2012年湖北成人学位英语考试真题及答案_第4页

　　Passage 3

　　If the population of the earth goes on increasing at its present rate, there will eventually not be enough resources left to keep our lives on the planet. By the middle of the 21st century, if present trends continue, we will have used up all the oil that drives our cars. Even if scientists develop new ways of feeding the human race, the crowded conditions on earth will make it necessary for us to look for open space somewhere else. But none of the other planets in our solar system are capable of supporting life at present. One possible solution to the problem, however, has recently been suggested by American scientist, Professor Carl Sagan.

　　Sagan believes that before the earth's resources are completely used up it will be possible to change the atmosphere of Venus and so create a new world almost as large as earth itself. The difficulty is that Venus is much hotter than the earth and there is only a tiny amount of water there. Sagan proposes that algae (藻类) organisms that can live in extremely hot or cold atmospheres and at the same time produce oxygen, should be bred in condition similar to those on Venus. As soon as this has been done, the algae will be placed in small rockets. Spaceship will then fly to Venus and fire the rockets into the atmosphere.

　　In a fairly short time, the algae will break down the carbon dioxide into oxygen and carbon.

　　When the algae have done their work, the atmosphere will become cooler, but before man ban set foot on Venus it will be necessary for the oxygen to produce rain. The surface of the planet will still be too hot for man to land on it but the rain will eventually fall and in a few years something like earth will be reproduced on Venus.

　　31. In the long run, the most insoluble problem caused by population growth on earth will probably be the lack of__________.

　　A. food

　　B. oil

　　C. space

　　D. resources

　　32. Carl Sagan believes that Venus might be colonized from earth because__________.

　　A. it might be possible to change its atmosphere

　　B. its atmosphere is the same as the earth's

　　C. there is agood supply of water on Venus

　　D. the days on Venus are long enough

　　33. On Venus there is a lot of

　　A. water

　　B. carbon dioxide

　　C. carbon monoxide

　　D. oxygen

　　34. Algae are plants that can

　　A. live in very hot temperatures

　　B. live in very cold temperatures

　　C. manufacture oxygen

　　D. all of the above

　　35. Man can land on Venus only when

　　A. the algae have done their work

　　B. the atmosphere becomes cooler

　　C. there is oxygen

　　D. it rains there

　　Passage 4

　　Material culture refers to the touchable, material" things"--physical objects that can be seen, held,felt, used--that a culture produces. Examining a nation's material culture can tell us about the group's history and way of life. Similarly, research into the material culture of music can help us understand the music culture. The most vivid way, of course, is musical instruments. We cannot hear for ourselves the actual sound of any musical performance before the 1870s when the phonograph was invented, so we rely on instruments for important information about music culture, their remote past and their development.

　　Here we have two kinds of evidence: instruments well preserved and pictures of instruments in art.

　　Through the study of instruments, as well as preserved paintings, written documents, and so on, we can explore the movement of music from the Near East to China over a thousand years ago, or we can outline the spread of the influence of the eastern countries to Europe that results in the development of most of the instruments on the symphony orchestra.

　　Sheet music or printed music, too is material culture. Printed versions limit variety because they tend to standardize any song, yet folk music stimulates people to create new and different songs. Besides,the ability to read music notation (乐谱) has a far-reaching effect on musicians and, when it becomes widespread, on the music culture as a whole.

　　One more important part of music's material culture is the influence of the electronic media-radio,record player, tape recorder, television, and video cassette, with the future promising talking and singing computers and other developments. This is all part of the" information revolution," a twentieth century phenomenon as important as the industrial revolution was in the nineteenth. These electronic media are not just limited to modern nations;they have affected music cultures all over the globe. They have brought about changes to traditional music instruments.

　　36. Research into the material culture of a nation is of great importance because__________.

　　A. it helps produce new cultural tools and technology

　　B. it can reflect the way of life of the nation

　　C. it helps understand the nation's past and present as well as its way of life

　　D. it can demonstrate the nation's civilization

　　37. It can be learned from the second paragraph that__________.

　　A. the existence of the symphony was attributed to the spread of Near Eastern and Chinese Music

　　B. Near Eastern music had influence on the instruments in the symphony orchestra

　　C. the development of the symphony shows the mutual influence of Eastern and Western Music

　　D. the musical instruments in the symphony based on that of Near Eastern music

　　38. According to the author, music notation is important because__________.

　　A. it has a great effect on the music culture as more and more people are able to read it

　　B. it tends to standardize folk songs when it is used by folk musicians

　　C. it is the printed version of standardized folk music

　　D. it encourages people to popularize printed versions of songs

　　39. It can be concluded from the passage that the introduction of electronic media into the world of music__________.

　　A. has brought about an information revolution

　　B. has speeded up the arrival of a new generation of computers

　　C. has given rise to new forms of music culture

　　D. has led to the transformation of traditional musical instruments

　　40. Which of the following best summarized the main idea of the passage?

　　A. Musical instruments developed through the years will sooner or later be replaced by computers.

　　B. Music cannot be passed on to future generation unless it is recorded.

　　C. Folk songs cannot spread far unless they are printed on music sheets.

　　D. The development of music culture is highly dependent on its material aspect.