专业英语八级(阅读)-试卷142

1、专业英语八级（阅读）-试卷142（ 总分： 44.00 ，做题时间： 90 分钟 ）一、READING COMPREHENSION题数：11，分数：44.00）1. PART II READING COMPREHENSION解析：2. SECTION A MULTIPLE-CHOICE QUESTIONSIn this section there are several passages followed by fourteenmultiple-choice questions. For each multiple-choice question, there are four suggest

2、ed answers marked A , B, C andD. Choose the one that you think is the best answer.解析：Lake Trummenin southern Sweden used to be a polluted, weed-choked mess. Now, after a $14 million cleanup, batherscrowd its clear blue water in summer. Vaxjo, a city of 80,000 that sits on its shores, is vying to be

3、the mostenvironmentally pristine place in Sweden. The towns car fleet is being converted to biogas, a clean fuel based onmethane, and a new biofuel factory has created 320 jobs. Vaxjo has cut its carbon dioxide emissions by a third over thepast 15 years, and the town even channels leftover heat from

4、 the local crematorium into homes. Swedish business andpolitical leaders think places like Vaxjo are on to something. A few decades ago the country led the world in developingmobile technology through companies such as Ericsson. Now, with telecom sales flattening, business and politicalleaders think

5、 green technology could spark a new export boom crucial to Sweden, where exports account for morethan half of gross domestic product. There is huge demandaround the world for this technology, says AndersBrannstrom, president of Volvo Technology Transfer, a subsidiary of truck and bus maker Volvo tha

6、t has invested about$20 million in clean tech companies. While Denmark has wind power giant Vestas and Germany has a host of big outfitssuch as Q-Cells that make solar cells and panels, Swedens clean tech sector is made up mostly of smaller companies.In Vaxjo, for instance, IV Produkt makes energy-e

7、fficient ventilation systems it exports to 15 countries, from Belgium toUkraine. The company says the systems mean energy savings of 80%, paying for themselves in about two years. Some30% of IVs $38.6 million in revenues came from exports last year, a number that is likely to hit 50% by 2012, says s

8、alesmanager Bjorn Fredriksson. In a Bauhaus-like suburban research park outside Stockholm, a startup called TranSIC isdesigning computer chips for the power systems of hybrid vehicles. And deep in the pine forests of Boden near theArctic Circle, Swebo Bioenergy makes systems to burn manure and wood

9、chips for heat. The company, with close to $8million in annual sales, says it is deluged with orders from the U. S. and Europe. This is going like a steamroller, saysexport manager Mattias Lindgren. Sweden boasts some 3,500 clean tech companies that together book roughly $14billion in revenues. Expo

10、rts, which make up about a quarter of their overall sales, have grown 75% over the last fouryears. To further boost the industry, the government is earmarking $590 million for environmental projects over the nexttwo years, including $180 million to commercialize green tech. None other than King Carl

11、 XVI Gustav has become thegreen industrys biggest promoter and fan: He heats his suburban Drottningholm Palace with wood pellets and driveshimself to and from Stockholm in a dark blue Volvo C30 station wagon that runs on biofuel. Where possible, light bulbsin the royal residences are being replaced

12、with the energy-saving variety. He also has a prototype car that runs onhydrogen. The 62-year-old king, whose environmental activism goes back to his Boy Scout days, is also taking to theroad to pitch Swedish green business. He recently broke ground on a plant that Swedish Biogas International is bu

13、ildingin Flint, Mich. Mother Earth is not feeling well, the king says, and shes reacting. Green projects such as the biogasplant are one way to help repair the damage. The king also sees Swedish exportsand the environment as natural partners. Were a small country, so were dependent on exports. And w

14、eve always livedin a clean environment, close to nature. He admits change isnt easy but says, We have to think in the long term, notshort term as we have before, but still make this happen quickly. I try to change my own thinking. We have to make thishappen and not just discuss it. I dont like discu

15、ssions. And in an interview with Business Week, he gently chides onereporter for flying to Stockholm to talk instead of picking up the phone. （分数： 8.00 ）（1）.According to the passage, the development of green technology has resulted in the following changes in VaxjoEXCEPT_ . （分数： 2.00 ）A. creation of

16、 additional jobsB. improvement of environmental profileC. growth of energy demandVD. better energy efficiency解析：解析：细节题。第一段倒数第二句提到“ a new biofuel factory has created 320 jobs”，一座新的生物燃料厂创造了 320 个工作岗位，因此排除 A ；第一段第二、三句分别提到“ after a $14 million cleanup ,bathers crowd its clear blue water in summe”，清理后的 T

17、rummen 湖水质清澈、碧波荡漾， 吸引了众多游客前来洗浴，“ Vaxjo，, is vying to be the most environmentally pristine place in Sweden，坐落在 Trummen 湖边的 Vaxjo市正在成为瑞典环境最洁净的地方，可知Vaxjo 市的环境形象得到了提升，因此排除 B ；第一段末句提到“ the town even channels leftover heat from the local crematorium intohomes，该市甚至利用火葬场的余热为城市供暖，因此排除D;文中没有提及能源需求的增加，故答案为 C 。

18、（2） .Which of the following does NOT provide incentive for the growth of clean tech industry in Sweden? （分数： 2.00 ）A. Funding from government.B. Tremendous customer demand.C. Successful examples of giant companies.VD. Shift in the telecom industry.解析：解析：细节题。第三段首句提到“ While Denmark has wind power gian

19、t Vestas and Germany has a host of bigoutfits ， Swedens clean tech sector is made up mostly of smaller companies”，丹麦拥有风力发电行业的巨人企业 Vestas ，德国拥有众多大公司，而与之不同的是瑞典的清洁科技产业主 要由中小企业组成， 故答案为 C 。第五段第三句提到， 瑞典政府预计为环保项目拨款 5 亿 9 千万美元用以 推进清洁科技产业，其中 l 亿 8 千万美元将用于清洁技术的商业化，故排除A;第二段第四句提到，全世界对绿色技术有着巨大需求，故排除 B ;第二段第三句提到，

20、随着电信市场逐渐趋于饱和，瑞典企业界及 政界领导人认为绿色技术有望为瑞典的出口带来新一轮的繁荣，故排除 D 。（3）_ .From the description in the passage, we canlearn that_ .（分数： 2.00 ）A. the Swedish king felt offended by the reporters questionsB. the Swedish king used to work for a green tech companyC. the Swedish kings duties are mainly of a representat

21、ive and ceremonial natureD. the Swedish king is known for a long-time interest in environmental issuesV解析：解析：推断题。第六段首句提到“ The 62 一 year old king ， whose environmental activism goes back to hisBoy Scout days ，”， 62 岁的瑞典国王是一位致力于环保的积极活动家，他的环保行动可 以追溯到童子军时代，由此可知，瑞典国王长期热衷于环保事业，故答案为D 。文章末段提到，国王温和地责备记者亲自乘飞机

22、到斯德哥尔摩而不是打电话进行采访，文中并未提及国王因记者采访而受到冒犯，故排除 A ;第六段第二句提到“ He r ecently broke ground on a plant that Swedish Biogas International is building inFlint ，Mich”，最近他为一座工厂主持了破土动工仪式，B是对原文的错误理解；文中并未提及瑞典的政治体制以及国王在其中的地位，故排除 C。（4）_ .A suitable title for the passage would be.（分数：2.00 ）A. Swedens Green Role Model City

23、B. Sweden Puts Its Bets on Green TechVC. The Application of Green Tech in SwedenD. The King of Sweden An Environmental Activist解析：解析：主旨题。 文章主要介绍瑞典致力于发展环保产业的情况， 内容涉及环保技术应用的成功范例、 环保产业在瑞典经济中的地位以及发展现状等几个方面，A 、C 、D 都只涉及文章内容的某个方面，不够全面，故排除。They helped fleeing Romans evade Attila the Hun and held a glitteri

24、ng city aloft for more than1,500 years. But the wooden pilings rising out of the Grand Canal in Venice are so decayed that as we clung to them oneafternoon it wasnt at all clear whether they would be sturdy enough to prevent us from capsizing into its murky waters.It was rush hour in Venice, so the

25、canals usual tumult of crosscurrents and tides was churning with the wake of watertaxis, ferries and delivery boats. Each volley of waves slapped against the side of the inflatable kayak we were using tocross Italys most storied waterway; the pilings were our best chance to avoid being immersed in i

26、t. This probably wasntquite what my girlfriend had in mind when we first started thinking about a trip to Venice. After scouring guidebooks, wefound that the logical thing seemed to be to move about the city like other tourists-, by foot, water bus and the occasionaloverpriced gondola ride. But as n

27、ovicecanoers, we were intrigued by the thought of exploring the waterwaysourselves. We spent hours researching where and how to rent a small craft in Venice but found that the combination ofItalian bureaucracy and the mighty gondolier lobby has made it virtually impossible. Our solution? An inflatab

28、le kayakthats portable enough to check as luggage yet sturdy enough to hold 500 pounds and withstand the rigors of Class IIrapids. Getting it there was easy because it weighs just32 pounds and tucks into a suitcase-sized tote bag (along with afoot pump). And it was surprisingly affordable: our two-p

29、erson kayak, by West Marine, retails for $699, but we found onebrand-new on eBay for $163.44, about the price of a 45-minute gondola ride. Paddling the canals offers a visceral wayto appreciate Venices mythic waters. Ona purely practical level, its a lot easier to get lost walking Venice, with itstw

30、isting passageways and thousands of alleys, than to maneuver through its 200 easily navigable canals. The wateralso offers easier access to some of the citys overlooked neighborhoods, like the Jewish ghetto in Cannaregio. Ofcourse, any attempt to explore Venices canals involves a confrontation with

31、the reality of water itself. Lord Byron andCasanova may have swumthe canals in centuries past, but today swimming is banned for public health reasons. Thecanals are a drainage basin for 1.4 million people in the area around Venice, and a sewer system for the 60,000residents of the historic center an

32、d the 20 million tourists who visit it each year. Dr. Edward S. Van Vleet, a University ofSouth Florida Marine biochemist, has been studying the canals since 1985, and says the combination of chemicalpollution and household waste make for a particularly noxious mix. The most surprising sensory revel

33、ation of travelingthe canals is the sound or, more precisely, the glorious absence of noise. Because Venice has no cars or traffic noise,todays city is true to its centuries-old nickname, La Serenissima, and that tranquility is amplified on the water. Afive-minute paddle from the tourist bedlam of t

34、he Rialto are aquatic side streets where even at midday, the hush wasinterrupted only by droplets from our paddles. And nearly everywhere you paddle are sumptuous ruins, signs of asinking city. Peer behind the rusty wrought-iron gates of many homes that abut the canal and you might see partlysubmerg

35、ed first-floor porches, foyers or sitting rooms that were abandoned long ago, as rising waters forced theresidents to flee upstairs. Whilemany gondoliers seem none toopleased at the prospect of sharing their waterways with nonpaying travelers, most boaters were polite. Manypedestrians appeared bemus

36、ed by the novelty of a kayak, snapping photographs, waving and shouting the occasionalBuona idea! Out on the bustling Grand Canal, however, the pace is too fast and the water too treacherous for suchniceties. It took us three days of maneuvering the side canals to work up the courage to try to make

37、it across the 60-yardwidth of the Grand Canal, a feat that at first glance appears as wise as crossing an Interstate on a tricycle. As wepaddled from the Rio Di S. Zan Degola onto the Grand Canal, we hugged the shoreline, then sprinted into a cove ofhalf-rotted pilings, buffering ourselves from the

38、waves. Vaporetti powered pastus from both directions, water taxis darted by, and delivery boats loaded with appliances. After two false starts, wespotted a crease in traffic and made a dash for it. Water splayed from our paddles as we sprinted out into the open water,swiveling our heads left and rig

39、ht to make sure we werent about to be rammed by a turnip boat. After a minute of heavypaddling, we had reached the middle of the canal, where water was calmer and the citys sounds again seemed muted.Thenwe scurried across the other busy lanes. When we reached the bank, mercifully, there was a wine b

40、ar waiting tocommemorate the achievement.(分数： 8.00 )(1).Which of the following is CORRECT about the authors kayak?(分数： 2.00 )A.Second-hand.B. Heavy.C.Costly.D.Stout.V解析：解析：细节题。 第四段第二句提到， 这只充气式皮划艇很结实， 故答案为 D 。第四段末句提到作者买到的是一只崭新的皮划艇，故排除可载重 500 磅、适用于二级浪水域，A ;第四段第三句提到，把皮划艇带到威尼斯非常容易，因为它仅重 32 磅而且可放入旅行包携带，可

41、见，其重量较轻，故排除 B ；第四 段末句提到皮划艇价钱不贵可以承受，故排除 C 。(2)_ .According to the author, paddling akayak across the Grand Canal is_. (分数： 2.00 )A. an impressive and distinctive achievementB.an act involving risk and dangerVC. an act which is prohibited by lawD. the most sensible solution in the particular situation

42、解析：解析：细节题。倒数第三段第二句提到，在众多小运河里操练了三天之久后，我们才最终鼓起勇气 横穿 60 码宽的大运河， 并且倒数第二段末句提到需要小心翼翼以免被其他船只撞沉， 由此可知， 划小艇横 穿大运河是极具危险性的行为， 故答案为 B ，同时排除 A ；文中并未提及在威尼斯使用皮划艇是否违法， 故排除C;倒数第三段最后一句提到“ a feat that at first glance appears as wise as”，这与骑着三轮自行车横跨州际公路是同样明智的壮举，这里有讽刺意味，旨在强调两种行为同样不明智，故排除D 。(3)_.According to the passage,

43、 wecan infer all of the following EXCEPT that_ .(分数：2.00 )A. Venices buildings are supported by ancient wooden pilingsB. Venice has less noise than most citiesC. the kayak avoided overturning with the help of the pilingsD. The Grand Canal is seldom busy with boat trafficV解析：解析：推断题。倒数第二段第二句提到，水上巴士从我们

44、的两侧交错而过，水上的士飞速地滑过水 面，一艘艘满载的货船在河上奔忙，由此可知大运河上交通十分繁忙，故答案为D 。第一段首句提到，借助这些木桩的支撑，一座炫目的城市在水上漂浮了 1500 多年，可见，威尼斯的建筑是以木桩为支撑的，故 排除 A ;第七段第二句提到，威尼斯没有汽车或是交通噪音，可以推知威尼斯比大多数城市更为安静，故排除 B ;第二段末句提到，抓紧这些木桩是我们防止翻船的最佳途径，故排除C 。(4)_.Paddling on the canals of Venice presents a(n)viewof the city._ (分数： 2.00)A. imaginativeB.

45、panoramicC. in-depthVD. superficial解析：解析：推断题。第五段首句提到“ Paddling the canals offers a visceral way to appreciateVenices mythic waters ”，其中“ viscera ”原意为“内脏”，这里引申为“深度的”，由此可知，皮划 艇为欣赏水城提供了一种深度的游览方式，第五段末句提到“ The water also offers easier access to some of the citys overlookedneighborhoods ”，能够深入到水城的寻常小巷，可见，

46、这样的方式同传 统游览方式相比更能深入水城的腹地，故答案为 C 。High in the mountains of southern France, the sleepy town of Aurillac has few obvious charms to attract the outsider. Ifthe setting is scenic, its claims to fame are slender: a thriving umbrella industry and a reputation as the coldest place inthe country. Understand

47、ably, the tourists stay away. Except, that is, for one hectic week each summer, when thecommunity plays host to theInternational Festival of Street Theater, an extravaganza that now attracts 100,000 visitors keen to watch performersfrom as far away as Poland and Chile. The bars fill; the shops prosp

48、er. Its put Aurillac on the map, says festivaldirector Jean-Marie Songy. Were a place that people visit as opposed to simply passing by. And as countless festivalorganizers and chambers of commerce have realized, the longer visitors stay, the more they spend. As thesummerseason draws to a close, com

49、munities across the world from outsize cities to modest villages are countingthe rewards of tapping into this booming cultural economy. This year Europe alone will stage some 400 arts festivals,ranging from the Reykjavik Jazz Festival to the Edinburgh International Festival of music, opera and theat

50、er, which lastmonth celebrated its 60th anniversary. All the world loves a party, it seems especially one that pays its own way.More and more places arerecognizing the massive economic, cultural and social benefits of a festival, says Joanna Baker, the Edinburghfestivals marketing director. To be su

51、re, a successful arts festival represents a happy union of commercial self-interestand public entertainment. Though many of even the best-known festivals need public subsidies to survive, they stillprovide an opportunity to lift a communitys profile or pack its restaurants and hotels. Festivalgoers

52、face an increasinglyeclectic array of subjects and venues. Barcelona, for one, boasts 26 major arts festivals ayear only one more than Melbourne, Australia. Film buffs can now choose between showings in cities from Aarhus inDenmark to Zagreb, not to mention the Pan-African Festival ofFilm and Televi

53、sionin Burkina Faso. Ambitious promoters are now looking across borders to push successful formulas. In recentyears, theHay-on-Wye literary festival in Britain has established similar events inSegovia, Spain, and the Colombian city of Cartagena. Even newcomers to the market have little problem filli

54、ng seats;Manchester reports packed houses and reckons its on target to attract 300,000 visitors within a few years. To theoptimists, those surging numbers suggest a welcome change in public tastes. The new British Prime Minister GordonBrown has spoken of the proliferating literary festivals Britain

55、now has more than 300, compared with just threebackin 1983 as evidence of a new cultural seriousness. Others believe the communal experience of festivalgoingprovides a useful antidote to the solitary pastimes many of them electronic of21st-century life. But festival frenzy can be too much of a good

56、thing. A report published last year for the EdinburghInternational Festival warned that the rising tally of festivals would rapidly increase the competition for audiences. Theworkaday port of Rotterdam is now home to a year-round series of festivals in part to keep up with its classier neighbor,Amst

57、erdam. In an age of cheap air travel, the opera lover with a free weekend can head for Riga as easily as Salzburg.And theres a finite supply of sponsors and public money, not to mention performers.Already theres grumbling over rising fees for the biggest names. Critics argue that the whole purpose o

58、f the festival ischanging. Festivals used to belong to the public, says Getz. Now they are almost always created for strategicreasons. Inevitably, that brings the risk of losing distinctive appeal. This festivalization is creating a kind ofhomogeneity problem that festivals were created to solve, sa

59、id Janice Price, boss of Luminato, Torontos Festival ofArts and Creativity. Still, the benefits are simply too good to pass up. Cultural festivals are emerging as the newmust-have for postindustrial cities keen to recast their images. Redeveloping the rundown waterfront or calling inbig-name archite

60、cts is only the start. Big, flashy iconic buildings are not enough, says Fran Thorns, head of CulturalStrategy at Manchester City Council in Britain. You need to fill the space between the buildings and thatswhere festivals comein. If all else fails, cities can follow the example of little Leavenwor