2013年12月四六級(jí)新型閱讀模擬

Directions:Inthissection,youaregoingtoreadapassagewithtenstatementsattachedtoit.Eachstatementcontainsinformationgiveninoneoftheparagraphs.Identifytheparagraphfromwhichtheinformationisderived.Youmaychooseaparagraphmorethanonce.Eachparagraphismarkedwithaletter.AnswerthequestionsbymarkingthecorrespondingletteronAnswerSheet2.DaylightSavingTime(DST)HowandWhenDidDaylightSavingTimeStart?[A]BenjaminFranklin—of“earlytobedandearlytorise”fame—wasapparentlythefirstpersontosuggesttheconceptofdaylightsavings.WhileservingasU.S.ambassadortoFranceinParis,Franklinwroteofbeingawakenedat6a.m.andrealizing,tohissurprise,thatthesunwouldrisefarearlierthanheusuallydid.Imaginetheresourcesthatmightbesavedifheandothersrosebeforenoonandburnedlessmidnightoil,Franklin,tonguehalfincheek,wrotetoanewspaper.[B]Itwasn’tuntilWorldWarIthatdaylightsavingswererealizedonagrandscale.Germanywasthefirststatetoadoptthetimechanges,toreduceartificiallightingandtherebysavecoalforthewareffort.Friendsandfoessoonfollowedsuit.IntheU.S.afederallawstandardizedtheyearlystartandendofdaylightsavingtimein1918—forthestatesthatchosetoobserveit.[C]DuringWorldWarIItheU.S.madedaylightsavingtimemandatory^強(qiáng)制的)forthewholecountry,asawaytosavewartimeresources.BetweenFebruary9,1942,andSeptember30,1945,thegovernmenttookitastepfurther.Duringthisperioddaylightsavingtimewasobservedyear-round,essentiallymakingitthenewstandardtime,ifonlyforafewyears.Manyyearslater,theEnergyPolicyActof2005wasenacted,mandatingacontroversialmonth-longextensionofdaylightsavingtime,startingin2007.DaylightSavingTime:EnergySaverorJustTimeSuck?[D]Inrecentyearsseveralstudieshavesuggestedthatdaylightsavingtimedoesn’tactuallysaveenergy—andmightevenresultinanetloss.EnvironmentaleconomistHendrikWolff,oftheUniversityofWashington,co-authoredapaperthatstudiedAustralianpower-usedatawhenpartsofthecountryextendeddaylightsavingtimeforthe2000SydneyOlympicsandothersdidnot.Theresearchersfoundthatthepracticereducedlightingandelectricityconsumptionintheeveningbutincreasedenergyuseinthenowdarkmornings—wipingouttheeveninggains.That’sbecausetheextrahourthatdaylightsavingtimeaddsintheeveningisahotterhour.“Soifpeoplegethomeanhourearlierinawarmerhouse,theyturnontheirairconditioning,”theUniversityofWashington’sWolffsaid.[E]Butotherstudiesdoshowenergygains.InanOctober2008daylightsavingtimereporttoCongress,mandatedbythesame2005energyactthatextendeddaylightsavingtime,theU.S.DepartmentofEnergyassertedthatspringingforwarddoessaveenergy.Extendeddaylightsavingtimesaved1.3terawatt(太瓦)hoursofelectricity.ThatfiguresuggeststhatdaylightsavingtimereducesannualU.S.electricityconsumptionby0.03percentandoverallenergyconsumptionby0.02percent.Whilethosepercentagesseemsmall,theycouldrepresentsignificantsavingsbecauseofthenation’senormoustotalenergyuse.[F]What*smore,savingsinsomeregionsareapparentlygreaterthaninothers.California,forinstance,appearstobenefitmostfromdaylightsavingtime—perhapsbecauseitsrelativelymildweatherencouragespeopletostayoutdoorslater.TheEnergyDepartmentreportfoundthatdaylightsavingtimeresultedinanenergysavingsofonepercentdailyinthestate.[G]ButWolff,oneofmanyscholarswhocontributedtothefederalreport,suggestedthatthenumbersweresubjecttostatisticalvariability(變化)andshouldn’tbetakenashardfacts.Anddaylightsavings,energygainsintheU.S.largelydependonyourlocationinrelationtotheMason-DixonLine,Wolffsaid.“TheNorthmightbeaslightwinner,becausetheNorthdoesn’thaveasmuchairconditioning,”hesaid.“ButtheSouthisadefiniteloserintermsofenergyconsumption.TheSouthhasmoreenergyconsumptionunderdaylightsaving.”DaylightSavingTime:HealthyorHarmful?[H]Fordecadesadvocatesofdaylightsavingshavearguedthat,energysavingsorno,daylightsavingtimeboostshealthbyencouragingactivelifestyles—aclaimWolffandcolleaguesarecurrentlyputtingtothetest.“InanationwideAmericantime-usestudy,we’reclearlyseeingthat,atthetimeofdaylightsavingtimeextensioninthespring,televisionwatchingissubstantiallyreducedandoutdoorbehaviorslikejogging,walking,orgoingtotheparkaresubstantiallyincreased,”Wolffsaid.“That’sremarkable,becauseofcoursethetotalamountofdaylightinagivendayisthesame.”[I]Butotherswarnofilleffects.TillRoenneberg,auniversityprofessorinMunich(慕尼,黑),Germany,saidhisstudiesshowthatourcircadian(生理節(jié)奏的)bodyclocks—setbylightanddarkness—neveradjusttogainingan“extra”hourofsunlighttotheendofthedayduringdaylightsavingtime.[J]Onereasonsomanypeopleinthedevelopedworldarechronically(長期地)overtired,hesaid,isthattheysufferfrom“socialjetlag.”Inotherwords,theiroptimalcircadiansleepperiodsdon"taccordwiththeiractualsleepschedules.Shiftingdaylightfrommorningtoeveningonlyincreasesthislag,hesaid.“Lightdoesn’tdothesamethingstothebodyinthemorningandtheevening.Morelightinthemorningwouldadvancethebodyclock,andthatwouldbegood.Butmorelightintheeveningwouldevenfurtherdelaythebodyclock.”[K]Otherresearchhintsatevenmoreseri