英语专业四级考试全真模拟试卷七(2)

文章作者 100test 发表时间 2007:09:06 13:21:14
来源 100Test.Com百考试题网

PART Ⅵ READING COMPREHENSION［30 MIN.］

SECTION A READING COMPREHENSION ［25 MIN.］

In this section there are four passages followed by questions or unfinished statements, each with four suggested answers marked A, B, C and D. Choose the one that you think is the correct answer. Mark your choices on your ANSWER SHEET.

TEXT A

The Chinese of 3,500 years ago believed that the earth was a chariot, and the sky like a curved canopy stretched above it. The canopy was nine layers thick,and it sloped slightly to the northwest, as a cataclysm had broken one of its supporting columns. This gentle slope explained the movement of the stars from east to west.According to these ancient Chinese beliefs, the sun spent the night on earth and ascended to the sky each morning from the luminous valley of the east by climbing the branches of an immensely tall sacred tree. To the Chinese people, the sun was the incarnation of goodness, beauty, and truth. In popular imagination, the sun was represented as a cock that little by little assumed human form. His battles with the dragons, which personified evil in their beliefs, accounted for the momentary disappearances of the sun that men now call eclipses. Many of the Chinese people worshiped the sun, but in the vast and complicated organization of the Chinese gods, the sun was of only secondary importance.
Along with these unsophisticated beliefs about the sun, the Chinese evolved a science of astronomy based upon observation——though essentially religious——which enabled them to predict eclipses of the sun and the movements of the stars.
Such predictions were based on calculations made by using a gnomon——an object whose shadow could be used as a measure, as with a sundial or simpler shadow pointers. Moreover, with the naked eye, the Chinese observed sunspot, a phenomenon not then known to their contemporaries.

66. The sun’s disappearances were thought to be caused by____.

A. fights with cocksB. fights with dragons

C. a scientific phenomenonD. eclipses

67. Ancient Chinese astronomy could be accurately described as ____.

A. entirely religious in nature

B. based on legendary figures

C. advantages in some areas

D. completely unsuccessful

68. What is implied in this passage?

A. The sun was worshiped by all the Chinese people.

B. The sun was thought of as a cock.

C. Chinese religion and astronomy were closely interrelated.

D. Sundials were first used by the Chinese.

TEXT B

The oceans are the main source of humidity, but plants also pour moisture into the air. In one day, a five-acre forest can release 20,000 gallons of water, enough to fill an average swimming pool, A dryer extracts moisture from wet clothes, adding to humidity. Even breathing contributes to this sticky business. Every time we exhale, we expel nearly one pint of moist air into the atmosphere. Using sophisticated measuring devices, science is learning more and more about the far-reaching and often surprising impact humidity has on all of us. 
Two summers ago angry callers phoned American Television and Communications Corp.’s cable-TV operation in northeastern Wisconsin, complaining about fuzzy pictures and poor reception. “What happened,” said the chief engineer, “was that the humidity was interfering with our signals.” When a blast of dry air invaded the state, the number of complaints 0dropped sharply.Humidity plays hob with our mechanical world as well. Water condensation on the playing heads and tapes of videocassette recorders produces a streaky picture. Humidity shortens the life of flashlight and smoke-detector batteries. When the weather gets sticky, the rubber belts that power the fan, air conditioner and alternator under the hood of our cars can get wet and squeak.
Moisture also causes pianos to go out of tune, often in no time flat. At the Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va., pianos are tuned twice a day during the summer concert season. Often a tuner stands in the wings, ready to make emergency adjustments during performances.
Humidity speeds the deterioration of treasured family photos and warps priceless antiques. Your home’s wooden support beams, doors and window framers absorb extra moisture and expand-swelling up to three percent depending on the wood, its grain and the setting.
Too much moisture promotes blight that attacks potato and green-bean crops——adding to food costs. It also causes rust in wheat, which can affect grain-product prices.
Humidity affects our health, as well. We get more migraine headaches, ulcer attacks, blood clots and skin rashes in hot, humid weather. Since 1987, the Health, Weight and Stress Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore has tested over 1700 patients for responses to high humidity. They have reported increased dizziness, stomachaches, chest pains, cramps, and visual disturbances such as double and blurred vision.

69. The main idea of the passage is about ____.

A. the main source of humidity

B. the impact of humidity on our world and ourselves

C. how humidity affect our life

D. the damage humidity has done to our world

70. Which of the following is NOT included as source of humidity in this passage?

A. Oceans.B. Plants.C. Air.D. Dryers.

71. Why does a tuner often stand in the wings?

A. So it can be reached any time.

B. It is so designed mechanically.

C. So it can prevent moisture.

D. The piano needs to be tuned frequently.

72. What can be inferred from this passage?

A. Nowadays science is learning more and more about the impact humidity has on

all of us by using sophisticated measuring devices.

B. Humidity could interfere with television signals.

C. Humidity may warp priceless antiques.

D. Visual disturbances may decrease in days of low humidity.