职称英语考试理工类A级阅读理解练习题及答案.doc

职称英语考试理工类A级阅读理解练习题及答案

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职称英语考试理工类A级-阅读理解练习题及答案

A Phone That Knows You're Busy
It's a modern problem：you're too busy to be disturbed by incessant(连续不断的)phone calls so you turn your cellphone off .But if you don't remember to turn it back on when you're less busy.you could miss some important calls if only the phone knew when it was wise to interrupt you，you wouldn't have to turn it off at all. Instead，it could let calls through when you are not too busy
A bunch of behavior sensors(传感器)and a clever piece of software could do just that，by analyzing your behavior to determine if it's a good time to interrupt you.If built into a phone，the system may decide you're too busy and ask the caller to leave a message or ring back later.
James Fogarty and Scott Hudson at Camegie Mellon University in Pennsylvania based their system oil tiny microphones，cameras and touch sensors that reveal body language and activity. First they had to study different behaviors to find out which ones stongly predict whether your mind is interrupted
The potential"busyness"signals they focused on included whether the office doors were left open or closed，the time of day，if other people were with the person in question，how close they were to each other, and whether or not the computer was in use.
The sensors monitored these and many other factors while four subjects were at work . At random intervals，the subjects rated how interruptible they were on a scale ranging from"highly interruptible''to"highly not-interruptible" . Their ratings were then correlated with the various behaviors . "It is a shotgun(随意的)approach：we used all the indicators we could think of and then let statistics find out which were important，" says Hudson
The model showed that using the keyboard，and talking on a landline or to someone else in the office correlated most strongly with how interruptible the subjects judged themselves to be.
Interestingly，the computer was actually better than people at predicting when someone was too busy to be interrupted . The computer got it right 82 per cent of the time，humans 77 per cent. Fogarty speculates that this might be because people doing the interrupting are inevitably biased towards delivering their message，whereas computers don't care.
The first application for Hudson and Fogarty's system is likely to be in an instant messaging system，followed by office phones and cellphones."There is no technological roadblock(障碍) to it being deployed in a couple of years，" says Hudson
36 A big problem facing people today is that
A they must tolerate phone disturbances or miss important calls.
B they must turn off their phones to keep their homes quiet.
C they have to switch from a desktop phone to a cellphone.
D they are too busy to make phone calls.
37 The behavior sensor and software system built in a phone
A could help store messages.
B could send messages instantly
C could tell when it is wise to interrupt you.
D could identify important phone calls.
38 Scientists at Carnegie Menon University tried to find out
A why office doors were often 1eft open.
B when it was a good time to turn off the computer.
C what questions office workers were bothered with.
D which behaviors could tell whether a person was busy
39 During the experiment，the subjects were asked
A to control the sensors and the camera.
B to rate the degrees to which they could be interrupted.
C to compare their behaviors with others'.
D to analyze all the indicators of interruption.
40 The computer performed better than people in the study because
A the computer worked harder.
B the computer was not busy
C people tended to be biased.
D people were not good at statistics.

参考答案：
36 A 该题问的是：当今人们面临的一个大的问题是什么?文章第～句就给出了答案：人们太忙了，不能被连续不断的电话骚扰。要么关闭手机。
37 c 第二段中的that是代词，指上段最后两旬句子的内容。而答案在第一句的后半部分：确定何时适合打扰你。
38 D 本题题干的意思是在Camegie Mellon大学的科学家试图找出……?答案在第三段最后一句，第四段第一句也给出了部分答案。
39 B 本题问的是实验中，受试者被要求干什么?答案在第五段第二句：受试者对是否可被打断工作做出评定，评定范围从"完全能够被打断"到"完全不能被打断".
40 c 本题和倒数第二段第一句有关，说的是实验中电脑比人表现得好，问原因是什么?这段最后一句说了，people doing the interrupting are inevitably biased…，即人有偏见，故c为答案。

The Exploding Lakes of Cameroon
What comes to mind when you think of a lake? You probably imagine a pretty scene with blue water，birds，and fish.For the people in the northwestern Cameroon，however, the image is very different. For them，lakes may mean terrible disasters. In 1984，poisonous gases exploded out of Lake Monoun and came down into the nearby villages，killing thirty-seven people.Two years later,Lake Nyos erupted A cloud of gases rolled down the hills and into the valleys and killed 1,700 people.
Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun are crater(火山口)lakes They were formed when water collected in the craters of old volcanoes The volcanoes under Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun are not active anymore. However, poisonous gases from the center of the earth continue to flow up through cracks in the bottom of the lake. This is normal in a crater lake. In most crater lakes，these gases are released often because the water'turns over'regularly.That is，the water from the bottom of the lake rises and mixes with the water at the top，allowing the gases to escape slowly.
However，in Lakes Nyos and Monoun，there is no regular turning over.No one knows the reason for this fact，but as a result，these lakes have more gases tapped at the bottom than other crater lakes. In fact，scientists who have studied Lakes Nyos and Monoun have found 16,000 times more gases.When a strong wind，cool weather a storm，or a landslide(滑坡)causes the water to turn over suddenly，the gases escape in a violent explosion.
In the past，no one knew when the gases might explode，so there was no way for the villagers to escape disaster. Now scientists from the United States，France，and Cameroon have found a way to reduce the gas pressure at the bottom of Lake Nyos.They stood a 672-foot plastic pipe in the middle of the lake，with one end of the pipe near the bottom and the other end in the air.Near the top of the pipe，the team put several holes that could be opened or closed by a computer.Now，when the gas pressure gets too high，the holes are opened and some of the gas-filled water shoots up through the pipe into the air like a fountain.With less pressure，a disastrous explosion is much less likely.However, the scientists are not sure that one pipe will be enough to prevent explosions.They hope to put in others soon and they plan to install a similar pipe and a computer system at Lake Monoun as well.
To protect people nearby until all of the pipes are in place.the scientists have installed early warning systems at both lakes. If the gas pressure rises to a dangerous level，computers will set off loud sirens(警报)and bright lights to warn the people in the villages.That way, they will have time to escape from the dangerous gases.
41 What will happen when Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun explode?
A Water will flow down the hills
B Poisonous gases will be released suddenly.
C A strong wind will rise from the lakes
D The volcanoes will come to life.
42 Which of the following statements about Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun is true?
A They were formed in 1984.
B They are at the top of two active volcanoes.
C They are not like most other crater lakes.
D Water in them turns over regularly.
43 Lake Nyos and Lake Monoun explode because
A the gases rise to the top and mix with air.
B people from the villages turn over the water.
C scientists have put in a computer system.
D they have more gases trapped at the bottom than other crater lakes
44 A team of scientists has
A erected a pressure-releasing pipe in the lake
B identified the gases at the bottom of the lake
C built a beautiful fountain near the lakes
D removed all dangerous gases from the lakes
45 What do we learn from the last paragraph?
A Scientists are planning to install pipes in all crater lakes.
B Scientists still do not know how to prevent gas explosions
C Explosion disasters could be avoided in the future
D Warning systems have been set up in the villages nearby.

参考答案：
41 B 该题问的是Nyos和Monoun两湖喷发时会出现什么情况?第一段第五句提到，Monoun喷发时有毒气体随之而出。两年后，Nyos湖喷发时也出现类似情况。故B为答案。
42 c 本题为细节题。问的是关于Nyos和Monoun两湖哪句陈述是正确的?选项A说的是两湖于1984年形成的，不符合原文意思。选项B的意思是：她们坐落在两座活活火山上，也与原文意思不符。选项D说的是湖中的水定期翻滚，均与原文不符。只有选项c正确。
43 D 题句的意思是：Nyos和Monoun两湖发生喷发的原因是什么?前三个选项均与原文意思不符，答案见第三段第二句。
44 A 本题问的是一队科学家干了什么工作?第四段第三句提到她们在湖里立了一根释放湖底气压的管子。故A为答案。
45 c 本题问的是在文章最后一段我们了解到了什么?文章最后一段主要讲的是在所有的湖里竖起缓解湖底气压的管子后，就不会有危险。故选项c为正确答案。

When We Are Asleep
Everyone dreams，but some people never recall their dreams，or do so very rarely. Other people always wake up with vivid recollections (记忆) of their dreams，though they forget them very quickly. In an average night of eight hours' sleep，an average adult will dream for around one hundred minutes，probably having three to five dreams，each lasting from ten to thirty minutes. Scientists can detect when someone is having a dream by using an instrument which measures the electrical waves in the brain. During dreaming, these waves move more quickly. Breathing and pulse rate also increase，and there are rapid eye movements under the lids, just as though the dreamer were really looking at moving objects. These signs of dreaming have been detected in all mammals (哺 乳动物) studied, including dogs, monkeys, cats, and elephants, and also some birds and reptiles (爬行动物). This period of sleep is called the "D" state for around 50% of their sleep;the period reduces to around 25% by the age of 10.
Dreams take the form of stories，but they may be strange and with incidents not connected，which make little sense. Dreams are seldom without people in them and they are usually about people we know. One estimate says that two-thirds of the "cast" of our dream dramas are friends and relations. Vision seems an essential part of dreams，except for people blind from birth. Sound and touch are senses also often aroused，but smell and taste are not frequently involved. In "normal" dreams，the dreamer may be taking part，or be only an observer. But he or she cannot control what happens in the dream.
However, the dreamer does have control over one type of dream. This type of dream is called a "lucid"(清醒的) dream. Not everyone is a lucid dreamer. Some people are occasional lucid dreamers. Others can dream lucidly more or less all the time. In a lucid dream，the dreamer knows that he is dreaming.
16.Some people dream but cannot remember their dreams.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
17.In an average night，males dream longer than females.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
18.When we dream，there is less movement of electrical waves in our brains.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
19.Babies dream less than older children.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
20.Most dreams involve the people we played with when we were young.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
21.We rarely smell things in dreams.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
22.In a lucid dream we can use Morse code to communicate with others.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned
参考答案：16.A 17.C 18.B 19.B 20.C 21.A 22.C
Monarch without a Kingdom
This November, a hundred million butterflies will drop from the sky over Mexico, like autumn leaves. But for how long? Genetically modified maize (玉米) could mean extinction for this beautiful butterfly, Rafael Ruiz reports.
Although its body is about 3 cm long and it only weighs 1 gin, the Monarch butterfly manages to travel 5,000 km each year. It seems to be so fragile, but its long journeys are proof of its amazing ability to survive. This autumn, the Monarch butterfly will once more set out on its journey from the US. It will keep going until it reaches Mexico. It travels these huge distances to escape the cold weather in the north.
In November, millions of Monarchs fall like bright, golden rain onto the forests in the mountains of central Mexico. In the silence of these mountains you can hear a strange flapping (拍动) of wings, as the Monarchs arrive at their destination. In the mountains, which reach a height of 3,000 metres, the butterflies are safe.
Before reaching their journey's end they have faced strong winds, rain and snowstorms and they do not all manage to reach their destination. When the winters are really bad, perhaps 70 per cent of them will not survive. Their long journey to Mexico is thought to be one of the most amazing events in the whole of the American continent. When they get there they will stay until the beginning of April, when their internal calendar tells them that it is time to go back. The long journey, with all its dangers, begins again.
These delicate creatures now face danger of another kind - from scientific progress. In the US, millions of farms grow genetically modified maize which is pure poison for the butterfly. Laboratory experiments have shown that half of the butterflies which feed on the leaves of genetically modified maize die within 48 hours. Not all experts agree that this variety of maize is responsible for the threat to the Monarchs. In spite of these doubts, the European Union has refused to approve new crops of genetically modified maize until further investigations have been carried out.
Greenpeace is campaigning against genetically modified products (in Spain, there are already 20,000 hectares of modified maize). The environmental organization recently published a list of 100 species of butterfly in Europe alone which are threatened with extinction.
16 The Monarch butterfly travels 5,000 km each year.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
17 The Monarch butterfly looks fragile.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
18 The Mexicans like butterflies very much.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
19 in bad winters, about 70 per cent of the butterflies can stay alive
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
20 In early April, the butterflies leave their winter homes flying back north
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
21 Genetically modified maize isn't poisonous to the butterflies.
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
22 Genetically modified products are not popular in Mexico
A Right B Wrong C Not mentioned
参考答案：16 A 17 A 18 C 19 B 20 A 21 B 22 C
Is the Tie a Necessity?
Ties, or neckties, have been a symbol of politeness and elegance in Britain for centuries. But the casual Prime Minister Tony Blair has problems with them. Reports suggest that even the civil servants may stop wearing ties. So, are the famously formal British really going to abandon the neckties?
Maybe. Last week, the UK's Cabinet Secretary Andrew Turnbull openly welcomed a tieless era. He hinted that civil servants would soon be tree of the costliest 12 inches of fabric that most men ever buy in their lives.
In fact, Blair showed this attitude when he had his first guests to a cocktail party. Many of them were celebrities (知名人士) without ties, which would have been unimaginable even in the recent past.
For some more conservative British, the tie is