2021-2022年山西省太原市公共英语五级(笔试)测试卷(含答案)

2021-2022年山西省太原市公共英语五级(笔试)测试卷(含答案)学校:________班级:________姓名:________考号:________

一、1.ListeningComprehension(15题)1.AsimplediethighinvitaminsandsugarbutlowinfatandchemicalsbenefitsthosepeopleinHunza.

A.TrueB.Fasle

2.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：W：Comein,please.

M：Goodmorning,Dr.Wilson.

W：Goodmorning,Wang.Hownicetomeetyouagain.Takeaseat…whydon'tyou,please.Whendidyougettotheuniversity?

M：Iarrivedyesterday.

W：Well…areyoulivinginthecollege?

M：No,IamwithanEnglishfamily…actually…becauseIwanttoimprovemyspeaking.

W：Oh,fine.Right,didyoutakealanguageproficiencytestbeforeyoucame?

M：Yes.Uhh…myOverallBandis6,but…unfortunatelymyspeakingscoreisonly5.

W：OK,youknow,hereinthisuniversity,youhavetotakeourownEnglishtestbeforeyouattendanylectures.So,firstofau．whatwe'vegottodois,wehavetomakeanarrangementforthetestdate.Umm…willtomorrowbeallfightforyou?

M：Yeah,Ihavetimetomorrowmorning.

W：Good,then．Tomorrowatten.Idon'tthinkthetestwillbeanyproblemforyou.Now,let'smakesureyoumakegooduseofyourtimehere.Let'sputitlikethis.Whatexactlydoyouwanttoaccomplishinthenext12months?

M：I'minterestedincomputerlanguagetranslation,Imean,fromEnglishtoChineseandChinesetoEnglish.I'lltry,ifpossible,toproducesoftwareoradevicewhichcanserveasaninterpreter.

W：Yes,couldyoubeabitmorespecificabout…er…thedevice?

M：Forinstance,whenyoutalktothedeviceinEnglishitwilltranslateyourwordsintoChineseandviceversa.

W：Uhuh…doyoumeanit'llbeascompetentas…er…ahumaninterpreter?

M：Yes…well,I'llletitdealwithgeneralsituations,atleast.

W：Fascinating…andhowbigwillthedeviceitselfbe,doyouthink?

M：Thesizeofacigarettepack,Ithink.Sopeoplecanputitintheirpocket.

W：Really?Well,thatcouldbeaPh.Dproject.Tellmewhatyouhavedonesofar.

M：Inmyfouryearsofundergraduatestudy,Istudiedelectronics,advancedmathematics,hardwaredesigning,somecomputerlanguagesandprogramwriting.

W：Yes,buthaveyoudoneanypracticaljobs?Imean,haveyouwrittenanyprogramsforpracticaluse?

M：IhadbeeninvolvedinaprojectforCADinashipyard.

W：Computeraideddesign.Thatwasprobablyagoodexperience,but,unfortunately,itmaynothelpyourpresentprojectmuch.AreyoufamiliarwiththeC-language?

M：No.

W：Uhuh…thephoneticprocessingsystem,doyouknowhowsuchasystemworks?

M：Whatdoyoumeanby“phoneticprocessingsystem”?

W：Well,youknow,Englishisspokenbydifferentpeoplewithdifferentaccents.YourEnglishaccentisdifferentfrommine,andofcoursemineisnotthesameasmycolleagues.SoasIseeit．yourdevicewouldhavetobeabletorecogniseandunderstanddifferentaccents.

M：Oh,Isee.IthinkIcanlearntheC-languageandthephoneticprocessingsystemhere.

W：Well,that'sprobablytrue,butyou'vegotonlytwelvemonthsandyouwantadegree,don'tyou?

M：Yes.

W：OK,sothere'retwowaysofstudyingforadegreehere.Youeithertakesixcourses,passtheirexamsandhaveyourdissertationacceptedortheotherwayisyoudosomeresearchworkandsubmityourprojectreport.

M：IthinkI'lltakethesecondway.

W：Fine,butareyousureyoucallfinishyourprojectintwelvemonths?

M：Idon'tknow.butIcanworktwelvehoursperdayandsevendaysperweek.

W：Well,I'dsuggestyouspendsometimeinourlibrary,tryingtofindoutwhatotherstudentshavedonebeforeandperhapsreconsideryourownproject,tosomeextent.Youmightnarrowyourresearcharea,concentratingonsolvingoneortwomajorproblems.And,it'dbeagoodideatotalktoyourcolleaguesinthelab,first.Anyway,I'msurewecanworkoutsomethinggood.ShallIseey

A.RightB.Wrong

3.What'sthethirdmethodmentionedheretogivethelistenertimetothink?

4.Dr．MannisnowinCambridge，writingabookonthe______．

5.PartA

Directions:Youwillhearatalk.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1-10bycirclingTRUEorFALSE.YouwillhearthetalkONLYONCE.Younowhave1minutetoreadQuestions1-10.

听力原文：Hello,everyone.TodayIwillintroduceyouthelearningchainsinBritain.Herethechainsrefertoschoolslinkedtogetheraspartofagroup.Theycanofferstudentsmanypracticaladvantages.

Whenpeopleareaskedtonamealanguageschool,moreoftenthannot,theythinkofoneofthelargeinternationalchainsofschools.Somearevastlanguageteachingorganizationswithschoolsinmanydifferentcountriesandmayteachjustonelanguage.

Oneofthemainstrengthsofthesechainsisthefactthattheirnameisfamiliartopeopleallovertheworld.Thiscanbeabigadvantageintheconfusingworldoflanguagelearning.Moststudentsarebewilderedbymelargechoiceofschoolsandcoursesonoffer,bothathomeandabroad,andsomanyprefertochooseaschoolwhichhasafamiliarnameandanestablishedreputation.Chainschoolsknowthis,andpartoftheirsuccessisduetoeffectivemarketingandadvertising,whichhelpstokeeptheirnamewell-known.

Butchainschoolsshouldnotbedismissedbyseriousstudentsjustbecausetheyuseclevermarketingtechniques.Theyhaveotherimportantstrengthenswhichcanprovideadvantagestostudents.Aschoolisonlyasgoodasitsteachersandfacilities,andmanychainsofferveryhighstandardsinboth.Morechainsrequirethattheirteachershaveinternationallyrecognizedqualificationsandamaximumamountofteachingexperience.Itisimportantforchainstomaintainthesestandardsatallschools,becausethereputationofthewholechaincanbeaffectedifoneschoolperformsbadly.

Studentsalsobenefitfromthestandardizedstructureofchains.Mostchainsusethesametextbooksinalltheirschools,andoftentheyproducetheirowncourseworkmaterials.Theyalsoorganizetheircoursesinmesamewaywhichmeansthatstartingdatesandcourselengthsareusuallythesameatallschools.

Forstudents,oneofthemainadvantagesofthisstandardizedstructureissimplicity.IfyoucannotdecidewhethertostudyintheU.S.orBritain,forexample,mostchainsallowstudentstostarttheirlanguagecourseatoneschoolandcontinueatanother,sotheycanexperiencedifferentregionsordifferentcountries,aspartofthesamestudytrip.

Chainschoolstendtobelargerthansinglecenterschools,whichcanalsohaveadvantagesforstudents.Withlargernumbersofstudents,schooladministratorscanachieveabettermixtureofnationalitiesinclassrooms.Thismeansthatstudentscanavoidbeingwithotherstudentswhospeaktheirlanguage.Thisgivesthemthechancetomeetstudentsfromothercountries,andtopracticetheirEnglishwiththem.

Somechainsofferstudentsaverysimplebookingandenrolmentprocedurewhichisalsouseful.Applicationformsandenrolmentproceduresarethesameforallschools,sostudentsneedonlysupplytheirdetailsonce.

Studentsmayfindthattheycanbooktheircourseabroadthrougharepresentativeofachainschoolintheirowntownorcity.Otherchainsofferacentralizedbookingfacility,sostudentsonlyhavetocontactonecentertomakeabookinganywhereintheworld.

Chainschoolsoftenoperateindifferentlocations,whereasasingleschoolislikelytobebasedpermanentlyinonebuilding.Manychainschoolsoperatetemporaryschools,particularlyduringthesummerholidays.InBritain,theyoftenusesecondaryschoolpremiseswhichareemptyduringtheschoolholidays.

StudyingEnglishinanEnglish-speakingcountryisthemosteffectivewaytolearnthelanguage,butformanystudentsthisisonlyonestageoftheirlearningcareer.Moststudentsstartlearning

A.TrueB.Fasle

6.Thepossibilitiesofourliteraryexperiencesarealmostunlimited.

A.TrueB.Fasle

7.HowlongdidittakeforalettersentbyapostridertoreachtheaddresseebetweenNewYorkandBoston?

8.听力原文：Iwanttotalktodayaboutsomestudies.Theyseemtoindicatethatthereisastartlingworld-widedeclineinthenumberofamphibians,suchasfrogs,toadsandsalamanders.There'slittledoubtthatonereasonwhythenumberofamphibiansisdecliningistheirhabitatshavebeendestroyedwhenthedevelopersfillinpondsandmarshestobuildhouses.Amphibianscan'tjustmovesomewhere.Theyneedwatertolaytheireggsin.Anotherproblemisthegrowingfishindustry.Anotherrangeofpopularpoolfishsuchascarphavebeenintroducedtomanylakesandpondsallovertheworld.Raisingandsellingthesefishcanbeprofitable,butthefisheattheeggsandoffspringofamphibiansthatwerealreadylivinginthelakesandponds.Otherfactorscouldbecontributingtothedeclineincludeacidrainandthespreadofpesticideresidues.Manypesticidesthatfarmersaddedtotheircropsareeventuallywashedawaybytherainandendupinpondsandotherbodiesofwaterwhereamphibianslive.Amphibiansareespeciallyvulnerabletopesticidesdissolvedinthewaterbecauseoftheirmoistskins.Watercanpassthroughamphibiansallowingtoxinsdissolvedinthewatertoentertheamphibians'body.

Whatdoesthespeakermainlydiscuss?

A.Thedistributionofdifferentspeciesofamphibians.

B.Possiblereasonsforreductioninthenumberofamphibians.

C.Theeffectsofenvironmentalchangeonthefishindustry.

D.Guidelinesfortheresponsibleuseofpesticides.

9.WhodidthepeopleusuallygiveletterstoaftertheEnglishcolonistsjustarrivedatAmerica?

10.Chainsdon'tproducetheirowncoursebookmaterial.

A.TrueB.Fasle

11.Canyougiveanexampleof"fillerwords"?

12.Wangdecidestotakecoursesandpassexams.

A.RightB.Wrong

13.Oneoftheadvantagesofchainschoolsisthattheyarefamousallovertheworld.

A.TrueB.Fasle

14.Listthreetraditionalfemaleoccupationsmentionedinthetalk.

15.听力原文：DuringtheChristmasshoppingrushinLondon,theintriguingstorywasreportedofatrampwho,apparentlythroughnofaultofhisown,foundhimselflockedinawell-knownchainstorelateonChristmasEve.Nodoubtthestorewasfilledwithlast-minuteChristmasshoppersandthestaffweredeadbeatingandlongingtogethome.Presumablyallthepropersecuritychecksweremadebeforethestorewaslockedandtheylefttoenjoythethree-dayholidayuntroubledbycustomersdesperatetogetlast-minuteChristmaspresents.

Howeverthatmaybe,ourtrampfoundhimselfaloneinthestoreanddecidedtomakethebestofit.Therewasfood,drink,beddingandcampingequipment,ofwhichhemadegooduse.Theremustalsohavebeentelevisionsetsandradios.Thoughitwasnotreportedifhetookadvantageofthesefacilities,whentheshopre-opened,hewasdiscoveredinbedwithalargenumberofemptybottlesbesidehim.Heseemstohavebeenamanofgoodhumourandphilosophictemperament—asindeedvagrantsverycommonlyare.EveryoneelsewasenjoyingChristmas,sohesawnogoodreasonwhyheshouldnotdothesame.Hesubmitted,cheerfullyenough,tobeingtakenawaybythepolice.PerhapshehadabetterChristmasthanusual.Hewasputintoprisonforsevendays.Thejudgeawardednocompensationtothechainstoreforthefoodanddrinkourtramphadconsumed.Theyhad,inhisopinion,alreadyreceivedvaluablefreepublicityfromthecoveragethestoryreceivedinthenewspapersandontelevision.PerhapsthejudgehadagoodChristmastoo.

Thetrampwaslockedinthestore______

A.forhisownmistakes

B.duetoamisunderstanding

C.byaccident

D.throughanerrorofjudgment

二、2.UseofEnglish(10题)16.(50)

17.

【C11】

18.(32)

19.(49)

20.

【C6】

21.

【C13】

22.(41)

23.(36)

24.

【C16】

25.Pollutionisa"dirty"word.Topollutemeanstocontaminate—topsoilorsomethingbyintroducingimpuritieswhichmake【31】______unfitoruncleantouse.Pollutioncomesinmanyforms.Weseeit,smellit,【32】______it,drinkit,andstumblethroughit.Weliterallylivedinandbreathepollution,and【33】______surprisingly,itisbeginningto【34】______ourhealth,ourhappiness,andourcivilization.

Oncewethoughtofpollution【35】______meaningsimplythesmog—thechoking,stinging,dirty【36】______thathoversovercities.Butairpollution,whileitis【37】______themostdangerous,isonlyonetypeofcontaminationamongseveral【38】______attackthemostbasiclifefunctions.

Throughtheuncontrolleduseofinsecticides,manhaspollutedtheland,【39】______thewildlife.By【40】______sewageandchemicalsintoriversandlakes,wehavecontaminatedour【41】______water.Wearepollutingtheoceans,too,killingthefishand【42】______deprivingourselves【43】______aninvaluablefoodsupply.

Partoftheproblemisourexploding【44】______.Moreandmorepeopleareproducingmorewastes.Butthisproblemisintensifiedbyour"throw-away"technology.EachyearAmericans【45】______of7millionautos,20milliontonsofwastepaper,25millionpoundsoftoothpastetubesand48millioncans.Wethrowawaygumwrappers,newspapers,andpaperplates.Itisnolongerwiseto【46】______anything.Todayalmosteverythingisdisposable.【47】______ofrepairingatoasteroraradio,itiseasierandcheapertobuyanotheroneanddiscardtheold,even【48】______95percentofitspartsmaystillbefunctioning.Babydiapers,whichusedtobemadeofreusablecloth,arenowpaperthrowaway.Soonwewillwearclothingmadeof【49】______:"Wearitonceandthrowitaway"willbethesloganofthefashionableconsciousness.

Whereisthisalltoend?Areweturningtheworldintoagiganticdump,oristherehopethatwecansolvethepollutionproblem?【50】______,solutionsareinsight.Afewofthemarepositivelyingenious.

(31)

三、3.ReadingComprehension(15题)26.

Whatcanbeconcludedaccordingtotheauthor'sviewofthe"obesitygenes"?

A.Peoplewithageneticinclinationtogainweightcanslim.

B.Peoplewhoarebornfatwillremainthatwayalllife.

C.Alleffortstoloseweightwillprovefruitless.

D.Fatpeoplecanliveaveryhappylife,too.

27.PartC

Directions:Answerquestions71-80byreferringtothefollowinggames.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,BorCandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,B,CorDandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.

A=BOOKREVIEW1B=BOOKREVIEW2

C=BOOKREVIEWS3D=BOOKREVIEW4

Whichbookreview(s)contain(s)thefollowinginformation?

Comparisonofthesignificanceoftwoeconomicbooks.71.______

Stiglitz'sprestigeinthefieldofeconomics.72.______

Stiglitz'scriticismofthosewhoexaggeratedthepowerofmarketsindevelopingcountries.73.______

Policymakingshouldconsiderlocalconditions.74.______

Theinterventionofgovernmentisthewaytoassistglobalization.75.______

Stiglitz'sdedicationtothedevelopmentofpoorcountries.76.______

Stiglitz'spreferenceofonetypeofeconomicpolicyoveranotherone.77.______

MorepeoplejoinedStiglitzincriticizingfreetradeandglobalization.78.______

Stiglitz'spointshavebeensupportedbywhatactuallyhappenedinthecountry.79.______

MainlygivespositivecommentsonStiglitzandhisnewbook.80.______

A

Themainpointofthebookissimple:globalizationisnothelpingmanypoorcountries.Incomesarenotrisinginmuchoftheworld,andadoptionofmarket-basedpoliciessuchasopencapitalmarkets,freetrade,andprivatizationaremakingdevelopingeconomieslessstable,notmore.Insteadofabiggerdoseoffreemarkets,Stiglitzargues,what'sneededtomakeglobalizationworkbetterismoreandsmartergovernmentintervention.Whilethishasbeensaidbefore,theideascarrymoreweightcomingfromsomeonewithStiglitz'scredentials.Insomeways,thisbookhasthepotentialtobetheliberalequivalentofMiltonFriedman's1962classicCapitalismandFreedom,whichhelpedprovidetheintellectualfoundationforagenerationofconservatives.ButGlobalizationandItsDiscontentsdoesnotrisetothelevelofcapitalismandfreedom.WhileStiglitzmakesastrongcaseforgovernment-orienteddevelopmentpolicy,heignoressomekeyargumentsinfavorofthemarket."Thebook'smainvillainistheInternationalMonetaryFund,theWashingtonorganizationthatlendstotroubledcountries",Stiglitz'contemptfortheIMFisboundless,"ItisclearthattheIMFhasfailedinitsmission,"hedeclares."ManyofthepoliciesthattheIMFpushedhavecontributedtoglobalinstability."

B

Whilepartsofthisbookaredisappointinglyshallow,Stiglitz'scritiqueofthemarket-driven90'sstillresonates,especiallywhenthebusinesspageisfullofstoriesaboutwhite-collarcrimeandthestockmarketseemsstuckinaperpetualrut.EventheUnitedStatescannotblithelyassumethatfinancialmarketswillworkonautopilot.ItistestamenttothesalienceofStiglitz'sargumentsthatmanyeconomists—evensomeBushAdministrationofficials—nowembracehisviewthateconomicchangeinthedevelopingworldmustevolvemorewithlocalconditions,notonWashington'scalendar.Withoutathoroughmakeover,globalizationcouldeasilybecomeaquagmire.StiglitzsharedaNobelPrizelastyearforhisworkanalyzingtheimperfectionsofmarkets.Hismaincomplainta-gainstRubinandSummers,whoservedasTreasurySecretaries,andagainstFischer,theNO.2officialanddefactochiefexecutiveoftheinternationalMonetaryFund,isthattheyhadtoomuchfaiththatmarketscouldtransform.poorcountriesovernight.Helabelsthesethreemenmarketfundamentalists,whofoughttomaintainfinancialsta

28.(75)

29.

Whichofthefollowingistrueaccordingtothetext?

A.TheHartspreferapublicuniversitytoaprivateone.

B.Itismucheasiertopaythetuitionatpresent.

C.Allstudentscangettheaidpackage.

D.Traditionalscholarshipsarestillattractivetosomefamilies.

30.

TheGTE'sexampleshowsthat______.

A.efficienttechnologyiscost-effective

B.manymeetingsinacompanyareunnecessary

C.manypositionslikethatofatypistcanbedoneawaywith

D.itdoesn'tcostmuchtoautomatethefacilitiesofacompany

31.PartB

Directions:Inthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions66-70,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA-Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.

DoesthepublisherofDouglasStarr'sexcellentBlood—AnEpicHistoryofMedicineandCommerceactuallyexpecttosellmanycopies?Whoeverchosethetitleiscertaintoscareoffthesqueamish,andthesubtitle,whichmakestheeffortsoundlikeadry,densesurveytext,hasreallydonethisbookadisservice.Infact,thebraveandcuriouswillenjoyabrightlywritten,intriguing,anddisquietingbook,withsomeimportantlessonsforpublichealth.

66.______

Thebookbeginswithahistoricalviewoncenturiesofloreaboutblood—inparticular,thebeliefthatbloodcarriedtheevilhumorsofdiseaseandrequiredoccasionaldraining.AsrecentlyastheRevolutionaryWar,bloodlettingwaswidelyappliedtotreatfevers.Theideaofusingoneperson'sbloodtohealanotherisonlyabout75yearsold—althoughroguescientistshadexperimentedwithtransfusinganimalbloodatleastasearlyasthe1600s.Thefirsttransfusionexperimentsinvolvedstitchingadonor'svein(inearlycasesthephysician's)toapatient'svein.

67.______

Sabotagedbynotionsaboutthe"purity"oftheirgroups'blood,JapanandGermanylaggedwellbehindtheAlliesintransfusionscience.OncetheyrealizedtheywerelosinginjuredtroopstheAllieshadlearnedtosave,theytriedtocatchup,conductinghorribleandunproductiveexperimentssuchasdrainingbloodfromPOWsandinjectingthemwithhorsebloodorpolymers.

68.______

Duringtheearlytomid-1980s,Starrsays,10,000Americanhemophiliacsand12,000otherscontractedHIVfromtransfusionsandreceiptofbloodproducts.Bloodbanksbothhereandabroadmovedslowlytoacknowledgethethreatofthevirusandinsomecasesevenactedwithcriminalnegligence,allowingthedistributionofbloodtheyknewwastainted.Thisisnotnewmaterial.ButStarr'sinsightsaddadimensiontoastoryfirstexploredinthelateRandyShilts'sAndtheBondPlayedOn.

69.______

Isthebloodsupplysafenow?Screeningproceduresandtechnologyhavegottenmuchmoreadvanced.Yetit'sdisturbingtoreadStarr'scontentionthatapersonreceivingmultipletransfusionstodayhasabouta1in90,000chanceofcontractingHTV—farhigherthanthe"oneinamillion"figurethatbloodbankersonceblithelyandfalselyquoted.Moreover,newpathogensthreatentoemergeandspreadthroughtheincreasinglyhigh-speed,globalblood-productnetworkfasterthansciencecanstopthem.ThispromptsStarrtoarguethattoday'sbloodstoresare"simultaneouslysaferandmorethreatening"thanwhendistributionwaslesssophisticated.

70.______

A.Themassivewartimeblooddriveslaidthegroundworkformodernblood-banking,whichhassavedcountlesslives.Unfortunately,thesedevelopmentsalsosetthestageforagreatmoderntragedy—thespreadofAIDSthroughtheinternationalbloodsupply.

B.Thereissomuchdrama,power,resonance,andimportantinformationinthisbookthatitwouldbeashameifthesqueamishwerescaredoff.Perhapsthekeylessonisthis:Thepublichealthmustalwaysbeguardedagainstthepressuresandpitfallsofcompetitivemarketsandhumanfallibility.

C.Inhischronicleofaresource,Starrcoversanenormousamountofground.Hegivesusanaccountofmankind'sattitudesovera400-yearperiodtowardsthis"precious,mysterious,andhazardousmaterial";ofmedicine'seffortstounderstand,control,anddevelopblood'slife-savingproperties;andofthemultibillion-dollarindustrythatbenefitsfromit.Hedescribesdisparateinstitutionsthatuseblood,fromthemilitaryandthepharmaceuticalindustrytob

32.(74)

33.(78)

34.(67)

35.

TheviewsofVasariandHomeonBotticelli'sproductsare______.

A.identicalB.complementaryC.oppositeD.similar

36.

Whycanmanypeoplesee“silverlinings”totheeconomicshowdown?

A.Theywouldbenefitincertainways．

B.Thestockmarketshowssignsofrecovery．

C.Suchaslowdownusuallyprecedesaboom．

D.Thepurchasingpowerwouldbeenhanced．

37.Theideaofafishbeingabletoproduceelectricitystrongenoughtolightlampbulbs—oreventorunasmallelectricmotor—isalmostunbelievable,butseveralkindsoffishareabletodothis.Evenmorestrangely,thiscuriouspowerhasbeenacquiredindifferentwaysbyfishbelongingtoverydifferentfamilies.

Perhapsthemostknownaretheelectricrays,ortorpedoes,ofwhichseveralkindsliveinwarmseas.Theypossessoneachsideofthehead,behindtheeyes,alargeorganconsistingofanumberofhexagonal-shapedcellsratherlikeahoneycomb.Thecellsarefilledwithajelly-likesubstance,andcontainaseriesofflatelectricplates.Oneside,thenegativeside,ofeachplate,issuppliedwithveryfinenerves,connectedwithamainnervecomingfromaspecialpartofthebrain.Currentgetsthroughfromtheupper,positivesideoftheorgandownwardtothenegative,lowerside.Generallyitisnecessarytotouchthefishintwoplaces,completingthecircuit,inordertoreceiveashock.

Thestrengthofthisshockdependsonthesizeoffish,butnewly-bornonesonlyabout5centimetersacrosscanbemadetolightthebulbofapocketflashlightforafewmoments,whileafullygrowntorpedogivesashockcapableofknockingamandown,and,ifsuitablewiresareconnected,willoperateasmallelectricmotorforseveralminutes.

Anotherfamousexampleistheelectriceel.Thisfishgivesanevenmorepowerfulshock.Thesystemisdifferentfromthatofthetorpedointhattheelectricplatesrunlongitudinallyandaresuppliedwithnervesfromthespinalcord.Consequently,thecurrentpassesalongthefishfromheadtotail.Theelectricorgansofthesefisharereallyalteredmusclesandlikeallmusclesareapttotire,sotheyarenotabletogenerateelectricityforverylong.PeopleinsomepartsofSouthAmericawhovaluetheelectriceelasfood,takeadvantageofthisfactbydrivinghorsesintothewateragainstwhichthefishdischargetheirelectricity.Thehorsesarelessaffectedthanamanwouldbe,andwhentheelectriceelshaveexhaustedthemselves,theycanbecaughtwithoutdanger.

TheelectriccatfishoftheNileandofotherAfricanfreshwatershasadifferentsystemagainbywhichcurrentpassesoverthewholebodyfromthetailtothehead.Theshockgivenbythisarrangementisnotsostrongastheothertwo,butisnonethelessunpleasant.Theelectriccatfishisaslow,lazyfish,fondofgloomyplacesandgrowstoabout1metrelong;itiseatenbytheArabsinsomeareas.

Thepowerofproducingelectricitymayservethesefishbothfordefenceandattack.Ifalargeenemyattacks,theshockwilldriveitaway;butitappearsthatthecatfishandtheelectriceelusetheircurrentmostoftenagainstsmallerfish,stunningthemsothattheycaneasilybeoverpowered.

Whichofthefollowingcanproducethestrongestshock?

A.Theelectriceel.

B.Theelectriccatfish.

C.Thenewly-bornelectrictorpedoes.

D.Thefully-grownelectricray.

38.Itwaslateintheafternoon,andIwasputtingthefinaltouchonapieceofwritingthatIwasfeelingprettygoodabout.Iwantedtosaveit,butmycursorhadfrozen.Itriedtoshutthecomputerdown,anditseizedupaltogether.Unsureofwhatelsetodo,Iyanked(用力猛拉)thebatteryout.

Unfortunately,Windowshadbeeninthemidstofadelicateandcrucialundertaking.Thenextmorning,whenIturnedmycomputerbackon,itinformedmethatafilehadbeencorruptedandWindowswouldnotload.Then,itofferedtorepairitselfbyusingtheWindowsSetupCD.

IopenedthespecialdrawerwhereIkeepCDs,butnoWindowsCDinthere.Iwasforcedtocallthecomputercompany'sGlobalSupportCentre.Mycallwasansweredbyawomaninsomeunnamed,far-offland.IfinditannoyingtomakesmalltalkwithsomeonewhenIdon'tknowwhatcontinentthey'restandingon.SupposeIweretocommentonthebeautifulweatherwe'vebeenhavingwhentherewasamonsoonattheotheren