职称英语在线答题

每日一练：职称英语考试综合类每日一练(2018/5/17)
【单选题】

Unidentified Flying Object

Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) is any objector light, reportedly sighted in the sky, that cannot be immediately explainedby the observer. Sightings of unusual flying objects date back to ancienttimes, but UFOs (sometimes called flying saucers) became widely discussed onlyafter the first widely publicized U.S. sighting in 1947. Many thousands of suchobservations have since been reported worldwide.

At least 90 percent of UFO sightings can beidentified as conventional objects, although time-consuming investigations areoften necessary for such identification. The objects most often mistaken forUFOs are bright planets and stars, aircraft, birds, balloons, kites, aerialflares, peculiar clouds , meteors, and satellites. The remaining sightings mostlikely can be attributed to other mistaken sightings or to inaccuratereporting, tricks, or delusions, although to disprove all claims made aboutUFOs is impossible.

From 1947 to 1969 the U.S. Air Forceinvestigated UFOs as a possible threat to national security. A total of 12,618reports were received, of which 701 reports, or 5.6 percent, were listed as unexplained.The air force concluded that "no UFO reported, investigated, and evaluatedby the Air Force has ever given any indication of threat to our nationalsecurity". Since 1969 no agency of the U.S. government has had any activeprogram of UFO investigation.

Some persons, however, believe that UFOs areextraterrestrial spacecraft, even though no scientifically valid evidencesupports that belief. The possibility of extraterrestrial civilizations is notthe stumbling block; most scientists grant that intelligent life may well existelsewhere in the universe. A fully convincing UFO photograph has yet to betaken, however, and the scientific method requires that highly speculativeexplanations should not be adopted unless all of the more ordinary explanationscan be ruled out.

Called Maglev for short, the system underdiscussion makes use of a high-speed train levitated above a guideway andpropelled by magnetic fields. The project has been in the talking stage forseveral months.

Hans Ueberschaer, German's ambassador visitedthe city together with Harmut Heine, representative of Thyssen Krupp. They hadan initial discussion with the mayor there about the prospect of the project.The talks were believed to be constructive and paved the way for the futuretalks in Berlin, where a commitment was reached.

Sources familiar with the talks estimated thatthe project would cost US$723 million, which would cover everything from landuse fees and rail construction to train cars. Completion date is 2005. A jointventure company is to be established for the project.

EXERCISE:

1. Who paved the way for further negotiationsin Berlin?

A) The mayor

B) Both the German ambassador and the mayor.

C) The German ambassador.

D) The representative from the German company.

2. What was the signed commitment mainly about?

A) Finalizing the payment of US$723 million.

B) Establishing a joint venture company.

C) Conducting a feasibility study.

D) Outlining the German company's intention toexport its technology.

3. What is the main feature of Maglev?

A) The Maglev train "floats" abovethe guideway and zip to its destination.

B) The Maglev train zips to its destination onthe railway.

C) The Maglev train zips to its destination ona double guideway.

D) The Maglev train can carry more passengersthan the electric train.

4. How large will be the success rate of theagreement signed by the two business parties according to the passage?

A) It is very likely that the city will have aGerman-built Maglev line.

B) It is very likely that Krupp will ban theexport of its technology.

C) It is very likely that the city cannotafford the high payment.

D) It is very likely that the city will turn tobuy US technology.

5. What type of writing do you think thispassage belongs to?

A) An article on popular science.

B) An article taken from a transportation book.

C) A commercial contract.

D) A news report.