专业英语八级-阅读理解(二十四)及答案解析.doc

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1、专业英语八级-阅读理解(二十四)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)In the cause of equal rights, feminists have had much to complain about. But one striking piece of inequality has been conveniently overlooked: lifespan. In this area, women have the upper hand. Al

2、l round the world, they live longer than men. Why they should do so is not immediately obvious. But the same is true in many other species. From lions to antelope and from sea lions to deer, males, for some reason, simply cant go the distance.One theory is that males must compete for female attentio

3、n. That means evolution is busy selecting for antlers, aggression and alloy wheels in males, at the expense of longevity. Females are not subject to such pressures. If this theory is correct, the effect will be especially noticeable in those species where males compete for the attention of lots of f

4、emales. Conversely, it will be reduced or absent where they do not.To test that idea, Tim Clutton-Brock of Cambridge University and Kavita Isvaran of the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore decided to compare monogamous and polygynous species (in the latter, a male monopolises a number of femal

5、es). They wanted to find out whether polygynous males had lower survival rates and aged faster than those of monogamous species. To do so, they collected the relevant data for 35 species of long-lived birds and mammals.As they report this week in The Proceedings of the Royal Society, the pattern was

6、 much as they expected. In 16 of the I9 polygynous species in their sample, males of all ages were much more likely to die during any given period than were females. Furthermore, the older they got, the bigger the mortality gap became. In other words, they aged faster. Males from monogamous species

7、did not show these patterns.The point about polygyny, according to Dr Clutton-Brock, is that if one male has exclusive access to, say, ten females, another nine males will be waiting to topple the harem master as soon as he shows the first sign of weakness. The intense competitive pressure means tha

8、t individuals who succeed put all their efforts into one or two breeding seasons.That obviously takes its toll directly. But a more subtle effect may also be at work. Most students of ageing agree that an animals maximum lifespan is set by how long it can reasonably expect to escape predation, disea

9、se, accident and damaging aggression by others of its kind. If it will he killed quickly anyway, there is not much reason for evolution to divert scarce resources into keeping the machine in tip-top condition. Those resources should, instead, be devoted to reproduction. And the more threatening the

10、outside world is, the shorter the maximum lifespan should be.There is no reason why that logic should not work between the sexes as well as between species. And this is what Dr Clutton-Brock and Dr Isvaran seem to have found. The test is to identify a species that has made its environment so safe th

11、at most of its members die of old age, and see if the difference continues to exist. Fortunately, there is such a species: man.Dr Clutton-Brock reckons that the sex difference in both human rates of ageing and in the usual age of death is an indicator that polygyny was the rule in humanitys evolutio

12、nary past as it still is, in some places. That may not please some feminists, but it could be the price women have paid for outliving their menfolk.（分数：25.00）(1).In the opening paragraph, the author introduces his topic by A. posing a contrast. B. justifying an assumption. C. making a comparison of

13、similarities. D. explaining a phenomenon.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).Tim Clutton-Broek and Kavita Isvaran find in their research that A. males from monogamous species die earlier than females. B. males from polygynous species age faster than females. C. polygynous males can live one or two breeding seasons

14、 only. D. monogamous males suffer morn pressures than females.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).What are mentioned as reasons for the shorter lifespan of males in some species? A. Pressures from attracting the mates and surviving the hard environment. B. Competitions from winning and protecting their mates. C. P

15、ressures from reproducing as many offsprings as possible in one or two seasons. D. Competitions from fighting for the rare living resources of living.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).According to Dr Clutton-Brock, what can we know from the fact that women live longer than men? A. Polygyny used to dominate human

16、 species. B. Human die of old age because of the safe environment. C. Women suffer more inequalities than men do in society. D. Women pay price for their longer lifespan.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).The purpose of the passage is to A. explain the differences between monogamous and polygynous species. B. ana

17、lyze the reasons why polygynous males die earlier and age faster. C. tell the fact that women live longer than men, like many other species. D. elucidate the causes why man is superior to other species.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.三、BTEXT B/B(总题数：1，分数：25.00)If you are a tourist interested in seeing a baseball g

18、ame while in New York, you can find out which of its teams are in town simply by sending a message to AskForC. In a few minutes, the answer comes back, apparently supplied by a machine, but actually composed by a human. Using humans to process information in a machine-like way is not new: it was pio

19、neered by the Mechanical Turk, a famed 18th-century chess-playing machine that was operated by a hidden chessmaster. But while computers have since surpassed the human brain at chess, many tasks still baffle even the most powerful electronic brain.For instance, computers can find you a baseball sche

20、dule, but they cannot tell you directly if the Yankees are in town. Nor can they tell you whether sitting in the bleachers is a good idea on a first date. AskForCents can, because its answers come from people. Whatever question you can come up with, theres a person that can provide the answer you do

21、nt have the inflexibility of an algorithm-driven system, says Jesse Heitler, who developed AskForCents. Mr.Heitler was able to do this thanks to a new software tool developed by Amazon, the online retailer, that allows computing tasks to be farmed out to people over the internet. Aptly enough. Amazo

22、ns system is called Mechanical Turk.Amazons Turk is part toolkit for software developers, and part online bazaar: anyone with Internet access can register as a Turk user and start performing the Human Intelligence Tasks (HITs) listed on the Turk website. Companies can become requesters by setting up

23、 a separate account, tied to a bank account that will pay out fees, and then posting their HITs. Most HITs pay between one cent and $5. So far, people from more than 100 countries have performed HITs, though only those with American bank accounts can receive money for their work; others are paid in

24、Amazon gift certificates.Mr.Heitler says he had previously tried to build a similar tool, but concluded that the infrastructure would be difficult to operate profitably. Amazon already has an extensive software infrastructure designed for linking buyers with sellers, however, and the Turk simply ext

25、ends that existing model. Last November Amazon unveiled a prototype of the system, which it calls artificial intelligence. The premise is that humans are vastly superior to computers at tasks such as pattern recognition, says Peter Cohen, director of the project at Amazon, so why not let software ta

26、ke advantage of human strengths?Mr.Cohen credits Amazons boss, Jeff Bezos, with the concept for the Turk. Other people have had similar ideas. Eric Bonabeau of Icosystem, an American firm that builds software tools modeled on natural systems, has built what he calls the Hunch Engine to combine human

27、 intelligence with computer analysis. The French postal service, for example, has used it to help its workers choose the best delivery routes, and pharmaceutical researchers are using it to determine molecular structures by combining their gut instincts with known results stored in a database. And a

28、 firm called Seriosity hopes to tap the collective brainpower of the legions of obsessive players of multiplayer online games such as World of Warcraft, by getting them to perform small real-world tasks (such as sorting photographs) while playing, and paying them in the games own currency.（分数：25.00）

29、(1).The last sentence of the first paragraph means A. computers have never been superior to human intelligence. B. human intelligence can still outperform computers. C. computers will eventually baffle many tasks humans give them. D. human intelligence will fail in the face of electronic chessmaster

30、s.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).AskForC is operated on the basis of A. computers that can tell people information about baseball schedules. B. a software that allows humans to get answers through computers. C. the flexibility of an algorithm-driven system developed by Mr. Heitler. D. a software that allows p

31、eople to solve problems through the network.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Which of the following is true about registered Turk users? A. They get rewards by solving posted problems. B. They set up a separate account as companies do. C. They pay out fees to other users for their help. D. They receive cash aft

32、er successfully performing HITs.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).That Amazon is successful with Turk is probably because A. Turk has very strong software infrastructure developing potentials. B. its previous model has laid a solid foundation for an extension. C. its system is based on artificial intelligence. D

33、. Turk is profitably adaptive to almost any software infrastructure.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(5).Seriosoity is mentioned in the passage to A. show the extensive influence of Turk on the commercial world. B. show the strength of collective brainpower of computer game players. C. substantiate endeavors to app

34、ly human intelligence to computer analysis. D. substantiate peoples abilities of sorting photographs while playing games.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.四、BTEXT C/B(总题数：1，分数：20.00)The cash-for-clunkers program turned out to be a boon for Asian automakers and the small cars they specialize in. While American govern

35、ment officials hailed the monthlong program, which ended this week, as an overall stimulus to the economy, the biggest winner was Toyota, which accounted for 19 percent of all sales and had two of the top three best- selling models.Detroits three automakers General Motors, Ford and Chrysler accounte

36、d for 38.6 percent of the vehicles sold. That figure is substantially less than the 45 percent combined market share that the Detroit companies posted in the first seven months of the year, while Japans largest automakers Toyota, Honda and Nissan sold 41 percent of the new vehicles in the program, c

37、ompared with the 34 percent combined share they had through July of this year. The Toyota Corolla was the top seller, followed by the Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus and Hyundai Elantra.The success of Toyota and the other Asian automakers was driven by the type of cars in their showrooms. Part

38、icipants in the clunkers program clearly were interested in downsizing to smaller, more fuel-efficient vehicles. About 84 percent of the clunkers traded in were trucks, and 59 percent of the vehicles purchased were cars.The interest in small cars, however, could be a hopeful sign for the American au

39、to companies as well. Ford is betting that consumer tastes will continue to shift away from big vehicles, and is bringing out new versions of the Focus and Fiesta subcompact. G.M. and Chrysler have indicated that their postbankruptcy dealer showrooms will feature more small cars and fewer trucks.Ove

40、r all, the clunker program will have an impact on lowering fuel consumption, albeit a small one given the number of vehicles involved. The average fuel economy of the vehicles turned in was just under 16 miles per gallon, compared with an average of almost 25 miles per gallon tot vehicles bought in

41、the program.A preliminary analysis of the program by the Obama administration said that third- quarter economic growth has been 0.4 percent higher because of auto sales in July and August. In addition, G.M., Ford and Honda all announced that they would increase production at some United States plant

42、s because of the increased demand generated by cash for clunkers.Virtually every automaker reported increased showroom traffic because of the program. Just getting prospective buyers back into dealerships brought some measure of relief to an industry stuck in its worst sales slump in 25 years.Indust

43、ry analysts said the surge in interest would be followed by a letdown now that the program is over. Cash for clunkers distorted the market in a way that benefited the industry for four weeks, said Jeremy Anwyl, chief executive of the auto-research Web site Edmunds. com. Now the payback begins. Mr.An

44、wyl predicted that consumers might face higher prices on some models that were depleted by clunker sales. Also, manufacturers have little incentive to provide their own sales incentives because inventories are low.（分数：20.00）(1).Which of the following statements is true of the sales volumes in the pr

45、ogram? A. Detroit companies market share in the first seven months was 45% more than that in the program. B. Detroits three automakers sold less cars in the program than in the first seven months. C. Toyota, Honda and Nissans market share in the program was 7% less than that through July of this yea

46、r. D. Honda and Nissan accounted for 22 percent of all sales in the program.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(2).What can we know about car consumption in America? A. People have more trust in Japanese automakers. B. People prefer cars for they are convenient than trucks. C. People have less money to buy luxury car

47、s. D. People displace their bigger cars to save on petrol.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(3).Mr.Anwyl would probably agree in future that A. consumers will pay more to buy Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic. B. government will hold more similar programs in other industries. C. auto industry will recover from its wors

48、t sales slump in 25 years. D. manufacturers will increase production to increase inventories.（分数：5.00）A.B.C.D.(4).Which of the following about the programs effect might the author agree? A. It has succeeded in boosting the nations economy. B. It has benefited the American automakers in some ways. C. It has lowered the fuel cons