40天攻克大学英语四级-第7章
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ists。
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteorites（流星）that race across the night sky。 Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don’t threaten us。 But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth。
Buy 50 million worth of new telescopes right now。 Then spend 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks。 By the time we spot a fatal one； the scientists say； we’ll have a way to change its course。
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons。 But the cost wouldn’t be cheap。
Is it worth it？ Two things experts consider when judging any risk are： 1） How likely the event is； and 2） How bad the consequences if the event ocomurs。 Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500；000 years。 Sounds pretty rare—but if one did fall； it would be the end of the world。 “If we don’t take care of these big asteroids； they’ll take care of us。 ” says one scientist； “It’s that simple。”
The cure； though； might be worse than the disease。 Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth？ “The world has less to fear from doomsday（毁灭性的）rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them。 ”said a New York Times article。
Q： Which of the following best describes the author’s tone in this passage？
A） Optimistic。 B） Critical。
C） Objective。 D） Arbitrary。
【题目译文】下列选项中哪一项最恰当地表达了作者的态度？
【答案解析】C。纵观全文可发现，文章通篇分析了小行星撞击地球的可能性并探讨其解决方法，没有给出作者自己的观点，都是引用“some scientists”，“the scientists”，“experts”和“a New York Times article”的话，由此可推断出作者的态度是客观的。选项A“乐观的”，B“批判的”，D“武断的”，均不符合题意。
Exercise 2 （2000。12）
Engineering students are supposed to be examples of practicality and rationality； but when it comes to my college education I am an idealist and a fool。 In high school I wanted to be an electrical engineer and； of course； any sensible student with my aims would have chosen a college with a large engineering department； famous reputation and lots of good labs and research equipment。 But that’s not what I did。
I chose to study engineering at a small liberal…arts（文科）university that doesn’t even offer a major in electrical engineering。 Obviously； this was not a practical choice； I came here for more noble reasons。 I wanted a broad education that would provide me with flexibility and a value system to guide me in my career。 I wanted to open my eyes and expand my vision by interacting with people who weren’t studying science or engineering。 My parents； teachers and other adults praised me for such a sensible choice。 They told me I was wise and mature beyond my 18 years； and I believed them。
I headed off to college sure I was going to have an advantage over those students who went to big engineering “factories” where they didn’t care if you had values or were flexible。 I was going to be a complete engineer： technical genius and sensitive humanist（人文学者）all in one。
Now I’m not so sure。 Somewhere along the way my noble ideals crashed into reality； as all noble ideals eventually do。 After three years of struggling to balance math； physics and engineering courses with liberal…arts courses； I have learned there are reasons why few engineering students try to reconcile（协调）engineering with liberal…arts courses in college。
The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical sucomessful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don’t mix as easily as I assumed in high school。 Individually they shape a person in very different ways； together they threaten to confuse。 The struggle to reconcile the two fields of study is difficult。
Q： The author’s experience shows that he was 。
A） creative B） ambitious
C） unrealistic D） irrational
【题目译文】作者的经历表明他是 。
【答案解析】C。本文以作者想到一所文科大学学习工科的不成功案例说明，文科和工科根本不能很容易地结合在一起，所以作者应该是“不现实的”。
Exercise 3
Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile is bound to fall into disuse。 They see a day in the not…too…distant future when all autos will be abandoned and allowed to rust。 Other authorities； however； think the auto is here to stay。 They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future。
The motorcar will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years。 It should become smaller； safer； and more economical； and should not be powered by the gasoline engine。 The car of the future should be far more pollution—free than present types。
Regardless of its power source； the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic congestion（拥挤）。 One proposed solution to this problem is the automated highway system。
When the auto enters the highway system； a retractable（可伸缩的）arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail； which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically。
Once attached to the rail； the car will become electrically powered from the system； and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer。 The computer will then monitor all of the car’s movements。
The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination into the system。 The computer will calculate the best route； and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway。 The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer（蜂鸣器）that will warn him of his coming exit。 It is estimated that an automated highway will be able to handle 10；000 vehicles per hour； compared with the 1；500 to 2；000 vehicles that can be carried by a present…day highway。
Q： What is the author’s attitude toward the future of autos？
A） Enthusiastic。 B） Pessimistic。
C） Optimistic。 D） Cautious。
【题目译文】对于汽车的未来，作者的态度是什么？
【答案解析】C。在最后一句话中，作者说明了自动高速公路系统的优势，平均每小时可以处理1万辆汽车，但是现在的高速公路每小时只能处理1500～2000辆汽车，所以作者对于汽车未来的态度应该是乐观的。
unit 1 总论Day 5 题型及应对策略四（词义题）
题型及应对策略四（词义题）
有些问题是对于文章中的单词进行提问，即词义题。
词义题的题目形式有：
The word。。。in the first paragraph most probably means _____。
What is the meaning of 。。。？
By 。。。the author refers to _____。
The expression 。。。can be replaced by _____。
词义题有两种情况：
1）超纲词汇。出题老师故意给出难词，要求同学们运用上下文各种信息找到意思。如“acomentuate”，“cushion”等。
2）熟词生义。有些词同学们知道常用意思，但在文章中的意思就不一定了解。如“official”，“community”等。
解题时有六大技巧帮助我们：
1）下定义（Definition）：即在一个生词后面给出它的定义，我们从定义就可以容易地找出生词的意思。
He takes a special interest in botany—the study of plants。
从破折号后面的注释我们知道“botany”意思为“植物学”。
2）重述（Restatement）：在生词后面用一句话或一个短语从另外一个角度解释一下这个词。
He is very fastidious。 It is extremely hard to please and satisfy him。（挑剔的）
1999。6
28。 The word “provincial” most probably means _____。
A） limited in outlook
B） like people from the provinces
C） rigid in thinking
D） interested in world financial affairs
First； Americans as a whole tend to be fairly provincial and take more of an interest in local affairs。 Knowledge of world geography； for example； has never been strong in this country。
【解析】从“provincial”后面的部分可知，美国人对于地方事务更感兴趣，比如对于世界地理的知识的了解在美国从来就不是很强。那么“provincial”最可能指美国人视野狭隘，答案为A）。
3）相关信息（Related information）：用上下文的相关信息猜出生词的含义。
2000。12
30。 The word “they” in “。。。together they threaten to confuse” refers to _____。
A） practicality and rationality
B） engineering and the liberal arts
C） reality and noble ideals
D） flexibility and a value system
The reality that has blocked my path to become the typical sucomessful student is that engineering and the liberal arts simply don’t mix as easily as I assumed in high school。 Individually they shape a person in very different ways； together they threaten to confuse。
【解析】从第一句话可知，“they”指的是“engineering and the liberal arts”，即工科和文科。答案为B）。
4）举例（Exemplification）：即在生词后面用一个例子加以解释，我们从例子的含义可以推知生词的意思。
2001。6
29。 The author mentions the example of “backpa
