专业英语八级（阅读）练习试卷30

专业英语八级(阅读)练习试卷30

一、常规阅读理解(本题共10题，每题1.0分，共10

分。)

Theoilindustryhasbeenonahotstreakthisyear,thankstoaseriesofmajordiscoveries

(hathaverekindledasenseofexcitememacrossthepetroleumsector,despitefalling

pricesandatougheconomy.Thesediscoveries,spanningfivecontinents,aretheresultof

heftyinvestmentsthatbeganearlierinthedecadewhenoilpricesrose,andofnew

technologiesthatallowexplorerstodrillatgreaterdepthsandbreaktougherrocks.

"That'sthewonderfulthingaboutpricesignalsinafreemarket一itputspeopleina

betterpositiontotakemoreexplorationrisk,"saidJaniesT.Hackett,chairmanandchief

executiveofAnadarkoPetroleum.Morethan200discoverieshavebeenreportedsofar

thisyearindozensofcountries,includingnorthernIraq'sKurdishregion,Australia,

Israel,Iran,Brazil,Norway,GhanaandRussia.Theyhavebeenmadebyinternational

giants,likeExxonMobil,butalsobyindustryminnows,likeTullowOil.Justthismonth,

BPsaidthatitfoundagiantdeepwaterfieldthatmightturnouttobethebiggestoil

discoveryeverintheGulfofMexico,whileAnadarkoannouncedalargefindinan

"excitingandhighlyprospective"regionoffSierraLeone.Itisnormalforcompaniesto

discoverbillionsofbarrelsofnewoileveryyear,butthisyear'spaceisunusuallybrisk.

Newoildiscoverieshavetotaledabout10billionbarrelsinthefirsthalfof(heyear,

accordingtoIHSCambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates.Ifdiscoveriescontinueatthat

pacethroughyear-end,theyarelikelytoreachthehighestlevelsince2000.Whilerecent

yearshavefeaturedspeculationaboutacoiningpeakandsubsequentdeclineinoil

production,peopleintheindustrysaythereisstillplentyofoilintheground,especially

beneaththeoceanfloor,eveniffindingandextractingitisbecomingharder.Theysay

thatpricesandthepaceoftechnologicalimprovementremaintheprincipalfactors

governingoilproductioncapacity.Whiletheindustryiscelebratingtherecent

discoveries,manyexecutivesarcanxiousabouttheimmediatefuture,fearingthatlower

pricesmightjeopardizetheirexplorationdrive.Theworldeconomyisweak,oilprices

havetumbledfromlastyear'srecords,corporateprofitshaveshrunk,andglobaldemand

foroilremainslow.Afterfallingto$34inDecember,oilpriceshavedoubled,stabilizing

near$70abarrel.Butif(heworldeconomydoesnotpickup,someanalysisbelieve(he

pricecouldfallagain.Oilcompaniescontendthatisnotaprospecttheycanafford.

Despitereapingrecordprofitsinrecentyears,manyexecutiveshavewarnedthatthey

needpricesabove$60abarrel(odeveloptheworld'smorechallengingreserves.Infact,

someexplorationactivityhasalreadyslowedthisyear,asproducersseekbetterterms

fromservicecompaniesandcontractors.Itisnotjustoilthatisbenefitingfromthe

explorationboom.Repsol,Spain'sbiggestoilcompany,saidthismonththatithad

discoveredwhatcouldturnouttobeVenezuela'sbiggestnaturalgasfield.Inrecent

years,companieshavefoundsubstantialnaturalgasreservesintheUnitedStates,from

shalerocksoncebelievedtobeimpossibletodrill."TheNo.1questionthatexploration

teamshaverightnowis:Wheredowegonext?"saidRobertFryklund,whoranthe

operationsofConocoPhillipsinLibyaandBrazil,andisavicepresidentinHoustonat

CambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates.Explorationspendingswelledinrecentyears,

partlytooffsetadoublingofcoststhroughouttheindustry-fromsteelpricestothecost

ofrentingdeepwaterdrillingrigs.Abigissueconfrontingtheindustrynowishowto

drivedowncostswhilemaintainingahighlevelofexploration.Onaverage,costshave

fallenby15to20percentfromiheirpeak,accordingtopetroleumexecutives.

Explorationremainsarisky,andcostly,business,wheresomedeepwaterwellscancost

upto$100million.From30to50percentofexplorationwellsfindoil.Someexecutives

arealsoworriedtheworldmightfaceashortfallinsuppliesircomingyearsifanother

declineinoilpricescausesexplorationtofalter.ThechiefexecutiveoftheFrenchoil

giantTotal,ChristophedeMargerie,haswarnedthatsuchasupplycrunchispossibleby

themiddleofthenextdecade."Therecouldbeashortageofcapacity,"hesaid.His

concernsechoedthoseofAbdullahal-Badri,thesecretarygeneraloftheOrganizationof

thePetroleumExportingCountries,whosaidthatloweroilpricesalsothreatened

investmentsbyOPECnations.SaudiArabiaisalsounlikelytoexpanditsproductionin

comingyearsbecauseoftheuncertaintycloudingfutureoildemand,Alial-Naimi,the

kingdom'soilminister,signaledearlierthismonth.SaudiArabiaisjustcompletinga

$100hi11ionprogramtoincreaseitscapacityto12.5millionbarrelsaday,fromaround9

millionbarrelsadayjustafewyearsago.Althoughtheyaresubstantial,thenewfindsdo

notmatchthegiantfieldsdiscoveredinthe1970s,likeAlaska'sPrudhoeBay,Ekofiskin

theNorthSea,orCantarellinMexico.Theyarealsodwarfedbythelastenormous

discovery,theKashaganfieldintheCaspianSea,discoveredin2000andestimatedto

holdover20billionbarrelsofoil."WehavenotseenanotherKashagan,butstillthese

findsareverymaterial,"saidAlanMurray,theexplorationservicemanageratWood

Mackenzie,aconsultingfirminEdinburgh.Sincetheearly1980s,discoverieshavefailed

tokeepupwiththeglobalrateofoilconsumption,whichlastyearreached31billion

barrelsofoil.Instead,companieshavemanagedtoexpandproductionbyfindingnew

waysofgettingmoreoiloutofexistingfields,orproducingoilthroughunconventional

sources,likeCanada'starsandsorheavyoilinVenezuela.Reserveestimatestypically

riseoverthelifeofafield,whichcanoftenbeproductivefordecades,ascompaniesfind

newwaysofgettingmoreoiloutoftheground.Theindustry'srecordhasimprovedin

recentyears,thankstohighprices.AccordingtoCambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates,

oilcompanieshavefoundmoreoilthantheyproducedforthelasttwoyearsthrougha

combinationofexplorationandfieldexpansions."Theappetiteforopeningnewfrontiers

whenpriceswerelowinthe1990swasverysmall,"saidPaoloScaroni,thechief

executiveofItaly'soilgiantEni."Today,thebiggestdiscoveryofallistechnology."

1、NewdiscoveriesintheoilindustryaretheresultofthefollowingEXCEPT.

A^risingoilprices

B、newtechnologies

C、severecompetition

D、substantialinvestments

标准答案：C

知识点解析：此题是事实题。由第二段可知，油田的发现是高油价、投资和新技术

的结果。

2、ManyoilcompaniesarcconcernedaboutthefollowingEXCEPT.

A、risingcosts

B、lowdemand

C、atougheconomy

D^technologicalimprovement

标准答案：D

知识点解析：此题是事实题。文章没有提及石油公司担心技术革新问题。

3、Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassage?

A^Technologyisadecisivefactorinfindingoil.

B、Oilcompaniesmaystopexploringoilfieldsinthecomingyears.

C、Thenewdiscoveriesarenotcomparabletotheonesinthe1970s.

D^Therewillbenooilfieldstobefoundduetothemassiveexploration.

标准答案：A

知识点解析：此题是推断题。由最后一段可知，技术在石油开采中起了决定作用。

4、Whatdoesthepassagemainlytellus?

A^Theworriesthatfaceoilcompanies.

B、Thenewdiscoveriesthathavebeenmade.

C、Themajorfactorsthataffectoilproduction.

D、Thereasonswhysmallcompanieshavethelargestfinds.

标准答案：C

知识点解析：此题是主旨大意题。文章分析了影响石油生产的主要因素。

5、Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleforthispassage?

A^OilCompaniesSeeaBrightFuture

B、TechnologyIstheBiggestDiscoveryofAll

C、OilIndustrySetsABriskPaceofNewDiscoveries

D、HeftyInvestmentsMakeNewDiscoveriesPossible

标准答案：C

知识点解析：此题是推理概括题。选项B和D不全面，A不是文章的主题，故C

为正确答案。

OnWednesday,Sept.23,PresidentBarackObamausedhisfirst-everaddresstotheU.N.

GeneralAssemblytotryandreversetheimpressionthathisambitiousMiddleEastpeace

efforthadsufferedareversalatthehandofIsrael'shawkishPrimeMinister,Benjamin

Netanyahu."Iamnotnaive,"Obamatoldthegatheredworldleaders."Iknowthiswillbe

difficult.Butallofusmustdecidewhetherwearcseriousaboutpeaceorwhetherwc

onlylenditlipservice."ManyajadedcommentatorsawObama'sTuesdaymeetingwith

NetanyahuandPalestinianAuthorityPresidentMahmoudAbbasasasymbolof

surrendertoNetanyahu'srefusalof(heU.S.demandthatIsraelhakallconstructionon

landconqueredin1967.Instead,Netanyahuofferedapartialandtime-limitedfreezeand

appearedtoforcethePresidentoftheUnitedStatestobackdown.ForAbbas,the

handshakewithNetanyahuorchestratedhyObamawasviewedasahumiliatingclimb

downfromhisrefusaltotalktotheIsraelisuntiltheyimplementedthatsettlementfreeze.

Netanyahu,briefingtheIsraelimediaafterthetalks,suggestedthatthePalestinianshad

alsocavedintohisdemandforareopeningoftalkswithoutpreconditionsonanagenda

(he(wosideswoulddetermineindiscussions.ButAbbasinsistedthatanytalkswouldbe

basedon(hefullrangeoffinal-statusissuesestablishedbypreviousagreements一

Netanyahuhaspubliclyruledoutnegotiatingontwoofthoseissues,thefateof

PalestinianrefugeesandthestatusofJerusalem,whichbothsidesclaimastheircapital.

AbbasappearedtowinObama'sbackingintheU.N.speech,whichmadeclearthatthe

PresidenthasnotacceptedNetanyahu'spositionontheprecursorissueofasettlement

freezeevenifhe'sdecidedtomoveontothefinal-statusnegotiations."Americadoesnot

acceptthelegitimacyofcontinuedIsraelisettlements,"thePresidentinsistedon

Wednesday.ThatcouldbereadasaresponsetothedamageObama'scredibilityhas

sufferedintheArabworldasaresultofbeingforcedbyNetanyahutoretreatonthe

settlementissue,whichhadbeenwidelyviewedasatestofIsrael'speacemakingbona

tidesandhadbeenacenterpieceofObama'sCairooutreachspeechinthespring.But

therewasanevenstrongercliallengetoNetanyahuinObama'sdeclaredplantorelaunch

negotiations"thataddressthepermanent-statusissues:securityforIsraelisand

Palestinians;borders,refugeesandJerusalem."Healsospokeofthegoalofthose

negotiationsasbeingtheestablishmentofaviable,independentPalestinianstatewith

contiguous(errilorythatendstheoccupation(hatbeganin1967."Whilemanyanalysts

focusedonTuesday'smeetingasanObamaadmissionofdefeatonsettlements,some

weremoreoptimistic.FormerIsraelipeacenegotiatorDanielLevybelievesthatthe

Administration'spivotontheissuesmartlyboxedNetanyahuintoanegotiatingprocess

(heIsraelileaderwouldhavepreferredtoavoid,byturninghisownargumentagainst

him:if,asNetanyahuinsists,settlementsshouldbeanissuefornegotiationratherthana

preconditionbecausetheirfatewilldependonfutureborders,thenwhynotmovestraight

tofinal-statusnegotiationsoverthoseborders?Final-statustalksweresomething

Netanyahuhadhopedtododge.Notonlydoeshisright-wingcoalitiongovernmentrefuse

tocountenancenegotiationsoverrefugeesorJerusalem,butalso,thePrimeMinister,

muchofwhosepoliticalcareerhasbeenbuiltonresistingtheOslopeaceprocess,has

soughttopromoteincrementalimprovementsinPalestinianlife,particularlythe

economy,overthesearchforafinaltwo-stateagreement.Obamaisn'tbuyingit.

AccordingtoIsraeliaccountsofTuesday'smeeting,theU.S.President"scolded"

NetanyahuandAbbas,declaring"We'vehadenoughtalks.Weneedtoendthisconflict.

Thereisawindowofopportunity,butitmightshut."Andaccordingtothesereports,

Obamainsistedthatthenegotiationswillnotbestartedfromscratchbutwillinsteadbe

basedonthepreviousagreementsestablishedthroughtheOsloprocess.Inotherwords,

Jerusalemandrefugeesareonthetable,tindIsraelisexpectectoshowup.Obamaisstill

talkingtough,then,buthavingwatchedhimclimbdownfroir.hissettlement-freeze

demand—andtherebufffrommoderateArabstatestothePresident'scallforthemto

maketangiblegesturestowardnormaliz<itionoftieswithIsrael—mostanalystsare

waitingtoseewhatactionsbackhiswords.Reportsfromthetalkssuggestthe

Administrationwillsummon(hetwopartiestoWashingtonnextmonthfor(alksunder

U.S.auspicesonthefullgamutoffinal-statusissues.ButNetanyahumayhavehisown

ideasandmaybebuoyedbyhissuccessinresistingthesettlement-freezedemand.

Indeed,theIsraeliPrimeMinister'sdomesticpopularityhassurgedasaresultofhis

defianceofObama.Abbas,however,whohadalreadybeenreducedtoanincreasingly

marginalfigurebythefailureofhisnegotiatingeffortsoverthepastdecadetowinany

significantgainsforthePalestinians,sufferedfurtherpoliticaldamagebyevenshowing

upforthehandshake.ButeventherelativelyhawkishIsraelicommentatorShmuel

Rosnerwarnsthat"Israelshouldrestrainitselffromdeclaringvictoryjustyet.True,

ObamahadtodrawdownhisovereagerdemandsfromIsrael.Butitisalsotruethat

Netanyahu,notlongago,hadtoreversehisoppositiontoatwo-statesolutionand

publiclydeclarethathisgoalissimilartotheoneespousedtodaybyObama.True,Abbas

wasdragged(o(hesummitonlydaysafterinsistingthathewillnotcometoanymeeting

unlesssettlementconstructionisfrozenfirst.ButitisalsotruethatNetanyahu,thehead

oftheright-wingLikudParty,isoneofthefirstIsraeliPrimeMinisterstoagreetosome

formofsettlementfreeze."

6、Accordingtomanycommentators,