2.Inthecontextinwhichitappears,theword“manipulate”mostnearlymeans

A.influenceB.overseeC.coerceD.deceive

E.outmaneuver

答案：AE

Passage40

Asoflate1980s,neithertheoristsnorlarge-scalecomputerclimatemodelscouldaccuratelypredictwhethercloudsystemswouldhelporhurtawarmingglobe.Somestudiessuggestedthatafourpercentincreaseinstratocumuluscloudsovertheoceancouldcompensateforadoublinginatmosphericcarbondioxide,preventingapotentiallydisastrousplanetwidetemperatureincrease.Ontheotherhand,anincreaseincirruscloudscouldincreaseglobalwarming.

Thatcloudsrepresentedtheweakestelementinclimatemodelswasillustratedbyastudyoffourteensuchmodels.Comparingclimateforecastsforaworldwithdoublethecurrentamountofcarbondioxide,researchersfoundthatthemodelsagreedquitewellifcloudswerenotincluded.Butwhencloudswereincorporated,awiderangeofforecastswasproduced.Withsuchdiscrepanciesplaguingthemodels,scientistscouldnoteasilypredicthowquicklytheworld’sclimatewouldchange,norcouldtheytellwhichregionswouldfacedustierdroughtsordeadliermonsoons.

1.TheauthorofthepassageisprimarilyconcernedwithA.confirmingatheoryB.supportingastatement

C.presentingnewinformationD.predictingfuturediscoveriesE.comparingpointsofview

2.Itcanbeinferredthatonereasonthefourteenmodelsdescribedinthepassagefailedtoagreewasthat

A.theyfailedtoincorporatethemostup-to-dateinformationabouttheeffectofcloudsonclimate

B.theywerebasedonfaultyinformationaboutfactorsotherthancloudsthataffectclimate

C.theywerebasedondifferentassumptionsabouttheoveralleffectsofcloudsonclimate

D.theiroriginatorsdisagreedaboutthekindsofforecaststhemodelsshouldprovide

E.theiroriginatorsdisagreedaboutthefactorsotherthancloudsthatshouldbeincludedinthemodels

3.Theinformationinthepassagesuggeststhatscientistswouldhaveto

37answerwhichofthefollowingquestionsinordertopredicttheeffectofcloudsonthewarmingoftheglobe?

A.WhatkindsofcloudsystemswillformovertheEarth?

B.Howcancloudsystemsbeencouragedtoformovertheocean?

C.Whatarethecausesoftheprojectedplanetwidetemperatureincrease?

D.Whatproportionofcloudsystemsarecurrentlycomposedofcirrusclouds?

E.Whatproportionofthecloudsintheatmosphereformoverlandmasses?

答案：BCA

Passage41

ManytheoristsnowdoubtthatheatlossfromEarth’scoreandradioactivedecayaresufficientbythemselvestoproducealltheenergydrivingthetectonicplateswhosemovementshavehelpedshapedEarth’ssurface.Thisleavesalooseendincurrentgeologicaltheory.HerbertShawarguesthatbecausescientistshaveunderestimatedtheinputofsubstantialamountsofenergyfromextraterrestrialimpactors(asteroidsandcometsstrikingEarth),theyhavedifficultyaccountingforthedifferencebetweenthequantityofenergyproducedfromsourcesintrinsictoEarthandthatinvolvedinplatetectonics.WhereasmostgeologistshavetreatedtheadditionofenergythroughthebombardmentofEarth’ssurfacebysuchimpactorsasaprocessseparateandindependentfromthemovementofEarth’stectonicplates,Shawassertsthattheseprocessesareindivisible.Shaw’srevolutionary“open-system”viewrecognizesacontinuumbetweenterrestrialandextraterrestrialdynamics,whereasmodernplatetectonictheory,liketheclassicalgeologydevelopedduringthenineteenthcentury,isfoundedontheviewthatEarth’sgeologicalfeatureshavechangedthroughgradual,regularprocessesintrinsictoEarth,withoutreferencetouniquecatastrophicevents.Classicalgeologyborrowedadecisive,ifunspoken,premisefromNewton—theindependenceofEarth’sprocessesfromanyastronomicalcontext.

1.Theauthor’sprimarypurposeisto

A.identifytheinfluencesinformingaparticulargeologicaltheoryabouttheprocessesthathaveshapedEarth’ssurface

B.identifydifferencesbetweentwoviewsoftheextraterrestrialimpactorsandarguesthatthephenomenonhasinfluencedthedevelopmentofplatetectonictheory

C.arguethatanexplanationisbasedonadubiousevidenceandproposeanalternativeexplanation

D.discussanexplanationandplacethatexplanationundertheoreticalcontext

E.suggestthatapparentdiscrepancyposesaseriousproblemfora

38particulartheorythatmanyhavebelieved

2.Theauthorofthepassagementionsthe“continuum”inorderto

A.pointoutarelationshipbetweenplatetectonicsandthe

nineteenth-centurygeology

B.explainhowatheoryofNewton’scouldinfluencegeologyandplatetectonictheory.

C.distinguishbetweentwosourcesofenergythatcontributedtothedevelopmentofEarth’ssurface.

D.pointoutasimilaritybetweenthesurfaceofimpactorsandthesurfaceofEarth.

E.identifyafeatureofShaw’sviewthatdeviatesfromcurrentscientifictheories.

3.Thepassagesuggestswhichofthefollowingabouttectonictheory?A.IthasledscientiststooverlookanimportantcontributiontoclassicalgeologistsfromNewton.

B.Ithasbeenmoresuccessfulthanwasclassicalgeologyinaccountingforheatlossfrom.

C.ItisbasedonpremiseaboutEarth’sprocessesdiscernedinNewton’sthought.

D.IthascorrectlyexplainedtheeffectsofextraterrestrialimpactorsonEarth’ssurface.

E.Itcorrectsafundamentalflawinclassicalgeology.

答案：DEC

Passage42

HumanimpactsonthenaturalenvironmentduringthelaterpartoftheHolocene(beginningabout4,000yearsago)complicateinvestigationsintoenvironmentalchangeduringthatperiodbecausethesignalsproducedbyhuman-andclimate-inducedchangearesometimesdifficulttoseparate.Forexample,inthelaterHolocene,oneindicatorofincreasedaridityduetoclimatechangeisanincreaseinpollenfromgrasses,asforestvegetationgiveswaytograssland.Suchachangeinvegetationcouldalternativelybeattributedtohumanimpactintheformofagriculturaldevelopment.Examplesofsuchhumanimpactfrom4,000yearsagowouldbesmall-scale,however,sincethebroadecosystemchangesbroughtaboutbythewidespreadadoptionofagriculturaltechnologiesoccurredlater.

1.Whichofthefollowingbestdescribesthefunctionofthehighlightedsentenceinthecontextofthepassageasawhole?

A.Itprovidesanexampleofthekindofproblemsthatoftencomplicateinvestigationsintoenvironmentalchange.

B.ItcallintoquestionthereliabilityoftheestablisheddatesforlaterHoloceneagriculturaldevelopment.

C.ItdescribesthenatureoflocalizedagriculturaldevelopmentsduringthelaterHolocene.

39D.Itoutlinesahypothesisthatdrawsonevidencediscussedearlierinthepassage.

E.Itlimitsthescopeofaparticularcomplicationmentionedearlierinthepassage.

2.Accordingtothepassage,whichofthefollowingistrueregardingenvironmentalchanges4,000yearsago?

A.Nolocalizedincreasesingrasspollenwerecausedbyagriculturaldevelopment.

B.Increasesingrasspollenwereatleastsometimesareflectionofanincreaseinaridity.

C.Wholesaleecosystemchangesprobablyresultedfromagriculturaldevelopment.

D.Anysmall-scalechangesoccurringthenwouldnotbedetectablenow.

E.Environmentalchangehelpedinducetheadoptionofagriculturaltechnologies.

答案：EB

Passage43

Meggersarguedthatagriculturedependsonextractingnutrientsfromsoilsintoediblecrops,sopremodernsocietiesinAmazoniacouldnevergrowlargebecauseunderlyingsoilsareimpoverished.InMeggers’viewthepopulationsizethataculturecouldreachdependedupontheagriculturalpotentialofitsenvironment.MeggersacceptedthatfishandturtleresourcesoftheAmazonmadepossiblethelongriversidevillagestheexplorerOrellanadescribedin1542,butshedismissedasexaggeratedCarvajal’sestimatesoftensofthousandsofpeopleinthosesettlements,andshewassurethosesettlementsdidnothaveinlandcounterparts.Supportingthispoint,theOmagua,ariverbankpeopleandoneofthegreatestchiefdomsobservedbyCarvajalasamemberofOrellana’sexpedition,regardedhinterlandforestsasunpopulatedwilderness.

1.Inthecontextofthepassagethehighlightedsentenceservesto

A.explainthebroaderrationaleforaconclusiondescribedintheprecedingsentence

B.suggestsomeofthedrawbacksoftheriverbanklocationofthevillagesdescribedinthefollowingsentence

C.acknowledgeinformationthatappearstoundermineadescriptionattributedtoOrellana

D.introduceaprinciplethatappearstobecontradictedbytheagriculturaldevelopmentofpremodernAmazonia

E.giveareasonforanupwardrevisioninearlierestimatesforpremodernAmazonia

2.FromthepassageitcanbeinferredthatOmaguadependedonA.overlandtransporttocommunicatebetweenvillages

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