2010年考研英語二新題型

Part B

Directions

Read the following text and decide whether each of the statements is true or false. Choose T if the statement is true or F it the statement is not true. Mark your answers on ANSWER SHEET1.(10 points)

Copying Birds May Save Aircraft Fuel

Both Boeing and Airbus have trumpeted the efficiency of their newest aircraft. The 787 and 350 respectively . Their clever designs and lightweight composites certainly make a difference . But a group of researchers at Stanford University , led by Ilan Kroo , has suggested that airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jet-fuel use and it would not require them to buy new aircraft.

The answer, says Dr Kroo , lies with birds . Since 1914, scientists have known that birds flying in formation-a V-shape-expend less energy. The air flowing over a bird’s wings curls upwards behind the wingtips . a phenomenon known as upwash. Other birds flying in the upwash experience reduced drag, and spend less energy propelling themselves . Peter Lissaman, an aeronautics expert who was formerly at Caltech and the University of Southern California ,has suggested that a formation of 25 birds might enjoy a range increase of 71%.

When applied to aircraft, the principles are not substantially different . Dr Kroo and his team modeled what would happen if three passenger jets departing from Los Angeles, San Francisco and I as Vegas were to assemble over Utah, assume an inverted V-formation occasionally change places so all could have a turn in the most favourable positions , and proceed to London. They found that the aircraft consumed as much as 15% less fuel (coupled with a reduction in carbon-dioxide output). Nitrogen-oxide emissions during the cruising portions of the flight fell by around a quarter.

There are , of course , knots to be worked out . One consideration is safety , or at least the perception of it . Would passengers feel comfortable travelling in companion? Dr Kroo points out that the aircraft could be separated by several nautical miles , and would not be in the intimate groupings favoured by display teams like the Red Arrows , A passenger peering out of the window might not even see the other planes. Whether the separation distances involved would satisfy air-traffic-control regulations is another matter, although a working group at the International Civil Aviation Organisation has included the possibility of formation flying in a blueprint for new operational guidelines.

It remains to be seen how weather conditions affect the air flows that make formation flight more efficient. In zones of increased turbulence, the planes’ wakes will decay more quickly and the effect will diminish. Dr Kroo says this is one of the areas his team will investigate further. It might also be hard for airlines to co-ordinate the departure times and destinations of passenger aircraft in a way that would allow them to gain from formation flight. Cargo aircraft, in contrast, might be easier to reschedule, as might routine military flight.

As it happens, America’s armed forces are on the on case already. Earlier this year the country’s Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency announced plans to pay Boeing to investigate formation flight, though the programme has yet to begin . There are reports that some military aircraft flew in formation when they were low on fuel during the Second World War ,but Dr Lissaman says they are unsubstantiated. “My father was an RAF pilot and my cousin the skipper of a Lancaster lost over Berlin,”he adds. So he should know.

41. Findings of the Stanford University researchers will promote the sales of new Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

42. The upwash experience may save propelling energy as well as reducing resistance.

43. Formation flight is more comfortable because passengers can not see the other plans.

44. The role that weather plays in formation flight has not yet been clearly defined.

45. It has been documented that during World War Ⅱ, America’s armed forces once tried formation flight to save fuel.

41. Findings of Stanford University researchers will promote the sales of new Boeing and Airbus aircraft.

42. 【題目翻譯】斯坦福大學(xué)研究者的發(fā)現(xiàn)將會促進(jìn)波音飛機(jī)公司和空中客車飛機(jī)公司新飛機(jī)的銷售。

【答案】F

【考點】細(xì)節(jié)題

【解析】由題干關(guān)鍵詞 Stanford University researchers 可推測答案依據(jù)在首段末句。But a group of researchers …， has suggested that a…， and it would not…題干中的 findings 指的就是“airlines could take a more naturalistic approach to cutting jetfuel use”，而 and 后的內(nèi)容指出該研究說明 “it would not require them to buy new aircraft”，意思為“這不需要購買新型號飛機(jī)”，因而可以得知題干信息和原文信息是相反的。答案為 F。

42.The upwash experience may save propelling energy as well as reducing resistance.

【題目翻譯】在上升氣流中飛行不僅可以節(jié)省驅(qū)動所消耗的能量，還可以減少阻力。

【答案】T

【考點】細(xì)節(jié)題

【解析】由題干關(guān)鍵詞 upwash experience 和 propelling 可推測答案依據(jù)在原文第二段第四句。Other birds …experience reduced drag, and spend less energy propelling themselves.句子中 reduced drag 和題干的 reducing resistance 是對應(yīng)的，drag 和 resistance 是同義替換，reduced 和 reducing 是同一個單詞變換形式而來。spend less

energy propelling themselves 與 save propelling energy 對應(yīng)，spend less 和 save 是同義替換，propelling energy 則是 energy propelling themselves 的另一種表達(dá)形式。因而可以判斷出題干和原文表達(dá)的含義一致。答案為 T。

43. Formation flight is more comfortable because passengers cannot see the other planes.

【題目翻譯】編隊飛行更舒適，因為乘客看不到其他的飛機(jī)。

【答案】F

【考點】細(xì)節(jié)題

【解析】由題干關(guān)鍵詞 Formation flight is more comfortable 可推測答案依據(jù)在原文第四段第三句。通過關(guān)鍵詞passengers cannotsee the other planes 則還可以回文定位其后本段第五句。第三句的 passengers feel comfortable和本題的題干是同義替換，但是原文句子是一個疑問句，文中并未給出結(jié)論，因此并不能據(jù)此判斷題干后半部分的原因是否正確。第五句話中的“might not”表示的是可能性，而題干的“cannot”表示的是事實。更重要的是文章的第五句話是為了說明第四句話 Dr. Kroo points that the aircraft could be separated by several nautical miles, and would not be in the intimate groupings favored by display teams like the Red Arrows.本句主要強(qiáng)調(diào)飛機(jī)間距會比較大，第五句是來形象說明這個距離大到“乘客都看不到其他飛機(jī)”，而這個與是否舒服并沒有明確的直接關(guān)系。再看本段第一句和第二句話，可知這里所謂的不舒服，其實就是指的不安全感。因為編隊飛行時客機(jī)距離會很遠(yuǎn)，飛機(jī)乘客甚至看不到其他飛機(jī)的存在，就會覺得不安全。從常識可以判斷出不安全感和舒適感是相反的，因此編隊飛行更舒適這個命題是錯誤的。答案為 F。

44. The role that weather plays in formation flight has not yet been clearly defined.

【題目翻譯】天氣在編隊飛行中所起的作用尚未能被清楚認(rèn)知。

【答案】T

【考點】細(xì)節(jié)題

【解析】由題干關(guān)鍵詞 weather 可推測答案依據(jù)在原文第五段第一句。題干 the role the weather plays 是原文信息句It remains to be seen how weather conditions affected the air flow的簡要表達(dá)，而題干中的has not yet been clearly defined 和原文的it remains to be seen 意思是相同的。因而可以判斷本句正確。答案為T。

45. It has been documented that during World War II,America's armed forces once tried formation flight to save fuel.

【題目翻譯】據(jù)記載，在二戰(zhàn)期間美國的軍隊曾經(jīng)嘗試編隊飛行來節(jié)約燃料

【答案】F

【考點】細(xì)節(jié)題

【解析】通過題干關(guān)鍵詞 World War II 和 armed forces 可推測答案依據(jù)在原文第六段第三句 There are reports that…，but Dr. Lissaman says they are unsubstantiated. “My father was…”he adds.題干中的 it has documented that與原文的 there are reports that 是同義替換，題干的 World War II 與原文的 Second World War 是同義替換，題干的 to save fuel 則是原文 when they were low on fuel 的另一個說法，因此單獨從前半句話而言好似題干是對的，但是在看完之后有個轉(zhuǎn)折 but Dr. Lissaman says they are unsubstantiated.證明對這個說法是沒有依據(jù)的，因而本題與原文不符。答案為 F。