2018下半年公共英語三級pts3閱讀試題及答案

　　Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents (洋流) . Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment. However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States. There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.

　　Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes — about 60,000 in total — fell into the ocean in a shipping accident. He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back. As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.

　　The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海灘搜尋) because winds and currents join here, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area. Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the findings of their study.

　　As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts, with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand. They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.

　　小題1:The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______________.A.fitting rooms

　　B.trading fairs

　　C.business talks

　　D.group meetings

　　小題2:Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out _____________.A.what caused the shipping accident

　　B.when and where the shoes went missing

　　C.whether it was all right to use their shoes

　　D.how much they lost in the shipping accident

　　小題3:How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?A.By collecting information from beachcombers.

　　B.By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.

　　C.By searching the web for ocean currents models.

　　D.By researching ocean currents data in the library.

　　小題4:Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ___________________.A.traveling widely the coastal cities of the world

　　B.making records for any lost objects on the sea

　　C.running a global currents research association

　　D.phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea

　　小題5:What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?A.To call people's attention to ocean pollution.

　　B.To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.

　　C.To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.

　　D.To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.

　　參考答案及解析

　　小題1:B

　　小題2:C

　　小題3:A

　　小題4:D

　　小題5:C

　　試題分析：本文是一篇說明文。文中介紹了海洋科學家Curtis Ebbesmeyer的一種獨特研究洋流的方法——根據海上的漂浮物來研究洋流。他通過尋問海洋搜尋，請他們幫忙來收集漂浮物的信息，用這些信息資料他做實驗和研究，不斷完善洋流模型的電腦程序設計，然后出版他的研究結果。

　　小題1:B.考查詞義猜測。和第一段畫線短語swap meets的意思更接近的詞是什么?根據try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.可知人們要試穿或賣這些鞋，故推測這是在進行一個交易會。故選B。

　　小題2:C.考查推理判斷。 Ebbesmeyer給這些鞋的公司打電話是為了確定什么?根據As expected, the company told him that they didn't. Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment. If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.可知他打電話問公司要不要這些鞋，公司說不要。他覺得這可能是一個巨大的實驗。如果他能知道這些鞋是何時下水的，何時登陸的，那他就可以推斷洋流的形式。這樣，打電話最根本的目的是確定“能用你們的鞋子嗎?能用我就用來實驗了。”故選C。

　　小題3:A.考查細節(jié)理解。 Ebbesmeyer如何證明他的假設的?根據Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. 可知Ebbesmeyer通過尋問海洋搜尋，請他們幫忙來收集信息，證明他的假設。故選A。選項B, 通過研究海洋搜尋發(fā)現(xiàn)的鞋。根據In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and 可知他用這些鞋的信息做實驗，故排除B項。選項C,通過上網搜尋洋流的模型。根據improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents,可知他自己不斷完善洋流模型的電腦程序設計，不是在網上搜的洋流模型，故與原文不符。選項D,通過在圖書館研究洋流資料。文中沒有提到他在圖書館的學習研究，故排除D項。

　　小題4:D.考查細節(jié)理解。Ebbesmeyer以什么最出名?根據Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. 可知Ebbesmeyer是個著名的科學家，專門打電話尋問罕見的海上漂流物。故選D。

　　小題5:C.考查推理判斷。作者下這篇文章的目的是什么?根據However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. 可知本文介紹了一種獨特的研究洋流的方法——通過研究海洋上的漂流物。故選C。

　　考查：科普類短文閱讀。