专业英语八级分类模拟题阅读理解七.docx

专业英语八级分类模拟题阅读理解七.docx

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专业英语八级分类模拟题阅读理解七

专业英语八级分类模拟题阅读理解（七）

TextA

Theoilindustryhasbeenonahotstreakthisyear,thankstoaseriesofmajordiscoveriesthathaverekindledasenseofexcitementacrossthepetroleumsector,despitefallingpricesandatougheconomy.Thesediscoveries,spanningfivecontinents,aretheresultofheftyinvestmentsthatbeganearlierinthedecadewhenoilpricesrose,andofnewtechnologiesthatallowexplorerstodrillatgreaterdepthsandbreaktougherrocks."That'sthewonderfulthingaboutpricesignalsinafreemarket—itputspeopleinabetterpositiontotakemoreexplorationrisk,"saidJamesT.Hackett,chairmanandchiefexecutiveofAnadarkoPetroleum.

Morethan200discoverieshavebeenreportedsofarthisyearindozensofcountries,includingnorthernIraq'sKurdishregion,Australia,Israel,Iran,Brazil,Norway,GhanaandRussia.Theyhavebeenmadebyinternationalgiants,likeExxonMobil,butalsobyindustryminnows,likeTullowOil.Justthismonth,BPsaidthatitfoundagiantdeepwaterfieldthatmightturnouttobethebiggestoildiscoveryeverintheGulfofMexico,whileAnadarkoannouncedalargefindinan"excitingandhighlyprospective"regionoffSierraLeone.Itisnormalforcompaniestodiscoverbillionsofbarrelsofnewoileveryyear,butthisyear'spaceisunusuallybrisk.Newoildiscoverieshavetotaledabout10billionbarrelsinthefirsthalfoftheyear,accordingtoIHSCambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates.Ifdiscoveriescontinueatthatpacethroughyear-end,theyarelikelytoreachthehighestlevelsince2000.

Whilerecentyearshavefeaturedspeculationaboutacoiningpeakandsubsequentdeclineinoilproduction,peopleintheindustrysaythereisstillplentyofoilintheground,especiallybeneaththeoceanfloor,eveniffindingandextractingitisbecomingharder.Theysaythatpricesandthepaceoftechnologicalimprovementremaintheprincipalfactorsgoverningoilproductioncapacity.Whiletheindustryiscelebratingtherecentdiscoveries,manyexecutivesareanxiousabouttheimmediatefuture,fearingthatlowerpricesmightjeopardizetheirexplorationdrive.Theworldeconomyisweak,oilpriceshavetumbledfromlastyear'srecords,corporateprofitshaveshrunk,andglobaldemandforoilremainslow.Afterfallingto$34inDecember,oilpriceshavedoubled,stabilizingnear$70abarrel.Butiftheworldeconomydoesnotpickup,someanalystsbelievethepricecouldfallagain.Oilcompaniescontendthatisnotaprospecttheycanafford.Despitereapingrecordprofitsinrecentyears,manyexecutiveshavewarnedthattheyneedpricesabove$60abarreltodeveloptheworld'smorechallengingreserves.Infact,someexplorationactivityhasalreadyslowedthisyear,asproducersseekbettertermsfromservicecompaniesandcontractors.

Itisnotjustoilthatisbenefitingfromtheexplorationboom.Repsol,Spain'sbiggestoilcompany,saidthismonththatithaddiscoveredwhatcouldturnouttobeVenezuela'sbiggestnaturalgasfield.Inrecentyears,companieshavefoundsubstantialnaturalgasreservesintheUnitedStates,fromshalerocksoncebelievedtobeimpossibletodrill.

"TheNo.1questionthatexplorationteamshaverightnowis:

Wheredowegonext?

"saidRobertFryklund,whorantheoperationsofConocoPhillipsinLibyaandBrazil,andisavicepresidentinHoustonatCambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates.Explorationspendingswelledinrecentyears,partlytooffsetadoublingofcoststhroughouttheindustry—fromsteelpricestothecostofrentingdeepwaterdrillingrigs.Abigissueconfrontingtheindustrynowishowtodrivedowncostswhilemaintainingahighlevelofexploration.Onaverage,costshavefallenby15to20percentfromtheirpeak,accordingtopetroleumexecutives.Explorationremainsarisky,andcostly,business,wheresomedeepwaterwellscancostupto$100million.From30to50percentofexplorationwellsfindoil.Someexecutivesarealsoworriedtheworldmightfaceashortfallinsuppliesincomingyearsifanotherdeclineinoilpricescausesexplorationtofalter.ThechiefexecutiveoftheFrenchoilgiantTotal,ChristophedeMargerie,haswarnedthatsuchasupplycrunchispossiblebythemiddleofthenextdecade."Therecouldbeashortageofcapacity,"hesaid.

HisconcernsechoedthoseofAbdullahal-Badri,thesecretarygeneraloftheOrganizationofthePetroleumExportingCountries,whosaidthatloweroilpricesalsothreatenedinvestmentsbyOPECnations.SaudiArabiaisalsounlikelytoexpanditsproductionincomingyearsbecauseoftheuncertaintycloudingfutureoildemand,Alial-Naimi,thekingdom'soilminister,signaledearlierthismonth.SaudiArabiaisjustcompletinga$100billionprogramtoincreaseitscapacityto12.5millionbarrelsaday,fromaround9millionbarrelsadayjustafewyearsago.

Althoughtheyaresubstantial,thenewfindsdonotmatchthegiantfieldsdiscoveredinthe1970s,likeAlaska'sPrudhoeBay,EkofiskintheNorthSea,orCantarellinMexico.Theyarealsodwarfedbythelastenormousdiscovery,theKashaganfieldintheCaspianSea,discoveredin2000andestimatedtoholdover20billionbarrelsofoil."WehavenotseenanotherKashagan,butstillthesefindsareverymaterial,"saidAlanMurray,theexplorationservicemanageratWoodMackenzie,aconsultingfirminEdinburgh.Sincetheearly1980s,discoverieshavefailedtokeepupwiththeglobalrateofoilconsumption,whichlastyearreached31billionbarrelsofoil.Instead,companieshavemanagedtoexpandproductionbyfindingnewwaysofgettingmoreoiloutofexistingfields,orproducingoilthroughunconventionalsources,likeCanada'starsandsorheavyoilinVenezuela.

Reserveestimatestypicallyriseoverthelifeofafield,whichcanoftenbeproductivefordecades,ascompaniesfindnewwaysofgettingmoreoiloutoftheground.Theindustry'srecordhasimprovedinrecentyears,thankstohighprices.AccordingtoCambridgeEnergyResearchAssociates,oilcompanieshavefoundmoreoilthantheyproducedforthelasttwoyearsthroughacombinationofexplorationandfieldexpansions."Theappetiteforopeningnewfrontierswhenpriceswerelowinthe1990swasverysmall,"saidPaoloScaroni,thechiefexecutiveofItaly'soilgiantEni."Today,thebiggestdiscoveryofallistechnology."1.NewdiscoveriesintheoilindustryaretheresultofthefollowingEXCEPT______.

A.risingoilprices

B.newtechnologies

C.severecompetition

D.substantialinvestments

答案：

C

此题是事实题。

由第二段可知，油田的发现是高油价、投资和新技术的结果。

2.ManyoilcompaniesareconcernedaboutthefollowingEXCEPT______.

A.risingcosts

B.lowdemand

C.atougheconomy

D.technologicalimprovement

答案：

D

此题是事实题。

文章没有提及石油公司担心技术革新问题。

3.Whatcanbeinferredfromthepassage?

A.Technologyisadecisivefactorinfindingoil.

B.Oilcompaniesmaystopexploringoilfieldsinthecomingyears.

C.Thenewdiscoveriesarenotcomparabletotheonesinthe1970s.

D.Therewillbenooilfieldstobefoundduetothemassiveexploration.

答案：

A

此题是推断题。

由最后一段可知，技术在石油开采中起了决定作用。

4.Whatdoesthepassagemainlytellus?

A.Theworriesthatfaceoilcompanies.

B.Thenewdiscoveriesthathavebeenmade.

C.Themajorfactorsthataffectoilproduction.

D.Thereasonswhysmallcompanieshavethelargestfinds.

答案：

C

此题是主旨大意题。

文章分析了影响石油生产的主要因素。

5.Whichofthefollowingisthebesttitleforthispassage?

A.OilCompaniesSeeaBrightFuture

B.TechnologyIstheBiggestDiscoveryofAll

C.OilIndustrySetsABriskPaceofNewDiscoveries

D.HeftyInvestmentsMakeNewDiscoveriesPossible

答案：

C

此题是推理概括题。

选项B和D不全面，A不是文章的主题，故C为正确答案。

TextB

OnWednesday,Sept.23,PresidentBarackObamausedhisfirst-everaddresstotheU.N.GeneralAssemblytotryandreversetheimpressionthathisambitiousMiddleEastpeaceefforthadsufferedareversalatthehandofIsrael'shawkishPrimeMinister,BenjaminNetanyahu."Iamnotnaive,"Obamatoldthegatheredworldleaders."Iknowthiswillbedifficult.Butallofusmustdecidewhetherweareseriousaboutpeaceorwhetherweonlylenditlipservice."

ManyajadedcommentatorsawObama'sTuesdaymeetingwithNetanyahuandPalestinianAuthorityPresidentMahmoudAbbasasasymbolofsurrendertoNetanyahu'srefusaloftheU.S.demandthatIsraelhaltallconstructiononlandconqueredin1967.Instead,Netanyahuofferedapartialandtime-limitedfreezeandappearedtoforcethePresidentoftheUnitedStatestobackdown.ForAbbas,thehandshakewithNetanyahuorchestratedbyObamawasviewedasahumiliatingclimbdownfromhisrefusaltotalktotheIsraelisuntiltheyimplementedthatsettlementfreeze.

Netanyahu,briefingtheIsraelimediaafterthetalks,suggestedthatthePalestinianshadalsocavedintohisdemandforareopeningoftalkswithoutpreconditionsonanagendathetwosideswoulddetermineindiscussions.ButAbbasinsistedthatanytalkswouldbebasedonthefullrangeoffinal-statusissuesestablishedbypreviousagreements—Netanyahuhaspubliclyruledoutnegotiatingontwoofthoseissues,thefateofPalestinianrefugeesandthestatusofJerusalem,whichbothsidesclaimastheircapital.

AbbasappearedtowinObama'sbackingintheU.N.speech,whichmadeclearthatthePresidenthasnotacceptedNetanyahu'spositionontheprecursorissueofasettlementfreezeevenifhe'sdecidedtomoveontothefinal-statusnegotiations."AmericadoesnotacceptthelegitimacyofcontinuedIsraelisettlements,"thePresidentinsistedonWednesday.ThatcouldbereadasaresponsetothedamageObama'scredibilityhassufferedintheArabworldasaresultofbeingforcedbyNetanyahutoretreatonthesettlementissue,whichhadbeenwidelyviewedasatestofIsrael'speacemak