[外语类试卷]雅思（阅读）模拟试卷37及答案与解析.doc

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1、雅思（阅读）模拟试卷 37及答案与解析 一、 Reading Module (60 minutes) 0 Nu shu a secret language A It is sometimes said that men and women communicate in different languages. For hundreds of years in the Jitneying County of Hunan province, China, this was quite literally the case. Sometime between 400 and 1,000 years

2、ago women defied the patriarchal norms of the time that forbade them to read or write, and conceived of Nu shu literally, womens language a secretive script and language of their own. Through building informal networks of sworn sisters who committed themselves to teaching the language only to other

3、women, and by using it artistically in ways that could be passed off as artwork (such as writing characters on a decorative fan), Nu shu was able to grow and spread without attracting too much suspicion. B Nu shu has many orthographical distinctions from the standard Chinese script. Whereas standard

4、 Chinese has large, bold strokes that look as if they might have been shaped with a thick permanent marker pen, Nu shu characters are thin, slanted and have a slightly scratchy appearance that bears more similarity to calligraphy. Whereas standard Chinese is logographic, with characters that represe

5、nt words and meanings, Nu shu is completely phonetic each character represents a sound; the meaning must be acquired from the context of what is being said. Users of Nu shu developed coded meanings for various words and phrases, but it is likely that only a tiny fraction of these will ever be known.

6、 Many secrets of Nu shu have gone to the grave. C Nu shu was developed as a way to allow women to communicate with one another in confidence. To some extent this demand came from a desire for privacy, and Nu shu allowed women a forum for personal written communication in a society that was dominated

7、 by a male-orientated social culture. There was also a practical element to the rise of Nu shu, however: until the mid 20th century, women were rarely encouraged to become literate in the standard Chinese script. Nu shu provided a practical and easy-to-learn alternative. Women who were separated fro

8、m their families and friends by marriage could therefore send letters to each other. Unlike traditional correspondence, however, Nu shu characters were painted or embroidered onto everyday items like fans, pillowcases and handkerchiefs and embodied in artwork in order to avoid making men suspicious.

9、 D After the Chinese Revolution, more women were encouraged to become literate in the standard Chinese script, and much of the need for a special form of womens communication was dampened. When the Red Guard discovered the script in the 1 960s, they thought it to be a code used for espionage. Upon l

10、earning that it was a secret womens language they were suspicious and fearful. Numerous letters, weavings, embroideries and other artifacts were destroyed and women were forbidden to practice Nu shu customs. As a consequence, the generational chains of linguistic transmission were broken up, and the

11、 language ceased being passed down through sworn sisters. There is no longer anyone alive who has learnt Nu shu in this traditional manner; Yang Humanly, the last proficient user of the language, died on September 20, 2004, in her late 90s. E In recent years, however, popular and scholarly interest

12、in Nu shu has blossomed. The Ford Foundation granted US $209,000 to build a Nu shu Museum that houses artifacts such as audio recordings, manuscripts and articles, some of which date back over 100 years. The investment from Hong Kong SAR is also being used to build infrastructure at potential touris

13、t sites in Hunan, and some schools in the area have begun instruction in the language. Incidentally, the use of Nu shu is also a theme in Lisa Sees historical novel, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, which has since been adapted for film. Questions 1-5 Reading Passage 1 has five sections A-E. Choose t

14、he correct heading for each section from the list of headings below. Write the correct number i-viii in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet. List of Headings i Financial costs ii Decline and disuse iii Birth and development iv Political uses of Nu shu v The social role o fNu shu vi Last of the Nu shu spe

15、akers vii Characteristics of written Nu shu viii Revival and contemporary interest 1 Section A 2 Section B 3 Section C 4 Section D 5 Section E 5 Choose TWO letters A-E. Write your answers in boxes 6-7 on your answer sheet. Why was there a need for Nu shu? Which TWO reasons are given in the text? A I

16、t provided new artistic opportunities for female artisans. B It was a way for uneducated women to read and write. C Not enough women were taking an interest in literature. D It was a way for women to correspond without men knowing. E It helped women believe in themselves and their abilities. 8 The p

17、ost-Revolution government did not want women to read or write in any language. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 9 At first, the Red Guard thought Nu shu might be a tool for spies. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 10 Women could be punished with the death penalty for using Nu shu. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 11 T

18、he customary way of learning Nu shu has died out. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 12 There is a lot of money to be made out of public interest in Nu shu. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 13 Nu shu is now being openly taught. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 13 Venus Flytraps A From indigenous myths to John Wyndhams

19、Day of the Traffics and the off-Broadway musical Little Shop of Horrors, the idea of cerebral, carnivorous flora has spooked audiences and readers for centuries. While shrubs and shoots have yet to uproot themselves or show any interest in human beings, however, for some of earths smaller inhabitant

20、s arachnids and insects the risk of being trapped and ingested by a plant can be a threat to their daily existence. Easily the most famous of these predators is the Venus Flytrap, one of only two types of snap traps in the world. Though rarely found growing wild, the Flytrap has captured popular ima

21、gination and can be purchased in florists and plant retailers around the world. B Part of the Venus Flytraps mysterious aura begins with the title itself While it is fairly clear that the second-half of the epithet has been given for its insect-trapping ability, the origin of Venus is somewhat more

22、ambiguous. According to the International Carnivorous Plant Society, the plant was first studied in the 17th and 18th Centuries, when puritanical mores ruled Western societies and obsession was rife with forbidden human impulses and urges. Women were often portrayed in these times as seductresses an

23、d temptresses, and botanists are believed to have seen a parallel between the behavior of the plant in luring and devouring insects, and the imagined behavior of women in luring and trapping witless men. The plant was thus named after the pagan goddess of love and money Venus. C The Venus Flytrap is

24、 a small plant with six to seven leaves growing out of a bulb-like stem. At the end of each leaf is a trap, which is an opened pod with cilia around the edges like stiff eyelashes. The pod is lined with anthocynin pigments and sweet-smelling sap to attract flies and other insects. When they fly in,

25、trigger hairs inside the pod sense the intruders movement, and the pod snaps shut. The trigger mechanism is so sophisticated that the plant can differentiate between living creatures and non-edible debris by requiring two trigger hairs to be touched within twenty seconds of each other, or one hair t

26、o be touched in quick succession. The plant has no nervous system, and researchers can only hypothesize as to how the rapid shutting movement works. This uncertainty adds to the Venus Flytraps allure. D The pod shuts quickly, but does not seal entirely at first; scientists have found that this mecha

27、nism allows miniscule insects to escape, as they will not be a source of useful nourishment for the plant. If the creature is large enough, however, the plants flaps will eventually meet to form an airtight compress, and at this point the digestive process begins. A Venus Flytraps digestive system i

28、s remarkably similar to how a human stomach works. For somewhere between five and twelve days the trap secretes acidic digestive juices that dissolve the soft tissue and cell membranes of the insect. These juices also kill any bacteria that have entered with the food, ensuring the plant maintains it

29、s hygiene so that it does not begin to rot. Enzymes in the acid help with the digestion of DNA, amino acids and cell molecules so that every fleshy part of the animal can be consumed. Once the plant has reabsorbed the digestive fluid this time with the added nourishment the trap re-opens and the exo

30、skeleton blows away in the wind. E Although transplanted to other locations around the world, the Venus Flytrap is only found natively in an area around Wilmington, North Carolina in the United States. It thrives in bogs, marshes and wetlands and grows in wet sand and peaty soils. Because these envi

31、ronments are so depleted in nitrogen, they asphyxiate other flora, but the Flytrap overcomes this nutritional poverty by sourcing protein from its insect prey. One of the plants curious features is resilience to flame it is speculated that the Flytrap evolved this to endure through periodic blazes a

32、nd to act as a means of survival that its competition lacks. F While the Venus Flytrap will not become extinct anytime soon (an estimated 3-6 million plants are presently in cultivation) its natural existence is uncertain. In the last survey, only 35,800 Flytraps were found remaining in the wild, an

33、d some prominent conservationists have suggested the plant be given the status of vulnerable. Since this research is considerably dated, having taken place in 1992, the present number is considerably lower. The draining and destruction of natural wetlands where the Flytrap lives is considered to be

34、the biggest threat to its existence, as well as people removing the plants from their natural habitat. Punitive measures have been introduced to prevent people from doing this. Ironically, while cultural depictions of perennial killers may persist, the bigger threat is not what meat-eating plants mi

35、ght do to us, but what we may do to them. Questions 14-19 Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-19 on your answer sheet. 14 An overview of how the Flytrap eats its prey 15 A comparison between human a

36、nd plant behaviour 16 A measure designed to preserve Flytraps in their native environment 17 An example of a cultural and artistic portrayal of meat-eating plants 18 A characteristic of the Venus Flytrap that is exceptional in the botanical world 19 A reference to an aspect of the Venus Flytraps bio

37、logy that is not fully understood 20 If they are too small to provide _, the closing pod allows insects to get out. 21 Only the _ is left after the Flytrap has finished digesting an insect. 22 Many plants cannot survive in bogs and wetlands owing to the lack of _. 23 The Venus Flytrap can withstand

38、some exposure to fire. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 24 Many botanists would like the Venus Flytrap to be officially recognized as an endangered plant species. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 25 Only 35,800 Venus Flytraps now survive in their natural habitats. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 26 Human interferenc

39、e is a major factor in the decline of wild Venus Flytraps. （ A）真 （ B）假 （ C） NOT GIVEN 26 Development Shortly after World War II, development as we now understand it was set in motion. Western governments and donors poured money into new agencies that set about trying to stimulate the economies of un

40、derdeveloped countries. Because of this emphasis, it is now widely regarded as the Growth Model. Although we might expect poverty reduction to be the central objective, planners at this stage were primarily concerned with industrial development. It was hoped that the benefits of this would trickle d

41、own to poor people through raising incomes and providing employment opportunities, thereby indirectly lifting them above the ascribed poverty threshold of a dollar a day. The weaknesses of these assumptions were revealed, however, when poverty rates and economic growth were found to rises simultaneo

42、usly in many countries. During the 1970s, a new trend took over trickle-up development. Instead of focusing on macro-economic policy and large-scale industrial projects, planners shifted attention to the core living requirements of individuals and communities. This be came know nap the Basic Needs A

43、pproach to development. It was hoped that through the provision of services such as community sanitation and literacyprogrammes, poverty could be eliminated from below. Economic growth was desirable but superfluous-Basic Needs redefined poverty fromi nvolving a lack of money to lacking the capabilit

44、y to attain full human potential. The trouble with Basic Needs programmers, however, was their expensive, resource-intensive nature that entailed continuous management and funding. Since the 1980s, development planners have moved towards the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach, which emphasizes good li

45、velihoods (materially and socially) that, most importantly, are independent and sustainable. Sustainable in this sense means that people are able to recover from the shocks and stresses of daily life, absolving agencies of the need to persistently monitor their lives. This approach emphasizes view o

46、f poverty that comes not from the rich but from the impoverished themselves, who are considered to be most suitably positioned to determine the poverty indicators that contribute to the multiple facets of their own deprivation. Although the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach has been criticized for la

47、cking an environmental platform strong enough to respond to climate change, and for disassociating aspects of power and societal status from being a contestable part of development, it is currently the preferred model for development projects. Though there is some linearity to the trajectory of deve

48、lopment practice, with paradigms shifting in and out of fashion, vigorous scholarly debate persists around all approaches. The Growth Model, for example, is still defended by many theorists, particularly economists. Those who believe in the Growth Model insist that nothing trumps economic developmen

49、t as a tool for poverty alleviation for the developing countries (although there is often less enthusiasm for its applicability to the post-industrial West). Many countries that have focused explicitly on growth have managed to make considerable inroads into reducing poverty, even in the absence of a development programmed; Japan and Germany followed this route after World War II, as has China from the 1970s. On the other hand, some countries with massive inflows of funding for aid-