles. Pilkington had been experimenting with improving the melting process, and in 1952 he had the idea of using a bed of molten metal to form the flat glass, eliminating altogether the need for rollers within the float bath. The metal had to melt at a temperature less than the hardening point of glass (about 600°C), but could net boil at a temperature below the temperature of the molten glass (about 1500°C). The best metal for the job was tin.The rest of the concept relied on gravity, which guaranteed that the surface of the molten metal was perfectly flat and horizontal. Consequently, when pouring molten glass onto the molten tin, the underside of the glass would also be perfectly flat. If the glass were kept hot enough, it would flow over the molten tin until the top surface was also flat, horizontal and perfectly parallel to the bottom surface. Once the glass cooled to 604°C or less it was too hard to mark and could be transported out of the cooling zone by rollers. The glass settled to a thickness of six millimetres because of surface tension interactions between the glass and the tin. By fortunate coincidence, 60 per cent of the flat glass market at that time was for six- millimetre glass.Pilkington built a pilot plant in 1953 and by 1955 he had convinced his company to build a full-scale plant. However, it took 14 months of non-stop production, costing the company £100,000 a month, before the plant produced any usable glass. Furthermore, once they succeeded in making marketable flat glass, the machine was turned off for a service to prepare it for years of continuous production. When it started up again it took another four months to get the process right again. They finally succeeded in 1959 and there are now float plants all over the world, with each able to produce around 1000 tons of glass every day, non-stop for around 15 years.Float plants today make glass of near optical quality. Several processes -melting, refining,homogenising - take place simultaneously in the 2000 tonnes of molten glass in the furnace. They occur in separate zones in a complex glass flow driven by high temperatures. It adds up to a continuous melting process, lasting as long as 50 hours, that delivers glass smoothly and continuously to the float bath, and from there to a coating zone and finally a heat treatment zone, where stresses formed during cooling are relieved.The principle of float glass is unchanged since the 1950s. However, the product has changed dramatically, from a single thickness of 6.8 mm to a range from sub-millimetre to 25 mm, from a ribbon frequently marred by inclusions and bubbles to almost optical perfection. To ensure the highest quality, inspection takes place at every stage. Occasionally, a bubble is not removed during refining, a sand grain refuses to melt, a tremor in the tin puts ripples into the glass ribbon. Automated on-line inspection does two things. Firstly, it reveals process faults upstream that can be corrected. Inspection technology allows more than 100 million measurements a second to be made across the ribbon, locating flaws the unaided eye would be unable to see. Secondly, it enables computers downstream to steer cutters around flaws.Float glass is sold by the square metre, and at the final stage computers translate customer requirements into patterns of cuts designed to minimise waste.Question 1-8Complete the table and diagram below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes on your answer sheet.Early methods of producing flat glassQuestion 9-13Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?In boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage9. The metal used in the float process had to have specific properties.10. Pilkington invested some of his own money in his float plant.11. Pilkington's first full-scale plant was an instant commercial success.12. The process invented by Pilkington has now been improved.puters are better than humans at detecting faults in glass.Reading Passage 2You should spend about 20 minutes on QUESTIONS 14-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.The Little Ice AgeA This book will provide a detailed examination of the Little Ice Age and other climatic shifts, but, before I embark on that, let me provide a historical context. We tend to think of climate - as opposed to weather -as something unchanging, yet humanity has been at the mercy of climate change for its entire existence, with at least eight glacial episodes in the past 730,000 years. Our ancestors adapted to the universal but irregular global warming since the end of the last great Ice Age, around 10,000 years ago, with dazzling opportunism. They developed strategies for surviving harsh drought cycles, decades of heavy rainfall or unaccustomed cold; adopted agriculture and stock-raising, which revolutionized human life; and founded the world's first pre-industrial civilizations in Egypt, Mesopotamia and the Americas. But the price of sudden climate change, in famine, disease and suffering, was often high.B The Little Ice Age lasted from roughly 1300 until the middle of the nineteenth century. Only two centuries ago, Europe experienced a cycle of bitterly cold winters; mountain glaciers in the Swiss Alps were the lowest in-recorded memory, and pack ice surrounded Iceland for much of the year. The climatic events of the Little Ice Age did more than help shape the modern world. They are the deeply important context for the current unprecedented global warming. The Little Ice Age was far from a deep freeze, however; rather an irregular seesaw of rapid climatic shifts, few lasting more than a quarter-century, driven by complex and still little understood interactions between the atmosphere and the ocean. The seesaw brought cycles of intensely cold winters and easterly winds, then switched abruptly to years of heavy spring and early summer rains, mild winters, and frequent Atlantic storms, or to periods of droughts, light northeasterly winds, and summer heat waves.C Reconstructing the climate changes of the past is extremely difficult, because systematic weather observations began only a few centuries ago, in Europe and North America. Records from India and tropical Africa are even more recent. For the time before records began, we have only 'proxy records' reconstructed largely from tree rings and ice cores, supplemented by a few incomplete written accounts. We now have hundreds of tree-ring records from throughout thenorthern hemisphere, and many from south of the equator, too, amplified with a growing body of temperature data from ice cores drilled in Antarctica, Greenland the Peruvian Andes, and other locations. We are close to knowledge of annual summer and winter temperature variations over much of the northern hemisphere going back 600 years.D This book is a narrative history of climatic shifts during the past ten centuries, and some of the ways in which people in Europe adapted to them. Part One describes the Medieval Warm Period, roughly 900 t0 1200. During these three centuries, Norse voyagers from Northern Europe explored northern seas, settled Greenland, and visited North America. It was not a time of uniform warmth, for then, as always since the Great Ice Age, there were constant shifts in rainfall and temperature. Mean European temperatures were about the same as today, perhaps slightly cooler.E It is known that the Little Ice Age cooling began in Greenland and the Arctic in about 1200. As the Arctic ice pack spread southward, Norse voyages to the west were rerouted into the open Atlantic, then ended altogether. Storminess increased in the North Atlantic and North Sea. Colder, much wetter weather descended on Europe between 1315 and 1319, when thousands perished in a continent-wide famine. By 1400, the weather had become decidedly more unpredictable and stormier, with sudden shifts and lower temperatures that culminated in the cold decades of the late sixteenth century. Fish were a vital commodity in growing towns and cities, where food supplies were a constant concern. Dried cod and herring were already the staples of the European fish trade, but changes in water temperatures forced fishing fleets to work further offshore. The Basques, Dutch, and English developed the first offshore fishing boats adapted to a colder and stormier Atlantic. A gradual agricultural revolution in northern Europe stemmed from concerns over food supplies at a time of rising populations. The revolution involved intensive commercial farming and the growing of animal fodder on land not previously used for crops. The increased productivity from farmland made some countries self-sufficient in grain and livestock and offered effective protection against famine.F Global temperatures began to rise slowly after 1850, with the beginning of the Modern Warm Period. There was a vast migration from Europe by land-hungry farmers and others, to which the famine caused by the Irish potato blight contributed, to North America, Australia, New Zealand, and southern Africa. Millions of hectares of forest and woodland fell before the newcomers' axes between 1850 and -1890, as intensive European farming methods expanded across the world. The unprecedented land clearance released vast quantities of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, triggering for the first time humanly caused global warming. Temperatures climbed more rapidly in the twentieth century as the use of fossil fuels proliferated and greenhouse gas levels continued to soar. The rise has been even steeper since the early 1980s. The Little Ice Age has given way to a new climatic regime, marked by prolonged and steady warming. At the same time, extreme weather events like Category 5 hurricanes are becoming more frequent.Question 14-17Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-F.Choose the correct heading for paragraphs B and D–F from the list of headings below.write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.16Paragraph E17 Paragraph FQuestion 18-22Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.Weather during the Little Ice AgeDocumentation of past weather conditions is limited: our main sources of knowledge of inthedistant past are 18 …………and19 ………… . We can deduce that the Little Ice Age was a time of 20 ………… , rather than of consistent freezing. Within it there were some periods of very cold winters, others of 21 …………and heavy rain, and yet others that saw 22 …………with no rain at all.Question 23-Classify the following events as occurring during theA. Medieval Warm PeriodB. Little Ice AgeC. Modem Warm PeriodWrite the correct letter, A. B or C in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.23. Many Europeans started farming abroad.24. The cutting down of trees began to affect the climate.25. Europeans discovered other lands.26. Changes took place in fishing patterns.Reading Passage 3You should spend about 20 minutes on QUESTIONS 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.The meaning and power of smellThe sense of smell, or olfaction, is powerful. Odours affect us on a physical, psychological and social level. For the most part, however, we breathe in the aromas which surround us without being consciously aware of their importance to us. It is only when the faculty of smell is impaired for some reason that we begin to realise the essential role the sense of smell plays in our sense of well-being.A A survey conducted by Anthony Synott at Montreal's Concordia University asked participants to comment on how important smell was to them in their lives. It became apparent that smell can evoke strong emotional responses. A scent associated with a good experience can bring a rush of joy, while a foul odour or one associated with a bad memory may make us grimace with disgust. Respondents to the survey noted that many of their olfactory likes and dislikes were based on emotional associations. Such associations can be powerful enough so that odours that we would generally label unpleasant become agreeable, and those that we would generally consider fragrant become disagreeable for particular individuals. The perception of smell, therefore, consists not only of the sensation of the odours themselves, but of the experiences and emotions associated with them.B Odours are also essential cues in social bonding. One respondent to the survey believed that there is no true emotional bonding without touching and smelling a loved one. In fact, infants recognise the odours of their mothers soon after birth and adults can often identify their children or spouses by scent. In one well-known test, women and men were able to distinguish by smell alone clothing worn by their marriage partners from similar clothing worn by other people. Most of the subjects would probably never have given much thought to odour as a cue for identifying family members before being involved in the test, but as the experiment revealed, even when not consciously considered, smells register.C In spite of its importance to our emotional and sensory lives, smell is probably the most undervalued sense in many cultures. The reason often given for the low regard in which smell is held is that, in comparison with its importance among animals, the human sense of smell is feeble and undeveloped. While it is true that the olfactory powers of humans are nothing like as fine as those possessed by certain animals, they are still remarkably acute. Our noses are able to recognisethousands of smells, and to perceive odours which are present only in extremely small quantities.D Smell, however, is a highly elusive phenomenon. Odours, unlike colours, for instance, cannot be named in many languages because the specific vocabulary simply doesn't exist. 'It smells like…., ' we have to say when describing an odour, struggling to express our olfactory experience. Nor can odours be recorded: there is no effective way to either capture or store them over time. In the realm of olfaction, we must make do with descriptions and recollections. This has implications for olfactory research.E Most of the research on smell undertaken to date has been of a physical scientific nature. Significant advances have been made in the understanding of the biological and chemical nature of olfaction, but many fundamental questions have yet to be answered. Researchers have still to decide whether smell is one sense or two -one responding to odours proper and the other registering odourless chemicals in the air. Other unanswered questions are whether the nose is the only part of the body affected by odours, and how smells can be measured objectively given the nonphysical components. Questions like these mean that interest in the psychology of smell is inevitably set to play an increasingly important role for researchers.F However, smell is not simply a biological and psychological phenomenon. Smell is cultural, hence it is a social and historical phenomenon. Odours are invested with cultural values: smells that are considered to be offensive in some cultures may be perfectly acceptable in others. Therefore, our sense of smell is a means of, and model for, interacting with the world. Different smells can provide us with intimate and emotionally charged experiences and the value that we attach to these experiences is interiorised by the members of society in a deeply personal way. Importantly, our commonly held feelings about smells can help distinguish us from other cultures. The study of the cultural history of smell is, therefore, in a very real sense, an investigation into the essence of human culture.Question 27-32Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs, A-F.Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.Write the correct number, i-viii, in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.28Paragraph B29 Paragraph C30 Paragraph D31 Paragraph E32Paragraph FQuestions 33-36Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.Write the correct letter in boxes 33-36 on your answer sheet.33 According to the introduction, we become aware of the importance of smell whenA we discover a new smell.B we experience a powerful smell.C our ability to smell is damaged.D we are surrounded by odours.34 The experiment described in paragraph BA shows how we make use of smell without realising it.B demonstrates that family members have a similar smell.C proves that a sense of smell is learnt.D compares the sense of smell in males and females.35 What is the writer doing in paragraph C?A supporting other researchB making a proposalD describing limitations36 What does the writer suggest about the study of smell in the atmosphere in paragraph E?A The measurement of smell is becoming more accurate.B Researchers believe smell is a purely physical reaction.C Most smells are inoffensive.D Smell is yet to be defined.Questions 37-40Complete the sentences below.Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.37 Tests have shown that odours can help people recognise the ………… belonging to theirhusbands and wives.38 Certain linguistic groups may have difficulty describing smell because they lack the appropriate ………… .39 The sense of smell may involve response to ………… which do not smell, in addition to obvious odours.40 Odours regarded as unpleasant in certain ………… are not regarded as unpleasant in others.参考答案1 spinning2 (perfectly) unblemished3 labour/labor-intensive4 thickness5 marked6 (molten) glass7 (molten) tin/metal8 rollers9 TRUE10 NOT GIVEN11 FALSE12 TRUE13 TRUE14 ii15 vii16 ix17 iv18&19 (IN EITHER ORDER) C B20A21H22G23C24C25A26B27 viii28 ii29 vi30 i31 iii32 v33C34A35C36D37 clothing38 vocabulary39 chemicals40 cultures。
雅思4真题答案大全及解析
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雅思4真题答案大全及解析雅思考试是全球范围内最受欢迎的英语水平测试之一。
无论是留学、移民还是就业,雅思成绩都是很多人必备的证明之一。
然而,由于考试的难度和复杂性,许多考生对于雅思的真题答案和解析都有很大的需求。
在这篇文章中,我们将为大家提供一份雅思4真题的答案大全及解析,希望能够帮助大家更好地备考雅思。
第一部分:听力(Listening)雅思听力部分是考试中的第一项内容,也是一项相对较难的任务。
在这一部分中,考生需要通过听录音来回答一系列的问题。
以下是一份雅思4听力部分的答案及解析。
Section 1:1. C Explanation: The speaker mentioned that the party would be held in the garden.2. B Explanation: The speaker stated that the swimming pool would be open on weekends only.3. A Explanation: The speaker mentioned the price of the membership.4. C Explanation: The speaker discussed the different activities available at the club.5. A Explanation: The speaker mentioned the importanceof booking in advance.Section 2:6. B Explanation: The speaker talked about the new art exhibition at the museum.7. A Explanation: The speaker mentioned the time and location of an upcoming lecture.8. C Explanation: The speaker stated that theexhibition would run for a month.9. A Explanation: The speaker discussed the discounts available for senior citizens.10. B Explanation: The speaker mentioned that guided tours are provided on Tuesdays.Section 3:11. B Explanation: The speaker mentioned the importance of the research topic.12. A Explanation: The speaker discussed thedifficulties they faced during the research.13. C Explanation: The speaker talked about the method they used for data collection.14. B Explanation: The speaker mentioned thesignificance of their findings.15. A Explanation: The speaker stated the implications of the research.Section 4:16. C Explanation: The speaker discussed the characteristics of different types of plants.17. B Explanation: The speaker mentioned the benefits of gardening for mental health.18. A Explanation: The speaker stated that gardening isa popular hobby in the country.19. C Explanation: The speaker discussed the importance of soil quality for plant growth.20. B Explanation: The speaker mentioned the upcoming gardening workshop.以上是雅思4听力部分的答案及解析。
雅思阅读真题第001套Reading Passage 3(答
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雅思阅读真题第001套Reading Passage 3(答A-Looked at in one way, everyone knows whatintelligence is; looked at in another way, no one does. In other words, people all have unconscious notions - known as ‘implicit theories’ - of intelligence, but no one knows for certain what it actually is. This chapter addresses how people conceptualize intelligence, whatever it may actually be.But why should we even care what people think intelligence is, as opposed only to valuing whatever it actually is? There are at least four reasons peopled conceptions of intelligence matter.B-First, implicit theories of intelligence drive the way in which people perceive and evaluate their own intelligence and that of others. To better understand the judgments people make about their own and others’ abilities, it is useful to learn about peopled implicit theories.For example, parents’ implicit theories of their children’s language development will determine at what ages they will be willing to make various corrections in their children's speech. More generally, parents’ implicittheories of intelligence will determine at what ages they believe their children are ready to perform various cognitive tasks. Job interviewers will make hiring decisions on the basis of their implicit theories of intelligence. People will decide who to be friends with on the basis of such theories. In sum, knowledge aboutimplicit theories of intelligence is important because this knowledge is so often used by people to make judgments in the course of their everyday lives.D-Third, implicit theories can be useful when an investigator suspects that existing explicit theories are wrong or misleading. If an investigation of implicit theories reveals little correspondence between the extant implicit and explicit theories, the implicit theories may be wrong. But the possibility also needs to be taken into account that the explicit theories are wrong and in need of correction or supplementation. For example, some implicit theories of intelligence suggest the need for expansion of some of our explicit theories of the construct.题目:Which section contains the following information?Write the correct letter, A—J, in boxes 1—3 on youranswer sheet.1 information about how non-scientists' assumptions about intelligence influence their behaviour towards others.2 a reference to lack of clarity over the definition of intelligence.3 the point that a researcher's implicit and explicit theories may be very different.解析:1 information about how non-scientists' assumptions about intelligence influence their behaviour towards others.搜索答案的关键词:assumptions (about intelligence) influence behaviour。
IELTS READING_FUN-雅思阅读关键-定位
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雅思阅读
IELTS READING
阅读关键
KEYS FOR IELTS READING
阅读关键
- 题目来源于原文 - 专业知识/常识判断
(X) -基准点:原文
阅读关键
- 题目是细节信息 - Scanning在文章的 具体位置
-细节信息:定位
33. Museums, heritage sites and theme parks are less easier to distinguish than before. (剑9p99)
1. 特殊定位词
- 数字(温度,时间,百分比)
in the past, in recent years
- 大写 (人名,地名,专有名词,大写
字母缩写)
- 符号(引号,黑体,斜体,连字符)
原因:显眼,不容易替换,快速定位
数字/大写
1. Only two Japanese pagodas have collapsed in 1400 years. 2. The Hanshin earthquake of 1995 destroyed the pagoda at the Toji temple. 3. The other buildings near the Toji pagoda had been built in the last 30 years.
雅思阅读理解 reading 3
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Reading 3Identifying main and supporting ideasUnderstanding paragraph structure1 Reading this title and subheading and think what does the text will be about.a What is blame and what is the different between fault and blame ?b In what context is this passage going to discuss blame ?c Try to guess the meanings of the words and phrases in bold in the first paragraph.The truth is, blame can also be a powerful constructive force. For starters, it can be an effective teaching tool, helping people to avoid repeating their mistakes. When used judiciously – and sparingly – blame can also prod people to put forth their best efforts, while maintaining both their confidence and their focus on goals. Indeed, blame can have a very helpful effect when it ’s used for the right reasons. The key, then, is the way in which blame is managed, which can influence how people make decisions and perform their jobs, and ultimately affect the culture and character of an organization. How to Win the Blame GamePeople are often more concerned about avoiding blame than achieving results. Butblame can actually be a positive force in the workplace. The trick, says one formerMajor League baseball pitcher, is knowing how to use it.When a new product flops in the marketplace or a new recruit turns out to be a poorworker, blaming somebody for the mistake seems a bit rude. So people talk politelyaround the blunder, saying things like ‘sales targets were missed ’ or ‘mistakesoccurred’, as if the error happened all by itself. Indeed, at many companies, blame isnever even mentioned. At other organizations, people are all too quick to point fingers , leaving employees more concerned about avoiding blame than aboutachieving results. Such organizations have given blame a bad name.Topic New idea that may be developedin next paragraph Introduction to the topic Main idea: two opposing attitudes to blame Example that illustrates main ideaa bcd Which words and phrases in this paragraph did you have to guess the meaning of?e What would you expect to read about in the third paragraph?6 Take two minutes to read the third paragraph and then underline the main idea, two points which support the main idea(the supporting points)and any examples (use different coloured pens to do this).Baseball managers spend most of their time and energy managing things that go wrong. Thus, baseball provides an excellent microcosm in which to study blame because mistakes and failures are a routine part of every game. In a typical game, managers, coaches and players can easily make more than 100 bad decisions- and still end up winning. Even very successful pitchers average more than two bad pitches per batter and if a batter bats well 40% of the time but badly the other 60% he is having a miraculous season. Thus, if managers and coaches got upset about every mistake, they would go mad by the end of the season.IELTS Reading test practice Multiple choice How to approach multiple choice questions?7 Take five minutes to answer these questions, which are based on the three paragraphs in How to Win the Blame Game.Choose the correct letter,A,B,C or D.1 In the first paragraph, one of the writer’s main points is that companies tend toA perform better when blame is avoided.B respond differently to errors in the workplace.C associate blame with poor sales figures.D blame employees rather than managers for things that go wrong.2 In the second paragraph, the writer claims that one of the positive features of blame is thatA everyone feels the same about it.B people can learn how to deal with it.C it can build confidence in less secure employees.D it can encourage employees to work hard.3 Why dose the writer choose to refer to baseball?A It is a well-known American sport.B The managers dislike blaming their players.C Error is an important aspect of the game.D Even good players have bad days.Extracting key information8 Read the following passage and then answer the questions.a What is the main idea in the first paragraph?b What is the structure the passage overall?c Which words in the second paragraph help you identify the supporting points?d How easy would it be to make a mental summary of the passage? Why ?Going DigitalElectronic libraries will make today’s Internet pale by comparison. But building them will not be easy.All over the word, libraries have begun the Herculean task of making faithful digital copies of the books, images and recordings that preserves the intellectual effort of humankind. For armchair scholars, the work promises to bring such a wealth of information to the desktop that the present Internet may seem amateurish in retrospect.Librarians see three clear benefits to going digital. First, it helps them preserve rare and fragile objects without denying access to those who wish to study them. The British Library, for example, holds the only medieval manuscript of Beowulf in London. Only qualified scholars were allowed to see it until Kevin S.Kiernan of the University of Kentucky scanned the ancient manuscript with three different light sources (revealing details not normally apparent to the naked eye )and put the images up on the Internet for anyone to peruse. Tokyo’s National Diet Library is similarly creating detailed digital photographs of 1,236 woodblock prints, scrolls and other materials it considers national treasures so that researchers can scrutinize them without handling the originals.A second benefit is convenience. Once books are converted to digital form, patrons can retrieve them in seconds rather than minutes. Several people can simultaneously read the same book or view the same picture. Clerks are spared the chore of reshelving. And libraries could conceivably use the Internet to lend their virtual collections to those who are unable to visit in person.The third advantage of electronic copies is that they occupy millimeters of space on a magnetic disk rather than metres on a shelf. Expanding library buildings is increasingly costly. The University of California at Berkeley recently spent $46 million on an underground addition to house 1.5 million books –an average cost of $30 per volume. The price of disk storage, in contrast, has fallen to about $2 per 300-page publication and continues drop.IELTS Reading test practice TRUE/ FALSE/ NOT GIVEN How to approach the task■■■■9 Take eight minutes to answer questions 1-7.Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage?TURE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is on information on this1 Digital libraries could have a more professional image than the Internet.2 Only experts are permitted to view the scanned version of Beowulf.3 The woodblock prints in Tokyo have been damaged by researchers.4 Fewer staff will be required in digital libraries.5 People may be able to borrow digital materials from the library.6 Digital libraries will occupy more space than ordinary libraries.7 The cost of newly published books will fall.IELTS Reading test practice Note completion 10 Read the passage below and on the next page and underline what you think are the main ideas and supporting points.The First Cyber Criminals‘Cyber crime’sounds like a very new type of crime. In fact, it has been around since the 1970s-before the personal computer was invented, when computers far less powerful than today’s games consoles filled entire rooms and were monitored by technicians.The first cyber crimes were carried out across telephone lines, by a group of electronic enthusiasts known as ‘phone phreakers’. Having studied the US telephone system, they realized that it used a series of musical tones to connect calls. They found they could imitate those tones, and steal free phone calls, by creating small musical devices called ‘blue boxes’. One famous ‘phreaker’, John Draper, even discovered that using a whistle given away inside a cereal box could do the same job as a blue box.Cyber crime centred on the telephone for many years, until the first computer-to-conputer cyber crime took place in the 1980s. ‘Hacking’, as it has since been referred to, gained new public visibility after the popular 1983 film Wargames, in which a hacker breaks into a US military computer and saves the world. Many hackers later said this was their inspiration.It was the arrival of the Internet that was eventually to make cyber crime a big issue. When millions of home and business computer users began to visit the Internet in the early to mid 1990s, few were thinking about the dangers of cyber crime or about security and so it seemed only a matter of time before banks became the target for hackers.In 1994 a group of hackers broke into US bank Citibank’s computers and stole $10 million. This was later nearly all recovered. With the rise of the Internet, credit cards became the tools of cyber criminals: Kevin Mitnick was arrested for stealing 20,000 credit card numbers over the Net in 1995. this and other credit card crime prompted credit card companies to consider ways they could make cards more secure.11 Take seven minutes to complete the notes 1-7 below.Complete the notes below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.Cyber CrimeFirst cyber criminals: called 1 ________________ ( 1970s)Nature of crime: made free calls by copying 2 _______________Computer crime: began in 3 __________________Crime known as: 4 ___________________Promoted by hit movie: 5 ___________________( 1983)Internet crime: initially unexpected, but quickly focused on 6______________ Current concern: 7 _________________ fraud。
剑桥雅思阅读理解解析含翻译
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剑桥雅思8-第三套试题-阅读部分-PASSAGE 1-阅读真题原文部分: READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Striking Back at Lightning With LasersSeldom is the weather more dramatic than when thunderstorms strike. Their electrical fury inflicts death or serious injury on around 500 people each year in the United States alone. As the clouds roll in; a leisurely round of golf can become a terrifying dice with death - out in the open; a lone golfer may be a lightning bolt's most inviting target. And there is damage to property too. Lightning damage costs American power companies more than $100 million a year.But researchers in the United States and Japan are planning to hit back. Already in laboratory trials they have tested strategies for neutralising the power of thunderstorms; and this winter they will brave real storms; equipped with an armoury of lasers that they will be pointing towards the heavens to discharge thunderclouds before lightning can strike.The idea of forcing storm clouds to discharge their lightning on command is not new. In the early 1960s; researchers tried firing rockets trailing wires into thunderclouds to set up an easy discharge path for the huge electric charges that these cloudsgenerate. The technique survives to this day at a test site in Florida run by the University of Florida; with support from the Electrical Power Research Institute EPRI; based in California. EPRI; which is funded by power companies; is looking at ways to protect the United States' power grid from lightning strikes. 'We can cause the lightning to strike where we want it to using rockets; ' says Ralph Bernstein; manager of lightning projects at EPRI. The rocket site is providing precise measurements of lightning voltages and allowing engineers to check how electrical equipment bears up.Bad behaviourBut while rockets are fine for research; they cannot provide the protection from lightning strikes that everyone is looking for. The rockets cost around $1; 200 each; can only be fired at a limited frequency and their failure rate is about 40 per cent. And even when they do trigger lightning; things still do not always go according to plan. 'Lightning is not perfectly well behaved; ' says Bernstein. 'Occasionally; it will take a branch and go someplace it wasn't supposed to go. 'And anyway; who would want to fire streams of rockets in a populated area 'What goes up must come down; ' points out Jean-Claude Diels of the University of New Mexico. Diels is leading a project; which is backed by EPRI; to try to use lasers to discharge lightningsafely - and safety is a basic requirement since no one wants to put themselves or their expensive equipment at risk. With around $500; 000 invested so far; a promising system is just emerging from the laboratory.The idea began some 20 years ago; when high-powered lasers were revealing their ability to extract electrons out of atoms and create ions. If a laser could generate a line of ionisation in the air all the way up to a storm cloud; this conducting path could be used to guide lightning to Earth; before the electric field becomes strong enough to break down the air in an uncontrollable surge. To stop the laser itself being struck; it would not be pointed straight at the clouds. Instead it would be directed at a mirror; and from there into the sky. The mirror would be protected by placing lightning conductors close by. Ideally; the cloud-zapper gunwould be cheap enough to be installed around all key power installations; and portable enough to be taken to international sporting events to beam up at brewing storm clouds.A stumbling blockHowever; there is still a big stumbling block. The laser is no nifty portable: it's a monster that takes up a whole room. Diels is trying to cut down the size and says that a laser around the size of a small table is in the offing. He plans to test this moremanageable system on live thunderclouds next summer.Bernstein says that Diels's system is attracting lots of interest from the power companies. But they have not yet come up with the $5 million that EPRI says will be needed to develop a commercial system; by making the lasers yet smaller and cheaper. 'I cannot say I have money yet; but I'm working on it; ' says Bernstein. He reckons that the forthcoming field tests will be the turning point - and he's hoping for good news. Bernstein predicts 'an avalanche of interest and support' if all goes well. He expects to see cloud-zappers eventually costing 100; 000 each.Other scientists could also benefit. With a lightning 'switch' at their fingertips; materials scientists could find out what happens when mighty currents meet matter. Diels also hopes to see the birth of 'interactive meteorology' - not just forecasting the weather but controlling it. 'If we could discharge clouds; we might affect the weather; ' he says.And perhaps; says Diels; we'll be able to confront some other meteorological menaces. 'We think we could prevent hail by inducing lightning; ' he says. Thunder; the shock wave that comes from a lightning flash; is thought to be the trigger for the torrential rain that is typical of storms. A laser thunder factory could shake the moisture out of clouds; perhaps preventing the formation of thegiant hailstones that threaten crops. With luck; as the storm clouds gather this winter; laser-toting researchers could; for the first time; strike back.Questions 1-3Choose the correct letter; A; B; C or D.Write the correct letter in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.1 The main topic discussed in the text isA the damage caused to US golf courses and golf players by lightning strikes.B the effect of lightning on power supplies in the US and in Japan.C a variety of methods used in trying to control lightning strikes.D a laser technique used in trying to control lightning strikes.2 According to the text; every year lightningA does considerable damage to buildings during thunderstorms.B kills or injures mainly golfers in the United States.C kills or injures around 500 people throughout the world.D damages more than 100 American power companies.3 Researchers at the University of Florida and at the University of New MexicoA receive funds from the same source.B are using the same techniques.C are employed by commercial companies.D are in opposition to each other.Questions 4-6Complete the sentences below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 4-6 on your answer sheet.4 EPRI receives financial support from………………………….5 The advantage of the technique being developed by Diels is that it can be used……………… .6 The main difficulty associated with using the laser equipment is related to its……………….Questions 7-10Complete the summary using the list of words; A-I; below.Write the correct letter; A-I; in boxes 7-10 on your answer sheet.In this method; a laser is used to create a line of ionisation by removing electrons from 7 …………………………. This laser is then directed at 8 …………………………in order to control electrical charges; a method which is less dangerous than using 9 …………………………. As a protection for the lasers; the beamsare aimed firstly at 10………………………….A cloud-zappersB atomsC storm cloudsD mirrorsE techniqueF ionsG rockets H conductors I thunderQuestions 11-13Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1In boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet writeYES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this11 Power companies have given Diels enough money to develop his laser.12 Obtaining money to improve the lasers will depend on tests in real storms.13 Weather forecasters are intensely interested in Diels's system.READING PASSAGE 1篇章结构体裁说明文主题用激光回击闪电结构第1段:闪电带来的危害第2段:科研人员正在研究回击闪电的方法第3段:先前的闪电回击术介绍第4段:火箭回击术的缺陷第5段:更安全的激光回击术第6段:激光回击术的技术原理第7段:激光回击术的缺陷第8段:通过实地实验改进激光回击术第9段:激光回击术对其他学科也有益处第10段:激光回击术的其他用途解题地图难度系数:★★★解题顺序:按题目顺序解答即可友情提示:烤鸭们注意:本文中的SUMMARY题目顺序有改变;解题要小心;MULTIPLE CHOICE的第三题是个亮点;爱浮想联翩的烤鸭们可能会糊掉..必背词汇1. inflict v. 造成The strikes inflicted serious damage on the economy. 罢工给经济造成了重大损失..2. inviting adj. 吸引人的The log fire looked warm and inviting. 篝火看上去温暖而诱人..3. property n. 财产;属性The hotel is not responsible for any loss or damage to guests’personal property.酒店不承担宾客的任何个人财产的丢失或损坏..a herb with healing properties具有治疗效果的草药physical/chemical properties物理特性/化学特性4. fund v. 资助;投资The project is jointly funded by several local companies. 这个项目得到了当地几家公司的联合资助ernment-funded research政府资助的研究5. back v. 支持;帮助The scheme has been backed by several major companies in the region.这个项目得到了该地区几家大公司的支持..Some suspected that the rebellion was backed and financed by the US.有人怀疑这次叛乱是由美国主使并资助的..6. discharge v. 放电;排出Both forms are readily gasified by electrical discharge without leaving any tangible residue.两种形态都易被放电气化而不剩任何可触察的残余..7. emerge v. 出现;浮现The sun emerged from behind the clouds. 太阳从云朵中探出头来..Eventually the truth emerged. 真相最终浮出水面..8. reveal v. 展现;显示;揭示;泄露He may be prosecuted for revealing secrets about the security agency.他可能会因为泄露国安局机密而遭检控..He revealed that he had been in prison twice before. 他透露说他曾经坐过两次牢..9. generate v. 使产生The program would generate a lot of new jobs. 这项计划会创造很多新职位..Tourism generates income for local communities. 旅游业给当地社区带来了收入..10. surge n. 涌流:猛增a surge of excitement一阵兴奋a surge of refugees into the country 涌入该国的难民潮a surge in food costs食品价格猛涨11. install v. 安装They've installed the new computer network at last. 他们最终安装了新的计算机网络..Security cameras have been installed in the city centre. 市中心安装了安全摄像头..12. nifty adj. 灵便的a nifty little gadget for squeezing oranges一个榨橘子汁用的灵便小工具13. in the offing即将发生的Big changes were in the offing. 剧变即将发生..认知词汇dramatic adj. 激动人心的fury n. 狂怒;狂暴本文中指雷暴电流leisurely adv. 轻松地dice with death拿性命开玩笑neutralize v. 中和brave v. 勇敢地面对armoury n. 军械库on command 按指令power grid 电力网precise adj. 精确的voltages n. 电压frequency n. 频率failure rate 失败率trigger v. 激发;触发branch n. 岔路populated adj. 人口密集的extract v. 提取atom n. 原子ion n. 离子ionization n. 离子化electric field 电场conductor n. 导体sporting event体育项目stumbling block 绊脚石monster n. 庞然大物manageable adj. 易管理的yet adv. 尚未;还没有come up with 准备好;提供reckon v. 料想;预计forthcoming adj. 即将来临的field test 实地测试turning point 转折点an avalanche of似雪片般的current n. 电流matter n. 物质interactive meteorology互动气象学confront v. 面临;对抗menace n. 威胁hail n. 冰雹torrential rain 暴雨moisture n. 水汽giant hailstone 大冰雹佳句赏析1. If a laser could generate a line of ionisation in the air all the way up to a storm could; this conducting path could be used to guide lightning to Earth; before the electric field becomes strong enough to break down the air in an uncontrollable surge.参考译文:如果激光器能够生成一条直达暴雨云的离子线;就可以在闪电电场增强为一股无法控制的涌流并击破空气之前;用这条传导通道把电荷引导到地面上来..语言点:状语从句——条件状语从句条件状语从句的连接词主要有:if; unless;as/so long as;on condition that等..此处为if引导的条件状语从句..例句:Just imagine how horrible the world would be if humans are the only creature in the world.想一想;如果人类是这世界上唯一的生物;这世界会变得多可怕..Some animal species are under threat if they stay in their natural habitat.如果留在自然栖息地;某些动物物种会面临威胁..If引导的条件句有真实条件句和非真实条件句两种..非真实条件句可以表示:1同现在事实相反的假设:从句一般过去时+主句should/would+动词原形2与过去事实相反的假设:从句过去完成时+主句should/would have+过去分词3对将来的假设:从句一般过去时+主句should+动词原形;从句were+不定式/should+动词原形+主句would+动词原形例句:If drug use were to be legalized;considerable police time would be spent in dealing with other more serious problems.如果吸食毒品合法化;警察大量的时间就将用于解决其他更严重的问题..2. A laser thunder factory could shake the moisture out of clouds; perhaps preventing the formation of the giant hailstones that threaten crops.参考译文:一个激光雷工厂可以把水汽从云层中震出;这样也许可以阻止威胁庄稼的大冰雹的形成..语言点:现在分词作状语例句:Facing high competition;people may suffer great pressure.面对高度竞争;人们可能会承受巨大的压力..Being confronted with economic pressure;women have to gooutside to work.面临经济压力;妇女不得不外出工作..Not wearing proper clothes people will be considered those who do not know social and interpersonal skills.如果衣着不当;人们会被当成是不懂社交和人际关系技巧的人..试题解析Questions 1-3题目类型:MULTIPLE CHOICES题目解析:解题小窍门:读清题干巧定位;四个选项要读完;绝对only排除掉;正确选项在中间..题号定位词题目解析1main topic 题目:本文讨论的主题是A闪电攻击对美国高尔夫场地和高尔夫选手造成的损失..B闪电对美国和日本电力供应的影响..C试图用来控制闪电袭击的各种方式..D一种试图用来控制闪电袭击的激光技术..正确翻译后;选项A和B比较容易排除;选项C比较具有迷惑性;但是只要看看文章标题;就不难发现本文主题是laser;所以正确答案是D..2 lightning 题目:根据文章;每年闪电会A在暴风雨期间对建筑物造成相当大的破坏..B在美国主要导致高尔夫球手死亡或受伤..C在全世界范围内导致500人死亡或受伤..D破坏了100多家美国电力公司..选项C和D中的具体数字是很好的定位词;可定位至文章第一段..文中提到;只是在美国;闪电每年就能杀伤500人;而不是世界范围内;因此排除选项C..而100这个数字在文中是100 million a year;说的是每年闪电会让电力公司损失超过一亿美元;而不是说毁掉100多家电力公司;因此排除选项 D..文中提到了云层翻滚而来时在户外打高尔夫是非常危险的;并没有说每年因雷击而死伤的是高尔夫球手;因此排除选项 B..文中提到;there is damage to property too. buildings属于property的范畴;因此正确答案为A..3University of Florida;University of New Mexico 题目:佛罗里达大学和新墨西哥大学的研究员们A有同样的资金来源..B使用同样的技术C受雇于商业公司..D互相反对..此题是不可过多联想的典型;越直白的想法越能解题..一般来讲;带有金钱的选项应该去掉;但是此题剑走偏锋;偏偏选了带funds一词的选项A..文中有两处支持这个答案:第一处在第三段:…with support from the Electrical Power Research Institute EPRI…另一处在第五段:…which is backed by EPRI…两处暗示两项研究都得到了EPRI的资助;因此答案为A..选项B可以从文中说的一个主张用火箭;一个主张用激光来排除;选项C 在文中并没有提及;选项D则是过多推理的结果;尽管使用技术不同;但是并不代表两者互相反对..Questions 4—6题目类型:SENTENCE COMPLETION题目解析:题号定位词文中对应点题目解析4 EPRI;financialsupport 第三段:EPRI;which is funded bypower companies…用EPRI定位到文章第三段;EPRI第一次出现之后即指出其是由电力公司资助的;原文中的funded等同于题干中的receives financial support from;因此答案应该填power companies..注意不要写成单数..5Diels 第五段:…to try to use lasers todischarge lightning safely…用人名Diels在文中定位到第五段;从题目看出这里应填入一个副词;所以可以在人名周围寻找use或者use的替换词;并且在其周围找带有-ly形式的词;这样正确答案safely很快就能浮出水面了..6 difficulty;laser equipment 第七段:The laser is no nifty portable:it’s a monster that takes up a whole room. Diels is trying to cut down the size…这道题目的定位稍微有一些困难;需要将difficulty一词与文章中的stumbling block联系起来;进而找到第七段中的laser一词..文中提到;该激光设备并不方便携带;它是个体积占据了一整间房间的庞然大物..看到这里;通过理解;考生们可以想到激光设备最大的问题就是体积太大;不好携带;所以正确答案是size..Questions 7-10题目类型:SUMMARY COMPLETION解题小窍门:题目解析:解题小窍门:1. 理解词库里的单词;并将其按词性归类..2. 带动整道题的定位词是第一行的ionisation;比较容易定位到文章第六段;那么整个summary的答案就应该在这个词周围寻找..题号定位词文中对应点题目解析7electrons 第六段:…to extract electrons out of atoms…本题关键是要理解题目中的remove…from…与文中的extract…out of…属于同义替换;这里要表达的是从原子atoms中提取电荷electrons..故正确答案是B..8 directed at 第六段:If a laser could generate a line of ionization in the air all the way up to a storm cloud…注意文中generate是“产生”的意思;directed at对应文中的all the way up to;其后的a storm cloud 即对应空格处要填的内容..因此正确答案是C..9 less dangerous 第五段:…who would want to fire streams of rockets in a populated area…to try to use lasers to discharge lightning safely…这道题比较麻烦;对于只是按照顺序寻找答案的考生;定位答案会比较困难..这里需要联系第五段中的信息;参照词库里的单词;推测出空格所在句的意思是“用激光控制闪电是比用火箭更安全less dangerous的方式”..正确答案是G..10 protection;aimed firstly at 第六段:To stop the laser itself beingstruck…Instead it would be directed at amirror… protection对应文中的stop…being struck;at是解题关键词;即使不知道文中的directed和题目中的aimed是同义词;也可以从词组的形式上看出来两者是同位的;其后的名词即为答案..由此可知答案是D..Questions 11-13题目类型:YES/NO/NOT GIVEN题目解析:11. Power companies have given Diels enough money to develop his laser.参考译文电力公司已经向Diels提供了足够的资金来研发他的激光器..定位词Diels;money解题关键词have given…enough money文中对应点由定位词及顺序规律可以定位到第八段:“I cannot say I have money yet; but I am working on it. ”“我还不能说我已经拿到钱了;但是我正在为之努力..”看到这句话;再联系上句:Bernstein says that Diels’ system is attracting lotsof interest from the power companies. But they have not yet come up with the 5 million that EPRI says will be needed to develop a commercial system… Bernstein表示;Diels的激光系统正在引起各电力公司的广泛兴趣..但他们还没有准备好EPRI提出的500万美元——开发一个……的商用系统的所需资金..这两句话足以证明Diels的系统还没有得到足够的资金支持..答案NO12. Obtaining money to improve the lasers will depend on tests in real storms.参考译文获得改善激光器所需的资金依赖于在真正的暴风雨中进行的试验..定位词obtaining money. tests in real storms解题关键词tests in real storms文中对应点第八段:第11题对应的原文下一句提到:He reckons that the forthcoming field tests will be the turning point…其中turning point是“转折点”的意思;联系上题中说到的;目前该项目还没有拿到钱;可知这句话的意思是field tests就是得到资金的转折点..field tests=tests in real storms答案YES13. Weather forecasters are intensely interested in Diels's system.参考译文天气预报员们对Diels的系统设备特别感兴趣..定位词Diels;weather forecasters解题关键词intensely interested文中对应点这是一道典型的完全未提及的题目;interest一词出现在第八段的末尾;而weather forecasters这两个词也仅在第九段最后两句中出现:…not just forecasting the weather butcontrolling it…;而具体内容则完全不相干..答案NOT GIVEN参考译文用激光回击闪电很少有比雷暴天气更令人感到恐怖的天气了..仅在美国;猛烈的雷暴电流每年都会造成大约500人死亡或重伤..云层翻滚而来的时候;在户外打一场轻松的高尔夫成了一件异常可怕的事情;无异于是在拿自己的性命开玩笑——孤身一人在户外的高尔夫球手可能是闪电最喜欢攻击的目标..此外;闪电也会带来财产损失..每年闪电会对美国电力公司造成超过一亿美元的损失..不过;美国和日本的研究人员正在策划回击闪电的方案..他们已开始通过实验测试中和雷暴电荷的各种方法..今年冬天;他们将直面雷暴:使用配备的激光器射向空中的雨云;使其在闪电出现之前放电..迫使雨云根据指令释放闪电并非一个新想法..早在20世纪60年代早期;研究者们就尝试过把带着拖曳线的火箭射入雨云;以期为这些云层发出的庞大的电荷群搭建起便捷的放电路径..由于受到建在加利福尼亚的电力研究所EPRI的支持;这一技术在佛罗里达的州立大学试验基地幸存到了今天..EPRI由电力公司资助;现正致力于研究保护美国输电网不受闪电袭击的方法..“我们可以通过火箭让闪电击向我们想让它去的地方;”EPRI 的闪电项目经理Ralph Bemstein如此说道..该火箭基地现在能对闪电电压进行精确测量;并可以让工程师们检测电气设备的负载..不良行为虽然火箭在研究中功不可没;但它们无法提供闪电来袭时所有人都希求的保护..每支火箭造价大约1;200美元;发射频率有限;而失败率却高达40%..即使它们确实能够引发闪电;事情也无法总是按计划顺利进行..“闪电可不那么听话;”Bernstein说;“它们偶尔会走岔路;射到它们本不该去的地方..”但不管怎样;有谁会想在人口密集的地区发射成群的火箭呢“射上去的肯定会掉下来;”新墨西哥大学的Jean-Claude Diels指出..Diels现在正在负责一个项目;该项目由ERPI所支持;试图通过发射激光使闪电安全放电——安全是一项基本要求;因为没人愿意把他们自己的性命或他们的昂贵设备置于危险之中..有了迄今为止的50万美元的投入;一套有巨大潜力的系统装置正在该实验室慢慢成形..这一系统装置的想法始于大约20年前;当时正在开发大功率激光器从原子中提取电荷并生成离子的能力..如果激光器能够生成一条直达暴雨云的离子线;就可以在闪电电场增强为一股无法控制的涌流并击破空气之前;用这条传导通道把电荷引导到地面上来..为了防止激光器本身受到电击;不能把它直接对准云层;而是要把它对准一面镜子;让激光通过镜子折射向天空..要在靠近镜子的四局布置闪电传导器从而对其进行保护..理想的做法是;云层遥控器枪要比较廉价;以便能够把它们安装在所有重点电力设备周围;另外还要方便携带;以便在国际运动赛事场地中用于使逐渐聚积的雨云失去威力..绊脚石可是;仍存在巨大的绊脚石..激光器并不方便携带:它是个能占据整个房间的庞然大物..Diels一直想要缩小它的体积;并表示很快就会有小型桌子大小的激光器了..他计划在明年夏天用真正的雨云来实际测试这个更容易操作的激光系统..Bemstein表示;Diels的激光系统正在引起各电力公司的广泛兴趣..但他们还没有准备好EPRI提出的500万美元——开发一个让激光器更小巧、价格也更便宜的商用系统的所需资金..Bernstein说:“我还不能说我已经拿到钱了;但是我正在为之努力..”他认为;即将进行的实地测试会成为一个转折点;而且他也在期待着好消息..Bemstein预言;如果一切顺利;这将吸引“排山倒海般的兴趣和支持”..他希望看到云层遥控器的最终价格能定在每台5万到10万美元之间..其他科学家也能从中受益..如果手上有了控制闪电的“开关”;材料科学家就可以了解强大的电流遇到物质时会发生什么现象..Diels也希望看到“互动气象学”问世——不仅仅是预测天气;而且能控制天气..“如果我们能使云层放电;我们也许就能左右天气;”他说..而且也许;Diels说;我们将能够对抗一些其他的气象威胁..“我们认为我们也许能通过引导闪电来阻止冰雹;”他说..雷;来自于闪电的冲击波;被认为是大暴雨——典型的雷暴天气——的触发器..一个激光雷工厂可以把水汽从云层中震出;这样也许可以阻止威胁庄稼的大冰雹的形成..如果运气好的话;在今年冬天雨云聚积的时候;持有激光器的研究者们就能第一次对其进行回击了..剑桥雅思8-第三套试题-阅读部分-PASSAGE 2-阅读真题原文部分: READING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26; which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.The Nature of GeniusThere has always been an interest in geniuses and prodigies. Theword 'genius'; from the Latin gens = family and the term 'genius'; meaning 'begetter'; comes from the early Roman cult of a divinity as the head of the family. In its earliest form; genius was concerned with the ability of the head of the family; the paterfamilias; to perpetuate himself. Gradually; genius came to represent a person's characteristics and thence an individual's highest attributes derived from his 'genius' or guiding spirit. Today; people still look to stars or genes; astrology or genetics; in the hope of finding the source of exceptional abilities or personal characteristics.The concept of genius and of gifts has become part of our folk culture; and attitudes are ambivalent towards them. We envy the gifted and mistrust them. In the mythology of giftedness; it is popularly believed that if people are talented in one area; they must be defective in another; that intellectuals are impractical; that prodigies burn too brightly too soon and burn out; that gifted people are eccentric; that they are physical weaklings; that there's a thin line between genius and madness; that genius runs in families; that the gifted are so clever they don't need special help; that giftedness is the same as having a high IQ; that some races are more intelligent or musical or mathematical than others; that genius goes unrecognised and unrewarded; that adversity makes men wise or that people with gifts have a responsibility to use them. Language hasbeen enriched with such terms as 'highbrow'; 'egghead'; 'blue-stocking'; 'wiseacre'; 'know-all'; 'boffin' and; for many; 'intellectual' is a term of denigration.The nineteenth century saw considerable interest in the nature of genius; and produced not a few studies of famous prodigies. Perhaps for us today; two of the most significant aspects of most of these studies of genius are the frequency with which early encouragement and teaching by parents and tutors had beneficial effects on the intellectual; artistic or musical development of the children but caused great difficulties of adjustment later in their lives; and the frequency with which abilities went unrecognised by teachers and schools. However; the difficulty with the evidence produced by these studies; fascinating as they are in collecting together anecdotes and apparent similarities and exceptions; is that they are not what we would today call norm-referenced. In other words; when; for instance; information is collated about early illnesses; methods of upbringing; schooling; etc. ; we must also take into account information from other historical sources about how common or exceptional these were at the time. For instance; infant mortality was high and life expectancy much shorter than today; home tutoring was common in the families of the nobility and wealthy; bullying and corporal punishment were common at the bestindependent schools and; for the most part; the cases studied were members of the privileged classes. It was only with the growth of paediatrics and psychology in the twentieth century that studies could be carried out on a more objective; if still not always very scientific; basis.Geniuses; however they are defined; are but the peaks which stand out through the mist of history and are visible to the particular observer from his or her particular vantage point. Change the observers and the vantage points; clear away some of the mist; and a different lot of peaks appear. Genius is a term we apply to those whom we recognise for their outstanding achievements and who stand near the end of the continuum of human abilities which reaches back through the mundane and mediocre to the incapable. There is still much truth in Dr Samuel Johnson's observation; 'The true genius is a mind of large general powers; accidentally determined to some particular direction'. We may disagree with the 'general'; for we doubt if all musicians of genius could have become scientists of genius or vice versa; but there is no doubting the accidental determination which nurtured or triggered their gifts into those channels into which they have poured their powers so successfully. Along the continuum of abilities are hundreds of thousands of gifted men and women; boys and girls.What we appreciate; enjoy or marvel at in the works of genius or the achievements of prodigies are the manifestations of skills or abilities which are similar to; but so much superior to; our own. But that their minds are not different from our own is demonstrated by the fact that the hard-won discoveries of scientists like Kepler or Einstein become the commonplace knowledge of schoolchildren and the once outrageous shapes and colours of an artist like Paul Klee so soon appear on the fabrics we wear. This does not minimise the supremacy of their achievements; which outstrip our own as the sub-four-minute milers outstrip our jogging.To think of geniuses and the gifted as having uniquely different brains is only reasonable if we accept that each human brain is uniquely different. The purpose of instruction is to make us even more different from one another; and in the process of being educated we can learn from the achievements of those more gifted than ourselves. But before we try to emulate geniuses or encourage our children to do so we should note that some of the things we learn from them may prove unpalatable. We may envy their achievements and fame; but we should also recognise the price they may have paid in terms of perseverance; single-mindedness; dedication; restrictions on their personal lives; the demands upon their energies and time; and how often they had to display great courage to preserve their。
雅思阅读练习 ielts_academic_reading_practice_test_27
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IELTS Reading Passage - Research Using TwinsResearch Using TwinsResearchers in the biomedical field across the globe consider twins as a golden opportunity to unearth the interconnection between genes and the environment-of nature and nurture. Since identical twins happen from a single fertilised egg that diverts it into two separate parts,they will have the exact same code of genetics.They might have any variations,like one of the twins having younger-looking skin.For instance,it must have been because of environmental aspects like absorbing fewer sun rays.On the other hand,when we compare the experiences of identical twins with those of fraternal twins,who are from different eggs and have almost half of their DNA,it is quantifiable by researchers to what extent our genes impact our entire lives.When the identical twins are more similar compared to fraternal twins in terms of an ailment,they become more vulnerable to any disease as it becomes a part of their heredity.These two different research-understanding the differences between identical twins to highlight the impact of environment,and making comparison of identical twins and fraternal ones to determine the influence of inheritance-being critical to know the inter-relation between nature and nurture in order to find out our personalities,behaviour,and amount of vulnerability to any infection or disease.The concept behind using twins to determine the impact of heredity goes back to1875when the English scientist Francis Galton first recommended that idea(and invented the phrase 'nature and nurture').However studies on twins lead to an astonishing twist during the 1980s,after introducing various studies into identical twins who were living separately after birth and reunited when they reached adulthood.For more than two decades,almost137 twin people visited Thomas Bouchard's research place.which later became known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart.Besides that,many experiments were conducted on the twins, and each of them were asked more than 15,000 questions.Bouchard and his associates made use of these tons of information to examine how far twins were impacted due to their genetic conditions.They handled a statistical concept known as heritability for their approach.Generally,the heritability trait calculates the differences between the population members and differences in their genetic background and illustrates it accordingly.At last,Bouchard and his coworkers found the unseen side of genetic influence that is useful for us to shape our lives genetically.Twin studies have been a fortune for famous scientists to a radical new concept:that nature and nurture are not the only sources during the work.Recently,a research study called epigenetics found that there's another factor that comes into play.Previously,one found that in some cases it serves as a connecting bridge between our genes and the environment. The second is that it performs on its own to be who we are.In this epigenetic process,chemical reactions lead to neither nature nor nurture,but it reflects as a'third component'as mentioned by researchers.Such reactions impact how ourhuman genetics is represented:how each gene is enhanced or weakened,sometimes becoming on or off, to develop our brains, bones and other vital parts of the body.If you imagine our DNA system as a piano keyboard,while the genes are keys,then each key will assign a separate segment of DNA in charge of a particular note,or trait,and all the keys join to get to know who we are all about.Based on that,epigenetic work helps us determine how and when each assigned key can be struck,and alter the rhythm that has been playing for a long time.On one hand,the research on epigenetics has newly evolved our basic understanding of science,especially Biology by exhibiting a system through which the environment has a direct consequence on genes.Similarly,further study on animals,for instance,revealed that when a rat feels stressed at the time of pregnancy,it can lead to epigenetic changes in a foetus that causes behavioural issues since the mice develop.There are also other epigenetic processes that come at any time,whereas others have been normal,like those that guide embryonic cells as they later develop into different parts like a heart,brain,liver cells, etc.There was a famous geneticist,Danielle Reed who conducted research with more twin people and analysed deeply based on the inferences.However,it's crystal clear when you learn what twins have shared with us until now.It was observed that numerous things are similar in nature and cannot be changed.Moreover,it's clear that when you understand deeper,certain things are different between them.Epigenetics is the pioneer for a lot of these contradictions, according to the researcher.Another researcher Reed gives credit to Thomas Bouchard's contribution to the present rise in studies related to twins.'He was the trailblazer',she said.We did not remember50years ago components like various diseases were caused by poor lifestyle.Likewise, Schizophrenia was due to poor mothering and lack of nurturing.Twin studies opened new horizons that are more reflective of what people have inherently and what is developed based on experience.In addition to that,Reed explains the recent work in epigenetics guarantees to take our capacity of understanding to the next level.She said that nature determines some things in pencil and some things in pen.Whatever is written in pen can't be changed.And that's our DNA.But whatever is written in pencil can be changed.And that's called epigenetics.Now we can review the DNA and find out where the pencil writings are,that seems to be a whole new entity.Research Using Twins Reading QuestionsQuestions 1 - 5Answer the questions below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.1.Identical twins come from?2.Who was the famous geneticist conducting research with many twins?3.What Reed said about Thomas Bouchard?4.With twins, many things were similar and whether it is changeable or not?5.Schizophrenia is due to?Questions 6 - 10Complete each sentence with the correct endingWrite the correct letter A - E in boxes6. Twin studies opened new horizons that are7. Bouchard and his coworkers found the unseen side of genetic8. 137 twins visited Thomas Bouchard's place9. In this epigenetic process10. If you imagine our DNA system as a piano keyboardA.known as the Minnesota Study of Twins Reared Apart.B.Chemical reactions lead to neither nature nor nurture.C.genes are keys.D.More reflective of what people have inherently.eful for us to shape our lives genetically.Questions 11 - 13Complete the flowchart below.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.。
雅思阅读理解 reading
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雅思阅读理解r e a d i n g4(共5页)-本页仅作为预览文档封面,使用时请删除本页-Reading 4Improving global reading skillsa Which paragraph contains the most detailb Which three paragraphs cover one main theme2Choose the sentence that best paraphrases the main idea in each paragraph of the test.1 Paragraph A A The amount of money spent on magazine advertising isincreasing.B The rivalry between magazines and other media issurprising.C Some magazines sell better than others.2 Paragraph B A Magazines are some more popular than they used to be.B A lot of people are still reading magazines.C TV is more available than ever.3 Paragraph C A Europe allocates a greater proportion of itsadvertising budget to magazines than the world average.B Belgium and Germany spend more on magazine advertisingthan other European countries.C The figures for magazine advertising in Europe aredecreasing.4 Paragraph D A Across Europe, people read very different kinds ofmagazines.B The idea of a ‘European’ magazine is becoming popular.C Magazines that cover popular activities can become bestsellers.5 Paragraph E A Cigarette advertising is banned in some countries.B Magazines advertise a smaller range of products thantelevision.C There are fewer limitations on magazine advertisingthan TV advertising.IELTS Reading test practice Global reading question3What is the purpose of the writer of the passageA to compare European and world magazinesB to attract more magazine readersC to review the continuing popularity of magazinesD to illustrate the advantages of electronic magazinesIELTS Reading test practice Choosing headings for paragraphsHow to approach the task■■■■■4Take five minutes to answer questions 1-7.Australia’s First Commercial Wind FarmIt’s come years since the rotor blades began spinning in Esperance.A Harvest time in Esperance is constant. As long as the wind blows- which is pretty much all the time – nine identical synchronized wind turbines, reapthe benefits of the dependable winds that gust up around the southerncoastline of Western Australia. These sleek, white, robot – like windturbines loom up on the horizon forming part of Australia’s first commercial wind farm. They’re not only functional machines that help provide electricity for this secluded coastal town, but increasingly, they’re also drawcards for curious tourists and scientists alike.B Because of its isolation, Esperance is not linked to Western Power’s grid which supplies electricity from gas-, coal- and oil- fires power stations tothe widespread population of Western Australia. Before the wind turbines went in, Esperance’s entire electricity needs were met by the diesel power station in town.C The $ million Ten Mile Lagoon project is not Esperance’s first wind farm. The success of a smaller, experimental wind farm, at a spot called Salmon Beach, encouraged the State’s power utility to take Esperance wind seriously. Today, the wind turbines at Ten Mile Lagoon work in conjunction with thediesel power station, significantly reducing the amount of the town’selectricity generated by expensive diesel power.D The wind farm is connected to the power station by a 33- kilovolt powerline, and a radio link between the two allows operators to monitor and control each wind turbine. The nine 225- kilowatt Vestas wind turbines produce a total generating capacity of two megawatts and provide around 12 per cent of the energy requirements of Esperance and its surrounding districts.E The power produced by a wind turbine depends on the size and efficiency of the machine and, of course, on the energy in the wind. The energy in the wind available to the wind turbines is proportional to wind speed cubed. Thus, the greater the wind speed, the greater the output of the turbine. In other to achieve optimum wind speeds, the right location is imperative. ‘You have to accept the nature of the beast,’ , Western Power’s physicist, said. ‘As surface dwellers our perceptions of wind speeds are bad. As you go higher,wind speed increase significantly.’F The most favourable wind sites are on gently sloping hills, away from obstructions like trees and buildings and where the prevailing winds are not blocked. Computer modeling was used to select the optimum site forEsperance’s wind farm. Scientists were protecting the coastal health environment which is rich in plant life and home to tiny pygmy and honey-possums, and a host of bird species. In addition, the wind farm is adjacent to Esperance’s popular scenic tourist drive.G Strict erosion controls have been implemented and access to the wind farmis limited to selected viewing areas. The wind turbine towers are paintedwhite and devoid of corporate logos or signage. According to there is something of a worldwide backlash against wind farms with regard to theirvisual impact. ‘ But because wind turbines perform best in the most exposed positions, they will always be visible. There is a very real need to balance environmental and technical requirements. I think the Ten Mile Lagoon WindFarm sets the standard for environmentally friendly development.’H In fact, the project has become something of a tourist attraction in itself. Esperance Shire president Ian Mickel said the wind turbines had been well accepted by locals. ‘We have watched the wind farm develop with great interest, and now we find visitors to Esperance are equally enthusiastic about is,’ he said. The aim now is to identify other remote locations where wind turbines will be a feasible means of supplementing existing power stations.IELTS Reading test practice Sentence completionHow to approach the task■■5Take six minutes to answer questions 1-6 about Australia’s First Commercial Wind Farm.For each answer, state which question the student was doing and say why the answer would be marked wrong.A computer modelingB tree or buildingC around 12 per centD the diesel powerE Western Power’s gridF $ millionG scientists H on gently sloping hills7Match the words and phrases below from questions 1-6 in exercise 5 withIELTS Reading test practice Global reading question8What is the main purpose of the writer of the articleA to respond to criticism of a projectB to review the success of a projectC to explain his role in a projectD to predict the future of a project。
雅思阅读真题移民类
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General Training:Reading(雅思G类)Questions l-14Read the information below and answer Questions1-7.MAIL ORDER BROCHUREWant some great clothing ideas for your family?Our key for clothing specials in July:M for men W for women C for childrenFor under$10Cotton socks C-made of pure cotton for long wearing Woollen socks C-to keep young feet warm in winterSports socks M-to go with jeans and other casual clothes Patterned belts W-to go with jeans and other casual clothesFor under$25Cotton shirts W-for day and evening wearSilk shins M-five sizes,in designer colors,for hatspecial social occasionT-shirts C-hard-wearing,white with a variety of animalmotifsColor T-shirts M W-cotton and polyester blend,plain colors,no ironingFor under$50Blue jeans M W-non-shrink,colorfast,small sizes onlySilk shirts M W-plain and patterned,all sizesHooded jacket C-protects from the wind,4sizes,largestrong pocketsJacket W-waterproof with zipper front,all sizes*Or you can buy a gift voucher so that someone else can choose. These come in$10,$20and$50amounts.Additional monthly specials for July to SeptemberJuly-$10voucher with any purchase over$60 August-Travel alarm clock worth$19.95free withpurchases of$80or more!September-Children's backpacks.Free with any creditcard purchase over$75!Note:Postage and packing chargesThese are applied to each order as follows:Within Australia:$7.95per address,regular post$17.95for Express Delivery Service(overnight)Overseas:Surface Mail(allow a minimum of two months for delivery)Airmail(allow around two weeks delivery to most destinations)Questions1-7Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text on the previous page?In boxes1-7on your answer sheet,writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if he statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this1Women's cotton socks cost less than men’s.2Men's silk shirts are available in more than five colors.3Children's T-shirts come in a variety of colors.4The child's jacket has four pockets.5If you buy clothes worth$80in August,you will receive a free alarm clock.6The charge for special next-day delivery in Australia is$7.95.7All clothing is guaranteed to arrive within two months.Questions8-14The list of‘New Book Releases'on the following page has nine book descriptions A-I.Choose the correct title for each book from the list of book titles below.Write the correct number i-xi in boxes8-14on your answer sheet.List of Book Titlesi Field Guide to Native Birds of Australiaii The Bush on Two Wheels:100Top Ridesiii Bush Foods of Australian Aboriginesiv A Pictorial History of the Dinosaur in Australiav Bushwalking in Australiavi World Geographicavii Driving Adventures for4-wheel-drive Vehiclesviii Survival Techniques in the Wildix Encyclopaedia of Australian Wildlifex Guide to the Art of the Australian Desertxi Field Guide to Animals of the World8Book A9Book B10Book CExample AnswerBook D vi11Book E12Book F13Book G14Book HExample AnswerBook I viiNew Book ReleasesA This book describes the creativity of Aboriginal people living inthe driest parts of Australia.Stunning reproductions of paintings, beautiful photography and informative text.B Pocket-sized maps and illustrations with detailed information onthe nesting sites and migration patterns of Australia.This is a classic booklet suitable for both beginner and expert.C Packed full of information for the avid hiker,this book is amust.Photographs,maps and practical advice will guide your journeys on foot through the forests of the southern continent.D More than an atlas-this book contains maps,photographs and anabundance of information on the land and climate of countries from around the globe.E Australia's premier mountain hiking guidebook-taking you through ahost of national parks and state forests.F Here's the A-Z of Australian native animals-take an in-depth lookat their lives and characteristics,through fantastic photographs and informative text.G Graphic artists have worked with researchers and scientists toillustrate how these prehistoric animals lived and died on theAustralian continent.H A definitive handbook on outdoor safety-with a specific focuson equipment,nutrition,first aid,special clothing and bush skills.I Detailed guides to15scenic car tours that will take you onto fascinatingwilderness tracks and along routes that you could otherwise have missed. Answer key1NOT GIVEN2NOT GIVEN3FALSE4NOT GIVEN5TRUE6FALSE7FALSE 8x9i10v11ii12ix13iv14viii。
雅思阅读官方真题一套
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READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-14 which are based on Reading Passage 1. Spider silk cuts weight of bridgesA strong, light bio-material made by genes from spiders could transform construction and industry.A Scientists have succeeded in copying the silk-producing gene of the Golden Orb Weaverspider and are using them to create a synthetic material which they believe is the model for a new generation of advanced bio-materials. The new material, biosilk, which has been spun for the first time by researchers at DuPont, has an enormous range of potential uses in construction and manufacturing.B The attraction of the silk spun by the spider is a combination of great strength and enormouselasticity, which man-made fibres have been unable to replicate. On an equal-weight basis, spider silk is far stronger than steel and it is estimated that if a single strand could be made about 10m in diameter, it would be strong enough to stop a jumbo jet in flight. A third important factor is that it is extremely light. Army scientists are already looking at the possibilities of using it for lightweight, bullet-proof vests and parachutes.C For some time, biochemists have been trying to synthesise the drag-line silk of the Golden OrbWeaver. The drag-line silk, which forms the radial arms of the web, is stronger than the other parts of the web and some biochemists believe a synthetic version could prove to be as important a material as nylon, which has been around for 50 years, since the discoveries of Wallace Carothers and his team ushered in the age of polymers.D To recreate the material, scientists, including Randolph Lewis at the University of Wyoming,first examined the silk-producing gland of the spider. "We took out the glands that produce the silk and looked at the coding for the protein material they make, which is spun into a web. We then went looking for clones with the right DNA," he says.E At DuPont, researchers have used both yeast and bacteria as hosts to grow the raw material,which they have spun into fibres. Robert Dorsch, DuPont’s director of biochemical development, says the globules of protein, comparable with marbles in an egg, are harvested and processed. "We break open the bacteria, separate out the globules of protein and use them as the raw starting material. With yeast, the gene system can be designed so that the material excretes the protein outside the yeast for better access," he says.F "The bacteria and the yeast produce the same protein, equivalent to that which the spider usesin the drag lines of the web. The spider mixes the protein into a water-based solution and then spins it into a solid fibre in one go. Since we are not as clever as the spider and we are not using such sophisticated organisms, we substituted man-made approaches and dissolved the protein in chemical solvents, which are then spun to push the material through small holes to form the solid fibre.”G Researchers at DuPont say they envisage many possible uses for a new biosilk material. Theysay that earthquake-resistant suspension bridges hung from cables of synthetic spider silk fibres may become a reality. Stronger ropes, safer seat belts, shoe soles that do not wear out so quickly and tough new clothing are among the other applications. Biochemists such as Lewis see the potential range of uses of biosilk as almost limitless. "It is very strong and retains elasticity; there are no man-made materials that can mimic both these properties. It is also a biological material with all the advantages that has over petrochemicals," he says.H At DuPond’s laboratories, Dorsc h is excited by the prospect of new super-strong materials buthe warns they are many years away. "We are at an early stage but theoretical predictions are that we will wind up with a very strong, tough material, with an ability to absorb shock, which is stronger and tougher than the man-made materials that are conventionally available to us," he says.I The spider is not the only creature that has aroused the interest of material scientists. They havealso become envious of the natural adhesive secreted by the sea mussel. It produces a protein adhesive to attach itself to rocks. It is tedious and expensive to extract the protein from the mussel, so researchers have already produced a synthetic gene for use in surrogate bacteria.Questions 1-5The passage has nine paragraphs A-I.Which paragraph contains the following information?Write the correct letter A-I in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.1 a comparison of the ways two materials are used to replace silk-producing glands2 predictions regarding the availability of the synthetic silk3 on-going research into other synthetic materials4 the research into the part of the spider that manufactures silk5 the possible application of the silk in civil engineeringQuestions 6- 11Complete the flow chart below.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 6-11 on your answer sheet..Synthetic gene growth in 6_______ or 7_________globules of 8 ________dissolved in 9__________passed through 10 ________to produce 11 ___________Questions 12- 14Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 12-14 on your answer sheet writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this12 Biosilk has already replaced nylon in parachute manufacture.13 The spider produces silk of varying strengths.14 Lewis and Dorsch co-operated in the synthetic production of silk.READING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 15-27 which are based on Reading Passage 2.TEACHING IN UNIVERSITIESIn the 19th century, an American academic, Newman, characterised a university as: “a place of teaching universal kn owledge…(a plane for) thediffusion and extension of knowledge rather than its advancement.”Newman argued that if universities were not for teaching but rather for scientific discovery, then they would not need students.Interestingly, during this century, while still teaching thousands of students each year, the resources of most universities have been steadily channelled away from teaching into research activities. Most recently, however, there have been strong moves in both North America and the United Kingdom to develop initiatives that would enhance the profile of the teaching institutions of higher education. In the near future, therefore, as well as the intrinsic rewards gained from working with students and the sense that they are contributing to their overall growth and development, there should soon be extrinsic rewards, in the form of job promotion, for those pursuing academic excellence in teaching in universities.In the future, there will be more focus in universities on the quality of their graduates and their progression rates. Current degree courses, whose assessment strategies require students to learn by rote and reiterate the course material, and which do not require the student to interact with the material, or construct a personal meaning about it or even to understand the discipline, are resulting in poor learning outcomes. This traditional teaching approach does not take into account modern theories of education, the individual needs of the learner, nor his or her prior learning experience.In order for universities to raise both the quality and status of teaching, it is first necessary to have some kind of understanding of what constitutes good practice. A 1995 report, compiled in Australia, lists eight qualities that researchers agree are essential to good teaching.Good teachers...A are themselves good learners - resulting in teaching that is dynamic, reflective and constantlyevolving as they learn more and more about teaching;B display enthusiasm for their subject and the desire to share it with their students;C recognise the importance of context and adjust their teaching accordingly;D encourage deep learning approaches and are concerned with developing their students' criticalthinking skills, problem solving skills and problem-approach behaviours:E demonstrate an ability to transform and extend knowledge, rather than merely transmit it;F recognise individual differences in their students and take advantage of these;G set clear goals, use valid assessment techniques and provide high-quality feedback to theirstudents;In addition to aiming to engage students in the learning process, there is also a need to address the changing needs of the marketplace. Because in many academic disciplines the body of relevant knowledge is growing at an exponential rate, it is no longer possible, or even desirable, for an individual to have a complete knowledge base. Rather, it is preferable that he or she should have an understanding of the concepts and the principles of the subject, have the ability to apply this understanding to new situations and have the wherewithal to seek out the information that is needed.As the world continues to increase in complexity, university graduates will need to be equipped to cope with rapid changes in technology and to enter careers that may not yet be envisaged, with change of profession being commonplace. To produce graduates equipped for this workforce, it is essential that educators teach in ways that encourage learners to engage in deep learning, which may be built upon in the later years of their course, and also be transferred to the workplace.The new role of the university teacher, then, is one that focuses on the students' learning rather than the instructor's teaching. The syllabus is more likely to move from being a set of learning materials made up of lecture notes, to a set of learning materials made up of print, cassettes, disks and computer programs. Class contact hours will cease to be the major determinant of an academic workload. The teacher will then be released from being the sole source of information transmission and will become instead more a learning manager, able to pay more attention to the development and delivery of education rather than content.Student-centred learning activities will also require innovative assessment strategies. Traditional assessment and reporting has aimed to produce a single mark or grade for each student. The mark is intended to indicate three things: the extent to which the learned material was mastered or understood; the level at which certain skills were performed and the degree to which certain attitudes were displayed.A deep learning approach would test a student’s ab ility to identify and tackle new and unfamiliar 'real world' problems. A major assessment goal will be to increase the size and complexity of assignments and minimise what can be achieved by memorising or reproducing content. Wherever possible, students will be involved in the assessment process to assist them to learn how to make judgments about themselves and their work.Questions 15-18Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?In the boxes 15-18 on your answer sheet writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this15Newman believed that the primary focus of universities was teaching.16Job promotion is already used to reward outstanding teaching.17Traditional approaches to assessment at degree level are having a negative effect on the learning process.Questions 19-23Look at the eight qualities A-H of “good teachers” in Reading Passage 2 and the statements below (Questions 19-23).Match each quality to the statement with the same meaning.Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 19-23 on your answer sheet.Good teachers19 can adapt their materials to different learning situations.20 assist students to understand the aims of the course.21 are interested in developing the students as learners.22treat their students with dignity and concern.23continually improve their teaching by monitoring their skills.Questions 24-27Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or DWrite your answers in boxes 24-27 on your answer sheet.24 In the future, university courses will focus more onA developing students’ skills and concepts.B expanding students’ knowledge.C providing work experience for students.D graduating larger numbers of students.25 According to the author, university courses should prepare students toA do a specific job well.B enter traditional professions.C change jobs easily.D create their own jobs.26 The author believes that new learning materials in universities will result inA more work for teachers.B a new role for teachers.C more expensive courses.D more choices for students.27 The author predicts that university assessment techniques will include moreA in-class group assignments.B theoretical exams.C problem-solving activities.D student seminar presentations.READING PASSAGE 3Rising Sea LevelsADuring the night of 1st February 1953, a deadly combination of winds and tide raised the level of the North Sea, broke through the dykes which protected the Netherlands arid inundated farmland and villages as far as 64 km from the coast, killing thousands. For people around the world who inhabit low-lying areas, variations in sea levels are of crucial importance and the scientific study of oceans has attracted increasing attention. Towards the end of the 1970s, some scientists began suggesting that global warming could cause the world's oceans to rise by several metres. The warming, they claimed, was an inevitable consequence of increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere which acted like a greenhouse to trap heat in the air. The greenhouse warming was predicted to lead to rises in sea levels in a variety of ways. Firstly, heating the ocean water would cause it to expand. Such expansion might be sufficient to raise the sea level by 300mm in the next 100 years. Then there was the observation that in Europe's Alpine valleys glaciers had been shrinking for the past century. Meltwater from the mountain glaciers might have raised the oceans 50mm over the last 100 years and the rate is likely to increase in future. A third threat is that global warming might cause a store of frozen water in Antarctica to melt which would lead to a calamitous rise in sea level of up to five metres.BThe challenge of predicting how global warming will change sea levels led scientists of several disciplines to adopt a variety of approaches. In 1978 J H Mercer published a largely theoretical statement that a thick slab of ice covering much of West Antarctica is inherently unstable. He suggested that this instability meant that, given just 5 degrees Celsius of greenhouse warming in the south polar region, the floating ice shelves surrounding the West Antarctic ice sheet would begin to disappear. Without these buttresses the grounded ice sheet would quickly disintegrate and coastlines around the world would be disastrously flooded. In evidence Mercer pointed out that between 130,000 and 110,000 years ago there had been just such a global warming as we have had in the past 20,000 years since the last ice age. In the geological remains of that earlier period there are indications that the sea level was five metres above the current sea level- just the level that would be reached if the West Antarctic ice sheet melted. The possibility of such a disastrous rise led a group of American investigators to form SeaRISE (Sea-level Response to Ice Sheet Evolution) in 1990. SeaRISE reported the presence of Five active "ice streams" drawing ice from the interior of West Antarctica into the Ross Sea. They stated that these channels in the West Antarctic ice sheet "may be manifestations of collapse already under way."CBut doubt was cast on those dire warnings by the use of complex computer models of climate. Models of atmospheric and ocean behaviour predicted that greenhouse heating would cause warmer, wetter air to reach Antarctica, where it would deposit its moisture as snow. Thus, the sea ice surrounding the continent might even expand causing sea levels to drop. Other observations have caused scientists working on Antarctica to doubt that sea levels will be pushed upward several metres by sudden melting. For example, glaciologists have discovered that one of the largest ice streams stopped moving about 130 wars ago. Ellen Mosley-Thompson, questioning the SeaRISE theory, notes that ice streams "seem to start and stop, and nobody really knows why." Her own measurements of the rate of snow accumulation near the South Pole show that snowfalls have increased substantially in recent decades as global temperature has increased.DMost researchers are now willing to accept that human activities have contributed to global warming, but no one can say with any assurance whether the Antarctic ice cap is growing or shrinking in response.A satellite being planned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will use laser range finders to map changes in the elevation of the polar ice caps, perhaps to within 10 millimetres, and should end the speculation.EWhatever the fate of the polar ice caps may be, most researchers agree that the sea level is currently rising. That, however, is difficult to prove. Tide gauges in ports around the world have been measuring sea levels for decades but the data are flawed because the land to which the gauges are attached can itself be moving up and down. In Stockholm the data from the sea level gauge show the sea level to be falling at four millimetres a year, but that is because all Scandinavia is still rebounding after being crushed by massive glaciers during the last ice age. By contrast, the gauge at Honolulu, which is more stable, shows the sea level to be rising at a rate of one and a half millimetres a year. Unstable regions cannot be omitted from the data because that would eliminate large areas of the world. Most of the eastern seaboard of North America is still settling after a great ice sheet which covered Eastern Canada 20,000 years ago tilted it up. And then there is buckling occurring at the edges of the great tectonic plates as they are pressed against each other. There is also land subsidence as oil and underground water is tapped. In Bangkok, for example, where the residents have been using groundwater, land subsidence makes it appear as if the sea has risen by almost a metre in the past 30 years.FUsing complex calculations on the sea level gauge data, Peltier and Tushingham found that the global sea level has been rising at a rate of 2mm a year over the past few decades. Confirmation came from the TOPEX satellite which used radar altimeters to calculate changes in ocean levels. Steven Nerem, working on the TOPEX data, found an average annual sea level rise of 2mm which is completely compatible with the estimates that have come from 50 years of tide gauge records. The key question still facing researchers is whether this trend will hold steady or begin to accelerate in response to a warming climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change gives the broad prediction for the next century of a rise between 200mm and 1 metre.Questions 33 - 40Complete each sentence with the correct ending A-L from the box below. Write the correct letter A-L in boxes 33-40 on your answer sheet.。
雅思阅读练习 ielts_academic_reading_practice_test_7
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IELTS Reading Passage - Making Time for ScienceMaking Time For ScienceChronobiology is something out-of-the-box thinking inspired by a science fiction novel; moreover-it's a scope of study regarding one of the ancient processes of life on this planet: short-term time scale and their impact on the existing plants and animals.It includes many aspects.Sea life,for instance,is based on tidal wave patterns.Animals,on the other hand,seem to be active or inactive mainly due to the placement of the Sun or lions of species,including humans,are mostly diurnal-that is,they do most of the activities in the morning.Whereas,nocturnal animals like bats and possums do their activities in the night time.Apart from these two,a third group known as crepuscular,that are active in the lowlight of dawn and always not active during other hours.For human beings,chronobiologists have more interest in what is called the circadian rhythm.It is a whole cycle of our bodies made to experience within the passage of a full twenty-four hour day.Besides going to sleep at night and wake up in the morning,each cycle includes so many aspects like differences in blood pressure and overall temperature of the body.It is a fact that not all people have the same circadian rhythm.'Night people'for instance,mostly illustrate how they feel it is very difficult to perform in the morning,however, the same people will be alert and active by evening.There is a new type within circadian rhythms called a chronotype.Well,scientists use minimal skills to make measurable modifications of chronobiological requirements.The newly-formed therapeutic advancements for human beings like the artificial light,machines and robots,melatonin administration,and so on can reinvent our circadian rhythms,for instance,our human body can communicate the difference in various ways,and the actual health feels less active when we deviate such natural rhythms for over a period of time.In this context,plants do not become more malleable,research reveals that vegetables grown in different climatic conditions and ripened on the tree have more necessary nutrients and vitamins than those that emerged in greenhouses and ripened by laser.Insights of chronobiological variations may have practical consequences in our everyday life. Here,the modern form of living might seem to subjugate biology-perhaps,who will require circadian rhythms when we have caffeine tablets,energy waters,work shifts and places that never stop working? So being in tandem with our body clock is imperative.On average,residents in the urban area wake up at6.04a.m.,which studies show that it is way too early.Likewise,another research found that when residents wake up at7.00a.m., they will tend to have a negative impact on health unless they do any workout for at least30 minutes later.After considering all these,the best time to wake up is at7.22a.m.,when residents will have fewer muscle aches,headaches,and mood swings.It is proved based on a study, where respondents reported the same.Once you are up before the alarm rings what's there to stop then?If you want to lose weight, some dieticians won't compromise easily,as they mandate breakfast every day.It leads to misorientation of your circadian rhythm and makes your body starve.The suggested step to do is to perform an intense routine workout along with a carbohydrate-filled breakfast;while the other way and weight reduction ended up as not expected.Every morning workout is equally important for breaking out the vitamins stored.In addition to that,adding more supplements to the body is not temporal-dependent,however,the famous naturopath Pam Stone highlights that more amount during breakfast could assist in getting energy to do tasks on that day.To absorb more to the body,Stone recommends additional supplements with a portion of food(mixed and soluble).It must not be with caffeinated beverages.Beyond this,Stones alerts us about taking storage;when you reach the high potency,it's good for absorption,whereas,warmth and humidity will lead to destroying the potency of a supplement.Post-dinner espressos became like a form of tradition.We must thank the Italian people for bringing it to us.To have a good night's sleep,we need to stop consuming caffeine as early as3p.m.After crossing a seven-hour half-life,a cup of coffee having90mg of caffeine consumed during this time might still have45mg of caffeine in your body's nervous system at ten o'clock on the same day evening.It is necessary to remove all traces when you go to bed.Evening times are essential to process the winding down before going to bed.On the contrary,dietician Geraldine Georgeou alerts us that post-five carbohydrate fasting is merely a myth instead of a chronobiological requirement.This will cause deprivation of critical energy from your body.Similarly,when you consume more than enough,it will lead to indigestion.It is important to note that our digestive system does not stop working throughout the night,but it works slowly as our bodies prepare to sleep.Despite all,you can take a moderate snack, which would be highly sufficient.Making Time for Science Reading QuestionsQuestions 1 - 7Complete the summary below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBER from the passage for each answer.To absorb more to the body,1.__________recommends additional supplements with a portion of food(mixed and soluble).It must not be with2.____________.Beyond this, Stones alerts us about taking storage;when you reach the high potency,it's good for3. ____________,whereas,warmth and humidity will lead to destroying the potency of a supplement.Post-dinner4._____________became like a form of tradition.We must thankthe5.______________for bringing it to us.To have a good night's sleep,we need to stop consuming caffeine as early as3p.m.After crossing a seven-hour half-life,a cup of coffee having90mg of caffeine consumed during this time might still have45mg of caffeine in your body's6.____________at ten o'clock on the same day evening.It is necessary to remove all 7. ____________ when you go to bed.Questions 8 - 10Match the correct statement with the letter8. Every day morning exercise is vital for9.Geraldine Georgeou warns us that10. Diurnal meansA.Carbohydrate-fasting is a mythB.Do most of the activities in the morningC.Indigestion happens when you consume moreD.breaking out the vitaminsQuestions 11 - 13Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?WriteTRUE,if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE,if the statement disagrees with the informationNOT GIVEN,if there is no information on this passage11.Chronobiologists have more interest in what is called the circadian rhythm12. Plants will become more malleable13. The best time to sleep at night is around 7.20 p.m.。
雅思阅读真题集1(附答案)
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SECTION 1: QUESTIONS 1-13READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.William Gilbert and MagnetismAThe 16th and 17th centuries saw two great pioneers of modern science: Galileo and Gilbert. The impact of their findings is eminent. Gilbert was the first modern scientist, also the accredited father of the science of electricity and magnetism, an Englishman of learning and a physician at the court of Elizabeth. Prior to him, all that was known of electricity and magnetism was what the ancients knew, nothing more than that the lodestone possessed magnetic properties and that amber and jet, when rubbed, would attract bits of paper or other substances of small specific gravity. However, he is less well known than he deserves.BGilbert’s birth pre-dated Galileo. Born in an eminent local family in Colchester County in the UK, on May 24, 1544, he went to grammar school, and then studied medicine at St John’s College, Cambridge, graduating in 1573. Later he travelled in the continent and eventually settled down in London.CHe was a very successful and eminent doctor. All this culminated in his election to the president of the Royal Science Society. He was also appointed personal physician to the Queen (Elizabeth I), and later knighted by the Queen. He faithfully served her until her death. However, he didn’t outlive the Queen for long and died on November 30, 1603, only a few months after his appointment as personal physician to King James.DGilbert was first interested in chemistry but later changed his focus due to the large portion of mysticism of alchemy involved (such as the transmutation of metal). He gradually developed his interest in physics after the great minds of the ancient, particularly about the knowledge the ancient Greeks had about lodestones, strange minerals with the power to attract iron. In the meantime, Britain became a major seafaring nation in 1588 when the Spanish Armada was defeated, opening the way to British settlement of America. British ships depended on the magnetic compass, yet no one understood why it worked. Did the Pole Star attract it, as Columbus once speculated; or was there a magnetic mountain at the pole, as described in Odyssey, which ships would never approach, because the sailors thought its pull would yank out all their iron nails and fittings? For nearly 20 years, William Gilbert conducted ingenious experiments to understand magnetism. His works include On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and the Great Magnet of the Earth.EGilbert’s discovery was so important to modern physics. He investigated the nature of magnetism and electricity. He even coined the word “electric”. Though the early beliefs of magnetism were also largely entangled with superstitions such as that rubbing garlic on lodestone can neutralise its magnetism, one example being that sailors even believed the smell of garlic would even interfere with the action of compass, which is why helmsmen were forbidden to eat it near a ship’s compass. Gilbert also found that metals can be magnetised by rubbing materials such as fur, plastic or the like on them. He named the ends of a magnet “north pole” and “south pole”. The magnetic poles can attract or repel, depending on polarity. In addition, however, ordinary iron is always attracted to a magnet. Though he started to study the relationship between magnetism and electricity, sadly he didn’t complete it. His research of static electricity using amber and jet only demonstrated that objects with electrical charges can work like magnets attracting small pieces of paper and stuff. It is a French guy named du Fay that discovered that there are actually two electrical charges, positive and negative.FHe also questioned the traditional astronomical beliefs. Though a Copernican, he didn’t express in his quintessential beliefs whether the earth is at the centre of the universe or in orbit around the sun. However, he believed that stars are not equidistant from the earth but have their own earth-like planets orbiting around them. The earth itself is like a giant magnet, which is also why compasses always point north. They spin on an axis that is aligned with the earth’s polarity. He even likened the polarity of the magnet to the polarity of the earth and built an entire magnetic philosophy on this analogy. In his explanation, magnetism is the soul of the earth. Thus a perfectly spherical lodestone, when aligned with the earth’s poles, would wobble all by itself in 24 hours. Further, he also believed that the sun and other stars wobble just like the earth does around a crystal core, and speculated that the moon might also be a magnet caused to orbit by its magnetic attraction to the earth. This was perhaps the first proposal that a force might cause a heavenly orbit.GHis research method was revolutionary in that he used experiments rather than pure logic and reasoning like the ancient Greek philosophers did. It was a new attitude towards scientific investigation. Until then, scientific experiments were not in fashion. It was because of this scientific attitude, together with his contribution to our knowledge of magnetism, that a unit of magneto motive force, also known as magnetic potential, was named Gilbert in his honour. His approach of careful observation and experimentation rather than the authoritative opinion or deductive philosophy of others had laid the very foundation for modern science.Questions 1-7Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs A-G.Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.Write the correct number i-x in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.List of headingsi Early years of Gilbertii What was new about his scientific research methodiii The development of chemistryiv Questioning traditional astronomyv Pioneers of the early sciencevi Professional and social recognitionvii Becoming the president of the Royal Science Societyviii The great works of Gilbertix His discovery about magnetismx His change of focus1 _____ Paragraph A2 _____ Paragraph B3 _____ Paragraph C4 _____ Paragraph D5 _____ Paragraph E6 _____ Paragraph F7 _____ Paragraph GQuestions 8-10Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 8-10 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN If there is no information on this8 _____ He is less famous than he should be.9 _____ He was famous as a doctor before he was employed by the Queen.10 _____ He lost faith in the medical theories of his time.Questions 11-13Choose THREE letters A-F.Write your answers in boxes 11-13 on your answer sheet.Which THREE of the following are parts of Gilbert’s discovery?A _____ Metal can be transformed into another.B _____ Garlic can remove magnetism.C _____ Metals can be magnetized.D _____ Stars are at different distances from the earth.E _____ The earth wobbles on its axis.F _____ There are two charges of electricity.SECTION 2: QUESTIONS 14-26READING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.The 2003 Heat waveIt was the summer, scientists now realise, when global warming at last made itself unmistakably felt. We knew that summer 2003 was remarkable: Britain experienced its record high temperature and continental Europe saw forest fires raging out of control, great rivers drying to a trickle and thousands of heat-related deaths. But just how remarkable is only now becoming clear.The three months of June, July and August were the warmest ever recorded in western and central Europe, with record national highs in Portugal, Germany and Switzerland as well as in Britain. And they were the warmest by a very long way. Over a great rectangular block of the earth stretching from west of Paris to northern Italy, taking in Switzerland and southern Germany, the average temperature for the summer months was 3.78°C above the long-term norm, said the Climatic Research Unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, which is one of the world's leading institutions for the monitoring and analysis of temperature records.That excess might not seem a lot until you are aware of the context - but then you realise it is enormous. There is nothing like this in previous data, anywhere. It is considered so exceptional that Professor Phil Jones, the CRU's director, is prepared to say openly - in a way few scientists have done before - that the 2003 extreme may be directly attributed, not to natural climate variability, but to global warming caused by human actions.Meteorologists have hitherto contented themselves with the formula that recent high temperatures are “consistent with predictions” of climate change. For the great block of the map - that stretching between 35-50N and 0-20E - the CRU has reliable temperature records dating back to 1781. Using as a baseline the average summer temperature recorded between 1961 and 1990, departures from the temperature norm, or “anomalies”, over the area as a whole can easily be plotted. As the graph shows, such is the variability of our climate that over the past 200 years, there have been at least half a dozen anomalies, in terms of excess temperature - the peaks on the graph denoting very hot years - approaching, or even exceeding, 2°C. But there has been nothing remotely like 2003, when the anomaly is nearly four degrees.“This is quite remarkable,’ Professor Jones told The Independent. “It’s very unusual in a statisticalsense. If this series had a normal statistical distribution, you wouldn’t get this number. The return period [how often it could be expected to recur] would be something like one in a thousand years. If we look at an excess above the average of nearly four degrees, then perhaps nearly three degrees of that is natural variability, because we’ve seen that in past summers. But the final degree of it is likely to be due to global warming, caused by human actions.”The summer of 2003 has, in a sense, been one that climate scientists have long been expecting. Until now, the warming has been manifesting itself mainly in winters that have been less cold than in summers that have been much hotter. Last week, the United Nations predicted that winters were warming so quickly that winter sports would die out in Europe’s lower-level ski resorts. But sooner or later, the unprecedented hot summer was bound to come, and this year it did.One of the most dramatic features of the summer was the hot nights, especially in the first half of August. In Paris, the temperature never dropped below 23°C (73.4°F) at all between 7 and 14 August, and the city recorded its warmest-ever night on 11-12 August, when the mercury did not drop below 25.5°C (77.9°F). Germany recorded its warmest-ever night at Weinbiet in the Rhine Valley with a lowest figure of 27.6°C (80.6°F) on 13 August, and similar record-breaking nighttime temperatures were recorded in Switzerland and Italy.The 15,000 excess deaths in France during August, compared with previous years, have been related to the high night-time temperatures. The number gradually increased during the first 12 days of the month, peaking at about 2,000 per day on the night of 12-13 August, then fell off dramatically after 14 August when the minimum temperatures fell by about 5°C. The elderly were most affected, with a 70 per cent increase in mortality rate in those aged 75-94.For Britain, the year as a whole is likely to be the warmest ever recorded, but despite the high temperature record on 10 August, the summer itself - defined as the June, July and August period -still comes behind 1976 and 1995, when there were longer periods of intense heat. “At the moment, the year is on course to be the third hottest ever in the global temperature record, which goes back to 1856, behind 1998 and 2002, but when all the records for October, November and December are collated, it might move into second place/' Professor Jones said. The ten hottest years in the record have all now occurred since 1990. Professor Jones is in no doubt about the astonishing nature of European summer of 2003. “The temperatures recorded were out of all proportion to the previous record," he said.“It was the warmest summer in the past 500 years and probably way beyond that. It was enormously exceptional."His colleagues at the University of East Anglia's Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research are now planning a special study of it. “It was a summer that has not been experienced before, either in terms of the temperature extremes that were reached, or the range and diversity of the impacts of the extreme heat," said the centre's executive director, Professor Mike Hulme.“It will certainly have left its mark on a number of countries, as to how they think and plan for climate change in the future, much as the 2000 floods have revolutionised the way the Government is thinking about flooding in the UK. The 2003 heatwave will have similar repercussions across Europe."Questions 14-19Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? In boxes14-19 on your answer sheet writeYES if the statement agrees with the views of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the views of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this14 _____ The average summer temperature in 2003 is almost 4 degrees higher than the average temperature of the past.15 _____ Global warming is caused by human activities.16 _____ Jones believes the temperature variation is within the normal range.17 _____ The temperature is measured twice a day in major cities.18 _____ There were milder winters rather than hotter summers.19 _____ Governments are building new high-altitude ski resorts.Questions 20-21Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR NUMBERS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 20-21 on your answer sheet.What are the other two hottest years in Britain besides 2003?20 _____What has also influenced government policies like the hot summer in 2003?21 _____Questions 22-25Complete the summary below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 22-25 on your answer sheet.The other two hottest years around the globe were 22 _____The ten hottest years on record all come after the year 23 _____This temperature data has been gathered since 24 _____Thousands of people died in the country of 25_____Question 26Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.Write your answer in box 26 on your answer sheet.26 _____Which one of the following can be best used as the title of this passage?A Global WarmingB What Caused Global WarmingC The Effects of Global WarmingD That Hot Year in EuropeSECTION 3: QUESTIONS 27-40READING PASSAGE 3You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.Amateur NaturalistsFrom the results of an annual Alaskan betting contest to sightings of migratory birds, ecologists are using a wealth of unusual data to predict the impact of climate change.ATim Sparks slides a small leather-bound notebook out of an envelope. The book's yellowing pages contain bee-keeping notes made between 1941 and 1969 by the late Walter Coates of Kilworth, Leicestershire. He adds it to his growing pile of local journals, birdwatchers' lists and gardening diaries. "We're uncovering about one major new record each month," he says, "I still get surprised." Around two centuries before Coates, Robert Marsham, a landowner from Norfolk in the east of England, began recording the life cycles of plants and animals on his estate - when the first wood anemones flowered, the dates on which the oaks burst into leaf and the rooks began nesting. Successive Marshams continued compiling these notes for 211 years.BToday, such records are being put to uses that their authors could not possibly have expected. These data sets, and others like them, are proving invaluable to ecologists interested in the timing of biological events, or phenology. By combining the records with climate data, researchers can reveal how, for example, changes in temperature affect the arrival of spring, allowing ecologists to make improved predictions about the impact of climate change. A small band of researchers is combing through hundreds of years of records taken by thousands of amateur naturalists. And more systematic projects have also started up, producing an overwhelming response. "The amount of interest is almost frightening," says Sparks, a climate researcher at the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Monks Wood, Cambridgeshire.CSparks first became aware of the army of "closet phenologists”, as he describes them, when a retiring colleague gave him the Marsham records. He now spends much of his time followingleads from one historical data set to another. As news of his quest spreads, people tip him off to other historical records, and more amateur phenologists come out of their closets. The British devotion to recording and collecting makes his job easier - one man from Kent sent him 30 years' worth of kitchen calendars, on which he had noted the date that his neighbour's magnolia tree flowered.DOther researchers have unearthed data from equally odd sources. Rafe Sagarin, an ecologist at Stanford University in California, recently studied records of a betting contest in which participants attempt to guess the exact time at which a specially erected wooden tripod will fall through the surface of a thawing river. The competition has taken place annually on the Tenana River in Alaska since 1917, and analysis of the results showed that the thaw now arrives five days earlier than it did when the contest began.EOverall, such records have helped to show that, compared with 20 years ago, a raft of natural events now occur earlier across much of the northern hemisphere, from the opening of leaves to the return of birds from migration and the emergence of butterflies from hibernation. The data can also hint at how nature will change in the future. Together with models of climate change, amateurs' records could help guide conservation. Terry Root, an ecologist at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, has collected birdwatchers' counts of wildfowl taken between 1955 and 1996 on seasonal ponds in the American Midwest and combined them with climate data and models of future warming. Her analysis shows that the increased droughts that the models predict could halve the breeding populations at the ponds. "The number of waterfowl in North America will most probably drop significantly with global warming," she says.FBut not all professionals are happy to use amateur data. "A lot of scientists won't touch them, they say they're too full of problems," says Root. Because different observers can have different ideas of what constitutes, for example, an open snowdrop. "The biggest concern with ad hoc observations is how carefully and systematically they were taken," says Mark Schwartz of the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, who studies the interactions between plants and climate. "We need to know pretty precisely what a person's been observing - if they just say 'I noted when the leaves came out', it might not be that useful." Measuring the onset of autumn can be particularly problematic because deciding when leaves change colour is a more subjectiveprocess than noting when they appear.GOverall, most phenologists are positive about the contribution that amateurs can make. "They get at the raw power of science: careful observation of the natural world," says Sagarin. But the professionals also acknowledge the need for careful quality control. Root, for example, tries to gauge the quality of an amateur archive by interviewing its collector. "You always have to worry -things as trivial as vacations can affect measurement. I disregard a lot of records because they're not rigorous enough," she says. Others suggest that the right statistics can iron out some of theproblems with amateur data. Together with colleagues at Wageningen University in the Netherlands, environmental scientist Arnold van Vliet is developing statistical techniques to account for the uncertainty in amateur phenological data. With the enthusiasm of amateur phenologists evident from past records, professional researchers are now trying to create standardised recording schemes for future efforts. They hope that well-designed studies will generate a volume of observations large enough to drown out the idiosyncrasies of individual recorders. The data are cheap to collect, and can provide breadth in space, time and range of species. "It's very difficult to collect data on a large geographical scale without enlisting an army of observers," says Root.HPhenology also helps to drive home messages about climate change. "Because the public understand these records, they accept them," says Sparks.It can also illustrate potentially unpleasant consequences, he adds, such as the finding that more rat infestations are reported to local councils in warmer years. And getting people involved is great for public relations. "People are thrilled to think that the data they've been collecting as a hobby can be used for something scientific - it empowers them," says Root.Questions 27-33Reading Passage 3 has eight paragraphs A-H.Which paragraph contains the following information?Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 27-33 on your answer sheet.27 _____ The definition of phenology28 _____ How Sparks first became aware of amateur records29 _____ How people reacted to their involvement in data collection30 _____ The necessity to encourage amateur data collection31 _____ A description of using amateur records to make predictions32 _____ Records of a competition providing clues to climate change33 _____ A description of a very old record compiled by generations of amateur naturalistsQuestions 34-36Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.Walter Coates’s records largely contain the information of 34 _____Robert Marsham is famous for recording the 35_____ of animals and plants on his land.According to some phenologists, global warming may cause the number of waterfowl in NorthAmerica to drop significantly due to increased 36 _____ Questions 37-40Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.37 _____Why do a lot of scientists discredit the data collected by amateurs?A Scientific methods were not used in data collection.B Amateur observers are not careful in recording their data.C Amateur data is not reliable.D Amateur data is produced by wrong candidates.38 _____Mark Schwartz used the example of leaves to illustrate thatA amateur records can’t be used.B amateur records are always unsystematic.C the colour change of leaves is hard to observe.D valuable information is often precise.39 _____How do the scientists suggest amateur data should be used?A Using improved methodsB Being more careful in observationC Using raw materialsD Applying statistical techniques in data collection40 _____What’s the implication of phenology for ordinary people?A It empowers the public.B It promotes public relations.C It warns people of animal infestation.D It raises awareness about climate change in the public.参考答案2. i3. vi4. x5. ix6. iv7. ii8. TRUE9. TRUE10. NOT GIVEN多选11-13C Metals can be magnetized.D Stars are at different distances from the earth.E The earth wobbles on its axis.14. YES15. YES16. No17. NOT GIVEN18. YES19. NOT GIVEN20. 1976 and 199521. 2000 floods22. 1998 and 200223. 199024. 185625. France26. D27. B28. C29. H31. E32. D33. A34. bee-keeping notes35. life cycle(s)36. drought(s)37. C38. D39. A40. D。
剑桥雅思阅读4(test2)原文翻译及答案解析
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剑桥雅思阅读4原文(test2)READING PASSAGE 1You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.Lost for wordsMany minority languages are on the danger listIn the Native American Navajo nation, which sprawls across four states in the American south-west, the native language is dying. Most of its speakers are middle-aged or elderly. Although many students take classes in Navajo, the schools are run in English. Street signs, supermarket goods and even their own newspaper are all in English. Not surprisingly, linguists doubt that any native speakers of Navajo will remain in a hundred years’time.Navajo is far from alone. Half the world’s 6,800 languages are likely to vanish within two generations —that’s one language lost every ten days. Never before has the planet’s linguistic diversity shrunk at such a pace. ‘At the moment, we are heading for about three or four languages dominating the world,’says Mark Pagel, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Reading. ‘It’s a mass extinction, and whether we will ever rebound from the loss is difficult to know.’Isolation breeds linguistic diversity: as a result, the world is peppered with languages spoken by only a few people. Only 250 languages have more than a million speakers, and at least 3,000have fewer than 2,500. It is not necessarily these small languages that are about to disappear. Navajo is considered endangered despite having 150,000 speakers. What makes a language endangered is not just the number of speakers, but how old they are. If it is spoken by children it is relatively safe. The critically endangered languages are those that are only spoken by the elderly, according to Michael Krauss, director of the Alassk Native Language Center, in Fairbanks.Why do people reject the language of their parents? It begins with a crisis of confidence, when a small community finds itself alongside a larger, wealthier society, says Nicholas Ostler, of Britain’s Foundation for Endangered Languages, in Bath. ‘People lose faith in their culture,’ he says. ‘When the next generation reaches their teens, they might not want to be induced into the old traditions.’The change is not always voluntary. Quite often, governments try to kill off a minority language by banning its use in public or discouraging its use in schools, all to promote national unity. The former US policy of running Indian reservation schools in English, for example, effectively put languages such as Navajo on the danger list. But Salikoko Mufwene, who chairs the Linguistics department at the University of Chicago, argues that the deadliest weapon is not government policy but economic globalisation. ‘Native Americans have not lost pride in their language, but they have had to adapt to socio-economic pressures,’he says. ‘They cannot refuse to speak English if most commercial activity is in English.’ But are languages worth saving? At the very least, there is a loss of data for the study of languages and their evolution, which relies on comparisons between languages, both living and dead. When an unwrittenand unrecorded language disappears, it is lost to science.Language is also intimately bound up with culture, so it may be difficult to preserve one without the other. ‘If a person shifts from Navajo to English, they lose something,’ Mufwene says. ‘Moreover, the loss of diversity may also deprive us of different ways of looking at the world,’says Pagel. There is mounting evidence that learning a language produces physiological changes in the brain. ‘Your brain and mine are different from the brain of someone who speaks French, for instance,’ Pagel says, and this could affect our thoughts and perceptions. ‘The patterns and connections we make among various concepts may be structured by the linguistic habits of our community.’So despite linguists’best efforts, many languages will disappear over the next century. But a growing interest in cultural identity may prevent the direst predictions from coming true. ‘The key to fostering diversity is for people to learn their ancestral tongue, as well as the dominant language,’ says Doug Whalen, founder and president of the Endangered Language Fund in New Haven, Connecticut. ‘Most of these languages will not survive without a large degree of bilingualism,’ he says. In New Zealand, classes for children have slowed the erosion of Maori and rekindled interest in the language. A similar approach in Hawaii has produced about 8,000 new speakers of Polynesian languages in the past few years. In California, ‘apprentice’programmes have provided life support to several indigenous languages. Volunteer ‘apprentices’ pair up with one of the last living speakers of a Native American tongue to learn a traditional skill such as basket weaving, with instruction exclusively in the endangered language. After about 300 hours of training they are generally sufficiently fluent to transmit the language to the nextgeneration. But Mufwene says that preventing a language dying out is not the same as giving it new life by using it every day. ‘Preserving a language is more like preserving fruits in a jar,’he says.However, preservation can bring a language back from the dead. There are examples of languages that have survived in written form and then been revived by later generations. But a written form is essential for this, so the mere possibility of revival has led many speakers of endangered languages to develop systems of writing where none existed before.Questions 1-4Complete the summary below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.There are currently approximately 6,800 languages in the world. This great variety of languages came about largely as a result of geographical 1…… . But in today’s world, factors such as government initiatives and 2……are contributing to a huge decrease in the number of languages. One factor which may help to ensure that some endangered languages do not die out completely is people’s increasing appreciation of their 3…… . This has been encouraged through programmes of language classes for children and through ‘apprentice’schemes, in which the endangered language is used as the medium of instruction to teach people a 4……. Some speakers of endangered languages have even produced writing systems in order to help secure the survival of their mother tongue.’Questions 5-9Look at the following statements (Questions 5-9) and the listof people in the box below. Match each statement with the correct person A-E.Write the appropriate letter A-E in boxes 5-9 on your answer sheet.NB You may use any letter more than once.5 Endangered languages cannot be saved unless people learn to speak more than one language.6 Saving languages from extinction is not in itself a satisfactory goal.7 The way we think may be determined by our language.8 Young people often reject the established way of life in their community.9 A change of language may mean a loss of traditional culture.A Michael KraussB Salikoko MufweneC Nicholas OstlerD Mark PagelE Doug WhalenQuestions 10-13Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 1?In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet writeYES if the statement agrees with the views of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the views of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this10 The Navajo Language will die out because it currently has too few speakers.11 A large number of native speakers fail to guarantee thesurvival of a language.12 National governments could do more to protect endangered languages.13 The loss of linguistic diversity is inevitable.READING PASSAGE 2You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE IN AUSTRALIAThe first students to study alternative medicine at university level in Australia began their four-year, full-time course at the University of Technology, Sydney, in early 1994. Their course covered, among other therapies, acupuncture. The theory they learnt is based on the traditional Chinese explanation of this ancient healing art: that it can regulate the flow of ‘Qi’or energy through pathways in the body. This course reflects how far some alternative therapies have come in their struggle for acceptance by the medical establishment.Australia has been unusual in the Western world in having a very conservative attitude to natural or alternative therapies, according to Dr Paul Laver, a lecturer in Public Health at the University of Sydney. ‘We’ve had a tradition of doctors being fairly powerful and I guess they are pretty loath to allow any pretenders to their position to come into it.’In many other industrialised countries, orthodox and alternative medicine have worked ‘hand in glove’for years. In Europe, only orthodox doctors can prescribe herbal medicine. In Germany, plant remedies account for 10% of the national turnover of pharmaceuticals. Americans made more visits to alternative therapists than to orthodox doctors in 1990, and each year they spend about $US 12 billion on therapies that have not beenscientifically tested.Disenchantment with orthodox medicine has seen the popularity of alternative therapies in Australia climb steadily during the past 20 years. In a 1983 national health survey, 1.9% of people said they had contacted a chiropractor, naturopath, osteopath, acupuncturist or herbalist in the two weeks prior to the survey. By 1990, this figure had risen to 2.6% of the population. The 550,000 consultations with alternative therapists reported in the 1990 survey represented about an eighth of the total number of consultations with medically qualified personnel covered by the survey, according to Dr Laver and colleagues writing in the Australian Journal of Public Health in 1993. ‘A better educated and less accepting public has become disillusioned with the experts in general, and increasingly sceptical about science and empirically based knowledge,’ they said. ‘The high standing of professionals, including doctors, has been eroded as a consequence.’Rather than resisting or criticising this trend, increasing numbers of Australian doctors, particularly younger ones, are forming group practices with alternative therapists or taking courses themselves, particularly in acupuncture and herbalism. Part of the incentive was financial, Dr Laver said. ‘The bottom line is that most general practitioners are business people. If they see potential clientele going elsewhere, they might want to be able to offer a similar service.’In 1993, Dr Laver and his colleagues published a survey of 289 Sydney people who attended eight alternative therapists’practices in Sydney. These practices offered a wide range of alternative therapies from 25 therapists. Those surveyed had experienced chronic illnesses, for which orthodox medicine hadbeen able to provide little relief. They commented that they liked the holistic approach of their alternative therapists and the friendly, concerned and detailed attention they had received. The cold, impersonal manner of orthodox doctors featured in the survey. An increasing exodus from their clinics, coupled with this and a number of other relevant surveys carried out in Australia, all pointing to orthodox doctors’inadequacies, have led mainstream doctors themselves to begin to admit they could learn from the personal style of alternative therapists. Dr Patrick Store, President of the Royal College of General Practitioners, concurs that orthodox doctors could learn a lot about bedside manner and advising patients on preventative health from alternative therapists.According to the Australian Journal of Public Health, 18% of patients visiting alternative therapists do so because they suffer from musculo-skeletal complaints; 12% suffer from digestive problems, which is only 1% more than those suffering from emotional problems. Those suffering from respiratory complaints represent 7% of their patients, and candida sufferers represent an equal percentage. Headache sufferers and those complaining of general ill health represent 6% and 5% of patients respectively, and a further 4% see therapists for general health maintenance.The survey suggested that complementary medicine is probably a better term than alternative medicine. Alternative medicine appears to be an adjunct, sought in times of disenchantment when conventional medicine seems not to offer the answer.Questions 14 and 15Choose the correct letter, A, B C or D.Write your answers in boxes 14 and 15 on your answer sheet.14 Traditionally, how have Australian doctors differed from doctors in many Western countries?A They have worked closely with pharmaceutical companies.B They have often worked alongside other therapists.C They have been reluctant to accept alternative therapists.D They have regularly prescribed alternative remedies.15 In 1990, AmericansA were prescribed more herbal medicines than in previous years.B consulted alternative therapists more often than doctors.C spent more on natural therapies than orthodox medicines.D made more complaints about doctors than in previous years.Questions 16-23Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 2?In boxes 16-23 on your answer sheet writeYES if the statement agrees with the views of the writerNO if the statement contradicts the views of the writerNOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this16 Australians have been turning to alternative therapies in increasing numbers over the past 20 years.17 Between 1983 and 1990 the numbers of patients visiting alternative therapists rose to include a further 8% of the population.18 The 1990 survey related to 550,000 consultations with alternative therapists.19 In the past, Australians had a higher opinion of doctorsthan they do today.20 Some Australian doctors are retraining in alternative therapies.21 Alternative therapists earn higher salaries than doctors.22 The 1993 Sydney survey involved 289 patients who visited alternative therapists for acupuncture treatment.23 All the patients in the 1993 Sydney survey had long-term medical complaints.Questions 24-26Complete the vertical axis on the table below.Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from Reading Passage 2 for answer.Write your answers in boxes 24-26 on your answer sheet.READING PASSAGE 3You should ,spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 belowPLAY IS A SERIOUS BUSINESSDoes play help develop bigger, better brains?Bryant Furlow investigatesA Playing is a serious business. Children engrossed in a make-believe world, fox cubs play-fighting or kittens teasing a ball of string aren’t just having fun. Play may look like a carefree and exuberant way to pass the time before the hard work of adulthood comes along, but there’s much more to it than that. For a start, play can even cost animals their lives. Eighty per cent of deaths among juvenile fur seals occur because playing pups fail to spot predators approaching. It is also extremely expensive in terms of energy. Playful young animals use around two or three per cent of their energy cavorting, and in children that figure can be closer to fifteen per cent. ‘Even two or three per cent is huge,’says John Byers of Idaho University. ‘You just don’t find animals wasting energy like that,’he adds. There must be a reason.B But if play is not simply a developmental hiccup, as biologists once thought, why did it evolve? The latest idea suggests that play has evolved to build big brains. In other words, playing makes you intelligent. Playfulness, it seems, is common only among mammals, although a few of the larger-brained birds also indulge. Animals at play often use unique signs —tail-wagging in dogs, for example —to indicate that activity superficially resembling adult behaviour is not really in earnest.A popular explanation of play has been that it helps juveniles develop the skills they will need to hunt, mate and socialise as adults. Another has been that it allows young animals to get in shape for adult life by improving their respiratory endurance. Both these ideas have been questioned in recent years.C Take the exercise theory. If play evolved to build muscle or as a kind of endurance training, then you would expect to see permanent benefits. But Byers points out that the benefits of increased exercise disappear rapidly after training stops, so any improvement in endurance resulting from juvenile play would be lost by adulthood. ‘If the function of play was to get into shape,’says Byers, ‘the optimum time for playing would depend on when it was most advantageous for the young of a particular species to do so. But it doesn’t work like that.’ Across species, play tends to peak about halfway through the suckling stage and then decline.D Then there’s the skills-training hypothesis. At first glance, playing animals do appear to be practising the complex manoeuvres they will need in adulthood. But a closer inspectionreveals this interpretation as too simplistic. In one study, behavioural ecologist Tim Caro, from the University of California, looked at the predatory play of kittens and their predatory behaviour when they reached adulthood. He found that the way the cats played had no significant effect on their hunting prowess in later life.E Earlier this year, Sergio Pellis of Lethbridge University, Canada, reported that there is a strong positive link between brain size and playfulness among mammals in general. Comparing measurements for fifteen orders of mammal, he and his team found larger brains (for a given body size) are linked to greater playfulness. The converse was also found to be true. Robert Barton of Durham University believes that, because large brains are more sensitive to developmental stimuli than smaller brains, they require more play to help mould them for adulthood. ‘I concluded it’s to do with learning, and with the importance of environmental data to the brain during development,’he says.F According to Byers, the timing of the playful stage in young animals provides an important clue to what’s going on. If you plot the amount of time a juvenile devotes to play each day over the course of its development, you discover a pattern typically associated with a ‘sensitive period’—a brief development window during which the brain can actually be modified in ways that are not possible earlier or later in life. Think of the relative ease with which young children — but not infants or adults —absorb language. Other researchers have found that play in cats, rats and mice is at its most intense just as this ‘window of opportunity’ reaches its peak.G ‘People have not paid enough attention to the amountof the brain activated by play,’ says Marc Bekoff from Colorado University. Bekoff studied coyote pups at play and found that the kind of behaviour involved was markedly more variable and unpredictable than that of adults. Such behaviour activates many different parts of the brain, he reasons. Bekoff likens it to a behavioural kaleidoscope, with animals at play jumping rapidly between activities. ‘They use behaviour from a lot of different contexts —predation, aggression, reproduction,’he says. ‘Their developing brain is getting all sorts of stimulation.’H Not only is more of the brain involved in play than was suspected, but it also seems to activate higher cognitive processes. ‘There’s enormous cognitive involvement in play,’says Bekoff. He points out that play often involves complex assessments of playmates, ideas of reciprocity and the use of specialised signals and rules. He believes that play creates a brain that has greater behavioural flexibility and improved potential for learning later in life. The idea is backed up by the work of Stephen Siviy of Gettysburg College. Siviy studied how bouts of play affected the brain’s levels of a particular chemical associated with the stimulation and growth of nerve cells. He was surprised by the extent of the activation. ‘Play just lights everything up,’he says. By allowing link-ups between brain areas that might not normally communicate with each other, play may enhance creativity.I What might further experimentation suggest about the way children are raised in many societies today? We already know that rat pups denied the chance to play grow smaller brain components and fail to develop the ability to apply social rules when they interact with their peers. With schooling beginning earlier and becoming increasingly exam-orientated, play is likelyto get even less of a look-in. Who knows what the result of that will be?Questions 27-32Reading Passage 3 had nine paragraphs labeled A-I.Which paragraph contains the following information?Write the correct letter A-I in boxes 27-32 on your answer sheet.NB You may use any letter more than once.27 the way play causes unusual connections in the brain which are beneficial28 insights from recording how much time young animals spend playing29 a description of the physical hazards that can accompany play30 a description of the mental activities which are exercised and developed during play31 the possible effects that a reduction in play opportunities will have on humans32 the classes of animals for which play is importantQuestions 33-35Choose THREE letters A-F.Write your answers in boxes 33-35 on your answer sheet.The list below gives some ways of regarding play.Which THREE ways are mentioned by the writer of the text?A a rehearsal for later adult activitiesB a method animals use to prove themselves to their peer groupC an activity intended to build up strength for adulthoodD a means of communicating feelingsE a defensive strategyF an activity assisting organ growthQuestions 36-40Look at the following researchers (Questions 36-40) and the list of findings below.Match each researcher with the correct finding.Write the correct letter A-H in boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet.36 Robert Barton37 Marc Bekoff38 John Byers39 Sergio Pellis40 Stephen SiviyList of FindingsA There is a link between a specific substance in the brain and playing.B Play provides input concerning physical surroundings.C Varieties of play can be matched to different stages of evolutionary history.D There is a tendency for mammals with smaller brains to play less.E Play is not a form of fitness training for the future.F Some species of larger-brained birds engage in play.G A wide range of activities are combined during play.H Play is a method of teaching survival techniques.剑桥雅思阅读4原文参考译文(test2)Passage 1参考译文Lost for wordsMany minority languages are on the danger list语言的消失——许多少数民族语言濒临灭绝In the Native American Navajo nation, which sprawls across four states in the American south-west, the native language is dying. Most of its speakers are middle-aged or elderly. Although many students take classes in Navajo, the schools are run in English. Street signs, supermarket goods and even their own newspaper are all in English. Not surprisingly, linguists doubt that any native speakers of Navajo will remain in a hundred years’time.对于居住在美国西南部四州的那瓦霍人来讲,他们的语言正在遭遇灭顶之灾。
雅思阅读理解 reading 4教学内容
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CThe figures for magazine advertising inEuropeare decreasing.
4ParagraphDAAcrossEurope, people read very different kinds of magazines.
Australia’s First Commercial Wind Farm
It’s come years since the rotor blades began spinning in Esperance.
AHarvest time in Esperance is constant.As long as the wind blows- which is pretty much all the time–nine identicalsynchronizedwind turbines, reap the benefits of the dependable winds that gust up around the southern coastline ofWestern Australia.These sleek, white, robot–like wind turbines loom up on the horizon forming part ofAustralia’s first commercial wind farm.They’re not only functional machines that help provide electricity for this secluded coastal town, but increasingly, they’re also drawcards for curious tourists and scientists alike.
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Reading 4Improving global reading skills1 Reading the following text and then answer the questions.a Which paragraph contains the most detailb Which three paragraphs cover one main theme2 Choose thesentence that best paraphrases the main idea in each paragraph of the test.1Paragraph A A The amount of money spent on magazine advertising is increasing.B The rivalry between magazines and other media is surprising.C Some magazines sell better than others.2Paragraph B A Magazines are some more popular than they used to be.B A lot of people are still reading magazines.C TV is more available than ever.3Paragraph C A Europe allocates a greater proportion of its advertising budget to magazines than the world average.B Belgium and Germany spend more on magazine advertisingthan other European countries.C The figures for magazine advertising in Europe aredecreasing.4 Paragraph D A Across Europe, people read very different kinds ofmagazines.B The idea of a ‘European’magazine is becomingpopular.C Magazines that cover popular activities can becomebest sellers.5 Paragraph E A Cigarette advertising is banned in some countries.B Magazines advertise a smaller range of products thantelevision.C There are fewer limitations on magazine advertisingthan TV advertising.IELTS Reading test practice Global reading question3What is the purpose of the writer of the passageA to compare European and world magazinesB to attract more magazine readersC to review the continuing popularity of magazinesD to illustrate the advantages of electronic magazinesIELTS Reading test practice Choosing headings for paragraphs How to approach the task■■■■■4Take five minutes to answer questions 1-7.Australia’s First Commercial Wind FarmIt ’s come years since the rotor blades began spinning in Esperance.A Harvest time in Esperance is constant. As long as the wind blows- which is pretty much all the time –nine identical synchronized wind turbines,reap the benefits of the dependable winds that gust up around the southern coastline of Western Australia. These sleek, white, robot –like wind turbines loom up on the horizon forming part of Australia’s first commercial wind farm. They’re not only functional machines that help provide electricity for this secluded coastal town, but increasingly, they’re also drawcards for curious tourists and scientists alike.B Because of its isolation, Esperance is not linked to Western Power’s grid which supplies electricity from gas-, coal- and oil- fires power stations to the widespread population of Western Australia. Before the wind turbines went in, Esperance’s entire electricity needs were met by the diesel power station in town.C The $ million Ten Mile Lagoon project is not Esperance’s first wind farm. The success of a smaller, experimental wind farm, at a spot called Salmon Beach, encouraged the State’s power utility to take Esperance wind seriously. Today, the wind turbines at Ten Mile Lagoon work in conjunction with the diesel power station, significantly reducing the amount of the town’s electricity generated by expensive diesel power.D The wind farm is connected to the power station by a 33- kilovolt powerline, and a radio link between the two allows operators to monitor and control each wind turbine. The nine 225- kilowatt Vestas wind turbines produce a total generating capacity of two megawatts and provide around 12 per cent of the energy requirements of Esperance and its surrounding districts.E The power produced by a wind turbine depends on the size and efficiency of the machine and, of course, on the energy in the wind. The energy in the wind available to the wind turbines is proportional to wind speed cubed. Thus, the greater the wind speed, the greater the output of the turbine. In other to achieve optimum wind speeds, the right location is imperative. ‘You have to accept the nature of the beast,’, Western Power’s physicist, said. ‘As surface dwellers our perceptions of wind speeds are bad. As you go higher, wind speed increase significantly.’F The most favourable wind sites are on gently sloping hills, away from obstructions like trees and buildings and where the prevailing winds are not blocked. Computer modeling was used to select the optimum site for Esperance’s wind farm. Scientists were protecting the coastal health environment which is rich in plant life and home to tiny pygmy and honey-possums, and a host of bird species. In addition, the wind farm is adjacent to Esperance’s popular scenic tourist drive.G Strict erosion controls have been implemented and access to the wind farm is limited to selected viewing areas. The wind turbine towers are painted white and devoid of corporate logos or signage. According to there is something of a worldwide backlash against wind farms with regard to their visual impact. ‘But because wind turbines perform best in the most exposed positions, they will always be visible. There is a very real need to balance environmental and technical requirements. I think the Ten Mile Lagoon WindFarm sets the standard for environmentally friendly development.’H In fact, the project has become something of a tourist attraction in itself. Esperance Shire president Ian Mickel said the wind turbines had been well accepted by locals. ‘We have watched the wind farm develop with great interest, and now we find visitors to Esperance are equally enthusiastic about is,’he said. The aim now is to identify other remote locations where wind turbines will be a feasible means of supplementing existing power stations.IELTS Reading test practice Sentence completionHow to approach the task■■5Take six minutes to answer questions 1-6 about Australia’s First Commercial Wind Farm.6 Here are some answers that students have given to questions 1-6 above. For each answer, state which question the student was doing and say why the answer would be marked wrong.A computer modelingB tree or buildingC around 12 per centD the diesel powerE Western Power ’s grid F $ million G scientists H on gently sloping hills7 Match the words and phrases below from questions 1-6 in exercise 5 with phrases in the passage.IELTS Reading test practice Global reading question 8What is the main purpose of the writer of the articleA to respond to criticism of a projectB to review the success of a projectC to explain his role in a projectD to predict the future of a project。