2014年職稱英語教材理工類B閱讀理解原文.doc

第十七篇 A Sunshade for the Planet Even with the best will1 in the world, reducing our carbon emissions is not going prevent global warming. It has become clear that even if we take the most strong measures to control emissions, the uncertainties in our climate models still leave open the possibility of extreme warming and rises in sea level. At the same time, resistance by governments and special interest groups makes it quite possible that the actions suggested by climate scientists might not be implemented soon enough. Fortunately, if the worst comes to the worse2, scientists still have a few tricks up their sleeves3. For the most part they have strongly resisted discussing these options for fear of inviting a sense of complacency that might thwart efforts to tackle the root of the problem. Until now, that is. A growing number of researchers are taking a fresh look at large-scale “geoengineering” projects that might be used to counteract global warming. “I use the analogy of methadone4,” says Stephen Schneider, a climate researcher at Stanford University in California who was among the first to draw attention to global warming. “If you have a heroin addict, the correct treatment is hospitalization, and a long rehab. But if they absolutely refuse, methadone is better than heroin. Basically the idea is to apply “sunscreen” to the whole planet. One astronomer has come up with a radical plan to cool Earth: launch trillions of feather-light discs into space, where they would form a vast cloud that would block the suns rays. Its controversial, but recent studies suggest there are ways to deflect just enough of the sunlight reaching the Earths surface to counteract the warming produced by the greenhouse effect. Global climate models show that blocking just 1. 8 per cent of the incident energy in the suns rays would cancel out the warming effects produced by a doubling of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. That could be crucial, because even the most severe emissions-control measures being proposed would leave us with a doubling of carbon dioxide by the end of this century, and that would last for at least a century more. 詞匯： emission 發(fā)射，發(fā)射物 heroin 海洛因 complacency 滿足 hospitalization 住院治療 thwart 反對，阻撓 rehab 接受康復(fù)治療 geoengineering 地質(zhì)工程 astronomer 天文學(xué)家 trillion （英、德）百萬兆 counteract 抵消；抵制 controversial 有爭議的 methadone 美沙酮，美散痛 deflect （使）偏轉(zhuǎn) 1. the best will:最好的愿望 2. if the worst comes to the worst:如果昀昀糟糕的事情發(fā)生了。這是英式英語的用法，在美式英語中它說成 if worst comes to worst。在不同的語境中，有不同的譯法。如 : “If the worst comes to the worst，” Becky thought， “my retreat is secure; and I have the right-hand seat in the barouche.”蓓基想道 :“逼到昀后一條路，逃難是不怕的了，在他的大馬車?yán)?，我險穩(wěn)地有一個位了?！庇秩?: If the worst comes to the worst，well sell the car.大不了我們把車賣了。 3. scientists still have a few tricks up their sleeves:科學(xué)家們?nèi)匀挥行┎粸槿怂恼袛?shù)。 have something up ones sleeve是英語成語，意思是 : to have a secret idea or plan,有錦囊妙計，有所保留的，秘而不宣的謀略或計劃，例如 : If this trip doesnt work out Ive still got a few ideas up my sleeve. 4. methadone:美沙酮，一種有效的合成麻醉藥，它不像嗎啡或海洛因那樣容易讓人上癮，在戒毒治療中被用作這些毒品的替代品。 練習(xí): 1. According to the first two paragraphs，the author thinks that A strong measures have been taken by the government to prevent global warming. B to reduce carbon emissions is an impossible mission. C despite the difficulty, scientists have some options to prevent global warming. D actions suggested by scientists will never he realized. 2. Scientists resist talking about their options because they dont want people to A know what they are doing. B feel their efforts are useless C think the problem has been solved. D see the real problem. 3. What does Stephen Schneider say about a heroin addict and methadone? A Methadone is an effective way to treat a hard heroin addict. B Methadone is not a correct way to treat a heroin addict. C Hospitalization together with methadone can work effectively with a heroin addict. D Methadone and heroin arc equally effective in treating a heroin addict. 4. What is Stephen Schneiders idea of preventing global warming? A To ask governments to take stronger measures. B To increase the sunlight reaching the Earth. C To apply sunscreen to the Earth. D To decrease greenhouse gases. 5. What is NOT true of the effectiveness of “sunscreen”, according to the last paragraph? A It deflects sunlight reaching the Earth to counteract the warming. B It blocks the incident energy in the suns rays. C It is a controversial method. D It decreases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. 第十八篇 Thirst for Oil Worldwide every day, we devour the energy equivalent of about 200 million barrels of oil. Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun. In fact enough energy from the Sun hits the planets surface each minute to cover our needs for an entire year, we just need to find an efficient way to use it. So far the energy in oil has been cheaper and easier to get at. But as supplies dwindle, this will change, and we will need to cure our addiction to oil. Burning wood satisfied most energy needs until the steam-driven industrial revolution, when energy-dense coal became the fuel of choice. Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to cover one quarter of our energy needs, but its use has been declining since we started pumping up oil. Coal is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel, but could make a comeback, as supplies are still plentiful: its reserves are five times larger than oils. Today petroleum, a mineral oil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to produce petrol, diesel oil and various other chemical substances, provides around 40% of the worlds energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles. The US consumes n quarter of all oil, and generates a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. The majority of oil comes from the Middle East, which has half of known reserves. But other significant sources include Russia, North America, Norway, Venezuela and the North Sea. Alaskas Arctic National Wildlife Refuge1 could be a major new US source, to reduce reliance on foreign imports. Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years, though opinions and estimates vary. We could fast reach an energy crisis in the next few decades, when demand exceeds supply. As conventional reserves become more difficult to access, others such as oil shales and tar sands may be used instead. Petrol could also be obtained from coal. Since we started using fossil fuels, we have released 400 billion tonnes2 of carbon, and burning the entire reserves could eventually raise world temperatures by 130 C. Among other horrors, this would result in the destruction of all rainforests and the melting of all Arctic ice. 詞匯： devour 吞沒，耗盡 dwindle 減少 dense 密集的 diesel oil 柴油 pump 用泵抽吸 accessible 可使用的，可得到的 petroleum 石油，原油 rainforest （熱帶）雨林 reliance 依賴，依靠 tar stand 瀝青砂 oil shale 油頁巖 destruction 破壞，毀滅 練習(xí): 1. “ we will need to cure our addiction to oil.”Why does the author say so? A Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun. B Oil supply is increasing all the time. C Demand for oil is increasing all the time. D Oil supply is decreasing. 2. Which of the following statements is NOT meant by the author, according to the second paragraph? A Wood was the fuel of choice before coal. B The use of coal is declining. C Coal is the most environmentally unfriendly fuel next to oil. D Coal reserves are plentiful and will be likely to become the major fuel of choice. 3. Which country is the biggest consumer of petroleum? A The United States. B Russia. C Norway. D Venezuela. 4. What do experts say about the earths fuel reserves? A The earths fuel reserves will be accessible for the next 50 years. B There will soon be an energy crisis. C Conventional reserves will soon become inaccessible. D Fuel demand will decline. 5. What is NOT the result of consuming fossil fuels according to the last paragraph? A Rainforests will be destroyed. B Arctic ice will be melted. C The earths temperature will be raised. D The sea level will go up. 第十九篇 Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Techs Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback. The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive “musical friend”. “Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjoy and think about their music，” said Professor Gil Weinberg, the robots creator. He will unveil the robot at the June 27th Google I/O conference in San Francisco. A band of three Shimi robots will perform for guests, dancing in sync with music created in the lab and composed according to its movements. Shimi is essentially a docking station with a “brain” powered by an Android phone. Once docked, the robot gains the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the users mobile device. In other words, if theres an “app” for that, Shimi is ready. For instance, by using the phones camera and face-detecting software，Shimi can follow a listener around the room and position its “ears”，or speakers, for optimal sound. Another recognition feature is based on rhythm and tempo. If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phones musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion. Once the music starts，Shimi dances to the rhythm. “Many people think that robots are limited by their programming instructions, said Music Technology Ph. D. candidate Mason Bretan. “Shimi shows us that robots can be creative and interactive. Future apps in the works will allow the user to shake their head in disagreement or wave a hand in the air to alert Shimi to skip to the next song or increase/decrease the volume. The robot will also have the capability to recommend new music based on the users song choices and provide feedback on the music play list. Weinberg hopes other developers will be inspired to create more apps to expand Shimis creative and interactive capabilities. “I believe that our center is ahead of a revolution that will see more robots in homes.” Weinberg said. Weinberg is in the process of commercializing Shimi through an exclusive licensing agreement with Georgia Tech. Weinberg hopes to make the robot available to consumers by the 2013 holiday season. “If robots are going to arrive in homes, we think that they will be this kind of machines一small, entertaining and fun，Weinberg said. “They will enhance your life and pave the way for more intelligent service robots in our lives.” 詞匯： pump v.用抽水機抽;不斷播放（音樂） scan v.掃描;瀏覽 skip v.輕跳，跳躍 sync n.同步，同時;v.使同步 tempo n.速度;節(jié)奏 注釋： 1.Georgia Tech:全稱是Georgia Institute of Technology,佐治亞理工學(xué)院，建于1885 年，位于亞特蘭大市中心。佐治亞理工學(xué)院是美國南部最大的公立理工學(xué)院,也是全美最頂尖的理工學(xué)院之一，排名僅次于麻省理工學(xué)院(MIT)和加州理工學(xué)院(CalTech)。 2. pump:不斷播放(音樂）。例如:This radio station recently pumps out pop music. (這家廣播電臺近來連續(xù)播放流行音樂。) 3.smartphone-enabled:由智能手機系統(tǒng)支持的 4.is billed as:相當(dāng)于is advertised as，意為“被標(biāo)榜為”。 5.docking station: 插接站,擴充基座，擴展插口 6. Android:(科幻小說里的)機器人。本文指用于智能手機和便攜式計算機移動設(shè)備的一種以Linus為基礎(chǔ)的開放源代碼操作系統(tǒng)，通過接口和插槽連接多種外部設(shè)備。目前Android 尚未有統(tǒng)一中文譯名，國內(nèi)較多人翻譯成“安卓”或“安致”。據(jù)2012年2月數(shù)據(jù), Android 占據(jù)全球智能手機操作系統(tǒng)市場52.5%的份額,中國市場占有率為68.4%。 7.dock：對接 8.the sensing and musical generation capabilities:傳感和音樂生成能力 9.app:應(yīng)用程序（=application) 10.if the user taps a beat:如果用戶打出某個(音樂）拍子 11.in the works:正在準(zhǔn)備階段;在進行中或準(zhǔn)備中 12.intelligent service robots:智能服務(wù)型機器人 練習(xí)： 1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the first three paragraphs? A Shimi is a one-foot tall robot. B Shimi is the creator of the musical companion. C Shimi is a docking station with a“ brain” powered by an Android phone. D Shimi can gain the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the users mobile device. 2.What does Shimi do if the user taps a beat? A It stores the beat in the musical library. B It transmits the beat to the docking station. C It positions its speakers for optimal sound. D It selects a perfectly-matched song and plays it in sync with that beat. 3.Which of the following about Shimi is true? A Robots are limited by their programming instructions, and Shimi is no exception. B Present apps allow the user to shake their head to alert Shimi to skip to the next song. C Existing apps allow the user to wave a hand to alert Shimi to turn up/down the volume. D Shimi can be creative and interactive.4.What does the author want to tell us? A The research center is developing a stronger and more versatile Shimi. B Weinberg only expects staffs from Georgia Tech. to develop more apps for Shimi. C Shimi is not yet technologically ready for commercialization. D Robots such as Shimi are created for large corporations rather than homes. 5.Which of the following is Weinbergs assertion? A Shimi as a robotic musical companion can be applied to all types of smart phones. B human lives will be filled with more fun if Shimi is going to arrive in homes. C Shimis creative and interactive capabilities are appreciated by most of its users. D Weinberg has reached an agreement with Georgia Tech to commercialize Shimi. 第二十篇 Explorer of the Extreme Deep Oceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet Yet，just a small fraction of the undcrwaler world has been explored Now，Scientists at the Woods Hole1 Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle hat will carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters (21,320 feet)The new machine，known as a manned submersible or human-operated vehicle (HOV)，will replace another one named Alvin2 which bas an amazing record of discovery，playing a key role in various important and famous undersea expeditionsAlvin has been operating for 40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters (14,784 feet)Its about time for an upgrade，WHOI researchers say Alvin was launched in 1964Since then，Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year，says Daniel Fornari，a marine geologist and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOIDuring its lifetime，Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more than 3,000 dives A newer，better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more surprises ahout a world that is still full of mysteries，F(xiàn)ornari saysIt might also make the job of exploration a little easier“We take so much for granted on land,” Fornari says“We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things are We can see colors，special arrangements” Size-wise，the new HOV will be similar to AlvinItll be about 37 feet longThe setting area inside will be a small sphere，about 8 feet wide，like Alvin，itll carry a pilot and two passengersIt will be just as maneuverableIn most other ways，it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view，for one thingAlvin has only three windows，the new vehicle will have five，with more overlap so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thing Alvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second，and its maximum speed is 2 knots (about 23 miles per hour)，while the new vehicle will be able to ascend and descend at 44 meters per secondItll reach speeds of 3 knots，or 35 miles per hour 詞匯： fraction 一部分 dive 潛水；跳水 underwater水下的，在水下 bound受約束的，一定的 sphere球體；范圍 manned 載人的 maneuverable機動的，可調(diào)動的 undersea海底的 submersible潛艇；潛水器 overlap重疊 upgrade升級 ascend上升 geologist地質(zhì)學(xué)家 注釋：1 Woods Hole：美國馬薩諸塞州的一個漁村，但同時擁有許多重要研究機構(gòu)，如：the Marine Biological Laboratory，the Sea Education Association以及the Woods Hole Oceanographic lnstitution。 2 Alvin：世界上第一個深海潛水器，它最有名的深海探測包括1986年對泰坦尼克號殘骸的測量工作。 練習(xí)： 1 What is Alvin? A A research institute B A transporting vehicle C A submersible D A scientist 2 Which of the following statements is NOT a fact about Alvin? A h can carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters B It has played a key role in various important undersea expeditions C It was launched in the sixties of the twentieth century D It has been used for more than 40 years 3 “a world that is still full of mysteries” refers to A the earth B out space C the ocean D Mars 4 In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin similar? A Size B Speed C Capacity D Shape 5 In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin different? A Offering better views B Speed C Size D Both A and B 第二十一篇 Plant Gas Scientists have been studying natural sources of methane for decades but hadnt regarded plants as a producer, notes Frank Keppler, a geochemist at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heldelberg, Germany. Now Keppler and his colleagues find that plants, from grasses to trees, may also be sources of the greenhouse gas. This is really surprising, because most scientists assumed that methane production requires an oxygen-free environment. Previously, researchers had thought that it was impossible for plants to make significant amounts of the gas. They had assumed that microbes need to be in environments without oxygen to produce methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide. Gases such as methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in Earths atmosphere and contribute to global warming. In its experiments, Kepplers team used sealed chambers that contained the same concentration of oxygen that Earths atmosphere has. They measured the amounts of methane that were released by both living plants and dried plant material, such as fal