2021年天津大学英语考试考前冲刺卷_1.docx

2021年天津大学英语考试考前冲刺卷本卷共分为1大题50小题，作答时间为180分钟，总分100分，60分及格。一、单项选择题（共50题，每题2分。每题的备选项中，只有一个最符合题意） 1.Most shoppers know the feeling. You stand in front of piles of organic produce and wonder what those premium prices are buying you over and above what you get from standard foods. Not a lot nutrition-wise, it seems. Organic farming may not even be more sustainable. But could the whole debate about organic versus non-organic be missing the point Understanding nutrition is, of course, vital when it comes to choosing food. In a report published recently, a team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined 162 papers that compared organic and conventionally-produced food. They concluded that there was no evidence to back up claims that organic food is more nutritious. But this is only one of the aspects of organic food that shoppers care about, and things get even more complicated when other factors are brought into the equation. Many buy organic fruit and vegetables because they are not sprayed with pesticides. We know these can cause birth defects, cancer, and even the diabetes epidemic but it remains unclear whether the amounts in conventionally-grown fruit and vegetables are high enough to be a health hazard. And then there are issues unrelated to health. Take energy use. True, some organic fanning systems are more energy-efficient, partly because they do not use synthetic fertilisers, which are energy-intensive to produce. However, there is limited pressure on organic farmers to cut emissions. They dont yet have to do so to qualify for organic status. As Laurie Drinkwater, an expert in sustainable agriculture at Cornell University in New York, points out, "Organic agriculture is not without environmental consequences." Indeed, according to Jules Pretty, an agricultural scientist at the University of Essex in Colchester, some organic farms keep weeds down with propane burners (丙烷加热器), which produce carbon dioxide. Soil erosion is another confounding factor. Many organic farms emphasise crop rotation, in part to ensure that fields are not left uncovered and vulnerable to erosion. The trouble is some organic farmers actually cause erosion by tilling the soil frequently to tackle the weeds. Its not about whether organic food is good or a sham. Thats the wrong question. We should be asking how we can make all of agriculture more sustainable. Rather than compare organic and conventional systems in a simplistic way, Drinkwater and Pretty say we should identify the things we want from farms and then design a farming systemorganic or otherwisethat best meets those goals. Producing enough food is an obvious aim, but farmers can also help boost biodiversity, keep rivers free of certain kinds of pollution, and fight climate change. There is also the question of animal welfare. You would probably end up with a system that borrows techniques from many existing farming methods. That would be good news for farmers and the rest of society, even though it might not produce so many snappy headlines.What is said about crop rotation in the passageAIt efficiently increases soil fertility.BIt is still underemphasised.CIt produces opposite results.DIt makes soil immune to erosion.2.A vacation-crushing theory on how to improve student performance is gaining traction: more time in class. Its a strategy supported by both President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and cities and states are experimenting with various approaches. Cincinnati, Ohio, for example, in June started giving students in the citys 13 most persistently failing public schools the option of an extra month of classes. Educators have been eyeing more class time for decades. The landmark 1983 federal report A Nation at Risk, which highlighted the growing achievement gap between the US and other countries, recommended that school districts "strongly consider" a seven-hour day and a 200 to 220-day academic year, which would hew more closely to the schedules in higher-performing Europe and Asia. Although the practice has yet to go mainstream, theres a big push to add school hours in underperforming urban districts. One champion of this movement is Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who on July 8 introduced the Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act, which would provide federal grants for states and districts to "expand learning time in high-need, high-poverty schools". One of the nations most closely watched experiments along these lines is Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative. Launched in 2006, the program involves 26 low-performing schools that have each added approximately 1.5 to 2 hours per day to their school calendar. "Were in the early innings of proving how to extend school hours responsibly and effectively," says Chris Gabrieli, chairman of Massachusetts 2020, which helped originate the ELT idea. "But clearly, focusing on the students that are furthest behind is where it makes the most sense. Middle-class kids, they get a lot more learning time outside of schoolthey get tutors, they get arts programmes, they get music programs, they get summer camps." Researchers estimate that low-income students can lose two months of math and reading achievement owing to a lack of reinforcement during the summer break. Critics of extended school time point to the fact that its expensive to keep schools open longer. In Massachusetts, for instance, ELT schools receive an additional $1,300 per student, on top of the basic state allotment (拨款). And, some ask, if a school is low-performing, if the teachers or curriculums or parental involvement isnt up to snuff (符合标准), how much good will more class time really do "You cant just extend time in these schools by 30%," says Elena Silva, an analyst with Education Sector, an independent think tank. "That in and of itself is not going to work as a strategy to turn around schools." Thats why Massachusetts makes schools completely redesign instruction plans before they can receive ELT money. Elsewhere, high-performing charter schools, like those in the Knowledge Is Power Programme (KIPP) network, combine more class time with a rigorous curriculum and exceptionally devoted teachers. More hours and days are key, says Steve Mancini, KIPPs public affairs director. But so is everything else. "Time is just a piece of the puzzle," he says. "Its what you do with that time that matters.According to the passage, some critics think extended school time _.Abrings extra burden to studentsBis a waste of time and moneyCweakens the students interest of learningDwill not work without other corresponding conditions3.Most shoppers know the feeling. You stand in front of piles of organic produce and wonder what those premium prices are buying you over and above what you get from standard foods. Not a lot nutrition-wise, it seems. Organic farming may not even be more sustainable. But could the whole debate about organic versus non-organic be missing the point Understanding nutrition is, of course, vital when it comes to choosing food. In a report published recently, a team from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine examined 162 papers that compared organic and conventionally-produced food. They concluded that there was no evidence to back up claims that organic food is more nutritious. But this is only one of the aspects of organic food that shoppers care about, and things get even more complicated when other factors are brought into the equation. Many buy organic fruit and vegetables because they are not sprayed with pesticides. We know these can cause birth defects, cancer, and even the diabetes epidemic but it remains unclear whether the amounts in conventionally-grown fruit and vegetables are high enough to be a health hazard. And then there are issues unrelated to health. Take energy use. True, some organic fanning systems are more energy-efficient, partly because they do not use synthetic fertilisers, which are energy-intensive to produce. However, there is limited pressure on organic farmers to cut emissions. They dont yet have to do so to qualify for organic status. As Laurie Drinkwater, an expert in sustainable agriculture at Cornell University in New York, points out, "Organic agriculture is not without environmental consequences." Indeed, according to Jules Pretty, an agricultural scientist at the University of Essex in Colchester, some organic farms keep weeds down with propane burners (丙烷加热器), which produce carbon dioxide. Soil erosion is another confounding factor. Many organic farms emphasise crop rotation, in part to ensure that fields are not left uncovered and vulnerable to erosion. The trouble is some organic farmers actually cause erosion by tilling the soil frequently to tackle the weeds. Its not about whether organic food is good or a sham. Thats the wrong question. We should be asking how we can make all of agriculture more sustainable. Rather than compare organic and conventional systems in a simplistic way, Drinkwater and Pretty say we should identify the things we want from farms and then design a farming systemorganic or otherwisethat best meets those goals. Producing enough food is an obvious aim, but farmers can also help boost biodiversity, keep rivers free of certain kinds of pollution, and fight climate change. There is also the question of animal welfare. You would probably end up with a system that borrows techniques from many existing farming methods. That would be good news for farmers and the rest of society, even though it might not produce so many snappy headlines.What is the authors advice in the last paragraphAOrganic farms should stop raising animals for meat.BFarmers should produce food in a more sustainable way.CFarmers should abandon the existing farming methods.DThe society should pay more attention to organic food.4.A vacation-crushing theory on how to improve student performance is gaining traction: more time in class. Its a strategy supported by both President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and cities and states are experimenting with various approaches. Cincinnati, Ohio, for example, in June started giving students in the citys 13 most persistently failing public schools the option of an extra month of classes. Educators have been eyeing more class time for decades. The landmark 1983 federal report A Nation at Risk, which highlighted the growing achievement gap between the US and other countries, recommended that school districts "strongly consider" a seven-hour day and a 200 to 220-day academic year, which would hew more closely to the schedules in higher-performing Europe and Asia. Although the practice has yet to go mainstream, theres a big push to add school hours in underperforming urban districts. One champion of this movement is Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy, who on July 8 introduced the Time for Innovation Matters in Education Act, which would provide federal grants for states and districts to "expand learning time in high-need, high-poverty schools". One of the nations most closely watched experiments along these lines is Massachusetts Expanded Learning Time (ELT) Initiative. Launched in 2006, the program involves 26 low-performing schools that have each added approximately 1.5 to 2 hours per day to their school calendar. "Were in the early innings of proving how to extend school hours responsibly and effectively," says Chris Gabrieli, chairman of Massachusetts 2020, which helped originate the ELT idea. "But clearly, focusing on the students that are furthest behind is where it makes the most sense. Middle-class kids, they get a lot more learning time outside of schoolthey get tutors, they get arts programmes, they get music programs, they get summer camps." Researchers estimate that low-income students can lose two months of math and reading achievement owing to a lack of reinforcement during the summer break. Critics of extended school time point to the fact that its expensive to keep schools open longer. In Massachusetts, for instance, ELT schools receive an additional $1,300 per student, on top of the basic state allotment (拨款). And, some ask, if a school is low-performing, if the teachers or curriculums or parental involvement isnt up to snuff (符合标准), how much good will more class time really do "You cant just extend time in these schools by 30%," says Elena Silva, an analyst with Education Sector, an independent think tank. "That in and of itself is not going to work as a strategy to turn around schools." Thats why Massachusetts makes schools completely redesign instruction plans before they can receive ELT money. Elsewhere, high-performing charter schools, like those in the Knowledge Is Power Programme (KIPP) network, combine more class time with a rigorous curriculum and exceptionally devoted teachers. More hours and days are key, says Steve Mancini, KIPPs public affairs director. But so is everything else. "Time is just a piece of the puzzle," he says. "Its what you do with that time that matters.Whats the authors attitude towards vacation-crushing theoryASubjective. BDisapproved. CNeutral. DApproved. 5.For most people who have sleeping troubles, which of the following is the most usual causeATheir room is not cozy.BThey are busy and occupied.CThey have chronic disease.DThey take a nap after lunc 6.St. Petersburg, the very name brings to mind some of Russias greatest poets, writers and composers: Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Tchaikovsky. The 19th century was a golden age for St. Petersburgs wealthy classes. It was a world of ballets and balls, of art and literature, of tea and caviar. The golden age ended with the advent of World War I. Working people were growing more and more discontented. In 1917, Communism came, promising peace and prosperity. St. Petersburg had become Petrograd in 1914. People wanted a Russian name for their city. Ten years later, the citys name changed again, this time to Leningrad. Then in 1991, Leningraders voted to restore the citys original name. Some people opposed the name change altogether. Others thought it was just too soon. Old, run-down Soviet Leningrad, they said, was not the St. Petersburg of 19th-century literature. What, then, is St. Petersburg In the confusing post-Communist world, no one really knows. The quiet, if Soviet-style, dignity is gone. The Communist sayings are down and gaudy advertising up. Candy bars and cigarettes are sold from boxy, tasteless kiosks. And clothing Well, anything goes. Everyone wants to be a little different. But many people do not know the true meaning of freedom. Personal crime has gone up, up, up in the past few years. Yet in spite of this, you can still find some of the citys grand past. Stand at the western tip of Vasilievsky Island. To the figh