问答题Directions: In this section, there is one passage followed by 5 questions. Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions in as few words as possible (not more than 10 words). Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.  Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.  If you were on a distant planet, and if you had instruments that could tell you the composition of Earth’s atmosphere, how would you know there was life on this planet?Water in the atmosphere would suggest there could be water on the surface, and as we all know water is considered crucial to life. But water would only suggest that life is possible. It wouldn’t prove it’s there.  Carbon? That basic component of “life as we know it?” Not necessarily. A diamond is pure carbon, and it may be pretty, but it isn’t alive.  What really sets Earth apart is nitrogen, which makes up 80 percent of the planet’s atmosphere. And it’s there only because there is abundant life on Earth, say scientists at the University of Southern California  The report grew out of a class discussion two years ago in a course taught by Capone and Kenneth Nealson, professor of earth sciences. Students were asked to come up with different ideas about searching for life on other planets. What is a distinct “signature,” as Capone puts it, that would show there is life on another planet?  That’s a question that has been kicked around in many quarters in recent decades, especially since all efforts to find some form of life, no matter whether on Mars or in the distant reaches of space, have failed. At least so far.  The current effort to search for some evidence of life on Mars focuses primarily on the search for water, because it has long been believed that water, or at least some fluid, is necessary for the chemical processes that lead life to take place. But that’s probably the wrong approach, the USC group argues.  “It’s hard to imagine life without water, but it’s easy to imagine water without life,” says Nealson, who was on the Mars team before moving to USC.  But nitrogen would be a much clearer signature of life. Only about 2 percent to 3 percent of the Martian atmosphere is nitrogen. That’s just a trace, and it probably means there is no life on Mars today, and if there was in the past, it probably ended many, many years ago.  But, the USC team adds quickly, that doesn’t mean there’s no life anywhere else in the universe. They don’t know where, of course, but they may have found a way to narrow down the search. Look first for nitrogen, then look for biological activity that should be there.  So if life exists elsewhere, and is similar to life as we know it, there should be nitrogen, and that’s what we should be looking for first, the researchers say.  If they don’t find nitrogen on Mars, Capone says, “that will probably bring us to the conclusion that there likely never was life on Mars.”  But how about elsewhere? Could this technique be used to search for life in other solar systems?  Maybe. It might be possible to detect a nitrogen-rich atmosphere around a planet orbiting another star, but not yet. Current instruments aren’t that sensitive.  If they ever are, the search for life might be narrowed down to the most promising prospects, chiefly because of the presence of nitrogen. And won’t that be fun!  Questions:  1.What can suggest life is possible but cannot be proved according to the author?  2.What is a clear “signature” of life on another planet according to Capone?  3.What is considered as a wrong way to search for evidence of life on Mars?  4.What can probably prove there is no life on Mars today based on the new theory?  5.Why is it impossible to use the new technique to search for life in other solar systems now?

问答题
Directions: In this section, there is one passage followed by 5 questions. Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions in as few words as possible (not more than 10 words). Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.  Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.  If you were on a distant planet, and if you had instruments that could tell you the composition of Earth’s atmosphere, how would you know there was life on this planet?Water in the atmosphere would suggest there could be water on the surface, and as we all know water is considered crucial to life. But water would only suggest that life is possible. It wouldn’t prove it’s there.  Carbon? That basic component of “life as we know it?” Not necessarily. A diamond is pure carbon, and it may be pretty, but it isn’t alive.  What really sets Earth apart is nitrogen, which makes up 80 percent of the planet’s atmosphere. And it’s there only because there is abundant life on Earth, say scientists at the University of Southern California  The report grew out of a class discussion two years ago in a course taught by Capone and Kenneth Nealson, professor of earth sciences. Students were asked to come up with different ideas about searching for life on other planets. What is a distinct “signature,” as Capone puts it, that would show there is life on another planet?  That’s a question that has been kicked around in many quarters in recent decades, especially since all efforts to find some form of life, no matter whether on Mars or in the distant reaches of space, have failed. At least so far.  The current effort to search for some evidence of life on Mars focuses primarily on the search for water, because it has long been believed that water, or at least some fluid, is necessary for the chemical processes that lead life to take place. But that’s probably the wrong approach, the USC group argues.  “It’s hard to imagine life without water, but it’s easy to imagine water without life,” says Nealson, who was on the Mars team before moving to USC.  But nitrogen would be a much clearer signature of life. Only about 2 percent to 3 percent of the Martian atmosphere is nitrogen. That’s just a trace, and it probably means there is no life on Mars today, and if there was in the past, it probably ended many, many years ago.  But, the USC team adds quickly, that doesn’t mean there’s no life anywhere else in the universe. They don’t know where, of course, but they may have found a way to narrow down the search. Look first for nitrogen, then look for biological activity that should be there.  So if life exists elsewhere, and is similar to life as we know it, there should be nitrogen, and that’s what we should be looking for first, the researchers say.  If they don’t find nitrogen on Mars, Capone says, “that will probably bring us to the conclusion that there likely never was life on Mars.”  But how about elsewhere? Could this technique be used to search for life in other solar systems?  Maybe. It might be possible to detect a nitrogen-rich atmosphere around a planet orbiting another star, but not yet. Current instruments aren’t that sensitive.  If they ever are, the search for life might be narrowed down to the most promising prospects, chiefly because of the presence of nitrogen. And won’t that be fun!  Questions:  1.What can suggest life is possible but cannot be proved according to the author?  2.What is a clear “signature” of life on another planet according to Capone?  3.What is considered as a wrong way to search for evidence of life on Mars?  4.What can probably prove there is no life on Mars today based on the new theory?  5.Why is it impossible to use the new technique to search for life in other solar systems now?

参考解析

解析: 暂无解析

相关考题:

Directions: In this section, you are required to write a passage of no less than 100 words based on the following situation. 你听说你的朋友获得了奖学金(scholarship),你给他发封邮件表示祝贺。

Write a composition of at least 150 words based on the folio-wing picture.You should describe the picture, give your opinion on the topic, and use specific reasons and Ior examples to support yourself.Write your answers on the ANSWER SHEET.

Directions:Write an essay based on the chart below.In your writing,you should interpret the chart,and give your comments.You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET.

Directions:Write an essay based on the chart below.In your writing,you should 1)interpret the chart,and 2)give your comments.You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET.

Directions:Write an essay based on the chart below.In your writing you should interpret the chart,and give your comments You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET.

Directions:Write an essay based on the following chart.In your writing,you should interpret the chart,and You should write about 150 words on the ANSWER SHEET.

问答题Read the passage carefully and answer Questions 1 to 5. Answer each question in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.  In the United States today, many people want a college education. However, almost half of the people who go to college now do not attend a four-year college. Instead, they go to a community college.  The community college offers a two-year course of study in a wide range of subjects. It prepares some young people to go on to a four-year college. It trains others for jobs in business, government, or industry.  Some people choose a community college because of cost. The tuition for a semester at a community college can be less than half the cost of a semester at a four-year college. Also, since these colleges are located in large communities, their students can save money by living at home.  Community colleges are also useful for people who have jobs and who do not have time for a traditional four-year college. Some of these people take night courses at community colleges. Others complete long-distance courses, in which they stay at home and use video-tapes, audiotapes, and the Internet.  Community colleges also serve high school graduates who only achieved low grades. Many of these students would not be admitted to a four-year college. If they do well, they may go on to a four-year college.  Today, the country’s 1,500 community colleges have more than 10 million students. These colleges are making it possible for more and more people to continue their education.  Questions:  1.What is the passage mainly about?  2.What does theyin paragraph 1 refer to?  3.In which fields does a community college provide job training?  4.Why do people often prefer to go to a community college?  5.What does the word tuitionin paragraph 3 mean?

问答题Practice 5Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a composition on the topic Diploma Craze. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.

问答题Directions: You should write a composition on the topic Positive and Negative Effects of Computer. You should write about 160 words. Now write the composition on the Answer Sheet.

问答题Directions: Write a composition according to the graph below. You should quote as few figures as possible. Remember to write at least 120 words.

问答题Task II(20 points)  Directions:Write on the topic given below in no less than about 160 words on the Answer Sheet. In your essay, you should first outline your ideas, and then give examples.  Topic: What, in your opinion, is the best way to keep fit and healthy?

问答题Writing Task II (20 points)  Directions: Write a composition of no less than about 160 words, saying whether you agree or disagree with the following statement and giving examples: The biggest dangers to our health and environment come from cars. Remember to write your composition on the Answer Sheet.

问答题Read the passage carefully to find the answers for Questions 1 to 5. Answer each question in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.  Questions 1to 5are based on the following passage.  In many businesses, computers have largely replaced paperwork, because they are fast, flexible, and do not make mistakes. As one banker said, “Unlike humans, computers never have a bad day.” And they are honest. Many banks advertise that their transactions are “untouched by human hands” and therefore safe from human temptation (诱惑). Obviously, computers have no reason to steal money. But they also have no conscience (良知), and the growing number of computer crimes shows they can be used to steal.  Computer criminals don’t use guns. And even if they are caught, it is hard to punish them because there are no witness and often no evidence. A computer cannot remember who used it: it simply does what it is told. The head teller at a New York bank used a computer to steal more than one and a half billion dollars in just four years. No one noticed this theft because he moved the money from one account to another. Each time a customer he had robbed questioned the balance in his account, the teller claimed a computer error, then replaced the missing money from someone else’s account. This man was caught only because he was a gambler. When the police broke up an illegal gambling operation, his name was in the records.  Some employees use the computer’s power to get revenge (报复) on their employers they consider unfair. Recently, a large insurance company fired its computer-tape librarian for reasons that involved her personal rather than her professional life. She was given thirty days notice. In those thirty days, she erased all the firm’s computerized records.  Most computer criminals have been minor employees. Now police wonder if this is “the tip of the iceberg”. As one official says, “I have the feeling that there is more crime out there than we are catching. What we are seeing now is all so poorly done. I wonder what the real experts are doing—the ones who know how a computer works.”  Questions:1.What is the passage mainly about?  2.Why did many banks claim the transactions to be safe?  3.How did the bank teller cover up his crime?  4.What must the librarian do thirty days after she received the notice?  5.What is the difference between computer criminals and ordinary criminals?

问答题Directions:You are required to write a Notice in about 100 words to inform the students and English teachers of a lecture on American Liberal Education by Prof. Gilbert in the English Department Hall. Please write it on the Answer Sheet.

问答题Task II (20 marks)  Write an essay of no less than 160 words in which you discuss the moral of the following passage and express your personal views on the subject. Now write the letter on the answer sheet.  Courage is the greatest of all virtues, because if you don’t have courage, you will not have an opportunity to use any of the others.—Samuel Johnson

问答题Cars have become household in China. It brings convenience and pollution at the same time. Write a composition of no fewer than 120 words entitled “Cars—a Must in China?”based on the previous opinions and your own one. Now write the composition on the Answer Sheet.

单选题His people had to use words in a ______ way to answer these questions.AcommonBfriendlyCcleverDsilent

问答题For this part, you need to write an essay expressing your opinion on whether a wall makes it easier or more difficult to be a good neighbor. You should write no fewer than 120 words.  Please write your composition on the answer sheet.

问答题Directions:In this section, there is one passage followed by 5 questions. Read the passage carefully, then answer the questions in a maximum of 10 words. Remember to write the answers on the Answer Sheet.  Questions 1-5 are based on the following passage.  Could the bad old days of economic decline be about to return? Since OPEC agreed to supply-cuts in March, the price of crude oil has jumped to almost $26 a barrel, up from less than $10 last December. This near-tripling of oil prices calls up scary memories of the 1973 oil shock, when prices quadrupled, and 1979-1980, when they also almost tripled. Both previous shocks resulted in double-digit inflation and global economic decline. So where are the headlines warning of gloom and doom this time?  The oil price was given another push up this week when Iraq suspended oil exports. Strengthening economic growth, at the same time as winter grips the northern hemisphere, could push the price higher still in the short term.  Yet there are good reasons to expect the economic consequences now to be less severe than in the 1970s. In most countries the cost of crude oil now accounts for a smaller share of the price of petrol than it did in the 1970s. In Europe, taxes account for up to four-fifths of the retail price, so even quite big changes in the price of crude have a more muted effect on pump prices than in the past.  Rich economies are also less dependent on oil than they were, and so less sensitive to swings in the oil price. Energy conservation, a shift to other fuels and a decline in the importance of heavy, energy-intensive industries have reduced oil consumption. Software, consultancy and mobile telephones use far less oil than steel or car production. For each dollar of GDP (in constant prices) rich economies now use nearly 50% less oil than in 1973. The OECD estimates in its latest Economic Outlook that, if oil prices averaged $22 a barrel for a full year, compared with $13 in 1998, this would increase the oil import bill in rich economies by only 0.25-0.5% of GDP. That is less than one-quarter of the income loss in 1974 or 1980. On the other hand, oil-importing emerging economies—to which heavy industry has shifted—have become more energy-intensive, and so could be more seriously squeezed.  One more reason not to lose sleep over the rise in oil prices is that, unlike the rises in the 1970s, it has not occurred against the background of general commodity-price inflation and global excess demand. A sizable portion of the world is only just emerging from economic decline. The economist’s commodity price index is broadly unchanging from a year ago. In 1973 commodity prices jumped by 70%, and in 1979 by almost 30%.  Questions:  1.What is the main reason for the latest rise of oil price?  2.What are the results of the 1970s’ oil shock?  3.It can be inferred from the text that the retail price of petrol will go up dramatically if ________.  4.According to the passage, reduction in oil consumption is due to ________, a shift to other fuels and a decline in the importance of heavy, energy-intensive industries.  5.According to the passage, compared with those in the 1970s, oil-price shocks are ________ now.

问答题Directions:  Study the following graphs carefully and write an essay in 160-200 words. Your essay should cover these three points:  (1)effect of the country’s growing human population on its wildlife  (2)possible reason for the effect  (3)your suggestion for wildlife protection Your essay must be written neatly on the ANSWER SHEET.

问答题Suppose you are Li Hua, a college student in the UK. You are required to write a letter in reply to the following newspaper advertisement. The letter should be no fewer than 80words.  Now write the letter on the answer sheet.

问答题You recently entered a competition for learners of English. You have just received this letter from the organizers of the competition, on which you have written some notes.  Read the letter carefully. Then write a reply giving the information requested and also covering the notes you have written in the letter.  Write a letter of no fewer than 80 words in an appropriate style on the answer sheet. Do not write any addresses.

问答题Some people say that computers are making the world lonely and dehumanized. What is your opinion? State your opinion in no less than about 160 words, and write it on the Answer Sheet.

问答题Write a composition of no fewer than 120 words,giving your opinion on the following topic:  Smoking should be banned in public places.  Please write your composition on the Answer Sheet. (20 marks)

问答题You are required to write an email of no fewer than 80 words to your manager, according to the following information given in Chinese. You should include all the points listed in the following table. Now write the message on the Answer Sheet.

单选题INTERVIEW2  In this section you will hear everything ONCE ONLY. Listen carefully and then answer the questions that follow. Mark the best answer to each question on ANSWER SHEET TWO.   Questions 1 to 5 are based on an interview. At the end of the interview you will be given 10 seconds to answer each of the following five questions.   Now listen to the interview. Which of the following is NOT Vera’s tip for finding a new job?ANarrow down the scope of search.BDecide what you value the most.CDo some soul searching.DMake your resume distinctive.

问答题Directions: Some people say television has altered family life dramatically. Write an article for your school magazine, putting forward your views. You should write about 160 words on the Answer Sheet.

问答题Directions: You have read an ad on the board in which an American student is looking for a Chinese student as a language partner. Write an email to him to apply for the post. You should write about 100 words. Do not sign your own name at the end of the letter. Use “Li Ming” instead. Now write the letter on the Answer Sheet.