全国英语等级考试历年真题pets3级真题一：阅读Part A

SECTION II Reading

( 50 minutes)

Part A

Directions:

Read the following two texts. Answer the questions on each text by choosing A, B, C or D.Mark your answers on your ANSWER SHEET.

Text 1

The political career of Cicero, a great Roman statesman and the most well-known speechmak-er of his time, was a remarkable one. At the time, high political offices in Rome, though technically achieved by winning elections, were almost exclusively controlled by a group of wealthy noble families that had held them for many generations. Cicero' s family, though noble, was not one of them, nor did it have great wealth. But Cicero had a great deal of political ambition; at a very young age he chose as his basic belief the same one Achilles was said to have had: to always be the best and overtop the rest. Lacking the advantages of a proper family origin, there were essentially only two career options open to him. One was a military career, since military success was thought to result from exceptional personal qualities and could lead to popularity and therefore political opportunity as was the case much later for American presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Cicero, however, was no soldier. He hated war, and served in the military only very briefly as a young man.

Instead, Cicero chose a career in the law. To prepare for this career, he studied law, rhetoric,and philosophy. When he felt he was ready, he began taking part in legal cases. A career in the law could lead to political success for several reasons, all of which are still relevant today. First, a lawyer would gain a great deal of experience in making speeches. Second, he could also gain ex-posure and popularity from cases. Finally, a successful lawyer would build up a network of politi-cal connections, which is important now but was even more important in.Cicero' s time, when po-litical competition was not conducted along party lines or on the basis of doctrine, but instead was based on loose, shifting networks of personal friendships and commitments. Cicero proved to be an excellent speech-maker and lawyer, and an outstanding politician. He was elected to each of the principal Roman offices on his first try and at the earliest age at which he was legally allowed to run for them.

26．To win an important office in Cicero’s time，a candidate should__________．

A．be born of a wealthy family

B．possess political experience

C．launch a national campaign

D．convince the general public

27．Cicero came from a family with__________．

A．great wealth

B．remarkable fame

C．political ambition

D．noble background

28．Unlike Cicero，Ulysses Grant attained his political position due to__________．

A．his strong beliefs

B．his personal relations

C．his military achievements

D．his powerful speeches

29．A Roman politician’s career prospects were strongly influenced by__________.

A．their party’s support

B．their social connections

C．their political doctrine

D．their public popularity

30．Cicero was elected to the principal offices when__________．

A．he got support from his friends

B．he began his career as a lawyer

C．he was committed to social services

D．he was just old enough to run for them
 

Text 2

One of the key challenges in urban architecture over the next 50 years will be figuring out how to squeeze vast numbers of additional people into urban areas that are already extremely crowded.

London, for example, will somehow have to deal with a projected 100,000 extra inhabitants every year until 2016. The current plan of building new "satellite towns" of the city causes a lot of problems-but architecture think tanks are working on ambitious solutions that go vertical instead of horizontal in search of space.

In terms of population density, London is one of the least crowded major cities in the world--four times fewer people per square kilometer than Paris, for example, six times fewer than New York and eight times fewer than Cairo. But the fact remains that the city' s population is growing at a rapid rate, and horizontal expansion into the surrounding areas is eating up increasingly important agricultural land, as well as worsening all the transport problems that come with urban growth.

Popular Architecture would propose a radically different solution. The proposal is to go up-wards, with vertical towers of considerable size, each representing an entire new town by the time it' s completed. Each tower would be 1500 meters high. Beyond mere accommodation, each tower would function as an entire town unit, with its own schools, hospitals, parks and gardens, sports facilities, business areas and community spaces. The population density of such a tower could help lower the individual energy requirements of each inhabitant, reducing the ecological impact of the population as a whole.

The village towers are considered as hollow tubes, with large holes to allow light and air through the entire construction. Occasional floor discs spread throughout the height of the building will give inhabitants large central areas in the middle of the tube to use as gathering spaces.

While the building itself is unlikely ever to be seriously considered for construction-imagine the number of elevators it would need，let alone the safety implications of open areas at such heights and with such wind exposure--the concept can serve as a conversation—starter for urban planners looking to face the challenges of the current and coming centuries.

31．One key challenging task for urban architects in future is to__________．

A．build new satellite towns

B．work out ambitious plans

C．design less crowded cities

D．accommodate more inhabitants

32．Which of the following cities has the largest population density?

A．Cairo．

B．Paris．

C．London．

D．New York．

33．Horizontal expansion not only wastes land，but makes it hard for London to__________．

A．handle its safety problems

B．resolve its transport issues

C．control its population growth

D．measure its population density

34．The vertical tower would represent an entire new town in itself because__________．

A．it is energy-saving

B．it is cost-effective

C．it is self-sufficient

D．it is comfort．oriented

35．For city planners today，the idea of building a vertical tower can become__________．

A．a．topic for fun

B．a shocking reality

C．a modest proposal

D．a source of inspiration
 

第二部分阅读

Part A

Text1

参考译文

西塞罗是罗马时期一位著名的政治家和演说家，政治生涯显著。在那一时期，罗马的高级官职尽管需要严格依据法律通过选举产生，但历代以来，政界官员几乎都完全受控于显赫的富有家族组织。西塞罗的家族虽然是贵族，但并非其中之一，没有巨大的财富。但是西塞罗有着强烈的政治抱负，在年幼时期，他就将据说是阿基里斯的理念作为自己的基本信念：永远做最好，超于他人。由于没有特有家族出身的优势，他面临的只有两种职业选择。一个是从军，因为军事功绩被视为卓越个人能力的体现并为其带来声誉，正如之后的美国总统尤利西斯?格兰特和德怀特?戴维?艾森豪威尔。然而西塞罗并不是位战士，他讨厌战争，年轻时只在军中服役了很短时间。

他选择了另一条道路，法律。为了给自己的政治生涯做准备，他学习了法律、修辞学和哲学。当他认为准备充分时就开始接触法律案件。通过法律达到政治成功有许多原因，直到今天也同样适用。首先，律师在准备陈述的过程中会获得许多经验。其次，通过案件律师会获得一定的曝光度和声誉。最后，一个成功的律师会建立自己的一套政治关系网络。政治竞争不是通过政治路线或基本教义，而是通过不牢固的变化的友谊和承诺，这对现在的社会来说很重要，对当时的罗马时期来说更为重要。西塞罗不仅被人们视为一个杰出的演说家、律师，而且也是一位出色的政治家。他在达到被选举年龄时的首次竞选中，就成功当选为罗马主要官员。

26．A【精析】细节题。文中第一段第二句提到“At the time，high political offices in Rome，though technically achieved by winning elections，were almost exclusively controlled by a group of wealthy noble fami-lies that had held them for many generations．”在那一时期，罗马的高级官职尽管需要严格依据法律要通过选举产生，但历代以来，政界官员几乎都完全受控于显赫的富有家族组织。由此可知，在西塞罗时期想要当选，就要来自富有的家族，故选A。

27．D 【精析】细节题。从文中第一段第三句“Cicero’s family，though no-ble，was not oneofthem，nor didit havegreatwealth．”可知，西塞罗的家庭也是贵族，故选D。

28．C【精析】细节题。文中第一段倒数第三句提到“One was a military career，since military success was thought to…later for American presidents Ulysses S．Grant…”一个是从军，因为军事功绩被视为卓越个人能力的体现并为其带来声誉，正如之后的美国总统尤利西斯?格兰特。由此可知，美国总统尤利西斯?格兰特的政治地位是通过军事成就实现的，故选C。

29．B【精析】推理题。文中第二段倒数第三句提到“Finally，a success-ful lawyer would build up…when political competition Was not con-ducted along party lines or on the basis of doctrine．but instead was based on loose，shifting networks of personal friendships and com-mitments．”一个成功的律师会建立自己的一套政治关系网络。政治竞争不是通过政治路线或基本教义，而是通过不牢固的变化的友谊和承诺。由此可知，罗马政治家生涯的前途受友谊和承诺，即社会关系的重要影响，故选B。

30．D【精析】细节题。文中第二段最后一句提到“He Was elected to each of the principal Roman offices oll his first try at the earliest age at which he was legally allowed to run for them．”他在达到被选举年龄时的首次竞选中，就成功当选为罗马主要官员。由此可知，西塞罗在刚满被选举年龄时就被选为主要官员，故选D。

Text 2

参考译文

在未来50年里，城市建筑的主要挑战之一将会是如何在已经极度拥挤的都市塞下更多的人。例如，到2016年，伦敦将应对每年预计增加的10万居民。目前建造“卫星镇”的计划带来了很多问题，但是建筑学智囊团致力于从垂直而不是水平方向去寻找空间。

根据人口密度，伦敦是世界上最不拥挤的大城市之一，它每平方公里的人口数比巴黎低四倍，比纽约低六倍，比开罗低八倍。但是，城市的人口仍在迅速增长，向周围地区的拓展加剧了城市扩张带来的交通问题，也在吞噬重要的耕地。

流行建筑提出了完全不同的解决方法——向上延伸的垂直塔建筑。

巨大的垂直塔完工后代表一个完整的新城镇，每个塔高1500米。除了基本的居住功能，每个塔还将作为一个完整的城镇，内设学校、医院、公园和花园、运动设施、商务中心以及社区空间。这种塔型建筑的人口密度会帮助减少居住者的个人能源需求，减轻整体人口对生态的影响。这种塔型建筑就像中空管，整个建筑体内有许多大的开孔，能够透出光线和帮助空气流通。偶尔的楼层圆盘造型分布在高楼上，会给居民更大的中心空间，方便他们聚在一起。

当建筑物本身不再被传统意义地作建造所用，想象一下它所需的电梯数量，更不用说在这等高度和风向下的开放区域存在的安全隐患问题。不过这个设想可以作为城市规划者面对目前或未来挑战时的开场白。

31．D【精析】细节题。文中第一段第一句提到“One of the key challen-ges in urban architecture over the next 50 years will be figuring out how to squeeze vast numbers of additional people into urban areas that are already extremely crowded．”在未来50年里，城市建筑的主要挑战之一将会是如何在已经极度拥挤的都市塞下更多的人。由此可知，未来城市建筑的主要挑战之一是容纳更多的居民，故选D。

32．A【精析】推理题。文中第二段第一句提到“In terms of population density，London is one the least crowded major cities in the world…and eight times fewer than Cairo．”根据人口密度，伦敦是世界上最不拥挤的大城市之一，它每平方公里的人口数比巴黎低四倍，比纽约低六倍，比开罗低八倍。由此可知，开罗的人口密度是最大的，故选A。

33．B【精析】细节题。文中第二段第二句提到“But the fact remains that the city’s population is growing…as well as worsening all the transport problems that come with urban growth．”但是，城市的人口仍在迅速增长．向周围地区的拓展加剧了城市扩张带来的交通问题，也在吞噬重要的耕地。由此可知，水平空间的拓展不仅浪费土地还会造成交通问题，故选B。

34．C【精析】推理题。文中第三段倒数第二句提到“Beyond mere ac-commodation，each tower would function as an entire…with its own schools，hospitals，parks…business areas and community spaces．”每个塔还将作为一个完整的城镇是因为它内部还设有学校、医院、公园…商务中心及社区空间等，这些使得这个城镇生活所需都可以自给自足。故选C。

35．D【精析】推理题。从文中最后一段可知，目前这种垂直塔型建筑还有很多问题，比如说，所需电梯数量多，存在安全隐患等等，但是可以作为设计者的一个灵感的来源，故选D。