2018下半年公共英语三级pts3阅读试题及答案
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(海滩搜寻) 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.
小题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
小题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
小题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.
小题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
小题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.
参考答案及解析
小题1:B
小题2:C
小题3:A
小题4:D
小题5:C
试题分析：本文是一篇说明文。文中介绍了海洋科学家Curtis Ebbesmeyer的一种独特研究洋流的方法——根据海上的漂浮物来研究洋流。他通过寻问海洋搜寻，请他们帮忙来收集漂浮物的信息，用这些信息资料他做实验和研究，不断完善洋流模型的电脑程序设计，然后出版他的研究结果。
小题1:B.考查词义猜测。和第一段画线短语swap meets的意思更接近的词是什么?根据try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.可知人们要试穿或卖这些鞋，故推测这是在进行一个交易会。故选B。
小题2:C.考查推理判断。 Ebbesmeyer给这些鞋的公司打电话是为了确定什么?根据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.可知他打电话问公司要不要这些鞋，公司说不要。他觉得这可能是一个巨大的实验。如果他能知道这些鞋是何时下水的，何时登陆的，那他就可以推断洋流的形式。这样，打电话最根本的目的是确定“能用你们的鞋子吗?能用我就用来实验了。”故选C。
小题3:A.考查细节理解。 Ebbesmeyer如何证明他的假设的?根据Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed. 可知Ebbesmeyer通过寻问海洋搜寻，请他们帮忙来收集信息，证明他的假设。故选A。选项B, 通过研究海洋搜寻发现的鞋。根据In a year he collected reliable information on 1, 600 shoes. With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and 可知他用这些鞋的信息做实验，故排除B项。选项C,通过上网搜寻洋流的模型。根据improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents,可知他自己不断完善洋流模型的电脑程序设计，不是在网上搜的洋流模型，故与原文不符。选项D,通过在图书馆研究洋流资料。文中没有提到他在图书馆的学习研究，故排除D项。
小题4:D.考查细节理解。Ebbesmeyer以什么最出名?根据Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean. 可知Ebbesmeyer是个著名的科学家，专门打电话寻问罕见的海上漂流物。故选D。
小题5:C.考查推理判断。作者下这篇文章的目的是什么?根据However, ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way -- by studying movements of random floating garbage. 可知本文介绍了一种独特的研究洋流的方法——通过研究海洋上的漂流物。故选C。
考查：科普类短文阅读。
