2015年英语四级考试每日一练(5月29日)
1、 Passage Two
Questionsare based on the following passage.
The Wall Street Journal quoted sources close to thecompany as saying a run of 4.000 devices will be manufacturednext month.The tablet will have two rear-facing camerasand advanced imaging software——and will be shown off at the firm’s forthcomingdevelopers’ conference.Google has said it will not commenton “rumor and speculation”.But in March,Google showed off Project Tango,all effortto bring 3D technology to its handheld devices.Aprototype smart phone had been given out to 200 developers to try out.
The technology makes use of infrared sensors tomeasure depth of surroundings.While the ability to create 3Dimages with small devices is by no means a new technological feat,Google’s strategy will be to harness the hardware to contribute to,among other things,its mapping effort.For instance,the devices could be used tocreate quickly a 3D map of indoor environments.Accordingto the Wall Street Journal,the 3D tablet will be shownof fat Google’s annual developers’ conference at the end of June.
As it did with the Google Glass eyewear product.itis expected the firm will A.low a select number ofdevelopers and engineers to experiment with the technology before a consumerlaunch is planned.although still a relatively minorindustry,the race to create the “killer app” forbuilding and viewing virtual reality environments is building a pace.In March,Facebook swooped in on a$2bn(£1.2bn) deal for OculusVR,a company making a virtual reality headset.
A mini-site for Project Tango has highlighted a fewof the firm’s plans in the area.“Project Tango is an attempt tocreate a mobile device unlike like any other,”the siteexplains.“A mobile device that shares our sense ofspace and movement,that understands and perceives theworld the same way we do.”
In the past few years,devices able to view andcreate 3D images have made it to market,but suffered heavilyfrom a lack of consumer interest,said Jack Kent,an analyst at IHS.“If Google really pushesit,that might change也e dynamicsof the market。”he told the BBC.
注意:此部分试题请在答题卡2上作答。
What is the feature of the newtablet?
A.It will have two pre-facing camerasand advanced imaging software.
B.It will have one rear-facingcamera and advanced imaging hardware.
C.It will have two rear-facing camerasand advanced imaging software.
D.It will have one pre-facingcamera and advanced imaging hardware.
2、
回答题
A Battle is Looming over Renewable Energy,and Fossil Fuel Interests are Losing
A. In state capitals across the country,legislators are debating proposals to roll back environmental rules,prodded by industry and advocacy groups eager to curtail(缩减)regulations aimed at curbing greenhouse gases.
B.The measures,which have been introduced in about 18 states,lie at the heart of an effort to expand to the state level the battle over fossil fuel and renewable energy.The new rules would trim or abolish climate mandates--including those that require utilities to use solar and wind energy,as well as proposed Environmental Protection Agency rules that would reduce carbon emissions from power plants.
C.But the campaign—despite its backing from powerful groups such as Americans for Prosperity—has run into a surprising roadblock:the growing political clout of renewable-energy interests,even in rock-ribbed Republican states such as Kansas.
D. The stage has been set for what one lobbyist called“trench warfare”as moneyed interests on both sides wrestle over some of the strongest regulations for promoting renewable energy.And the issues are likely to surface this fall in the midterm elections,as well,with Califomia billionaire Tom Steyer pouring money into various gubernatorial(州长的)and state and federal legislative races to back candidates who support tough rules curbing pollution.
E.The multi-pronged conservative effort to roll back regulations,begun more than a year ago,is supported by a loose,well.funded confederation that includes the U.S.Chamber of Commerce,the National Association of Manufacturers and conservative activist groups such as Americans for Prosperity,a politically active nonprofit organization founded in part by brothers David and Charles Koch.These groups argue that existing government rules violate free-market principles and will ultimately drive up costs for consumers.
F.The proposed measures are similar from state to state.In some cases,the legislative language matches or closely resembles model bills and resolutions offered by the American Legislative Exchange Council(ALEC),a free-market.oriented group of state lawmakers underwritten in part by Exxon Mobil,Koch Industries,Duke Energy and Peabody Energy.“Now more than ever is the time for states to lead the way,”ALEC’s top officials told its members at a meeting in December.
G.The coalition campaigns have achieyed only symbolic victories in a few states.Nonbinding resolutions critical of the EPA power plant proposals have been approved in Alabama,Georgia,Nebraska,West Virginia and Wyoming.Three other states--Louisiana.Missouri and Ohio—are weighing legislation similar to the ALEC model.
H.Only one of the 18 state legislatures has approved a more substantive measure that would replace the EPA’s power plant rules.And even that bill.in Kentucky,could backfire by giving up a chance for the state to design its own program and forcing it to accept a federal compliance program.
I.“Clean energy is beginning to become mainstream,”said Gabe Eisner,executive director of the Energy and Policy Institute,a clean-energy think tank in Washington.“Renewable energy is popular and has increased political power now,”but,he added,“that power is still eclipsed by the resources of the fossil fuel industry.”
A surprisingly tough fight
J.Kansas might be the best place to see how these dynamics are unfolding.
K.The state was a promising choice for a foray(攻击)against rules known as renewable-energy standards.which set minimum levels of renewable-energy use by electric utilities.Variations of these rules have been adopted in about 30 states.even though Congress did not pass a federal version of the requirement.In Kansas,a law passed in 2009 requires utilities to use wind and solar power to generate
at least 15 percent of their electricity bv 2016 and 20 percent by 2020.
L.The coalition seeking the repeal of the renewable mandate had all the ingredients for success.Financial.muscle came from the Kansas Chamber of Commerce,which lobbied heavily for repeal.In addition,the state is home to Koch Industries,the Koch brothers’Wichita-based energy conglomerate(集团).The state representative for Wichita,Republican Dennis Hedke,has called the company“one of the greatest success stories in the world”and said“they are making very positive contributions.”Hedke
chairs the state House’s Energy and Environment Committee.
M.Koch Industries,along with the utility industry’s Edison Electric Institute and the nation’s biggest coal company,Peabody Energy,have supported ALEC.which advised state lawmakers on repeal strategy.
N.“Koch has consistently opposed all subsidies and mandates across the board.especially as it relates to energy policy,”Philip Ellendea president and chief operating officer of Koch Companies Public Sector,said in a statement,citing the company’s opposition to the renewable fuel standard,wind production tax credit and ethanol(乙醇)mandate.“Government should not mandate the allocation or use of natural resources and raw materials in the production of goods.”
O.The ideological case was supported by conservative think tanks.Kansans for Liberty supposed repeal.and the state branch of Americans for Prosperity told supporters that“green energy mandates replace the free-market with bureaucratic government oversight,driving up costs for hard—working Kansas families.”The national group has spent$300.000 in the state pushing for the rollback of renewable standards.
P.Connections to key Kansas politicians also were stron9.Both the Kansas state Senate’s president.Susan Wagle,and the speaker of the state House,Ray Merrick,are members of the ALEC board and backed repeal.“The repeal of the RPS[Renewable Portfolio Standards]fits in line with the goals of the organization,”said Wagle,who said she joined ALEC in the 1990s in connection with her opposition to health-care reforln led by Hillary Rodham Clinton.then the first lady.
Q.Moreover’the Kansas economy relies heavily on fossil fuels.The state iS the nation’s 10th.1argest producer of crude oil and l 2th-largest of natural gas,according to the federal Energy Information Administration.In 2013,coal-fired power plants provided 61 percent of the state’s electricity,well above the national average.But the strong winds that blow across Kansas have carried new interests into the state.Kansas ranks sixth in the country in wind output,which jumped by a third last year and equaled 19 percent of the state’s electricity,the EIA says.
R. The growing number of wind farms not only generates power but royalties for landowners.Dorothy Barnett,executive director of the Climate and Energy Project,said that Kansas landowners receive more than$1 3 million a year.“This issue is an issue that touches rural Kansans,and we have a lot of rural Kansas legislators,”she said.
Resolutions with no binding force which are picky about the EPA power plant proposals have been accepted in many states such as Alabama and Georgia.
填空题
3、
__________
简答题
4、Directions:For this part,you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English.
泼水节(Water Splashing Festival)是傣族富民族特色的节日。人们互相泼水,表示洗去身上一年的污垢和晦气,在新的一年里会更加平安和幸福。泼水节这一天人们要拜佛(worship Budda)姑娘们用漂着鲜花的清水为佛洗尘,然后彼此泼水嬉戏,相互祝愿。被人泼的水越多,说明受到的祝福越多。泼水节期间,还要举行赛龙船、放飞灯等传统娱乐活动和各种歌舞晚会。
5、1.近来,在看到他人遇到困难时,很少人会伸出援助之手;
2.这个现象产生的原因;
3.我的看法。
6、
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a short essay based on the picture below. You should start your essay with a brief account of cultural heritage damage caused by tourists and then makecomments on it. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180words.
7、
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to write a shortessay on the topic of lnternet slang (网络流行语)You should start youressay with a brief account of different attitudes towards lnternet slangand then state your own opinion. You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
8、
Directions.. For this part, you are alltnced 30 minutes to zerrite a short essayon the topic of how to relieve stress. You should start your essay vith a briefaccount of the problem of facing stress and then explain how to deal with it.You should write at least 120 words but no more than 180 words.
9、
假日经济的现象表面 中国消费者的消费观正在发生巨大的变化根据统计数据,中国消费者的消费需求正在从基本生活必需品转向对休闲、舒适和个人发展的需求。同时,中国人的消费观在蓬勃发展的假日经济中正变得成熟。因此产品结构应做相应调整,来适应社会的发展。另一方面,服务质量要改善,以满足人们提高生活质量的要求。
10、“抱抱团”(Free HuggerS)是一项公益行为艺术活动,源于国外。它通过在街头宣传,与主动上前的陌生人拥抱的形式,向社会传递“拒绝冷漠”、“互相关爱”的主题。 “抱抱团”的行为受到了众人的关注,也引起了许多的争议。有人认为,街头拥抱拉近了陌生人之间的感情;也有人认为,仅靠这种活动消除不了陌生人之间的冷漠,况且中国人比较含蓄,采取这样的形式有作秀之嫌(pub |i.c j ty stunt)。