第二篇

Hurricane（飓风）Katrina

　　A hurricane is a fiercelypowerful,rotating（旋转的）form of tropical storm that can be 124 to 1,240miles in diameter.The term hurricane is derived from Hurican,the nameof a native American storm god.Hurricanes are typical of a calm centralregion of low pressure between 12 to 60 miles in diameter,known as theeye.They occur in tropical regions.Over its lifetime,one of these can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs.

　　The seed for hurricane formation is acluster（聚集）of thunderstoms over warm tropical waters.Hurricanes canonly form and be fed when the sea-surface temperature exceeds 27℃ andthe surrounding atmosphere is calm.These requirements are met betweenJune and November in the northern part of the world.

　　Under these conditions,large quantities of waterevaporate（蒸发）and condense（冷凝）into clouds and rain-releasing heat in theprocess.It is this heat energy,combined with the rotation of theEarth,that drives a hurricane.

　　When the warm column of air from the sea surfacefirst begins to rise,it causes an area of low pressure.This in turncreates wind as air is drawn into the area.This spinning wind drags upmore moist air from the sea surface in a process that strengthens thestorm.Cold air falls back to the ocean surface through the eye and onthe outside of the storm.

　　Initially,when wind speeds reach 23 miles perhour,these mild,wet and grey weather systems are known asdepressions,or low air pressure.Hurricane Katrina formed in this wayover the south-eastern Bahamas on 23 August 2005.Katrina has had adevastating impact on the Gulf Coast of the US,leaving a disaster zoneof 90,000 square miles in its wake（尾迹）-almost the size of theUK.Thousands have been killed or injured and more than half a millionpeople have become homeless in a humanitarian（人道主义的）crisis of a scalenot seen in the US since the Great Depression.The cost of the damagemay top $100 billion.

　　36.The eye of a hurricane refers to its
　　 part.
　　ng part.
　　 central part.
　　 violent part.

　　37.Which of the following is NOT a "requirement"for the formation of a hurricane?
　　A.Calm surrounding atmosphere.
　　B.High air pressure.
　　C.Warm sea-surface temperature.
　　D.A group of thunderstorms over warm tropical waters.

　　38.When the warm air from the sea surface begins to rise,it
　　s an area of low pressure.
　　es cold air to the eye of a hurricane.
　　ses the sea-surface temperature.
　　thens the rotation of the earth.

　　39.The word"impact"（paragragh 5）could be best replaced by
　　A."function".
　　B."pressure".
　　C."disaster".
　　D."effect".

　　40.Which of the following is NOT true of Hurricane Katrina according to the last paragraph?
　　A.The area affected is almost as big as the UK.
　　B.It has left a disaster zone of 90,000 square miles.
　　C.Over half a million people have been forced to leave their homes.
　　D.This crisis is more serious than that of the Great Depression.

　　第三篇

Trying to Find a Parther

　　One of the most striking findings of a recentpoll  in the UK is that of the people inbterviewed,one in two believesthat it is becoming more difficult to meet someone to start a familywith.

　　Why are many finding it increasingly difficult tostart and sustain intimate relationships?Does modern life really makeit harder to fall in love?Or are we making it harder for ourselves?

　　It is certainly the case today that contemporarycouples benefit in different ways from relationships.Women no longerrely upon partners for economic security or status.A man doesn't expecthis spouse to be  in sole charge of running his household and raisinghis children.

　　But perhaps the knowledge that we can liveperfectly well without a partnership means  that it takes much more topersuade people to abandon their independence.

　　In theory,finding a partner should be much simplerthese days.Only a few generations ago,your choice of soulmate （心上人） wasconstrained（限制） by geography,social convention and family tradition.Although it was never explicit,many marriages wereessentially  arranged.

　　Now those barriers have been broken down.You canapproach a builder or a brain surgeon  in any bar in any city on anygiven evening.When the world is your oyster （牡蛎）,you surely have abetter chance of finding a pearl.

　　But it seems that the old conventions have been replaced by an even tighter constraint:the tyranny of choice.

　　The expectations of partners are inflated（提高） toan unmanageable degree:good looks,impressive salary,kind tograndmother,and right socks.There is no room for error in the firstimpression.

　　We think that a relationship can be perfect.If itisn't,it is disposable.We work to protect ourselves against futureheartache and don't put in the hard emotional labor needed to build astrong relationship.Of course,this is complicated by realities.The costof housing and child-rearing creates pressure to have a stable incomeand career before a life partnership.

　　41.What does the recent poll show?
　　A.It is getting more difficult for a woman to find her husband.
　　B.It is getting increasingly difficult to start a familyl.
　　C.It is getting more difficult for a man to find his wife.
　　D.It is  getting increasingly difficult to develop an intimate relationship with your spouse.

　　42.Which of the following is NOT true about a contemporary married couple?
　　A.The wife doesn't have to raise the children all by herself.
　　B.The husband doesn't have to support the family all by himself.
　　C.The wife is, no l, onger the only person to manage the household.
　　D.They will receive a large sum of money from the govemment.

　　43.Which of the following was NOT a constraint on one's choice of soulmate in the old days?
　　A.The health condition of his or her grandmother.
　　B.The geographical environment.
　　C.The social convention.
　　D.The family tradition.

　　44.Which of the following is NOT expected of a partner according to this passage?
　　A.Good looks.
　　B.An impressive career.
　　C.A high salary.
　　D.A fine sense  of humor.

　　45.The word"sustain"（paragraph 2）could be best replaced by
　　A."reduce".
　　B."shake".
　　C."maintain".
　　D."weaken".

　　第5部分：补全短文（第46~50题，每题2分，共10分）
　　下面的短文有5处空白，短文后有6个句子，其中5个取自短文，请根据短文内容将其分别放回原有位置，以恢复文章原貌。

A Heroic Woman

　　The whole of the United States cheered its latesthero,Ashley Smith,with the Federal Bureau of lnvestigation saying itwas planning to give a big reward to her for having a brave heart andwise mind.

　　（46）She was moving into her apartment inAtlanta,Georgia early on the morning of March 12,when a man followedher to her door and put a gun to her side."I started walking to mydoor,and I felt really,really afraid,"she said in a TV interview lastweek.The man was Brian Nichols,33.He was suspected of killing threepeople at an Atlanta courthouse（法院）on March 11 and later of killing afederal agent.（47）

　　Nichols tied Smith up with tape,but released herafter she repeatedly begged him not to take her life."I told him if hehurt me,my little girl wouldn't have a mummy,"she  said.In order tocalm the man down,she read to him from"The Purpose-Driven Life",abest-selling religious book.He asked her to repeat a paragraph"aboutwhat you thought your purpose in life was-what talents were yougiven."（48）

　　"I basically just talked to him and tried to gain his trust,"Smith said.

　　Smith said she asked Nichols why he chose her."Hesaid he thought I was an angel sent from God,and we were Christiansister and brogher,"she said."And that he was lost,and that God led himto me to tell him that he had hurt a lot of peopole."（49）She saidNichols was surprised when she made him breakfast and that the two ofthem watched television coverage（报道）of the police hunt for him."Icannot believe that's me,"Nichols told the woman.Then,Nichols askedSmith what she thought he should do.She said,"I think you should turnyourself in.If you don't,lots more people are going to get hurt."

　　Eventually,he let her go.（50）A US$60,000 rewardhad been posted for Nichols' capture.Authorities said they did not yetknow if Smith would be eligible（有资格的）for that money.

　　A　The local police were searching for him.
　　B　Smith is a 26-year-old single mother with a daughter.
　　C　Smith tried very hard to kill Nichols.
　　D　She even cooked breakfast for the man before he allowed her to leave.
　　E　And the two of them discussed this topic.
　　F　Then she called the police.

　　第6部分：完形填空（第51~65题，每题1分，共15分）
　　下面的短文有15处空白，请根据短文内容为每处空白确定1个最佳选项。

Walk a Quarter-Mile or Die

　　If you can walk a quarter-mile,odds（可能性）are youhave at least six years of life left in you,scientists say.And thefaster you can（51）it,the longer you might live.

　　While walking is no guarantee of（52）orlongevity（长寿）,a new study found that the ability of elderly people todo the quarter-mile was an"important determinant（决定因素）"in whether ornot they'd be（53）six years later and how much illness and disabilitythey would endure.

　　"The（54）to complete this walk was a powerfulpredictor of health outcomes,"said study leader Anne Newman of theUniversity of Pittsburgh School of Medicine."In fact,we（55）that thepeople who could not complete the walk were（56）an extremely high riskof later disability and death."

　　Newman and colleagues recruited nearly 2,700 whiteand African-American men and women aged 70 to 79 to（57）the walk.All theparticipants were screened and  determined to be inrelatively（58）health,and they had all said they had previously walkedthat far with no（59）.Only 86 percent of them finished,（60）.

　　The scientists then monitored the health andmortality of all（61）for the next six years."There was a big gap inhealth outcomes（62）people who could complete the longer walk and peoplewho could not,with the latter being at an extremely high（63）of becomingdisabled or dying,"Newman said."What was really surprising is thatthese people were not（64）of how weak they actually were."

　　Finishing times were found to be crucial,too.Thosewho completed the walk but were among the slowest 25 percent（65）threetimes greater risk of death than the speedier folks.

　　
　　
　　
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2007年度职称外语等级考试标准答案

英语

理工类A卷（B级）

　　1.A　2.C　3.D　4.B　5.B　6.A　7.C　8.C　9.A　10.D　11.B
　　12.C　13.A　14.D　15.A　16.A　17.A　18.B　19.C　20.C　21.B
　　22.A　23.D　24.E　25.A　26.F　27.C　28.E　29.A　30.B　31.B
　　32.D　33.C　34.B　35.A　36.C　37.B　38.A　39.D　40.D　41.B
　　42.D　43.A　44.D　45.C　46.B　47.A　48.E　49.D　50.F　51.B
　　52.A　53.D　54.C　55.A　56.B　57.C　58.A　59.B　60.C　61.A
　　62.D　63.C　64.D　65.B