1、专业英语四级-64及答案解析 (总分：100.00，做题时间：90分钟)一、READING COMPREHENSIO(总题数：0，分数：0.00)二、Passage 1(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become computer-literate, in other words, to learn to understand computers and what makes them tick. Not all experts agree, however, that
2、this is a good idea. One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite
3、 reason, to bring computers to the people and make them people-literate. David first got the idea when he visited one of Americas best-known computer guru figure, Bob Albrecht, in the small university town of Palo Alto in Northern California. Albrecht had started a project called Computertown USA in
4、 the local library, and the local children used to call round every Wednesday to borrow some time on the computers there, instead of borrowing library books. Albrecht was always on hand to answer any questions and to help the children discover about computers in their own way. Over here, in Britain,
5、 Computertowns have taken off in a big way, and there are now about 40 scattered over the country. David Tebbutt thinks they are most successful when tied to a computer club. He insists there is a vast and important difference between the two, although they complement each other. The clubs cater for
6、 the enthusiasts, with some computer knowledge already, who get together and eventually form an expert computer group. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers available for them to experiment on, with experts available to encourage them and a
7、nswer any questions; they are not told what to do, they find out. David Tebbutt finds it interesting to see the two different approaches working side by side. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to explain the answers to the questions that peopl
8、e really want to know. In some Computertowns there are question sessions, rather like radio phone-ins, where the experts listen to a lot of questions and then try to work out some structure to answer them. People are not having to learn computer jargons, but the experts are having to translate compu
9、ter mysteries into easily understood terms; the computers are becoming people-literate.（分数：20.00）(1).According to David Tebbutt, the purpose of Computertown UK is to _.（分数：5.00）A.train people to understand how computers workB.make more computers available to peopleC.enable more people to fix compute
10、rs themselvesD.help people find out more about computers(2).We learn from the passage that Computertown USA was a _.（分数：5.00）A.townB.projectC.libraryD.school(3).Which of the following statements is INCORRECT?（分数：5.00）A.Computertowns in the UK have become popular.B.Computertowns and clubs cater for d
11、ifferent people.C.Computertowns are more successful than clubs.D.Its better that Computertowns and clubs work together.(4).Which of the following is NOT an advantage of Computertowns?（分数：5.00）A.Experts give lectures and talks on computers.B.Experts are on hand to answer peoples questions.C.People ar
12、e left to discover computers on their own.D.There are computers around for people to practise on.三、Passage 2(总题数：1，分数：20.00)There must be few questions on which responsible opinion is so utterly divided as on that of how much sleep we ought to have. There are some who think we can leave the body to
13、regulate these matters for itself. The answer is easy, says Dr. A. Burton. With the right amount of sleep you should wake up fresh and alert five minutes before the alarm rings. If he is right many people must be undersleeping, including myself. But we must remember that some people have a greater i
14、nertia than others. This is not meant rudely. They switch on slowly, and they are reluctant to switch off. They are alert at bedtime and sleepy when it is time to get up, and this may have nothing to do with how fatigued their bodies are, or how much sleep they must take to lose their fatigue. Other
15、 people feel sure that the present trend is towards too little sleep. To quote one medical opinion, Thousands of people drift through life suffering from the effects of too little sleep; the reason is not that they cant sleep. Like advancing colonists, we do seem to be grasping ever more of the land
16、 of sleep for our waking needs, pushing the boundary back and reaching, apparently, for a point in our evolution where we will sleep no more. This in itself, of course, need not be a bad thing. What could be disastrous, however, is that we should press too quickly towards this goal, sacrificing slee
17、p only to gain more time in which to jeopardize our civilization by actions and decisions made weak by fatigue. Then, to complete the picture, there are those who believe that most people are persuaded to sleep too much. Dr H. Roberts, writing in Every Man in Health , asserts: It may safely be state
18、d that, just as the majority eat too much, so the majority sleep too much. One can see the point of this also. It would be a pity to retard our development by holding back those people who are gifted enough to work and play well with less than the average amount of sleep, if indeed it does them no h
19、arm. If one of the trends of evolution is that more of the life span is to be spent in gainful waking activity, then surely these people are in the van of this advance.（分数：20.00）(1).The author seems to indicate that _.（分数：5.00）A.there are many controversial issues like the right amount of sleepB.amo
20、ng many issues the right amount of sleep is the least controversialC.people are now moving towards solving many controversial issuesD.the right amount of sleep is a topic of much controversy among doctors(2).The author disagrees with Dr. Burton because _.（分数：5.00）A.few people can wake up feeling fre
21、sh and alertB.some people still feel tired with enough sleepC.some people still feel sleepy with enough sleepD.some people go to bed very late at night(3).In the last paragraph the author points out that _.（分数：5.00）A.sleeping less is good for human developmentB.people ought to be persuaded to sleep
22、less than beforeC.it is incorrect to say that people sleep too littleD.those who can sleep less should be encouraged(4).We learn from the passage that the author _.（分数：5.00）A.comments on three different opinionsB.favours one of the three opinionsC.explains an opinion of his ownD.revises someone else
23、s opinion四、Passage 3(总题数：1，分数：20.00)In its first month orbiting Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft has detected a new radiation belt in an unexpected place, its invisible swarm of trapped high-energy particles circling the planet inside the inner edge of Saturns signature disk of luminous rings. Scienti
24、sts who reported the discovery said yesterday that they were surprised to find a relatively small radiation belt completely isolated from a planets main radiation belts, which lie at much greater distances. They had not expected that such a concentration of energetic particles could be sustained ins
25、ide the famous Saturnian rings. The phenomenon of a single isolated belt, the scientists said, has never been observed at any other planet in the solar system. By contrast, the Van Allen belts of Earth consist of two related regions of intense radiation trapped by the planets magnetic field. In a NA
26、SA conference call with reporters, Dr. Donald G. Mitchell, a Cassini mission scientist from Johns Hopkins University, said the newly discovered radiation belt was detected as the spacecraft made its closest approach to Saturn immediately after rocketing into its orbit on July 1. No previous spacecra
27、ft visiting Saturn had been in the proper position to make such a discovery. Dr. Mitchell said it was the spacecrafts imaging magnetometer that had observed the radiation belt, which extended around Saturn from about 15,000 miles above the planets cloud tops to the inner edge of the innermost of its
28、 spectacular rings. The belt is much smaller, and the energies of its particles are less intense, than Saturns main radiation belts. With its discovery, Dr. Mitchell said, we have seen something that we did not expect: that radiation belt particles can hop over obstructions like Saturns rings. Other
29、 Cassini mission scientists reported puzzling patterns of lightning and thunderstorms on Saturn and observations of a striking glow emanating day and night from the planets largest moon, Titan.（分数：20.00）(1).What does the passage mainly discuss?（分数：4.00）A.The discovery of a new radiation belt has bec
30、ome a breakthrough in astronomical researches.B.After a recent discovery of a radiation belt, a relatively small radiation belt has been perceived.C.A belt around Saturn unlike any ever seen before has been detected.D.Some mystifying patterns have been observed at Saturn.(2).What is special about th
31、e belt discovered latest?（分数：4.00）A.It is an insular belt which unexpectedly pierces through Saturnian rings,B.It is much smaller and less intense than the formerly-discovered belts.C.It is different from the Van Allen belts of Earth.D.It is the outermost belt of Saturn.(3).Why couldnt the radiation
32、 belt be found earlier?（分数：4.00）A.Because visual angles are different.B.Because spacecrafts didnt approach Saturn close enough in the past.C.Because viewing spot matters.D.Because the spacecraft had no imaging magnetometer advanced enough in the past.(4).In the last paragraph, emanating could be rep
33、laced by these words EXCEPT _.（分数：4.00）A.spurtingB.emittingC.effusingD.diffusing(5).It can be inferred from the passage that _.（分数：4.00）A.The newly-discovered belt is in fact the outmost layer of SaturnB.We cant see the newly-discovered belt without the help of imaging magnetometerC.There can hardly
34、 be any belts similar as the newly discovered one at any other planet in the solar systemD.The main radiation belts arent connected with Saturnian tings at all五、Passage 4(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Scientists have determined that Archaeopteryx, the earliest known bird, was definitely birdbrained, meaning no dis
35、respect. Indeed, they consider the fossils brain size decisive evidence that Archaeopteryx had what it took to fly. The new research suggests, moreover, that birds probably started flying millions of years earlier than scientists previously thought. It is just that fossils of those first flying bird
36、spredecessors of Archaeopteryxhave never been found. The researchers, at the Natural History Museum in London, based their findings on the first X-ray examination and reconstruction of the braincase and inner ear of a 147-miUion-year-old Archaeopteryx specimen. They found that in size, shape and vol
37、ume, its brain was similar to that of the modem eagle or sparrow. Measurements of the semicircular canals, the mechanism for balance inside the ear, showed that Archaeopteryx had the neurological and structural adaptations necessary for flight, the scientists concluded. Their research, involving an
38、X-ray computed tomography scan, or C.T., of the fossils braincase and inner ear, is described today in the journal Nature. Previous studies of the feathered wing and tail of Archaeopteryx and its birdlike anatomy, including a pronounced wishbone, supported the prevailing view of experts that it was
39、capable of some degree of powered flight. Archaeopteryx is considered a prime transitional species in the evolution of some reptiles, probably dinosaurs, into todays birds. But the research team, led by Dr. Angela Milner, a paleontologist at the British museum, wrote that until their investigation o
40、f Archaeopteryx, little was understood about the extent to which its brain and special senses were adapted for flight. Dr. Milner said the new study not only established that Archaeopteryx was capable of controlling the complex business of flying, but also showed how much there is still to discover
41、about when and how bird flight began. In a statement issued by the museum, Dr. Milner said, If flight was this advanced by the time Archaeopteryx was around, then were birds actually flying millions of years earlier than wed previously thought?（分数：20.00）(1).What is the original meaning of birdbraine
42、d and what does it mean here in the first paragraph?（分数：4.00）A.Naive; intelligent.B.Simple-minded; volant.C.Narrow-minded; navigational.D.Stupid; adapted for flight.(2).The reason why there still needs improvement in the past view of Archaeopteryx is that _.（分数：4.00）A.fossils of those earliest birds
43、 havent been discovered yetB.the wishbone they studied is just so-called wishboneC.there was no study of the role of its brain and some faculties in flightD.Archaeopteryx is regarded as the earliest known bird(3).It can be inferred from the passage that if birds started flying millions of years earl
44、ier than scientists previously thought _.（分数：4.00）A.Archaeopteryx can perform very intricate flyingB.Archaeopteryx is unlikely to be a prime transitional species between reptiles and birdsC.fossils of those first flying birds are bound to be excavated soonD.a further investigation should be implemen
45、ted in Archaeopteryxs anatomy(4).In the sixth paragraph, here anatomy means _.（分数：4.00）A.bodyB.fossilC.analysisD.skeleton(5).The authors attitude towards the new research is _.（分数：4.00）A.supportingB.neutralC.negativeD.critical六、Passage 5(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Womens minds work differently from mens. At lea
46、st, that is what most men are convinced of. Psychologists view the subject either as a matter of frustration or a joke. Now the biologists have moved into this minefield, and some of them have found that there are real differences between the brains of men and women. But being different, they point
47、out hurriedly, is not the same as being better or worse. There is, however, a definite structural variation between the male and female brain. The difference is in a part of the brain that is used in the most complex intellectual processesthe link between the two halves of the brain. The two halves
48、are linked by a trunkline of between 200 and 300 million nerves, the corpus callosum. Scientists have found quite recently that the corpus callosum in women is always larger and probably richer in nerve fibres than it is in men. This is the first time that a structural difference has been found between the brains of women and men and it must have some significance. The question is What?, and if this difference exists, are there others? Research shows
