翻译考试历年中级口译真题(12)_第6页

Questions 21~25 
     Computer people talk a lot about the need for other people to become “computer-literate”, in other words, to learn to understand computers and what makes them tick. Not all experts agree, however, that this is a good idea.

     One pioneer, in particular, who disagrees is David Tebbutt, the founder of Computertown UK. Although many people see this as a successful attempt to bring people closer to the
computer, David does not see it that way. He says that Computertown UK was formed for just the opposite reason, to bring computers to the people and make them “ people-literate”.

     David first got the idea when he visited one of America's best-known computer “guru” figure, Bob Albrecht, in the small university town of  Palo Alto in Northern California.
Albrecht has started a project called Computertown USA in the local library, and the local children used to call round every Wednesday to borrow some time on the computers there, instead of borrowing library books. Albrecht was always on hand to answer any questions and to help the children discover about computers in their own way.

     Over here, in Britain, Computertowns have taken off in a big way, and there are now about 40 scattered over the country. David Tebbutt thinks they are most successful when tied to a computer club. He insists there is a vast and important difference between the two, although they complement each other. The clubs cater for the enthusiasts, with some computer knowledge already, who get together and eventually form an expert computer group. This frightens away non-experts, who are happier going to Computertowns where there are computers available for them to experiment on, with experts available to encourage them and answer any questions; they are not told what to do, they find out. 

     David Tebbutt finds it in teresting to see the two different approaches working side by side. The computer experts have to learn not to tell people about computers, but have to be able to explain the answers to the questions that people really want to know. In some Computertowns there are question sessions, rather like radio phone-ins, where the experts listen to a lot of questions and then try to work out some structure to answer them. People are not having to learn Computer jargons, but the experts are having to translate computer mysteries into easily understood terms; the computers are becoming “people-literate”.

21.  According to David Tebbutt, the purpose of Computertown UK is                    .
      (A) to train people to understand how computers work
      (B) to make more computers available to people
      (C) to enable more people to fix computers themselves
      (D) to help people find out more about computers
22.  We learn from the passage that Computertown USA is located in                  .
      (A) the university town                           (B) the project center
      (C) the local library                                (D) the elementary school
23.   The phrase “take off”(paragraph 4) means                .
      (A) transfer to another vessel                       (B) cause to lose weight
      (C) begin to develop markedly                    (D) cause to leave the ground
24.  According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
      (A) Computertowns in the UK have become popular.
      (B) Computertowns and clubs cater for different people.
      (C) Computertowns are more successful than clubs.
      (D) Computertowns and clubs complement each other.

Questions 26~30
     Natural selection is the way nature chooses which organisms survive. Chance mutations occur in response to chemicals of certain energy in the electromagnetic spectrum. If the mutant is better adapted to the environment, it thrives. If not, it dies out or becomes rare.

     Humans have used artificial selection to reproduce plants and animals with desirable characteristics. Many of these domesticated plants and animals can no longer survive in the wild. Their survival depends on the maintenance of an artificial environment and the desires of people. 

     People select certain desired traits such as color, beauty, or scent (as in roses). Other traits which are bred artificially include uniqueness (as in the neck plumage of the prized Jacobin pigeon), size (as in miniature horses), meat quality or milk yield (as in cattle), or resistance to disease (as in fungus-resistant tomatoes). The traits usually selected for convenience, pleasure, or financial gain of individuals. In this way, humans act as agents of evolution through artificial selection.

     Individual specimens with the desired traits are crossbred. The hybrid offspring are then inbred to preserve and fix the desirable characteristics and eliminate unfavorable characteristics From the stock.

     A pure breed is formed when there is not any mixture of other genes over many generations. The American Kennel Club recognizes 121 breeds of purebred dogs. When ancestors of a pure breed are known and registered by a breed club, the dog is said to have a pedigree.

26.   Some people argue that it would do more harm than good for plants and animals to develop through artificial selection. Which statement best supports this argument?
      (A) Roses no longer smell like roses.  
      (B) Purebred dogs are disappearing.
      (C) Humans are harmful agents of plant and animal evolution.
      (D) Many domesticated plants and animals can no longer survive in the wild.
27.   The author cites the dog as an example of artificial selection because of all the following statements EXCEPT that                     .
      (A) Dogs are domestic animals
      (B)  The dog is one of nature s survivors
      (C) Breeders register dogs to obtain a pedigree
      (D) Humans have been the primary agents in dog evolution
28.   Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the result of artificial selection by humanity?
      (A) Many new kinds of plants and animals are produced.
      (B) Financial gain is increased considerably by producing better plants and animals.
      (C) Humans are able to control plant and animal reproduction for humans pleasure.
      (D) It is necessary for humans to maintain the artificial environments.
29.   Breeding the hybrid offspring to fix desirable traits is called                 .
      (A) naturally selecting                                      (B) inbreeding
      (C) pedigree breeding                                      (D) pure-breeding
30.   A farmer imported several fine long wool Tomney sheep from Australia to breed with his Debouittet sheep in hopes of increasing the value of the flock's wool. This is an example of       .
      (A) pure-breeding                                           (B) crossbreeding
      (C) reproducing                                              (D) cloning