2013 年职称英语等级考试真题(理工类 A 级)
第 1 部分：词汇选项(第 1～15 题，每题 1 分，共 15 分)下面每个句子中均有 1 个词或者短语划有底横线，请为每处划线部分确定 1 个意义最为接
近的选项。
1.The rules are too rigid to allow for humane error.
A.inflexibleB.generalC.complexD.direct
2.This species has nearly died out because its habitat is being destroyed.
A.turned deadB.passed byC.carried awayD.become extinct
3.The contract between the two companies will expire soon.
A.shortenB.endC.startD.resume
4.Three world-class tennis players came to contend for this title.
A.argueB.claimC.wishD.compete
5.The methods of communication used during the war were primitive.
A.simpleB.reliableC.effectiveD.alternative
6.Respect for life is a cardinal principle of the law.
A.moralB.regularC.fundamentalD.hard
7.The drinking water has become contaminated with lead.
A.pollutedB.treatedC.testedD.corrupted
8.Come out, or I’ll bust the door down.
A.shutB.setC.breakD.beat
9.She shed a few tears at her daughter’s wedding.
A.wipedB.injectedC.producedD.removed
10.They didn’t seem to appreciate the magnitude of the problem.
A.existenceB.importanceC.causeD.situation
11.The tower remains intact even after two hundred years.
A.unknownB.unusualC.undamagedD.unstable
12.Many experts remain skeptical about his claims.
A.doubtfulB.untouchedC.certainD.silent
13.The proposal was endorsed by the majority of members.
A.rejectedB.submittedC.consideredD.approved
14.Rumors began to circulate about his financial problems.
A.sendB.spreadC.hearD.confirm
15.The police will need to keep a wary eye on this area of town.
A.nakedB.cautiousC.blindD.private
第 2 部分：阅读判断(第 16～22 题，每题 1 分，共 7 分)
下面的短文后列出了 7 个句子，请根据短文的内容对每个句子做出判断;如果该句提供的
是正确信息，请选择 A;如果该句提供的是错误信息，请选择 B;如果该句的信息文中没有提
及，请选择 C。
New Understanding of Natural Silk’s Mysteries
Natural silk, as we all know, has a strength that man-made materials have long struggled to
match. In a discovery that sounds more like an ancient Chinese proverb than a materials science
breakthrough, MIT researchers have discovered that silk gets its strength from its weakness. Or, more
specifically, its many weaknesses. Silk gets its extraordinary durability and ductility 柔韧性)(from an
unusual arrangement of hydrogen bonds that are intrinsically very weak but that work together to
create a strong, flexible structure.
Most materials — especially the ones we engineer for strength — get their toughness from
brittleness. As such, natural silks like those produced by spiders have long fascinated both biologists
and engineers because of their light weight, ductility and high strength (pound for pound, silk is
stronger than steel and far less brittle). But on its face, it doesn't seem that silks should be as strong as
they are; molecularly, they are held together by hydrogen bonds, which are far weaker than the
covalent(共价的)bonds found in other molecules.
To get a better understanding of how silk manages to produce such strength through such weak
bonds, the MIT team created a set of computer models that allowed them to observe the way silk
behaves at the atomic level. They found that the arrangement of the tiny silk nanocrystals 纳米晶体)(
is such that the hydrogen bonds are able to work cooperatively, reinforcing one another against
external forces and failing slowly when they do fail, so as not so allow a sudden fracture to spread
across a silk structure.
The result is natural silks that can stretch and bend while retaining a high degree of strength. But
while that's all well and good for spiders, bees and the like, this understanding of silk geometry could
lead to new materials that are stronger and more ductile than those we can currently manufacture. Our
best and strongest materials are generally expensive and difficult to produce (requiring high
temperature treatments or energy-intensive processes).
By looking to silk as a model, researchers could potentially devise new manufacturing methods
that rely on inexpensive materials and weak bonds to create less rigid, more forgiving materials that
are nonetheless stronger than anything currently on offer. And if you thought you were going to get
out of this materials science story without hearing about carbon nanotubes(纳米碳管), think again.
The MIT team is already in the lab looking into ways of synthesizing silk-like structures out of
materials that are stronger than natural silk — like carbon nanotubes. Super-silks are on the horizon.
16.MIT researchers carry out the study to illustrate an ancient Chinese proverb.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
17.Silk’s strength comes from its weak hydrogen bonds working together.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
18.Biologists and engineers are interested in understanding natural silks because they are very light
and brittle.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
19.If the hydrogen bonds break due to external forces, they break fast.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
20.The MIT team had tried different materials before they studies natural silk in the research.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
21.Carbon nanotubes are currently the most popular topic in materials science.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
22.It is indicated that materials stronger than natural silk can be expected in the future.
A.RightB.WrongC.Not mentioned
第 3 部分：概括大意与完成句子(第 23～30 题，每题 1 分，共 8 分)
下面的短文后有 2 项测试任务：(1)第 23 ~ 26 题要求从所给的 6 个选项中为指定段落每
段选择 1 个最佳标题;(2)第 27 ~ 30 题要求从所给的 6 个选项中为每个句子确定一个最佳选
项。
Black Holes
1 Black holes can be best described as a sort of vacuum, sucking up everything in space.
Scientists have discovered that black holes come from an explosion of huge stars. Stars that are near
death can no longer burn due to loss of fuel, and because its temperature can no longer control the
gravitational(重力的)force, hydrogen ends up putting pressure onto the star’s surface until it
suddenly explodes then collapses.
2 Black holes come from stars that are made of hydrogen, other gases and a few metals. When
these explode it can turn into a stellar-mass 恒星质量)(black hole, which can only occur if the star is
large enough (should be bigger than the sun) for the explosion to break it into pieces, and the gravity
starts to compact every piece into the tiniest particle. Try to see and compare: if a star that’s ten times
the size of the sun ends up being a black hole that’s no longer than 70 kilometers, then the Earth
would become a black hole that’s only a fraction of an inch!
3 Objects that get sucked in a black hole will always remain there, never to break free. But
remember that black holes can only gobble up(吞噬)objects within a specific distance to it. It’s
possible for a large star near the sun to become a black hole, but the sun will continue to stay in place.
Orbits do not change because the newly formed black hole contains exactly the same amount of mass
as when it was a star, only this time its mass is totally contracted that it can end up as no bigger than a
state.
4 So far, astronomers have figured out that black holes exist because of Albert Einstein’s
theory of relativity. In the end, through numerous studies, they have discovered that black holes truly
exist. Since black holes trap light and do not give off light, it is nearly impossible to detect black
holes via a telescope. But astronomers continue to study galaxies, space and the solar system to
understand how black holes might evolve. It is possible that black holes can exist for millions of
years, and later contribute to a bigger process in galaxies, which can eventually lead to creation of
new entities. Scientists also credit black holes as helpful in learning how galaxies began to form.
23.Paragraph 1 _____
24.Paragraph 2 _____
25.Paragraph 3 _____
26.Paragraph 4 _____
A.Is there proof that black holes really exist?
B.What are different types of black holes?
C.How are black holes formed?
D.How were black holes named?
E.What happens to the objects around a black hole?
F.What are black holes made of?
27.Black holes are formed after ________.
28.When a large star explodes, the gravity compacts every piece into ________.
29.A newly formed black hole and the star it comes from are of ________.
30.Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity helps to prove ________.
A.the creation of new entities
B.an explosion of huge stars
C.the tiniest particle
D.the same amount of mass
E.the existence of black holes
F.a fraction of an inch
第 4 部分：阅读理解(第 31～45 题，每题 3 分，共 45 分)
下面有 3 篇短文，每篇短文后有 5 道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定 1 个最佳选项。
第一篇
Forecasting Methods
There are several different methods that can be used to create a forecast. The method a
forecaster chooses depends upon the experience of the forecaster, the amount of information available
to the forecaster, the level of difficulty that the forecast situation presents, and the degree of accuracy
or confidence needed in the forecast.
The first of these methods is the persistence method; the simplest way of producing a forecast.
The persistence method assumes that the conditions at the time of the forecast will not change. For
example, if it is sunny and 87 degrees today, the persistence method predicts that it will be sunny and
87 degrees tomorrow. If two inches of rain fell today, the persistence method would predict two
inches of rain for tomorrow. However, if weather conditions change significantly from day to day, the
persistence method usually breaks down and is not the best forecasting method to use.
The trends method involves determining the speed and direction of movement for fronts, high
and low pressure centers, and areas of clouds and precipitation. Using this information, the forecaster
can predict where he or she expects those features to be at some future time. For example, if a storm
system is 1,000 miles west of your location and moving to the east at 250 miles per day, using the
trends method you would predict it to arrive in your area in 4 days. The trends method works well
when systems continue to move at the same speed in the same direction for a long period of time. If
they slow down, speed up, change intensity, or change direction, the trends forecast will probably not
work as well.
The climatology method is another simple way of producing a forecast. This method involves
averaging weather statistics accumulated over many years to make the forecast. For example, if you
were using the climatology method to predict the weather for New York City on July 4th, you would
go through all the weather data that has been recorded for every July 4th and take an average. The
climatology method only works well when the weather pattern is similar to that expected for the
chosen time of year. If the pattern is quite unusual for the given time of year, the climatology method
will often fail.
The analog method is a slightly more complicated method of producing a forecast. It involves
examining today's forecast scenario and remembering a day in the past when the weather scenario
looked very similar (an analog). The forecaster would predict that the weather in this forecast will
behave the same as it did in the past. The analog method is difficult to use because it is virtually
impossible to find a predict analog. Various weather features rarely align themselves in the same
locations as they were in the previous time. Even small differences between the current time and the
analog can lead to very different results.
31.What of the following factors is NOT mentioned in choosing a forecasting method?
A.Necessary amount of information.
B.Degree of difficulty involved in forecasting.
C.Practical knowledge of the forecaster.
D.Creativity of the forecaster.
32.The persistence method fails to work well when
A.it is rainy.
B.it is sunny.
C.weather conditions stay stable.
D.weather conditions change greatly.
33.The trends method works well when
A.weather features are constant for a long period of time.
B.weather features are defined well.
C.predictions on precipitation are accurate.
D.the speed and direction of movement are predicable.
34.The analog method should not be used in making a weather forecast when
A.the analog looks complicated.
B.the current weather scenario is different from the analog.
C.the analog is more than 10 years old.
D.the current weather scenario is exactly the same as the analog.
35.Historical weather data are necessary in
A.the persistence method and the trends method.
B.the trends method and the climatology method.
C.the climatology method and the analog method.
D.The persistence method and the analog method.
第二篇
Students Learn Better With Touchscreen Desks
Observe the criticisms of nearly any major public education system in the world, and a few of
the many complaints are more or less universal. Technology moves faster than the education system.
Teachers must teach at the pace of the slowest student rather than the fastest. And — particularly in
the United States — school children as a group don’t care much for, or excel at, mathematics. So it’s
heartening to learn that a new kind of “classroom of the future” shows promise at mitigating some of
these problems, starting with that fundamental piece of classroom furniture: the desk.
A UK study involving roughly 400 students, mostly aged 8-10 years, and a new generation of
multi-touch, multi-user, computerized desktop surfaces is showing that over the last three years the
technology has appreciably boosted students’ math skills compared to peers learning the same
material via the conventional paper-and-pencil method. How? Through collaboration, mostly, as well
as by giving teachers better tools by which to micromanage individual students who need some extra
instruction while allowing the rest of the class to continue moving forward.
Traditional instruction still shows respectable efficacy(效力)at increasing students fluency in
mathematics, essentially through memorization and practice — dull, repetitive practice. But the
researchers have concluded that these new touchscreen desks boost both fluency and flexibility —
the critical thinking skills that allow students to solve complex problems not simply through knowing
formulas and devices, but by being able to figure out what the real problem is and the most effective
means of stripping it down and solving it.
One reason for this, the researchers say, is the multi-touch aspect of the technology. Students
working in the next-gen classroom can work together at the same tabletop, each of them contributing
and engaging with the problem as part of a group. Known as SynergyNet, the software uses computer
vision systems that see in the infrared(红外的)spectrum to distinguish between different touches on
different parts of the surface, allowing students to access and use tools on the screen, move objects
and visual aids around on their desktops, and otherwise physically interact with the numbers and
information on their screens. By using these screens collaboratively, the researchers say, the students
are to some extent teaching themselves as those with a stronger grasp on difficult concepts pull other
students forward along with them.
36.Which of the following statements is NOT true of the public education system?
A.It does not catch up with the development of technology.
B.Teachers pay more attention to fast learners than slow learners.
C.Some similar complaints about it are heard in different countries.
D.Many students are not good at learning mathematics.
37.What has been found after the new tech is employed?
A.Teachers are able to give individualized attention to students in need.
B.Students become less active in learning mathematics.
C.Students show preference to the conventional paper-and-pencil method.
D.The gap between slow learners and fast learners get more noticeable.
38.What is the benefit students get from the new tech?
A.It makes them more fluent in public speech.
B.It offers them more flexibility in choosing courses.
C.It is effective in helping them solve physical problems.
D.It enables them to develop critical thinking ability.
39.What happens when students are using the desktop of the new tech?
A.Every student has an individual tabletop.
B.Students use different tools to interact with each other.
C.The multi-touch function stimulates students.
D.The software installed automatically identifies different users.
40.How does the new tech work to improve students’ mathematical learning?
A.It helps fast learners to learn faster.
B.It makes teachers’ instruction unnecessary.
C.It enables them to work together.
D.It allows the whole class to learn at the same pace.
第三篇
On the Trail of the Honey Badgers
On a recent field trip to the Kalahari Desert, a team of researchers learnt a lot more about honey
badgers(獾). The team employed a local wildlife expert, Kitso Khama, to help them locate and
follow the badgers across the desert. Their main aim was to study the badgers’ movements and
behaviour as discreetly(谨慎地)as possible, without frightening them away or causing them to
change their natural behaviour. They also planned to trap a few and study them close up before
releasing them. In view of the animal’s reputation, this was something that even Khama was reluctant
to do.
“The problem with honey badgers is they are naturally curious animals, especially when they see
something new,” he says. “that, combined with their unpredictable nature, can be a dangerous
mixture. If they sense you have food, for example, they won’t be shy about coming right up to you
for something to eat. They’re actually quite sociable creatures around humans, but as soon as they
feel they might be in danger, they can become extremely vicious(凶恶的). Fortunately this is rare,
but it does happen.”
The research confirmed many things that were already known. As expected, honey badgers ate
any creatures they could catch and kill. Even poisonous snakes, feared and avoided by most other
animals, were not safe from them. The researchers were surprised, however, by the animal’s fondness
for local melons, probably because of their high water content. Previously researchers thought that
the animal got all of its liquid requirements from its prey(猎物). The team also learnt that, contrary
to previous research findings, the badgers occasionally formed loose family groups. They were also
able to confirm certain results from previous research, including the fat that female badgers never
socialized with each other.
Following some of the male badgers was a challenge, since they can cover large distances in a
short space of time. Some hunting territories cover more than 500 square kilometers. Although they
seem happy to share these territories with other males, there are occasional fights over an important
food source, and male badgers can be as aggressive towards each other as they are towards other
species.
As the badgers became accustomed to the presence of people, it gave the team the chance to get
up close to them without being the subject of the animal’s curiosity — or their sudden aggression.
The badgers’ eating patterns, which had been disrupted, returned to normal. It also allowed the team
to observe more closely some of the other creatures that form working associations with the honey
badger, as these seems to adopt the badgers’ relaxed attitude when near humans.
41.Why did the wildlife experts visit the Kalahari Desert?
A.To find where honey badgers live.
B.To observe how honey badgers behave.
C.To catch some honey badgers for food.
D.To find out why honey badgers have a bad reputation.
42.What does Kitso Khama say about honey badgers?
A.They show interest in things they are not familiar with.
B.They are always looking for food.
C.They do not enjoy human company.
D.It is common for them to attack people.
43.What did the team find out about honey badgers?
A.There were some creatures they did not eat.
B.They were afraid of poisonous creatures.
C.They may get some of the water they needed from fruit.
D.Female badgers did not mix with male badgers.
44.Which of the following is a typical feature of male badgers?
A.They don’t run very quickly.
B.They hunt over a very large area.
C.They defend their territory from other badgers.
D.They are more aggressive than females
45.What happened when honey badgers got used to humans around them?
A.They became less aggressive towards other creatures.
B.They started eating more.
C.Other animals started working with them.
D.They lost interest in people.
第 5 部分：补全短文(第 46～50 题，每题 2 分，共 10 分)
下面的短文有 5 处空白，短文后有 6 个句子，其中 5 个取自短文，请根据短文内容将其分
别放回原有位置，以恢复文章面貌。
Toads are Arthritic and in Pain
Arthritis is an illness that can cause pain and swelling in your bones. Toads, a big problem in the
north of Australia, are suffering from painful arthritis in their legs and backbone, a new study has
shown. The toads that jump the fastest are more likely to be larger and to have longer legs. 46.
The large yellow toads, native to South and Central America, were introduced into the
north-eastern Australian state of Queensland in 193S in an attempt to stop beetles and other insects
from destroying sugarcane crops. Now up to 200 million of the poisonous toads exist in the country,
and they are rapidly spreading through the state of Northern Territory at a rate of up to 60 km a year.
The toads can now be found across more than one million square kilometers. ______ (47) A
Venezuelan poison virus was tried in the 1990s but had to be abandoned after it was found to also kill
native frog species.
The toads have severely affected ecosystems in Australia. Animals, and sometimes pets, that eat
the toads die immediately from their poison, and the toads themselves eat anything they can fit inside
their mouth. ______ (48)
A co-author of the new study, Rick Shine, a professor at the University of Sydney, says that little
attention has been given to the problems that toads face. Rick and his colleagues studied nearly 500
toads from Queensland and the Northern Territory and found that those in the latter state were very
different. They were active, sprinting down roads and breeding quickly.
According to the results of the study, the fastest toads travel nearly one kilometre a night.
______ (49) But speed and strength come at a price — arthritis of the legs and backbone due to
constant pressure placed on them.
In laboratory tests, the researchers found that after about 15 minutes of hopping, arthritic toads
would travel less distance with each hop. ______ (50) These toads are so programmed to move,
apparently, that even when in pain the toads travelled as fast and as far as the healthy ones,
continuing their relentless march across the landscape.
A.Toads are not built to be road runners — they are built to sit around ponds and wet area.
B.The task now facing the country is how to remove the toads.
C.Furthermore, they soon take over the natural habitats of Australia’s native species.
D.Toads with longer legs move faster and travel longer distances, while the others are being left
behind.
E.But this advantage also has a big drawback — up to 10% of the biggest toads suffer from arthritis.
F.But arthritis didn’t slow down toads outside the laboratory, the researchers found.
第 6 部分：完形填空(第 51～65 题，每题 1 分，共 15 分)
下面的短文有 15 处空白，请根据短文内容为每处空白确定 1 个最佳选项。
Better Solar Energy Systems: More Heat, More Light
Solar photovoltaic thermal energy systems, or PVTs, generate both heat and electricity, but ____
(51) now they haven’t been very good at the heat-generating part compared to a stand-alone solar
thermal collector. That’s because they operate at low temperatures to cool crystalline silicon solar
cells, ____ (52) lets the silicon generate more electricity but isn’t a very efficient way to gather heat.
That’s a problem of economics. Good solar hot-water systems can harvest much more energy
than a solar-electric system at a substantially lower ____ (53). And it’s also a space problem:
photovoltaic cells can
____ (54) up all the space on the roof, leaving little room for thermal applications.
In a pair of studies, Joshua Pearce, an associate professor of materials science and engineering,
has devised a ____ (55) in the form of a better PVT made with a different kind of silicon. His
research collaborators are Kunal Girotra from ThinSilicon in California and Michael Pathak and
Stephen Harrison from Queen’s University, Canada.
Most solar panels are made with crystalline silicon, but you can also make solar cells out of
amorphous silicon, commonly known ____ (56) thin-film silicon. They don’t create as much
electricity, but they are lighter, flexible, and cheaper. And, because they ____ (57) much less silicon,
they have a greener footprint.
____ (58), thin-film silicon solar cells are vulnerable to some bad-news physics in the form of
the Staebler-Wronski effect.
“That means that their efficiency drops when you ____ (59) them to light — pretty much the
worst possible effect for a solar cell,” Pearce explains, which is one of the ____ (60) thin- film solar
panels make up only a small fraction of the market.
However, Pearce and his team found a ____ (61) to engineer around the Staebler-Wronski effect
by incorporating thin-film silicon in a new ____ (62) of PVT. You don’t have to cool down thin-film
silicon to make it work. In fact, Pearce’s group discovered that by heating it to solar-thermal
operating temperatures, near the boiling ____ (63) of water, they could make thicker cells that largely
____ (64) the Staebler-Wronski effect. When they applied the thin-film silicon directly to a solar
thermal energy collector, they also found that by baking the cell once a day, they ____ (65) the solar
cell’s electrical efficiency by over 10 percent.
51.A.untilB.unlessC.whenD.if
52.A.whatB.whichC.thatD.who
53.A.rewardB.billC.payD.cost
54.A.moveB.setC.liveD.take
55.A.decisionB.suggestionC.solutionD.qualification
56.A.forB.byC.withD.as
57.A.retrieveB.mergeC.requireD.exchange
58.A.UnfortunatelyB.CertainlyC.LuckilyD.Immediately
59.A.coverB.relateC.faceD.expose
60.A.restrictionsB.advancesC.reasonsD.strengths
61.A.partB.resultC.subjectD.way
62.A.type
63.A.area
64.A.promoted
65.A.boosted
