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精品文库英语专业八级考试 TEM-8阅读理解练习册（1）(英语专业2012级)UNIT 1Text A Every minute of every day, what ecologist生态学家 James Carlton calls a global “conveyor belt”, redistributes ocean organisms生物. Its planetwide biological disruption生物的破坏 that scientists have barely begun to understand. Dr. Carlton an oceanographer at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. explains that, at any given moment, “There are several thousand marine species traveling in the ballast water of ships.” These creatures move from coastal waters where they fit into the local web of life to places where some of them could tear that web apart. This is the larger dimension of the infamous无耻的，邪恶的 invasion of fish-destroying, pipe-clogging zebra mussels有斑马纹的贻贝. Such voracious贪婪的 invaders at least make their presence known. What concerns Carlton and his fellow marine ecologists is the lack of knowledge about the hundreds of alien invaders that quietly enter coastal waters around the world every day. Many of them probably just die out. Some benignly亲切地，仁慈地or even beneficially join the local scene. But some will make trouble.In one sense, this is an old story. Organisms have ridden ships for centuries. They have clung to hulls and come along with cargo. Whats new is the scale and speed of the migrations made possible by the massive volume of ship-ballast water压载水 taken in to provide ship stability continuously moving around the worldShips load up with ballast water and its inhabitants in coastal waters of one port and dump the ballast in another port that may be thousands of kilometers away. A single load can run to hundreds of gallons. Some larger ships take on as much as 40 million gallons. The creatures that come along tend to be in their larva free-floating stage. When discharged排出 in alien waters they can mature into crabs, jellyfish水母, slugs鼻涕虫，蛞蝓, and many other forms. Since the problem involves coastal species, simply banning ballast dumps in coastal waters would, in theory, solve it. Coastal organisms in ballast water that is flushed into midocean would not survive. Such a ban has worked for North American Inland Waterway. But it would be hard to enforce it worldwide. Heating ballast water or straining it should also halt the species spread. But before any such worldwide regulations were imposed, scientists would need a clearer view of what is going on. The continuous shuffling洗牌 of marine organisms has changed the biology of the sea on a global scale. It can have devastating effects as in the case of the American comb jellyfish that recently invaded the Black Sea. It has destroyed that seas anchovy鳀鱼 fishery by eating anchovy eggs. It may soon spread to western and northern European waters. The maritime nations that created the biological “conveyor belt” should support a coordinated international effort to find out what is going on and what should be done about it. (456 words)1. According to Dr. Carlton, ocean organisms are_.A. being moved to new environmentsB. destroying the planetC. succumbing to the zebra musselD. developing alien characteristics2. Oceanographers海洋学家 are concerned because_.A. their knowledge of this phenomenon is limitedB. they believe the oceans are dyingC. they fear an invasion from outer-spaceD. they have identified thousands of alien webs3. According to marine ecologists, transplanted marine species_.A. may upset the ecosystems of coastal watersB. are all compatible with one anotherC. can only survive in their home watersD. sometimes disrupt shipping lanes4. The identified cause of the problem is_.A. the rapidity with which larvae matureB. a common practice of the shipping industryC. a centuries old speciesD. the world wide movement of ocean currents 5. The article suggests that a solution to the problem_.A. is unlikely to be identifiedB. must precede further research C. is hypothetically假设地，假想地 easyD. will limit global shippingText BNew Endangered List Targets Many US RiversIt is hard to think of a major natural resource or pollution issue in North America today that does not affect rivers. Farm chemical runoff残渣, industrial waste, urban storm sewers, sewage treatment, mining, logging, grazing放牧, military bases, residential and business development, hydropower水力发电, loss of wetlands. The list goes on. Legislation like the Clean Water Act and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act have provided some protection, but threats continue. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reported yesterday that an assessment of 642,000 miles of rivers and streams showed 34 percent in less than good condition. In a major study of the Clean Water Act, the Natural Resources Defense Council last fall reported that poison runoff impairs损害 more than 125,000 miles of rivers. More recently, the NRDC and Izaak Walton League warned that pollution and loss of wetlandsmade worse by last years floodingis degrading恶化 the Mississippi River ecosystem. On Tuesday, the conservation group保护组织 American Rivers issued its annual list of 10 “endangered” and 20 “threatened” rivers in 32 states, the District of Colombia, and Canada. At the top of the list is the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, where Canadian mining firms plan to build a 74-acre英亩 reservoir水库，蓄水池 as part of a gold mine less than three miles from Yellowstone National Park. The reservoir would hold the runoff from the sulfuric acid硫酸 used to extract gold from crushed rock. “In the event this tailings pond failed, the impact to the greater Yellowstone ecosystem would be cataclysmic大变动的，灾难性的 and the damage irreversible不可逆转的.” Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, wrote to Noranda Minerals Inc., an owner of the “ New World Mine”. Last fall, an EPA official expressed concern about the mine and its potential impact, especially the plastic-lined storage reservoir. “ I am unaware of any studies evaluating how a tailings pond尾矿池，残渣池 could be maintained to ensure its structural integrity forever,” said Stephen Hoffman, chief of the EPAs Mining Waste Section. “It is my opinion that underwater disposal of tailings at New World may present a potentially significant threat to human health and the environment.” The results of an environmental-impact statement, now being drafted by the Forest Service and Montana Department of State Lands, could determine the mines future In its recent proposal to reauthorize the Clean Water Act, the Clinton administration noted “dramatically improved water quality since 1972,” when the act was passed. But it also reported that 30 percent of rivers continue to be degraded, mainly by silt泥沙 and nutrients from farm and urban runoff, combined sewer overflows, and municipal sewage城市污水. Bottom sediments沉积物 are contaminated污染 in more than 1,000 waterways, the administration reported in releasing its proposal in January. Between 60 and 80 percent of riparian corridors (riverbank lands) have been degraded. As with endangered species and their habitats in forests and deserts, the complexity of ecosystems is seen in rivers and the effects of development-beyond the obvious threats of industrial pollution, municipal waste, and in-stream diversions改道 to slake消除 the thirst of new communities in dry regions like the Southwest While there are many political hurdles障碍 ahead, reauthorization of the Clean Water Act this year holds promise for US rivers. Rep. Norm Mineta of California, who chairs the House Committee overseeing the bill, calls it “probably the most important environmental legislation this Congress will enact.” (553 words)6. According to the passage, the Clean Water Act_. A. has been ineffectiveB. will definitely be renewedC. has never been evaluatedD. was enacted some 30 years ago7. “Endangered” rivers are _.A. catalogued annuallyB. less polluted than “threatened rivers”C. caused by floodingD. adjacent to large cities8. The “cataclysmic” event referred to in paragraph eight would be _.A. fortuitous偶然的，意外的 B. adventitious外加的，偶然的C. catastrophic D. precarious不稳定的，危险的9. The owners of the New World Mine appear to be_. A. ecologically aware of the impact of mining B. determined to construct a safe tailings pond C. indifferent to the concerns voiced by the EPA D. willing to relocate operations10. The passage conveys the impression that_. A. Canadians are disinterested in natural resourcesB. private and public environmental groups aboundC. river banks are erodingD. the majority of US rivers are in poor conditionText C A classic series of experiments to determine the effects of overpopulation on communities of rats was reported in February of 1962 in an article in Scientific American. The experiments were conducted by a psychologist, John B. Calhoun and his associates. In each of these experiments, an equal number of male and female adult rats were placed in an enclosure and given an adequate supply of food, water, and other necessities. The rat populations were allowed to increase. Calhoun knew from experience approximately how many rats could live in the enclosures without experiencing stress due to overcrowding. He allowed the population to increase to approximately twice this number. Then he stabilized the population by removing offspring that were not dependent on their mothers. He and his associates then carefully observed and recorded behavior in these overpopulated communities. At the end of their experiments, Calhoun and his associates were able to conclude that overcrowding causes a breakdown in the normal social relationships among rats, a kind of social disease. The rats in the experiments did not follow the same patterns of behavior as rats would in a community without overcrowding. The females in the rat population were the most seriously affected by the high population density: They showed deviant异常的 maternal behavior; they did not behave as mother rats normally do. In fact, many of the pups幼兽，幼崽, as rat babies are called, died as a result of poor maternal care. For example, mothers sometimes abandoned their pups, and, without their mothers care, the pups died. Under normal conditions, a mother rat would not leave her pups alone to die. However, the experiments verified that in overpopulated communities, mother rats do not behave normally. Their behavior may be considered pathologically病理上，病理学地 diseased. The dominant males in the rat population were the least affected by overpopulation. Each of these strong males claimed an area of the enclosure as his own. Therefore, these individuals did not experience the overcrowding in the same way as the other rats did. The fact that the dominant males had adequate space in which to live may explain why they were not as seriously affected by overpopulation as the other rats. However, dominant males did behave pathologically at times. Their antisocial behavior consisted of attacks on weaker male,female, and immature rats. This deviant behavior showed that even though the dominant males had enough living space, they too were affected by the general overcrowding in the enclosure. Non-dominant males in the experimental rat communities also exhibited deviant social behavior. Some withdrew completely; they moved very little and ate and drank at times when the other rats were sleeping in order to avoid contact with them. Other non-dominant males were hyperactive; they were much more active than is normal, chasing other rats and fighting each other. This segment of the rat population, like all the other parts, was affected by the overpopulation. The behavior of the non-dominant males and of the other components of the rat population has parallels in human behavior. People in densely populated areas exhibit deviant behavior similar to that of the rats in Calhouns experiments. In large urban areas such as New York City, London, Mexican City, and Cairo, there are abandoned children. There are cruel, powerful individuals, both men and women. There are also people who withdraw and people who become hyperactive. The quantity of other forms of social pathology such as murder, rape, and robbery also frequently occur in densely populated human communities. Is the principal cause of these disorders overpopulation? Calhouns experiments suggest that it might be. In any case, social scientists and city planners have been influenced by the results of this series of experiments.11. Paragraph l is organized according to_. A. reasons B. description C. examples D. definition12Calhoun stabilized the rat population_. A. when it was double the number that could live in the enclosure without stress B. by removing young rats C. at a constant number of adult rats in the enclosure D. all of the above are correct13. Which of the following inferences CANNOT be made from the information in Para. 1? A. Calhouns experiment is still considered important today. B. Overpopulation causes pathological behavior in rat populations. C. Stress does not occur in rat communities unless there is overcrowding. D. Calhoun had experimented with rats before.14. Which of the following behavior didnt happen in this experiment? A. All the male rats exhibited pathological behavior. B. Mother rats abandoned their pups. C. Female rats showed deviant maternal behavior. D. Mother rats left their rat babies alone.15. The main idea of the paragraph three is that _. A. dominant males had adequate living space B. dominant males were not as seriously affected by overcrowding as the other rats C. dominant males attacked weaker rats D. the strongest males are always able to adapt to bad conditions Text DThe first mention of slavery in the statutes法令，法规 of the English colonies of North America does not occur until after 1660some forty years after the importation of the first Black people. Lest we think that existed in fact before it did in law, Oscar and Mary Handlin assure us, that the status of Black people down to the 1660s was that of servants. A critique批判 of the Handlins interpretation of why legal slavery did not appear until the 1660s suggests that assumptions about the relation between slavery and racial prejudice should be reexamined, and that explanation for the different treatment of Black slaves in North and South America should be expanded. The Handlins explain the appearance of legal slavery by arguing that, during the 1660s, the position of white servants was improving relative to that of black servants. Thus, the Handlins contend, Black and White servants, heretofore treated alike, each attained a different status. There are, however, important objections to this argument. First, the Handlins cannot adequately demonstrate that the White servants position was improving, during and after the 1660s; several acts of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures indicate otherwise. Another flaw in the Handlins interpretation is their assumption that prior to the establishment of legal slavery there was no discrimination against Black people. It is true that before the 1660s Black people were rarely called slaves. But this should not overshadow evidence from the 1630s on that points to racial discrimination without using the term slavery. Such discrimination sometimes stopped short of lifetime servitude or inherited statusthe two attributes of true slaveryyet in other cases it included both. The Handlins argument excludes the real possibility that Black people in the English colonies were never treated as the equals of White people. The possibility has important ramifications后果，影响. If from the outset Black people were discriminated against, then legal slavery should be viewed as a reflection and an extension of racial prejudice rather than, as many historians including the Handlins have argued, the cause of prejudice. In addition, the existence of discrimination before the advent of legal slavery offers a further explanation for the harsher treatment of Black slaves in North than in South America. Freyre and Tannenbaum have rightly argued that the lack of certain traditions in North Americasuch as a Roman conception of slavery and a Roman Catholic emphasis on equality explains why the treatment of Black slaves was more severe there than in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies of South America. But this cannot be the whole explanation since it is merely negative, based only on a lack of something. A more compelling令人信服的 explanation is that the early and sometimes extreme racial discrimination in the English colonies helped determine the particular nature of the slavery that followed. (462 words)16. Which of the following is the most logical inference to be drawn from the passage about the effects of “several acts of the Maryland and Virginia legislatures” (Para.2) passed during and after the 1660s?A. The acts negatively affected the pre-1660s position of Black as well as of White servants.B. The acts had the effect of impairing rather than improving the position of White servants relative to what it had been before the 1660s.C. The acts had a different effect on the position of white servants than did many of the acts passed during this time by the legislatures of other colonies.D. The acts, at the very least, caused the position of White servants to remain no better than it had been before the 1660s.17. With which of the following statements regarding the status of Black people in the English colonies of North America before the 1660s would the author be LEAST likely to agree? A. Although black people were not legally considered to be slaves, they were often called slaves