样题

Part I Reading Comprehension (40%) Directions: There are 4 passages in this part. Each passage is followed by some questions or unfinished statements. For each of them there are four choices marked A), B), C) and D). You should decide on the best choice and mark the corresponding letter on the Answer Sheet with a single line through the center.

Passage A Last December’s earthquakes in the Iranian city of Bam took a huge death toll-roughly 40,000 people-largely because of the collapse of thousands of mud-brick buildings. If a group of researchers in India are successful, the next earthquake might not be as destructive. British and Indian engineers are developing earthquake-proof housing using a cheap, universal material: bamboo. They designed a model house built around waterproof bamboo-sheet roofing and bamboo-reinforced concrete walls. To test the structure, the engineers, sponsored by the U.K. Department of International Development, took it to the Earthquake Engineering and Vibration Research Center in Bangalore, which has a state-of-the-art earthquake simulator (模拟装置). The researchers shook the house with five successive 30-second pulses, being equal to 7.8 on the Richter(里氏) scale. The simulation was more than 10 time as violent as the Bam earthquake, yet the house emerged undamaged. “We didn’t even crack the paint,” says engineer Paul Follett, of Britain’s Timber Research and Development Association. By some estimates, more than a billion people already live in bamboo structures. The innovation lies in developing ways to exploit bamboo’s spring. Easily pre-built, fire resistant, and far lighter than steel, bamboo-based structures could be assembled in three weeks and last 50 years. At five dollars a square foot, they would last roughly half as much as brick-and-block constructions. Follett says the project will follow an “open source” model: “Whatever is developed is freely available for the common good.”

1. Thousands of people died in the Bam earthquake mainly because _______. a. The earthquake reached 7.8 on the Richter scale b. Many mud-brick houses collapsed c. The earthquake occurred in the cold December d. Bamboo houses hadn’t been built yet 2. The phrase “a universal material” (Line 4, Paragraph 1) refers to a material that can be found ________. a. Everywhere in India b. In a unique place c. In a university d. In the universe 3. What was the result of the test? a. The simulation was over 10 times as violent. b. The shake lasted 150 seconds. c. The model remained undamaged. d. The paint was cracked. 4. The researchers have been working hard to _______. a. Build bamboo houses for a billion people. b. Explore the functions of bamboo. c. Reduce the damage by earthquakes. d. Design bamboo house models. 5. Which of the following are the advantages of bamboos in building houses? I. Cheap to get. II. Light to carry. III. Easy to build a. I. and II. b. I, II and III. c. II. And III. d. I and III. （BACCD） Passage B

Most Americans are very conscious of their health and try to maintain a nutritious diet and daily routines to maintain good health. Yet, for many years the tobacco and liquor industries have tried to project the image of style and fashion for those who use their products. Most have learned, however, that the dangers caused to health by tobacco and alcohol can no longer be denied or ignored. The campaigns to alert the public to the evils of these two social drugs have been intense and effective. However, most people dislike being warned that they shouldn’t do something. It is a kind of psychological resistance. Yet, all tobacco and liquor products must now contain a warning on the package. The warning is simple, but the message is clear: smoking and drinking are hazardous to health. The wording may vary, but it is phrased in such a way as to draw the attention of the consumer to the danger. On TV all tobacco advertising is legally banned, and every ad in a magazine must display the warning. There are many public notices on trains and buses giving out the warning that smoking is linked to lung cancer and other lung and heart diseases. The warning against alcohol consumption is of a different kind. It goes out especially to women who are pregnant and anyone operating a car or electrical machinery. A pregnant woman can cause damage to her baby by drinking alcohol. Also anyone operating a machine runs the risk of an accident which could be fatal. Such warnings appear on all wine bottles and even an apparently harmless can of beer.