1、专业八级-485 及答案解析(总分：100.00，做题时间：90 分钟)一、READING COMPREHENSIO(总题数：5，分数：100.00)Humans are damaging the planet at an unprecedented rate and raising risks of abrupt collapses in nature that could spur disease, deforestation or “dead zones“ in the seas, an international report said on Wednesday. The study,
2、 by 1,360 experts in 95 nations, said a rising human population had polluted or over-exploited two-thirds of the ecological systems on which life depends, ranging from clean air to fresh water, in the past 50 years. “At the heart of this assessment is a stark warning,“ said the 45-member board of th
3、e Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. “Human activity is putting such strain on the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planet“s ecosystems to sustain future generations can no longer be taken for granted,“ it said. Ten to 30 percent of mammal, bird and amphibian species were already thr
4、eatened with extinction, according to the assessment, the biggest review of the planet“s life support systems. “Over the past 50 years, humans have changed ecosystems more rapidly and extensively than in any comparable time in human history, largely to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fresh wa
5、ter, timber, fibre and fuel,“ the report said. “This has resulted in a substantial and largely irreversible loss in the diversity of life on earth,“ it added. More land was changed to cropland since 1945, for instance, than in the 18th and 19th centuries combined. “The harmful consequences of this d
6、egradation could grow significantly worse in the next 50 years,“ it said. The report was compiled by experts, including from UN agencies and international scientific and development organizations. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the study “shows how human activities are causing environmental da
7、mage on a massive scale throughout the world, and how biodiversitythe very basis for life on earthis declining at an alarming rate.“ The report said there was evidence that strains on nature could trigger abrupt changes like the collapse of cod fisheries off Newfoundland in Canada in 1992 after year
8、s of over-fishing. Future changes could bring sudden outbreaks of disease. Warming of the Great Lakes in Africa due to climate change, for instance, could create conditions for a spread of cholera. And a build-up of nitrogen from fertilizers washed off farmland into seas could spur abrupt blooms of
9、algae that choke fish or create oxygen- depleted “dead zones“ along coasts. It said deforestation often led to less rainfall. And at some point, lack of rain could suddenly undermine growing conditions for remaining forests in a region. The report said that in 100 years, global warming widely blamed
10、 on burning of fossil fuels in cars, factories and power plants, might take over as the main source of damage. The report mainly looks at other, shorter-term risks. And it estimated that many ecosystems were worth more if used in a way that maintains them for future generations. A wetland in Canada
11、was worth $6,000 a hectare (2.47 acres), as a habitat for animals and plants, a filter for pollution, a store for water and a site for human recreation, against $2,000 if converted to farmland, it said. A Thai mangrove was worth $1,000 a hectare against $200 as a shrimp farm. “Ecosystems and the ser
12、vices they provide are financially significant and, to degrade and damage them is tantamount to economic suicide,“ said Klaus Toepfer, head of the U.N. Environment Program. The study urged changes in consumption, better education, new technology and higher prices for exploiting ecosystems. “Governme
13、nts should recognize that natural services have costs,“ A.H. Zakri of the UN University and a co-chair of the report told Reuters. “Protection of natural services is unlikely to be a priority for those who see them as free and limitless.“（分数：20.00）(1).The part of sentence “irreversible loss in the d
14、iversity of life“ in Paragraph 3 refers to -|_|-.（分数：5.00）A.extinction of some speciesB.variety of living thingsC.damage of ecosystemD.shortage of natural resources(2).In the last but one paragraph, two examples are cited to prove -|_|-.（分数：5.00）A.the limitation of natural servicesB.the worth of eco
15、system for future generationsC.the economical loss of exploiting ecosystemsD.the financial value of protecting ecosystems(3).The international report is mainly put forward to -|_|-.（分数：5.00）A.show the environmental damage of human activitiesB.indicate the urgency of environmental protectionC.show th
16、e significance of ecosystem on the earthD.blame the negative effects of technology on environment(4).What made rainfall become less according to the passage?（分数：5.00）Peanuts, a dietary outcast during the fat-phobic 1990s, have made a comeback, with consumption soaring to its highest level in nearly
17、two decades and more doctors recommending nuts as part of a heart-healthy diet. When peanut butter and snack peanuts plummeted as Americans switched to lowfat diets, the peanut industry responded with studies showing the health benefits of peanuts. Total consumption of peanuts jumped last year to ne
18、arly 1.7 billion pounds, compared to 1.5 billion pounds the year before. The amount of snack peanuts eaten climbed to 415 million pounds in the 2003-2004 crop year, the highest since the mid-1990s. And peanut butter consumption soared to 900 million pounds, from a low of about 700 million in the 90s
19、“. “Mothers gave us peanuts and peanut butter. Now, we“ve figured out that Mom was right. But it took a lot of researchers and universities to figure that out,“ said Don Koehler, executive director of Georgia“s Peanut Commission. The federal government“s latest dietary guidelines say peanuts, which
20、contain unsaturated fats, can be eaten in moderation. “Now we know that the type of fat found in peanuts is actually good for us,“ said Lona Sandon with the American Dietetic Association. “It doesn“t clog our arteries like saturated fat. It helps keep the arteries clean.“ But that“s only if you don“
21、t overdo it, and that“s the part that often trips up peanut lovers. There are 14 grams of fat in one serving of peanuts, which is only one ounce. A handful can have up to 200 calories. “The problem is that the portions need to be low so you don“t overconsume the caloriesthat“s where the public has a
22、 disconnect,“ said Madelyn Fernstrom, director of the Weight Management Center at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. “It“s a well-spent 200 calories if you can limit it to that. The problem is volume. It“s very hard to have a small serving of peanuts, meaning a small handful.“ When peanuts
23、 were out of favor in the last decade, American consumers seemed to overlook the respectable list of nutrientsvitamin E, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, and minerals such as copper, phosphorous, potassium, zinc and magnesium. They also are a good source of fiber and protein. Peanuts also ha
24、ve a small amount of resveratrol, the antioxidant in red wine that has been linked to the “French Paradox“a low incidence of heart disease among the French, despite their love of cheese and other high-fat foods. Research at several universities suggests peanuts may help prevent heart disease, that t
25、hey can lower bad cholesterol and that they can help with weight loss, possibly by making people feel satisfied so they eat less overall. One Harvard study showed an association between peanut butter consumption and a reduced risk of diabetes. Even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorize
26、d a qualified health claim for peanuts and some tree nuts. Producers can say they may reduce their risk of heart disease by eating 1.5 ounces daily. Anna Resurreccion, a University of Georgia food scientist, has focused her research on the resveratrol found in peanuts. By subjecting the nuts to stre
27、ssslicing the kernels, or subjecting them to ultrasoundthe resveratrol level greatly surpassed that found in red wine, she said. This development opens the door for new products, such as enhanced peanut butter that could offer even more health benefits and serve as a way to get resveratrol into chil
28、dren“s diets, she said. “Young children can“t very well drink wine,“ Resurrecction said. “But most of them love peanut butter and peanut snack foods.“（分数：20.00）(1).The rhetorical device in the sentence of the first paragraph “Peanuts, a dietary outcast during the fat-phobic 1990s, have made a comeba
29、ck.“ is -|_|-.（分数：5.00）A.personificationB.simileC.metaphorD.contrast(2).The relationship between the second and third paragraphs is that -|_|-.（分数：5.00）A.they both describe the health benefits of peanutsB.the latter presents a striking contrast to the formerC.the latter provides conclusive statement
30、 to the formerD.the latter offers further supplementation to the former(3).Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as health benefits of peanuts?（分数：5.00）A.To help with weight loss.B.To decrease harm of wine.C.To reduce risk of diabetes.D.To lower bad cholesterol.(4).What has Anna Res
31、urreccion studied in her research?（分数：5.00）Yu Zhuoping hasn“t taken a vacation in two years, nor does the 44-year-old take many weekends off. Instead he logs 12-hour days in a soccer-pitch-size laboratory filled with flashing computer screens and disemboweled electric motors. He“s trying to build th
32、e futurein the form of hydrogen-powered cars that can not only work, but can sell. Since Yu“s team of 28 Ph.D.-level scientists and 200 students at Shanghai“s Tongji University began the work in 2002, they“ve come out with two generations of carsbuilt with Chinese technology. “That“s something that
33、nobody thought we could do,“ he says, glancing out from under the silver hood of Start II, the project“s newest prototype. “Now people say we won“t be able to make them marketable. So we“ll just keep working.“ In China such optimism is par for the course. Beijing is undaunted in its ambitions to bec
34、ome a world leader in hydrogen-fuel-cell-powered cars. The dream is not far-fetched. Making hydrogen cars a reality is only partly a matter of coming up with technological breakthroughs. It also involves replacing gasoline filling stations, refineries and internal-combustion engines with hydrogen eq
35、uivalents. China“s relative lack of development may thus be a virtue; the country“s leadership has a relatively clean slate upon which to build a hydrogen-car industry, should it choose to do so. If the technology could be made cost-competitive with fossil fuelswhich many analysts predict will happe
36、n in the next two decadeshydrogen cars would make sense as a national strategy. By marketing China the world“s biggest market for hydrogen cars, Beijing could attract investment in the latest technology and bootstrap a world-class Chinese auto industry, reducing China“s demand for imported oil in th
37、e bargain. Of course, there“s a sizable industry that is pushing the country in the opposite direction, toward fast growth using quick and dirty conventional technology and fuelsand even fighting against tighter emissions controls than in the West. Which strategy China chooses stands to have a huge
38、impact on the countryand on the rest of the world. At present, the Middle Kingdom is traversed by relatively few carsonly about 20 million. That amounts to barely eight cars per 1,000 people, which is a far cry from the 100 in Brazil or the 940 in the United States. China is catching up quickly, how
39、ever. At its current rate of growth, the country will surpass Japan and become the world“s second largest auto market by 2011, with annual sales of 5 million cars, says Yale Zhang, a research director for the consulting firm GSM worldwide. China, already the world“s second largest importer of oil, w
40、ould have to double import every 7 or 8 years to keep all these wheels spinning, says James Brock, an energy consultant in Beijing. By steering China toward more fuel-efficient hybrid cars as a precursor to a hydrogen-based auto industry, Beijing would take a giant step toward curbing green-house-ga
41、s emissions and reducing the worldwide demand of oil. It would also give the big carmakers an incentive to develop similar vehicles for the China market. Beijing has already begun to create an alternative-energy-vehicle fleet of buses. The central Yangtze port city of Wuhan runs several hybrid buses
42、 and, Wang Gang, the chief scientist in charge of China“s electric-vehicles project, says, city officials are planning to buy more. Beijing“s public transportation armada includes 120 pure-battery buses. Beijing and Shanghai plan to build hydrogen-fueling stations. That will help them when it comes
43、time to convert the country“s 190,000 natural-gas taxis and buses, one of the world“s biggest naturalgas fleets, to hydrogen. State-funded R on grounds there was no U.N. consensus on the hot-button issue of whether stem-cell research was a valid medical pursuit or the destruction of human life. Oppo
44、nents said the text was not legally binding and would have no impact on their scientists“ pursuit of stem cell research. At the heart of the debate was so-called therapeutic cloning, in which human embryos are cloned to obtain stem cells used in medical studies and later discarded. Many scientists,
45、backed by governments including Belgium, Britain, Singapore and China, say the technique offers hope for a cure to some 100 million people with such conditions as Alzheimer“s, cancer, diabetes and spinal cord injuries. But the United States, Costa Rica, Italy and anti-abortion groups argued that thi
46、s type of research, for whatever purpose, constitutes the taking of human lives. The U.N. debate began with a 2001 proposal by France and Germany for a binding global treaty banning the cloning of human beings, a plan that had broad international backing. But that effort failed last year after the B
47、ush administration fought to broaden the ban to all cloning of human embryos, including therapeutic cloning. The assembly“s treaty-writing legal committee, deeply divided, abandoned the idea of a treaty and decided instead to pursue a nonbinding declaration. Costa Rican Ambassador Bruno Stagno Ugart
48、e praised the assembly vote as “a historic step“ that recognized “that therapeutic cloning involves the creation of human life for the purpose of destroying it.“ U.S. envoy Sichan Siv made only a brief comment welcoming the statement. But British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry, who voted “no“, lamented
49、 “the intransigence of those who were not prepared to recognize that other sovereign statesafter extensive dialogue and due democratic processmay decide to permit strictly controlled applications of therapeutic cloning.“ “Therapeutic cloning research conducted under strict regulations will contribute to the enhancement of human dignity by relieving millions of people from pain, suffering and misery,“ said South Korean envoy Ha Chan-ho, explaining his “no“ vote. “The foes of therapeutic cloning are trying
