2018年7月7日雅思考试题目预测

　　2018年7月7日雅思考试题目预测

【阅读】

　　

 

　　

READING PASSAGE 1

　　

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

　　

The construction of roads and bridges

　　

Roads

　　

Although there were highway links in Mesopotamia from as early as 3500 BC，the Romans were probably the first road-builders with fixed engineering standards. At the peak of the Roman Empire in the first century AD, Rome had road connections totalling about 85,000 kilometres.

　　

Roman roads were constructed with a deep stone surface for stability and load-bearing. They had straight alignments and therefore were often hilly. The Roman roads remained the main arteries of European transport for many centuries, and even today many roads follow the Roman routes. New roads were generally of inferior quality, and the achievements of Roman builders were largely unsurpassed until the resurgence of road-building in the eighteenth century.

　　

With horse-drawn coaches in mind, eighteenth-century engineers preferred to curve their roads to avoid hills. The road surface was regarded as merely a face to absorb wear, the load-bearing strength being obtained from a properly prepared and well-drained foundation. Immediately above this, the Scottish engineer John McAdam (1756-1836) typically laid crushed stone, to which stone dust mixed with water was added, and which was compacted to a thickness of just five centimetres, and then rolled. McAdam，s surface layer - hot tar onto which a layer of stone chips was laid – became known as tarmacadam, or tarmac. Roads of this kind were known as flexible pavements.

　　

By the early nineteenth century – the start of the railway age - men such as John McAdam and Thomas Telford had created a British road network totalling some 200,000 km, of which about one sixth was privately owned toll roads called turnpikes. In the first half of the nineteenth century, many roads in the US were built to the new standards, of which the National Pike from West Virginia to Illinois was perhaps the most notable.

　　

In the twentieth century, the ever-increasing use of motor vehicles threatened to break up roads built to nineteenth-century standards, so new techniques had to be developed.

　　

On routes with heavy traffic，flexible pavements were replaced by rigid pavements, in which the top layer was concrete, 15 to 30 centimetres thick, laid on a prepared bed. Nowadays steel bars are laid within the concrete. This not only restrains shrinkage during setting, but also reduces expansion in warm weather. As a result, it is possible to lay long slabs without danger of cracking.

　　

The demands of heavy traffic led to the concept of high-speed, long-distance roads, with access – or slip-lanes – spaced widely apart. The US Bronx River Parkway of 1925 was followed by several variants – Germanys autobahns and the Pan American Highway. Such roads – especially the intercity autobahns with their separate multi-lane carriageways for each direction – were the predecessors of todays motorways.

　　

Bridges

　　

The development by the Romans of the arched bridge marked the beginning of scientific bridge-building; hitherto, bridges had generally been crossings in the form of felled trees or flat stone blocks. Absorbing the load by compression, arched bridges are very strong. Most were built of stone, but brick and timber were also used. A fine early example is at Alcantara in Spain, built of granite by the Romans in AD 105 to span the River Tagus. In modern times, metal and concrete arched bridges have been constructed. The first significant metal bridge, built of cast iron in 1779, still stands at Ironbridge in England.

　　

Steel, with its superior strength-to-weight ratio, soon replaced iron in metal bridge-work. In the railway age, the truss (or girder) bridge became popular. Built of wood or metal, the truss beam consists of upper and lower horizontal booms joined by vertical or inclined members.

　　

The suspension bridge has a deck supported by suspenders that drop from one or more overhead cables. It requires strong anchorage at each end to resist the inward tension of the cables，and the deck is strengthened to control distortion by moving loads or high winds. Such bridges are nevertheless light, and therefore the most suitable for very long spans. The Clifton Suspension Bridge in the UK, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunei (1806-59) to span the Avon Gorge in England, is famous both for its beautiful setting and for its elegant design. The 1998 Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan has a span of 1,991 metres, which is the longest to date.

　　

Cantilever bridges, such as the 1889 Forth Rail Bridge in Scotland, exploit the potential of steel construction to produce a wide clearwater space. The spans have a central supporting pier and meet midstream. The downward thrust, where the spans meet, is countered by firm anchorage of the spans at their other ends. Although the suspension bridge can span a wider gap, the cantilever is relatively stable, and this was important for nineteenth-century railway builders. The worlds longest cantilever span – 549 metres – is that of the Quebec rail bridge in Canada, constructed in 1918.

　　

 

　　

Questions 1-3

　　

Label the diagram below.

　　

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

　　

 

　　

Flexible Pavement

　　

 

　　

 

　　

Questions 4-7

　　

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

　　

Write

　　

TRUE        if the statement agrees with the information

　　

FALSE        if the statement contradicts the information

　　

NOT GIVEN     if there is no information on this

　　

 

　　

4       Road construction improved continuously between the first and eighteenth centuries.

　　

5       In Britain, during the nineteenth century, only the very rich could afford to use toll roads.

　　

6       Nineteenth-century road surfaces were inadequate for heavy motor traffic.

　　

7      Traffic speeds on long-distance highways were unregulated in the early part of the twentieth century.

　　

 

　　

Questions 8-13

　　

Complete the table below.

　　

Use ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

　　

Type of bridge

　　

Features

　　

Example(s)

　　

Arched bridge

　　 Introduced by the 8_________________       Very strong. Usually made of

9 __________________

　　

Alcantara, Spain Ironbridge, UK

　　

Truss bridge

　　 Made of wood or metal. Popular for railways.

 

　　

Suspension bridge

　　 Has a suspended deck. Strong but 10_________________

Clifton, UK

　　

Akashi Kaikyo，Japan (currently the

　　

11 _________________span)

　　

Cantilever bridge

　　 Made of

12_________________

　　 More 13_________________

than the suspension bridge.

　　

Quebec, Canada

　　

 

　　

READING PASSAGE 2

　　

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below.

　　 

　　

Neanderthals and modern humans

　　

 

　　

 

　　

A

　　

The evolutionary processes that have made modern humans so different from other animals are hard to determine without an ability to examine human species that have not achieved similar things. However, in a scientific masterpiece, Svante Paabo and his colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, in Leipzig, have made such a comparison possible. In 2009，at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, they made public an analysis of the genome  of Neanderthal man.

　　

B

　　

Homo neanderthalensis, to give its proper name, lived in Europe and parts of Asia from 400,000 years ago to 30,000 years ago. Towards the end of this period it shared its range with interlopers in the form of Homo sapiens, who were spreading out from Africa. However，the two species did not settle down to a stable cohabitation. For reasons which are as yet unknown, the arrival of Homo sapiens in a region was always quickly followed by the disappearance of Neanderthals.

　　

C

　　

Before 2009，Dr Paabo and his team had conducted only a superficial comparison between the DNA of Neanderthals and modem humans. Since then, they have performed a more thorough study and, in doing so, have shed a fascinating light on the intertwined history of the two species. That history turns out to be more intertwined than many had previously believed.

　　

D

　　

Dr Paabo and his colleagues compared their Neanderthal genome (painstakingly reconstructed from three bone samples collected from a cave in Croatia) with that of five living humans from various parts of Africa and Eurasia. Previous genetic analysis, which had only examined DNA passed from mother to child in cellular structures called mitochondria, had suggested no interbreeding between Neanderthals and modern humans. The new, more extensive examination, which looks at DNA in the cell nucleus rather than in the mitochondria, shows this conclusion is wrong. By comparing the DNA in the cell nucleus of Africans (whose ancestors could not have crossbred with Neanderthals, since they did not overlap with them) and various Eurasians (whose ancestors could have crossbred with Neanderthals), Dr Paabo has shown that Eurasians are between one percent and four percent Neanderthal.

　　

E

　　

That is intriguing. It shows that even after several hundred thousand years of separation, the two species were inter-fertile. It is strange, though, that no Neanderthal mitochondrial DNA has turned up in modern humans, since the usual pattern of invasion in historical times was for the invaders males to mate with the invadeds females. One piece of self-knowledge, then – at least for non-Africans – is that they have a dash of Neanderthal in them. But Dr Paabos work also illuminates the differences between the species. By comparing modern humans, Neanderthals, and chimpanzees, it is possible to distinguish genetic changes which are shared by several species of human in their evolution away from the great-ape lineage, from those which are unique to Homo sapiens.

　　

 

　　

F

　　

More than 90 percent of the human accelerated regions that have been identified in modem people are found in Neanderthals too. However, the rest are not. Dr Paabo has identified 212 parts of the genome that seem to have undergone significant evolution since the species split. The state of genome science is still quite primitive, and it is often unclear what any given bit of DNA is actually doing. But an examination of the 20 largest regions of DNA that have evolved in this way shows that they include several genes which are associated with cognitive ability, and whose malfunction causes serious mental problems. These genes therefore look like good places to start the search for modern humanitys essence.

　　

G

　　

The newly evolved regions of DNA also include a gene called RUNX2, which controls bone growth. That may account for differences in the shape of the skull and the rib cage between the two species. By contrast an earlier phase of the study had already shown that Neanderthals and moderns share the same version of a gene called FOXP2, which is involved in the ability to speak, and which differs in chimpanzees. It is all, then, very promising – and a second coup in quick succession for Dr Paabo. Another of his teams has revealed the existence of a hitherto unsuspected species of human, using mitochondrial DNA found in a little-finger bone. If that species, too, could have its full genome read, humanitys ability to know itself would be enhanced even further.

　　

 

　　

 

　　

Questions 14-18

　　

Look at the following characteristics (Questions 14-18) and the list of species below.

　　

Match each feature with the correct species, A, B or C.

　　

Write the correct letter, A, B or C.

　　

NB You may use any letter more than once.

　　

14 Once lived in Europe and Asia.

　　

15 Originated in Africa.

　　

16 Did not survive long after the arrival of immigrants.

　　

17 Interbred with another species.

　　

18 Appears not to have passed on mitochondrial DNA to another species.

　　

List of species

　　

A Homo neanderthalensis

　　

B Homo sapiens

　　

C both Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens

　　

 

　　

Questions 19-23

　　

19 an account of the rejection of a theory

　　

20 reference to an unexplained link between two events

　　

21 the identification of a skill-related gene common to both Neanderthals and modern humans

　　

22 the announcement of a scientific breakthrough

　　

23 an interesting gap in existing knowledge

　　

 

　　Questions 24-26

　　Complete the summary below.

　　Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

　　

The nature of modern humans

　　

Recent work in the field of evolutionary anthropology has made it possible to compare modem humans with other related species. Genetic analysis resulted in several new findings. First, despite the length of time for which Homo sapiens and Homo neanderthalensis had developed separately, 24______________ did take place. Secondly, genes which evolved after modern humans split from Neanderthals are connected with cognitive ability and skeletal 25     _______________.

　　

The potential for this line of research to shed light on the nature of modern humans was further strengthened when analysis of a 26________________ led to the discovery of a new human species.

　　

 

　　

 

　　

 

　　

Questions 27-31

　　

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? Write

　　

YES                             if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

　　

NO                            if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

　　

NOT GIVEN       if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

　　 It is more than a thousand years since people started to catch fish for commercial use. In general, open access to the oceans is still regarded as desirable. Sea fishing is now completely banned in the majority of protected areas. People should be encouraged to reduce the amount of fish they eat. The re-introduction of certain mammals to the Mediterranean is a straightforward task.

 

　　

Questions 32-34

　　

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

　　 What does the writer mean with the question, How much time have we got? in the fifth paragraph?

A Fisheries policies are currently based on uncertain estimates.

　　

B Accurate predictions will allow governments to plan properly.

　　

C Fisheries managers should provide clearer information.

　　

D Action to protect fish stocks is urgently needed.

　　 What is the writers comment on the Common Fisheries Policy?

A   Measures that it advocated were hastily implemented.

　　

 

　　

B   Officials exaggerated some of its recommendations.

　　

C   It was based on predictions which were inaccurate.

　　

D   The policy makers acquired a good reputation.

　　 What is the writers conclusion concerning the decline of marine resources? A The means of avoiding the worst outcomes needs to be prioritised.

B Measures already taken to avoid a crisis are probably sufficient.

　　

C The situation is now so severe that there is no likely solution.

　　

D It is no longer clear which measures would be most effective.

　　

 

　　

Questions 35-40

　　

Complete the summary using the list of words/phrases, A-J, below.

　　

Measures to protect the oceans

　　

Up till the twentieth century the worlds supply of fish was sufficient for its needs. It was unnecessary to introduce 35 ____________ of any kind, because large areas of the oceans were inaccessible. However, as 36      ____________ improved, this situation changed, and in the middle of the twentieth century, policies were introduced to regulate 37 ____________.

　　

 

　　

These policies have not succeeded. Today, by comparison with 38 ____________ the oceans have very little legal protection.

　　

Despite the doubts that many officials have about the concept of 39 ____________ these should be at the heart of any action taken.

　　

The consequences of further 40____________ are very serious, and may even affect our continuing existence.

　　

 

　　

A action

　　

B controls

　　

C

　　

failure D fish catches

　　

E fish processing

　　

F fishing techniques

　　

G large boats

　　

H marine reserves

　　

1 the land

　　

J

　　

the past

　　

 

　　

Keys:

　　

Passage 1

　　

1

　　

hot tar

　　

PARAGRAPH 3 ...hot tar onto which a layer of stone chips was laid - became known as ^tarmacadam .

　　

2

　　

5/five cm/ centimetres

　　

PARAGRAPH 3

　　

Immediately above this ... and... compacted to a thickness of just five centimetres ...

　　

3

　　

water

　　

PARAGRAPH 3 ...stone dust mixed with water...

　　

4

　　

F

　　

PARAGRAPH 2 says that new roads were generally of inferior quality, and that the achievements of Roman builders were largely unsurpassed until the eighteenth century

　　

5

　　

NG

　　

Although PARAGRAPH 4 states that privately owned toll roads were built in the nineteenth century, it does not comment on who could afford to use them.