练习二 听力原文及解析
Section C
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 16 to 19.
OK.We have been looking at some of the smaller members of our solar system，comets.You already know about the structure of comets.Let’s continue our discussion now by talking about orbits，especially those of the so-called periodic-orbit comets These are the comets that circle around the Sun pretty regularly.They return again and again，predictably，after a certain period of time.That’s why we say their orbits are periodic.Probably the most famous and brightest of these is Halley’s comet.
Halley’s comet comes from far out in the solar system，goes in close to the Sun，and then out again.At its closest approach to the Sun，Halley’s comet is about twice as close to the Sun as Earth is.And at its farthest.It’s about thirty-five times farther from the Sun than we are，which puts it out beyond Neptune.Basically，the idea here is that a periodic comet，with its very elongated orbit，just keeps coming back around again and again.With Halley’s comet，well，it returns every 75 years，roughly.
But where is Halley’s comet during most of this time/ Well，like all orbiting bodies，a comet moves faster when it’s closer to the Sun.So it only spends about a year or two in our neighborhood，inside the orbit of Jupiter.Most of its time is spent way out beyond Jupiter’s orbit，poking along near the farther reaches of its own orbit.Because of this，we can only see Halley’s for a few months every 75 years，first on its way in toward the Sun，and then on its way out again.
Now，you remember from our previous discussion that a comet’s nucleus，its core，is made up of ice and dust，like a frozen snowball.And as it approaches the Sun，it starts to heat up.And some of the ice vaporizes into gas and spreads out from the nucleus.The gases that vaporize from the comet，the comet never collects them back again，so on every orbit，the comet leaves part of itself behind.OK.How old is this solar system/ Four and a half billion years.remember/ And Halley’s is going around the Sun once every 75 years and losing stuff each time.So the comet should be long gone by now，right/ I mean，how come Halley’s is still there/ After four and a half billion years.How could it be/Well，the answer is that this comet hasn’t always been in such a short periodic orbit，since once a comet gets into an orbit that keeps it coming in close to the Sun quite frequently.Well，that comet’s probably not going to be around too much longer.So this kind of periodic orbit is only a phase in a comet’s life.A phase that just precedes its final breakup.
16.What is the lecture mainly about?
A.theorbitsofcomets
B.unique characteristics of a famous comet
C.the structure of comets
D.the origin and life cycle of comets
17.Why does the professor emphasize the amount of time Hailey’s Comet is beyond the orbit of Jupiter?
A.to account for the comet’s composition of ice and dust
B.to show the effect of Jupiter’s gravity on the comet’s orbit
C.to argue that the comet’s orbit should not be considered periodic
D.toexplainwhythecometisnotvisiblefromEarthveryoften
18.According to the professor，what happens as a comet approaches the Sun？
A.Itsnucleuslosessomematerial.
B.Its core becomes brighter.
C.It moves slower.
D.It absorbs gases from the Sun.
19.What does the professor imply about the history of Hailey’s Comet？
A.Hailey’sCometdidnotalwayshavethesameorbitasithasnow.
B.Hailey’s Comet used to be much smaller than it is now.
C.Hailey’s Comet has always had the same orbit that it has now.
D.Hailey’s Comet is much younger than the rest of the solar system.
【解析】第一题是内容主旨题，正确答案为A。开头提出本文讨论关于彗星轨道的内容，即本课主要内容。第二题是观点组织题，正确答案为D。文中提到：因为哈雷多数时间在木星轨道之外，所以我们每75年有几个月的时间能观察到它。哈雷在木星轨道之外解释了不经常观察到哈雷彗星的原因。第三题是细节题，正确答案为A。文中提到当彗星靠近太阳时温度升高，冰蒸发成气体散出彗核，即彗核失去了一些物质。第四题是推断推理题。文中提到哈雷彗星有45亿年的历史，却没有分解，是因为哈雷之前不在短的周期轨道上运行。可以推出，哈雷彗星过去和现在的运行轨道不同。因此正确答案为A。
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 20 to 22.
When BYD Auto launches one of China’s first mass produced fully electric sedans later this year，it will be trying to conquer the world rather than save it.But such is the explosive growth of China’s car market and thirst for petrol that the two goals are likely to become ever more synonymous.Senior government leaders have initiated a major push for hybrid and electric vehicles in a bid to bypass car makers overseas and avoid an environmental meltdown at home.
The consultancy McKinsey and Company estimates that China’s car market will grow tenfold between 2005 and 2030，which will drive up demand for diesel and petrol from 110 million tons to 500 million tons.That will mean a sharp rise in carbon emissions from a country that has already overtaken the United States as the world’s biggest source of greenhouse gases.
Hybrid，electric and fuel-cell vehicles could ease the burden，but they will not solve the problem because at the moment more than 70% of China’s electricity is powered by coal，the dirtiest of all fossil fuels.Even if there is a large-scale take-up of the new technologies，which could cut emissions by 19% .McKinsey estimates that the combined emissions from road transport would still increase more than fourfold within the next two decades.Faced by this nightmare，the Chinese authorities recently announced plans for 50，000-yuan rebates for electric and hybrid cars，encouraged city taxi fleets to buy vehicles with the new technology，and prompted state and regional grids to set up charging stations.BYD is likely to be a major beneficiary.The initials stand for Build Your Dreams，which prompted snickers when the company debuted in US car shows last year，as did the soaring ambitions of the founder Wang Chuanfu，who has stated that BYD will be the biggest carmaker in China by 2015 and the biggest in the world by 2025.
Despite it making a third of the world’s mobile phone batteries，until recently few people outside of China had heard of BYD.But the company exploded into the international consciousness late last year by beating Toyota and General Motors to launch the world’s first mass-produced plug-in hybrid.There are also many questions about the environmental benefits of electric cars，given China’s reliance on coal.Electric vehicles drive down carbon emissions best if they are charged at night with wind or other forms of renewable energy，but this is not currently possible in the country.
20.What do we learn about BYD from this report？
A.BYDstartsthegreencarmarket.
B.BYD starts the mobile phone market.
C.BYD starts to reduce use on electricity.
D.BYD starts to reduce water pollution.
21.What is the percentage of China’s coal-powered electricity？
A.19% B.30% C.50% D.70%
22.Besides cars，what else does BYD produce？
A.mobile phones B.mobilephonebatteries
C.electricity D.bicycle
【解析】第一题是内容主旨题。正确答案是A，整篇文章以BYD为例分析了中国环保汽车市场蓄势待发的现状。BYD去年年底成为中国第一批大批量生产全电动轿车的汽车厂家，这样既能满足中国快速增长的汽车需求又能解决汽油原料紧缺问题。第二题是细节题，文中描述中国目前有超过70%的电能来自煤，答案为D。第三题为细节题，答案是B，文中提到尽管全世界三分之一的手机电池都是比亚迪公司生产。
Now listen to the following recording and answer questions 23 to 25.
Thank you all for coming today.As you are all aware，we are here to celebrate 35 years of continuous service by our friend and colleague James Dawson.He started as an administration officer in 1972 in our accounts department，and worked his way up the career ladder over the years，finally becoming vice-president in 1989 of the company，and managing over three hundred employees.As most of you who have been working here long enough will know，it has been a long struggle to become one of the European market leaders in our field，and you may remember in 1982 when we had a huge setback，with the plans for a merger with our top rival company falling through.Because of that，we had to make some workers redundant.However，James was lucky enough to keep his job.Yes，those really were the worst few years.However，we managed to get through these difficult times by working hard and James was a key player in the struggle to get us back on the path to becoming one of the largest computer manufacturing companies in Europe.One of James’s biggest strengths has been his immaculate timekeeping and organizational skills-in fact I have never known him to be without his diary！ His negotiation skills and determination led to a tactful action plan to become one of the leading companies in Europe.I will never forget that day in 1987 when we had the final negotiations for the takeover of our rival company.James and his superb presenting and negotiating skills was one of the key factors to our success.The turning point in our company came with the successful takeover and，despite all the obstacles we have faced，the hard work and dedication of all our workers has made our company the success it is today.And I have to say that James，as one of our managers，has always acknowledged the work and contribution made by others.James，you rewarded your best employees with some of the best perks any company has given！ Today we want to acknowledge the hard work and significant contributions which you have made.So thank you，James，for your loyalty to the company and your hard work.
23.What is the speech mainly about？
A.to celebrate James Dawson’s promotion as vice-president
B.to celebrate James Dawson was rewarded with some of the best perks
C.to acknowledge James Dawson’s superb presenting and negotiating skills
D.toacknowledgethehardworkandsignificantcontributionsmadebyJamesDawson
24.How many years did James Dawson spend from an administration officer to a vice-president?
A.10 years B.15 years C.17 years D.35 years
25.What kind of company does James Dawson work for?
A.acomputermanufacturingcompany
B.an accounting company
C.an import and export corporation
D.not mentioned
【解析】第一题是内容主旨题。答案是D。本文主要是致辞感谢James Dawson的辛勤工作和重大贡献。第二题是细节计算题。从听到的2个时间算出James Dawson从一名普通的行政人员升职到公司副总裁的时间。答案是C。第三题答案是细节题，答案是A。文中提到James Dawson的公司是欧洲最大的计算机制造公司之一。