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剑桥雅思阅读7(test4)真题精讲

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       剑桥雅思阅读7原文(test4)

  READING PASSAGE 1

  You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

  Pulling strings to build pyramids

  No one knows exactly how the pyramids were built. Marcus Chown reckons the answer could be ‘hanging in the air’.

  The pyramids of Egypt were built more than three thousand years ago, and no one knows how. The conventional picture is that tens of thousands of slaves dragged stones on sledges. But there is no evidence to back this up. Now a Californian software consultant called Maureen Clemmons has suggested that kites might have been involved. While perusing a book on the monuments of Egypt, she noticed a hieroglyph that showed a row of men standing in odd postures. They were holding what looked like ropes that led, via some kind of mechanical system, to a giant bird in the sky. She wondered if perhaps the bird was actually a giant kite, and the men were using it to lift a heavy object.

  Intrigued, Clemmons contacted Morteza Gharib, aeronautics professor at the California Institute of Technology. He was fascinated by the idea. ‘Coming from Iran, I have a keen interest in Middle Eastern science,’ he says. He too was puzzled by the picture that had sparked Clemmons’s interest. The object in the sky apparently had wings far too short and wide for a bird. ‘The possibility certainly existed that it was a kite,’ he says. And since he needed a summer project for his student Emilio Graff, investigating the possibility of using kites as heavy lifters seemed like a good idea.

  Gharib and Graff set themselves the task of raising a 4.5-metre stone column from horizontal to vertical, using no source of energy except the wind. Their initial calculations and scale-model wind-tunnel experiments convinced them they wouldn’t need a strong wind to lift the 33.5-tonne column. Even a modest force, if sustained over a long time, would do. The key was to use a pulley system that would magnify the applied force. So they rigged up a tent-shaped scaffold directly above the tip of the horizontal column, with pulleys suspended from the scaffold’s apex. The idea was that as one end of the column rose, the base would roll across the ground on a trolley.

  Earlier this year, the team put Clemmons’s unlikely theory to the test, using a 40-square-metre rectangular nylon sail. The kite lifted the column clean off the ground. ‘We were absolutely stunned,’ Gharib says. ‘The instant the sail opened into the wind, a huge force was generated and the column was raised to the vertical in a mere 40 seconds.’

  The wind was blowing at a gentle 16 to 20 kilometres an hour, little more than half what they thought would be needed. What they had failed to reckon with was what happened when the kite was opened. ‘There was a huge initial force — five times larger than the steady state force,’ Gharib says. This jerk meant that kites could lift huge weights, Gharib realised. Even a 300-tonne column could have been lifted to the vertical with 40 or so men and four or five sails. So Clemmons was right: the pyramid builders could have used kites to lift massive stones into place. ‘Whether they actually did is another matter,’ Gharib says. There are no pictures showing the construction of the pyramids, so there is no way to tell what really happened. ‘The evidence for using kites to move large stones is no better or worse than the evidence for the brute force method,’ Gharib says.

  Indeed, the experiments have left many specialists unconvinced. ‘The evidence for kite-lifting is non-existent,’ says Willeke Wendrich, an associate professor of Egyptology at the University of California, Los Angeles.

  Others feel there is more of a case for the theory. Harnessing the wind would not have been a problem for accomplished sailors like the Egyptians. And they are known to have used wooden pulleys, which could have been made strong enough to bear the weight of massive blocks of stone. In addition, there is some physical evidence that the ancient Egyptians were interested in flight. A wooden artefact found on the step pyramid at Saqqara looks uncannily like a modern glider. Although it dates from several hundred years after the building of the pyramids, its sophistication suggests that the Egyptians might have been developing ideas of flight for a long time. And other ancient civilisations certainly knew about kites; as early as 1250 BC, the Chinese were using them to deliver messages and dump flaming debris on their foes.

  The experiments might even have practical uses nowadays. There are plenty of places around the globe where people have no access to heavy machinery, but do know how to deal with wind, sailing and basic mechanical principles. Gharib has already been contacted by a civil engineer in Nicaragua, who wants to put up buildings with adobe roofs supported by concrete arches on a site that heavy equipment can’t reach. His idea is to build the arches horizontally, then lift them into place using kites. ‘We’ve given him some design hints,’ says Gharib. ‘We’re just waiting for him to report back.’ So whether they were actually used to build the pyramids or not, it seems that kites may make sensible construction tools in the 21st century AD.

  Questions 1-7

  Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

  In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

  TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

  FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

  NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

  1 It is generally believed that large numbers of people were needed to build the pyramids.

  2 Clemmons found a strange hieroglyph on the wall of an Egyptian monument.

  3 Gharib had previously done experiments on bird flight.

  4 Gharib and Graff tested their theory before applying it.

  5 The success of the actual experiment was due to the high speed of the wind.

  6 They found that, as the kite flew higher, the wind force got stronger.

  7 The team decided that it was possible to use kites to raise very heavy stones.

  Questions 8-13

  Complete the summary below.

  Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

  Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

  Additional evidence for theory of kite-lifting

  The Egyptians had 8.................., which could lift large pieces of 9.................., and they knew how to use the energy of the wind from their skill as 10.................. .The discovery on one pyramid of an object which resembled a 11.................. suggests they may have experimented with 12.................. . In addition, over two thousand years ago kites were used in China as weapons, as well as for sending 13 .................. .

  READING PASSAGE 2

  You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

  Endless Harvest

  More than two hundred years ago, Russian explorers and fur hunters landed on the Aleutian Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the North Pacific, and learned of a land mass that lay farther to the north. The islands’ native inhabitants called this land mass Aleyska, the ‘Great Land’; today, we know it as Alaska.

  The forty-ninth state to join the United States of America (in 1959), Alaska is fully one-fifth the size of the mainland 48 states combined. It shares, with Canada, the second longest river system in North America and has over half the coastline of the United States. The rivers feed into the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska — cold, nutrient-rich waters which support tens of millions of seabirds, and over 400 species of fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and molluscs. Taking advantage of this rich bounty, Alaska’s commercial fisheries have developed into some of the largest in the world.

  According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G), Alaska’s commercial fisheries landed hundreds of thousands of tonnes of shellfish and herring, and well over a million tonnes of groundfish (cod, sole, perch and pollock) in 2000. The true cultural heart and soul of Alaska’s fisheries, however, is salmon. ‘Salmon,’ notes writer Susan Ewing in The Great Alaska Nature Factbook, ‘pump through Alaska like blood through a heart, bringing rhythmic, circulating nourishment to land, animals and people.’ The ‘predictable abundance of salmon allowed some native cultures to flourish,’ and ‘dying spawners_feed bears, eagles, other animals, and ultimately the soil itself.’ All five species of Pacific salmon — chinook, or king; chum, or dog; coho, or silver; sockeye, or red; and pink, or humpback — spawn_ in Alaskan waters, and 90% of all Pacific salmon commercially caught in North America are produced there. Indeed, if Alaska was an independent nation, it would be the largest producer of wild salmon in the world. During 2000, commercial catches of Pacific salmon in Alaska exceeded 320,000 tonnes, with an ex-vessel value of over $US260 million.

  Catches have not always been so healthy. Between 1940 and 1959, overfishing led to crashes in salmon populations so severe that in 1953 Alaska was declared a federal disaster area. With the onset of statehood, however, the State of Alaska took over management of its own fisheries, guided by a state constitution which mandates that Alaska’s natural resources be managed on a sustainable basis. At that time, statewide harvests totalled around 25 million salmon. Over the next few decades average catches steadily increased as a result of this policy of sustainable management, until, during the 1990s, annual harvests were well in excess of 100 million, and on several occasions over 200 million fish.

  The primary reason for such increases is what is known as ‘In-Season Abundance-Based Management’. There are biologists throughout the state constantly monitoring adult fish as they show up to spawn. The biologists sit in streamside counting towers, study sonar, watch from aeroplanes, and talk to fishermen. The salmon season in Alaska is not pre-set. The fishermen know the approximate time of year when they will be allowed to fish, but on any given day, one or more field biologists in a particular area can put a halt to fishing. Even sport fishing can be brought to a halt. It is this management mechanism that has allowed Alaska salmon stocks — and, accordingly, Alaska salmon fisheries — to prosper, even as salmon populations in the rest of the United States are increasingly considered threatened or even endangered.

  In 1999, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)__commissioned a review of the Alaska salmon fishery. The Council, which was founded in 1996, certifies fisheries that meet high environmental standards, enabling them to use a label that recognises their environmental responsibility. The MSC has established a set of criteria by which commercial fisheries can be judged. Recognising the potential benefits of being identified as environmentally responsible, fisheries approach the Council requesting to undergo the certification process. The MSC then appoints a certification committee, composed of a panel of fisheries experts, which gathers information and opinions from fishermen, biologists, government officials, industry representatives, non-governmental organisations and others.

  Some observers thought the Alaska salmon fisheries would not have any chance of certification when, in the months leading up to MSC’s final decision, salmon runs throughout western Alaska completely collapsed. In the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, chinook and chum runs were probably the poorest since statehood; subsistence communities throughout the region, who normally have priority over commercial fishing, were devastated.

  The crisis was completely unexpected, but researchers believe it had nothing to do with impacts of fisheries. Rather, they contend, it was almost certainly the result of climatic shifts, prompted in part by cumulative effects of the el nino/la nina phenomenon on Pacific Ocean temperatures, culminating in a harsh winter in which huge numbers of salmon eggs were frozen. It could have meant the end as far as the certification process was concerned. However, the state reacted quickly, closing down all fisheries, even those necessary for subsistence purposes.

  In September 2000, MSC announced that the Alaska salmon fisheries qualified for certification. Seven companies producing Alaska salmon were immediately granted permission to display the MSC logo on their products. Certification is for an initial period of five years, with an annual review to ensure that the fishery is continuing to meet the required standards.

  _spawners: fish that have released eggs

  _ spawn: release eggs

  __MSC: a joint venture between WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and Unilever, a Dutch-based multi-national

  Questions 14-20

  Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2?

  In boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet, write

  TRUE if the statement agrees with the information.

  FALSE if the statement contradicts the information

  NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

  14 The inhabitants of the Aleutian islands renamed their islands ‘Aleyska.’

  15 Alaska’s fisheries are owned by some of the world’s largest companies.

  16 Life in Alaska is dependent on salmon.

  17 Ninety per cent of all Pacific salmon caught are sockeye or pink salmon.

  18 More than 320,000 tonnes of salmon were caught in Alaska in 2000.

  19 Between 1940 and 1959, there was a sharp decrease in Alaska’s salmon population.

  20 During the 1990s, the average number of salmon caught each year was 100 million.

  Questions 21-26

  Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-K, below.

  Write the correct letter, A-K, in boxes 21-26 on your answer sheet.

  21 In Alaska, biologists keep a check on adult fish

  22 Biologists have the authority

  23 In-Season Abundance-Based Management has allowed the Alaska salmon fisheries

  24 The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) was established

  25 As a result of the collapse of the salmon runs in 1999, the state decided

  26 In September 2000, the MSC allowed seven Alaska salmon companies

  A to recognize fisheries that care for the environment.

  B to be successful.

  C to stop fish from spawning.

  D to set up environmental protection laws.

  E to stop people fishing for sport.

  F to label their products using the MSC logo.

  G to ensure that fish numbers are sufficient to permit fishing.

  H to assist the subsistence communities in the region.

  I to freeze a huge number of salmon eggs.

  J to deny certification to the Alaska fisheries.

  K to close down all fisheries.

  READING PASSAGE 3

  You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

  EFFECTS OF NOISE

  In general, it is plausible to suppose that we should prefer peace and quiet to noise. And yet most of us have had the experience of having to adjust to sleeping in the mountains or the countryside because it was initially ‘too quiet’, an experience that suggests that humans are capable of adapting to a wide range of noise levels. Research supports this view. For example, Glass and Singer (1972) exposed people to short bursts of very loud noise and then measured their ability to work out problems and their physiological reactions to the noise. The noise was quite disruptive at first, but after about four minutes the subjects were doing just as well on their tasks as control subjects who were not exposed to noise. Their physiological arousal also declined quickly to the same levels as those of the control subjects.

  But there are limits to adaptation and loud noise becomes more troublesome if the person is required to concentrate on more than one task. For example, high noise levels interfered with the performance of subjects who were required to monitor three dials at a time, a task not unlike that of an aeroplane pilot or an air-traffic controller (Broadbent, 1957). Similarly, noise did not affect a subject’s ability to track a moving line with a steering wheel, but it did interfere with the subject’s ability to repeat numbers while tracking (Finkelman and Glass, 1970).

  Probably the most significant finding from research on noise is that its predictability is more important than how loud it is. We are much more able to ‘tune out’ chronic background noise, even if it is quite loud, than to work under circumstances with unexpected intrusions of noise. In the Glass and Singer study, in which subjects were exposed to bursts of noise as they worked on a task, some subjects heard loud bursts and others heard soft bursts. For some subjects, the bursts were spaced exactly one minute apart (predictable noise); others heard the same amount of noise overall, but the bursts

  Unpredictable Noise Predictable Noise Average

  Loud noise 40.1 31.8 35.9

  Soft noise 36.7 27.4 32.1

  Average 38.4 29.6

  Table 1: Proofreading Errors and Noise

  occurred at random intervals (unpredictable noise). Subjects reported finding the predictable and unpredictable noise equally annoying, and all subjects performed at about the same level during the noise portion of the experiment. But the different noise conditions had quite different after-effects when the subjects were required to proofread written material under conditions of no noise. As shown in Table 1 the unpredictable noise produced more errors in the later proofreading task than predictable noise; and soft, unpredictable noise actually produced slightly more errors on this task than the loud, predictable noise.

  Apparently, unpredictable noise produces more fatigue than predictable noise, but it takes a while for this fatigue to take its toll on performance.

  Predictability is not the only variable that reduces or eliminates the negative effects of noise. Another is control. If the individual knows that he or she can control the noise, this seems to eliminate both its negative effects at the time and its after-effects. This is true even if the individual never actually exercises his or her option to turn the noise off (Glass and Singer, 1972). Just the knowledge that one has control is sufficient.

  The studies discussed so far exposed people to noise for only short periods and only transient effects were studied. But the major worry about noisy environments is that living day after day with chronic noise may produce serious, lasting effects. One study, suggesting that this worry is a realistic one, compared elementary school pupils who attended schools near Los Angeles’s busiest airport with students who attended schools in quiet neighbourhoods (Cohen et al., 1980). It was found that children from the noisy schools had higher blood pressure and were more easily distracted than those who attended the quiet schools. Moreover, there was no evidence of adaptability to the noise. In fact, the longer the children had attended the noisy schools, the more distractible they became. The effects also seem to be long lasting. A follow-up study showed that children who were moved to less noisy classrooms still showed greater distractibility one year later than students who had always been in the quiet schools (Cohen et al, 1981). It should be noted that the two groups of children had been carefully matched by the investigators so that they were comparable in age, ethnicity, race, and social class.

  Questions 27-29

  Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

  Write the correct letter in boxes 27-29 on your answer sheet.

  27 The writer suggests that people may have difficulty sleeping in the mountains because

  A humans do not prefer peace and quiet to noise.

  B they may be exposed to short bursts of very strange sounds.

  C humans prefer to hear a certain amount of noise while they sheep.

  D they may have adapted to a higher noise level in the city.

  28 In noise experiments, Glass and Singer found that

  A problem-solving is much easier under quiet conditions.

  B physiological arousal prevents the ability to work.

  C bursts of noise do not seriously disrupt problem-solving in the long term.

  D the physiological arousal of control subjects declined quickly.

  29 Researchers discovered that high noise levels are not likely to interfere with the

  A successful performance of a single task.

  B tasks of pilots or air traffic controllers.

  C ability to repeat numbers while tracking moving lines.

  D ability to monitor three dials at once.

  Questions 30-34

  Complete the summary using the list of words and phrases, A-J, below.

  Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 30-34 on your answer sheet.

  NB You may use any letter more than once.

  Glass and Singer (1972) showed that situations in which there is intense noise have less effect on performance than circumstances in which 30..................noise occurs. Subjects were divided into groups to perform a task. Some heard loud bursts of noise, others soft. For some subjects, the noise was predictable, while for others its occurrence was random. All groups were exposed to 31..................noise. The predictable noise group 32..................the unpredictable noise group on this task.

  In the second part of the experiment, the four groups were given a proofreading task to complete under conditions of no noise. They were required to check written material for errors. The group which had been exposed to unpredictable noise 33..................the group which had been exposed to predictable noise. The group which had been exposed to loud predictable noise performed better than those who had heard soft, unpredictable bursts. The results suggest that 34..................noise produces fatigue but that this manifests itself later.

  A no control over

  B unexpected

  C intense

  D the same amount of

  E performed better than

  F performed at about the same level as

  G no

  H showed more irritation than

  I made more mistakes than

  J different types of

  Questions 35-40

  Look at the following statements (Questions 35-40) and the list of researchers below.

  Match each statement with the correct researcher(s), A-E.

  Write the correct letter, A-E, in boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet.

  NB You may use any letter more than once.

  35 Subjects exposed to noise find it difficult at first to concentrate on problem-solving tasks.

  36 Long-term exposure to noise can produce changes in behaviour which can still be observed a year later.

  37 The problems associated with exposure to noise do not arise if the subject knows they can make it stop.

  38 Exposure to high-pitched noise results in more errors than exposure to low-pitched noise.

  39 Subjects find it difficult to perform three tasks at the same time when exposed to noise.

  40 Noise affects a subject’s capacity to repeat numbers while carrying out another task.

  List of Researchers

  A Glass and Singer

  B Broadbent

  C Finkelman and Glass

  D Cohen et al.

  E None of the above

  剑桥雅思阅读7原文参考译文(test4)

  PASSAGE 1 参考译文:

  线牵金字塔

  没有人知道金字塔到底是怎么建成的。Marcus Chown料想答案可能是“悬空而造”。

  埃及的金字塔是在3000多年前建造的,但是没有人知道它们是以何方式建造的。传统的描述是由成千上万的奴隶拖动载有石头的雪橇来建造的。但是没有证据正明这一观点。加利福尼亚的软件顾问 Maureen Clemmons日前提出在金字搭的建造过程中可能使用了风筝。在翻阅一本有关埃及古迹的书时,她发现一个象形文字描述的是一群人以奇怪的姿势站立。他们手里拉着类似绳索的东西,通过某种机械连着空中的一只巨鸟。她想知道那只巨鸟是否可能就足一只大的风筝,而那些人正用它来举起重物。

  好奇心驱使下的Clemmons联系了加州理工学院的航空学教授Morteza Gharib。后者对她的想法很感兴趣。他说:“我来自伊朗,对中东的科技有浓厚的兴趣,他同样也对令Clemmons甘心去的图片感到疑惑。悬在空中无题的两翼对于鸟类来说明显太短太宽。是风筝的可能性确实是存在的,”他说。因为他刚好需要给学生Emilio Graff布置一项暑期研究计划,调查用风筝做起重器的可能性是一个好主意。

  Gharib和Graff尝试只借助风力(除此之外没有其他能源)来把一块水平放置的4.5米长的石柱直立起来。最初的计算以及风洞模型试验让他们相信不用太强的风力就举起这块33.5吨重的石柱。甚至只要风力适度,如果能维持一定的时间就能做到。关键是要用一个滑轮系统把使用的风力扩大。因此他们在横放的石柱顶部正上方搭了一个帐篷形的支架,在支架的顶部悬挂了滑车。理论是当石柱的一端被吊起,另一端就能顺着下面的手推车翻转过来。

  今年早些吋候,他们用一块40平方米的方形尼龙风帆把Clemmons的空头理论付诸实验。最终风帆把石柱完全抬离地面。“我们完全目瞪口呆”,Gharib说。“风帆在风中展开那一刻产生一股巨大的风力,仅花了40 秒石柱就被抬离地面。”

  当时的风力时速仅为16到20公里,还不足他们预想所需风力的一半。他们没有想到的是当风筝打开时会发生什么。“巨大的初始风力比恒稳状态风力大五倍,”Gharib说。他意识到这种猛然的拉力意味着风筝能够举起巨大的重量,只需40个左右的人力加上四五个风帆就能把一根300吨的石柱直立起来。所以 Clemmons是对的,金字塔的建造者们可能使用了风筝把巨大的石块抬升至指定位置。“他们是否真的使用了风筝是另外一回事,”Gharib说。没有图画描述金字塔的建造情况,所以没有办法知道“真正发生的事情”。使用风筝搬运巨石的证据和使用强力法的证据不相上下,Gharib说。

  事实上,这些实验许多专家并不信服。洛杉矶加州大学的埃及古物学副教授WillekeWendrich就说: “支持风筝搬运的证据并不存在”。

  其他人则认为支持该理论的实例不在少数。对像埃及人这样熟练的水手来说驾驭风力不是问题。而且我们都知道他们制造了坚固的木质滑车以承运大块巨石。此外,有物证表明古埃及人对飞翔很感兴趣。在塞加拉的阶梯金字塔上发现的一块木制加工品就酷似现代的滑翔机。尽管它出现在金字塔建成几百年后,但是它的精密程度却显示埃及人想要飞翔的想法已经非常久远。而其他古文明确实也了解风筝;早在公元前1250年,中国人就用它们来传递信息或向敌人倾倒燃烧的碎片。

  甚至现在这一实验可能还具有实用性。全世界很多地方的人们没有大型机械,却知道如何利用风能. 航海和基本的机械原理。一位尼加拉瓜的土木工程师就联系了Gharib,想要在一个没有重型机械的地方建造用混凝土拱支持土坯屋顶的房子。他的想法是先在地平线上边建造拱顶,然后用风筝抬升拱顶到预定位置。“我们给了他一些设计建议,还在等待他的反馈”。Gharib说。所以不用风筝有没有被用来建造金字塔,似乎它们在公元21世纪却可能是实用的建筑工具。

  TEST 4 PASSAGE 2 参考译文:

  无尽的丰收

  两百多年前,俄罗斯探险者和皮毛狩猎者抵达阿留申群岛(位于北太平洋的一个火山群岛),发现了位于北部远方的一块大陆。岛上的原住民把这块大陆称为阿留斯卡,意为“伟大的土地”。如今,我们叫它阿拉斯加。

  1959年,阿拉斯加加入美利坚合众国,成为美国的第49个州,其面积相当于美国其他48个州总面积的五分之一。它与加拿大共用北美大陆第二长水系,拥有美国一半以上的海岸线。多条河流注人白令海峡和阿拉斯加湾——冰冷而富含养分的水域是成千上万海鸟赖以生存的家园。此外,这片水域中还生活着400 多种鱼类、贝类,虾蟹和软体动物。阿拉斯加的商业渔场充分利用了大自然的馈赠,已经发展成为世界上规模最大的渔业聚集地之一。

  据阿拉斯加渔业与捕捞局称,在2000年阿拉斯加商业渔场出产了成百上千吨的贝类和鲱鱼,还有一百多万吨底栖鱼(包括鳕鱼、鳎鱼、鲈鱼和青鳕)。阿拉斯加渔业真正的文化心脏和灵魂却是大马哈鱼。随笔作家苏珊?尤因在她的著作《伟大的阿拉斯加自然概况》一书中指出,大马哈鱼从阿拉斯加游过,就像血液流经心脏一样,为这片土地、动物和人们带来独具韵律、循环通畅的给养。可预见的丰富的大马哈鱼产量使本土文化得以繁荣发展,垂死的产卵鱼为熊、鹰和其他动物提供食物,最终为这片土地提供养料。5种太平洋大马哈鱼都在阿拉斯加水域产卵:奇努克大马哈鱼(王鲑)、马苏大马哈鱼(狗鲑)、银大马哈鱼(银鲑)、红大马哈鱼(红鲑)、粉大马哈鱼(驼背大马哈鱼)。北美90%的商业太平洋大马哈鱼都产自阿拉斯加。如果阿拉斯加是一个独立国家的话,它将是全世界最大的野生大马哈鱼产地。2000年,阿拉斯加商业大马哈鱼产量超过320,000吨,船边交易额超过2.6亿美元。

  然而,捕鱼业并非一直这么风调雨顺。1940到1959年,过度捕捞使得大马哈鱼的数量急剧减少,1953 年,阿拉斯加成为“联邦受灾渔区”。不过,州政府通过抗争夺回了渔业自主管理权,在州法院的指导下开展渔业活动。而州法院负责确保阿拉斯加的自然资源在可持续发展的基础上进行开发利用。那时候,全国范围内的大马哈鱼产量大约为2500万条。在可持续捕捞政策的管理下,接下来的几十年里,大马哈鱼的产量平稳上升。20世纪90年代,大马哈鱼的年产超过1亿条,个别年份甚至超过了2亿条。

  产量提高的首要原因是实施了被称作“当季捕捞盈余为本”的管理方法。全州范围内的生物学家负责持续监测将要产卵的成年大马哈鱼。生物学家们坐在河滨的观测计算塔里,研究声纳系统,从飞机上进行观察,并与渔民交谈。大马哈鱼捕捞季节不是预先设定好的某一时刻。渔民们知道一年中政府允许捕捞的大概时间段。但是在某些特定的日子,某个地区的一个或多个领域的生物学家有权要求停止捕鱼活动。甚至连体育比赛性的钓鱼活动也会被禁止。正是这样的管观机制使得阿拉斯加的大马哈鱼储量得到保证,并使阿拉斯加的捕鱼业得以持续发展。而同时,美国其他地区的大马哈鱼数量却日益令人担忧,处在备受威胁、甚至是危险的状态中。

  1999年,海洋管理委员会(MSC)授权审查阿拉斯加大马哈鱼捕捞业。该委员会成立于1996年,它为符合高环保标准的渔业发放证明,允许他们使用标签,表明他们知道自己肩负的环保责任。海洋管理委员会设定了一套评定商业捕鱼业的标准。渔业公司认识到通过环保负责评定所带来的潜在利益后,纷纷要求该委员会为自己做相关评定。于是,海洋管理委员建立了一个专门的评定委员会,组建专门的渔业专家小组,从渔民、生物学家、政府官员、产业代表和非政府组织等人士那里收集相关信息和观点。

  在海洋管理委员会做最后决定的那几个月里,西阿拉斯加的大马哈鱼鱼群全线崩溃。于是,一些观察家认为,阿拉斯加大马哈鱼渔业不会有任何获得官方机构认证的机会了,在育空河和卡斯科奎姆河流域,奇努克大马哈鱼和马苏大马哈鱼几乎处于建州以来最贫瘠的状态。该地区对商业捕鱼拥有优先权的可持续发展机构对此束手无策。

  这场危机完全出乎人们的意料,但研究人员相信这并不是渔业发展引起的。相反,他们辩称这必定是气候变化的结果,是太平洋气候现象厄尔尼诺和拉尼娜持续作用的后果。这些气候现象造成冬天的酷寒, 结果大量大马哈鱼的卵在冰冷的海水里被冻死。海洋管理委员会的评定也似乎走到了尽头。然而,阿拉斯加州迅速做出反应,关闭所有渔场,甚至包括那些为了研究可持续发展的渔场。

  2000年9月,海洋管理委员会宣布阿拉斯加大马哈鱼渔业通过了资格审查。7家也产阿拉斯加大马哈鱼的渔业公司立即获准在产品上使用海洋管理委员会专用徽标。该证明的起始期限为5年,之后每年进行一次评定,以确保渔业公司仍然符合规定的标准。

  TEST 4 PASSAGE 3 参考译文:

  噪音影响

  总体来说,人们应该更喜欢和平宁静而不喜欢噪音——这种想法貌似有些道理。我们大多数人都有过这样的经历:如果在深山或者乡村睡觉,必须作一些调整才能睡得着,因为这些地方起初“太安静”了。这一例子说明人类有能力去适应不同程度、分贝跨度较大的各种噪音。研究也证实了这一点。例如,Glass和 Singer(1972)将人们说于瞬间发出的非常刺耳的噪声环境之中,然后测量他们解决问题的能力和由此产生的生理反应。起初,噪音让人心烦意乱。但大约四分钟后,将置于噪音下的实验对象与处于正常环境中的人们相比发现,前者在完成任务方而做得很不错,而且他们对噪音的生理反应也会迅速降低到与后者持平的水平。

  但如果要求试验对象同时专注几项任务时,其对噪音的适应性能力就会达到极限,噪音也会变得更加让人心烦意乱。例如,如果一个实验对象需要同时监视三个刻度盘,那么高分贝噪音就会严重干扰他们完成工作。同时监视多个刻度盘其实和飞行员或者空中交通调解员的工作別无二致(Broadbent, 1957)。同理,噪音并不会影响实验对象追踪一个旋转轮子形成的不断移动的轨迹,但如果让实验对象在追踪的同时重复数字,那么噪音对他们的影响就很大了(Finkelman and Glass,1970)。

  或许,此项关于噪音的研究最重大的发现,就是噪音的可预见性要比它分贝的大小更为重要。我们完全有能力对长期存在的背景噪音“听而不闻”,即使它们确实很吵;而如果人们工作时受到突如其来的噪音的侵袭,他们就会很不适应。在Glass和Singer的研究中,当实验对象正做一项工作时,把他们置于突然发出的噪音环境中,有些人听到的声音非常大,而有些人听到的声音却要柔和得多。实验对象中一部分人听到的噪音是严格按照一分钟的时间间隔产生的(可预测性噪音);他人听到的噪音总量是不变的,但是产生时间却是随机的(非可预测性噪音)。实验组称,可预测性噪音和非可预测性噪音都很恼人,而所有实验对象在噪音测试部分的表现都处在同一水平线上,然而,在无噪音环境下要求实验对象校对书面材料时,不同噪音条件带来的副作用是迥然不同的。如表1所和可预测性噪音相比,非可预测性噪音使试验对象在校对时出现更多错误;柔和的非可预测性噪音实际上比吵闹的可预测性噪音让人出现更多错误。

  表格1:校对错误与噪音

  非可预测性噪音 可预测性噪音 均值

  高分贝噪音 40. 1 31.8 35.9

  轻柔噪音 36.7 27.4 32.1

  均值 38.4 29.6

  显然,非可预测性噪音会让人更疲劳,不过疲劳导致工作上的错误还需要一段时间。

  预测性不是唯一可以减少或者消除噪音负而影响的变量。另一个变量是噪音的可控性。如果一个人知道自己可以控制噪音的话,这一点似乎可以消除当时噪音的负面影响和副作用。 即使人们没有真正实践他的想法,去关掉噪音,这种效果也是可以达到的。仅知道自己有控制噪音的能力就足够了。

  到目前为止,所讨论的研究都是将人们短时间置于噪音环境中,也只是研究了由此带来的瞬间影响。但是噪音环境所引起的主要忧虑是,日复一日地长期生活在噪音环境中可能会产生严重、持久的影响。一项研究表明,此担心是有现实性的。将在洛杉矶最繁忙的机场旁边上学的小学生和那些在安静环境中上学的小学生相比较(Cohen et al., 1980),就会发现噪音地区的小学生血压较高,更容易转移注意力。此外,并没有迹象表明孩子们会逐渐适应噪音。事实上,孩子们在喧闹的学校待的时间越久,他们越难以集中注意力。另外一项跟踪研究表明,和那些一直在安静学校上学的孩子相比,即使喧闹学校里的孩子们搬到安静一些的学校待上一年以后,他们还是难以集中注意力。有一点需要说明的是,两组孩子都是经过研究人员精心匹配的,他们在年龄、民族习性、种族和社会阶层上都具有可比性。

  剑桥雅思阅读7原文解析(test4)

  Passage 1

  Question 1

  答案:TRUE

  关键词:large numbers of people, build the pyramids

  定位原文: 第1段第2句: “The conventional picture is that…”

  解题思路: 此题通过定位词可以迅速定位至首段第2句话,题干对文章定位句的概括性改写分析如下:generally believed — conventional picture, large numbers of people — tens of thousands of slaves. 因此答案很明显应该是TRUE。

  Question 2

  答案:FALSE

  关键词:hieroglyph, Egyptian monument

  定位原文: 首段第5句: “While perusing a book…”

  解题思路: 此题定位词在文中原词出现,可以快速定位。文中定位句指出Clemmons是在一本关于埃及古迹的书中读到的象形文字信息,而题目却说她在一座埃及古迹的墙上发现了象形文字,显然题目与文章相悖,因此此题答案为FALSE。

  Question 3

  答案:NOT GIVEN

  关键词:experiment, bird flight

  定位原文: 无

  解题思路: 题干的定位信息在文章中未出现,此题为最典型的“原文完全未提及型”,故答案为NOT GIVEN

  Question 4

  答案: TRUE

  关键词:theory

  定位原文: 第4段首句:”Earlier this year...” 今年早些时候,他们把Clemmons空头理论付诸实验

  解题思路: 题目与文章完全相符,因此此题答案为TRUE

  Question 5

  答案:FALSE

  关键词:high speed of the wind

  定位原文: 第5段首句: “The wind was blowing at…”

  解题思路: 此题按照顺序原则,在第五段首句定位出与风速相关的信息,但文中对于风速的描述为 gentle和little more than half(与一半差不多),显然题目与原文不符,因此答案为FALSE

  Question 6

  答案:NOT GIVEN

  关键词:kite, wind force

  定位原文: 第5段第2句、第3句: “What they had failed to… ‘There was a huge initial force …”他们没有想到的是当风帆打开时会发生什么“巨大的初始风力比恒稳状态风力还大五倍。” Gharib说道。

  解题思路: 此题定位比较容易。在定位句中只提到了kite打开的吋候wind force很大,对于题目中的两个比较级完全没提及,此题为典型的“题目内容文章部分提及型”,故答案为NOT GIVEN。

  Question 7

  答案:TRUE

  关键词:kite, very heavy stones

  定位原文: 第5段第4句:“This jerk meant that…”

  解题思路: 此题按照顺序原则在上一题定位句之后就能找到定位词。题目与原文含义一致,均为“风帆可以提升极大的重量”,故答案为TRUE。

  Question 8

  答案:(wooden) pulleys

  关键词: Egyptians

  定位原文: 第7段第2句、第3句: “...like the Egyptians. And they are known to have used wooden pulleys...

  解题思路: 在定位段中查找定位词可以迅速定位于该段第二句。题中空格前为动词had,所以应于文中定位处扫描该动词或其同义词或其上下义词。此处扫描结果为to have used,则其后单词即为答案: (wooden) pulleys。

  Question 9

  答案:stone

  关键词: large pieces

  定位原文: 第7段第3句: “…, which could have been made strong enough to bear the weight of massive blocks of stone.”

  解题思路: 此题在文中定位紧接着上一题。通过扫描定位词得出 large pieces of 对应文中 massive blocks of,于是其后单词即为答案:stone。

  Question 10

  答案:(accomplished) sailors

  关键词:energy from the wind

  定位原文: 第7段第2句: “Harnessing the wind would not…”

  解题思路: 此题为同一定位段内的乱序题,由于确定解题段为第七段,在两次定位后仍能将此空定位于段落次句。此空格前为介词as,则在定位处扫描该介词或其他介词。此处扫描结果为for,则其后单词即为答案:(accomplished) sailors。

  Question 11

  答案:(modern) glider

  关键词:pyramid, resembled

  定位原文: 第7段第5句: “A wooden artefact found…”

  解题思路: 此题通过顺序原则可以很快定位,定位处looks uncannily like对应题中resembled, 且空格需填写一个单数名词,则答案为(modem) glider。

  Question 12

  答案:flight

  关键词:suggest, have experimented with

  定位原文: 第7段倒数第2句 “…, its sophistication suggests that…”

  解题思路: 此题解题技巧同第10题,由于空格前为介词with, 故在定位句中扫描后定位于介词of,且have been developing ideas of对应于题中 have experimented with,所以答案为of后单词:flight。

  Question 13

  答案:messages

  关键词:China

  定位原文: 第7段末句:“the Chinese were using them to…”

  解题思路: 空格前为动词sending, 则在定位句中扫描得到动词deliver与之对应,其后单词即为答案:messages。

  Test 4 Passage 2

  Question 14

  答案: FALSE

  关键词:inhabitants, Aleutian islands, Aleyska

  定位原文: 第1段末句: “The islands’ native inhabitants called…”

  解题思路: 此题定位词均在文章第一段以原词出现。其含义为“岛上居民称此岛为Aleyska”,而题中关键词为重命名(renamed),与文章不符,故此题答案为FALSE。

  Question 15

  答案: NOT GIVEN

  关键词:Alaska's fisheries, largest companies

  定位原文: 第2段末句: “Taking advantage of this rich bounty…”

  解题思路: 此题通过定位词可以快速定位。文中定位句指出,阿拉斯加的一些商业渔场发展成为世界上最大的渔场。题目中所提到的“渔场为最大的公司所拥有”在文中并未提及,所以此题答案为NOT GIVEN。

  Question 16

  答案: TRUE

  关键词:life, salmon

  定位原文: 第3段第3句: “‘Salmon,’ notes writer Susan Ewing…”

  解题思路: 通过题中定位词可定位于首次出现salmon的第三段。定位处运用比喻的手法说明大马哈鱼对于阿拉斯加意义重大,就像流过心脏的血液一样,这与题目中的dependent on(依赖于)对应,故此题答案为TRUE。

  Question 17

  答案:NOT GIVEN

  关键词:ninety per cent, Pacific salmon

  定位原文: 第3段倒数第3句: “All five species of Pacific salmon…”

  解题思路: 此题定位词均在文中以原词出现,定位句介绍了在阿拉斯加水域产卵的五种太平洋大马哈鱼,并指出被捕捞的太平洋大马哈鱼有90%都产自此水域。而题目却将产自此水域的五种鱼等同为一种,是典型的“由文到题范围缩小型”,故此题答案为NOT GIVEN。

  Question 18

  答案: TRUE

  关键词:Alaska, in 2000

  定位原文: 第3段末句: “During 2000, commercial catches…”

  解题思路: 根据顺序原则可迅速定位此题,且定位句和题目内容一致,文章中的exceeded与题目中的more than属于同义转述。故此题答案为TRUE。

  Question 19

  答案:TRUE

  关键词:Between 1940 and 1959, Alaska's salmon population

  定位原文: 第4段第2句: “Between 1940 and 1959...”

  解题思路: 定位词均以原词出现,定位句指出:在1940到1959年间,过度捕捞导致大马哈鱼总量大跌,这与题目完全一致。文章中的crashes与题目中的sharp decrease属于同义转述。故此题答案为TRUE。

  Question 20

  答案: FALSE

  关键词:1990s, average number

  定位原文: 第4段末句:“…during the 1990s, annual harvests were…”

  解题思路: 根据年代可迅速定位于第四段末句,定位句指出年捕捞量超过(in excess of)1亿,还有些年份为2亿,而题目则说平均为1亿,故此题答案为FALSE。

  Question 21

  答案: G

  关键词:biologists, adult fish

  定位原文: 第5段第2句:“There are biologists throughout the state…”

  解题思路: 此题定位较易,但解题较难。由定位句可知生物学家从成年鱼类开始产卵时对其进行监控,但是并未直接指出其目的,考生只能通过理解该段上下文分析得出:生物学家的监控是“当季捕捞盈余为本”管理方法的一部分,而这项管理带来了鱼量的增加,从而得出生物学家的目的是监控鱼是否充足(abundance)。通过扫描选项关键词,只有G选项关键词能与之对应:to ensure that fish numbers are sufficient(对应abundance)to permit fishing。故正确答案为G

  Question 22

  答案:E

  关键词:authority

  定位原文: 第5段倒数第2句: “..., but on any given day, one or more field biologists…”

  解题思路: 此题定位较难,考生应使用排除法,最后解决这道题定位句指出生物学家可以制止(halt)捕鱼行为。通过扫描选项关键同,只有E选项关键词能与之对应:to stop(对应halt)people fishing for sport。故正确答案为E

  Question 23

  答案: B

  关键词:allowed

  定位原文: 第5段末句: “It is this management mech?anism that…”

  解题思路: 此题按照顺序原则可迅速定位,定位句指出该项管理手段使得阿拉斯加的大马哈鱼渔业开始繁荣(prosper)。通过扫描选项关键词,只有B选项关键词能与之对应:to be successful(对应prosper)。故正确答案为B。

  Question 24

  答案:A

  关键词:MSC, established

  定位原文: 第6段第2句: “The Council, which was found in 1996, certifies…”

  解题思路: 要定位此题,必须先辨识出established在文中的同义转述was found,定位句指出MSC会认证满足高环保标准的渔场;通过扫描选项关键词,只有A选项关键词能与之对应:to recognize(对应certifies)fisheries that care for the environment (对应 meet high environmental standards)。故正确答案为A

  Question 25

  答案:K

  关键词:the state

  定位原文: 第8段末句: “However, the state reacted quickly…”

  解题思路: 通过题干主语可快速定位,通过扫描定位句和剩余选项可以很快看出K选项“to close down all fisheries”与原文几乎完全一致。故正确答案为K

  Question 26

  答案:F

  关键词:seven Alaska salmon

  定位原文: 第9段第2句: “Seven companies producing Alaska salmon were…”

  解题思路: 此题定位句指出题目中提到的7家公司被授权可以在自己的产品上使用MSC的标志。通过扫描选项关键词及剩余选项,发现F选项“to label(对应 display)their products using the MSC logo” 几乎与原文一致。故正确答案为F

  Test 4 Passage 3

  Question 27

  答案: D

  关键词:sleeping in the mountains

  定位原文: 对应第1段前2句: “In general, it is plausible to…”

  解题思路: 第1段前2句先指出人类似乎(plausible意为“貌似真实的”)更喜欢安静, 然后利用yet转折引出在山区睡觉会因为太安静而难以入睡。此题使用排除法能很快解题:A中的“喜欢噪音不喜欢宁静”文章并未提及;B中的“瞬间产生的奇怪声音”在定位句中也末提及;C中的“人喜欢睡觉时听噪音”也未提及;只有D 选项符合文意,其中adapted to a higher noise level对应文中的adjust(调节),因为城市噪音较大,所以在山里睡觉时需要调节适应。正确答案:D。

  Question 28

  答案:C

  关键词:Glass and Singer

  定位原文: 对应第1段最后2句: “The noise was quite disruptive…Their physiological arousal…”

  解题思路: 这两句说的是:起初,噪音让人心烦意乱。但在大约四分钟后,被研究者就能像那些未处于噪音之中的对照实验组一样很好地工作。他们的生理反应也迅速的消退到与对照实验组相当的水平。正确答案:C。

  Question 29

  答案: A

  关键词:high noise levels,not... interfere with

  定位原文: 第2段首句: “But there are limits to adaptation…” 但如果要求试验对象同时专注几项任务时,其对噪音的适应能力就会到达极限,噪音也会变得更加让人心烦意乱。

  解题思路: 从第2句开始就开始举例(For example),因此例子之前的引导句就是解题句。噪音干扰同时专注多项任务的人,则A选项就可能不被干扰,为正确答案,其他三个选项都是原文出现的内容,都是包含多项任务的选项。正确答案:A。

  Question 30

  答案: B

  关键词:Glass and Singer, circumstances

  定位原文: 第3段第2句:“We are much more able to…”

  解题思路: 空格所填词为noise的修饰词,于是答案只限于BCDGJ。由题目所在句句意分析,可得出空格所填词应与intense构成反义关系。经过筛选可以确定答案为B选项:unexpected。另外,通过比较题目和文中定位处的对应关系,可得出题中in which____occurs对应文中with unexpected intrusions,也能选出正确答案B

  Question 31

  答案:D

  关键词:all

  定位原文: 第3段第4句: “For some subjects, the bursts were…”

  解题思路: 按照顺序原则在第30题后扫描定位词可以迅速定位。空格所填词为noise的修饰词,答案也只可能为BCDGJ,在这五个选项中只有D选项与原文the same amount一致,故正确答案为D。

  Question 32

  答案:F

  关键词:predictable group, unpredictable group

  定位原文: 第3段倒数第3句: “Subjects reported finding the predictable and…”

  解题思路: 此题定位同样可按照顺序原则。该题空格前后为两类人,因此中间应填同为比较关系,故答案只能为EFHI。通过扫描文中对应点:可发现两种人 performed at about the same level, 因此只能选择F选项

  Question 33

  答案:I

  关键词:written material

  定位原文: 第3段最后一句: “As shown in Table 1…”

  解题思路: 通过分析空格前后内容,可知空格内须填写处在可预测性噪音和非可预测性噪音中的两类人的比较关系,答案只能为EFHI。可以在文中对应点后扫描出相关比较关系:produced more errors,选项中只有I中的关键词made more mistakes与之相符, 故答案为I

  Question 34

  答案: B

  关键词:fatigue

  定位原文: 第4段: “Apparently, unpredictable noise produces…”

  解题思路: 此题定位词在文中原词出现,且题目空格所填词为造成疲劳(fatigue)的噪音类别,显然对应原文中的unpredictable noise。正确答案为B。

  Question 35

  答案: A

  关键词:difficult at first

  定位原文: 第1段倒数第2句: “The noise was quite disruptive at first…” 起初,噪音让人心烦意乱。

  解题思路: 扫描到定位词disruptive at first,与第35题相符。再往上回溯第1段第4句,提到是发现是 “ Glass and Singer (1972) exposed people to…” 故答案为A

  Question 36

  答案: D

  关键词:long-term exposure, changes

  定位原文: 末段倒数第2句: “A follow-up study showed that… in the quiet schools (Cohen et al, 1981)” 另外一项跟踪研究表明,和那些一直在安静学校上学的孩子相比,即使喧闹学校的孩子们搬到安静一些的学校待上一年以后,他们还是难以集中注意力。

  解题思路: 36题中关键词在D选项研究者的研究结果中全部出现,且含义一致.故答案为D

  Question 37

  答案:A

  关键词:make it stop

  定位原文: 第5段第2句、第3句: “If the individual knows that… This is true even…the noise off (Glass and Singer, 1972)”

  解题思路: 定位处关键词control与第35题中make it stop对应,故答案为A

  Question 38

  答案:E

  关键词:high-pitched, low-pitched

  定位原文: 无

  解题思路: 文中对应处均未提及噪音分贝高低问题,故此题通过排除法只能选择E。

  Question 39

  答案:B

  关键词:three tasks

  定位原文: 定位于第2段第2句: “For example, high noise levels interfered with the performance of subjects who were required to monitor three dials at a time... (Broadbent, 1957)” 例如,如果每个试验对象需要同时监视三个刻度盘,那么高分贝噪音就会严重干扰他们完成工作

  解题思路: 定位处monitor three dials at a time 与第39题中perform three tasks at the same time相对应。故答案为B。

  Question 40

  答案:C

  关键词:repeat numbers, another task

  定位原文: 定位于第二段末句: “... but it did interfere with the subject's ability to repeat numbers while tracking (Finkelman and Glass, 1970).” 但如果让实验对象在追踪的同时重复数字,那么噪音对他们的影响就很大了。

  解题思路: 定位处tracking对应第40题中carrying out another task。故答案为C。


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