大学英语六级综合-阅读(十九)及答案解析.doc

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1、大学英语六级综合-阅读(十九)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、Section A(总题数：0，分数：0.00)三、Passage One(总题数：1，分数：10.00)Its a good idea to apply sunscreen before heading to the beach if you dont want to burn. But for marine animals like whales, they dont have that (1) . Species like sp

2、erm whales can spend up to six hours at the oceans surface in between dives, (2) in the sunlight. So how do they protect themselves from a serious case of sunburn?It turns out that their bodies have a similar defense (3) against the suns UV radiation as people. Blue whaleswhich have the lightest ski

3、n color of the three speciestan during their summer stay before (4) back to their northern feeding grounds. Sperm whales dont tan. They can receive an “overdose“ of UV radiation during their hours at the oceans surface, and they have proteins that (5) protect their cells from UV damage. This process

4、 is (6) to how human bodies produce antioxidants in response to molecules that can cause a lot of genetic and cellular damage. And fin whales escape sun damage thanks to their high levels of melanina dark substance in the skin to protect humans from UV radiation.Older whales and whales with less (7)

5、 of melanin in their skinlike blue whaleshad the greatest level of damage in their mtDNA. Fin whales, which had the greatest amount of melanin, had the least amount of mtDNA damage.Now that the ozone layer that shields Earth from UV radiation is gradually (8) , its important to know what the consequ

6、ences are for whales and dolphins, especially for (9) or endangered species. Although its difficult to tell what causes many of these skin conditions, UV damage is one cause. Even though whales have (10) defenses to UV radiation, high exposure can still be harmful.A. similar B. diminishing C. liabil

7、ity D. migrating E. mutualF. mechanism G. effectively H. jerking I. instantaneously J. vulnerableK. content L. baiting M. inherent N. perspective O. option（分数：10.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_四、Passage Two(总题数：1，分数：10.00)In 1915 Einstein made a trip to Gott

8、ingen to give some lectures at the invitation of the mathematical physicist David Hilbert. He was particularly eager to explain all the intricacies of relativity to him. The visit was a triumph, and he said to a friend excitedly, “I was able to (1) Hilbert of the general theory of relativity.“Amid a

9、ll of Einsteins personal turmoil (焦躁) at the time, a new scientific (2) was about to emerge. He was struggling to find the right equations that would (3) his new concept of gravity, ones that would define how objects move through space and how space is curved by objects. By the end of the summer, he

10、 realized the mathematical approach he had been (4) for almost three years was flawed. And now there was a (5) pressure. Einstein discovered to his (6) that Hilbert had taken what he had learned from Einsteins lectures and was racing to come up with the correct equations first.It was an enormously (

11、7) task. Although Einstein was the better physicist, Hilbert was the better mathematician. So in October 1915 Einstein threw himself into a month-long frantic (8) in which he returned to an earlier mathematical strategy and wrestled with equations, proofs, corrections and updates that he rushed to g

12、ive as lectures to Berlins Prussian Academy of Sciences on four (9) Thursdays.His first lecture was delivered on Nov. 4,1915, and it explained his new approach, though he admitted he did not yet have the precise mathematical formulation of it. Einstein also took time off from (10) revising his equat

13、ions to engage in an awkward fandango (方丹戈双人舞) with his competitor Hilbert.A. extinction B. describe C. furiously D. complex E. repetitiveF. anxiety G. contending H. competitive I. convince J. successiveK. endeavor L. darted M. horror N. coarsely O. pursuing（分数：10.00）填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项

14、1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_填空项 1:_五、Section B(总题数：0，分数：0.00)六、Passage One(总题数：1，分数：20.00)Feeding the Masses a Load of ManureThe Green Revolution Myth, Norman Borlaug, and World HungerAMost people dont know Norman Borlaug. Hes the guy who is widely recognized as the father of the “Green Revolutio

15、n“the system of farming that combined hybrid seeds with chemical pesticides and fertilizers to grant the world significantly increased crop yields, especially yields of “cereal crops“ like wheat, corn, and soybeans.BMr. Borlaug has been heard recently reproaching “extreme greenies“ for promoting org

16、anic, sustainable agriculture, saying that such a move either would require the conversion of millions more acres of meadow and forest land into farm land or would mean mass starvation due to what he claims are lower yields from organic farms. With all due respect, we think Stormin Norman B. is out

17、in left field playing scarecrow, spouting off about nothing more than the Green Revolution Myth.Food, World Hunger, and Population GrowthCFirst, there is an obvious question about the logic of Borlaugs assertion that the increased yield from Green Revolution farming arrived just in time to save hund

18、reds of millions, maybe billions, of earths swelling human masses from starvation in the 20th century. One could just as easily frame the issue the other way around: Might it have been the suddenly increased availability of cheap food that itself allowed the global population to rise so quickly? Rem

19、ember the old saying about “tasks expand to fill the amount of time allowed them“? A version of that may apply here.DAnother way to look at the question is whether the Green Revolution has been successful at eliminating hunger. It hasnt. Since the Green Revolution kicked into nigh gear in the 1960s,

20、 there has been only a modest reduction in the number of people starving or chronically hungry. In 1970, there were an estimated 942 hundred million people in that category; in 2002, the United Nations reported that the number was 842 million. This modest reduction has been almost entirely due to lo

21、wer levels of hunger among the Chinese population, with the number of hungry people increasing in most other areas of the world.EIt is true, of course, that a few billion more people are being fed today compared to half a century ago. But its far too simplistic to give the Green Revolution the credi

22、t. Two of the main factors that do deserve credit are improvements in seeds via hybridization and major increases in the use of irrigation, including the unsustainable over-pumping of groundwater. These factors plus the chemicals of the Green Revolution combined to put plant growth into overdrive.Th

23、e Downside of the Green RevolutionFSo, if the Green Revolution did help increase total food output, whats not to like? Plenty. The technologies of the Green Revolution should be looked at as the plant equivalent of steroid use in human athletes. A jock that uses steroids will gain muscle and strengt

24、h faster and have a competitive advantage. But the big boost is not sustainable over a long period of time, and the negative side effects are well known and often catastrophic to the athlete.GIn the case of Green Revolution farming, the chemicals used pollute our land, air, and water; the switch fro

25、m heavily rotated multiple crops to mono-cropping or dual-cropping reduces total soil fertility and the nutritional value of our food; and the lower number of seed varieties used reduces the genetic diversity found in crops, thus endangering the stability of farm output in the future. The side effec

26、ts related to soil fertility and genetic diversity will ultimately take their toll. Indeed, yield increases in todays farm fields have generally leveled off and, in cases such as rice and wheat, yields are beginning to decline in some areas.HLets be a little more specific about the problems associat

27、ed with Green Revolution farming: (1) Farmers, farm workers, and all of us are continually exposed to chemical pesticides due to their widespread use, with each of us carrying a body burden of the toxins. (2) Countless numbers of streams, rivers, and drinking water sources are degraded due to pestic

28、ide and fertilizer runoff. (3) Major portions of bays and gulfs are oxygen-starved coastal dead zones due to algal blooms that are fed by fertilizer runoff. (4) Wildlife suffers from genetic mutations due to the farming chemicals that contaminate their ponds and swamps. Notable examples: Genetic mut

29、ations in frogs and abnormal genitalia in alligators. (5) State advisories for locally caught fish are chockfull of warnings about fish species contaminated with pesticides.Would Food Production Drop Without the Green Revolution?INow to the real pointwould we starve if we transitioned back to sustai

30、nable agriculture and abandoned the chemicals weve come to accept as a normal part of farming? No, not at all. Multiple studies, including work by the US National Research Council and a 23-year study by the Rodale Institute, found total food output from “alternative“ farms to be equivalent to Green

31、Revolution farmsand sometimes higher.JCuba provides a real-life, working model to test the conclusions of such research. When the US trade embargo was imposed on Cuba in the late 1980s, the countrys access to Green Revolution “inputs“ was suddenly severely restricted. Cuba began to reorient its agri

32、culture back to sustainable approaches based on traditional farming practices and smaller farming operations. Within a decade, the country had solved its food problem, with the added benefit of freeing itself from the cost and toxic pollution associated with imported farming chemicals.Wrap up. and G

33、MOsKAs Lt. Columbo was fond of saying, just one last thing.The big agribusiness companies that brought you the hollow promises of the chemical-based Green Revolution I are now busy cooking up the genetically engineered (GE) Green Revolution . Again they promise to save the world from hunger, but as

34、before, their real goal is to reap bountiful profits. Not only do some GE technologies, such as “herbicide tolerance“, not increase yield and farmer profits, they have been documented to have the opposite effect. In such cases, the only people benefiting are the GE seed and pesticide companies and t

35、heir shareholders.LThere is a place for research and technology in farming, but we should stop trying to conquer natures complex, inexorable forces and instead should focus on approaches that work with the power of nature. A lot of research dollars went into developing Green Revolution and GE techno

36、logies. If instead we had invested in better sustainable-agriculture methods, we would have increased yields, retained healthier farming practices, and greatly lessened the huge loss of small and medium-sized farms. In fact, demonstration projects have shown that increases in total food output of up

37、 to 100% are possible by using advanced sustainable agriculture techniques. Such approaches also reduce costs and avoid the chemical pollutants and potentially dangerous GE strains that are now upon us.MWe wont be able to simply flip a switch and suddenly convert all the farming acreage on the plane

38、t back to smaller, more sustainable farms overnight. But it can be done gradually, without causing mass starvation. Indeed, better health for more people would be the overall result. We in the developed countries of the world should ask our elected representatives to begin a major shift in farm poli

39、cy to foster such change. We can also directly support the effort by eating organic and/or locally grown food.NThe solution to global hunger is to solve problems related to democracy and distribution of income and food in the Third World. We should also ensure that the right to be self-sufficient wh

40、en it comes to producing ones food is not trumped by free-trade agreements. The solution to world hunger is not to develop expensive, unneeded technologies that endanger the entire food system. Just say “no“. to G-M-O.and the Green Revolution.（分数：20.00）(1).The nutritional value of food is reduced be

41、cause of mono-cropping.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(2).According to Norman Borlaug, Green Revolution is intended to increase crop production.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(3).A study showed that food production from alternative farms was equivalent to Green Revolution farms.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(4).Compared to 50 years ago, more

42、people are being fed today, which can partly be attributed to improvements in seeds via hybridization.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(5).In spite of the rapid development of the Green Revolution, the number of people starving slightly decreased.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(6).It has been confirmed that some genetically engine

43、ered technologies lead to the reduction of yield and farmer profits.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(7).We should shift to smaller and more sustainable farms step by step.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(8).The claim that the increased production from Green Revolution farming saves hundreds of millions of people from starvation is

44、 skeptical.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(9).The application of Green Revolution technologies in plants can be compared to human athletes use of steroid.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_(10).It is suggested that the money wasted on Green Revolution should have been used for better sustainable-agriculture methods.（分数：2.00）填空项 1:_七

45、、Passage Two(总题数：1，分数：20.00)In 1915 Einstein made a trip to Gottingen to give some lectures at the invitation of the mathematical physicist David Hilbert. He was particularly eager to explain all the intricacies of relativity to him. The visit was a triumph, and he said to a friend excitedly, “I was

46、 able to (1) Hilbert of the general theory of relativity.“Amid all of Einsteins personal turmoil (焦躁) at the time, a new scientific (2) was about to emerge. He was struggling to find the right equations that would (3) his new concept of gravity, ones that would define how objects move through space

47、and how space is curved by objects. By the end of the summer, he realized the mathematical approach he had been (4) for almost three years was flawed. And now there was a (5) pressure. Einstein discovered to his (6) that Hilbert had taken what he had learned from Einsteins lectures and was racing to

48、 come up with the correct equations first.It was an enormously (7) task. Although Einstein was the better physicist, Hilbert was the better mathematician. So in October 1915 Einstein threw himself into a month-long frantic (8) in which he returned to an earlier mathematical strategy and wrestled with equations, proofs, corrections and