剑桥雅思阅读8原文翻译及答案(test4).docx

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1、剑桥雅思阅读8原文翻译及答案(test4) 为了帮助大家备考，学习啦我为大家整理收集了剑桥雅思阅读8真题：test4阅读原文，希望对各位考生的备考有所帮助,祝每位烤鸭考试顺当，都能取得好成果! 剑桥雅思阅读8原文(test4) READING PASSAGE 1 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 on the following pages. Questions 1-5 Reading Passage 1 has six sections, A-F.

2、 Choose the correct heading for sections B-F from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet. List of Headings I The influence of Monbusho ii Helping less successful students iii The success of compulsory education iv Research findings concerning ac

3、hievements in maths v The typical format of a maths lesson vi Comparative expenditure on maths education vii The key to Japanese successes in maths education ix The role of homework correction Example Answer Section A iv 1 Section B 2 Section C 3 Section D 4 Section E 5 Section F LAND OF THE RISING

4、SUM A Japan has a significantly better record in terms of average mathematical attainment than England and Wales. Large sample international comparisons of pupils attainments since the 1960s have established that not only did Japanese pupils at age 13 have better scores of average attainment, but th

5、ere was also a larger proportion of low attainers in England, where, incidentally, the variation in attainment scores was much greater. The percentage of Gross National Product spent on education is reasonably similar in the two countries, so how is this higher and more consistent attainment in math

6、s achieved? B Lower secondary schools in Japan cover three school years, from the seventh grade (age 13) to the ninth grade (age 15). Virtually all pupils at this stage attend state schools: only 3 per cent are in the private sector. Schools are usually modern in design, set well back from the road

7、and spacious inside. Classrooms are large and pupils sit at single desks in rows. Lessons last for a standardised 50 minutes and are always followed by a 10-minute break, which gives the pupils a chance to let off steam. Teachers begin with a formal address and mutual bowing, and then concentrate on

8、 whole-class teaching. Classes are large usually about 40 and are unstreamed. Pupils stay in the same class for all lessons throughout the school and develop considerable class identity and loyalty. Pupils attend the school in their own neighbourhood, which in theory removes ranking by school. In pr

9、actice in Tokyo, because of the relative concentration of schools, there is some competition to get into the better school in a particular area. C Traditional ways of teaching form the basis of the lesson and the remarkably quiet classes take their own notes of the points made and the examples demon

10、strated. Everyone has their own copy of the textbook supplied by the central education authority, Monbusho, as part of the concept of free compulsory education up to the age of 15. These textbooks are, on the whole, small, presumably inexpensive to produce, but well set out and logically developed.

11、(One teacher was particularly keen to introduce colour and pictures into maths textbooks: he felt this would make them more accessible to pupils brought up in a cartoon culture.) Besides approving textbooks, Monbusho also decides the highly centralised national curriculum and how it is to be deliver

12、ed. D Lessons all follow the same pattern. At the beginning, the pupils put solutions to the homework on the board, then the teachers comment, correct or elaborate as necessary. Pupils mark their own homework: this is an important principle in Japanese schooling as it enables pupils to see where and

13、 why they made a mistake, so that these can be avoided in future. No one minds mistakes or ignorance as long as you are prepared to learn from them. After the homework has been discussed, the teacher explains the topic of the lesson, slowly and with a lot of repetition and elaboration. Examples are

14、demonstrated on the board; questions from the textbook are worked through first with the class, and then the class is set questions from the textbook to do individually. Only rarely are supplementary worksheets distributed in a maths class. The impression is that the logical nature of the textbooks

15、and their comprehensive coverage of different types of examples, combined with the relative homogeneity of the class, renders work sheets unnecessary. At this point, the teacher would circulate and make sure that all the pupils were coping well. E It is remarkable that large, mixed-ability classes c

16、ould be kept together for maths throughout all their compulsory schooling from 6 to 15. Teachers say that they give individual help at the end of a lesson or after school, setting extra work if necessary. In observed lessons, any strugglers would be assisted by the teacher or quietly seek help from

17、their neighbour. Carefully fostered class identity makes pupils keen to help each other anyway, it is in their interests since the class progresses together. This scarcely seems adequate help to enable slow learners to keep up. However, the Japanese attitude towards education runs along the lines of

18、 if you work hard enough, you can do almost anything. Parents are kept closely informed of their childrens progress and will play a part in helping their children to keep up with class, sending them to Juku (private evening tuition) if extra help is needed and encouraging them to work harder. It see

19、ms to work, at least for 95 per cent of the school population. F So what are the major contributing factors in the success of maths teaching? Clearly, attitudes are important. Education is valued greatly in Japanese culture; maths is recognised as an important compulsory subject throughout schooling

20、; and the emphasis is on hard work coupled with a focus on accuracy. Other relevant points relate to the supportive attitude of a class towards slower pupils, the lack of competition within a class, and the positive emphasis on learning for oneself and improving ones own standard. And the view of re

21、petitively boring lessons and learning the facts by heart, which is sometimes quoted in relation to Japanese classes, may be unfair and unjustified. No poor maths lessons were observed. They were mainly good and one or two were inspirational. Questions 6-9 Do the following statements agree with the

22、claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet, 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 6 There is a wider range of ac

23、hievement amongst English pupils studying maths than amongst their Japanese counterparts. 7 The percentage of Gross National Product spent on education generally reflects the level of attainment in mathematics. 8 Private schools in Japan are more modern and spacious than state-run lower secondary sc

24、hools. 9 Teachers mark homework in Japanese schools. Questions 10-13 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet. 10 Maths textbooks in Japanese schools are A cheap for pupils to buy B well organized and adapted to the needs of the pupils. C

25、written to be used in conjunction with TV programmes. D not very popular with many Japanese teachers. 11 When a new maths topic is introduced， A students answer questions on the board. B students rely entirely on the textbook. C it is carefully and patiently explained to the students. D it is usual

26、for students to use extra worksheets. 12 How do schools deal with students who experience difficulties? A They are given appropriate supplementary tuition. B They are encouraged to copy from other pupils. C They are forced to explain their slow progress. D They are placed in a mixed-ability class. 1

27、3 Why do Japanese students tend to achieve relatively high rates of success in maths? A It is a compulsory subject in Japan. B They are used to working without help from others. C Much effort is made and correct answers are emphasized. D there is a strong emphasis on repetitive learning. READING PAS

28、SAGE 2 You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. Biological control of pests The continuous and reckless use of synthetic chemicals for the control of pests which pose a threat to agricultural crops and human health is proving to be counter-pro

29、ductive. Apart from engendering widespread ecological disorders, pesticides have contributed to the emergence of a new breed of chemical-resistant, highly lethal superbugs. According to a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), more than 300 species of agricultural pests have de

30、veloped resistance to a wide range of potent chemicals. Not to be left behind are the disease-spreading pests, about 100 species of which have become immune to a variety of insecticides now in use. One glaring disadvantage of pesticides application is that, while destroying harmful pests, they also

31、wipe out many useful non-targeted organisms, which keep the growth of the pest population in check. This results in what agroecologists call the treadmill syndrome. Because of their tremendous breeding potential and genetic diversity, many pests are known to withstand synthetic chemicals and bear of

32、fspring with a built-in resistance to pesticides. The havoc that the treadmill syndrome can bring about is well illustrated by what happened to cotton farmers in Central America. In the early 1940s, basking in the glory of chemical-based intensive agriculture, the farmers avidly took to pesticides a

33、s a sure measure to boost crop yield. The insecticide was applied eight times a year in the mid-1940s, rising to 28 in a season in the mid-1950s, following the sudden proliferation of three new varieties of chemical-resistant pests. By the mid-1960s, the situation took an alarming turn with the outb

34、reak of four more new pests, necessitating pesticide spraying to such an extent that 50% of the financial outlay on cotton production was accounted for by pesticides. In the early 1970s, the spraying frequently reached 70 times a season as the farmers were pushed to the wall by the invasion of genet

35、ically stronger insect species. Most of the pesticides in the market today remain inadequately tested for properties that cause cancer and mutations as well as for other adverse effects on health, says a study by United States environmental agencies. The United States National Resource Defense Counc

36、il has found that DDT was the most popular of a long list of dangerous chemicals in use. In the face of the escalating perils from indiscriminate applications of pesticides, a more effective and ecologically sound strategy of biological control, involving the selective use of natural enemies of the

37、pest population, is fast gaining popularity though, as yet, it is a new field with limited potential. The advantage of biological control in contrast to other methods is that it provides a relatively low-cost, perpetual control system with a minimum of detrimental side-effects. When handled by exper

38、ts, bio-control is safe, non-polluting and self-dispersing. The Commonwealth Institute of Biological Control (CIBC) in Bangalore, with its global network of research laboratories and field stations, is one of the most active, non-commercial research agencies engaged in pest control by setting natura

39、l predators against parasites. CIBC also serves as a clearing-house for the export and import of biological agents for pest control world-wide. CIBC successfully used a seed-feeding weevil, native to Mexico, to control the obnoxious parthenium weed, known to exert devious influence on agriculture an

40、d human health in both India and Australia. Similarly the Hyderabad-based Regional Research Laboratory (RRL), supported by CIBC, is now trying out an Argentinian weevil for the eradication of water hyacinth, another dangerous weed, which has become a nuisance in many parts of the world. According to

41、 Mrs Kaiser Jamil of RRL, The Argentinian weevil does not attack any other plant and a pair of adult bugs could destroy the weed in 4-5 days. CIBC is also perfecting the technique for breeding parasites that prey on disapene scale insects notorious defoliants of fruit trees in the US and India. How

42、effectively biological control can be pressed into service is proved by the following examples. In the late 1960s, when Sri Lankas flourishing coconut groves were plagued by leaf-mining hispides, a larval parasite imported from Singapore brought the pest under control. A natural predator indigenous

43、to India, Neodumetia sangawani, was found useful in controlling the Rhodes grass-scale insect that was devouring forage grass in many parts of the US. By using Neochetina bruci, a beetle native to Brazil, scientists at Kerala Agricultural University freed a 12-kilometre-long canal from the clutches

44、of the weed Salvinia molesta, popularly called African Payal in Kerala. About 30,000 hectares of rice fields in Kerala are infested by this weed. Questions 14-17 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet. 14 The use of pesticides has contr

45、ibuted to A a change in the way ecologies are classified by agroecologists. B an imbalance in many ecologies around the world . C the prevention of ecological disasters in some parts of the the world . D an increase in the range of ecologies which can be usefully farmed. 15 The Food and Agriculture

46、Organisation has counted more than 300 agricultural pests which A are no longer responding to most pesticides in use. B can be easily controlled through the use of pesticides. C continue to spread disease in a wide range of crops. D may be used as part of bio-controls replacement of pesticides. 16 C

47、otton farmers in Central America began to use pesticides A because of an intensive government advertising campaign. B in response to the appearance of new varieties of pest. C as a result of changes in the seasons and the climate. D to ensure more cotton was harvested from each crop. 17 By the mid-1960s, cotton farmers in Central America found that pesticides