shandonguniversitycollegeenglishtestfornon-englishmajorsof(编辑修改稿)

shandonguniversitycollegeenglishtestfornon-englishmajorsof(编辑修改稿)内容摘要：

fourteen pounds per square inch. The narrow column of air which rests upon our shoulders weighs almost 2,000 pounds. But our bodies are built in such a way that its weight does not crush us. In this huge ocean of air there is more energy than in all the coal, oil, and gas we have on earth. Electrical energy is collected in the atmosphere as water is collected and stored in a dam. The existence of electricity in the air has been known for centuries. Men have gazed in wonder at the bright patterns of lightning in storm clouds. But a thorough study of electricity in the atmosphere was not possible until the development of radio and radar. One scientist, Dr. Sydney Chapman, has tried to explain the electric field which surrounds the earth. He believes that the great storms on the sun create large amounts of electric energy. This energy is contained in a very light gas called hydrogen. The earth pulls the gas toward it, and a ring is formed around the earth several thousand feet above its surface. The great space ring is a powerful current of electrical energy. Sometimes the ring es down and curves into the lower atmosphere, causing strange electrical effects. Dr. Chapman’s ideas explain many things. It has long been known that there is an electric field inside the earth. It moves in much the same manner as the electric energy contained in the atmosphere. Scientists now believe that the electric energy in the atmosphere causes the electric energy inside the earth to flow. If we can learn to control the energy in the atmosphere, we will have an unending supply of energy. Many scientists are trying to learn how to control it. In the meantime, even those of us who are not scientists have begun to pay attention to air. We realize that air does not contain the same elements that it contained years ago. Automobiles, airplanes, factories, and atomic explosions have added dust and waste gases to the atmosphere. It is time to learn how to protect our atmosphere, the roof over the world of man. 51. If atmospheric pressure did not exist, tires would be burst. 52. The atmosphere presses down on our bodies with a force of more than fourteen pounds per square inch. 53. The existence of electricity in the air has been known for a century. 54. Dr. Sydney Chapman’s ideas about an electric field surrounding the earth explain many things. 55. If we can learn to control the energy in the atmosphere it will be endless. Passage 2 Huge trucks are a familiar sight to anyone who travels across the United States by car. But many travelers never meet a truck driver. Most people know little about the trucker’s way of life. This way of life has certain disadvantages. The threeday periods away from home put a strain on family life. Wives plain that their husbands are not at home to deal with their children’s problems. In turn, drivers worry about their families while they are away. Another problem is that truckers’ families can seldom plan ahead. It is hard to plan a party for a certain date or even to accept invitations. Friends often say to each other, “Come over next Saturday if your husband is back by then.” In addition, of course, there is always the danger of accidents. Although the accident rate per mile is only about half the rate for passenger cars, a life spent on major highways can never be really safe. All truck drivers fear being forced to make a sudden turn or having to stop unexpectedly on an icy road. When such accidents happen, someone other than a truck driver is usually at fault. Truckers have a low opinion of the driving skills of the general public. When truck drivers meet, much of their conversation deals with careless driving habits—the habits of others on the road. But truck drivers and their wives also point to advantages in their way of life. The chief advantage is money. “How else could an uneducated man earn as much?” one trucker’s wife asked, sitting in the fortable living room of their new home with its large color television set and expensive furniture. The average salary earned by truck drivers may be $25,000—$30,000 with some drivers earning as much as $40,000 each year. Driving a truck requires little physical labor. At each end of the journey other workers load and unload the truck. For days at a time the driver’s life consists entirely of sitting, eating, and sleeping. It is not surprising that many truckers worry about gaining weight. Some of the sleeping is done inside the truck. It is quite mon for two men to ride together in a huge truck, one man driving while the other sleeps on a fortable bed behind the driver. That part of the truck is usually air conditioned, and often it is furnished with all the forts of home. When a trucker does not sleep in the truck, he spends the night at a truck stop. Some truck stops have enough parking space for as many as 400 trucks. At the truck stop there are stores that sell clothing, gifts, books, magazines, and many other kinds of goods. There are also fortable rooms for sleeping, showers, and machines which wash the trucks. After a shower the driver can enjoy a good meal in the dining room, listening to music. Much of the music is “country” music or “western” music, as most truckers grew up on farms in the southern and western states. There are even special truckers’ songs, like “I’m a Truck”, in which a。