2022-2023年河南省平頂山市大學(xué)英語6級大學(xué)英語六級

2022-2023年河南省平頂山市大學(xué)英語6級大學(xué)英語六級學(xué)校:________班級:________姓名:________考號:________

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

Ifyoucomeupagainstthekillerquestionssuchastheselistedinthepassage,takeafewmomentsto______.

2.InancientOlympicgamesathleteswererequiredtoearntheexcellencebyskillwithnoexception.

3.TheScienceofInterruptions

In2000,GloriaMarkwashiredasaprofessorattheUniversityofCalifornia.Shewouldarriveatherdeskinthemorning,fullofenergyandreadytotackleherto-dolist.Nosoonerhadshestartedonetaskthanacolleaguewoulde-mailherwithanurgentrequest;whenshewenttoworkonthat,thephonewouldring.Attheendoftheday,Markhadaccomplishedafractionofwhatshesetouttodo.

Lotsofpeoplecomplainthatofficemultitaskingdrivesthemnuts.ButMarkstudieshowhigh-techdevicesaffectourbehavior,soshewasabletodomorethancomplain:Shesetouttomeasurehownutswe'veallbecome.Shewatchedcubicle(辦公室隔間)dwellersastheysurfedthechaosofmodernofficelifeandfoundeachemployeespentonlyten-and-a-halfminutesonanygivenprojectbeforebeinginterrupted.Eachshortprojectwasitselffragmentedintothree-minutetasks,likeansweringe-mailmessagesorworkingonasheet.

Mark'sstudyalsorevealedthatinterruptionsareoftencrucialtoofficework.Thehigh-techworkersadmittedthatmanyoftheirdailydistractionswereessentialtotheirjobs.Whensomeoneforwardsyouanurgente-mailmessage,it'softensomethingyoureallydoneedtosee;ifamobilephonecallbreaksthrough,itmightbethecallthatsavesyourhide.

Forsomecomputerengineersandacademics,thisrealizationhasbeguntoraiseanattractivepossibility:Perhapswecanfindanidealmiddleground.Ifhigh-techworkdistractionsareinevitable,maybewecanre-engineerthemsowereceivealloftheirbenefitsbutfewoftheirdownsides.

TheBirthofMultitasking

Thescienceofinterruptionsbeganmorethan100yearsagowiththeemergenceoftelegraphoperators—thefirsthigh-stress,time-sensitiveinformation-technologyjobs.Psychologistsdiscoveredthatifsomeonespoketoatelegraphoperatorwhilehewaskeyingamessage,theoperatorwasmorelikelytomakeerrors.Later,psychologistsdeterminedthatwheneverworkersneededtofocusonajobthatrequiredthemonitoringofdata,presentationwasallimportant.Usingthisknowledge,cockpits(駛艙)forfighterpilotswerecarefullydesignedsothateachdialandmetercouldbereadwithjustaglance.

Still,suchissuesseemedremotefromthelivesofeverydayworkers.Then,inthe1990s,computersbegantoexperiencearapidincreaseinspeedandpower."Multitasking"wasborn;insteadofsimplyworkingononeprogramforhoursatatime,acomputeruserworksonseveralsimultaneously.Officeworkersnowstareatcomputerscreensofoverwhelmingcomplexity,astheyjuggle(操縱)messages,textdocuments,PowerPointpresentationsandwebbrowsers.Inthemodernofficeweareallfighterpilots.

EffectofMultitasking:Computer-affectedBehavior

Informationisnolongerascarceresource—attentionis.20yearsago,anofficeworkerhadtwotypesofcommunicationtechnology:aphone,whichrequiredaninstantanswer,andpostalmail,whichtookdays.Nowpeoplehavedozensofpossibilitiesbetweenthesetwopoles.

Theresultissomethinglike"continuouspartialattention",whichmakesussobusykeepinganeyeoneverythingthatweneverfullyfocusonanything.Thiscanactuallybeapositivefeeling,inasmuchastheconstantemaildingingmakesusfeelneededanddesired.Butwhathappenswhenyoutakethattotheextreme?Yougetoverwhelmed.Sanityliesindanger.

In1997,MicrosoftrecruitedMaryCzerwinski,whoonceworkedinNASA'sHuman-computerInteractionLab,toconductbasicresearchtofindouthowcomputersaffecthumanbehavior.Shetook39officeworkersandinstalledsoftwareontheircomputersthatwouldrecordeverymouseclick.Shediscoveredthatcomputeruserswereasrestlessashummingbirds.Onaverage,theyjuggledeightwindowsatthesametime.Moreastonishing

A.YB.NC.NG

4.

Elephantsmournforthedeadby______.

5.

______isthenameofaCambridge-basedcompanythatistryingtocreatethekindofcomputerwhichmightreceivethecontentsofabrain.

6.

Thereisnotmuchchangeintheweatherinthetropicalrainforestsalltheyearround.

A.YB.NC.NG

7.

JewishandItalianAmericansusuallythinkaraisedvoicemeansabeginningofafight.

A.YB.NC.NG

8.GMOrganisms

Byfarthemostcommongeneticallymodified(GM)organismsarecropplants.Butthetechnologyhasnowbeenappliedtoalmostallformsoflife,form.petsthatglowunderUVlighttobacteriawhichfromHIV-blocking"livingcondoms"andfrompigsbearingspinach(菠菜)genestogoatsthatproducespidersilk.

GMtomatoesfirstappearedonBritishsupermarketshelvesin1996(adifferentfreshGMtomatofirstappearedintheUSin1994),butthattheconsumerswereinfavorofGMtechnologydidnoteruptuntilFebruary1999.ThiswasbecauseacontroversialstudysuggestedthatafewstrainsofGMpotatoesmightbetoxictolaboratoryrats.Thoseexperiments,subsequentlycriticizedbyotherexperts,werecarriedoutinScotlandbybiochemistArpadPustzai.

WhatfollowedwasaEuropeananti-GMfoodcampaignofnearreligiousfervor.SpearheadedintheUKbyenvironmentalgroupsandsomenewspapers,thecampaignwouldhavefar-reachingconsequences.Itculminatedinanunofficialmoratorium(延期付款)onthegrowthandimportofGMcropsinEuropeandledtoatradedisputewiththeUS.

GMcropsaretodayveryrareinEurope,strictlabelinglawsandregulationsareinplaceforfood(DNV=Abarcodes),andpublicopiniontowardsthetechnologyremainslargelynegative.SeveralUKgovernmentreportshaveofferedqualifiedsupportforGMcropsandproduce,thoughtheyarguethattheeconomicbenefitsofthetechnologyarecurrentlysmall.SomeAfricannationshavealsoopposedengineeredcrops,eventothepointofrejectinginternationalfoodaidcontainingthem.

GMproducehasbeentakenupwithfarlessfussintheUS(whereitdoesnothavetobelabeled),India,China,Canada,Argentina,Australiaandelsewhere.HowevercontroversyoveratypeofGMcorn--onlyapprovedforanimalfeed--whichturnedupintacoshellsandotherproductsstirredopinionintheUS.

BiotechRevolution

Thehumanracehasmethodicallyimprovedcropplantsthroughselectivebreedingformanythousandsofyears,butgeneticengineeringallowsthattime-consumingprocesstobeacceleratedandexotictraitsfromunrelatedspeciestobeintroduced.Butnoteveryoneagreesthisrepresentsprogress.

Therootofgeneticengineeringincropsliesinthe1997discoverythatsoilbugAgrobacteriumTumefacienscanbeusedasatooltoinjectpotentiallyusefulforeigngenesintoplants.Withthehelpofthatmicrobe,andothergene-implantationtechnologiessuchasgeneguns,geneticistshavedevelopedamultitudeofnewcroptypes.

Mostofthesearemodifiedtopest,diseaseorherbicideresistantandinclude:soya,wheat,corn(maize),oilseedrape(canola),cotton,sugarbeet,walnuts,potatoes,peanuts,squashes,tomatoes,tobacco,peas,sweetpeppers,lettuceandonions,amongothers.ThebacterialgeneBtisoneofthemostcommonlyinserted.Itproducesaninsecticidaltoxinthatisharmlesstopeople.

SupportersofGMtechnologyarguethatengineeredcrops--suchasvitaminA-boostedgoldenriceorprotein-enhancedpotatoes--canimprovenutrition,thatdrought--orsalt-resistantvarietiescanflourishinpoorconditionsandpreventworldhunger,andthatinsect-repellingcropsprotecttheenvironmentbyminimizingpesticideuse.

Otherplantshavebeenengineeredtoimproveflavour,increaseshelflife,increasehardinessandtobeallergen-free.Geneticistshaveevencreatedano-tearsoniontobanishculinary(廚房的)crying,andnovelcaffeine-freecoffeeplants.

"Frankenfood"Fears

Criticsfearthatwhattheycall"Frankensteinfoods"couldhaveunforeseen,adversehealtheffectsonconsumers,producingtoxicproteins(andallergens)ortransferringantibiotic-resistanceandothergenestohumangutbacteriatodamagingeffect.Buttherehasbeenlittleevidence

A.YB.NC.NG

9.

Youcangetthejobyouwantifyou______.

10.

PeopleWithunderworldbackgrounddonatetopoliticalparties,bribegovernmentofficials,orevenparticipateinelectionssoasto______.

11.

PrivategroupshelpthosepatientswithAIDSbyorganizingsupportgroupsandestablishingmanyspecialcenterswherepeoplewithAIDScan______.

12.

Geneticengineeringtechnologyishelpfultoimprovepeople'shealthconditions.

A.YB.NC.NG

13.

What,accordingtotheauthor,causedthedeclineoftheatrebusiness?

A.Therearenotprofessionaltheatresinlargeprovincialtowns.

B.DuringWorldWarⅡ,alotoftheatresweredestroyed.

C.SomepeoplebegintochoosestayathomeandwatchTV.

D.Theperformanceoftheplaysisbecomingworseandworse.

14.Ingeneral,whenitcomestotheissueofpopsingers'ethics,averagelistenersare______.

15.

TheBermudaTriangleseemstoform.atrianglebetween______,______,andtheoceaneastofPuertoRico.

16.

Someresearchmightbeconductedinahigh-securitylaboratoryinordertoavoid______.

17.

TheUnitedStateswasemployingtheforeignscientiststodomeaninglessworktooccupytheirtime.

A.YB.NC.NG

18.

Evenifyouhaveelectricityandwater,youstillcannotproducehydrogeneverywhere.

A.YB.NC.NG

19.

Todoexteriorpaintingbyyourself,youhavetobuypaintingtoolsandmaterials,whichareprobablyworth______dollarsatthemost.

20.Whichofthefollowingprovidesdinnercruisesnow?

A.ThePotomacRiver

B.BostonHarbor

C.TheChicagoRiver

D.TheMississippiRiver

二、3.ListeningComprehension(20題)21.(29)

A.Atthebackoftheplane.

B.Somewherebehindthepilot’scabininthefrontoftheplane.

C.Onthefight-handsideoftheplane.

D.Closetothesmallkitchen.

22.(22)

A.Havedinnerwithhim.

B.Writethepaperforhim.

C.Gotoclasseswithhim.

D.Helphimwiththepaper.

23.【B11】

24.聽力原文：W:Iwonderwhatmakesmothersoupsetthesedays.

M:Fatherwouldliketoaffordanewvillainthefarawaysuburbs,whichgoesagainstherwishes.And,whatismore,heturnsadeafeartoherwords.

Q:Whyismotherveryunhappyrecently?

(16)

A.Shewantstoliveinthesuburbs.

B.Sheisoffendedbyhernaughtychildren.

C.Shedisagreeswithfather.

D.Sheturnsadeafeartoherhusband'swords.

25.(46)

26.

【B10】

27.(17)

A.Shedoesn'tfollowtheteacher.

B.Shehasbeengiventoomuchwork.

C.Shehasnointerestatthebeginning.

D.Sheisn'tusedtoEnglishteaching.

28.(35)

A.Thedevelopmentofourabilitytocheckthedetails.

B.Matchingourexpectationswiththemeaningofatext.

C.Theapplicationofreadingstrategies.

D.Determiningthemainideaofatext.

29.聽力原文：M:You'renotstillwatchingtelevision,areyou?

W:Ienjoyyourtelevision--I'llhavetowatchlotsmorewhileI'mhere.Thecamera-workwasverygood.Itlookedliketheworkofrealexperts.Er...howlonghastelevisionbeengoinginBritain?

M:Oh,since1936.

W:Ah!

M:(19)OnlyintheLondonareaatthattime,though.Therewasn'tanytelevisionduringtheSecondWorldWar.Itstartedupagainafterwards.TheBBCwastheorganizationresponsibleforit.

W:WhatdotheinitialsBBCstandfor?

M:(20)BritishBroadcastingCorporation.It'sapubliccorporation.Itisn'tcontrolledbythegovernment,butit'snotaprivatecompanyeither.Thatmeansthatthegovernmentcan'tusetheBBCforpropagandapurpose,andnorcanprivateindividualsorfirms.

W:Isthereanyadvertising?

M:NotontheBBC,ITVgetsitsmoneyfromadvertising,though.

W:ITV?

M:ITVstandsforIndependentTelevision.Itwasstartedin1954againintheLondonarea.Itcoversthewholecountrynow,though.

W:Whatdopeoplethinkoftheadvertisementsontelevision?

M:Itdepends.Alotofpeoplethinkit'sagoodideabecauseitmeansthattelevisioncanpayitsway--theITVgetsallitsmoneyfromtheadvertisements.

W:WhatabouttheBBC?

M:YouhavetopayaTVlicenseof￡7ayearthatgoestotheBBC.Or￡12forcolor.Alotofpeopledon'tlikehavingtopayandwishthattherewereadvertisementsontheBBCtoo.Ontheotherhand,(21)otherpeoplehateTVadvertisingbecausetheythinkit'saninsulttotheirintelligence.

(20)

A.Therewastelevision,butnotinLondon.

B.TherewasnotelevisionanywhereinEngland.

C.Therewastelevision,butonlyintheLondonarea.

D.TherewastelevisionsomewhereinBritain.

30.聽力原文：W:Ok,thiswillbemytreat.

M:Oh,no,youdon't.

W:Allrightthen,we'llgoDutch.

M:Nexttime.Thistimeit'smytreat.

W:Mine,it'snicetohavelunchwithsuchaprosperousgentleman.

M:Thankyou.

W:Gee,it'scrowded.

M:Look,oneemptytablebythatbigpicturewindowoverthere.Let'sgoandgetitt

W:Ah,thisisaprettyspot.Youcanseethepeoplepassingbywhileyoueat.

M:Andtheycanseeyoueatwhiletheypassbyandthat'saprettypicturetoo.

W:Younotonlycoinaneatphrase,butturnagirl'sheadtoo.Isthistheonlytypeofplaceforlunch?

M:Therearesomelunchcounters,buttheyserveonlyafewspecialties.

W:Whycan'tyoueatyourlunchinarestaurant?

M:Well,youcan,buttheserviceisn'tasfast.Mostpeopleonlyhavehalfanhourtoonehourforlunch.Thetimeistooshortforthemtoeatinarestaurantorrunbackandforthfromhometoschooloroffice,becausecitiesaretoobig.

W:Sotheyeatquicklyatthelunchcounters?

M:Right.Lunchisnormallyalightmealanyway.Workersmusteithertakelunchwiththemorgetitneartheplacewheretheywork.

W:Whataboutthechildren?

M:Kidsinschooltakesandwiches,fruitandcookiesalongwiththemoreatinschoolcafeterias.

W:Thisisdelicious.IfallthefoodtastesasgoodasthisIwon'tmissourownfoodtoomuch.IlikeAmericanfood!

M:I'mgladyouenjoyit.Areyoudone?

W:Yeah,I'mfull.

M:Areyousure?Youcangetseconds.

W:I'mpositivelyfull.Ihavenomoreroom.Wow,thiswilllastmeforaweek.Thankyouverymuch.

M:Don'tmentionit.

(20)

A.Theman.

B.Thewoman.

C.Theypayfortheirowndinnerrespectively.

D.Someoneelse.

31.(28)

A.In1873.B.In1875.C.In1893.D.Between1900and1934.

32.聽力原文：W:Let'stalkaboutthepreparationsfortheparty.

M:Right.Ithinkwereallyneedtoplanbetterandgetthingsdoneinadvancethistime.Stillrememberwhatamessitwasatthelastparty?

Q:Whatdoweknowaboutthelastpartyfromtheconversation?

(17)

A.Itwasprettygood.

B.Itwasratherdull.

C.Itwasnotwellorganized.

D.Itwasattendedbymanypeople.

33.聽力原文：W：Tom，wherewereyouyesterdayevening?Iexpectedtoseeyouattheconcert.

M：Oh,Iwaitedforyouatthecornerofyourstreet,ThenIlookedforyouatyourflat,butthehousekeepersaidyouwereout．

Q：Whydidn'ttheymeetthatevening?

(17)

A.Theywerebothbusydoingtheirwork.

B.Theywaitedforeachotheratdifferentplaces.

C.Theywenttothestreetcomeratdifferenttimes.

D.Themanwenttotheconcert,butthewomandidn't.

34.(18)

A.Shedoesn'tlikestandingsoclose.

B.Shecan'thearclearly.

C.Shecan'twatchtelevisionclearly.

D.Shewashurtbythelight.

35.SectionC

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

Inabout45years,temperaturesonEarthwillbehotterthanatanytimeduringthepastonemillionyears,saystheU.S.【B1】______topclimatologistinanewreport【B2】______today.

Accordingtothereport,publishedinthe【B3】______oftheNationalAcademyofSciences,theplanetisjusttwodegreesshyofan【B4】______temperatureof59degreesFahrenheit,whichiswhatthey【B5】______thetemperaturewasaboutamillionyearsago.

NASA'sJamesHansen,alongwith【B6】______fromtheUniversityofCaliforniaandColumbiaUniversity,areforthefirsttime,markinga【B7】______signalingtheapproachoftemperaturesthathumanshavenever【B8】______"HumansarenowincontroloftheEarth'sclimate,forbetterorworse,"Hansensays.

【B9】______

Whatthattemperaturechangemeansisthatbymid-century,theworldwillexperienceevenmorerecordheatwaves,wildfires,moreintensestormsandflooding.Inotherpartsoftheworld,【B10】______

Hansenstresseswecan'twaitthatlongtocutgreenhousegaspollution,becauseofthedecadesittakesfortheclimatesystemtorespondtochanges.【B11】______

【B1】

36.(32)

A.Askone'smomanddadtohelp.

B.Changethelifestyle.ofthewholefamily.

C.Worktogetherfriendly.

D.Launchacompetitionforlosingweight.

37.聽力原文：W:Hello,UltimateComputers.MayIhelpyou?

M:Yes,thisisJackKordellfromHunter'sOfficeSupplies.MayIspeaktoElaineStrong,please?

W:(22)I'msorry,butshe'snotinrightnow.

M:Okay,doyouknowwhenshe'llbeback?

W:Uh,yes,sheshouldbeherelateronthisafternoonmaybeabout4:30.MayItakeamessage?

M:Yes.Ms.Strongsentmeabrochuredetailingyournewestlineoflaptopcomputerswithadescriptionofothersoftwareproducts,(23)buttherewasn'tanyinformationaboutafter-salesservice.

W:Oh,I'msorry.Wouldyoulikemetofaxthattoyou?

M:Yes,butourfaxisbeingrepairedatthemoment,anditwon'tbeworkinguntilaround2:30.Hum...couldyoutrysendingthatinformationaround3:30?(24)ThatshouldgivemetimetolookoverthematerialbeforeIcallMs.Strong,say,around5:00.W:Sure.CouldIhaveyourname,telephonenumber,andfaxnumber,please?

M:Yes.(25)JackKordellandthephonenumberis560-1287.Andthefaxnumberis560-1288.

W:Okay.JackKordell.IsyournamespelledC-O-R-D-E-L?

M:No.It'sKordellwitha"K"andtwo"l"s.K-O-R-D-E-L~L.

W:Allright,Mr.Kordell.Andyourphonenumberis560-1287,andthefaxnumberis560-1288.Isthatcorrect?

M:Yesitis.

W:Allright.I'llbesuretosendyouthefaxthisafternoon.

M:Okay,bye.

(23)

A.She'sinameeting.

B.She'soutoftheoffice.

C.She'stalkingwithanothercustomer.

D.She'savoidingthecaller.

38.(42)

39.(21)

A.Fourdays.

B.Aweek.

C.Sixtoninedays.

D.Hehasn'tdecidedyet.

40.聽力原文：M:Iwonderwhetheritwouldbepossibletochangethisdoubleroomtotwosinglerooms.

W:Sorry,Sir.Allthesingleroomsareoccupied.Butifyoulike,IcancheckwithImperialHoteltoseeiftheyhaveany.

Q:Whatisthewomangoingtodofortheman?

(14)

A.Robust.B.Brave.C.Generous.D.Dangerous.

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

Whydidsomanysubjectsgiveincorrectanswers?

A.Theyfailedtojudgethelengthofthelines.

B.Theywouldn'tliketosticktotheirownbeliefs.

C.Theypreferredtoactinaccordwithprevailingsocialattitudes.

D.Theywouldn'tliketheirworkingbrainstobeinvestigatedbyM.R.I.scanners.

42.SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice.

Thegravitationalpulloftheearthandmoonisimportanttousasweattempttoconquermoreandmoreofouterspace.Here'swhy.

Asarocketleavestheearth,thepulloftheearthonitbecomeslessandlessastherocketroarsoutintospace.Ifyouimaginealinebetweentheearthandthemoon,there'sapointsomewherealongthatline,nearertothemoonthantotheearth,atwhichthegravitationalpullofboththeearthandthemoononanobjectisjustaboutequal.Anobjectplacedonthemoonsideofthatpointwouldbedrawntothemoon.Anobjectplacedontheearthsideofthatpointwouldbedrawntotheearth.Therefore,arocketneedbesentonlytothis"pointofnoreturn"inordertogetittothemoon.Themoon'sgravitywillpullittherestoftheway.

Thereturntripoftherockettotheearthis,insomeways,lessofaproblem.Theearth'sgravitationalfieldreachesfarclosertothemoonthandoesthemoon'stoearth.Thus,itwillbenecessarytofireanearthboundrocketonlyafewthousandmilesawayfromthemoontoreachapointwheretherocketwilldrifttoearthundertheearth'sgravitationalpull.

Theproblemofrockettravelisnotsomuchconcernedwithgettingtherocketintospaceasitiswithguidingtherocketafteritleavestheearth'ssurface.Rememberthatthemoonisconstantlycirclingtheearth.Arocketfiredatthemoonandcontinuinginthedirectioninwhichitwasfiredwouldmissthemoonbyawide:marginand.perhapscontinuetodriftoutintospaceuntil"captured"inanotherplanet'sgravitationalfield.Toreachthemoon,arocketmustbetiredtowardthepointwherethemoonwillbewhentherockethastraveledthe:requireddistance.Thisrequiresprecisecalculationsofthespeedanddirectionoftherocketandofthespeedanddirectionofthemoon.

Forarockettoarriveatapointwherethemoon'sgravitywillpullittherestoftheway,itmustreachaspeedcalledthevelocityofescape.Thisspeedisabout25,000m/les(about40,200kilometers)perhour.Ataspeedlessthanthis,arocketwillmerelycircletheearthinanorbitandeventuallyfallbacktotheearth.

Thisshortpassageismainlyabout______.

A.therocket

B.thepulloftheearth

C.thepullofthemoon

D.thegravitationalpulloftheearthandmoon

43.

Wecanlearnfromthelastparagraphthat______.

A.itisnecessarytoobtainasmuchknowledgeaspossible

B.peopleshouldmakethebestuseoftheinformationaccessible

C.weshouldrealizetheimportanceofaccumulatinginformation

D.itisofvitalimportancetoacquireneededinformationefficiently

44.SectionB

Directions:Thereare2passagesinthissection.Eachpassageisfollowedbysomequestionsorunfinishedstatements.ForeachofthemtherearefourchoicesmarkedA,B,CandD.Youshoulddecideonthebestchoice.

Anaccidentaldiscoveryhasbroughtseismologists(地震學(xué)家)onestepclosertobeingabletopredictearthquakes.Aspartofanunrelatedefforttomeasureundergroundchangescausedbyshiftsinbarometricpressure(大氣壓力),ateamofresearchersfoundthatincreasesinsubterraneanpressure(地下壓力)precededearthquakesalongCalifornia'sSanAndreasFault(斷層)byasmuchas10hours.Iffollow-uptestsadvancethefindings,seismologistsmayeventuallybeabletoprovideafewhours'noticeforpeopletofindsafeplacespriortoquakes.

Researchersusedahigh-techequivalentofastereospeakerloweredintoaboreholenearParkfield,Calif.,ahalf-miledeepandfiveyardsfromameasuringdevice.Fortwomonthsbeginninginlate2005,researcherstransmittedpulsesignalsthreetimespersecond,fromthespeakertothemeasuringdevice,calculatingtraveltimebetweenthetwostations.Surprisedscientistslearnedtheseismicwavessloweddramaticallyononlytwooccasions:twohourspriortoamagnitude-1temblor(地震),andastartling10hoursbeforeamagnitude-3quake.

Theresearchteamtheorizesthattheimmenseamountofpressurebuildingalongthefaultcausessmallcrackswithintherockduringthefinalhoursbeforeanearthquake,increasingrockdensityandslowingthetransmissionsignals."Themorecracksyouhave,theslowertheseismicvelocity,"saysstudyco-authorPaulSilver,ageophysicistwiththeCarnegieInstitutionofWashington.Stillunknowniswhetherthereisanysignificancetothefactthatthemagnitude-3quakehadamuchlongerpre-seismicsignalthanthelower-magnitudequake,orwhetheritwassimplybecauseitsmagnitudewaslargeranditsepicenterclosertothesensors.

Ifscientistscanfleshoutthenewfindingsduringfutureearthquakes—atwo-yearstudyatthesameseismicallyactivelocationbeginsthisSeptember—itcouldform.thebasisofavastlyimprovedearly-warningsystemforquakes.Currentearthquake-warningsystemsgivejustafewseconds'noticebecausetheydetectonlywaves,thefast-movingseismicwavesthatprecedethemoredestructivewavesreleasedduringaquake.Upgradingtoaseismicstressmeter,however,isstillalongwayof{.Researchershopetotestwhetherthestresssignalswouldstillbedetectableonalargerscale,withthetwosensorsspacedmorethanafewyardsapart.

Barringamajorefforttodrillmultiple,half-mile-deepholesalongfaultlines,researcherswouldalsoneedtodevelopasurface-baseddetectionsystemcapableoffilteringouttemperatureswingsandother"noise"thatcouldconfusetheirseismicreadings.

Thepassagemainlytellsusabout______.

A.theimportanceofpredictingearthquakes

B.anewmethodtopredictearthquakes

C.thegreatdamagescausedbyearthquakes

D.atraditionalmethodtopredictearthquakes

45.AclassactionlawsuithasbeenfiledagainstaprominentTorontodoctorbypatientswhoallegeheinjectedabannedsubstanceintotheirfacesforcosmeticpurposes.Thedoctorhadalreadybeeninvestigatedformorethanthreeyearsforusingtheliquidsilicone,aproductnotauthorizedforuseinCanada.

Somepatientssaytheyarenowsufferinghealthproblemsandthinktheliquidsiliconemaybetoblame.OneofthosepatientsisAnnaBarbiero.ShesaysherTorontodermatologisttoldherhewasusingliquidsiliconetosmoothoutwrinkles.Whatshesayshedidn'ttellheristhatitisn'tapprovedforuseinCanada."Ididn'tknowwhatliquidsiliconewasandhejustcalledit'liquidgold',"Barbieroremembers.Afterherlasttreatment,AnnadiscoveredDr.SheldonPollackhadbeenorderedtostopusingthesiliconetwoyearsearlierbyHealthCanada.Expertssaysiliconecanmigratethroughthebody,andcauseinflammationanddeformities.

"Myupperlipisalwaysnumbanditbums."Barbierosays.Barbieroisspearheading(帶頭)alawsuitagainstthedoctor,whoherlawyerthinksmightinvolveupto100patientsinjectedwiththesamematerial."Thefact,aphysicianofhisstaturewoulduseanunauthorizedproductonapatientbecausehethoughtitwasokay,isreallyverydisturbing."sayslawyerDouglasEll