2010年12月四級閱讀理解模擬試題及答案詳解(10)

6.選F)。此處應(yīng)填名詞。根據(jù)上下文insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation“在建筑物和地基之間填充橡膠和鋼材”是為了減少the impact of ground vibrations"地面震動對建筑物的影響"。選項(xiàng)中decrease和reduce都可以表示“減少”的意思，前者指穩(wěn)定的逐步地減少，后者強(qiáng)調(diào)在大小、程度或強(qiáng)度方面下降或減少。故F)reduce更符合題意。

　　7.選D)。根據(jù)注釋3，可以推知，這里要填的詞是和前面的In the past, Laer相對應(yīng)的，選項(xiàng)中的形容詞中只有recent可表示時(shí)間，the most recent desighs“最近的設(shè)計(jì)”，在原文中可以對應(yīng)“過去，后來”，故D)為正確答案。

　　8.選K)。前面提到了智能建筑，這里說明當(dāng)?shù)卣鹗惯@樣的建筑向前倒的時(shí)候，電腦會怎樣它，使它相反方向移動。在動詞push和force之間懸著。push強(qiáng)調(diào)的是外加的力量，而這里的拖力者是與智能建筑一體的計(jì)算機(jī)系統(tǒng)，故這里force符合文意。

　　9.選N)。此后應(yīng)填名詞，做動詞offer的賓語。本句前面一直在描述新型建筑采取的抗震措施，本句是這些措施的結(jié)果?？拐鹦徒ㄖ槌鞘刑峁┑膽?yīng)該是更多的安全保障，選項(xiàng)中表示“安全”的詞有safety和security，前者是處于安全狀態(tài)，不受傷害，沒有危險(xiǎn)，多用于人身，貨物。后者常指國家社會的免遭戰(zhàn)爭，災(zāi)難而安然無恙，故N)security更符合文意。

　　10.選J)。此處應(yīng)填形容詞。從后面的However后的一句說明智能建筑的優(yōu)點(diǎn)而得知，However前所說的是智能建筑的缺點(diǎn)。既然智能建筑很聰明，又是新事物，那么建造起來肯定會耗費(fèi)很多資金的，所以選J)expensive。

　　導(dǎo)讀：

　　After the violent earthquake that shook Los Angeles in 1994, earthquake scientists had good news to report: The damage and death toll(死亡人數(shù)) could have been much worse. More than 60 people died in this earthquake.(The damage and death toll could have been much worse.此句為虛擬語氣，“地震所造成的傷亡和損失本來應(yīng)該更大。”說明實(shí)際上這次地震的損失并不大。)By comparison, an earthquake of similar M)intensity that shook America in 1998 claimed 25,000 victims.(這句的主干是an earthquake...claimed...

　　25,000 victims。)

　　Injuries and deaths were G)relatively less in Los Angeles because the quake occurred at 4:31 a.m. On a holiday, when traffic was light on the city’s highway. In addition, A)changes made to the construction codes in Los Angeles during the last 20 years have strengthened the city’s buildings and highways, making them more I)resistant to quakes.

　　In the past, making structures quake-resist-ant meant firm yet B)flexible materials, such as steel and wood, that bend without breaking. Later, people tried to lift a building off its foundation, and insert rubber and steel between the building and its foundation to F)reduce the impact of ground vibrations. The most D)recent designs give buildings brains as well as concrete and steel supports, called smart buildings, the structures respond like living organisms to an earthquake’s vibrations. When ground shakes and the building tips forward, the computer would K)force the building to shift in the opposite direction. The new designs should offer even greater N)security to cities where earthquakes ofen take place.(In the past...,Later...,The most...designs,這里是一個世間順序上的描述，說明了從以前到現(xiàn)在，建筑物的結(jié)構(gòu)一直在不斷變化。)

　　The new smart structures could be very J)expensive to build. However, they would save many lives and would be less likely to be damaged during earthquakes.

　　全文翻譯：

　　1994年洛杉磯發(fā)生強(qiáng)烈大地震后，地震學(xué)家報(bào)告了一個好消息：地震所造成的傷亡和損害并不大。此次地震有60多人喪生。相較而言，美國1998年發(fā)生的相似強(qiáng)度的地震造成的傷亡多達(dá)25，000人。

　　洛杉磯地震傷亡人數(shù)相對較少，是因?yàn)榈卣鸢l(fā)生在凌晨4：31，而當(dāng)天是個假日。當(dāng)時(shí)城市公路上的車輛稀少。此外，在過去的20年中洛杉磯市對建筑法規(guī)所做的修訂使城市的建筑和道路系統(tǒng)更加堅(jiān)固，增強(qiáng)了抗震能力。

　　在過去，防震建材指的是堅(jiān)固并且有彈性的材料，如鋼材和木材，它們即使彎曲也不會折斷。后來，人們嘗試著將建筑物從地基上提起來，然后在建筑物和地基之間填充橡膠和鋼材，從而減少地面震動對建筑物的影響。最新的建筑設(shè)計(jì)不僅為建筑提供水泥和鋼筋支撐，而且還賦予它智能，從而成為智能建筑，讓建筑物能像生命有機(jī)體那樣對地震做出反應(yīng)。當(dāng)?shù)孛嬲饎佣鴮?dǎo)致建筑物頂部向前傾斜時(shí)，計(jì)算機(jī)將會迫使建筑物向相反方向移動。這種新的建筑設(shè)計(jì)能夠使處于地震多發(fā)區(qū)的城市更為安全。

　　這種新型的智能型建筑造價(jià)高昂。然而，它可以挽救許多人的生命，而且在地震中不大可能受到損害。