同等學(xué)力英語(yǔ) 閱讀周周練

Passage 1

Research conducted by Professor Lars Chittka ， a scientist from Queen Mary's School of Biological and Chemical Sciences ， has found that bees prefer Van Gogh's ' unflowers to other, non-floral （不是花的） paintings. Working with artist Julian Walker ， Chittka presented three colonies of bumblebees with four different paintings highly appreciated in Western society ， and found that Van Gogh's Sunflowers ～ their favorite.

A bumblebee nest box was connected to a flight arena ， and each colony was shown reproductions of four paintings-two that contained flowers （ Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Paul Gauguin's A Vase of Flowers ） and two that didn't （ Patrick Caulfield's Pottery and Fernand Uger's Still Life with Beer Mug ）．

The team recorded the number of approach flights and actual landings the bees made on each of the paintings ， over four minute periods. The bees had never seen natural flowers before or during the experiments ， but when confronted with paintings containing flowers ， the majority of landings were recorded on a flower. Van Gogh's Sunflowers attracted most approach flights and landings over the observation period ， with the number of approach flights that terminated in landing higher in the paintings with flowers （ 11 per cent ） than those without （ 4 per cent ）．

“ The results show ． that the flower paintings have captured the essence of floral features from a bee's point of view ， and that these features are recognized by bees that have never been exposed to flowers before,” said Chittka in the journal Optics and Laser Technology. “Flowers contain all the goods that a bee needs to thrive-pollen and nectar--and selection has therefore favoured bees with ‘a(chǎn)esthetic preferences' for those flowers which offer the best luck. ” Indeed ， when given a choice between a variety of colors ， bees prefer ‘ bee blue ' -a colour which is associated with high-nectar flowers in nature. When faced with paintings ， bees were also strongly drawn to blue objects ， for example the blue ‘ Vincent ' signature in Van Gogh's Sunflowers.

1 ． Bees prefer Van Gogh's paintings because ＿．

A ． Van Gogh's paintings smell sweet

B ． bees have a good taste for art

C ． the paintings contain flowers that bees like

D ． bees only appreciate classic paintings

2 ． Which of the following about the experiment is NOT correct ？

A ． The team recorded observation in every four minutes ．

B ． The bees had never seen natural flowers before the experiments.

C ． The bees were confronted with real flowers during the experiments.

D ． The majority of landings were recorded on Van Gogh's painting.

3 ． We can see from the experiment result that

A ． bees can appreciate paintings if they have never seen natural flowers before

B ． pollen and nectar are essential for bees to thrive

C ． Van Gogh's paintings can attract more bees because of good luck

D ． Van Gogh's paintings contain important information of flowers that bees can recognize

4 ． Of the following colours ， bees probably most like ＿．

A ． green B ． red C ． white D ． . blue

5 ． The best title for the passage should be ＿

A ． “Art-loving” Bees Prefer Van Gogh's Sunflowers

B ． Bees Love Flowers

C ． An Exciting Experiment on Bees

D ． Vincent Van Gogh's Paintings

Passage 2

The destruction of our natural resources and contamination of our food supply continue to occur ， largely because of the extreme difficulty in affixing( 附加 )legal responsibility on those who continue to treat our environment with reckless abandon ． Attempts to prevent pollution legislation ， economic incentives and friendly persuasion have been met by lawsuits ， personal and industrial denial and long delays--not only in accepting responsibility ， but more importantly ， in doing something about it ．

It seems that only when government decides it can afford tax incentives or production sacrifices is there any initiative for change ． Where is industry's and our recognition that protecting mankind's great treasure is the single most important responsibility? If ever there will be time for environmental health professionals to come to the frontlines and provide leadership to solve environmental problems ， that time is now ．

We are being asked ， and ， in fact ， the public is demanding that we take positive action ． It is our responsibility as professionals in environmental health to make the difference ． Yes ， the ecologists ， the environmental activists and the conservationists serve to communicate ， stimulate thinking and promote behavioral change ． However ， it is those of us who are paid to make the decisions to develop ， improve and enforce environmental standards ， I submit ， who must lead the charge ．

We must recognize that environmental health issues do not stop at city limits ， county lines ， state or even federal boundaries ． We can no longer afford to be tunnel-visioned in our approach ． We must visualize issues from every perspective to make the objective decisions ． We must express our views clearly to prevent media distortion and public confusion ． I believe we have a three-part mission for the present ． First ， we must continue to press for improvements in the quality of life that people can make for themselves ． Second ， we must investigate and understand the link between environment and health ． Third, we must be able to communicate technical information in a form that citizens can understand ． If we can accomplish these three goals in this decade ， maybe we can finally stop environmental degradation, and not merely hold it back ． We will then be able to spend pollution dollars truly on prevention rather than on bandages ．

6 ． We can infer from the first two paragraphs that the industrialists disregard environmental protection chiefly because _______.

A ． they are unaware of the consequences of what they are doing

B ． they are reluctant to sacrifice their own economic interests

C ． time has not yet come for them to put due emphasis on it

D ． it is difficult for them to take effective measures

7 ． The main task now facing ecologists ， environmental activists and conservationists is _______.

A ． to prevent pollution by legislation ， economic incentives and persuasion

B ． to arouse public awareness of the importance of environmental protection

C ． to take radical measures to control environmental pollution

D ． to improve the quality of life by enforcing environmental standards

8 ． Which of the following should play the leading role in the solution of environmental problems?

A ． Legislation and government intervention ．

B ． The industry's understanding and support ．

C ． The efforts of environmental health professionals ．

D ． The cooperation of ecologists ， environmental activists and conservationists ．

9 ． The word “tunnel-visioned”(Para ． 4) most probably means _______.

A ． narrow-minded B ． blind to the facts

C ． short-sighted D ． able to see only one aspect

10 ． What can we learn according to the passage?

A ． The environment pollution is mainly due to the peoples' ignorance

B ． Any one who wants to protect environment will meet lawsuits ．

C ． If all the goals are fulfilled ， it call make sure the environment call be improved immediately ．

D ． The environmental health issues not only involve cities ， counties ， states but also federal government ．

Passage 3

"The world's environment is surprisingly healthy. Discuss." If that were an examination topic, most students would tear it apart, offering a long list of complaints: from local smog( 煙霧 ) to global climate change, from the felling( 砍伐 ) of forests to the extinction of species. The list would largely be accurate, the concern legitimate. Yet the students who should be given the highest marks would actually be those who agreed with the statement. The surprise is how good things are, not how bad.

After all, the world's population has more than tripled during this century, and world output has risen hugely, so you would expect the earth itself to have been affected. Indeed, if people lived, consumed and produced things in the same way as they did in 1900(or1950, or indeed 1980), the world by now would be a pretty disgusting place: smelly, dirty, toxic and dangerous.

But they don't. The reasons why they don't, and why the environment has not been ruined, have to do with prices, technological innovation, social change and government regulation in response to popular pressure. That is why today's environmental problems in the poor countries ought, in principle, to be solvable.

Raw materials have not run out, and show no sign of doing so. Logically, one day they must: the planet is a finite place. Yet it is also very big, and man is very ingenious. What has happened is that every time a material seems to be running short, the price has risen and, in response, people have looked for new sources of supply, tried to find ways to use less of the material, or looked for a new substitute. For this reason prices for energy and for minerals have fallen in real terms during the century. The same is true for food. Prices fluctuate, in response to harvests, natural disasters and political instability; and when they rise, it takes some time before new sources of supply become available. But they always do, assisted by new farming and crop technology. The long term trend has been downwards.

It is where prices and markets do not operate properly that this benign( 親戚 ) trend begins to stumble, and the genuine problems arise. Markets cannot always keep the environment healthy. If no one owns the resource concerned, no one has an interest in conserving it or fostering it: fish is the best example of this.

11. According to the author, most students_______.

A. believe the world's environment is in an undesirable condition

B. agree that the environment of the world is not as bad as it is thought to be

C. get high marks for their good knowledge of the world's environment

D. appear somewhat unconcerned about the state of the world ' s environment

12. The huge increase in world production and population _______.

A. has made the world a worse place to live in

B. has had a positive influence on the environment

C.has not significantly affected the environment

D. has made the world a dangerous place to live in

13. One of the reasons why the long-term trend of prices has been downwards is that__.

A.technological innovation can promote social stability

B. political instability will cause consumption to drop

C. new farming and crop technology can lead to overproduction

D.new sources are always becoming available

14. Fish resources are diminishing because_______.

A. no new substitutes can be found in large quantities

B. they are not owned by any particular entity

C.improper methods of fishing have ruined the fishing grounds

D. water pollution is extremely serious

15. The primary solution to environmental problems is_______.

A.to allow market forces to operate properly

B. to curb consumption of natural resources

C. to limit the growth of the world population

D.to avoid fluctuations in prices

Passage 4

Imagine eating everything delicious you want - with none of the fat. That would be great, wouldn't it?

New “fake fat” products appeared on store shelves in the United States recently, but not everyone is happy about it. Makers of the products, which contain a compound called olestra, say food manufacturers can now eliminate fat from certain foods. Critics, however, say the new compound can rob the body of essential vitamins and nutrients ( 營(yíng)養(yǎng)物 ) and can also cause unpleasant side effects in some people. So it's up to decide whether the new fat-free products taste good enough to keep eating.

Chemists discovered olestra in the late 1960s, when they were searching for a fat that could be digested by infants more easily. Instead of finding the desired fat, the researchers created a fat that can't be digested at all.

Normally, special chemicals in the intestines ( 腸 )“grab” molecules of regular fat and break them down so they can be used by the body. A molecule of regular fat is made up of three molecules of substances called fatty acids.

The fatty acids are absorbed by the intestines and bring with them the essential vitamins A, D, E, and K. When fat molecules are present in the intestines with any of those vitamins, the vitamins attach to the molecules and are carried into the bloodstream.

Olestra, which is made from six to eight molecules of fatty acids, is too large for the intestines to absorb. It just slides through the intestines without being broken down. Manufacturers say it's that ability to slide unchanged through the intestines that make olestra as valuable as a fat substitute. It provides consumers with the taste of regular fat without any bad effects on the body. But critics say olestra can prevent vitamins A, D, E, and K from being absorbed. It can also prevent the absorption of carotenoids ( 類胡蘿卜素 ), compounds that may reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease, etc.

Manufacturers are adding vitamins A, D, E, and K as well as carotenoids to their products now. Even so, some nutritionists are still concerned that people might eat unlimited amounts of food made with the fat substitute without worrying about how many calories they are consuming.

16. We learn from the passage that olestra is a substance that_______.

A ． contains plenty of nutrients

B ． renders foods calorie - free while retaining their vitamins

C ． makes foods easily digestible

D ． makes foods fat - free while keeping them delicious

17. The result of the search for an easily digestible fat turned out to be_______.

A ． commercially useless B ． just as anticipated

C ． somewhat controversial D ． quite unexpected

18. Olestra is different from ordinary fats in that_______.

A ． it passes through the intestines without being absorbed

B ． it facilitates the absorption of vitamins by the body

C ． it helps reduce the incidence of heart disease

D ． it prevents excessive intake of vitamins

19. What is a possible negative effect of olestra according to some critics?

A ． It may impair the digestive system.

B ． It may affect the overall fat intake.

C ． It may increase the risk of cancer.

D ． It may spoil the consumers' appetite.

20. Why are nutritionists concerned about adding vitamins to olestra?

A ． It may lead to the over - consumption of vitamins.

B ． People may be induced to eat more than is necessary.

C ． The function of the intestines may be weakened.

D ． It may trigger a new wave of fake food production.

1.C ． 2.C ． 3.D ． 4.D ． 5.A ． 6 ． B ． 7 ． B ． 8 ． A ． 9 ． D ． 10 ． D ．

11 ． A ． 12 ． C ． 13 ． D ． 14 ． B ． 15 ． A ． 16.D ． 17.D ． 18.A ． 19.C ． 20. Ｂ