2008年CET6英语六级仿真题（试卷4）快速阅读

Part ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)(15 minutes)

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 1-4,mark
Y(for YES)if the statement agrees with the information given in the passage;
N(for NO)if the statement contradicts the information given in the passage;
NG(for NOT GIVEN)if the information is not given in the passage.

For questions 5-10,complete the sentences with the information given in the passage.

Earth's Ecological Debt Crisis

Today is a bleak day for the environment, the day of the year when mankind overexploits the world's resources-the day when we start living beyond our ecological means.

Evidence is mounting that rapid population growth and rising living standards among the Earth's six billion inhabitants are putting an intolerable strain on first time an organization-a British think-tank-has sought to pinpoint how quickly man is using the global resources of farming land, forests, fish, air and energy.

The new economics foundation has calculated from research by a U.S. academic group, Global Footprint Network, that the day when we use more than our fair share of the Earth-when "humanity starts eating the planet"-is October 9.

In other words, assuming that the world has a certain quantity of natural resources that can used up each year, today is the date at which this annual capacity is reached, and environmentalists warn that just as a company bound for bankruptcy plunging into the red or a borrower "maxing out" on credit cards must face the consequences, so must man.

The biggest problem relating to the overconsumption of resources is climate change, but its other effects include deforestation, falling agricultural yields and overfishing.

Overfishing is one of the most easily understood examples of the abuse of nature. Catching too many fish has left species that were once common, such as cod in the North Sea and bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean, struggling to survive.

Although it is possible to make ever-increasing catches for a while, eventually only small, juvenile fish are left, and stocks become universal. Similarly, emissions of greenhouse gases, are rising, but the climate is poised to wreak its revenge, already polar ice caps are melting at a rate that is startling scientists and examples of extreme weather, such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in August last year, are being attributed to global climate change. In February, when he was Defence Secretary, John Reid revealed that British military planners were already preparing for conflicts arising from the scramble for resources in 20 to 30 years'time.

Outlining the impact of global warming, he said: "Impacts such as flooding, melting permafrost (永久冻结带) and desertification（沙漠化）could lead to loss of agricultural land, poisoning of water supplies and destruction of economic infrastructure."

Global Footprint estimates that the human race is overusing the Earth's resources by 23 percent. While each individual should use up no more than the equivalent of 1.8 hectares of the Earth's surface, the actual area we use is 2.2 hectares per person.

Mathis Wackernagel, executive director of Global Footprint Network, which analyses 6,000 pieces of data from such sources as the United Nations, warned that the limit of the Earth's endurance had already been reached.

He said: "Humanity is living off its ecological credit card and can only do this by liquidating the planet's natural resources."

According to Nef's analysis, the unsustainability of human behaviour has speeded up markedly. Humanity started living beyond its means on a global level in 1987, when the limit of sustainability was reached on 19 December. By 1995, the day was arriving by 21 November and began arriving in October shortly after millennium.

Consumption is particularly profligate (恣意挥霍的) in the West, where individuals consume airfreighted food, buy hardwood furniture, enjoy foreign holidays and own cars. Global Footprint estimates the world would need five planet Earths to sustain a global materialistic society such as that in the U.S. while almost three would be needed for the UK.

By contrast, developing countries such as Kenya use a fraction of the resources. Nef highlighted the energy wasted in trade. In 2004, for example, Britain exported 1,500 tons of potatoes to Germany and imported the same amount. We sent 10,200 tons of milk and cream to France and imported 9,900 tons.

Professor Tim Jackson, head of sustainable development at Surrey University, one of Britain's leading experts in sustainability, said the research was broadly right and that we are using resources faster than they can be replaced by the planet.

He said: "We are clearly drawing natural capital and the point about collapse is that we don't know when some of the systems in the global atmosphere and fish will collapse but we do know that collapse is a very real possibility."

Our Dwindling Natural Assets

Fisheries Degradation of the marine ecosystem is one of the world's biggest problems after climate change. Many fish population have shrunk by 90 percent in 50 years. Species in particular danger are bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and Atlantic and cod in the North Sea.

Energy Oil reserves are fast running out: "peak oil"-the point from which oil reserves start to decline-is imminent, with world consumption of oil at 84 million barrels a day. In turn, the burning of fossil fuels is the largest source of emissions of CO2.

Some 13 million hectares of forest are lost every year, says the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Almost 20 percent of the Amazon-the world's "lung"-has been felled. In 2004 the rate of forest clearance in the Amazon was the second highest on record, caused by the boom in growing soya beans. Deforestation of tropical rainforests may account for the loss of as many as 100 species a day.

Water Population growth, pollution and climate change are making water a scarce resource. Only 2 percent of water on Earth is fresh, the rest is salt or trapped in glaciers and snow. By 2050, 7 billion people in 60 countries could be short of drinking water.

Farming land Overfarming drains the soil of nutrients, while the chemicals used in the process pollute waterways. Farming uses 70 percent of the world's water supply: to provide 2,700 calories a day requires 4,300 litres (more than seven bathtubs) of water.

1. So far man has tapped the world's abundant resources on a moderate level.

2. The U.S. economics foundation has already figured out the exact date when the Earth is not able to bear the burden imposed by mankind.

3. Environmentalists have done extensive research on the relation between the exploitation of natural resources and the improvement of people's living standards.

4. Apart from climate change, the overconsumption has given rise to several other problems, one of which is falling agricultural yields.

5. An outstanding example of extreme weather is ________ which devastated New Orleans in August last year.

6. According to Global Footprint's estimates, the human race is overusing the Earth's resources by .

7. Mathis Wackernagel warned that humanity would exceed ________________ in terms of its natural resources.

8. According to Nef's analysis of the unsustainability of human behavior, the time when humanity reached the limit of sustainability was________________________ .

9. Professor Tim Jackson confirmed the validity of the research and pointed out that resources are being used faster than they ________________ by the Earth.

10. One of the major causes of the extinction of species is probably the deforestation of ________________ .

Part ⅡReading Comprehension (Skimming and Scanning)

1. N 根据文章第一段中的overexploits the world's resources（过度开发世界上的资源）和 beyond our ecological means（超出我们的生态承受力）可文不符。

2. Y 根据句意定位到原文第三段，其内容大致是说一个经济学基金会根据每个学术团体的研究成果计算出"人类即将吞噬地球"的日期是10月9日，由此断定本题表述与原文相符。

3. NG 本题指出环保人士针对自然资源的利用与人们生活水平的提高二者之间的关系做了大量的研究，而原文第四段只是说他们发出了警告，根本没有说到研究，因此本题答案为NG（没有提及）。

4. Y 根据原文第五段内容耗自然资源会引发一系列的问题，如气候变化，森林被毁，农业产量下降等等，因此本题内容与原文所说相符。

5. Hurricane Katrina 本题是细节题，涉及文章中的一个例子，根据devastated，New Orleans这几个词可定位于文章第七段第二句的后半部分"...such as Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in August year, are being attributed to global climate."由此可确定答案。

6. 23 percent 本题是细节题，涉及地球的资源和人类的过度使用，根据Global Footprint，overusing，the Earth's resources 和by等线索定位于文章第九段第一句"Global Footprint estimates that the human race is overusing the Earth's resources by 23 percent."由此可确定答案。

7. the limit of the Earth's endurance 本题是细节理解题，应当根据人名和关键词搜寻，答案依据在第十段。

8. 19 December，1987 本题是细节理解题，涉及可维持性和时间，根据这两个因素和人名搜寻,可确定答案依据为第十二段第二句"Humanity started living beyond its means on a global lever in 1987."

9. can be replaced/renewed 本题是细节理解题，根据人名确定答案依据在文章的第十五、十六段，尤其是第十五段。

10. tropical rainforests 本题是细节理解题，根据deforestation和species可定位于Energy部分第二段的最后一句"Deforestation of tropical rainforests may account for the loss of as many as 100 species a day."