英语专业八级改错练习题及答案解析64
the second most important constituent of the biosphere is
liquid water. this can only exist in a very narrow range of temperatures,
since water freezes at 0°c and boils at 100°c. this is
only a tiny range compared with the low temperatures of some
other planets and the hot interior of the earth, let the temperature __1__
of the sun.
as we know, life would only be possible on the face of a __2__
planet had temperatures somewhere within this range. __3__
the earth’s supply of water probably remains quite fairly constant __4__
in quantity. a certain number of hydrogen atoms, which
are one of the main constituents of water, are lost by escaping
from the atmosphere to out space, but they are probably just __5__
about to be replaced by new water rising away from the depths of the __6__
earth during volcanic action. the total quantity of water is not
known, and it is about enough to cover the surface of the globe __7__
to a depth of about two and three-quarter kms. most of it—97%
is in the form of the salt waters of the oceans. the rest is
fresh, but three quarter of this is in the form of ice at the poles __8__
and on mountains, and cannot be used by living systems when __9__
melted. of the remaining fraction, which is somewhat fewer __10__
than 1%of the whole, there is 10-20 times as much stored as underground
water as is actually on the surface. there is also a minor,
but extremely important, fraction of the water supply
which is present as water vapour in the atmosphere.
答案：
1.let ^the 加入alone. let alone 意为“更不用说”， 表示一种让步关系。
2.face-surface 根据上下文理解，应该指地球的表面。
3.planet^had 加入which或that。这样使得planet后面的句子成为一个定语从句。
4.去掉fairly或quite 意思重复。
5.out改成outer 这里指外层空间。
6.去掉away rise后面不接away。
7.and改成although 短文中这里是让步关系，而不是并列关系。
8.quarter改成quarters 英语表达中，当分子是二以上的数时，分母应为复数。
9.when改成until或者unless 根据上下文，这句话的意思应为:除非（冰雪)融化，否则（地球上的）生命系统就无法利用水。所以when在这里的意思有误。
10.fewer改成less 文中的remaining fraction 仍指水，因此不能用fewer，要用less。