1. 考生必须严格遵守各项考场规则。

　　2. 答题前，考生应将答题卡上的"考生姓名"、"报考单位"、"考生编号"等信息填写清楚，并与准考证上的一致。

　　3. 答案必须按要求填涂或写在指定的答题卡上。

　　（1） 综合填空、阅读理解的答案填涂在答题卡（一）上，英译汉的答案和作文的写在答题卡（二）上。

　　（2） 填涂部分应该按照答题卡上的要求用2B铅笔完成。如要改动，必须用橡皮擦干净。书写部分（英译汉的答案和作文）必须用蓝（黑）色字迹钢笔、圆珠笔或签字笔在答题卡上作答。

　　4. 答题卡严禁折叠。考试结束后，将答题卡（一）和答题卡（二）一起放入原试卷袋中，

　　试卷交给监考人员。否则，所产生的一切后果由考生本人负责。

　　2012年1月份攻读硕士学位全国联考

　　英语能力考试试题（1A）

　　Section I  Use of English

　　Directions: Read the following text. Choose the best word(s) for each numbered blank and mark

　　A, B, C or D on Answer Sheet 1. (10 points)

　　Imagine fishermen walking down to the seashore, ready to carry out their early morning routine of preparing their boats and net. _1_ they hope for a good catch of fish. But to their _2_, a horrible sight meets their still sleepy eyes. Thousands of fish have been washed _3_ dead. The cause of this mass destruction? A red tide!

　　Red tides are a global _4_. They have been observed on both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts of the United States and Canada. They have also _5_ in many other places. Though relatively few people are _6_ them, red tides are not new.

　　In the Philippines, a red tide was first seen in the province of Bataan in 1908. Since then, red tides have been seen in many other _7_. A Philippines red tide expert told us that "_8_ the fish kills, the Philippines has documented 1,926 cases of dead shellfish poisoning caused by red tides."

　　The term "red tide" _9_ the discoloration of water that sometimes occurs in certain areas of the ocean or sea. Although the color is often red, it may also be _10_ of brown or yellow. The World Book Encyclopedia reports that "the discolored areas may range from _11_ a few square yards to more than 2, 600 square kilometers."

　　What causes such discoloration? Red tides are generally caused by several _12_ of single-celled organisms. These tiny organisms have hair-like projections which they use to _13_ themselves in water. There are about 2,000 varieties of these organisms, 30 of which carry poisonous _14_. These minute organisms usually stay in warm waters with high content of salt.

　　A red tide occurs when there is a sudden and rapid _15_ of these organisms. The concentration of these organisms may _16_ to 50, 000, 000 per quart of water! Although scientists do not fully understand why this happens, it is known that these organisms _17_ when certain conditions simultaneously affect the water. These include abnormal weather, _18_ temperatures, an oversupply of nutrients in the water, a generous _19_ sunlight, and favorable water currents. When a heavy rainfall occurs, minerals and other nutrients are sometimes washed _20_ the land into coastal water. These nutrients can contribute to the breeding of the organisms. The result? Red tides!

　　1.  A.  As a result  B.  As it is       C.  As expected  D.  As usual

　　2.  A.  satisfaction        B.  disappointment   C.  astonishment  D.  regret

　　3.  A.  ashore                     B.  aboard         C.  aside     D.  across

　　4.  A.  question             B.  crisis           C.  phenomenon  D.  situation

　　5.  A.  occupied            B.  occurred       C.  acquired    D.  accused

　　6.  A.  assured of        B.  worried about         C.  concerned about  D.  aware of

　　7.  A.  sandy beaches      B.  river mouths    C.  coastal areas   D.  reef areas

　　8.  A.  except                     B.  besides           C.  despite     D.  without

　　9.  A.  applies to        B.  sums up      C.  copes with  D.  leads to

　　10.  A.  shadows            B.  shades          C.  shakes   D.  shapes

　　11.  A.  less than             B.  more than     C.  as much as  D.  as little as

　　12.  A.  components            B.  elements       C.  ingredients    D.  species

　　13.  A.  propel                B.  probe         C.  proceed      D.  prompt

　　14.  A.  materials           B.  substances       C.  masses     D.  objects

　　15.  A.  bolt                    B.  block         C.  bloom     D.  blast

　　16.  A.  scale                  B.  plunge         C.  gauge       D.  swell

　　17.  A.  accelerate          B.  accommodate      C.  accumulate   D.  accompany

　　18.  A.  optimum            B.  minimum      C.  maximum    D.  momentum

　　19.  A.  means of           B.  amount of    C.  way to   D.  account for

　　20.  A.  over                   B.  on      C.  by                           D.  from