2013年職稱英語考試?yán)砉ゎ愵A(yù)測押密試卷4

    參考答案:2013年職稱英語考試?yán)砉ゎ愵A(yù)測押密試卷匯總　

    第4部分：閱讀理解(第31～45題，每題3分，共45分)

　　下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道題。請(qǐng)根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，為每題確定1個(gè)最佳選項(xiàng)。

　　第一篇

　　U.S. Scientists Confirm Water on Mars

　　NASA scientists said that Mars was covered once by vast lakes, flowing rivers and a variety of other wet environments that had the potential to support life.

　　Laboratory tests aboard NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample; the lander’s robotic arm delivered the sample Wednesday to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by the heating of samples.

　　“We have water,” said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. “This is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted. ”

　　The robotic arm is a critical part of the Phoenix Mars mission. It is needed to trench" into the icy layers of northern polar Mars and deliver samples to instruments that will analyze what Mars is made of, what its water is like, and whether it is or has ever been a possible habitat for life.

　　The soil sample came from a trench approximately 2 inches deep. When the robotic arm first reached that depth, it hit a hard layer of frozen soil. Two attempts to deliver samples of icy soil on days when fresh material was exposed were foiled when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Most of the material in Wednesday’s sample had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle.

　　“Mars is giving us some surprises,” said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona. “We’re excited because surprises are where discoveries come from. One surprise is how the soil is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when poised in the sun above the deck, different from what we expected, from all the Mars simulation testing we’ve done so far. ”

　　Since landing on May 25, Phoenix has been studying soil with a chemistry lab, TEGA, a microscope, a conductivity probe and cameras. The science team is trying to determine whether the water ice ever thaws enough to be available for biology and if carbon-containing chemicals and other raw materials for life are present.

　　The mission is examining the sky as well as the ground. A Canadian instrument is using a laser beam to study dust and clouds overhead.

　　“It’s a 30-watt light bulb giving us a laser show on Mars,” said Victoria Hipkin of the Canadian Space Agency.

　　A full-circle, color panorama of Phoenix’s surroundings also has been completed by the spacecraft.

　　“The details and patterns we see in the ground show an ice-dominated terrain as far as the eye can see,” said Mark Lemmon of Texas A & M University, lead scientist for Phoenix’s Surface Stereo Imager camera. “They help us plan measurements we’re making within reach of the robotic arm and interpret those measurements on a wider scale. ”

　　31. What was discovered by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander on Mars?

　　A. Vast lakes

　　B. Flowing rivers

　　C. Water in a soil sample.

　　D. Living things

　　32. Why did the first two attempts to deliver samples fail?

　　A. The sample vaporized away

　　B. Fresh material was exposed to the air

　　C. The samples got stuck inside the scoop

　　D. The robotic arm hit a hard rock

　　33. Which one of the following statements is NOT meant by the writer?

　　A. Scientists have been trying to break the ice-rich layers of soil on Mars.

　　B. Scientists have been surprised by how the soil on Mars behaves

　　C. Scientists have been trying to find out if there is life supporting material on Mars

　　D. Scientists have been trying to know if water ice will melt

　　34. Where are the scientists involved in the research from?

　　A. They are from America

　　B. They are from Canada

　　C. They are from both America and Canada.

　　D. They are from neither America nor Canada

　　35. Which of the following do you think is the best description of Phoenix’s Surface Stereo Imager Camera, according to your understanding of the passage?

　　A. It imitates human vision and is able to capture three-dimensional images.

　　B. It imitates human voice and is able to record slight sounds while taking photos

　　C. It takes clear photos that show every detail of the object

　　D. It is this particular type of camera that can take wide angle pictures

　　第二篇

　　Forecasting Methods

　　There are several different methods that can be used to create a forecast (預(yù)測). The method a forecaster chooses depends upon the experience of the forecaster, the amount of information available to the forecaster, the level of difficulty that the forecast situation presents, and the degree of accuracy or confidence needed in the forecast.

　　The first of these methods is the persistence method; the simplest way of producing a forecast. The persistence (堅(jiān)持) method assumes that the conditions at the time of the forecast will not change. For example, if it is sunny and 87 degree today, the persistence method predicts that it will be sunny and 87 degree tomorrow. If two inches of rain fell today, the persistence method would predict two inches of rain for tomorrow. However, if weather conditions change significantly from day to day, the persistence method usually breaks down and is not the best forecasting method to use.

　　The trends method involves determining the speed and direction of movement for fronts, high and low pressure centers, and areas of clouds and precipitation. Using this information, the forecaster can predict where he or she expects those features to be at some future time. For example, if a storm system is 1000 miles west of your location and moving to the east at 250 miles per day, using the trends method you would predict it to arrive in your area in 4 days. The trends (趨勢) method works well when systems continue to move at the same speed in the same direction for a long period of time. If they slow down, speed up, change intensity, or change direction, the trends forecast will probably not work as well.

　　The climatology method is another simple way of producing a forecast. This method involves averaging weather statistics accumulated over many years to make the forecast. For example, if you were using the climatology method to predict the weather for New York City on July 4th, you would go through all the weather data that has been recorded for every July 4th and take an average. The climatology method only works well when the weather pattern is similar to that expected for the chosen time of year. If the pattern is quite unusual for the given time of year, the climatology method will often fail.

　　The analog method is a slightly more complicated method of producing a forecast. It involves examining today’s forecast scenario and remembering a day in the past when the weather scenario (推測) looked very similar (an analog). The forecaster would predict that the weather in this forecast will behave the same as it did in the past. The analog method is difficult to use because it is virtually impossible to find a predict analog. Various weather features rarely align themselves in the same locations they were in the previous time. Even small differences between the current time and the analog can lead to very different results.

　　36. What factor is NOT mentioned in choosing a forecasting method?

　　A. Imagination of the forecaster.

　　B. Necessary amount of information.

　　C. Practical knowledge of the forecaster.

　　D. Degree of difficulty involved in forecasting.

　　37. Persistence method will work well

　　A. if weather conditions change greatly from day to day.

　　B. if weather conditions do not change much.

　　C. on sunny days.

　　D. on rainy days.

　　38. The limitation of the trends method is the same as the persistence method in that

　　A. it makes predictions about weather.

　　B. it makes predictions about precipitation.

　　C. the weather features need to be well defined.

　　D. the weather features need to be constant for a long period of time.

　　39. Which method may involve historical weather data?

　　A. The trends method.

　　B. The analog method.

　　C. Both climatology method and analog method.

　　D. The trends method and the persistence method.

　　40. It will be impossible to make weather forecast using the analog method

　　A. when the current weather scenario differs from the analog.

　　B. when the current weather scenario is the same as the analog.

　　C. when the analog is over ten years old.

　　D. when the analog is a simple repetition of the current weather scenario.

　　第三篇

　　Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as “Ecosystem Engineers”

　　Research by the University of Exeter has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment as a result of their activity as “ecosystem engineers” and predators. The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.

　　Firstly, through moving of soil by nest building activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients in the soil. This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups, from decomposers to species much higher up the food chain.

　　Secondly, they prey on a wide range of other animals, including larger prey which can be attacked by vast numbers of ant workers.

　　Dirk Sanders, an author of the study from the university’s Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said: “Ants are very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers. They’re also very territorial and very aggressive, defending their resources and territory against other predators. All of this means they have a strong influence on their surrounding area.”

　　“In this research, we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the subtleties of it. What we found is that despite being predators, their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups. They genuinely play a key role in the local environment, having a big influence on the grassland food web,” Sanders said.

　　The study, carried out in Germany, studied the impact of the presence of different combinations and densities of black garden ants and common red ants, both species which can be found across Europe, including in the UK. It found that a low density of ants in an area increased the diversity and density of other animals in the local area, particularly the density of herbivores and decomposers. At higher densities ants had no or the opposite effect, showing that predation is counteracting the positive influence.

　　Dr Frank van Veen, another author on the study, said: “What we find is that the impact of ants on soil nutrient levels has a positive effect on animal groups at low levels, but as the number of ants increases, their predatory impacts have the bigger effect―thereby counteracting the positive influence via ecosystem engineering.”

　　Ants are important components of ecosystems not only because they constitute a great part of the animal biomass but also because they act as ecosystem engineers. Ant biodiversity is incredibly high and these organisms are highly responsive to human impact, which obviously reduces its richness. However, it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem. Ants are important in below ground processes through the alteration of the physical and chemical environment and through their effects on plants, microorganisms, and other soil organisms.

　　41 .Why are ants compared to ecosystem engineers?

　　A. Because they build their own nests.

　　B. Because they collect food.

　　C. Because their activity affects the environment.

　　D. Because they are predators.

　　42. As predators, ants

　　A. prey on small as well as large animals.

　　B. collect nutritious food from the soil

　　C. collect food as decomposers.

　　D. prey on species much higher up the food chain.

　　43. Dir Sanders’ study centered on how ants

　　A. can manage to thrive in huge numbers.

　　B. defend their resources and territory against other predators.

　　C. attack those invading animals for survival.

　　D. produce such a big impact on the environment.

　　44. What does paragraph 6 tell us?

　　A. Ants bring about a negative influence to an area when their population is small.

　　B. Ants bring about a positive influence to an area when their population is small.

　　C. Ants’ predation counteracts the positive influence they may have on an area.

　　D. At higher density, ants produce a positive influence on an area.

　　45. What still remains unclear about ants, according to the last paragraph?

　　A. What roles do ants play in the ecosystem in which they live?

　　B. How do ants affect the animal diversity in a given ecosystem?

　　C. How do human activities affect ants’ influence on a given ecosystem?

　　D. How do ants alter the physical and chemical environment?

　　參考答案:

　　31-35 CCACA

　　36-40 ABDCA

　　41-45 CADBC

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