2014年6月大学英语六级仔细阅读练习题

　　Passage One
　　Questions 56 to 60 are based on the following passage．
　　University of York biologist Peter Mayhew recently found that global warming might actually increase the number of species on the planet，contrary to a previous report that higher temperatures meant fewer life forms—a report mat was his own．
　　In Mayhew’s initial 2008 study，low biodiversity among marine invertebrates(无脊椎动物)appeared to coincide with warmer temperatures on Earth over the last 520 million years． But Mayhew and his colleagues decided to reexamine their hypothesis，this time using data that were“a fairer sample of the history of life．”砌this new collection of material．they found a complete reversal of the relationship between species richness and temperature from what their previous paper argued：the number of different groups present in the fossil record was higher，rather than lower，durin9“greenhouse phases．”
　　Their previous findings rested on an assumption that fossil records can be taken to represent biodiversity changes throughout history．Thisn’t necessarily the case．because there are certain periods with higher．quality fossil samples．and some that are much more difficult to sample well．Aware of this bias．Mayhew’s team used data that standardized the number of fossils examined throughout history and accounted for other variables like sea level changes that might influence biodiversity in their new study to see if their old results would hold up．
　　Two years later，the results did not．But then why doesn't life increasingly emerge on Earth as our temperatures get warmer?
　　While the switch may prompt some to assert that climate change is not hazardous to living creatures，Mayhew explained that the timescales in his team’s study are huge--over 500million years--and therefore inappropriate for the shorter periods that we might look at as humans concerned about global wanning．Many global warming concerns are focused on the next century．He said——and the lifetime of a species is typically one to 10 million years．
　　“I do worry that these findings vill be used by the climate skeptic community to say‘look．Climate warming is fine。he said．Not to mention the numerous other things we seem to do to create a storm of threats to biodiversity—think of what habitat(栖息地)destruction，overfishing，and pollution can do for a species’viability(生存力)．Those things，Mayhew explained，give the organisms a far greater challenge in coping with climate change than they would have had in the absence of humans．
　　“If we were to relax all these pressures on biodiversity and allow the world to recover over millions of years in a warmer climate．then my prediction is it would be an improvement in biodiversity，”he said．So it looks like we need to curb our reckless treatment of the planet first，if we want to eventually see a surge in the number of species on the planet as temperatures get warmer．We don't have 500 million years to wait．

　　56．What is the finding of Peter Mayhew’s recent study?
　　A．Higher temperature causes the low biodiversity of marine invertebrates．
　　B．Fossil record can represent a relatively believable history of life．
　　C．The number of fossils was higher during greenhouse phases．
　　D．Global warming might promote the richness of species on Earth．
　　57．What do we learn about Mayhew’s previous report?
　　A．It was based on his colleagues hypothesis about global warming．
　　B．It was contrary to what his team found in the recent study．
　　C．It was a complete reversal from his 2008 study about marine invertebrates．
　　D．It found evidence for the connections between biodiversity and temperature．
　　58．Why does Mayhew’s team use data that standardized the number of fossils?
　　A．They realize not all fossils can sample well to represent biodiversity changes．
　　B．They start to consider the variables that might influence biodiversity．
　　C．They want to check the previous findings with different research methods．
　　D．They believe sea level changes can lead to inaccurate fossil records．
　　59．Because of the huge timescales in his study，Mayhew believed ．
　　A．global warming is not hazardous t0 1iving creatures in a short time
　　B．his study is not suitable to support short-term global warming
　　C．global warming concerns should be focused on in the next century
　　D．the lifetime of a species can be extended t0 10 million years
　　60．By“we don’t have 500 million years to wait”(Line 4，Para．6)，the author suggests that_____.
　　A．we have no enough time to allow the earth to recover from damages
　　B．we have no enough time to witness the evolution of a species
　　C．it’s urgent for humans to take steps to prevent global warming
　　D．it's necessary for humans to stop maltreatment of the planet

　　Passage Two
　　Questions 61 to 65 are based oil the following passage．
　　Uke a tired marriage．the relationship between libraries and publishers has long been reassuringly dull．E—books，however，are causing heartache．
　　Libraries know they need digital wares if they are to remain relevant，but many publishers are too careful about piracy and lost sales to c0．operate．Among the big six．only Random 　　House and HarperCollins license e-books with most libraries．The others have either denied requests or are reluctantly experimenting．
　　Publishers are wise to be nervous．Owners of e．readers are exactly the customers they need：book—lovers with money-neither the devices nor broadband connections come cheap．If these wonderful people switch to borrowing e-books instead of buying them，what then?
　　Electronic borrowing is awfully convenient．Unlike printed books．which must be checked out and
　　returned to a physical library miles from where you live，book files can be downloaded at home．Digital library catalogues are often browsed at night．from a comfortable sofa．The files disappear from the device when they are due．
　　Awkwardly for publishers，buying an e—book costs more than renting one but offers little extra value．
　　You cannot resell it。lend it to a friend or burn it to stay warm．Owning a book is useful if you want to savor(品尝)it repeatedly，but who reads“Fifty Shades of Grey”twice?
　　E-1ending is not simple．however．There are lots of different and often incompatible e-book formats，devices and licences．Most libraries use a company called Over Drive，a global distributor that secures rights from publishers and provides e-books and audio files in every format．Yet publishers and libraries are worried by Over Drive’s market dominance，as the company can increasingly dictate fees and conditions．
　　Library boosters argue that book borrowers are also book buyers，and that libraries are vital spaces for readers to discover new work．Many were．cheered by a recent Pew survey，which found that more than half of Americans with Horary cards say they prefer to buy their e-books．But the report also noted that few people know that e-books are available at most libraries，and that popular titles often involve long waiting lists，which may be what inspires people to buy．
　　So publishers keep adjusting their lending arrangements in：search of the right balance．Random House raised its licensing prices earlier this year，and Harper Collins limits libraries to lending its titles 26 times．
　　Hachita is engaged in some secret experiments，and the others are watching with held breath．In Britain the government will soon announce a review of the matter．The story of the library e-book is a nail-biter．

　　61．What can be inferred from the fast paragraph?
　　A．Libraries are eager to keep relationship with publishers．
　　B．Several publishers have sold e-books to most libraries．
　　C．Libraries care too much about piracy and book sales．
　　D．Most publishers hesitate to cooperate with libraries．
　　62．What does the author say about electronic borrowing?
　　A．It call help save readers’expenses on devices and broadband connections．
　　B．It needs checking out and returning to the library via the Intemet．
　　C．It enables readers to resell the book files or lend them to friends．
　　D．It has a time limit for the book files downloader on the device．
　　63．What do we learn about Over Drive?
　　A．It has the privilege to offer readers various brands of e-readers．
　　B．It distributes e-books and audio files to publishers．
　　C．Its market dominance threatens publishers and libraries．
　　D．It devotes itself to improving conditions of e．book market．
　　64．According to the recent Pew survey，_____.
　　A．more than half of Americans choose e-books over physical copies
　　B．people with library cards advocate borrowing rather than buying books
　　C．people with library cards have to wait to borrow popular e-books
　　D．the desire to collect a popular book inspires people to buy it
　　65．By“a nail-biter”(Line 4，Para．7)，the author suggests that_____.
　　A．it’s urgent for Librairies to cooperate with publishers
　　B．publishers have many secret experiments to conduct
　　C．it’s impossible for publishers to distribute e-books to libraries
　　D．many problems about e-book lending need to be solved

答案解析

　　答案解析：

　　56．D)。定位 由题干中的finding of Peter Mayhew’S recent study定位到文章第一段：University of York biologist Peter Mayhew recently found that global warming might actually increase the number of species on the planet…
　　详解： 事实细节题。本题考查彼得·梅休的最新研究成果。定位句指出，他发现气候变暖可能使得地球上物种的数量增加，故答案为D)。A)“气温升高导致海洋无脊椎动物生物多样性降低”，这是梅休2008年最初的研究结论，故排除；B)“化石记录能表现出相对可信的生物发展历史”，第三段第一句已经指出这是他研究前的假设而不是结论，故排除；C)“温室效应阶段化石数量更多”，第二段最后一句指出，是化石中体现的生物物种更多而不是化石本身的数量更多，故排除。
　　57．B)。定位 由题干中的Mayhew’S previous report定位到文中第二段第三句：With this new collection of material，they found a complete reversal of the relationship between species richness and temperature from what their previous paper argued．．．
　　详解：推理判断题。本题考查对梅休之前研究报告结论的理解。定位句指出，在新收集的材料中，他们发现了与他们之前的论文所辩称的一种物种丰富性与温度间完全相反的关系，故答案为B)。A)“他的报告是基于同事对于气候变暖的假设前提下”，文中第二段第二句提到their hypothesis，即是他们的共同假设，故排除；c)“与他2008年关于海洋无脊椎动物研究结论完全相反”，梅休之前的研究就是于2008年进行的这次研究，无法与自身作比较，故排除；D)“找到了生物多样性和气温之间的关系的证据”，由定位句可知是得出了与之相反的结论，而不是对其加以证实，故排除。
　　58．A)。定位 由题干中的data that standardized the number of fossils定位到文章第三段第二、三句：this isn’t necessarily the case，because there are certain periods with higher-quality fossil samples，and some that are much more diffimflt to sample well．Aware of this bias，Mayhew’S team used data that standardized the
　　number of fossils．．．
　　详解：推理判断题。本题考查梅休团队利用标准化化石的原因。定位句指出，因为某些特定的时段有一些更高质量的化石样本，其中一些更难取出好的样本。基于这一点，梅休团队在他们的新实验中利用标准化个数并被历史所检测的化石数据，故本题答案为A)。B)“他们开始考虑一些可能影响生物多样性的其他变化因素”、C)“他们想用不同的研究方法检验之前的结论”和D)“他们相信海平面变化会导致化石记录的不准确性”，文中第三段最后一句指出，他们只是猜测比如海平面等相关因素会影响生物多样性而想去证实它，故排除。
　　59．B)。定位 由题干中的the huge timescales in his study定位到文中第四段第三句．．．．Mayhew explained that the timescales in his team’S study are huge--over 500 million years--and therefore inappropriate for the shorter periods that we might look at as humans concerned about global warmin9．
　　详解：事实细节题。本题考查梅休对于研究时间跨度太长的态度。定位句指出，梅休解释他们团队的研究时标很长，有5亿多年，所以用于解释人们关注的较短时间内的全球变暖是不合适的，故答案为B)。
　　A)“气候变暖短时间内不会对生物造成威胁”，文中第四段第三句前半部分指出那是气候变化质疑者的断言，故排除；C)“气候变暖的关注点应该集中在下个世纪”是陈述的事实而不是推测，故排除；D)“一个物种的寿命可以达到1千万年”与题干无直接逻辑关系，故排除。

　　61．D)。定位 由题干中的inferred from the first paragraph定位到文章第一段最后两句：Among the big six，only Random House and Harper Collins license e-books with most libraries．The others have either denied requests or are reluctantly experimenting．
　　详解：推理判断题。本题考查对文章第一段的理解。定位句指出，在六大出版商中，只有兰登书屋和哈珀科林斯出版集团将电子书授权给了大多数图书馆，其他出版商有的表示拒绝，有的则在勉强试探当中，故答案为D)。 A)“图书馆急于与出版商保持联系”，第一段开头指出，图书馆与出版商的关系平淡如水而不是急于保持联系，故排除；B)“一些出版商已经将电子书出售给大部分图书馆了”，最后一句已经指出只有两家出版集团将电子书授权给了大多数图书馆，故排除；c)“图书馆太注重盗版和销量了”，注重盗版和销量的是出版商，故排除。
　　62．D)。定位 由题干中的electronic borrowin9定位到文章第三段首句：Electronic borrowing is awfully convenient．和最后一句：The files disappear from the device when they are due,
　　详解 事实细节题。本题考查有关电子借阅的细节。定位句指出，到期的文件会自动从阅读设备上消失，故答案为D)。A)“电子借阅可以帮助读者节省设备和宽带连接的费用”，第二段第二句只是提到阅读设备和宽带都不便宜，属于推断过度，故排除；B)“需要通过网络结账并传回给图书馆”原文中未提及，故排除；C)“它使得读者将书本转借或者卖给朋友”，由第四段第二句可知，电子书不能再次转借或出售给朋友，故排除。
　　63．C)。定位 由题干中的Over Drive定位到文章第五段最后一句：Yet publishers and libraries are worried by Over Drive’s market dominance，as the company can increasingly dictate fees and conditions．
　　详解：推理判断题。本题考查对超速档的认识和理解。定位句指出，出版商和图书馆也因此对超速档在市场上独占鳌头感到担忧，因为这样一来它就可以逐渐控制费用、提出条件，故答案为C)。A)“它享有给读者提供多种电子读物的特权”，出版商也可以提供，这不是超速档所特有的优势，故排除；B)“它将电子书和音频文件分销给出版商”，由本段第二句得出，超速档从出版商那里购买版权，逻辑错误，故排除；D)“它致力于提升电子书的市场环境”，由本段最后一句可知，超速档可能逐步垄断市场，因而不利于市场竞争，故排除。
　　64．C)。定位 由题干中的the recent．Pew survey定位到文章倒数第二段最后一句：But the report also noted that few people know that e-books are available at most libraries，and that popular titles often involve long waiting lists，which may be what inspires people to buy．
　　详解：事实细节题。本题考查对最近皮尤研究的结论的理解。定位旬指出，这份调查发现，很少有人知道大多数图书馆里也有电子书资源，而且热门书的后面总是跟着长长的借阅预约名单，这或许就是促使人们买书的原因，故答案为C)。A)“超过一半的美国人选择电子书而不是纸质版本的”、B)“有借阅证的人提倡借阅而不是买书”，由本段第二句可知，是超过一半持有借阅证的美国人喜欢买电子书，主语范围扩大，而且是更喜欢购买
　　而不是借阅，故均排除；D)“收藏一本受欢迎的书的渴望促使人们去购买”与原文意思不符，故排除。
　　65．D)。定位 由题干中的a nail．biter定位到文章末段前两句：So publishers keep a4insting their lending arrangements in search of the right balance．Random House raised its licensing prices earlier this year，and Harper Collins limits libraries to lending its titles 26 tenes．和末段末句：The story of the library e．book is a nail．biter．
　　详解：语义理解题。本题考查对“a nail．biter”的理解。末段前两句指出，出版商们通过调整借阅策略以寻求平衡。兰登书屋在今年早些时候提高了授权费；哈珀科林斯把图书馆出借的次数限制在26次以内。最后两句提到，英国政府很快会宣告一项相关审核，图书馆与电子书的故事还在紧张地进行着。由此推知，关于电子书借阅还有很多问题有待解决，故答案为D)。A)“图书馆需要尽快与出版商合作”，作者没表明此观点，故排除；B)“出版商有许多秘密实验要进行”，由末段第二句可知，进行某些实验的只有阿歇特图书出版集团，其他出版商均在观望，故排除；C)“出版商不可能将电子书经销给图书馆”，作者没有表述此观点，反而鼓励两者合作，故排除。