六级考试标准阅读练习

六级考试标准阅读

第一篇(UnitonePassage1)

IliveinthelandofDisney,Hollywoodandyear-roundsun.Youmaythinkpeoplein

suchaglamorous,fun-filledplacearehappierthanothers.Ifso,youhavesome

mistakenideasaboutthenatureofhappiness.

Manyintelligentpeoplestillequatehappinesswithfun.Thetruthisthatfunand

happinesshavelittleornothingincommon.Funiswhatweexperienceduringanact.

Happinessiswhatweexperienceafteranact.Itisadeeper,moreabidingemotion.

Goingtoanamusementparkorballgame,watchingamovieortelevision,arefun

activitiesthathelpusrelax,temporarilyforgetourproblemsandmaybeevenlaugh.

Buttheydonotbringhappiness,becausetheirpositiveeffectsendwhenthefunends.

IhaveoftenthoughtthatifHollywoodstarshavearoletoplay,itistoteachusthat

happinesshasnothingtodowithfun.Theserich,beautifulindividualshaveconstant

accesstoglamorousparties,fancycars,expensivehomes,everythingthatspells

“happiness”.Butinmemoiraftermemoir,celebritiesrevealtheunhappinesshidden

beneathalltheirfun:depression,alcoholism,drugaddiction,brokenmarriages,

troubledchildrenandprofoundloneliness.

Askabachelorwhyheresistsmarriageeventhoughhefindsdatingtobelessandless

satisfying.Ifhe'shonest,hewilltellyouthatheisafraidofmakingacommitment.

Forcommitmentisinfactquitepainful.Thesinglelifeisfilledwithfun,adventure

andexcitement.Marriagehassuchmoments,buttheyarenotitsmostdistinguishing

features.

Similarly,couplesthatchoosenottohavechildrenaredecidinginfavorofpainless

funoverpainfulhappiness.Theycandineoutevertheywantandsleepaslateasthey

want.Coupleswithinfantchildrenareluckytogetawholenight'ssleepora

three-dayvacation.Idon'tknowanyparentwhowouldchoosethewordfunto

describeraisingchildren.

Understandingandacceptingthattruehappinesshasnothingtodowithfunisoneof

themostliberatingrealizationswecanevercometo.Itliberatestime:nowwecan

devotemorehourstoactivitiesthatcangenuinelyincreaseourhappiness.Itliberates

money:buyingthatnewcarorthosefancyclothesthatwilldonothingtoincreaseour

happinessnowseemspointless.Anditliberatesusfromenvy:wenowunderstandthat

allthoserichandglamorouspeopleweweresosurearehappybecausetheyare

alwayshavingsomuchfunactuallymaynotbehappyatall.

1.Whichofthefollowingistrue?

A.Funcreateslong-lastingsatisfaction.

B.Funprovidesenjoymentwhilepainleadstohappiness.

C.Happinessisenduringwhereasfunisshort-lived.

D.Funthatislong-standingmayleadtohappiness.

2.Tbtheauthor,Hollywoodstarsallhaveanimportantroletoplaythatisto—.

A.ritememoiraftermemoirabouttheirhappiness.

B.tellthepublicthathappinesshasnothingtodowithfun.

C.teachpeoplehowtoenjoytheirlives.

D.bringhappinesstothepublicinsteadofgoingtoglamorousparties.

3.Intheauthor'sopinion,marriage___.

A.affordsgreaterfun.

B.leadstoraisingchildren.

C.indicatescommitment.

D.endsinpain.

4.Coupleshavinginfantchildren___.

A.areluckysincetheycanhaveawholenight'ssleep.

B.findfunintuckingthemintobedatnight.

C.findmoretimetoplayandjokewiththem.

D.derivehappinessfromtheirendeavor.

5.Ifonegetthemeaningofthetruesenseofhappiness,hewill—.

A.stopplayinggamesandjokingwithothers.

B.makethebestuseofhistimeincreasinghappiness.

C.giveafreehandtomoney.

D.keephimselfwithhisfamily.

第一篇答案：CBCDB

第二篇(UnitonePassage2)

Onceitwaspossibletodefinemaleandfemaleroleseasilybythedivisionoflabor.

Menworkedoutsidethehomeandearnedtheincometosupporttheirfamilies,while

womencookedthemealsandtookcareofthehomeandthechildren.Theseroles

werefirmlyfixedformostpeople,andtherewasnotmuchopportunityforwomento

exchangetheirroles.Butbythemiddleofthiscentury,men'sandwomen'sroleswere

becominglessfirmlyfixed.

Inthe1950s,economicandsocialsuccesswasthegoalofthetypicalAmerican.But

inthe1960sanewforcedevelopedcalledthecounterculture.Thepeopleinvolvedin

thismovementdidnotvaluethemiddle-classAmericangoals.Thecounterculture

presentedmenandwomenwithnewrolechoices.Takingmoreinterestinchildcare,

menbegantosharechild-raisingtaskswiththeirwives.Infact,someyoungmenand

womenmovedtocommunalhomesorfarmswheretheeconomicandchildcare

responsibilitiesweresharedequallybybothsexes.Inaddition,manyAmericansdid

notvaluethetraditionalmaleroleofsoldier.Someyoungmenrefusedtobedraftedas

soldierstofightinthewarinVietnam.

Intermsofnumbers,thecounterculturewasnotaverylargegroupofpeople.Butits

influencespreadtomanypartsofAmericansociety.Workingmenofallclassesbegan

tochangetheireconomicandsocialpatterns.Industrialworkersandbusiness

executivesalikecutdownon“overtime“worksothattheycouldspendmoreleisure

timewiththeirfamilies.Somedoctors,lawyers,andteachersturnedawayfromhigh

payingsituationstopracticetheirprofessionsinpoorerneighborhoods.

Inthe1970s,thefeministmovement,orwomen'sliberation,producedadditional

economicandsocialchanges.Womenofallagesandatalllevelsofsocietywere

enteringtheworkforceingreaternumbers.Mostofthemstilltooktraditional

women'sjobsaspublicschoolteaching,nursing,andsecretarialwork.Butsome

womenbegantoentertraditionallymaleoccupations:policework,banking,dentistry,

andconstructionwork.Womenwereaskingforequalwork,andequalopportunities

forpromotion.

Todaytheexpertsgenerallyagreethatimportantchangesaretakingplaceintheroles

ofmenandwomen.Naturally,therearedifficultiesinadjustingtothese

transformations.

1.WhichofthefollowingbestexpressthemainideaofParagraph1?

A.Womenusuallyworkedoutsidethehomeforwages.

B.Menandwomen'sroleswereeasilyexchangedinthepast.

C.Men'srolesathomeweremorefirmlyfixedthanwomen's.

D.Menandwomen'sroleswereusuallyquiteseparatedinthepast.

2.WhichsentencebestexpressesthemainideaofParagraph2?

A.Thefirstsentence.

B.Thesecondandthethirdsentences.

C.Thefourthsentence.

D.Thelastsentence.

3.Inthepassagetheauthorproposesthatthecounterculture__.

A.destroyedtheUnitedStates.

B.transformedsomeAmericanvalues.

C.wasnotimportantintheUnitedStates.

D.broughtpeoplemoreleisuretimewiththeirfamilies.

4.Itcouldbeinferredfromthepassagethat___.

A.menandwomenwillneversharethesamegoals.

B.somemenwillbewillingtoexchangetheirtraditionalmaleroles.

C.mostmenwillbehappytosharesomeofthehouseholdresponsibilitieswiththeir

wives.

D.moreAmericanhouseholdsareheadedbywomenthaneverbefore.

5.Thebesttitleforthepassagemaybe___.

A.ResultsofFeministMovements

B.NewinfluenceinAmericanLife

C.CountercultureandItsconsequence

D.TraditionalDivisionofMaleandFemaleRoles.

第二篇答案DCBCB

第三篇(UnitonePassage3)

Recentresearchhasclaimedthatanexcessofpositiveionsintheaircanhaveanill

effectonpeople'sphysicalorpsychologicalhealth.Whatarepositiveions?Well,the

airisfullofions,electricallychargedparticles,andgenerallythereisaroughbalance

betweenthepositiveandthenegativecharged.Butsometimesthisbalancebecomes

disturbedandalargerproportionofpositiveionsarefound.Thishappensnaturally

beforethunderstorm,earthquakeswhenwindssuchastheMistral,HamsinorSharav

areblowingincertaincountries.Oritcanbecausedbyabuild-upofstaticelectricity

indoorsfromcarpetsorclothingmadeofman-madefibres,orfromTVsets,

duplicatorsorcomputerdisplayscreens.

Whenalargenumberofpositiveionsarepresentintheairmanypeopleexperience

unpleasanteffectssuchasheadaches,fatigue,irritability,andsomeparticularly

sensitivepeoplesuffernauseaorevenmentaldisturbance.Animalsarealsoaffected,

particularlybeforeearthquakes,snakeshavebeenobservedtocomeoutofhibernation,

ratstofleefromtheirburrows,dogshowlandcatsjumpaboutunaccountably.This

hasledtheUSGeographicalSurveytofundanetworkofvolunteerstowatchanimals

inanefforttoforeseesuchdisastersbeforetheyhitvulnerableareassuchas

California.

Conversely,whenlargenumbersofnegativeionsarepresent,thenpeoplehavea

feelingofwell-being.Naturalconditionsthatproducetheselargeamountsarenearthe

sea,closetowaterfallsorfountains,orinanyplacewherewaterissprayed,orformsa

spray.Thisprobablyaccountsforthebeneficialeffectofaholidaybythesea,orin

themountainswithtumblingstreamsorwaterfalls.

Toincreasethesupplyofnegativeionsindoors,somescientistsrecommendtheuseof

ionisers:smallportablemachines,whichgeneratenegativeions.Theyclaimthat

ionisersnotonlycleanandrefreshtheairbutalsoimprovethehealthofpeople

sensitivetoexcesspositiveions.Ofcourse,therearethedetractors,otherscientists,

whodismisssuchclaimsandareskepticalaboutnegative/positiveionresearch.

Thereforepeoplecanonlymakeuptheirownmindsbyobservingtheeffectson

themselves,oronothers,ofanegativerichorpoorenvironment.Afterallitis

debatablewhetherdependingonseismicreadingstoanticipateearthquakesismore

effectivethanwatchingthecat.

l.Whateffectdoesexceedingpositiveionizationhaveonsomepeople?

A.Theythinktheyareinsane.

B.Theyfeelratherbad-temperedandshort-fussed.

C.Theybecomeviolentlysick.

D.Theyaretootiredtodoanything.

2.Inaccordancewiththepassage,staticelectricitycanbecausedby__.

A.usinghome-madeelectricalgoods.

B.wearingclothesmadeofnaturalmaterials.

C.walkingonartificialfloorcoverings.

D.copyingTVprogramsonacomputer.

3.Ahighnegativeioncountislikelytobefound

A.nearapoundwithawaterpump.

B.closetoaslow-flowingriver.

C.highinsomebarrenmountains.

D.byarotatingwatersprinkler.

4.Whatkindofmachinecangeneratenegativeionsindoors?

A.Ionisers.

B.Air-conditioners.

C.Exhaust-fans

D.Vacuumpumps.

5.Somescientistsbelievethat___.

A.watchinganimalstoanticipateearthquakesismoreeffectivethandependingon

seismography.

B.theunusualbehaviorofanimalscannotbetrusted.

C.neitherwatchingnorusingseismographsisreliable.

D.earthquake

第三篇答案BCDAA

第四篇(UnitonePassage4)

Astudyofarthistorymightbeagoodwaytolearnmoreaboutaculturethanis

possibletolearningeneralhistoryclasses.Mosttypicalhistorycoursesconcentrate

onpolitics,economics,andwar.Butarthistoryfocusesonmuchmorethanthis

becauseartreflectsnotonlythepoliticalvaluesofapeople,butalsoreligiousbeliefs,

emotions,andpsychology.Inaddition,informationaboutthedailyactivitiesofour

ancestors-orofpeopleverydifferentfromourown-canbeprovidedbyart.Inshort,

artexpressestheessentialqualitiesofatimeandaplace,andastudyofitclearlyoffer

usadeeperunderstandingthancanbefoundinmosthistorybooks.

Inhistorybooks,objectiveinformationaboutthepoliticallifeofacountryis

presented;thatis,factsaboutpoliticsaregiven,butopinionsarenotexpressed.Art,

ontheotherhand,issubjective:itreflectsemotionsandopinions.ThegreatSpanish

painterFranciscoGoyawasperhapsthefirsttruly“political“artist.Inhiswell-known

paintingTheThirdofMay1808,hecriticizedtheSpanishgovernmentforitsmisuse

ofpoweroverpeople.Overahundredyearslater,symbolicimageswereusedin

PabloPicasso'sGuernicatoexpressthehorrorofwar.Meanwhile,onanother

continent,thepowerfulpaintingsofDiegoRivera,JoseClementeOrozco,andDavid

AlfaroSiqueiros-aswellastheworksofAlfredoRamosMartines-depictedthese

Mexicanartists9deepangerandsadnessaboutsocialproblems.

Inthesameway,artcanreflectaculture'sreligiousbeliefs.Forhundredsofyearsin

Europe,religiousartwasalmosttheonlytypeofartthatexisted.Churchesandother

religiousbuildingswerefilledwithpaintingsthatdepictedpeopleandstoriesfromthe

Bible.Althoughmostpeoplecouldn'tread,theycouldstillunderstandbiblicalstories

inthepicturesonchurchwalls.Bycontrast,oneofthemaincharacteristicsofartin

theMiddleEastwas(andstillis)itsabsenceofhumanandanimalimages.This

reflectstheIslamicbeliefthatstatuesareunholy.

l.Morecanbelearnedaboutaculturefromastudyofarthistorythangeneralhistory

becausearthistory—.

A.showusthereligiousandemotionsofapeopleinadditiontopoliticalvalues.

B.provideuswithinformationaboutthedailyactivitiesofpeopleinthepast.

C.giveusaninsightintotheessentialqualitiesofatimeandaplace.

D.alloftheabove.

2.Artissubjectiveinthat_.

A.apersonalandemotionalviewofhistoryispresentedthroughit.

B.itcaneasilyrouseourangerorsadnessaboutsocialproblems.

C.itwillfindareadyechoinourhearts.

D.bothBandC.

3.Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrueaccordingtothepassage?

A.UnlikeFranciscoGoya,PabloandseveralMexicanartistsexpressedtheirpolitical

opinionsintheirpaintings.

B.Historybooksoftenrevealthecompilers9politicalviews.

C.ReligiousartremainedinEuropeforcenturiestheonlytypeofartbecausemost

peopleregardedtheBibleastheHolyBook.

D.A11theabovementioned.

4.Thepassageismainlydiscussing—.

A.thedifferencebetweengeneralhistoryandarthistory.

B.Themakingofarthistory.

C.Whatcanwelearnfromart.

D.Theinfluenceofartistsonarthistory.

5.Inmaybeconcludedfromthispassagethat—.

A.Islamicartistshavehadtocreatearchitecturaldecorationswithimagesofflowers

orgeometricforms.

B.Historyteachersaremoreobjectivethangeneralhistory.

C.Itismoredifficulttostudyarthistorythangeneralhistory.

D.PeopleandstoriesfromtheBiblewerepaintedonchurchesandotherbuildingsin

ordertopopularizetheBible.

第四篇答案：DDDCA

第五篇(Unit2Passage1)

Iftheoldmaximthatthecustomerisalwaysrightstillhasmeaning,thentheairlines

thatplytheworld'sbusiestairroutebetweenLondonandParishaveaflightontheir

hands.

TheEurostartrainservicelinkingtheUKandFrenchcapitalsviatheChannelTunnel

iswinningcustomersinincreasingnumbers.InlateMay,itcarrieditsonemillionth

passenger,havingrunonlyalimitedservicebetweenLondon,ParisandBrussels

sinceNovember1994,startingwithtwotrainsadayineachdirectiontoParisand

Brussels.By1997,thecompanybelievesthatitwillbecarryingtenmillion

passengersayear,andcontinuetogrowfromthere.

FromJuly,EurostarstepsitsservicetoninetrainseachwaybetweenLondonand

Paris,andfivebetweenLondonandBrussels.Eachtraincarriesalmost800

passengers,210oftheminfirstclass.

Theairlinesestimatethattheywillinitiallylosearound15%-20%oftheir

London-ParistraffictotherailwaysonceEurostarstartsafullservicelaterthisyear

(1995),with15trainsadayeachway.AsimilarservicewillstarttoBrussels.The

damagewillbelimited,however,theairlinesbelieve,withpassengernumbers

returningtopreviouslevelswithintwotothreeyears.

Intheshortterm,thedamagecausedbythe1millionpeople-levelstravelingbetween

LondonandParisandBrusselsonEurostartrainsmeansthatsomeairservicesare

alreadysuffering.Someofthemajorcarrierssaythattheirpassengernumbersare

downbylessthan5%andpointtotheirrivals-ParticularlyAirFrance-ashaving

sufferedtheproblems.OntheBrusselsroute,therailwaycompanyhadlesssuccess,

andtheairlinesreportanythingfromarounda5%droptonovisibledeclineintraffic.

Theairlines9optimismonreturningtrafficlevelsisbasedonhistoricalprecedent.

BritishMidland,forexample,pointstoitsexperienceonHeathrowLeedsBradford

servicewhichsawpassengernumbersfoldby15%whenBritishRailelectrifiedand

modernizedtherailwaylinebetweenLondonandYorkshire.Twoyearslater,travel

hadrisenbetweenthetwodestinationstothepointwheretheairlinewascarrying

recordnumbersofpassengers.

1.Britishairlinesconfideinthefactthat—.

A.theyaremorepowerfulthanotherEuropeanairlines.

B.theirtotallosswon'tgobeyondadropof5%passengers.

C.theirtrafficlevelswillreturnin2-3years.

D.travelingbyrailcannevercatchupwithtravelingbyair.

2,Theauthor'sattitudetowardsthedropofpassengersmaybedescribedas—.

A.worried.

B.delighted

C.puzzled.

D.unrivaled.

3.Inthepassage,BritishRail(Para6)ismentionedto—.

A.provideacomparisonwithEurostar.

B.supporttheairlines9optimism.

C.provetheinevitabledropofairpassengers.

D.callforelectrificationandmodernizationoftherailway.

4.Therailway'sBrusselsrouteisbroughtforthtoshowthat_.

A.theEurostartrainserviceisnotdoinggoodbusiness.

B.theairlinescanwellcompetewiththerailway.

C.theEurostartrainserviceonlycausedlittledamage.

D.onlysomeairlines,suchasAirFrance,aresuffering.

5.Thepassageistakenfromthefirstofanessay,fromwhichwemaywellpredictthat

inthefollowingpailtheauthorisgoingto—.

A.praisetheairlines,clear-mindedness.

B.warntheairlinesofhigh-speedrailservices.

C.proposeareductionofLondon/Parisflights.

D.advisetheairlinestofollowBritishMidlandastheirmodel.

第五篇答案：CABCB

第六篇(Unit2Passage2)

Withoutregularsuppliesofsomehormonesourcapacitytobehavewouldbeseriously

impaired;withoutotherswewouldsoondie.Tinyamountsofsomehormonescan

modifymoodsandactions,ourinclinationtoeatordrink,ouraggressivenessor

submissiveness,andourreproductiveandparentalbehavior.Andhormonesdomore

thaninfluenceadultbehavior;earlyinlifetheyhelptodeterminethedevelopmentof

bodilyformandmayevendetermineanindividual'sbehavioralcapacities.Laterin

lifethechangingoutputsofsomeendocrineglandsandthebody'schanging

sensitivitytosomehormonesareessentialaspectsofthephenomenaofaging.

Communicationwithinthebodyandtheconsequentintegrationofbehaviorwere

consideredtheexclusiveprovinceofthenervoussystemuptothebeginningofthe

presentcentury.Theemergenceofendocrinologyasaseparatedisciplinecan

probablybetracedtotheexperimentsofBaylissandStarlingonthehormone

secretion.Thissubstanceissecretedfromcellsintheintestinalwallswhenfood

entersthestomach;ittravelsthroughthebloodstreamandstimulatesthepancreasto

liberatepancreaticjuice,whichaidsindigestion.Byshowingthatspecialcellssecret

chemicalagentsthatareconveyedbythebloodstreamandregulatedistanttarget

organsortissues.Baylissandstarlingdemonstratedthatchemicalintegrationcould

occurwithoutparticipationofthenervoussystem.

Theterm“hormone“wasfirstusedwithreferencetosecretion.Starlingderivedthe

termfromtheGreekhormone,meaning“toexciteorsetinmotion.Theterm

“endocrine“wasintroducedshortlythereafter“Endocrine“isusedtorefertoglands

thatsecretproductsintothebloodstream.Theterm“endocrine”contrastswith

“exocrine”,whichisappliedtoglandsthatsecrettheirproductsthoughductstothe

siteofaction.Examplesofexocrineglandsarethetearglands,thesweatglands,and

thepancreas,whichsecretspancreaticjuicethroughaductintotheintestine.Exocrine

glandsarealsocalledductglands,whileendocrineglandsarecalledductless.

1.Whatistheauthor'smainpurposeinthepassage?

A.Toexplainthespecificfunctionsofvarioushormones.

B.Toprovidegeneralinformationabouthormones.

C.Toexplainhowtheterm“hormone“evolved.

D.Toreportonexperimentsinendocrinology.

2.Thepassagesupportswhichofthefollowingconclusions?

A.Thehumanbodyrequireslargeamountsofmosthormones.

B.Synthetichormonescanreplaceaperson9snaturalsupplyofhormonesifnecessary.

C.Thequantityofhormonesproducedandtheireffectsonthebodyarerelatedtoa

person'sage.

D.Theshortchildoftallparentsverylikelyhadahormonedeficiencyearlyinlife.

3.ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatbeforetheBaylissandStarlingexperiments,

mostpeoplebelievedthatchemicalintegrationoccun*edonly___.

A.duringsleep.

B.intheendocrineglands.

C.undercontrolofthenervoussystem.

D.duringstrenuousexercise.

4.Theword“liberate“couldbestbereplacedbywhichofthefollowing?

A.Emancipate

B.Discharge

C.Surrender

D.Save

5.Accordingtothepassageanothertermforexocrineglandsis___.

A.ductglands

B.endocrineglands

C.ductlessglands

D.intestinalglands.

第六篇答案：BDCBA

第七篇(Unit2Passage3)

ThediscoveryoftheAntarcticnotonlyprovedoneofthemostinterestingofall

geographicaladventures,butcreatedwhatmightbecalled“theheroicageofAntarctic

exploration”.Bytheirtremendousheroism,mensuchasShakleton,Scott,and

Amundsencausedanewcontinenttoemergefromtheshadows,andyetthatheroic

age,littlemorethanacenturyold,isalreadypassing.Modemscienceandinventions

arerevolutionizingtheendurance,futurejourneysintotheseicywasteswillprobably

dependonmotorvehiclesequippedwithcaterpillartractionratherthanonthedogs

thatearlierdiscoverersfoundsoinvaluableandhardlycomparable.

FewrealizethatthisAntarcticcontinentisalmostequalinsizetoSouthAmerica,and

enormousfieldofworkawaitsgeographersandprospectors.Thecoastsofthis

continentremaintobeaccuratelycharted,andthemapingofthewholeoftheinterior

presentsaformidabletasktothecartographerswhoundertakethework.Oncetheir

laborsarecompleted,itwillbepossibletoprospectthevastnaturalresourceswhich

scientistsbelievewillfurnishoneofthelargesttreasurehoardsofmetalsandminerals

theworldhasyetknown,andalmostinexhaustiblesourcesofcopper,coal,uranium,

andmanyotheroreswillbecomeavailabletoman.Suchdiscoverieswillusherinan

eraofpracticalexploitationoftheAntarcticwastes.

Thepolardarknesswhichhidesthiscontinentforthesixwintermonthswillbe

defeatedbyhugebatteriesoflight,andmakepossibletheestablishingofair-fieldsfor

thefutureinter-continentalairservicesbymakingtheseareasaslightasday.Present

flyingrouteswillbecompletelychanged,fortheAntarcticrefuelingbaseswillmake

flightsfromAustraliatoSouthAmericacomparativelyeasyoverthe5,000miles

journey.

Theclimateisnotlikelytoofferaninsuperableproblem,fortheexplorerAdmiral

Byrdhasshownthattheclimateispossibleevenformencompletelyuntrainedfor

expeditionsintothosefrozenwastes.Someofhispartiesweremenwhohadnever

seensnowbefore,andyetherecordsthattheysurvivedtherigorsoftheAntarctic

climatecomfortably,sothat,providedthattheappropriateinstallationsaremade,we

mayassumethathumanbeingsfromallcountriescouldlivetheresafely.Byrdeven

affirmsthatitisprobablythemosthealthyclimateintheworld,fortheintensecoldof

thousandsofyearshassterilizethiscontinent,andrendereditabsolutelygermfree,

withtheconsequencesthatordinaryandextraordinarysicknessanddiseasesfrom

whichmansuffersinotherzoneswithdifferentclimatesarehereutterlyunknown.

Thereexistnoproblemsofconservationandpreservationoffoodsupplies,forthe

latterkeepindefinitelywithoutanysignsofdeterioration;itmayevenbethatlater

generationswillcometoregardtheAntarcticasthenaturalstorehouseforthewhole

world.

Plansarealreadyonfoottosetuppermanentbasesontheshoresofthiscontinent,

andwhatsofewyearsagowasregardedasa“deadcontinent^^nowpromisestobea

mostactivecenterofhumanlifeandendeavor.

1.WhendidmanbegintoexploretheAntarctic?

A.AboutlOOyearsago.

B.Inthiscentury.

C.Atthebeginningofthe19thcentury.

D.In1798.

2.Whatmusttheexplorersbe,eventhoughtheyhavemodernequipmentand

techniques?

A.Braveandtough

B.Stubbornandarrogant.

C.Well-likedandhumorous.

D.Stoutandsmart.

3.Themosthealthyclimateintheworldis___.

A.inSouthAmerica.

B.intheArcticRegion.

C.intheAntarcticContinent.

D.intheAtlanticOcean.

4.WhatkindofmetalsandmineralscanwefindintheAntarctic?

A.Magnetite,coalandores.

B.Copper,coalanduranium.

C.Silver,naturalgasanduranium.

D.Aluminum,copperandnaturalgas.

5.Whatisplannedforthecontinent?

A.Buildingdamsalongthecoasts.

B.Settingupseveralsummerresortsalongthecoasts.

C.Mappingthecoastandwholeterritory.

D.Settinguppermanentbasesonthecoasts.

第六篇答案：BDCBA

第七篇(Unit2Passage3)

ThediscoveryoftheAntarcticnotonlyprovedoneofthemostinterestingofallgeogr

aphicaladventures,butcreatedwhatmightbecalled“theheroicageofAntarcticexpl

oration”.Bytheirtremendousheroism,mensuchasShakleton,Scott,andAmundse

ncausedanewcontinenttoemergefromtheshadows,andyetthatheroicage,littlem

orethanacenturyold,isalreadypassing.Modemscienceandinventionsarerevoluti

onizingtheendurance,futurejourneysintotheseicywasteswillprobablydependo

nmotorvehiclesequippedwithcaterpillartractionratherthanonthedogsthatearlie

rdiscoverersfoundsoinvaluableandhardlycomparable.

FewrealizethatthisAntarcticcontinentisalmostequalinsizetoSouthAmerica,an

denormousfieldofworkawaitsgeographersandprospectors.Thecoastsofthisconti

nentremaintobeaccuratelycharted,andthemapingofthewholeoftheinteriorprese

ntsaformidabletasktothecartographerswhoundertakethework.Oncetheirlaborsa

recompleted,itwillbepossibletoprospectthevastnaturalresourceswhichscientist

sbelievewillfurnishoneofthelargesttreasurehoardsofmetalsandmineralsthewor

Idhasyetknown,andalmostinexhaustiblesourcesofcopper,coal,uranium,andman

yotheroreswillbecomeavailabletoman.Suchdiscoverieswillusherinaneraofpra

cticalexploitationoftheAntarcticwastes.

Thepolardarknesswhichhidesthiscontinentforthesixwintermonthswillbedefeat

edbyhugebatteriesoflight,andm