職稱英語考試歷年真題原文：2011年閱讀理解(理工B)

　　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。請根據(jù)短文回答其后面的問題，為每題確定一個最佳答案。

　　第一篇 Cell Phones: Hang Up or Keep Talking?

　　Millions of people are using cell phones today. In many places it is actually considered unusual not to use one. In many countries, cell phones are very popular with young people. They find that the phones are more than a means of communication-having a mobile phone shows that they are cool and connected.

　　The explosions around the world in mobile phone use make some health professional worried. Some doctors are concerned that in the future many people may suffer health problems from the use of mobile phones. In England, there has been a serious debate about this issue. Mobile phone companies are worried about the negative publicity of such ideas. They say that there is no proof that mobile phones are bad for your health.

　　On the other hand, why do some medical studies show changes in the brain cells of some people who use mobile phones? Signs of change in the issues of the brain and head can be detected with modern scanning (掃描) equipment. In one case, a traveling salesman had to retire at a young age because of serious memory loss. He couldn't remember even simple tasks. He would often forget the name of his own son. This man used to talk on his mobile phone for about six hours a day, every day of his working week, for a couple of years. His family doctor blamed his mobile phone use, but his employer's doctor didn't agree.

　　What is it that makes mobile phones potentially harmful? The answer is radiation. High-tech machines can detect very small amounts of radiation from mobile phones. Mobile phone companies agree that there is some radiation, but they say the amount is too small to worry about.

　　As the discussion about their safety continues, it appears that it's best to use mobile phones less often. Use your regular phone if you want to talk for a long time. Use your mobile phone only when you really need it. Mobile phones can be very useful and convenient, especially in emergencies. In the future, mobile phones may have a warning label that says they are bad for your health. So for now, it's wise not to use your mobile phone too often

　　31 People buy cell phones for the following reasons EXCEPT that

　　A they're popular

　　B they're useful

　　C they're convenient

　　D they're cheap

　　32 The world "detected" in paragraph 3 could be best replaced by

　　A cured

　　B removed

　　C discovered

　　D caused

　　33 The salesman retired young because

　　A he couldn't remember simple tasks

　　B he disliked using mobile phones

　　C he was tired of talking on his mobile phone

　　D his employer's doctor persuaded him to

　　34 On the safety issue of mobile phones, the manufacturing companies

　　A hold that the amount of radiation is too small to worry about

　　B deny the existence of mobile phone radiation

　　C develop new technology to reduce mobile phone radiation

　　D try to prove that mobile phones are not harmful to health

　　35 The writer's purpose of writing this article is to advise people

　　A to buy mobile phones

　　B to use mobile phones less often

　　C to update regular phones

　　D to stop using mobile phones

　　第二篇 The book of life

　　So far, scientists have named about 1.8 million living species(物種), and that's a just a small part of what probably exists on Earth. With so many plants, animals, and other creatures coveting the planet, it can be tough to figure out what type of spider is moving up your leg or what kind of bird is flying by.

　　A soon-to-be-started Web site might help. An international team of researchers has announced the creation of Web-based Encyclopedia(百科全書) of life(EOL). The project aims to catalog every species on Earth in a single, easy-to-use reference guide.

　　To get the encyclopedia started, the creators will use information from scientific databases(數(shù)據(jù)庫) that already exist. And eventually, in special sections of the site, nonscientist with specialized(專門的) knowledge will get to join in. Bird-watchers, for example, will be able to input which birds they've seen and where. The technology for this kind of tool has only become available.

　　As the EOL develops, you might find it useful for school projects. The site will feature special pages for kids who are studying ecosystems (生態(tài)系統(tǒng)) in their neighborhoods. To make sure the encyclopedia is accurate, scientists will review much of the information added to it. People who visit the site will be able to choose to leave out pages that haven't been reviewed.

　　Another convenient feature of the EOL is that you'll be able to pick the level of detail you want to see to match your interest, age, and knowledge. If you wanted to learn about bears for a science class report, for example, you could use the "novice" setting to get basic information about the animals. On the "expert" setting, on the other hand, you could get much more detailed information about the history, literature, and exploration of bears.

　　It now takes years for scientists to collect all the data they need to describe and analyze species. The creators of the Encyclopedia of Life hope that their new tool will speed up that process.

　　36 "Spider" and "bird" mentioned in Paragraph 1 are examples to illustrate

　　A there are numerous living species on Earth.

　　B animals are people's friends.

　　C it is easy to see spiders and birds.

　　D there are many types of spiders and birds.

　　37 The goal of the creation of the EOL is to

　　A collect enough data to analyze the living sepecies on Earth.

　　B enlarge an existing Web site of the living sepecies on Earth.

　　C add new information to the existing databases of the living species on Earth.

　　D work out an easy-to-use catalog of every living species on Earth.

　　38 At the starting stage, the EOL will get information from

　　A all the Web sites available.

　　B databases built up by its creators.

　　C the existing scientific databases.

　　D nonscientists with specialized knowledge.

　　39 The word "novice" in Paragraph 5 could be best replaced by

　　A scientist.

　　B creator.

　　C beginner

　　D expert.

　　40 Which of the following statement is NOT true?

　　A scientist will review every piece of information added to EOL

　　B The EOL will be beneficial to school kids with its development.

　　C Scientists have cataloged only a small part of the living species on Earth.

　　D People with different interests and knowledge will in a way find the EOL useful.

　　第三篇 Longer Lives for Wild Elephants

　　Most people think of zoos as safe places for animals, where struggles such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators (猛獸) don't exist. Without such problems, animals in zoos should live to a ripe (成熟的) old age1.

　　But that may not be true for the largest land animals on Earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often suffer from poor health. They develop diseases, joint problems and behavior changes. Sometimes, they even become infertile, or unable to have babies.

　　To learn more about how captivity (圈養(yǎng)) affects elephants, a team of international scientists compared the life spans of female elephants born in zoos with female elephants living outdoors in their native lands. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals in their care, documenting factors such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for me researchers to analyze 40 years of data on 800 African and Asian elephants in zoos across Europe. The scientists compared the life spans of the zoo-born elephants with the life spans of thousands of female wild elephants in Africa and Asian elephants that work in logging camps(伐木場),over approximately the same time period.

　　The team found that female African elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years. Their wild counterparts who died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years-more than three times as long. Female Asian elephants followed a similar pattern. In zoos, they lived 18.9 years, while those in the logging camps lived 41.7 years.

　　Scientists don't yet know why wild elephants seem to fare so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts. Georgia Mason, a biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada who led the study, thinks stress and obesity (肥胖癥) may be to blame. Zoo elephants don't get the same kind of exercise they would in the wild, and most are very fat. Elephant social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild, where they live in large herds and family groups.

　　The study raises some questions about acquiring more elephants to keep in zoos. While some threatened and endangered species living in zoos reproduce (生殖) successfully and maintain healthy populations, that doesn't appear to be the case with elephants.

　　41 Unlike other animals in zoos, zoo-raised elephants

　　A live a long life

　　B give birth to many babies

　　C develop poor health

　　D have difficulty getting food

　　42 Which of the following about the international scientists' study is NOT true?

　　A They compared zoo elephants with wild elephants.

　　B They analyzed the records of the elephants kept in zoos.

　　C The zoo-born elephants they studied are kept in European zoos.

　　D They kept detailed records of all the elephants in their care.

　　43 It was found that, compared with female wild elephants, female zoo-born elephants

　　A lived longer.

　　B grew up faster.

　　C died much earlier.

　　D enjoyed the same life spans.

　　44 One of the possible reasons for the Zoo-raised elephants' problems is that

　　A they do not get enough exercise.

　　B they do too much exercise.

　　C they live in large herds.

　　D they do not live in family groups.

　　45 It can be inferred from the last paragraph that

　　A Zoo-born elephants should be looked after more carefully.

　　B Zoos should keep more animals except elephants.

　　C It may not be a wise policy to keep elephants in the zoo.

　　D Elephants are no longer an endangered species.

　　DDBDD BBCAA CDCDC