2026年4月全国高等教育自学考试《13000英语（二）》试题（网友回忆版）

Australia
Australia was a country I always wanted to visit. This year I saved up some money and booked a flight to go travelling. I had some friends studying there, so it was a perfect opportunity to see friends and travel around.
The flight made me realize exactly how far away Australia is from home. I spent 10 hours flying from London to Hong Kong, then a further 8 hours to Sydney, my first stop in Australia. The flight went quite quickly though, since there were lots of films to keep me entertained.
When I arrived, I felt strange. Everything was upside down over there. It was the start of winter in May! Fortunately, for me the weather was still warm and sunny. It also took me a while to get used to the time difference.
Australia is truly beautiful. It is full of views and wildlife you would not find anywhere else in the world. One of the highlights of my trip was visiting a koala （考拉） reserve in Brisbane. There were koalas everywhere sleeping in the trees. I even got a chance to hold one. I learnt lots of facts about koalas too. They can sleep for up to 22 hours a day to save energy!
At the reserve there was also a big lawn full of kangaroos （袋鼠）. We were allowed to feed and touch them. They were really cute and friendly.
I loved visiting Australia, from the mountains and waterfalls in the National Parks to the long white sandy beaches. It’s an incredible country and worth visiting. I’m already dreaming of going back!

Veganism
Veganism. What does it mean? To some of you it might be a completely new word. And it’s certainly a word I have only become familiar with in recent years. A vegan diet is one that contains no animal products. That means no meat, no milk, no eggs, etc.
I became interested in the vegan lifestyle months ago. As I was surfing videos on the Internet, I came across a woman called Freelee. She claimed to regularly eat around fifty bananas a day to stay healthy. Fifty bananas! I quickly realised that this was not the diet for me. However, what she was saying about veganism did pique my interest. And I went on to watch many more vegan videos. Eventually, I switched to veganism about six months ago.
My diet at the moment is split roughly equally between fruit and grains such as rice and potatoes. In a typical day, I start off with a fruit drink made of bananas, berries and orange juice. For lunch I typically have potato fries with a sweet sauce. For dinner I normally have rice with a tomato sauce and some vegetables. I even make tasty vegan puddings. One of my favourites is coconut cream mixed with chocolate powder and sugar.
While veganism is often associated with physical weakness, that is certainly not the case for me. I have discovered many delicious vegan products, which one might never consider as vegan.
Personally, eating this way has given me a much more positive outlook on life. Another vegan Kristina’s story is even more amazing. Kristina was bitten by a deadly spider. She was not given the medicines required to survive the bite. Yet she made a full and speedy recovery. She attributes it to the magic power of a vegan lifestyle.

阅读下面短文,请完成短文后的两项测试任务:
（1）从第16~20题后所给的6个选项中为第1~5段每段选择1个正确的段落大意;
（2）从第21~25题后所给的6个选项中选择5个正确选项,分别完成每个句子。
Bottled Water
① Over the last 15 years, more and more people in the US have been drinking bottled water. There is no sign of slowing down. In fact, sales of bottled water are going up faster than any other kind of drink. It is true even in cities where it is safe to drink tap water. This has been a disaster for the environment and for our health.
② Most bottled water comes from underground water. Much of this underground water could have flowed into rivers and lakes. Using this water can make droughts （干旱） more serious. Many companies use water from mountain glaciers （冰川）, but this is not much better. When the glacier melts, the water usually flows to areas like rivers or wetlands. When companies take glacier water, they take it from areas that need it.
③ It takes about 1.6 liters of water to make one liter of bottled water. This wastes a lot of water. Also transporting the bottled water to stores burns fuel and creates pollution. The problems do not stop when the water reaches people who buy it. Water bottles are made from plastic which does not break down. Although it can be recycled, people usually do not put it in the recycle can.
④ Some may say that bottled water is safer and healthier than tap water. But that is not true. Sometimes chemicals or bacteria get into bottled water, and companies have to destroy them. Actually, tap water is often healthier than bottled water. Bottled water may lack fluoride （氟化物） which helps protect our teeth. Fluoride is found in tiny amounts in tap water.
⑤ Obviously, more people need to know that tap water is safer and healthier. Unfortunately, tap water cannot advertise itself. When a product that is cheaper and better does not win, that is bad news. When the product is water, we all lose.

Bird Maps and Compasses （罗盘）
Every year hundreds of species of birds take long trips. __26__ In the fall, they fly to warmer climates where food is plentiful all winter. When spring comes, they fly back to raise their young where they were born. For a long time people wondered where the birds went and what routes they took.
Researchers now know that migrating birds are guided by their own sorts of maps and compasses. But it has taken many decades to uncover the secrets of these navigation （导航） tools. In the 1800s, scientists started putting bands around birds’ legs. __27__ When people found the banded birds, they contacted the person named on the band and told him where and when they had found the bird. In this simple way, scientists learned a lot about where birds traveled, where they stopped, and how fast they moved.
Today scientists still put bands on birds’ legs. They also use new ways of tracking birds such as airplanes, computers, and satellites. __28__
Birds often migrate in groups. You may have seen Canada geese flying high in the sky in a V-form. Young birds follow their parents. __29__ They may follow a river and remember what it looks like. Also, birds use the position of the sun and stars as a compass to find their way.
__30__ Chemicals in their brains allow them to sense the magnetic field and travel in the right direction. But scientists are still researching how this happens. They think some birds may actually be able to see the earth’s magnetic field.

My Hometown and My College Town
My hometown and my college town have several things in common. First, both are __31__ communities. My hometown, Gridlock, has a population of only about 10,000 people. Similarly, my college town, Subnormal, __32__ of about 11,000 local residents. This population rises to 15,000 people when the college students are __33__ classes. Second, both are located in rural areas. Gridlock is surrounded by farmland, which is devoted __34__ to growing corn and beans. Likewise, Subnormal lies in the __35__ of farmland that is used to __36__ pigs and cattle. Third, both contain college campuses. Gridlock is __37__ to Neutron College, which is famous for its Agricultural Economics program. In the same __38__, Subnormal boasts the __39__ campus of Quark College, which is well __40__ for its Agricultural Engineering Department.