說明文閱讀

Task 1

題材：災難防范 文章詞數：322 難度：★★★ 建議用時：6分鐘

When Timothy Ingalsbee thinks back to his days fighting wildfires in the Pacific Northwest,he doesn't like to remember all that smoke. “Some seasons,”he says, “I lost my sense of smell because of smoke.”

As wildfires have grown more frequent in recent years,communities begin to worry about the health influence of all that smoke.The danger has long been known to those who fight fires in buildings.Studies have shown they have increased risks of cancer and lung diseases,says Rick Swan,director of the International Association of Firefighters.“Everyone used to say,‘It's just a barbecue fire.It's no big deal,’” he says.Now,it's known that forest fire smoke is full of poisonous chemicals.

As for respiratory protection,a bandana(a piece of cloth)is the only equipment recommended for firefighters.Many health organizations warn that it doesn't actually help.But there's no easy replacement.The respirators that building firefighters use can only supply clean air for a short period of time.Wildfire shifts are generally 12 hours.

Swan says he's seen a general reluctance in taking on respiratory protection.He blames,in part,a culture that glorifies the image of a “real”firefighter:able to work long hours.“That culture gets us into trouble,” Swan says.“It doesn't allow us to get out of our own way.”

Despite this,things are slowly changing.This year,the national group responsible for developing wildfire training materials has included a unit on the dangers of smoke exposure as part of its annual health and safety refresher course.Ingalsbee says he doesn't regret his time dealing with the smoke,although his lung still suffers years after leaving the woods.But he predicts it will take more than a change in training to make sure wildland firefighters are protected,not only on the job but long after their careers have ended.

1.What do we know about wildfires?

A.They're as dangerous as building fires.

B.They're often caused by human activities.

C.Their harm hasn't aroused public concerns.

D.Their bad effect on firefighters wasn't taken seriously.

2.Why can't respirators take the place of bandanas in fighting wildfires?

A.Respirators are too expensive.

B.Respirators can't last for long.

C.Bandanas are very effective in preventing air.

D.Bandanas are accepted by health organizations.

3.What does the underlined word “glorifies” in paragraph 4 mean?

A.Ignores. B.Changes.

C.Praises. D.Improves.

4.What does the author want to stress in the last paragraph?

A.Ingalsbee devoted his life to the work.

B.The firefighters need to receive training.

C.More work is needed to protect firefighters.

D.Smoke exposure has far-reaching influence.

Task 2

題材：宇宙探索 文章詞數：332 難度：★★★★ 建議用時：7分鐘

China launched the last satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System(BDS)from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 9：43 am BJT(0143 GMT)on June 23.

The satellite,carried by a Long March-3B carrier rocket,is the 30th BDS-3 satellite and the 55th of the whole BeiDou satellite family.The launch marked the completion of the country's domestically developed BeiDou constellation as one of four global navigation networks alongside with the United States'GPS,Russia's GLONASS and the European Union's Galileo.When fully completed,the system will offer its users services including high-precision positioning and short message communication,which will bring new highlights to global navigation satellite systems.

“Weighing over 10,000 pounds,the final BDS satellite is the largest of its kind in the family,and is filled with propellants for the movement in orbit,” said deputy chief designer Liu Tianxiong. “The reason why we launched this one in the final stage is to round out the navigation network,”Liu added.Featuring radio-navigation,radio-determination and enhanced timing synchronization(同步)functions,the last satellite,after joining BDS-3 family,will allow the constellation to provide more cost-effective navigation services,which rapidly wins the global market.

Based on the DFH-3B satellite platform,one of the largest platforms in service in China,the spacecraft is designed to work in orbit for at least 12 years.The latest launch came 26 years after construction of the BeiDou-1 officially started in 1994.The first generation of the BeiDou system made China the third country after the US and Russia to have a satellite navigation system.By 2000,the construction of the BDS-1 was completed,which was mainly used to broadcast positioning and timing signals over China.12 years later,the construction of BDS-2,designed to provide navigation services over the broader Asia-Pacific region,was completed.Now,the construction of BDS-3,with 24 satellites in medium-Earth orbits,three in inclined geosynchronous satellite orbits and three in geostationary orbits,is scheduled to provide services worldwide.

1.What can we know about the last satellite of the BDS?

A.It is the most developed of the global navigation networks.

B.It is much more powerful than the United States'GPS.

C.It was made by joint efforts from many countries.

D.Its launch marks the developed BeiDou constellation is completed.

2.What does the underlined phrase “round out” in paragraph 3 most probably mean?

A.Perfect.

B.Exchange.

C.Recommend.

D.Employ.

3.What makes the BDS more competitive in navigation services?

A.Precise positioning.

B.Short message communication.

C.Timing synchronization functions.

D.More cost-effective navigation services.

4.What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A.The design and expected service life of the BDS.

B.The service objectives of the BDS in different stages.

C.Different periods of the construction of the BDS.

D.The difficulty to be overcome in navigation services.

Task 3

題材：旅游 文章詞數：309 難度：★★★ 建議用時：6分鐘

While you visit the happiest place on Earth,I hope you don't hear these two phrases—or the tour might be about to turn into a nightmare.

Disney World and Disneyland are well-known for being the happiest places in the world,but sometimes,some less than good things happen.When they do,staff have code words to let other staff know what has taken place without destroying your perfectly happy day with terrible details.

According to the New York Post,one of the worst things you can hear a cast member say at Disney World is a “White Powder Alert”.A “White Powder Alert” means that a guest has brought the ashes of their dead relatives in order to make the happiest place on Earth their final resting place.According to Susan Veness,author of Walt Disney World Hacks,this most commonly occurs on the Haunted Mansion ride.This is illegal and can get you banned from Disney for life.

The second Disney code word you never want to hear is “E-stop”.This one is a bit more straightforward (直截了當的)and isn't used just for Disney.In order to remain as perfectly clear in an emergency situation as possible,most amusement parks and fair rides use the same phrase.It means “Emergency Stop”.If a ride must be shut down due to a sanitary issue—like someone “protein spilling” or pouring ashes—or a safety issue,an E-stop is called and the ride is instantly shut down while park officials decide if the ride should be evacuated(疏散)immediately or simply paused for maintenance.No matter what code words are said,you'll never want to hear a Disney cast member use these expressions.

These two scary situations aside,there's a reason why Disneyland is the happiest and most magical place on Earth.

1.Why do staff in Disneyland use code words?

A.To make other staff know what's the matter.

B.To make tourists have a good day.

C.To prevent bad things from happening.

D.To make communication more easily.

2.What will happen if a tourist brings ashes of the dead to Disneyland?

A.Susan Veness will criticize him seriously.

B.He will be driven to the Haunted Mansion ride.

C.He will be forbidden to go to Disneyland for ever.

D.He will get no rest place in the Disneyland.

3.Who makes a decision to make a ride be paused according to the text?

A.People repairing the machine.

B.People using code words.

C.People in charge of sanitation.

D.People in charge of the park.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.Beautiful Disneyland that is attractive and magical

B.Two code words that you never want to hear in Disneyland

C.Some emergency cases that happen in Disneyland

D.Advice that makes you have a good time in Disneyland

Task 4

題材：郵編的歷史 文章詞數：329 難度：★★★ 建議用時：6分鐘

Why do we use Zip codes?

Everyone has memorized exactly the ZIP code 90210,whatever their own ZIP code is.We can thank a well-known TV show set in Beverly Hills for that.

Aside from that,general knowledge of these five-digit figures is pretty limited.We put them at the end of addresses,and then our mail magically gets delivered to the right location.We discovered one of the most highly kept secrets all mail carriers know:what ZIP codes really are and how they work.

The entire practice of using ZIP codes is a relatively new system that was put in place on July 1,1963.Before that,starting in 1943,the US Postal Service used a series of postal zones for large cities only.

In 1944,a postal worker named Robert Moon handed on an idea for a new postal zone system that would cover the whole country.The first number would stand for a group of states,starting at zero on the east coast and ending at nine on the west coast,and the second and third numbers would specify(詳述)to which sectional center facility(the place where mail gets processed and distributed)the mail should go in that area.The US Postal Service eventually adopted this plan and,the Zone Improvement Plan Code—or ZIP code—was born.

About 20 years after the first ZIP codes were put into place,the US Postal Service made one more adjustment:the four digits that come after your ZIP code.These stand for a specific area that any given post office covers.The sixth and seventh numbers refer to a delivery sector,which could be a group of streets,one large building,or another small geographic area.The last two stand for a delivery segment（片區）.

Even though the US Postal Service says the proper contribution to the ZIP code's creation goes to a committee of people,our addresses would look quite different if it weren't for Moon's numerical inspiration.

1.Why are many people familiar with ZIP code “90210”?

A.It's easy to understand and memorize.

B.It's because of a famous TV program.

C.It's related to Beverly Hills.

D.It's a ZIP code of five-digit figures.

2.What can we know about the postal zone used in 1943?

A.It was the entire practice of ZIP codes.

B.It was used for a very long time.

C.It was popular with big cities.

D.It wasn't very convenient to use.

3.What do the second and third numbers in a ZIP code stand for according to Moon's system?

A.The state.

B.Where the mail is from.

C.Where the mail will go locally.

D.The proper post office.

4.What does the author mainly talk about in paragraph 5?

A.What the four numbers at the end of a ZIP code mean.

B.What ZIP codes really are and the uses they bring.

C.The big change of American postal service.

D.The American ZIP codes is really very complex.

Task 5

題材：歸還勛章 文章詞數：336 難度：★★★ 建議用時：6分鐘

Zachariah Fike has an unusual hobby.He finds old military(軍隊的)medals for sale in antique stores and on the Internet.But unlike most collectors,Zac tracks down the medals'rightful owners,and returns them.

His effort to reunite families with lost medals began with a Christmas gift from his mother,a Purple Heart with the name Corrado A.G.Piccoli,found in an antique shop.Zac knows the meaning of a Purple Heart—he earned one himself in a war as a soldier.So when his mother gave him the medal,he knew right away what he had to do.

Through the Internet,Zac tracked down Corrado's sister Adeline Rockko.But when he finally reached her,the woman flooded him with questions: “Who are you?What antique shop?”However,when she hung up,she regretted the way she had handled the call.So she called Zac back and apologized.Soon she drove to meet Zac in Watertown,N.Y. “At that point,I knew she meant business,”Zac says.“To drive eight hours to come to see me.”

The Piccolis grew up the children of Italian immigrants in Watertown.Corrado,a translator for the Army during WWⅡ,was killed in action in Europe.

Before hearing from Zac,Adeline hadn't realized the medal was missing.Like many military medals,the one Zac's mother had found was a family treasure.“This medal was very precious to my parents.Only on special occasions(場合)would they take it out and let us hold it in our hands,” Adeline says.

As a child,Adeline couldn't understand why the medal was so significant.“But as I grew older,”Adeline says,“and missed my brother more and more,I realized that was the only thing we had left.”Corrado Piccoli's Purple Heart medal now hangs at the Italian American Civic Association in Watertown.

Zac recently returned another lost medal to a family in Alabama.Since he first reunited Corrado's medal,Zac says his record is now 5 for 5.

1.Where did Zac get a Purple Heart medal for himself?

A.In the army.

B.In an antique shop.

C.From his mother.

D.From Adeline Rockko.

2.What did Zac realize when Adeline drove to meet him?

A.She was very impolite.

B.She was serious about the medal.

C.She suspected his honesty.

D.She came from a wealthy family.

3.What made Adeline treasure the Purple Heart?

A.Her parents'advice.

B.Her knowledge of antiques.

C.Her childhood dream.

D.Her memory of her brother.