国家开放大学：2010—2011学年第一学期“开放本科”英语专业高级时事英语期末试题（1月）.pdf_大学文库

This is the end of the Listening Test.You will now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet. SectionⅡ：Reading Test 50 points Instructions: ◆ There are three parts to the test,each including one reading passage. The test will take approximately 40 minutes. There will be NO extra time to transfer answers to the Answer Sheet;therefore,you should write ALL your answers on the Answer Sheet as you do each task. Part 1:Questions 21-30 are based on the following passage.(20 points,2 points each) School Choice Program The United States has about ninety-thousand public schools.The Department of Education reported this month that nine percent of these schools have failed to meet learning requirements.Education Department officials say they had not expected so many schools to perform poorly. States identified more than eight-thousand schools as failing to provide a good education.They did so after students in these schools did not perform well on tests for two years.Many of the failing schools are in poor areas of big cities. There are about forty-seven-million students in public schools in the United States. Most of these students must attend the school closest to their homes.Now,a law approved earlier this year provides a new choice. President Bush signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in January.The act says children in failing public schools can choose to attend better schools in their local school area.The school systems must help pay transportation costs for students who choose to attend other schools. The law also calls for all students in grades three through eight to be tested each year in reading and mathematics.Department of Education officials praise the law as especially helpful to poor families who live in areas with failing schools. The law is to take effect in the fall when the new school year begins.Some states, however,are having difficulty deciding how and when to enact it.Massachusetts,for example,says it will not know until next winter which schools it should identify as failing. That is when the state will receive the results of the most recent student tests. Other school systems have already put the law into effect.Montgomery County, 95

This is the end of the Listening Test. You will now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the Answer Sheet. Section II : Reading Test 50 points Instructions: • There are three parts to the test , each including one reading passage. test will take approximately 40 minutes. • There will be NO extra time to transfer answers to the Answer Sheet; therefore , you should write ALL your answers on the Answer Sheet as you do each task. Part 1: Questions 21 - 30 are based on the following passage. (20 points,2 points each) School Choice Program The United States has about ninety-thousand public schools. The Department of Education reported this month that nine percent of these schools have failed to meet learning requirements. Education Department officials say they had not expected so many schools to perform poorly. States identified more than eight-thousand schools as failing to provide a good education. They did so after students in these schools did not perform well on tests for two years. Many of the failing schools are in poor areas of big cities. There are about forty-seven-million students in public schools in the United States. Most of these students must attend the school closest to their homes. Now , a law approved earlier this year provides a new choice. President Bush signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in January. The act says children in failing public schools can choose to attend better schools in their local school area. The school systems must help pay transportation costs for students who choose to attend other schools. The law also calls for all stud巳nts in grades three through eight to be tested each year in reading and mathematics. Department of Education officials praise the law as especially helpful to poor families who live in areas with failing schools. The law is to take effect in the fall when the new school year begins. Some states, however, are having difficulty deciding how and when to enact it. Massachusetts, for example , says it will not know until 巳xt winter which schools it should identify as failing. That is when the state will receive the results of the most recent student tests. Other school systems have already put the law into effect. Montgomery County , 95

Maryland,for example,has completed the process.Ten of its schools were judged as failing.About six-thousand children attend these schools.More than half of the students come from poor families. School officials communicated with the families of all students at the ten schools.They wrote letters to the parents in several languages.However,only about one hundred children have changed schools.And,almost none of them are from poor families. A guidance official in Montgomery County says she believes the law is a good idea.But she says she hopes it can be used to help more poor children in the future. Within the context of the passage,determine if the following statements are True or False.On the Answer Sheet,write“T'for True and“F”for False. 21.Nine percent of ninety-thousand public schools have failed to satisfy learning requirements. 22.Education Department officials say they had anticipated many schools to act poorly. 23.States found out more than eight-thousand schools didn't provide a good education. 24.The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was approved by President Bush in January. 25.The Act says the children in failing public school have right to choose better school and they can also receive some transportation allowance. 26.All students must be tested each year in reading and mathematics regulated by the law. 27.The poor families in this area would make the best of the law. 28.More than ten schools in Montgomery County,Maryland were judged as unqualified school. 29.School officials prefer to talk with the families of all students at the ten schools. 30.Nearly one fifth of one percent of six-thousand students have changed schools and none of them are from poor families. Part 2:Questions 31-35 are based on this part.(10 points,2 points each) What Good is a Tree While revisiting my childhood elementary school,I encounter an old friend.We both had grown over the decades,but my buddy now stood more that 30 feet tall. We first met on Arbor day when the school gathered to put my friend,a blue spruce,in the ground.The principal told us that planting trees was important.Scientists tell us the same today. 96

Maryland , for example , has completed the process. Ten of its schools were judged as failing. About six-thousand children attend these schools. More than half of the students come from poor families. School officials communicated with the families of all students at the ten schools. They wrote letters to the parents in several languages. However, only about one hundred children have changed schools. And , almost none of them are from poor families. A guidance official in Montgomery County says she believes the law is a good idea. But she says she hopes it can be used to help more poor children in the future. Within the context of the passage , determine if the following statements are True or False. On the Answer Sheet , write "T" for True and "F" for False. 21. Nine percent of ninety-thousand public schools have failed to satisfy learning requirements. 22. Education Department officials say they had anticipated many schools to act poorly. 23. States found out more than eight-thousand schools didn' t provide a good education. 24. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was approved by President Bush in January. 25. The Act says the children in failing public school have right to choose better school and they can also rec巳ive some transportation allowance. 26. All students must be tested each year in reading and mathematics regulated by the law. 27. The poor families in this area would make the best of the law. 28. More than ten schools in Montgomery County , Maryland were judged as unqualified school. 29. School officials prefer to talk with the families of all students at the ten schools. 30. Nearly one fifth of one percent of six-thousand students have changed schools and none of them are from poor families. Part 2: Questions 31 一35 are based on this part. (l0 points, 2 points each) Good is a Tree While revisiting my childhood elementary school , I encounter an old friend. We both had grown over the 巳cades but my buddy now stood more that 30 feet tall. We first met on Arbor day when the school gathered to put my friend , a blue spruce , in the ground. The principal told us that planting trees was important. Scientists tell us the sam巳today. 96

Trees are so common and quiet that we pay them little mind.What,for instance, should we answer when asked to name the biggest living thing the earth has ever seen? Dinosaurs?Blue whales?No,the largest sequoias in northern California weigh more than six blue whales.The tallest redwoods and Australian eucalyptus trees tower more than 300 feet high,three times the length of the greatest dinosaur. You think,at 150 or more year,giant tortoises can live a long time?Some bristle cone pine trees in the American West are more than 4,000 years old,seedlings at the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Trees sustain our lives and our planet in a thousand practical ways.This morning at breakfast-in your wood -framed house,on your wooden kitchen table you might have enjoyed orange juice or a grapefruit.Both come to us from trees.Over your French toast you may have sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg,the powdered bark and nuts of tropical trees. That quart of maple syrup on your table was boiled down from roughly 10 gallons of sap from a sugar-maple tree.And the morning newspaper was printed in the processed wood pulp we call paper.Do you like chocolate,almonds,cola beverages?Cocoa beans,almonds and Kola nuts are tree products.How about gin and tonic?Gin gets its flavor from juniper tree berries,and the quinine in tonic comes from the cinchona tree. Trees do more than make life pleasant;they make life possible.Trees get water through their roots and,primarily through their leaves,they draw carbon dioxide from the air.Then,with the action of sunlight on cells containing chlorophyll and other materials, chemical reactions occur,and oxygen is released.Through photosynthesis,an acre of trees produces enough oxygen to sustain three humans. Complete the following statements by choosing the best from the answers A,B,or C.Write A, B,C on your Answer Sheet. 31.The sequoias are A.Californian whales B.Californian trees C.Australian trees 32.Eucalyptus trees are A.nearly as big as dinosaurs B.bigger than six blue whales C.capable of growing to 300 feet 97

• • Trees are so common and quiet that we pay them little mind. What , for instance , should we answer when asked to name the biggest living thing the earth has ever seen? Dinosaurs? Blue whales? No , the largest sequoias in northern California weigh more than six blue whales. The tallest redwoods and Australian eucalyptus trees tower more than 300 feet high , three times the length of the greatest dinosaur. You think , at 150 or more year , giant tortoises can live a long time? Some bristle cone pine trees in the American West are more than 4 ,000 years old , seedlings at the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Trees sustain our lives and our planet in a thousand practical ways. This morning at breakfast - in your wood 一framed house , on your wooden kitchen table you might have enjoyed orange juice or a grapefruit. Both come to us from trees. Over your French toast you may have sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg , the powdered bark and nuts of tropical trees. That quart of maple syrup on your table was boiled down from roughly 10 gallons of sap from a sugar-maple tree. And the morning newspaper was printed in the processed wood pulp we call paper. Do you like chocolate , almonds, cola beverages? Cocoa beans, almonds and Kola nuts are tree products. How about gin and tonic? Gin gets its flavor from juniper tree berries, and the quinine in tonic comes from the cinchona tree. Trees do more than make life pleasant; they make life possible. Trees get water through their roots and , primarily through their leaves, they draw carbon dioxide from the air. Then , with the action of sunlight on cells containing chlorophyll and other materials, chemical reactions occur , and oxygen is released. Through photosynthesis, an acre of tr produc巳s enough oxygen to sustain three humans. Complete the following statements by choosing the best from the answers A , B, or C. Write A , B, C on your Answer Sheet. 31. The sequoias are A. Californian whales B. Californian trees C. Australian trees 32. Eucalyptus trees are A. nearly as big as dinosaurs B. bigger than six blue whales C. capable of growing to 300 feet 97

33. Trees provide people with A. furniture , spices, papers and nuts B. carbon dioxide and chlorine C. water, sugar and berries 34. Trees take in A. oxygen and sunlight B. water, carbon dioxide and sunlight C. chlorophyll and oxygen and sunlight 35. The reader may infer that A. the author is fond of trees B. the author is a chemist C. the author is a chemistry teacher Part 3: Questions 36 40 are based on this part. (20 points, 4 points each) Travel in space Travel in space presented a big problem. How could an object get away from the pull of the earth? What was needed was a special engine. It would have to produce enough force to lift a spacecraft weighing many to日s. Airplane engines use oxygen. There is no oxygen in space. So a spacecraft needs an engine that works without oxygen. Finding the right kind of engine took many years. Modern scientists used a very old idea - the rocket. A rocket is an engine that burns fuel and moves forward by pushing exhaust backward. Rockets operate by burning fuel in a tube. When the fuel burns, the hot gases produced are allowed to escape in one direction only. This causes a force to push in the opposite direction. Rockets do not need the presence of air. Any oxygen they need is in the fuel mixture that they burn. Rockets can be used to place satellites in orbit. The rocket provides the power for the satellite to get into space. Once the satellite is far enough away from earth , the rocket falls off. The satellite then circles around earth on its own. In 1957 , the Soviet Union used a rocket to put the first spacecraft into orbit around earth. It was called Sputnik I. One year later, the United States sent a spacecraft named Explorer I into space. These 巳vents marked the start of the space age. Since then , powerful rockets have placed heavier satellites into orbit. They have carried astronauts to the moon. Rockets have launched space probes to fly near the other planets. Powerful computers help these spacecraft to stay on course. 98