(C)
The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added - a communications blackout caused by solar storms.
After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.
"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. " A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.
Professor Richard Hold away, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advance warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said.
72. The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to during the 2012 Olympics.
A. the extinguishing of the Olympic torch
B. the collapse of broadcasting systems
C. the transportation breakdown in London
D. the destruction of weather satellites
73. What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?
A. The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth.
B. The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.
C. It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth.
D. The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass ejections.
74. According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to _________.
A. take images of the solar system B. provide early warning of thunderstorms
C. keep track of solar activities D. improve the communications on Earth
75. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A. Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer
B. Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger
C. Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race
D. Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled
72. B. 此题线索为第二三段的内容。 73. D. 74. C. 可从文章第六段直接得出答案。 75. D. 通读全文可知整篇文章讨论的是太阳运动所可能会带来的困扰。
Section C
Directions: Read the following text and choose the most suitable heading from A-F for each
paragraph. There is one extra heading which you do not need.
|
A. Drug overuse and its
consequence B. The problem of drug overuse in America C. Benefits of medicine and its wise use D Female drug overuse with reference to that of males E Misuse of medicine among the young generation F. Improper use of medicine among senior citizens |
76.
Nowadays. millions of people misuse and even overuse pain medications and other drugs. Research by the American National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA, 1999) shows that around 2% of the population over age 12 were using drugs non-medically.
77.
NIDA views medications as a powerful force for good in the contemporary world. They reduce and remove pain for millions of people suffering from illness and disease. They make it possible for doctors to perform complicated surgery to save lives. Many people afflicted by serious medical conditions are able to control their symptoms and become active, contributing citizens. NIDA points out that most individuals who take these drags use them in a responsible.
78.
Nevertheless, overuse of drugs such as opioids, central nervous system (CNS) depressants and stimulants does lead to harmful reliance in some people and is therefore becoming a serious public health concern. Although this abuse affects many people worldwide, particular trends of concern to the medical profession in the US appear among older adults, teenagers arid women.
79.
Though it may be a surprise to many, the misuse of medications may be the most common form of drug abuse among the elderly. Dr Kenneth Schrader of Duke University, North Carolina states that although the elderly represent about 13% of the US population, those aged 65 and over account for the consumption of one third of all drugs. People in this age group use medications roughly three times more than the general population and have poorer compliance with instruction for use. In another study of elderly patients admitted to treatment programs, 70% were women who had overused medicines.
80.
Unfortunately, this trend among women does not only affect those aged over
In general, among women and men who are using either an anti-anxiety drug or a sedative, women are twice as likely to become addicted. In addition, statistics compiled for 12-17 year olds show that teenage girls are more likely than teenage boys to begin overusing psychotherapeutic medication such as painkillers, tranquillizers, stimulants and sedatives.
76. E 77. C. 78. A 79. F 80. D
Section D
Directions: Read the passage carefully. Then answer the questions or complete the statements in the fewest possible words.
Phys ed (physical education) is making a comeback as a part of the school core curriculum(核心课程)， but with a difference. While group sports are still part of the curriculum, the new way is to teach skills that are useful beyond gym class. Instead of learning how to climb a rope, children are taught to lift weights, balance their diets and build physical endurance. In this way，kids are given the tools and skills and experiences so they can lead a physically active life the rest of their life.
Considering that 15 percent of American children 6 to 18 are overweight, supporters say more money and thought must be put into phys ed curriculum. In many cases, that may mean not just replacing the old gym-class model with fitness programs but also starting up phys ed programs because school boards often "put P.E. on the chopping block, cutting it entirely or decreasing its teachers or the days it is offered," says Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, the executive director of Action for Health Kids. The difference in phys ed programs is partly due to the lack of a national standard. "Physical education needs to be part of the core curriculum," she added.
The wisdom of the new approach has some scientific support. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated how effective the fit-for-life model of gym class can be. They observed how 50 overweight children lost more weight when they cycled and skied cross-country than when they played sports. The researchers also found that teaching sports like football resulted in less overall movement, partly because reluctant students were able to sit on the bench.
Another problem with simply teaching group sports in gym class is that only a tiny percentage of students continue playing them after graduating from high school. The new method teaches sells that translate to adulthood.
(Note: Answer the questions or complete the statements in NO MORE THAN TEN WORDS.)
81. In the new P.E. program, children learn to lift weights, balance their diets and build physical endurance rather than ___________________.
82. As for P.E., some school boards either ____________.
83. What are the two problems with simply teaching group sports?
84. What is the long-term benefit of the new P.E program?
[解析]81. learning how to climb a rope. 82. cutting it entirely or decreasing its teachers or time. 83. less overall movement and students' quiting playing after graduation. 84. It can give children a physically active life.
第Ⅱ卷(共45分)
The following card includes a
brief summary and a short assessment of a research paper. It can provide a
guide for further reading on the topic.40. Thai is the only way we can imagine the overuse of water in students' bathrooms.
A. reducing B. to reduce C. reduced D. reduce
答案：B
考点：此处考查非谓语动词。
解析：此处应该用不定式the way to do sth表示做……的途径、方式。the only way to do……,we can imagine 做定语，前面省略了that.
Section B
Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
|
A. additional B. producing C. regular D. predicted E. identified E atmosphere G. matched H. reducing I. carried J. increase |
Forests in the northern half of the globe could be growing faster now than they were 200 years ago as a result of climate change, according to a study of trees in eastern America. The trees appear to have faster growth rates due to longer growing seasons and higher concentrations (浓度) of carbon dioxide in the ___41___.
Geoffrey Parker, a scientist at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Centre in Edgewater. Maryland, said that the increase ha the rate of growth was unexpected and might be ___42___ to the higher temperatures and longer growing seasons documented in the region. The growth may also be influenced by the significant ___43___ in atmospheric CO2, he said.
"We made a list of reasons these forests could be growing faster and then excluded half of them," Dr. Parker said. Their study suggests that northern forests may become increasingly important in ___44___ the influence of man-made CO2 on the climate.
Dr. Parker and his colleagues have ___45___ out a detailed record of the trees on a(n) ___46___ basis since 1987. They calculated that due to the global warming the forest is producing ___47___ tons of wood each year.
The scientists ___48___ the land with trees at different stages of growth and found that both young and old trees were showing increased growth rate. More than 90 per cent of the tree groups had grown by between two and four times faster than the scientists had ___49___ from estimates of the long-term rates of growth.
[解析]41. F. 此句意思是大气中二氧化碳的浓度加深。