雅思(阅读)历年真题试卷汇编16(题后含答案及解析)

题型有：1.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.The Forgotten ForestFound only in the Deep South of America, longleaf pine woodlands have dwindled to about 3 percent of their former range, but new efforts are under way to restore them.THE BEAUTY AND THE BIODIVERSITY of the longleaf pine forest are well-kept secrets, even in its native South. Yet it is among the richest ecosystems in North America, rivaling tallgrass prairies and the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest in the number of species it shelters. And like those two other disappearing wildlife habitats, longleaf is also critically endangered.In longleaf pine forests, trees grow widely scattered, creating an open, parklike environment, more like a savanna than a forest. The trees are not so dense as to block the sun. This openness creates a forest floor that is among the most diverse in the world, where plants such as many-flowered grass pinks, trumpet pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, lavender ladies and pineland bog-buttons grow. As many as 50 different species of wildflowers, shrubs, grasses and ferns have been cataloged in just a single square meter.Once, nearly 92 million acres of longleaf forest flourished from Virginia to Texas, the only place in the world where it is found. By the turn of the 21st century, however, virtually all of it had been logged, paved or farmed into oblivion. Only about 3 percent of the original range still supports longleaf forest, and only about 10,000 acres of that is uncut old-growth—the rest is forest that has regrown after cutting. An estimated 100,000 of those acres are still vanishing every year. However, a quiet movement to reverse this trend is rippling across the region. Governments, private organisations(including NWF)and individual conservationists are looking for ways to protect and preserve the remaining longleaf and to plant new forests for future generations.Figuring out how to bring back the piney woods also will allow biologists to help the plants and animals that depend on this habitat. Nearly two-thirds of the declining, threatened or endangered species in the southeastern United States are associated with longleaf. The outright destruction of longleaf is only part of their story, says Mark Danaher, the biologist for South Carolina’s Francis Marion National Forest He says the demise of these animals and plants also is tied to a lack of fire, which once swept through the southern forests on a regular basis. “Fire is absolutely critical for this ecosystem and for the species that depend on it,” says Danaher.Name just about any species that occurs in longleaf and you can find a connection to fire. Bach-man’s sparrow is a secretive bird with a beautiful song that echoes across the longleaf flatwoods. It tucks its nest on the ground beneath clumps of wiregrass and little bluestem in the open understory. But once fire has been absent for several years, and a tangle of shrubs starts to grow, the sparrows disappear. Gopher tortoises, the only native land tortoises east of the Mississippi, are also abundant in longleaf. A keystone species for these forests, its burrows provide homes and safety to more than 300 species of vertebrates and invertebrates ranging from eastern diamond-back rattlesnakes to gopher frogs. If fire is suppressed, however, the tortoises are choked out. “If we lose fire,” says Bob Mitchell, an ecologist at the Jones Center, “we lose wildlife.”Without fire, we also lose longleaf. Fire knocks back the oaks and other hardwoods that can grow up to overwhelm longleaf forests. “They are fire forests,” Mitchell says. “They evolved in the lightning capital of the eastern United States.” And it wasn’t only lightning strikes that set the forest aflame. “Native Americans also lit fires to keep the forest open,” Mitchell says. “So did the early pioneers. They helped create the longleaf pine forests that we know today.”Fire also changes how nutrients flow throughout longleaf ecosystems, in ways we are just beginning to understand. For example, researchers have discovered that frequent fires provide extra calcium, which is critical for egg production, to endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers. Frances James, a retired avian ecologist from Florida State University, has studied these small black-and-white birds for more than two decades in Florida’s sprawling Apalachicola National Forest. When she realised female woodpeckers laid larger clutches in the first breeding season after their territories were burned, she and her colleagues went searching for answers. “We learned calcium is stashed away in woody shrubs when the forest is not burned,” James says. “But when there is a fire, a pulse of calcium moves down into the soil and up into the longleaf.” Eventually, this calcium makes its way up the food chain to a tree-dwelling species of ant, which is the red-cockaded’s favorite food. The result: more calcium for the birds, which leads to more eggs, more young and more woodpeckers.Today, fire is used as a vital management tool for preserving both longleaf and its wildlife. Most of these fires are prescribed burns, deliberately set with a drip torch. Although the public often opposes any type of fire—and the smoke that goes with it—these frequent, low-intensity burns reduce the risk of catastrophic conflagrations. “Forests are going to burn,” says Amadou Diop, NWF’s southern forests restoration manager. “If s just a question of when. With prescribed burns, we can pick the time and the place.”Diop is spearheading a new NWF effort to restore longleaf. “It’s a species we need to go back to,” he says. Educating landowners about the advantages of growing longleaf is part of the program, he adds, which will soon be under way in nine southern states. “Right now, most longleaf is on public land,” says Jerry McCollum, president of the Georgia Wildlife Federation. “Private land is where we need to work,” he adds, pointing out that more than 90 percent of the acreage within the historic range of longleaf falls under this category.Interest among private landowners is growing throughout the South, but restoring longleaf is not an easy task. The herbaceous layer—the understory of wiregrasses and other plants—also needs to be re-created. In areas where the land has not been chewed up by farming, but converted to loblolly or slash pine plantations, the seed bank of the longleaf forest usually remains viable beneath the soil. In time, this original vegetation can be coaxed back. Where agriculture has destroyed the seeds, however, wiregrass must be replanted. Right now, the expense is prohibitive, but researchers are searching for low-cost solutions.Bringing back longleaf is not for the short-sighted, however. Few of us will be alive when the pines being planted today become mature forests in 70 to 80 years. But that is not stopping longleaf enthusiasts. “Today, if s getting hard to find longleaf seedlings to buy,” one of the private landowners says. “Everyone wants them. Longleaf is in a resurgence.”Questions 1-5Complete the notes below.Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.Forest fire ensures that: Birds can locate their【R1】______in the ground. The burrows of a species of【R2】______provide homes to many other animals. Hardwoods such as【R3】______don’t take over.Apart from fires lit by lightning: Fires are created by【R4】______and settlers. Fires deliberately lit are called【R5】______.

1． 【R1】

正确答案：nests

解析：利用细节信息“forest fire”、“birds”和“in the ground”定位于原文第五段前三句话“…you can find a connection to fire．Bachman’s sparrow is a secretive bird…It tucks its neston the ground beneath…”。原文信息“It tucks its nest on the ground…”对应题目中的“locate…in the ground”，所以正确答案为nests。

2． 【R2】

正确答案：tortoises

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“burrows”定位于原文第五段中间“Gopher tortoises…Akeystone species for these forests，its burrows provide home and safety to more than 300species of vertebrates and invertebrates…”，这里很容易看出“Gopher tortoises”的“burrows”为300多个物种提供了家园。所以正确答案为tortoises。

3． 【R3】

正确答案：oaks

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“hardwoods”定位于原文第六段第二句话“Fire knocksback the oaks and other hardwoods that can grow up to overwhelm longleaf forests”。这里的“overwhelm”对应题目中的“take over”，所以正确答案为oaks。

4． 【R4】

正确答案：Native Americans

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“settlers”定位于原文第六段倒数第二、三句话“NativeAmericans also lit fires to keep the forest open…So did the early pioneers”。这里的“earlypioneers”对应题目中的“settlers”，所以正确答案为Native Americans.

5． 【R5】

正确答案：prescribed burns

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“Fires deliberately lit”定位于原文第八段第二句话“Mostof these fires are prescribed burns，deliberately set with a drip torch”，所以正确答案为prescribed burns。

Complete the flow-chart below.Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.How to increase the number of cockaded woodpeckers

6．

正确答案：shrubs

解析：对应段落中“…calcium is stashed away in woody shrubs…”，原文中“stashed away”对应题目中的“stored”，所以正确答案为shrubs。

7．

正确答案：soil

解析：对应段落中“when there is a fire，a pulse of calcium moves down into the soil and up intothe longleaf”，原文中“moves down”对应题目中的“released”，同时原文的“up intothe longleaf”对应流程图中下一步的“Travel up to the leaves”。所以正确答案为soil。

8．

正确答案：Ants

解析：对应段落中“…to a tree-dwelling species of ant，which is the red-cockaded’s favoritefood”，这里的“favorite food”对应题目中的“are eaten”，所以正确答案为Ants。

9．

正确答案：eggs

解析：对应段落最后一句话“…more calcium for the birds，which leads to more eggs，moreyoung and more woodpeckers”。很明显，这里的“more young and more woodpeckers”对应流程图中下一步的“More cockaded woodpeckers”，所以正确答案为eggs。

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet, writeTRUE if the statement agrees with the informationFALSE if the statement contradicts the informationNOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

10． The sparse distribution of longleaf pine trees leads to the most diversity of species.

A．真

B．假

C．Not Given

正确答案：A

解析：利用细节信息“sparse distribution”和“diversity of species”定位于原文第二段前三句话“In longleaf pine forests，trees grow widely scattered,creating an open，park-likeenvironment．．．This openness creates a forest floor that is among the most diverse in theworld…”。原文中“grow widely scattered”对应题目中的“sparse distribution”，原文中“diverse”对应题目中的“diversity of species”。题目与原文表述的信息一致，所以正确答案为True。

11． It is easier to restore forests converted to farms than forests converted to plantations.

A．真

B．假

C．Not Given

正确答案：B

解析：利用细节信息“farms”和“plantations”定位于原文倒数第二段后半部分“In areaswhere the land has not been chewed up by farming，but converted to loblolly or slash pineplantations，the seed bank…remains viable…In time，this original vegetation can be coaxedback．Where agriculture has destroyed the seeds，however,wiregrass must be replanted．．．the expense is prohibitive…”。很明显，这里提及如果转化成plantations，最初的植被还能恢复(original vegetation can be coaxed back)，但是如果转化成了农场(对应原文的“agriculture”)，则很难恢复，而且花费出奇得高(the expense is prohibitive)，而题目却说转化为农场后更容易复原。题目信息与原文信息相矛盾，所以正确答案为False。

12． The cost to restore forest is increasing recently.

A．真

B．假

C．Not Given

正确答案：C

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“The cost to restore forest”定位于倒数第二段最后一句话“Right now,the expense is prohibitive，but researchers are searching for low-cost solutions”，但是这里只提及恢复森林价格昂贵，却未提及价格是否上升。题目信息在原文信息的基础上无法判断，所以正确答案为Not Given。

13． Few can live to see the replanted forest reach its maturity.

A．真

B．假

C．Not Given

正确答案：A

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“replanted forest”和“maturity”定位于原文最后一段第二句话“Few of us will be alive when the pines being planted today become mature forests in70 to 80 years”。很明显，题目信息与原文信息一致，所以正确答案为True。

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.Storytelling, From Prehistoric Caves To Modern CinemasA It was told, we suppose, to people crouched around a fire: a tale of adventure, most likely—relating some close encounter with death; a remarkable hunt, an escape from mortal danger; a vision, or something else out of the ordinary. Whatever its thread, the weaving of this story was done with a prime purpose. The listeners must be kept listening. They must not fall asleep. So, as the story went on, its audience should be sustained by one question above all. What happens next?B The first fireside stories in human history can never be known. They were kept in the heads of those who told them. This method of storage is not necessarily inefficient. From documented oral traditions in Australia, the Balkans and other parts of the world we know that specialised storytellers and poets can recite from memory literally thousands of lines, in verse or prose, verbatim—word for word. But while memory is rightly considered an art in itself, it is clear that a primary purpose of making symbols is to have a system of reminders or mnemonic cues—signs that assist us to recall certain information in the mind’s eye.C In some Polynesian communities a notched memory stick may help to guide a storyteller through successive stages of recitation. But in other parts of the world, the activity of storytelling historically resulted in the development or even the invention of writing systems. One theory about the arrival of literacy in ancient Greece, for example, argues that the epic tales about the Trojan War and the wanderings of Odysseus—traditionally attributed to Homer—were just so enchanting to hear that they had to be preserved. So the Greeks, c. 750-700BC, borrowed an alphabet from their neighbors in the eastern Mediterranean, the Phoenicians.D The custom of recording stories on parchment and other materials can be traced in many manifestations around the world, from the priestly papyrus archives of ancient Egypt to the birch-bark scrolls on which the North American Ojibway Indians set down their creation-myth. It is a well-tried and universal practice: so much so that to this day storytime is probably most often associated with words on paper. The formal practice of narrating a story aloud would seem—so we assume—to have given way to newspapers, novels and comic strips. This, however, is not the case. Statistically it is doubtful that the majority of humans currently rely upon the written word to get access to stories. So what is the alternative source?E Each year, over 7 billion people will go to watch the latest offering from Hollywood, Bollywood and beyond. The supreme storyteller of today is cinema. The movies, as distinct from still photography, seem to be an essentially modem phenomenon. This is an illusion, for there are, as we shall see, certain ways in which the medium of film is indebted to very old precedents of arranging ‘sequences’ of images. But any account of visual storytelling must begin with the recognition that all storytelling beats with a deeply atavistic pulse: that is, a ‘good story’ relies upon formal patterns of plot and characterisation that have been embedded in the practice of storytelling over many generations.F Thousands of scripts arrive every week at the offices of the major film studios. But aspiring screenwriters really need look no further for essential advice than the fourth-century BC Greek Philosopher Aristotle. He left some incomplete lecture notes on the art of telling stories in various literary and dramatic modes, a slim, volume known as The Poetics. Though he can never have envisaged the popcorn-fuelled actuality of a multiplex cinema, Aristotle is almost prescient about the key elements required to get the crowds flocking to such a cultural hub. He analyzed the process with cool rationalism. When a story enchants us, we lose the sense of where we are; we are drawn into the story so thoroughly that we forget it is a story being told. This is, in Aristotle’s phrase, ‘the suspension of disbelief.G We know the feeling. If ever we have stayed in our seats, stunned with grief, as the credits roll by, or for days after seeing that vivid evocation of horror have been nervous about taking a shower at home, then we have suspended disbelief. We have been caught, or captivated, in the storyteller’s web. Did it all really happen? We really thought so—for a while. Aristotle must have witnessed often enough this suspension of disbelief. He taught at Athens, the city where theater developed as a primary form of civic ritual and recreation. Two theatrical types of storytelling, tragedy and comedy, caused Athenian audiences to lose themselves in sadness and laughter respectively. Tragedy, for Aristotle, was particularly potent in its capacity to enlist and then purge the emotions of those watching the story unfold on the stage, so he tried to identify those factors in the storyteller’s art that brought about such engagement. He had, as an obvious sample for analysis, not only the fifth-century BC masterpieces of Classical Greek tragedy written by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides. Beyond them stood Homer, whose stories even then had canonical status: The Iliad and The Odyssey were already considered literary landmarks—stories by which all other stories should be measured. So what was the secret of Homer’s narrative art?H It was not hard to find. Homer created credible heroes. His heroes belonged to the past, they were mighty and magnificent, yet they were not, in the end, fantasy figures. He made his heroes sulk, bicker, cheat and cry. They were, in short, characters—protagonists of a story that an audience would care about, would want to follow, would want to know what happens next. As Aristotle saw, the hero who shows a human side—some flaw or weakness to which mortals are prone—is intrinsically dramatic.Questions 14-18Reading Passage 2 has eight paragraphs, A-H.Which paragraph contains the following information?Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

14． A misunderstanding of how people today get stories

正确答案：D

解析：该信息出现在段落D中间靠后“The formal practice of narrating a story aloud wouldseem so we assume--to have given way to newspapers，novels and comic strips．This，however,is not the case…”。这里提及我们以为获取故事的途径已被“newspapers，novels and comic strips”所取代，而实际上并不是这样。这就是题目里所说的“misunderstanding”。所以正确答案为D。

15． The categorisation of stories

正确答案：G

解析：该信息出现在段落G中间“Two theatrical types of storytelling，tragedy and comedy,caused Athenian audiences to lose themselves…”，这里的“Two theatrical types of story-telling”，也就是亚里士多德所区分的“tragedy and comedy”对应题目所说的“categorisation”。所以正确答案为G。

16． The fundamental aim of storytelling

正确答案：A

解析：该信息出现在段落A中间“…this story was done with a prime purpose．The listenersmust be kept listening…”，很明显这里提及“the fundamental aim of storytelling”是“Thelisteners must be kept listening”，所以正确答案为A。

17． A description of reciting stories without any assistance

正确答案：B

解析：该信息出现在段落B“(stories)weTe kept in the heads of those who told them”，后面还提及“…specialised storytellers and poets can recite from memory literally thousands oflines，in verse or prose…”，对应题目所说的“reciting stories without any assistance”。所以正确答案为B。

18． How to make story characters attractive

正确答案：H

解析：该信息出现在段落H中间“He made his heroes sulk,bicker,cheat and cry．They were，in short,characters protagonists of a story that an audience would care about，would wantto follow,would want to know what happens next”，这里“audience would care about，would want to follow,would want to know what happens next”对应题目信息“attractive”。所以正确答案为H。

Classify the following information as referring toA adopted the writing system from another country B used organic materials to record stories C used tools to help to tell storiesWrite the correct letter, A,BorC in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.

19． Egyptians

正确答案：B

解析：利用细节信息“Egyptians”很容易定位于原文段落D的第一句话“…the priestlypapyrus archives of ancient Egypt…”。尽管考生不一定认识“papyrus”，但是很容易判断它不是从其他国家借鉴而来的“writing system”或一种帮助“tell stories”的“tools”，所以只能是“organic materials”。所以正确答案为B。

20． Ojibway

正确答案：B

解析：利用细节信息“Ojibway”也定位于原文段落D的第一句话“…birch-bark scrolls onwhich the North American Ojibway Indians set down their creation-myth”，这里的“birch-bark”也对应选项B的“organic materials”，所以正确答案为B。

21． Polynesians

正确答案：C

解析：利用细节信息“Polynesians”定位于原文段落C的第一句话“In some Polynesiancommunities a notched memory stick may help to guide a storyteller through successivestages of recitation”，很明显Polynesian会使用“notched memory stick”这种工具(tools)来帮助他们的storytelling，所以正确答案为C。

22． Greek

正确答案：A

解析：利用细节信息“Greek”定位于原文段落C的最后“So the Greeks，c．750-700BC，bor-rowed an alphabet from their neighbors in the eastern Mediterranean，the Phoenicians”，这里的“Phoenicians”对应选项A中的“another country”，所以正确答案为A。

Complete the sentences below with ONE WORD ONLY froth the passage. Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

23． Aristotle wrote a book on the art of storytelling called______.

正确答案：Poetics

解析：利用细节信息“Aristotle”和“a book on the art of storytelling”定位于原文段落F第三句话“He(Aristotle)left some incomplete lecture notes on the art of telling stories invarious literary and dramatic modes，a slim volume known as The Poetics”，很明显这里可以看出这本关于“the art of storytelling”的书叫做“The Poetics”，所以正确答案为Poetics。

24． Aristotle believed the most powerful type of story to move listeners is______.

正确答案：tragedy

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“most powerful type of story to move listeners”定位于原文段落G中间“Tragedy,for Aristotle，was particularly potent in its capacity to enlist andthen purge the emotions of those watching the story unfold on the stage”，这里“particularlypotent”对应题目中的“most powerful”；“enlist and then purge the emotions of thosewatching the story”对应题目中的“move listeners”，所以正确答案为tragedy。

25． Aristotle viewed Homer’s works as______.

正确答案：landmarks

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“Homer”定位于原文段落G倒数第二句话“…Homer,whose stories even then had canonical status：The Iliad and The Odyssey were already con—sidered literary landmarks”。很明显可以总结出Aristotle把Homer的作品“The Iliadand The Odyssey”看成是“literary landmarks”。所以正确答案为landmarks。

26． Aristotle believed attractive heroes should have some______.

正确答案：flaw/weakness

解析：利用顺序原则和细节信息“attractive heroes”定位于原文段落H最后一句话“AsAristotle saw,the hero who shows a human side一some flaw or weakness to which mortalsare prone is intrinsically dramatic”，这里“intrinsically dramatic”对应题目信息“attractive”，所以正确答案为flaw或weakness。

Living DunesWhen you think of a sand dune, you probably picture a barren pile of lifeless sand. But sand dunes are actually dynamic natural structures. They grow, shift and travel. They crawl with living things. Some sand dunes even sing.A Although no more than a pile of wind-blown sand, dunes can roll over trees and buildings, march relentlessly across highways, devour vehicles on its path, and threaten crops and factories in Africa, the Middle East, and China. In some places, killer dunes even roll in and swallow up towns. Entire villages have disappeared under the sand. In a few instances the government built new villages for those displaced only to find that new villages themselves were buried several years later. Preventing sand dunes from overwhelming cities and agricultural areas has become a priority for the United Nations Environment Program.B Some of the most significant experimental measurements on sand movement were performed by Ralph Bagnold, a British engineer who worked in Egypt prior to World War II. Bagnold investigated the physics of particles moving through the atmosphere and deposited by wind. He recognised two basic dune types, the crescentic dune, which he called “barchan,” and the linear dune, which he called longitudinal or “sief”(Arabic for “sword”). The crescentic barchan dune is the most common type of sand dune. As its name suggests, this dune is shaped like a crescent moon with points at each end, and it is usually wider than it is long. Some types of barchan dunes move faster over desert surfaces than any other type of dune. The linear dune is straighter than the crescentic dune with ridges as its prominent feature. Unlike crescentic dunes, linear dunes are longer than they are wide—in fact, some are more than 100 miles(about 160 kilometers)long. Dunes can also be comprised of smaller dunes of different types, called complex dunes.C Despite the complicated dynamics of dune formation, Bagnold noted that a sand dune generally needs the following three things to form: a large amount of loose sand in an area with little vegetation—usually on the coast or in a dried-up river, lake or sea bed; a wind or breeze to move the grains of sand; and an obstacle, which could be as small as a rock or as big as a tree, mat causes the sand to lose momentum and settle. Where these three variables merge, a sand dune forms.D As the wind picks up the sand, the sand travels, but generally only about an inch or two above the ground, until an obstacle causes it to stop. The heaviest grains settle against the obstacle, and a small ridge or bump forms. The lighter grains deposit themselves on the other side of the obstacle. Wind continues to move sand up to the top of the pile until the pile is so steep that it collapses tinder its own weight. The collapsing sand comes to rest when it reaches just the right steepness to keep the dune stable. The repeating cycle of sand inching up the windward side to the dune crest, then slipping down the dune’s slip face allows the dune to inch forward, migrating in the direction the wind blows.E Depending on the speed and direction of the wind and the weight of the local sand, dunes will develop into different shapes and sizes. Stronger winds tend to make taller dunes; gentler winds tend to spread mem out. If the direction of the wind generally is the same over the years, dunes gradually shift in that direction. But a dune is “a curiously dynamic creature”, wrote Farouk El-Baz in National Geographic. Once formed, a dune can grow, change shape, move with the wind and even breed new dunes. Some of these offspring may be carried on the back of the mother dune. Others are born and race downwind, outpacing their parents.F Sand dunes even can be heard ‘singing’ in more than 30 locations worldwide, and in each place the sounds have their own characteristic frequency, or note. When the thirteenth century explorer Marco Polo encountered the weird and wonderful noises made by desert sand dunes, he attributed them to evil spirits. The sound is unearthly. The volume is also unnerving. Adding to the tone’s otherworldliness is the inability of the human ear to localise the source of the noise. Stephane Douady of the French national research agency CNRS and his colleagues have been delving deeper into dunes in Morocco, Chile, China and Oman, and believe they can now explain the exact mechanism behind this acoustic phenomenon.G The group hauled sand back to the laboratory and set it up in channels with automated pushing plates. The sands still sang, proving that the dune itself was not needed to act as a resonating body for the sound, as some researchers had theorised. To make the booming sound, the grains have to be of a small range of sizes, all alike in shape: well-rounded. Douady’s key discovery was that mis synchronised frequency—which determines the tone of sound—is the result of the grain size. The larger the grain, the lower the key. He has successfully predicted the notes emitted by dunes in Morocco, Chile and the US simply by measuring the size of the grains they contain. Douady also discovered that the singing grains had some kind of varnish or a smooth coating of various minerals: silicon, iron and manganese, which probably formed on the sand when the dunes once lay beneath an ancient ocean. But in the muted grains this coat had been worn away, which explains why only some dunes can sing. He admits he is unsure exactly what role the coating plays in producing the noise. The mysterious dunes, it seems, aren’t quite ready yet to give up all of their secrets.You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 on the following pages.Questions 27-33Reading passage 3 has seven paragraphs, A-G.Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-G from the list of headings below.Write the correct number, i-x, in boxes 27-33 on your answer sheet.List of Headingsi Shaping and reformingii Causes of desertificationiii Need combination of specific conditionsiv Potential threat to industry and communicationv An old superstition demystifiedvi Differences and similaritiesvii A continuous cycling processviii Habitat for rare speciesix Replicating the process in laboratoryx Commonest type of dune

27． Paragraph A

正确答案：iv

解析：该段落非常简单，通读段落后很容易发现与该段落相关的标题只有一个iv．Potential threat to industry and communication。段落开头就提及沙丘会破坏建筑，吞没车辆，威胁农作物和工厂。后面还讲到沙丘会吞噬村庄等等，所以正确答案为iv。

28． Paragraph B

正确答案：x

解析：与该段落相关的标题有i．Shaping and reforming、vi．Differences andsimilarities和x．Commonest type of dune。虽然段落中讲到了新月形沙丘和线状沙丘的形状，但是并未讲述它们是如何形成的，或者它们的形状可以如何变化，所以标题i．Shaping and reforming应该排除。另外，段落中确实提及了新月形沙丘和线状沙丘的差异，例如：新月形沙丘是“it is usually wider than it is long”，线状沙丘是“longerthan they are wide”，但这并非段落的主要内容，而且段落中并未提及两者的“similarities”，所以标题vi．Differences and similarities应该被排除。而标题x．Commonest typeof dune就对应得很好，所以正确答案为x。

29． Paragraph C

正确答案：iii

解析：该段落也非常简单，与该段落对应的标题只有iii．Need combination ofspecific conditions，所以正确答案为iii。

30． Paragraph D

正确答案：vii

解析：与该段落相关的标题有i．Shaping and reforming和vii．A continuouscycling process。段落确实讲到沙丘的形成过程，但是却没有讲到“reforming”,相反的，整个段落说完沙丘的形成过程之后强调“The repeating cycle of sand…”，所以该段落只能选择vii。

31． Paragraph E

正确答案：i

解析：段落D正确选择出答案之后，段落E的标题就好判断了。该段落开头提及风对沙丘形成的影响，然后又讲到沙丘的移动，沙丘形状的变化，甚至还提及诞生新沙丘，与此对应的标题只有i．Shaping and reforming，所以正确答案为i。

32． Paragraph F

正确答案：v

解析：该段落讲到了沙丘唱歌的现象，而且开头还提及马可·波罗认为这种现象和鬼神有关，对应标题v．An old superstition demystified中的“An old superstition”，且其他标题信息都未提及，所以正确答案为v。

33． Paragraph G

正确答案：ix

解析：该段落也非常简单，段落明显提到Stephane Douady的研究小组把沙子带回到实验室，然后在实验室里使这些沙子发出了声音，然后研究为什么这些沙子会发音的内容，与此对应的标题只有一个ix．Replicating the process in laboratory，所以正确答案为ix。

Complete the sentences below.Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.

34． ______dune is said to have long ridges that can extend hundreds of miles.

正确答案：Linear

解析：利用细节信息“long ridges”和“hundreds of miles”以及顺序性原则定位于原文段落B倒数第二句话“linear dunes are longer than they are wide—in fact,some are more than100 miles(about 160 kilometers)long”，原文中的“longer than they are wide”对应题目的“long ridges”，“more than 100 miles”对应题目的“hundreds of miles”，所以正确答案为Linear。

35． According to Bagnold, an______is needed to stop the sand from moving before a dune can form.

正确答案：obstacle

解析：利用细节信息“Bagnold”和“stop the sand from moving”以及顺序性原则定位于原文段落C的倒数第二句话“and an obstacle，which could be as small as a rock or as bigas a tree，that causes the sand to lose momentum and settle”，这里的“causes the sand tolose momentum and settle”对应题目的“stop the sand from moving”，所以正确答案为obstacle。

36． Stephane Douady believes the singing of dunes is not a spiritual phenomenon, but purely______.

正确答案：acoustic

解析：利用细节信息“Stephane Douady”和“not a spiritual phenomenon”定位于原文段落F的最后一句话“．．．believe they can now explain the exact mechanism behind this acous-tic phenomenon”，所以正确答案为acoustic。

Complete the summary below.Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.There are many different types of dunes, two of which are most commonly found in deserts throughout the world, the linear dune and the【D1】______dune, sometimes also known as the crescentic dune. It’s been long known that in some places dunes can even sing and the answer lies in the sand itself. To produce singing sand in lab, all the sands must have similar【D2】______. And scientists have discovered that the size of the sand can affect the【D3】______of the sound. But the function of the varnish composed by a mixture of【D4】______still remains puzzling.

37． 【D1】

正确答案：barchan

解析：利用细节信息“linear dune”和“crescentic dune”定位于原文段落B第三句话“Herecognised two basic dune types，the crescentic dune，which he called‘barchan’，and thelinear dune”，很明显原文提到crescentic dune也被叫做barchan，所以正确答案为barchan。

38． 【D2】

正确答案：shape

解析：利用细节信息“produce singing sand in lab”和“similar”定位于原文段落G第三句话“To make the booming sound,the grains have to be of a small range of sizes，all alike inshape：well-rounded”，原文这里的“all alike”就对应题目的“similar”，所以正确答案为shape。

39． 【D3】

正确答案：tone

解析：利用细节信息“size of the sand”和顺序性原则定位于原文段落G中间“Douady’skey discovery was that this synchronised frequency which determines the tone of soundis the result of the grain size”，这里的“grin size”就对应题目的“size of the sand”，原文这里明显就说到沙砾的大小会影响“the tone of sound”，所以正确答案为tone。

40． 【D4】

正确答案：minerals

解析：利用细节信息“varnish”定位于段落G倒数第四句话“…the singing grains had somekind of varnish or a smooth coating of various minerals…”，原文这里明显提到“varnish”是由不同的矿物质(minerals)所组成的，所以正确答案为minerals。