2.Inthecontextinwhichitappears,theword“manipulate”mostnearlymeans
A.influenceB.overseeC.coerceD.deceive
E.outmaneuver
答案：AE
Passage40
Asoflate1980s,neithertheoristsnorlarge-scalecomputerclimatemodelscouldaccuratelypredictwhethercloudsystemswouldhelporhurtawarmingglobe.Somestudiessuggestedthatafourpercentincreaseinstratocumuluscloudsovertheoceancouldcompensateforadoublinginatmosphericcarbondioxide,preventingapotentiallydisastrousplanetwidetemperatureincrease.Ontheotherhand,anincreaseincirruscloudscouldincreaseglobalwarming.
Thatcloudsrepresentedtheweakestelementinclimatemodelswasillustratedbyastudyoffourteensuchmodels.Comparingclimateforecastsforaworldwithdoublethecurrentamountofcarbondioxide,researchersfoundthatthemodelsagreedquitewellifcloudswerenotincluded.Butwhencloudswereincorporated,awiderangeofforecastswasproduced.Withsuchdiscrepanciesplaguingthemodels,scientistscouldnoteasilypredicthowquicklytheworld’sclimatewouldchange,norcouldtheytellwhichregionswouldfacedustierdroughtsordeadliermonsoons.
1.TheauthorofthepassageisprimarilyconcernedwithA.confirmingatheoryB.supportingastatement
C.presentingnewinformationD.predictingfuturediscoveriesE.comparingpointsofview
2.Itcanbeinferredthatonereasonthefourteenmodelsdescribedinthepassagefailedtoagreewasthat
A.theyfailedtoincorporatethemostup-to-dateinformationabouttheeffectofcloudsonclimate
B.theywerebasedonfaultyinformationaboutfactorsotherthancloudsthataffectclimate
C.theywerebasedondifferentassumptionsabouttheoveralleffectsofcloudsonclimate
D.theiroriginatorsdisagreedaboutthekindsofforecaststhemodelsshouldprovide
E.theiroriginatorsdisagreedaboutthefactorsotherthancloudsthatshouldbeincludedinthemodels
3.Theinformationinthepassagesuggeststhatscientistswouldhaveto
37answerwhichofthefollowingquestionsinordertopredicttheeffectofcloudsonthewarmingoftheglobe?
A.WhatkindsofcloudsystemswillformovertheEarth?
B.Howcancloudsystemsbeencouragedtoformovertheocean?
C.Whatarethecausesoftheprojectedplanetwidetemperatureincrease?
D.Whatproportionofcloudsystemsarecurrentlycomposedofcirrusclouds?
E.Whatproportionofthecloudsintheatmosphereformoverlandmasses?
答案：BCA
Passage41
ManytheoristsnowdoubtthatheatlossfromEarth’scoreandradioactivedecayaresufficientbythemselvestoproducealltheenergydrivingthetectonicplateswhosemovementshavehelpedshapedEarth’ssurface.Thisleavesalooseendincurrentgeologicaltheory.HerbertShawarguesthatbecausescientistshaveunderestimatedtheinputofsubstantialamountsofenergyfromextraterrestrialimpactors(asteroidsandcometsstrikingEarth),theyhavedifficultyaccountingforthedifferencebetweenthequantityofenergyproducedfromsourcesintrinsictoEarthandthatinvolvedinplatetectonics.WhereasmostgeologistshavetreatedtheadditionofenergythroughthebombardmentofEarth’ssurfacebysuchimpactorsasaprocessseparateandindependentfromthemovementofEarth’stectonicplates,Shawassertsthattheseprocessesareindivisible.Shaw’srevolutionary“open-system”viewrecognizesacontinuumbetweenterrestrialandextraterrestrialdynamics,whereasmodernplatetectonictheory,liketheclassicalgeologydevelopedduringthenineteenthcentury,isfoundedontheviewthatEarth’sgeologicalfeatureshavechangedthroughgradual,regularprocessesintrinsictoEarth,withoutreferencetouniquecatastrophicevents.Classicalgeologyborrowedadecisive,ifunspoken,premisefromNewton—theindependenceofEarth’sprocessesfromanyastronomicalcontext.
1.Theauthor’sprimarypurposeisto
A.identifytheinfluencesinformingaparticulargeologicaltheoryabouttheprocessesthathaveshapedEarth’ssurface
B.identifydifferencesbetweentwoviewsoftheextraterrestrialimpactorsandarguesthatthephenomenonhasinfluencedthedevelopmentofplatetectonictheory
C.arguethatanexplanationisbasedonadubiousevidenceandproposeanalternativeexplanation
D.discussanexplanationandplacethatexplanationundertheoreticalcontext
E.suggestthatapparentdiscrepancyposesaseriousproblemfora
38particulartheorythatmanyhavebelieved
2.Theauthorofthepassagementionsthe“continuum”inorderto
A.pointoutarelationshipbetweenplatetectonicsandthe
nineteenth-centurygeology
B.explainhowatheoryofNewton’scouldinfluencegeologyandplatetectonictheory.
C.distinguishbetweentwosourcesofenergythatcontributedtothedevelopmentofEarth’ssurface.
D.pointoutasimilaritybetweenthesurfaceofimpactorsandthesurfaceofEarth.
E.identifyafeatureofShaw’sviewthatdeviatesfromcurrentscientifictheories.
3.Thepassagesuggestswhichofthefollowingabouttectonictheory?A.IthasledscientiststooverlookanimportantcontributiontoclassicalgeologistsfromNewton.
B.Ithasbeenmoresuccessfulthanwasclassicalgeologyinaccountingforheatlossfrom.
C.ItisbasedonpremiseaboutEarth’sprocessesdiscernedinNewton’sthought.
D.IthascorrectlyexplainedtheeffectsofextraterrestrialimpactorsonEarth’ssurface.
E.Itcorrectsafundamentalflawinclassicalgeology.
答案：DEC
Passage42
HumanimpactsonthenaturalenvironmentduringthelaterpartoftheHolocene(beginningabout4,000yearsago)complicateinvestigationsintoenvironmentalchangeduringthatperiodbecausethesignalsproducedbyhuman-andclimate-inducedchangearesometimesdifficulttoseparate.Forexample,inthelaterHolocene,oneindicatorofincreasedaridityduetoclimatechangeisanincreaseinpollenfromgrasses,asforestvegetationgiveswaytograssland.Suchachangeinvegetationcouldalternativelybeattributedtohumanimpactintheformofagriculturaldevelopment.Examplesofsuchhumanimpactfrom4,000yearsagowouldbesmall-scale,however,sincethebroadecosystemchangesbroughtaboutbythewidespreadadoptionofagriculturaltechnologiesoccurredlater.
1.Whichofthefollowingbestdescribesthefunctionofthehighlightedsentenceinthecontextofthepassageasawhole?
A.Itprovidesanexampleofthekindofproblemsthatoftencomplicateinvestigationsintoenvironmentalchange.
B.ItcallintoquestionthereliabilityoftheestablisheddatesforlaterHoloceneagriculturaldevelopment.
C.ItdescribesthenatureoflocalizedagriculturaldevelopmentsduringthelaterHolocene.
39D.Itoutlinesahypothesisthatdrawsonevidencediscussedearlierinthepassage.
E.Itlimitsthescopeofaparticularcomplicationmentionedearlierinthepassage.
2.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingistrueregardingenvironmentalchanges4,000yearsago?
A.Nolocalizedincreasesingrasspollenwerecausedbyagriculturaldevelopment.
B.Increasesingrasspollenwereatleastsometimesareflectionofanincreaseinaridity.
C.Wholesaleecosystemchangesprobablyresultedfromagriculturaldevelopment.
D.Anysmall-scalechangesoccurringthenwouldnotbedetectablenow.
E.Environmentalchangehelpedinducetheadoptionofagriculturaltechnologies.
答案：EB
Passage43
Meggersarguedthatagriculturedependsonextractingnutrientsfromsoilsintoediblecrops,sopremodernsocietiesinAmazoniacouldnevergrowlargebecauseunderlyingsoilsareimpoverished.InMeggers’viewthepopulationsizethataculturecouldreachdependedupontheagriculturalpotentialofitsenvironment.MeggersacceptedthatfishandturtleresourcesoftheAmazonmadepossiblethelongriversidevillagestheexplorerOrellanadescribedin1542,butshedismissedasexaggeratedCarvajal’sestimatesoftensofthousandsofpeopleinthosesettlements,andshewassurethosesettlementsdidnothaveinlandcounterparts.Supportingthispoint,theOmagua,ariverbankpeopleandoneofthegreatestchiefdomsobservedbyCarvajalasamemberofOrellana’sexpedition,regardedhinterlandforestsasunpopulatedwilderness.
1.Inthecontextofthepassagethehighlightedsentenceservesto
A.explainthebroaderrationaleforaconclusiondescribedintheprecedingsentence
B.suggestsomeofthedrawbacksoftheriverbanklocationofthevillagesdescribedinthefollowingsentence
C.acknowledgeinformationthatappearstoundermineadescriptionattributedtoOrellana
D.introduceaprinciplethatappearstobecontradictedbytheagriculturaldevelopmentofpremodernAmazonia
E.giveareasonforanupwardrevisioninearlierestimatesforpremodernAmazonia
2.FromthepassageitcanbeinferredthatOmaguadependedonA.overlandtransporttocommunicatebetweenvillages
40