英語四級考試閱讀考前練習題
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked , , and . For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
The Earth
Power and Light
Compared to the rest of the universe, the Earth is very small. Our planet and seven others orbit the Sun, which is only one of about 200 billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is part of the universe, which includes millions of other
galaxies and their stars and planets. By comparison, the Earth is microscopic.
Compared to a person, on the other hand, the Earth is enormous. It has a diameter of 7,926 miles at the equator, and it has a mass of about 6 x 1024 kilograms. The Earth orbits the Sun at a speed of about 66,638 miles per hour . Dont dwell on those numbers too long, though; to a lot of people, the Earth is inconceivably, mind-bogglingly big. And its just a fraction of the size of the Sun.
From our perspective on Earth, the Sun looks very small. This is because its about 93 million miles away from us. The Suns diameter at its equator is about 100 times bigger than Earths, and about a million Earths could fit inside the Sun. The
Sun is inconceivably, mind-bogglingly bigger.
But without the Sun, the Earth could not exist. In a sense, the Earth is a giant machine, full of moving parts and complex systems. All those systems need power, and that power comes from the Sun.
The Sun is an enormous nuclear power source--through complex reactions, it transforms hydrogen into helium, releasing light and heat. Because of these reactions, every square meter of our planets surface gets about 342 Watts of energy from the Sun every year. This is about 1.7 ~ 1017 Watts total, or as much as 1.7 billion large power plants could generate. You can learn about how the Sun creates energy in How the Sun Works.
When this energy reaches the Earth, it provides power for a variety of reactions, cycles and systems. It drives the circulation of the atmosphere and the oceans. It makes food for plants, which many people and animals eat. Life on Earth could not exist without the Sun, and the planet itself would not have developed without it.
To a casual observer, the Suns most visible contributions to life are light, heat and weather.
Night and Day
Some of the Suns biggest impacts on our planet are also its most obvious. As the Earth spins on its axis, parts of the planet are in the Sun while others are in the shade. In other words, the Sun appears to rise and set. The parts of the world that are in daylight get warmer while the parts that are dark gradually lose the heat they absorbed during the day.
You can get a sense of how much the Sun affects the Earths temperature by standing outside on a partly cloudy day.
When the Sun is behind a cloud, you feel noticeably cooler than when it isnt. The surface of our planet absorbs this heat from the Sun and emits it the same way that pavement continues to give off heat in the summer after the Sun goes down. Our
atmosphere does the same thing-it absorbs the heat that the ground emits and sends some of it back to the Earth.
The Earths relationship with the Sun also creates seasons. The Earths axis tips a little-about 23.5 degrees. One hemisphere points toward the Sun as the other points away. The hemisphere that points toward the Sun is warmer and gets more light--its summer there, and in the other hemisphere its winter. This effect is less dramatic near the equator than at the poles, since the equator receives about the same amount of sunlight all year. The poles, on the other hand, receive no sunlight at all during their winter months, which is part of the reason why theyre frozen.
Most people are so used to the differences between night and day that they take them for granted.
But these changes in light and temperature have an enormous impact on other systems on our planet. One is the circulation of air through our atmosphere. For example:
The Sun shines brightly over the equator. The air gets very warm because the equator faces the Sun directly and because the ozone layer is thinner there.
As the air warms, it begins to rise, creating a low pressure system. The higher it rises, the more the air cools. Water condenses as the air cools, creating clouds and rainfall. The air dries out as the rain falls. The result is warm, dry air, relatively high in our atmosphere.
Because of the lower air pressure, air rushes toward the equator from the north and south. As it warms, it rises, pushing the dry air away to the north and the south.
The dry air sinks as it cools, creating high-pressure areas and deserts to the north and south of the equator.
This is just one piece of how the Sun circulates air around the world--ocean currents, weather patterns and other factors also play a part. But in general, air moves from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, much the way that high-pressure air rushes from the mouth of an inflated balloon when you let go. Heat also generally moves from the warmer equator to the cooler poles.
Imagine a warm drink sitting on your desk--the air around the drink gets warmer as the drink gets colder. This happens on Earth on an enormous scale.
The Coriolis Effect, a product of the Earths rotation, affects this system as well. It causes large weather systems, like hurricanes, to rotate. It helps create westward-running trade winds near the equator and eastward-running jet streams in the northem and southem hemispheres. These wind patterns move moisture and air from one place to another, creating weather patterns.
The Sun gets much of the credit for creating both wind and rain. When the Sun warms air in a specific location, that air rises, creating an area of low pressure. More air rushes in from surrounding areas to fill the void, creating wind. Without the Sun, there wouldnt be wind. There also might not be breathable air at all.
Water and Fire
The Sun has a huge effecton our water. It warms the oceans around the tropics, and its absence cools the water around the poles. Because of this, ocean currents move large amounts of warm and cold water, drastically affecting the weather and
climate around the world. The Sun also drives the water cycle, which moves about 18,757 cubic miles of water vapor through the atmosphere every year.
If youve ever gotten out of a swimming pool on a hot day and realized a few minutes later that you were dry again, you have firsthand experience with evaporation. If youve seen water form on the side of a cold drink, youve seen condensation in
action. These are primary components of the water cycle, also called the hydrologic cycle, which exchanges moisture between bodies of water and land masses. The water cycle is responsible for clouds and rain as well as our supply of drinking water.
注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答;8-10題在答題卡1上。
1. How many Earths could fit inside the Sun?
One million.
93 million.
Two million.
100 million.
2. Earth would not have developed without __
water
fertilizer
soil
the Sun
3. What does our atmosphere do?
It absorbs the heat from the ground and sends it to the Sun.
It absorbs the heat from the Sun and emits it back to the Earth.
It absorbs the heat from the Sun and emits it the same way.
It absorbs the heat the ground emits and sends some of it back to the Earth.
4. __ receives about the same amount of sunlight all year.
The poles
The equator
The north temperate zone
The south temperate zone
5. Air rushes toward the equator from the north and south
because of the dry air
because of the cool air
because of the lower air pressure
because of the higher air pressure
6. What doesnt the Corolis Effect cause?
Westward-running trade winds.
Hurricanes.
The water draining from the sink.
Eastward-running jet streams.
7. The Sun has closely relation to create__
wind
the air
soil
fire
8. The Sun has a huge effect on___________.
9. If youve seen water form on the side of a cold drink, youve seen___________
10. The water cycle is responsible for clouds, rain and___________
文章精要
太陽對地球上萬物的生命起著不可缺少的作用，這種作用主要表現在：為地球提供能量與光;地球自轉與繞日公轉形成晝夜交替與四季交替.同時出現相應的氣候與天氣變化;對地球上的水、海洋以及與之相關的循環起著至關重要的作用。
1.A根據題干信息詞fit inside the Sun定位到第一個小標題下的第三段第三句and about a million Earths could fit inside the Sun。本題問，多少個地球才能把一個太陽填滿，根據原文表述，100萬個地球才能填滿一個太陽，故本題選A。
2.D根據題干信息詞developed without定位到第一個小標題下的倒數第：二段末句Life On Earth could not exist without the Sun，and the planet itself would not have developed without it，根據文章表述，如果沒有太 陽，地球上的生命將不會存在，地球本身也不會發展到現在，太陽是地球存在發展的條件，題干中的 Earth即指原文中的the planet itself，故本題選D。
3.D根據題干信息詞our atmosphere定位到第二個小標題下的第二段末句0ur atmosphere does the same thing-it absorbs the heat that the ground emits and sends some ofit back to the Earth。本題問，大氣的作用是什么?根據文章表述，地球吸收來自太陽的熱量然后釋放，就像夏天里太陽落山后路面還持續放熱一樣，大氣也在做同樣的事吸收地面的熱量，然后再把一部分返回到地面，故本題選D。
4.B根據題干信息詞the same amount of sunlight定位到第二個小標題下的第三段倒數第二句This effect is... at the poles.since the equator receives about the same amount of sunlight all year，根據文章表述，赤道附近季節交替的變化不如兩極那樣顯著，這是因為一年當中無論何時赤道所接收的太陽光都是沒有變化的，與此相反，兩極地區在冬季根本接收不到一點陽光，這也是那里為什么冰凍的原因，故本題選B。
5.C根據題干信息詞air rushes和the equator定位到第二個小標題下的第七段首句Because of the lower air pressure, air rushes toward the equator from the north and south。根據文章表述，由于氣壓較低，空氣從南 北部涌向赤道，在變暖的過程中上升，把干燥的空氣推向南部和北部，故本題選C。
6.C根據題干信息詞the Coriolis Effect定位到第二個小標題下的倒數第二段，根據文章表述，科里奧利效應作為地球上循環運動的產物，也影響著該系統，它能導致大規模的天氣變化，如颶風、赤道附近的向西信風、南北半球的向東高速氣流，由此可以排除A、B、D三項，故本題選C。
7.A根據題干信息詞the Sun和create定位到第二個小標題下的最后一段首句The Sun gets much of the credit for creating both wind and rain。根據文章表述，太陽的一個重要作用是制造風和雨，has closely relation與gets much of the credit屬同義轉換，選項中沒有rain，符合題干的只有wind，故本題選A。
8.our water。根據題干信息詞a huge effect定位到第三個小標題下的第一段首句The Sun has a huge effect on our water。根據文章表述，太陽對我們地球上的水發揮著巨大作用，它溫暖熱帶地區的海洋，又降低見不到太陽的兩極地區的水溫，在全球氣候形成方面起著重要作用。
9.condensation in action。根據題干信息詞water form，cold drink定位到第三個小標題下的第二段第二句It youve seen water form on the side of a cold drink， youve seen condensation in action。根據文章表述，如果你看到了冰冷的飲料旁邊有一些水，事實上你看到的就是冷凝現象在發揮作用，這也是水循環的一個組成部分。in action意為在起作用、在運轉。
10.Our supply of drinking water。根據題干信息詞water cycle定位到文章最后一句The water cycle is responsible for clouds and rain as well as Our supply of drinking water。根據文章表述，水循環是云的形成及降雨的根源，還有我們的飲用水
Directions: In this part, you will have 15 minutes to go over the passage quickly and answer the questions on Answer Sheet 1. For questions 1-7, choose the best answer from the four choices marked , , and . For questions 8-10, complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.
The Earth
Power and Light
Compared to the rest of the universe, the Earth is very small. Our planet and seven others orbit the Sun, which is only one of about 200 billion stars in our galaxy. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is part of the universe, which includes millions of other
galaxies and their stars and planets. By comparison, the Earth is microscopic.
Compared to a person, on the other hand, the Earth is enormous. It has a diameter of 7,926 miles at the equator, and it has a mass of about 6 x 1024 kilograms. The Earth orbits the Sun at a speed of about 66,638 miles per hour . Dont dwell on those numbers too long, though; to a lot of people, the Earth is inconceivably, mind-bogglingly big. And its just a fraction of the size of the Sun.
From our perspective on Earth, the Sun looks very small. This is because its about 93 million miles away from us. The Suns diameter at its equator is about 100 times bigger than Earths, and about a million Earths could fit inside the Sun. The
Sun is inconceivably, mind-bogglingly bigger.
But without the Sun, the Earth could not exist. In a sense, the Earth is a giant machine, full of moving parts and complex systems. All those systems need power, and that power comes from the Sun.
The Sun is an enormous nuclear power source--through complex reactions, it transforms hydrogen into helium, releasing light and heat. Because of these reactions, every square meter of our planets surface gets about 342 Watts of energy from the Sun every year. This is about 1.7 ~ 1017 Watts total, or as much as 1.7 billion large power plants could generate. You can learn about how the Sun creates energy in How the Sun Works.
When this energy reaches the Earth, it provides power for a variety of reactions, cycles and systems. It drives the circulation of the atmosphere and the oceans. It makes food for plants, which many people and animals eat. Life on Earth could not exist without the Sun, and the planet itself would not have developed without it.
To a casual observer, the Suns most visible contributions to life are light, heat and weather.
Night and Day
Some of the Suns biggest impacts on our planet are also its most obvious. As the Earth spins on its axis, parts of the planet are in the Sun while others are in the shade. In other words, the Sun appears to rise and set. The parts of the world that are in daylight get warmer while the parts that are dark gradually lose the heat they absorbed during the day.
You can get a sense of how much the Sun affects the Earths temperature by standing outside on a partly cloudy day.
When the Sun is behind a cloud, you feel noticeably cooler than when it isnt. The surface of our planet absorbs this heat from the Sun and emits it the same way that pavement continues to give off heat in the summer after the Sun goes down. Our
atmosphere does the same thing-it absorbs the heat that the ground emits and sends some of it back to the Earth.
The Earths relationship with the Sun also creates seasons. The Earths axis tips a little-about 23.5 degrees. One hemisphere points toward the Sun as the other points away. The hemisphere that points toward the Sun is warmer and gets more light--its summer there, and in the other hemisphere its winter. This effect is less dramatic near the equator than at the poles, since the equator receives about the same amount of sunlight all year. The poles, on the other hand, receive no sunlight at all during their winter months, which is part of the reason why theyre frozen.
Most people are so used to the differences between night and day that they take them for granted.
But these changes in light and temperature have an enormous impact on other systems on our planet. One is the circulation of air through our atmosphere. For example:
The Sun shines brightly over the equator. The air gets very warm because the equator faces the Sun directly and because the ozone layer is thinner there.
As the air warms, it begins to rise, creating a low pressure system. The higher it rises, the more the air cools. Water condenses as the air cools, creating clouds and rainfall. The air dries out as the rain falls. The result is warm, dry air, relatively high in our atmosphere.
Because of the lower air pressure, air rushes toward the equator from the north and south. As it warms, it rises, pushing the dry air away to the north and the south.
The dry air sinks as it cools, creating high-pressure areas and deserts to the north and south of the equator.
This is just one piece of how the Sun circulates air around the world--ocean currents, weather patterns and other factors also play a part. But in general, air moves from high-pressure to low-pressure areas, much the way that high-pressure air rushes from the mouth of an inflated balloon when you let go. Heat also generally moves from the warmer equator to the cooler poles.
Imagine a warm drink sitting on your desk--the air around the drink gets warmer as the drink gets colder. This happens on Earth on an enormous scale.
The Coriolis Effect, a product of the Earths rotation, affects this system as well. It causes large weather systems, like hurricanes, to rotate. It helps create westward-running trade winds near the equator and eastward-running jet streams in the northem and southem hemispheres. These wind patterns move moisture and air from one place to another, creating weather patterns.
The Sun gets much of the credit for creating both wind and rain. When the Sun warms air in a specific location, that air rises, creating an area of low pressure. More air rushes in from surrounding areas to fill the void, creating wind. Without the Sun, there wouldnt be wind. There also might not be breathable air at all.
Water and Fire
The Sun has a huge effecton our water. It warms the oceans around the tropics, and its absence cools the water around the poles. Because of this, ocean currents move large amounts of warm and cold water, drastically affecting the weather and
climate around the world. The Sun also drives the water cycle, which moves about 18,757 cubic miles of water vapor through the atmosphere every year.
If youve ever gotten out of a swimming pool on a hot day and realized a few minutes later that you were dry again, you have firsthand experience with evaporation. If youve seen water form on the side of a cold drink, youve seen condensation in
action. These are primary components of the water cycle, also called the hydrologic cycle, which exchanges moisture between bodies of water and land masses. The water cycle is responsible for clouds and rain as well as our supply of drinking water.
注意：此部分試題請在答題卡1上作答;8-10題在答題卡1上。
1. How many Earths could fit inside the Sun?
One million.
93 million.
Two million.
100 million.
2. Earth would not have developed without __
water
fertilizer
soil
the Sun
3. What does our atmosphere do?
It absorbs the heat from the ground and sends it to the Sun.
It absorbs the heat from the Sun and emits it back to the Earth.
It absorbs the heat from the Sun and emits it the same way.
It absorbs the heat the ground emits and sends some of it back to the Earth.
4. __ receives about the same amount of sunlight all year.
The poles
The equator
The north temperate zone
The south temperate zone
5. Air rushes toward the equator from the north and south
because of the dry air
because of the cool air
because of the lower air pressure
because of the higher air pressure
6. What doesnt the Corolis Effect cause?
Westward-running trade winds.
Hurricanes.
The water draining from the sink.
Eastward-running jet streams.
7. The Sun has closely relation to create__
wind
the air
soil
fire
8. The Sun has a huge effect on___________.
9. If youve seen water form on the side of a cold drink, youve seen___________
10. The water cycle is responsible for clouds, rain and___________
文章精要
太陽對地球上萬物的生命起著不可缺少的作用，這種作用主要表現在：為地球提供能量與光;地球自轉與繞日公轉形成晝夜交替與四季交替.同時出現相應的氣候與天氣變化;對地球上的水、海洋以及與之相關的循環起著至關重要的作用。
1.A根據題干信息詞fit inside the Sun定位到第一個小標題下的第三段第三句and about a million Earths could fit inside the Sun。本題問，多少個地球才能把一個太陽填滿，根據原文表述，100萬個地球才能填滿一個太陽，故本題選A。
2.D根據題干信息詞developed without定位到第一個小標題下的倒數第：二段末句Life On Earth could not exist without the Sun，and the planet itself would not have developed without it，根據文章表述，如果沒有太 陽，地球上的生命將不會存在，地球本身也不會發展到現在，太陽是地球存在發展的條件，題干中的 Earth即指原文中的the planet itself，故本題選D。
3.D根據題干信息詞our atmosphere定位到第二個小標題下的第二段末句0ur atmosphere does the same thing-it absorbs the heat that the ground emits and sends some ofit back to the Earth。本題問，大氣的作用是什么?根據文章表述，地球吸收來自太陽的熱量然后釋放，就像夏天里太陽落山后路面還持續放熱一樣，大氣也在做同樣的事吸收地面的熱量，然后再把一部分返回到地面，故本題選D。
4.B根據題干信息詞the same amount of sunlight定位到第二個小標題下的第三段倒數第二句This effect is... at the poles.since the equator receives about the same amount of sunlight all year，根據文章表述，赤道附近季節交替的變化不如兩極那樣顯著，這是因為一年當中無論何時赤道所接收的太陽光都是沒有變化的，與此相反，兩極地區在冬季根本接收不到一點陽光，這也是那里為什么冰凍的原因，故本題選B。
5.C根據題干信息詞air rushes和the equator定位到第二個小標題下的第七段首句Because of the lower air pressure, air rushes toward the equator from the north and south。根據文章表述，由于氣壓較低，空氣從南 北部涌向赤道，在變暖的過程中上升，把干燥的空氣推向南部和北部，故本題選C。
6.C根據題干信息詞the Coriolis Effect定位到第二個小標題下的倒數第二段，根據文章表述，科里奧利效應作為地球上循環運動的產物，也影響著該系統，它能導致大規模的天氣變化，如颶風、赤道附近的向西信風、南北半球的向東高速氣流，由此可以排除A、B、D三項，故本題選C。
7.A根據題干信息詞the Sun和create定位到第二個小標題下的最后一段首句The Sun gets much of the credit for creating both wind and rain。根據文章表述，太陽的一個重要作用是制造風和雨，has closely relation與gets much of the credit屬同義轉換，選項中沒有rain，符合題干的只有wind，故本題選A。
8.our water。根據題干信息詞a huge effect定位到第三個小標題下的第一段首句The Sun has a huge effect on our water。根據文章表述，太陽對我們地球上的水發揮著巨大作用，它溫暖熱帶地區的海洋，又降低見不到太陽的兩極地區的水溫，在全球氣候形成方面起著重要作用。
9.condensation in action。根據題干信息詞water form，cold drink定位到第三個小標題下的第二段第二句It youve seen water form on the side of a cold drink， youve seen condensation in action。根據文章表述，如果你看到了冰冷的飲料旁邊有一些水，事實上你看到的就是冷凝現象在發揮作用，這也是水循環的一個組成部分。in action意為在起作用、在運轉。
10.Our supply of drinking water。根據題干信息詞water cycle定位到文章最后一句The water cycle is responsible for clouds and rain as well as Our supply of drinking water。根據文章表述，水循環是云的形成及降雨的根源，還有我們的飲用水
