2022-2023年內(nèi)蒙古自治區(qū)通遼市大學(xué)英語6級(jí)大學(xué)英語六級(jí)測(cè)試卷(含答案)

2022-2023年內(nèi)蒙古自治區(qū)通遼市大學(xué)英語6級(jí)大學(xué)英語六級(jí)測(cè)試卷(含答案)學(xué)校:________班級(jí):________姓名:________考號(hào):________

一、2.ReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)(20題)1.

______forthecreditcardnumbersofthebuyersisaproblem.

2.MostcomputerusershavesymptomsofCVSbecauseof______.

A.dry,red,orburningeyesandblurredordoublevision

B.glare,poorlightingandimproperworkstationsetup

C.notkeepingtheirmonitortwofeetawayfromthem

D.notusingacomputerthatprotectstheireyes

3.PartⅡReadingComprehension(SkimmingandScanning)

Directions:Inthispart,youwillhave15minutestogooverthepassagequicklyandanswerthequestionsonAnswerSheet1.Forquestions1-7,choosethebestanswerfromthefourchoicesmarkedA),B),C)andD).Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.

PreparingforComputerDisasters

Fires,powersurges,andfloods,they'reallfactsoflife.Wereadabouttheminthemorningpaperandseethemontheeveningnews.Wesympathizewiththevictimsandcommiserateovertheirbadluck.Wealsoshakeourheadsatthedigitalconsequences—meltedcomputers,systemfailures,destroyeddata.Yet,somehow,manyofuscontinuetolivebythatoldmantraofdenial:"Itwon'thappentome."Well,thetruthis,atsomepointyou'llprobablyhavetodealwithatleastonedisaster.That'sjusthowitgoes,andinmostaspectsofourliveswedosomethingaboutit.Webuyinsurance.Westowawayprovisions.Weevenmakedisasterplansandrundrills.Butforsomereason,computerdisasterrecoveryisablindspotformanyofus.Itshouldn'tbe.Homecomputerscontainsomeofourmostimportantinformation,bothbusinessandpersonal,andmakingcertainourdatasurvivesadisastershouldbeapriority.Moreover,eventhesmallestdisastercanbeaseriousdisruption.Personalcomputershavebecomeanintegralpartofthesmooth-runninghousehold.Weusethemtocommunicate,shop,anddohomework,andthey'reevenmorevitaltohomeofficeusers.Whenhomeofficecomputersgodown,manysmallbusinessesgrindtoahalt.Fortunately,takingstepstorecoverfromdisastersandminimizetheireffectsisquitestraightforward.Withagoodoffsitestorageplanandtherighttools,youcanbouncebackquicklyandeasilyfromminorcomputerdisasters.And,shouldamajorcalamitystrike,youcanrestassuredyourdataissafe.

OffsiteStorage:MajorDisasters

Housefiresandfloodsareamongthemostdevastatingcausesofpersonalcomputerdestruction.That'swhyasolidoffsitebackupandrecoveryplanisessential.Althoughmanyhomeusersfaithfullybackuptheirharddrives,manywouldstilllosealltheirdatashouldtheirhousesfloodorburn.That'sbecausetheykeeptheirbackupsrelativelyclosetotheircomputers.Theirbackupdisksmightnotbeinthesameroomastheircomputers—tuckedawayinaclosetoreventhegarage—butthey'renotnearlyfarenoughawayshouldaseriousdisasterstrike.So,it'simportanttobackupyoursystemtoaremovablemediumandtostoreitelsewhere.

Therearemanywaystoapproachoffsitestorage.Itstartswithchoicesofbackuptoolsandstoragemedium.Disastersituationsarestressful,andyourrecoverytoolsshouldn'taddtothatstress.Theymustbedependableandintuitive,makingiteasytoscheduleregularbackupsandtoretrievefilesinapinch.Theymustalsobecompatiblewithyourchoiceofbackupmedium.Dependingonyourtools,youcanbackuptoavarietyofdurabledisktypes—fromCDstoJazzdrivestoremotenetworkservers.Althoughmanyofthesestoragemediahavehighcapacity,abackuptoolwithcompressioncapabilitiesisabigplus,eliminatingtheinconvenienceofmultipledisksorlargeuploads.

Onceyouselectyourtoolsandasuitablemedium,youneedtofindaremoteplacetostoreyourbackups.Theoptionsareendless.However,nomatterwhereyouchoose,besurethesiteissecure,easilyaccessible,andagooddistanceawayfromyourhome.YoumayalsowanttoconsiderusinganInternet-basedbackupservice.Moreandmoreserviceprovidersareofferingstoragespaceontheirservers,anduploadingfilestoaremotelocationhasbecomeanattractivealternativetoconventionaloffsitestorage.

A.takestepstorecoverfromthem

B.callthecomputercompany

C.buyinsurance

D.stowawayprovision

4.Natural-gasVehicles

KermittheFrogoncesaid,"It'snotthateasybeingreen."Althoughhewasn'treferringtocars,hisobservationseemsparticularlyappropriatefortheautoindustrytoday:Designing,developingandmarketing"green"carshasnotbeenaneasytask,whichiswhygasoline-poweredvehiclesstillruletheroadandfossilfuelsstillaccountforalmost75percentoftheworld'senergyconsumption.Asgasolinepricessoarandconcernoverharmfulemissionmounts,however,carsthatrunonalternatefuelsourceswillbecomeincreasinglyimportant.Anatural-gasvehicle,orNGV,istheperfectexampleofsuchacar--it'sfuel-efficient,environmentallyfriendlyandoffersarelativelylowcostofownership.

NaturalGasBasics

Theword"gas"isaconfusingtermbecauseitisusedtodescribemanydifferentsubstancesthataresimilarbutnotexactlythesame.Forexample,the"gas"youputinyourcarisgasoline,onecomponentofcrudeoil,orpetroleum.Petroleumisadark,stickyliquidmixtureofcompoundsformedundergroundbythedecayofancientmarineanimals.

Naturalgasalsocomesfromthedecayofancientorganisms,butitnaturallytakesagaseousform.insteadofaliquidform.Naturalgascommonlyoccursinassociationwithcrudeoil.Itisderivedfrombothlandplantsandaquatic(水生的)organicmatterandformsaboveorbelowoildeposits.Itisoftendissolvedincrudeoilatthehighpressuresexistinginareservoir.Therearealsoreservoirsofnaturalgas,knownasnon-associatedgas,thatcontainonlygasandnooil.

Naturalgasconsistsprimarilyofmethane(沼氣)andotherhydrocarbongases.Hydrocarbonsareorganiccompoundscomposedonlyoftheelementscarbonandhydrogen.Thehydrocarbonsinnaturalgasarecalledsaturatedhydrocarbonsbecausetheycontainhydrogenandcarbonboundtogetherbysinglebonds.

Likegasoline,naturalgasiscombustible(易燃的),whichmeansitcanbeusedinacombustionenginelikegasoline.Butcarsthatcouldburnnaturalgasdidn'tappearonthesceneuntilthe1930s.

FromFieldtoFord

Weextractnaturalgastrappedinundergroundreservoirsbydrillingwellsintotheearth.Amodernwell.equippedwithdiamond-studdeddrillbits,candrilltodepthsapproaching25.000feet.

Throughoutthe19thcentury,theuseofnaturalgasremainedlocalizedbecausetherewasnowaytotransportlargequantitiesofgasoverlongdistances,in1890,theinventionofaleakproofpipelinecouplingmadeitpossibletotransportgasmilesfromthesource.Improvementsinpipelinetechnologycontinuedoverthenexttwodecadesuntillong-distancegastransmissionbecamepractical.From1927to1931,,laborersconstructedmorethant0majornaturalgastransmissionsystemsintheUnitedStates,makingnaturalgasaviableenergysourceformanyapplications.Theoilshortagesofthelate1960sandearly1970sbroughtrenewedinterestinnaturalgasasafuelsource,especiallyforautomobiles.

Today,ownersofnatural-gasvehiclescanfilluptheircarsatoneof1,300fuelingstationslocatedintheUnitedStates.Hondaalsooffersapersonalnaturalgaspumptopeoplewhopurchaseitsnatural-gas-poweredCivic.Thepumpusesahome'sexistingnaturalgaslinesandcanbeinstalledfor$500to$1500.

Natural-gasVehicleDesign

Natural-gasvehiclesusethesamebasicprinciplesasgasoline-poweredvehicles.Inotherwords,thefuel(naturalgasinthiscase)ismixedwithairinthecylinderofafour-strokeengineandthenignitedbyasparkplugtomoveapiston(活塞)upanddown.Althoughtherearesomedifferencesbetweennaturalgasandgasolineintermsofflamabilityandignitiontemperatures,NGVsthemselvesoperateonthesamefundamentalconceptsasgasoline-poweredvehicles.

Still,some

A.YB.NC.NG

5.

Nettaxisthedifferencebetweenaperson'sgrosstaxliabilityandany______.

6.

______oftenresultsfromworkingforanorganization.

7.

Bothmother-to-childtransmissionandpartner-to-partnertransmissioncanbepreventedorprotectedeffectivelybydrugsfor______.

8.

Johnandhiswifewenttoeveningclaspstolearnhowto______.

9.

Insteadofanaspectofnature,sportsbelongtothefieldof______.

10.

Calciumpermitscellstodivide,regulatesmusclecontractionandrelaxation,andplaysanimportantroleinthemovementofproteinandnutrientsinsidecellsbesideshelping______.

11.

TheFlightSimulatorsucceededbychance.

A.YB.NC.NG

12.

ThegoroawasesystemusestheJapanesepronunciationofnumberstocreate______,andcanbeseeninmanycompanytelephonenumberjingles.

13.

Ourdiurnalexistenceisdividedintotwophase______.

14.

Typically,apidginlanguagederivesmostofitsvocabularyfrom______.

15.

ThetraditionalclassroomandtheIITVclassroomare______.

16.

Abdominalpainoccurringbeforemealindicates______.

17.

EvidenceshowsthattheuseofastronomicknowledgeofastronomygreatlyaffectedthelifeoftheMayas.

A.YB.NC.NG

18.

ThearticledemonstrateswhatwillhappenintheInformationMarketplacethroughthediscoveries.

A.YB.NC.NG

19.

Theonlyproblemthestudentsarefacingatgraduationisthedismaljobmarket.

A.YB.NC.NG

20.

Theroleascaregiverbroughtaboutahugeboostin___________________toMr.Rappaport.AfterreturningfromCalifornia,hefeltrenewed.

二、3.ListeningComprehension(20題)21.

【B4】

22.聽力原文：M:Couldyoushowmethatoncemore?

W:Sure,putthepaperintothemachine,setyourmargin,andputyourfingersonthekeys.Nowyou'reready.

Q:Whatisthewomandoing?

(16)

A.Typing.

B.Drawingapicture.

C.Doingexercise.

D.Playingthepiano.

23.(14)

A.Johncansharethemagazinewithher.

B.ShewantstoborrowJohn'scard.

C.She'llletJohnusethejournalfirst.

D.Johnshouldfindanothercopyforhimself.

24.聽力原文：M:MayItakethisbockout?IneedittoworkonmypaperforDr.Smith'shistoryclass.

W:Iamafraidnot.ThebookhasbeenputonreservebyDr.Smith.Unlessyouhavehiswrittenpermission,wewon'tletitout.

Q:Whatshouldthemandotoborrowthebook?

(13)

A.AskDr.Smithtoalterhisdecision.

B.AskDr.Smithtocallthelibrary.

C.GetthebookdirectlyfromDr.Smith.

D.GetDr.Smith'swrittenpermission.

25.(32)

A.Ecologists.

B.Industrialists.

C.Businessmen.

D.Environmentalists.

26.

【B5】

27.(19)

A.Businessassociates.

B.Bossandsecretary.

C.Teacherandstudent.

D.Goodfriends.

28.(29)

A.Gettingtheworkdoneinmixedgroupsofsizes.

B.Havingcleardivisionoflaborasasociety.

C.Eachanthelpingwithallthetasks.

D.Allsizegroupsareideallysuitedtotheirjobs.

29.(24)

A.Itisasubconsciousthing.

B.Itreflectsalackofself-consciousness.

C.Itisunnecessaryindeed.

D.Itisakindofconsciousact.

30.(21)

A.Exercisingtheentirebody.

B.Havingyourbloodpressuretakendaily.

C.Losingweightpriortoexercising.

D.Weighinginbeforeeachexercisesession.

31.(26)

A.Thenortherndidn'thaveenougharmyforthewar.

B.it'shardtochangesouthernpeople'swill.

C.It'stoodistanttofightthewar.

D.Thenortherngovernmentdidn'tcommittothewar.

32.SectionC

Directions:Inthissection,youwillhearapassagethreetimes.Whenthepassageisreadforthefirsttime,youshouldlistencarefullyforitsgeneralidea.Whenthepassageisreadforthesecondtime,youarerequiredtofillintheblanksnumberedfrom36to43withtheexactwordsyouhavejustheard.Forblanksnumberedfrom44to46youarerequiredtofillinthemissinginformation.Fortheseblanks,youcaneitherusetheexactwordsyouhavejustheardorwritedownthe

Oursleeptimeoverthepastcenturyhasbeen【B1】______byalmost20percent.

Generally,adultsneedtosleeponehourforeverytwohours【B2】______,whichmeansthatmostneedabouteighthoursofsleepanight.Ofcourse,somepeopleneedmoreandsomeless.Childrenandteenagersneedanaverageofabouttenhours.

Thebrainkeepsanexact【B3】______ofhowmuchsleepitisowed.MycolleaguesandI【B4】______thetermsleepdebtbecause【B5】______lostsleepislikea【B6】______debt:itmustbepaidback.Ifyougetanhourlessthanafullnight'ssleep,youcarryanhourofsleepdebtintothenextdayandyour【B7】______tofallasleepduringthedaytimebecomesstronger.

Duringafive-day【B8】______,ifyougetsixhoursofsleepeachnightinsteadoftheeightyouneeded,【B9】______.Becausesleepdebtaccumulatesinanadditivefashion,【B10】______Fromthisperspective,sleepinguntilnoononSaturdayisnotgettingenoughtopaybackthetenlosthoursaswellasmeetyournightlyrequirementofeight;youwouldhavetosleepuntilabout5p.m.tobalancethesleepledger.【B11】______.

【B1】

33.(31)

A.Anintelligentyoungsterofextremeconfidence.

B.Anintelligentyoungsterwhoisoffensivebutconfident.

C.Adiligentyoungsterwhoisveryoutspoken.

D.Anindustriousyoungsterwhoisdisagreeable.

34.聽力原文：M:Doyoureallyhavetogodowntotherivertowashyourclothes?

W:Yes,butallthingsconsidered,lifeinthecountryisstillalotlesscomplicatedthanlifeinthecity.

Q:Howdoesthewomanfeelaboutlifeinthecountry?

(19)

A.It'sdull.

B.It'ssimple.

C.It'stiring.

D.It'scomplicated.

35.

【B10】

36.

【B7】

37.

【B6】

38.

【B3】

39.(22)

A.Patient.B.Surprised.C.Worried.D.Irritated.

40.(25)

A.Hisrealtor.B.Hisinspector.C.Hisfriends.D.Thewoman.

三、4.ReadingComprehension(ReadinginDepth)(20題)41.

Thearticlesuggeststhatweshouldnowre-examineourthinkingaboutthefutureofworkand______.

A.createmorefactoriesinordertoincreaseourproductivity

B.bepreparedtoadmitthatbeingemployedisnottheonlykindofwork

C.setupsmallerprivateenterprisessothatweinturncanemployothers

D.bepreparedtofillintimeathometakinguphobbiesandleisureactivities

42.

It'simpliedthat______.

A.nuclearpowerstationsmaybecomethetargetsofterroristattack

B.Carbondioxideistheprincipalsourceofgreenhousegas

C.TheBushadministrationdoesn'tgivedueweighttoenvironmentprotection

D.Nuclearwastewillturntobeanenvironmentalthreatinthelong-runterm

43.

Thelastwordofthepassage"addictive"means______.

A.excessiveB.enthusiasticC.dependentD.progressive

44.SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.

Ourworldisfilledwithsoundsweneverhear.Thehumanauditory(聽覺的)rangeislimitedtobeginwith:ifwecouldhearsoundslowerthan20vibrationspersecond,wewouldbedrivenmadbytherumblingsandcreakingofourmuscle,intestinesandheartbeats;everystepwetakewouldsoundlikeanexplosion.Butevenwithourauditoryrangeweselect,focus,payattentiontoafewsoundsandblotouttherest.Wearesoassaulted(困擾)bysoundthatwecontinually"turnoff".Buthitheprocessweshutouttheglorioussymphony(交響樂)ofsoundinwhichthelivingworldisbathed.

Thesoundtormentedcitydwellerwhohabitually"turnsoffhisaudio"losesadimensionofsocialreality.Somepeople,forexample,possesstheabilitytoenteracrowdedroomandfromthesoundsencounteredknowimmediatelythemood,paceanddirectionofthegroupassembled.Everythingbecomesmorerealwhenheardaswellasseen.Itis,infact,quitehardreallytoknowapersonbysightalone,withoutbeatinghisvoice.Anditisnotjustthesoundofthevoicethatinforms.Eventherhythmoffootstepsrevealsageandvariationsofmood--delight,depression,anger,joy.

Hearingcanalsosootheandcomfort.Thesnappingoflogsinthefireplace,thegossipywhisperofabroom,theinquisitivewheezeofadraweropeningallaresavoredsoundsthatmakeusfeelathome.Inawelllovedhome,everychairproducedadifferent,recognizablecreak,everywindowadifferentclick,groanorsqueak.Thekitchenbyitselfisasourceofmanypleasingsounds.Everyplace,everyeventhasasounddimension.

Thesenseofhearingcanperhapsberestoredtomodemmanifhebetterurulerstandsitsworthandhowitwinks.Mostpeoplewouldbesurprisedtodiscoverhowfarthesensecanbepushedbycultivation.Atafriend'shouserecently,mywifeopenedherpurseandsomecoinsspilledoutonealteranother,ontothefloor"Threequartets,twodimes,anickelsandthreepennies"saidourhostashecroneinfromthenextroomAndasanafterthought"Oneofthequartersissilver."Hewasfight,downtothelastpenny"Howdidyendoit?."weasked."Tryityourself."hesaid.Wedidandwithalittlepracticewefounditeasy.

Curiously,evidenceindicatesthatpeopleneedsound.Whenwearelustinthought,weinvoluntarilydrumwithourfingersortapwithapencil--aremirulerthatwearestillsurrouruledbyaworldoutsideourselves.Justcuttingdownreflectedsoundcanproducesomeoddresults.Thenearestthingonearthtothesilenceofouterspace,forexample,isthe"anechoic(消聲的)chamber"attheBellTelephoneLaboratorieshiBurrayHills,N.J.,whichislinedwithmaterialthatabsorbs99.98%ofallreflectedsoundMenwhohaveremainedintheroomformorethananhourreportthattheyfeelnervousandoutoftouchwithreality.

AccordingtoParagraph1,welearnedthatweblotoutthesoundswedon'twanttohearbecause______.

45.

WhatisCongressandtheadministration'sattitudetowardstheFedandtheTreasury'actions?

A.Theythinktheiractionsaretoodramaticforthesituation.

B.Beingpickyatfirst,theyfinallysupporttheiractions.

C.Theytotallyapproveofthedramaticinterventionsfortheexperienceof1929.

D.Theythinkthebankingcatastrophenowisnotabigdeal.

46.

TheChinesethoughtthatthesunspentthenight______.

A.inthebranchesofatree

B.abovethesky

C.inawesternvalley

D.onearth

47.Theestimatesofthenumbersofhome-schooledchildrenvarywidely.TheU.S.DepartmentofEducationestimatesthereare250,000to350,000home-schooledchildreninthecountry.Homeschooladvocatesputthenumbermuchhigherataboutamillion.

Homeschooladvocatestakeaharshattitudetowardhomeschoolers,perceivingtheiractionsastheultimateslapinthefaceforpubliceducationandadamagingmoveforthechildren.Homeschoolersharborfewkindwordsforpublicschools,chargingshortcomingsthatrangefromlackofreligiousperspectiveinthecurriculumtoaherdlikeapproachtoteachingchildren.

Yet,aspublicschoolofficialsrealizetheystandlittletogainbyremaininghostiletothehomeschoolpopulation,andashomeschoolersrealizetheycanreapbenefitsfrompublicschools,thesehardlinesseemtobesofteningabit.

Publicschoolsandhomeschoolershavemovedclosertotoleranceand,insomecasesevencooperation.SaysJohnMarshall,aneducationofficial,"wearebecomingrelativelytolerantofhomeschoolers.Theideais,let'sgivethekidsaccesstopublicschoolsothey'llseeit'snotasterribleasthey'vebeentold,andthey'llwanttocomeback."Perhaps,butdon'tcountonit,sayhomeschooladvocates.

Homeschoolersopposethesystembecausetheyhavestrongconvictionsthattheirapproachtoeducation--whetherfueledbyreligiousenthusiasmortheindividualchild'sinterestandnaturalpace--isthebest."Thebulkofhomeschoolersjustwanttobeleftalone.”SaysEngeCannon,associatedirectoroftheNationalCenterForHomeEducation.Shesayshomeschoolerschoosethatpathforavarietyofreasons,butreligionplaysarole85percentofthetime.

ProfessorVanGalenbreakshomeschoolersintotwogroups.Somehomeschoolerswanttheirchildrentolearnnotonlytraditionalsubjectmatterbutalso"strictreligiousdoctrineandaconservativepoliticalandsocialperspective".Notincidentally,theyalsowanttheirchildrentolearn--bothintellectuallyandemotionally--thatthefamilyisthemostimportantinstitutioninsociety."Otherhomeschoolerscontend"notsomuchthattheschoolsteachheresy,butthatschoolsteachwhatevertheyteachinappropriately."VanGalenwrites."Theseparentsarehighlyindependentandstrivetotakeresponsibilityfortheirownliveswithinasocietythattheydefineasbureaucraticandinefficient.

Whichofthefollowingstatementsistrue?

A.Homeschoolersengageprivateteacherstoprovideadditionaleducationfortheirchildren.

B.Homeschoolersdon'tgotoschoolbutareeducatedathomebytheirparents.

C.Homeschoolerseducatetheirchildrenathomeinsteadofsendingthemtoschool.

D.Homeschoolersadvocatecombiningpubliceducationwithhomeschooling.

48.IamnotsurethatIcandrawanexactlinebetweenwitandhumor(perhapsthedistinctionissosubtlethatonlythosepersonscandecidewhohavelongwhitebeards),butevenanignorantpersonmayex-pressanopinioninthismatter.

Iamquitepositivethathumoristhemorecomfortableandlivablequality,forhumorouspersons,iftheirgiftisgenuineandnotamereshineuponthesurface,arealwaysagreeablecompanions.Theyhavepleasantmouthsturnedupatthecorners,towhichthegreatMasterofMarionetteshasfixedthestringsandheholdstheminhisnimblestfingerstotwitchthemattheslightestjest.Butthemouthofamerelywittymanishardandsour.Noristheflashfromawittymanalwayscomforting,butahumorousmanradiatesageneralpleasure.

Iadmirewit,butIhavenoreallikingforit;ithasbeentoooftenemployedagainstme,whereashumorisalwaysanally.Itneverpointsanimpertinentlingerintomydefects.Awit'stongue,however,isassharpasadonkey'sstick—Imaygallopthefasterforitsprodding,butthetouchbehindistoopersuasiveforanycomfort.

Witisaleancreaturewithasharpinquiringnose,whereashumorhasakindlyeyeandacomfortablegirth.Withasabettervoiceinasolo,buthumorcomesintothechorusbest.Witkeepstheseason'sfashionsandispreciseinthephrasesandjudgmentsoftheday,buthumorisconcernedwithhomelyeternalthings.

Thedistinctionbetweenwitandhumoris______.

A.ofnoparticularimportance

B.solelyamatterofopinion

C.subtle

D.exactandimportant

49.

TheEU'sattitudetowardstheawakesystemcanbebestdescribedas"______".

A.cautiousoptimism

B.insufficientsupport

C.sheerconfidence

D.fitfuluncertainty

50.Whatdoestheword"corrupt"(Line5,Para.4)mean?

A.Makemorallybad.B.Hurt.C.Injure.D.Damage.

51.

WhohaswrittenthepaperthatprovidesacomprehensiveanalysisofChina'spro-growthpoliciesanddevelopmentalplans?

52.

Accordingtothepassage,whatcontributedtothedevelopmentofrealestate?

53.SectionA

Directions:Inthissection,thereisashortpassagewith5questionsorincompletestatements.Readthepassagecarefully.Thenanswerthequestionsorcompletethestatementsinthefewestpossiblewords.

TwocitiesthatlayattheedgeoftheMediterraneanmorethan1,200yearsago,HerakleionandEasternCanopus,disappearedsuddenly,swallowedbythesea.Now,aninternationalteamofscientistsmayhavefiguredoutthemysteryofwhyithappened.

Theresearchershaveconcludedthatthetwocitiescollapsedwhenthelandtheywerebuiltonsuddenlyliquefied(液化).

Untilrecently,theonlyevidencethattheyexistedcamefromGreekmythologyandthewritingsofancienthistorians.Then,duringexpeditionsin1999and2000,ateamofFrenchmarinearchaeologistsheadedbyFranckGoddiofoundtheruins—almostcompletelyintact—buriedontheseaflooroftheAbuQirBayinEgypt.

Sincethen,therehasbeenmuchspeculation(猜測(cè))aboutwhythecitiesdisappearedsosuddenly.Earthquakes,subsistence(生存)conditions,andariseinsealevelhaveallbeensuggestedaspossibilities.

"Therearenowrittendocumentsonhow,when,orwhythesetwocitieswentdown,"saidJean-DanielStanley,ageoarchaeologistwiththeSmithsonianInstitutioninWashington,D.C.

StanleyandhiscolleaguesattheInstituteEuropeend'ArcheologieSous-MarineinParis(theEuropeanInstituteofMarineArchaeology)arguethatamajorfloodoftheNileinthemiddleoftheeighthcenturyA.D.wastoblame.Theflood,theysay,triggeredthesinkingofEasternCanopusandHerakleionbyturningthegroundbeneaththecitiesintoliquefiedmud.

Thecollapsewassuddenandcatastrophic,saidStanley."Wecantell,"hesaid,"becauseinbothplaceswe'vefoundgoldandjewelry,which,iftherehadbeentime,peoplewouldhavetakenwiththemwhenfleeing."

HerakleionandEastCanopusoncestoodatthemouthofthenow-extinctCanopicbranchoftheNile.BuiltsometimebetweentheseventhandsixthcenturiesB.C.,asthedaysoftheEgyptianPharaohswerecomingtoanend,thecitiesflourishedasgatewaystoEgypt.

HerakleionwasaportofentrytoEgyptandgrewwealthybycollectingtaxesongoodsbeingshippedupriver.

Frozenintimebelowthewater'sweremanytemplesandstatuesofgodsandgoddesses,alsoattestingtothecities'roleasdestinationsforreligiouspilgrims.

Untiltheunderseadiscovery,historiansknewaboutthecitiesonlythroughmythandancientliterature.Menelaus,thekingofSpartaandhusbandtoHelen,overwhomtheTrojanWarwasfought,wassaidtohavestayedinHerakleionfollowingtheten-yearwaragainstTroy.

GreekmythologyholdsthatthecityofCanopuswasnamedafterMenelaus'helmsman(舵手),whowasbittenbyaviper(毒蛇)andtransformedintoagod.

TheGreekhistorianHerodotuswroteofhavingvisitedthecitiesin450B.C.

Thecities'fortunesdeclinedwhenAlexandertheGreatfoundedAlexandriain331B.C.Yetcenturieslater,GreekgeographerStrabo(63B.C.-21A.D.)describedthelocationandwealthofHerakleion,whileSeneca(5B.C.-65A.D.)condemnedthecitiesfordecadent(頹廢的)andcorruptlifestyles.

Accordingtothepassage,whendidHerakleionandEasternCanopusdisappear?

54.What'sSpinney'sopiniononthetargetaudienceofSesameStreet?

A.Theyarecompletelydifferentthantheywere40yearsago.

B.Manyofthemaredevotedfansoftheperformance.

C.Theirbasicneedshaven'tchangedmuchthroughyears.

D.Theycontinuetowatchtheshowwhenth