第4部分：阅读理解（第31-45题,每题3分,共45分）

下面有3篇短文,每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容, 为每题确定1个最佳选项。

第一篇

Sunspots

It's not surprising that sunspots（太阳黑子）were observed by ancient astronomers（天文学家）. The largest soupspoon the sun can be seenwithout a telescope. It was not until the invention of the telescope（望远镜）in the early 17^th century, however,that systematic studies of sunspots could be undertaken. The great astronomerGalileo was among the first to make telescopic observations of sunspots.

Sunspots are regions of extremelystrong magnetic fields（磁场）found on the sun's surface. Asunspot has a dark central core known as the umbra. The umbra is surrounded bya dark ring called the penumbra, where the magnetic field spreads outward. Sunspotsappear dark because they are giving off less radiation. They are cooler thanthe rest of the sun's surface. Sunspots are frequently observed in pairs of inpaired groups. The members of a spot pair are identified as the leading spotand the following spot. They are identified by their position in the pair interms of the direction in Which the sun rotates（旋转）.The number of sunspots at any one time varies. A large spot group may consistof as many as 10 groups and 300 spots across the sun. The number of spotschanges in a fairly regular pattern called the sunspot cycle. The largestnumber occurs about every 11 years. At sunspot minim L{m, there are at mostjust a few small spots. The average lifetime of an individual spot group isroughly one solar rotation, which is about 25 days. The most persistent large slops,however can survive for two to three months.

31. Carefulobservations and systematic studies of sunspots

　　A. were made by ancientastronomers.  B. started in the early17th century.

　　C. were made by Galileo only.        D. could be made without a telescope.

32. Sunspotsare cooler than the rest of the sun's surface because

　　A. they produce less energy.          B. they are buried in the sun.

　　C. they are far away from magneticfields.    D. they are close to magneticfields.

33 Theleading spot and the following spot are the names of

　　A. two large sunspots.          B. a large spot and a small spot.

　　C. the two spots in a spot pair.       D.the central core and the ring around it.

34. Infinitenesssunspot activity had occurred in 1857, the next one would have been in

　　A. 1858.     B. 1862.     C. 1865       D.1868

35 In the last paragraph the word "persistentmeans

　　A. important.    B. effective.    C. enduring.     D. visible.

第二篇

Where Have All theBees Gone?

Scientists who study insects havea real mystery on their hands. All across the country, honeybees are leavingtheir hives（蜂巢）and never returning. Researcherscall this phenomenon colony-collapse（群体瘫痪）disorder. It is reposed that 25 to 40 percent of the honeybees in the US havevanished from their hives since last fall. So far, no one can explain why.

Colony collapse is a seriousconcern because bees play an important role in the production of about one-thirdof the foods we eat. As they feed, honeybees spread pollen（花粉）from flower to flower. Without this process, aplant can't produce seeds or fruits.

Now, a group of scientists andbeekeepers have teamed up to try to figure out what's causing the alarmingcollapse of so many colonies. They hope to find out what's contributing to thedecline and to prevent bee disappearance in the future.

It could be that disease iscausing the disappearance of the bees. To explore that possibility, Jay Evans, aresearcher at the United States Department of Agriculture（SDA）BeeResearch Laboratory, examines bees taken from colonies that are collapsing. "Weknow what a healthy bee should look like on the inside and we can look forphysical signs of disease." he says. And bees from collapsing colonies don't lookvery healthy. "Their stomachs are worn down compared to the stomachs of healthybees," Evans says. It may be that a parasite（寄生虫）makingthe bees' digestive organs. Their immune（免疫的）systemsmay not be working as they should. Moreover, they have high levels of bacteriainside their bodies.

Another cause of colony-collapsedisorder may be certain chemicals that farmers apply to kill unwanted insectson crops, says Jerry Hayes, chief bee inspector for the Florida Department ofAgriculture. Some studies, he says, suggest that a certain type of insecticide（杀虫剂）affects the honeybee's newels system andmemory. "It seems like honeybees are going out and getting confused about whereto go and what to do," he says.

If it turns out that a disease iscontributing to colony collapse, bees' genes could explain why some colonieshave collapsed and others have not. In any group of bees there are manydifferent kinds of genes. The more different genes a group has, the higher thegroup's genetic diversity. So far scientists haven't determined the role ofgenetic diversity in colony collapse, but it's a promising theory, says Evans.

36. Whatis the mystery that researchers find hard to explain?

　 A. Honeybees are flying allacross the country.

　 B. Half of the honeybees inthe UShave died.

　 C. Honeybees are leavingtheir hives and do not return.

　 D. Honeybee hives are indisorder.

37. Researchers areseriously concerned with the phenomenon of colony-collapse disorder because

　 A. honeybees help produceone-third of the foods we eat

　 B. parasites on bees mayspread everywhere.

　 C. honeybees cannot findenough food elsewhere.

　 D. honeybees feed onflowers.

38. Whichof the following is a possible cause of the colony-collapse disorder?

　 A. Population explosion.          B. Decreasing number of flowers around.

　 C. Genetically modifiedproducts.   D. Diseases and chemicals.

39. Whichof the following explanations is given by Jerry Hayes to the phenomenon?

　 A. Bee-keepers do notunderstand the honeybee's behavior.

　 B. A certain type ofchemical destroys the honeybee's newels system.

　 C. Honeybees are infectedby unwanted insects.

　 D. Some crops are poisonousto the honeybees.

40. Theword "diversity' in the last paragraph means

　 A. variety.    B. makeup.   C. disorder.   D. distinction.

第三篇

A Tale of ScottishRural Life

Lewis Grasses Gibbon's Sunset Song(1932) was voted "the best Scottish novel of all time" by Scotland'sreading public in 2005. Once considered shocking for its frank description ofaspects of the lives of Scotland'spoor rural farmers, it has been adapted for stage, film, TV and radio in recentdecades.

The novel is set on the fictionalestate of Kin Addie, in the farming country of the Scottish northwest in theyears up to and beyond World War I. At its heart is the story of Chris, who isboth part of the community and a little outside it.

Grasses Gibbon gives us the mostdetailed and intimate account of the life of his heroine（女主人公）. We watch her grow through a childhooddominated by her cruel but hard-workingfather；experience tragedy(her mother'ssuicide and murder of her twin children); and learn about her feelings as shegrows into a woman. We see her marry, Lose her husband, then marry again. Chrishas seemed so convincing a figure to some female readers that they cannot,believe that she is the creation of a man.

But it would be misleading tosuggest that this book is just about Chris. It is truly a novel of a place andits people. Its opening section tells of Kin Addie's long history, in alanguage that imitates the place's changing patterns of speech and writing.

The story itself is amazingly fullof characters and incidents. It is told from Chris' point of view but also fromthat of the gossiping community, a community where everybody knows everybodyelse's business and nothing is ever forgotten.

Sunset Song has a social theme too.It is concerned with what Grasses Gibbon perceives as the destruction oftraditional Scottish rural life first by modernization and then by World War I.Gibbon tried hard to show how certain characters resist the war. Despite this, thewar takes the young men away, a number of them to their deaths. In particular,it takes away Chris' husband, Evan Avondale. The war finally kills Evan, butnot in the way his widow is told, In fact. The Germans aren't responsible forhis death, but his own side. He is shot because he is said to have run away froma battle.

If the novel is about the end ofone way of life it also looks ahead. It is a "Sunset Song" but is concerned toowith the new Kin Addie, indeed of the new European world. Grasses Gibbon wenton to publish two other novels about the place that continue its story.

41. Whatis Sunset Song mainly about?

　 A. The First World War.            B. The beauty of the sunset.

　 C. The new European world.        D. The lives of rural Scottish farmers

42. Whichstatement is NOT true of Chris?

　 A. She is the heroine ofSunset Song.    B. She had a miserablechildhood.

　 C. She is the creation ofman.          D. She married only once.

43. Whatis the opening section of the novel mainly concerned with?

　 A .The climate of Kin Addie.          B. The history of Kin Addie.

　 C. The geography of KinAddie.        D. The language spoken in KinAddie.

44. Whokilled Chris' husband, Evan?

　 A. His own troops.             B. The French army

　 C. The Germans.               D. The Russian soldiers.

45. Theword "Sunset" in the title of this novel most probably means

　 A. the end of the heroine'slife.         B. the end often story.

　 C. the end of thetraditional way of life.  D. the end ofthe day.

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