1、专业英语八级-阅读理解(三十)及答案解析 (总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、BREADING COMPREH(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、BTEXT A/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)What if architects could build living systems rather than static buildings dynamic structures that modify their internal and external forms in response to changes in their environment? This provocat
2、ive idea is making waves in the field of architecture. Houses, for example, might shrink in the winter to reduce surface area and volume, thus cutting heating costs. They could cover themselves to escape the heat of the summer sun or shake snow off the roof in winter. Skyscrapers could alter their a
3、erodynamic profiles, swaying slightly to distribute increased loads during hurricanes.Such responsive architecture would depend on two sorts of technology: control systems capable of deciding what to do, and structural components able to change the buildings shape as required. Architects have been w
4、orking to improve the control systems in buildings for many years, but shape-shifting technology is at a much earlier stage of development.One approach being pursued by researchers is to imitate nature. Many natural constructions, including spiders webs and cell membranes, are tensegrity systems rob
5、ust structures made up of many interconnected elements which can be manipulated to change shape without losing their structural integrity. These structures can bend and twist, but no element in the structure bends and twists, says Robert Skelton of the Structural Systems and Control Laboratory at th
6、e University of California in San Diego. Its the architecture of life.While Dr Skelton is working on solving the engineering equations associated with tensegrity systems, Tristan dEstre Sterk at the Office for Robotic Architectural Media & the Bureau for Responsive Architecture, an architectural pra
7、ctice based in Vancouver, Canada, has begun to construct prototypes of shape-changing building envelopes based on tensegrity structures. Lightweight skeletal frameworks, composed of rods and wires and controlled by pneumatic muscles, serve as the walls of a building; adjusting their configuration to
8、 change the buildings shape. Mr.Sterk is also developing the brain needed to control such a building based on information from internal and external sensors.Cars are already capable of monitoring their own performance and acting with a certain degree of autonomy, from cruise-control systems to airba
9、g sensors. Such responsive behaviour is considered normal for a car; architects argue that the same sort of ideas should be incorporated into buildings, too.And just as the performance of a car can be simulated in advance to choose the best design for a range of driving conditions, the same should b
10、e done for buildings, argues Gian Carlo Magnoli, an architect and the co-director of the Kinetic Design Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is devising blueprints for responsive houses. We need to evolve designs for the best performing responsive-building models, he says.So will w
11、e end up with cities of skyscrapers that wave in the breeze? It sounds crazy. But, says Mr.Sterk, many ideas that were once considered crazy are now commonplace. Electricity was a batty idea, but now its universal, he says. Dynamic, intelligent, adaptable buildings are the logical next step, he clai
12、ms.（分数：25.00）(1).Which technology is needed for such responsive architecture? A. The change of internal and external forms. B. The alteration of aerodynamic profiles. C. Control systems applied to manual controls. D. Structural components capable of changing the buildings shape.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).
13、According to Para. Three, many natural constructions A. can cause change to elements in the structure. B. are motivated by biological material architecture. C. can change their shape without affecting their structural integrity. D. are fragile structures made up of many interconnected elements.（分数：5
14、.00）A.B.C.D.(3).What contribution does Sterk make to responsive architecture? A. He makes archetypes of shape-changing building frames. B. He uses rods and wires to be the walls of a building. C. He does more for responsive architecture than Dr Skelton. D. He has invented the brain to control buildi
15、ng.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).To which of the following does Magnoli probably agree? A. Cruise-control systems should be incorporated into buildings. B. Architects need to perfect the designs of responsive building for the best models. C. The development of buildings is nothing compared to that of cars. D
16、. The performance of a building should be monitored in advance.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Whats the authors attitude toward dynamic structures? A. Pessimistic. B. Skeptical. C. Ambivalent. D. Optimistic.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.三、BTEXT B/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)It is a universally acknowledged fact that human beings pos
17、sess a larger brain than animals. This allows us to coordinate our lives better and communicate with each other on a higher, more sophisticated level. Language is a mode of communication where with a limited number of words we can produce an infinite number of sentences. It gives us the chance to di
18、scuss ideas and look at the world with a critical eye. This process provides us with the opportunity to stimulate our intelligence which in turn enables us to improve our means of communication. It is of utmost importance to note that we have developed our linguistic abilities so that we not only ha
19、ve the option of interacting verbally and through signs but also on a written basis.The central question to be examined is: How does language actually influence our specifically animal operations? A case in point would be that when we look at an object, for example a tree, do we see it in its pure,
20、realistic and natural way or is language imposing a certain influence in the way we look at this tree? Do we regard it as an object of nature which is a tall woody plant having a single, usually, long and straight main stem, generally with a few or no branches on its lower part? Or are we simply see
21、ing it that way because of the context of the language in our culture? One theory which supports this point of view is the Saphir-Whorf hypothesis.Since the languages of the world differ in regard to their semantic and structural characteristics, it seems somewhat logical to argue that people speaki
22、ng widely different languages would also differ in the way they viewed and thought about the world. An example may illustrate this point. If one must classify things such as camels, automobiles or snow in certain ways, then one must perceive them differently from someone who does not require to make
23、 these distinctions. Eskimos may have a number of different meanings for the word snow, whereas we only have one. In Maltese, for example, there is no word which specifically describes the word snow. It is translated as silg which literally translated means ice. From this we can deduce that it is st
24、ill debatable whether we perceive the world in its real form or whether we are affected by the language of our society without us realising. Hence one can infer that language imposes meaning on everything existing in our world through the human being.Consequently, meaning must be placed at the cente
25、r of any attempt to explain language. But, meaning lies not in the words but in the people. We use words to approximate the meanings we wish to communicate, but these words still remain imperfect and incomplete representations of our meanings. After having delved deeper into this subject, we can con
26、clude that language is the trait which decisively distinguishes man from all other creatures and that human language is arguably the single most remarkable characteristic which we have and the one that most truly sets our species apart. Undeniably, other creatures do have a way of communicating with
27、 each other and appear to do this through some sort of signaling system which allows them to pass on information within their species and occasionally even with members outside their own species. The bottom line is that the human language is so utterly different from all of these other signaling sys
28、tems, that we are obliged to treat it as a truly unique phenomenon.（分数：25.00）(1).Without linguistic ability, human beings could only A. look at the world with a critical eye. B. interact on a written basis. C. have a face-to-face exchange with others. D. verbally communicate their feelings, emotions
29、 and thoughts.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).According to Paragraph Two, language influences A. the way people view the world. B. the way people behave. C. the way people voice ideas. D. our culture.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).It can be inferred that the Saphir-Whorf hypothesis advocates all the following EXCEPT A.
30、language shapes peoples world views. B. the differences in language reflect the different views of different people. C. in addition to instinct, people are also affected by the confines of their language. D. what one thinks is determined by their language.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following
31、is the most significant function of language? A. To classify things. B. To make distinctions. C. To communicate meaning. D. To impose meaning.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).According to the author, which of the following is CORRECT? A. People can always find the right words. B. People often fail to use words
32、properly. C. People wish to communicate with each other. D. Words cannot communicate our meanings perfectly.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.四、BTEXT C/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)Flats were almost unknown in Britain until the 1850s when they were developed, along with other industrial dwellings, for the laboring classes. Thes
33、e vast blocks were plainly a convenient means of easing social conscience by housing large numbers of the ever-present poor on compact city sites. During the 1880s, however, the idea of living in comfortable residential chambers caught on with the affluent upper and upper-middle classes, and controv
34、ersy as to the advantages and disadvantages of flat life was a topic of conversation around many a respectable dinner-table. In Paris and other major European cities, the custom whereby the better-off lived in apartments, or fiats, was well established. Up to the late nineteenth century in England o
35、nly bachelor barristers had established the tradition of living in rooms near the Law Court: any self-respecting head of household would insist upon a West End town house as his London home, the best that his means could provide.The popularity of flats for the better-off seems to have developed for
36、a number of reasons. One is the introduction of the railways, which had enabled a wide range of people to enjoy a holiday staying in a suite at one of the luxury hotels which had begun to spring up during the previous decade. Hence, there is no doubt that many of the early luxury fiats were similar
37、to hotel suites, even being provided with communal dining-rooms and central boilers for hot water and heating. Rents tended to be high to cover overheads, but savings were made possible by these communal amenities and by tenants being able to reduce the number of family servants.One of the earliest
38、substantial London developments of flats for the well-to-do was begun soon after Victoria Railway Station was opened in 1860, as the train service provided an efficient link with both the City and the South of England. Victoria Street, adjacent to both the Station and Westminster, had already been f
39、ormed, and under the direction of the architect, Henry Ashton, was being lined, with blocks of residential chambers in the Parisian manner. These fiats were commodious indeed, offering between eight and fifteen rooms apiece, including appropriate domestic offices. The idea was an emphatic departure
40、from the tradition of the London house and achieved immediate Success.Perhaps the most notable block in the vicinity was Queen Annes Mansions, partly designed by E.R. Robson in 1884 and recently demolished. For many years, this was Londons loftiest building and had strong claims to be the ugliest. T
41、he block modeled on the American skyscraper, and was nearly 200 feet high. The cliff-like walls of dingy brick completely overshadowed the modest thoroughfare nearby. Although bleak outside, the mansion fiats were palatial within, with sumptuously furnished communal entertaining and dining rooms, an
42、d lifts to the uppermost floors. The success of these tall blocks of flats could not have been achieved, of course, without the invention of the lift, or ascending carriage as it was called when first used in the Strand Law Courts in the 1870s.（分数：25.00）(1).Flats first appeared in Britain in the mid
43、dle of the 19th century when A. they were principally built for those families with several servants. B. people were not conscious of the crowded housing of the less well-to-do. C. there was increasing concern over accommodation for the poor. D. people became conscious of the social needs of the rur
44、al population.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).English upper-middle-class families preferred to A. live mainly outside London, where it was healthier and cheaper. B. live in the West End. C. live near their working place. D. live in London, but mainly not in the West End.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).One effect of the r
45、ailways coming to central London was to stimulate the building of A. large and well-appointed hotels. B. blocks of self-contained fiats. C. rows of elegant town houses. D. fiats similar to hotel suites.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).The immediate success of the flats in Victoria Street could be attributed to
46、A. the unusual number of rooms each fiat contained. B. their revolutionary style of architecture. C. the ease with which they could be used as offices. D. their French style of architecture.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Which of the following is true about the interior and exterior of Queen Annes Mansions? A
47、. They were elegantly decorated both inside and outside. B. They were grim from the outside and had a modest decor inside. C. They were flashy from the street but nondescript inside. D. They were plain outside but with lavish interior.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.五、BTEXT D/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)Luis Figueroa lives down the street from UC Merced, the newest campus in the University of California system. So its not surprising that the 21-year-old studies from the comfort of his own home. But hes not enrolled at Merced: from his living-room computer, Figueroa is earning his bachelors degree in bus
