大家论坛_2011年职称英语教材(理工类)阅读理解[原文+解.doc

大家论坛职称英语 /forum-109-1.html 大家论坛职称英语版块/forum-109-1.html2011年职称英语教材（理工类）阅读理解第1-5篇WORD第一篇 Ford Abandons Electric Vehicles第二篇 （新增）World Crude Oil Production May Peak a Decade Earlier Than Some Predict第三篇 Citizen Scientists第四篇Motoring Technology第五篇Late-Night Drinking第六篇（新增）Weaving with Light第七篇Sugar Power for Cell Phones第八篇Eiffel Is an Eyeful第九篇Egypt Felled by Famine第十篇Young Female Chimps Outlearn Their Brothers第一篇Ford Abandons Electric VehiclesThe Ford motor companys1 abandonment of electric cars effectively signals the end of the road for the technology, analysts say.General Motors2 and Honda3 ceased production of battery-powered cars in 1999，to focus on fuel cell4 and hybrid electric gasoline engines5，which are more attractive to the consumer. Ford has now announced it will do the same.Three years ago，the company introduced the Think City two-seater car and a golf cart called the THINK, or Think Neighbor6. It hoped to sell 5,000 cars each year and 10,000 carts. But a lack of demand means only about 1,000 of the cars have been produced, and less than 1，700 carts have been sold so far in 2002.The bottom line is7 we dont believe that this is the future of environment transport for the mass market, Tim Holmes of Ford Europe said on Friday. We feel we have given electric our best shot8. ”The Think City has a range of only about 53 miles and up to a six-hour battery recharge time. General Motors EVI electric vehicle also had a limited range, of about 100 miles.The very expensive batteries also mean electric cars cost much more than petrol-powered alternatives. An electric Toyota9 RAV4 EV vehicle costs over $42,000 in the US, compared with just $17,000 for the petrol version. Toyota and Nissan10 are now the only major auto manufacturers to produce electric vehicles.There is a feeling that battery electric has been given its chance. Ford now has to move on with its hybrid program11, and that is what we will be judging them on, ” Roger Higman，a senior transport campaigner at UK Friends of the Earth, told the Environment News Service.Hybrid cars introduced by Toyota and Honda in the past few years have sold well. Hybrid engines offer greater mileage than petrol-only engines, and the batteries recharge themselves. Ford says it thinks such vehicles will help it meet planned new guidelines12 on vehicle emissions13 in the US.However, it is not yet clear exactly what those guidelines will permit. In June, General Motors and Daimler Chrysler14 won a court injunction, delaying by two years Californian legislation requiring car-makers to offer 100,000 zero-emission and other low-emission vehicles in the state by 2003. Car manufacturers hope the legislation will be rewritten to allow for more low-emission, rather than zero-emission, vehicles.词汇：hybrid /haibrid/ n.杂种，混合物；adj.杂种 mileage /mailids/ n.英里数，英里里程的；混合的injunction/iidsAgkJn/n.命令；指令注释：1. The Ford motor company：福特汽车公司。Henry Ford (1863 1947)美国汽车制造商，他改进了以汽油为燃料的汽车，成立了福特汽车公司（1903年），并大量生产最早的大众负担得起且广泛使用的T型车。General Motors：美国通用汽车公司Honda：日本本田汽车公司fuel cell：燃料电池，一种化学电池。hybrid electric gasoline engines：电池和内燃机混杂使用的发动机。使用这种发动机的汽车被称为 Hybrid electric vehicles,或 HEVs0. the company introduced the Think City two-seater car and a golf cart called the THINK, orThink Neighbor：福特汽车公司计划在公司内开发一种全新的品牌，建立了 Think Group,该研究机构分为两部分：Think Mobility 和 Think Technologies。Think Mobility 开发 theThink City (一种电动汽车）,Think Neighbor ( 一种高尔夫车）以及Think Bike (一种电动自行车）。Think Technologies开发燃料电池技术。The bottom line is：在此的意思是“the main or essential point，即“关键之处是，实质问题是”。shot： an attempt, a try (尝试）0Toyota：曰本i田汽$公司Nissan：日本日产汽车公司hybrid program：指上文提到的电池和内燃机混杂使用的新型汽车开发项目。guideline：指导方针，规定vehicle emissions：车辆排放物Daimler Chrysler：戴姆勒克莱斯勒汽车公司。德国戴姆勒奔驰公司集团与克莱斯勒汽车公司合并。练习：What have the Ford motor company, General Motors and Honda done concerning electric cars?A They have started to produce electric cars.B They have done extensive research on electric cars.C They have given up producing electric cars.D They have produced thousands of electric cars.According to Tim Holmes of Ford Europe, battery-powered carsA will be the main transportation vehicles in the future.B will not be the main transportation vehicles in the future.C will be good to the environment in the future.D will replace petrol-powered vehicles in the future.Which auto manufacturers are still producing electric vehicles?A Toyota and Nissan.B General Motors and Honda.C Ford and Toyota.D Honda and Toyota.According to the eighth paragraph, hybrid carsA offer fewer mileage than petrol driven cars.B run faster than petrol driven cars.C run more miles than petrol driven cars.D offer more batteries than petrol driven cars.Which of the following is true about the hope of car manufacturers according to the lastparagraph?A Low-emission cars should be banned.B Only zero-emission cars are allowed to run on motorways.C The legislation will encourage car makers to produce more electric cars.D The legislation will allow more low-emission to be produced,答案与题解：C第一i第一个句子告诉我们福特汽车公司放弃了电动汽车，第二段说通用汽车公司和本田汽车公司停止生产电动汽车。B第四段第一个句子是Tim Holmes对电动汽车未来的评价，他认为未来的交通运输的大众市场不可能是电动汽车。A答案的依据是第六段最后一句。C答案的依据是倒数第二段第二句。D 答案的依据是文章的最后一句：the legislation will be rewritten to allow for more low-emission ,rather than zero-emission, vehicles 0第一篇福特放弃电动汽车分析人士评论，福特汽车公司放弃电动汽车的举动有力地证明了这种技术是行不通的。 通用汽车公司和日本本田汽车公司早于1999年就停止了电池动力汽车的生产，转而开发燃料 电池和电池内燃混合机，这对消费者更有吸引力。福特宣布它现在也要做同样的尝试。3年前，福特推出名为Think City的双排座汽车和Think或Think Neighbor系列高尔夫车，希 望能销售5，000辆汽车、10，000辆高尔夫车。但由于需求不足，截至2002年仅生产了大约1,000 辆汽车，售出的高尔夫车还不足1，700辆。“关键是我们认为电动车不能代表大众市场环保交通的未来”，福特欧洲区的Tim Holmes于 周五说，“我们感觉自己对电力车已做了最好的尝试。”Think City系列的运行里程仅53英里+电池充电需6小时。通用公司的EVI电力车也仅能运 行100英里。昂贵的电池也意味着电动汽车的造价比汽油动力车高出许多。日本丰田产的RAV4Ey系列电 动车在美国的售价达42，000美元，而同系列的汽油动力车仅售17，000美元。丰田和日产汽车公 司是现在仅存的两大电动车制造商。“应该说电池动力车已经获得了充分的机会。福特现已转向电池内燃混合机开发项目我们 应据此评价他们的发展。” Roger Higman,英国Friends of the Earth组织的一位高级交通运动代表这 样对环保新闻评论说。日本本田和丰田公司推出的混合机汽车在过去几年取得了良好的销售业绩。混合动力车比汽 油机车运行里程更长，电池又可自行充电。福特表示，他们认为这样的机车有助于达到美国新制 订的车辆排放规定。不过，这些规定究竟允许怎样的if放物现在还不十分清楚。六月份通用和戴姆勒克莱斯勒公 司赢得一项法庭裁决，可推迟两年执行一项加州法令，该法令要求汽车生产商在2003年前向该州 提供10万辆零排放和其他低排放汽车。制造商希望修改此法令，允许他们生产更多低排放而不是 零排放的汽车。第二篇World Crude Oil Production May PeakDecade Earlier Than Some PredictIn a finding that may speed efforts to conserve oil，scientists in Kuwait predict that world conventional crude oil production will peak in 2014. This prediction is almost a decade earlier than some other predictions. Their study is in ACS Energy & Fuels1.Ibrahim Nashawi and colleagues point out that rapid growth in global oil consumption has sparked a growing interest in predicting peak oil. “Peak oil” is the point where oil production reaches a maximum and then declines. Scientists have developed several models to forecast this point,and some put the date at 2020 or later. One of the most famous forecast models is called the Hubbert model2. It assumes that global oil production will follow a bell shaped curve3. A related concept is that4 of Peak Oil. ” The term “Peak Oil” indicates the moment in which world wide production will peak, afterwards to start on irreversible decline.The Hubbert model accurately predicted that oil production would peak in the United States in 1970. The model has since gained in popularity and has been used to forecast oil production worldwide.However,recent studies show that the model is insufficient to account for5 more complex oil production cycles of some countries. Those cycles can be heavily influenced by technology changes, politics,and other factors,the scientists say.The new study describes development of a new version of the Hubbert model that provides a more realistic and accurate oil production forecast. Using the new model，the scientists evaluated the oil production trends of 47 major oil-producing countries5 which supply most of the worlds conventional crude oil6. They estimated that worldwide conventional crude oil production will peak in 2014,years earlier than anticipated. The scientists also showed that the worlds oil reserves7 are being reduced at a rate of 2. 1 percent a year. The new model could help inform energy-related decisions and public policy debate，they suggest. 词汇：conserve /ksn丨S3:v/ v.保护，保存crude oil 原油spark /spaik/ v.闪耀；激发；鼓舞curve /k3iv/ n.曲线irreversible /|iriv3:s9bl/ adj.不可逆的，不可改变的insufficient /iinss丨fijnt/不充分的，不足的 注释：ACS Energy &Fuels: ACS 是 American Chemical Society(美国化学学会）的缩写。该学会成立于1876年，现已成为世界最大的科技协会。多年来，ACS 直致力于为全球化学研究机构、企业及个人提供高品质的文献资讯及服务。ACS出版的期刊有34种，这些期刊在化学领域中是被引用次数最多的化学期刊，Energy &Fuels即是其中一本。the Hubbert model：赫伯特模型是美国地质学家M. King Hubbert于1956年创建的,这是一个随时间增长的模型，Hubbert将其引入油气田开发,经推导使其成为一个可以预测油气田累积产量、瞬时产量、年产量和可采储量等多项开发指标的多功能预测模型。a bell shaped curve：钟形曲线that of peak oil： that 指代 concept。account for：说明，解释conventional crude oil ：常规原油oil reserves：石油储量。通常使用复数形式reserves。练习：Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “sparked” appearing in paragraph 2?flashedstimulatedchangedendedThe term ua bell shaped curve，appearing in paragraph 2 indicates that global oil production willtake the shape of a flat curve.keep growing.keep declining.start to decline after global oil production peaks.Which of the following is NOT true of the Hubbert model?It successfully predicted that oil production peaked in the U. S. in 1970.It has been used to predict oil production in many countries.It is insufficient to explain oil production cycles in some countries.It provides a very realistic and accurate oil production.What is the major achievement of the new study mentioned in the last paragraph?It predicts global oil production will peak in 2014.It predicts oil production will decline in 47 countries.It confirms further the effectiveness of the Hubbert model.It discovers a new trend of worldwide oil production.Who develop the new version of the Hubbert model?American scientists.Kuwaiti scientists.British scientists.Scientists of 47 major oil-producing countries.答案与题解：B spark词做及物动词使用时有“发动”、“激发”的意思，在此意为stimulated, 8卩“引发“，这个句子的意思是：全球石油消费的快速增长巳引发了对“石油峰值”预测的兴趣。D 此句接下来的句子中所提到的a related concept即是与a bell shaped curve相关的概念，也就是说，接下来的这个句子对a bell shaped curve做了解释，即世界石油生产达到最大峰值后将下降。D文章的第三段告诉我们，Hubbert预测模型精确地预测到美国石油生产于1970年将达到峰值。这一模型自受到公认后，已用于预测世界石油生产。第四段说，这一模型对于某些国家更加复杂的石油生产周期而言，其计算尚不充分。这些生产周期受到技术的改变、政策和其他因素的很大影响。所以，A、B和C都是对Hubbert模型的正确说明。A选项B、C和D所述内容均未在文章中提到。最后一段告诉我们，科学家使用新的模型评估了 47个主要的产油国家的石油生产趋势，并预计全球常规原油生产到2014年将达最髙峰值。所以，A是答案。B短文第一段的第一个句子提供了答案。第二篇世界原油产量可能提前十年达到峰值科威特科学家预测世界常规原油产量将在2014年达到峰值，这一发现可能会促进储存石油的 努力。这一预测比其他预测提前了将近十年，已经发表在美国化学学会能量与燃料杂志上。伊布赫姆纳夏威和同事们指出，全球石油消耗的快速增长使人们对“石油峰值”预测的兴 趣越来越浓。“石油峰值”指的是石油产量达到最大值然后开始下降的时间点。科学家已经构建 了几个模型来预测这一时间，有些模型认为这一时间在2020年或更晚。其中最著名的预测模型之 一是赫伯特模型。赫伯特模型认为世界石油产量呈钟型曲线，与此相关的概念是“石油峰值”。 这一术语指的是世界石油产量达到峰值的那一刻，之后将呈现无法逆转的下降趋势。赫伯特模型精确地预测到美国石油产量于1970年达到峰值。这一模型从此受到欢迎，已经用 于预测世界石油生产。.但是，最近研究表明，这一模型不足以解释某些国家更加复杂的石油生产周期。科学家称， 这些生产周期受到技术变化、政策和其他因素的很大影响。最新研究描述了赫伯特模型的新版本，提供了更加实际、更加准确的石油生产预测。科学家 使用新模型评估了 47个主要产油国家的石油生产趋势，这47个国家是世界常规原油的主要提供 者。科学家预计全球常规原油产量将于2014年达到峰值，比之前预计的要早很多年。科学家还指 出，世界石油储量正在以2.1%的速度逐年减少，他们认为新模型会帮助做出与能源相关的决定， 帮助进行国家政策辩论。第三篇Citizen ScientistsUnderstanding how nature responds to climate change will require monitoring key life cycle1 events 一 flowering, the appearance of leaves , the first frog calls of the spring all around the world. But ecologists cant be everywhere so theyre turning to non-scientists, sometimes called citizen scientists, for help.Climate scientists are not present everywhere. Because there are so many places in the world and not enough scientists to observe all of them, theyre asking for your help in observing signs of climate change across the world. The citizen scientist movement encourages ordinary people to observe a very specific research interest birds, trees, flowers budding, etc. and send their observations to a giant database to be observed by professional scientists. This helps a small number of scientists track a large amount of data that they would never be able to gather on their own. Much like citizen journalists helping large publications cover a hyper-local beat2，citizen scientists are ready for the conditions where they live. All thats needed to become one is a few minutes each day or each week to gather data and send it3 in.A group of scientists and educators launched an organization last year called the National Phenology4 Network. Phenology is what scientists call the study of the timing of events in nature.One of the groups first efforts relies on scientists and non-scientists alike to collect data about plant flowering and leafing every year. The program, called Project BudBurst, collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the United States. People participating in the project which is Qpen to everyone 一 record their observations on the Project BudBurst website.People dont have to be plant experts -they just have to look around and see whats in their neighborhood, says Jennifer Schwartz, an education consultant with the project. As we collect this data, well be able to make an estimate of how plants and communities5 of plants and animals will respond as the climate changes. ”词汇：frog /frog/ n.蛙业的；n.职业选手，专业人员ecologist/|i:kDbd3ist/ n.生态学家phenology /finDbdgi/ n.物候学bud/bAd/v.发芽，萌芽；芽，花蕾neighbor(u)rhood /neibohud/ n.近邻；邻近 database /deitgbeis/ n.数据库 地区 professional /prg (u) fejgnsl/ adj.专业的，职注释：life cycle：生命周期，即生物发展过程的系列变化。hyper-local beat： beat在此做名词用，意思是:某类新闻报道，如，a business beat:商业专题报道。这是近年来出现的新词。hyper-local beat即hyper-local news,指的是被传统新闻报道方 式所忽略的小型社区或居民居住区里发生的相关信息报道。在美国由此而诞生了 hyper- local news websites，专门对主流媒体没有覆盖的地区所发生的事件进行报道，其形式多以网 民，即短文中所提及的citizen journalists，上传所在社区发生的事件报道、照片或视频为主。 这是网络时代产生的又一种新生事物。data是复数形式，但常用做单数，所以这里的代词是it。另参见最后一段“As we collect this data. ”。这里的data也用做单数。phenology:物候学或生物气候学，是气候学和生态学的边缘学科，主要研究气候环境对生物 的影响。communities：生态学词汇：生物群落，即在比较相似的环境条件下在特定自然区域或环境中生活和相互影响的一群植物和动物。练习：、Ecologists turn to non-scientist citizens for help because they need them A to provide their personal life cycles.B to observe the life cycle of plants. C to collect data of the life cycle of living things. D to teach children knowledge about climate change.What are citizen scientists asked to do?A To develop a specific research interest and become professional scientists. B To send their research observations to a professional database. C To increase their knowledge about climate change. D To keep a record of their research observations.In All thats needed to become one (paragraph2)，what does the Word “one” stands for? A a citizen journalist.B a citizen scientist. C a scientist. D a citizen.What is NOT true of Project BudBurst? A Only experts can participate in it.B Everybody can participate in it.C It collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants.D It has its own website.What is the final purpose of Project BudBurst?A To study when plants will have their first buds. B To find out the types of plants in the neighborhood.C To collect life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the United States. D To investigate how plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.答案与题解：C第一和第二段的第一句告诉我们，要在世界范围观察气候对大自然中生物的生命周期 的影响，数量有限的科学家不可能足迹遍及天下，为此科学家求助于普通公民的参与。所以 C是正确选择。B 第二段第三句中 encourage ordinary people to observe 的主语是 The citizen scientist movement，即公民参与科学观察的运动。所以D不是正确选择。A和C不符合文章的句 意，因此也不是正确的选择。这个句子的大意是:这一运动鼓励普通公民根据自己的兴趣爱 好进行科学观察，并将观察结果送交数据库，让专门领域的科学家作进一步的观察。B正确表达了这个意思。B one在这里是一个代词，其前置词是citizen scientists，而不是citizen journalists，这里的 one指的是one of citizen scientists。所以A、C和D都不是正确选择。这个句子的意思是，只 要每天或每星期花上几分钟收集数据并发送出去，就能成为一个公民科学家。A文章最后一段说，这个计划向所有的人开放（open to everyone),所以应选择A。B，C，D 所述内容都在该段中提到。D C表述的内容是Project BudBurst所要做的工作，但其最终目的不仅仅是收集数据，而是 研究气候变化对生物生命周期的影响。因此，D才是正确选择。公民科学家理解大自然对气候变化有怎样的反应需要监视世界各个角落的关键生命周期事件花开、 叶子的出现、第一只青蛙叫出春天的到来。但是生态学家不可能去到世界的各个角落，所以他们 向非科学家求助，这些非科学家有时也被称作公民科学家。气象科学家不可能足迹遍及天下。因为在世界上有如此多的地方，没有足够的科学家来观察它 们。所以他们请求你来帮助观察全世界气候变化的迹象。公民科学家运动鼓励普通人根据自己的兴 趣来观察某一个特定的方面鸟儿、树木、花开等等并把他们的观察结果发送到一个巨大的 数据库来供专业科学家研究。这有助于数量有限的科学家得到如果只靠他们自己根本收集不到的巨 大数据。就像公民记者帮助报道传统新闻报道方式所忽略的小型社区的相关信息一样，公民科学家 也对他们所居住的环境很熟悉。所需要的就是每天或每周留出几分钟来搜集数据并发送过来。一群科学家和教育家在去年发起了一个叫做纽约国家物候学的组织。“物候学”就是科学家 们所说的在自然中研究每个事件的时间。其中一个小组的首要尝试就是依靠科学家和非科学家来收集关于每年植物开花和长叶子的数 据。这一项目叫做花季追踪计划，它收集遍布美国的各种各样的植物生长周期的数据。参与这一 项目的人们这一计划对所有人开放把他们的观察记录在花季追踪计划网站上。“人们不需要是植物学家他们仅仅需要环视四周看看周围有什么。” Jennifer Schwartz说， 她是这项计划的教育顾问。“通过收集数据，我们就能够估算出气候变化对植物和生物群落会有 怎样的影响。”第四篇Motoring Technology1.2 million road deaths worldwide occur each year, plus a further 50 million injuries. To reduce car crash rate, much research now is focused on safety and new fuels though some electric vehicle and biofuel1 research aims at going faster.Travelling at speed has always been risky. One cutting edge area2of research in motoring safety is the use of digital in-car assistants3. They can ensure you dont miss crucial road signs or fall asleep. The use of artificial intelligence software allows these assistants to monitor your driving and makes sure your phone or radio doesnt distract you at a vital moment. Most crashes result from human and not mechanical faults.Some safety developments aim to improve your vision. Radar can spot4 obstacles in fog，while other technology “sees through high-sided5 vehicles blocking your view6.And improvements to seat belts, pedal controls and tyres are making driving smoother and safer. The colour of a car has been found to be linked with safety，as have，less surprisingly，size and shape7.And alternatives to fossil-fuel8 based petrol，such as plant oils，are a hot area of research. Fuel cells9 based on hydrogen burn cleanly，and are the subject of a serious research effort.But whate