Questions 6-9
Write the appropriate letter A, B, C or D in the spaces numbered 6-9 on the answer sheet.
6. The early Antarctic explorers:
A. travelled to the continent during winter.
B. first explored Antarctica in the 1950s.
C. opened permanent bases in Antarctica.
D. were isolated by heavy snow falls.
7. Those currently employed in Antarctica:
A. work only in summer.
B. maintain permanent all season bases.
C. are all publicly acknowledged.
D. are all scientists studying the environment.
8. Recreational opportunities include:
A. staying in short term holiday huts.
B. working in modern workshops.
C. relaxing in ski lodges.
D. sailing to South America.
9. The closure of Mawson base:
A. caused many explorers to leave Antarctica.
B. occurred in 1995.
C. symbolised the change to modern working conditions.
D. was welcomed by experienced Antarctic explorers.
Questions 10-13
Five sentences have been left out of the Passage. Each sentence is divided into Beginning of Sentence and End of Sentence. Complete questions 10-13 by adding a phrase from A-E. Write your answers in the spaces numbered 10-13 on the answer sheet.
Example:All workers...
Answer:B
Beginning of Sentence
10. A major problem is to ...
11. Expeditioners learn ...
12. The pre-departure programs ...
13. Long-term Antarctic residents learn ...
End of Sentence
A... concentrate on the vital aspects of living in a small, isolated community.
B... undertake intensive training before going to Antarctica.
C... stay through winter with no physical contact with the outside world.
D... to survive in freezing conditions, emergency rescue procedures, mountain climbing, radio communications and vehicle use and care.
E... to wait until summer for mail from home.
Questions 14-16
In the Passage a number of difficulties and their solutions are mentioned. Answer questions 14-16 by listing solution for each difficulty. Use ONE word for each solution. All the words you use will come from Reading Passage 3. Write your solutions in the spaces numbered 14-16 on the answer sheet.
14. low spirits of the early expeditioners
15. seasickness
16. how to check the personality of an Antarctic job-seeker
练习二
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage below.
In Praise of Amateurs
Despite the specialisation of scientific research, amateurs still have an important role to play.
During the scientific revolution of the 17th century, scientists were largely men of private means who pursued their interest in natural philosophy for their own edification. Only in the past century or two has it become possible to make a living from investigating the workings of nature. Modern science was, in other words, built on the work of amateurs. Today, science is an increasingly specialised and compartmentalised subject, the domain of experts who know more and more a bout less and less. Perhaps surprisingly, however, amateurs—even those without private means—are still important.
A recent poll carried out at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by astronomer Dr Richard Fienberg found that, in addition to his field of astronomy, amateurs are actively involved in such fields as acoustics, horticulture, ornithology, meteorology, hydrology and palaeontology. Far from being crackpots, amateur scientists are often in close touch with professionals, some of whom rely heavily on their co-operation.
Admittedly, some fields are more open to amateurs than others. Anything that reuquires expensive equipment is clearly a no-go area. And some kinds of research an be dangerous; most amateur chemists, jokes Dr Fienberg, are either locked up or have blown themselves to bits. But amateurs can make valuable contributions in fields from rocketry to palaeontology and the rise of the Internet has made it easier than ever before to collect data and distribute results.
Exactly which field of study has benefited most from the contributions of amateurs is a matter of some dispute. Dr Fienberg makes a strong case for astronomy. There is, he points out, a long tradition of collaboration between amateur and professional sky watchers. Numerous comets, asteroids and even the planet Uranus were discovered by amateurs. Today, in addition to comet and asteroid spotting, amateurs continue to do valuable work observing the brightness of variable stars and detecting novae—"new" stars in the Milky Way and supernovae in other galaxies. Amateur observers are helpful, says Dr Fienberg, because there are so many of them (they far outnumber professionals) and because they are distributed all over the world. This makes special kinds of observations possible: if several observers around the world accurately record the time when a star is eclipsed by an asteroid, for example, it is possible to derive useful information about the asteroid's shape.
Another field in which amateurs have traditionally played an important role is palaeontology. Adrian Hunt, a palaeontologist at Mesa Technical College in New Mexcio, insists that this is the field in which amateurs have made the biggest conribution. Despite the development of high-tech equipment, he says, the best sensors for finding fossils are human eyes—lots of them. Finding volunteers to look for fossils is not difficult, he says, because of the near-universal interest in anything to do with dinosaurs. As well as helping with this research, volunteers earn about science, a process he calls "recreational education".
Rick Bonney of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, contends that amateurs have contributed the most in his field. There are, he notes, thought to be as many as 60 million birdwatchers in America alone. Given their huge numbers and the wide geographical coverage they provide, Mr Bonney has enlisted thousands of amateurs in a number of research projects. Over the past few years their observations have uncovered previously unknown trends and cycles in bird migrations and revealed declines in the breeding populations of several species of migratory birds, prompting a habitat conservation programme.
Despite the successes and whatever the field of study, collaboration between amateurs and professionals is not without its difficulties. Not everyone, for example is happy with the term "amateur". Mr Bonney has coined the term "citizens cientist" because he felt that other words, such as "volunteer" sounded disparaging. A more serious problem is the question of how professionals can best ack nowledge the contributions made by amateurs. Dr Fienberg says that some amateur astronomers are happy to provide their observations but grumble about not being reimbursed for out-of-pocket expenses. Others feel let down when their observations are used in scientific papers, but they are not listed as co-authors. Dr Hun t says some amateur palaeontologists are disappointed when told that they cannot take finds home with them.
These are legitimate concerns but none seems insurmountable. Provided amateurs and professionals agree the terms on which they will work together beforehand, there is no reason why co-operation between the two groups should not flourish. Last year Dr S. Carlson, founder of the Society for Amateur Scientists won an award worth $290,000 for his work in promoting such co-operation. He says that one o f the main benefits of the prize is the endorsement it has given to the contributions of amateur scientists, which has done much to silence critics among those professionals who believe science should remain their exclusive preserve.
At the moment, says Dr Carlson, the society is involved in several schemes including an innovative rocket-design project and the setting up of a network of observers who will search for evidence of a link between low-frequency radiation and earthquakes. The amateurs, he says, provide enthusiasm and talent, while the professionals provide guidance "so that anything they do discover will be takens eriously". Having laid the foundations of science, amateurs will have much to contribute to its ever-expanding edifice.
Questions 1-8
Complete the summary below. Choose ONE or TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write you answers in boxes 1-8 on your answer sheet.
Summary
Prior to the 19th century, professional ...1... did not exist and scientific research was largely carried out by amateurs. However, while ...2... today is mostly the domain of professionals, a recent US survey highlighted the fact that amateurs play an important role in at least seven ...3... and indeed many professionals are reliant on their ...4.... In areas such as astronomy, amateurs can be in valuable when making specific ...5... on a global basis. Similarly in the area of palaeontology their involvement is invaluable and helpers are easy to recruit because of the popularity of ...6.... Amateur birdwatchers also play an active role and their work has led to the establishment of a ...7....
Occasionally the term "amateur" has been the source of disagreement and alternative names have been suggested but generally speaking, as long as the professional scientists ...8... the work of the non-professionals, the two groups can work productively together.
Questions 9-13
The Passage contains a number of opinions provided by four different scientists. Match each opinion Questions 9-13 with the scientists A-D.NB You may use any of the scientists A-D more than once.
9. Amateur involvement can also be an instructive pastime.
10. Amateur scientists are prone to accidents.
11. Science does not belong to professional scientists alone.
12. In certain areas of my work, people are a more valuable resource than technology.
13. It is important to give amateurs a name which reflects the value of their work.
A. Dr Fienberg
B. Adrian Hunt
C. Rick Bonney
D. Dr Carlson
练习三
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage below.
Indoor Pollution
Since the early eighties we have been only too aware of the devastating effects of large-scale environmental pollution. Such pollution is generally the result of poor government planning in many developing nations or the short-sighted, selfish policies of the already industrialized countries which encourage a minority of the world's population to squander the majority of its natural resources.
While events such as the deforestation of the Amazon jungle or the nuclear disaster in Chernobyl continue to receive high media exposure, as do acts of environmental sabotage, it must be remembered that not all pollution is on this grand scale. A large proportion of the world's pollution has its source much closer to home. The recent spillage of crude oil from an oil tanker accidentally discharging its cargo straight into Sydney Harbour not only caused serious damage to the harbour foreshores but also created severely toxic fumes which hung over the suburbs for days and left the angry residents wondering how such a disaster could have been allowed to happen.
Avoiding pollution can be a full time job. Try not to inhale traffic fumes; keep away from chemical plants and building-sites; wear a mask when cycling. It is enough to make you want to stay at home. But that, according to a growing body of scientific evidence, would also be a bad idea. Research shows that levels of pollutants such as hazardous gases, particulate matter and other chemical "nasties" are usually higher indoors than out, even in the most polluted cities. Since the average American spends 18 hours indoors for every hour outside, it looks as though many environmentalists may be attacking the wrong target.
The latest study, conducted by two environmental engineers, Richard Corsi and Cynthia Howard-Reed, of the University of Texas in Austin, and published in Environmental Science and Technology, suggests that it is the process of keeping clean that may be making indoor pollution worse. The researchers found that baths, showers, dishwashers and washing machines can all be significant sources of in door pollution, because they extract trace amounts of chemicals from the water that they use and transfer them to the air.
Nearly all public water supplies contain very low concentrations of toxic chemicals, most of them left over from the otherwise beneficial process of chlorination. Dr Corsi wondered whether they stay there when water is used, or whether they end up in the air that people breathe. The team conducted a series of experiments in which known quantities of five such chemicals were mixed with water and passed through a dishwashers, a washing machine, a shower head inside a shower stall or a tap in a bath, all inside a specially designed chamber. The levels of chemicals in the effluent water and in the air extracted from the chamber were then measured to see how much of each chemical had been transferred from the water into the air.
The degree to which the most volatile elements could be removed from the water, a process known as chemical stripping, depended on a wide range of factors, including the volatility of the chemical, the temperature of the water and the surface area available for transfer. Dishwashers were found to be particularly effective: the high-temperature spray, splashing against the crockery and cutlery, results in a nasty plume of toxic chemicals that escapes when the door is opened at the end of the cycle.
In fact, in many cases, the degree of exposure to toxic chemicals in tap water by inhalation is comparable to the exposure that would result from drinking the stuff. This is significant because many people are so concerned about water-borne pollutants that they drink only bottled water, worldwide sales of which are forecast to reach $72 billion by next year. Dr Corsi's results suggest that they are being exposed to such pollutants anyway simply by breathing at home.
The aim of such research is not, however, to encourage the use of gas masks when unloading the washing. Instead, it is to bring a sense of perspective to the debate about pollution. According to Dr Corsi, disproportionate effort is wasted campaigning against certain forms of outdoor pollution, when there is as much or more cause for concern indoors, right under people's noses.
Using gas cookers or burning candles, for example, both result in indoor levels of carbon monoxide and particulate matter that are just as high as those to be found outside, amid heavy traffic. Overcrowded classrooms whose ventilation systems were designed for smaller numbers of children frequently contain levels of carbon dioxide that would be regarded as unacceptable on board a submarine. "New car smell" is the result of high levels of toxic chemicals, not cleanliness. Laser printers, computers, carpets and paints all contribute to the noxious indoor mix.
