2010年职称英语等级考试用书（理工类）------
第四部分阅读理解
第一篇 Ford Abandons Electric Vehicles
The Ford motor company’s abandonment of electric cars effectively signals the end of the road for the technology，analysts say．
General Motors。and Honda’ceased production of battery．powered cars in 1 999, to focus on fuel cell and hybrid electric gasoline engines, which are more attractive to the consumer．Ford has now announced it will do the same．
Three years ago．the company introduced the Think City two—seater car and a golf cart called the THINK, or Think Neighbor．It hoped to sell 5，000 cars each year and 10，000 carts．But a lack of demand means only about l，000 of the cars have been produced，and less than 1。700 carts have been sold so far in 2002．
“The bottom line is we don’t believe that this is the future of environment transport for the mass market．”Tim Holmes of Ford Europe said on Friday．“We feel we have given electric our best shot”
The Think City has a range of only about 53 miles and up to a six-hour battery recharge time．Gene ral Motors’EVI electric vehicle also had a limited range。of about 100 miles．
The very expensive batteries also mean electric cars cost much more than petrol-powered alternatives．An electric Toyot~RAV4 EV vehicle costs over$42，000 in the US, compared with just $17，000 for the petrol version．Toyota and Nissan…are now the only major automanufacturers to produce electric vehicles．
“There is a feeling that battery electric has been given its chance．Ford now has to move on with its hybrid program“，and that is what we will be judging them on，”Roger Higman，a senior transport campaigner at UK Friends of the Earth，told the Environment News Service．
Hybrid cars introduced by Toyota and Honda in the past few years have sold well．Hybrid engines Offer Greater mileage than petrol—only engines , and the batteries recharge themselves. Ford says it thinks such vehicles will help it meet planned new guidelines “on vehicle emissions” in the U.S.
However, it is not yet clear exactly what those guidelines will permit．In June，General Motors and Daimler Chrysler won a court injunction，delaying by two years Californian legislation requiring car—makers to offer 100，000 zero-emission and other low—emission vehicles in the state by 2003．Car manufacturers hope the legislation will be rewritten to allow for more low--emission，rather than zero—emission，vehicles．
1． What have the Ford motor company．General Motor’s and Honda done concerning electric cars?
A)They have started to produce electric cars．
B)They have done extensive research on electric Cars
C They have given up producing electric cars．
D)They have produced thousands of electric Cars
2． According to Tim Holmes of Ford Europe，battery-powered cars
A)will be the main transportation vehicles in the future
B1 will not be the main transportation vehicles in the future．
C)will be good to the environment in the future
D)will replace petrol—powered vehicles in the future．
3. Which auto manufacturers are still producing electric vehicles?
A)Toyota and Nissan
B)General Motor’s and Honda
C)Ford and Toyota
D)Honda and Toyota
4．According to the eighth paragraph，hybrid cars
A)offer fewer mileage than petrol driven cars
B)run faster than petrol driven cars
C)run more miles than petrol driven cars
D)offer more batteries than petrol driven cars
5．Which of the following is true about the hope of car manufacturers according to the last paragraph?
A)Low-emission cars should be banned．
B)Only zero-emission cars are allowed to run on motorways．
C)The legislation will encourage car makers to produce more electric cars．
D)The legislation will allow more 10w．emission to be produced
第二篇 Electric Backpack
Backpacks are convenient。 They can hold your books， your lunch， and a change of clothes， leaving your hands free to do other things。 Someday， if you don’t mind carrying a heavy load， your backpacks might also power your MP31 player， keep your cell phone running， and maybe even light your way home。
Lawrence C。 Rome and his colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia2 and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole3， Mass。 4， have invented a backpack that makes electricity from energy produced while its wearer walks。 In military actions， search-and-rescue operations， and scientific field studies， people rely increasingly on cell phones， global positioning system （GPS）5 receivers， night-vision goggles， and other battery-powered devices to get around and do their work The backpack’s electricity-generating feature could dramatically reduce the amount of a wearer’s load now devoted to spare batteries， report Rome and his colleagues in the Sept。 9 Science6。
The backpack’s electricity-creating powers depend on springs used to hang a cloth pack from its metal frame。 The frame sits against the wearer’s back， and the whole pack moves up and down as the person walks。 A gear mechanism converts vertical movements of the pack to rotary motions of an electrical generator， producing up to 7。4 watts。
Unexpectedly， tests showed that wearers of the new backpack alter their gaits in response to the pack’s oscillations，so that they carry loads more comfortably and with less effort than they do ordinary backpacks。 Because of that surprising advantage， Rome plans to commercialize both electric and non-electric versions of the backpack。
The backpack could be especially useful for soldiers， scientists， mountaineers， and emergency workers who typically carry heavy backpacks。 For the rest of us， power-generating backpacks could make it possible to walk， play video games，watch TV， and listen to music， all at the same time。 Electricity-generating packs aren’t on the market yet， but if you do get one eventually， just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street！
词汇：
backpack n。背包 watt n。瓦（特）
receiver n。接收机 gait n。步态，步法
night-vision goggle 夜视镜 oscillation n。摆动
spring n。弹簧 commercialize v。商业化
vertical adj。垂直的 mountaineer n。登山运动员
rotary adj。旋转的
注释：
1。MP3 ：Internet上最流行的音乐格式，最早起源于1987年德国一家公司的EU147数字传输计划，它利用MPEGAudioLayer3的技术，将声音文件用1∶12左右的压缩率压缩，变成容量较小的音乐文件，使传输和储存更为便捷，更利于互联网用户在网上试听或下载到个人计算机。
2。Philadelphia：费城[美国宾夕法尼亚州东南部港市]
3。Woods Hole：美国马萨诸塞州的一个渔村，也是许多重要研究机构所在地，如： the Marine Biological Laboratory， the Sea Education Association 以及 the Woods Hole Ocea nographic Institution，
4。Mass。：Massachusetts 的缩写：马萨诸塞州，美国东北部的一个州。
5。global positioning system （GPS）：全球定位系统
6。Science：美国的 Science 杂志为国际上著名的自然科学综合类学术期刊，在世界学术界享有盛誉。 Science 杂志创刊于1880年，该杂志具有新闻杂志和学术期刊的双重特点，每周除向世界各地发布有关科学技术和科技政策的重要新闻外，还发表全球科技研究最显著突破的研究论文和报告。
练习：
1。 Backpacks are convenient because
A） they can be very large
B） they can hold as many things as you want to carry。
C） your hands are freed to do other things。
D） you do not have to carry things with you。
2。 What is the most important feature of the backpack invented by Lawrence C。 Rome and his colleagues？
A） It produces electricity for electronic devices while the wearer walks。
B） It can be used as cell phones， GPS in the military actions or field studies。
C） It is small and convenient。
D） It is light and easy to carry。
3。 The word “springs” in Paragraph 3 means
A） a small stream of water flowing naturally from the earth。
B） the season of the year， occurring between winter and summer。
C） the act or an instance of jumping or leaping。
D） a length of metal wound around， which returns to its original shape after being pushed。
4。 According to Paragraph 4， what does Rome plan to do？
A） To make the backpack more comfortable for the wearer。
B） To put the backpack on the market。
C） To test the advantage of the backpack。
D） To promote the backpack in a newspaper or on television。
5。 What is implied in “if you do get one eventually， just make sure to look both ways before crossing the street！”
A） You will be too excited to watch the traffic。
B） Enjoying electronic devices while walking may invite traffic accidents。
C） It is not possible for you to get such a backpack。
D） It is wise of you to have such a backpack。
参考答案解析：
1。 C 第一段告诉我们，因为背包可以装许多东西，所以可以将双手解放出来做其它事情：to free your hands to do other things。
2。 A 第二段的第一句说，Lawrence C。 Rome 及其同事们发明的这种背包，当背着背包走路时，会有电能产生；该段最后一句告诉我们，背包的这种性能可减少背包的重量，因为不必携带备用电池。
3。 D “springs”在此是弹簧的意思。spring是一个多义词：泉水（A）、春天（B）、弹跳（C）。
4。 B 第四段最后一句的意思是：Rome计划将这种背包商业化，即，推向市场。A、C、D在文中均未提到。D的意思是为背包做广告。
5。 B 这个句子的字面意思是：如果你终于得到这样的背包，过马路时一定要两面都看看。也就是说，不要因为同时玩着游戏、听着音乐、看着电视，太专注以致不注意来往车辆了。
第三篇 Light Night, Dark Stars
Thousands of people around the globe step outside to gaze at their night sky. On a clear night, with no clouds, moonlight, or artificial lights to block the view, people can see more than 14,000 stars in the sky, says Dennis Ward, an astronomer with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) in Boulder, Colo1. But when people are surrounded by city lights, he says, they're lucky to see 150 stars.
If you've ever driven toward a big city at night and seen its glow from a great distance, you've witnessed light pollution. It occurs when light from streetlights, office buildings, signs, and other sources streams into space and illuminates the
night sky. This haze of light makes many stars invisible to people on Earth. Even at night, big cities like New York glow from light pollution, making stargazing2 difficult.
Dust and particles of pollution from factories and industries worsen the effects of light pollution. "If one city has a lot more light pollution than another," Ward says, "that city will suffer the effects of light pollution on a much greater scale. "
Hazy skies also make it far more difficult for astronomers to do their jobs.
Cities are getting larger. Suburbs are growing in once dark, rural areas. Light from all this new development is increasingly obscuring the faint light given off by distant stars. And if scientists can't locate these objects, they can't learn more about them.
Light pollution doesn't only affect star visibility. It can harm wildlife too. It's clear that artificial light can attract animals, making them go off course3. There's increasing evidence, for example, that migrating birds use sunsets and sunrises to help find their way, says Sydney Gauthreaux Jr., a scientist at Clemson University in South Carolina. "When light occurs at night," he says, "it has a very disruptive influence. " Sometimes birds fly into lighted towers, high-rises, and cables from radio and television towers. Experts estimate that millions of birds die this way every year.
词汇:
astronomer n. 天文学家 migrate v．迁移，迁徒
Illuminate v. 照明，照亮 disruptive adj．扰乱性的
haze n．薄雾 obscure v．使变模糊
faint adj．微弱的，暗淡的
注释：
1. University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) : 大学大气研究社团，于1960年在美国科罗拉多州(Colorad0，缩写为
Col0．)的玻尔(Boulder)市成立。该社团是一个由国内外大学组成的非营利性协会，致力于大气周围的空气和气候变化研究。
2. stargazing : 该词是个合成词，由star和gaze+in9组成，在此意为：观望星星。
3 making them go off course: 使它们偏离飞行路线。course：路线。
练习：
1. When can people see 14,000 stars?
A) When they have a fairly good telescope.
B) When they are in a large city.
C) When the night sky is clear of clouds, moonlight and artificial lights.
D) When the night sky is without haze and fog.
2. Which of the following statements is NOT related to light pollution?
A) A haze of light is formed from artificial lights such as streetlights and building lights.
B) Lights from different sources in the city stream into space and illuminate the night sky.
C) The night sky is illuminated by the lights from big glowing cities in the night.
D) Stargazing becomes difficult because there is a layer of haze in the air.
3. Does the writer think growing cities affect astronomers' work? Why does he think so?
A) Yes. Because the once dark rural areas are polluted by lights.
B) No. Because they can still see stars in rural areas.
C) Yes. Because rural areas are not a good place for astronomers to study stars.
D) No. Because faint light given off by stars can still be seen on a clear night.
4. How does light pollution affect wildlife? Which of the following is NOT correct?
A) Animals may go off course due to the attraction of artificial lights.
B) Animals might be attracted by artificial lights to go into cities.
C) Artificial lights at night may make migrating birds lose their way.
D) Attracted by artificial lights, birds fly into lighted buildings.
5. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the title "Light Night, Dark Stars"?
A) The night sky is light colored and stars are black.
B) Lights appear at night and stars are seen in the dark.
C) City lights illuminate the night sky and make stars invisible.
D) City lights at night illuminate stars in the sky.
答案与题解：
1．C 第一段的第一句提供了答案。在没有云，没有月光，没有人造光源的情况下，可以看见14，000颗星星。
2．D A、B、C所述内容均可在第二段中找到。D所表达的意思不符合原文，因为a layer of
haze in the air的意思是“空气中有一层薄雾”。
3．A 答案在第五段中可以找到。随着城市规模的扩大，曾经黑灯瞎火的乡村逐渐变成了市郊，那里的灯火使科学家无法观测到星体发出的微弱光芒。
4．B 第六段最后三句告诉我们人造光源会误导动物而致使它们迷路，但却没有说会将它们引进城市。
5．C 题目的意思是：城市灯火通明的夜晚使星星失去光泽。
第四篇 Motoring Technology（2007年考）
1.2 million road deaths worldwide occur each year, plus a further 50 million injuries. To reduce car crash rate, much research now is focused on safety and new fuels—though some electric vehicle and biofuel research aims at going faster. Travelling at speed has always been risky. One cutting edge area of research in motoring safety is the use of digital in-car assistants. They can ensure you don’t miss crucial road signs or fall asleep. The use of artificial intelligence software allows these assistants to monitor you r driving and makes sure your phone or radio doesn’t distract you at a vital moment.
Most crashes result from human and not mechanical faults.
Some safety developments aim to improve your vision. Radar can spot obstacles in fog, while other technology “sees through” high-sided vehicles blocking your view.
And improvements to seat belts, pedal controls and tyres are making driving smoother and safer. The colour of a car has been found to be linked with safety, as have ,less surprisingly, size and shape.
And alternatives to fossil-fuel based petrol, such as plant oils, are a hot area of research. Fuel cells based on hydrogen burn cleanly, and are the subject of a serious research effort.
But whatever is in the fuel tank, you don’t want a thief in the driving s eat and there have been many innovations, some using satellite tracking and remote communications, to fight against car theft. These communication systems can also come into play if you crash, automatically calling for help.
Accidents cause many traffic jams, but there are more subtle interplays between vehicles that can cause jams even on a clear but busy road. Such jams can be analysed using statistical tools. Robotic drivers could be programmed to make traffic flow smoothly and will perhaps one day be ev eryone’s personal chauffeur, but their latest efforts suggest that won’t be soon.
4. 汽车技术
每年，全世界有120万起路面交通死亡事故，以及五千万起路面交通伤残事故。为降低车祸发生率，现在有很多研究将注意力放在行车安全和开发新型燃料上。而有些关于电动机车和生物燃料的研究旨在达到更快的速度。
高速驾驶一向是很危险的。一项在机动车安全前沿领域的研究是有关车内数字化辅助设施的。这些设施会确保司机们不会错过重要的路况指示牌或在开车时睡着。通过运用人工智能软件，这些辅助设施可监控行车过程并确保在关键时刻司机不会被手机或广播干扰注意力。许多车祸是由人为原因造成的而非机械故障。
一些行车安全方面的改进力图改善司机的视野。雷达可对雾中的障碍物定位，而其他的科技手段可透过阻碍你视线的高大车辆看到前方。对安全带、刹车板控制和车胎的改进也使行车过程变得更顺畅、安全。人们发现车的颜色与安全有关，令人不会感到惊讶的是，车的大小和形状也与安全有关。
从矿物燃料中提取的汽油的替代物，例如植物油，也是研究中的一个热门区域。取材于氢气的燃料电池燃烧时无污染，并已成为一项重要研究的攻克对象。
但不管燃料箱中盛为何物，你可不想在驾驶座上坐的是一个窃贼。对此，也有很多创新来打击汽车盗窃，其中一些运用了卫星跟踪和远程通讯。当发生车祸时，这些通讯系统也可起作用，自动地呼叫帮助。
交通事故可引发许多交通堵塞。但在一畅通却繁忙的路段上，汽车间也有很多的细微互动，从而导致可能的阻塞。此类阻塞可用数据统计工具来进行分析。被编程的机器人可使交通流动更顺畅，并有朝一日有望成为每个人的私家司机。但最新成果表明这种设想并非短期内可以实现。
1. What are researchers interested in doing as the road accidents worldwide increase to a shocking rate?
A. they are developing faster electric vehicles
B. they are analyzing road deaths occurring worldwide every year.
C. they focus their research on safety and new fuels
D. they are designing fully automatic cars
2. According to the second paragraph, most road accidents happen
A. because drivers fall asleep
B. because drivers make mistakes
C. because of engine failure
D. because of speeding
3. Which of the safety developments is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. radars that can help drivers to see obstacles in fog
B. devices that help drivers to see through big vehicles
C. improvements in seat belts, pedal controls and tyres
D. windscreens that can help drivers to improve their vision
4. What is NOT the purpose of innovations that use satellite tracking and remote communications?
A. to prevent car thieves from getting into your car
B. to call for help when one’s car crashes
C. to call for help when the car gets jammed in the traffic
D. to track the car down when it is being stolen
5 What is true of robotic drivers?
A. it will take some time before robotic drivers can be put to practical use
B. robotic drivers are not allowed to drive on busy roads
C. robotic drivers can never replace human drivers
D. robotic drivers are too expensive to use
第五篇 Late-Night Drinkin g
Coffee lovers beware. Having a quick “pick-me-up” cup of coffee late in the day will play havoc with your sleep. As well as being a stimulant, caffeine interrupts the flow of melatonin, the brain hormone that sends people into a sleep.
Melatonin levels normally start to rise about two hours before bedtime. Levels then peak between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m., before falling again. “It's the neurohormone that controls our sleep and tells our body when to sleep and when to wake, ” says Maurice Ohayon of the Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center at Stanford University in California. But researchers in Israel have found that caffeinated coffee halves the body's levels of this sleep hormone.
Lotan Shilo and a team at the Sapir Medical Center in Tel Aviv University found that six volunteers slept less well after a cup of caffeinated coffee than after drinking the same amount of decaf. On average, subjects slept 336 minutes per night after drinking caffeinated coffee, compared with 415 minutes after decaf. They also took half an hour to drop off4—twice as long as usual—and jigged around in bed twice as much.
In the second phase of the experiment, the researchers woke the volunteers every three hours and asked them to give a urine sample. Shilo measured concentrations of a breakdown product of melatonin. The results suggest that melatonin
concentrations in caffeine drinkers were half those in decaf drinkers. In a paper accepted for publication in Sleep Medicinc, the researchers suggest that caffeine blocks production of the enzyme that drives melatonin production.
Because it can take many hours to eliminate caffeine from the body, Ohayon recommends that coffee lovers switch to decaf after lunch.
1．题目：The author mentions "pick-me-up" to indicate that
答案：C）coffee is a stimulant.
2．题目：Which of the following tells us how caffeine affects sleep？
答案：C）Caffeine halves the body's levels of sleep hormone.
3．题目：What does paragraph 3 mainly discuss?
答案：A）Different effects of caffeinated coffee and decaf on sleep.
4．题目：What does the experiment mentioned in paragraph 4 prove?
答案：D）Caffeine drinkers produce less sleep hormone.
5．题目：The author of this passage probably agrees that
答案：B）We should not drink coffee after supper.
速记口诀：
深夜喝咖啡
1．pick-me-up刺激物____________________
2．咖啡因减半荷尔蒙____________________
3．两种咖啡果不同____________________
4．咖啡饮者少激素____________________
5．不喝咖啡晚饭后______________
第六篇 Hair Detectives
Scientists have found a way to use hair to figure out where a person is from and where that person has been. The finding could help solve crimes, among other useful applications.
Water is central to the new technique. Our bodies break water down into its parts: hydrogen and oxygen. Atoms of these two elements end up in our tissues and hair.
But not all water is the same. Hydrogen and oxygen atoms can vary in how much they weigh. Different forms of a single element are called isotopes. And depending on where you live, tap Water1 contains unique proportions of the heavier and lighter isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen.
Might hair record these watery quirks2? That's what James R. Ehleringer, an environmental scientist at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City3, wondered.
To find out, he and his colleagues collected hair from barbers and hair stylists in 65 cities in 18 states across the United States. The researchers assumed that the hair they collected came from people who lived in the area.
Even though people drink a lot of bottled water these days, the scientists found that hair overwhelmingly reflected the concentrations4of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in local tap water. That's probably because people usually cook their food in the local water. What's more, most of the other liquids people drink including milk and soft drinks contain large amounts of water that also come from sources within their region.
Scientists already knew how the composition of water varies throughout the country. Ehleringer and colleagues combined that information with their results to predict the composition of hair in people from different regions. One hair sample used in Ehleringer's study came from a man who had recently moved from Beijing, China, to Salt Lake City. As his hair grew, it reflected his change in location.
The new technique can't point to exactly where a person is from, because similar types of water appear in different regions that span a broad area. But authorities can now use the information to analyze hair samples from criminals or crime victims and narrow their search for clues.
词汇：
hydrogen n. 氢 overwhelmingly adv. 压倒性
Atom n. 原子 Isotope n. 同位素
span v. 跨越 Quirk n. 古怪举动；怪僻
clue n. 线索 Stylist n. 发型师
注释：
1. tap water: 自来水，管道供水
2. watery quirks: 水的奇特性质。quirk的含义是“an peculiar or unexpected behavioral habit”(古怪的不可预测的行为和事情)。
3. University of Utah in Salt Lake City: (美国)盐湖城的犹他大学
4. concentrations: 浓度；含量
练习:
1. What does the writer say about tap water? Which of the following is NOT correct?
A) Tap water reflects the concentrations of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes in different regions.
B) Tap water is a kind of soft drink in the United States.
C) Tap water contains unique proportions of isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen.
D) Tap water is used to cook food.
2. James R. Ehleringer tried to find out
A) if our bodies break water down into its parts.
B) if it is possible to collect hair samples across the country.
C) if tap water contains unique proportions of isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen.
D) if the composition of hair can indicate exactly where people are from.
3. Which of the following statements is meant by the writer?
A) Ehleringer was successful in his research.
B) Ehleringer failed in his research.
C) Ehleringer can be a successful detective.
D) Ehleringer's research proved successful in China.
4. What does the last paragraph tell you?
A) The new technique can tell precisely where a person lives.
B) Water supplied in different regions all come from the same source.
C) Types of water used in different regions provide useful information for the police.
D) Hair samples provide the most important clues to identify crimes.
5. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the title?
A) Human hair may help detectives to solve crimes.
B) Animal hair may help detectives to solve crimes.
C) Detectives watch hairy criminals closely.
D) Most detectives are hair specialists.
答案与题解：
1．B第三段和第六段谈到tap water。A、C、D均是文中提到的内容。8是错误的，因为文章第六段说，我们饮用的牛奶和软饮料都含有大量水分，而没有说tap water是软饮料。
2．C第四段的问句针对第三段的内容。these watery quirks指的是上段中的unique
proportions of the heavier and lighter isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen。所以C是正确答案。
3．A第六段和第七段提供了答案。科学家发现头发能反映出当地自来水中氢、氧同位素的含量；科学家也已经研究出不同地区水成分是不同的，并且在此基础上来确定来自不同地区的人的头发成分。
4．C选项A、B、D与原文均有出入。尽管在一个较大的范围内，人们使用成分较为相同的水，但是水的成分组成提供的信息可以帮助官方缩小破案线索范围。
5．A题目的意思是：人的头发可以帮助侦探破案。
第七篇 Sugar Power for Cell Phones
Using enzymes commonly found in living cells，a new type of fuel cell produces small amounts of electricity from sugar．If the technology is able to succeed in mass production，you may some day share your sweet drinks with your cell phone．
In fuel cells，chemical reactions generate electrical currents．The process usually relies on precious metals，such as platinum．In living cells，enzymes perform a similar job，breaking down sugars to obtain electrons and produce energy．When researchers previously used enzymes in fuel cells，they had trouble keeping them active，says Shelley D．Minteer of St Louis University1．Whereas biological cells continually produce fresh enzymes，there’s no mechanism in fuel cells to replace enzymes as they quickly degrade．
Minteer and Tamara Klotzbach，also of St Louis University，have now developed polymers that wrap around an enzyme and preserve it in a microscopic pocket．“We tailor these pockets to provide the ideal microenvironment” for the enzyme，Minteer says．The polymers keep the enzyme active for months instead of days．
In the new fuel Cell，tiny polymer bags of enzyme are embedded in a membrane that coats one of the electrodes．When glucose from a sugary liquid gets into a pocket，the enzyme oxidizes it，releasing electrons and protons．The electrons cross the membrane and enter a wire through which they travel to the other electrode，where they react with．oxygen in the atmosphere to produce water．The flow of electrons through the wire constitutes an electrical current that can generate power．
So far，the new fuel cells don’t produce much power，but the fact that they work at all is exciting，says Paul Kenis，a chemical engineer at the University of Illinois2 at Urhana-Champaign3．“Just getting it to work．” Kenis says，“is a major accomplishment．”
Sugar-eating fuel cells could be an efficient way to make electricity．Sugar is easy to find． And the new fuel cells that run on it are biodegradable，so the technology wouldn’t hurt the environment．The scientists are now trying to use different enzymes that will get more power from sugar．They predict that popular products may be using the new technology in as little as 3 years．
词汇：
enzyme / 5enzaIm / n．酶 electrode/ I5lektrEJd / n．电极platinum / 5plAtinEm / n．铂，白金 membrane/ 5membrein / n．膜，薄膜
electron / I5lektrRn / n．电子 oxidize/ 5Cksi7daiz / v．氧化degrade / di5^reid / v．降解 glucose / 5^lu:kEus / n．葡萄糖
polymer / 5pClimE / n．聚合物 biodegradable / 7baiEudi5^reidEbl / adj．能进行生物降解的
microenvironment n．微环境 embed/ im5bed / v．埋置，插入
proton/ 5prEutCn /n．质子
试题
1． According to the first paragraph，when can we share our sweet drinks with our
cell phones?
A When enzymes can be commonly found in living ceils．
B When the technology of producing a new type of fuel cell appears．
C When the technology of a new type of fuel cell is suitable for mass
production．
D When the technology of mass producing cell phones appears．
2． What trouble did Minteer and Klotzhach have in their research?
A They had trouble keeping enzymes in fuel cells active．
B They had trouble keeping biological cells active．
C They had trouble producing fresh enzymes．
D They had trouble finding mechanism for producing enzymes．
3． According to Paragraph 5，electrons are released
A when bags of enzyme are embedded in the new fuel cell．
B when glucose from a sugary liquid goes through the enzyme．
C when the enzyme oxidizes the glucose from a sugary liquid that goes through
a pocket．
D when the enzyme oxidizes the sugary liquid that goes through a pocket．
4． What is exciting about the new fuel cells?
A Their limitless power generation capacity is amazing．
B Their limited power generation capacity is a good beginning．
C Their limited power generation capacity is the result of great efforts．
D Their limitless power generation capacity is a major accomplishment,
5． According to the last paragraph，what is NOT true of the new fuel cells?
A The new fuel cells run on sugar that is easy to find．
B The new fuel cells are environment friendly．
C The new fuel cells are biologically degradable,
D It will take some time before the new fuel cells can be used in popularproducts．
答案与题解：
1． C A和D明显不是正确答案。B不是正确选择，因为只有当这种新的燃料电池被大规模生产时，才有可能实现用甜饮料给手机提供电能。
2． A 文章第三段的第一句是问题的答案。
3． C 该段第二句“When glucose from a sugary liquid penetrates a pocket，the enzyme oxidizes it，releasing electrons and proton”中的it指代glucose，而不是a sugary liquid，因此C是正确选择。
4． B 第六段的大意是，尽管这种新型燃料电池还不能产牛很多电能，但是，它能够产生电能的事实就已经是很大的成就了。因而激动人心。所以只有B是正确答案。
5． D 文章的最后一段指出了这种新型燃料电池的优点，即A、B、C所述内容。最后一句说，科学家预计，在不到三年的时间里这种新技术便可在大众的流行产品中使用。所以D是正确选择
第八篇 Eiffel Is an Eyeful
Some 300 meters up, near the Eiffel Tower's wind-whipped summit the world comes to scribble. Japanese, Brazilians. Americans-they graffiti their names, loves and politics on the cold iron-transforming the most French of monuments into symbol of a world on the move.
With Pairs laid out in miniature below, it seems strange that visitors would rather waste time marking their presence than admiring the view. But the graffiti also raises a question: Why, nearly 114 years after it was completed, and decades after it ceased to be the world's tallest structure, is la Tour Eiffel still so popular
The reasons are as complex as the iron work that graces a structure some 90 stories high. But part of the answer is, no doubt, its agelessness, regularly maintained, it should never rust away. Graffiti is regularly painted over, but the tower lives on.
"Eiffel represents Paris and Paris is France. It is very symbolic," says Hugues Richard, a 31-year-old Frenchman who holds the record for cycling up to the tower's second floor-747 steps in 19 minutes and 4 seconds, without touching the floor with his feet. "It's iron lady, it inspires us," he says.
But to what After all, the tower doesn't have a purpose. It ceased to be the world's tallest in 1930 when the Chrysler Building went up in New York. Yes, television and radio signals are beamed from the top, and Gustave Eiffel, a frenetic builder who died on December 27, aged 91, used its height for conducting research into weather, aerodynamics and radio communication. But in essence the tower inspires simply by being there---a blank canvas for visitors to make of it what they will. To the technically minded, it's an engineering triumph. For lovers, it's romantic.
"The tower will outlast all of us, and by a long way," says Isabelle Esnous, whose company manages Eiffel Tower.
练习:
1.Why does the author think the Eiffel Tower is transformed into symbol of a world of the move
A. Tourists from all over the world come to the Eiffel Tower by car or by plane.
B. Tourists of all nationalities come to scribble on the cold iron of the tower.
C. The Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in the world.
D. Te Eiffel Tower represents all the towers in the world.
2. What seems strange to the author
A. Visitors prefer wasting time scribbling to enjoying the view.
B. Visitors spends much time watching other people scribbling.
C. Only Japanese, Brazilians and Americans like to mark their presence.
D. Scribbling spread from country to country.
3. Which statements is NOT true of Hugues Richard
A. He is a cyclist.
B. He is a record holder.
C. He climbed 747 steps up the tower in 19 minutes and 4 seconds.
D. He cycled up to the tower's second floor.
4. What did the builder use the Eiffel Tower for
A. Sending radio and television signals all over the world.
B. Conducting research in various fields.
C. Giving people inspiration.
D. Demonstrating French culture.
5. Which of the following is nearest in meaning to "(The Eiffel Tower is like) a blank canvas for visitors to make of it what they will"
A. Visitors can do whatever they want on the tower.
B. Visitors can paint on the tower whatever they want.
C. Visitors can imagine freely what the tower represents.
D. Visitors can draw on a blank canvas provided by the Tower management company.
第九篇 Egypt Felled by Famine
Even ancient Egypts mighty pyramid builders were powerless in the face of the famine that helped bring down their civilian around 2180BC. Now evidence gleaned from mud deposited by the River Nile suggests that a shift in climate thousands of kilometers to the south was ultimately to blem -- and the same or worse could happen today.
The ancient Egyptians depended on the Niles annual floods to irrigate their crops. But any change in climate that pushed the African monsoons southwards out of Ethiopia would have diminished these floods.
Dwindling rains in the Ethiopian highlands would have meant fewer plants to establish the soil. When rain did fall it would have washed large amounts of soil into the Blue Nile and into Egypt, along with sediment from the White Nile.
The Blue Nile mud has a different isotope signature from that of the White Nile. So by analyzing isotope differences in mud deposited in the Nile Delta, Michael Krom of leeds University worked out what proportion of sediment came from each branch of the river.
Krom reasons that during periods of drought, the amount of the Blue Nile mud in the river would be relatively high. He found that one of these periods, from 4,500 to 4,200 years ago, immediately predates the fall of the Egypts Old Kingdom.
The weakened waters would have been catastrophic for the Egyptians. Changes that affect food supply dont have to be very large to have a ripple effect in societies, says Bill Ryan of the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory in New York.
Similar events today could be even more devastating, says team member Daniel Stanley, a geoarchaeologist from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.. Anything humans do to shift the climate belts would have an even worse effect along the Nile system because the populations have increased dramatically.
1. Why does the author mention pyramid builders?
A. because they once worked miracles.
B. because they were well-built
C. because they were actually very weak
D. because even they were unable to rescue their civilization
2. Which of the following factors was ultimately responsible for the fall of the civilization of ancient Egypt?
A. Change of climate
B. famine
C. food
D. population growth
3. Which of the following statements is true?
A. The White Nile is the trunk of the River Nile
B. The White Nile is the trunk of the Blue Bile
C. The White Nile a branch of the Blue Nile
D. The White Nile and the Blue Nile are branches of the River Nile
4. According to Krom, Egypts Old Kingdom fell
A. immediately after a period of drought
B. immediately after a period of flood
C. just before a drought struck
D. just before a flood struckwww.Ｅhttps://www.doczj.com/doc/3c16238477.html,
5. The word devastating in the last paragraph could be best replaced by
A. frustrating
B. damaging
C. defeating
D. worrying 标准答案： D,A,D,A,B
Companies are paying up to $10, 000 to register a domain name on the Internet even though there is no guarantee that they will get the name they want.
The task of registering domains ending in .com, .org, .edu and .net is at present contracted out by the US government to the Virginia-based company Network Solutions. The contract runs out this year, and the government wants to bring in a different scheme.
But last year, an ad hoc committee of the Internet's great and good revealed its own plan. This involved setting up seven new domains, each indicating the kind of business or organisation using that name. The committee recruited 88 companies around the world to act as registrars for its .firm, .shop, .web, .arts, .rec, .info and .nom domains. The US government has still to give the system its blessing, and may yet push ahead with its original scheme. Despite this, the 88 registrars have been taking applications for several months. They are due to start registering names this month with the Internet Council of Registrars, which grew out of the ad hoc committee.
To prevent conflicting names from being registered, the council will take one name from each registrar in turn before going back for the second name in their queues, and so on. This has led to a flourishing trade, with companies trying to buy a place near the head of the queue. Global Names of Singapore is charging $10, 000 to make sure a request for a name is the first one it sends off to the central database. Other registrars are charging nonrefundable deposits for places at the top of the queue. David Maher, chairman of the Policy Oversight Committee that is helping to set up and oversee the system, says that all registrars are subject to local laws regarding consumer protection and competition. But he says that the committee “will not act as an enforcement body in this are A.”
1. The domain name “.edu” is operated by
A. the US government.
B. the company Nerwork Solutions.
C. Internet Council of Registrars.
D. both A and B.
2. The .firm, .shop, .web, .arts, .rec, .info and .nom domains are NOT run by
A. a temporary committee organized by Internet's influential services.
B. the US government.
C. 88 registrars.
D. Internet Council of Registrars.
3. Global Names of Singapore is
A. a company which applies for a name on the Internet.
B. a registrar.
C. a company under the supervision of Policy Oversight Committee.
D. the central database.
4. How can a company successfully register a name with the Internet?
A. It must pay up to $10, 000 or a nonrefundable deposit.
B. Its application must be the first one at the top of the registration queue.
C. It must get approval from the Policy Oversight Committee.
D. Both A and B.
5. What is the meaning of the phrases “net cost” in the title?
A. The amount of money covering the basics.
B. The registration fee for a domain name on the Internet.
C. The amount of money for the construction of a network in a company.
D. The amount of money paid to the Internet service annually.
第十二篇 Florida Hit by Cold Air Mass
In January, 2003，the eastern two．thirds of the United States was at the mercy of a bitterly cold air mass that has endangered Florida’s citrus trees，choked northern harbors with ice and left bewildered residents of North Carolina’s Outer Banks digging out of up to a foot of snow．
The ice chill deepened as temperatures fell to the single digits。in most of me。South,with all unfamiliar dip below the freezing mark as far south as parts of interior South Florida．Temperatures in Florida plunged，with West Palm Beach dropping to a record low of 2 degrees．
“We couldn’t believe how cold it was，”said Martin King，who arrived this week in Orlando。from England．“We brought shorts，T·shirt，and I had to go out and buy another coat．”
The temperature plunge pose d a threat to Florida’s US$9.1 billion-a-year citrus crop．More of which is still on the trees．Growers were hurrying to harvest as much of the fruit as possible before it was damaged by cold．“Time is of the essenceⅢin getting fruit to the plant，”said T om Rogers，a citrus grower who expected to see damage to oranges and grapefruit at that time．
In Florida，Governor Jeb Bush signed an emergency order to eliminate the weight limit Oil trucks SO citrus growers could get as much fruit to market as possible．
Casey Pace，a spokeswoman for Florida Citrus Mutual，said growers had sprayed trees with sprinklers。which created a layer of ice and helped maintain a temperature near freezing．Citrus trees are considered in danger of damage if the temperature drops below minus 2 degrees Celsius for four hours or more．Snow ranging from a dusting to up to 30 centimeters “blanketed“ the Carolinas，Tennessee and parts of Virginia．
练习：
1.Which．of the following statements is not meant in the first two paragraphs?
A)The cold air mass was a threat to Florida’s citrus crop．
B)The temperature in the United States except the South dropped below the freezing mark．
C)The northern harbors were blocked with ice．
D)The eastern two thirds of the United States was hit by cold air mass．
2.According to the second paragraph，in which area(s)did the temperature fall below zero?
A)Most of the South．
B)Parts of interior South Florida．
C)West Palm Beach．
D)All of the above．
3.King’s statement that “we brought shorts，T-shirt，and I had to go out and buy another coat．”shows that
A)he was caught by the sudden cold．
B)he needed formal clothes．
C)fashion in Florida is tempting．
D)Florida is hot compared with England．
https://www.doczj.com/doc/3c16238477.html,ernor Jeb issue the emergency order because he
A)thought speed limit for trucks was unreasonable．
B)tried to improve the traffic condition of the expressways．
C)wanted to encourage trucks to transport as much fruit to market as possible
D)wanted to stop trucks from carrying too much fruit to market．
5.Which statement is NOT true according to the last paragraph?
A)Sprinklers were used to protect citrus trees from being damaged．
B)Citrus trees would be damaged if the temperature drops below minus 2~C for four hours．
C)The Carolinas，Tennessee and parts of Virginia were covered with snow．
D)Florida Citrus Mutual sprayed trees with sprinklers for citrus growers．
第十三篇 Invisibility Ring
Scientists can’t yet make an invisibility cloak1 like the one that Harry Potter2 uses．But，for the first time，they’ve constructed a simple cloaking device that makes itself and somethingplaced inside it invisible to microwaves．When a person “sees” an object，his or her eye senses many different waves of visiblelight as they bounce off the object．The eye and brain then wo rk together to organize thesesensations and reconstruct the object’s original shape． So，to make an object invisible，scientists have to keep waves from bouncing off it．And they have to make sure the objectcasts no shadow．Otherwise，the absence of reflected light on one side would give the obiectaway．
Invisibility isn’t possible yet with waves of light that the human eye can see．But it is nowpossible with microwaves．Like visible light，microwaves are a form of radiant energy．Theyare part of the electromagnetic spectrum，which also includes radio waves，infrared light，ultraviolet rays，X rays，and gamma rays．The wavelengths of microwaves are shorter thanthose of radio waves but longer than those of visible light．
The scientists’ new “invisibility device” is the s ize of a drink coaster and shaped like aring．The ring is made of a special material with unusual ability．When microwaves strike thering，very few bounce off it．Instead，they pass through the ring，which bends the waves allthe way around until they reach the opposite side．The waves then return to their originalpaths．To a detector set up to receive microwaves on the other side of the ring，it looks as if thewaves never changed their paths as if there were no object in the way! So，the ring is effectively invisible．
When the researchers put a small cdpper loop inside the ring，it，too，is nearly invisible． However，the cloaking device
and anything inside it do cast a pale shadow．And the deviceworks only for microwaves，not for visible light or any kind of electromagnetic radiation．So，Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak doesn’t have any real competition yet．词汇：
invisibility/invizE5biliti/n．看不见，无形 spectrum/5spektrEm/n．光谱
cloak/klEuk/斗篷，披风 infrared/5infrE5red/adj．红外线的
microwave/5maikrEuweiv/n．微波 ultraviolet ray 紫外线
reconstruct/5ri:kEn5strQkt/v．重建 gamma ray 伽马射线
radiant/5reidjEnt/adj．辐射的 wavelength/5weivleNW/n．波长
electromagnetic/IlektrEJ5mA^nItIk/adj．电磁的coaster/5kEustE(r)/n．托盘，垫子转贴于：职称英语考试_考试大
练习：
1．Harry Potter is mentioned in the passage，because scientists
Acan now make an invisible cloak of the same kind as he uses．
Btry to make an invisible cloak of the same kind as he uses．
Ctry to invent a device Similar in idea to the invisible cloak he uses．
Dknow that it is possible to make an invisible cloak of the same kind．
2．What is true of microwaves?
ATheir wavelengths are shorter than those of visible light．
BTheir wavelengths are longer than those of visible light．
CThey are different from visible light as they are a kind of radiant energy．
DThey are visible to the human eye．
3．What is NOT true of the invisibility device?
AIt is made of a special material with unusual ability．
BMicrowaves bounce off it when they strike it．
CMicrowaves pass through it when they strike it．
DIt bends the microwaves all the way around until they reach the opposite
side．
4．What does the word “coaster” mean in the passage?
AA disk or plate placed under a drinking glass to protect a table top．
BA vessel engaged in coastal trade．
CA roller coaster．
DA resident of a coastal area．
5．Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak doesn’t have any real competition yet，
because
Ascientists have not found out how his cloak works．
Bthe cloaking device is a total failure．
Cthe cloaking device works only for microwaves．
Dthe cloaking device works only for visible light．
答案与题解：
1．C文章的第一段告诉我们，科学家还没有发明哈里·波特使用的那种隐身衣，所以不能选 A；该段还告诉我们，科学家已制造了，一种装置，这种装置能使自身或置于其中的物体不被微波发现，所以C是正确选择，也就是说，科学家发明的隐形装置和哈里波特的隐身衣仅仅在概念上相同，这同时说明B和D是错误的选择。
2．B第三段最后一句中告诉我们，A是错误选择，B是正确选择。该段第三句说，微波与可见光一样都是一种辐射能，所以C的说法是错误的，不能选择；根据该段第一句：with wavesof light that the human eye can see和第三句：Like visible light，可以得知D是错误的说法，也不能选择。
3．B第四段第三句说，当微波到达装置表面时，very few bounce off。very few是几乎没有的意思，所以选择B。其他选择所述内容都可以很容易在该段中找到。
4．A第四段第一句告诉我们，科学家的这个隐形装置和一个杯垫差不多大小，所以A是正确选择。coaster是一个多义词，其他几个选择是该词的其他意思，B：从事沿海贸易的船；C：过山车，摩天轮；D：海岸地区居民。
5．CA句在短文中没有提到；按文章的内容B不是正确的说法；文章最后一段说，And thedevice works only for microwaves，not forvisible light，所以C是正确选择。
第十四篇 Japanese Car Keeps Watch for Drunk Drivers
A concept car developed by Japanese company Nissan1 has a breathalyzer-like detection system and other instruments that could help keep drunk or over tired drivers off the road．
The car’s sensors check odors inside the car and monitor a driver’s sweat for traces of alcohol．An in-car computer system can issue an alert or even lock up the ignition system if the driver seems over-the-limit．The air odor sensors are fixed firmly and deeply in the driver
and passenger seats，while a detector in the gear-shift knob measures perspiration from the driver’s palm． Other carmakers have developed similar detection systems． For example，Sweden’s Volvo2 has developed a breathalyzer attached to a car’s seat belt that drivers must blow into before the engine will start．
Nissan’s new concept vehicle also includes a dashboard-mounted camera that tracks a drivers alertness by monitoring their eyes．It will sound an alarm and issue a spoken warning in Japanese or English if it judges that the driver n eeds to pull over and rest3．
The car technology is still in development，but general manager Kazuhiro Doi says the combination of different detection systems should improve the overall effectiveness of the technology．“For example，if the gear-shift sensor was bypassed by a passenger using it instead of the driver，the facial recognition system would still be used,” Doi says．Nissan has no specific timetable for marketing the system，but aims to use technology to cut the number of fatalities involving its vehicles to half 1995 levels by 2015．
The car’s seat belt can also tighten if drowsiness is detected，while an external camera checks that the car is keeping to its lane properly． However，Doi admits that some of the technology，such as the alcohol odor sensor，should be improved．“If you drink one beer，it’s going to register，so we need to study what’s the appropriate level for the system to activate,” he says．
In the UK4,some research groups are using similar advanced techniques to understand driver behavior and the effectiveness of different road designs．
词汇:
breathalyzer n．呼气酒精检测器 alertness/ E5lE:tnis/n．警惕
sensor/5sensE(r)/ n．传感器 bypass /5baIpB:s/v．绕过
odor/5EudE(r)/ n．气味 facial/5feiFEl/adj．面部的
alert/E5lE:t/ adj．警惕的 fatality/ 5teilai/n．死亡事故
ignition/ i^5niFEn/n．点火 tighten/ 5taitEn/v．变紧，绑紧
gear-shift knob 换档把手 drowsiness/5drauzinis/n．昏昏欲睡
perspiration/7pE:spE5reiFEn/n．出汗 activate/5Aktiveit/v．使活动，使激活
dashboard/5dAF7bC:d/n．仪表板；挡泥板
练习：
1． Which of the following statements is NOT true of the Japanese concept care
A It has a sensor system that could issue a warning if the driver is drunk．
B It has sensors that detect traces of alcohol inside the car．
C It has sensors locked up in the ignition system．
D It has a breathalyzer-like detection system．
2． What has Volvo developed?
A The same detection system mentioned in the previous paragraph．
B A breathalyzer attached to a car’s seat belt．
C A smart car seat belt．
D An intelligent engine．
3． What is the function of the camera mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A It monitors the driver’s eyes to see if he needs a rest．
B It judges if the driver wants to pull over．
C It judges if the driver wants to take a rest．
D It issues an alarm when the driver speaks．
4． According to Doi,
A the overall effectiveness of the detection technology has improved．
B Nissan is making a timetable to market the detection system．
C it is impossible to improve the overall effectiveness of the detection system．
D Nissan aims to improve the detection technology to reduce the fatality rate．
5． Which of the following is NOT mentioned in Paragraph 6?
A An external camera checks that the car is going properly．
B The car will automatically keep to its lane．
C The seat belt will tighten when the driver is found drowsy．
D The technology of the alcohol odor sensor should be improved．
答案与题解：
1． C 选项A、B、D所述内容都可在短文的第一、第二段中找到。第二段最后一个句子告诉我们，传感器装在司机和乘客的座椅里，而不是在点火系统里，所以选择C。
2． B 短文第三段告诉我们，沃尔沃公司也发明了一种相类似的酒精检测装置，安装在保险带上。所以B是正确选择。
3． A 第四段描写了安装在概念车仪表板上的照相机的功能。相机跟踪司机的眼睛的活动从而监测司机是否保持清醒状态，如果发现司机需要停车休息，便用英语或日语发出警告。所以除A以外，其他选择都不正确。
4． D 短文第五段说，这种监测技术仍然在发展之中，使用不同的监测系统应能改进这项技术的整体有效性，所以A和C都不是正确选择。该段的最后一句说，日产公司并不准备将这种监测系统推向市场，但它的目标是使用这种技术到2015年将日产车的事故率年减少到 1995年的一半。所以B也不是正确选择，只有D表达了Doi的意思。
5． B 选项A、C、D在短文第六段都能找到，但是却找不到选项B所表达的意思
第十五篇 Winged Robot Learns to Fly
Learning how to fly took nature millions of years of trial and error –but a winged robot has cracked it in only a few hours, using the same evolutionary principles.
Krister Wolff and Peter Nordin of Chalmers University of Technology (CUT) in Gothenburg, Sweden, built a winged robot and set about testing whether it could fly by itself, without any pre-programmed(预先设定好的) data on what flapping is or how to do it.
To begin with, the robot just twitched and jerked(猛抽) erratically(不稳定地). But gradually, it made movements that gain height. After it cheated – simply standing on its wing tips was one early short cut. After three hours, however, the robot abandoned such methods in favor of a more effective flapping technique, where it rotated its wings through 90 degrees and raised them before twisting them back to the horizontal and pushing down.
“This tells us that this kind of evolution is capable of coming up with flying motion,” says Peter Bentley, who works on evolutionary computing at University College London. But while the robot had worked out how best to produce lift, it was not about to take off. “There’s only so much that evolution can do, ” Bentley says. “T his thing is never going to fly because the motors will never have the strength to do it, ”he says.
The robots had metre-long wings made from balsa wood and covered with a light plastic film. Small motors on the robot let it move its wings forwards or backwards, up or down or twist them in either direction.
The team attached the robot to two vertical rods, so it could slide up and down. At the start of a test, the robot was suspended by an elastic band. A movement detector measured how much lift, if any, the robot produced for any given movement.
A computer program fed the robot random instructions, at the race of 20 per second, to test its flapping abilities. Each instruction told the robot either to do nothing or to move the wings slightly in the various directions.
Feedback from the movement detector let the program work out which sets of instructions were best at producing lift. The most successful ones were paired up and “offspring” sets of instructions were generated by swapping （交换） instructions randomly between successful pairs. These next-generation instructions were then sent to the robot and evaluated before breeding
a new generation, and the process was repeated.
1. Which of the following is NOT true of what is mentioned about the winged robot in the second paragraph?
A. The two professors of CUT built the winged robot
B. The two professors of CUT tested whether the winged robot could learn to fly
C. The two professors of CUT programmed the data on how the robot flapped(拍打)its wings
D. The two professors of CUT tried to find out if the robot could fly by itself
2. How did the robot behave at the beginning of the test?
A. It rotated its wings through 90 degrees
B. It twitched（骤然一抽） but gradually gained height
C. It was twitched and broke down
D. It landed not long after the test
3. Which of the following is nearest to Peter Bentley’s view on the winged robot?
A. the winged robot could never really fly
B. the winged robot did not have a motor
C. the winged robot should go through further evolution before it could fly
D. the robot could fly if it were lighter
4. What measured how much lift the robot produced?
A. two vertical rods（杆）
B. a movement detector
C. an elastic （弹性的）band（带子）
D. both B and C
5. What does “the process ”appearing in the last paragraph refer to?
A. pairing up (把...配成对) successful instructions
B. sending instructions to the robot
C. generating new sets of instructions for evaluation
D. all the above
第十六篇 Japanese Drilling into Core of Earth
In what reassembles a journey to the center of the Earth, Japanese scientists have launched the world’s first attempt to bore a hold into the red-hot core of a volcano and unlock the secrets of deadly eruption.
A50-meter-high oil-rig-like derrick perched on the scrubby slopes of Japan’s Mount Unzen will begin drilling through the volcano’s crust next week in a bid to sample the magma bubbling below2.
The aim is to study how the liquefied rock causes menacing gas buildup, said team leader Setsuya Nakata, of the University of Tokyo’s Earthquake Research Institute.
“Gassing is important because it controls the explosivity of eruptions,” Nakata said. “The results can be expande d to anti-disaster research.”
Mount Unzen, a wind-swept 1,486-meter dome on the southern island of Kyushu, is a perfect model. It erupted in 1991, showering avalanches of hot rocks over a nearby town, killing 43 people and leaving nearly 2,300 homeless. Another 11,000 people were evacuated from the area until 1995, when the volcano had stabilized.
The results are particularly important to a nation like Japan, where the meteorological agency monitors 20 dangerous peaks. Perhaps Japan’s most famous volcano i s snowcapped Mount Fuji, which last erupted in 1707 and sprinkled Tokyo with ash. The drilling on Mount Unzen will begin very soon from an altitude of 850 meters on its northwest slope. Scientists hope to tap a magma vent around sea level by August and extract a 200-meter-long core sample by summer 20043.
Boring into the glowing magma at that level would normally be impossible, because of its fiery 700 degree Celsius heat. Thus, a slurry of water will be pumped into the drill shaft to cool the magma and allow the drill head to cut through. Nakata said there is no danger of triggering another eruption4.
1. According to the passage. Mount Unzen
A. erupted in 1707.
B. erupted in 1991.
C. erupted in 1995.
D. several times in the last century.
2. According to the passage, the study of the Mount Unzen volcano may benefit Japan in all the following aspects EXCEPT
A. finding causes of volcano eruptions.
B. helping to launch anti-disaster research.
C. looking into the connection between liquefied rocks and gas buildup.
D. predicting volcano eruptions.
3. Why is this research project so important to Japan?
A. Because Japan has many living volcanoes.
B. Because Japan wants to turn Mount Fuji to a dead volcano.
C. Because volcano gas could be a source of energy.
D. because Japan is testing a new way of drilling into the earth.
4. The drilling site on Mount Unzen is
A. around the sea level.
B. on the northeast slope of the mountain.
C. about half way up the mountain.
D. as high as 1,468 meters.
5. The title of this passage Japanese Drilling into Core of Earth actually means that they
A. drill a hole into the core of a volcano.
B. bore into the rocks near the volcanic vent.
C conduct an imagery journey to the core of a volcano.
D. regard magma as the core of Earth.
第十七篇 A Sunshade for the Planet
Even with the best will1 in the world，reducing our carbon emissions is not going to prevent global warming．It has become clear that even if we take the most strong measures to control emissions，the uncertainties in our climate models still lea'ye open the possibility of extreme warming and rises in sea level．At the same time，resistance by governments and special interest groups makes it quite possible that the actions suggested by climate scientists might not be implemented soon enough． Fortunately，if the worst comes to the worst2，scientists still have a few tricks up their sleeves3．For the most part they have strongly resisted discussing these options for fear of inviting a sense of complacency that might thwart efforts to tackle the root of the problem．Until now，that is．A growing number of researchers are taking a fresh look at large-scale “geoengineering” projects that might be used to counteract global warming．“I use the analogy of methadone4,” says Stephen Schneider，a climate researcher at Stanford University in California who was among the first to draw attention to global warming．“If you have a heroin addict，the correct treatment is hospitalization，and a long rehab． But if they absolutely refuse，methadone is better than heroin．”
Basically the idea is to apply “sunscreen” to the whole planet．One astronomer has come up with a radical plan to cool Earth；launch trillions of feather-light discs into space，where they would form a vast cloud that would block the sun’s rays．I t’s controversial，but recent studies suggest there are ways to deflect just enough of the sunlight reaching the Earth’s surface to counteract the warming produced by the greenhouse effect．Global climate models show that blocking just 1．8 per cent of the in cident energy in the sun’s rays would cancel out the warming effects produced by a doubling of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere． That could be crucial，because even the most severe emissions-control measures being proposed would leave us with a doubling of carbon dioxide by the end of this century，and that would last for at least a century more．词汇：
emission/i5miFEn/n．发射，发射物 heroin/5herEuin/n．海洛因
complacency/kEm5pleIsEnsI/n．满足 hospitalization/7hCspitElai5zeiFEn /
n．住院治疗
thwart/WwC:t/v．反对，阻绕 rehab/ri:hAb/n．接受康复治疗
geoengineering n．地质工程 astronomer/ E5strRnEmE(r)/n．天文学家
trillion/ 5triljEn/n．(英、德) counteract/7kauntE5rAkt/v．抵消；抵制
百万兆(1018)；(美、法) 万亿，兆 (1012)
controversial/7kCntrE5vE:FEl /analogy/E5nAlEdVi/n．类似；模拟
adj．有争议的
deflect/di5flekt/v．(使)偏转 methadone/ 5meWEdEun/n．美沙酮，美散痛
注释：
1． the best will：最好的愿望
2． if the worst comes to theworst：如果最最糟糕的事情发生了。这是英式英语的用法，在美式英语中它说成if worst comes to worst。在不同的语境中，有不同的泽法，如：“If the worst comes to the worst，”Becky thought，“my retreat“secure；and l have the right- hand seat inthe barouche．”蓓墓想道：“逼到最后一条路，逃难是不怕的了，在他的大马车里，我稳稳地有一个位子了。”又如：Ifthe worst comes to the worst，we’ll sell the car．大不了我们把车卖了。
3． scientists still have a few tricks叩their sleeves：科学家们仍然有些不为人所知的招数。have something up one’s sleeve是英语成语，意思是：to have a secret idea or plan，有锦囊妙计，有所保留的，秘而不宣的谋略或计划，例如：If this trip doesn’t work out I’ve still got a few ideas up my sleeve．
4． methadone：美沙酮，一种有效的合成麻醉药，它不像口马啡或海洛因那样容易汁人上瘾，在戒毒治疗中被用作这些毒品的替代品。
练习:
1． According to the first two paragraphs，the author thinks that
A strong measures have been taken by the government to prevent global warming．
B to reduce carbon emissions is all impossible mission．
C despite the difficulty，scientists have some options to prevent global warming．
D actions suggested by scientists will never be realized．
2． Scientists resist talking about their options because they don't want people to
A know what they are doing．
B feel their efforts are useless．
C think the problem has been solved．
D see the real problem．
3． What does Stephen Schneider say about a heroin addict and methadone?
A Methadone is an effective way to treat a hard heroin addict．
B Methadone is not a correct way to treat a heroin addict．
C Hospitalization together with methadone can work effectively with a heroin addict．
D Methadone and heroin are equally effective in treating a heroin addict．
4．What is Stephen Schneider’s idea of preventing global warming?
A To ask governments to take stronger measures;
B To increase the sunlight reaching the Earth．
C To apply sunscreen to the Earth．
D To decrease greenhouse gases．
5．What is NOT true of the effectiveness of “sunscreen”，according to the last paragraph?
A It deflects sunlight reaching the Earth to counteract the warming．
B It blocks the incident energy in the sun’s rays．
C It is a controversial method．
D It decreases greenhouse gases in the atmosphere．
答案与题解：
1． C 短文第一段讲了防止地球变暖是一项艰巨的任务，第二段说，尽管如此，科学家还是有一些办法，所以C是正确选择。A是错误选择，因为作者认为政府和一些利益集团阻碍了科学家所倡导的行动的实施；B不是作者的观点；D也不是正确选择，因为第一段的最后一句“might not be implemented soon enough”并不表明永远不能实现。
2． C 文章的第二段说，即使最糟糕的情况发生，科学家还是有几招的。但他们不希望讨论他们的招数，因为恐怕人们不再有危机感而削弱彻底解决问题的努力。所以C是正确选择。
3． A 文章的第二段中，Stephen Schneider教授将自己解决地球变暖问题的办法比作美沙酮，因为在瘾君子拒绝正常住院治疗时，服用美沙酮是一种缓解海洛因毒瘾的有效方法。所以，A是正确的选择。
4． C 文章最后一段的第一个句子提供的答案。
5． D 短文最后一段描述了“sunscreen”如何解决地球变暖问题。尽管有争议，但是研究证明，“太阳屏”能反射和阻碍阳光，起到抵消由温室效应引起的地球升温。最后一段的第三和第四句是理解这个问题的关键。D不是文章所表达的内容，所以是正确答案。
第十八篇 Thirst for Oil
Werldwide every day，we devour the energyequivalent of about 200 million barrels of Oil．MoHt of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun．In fact enough energy from the Sun hits the planet’s surface each minute to cover our needs for an entire year，we just need to find an efficient way to use it．So far the energy in oil has been cheaper and easier to get at．But as supplies dwindle，this will change，and we will need to cure our addiction to oil．
Burning wood satisfied most energy needs until the steam-driven industrial revolution，when energy-dense coal became the fuel of choice．Coal is still used，mostly in power stations，to cover orle quarter of our energy needs，but its use has been declining since wc Staned
pumping up oil．Coal is the least efficient，unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel，but could make a comeback，as supplies are still plentiful；its reserves are five times larger than oil’s．
Today petroleum，a mineral oil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to produce petrol，diesel oil and various other chemical substances，provides around 40% of the world’s energy needs，mostly fuelling automobiles．The US consumes a quarter of all oil，and generates a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions．The majority of oil Comes from the Middle East，which has half of known reserves．But other significant sources include Russia，North America，Norway，Venezuela and the North Sea．Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge1 could be a major new US source，to reduce reliance on foreign imports．
Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years，though opinions and estimates vary．We could fast reach an energy crisis in the next few decades，when demand exceeds supply． As conventional reserves become more difficuh to access．others such as oil shales and tar sands may be used instead．Petrol could also be obtained from coal．Since we started using fossil fuels，we have released 400 billion tonnes2 of carbon，and burning the entire reserves could eventually raise world temperatures by 13℃．Among other horrors，this would result in the destruction of all rainforests and tile inching of all Arctic ice．
词汇：
devour/di5vauE (r)/v．吞没，耗尽 dwindle/5dwindl/v．减少
dense/dens/adj．密集的 diesel oil 柴油
pump/pQmp/v．用泵抽吸 accessible/Ek5sesEbl/adj．可使用的，
可得到的
petrolcum/5petrEl/n．石油，原油 rainforest n．(热带)雨林
reliance/ri5laiEns/n．依赖，依靠 tar sand 沥青砂
oil shale 油页岩 destruction/dis5trQkFEn/n．破坏，毁灭注释：
1．Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge：美国阿拉斯加北极国家野生动物保护区。2001年，美国众议院通过了一项基于布什提出的在那里进行石油开采的议案。该议案遭到环境保护主义组织的反对。因此，目前在该区禁止开采石油。
2． tonnes：公吨(=1，000公斤)。不同于ton。 ton：在美国等于二千磅(=0．907公吨)，所以称作short ton：短吨。
练习：
1．“．．．we will need to cure our addiction to oil．” Why does the author say so?
A Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun．
B Oil supply is increasing all the time．
C Demand for oil is increasing all the time．
D Oil supply is decreasing．
2． Which of lhe following statements is NOT meant by the author，according to the second paragraph?
A Wood wets the fuel of choice before coal．
B The use of coal is declining．
C Coal is the most environmentally unfriendly fuel next to oil．
D Coal reserves are plentiful and will be likely to become the major fuel of
choice．
3． Which country is the biggest consumer of petroleum?
A The United States
B Russia．
C Norway．
D Venezuela．
4．What do experts say about the earth’s fuel reserves?
A The earth’s fuel reserves will be accessible for the next 50 years．
B There will soon be an energy crisis．
C Conventional reserves will soon become inaccessible．
D Fuel demand will decline．
5． What is NOT the result of consuming fossil fuels according to the last paragraph?
A Rainforests will be destroyed．
B Arctic ice will be melted．
C The earth’s temperature will be raised．
D The sea level will go up．
答案与题解：
1． D 答案在第一段最后一句中。这里的xupplies指oil supplies。
2． C 短文的第二段告诉我们，木材曾经是主要燃料来源，然后被煤所替代；白人们开始采油后，对煤的需求下降了，但因为煤的储量远大于石油，它可能又会成为主要燃料，尽管它对环境最具破坏力。所以A、B、D均是作者的意思，而C不是。ncxt to oil除石油以外。
3． A 文章的第三段说，美国消耗全世界四分之一的石油。
4． B 答案在第五段第二句中。该段第一句说，地球上的燃料储量将在50年内耗尽，所以A不是正确选择；第三句的意思是，常规燃料的获取将变得困难，而不是不可获得，所以C也不是正确选择；D明显不是作者的意思。
5． D 选项A、B、I：都是最后一段中所表达的意思，所以D是正确选择。
第十九篇 Prolonging Human Life
Prolonging human life has increased the size of the human population. Many people alive today would have died of childhood diseases if they had been born 100 years ago. Because more people live longer, there are more people around at any given time. In fact, it is a decrease in death rates, not an increase in birthrates, that has led to the population explosion.
ProlonginQAg human life has also increased the dependency load. In all societies, people who are disabled or too young or too old to work are dependent on the rest of society to provide for them. In hunting and gathering cultures, old people who could not keep up might be left behind to die. In times of famine, infants might be allowed to die because they could not survive if their parents starved, whereas if the parents survived they could have another child. In most contemporary societies, people feel a moral obligation to keep people alive whether they can work or not. We have a great many people today who live past the age at which they want to work or are able to work; we also have rules which require people to retire at a certain age. Unless these people were able to save money for their retirement, somebody else must support them. In the United States many retired people live on social security checks which are so little that they must live in near poverty. Older people have more illness than young or middle-aged people; unless they have wealth or private or government insurance, they must often “go on welfare” if they have a serious illness.
When older people become senile or too weak and ill to care for themselves, they create grave problems for their families. In the past and in some traditional cultures, they would be cared for at home until they died. Today, with most members of a household working or in school, there is often no one at home who can care for a sick or weak person. To meet this need, a great many nursing homes and convalescent hospitals have been built. These are often profit-making organizations, although some are sponsored by religious and other nonprofit groups. While a few of these institutions are good, most of them are simply “dumping grounds” for the dying in which “care” is given by poorly paid, overworked, and underskilled personnel..
练习： 1. The writer believes that the population explosion results from
A an increase in birthrates.
B the industrial development.
C a decrease in death rates.
D cultural advances.
2. It can be inferred from the passage that in hunting and gathering cultures
A it was a moral responsibility to keep old-aged people alive.
B infants could be left dead in times of starvation.
C parents had to impart the cultural wisdom of the tribe to their children.
D death was considered to be freedom from hardships.
3. According to the passage, which of the following statements about retired people in the United States is true?
A Many of them have a very hard life.
B They cannot live a decent life without enough bank savings.
C They rely mainly on their children for financial support.
D Most of them live with their children and therefore are well looked after.
4. In Paragraph 3, the phrase “this need” refers to
A the need to prolong the lives of old people.
B the need to enrich the life of the retired people.
C the need to build profit-making nursing homes.
D the need to take care of sick and weak people.
5. Which of the following best describes the writer’s attitude toward most of the nursing homes, and convalescent hospitals?
A Sympathetic.
B Unfriendly.
C Optimistic.
D Critical.
标准答案： C,B,A,D,D
第二十篇Explorer （探险者、探测器）of the Extreme Deep
1. Oceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet. Yet, just a small fraction（一部分）o f the underwater world has been explored. Now, Scientists at the Woods Hole1 Oceanographic
Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle that will carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters (21,320 feet). The new machine, known as a manned submersible（潜艇；潜水器）or hu man-operated vehicle (HOV), will replace another one named Alvin which has an amazing record of discovery, playing a key role in various important and famous undersea expeditions. Alvin has been operating for 40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters (14,784 feet). It’s about time for an up grade, WHOI researchers say.
2. Alvin was launched in 1964. Since then, Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year, says Daniel Fornari, a marine geologist（地质学家）and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI. During its lifetime, Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more than 3,000 dives（潜水；跳水）.
3. A newer, better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more surprises about a world that is still full of mysteries, Fornari says. It might also make the job of exploration a little easier. “We take so much for granted on land,” Fornari says. “We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things are. We can see colors, special arrangements.”
4.. Size-wise, the new HOV will be similar to Alvin. It’ll be about 37 feet long. The setting area inside will be a small sphere, abou t 8 feet wide, like Alvin, it’ll carry a pilot and two passengers. It will be just as maneuverable（机动的，可调动的）. In most other ways, it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view, for one thing. Alvin has only three windows, the new vehicle will have five, with more overlap（重叠）so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thing.
5. Alvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second, and its maxi mu m speed is 2 knots (about 2.3 miles per hour), while the new vehicle will be able to ascend （上升）and descend at 44 meters per second. It’ll reach speeds of 3 knots, or 3.5 miles per hour.
Alvin: 世界上第一个深海潜水器，它最有名的深海探测包括1986年对泰坦尼克号残骸的测量工作
练习：
1．What is Alvin?
A) A research institute. B) A transporting vehicle.
C) A submersible. D) A scientist.
2．Which of the following statements is NOT a fact about Alvin?
A) It can carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters.
B) It has played a key role in various important undersea expeditions
C) It was launched in the sixties of the twentieth century.
D) It has been used for more than 40 years.
3. “… a world that is still full of mysteries” refers to
A) The earth. B) Out space.
C) The ocean. D) Mars.考试大(www．Examda。com)
4. In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin similar?
A) Size. B) Speed. C) Capacity. D) Shape.
5. In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin different?
A) Offering better views. B) Speed.
C) Size. D) Both A and B.
第二十一篇 Plant Gas（替换2007年用书理工类阅读理解第二十一篇：The Gene Industry）
Scientists have been studying natural sources of methane for decades but hadn’t regarded plants as a producer, notes Frank Keppler, a geochemist at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heldelberg, Germany1. Now Keppler and his colleagues find that plants, from grasses to trees, may also be sources of the greenhouse gas. This is really surprising, because most scientists assumed that methane production requires an oxygen-free environment.
Previously, researchers had thought that it was impossible for plants to make significant amounts of the gas. They had assumed that microbes2 need to be in environments without oxygen to produce methane. Methane is a greenhouse gas, like carbon dioxide. Gases such as methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere and contribute to global warming.
In its experiments, Keppler’s team used sealed chambers that contained the same concentration of oxygen that Earth’s atmosphere has. They measured the amounts of methane that were released by both living plants and dried plant material, such as fallen leaves.
With the dried plants, the researchers took measurement at temperatures ranging from 30 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees C. At 30 degrees C, they found, a gram of dried plant material released up to 3 nanograms of methane per hour. (One nanogram is a billionth of a gram.) With every 10-degree rise in temperature, the amount of methane released each hour roughly doubled. Living plants growing at their normal temperatures released as much as 370 nanograms of methane per gram of plant tissue per hour. Methane emissions tripled when living and dead plant was exposed to sunlight.
Because there was plenty of oxygen available, it’s unlikely that the types of bacteria that normally make methane were involved. Experiments on plants that were grown in water rather than soil also resulted in methane emissions. That’s another strong sign that the gas came from the plants and not soil microbes.
The new finding is an “interesting observation,” says Jennifer Y. King, a biogeochemist at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul3. Because some types of soil microbes consume methane, they may prevent plant-produced methane from reaching the atmosphere. Field tests will be needed to assess the plant’s influence, she notes. (367 words)
练习：
1.What was scientists’ understanding of methane?
A) It was produced from plants.
B) It was not a greenhouse gas.
C) It was produced in oxygen-free environments.
D) It traps more heat than any other greenhouse gas.
2.To test whether plants are a source of methane, the scientists created
A) a oxygen-free environment.
B) an environment with the same concentration of oxygen as the Earth has.
C) a carbon dioxide-free environment.
D) an environment filled with the greenhouse gas
3Which statement is true of the methane emissions of plants in the experiment?
A) The lower the temperature, the higher the amount of methane emissions.
B) Living plants release less methane than dried plants at the same temperature.
C) When exposed to sunlight, plants stop releasing methane.
D) The higher the temperature, the greater the amount of methane emissions.
4.What of the following about methane is Not mentioned in the passage ?
A) Plants growing in soil release methane.
B) Plants growing in water release methane.
C) Soil microbes consume methane.
D) Microbes in plants produce methane.
5.
What is the beneficial point of some microbes consuming plant-produced methane?
A) Methane becomes less poisonous.
B) methane is turned into a fertilizer.
C) Less methane reaches the atmosphere.
D) Air becomes cleaner.
答案与题解：
1.C
短文的第一和第二段都讲到，科学家过去曾经认为，沼气必须在无氧的环境中才能产生。注意，作者用的是过去式：Most scientists assumed that …， They had assumed that…。
2.B
第三段第一句说，科学家使用密封的房间来做实验，房间里氧气的浓度与地球大气中的氧气浓度相仿。所以 B 句符合原文的意思，其它三个选择则不符合原文内容。
3.D
根据第四和第五段的内容，只有 D 是正确的说法。温度越高沼气的释放量越高，有生命的植物释放的沼气远大于干植物的释放量，在阳光下，它们的沼气释放量是正常情况的三倍。
4.D
最后两段告诉我们，无论在土壤中还是在水中生长的植物都能释放沼气，土壤中的微生物消耗沼气，使沼气不至于进入空气。所以A、B、
C 的内容均符合短文最后两段中作者的意思。
D 的内容短文中没有提到。
5.C最后一段的第二句可以找到本题的答案。
第二十二篇 Snowflakes
You’ve probably heard that no two snowflakes are alike. Of course, nobody has ever confirmed that statement by examining every one of the estimated one septillion snowflakes that drift to Earth each year. still, Kenneth Libbrecht, a professor at the California Institute of Technology, is confident that the statement is true.
Snowflakes aren’t flaky, says Libbrecht. At their basic level, they’re crystalline. The lattice of every snowflake is six-sided in shape. The simplest snow crystals are six-sided flat plates and six-sided columns. Such crystals are common in places where the air is extremely cold and dry. Snow crystals acquire their special beauty when their simple six-sided symmetry blossoms. Under the right conditions, each of the six corners of a crystal sprouts what is called an arm. In a matter of minutes, the arms can become highly ornate and give the crystal a star like appearance.
Several factors in the environment affect the shape and growth rate of a snow crystal. One factor is humidity. Crystals grow faster and in more intricate shape as humidity increases. A second factor is air temperature. A snowflake is born when several molecules of water vapor in a could land on a speck of dust and freeze to form a simple crystal. As the young crystal bops around in the cloud, it passes through air pockets of varying temperatures. If the crystal passes through a pocket of air that is, says,—15 degrees Celsius, it will grow quickly and sprout six arms, says Libbrecht. If the crystal is then tossed into a warmer pocket, one about-10℃, the arms’ tips will stop growing quickly and form six-side plates. If the crystal then drifts into an even warmer pocket of about -℃, its top and bottom will grow more quickly than its sides and become more column like in shape.
In the course of its life span, a snow-crystal might flutter through many warmer and colder pockets, acquiring a complicated and unique growth history. Such a history will give rise to a snowflake that is unlike any other. Each arm on the snowflake will look exactly like every other one, but the crystal itself will be one of a kind.
Using his cooling tanks, Libbrecht has learned how to create snow crystals of different shapes—plates, colhuns, needles etc. Libbrecht has even refined his techniques so that he can make crystals that look highly similar to one another. Still, he lacks the control to manufacture identical twin snowflakes. A slight difference in humidity and temperature can upset the growth profile of a crystal.
1. What does Professor Libbrecht believe to be true?
A. No two snowflakes are exactly the same in shape.
B. Somebody has examined all the snowflakes that on Earth.
C. The statement that no two snowflakes are alike is confirmed.
D. None of the above.
2. What do the simplest snow crystals look like?
A. They have six columns.
B. They are flaky.
C. They are cubic in shape.
D. They are six-sided.
3. What are the factors that affect the shape and growth rate of a snow crystal?
A. Humidity and temperature.
B. Water and falling speed.
C. Air and altitude.
D. Both B and C.
4. It can be felt from the description in the 2nd paragraph that the author
A. admires the beauty of the snowflakes.
B. dislikes the changing growth history of the snowflakes.
C. has a particular feeling for those flower-like crystals.
D. likes to compare snowflakes to the stars in the sky.
5. Libbrecht is not able to
A. create snow crystals of different shapes.
B. make crystals that look similar to one another.
C. create snowflakes that are exactly alike.
D. refine his techniques.
第二十三篇 Powering a City? It's a Breeze.
The graceful wooden windmills that have broken up the flat Dutch landscape for centuries—a national symbol like wooden shoes and tulips—yielded long ago to ungainly metal-pole turbines.
Now, windmills are breaking into a new frontier. Though still in its teething stages, the “urban turbine” is a high-tech windmill designed to generate energy from the rooftops of busy citles. Lighter, quieter, and often more efficient than rural counterparts, they take advantage of the extreme turbulence and rapid shifts in direction that characterize urban wind patterns.
Prototypes have been successfully tested in several Dutch cities, and the city government in the Hague has recently agreed to begin a large-scale deployment in 2003. Current models cost US$8,000 to US$12,000 and can generate between 3,000 and 7,000 kilowatt hours of electricity per year. a typical Dutch household uses 3,500 kilowatt hours per year, while in the United States, this figure jumps to around 10,000 kilowatt hours.
But so far, they are being designed more for public or commercial buildings than for private homes. The smallest of the current models weigh roughly 200 kilograms and can be installed on a roof in a few hours without using a crane.
Germany, Finland and Denmark have also been experimenting with the technology, but the ever-practical Dutch are natural pioneers in urban wind power mainly because of the lack of space. The Netherlands, with 16 million people crowded into a country twice the size of Slovenia, is the most densely populated in Europe.
Problems remain, however, for example, public safety concerns, and so strict standards should be applied to any potential manufacturers. Vibrations are the main problem in skyscraper-high turbine. People don’t know what it would be like to work there, in an office next to one of the big turbines. It might be too hectic.
Meanwhile, projects are under way to use minimills to generate power for lifeboats, streetlights, and portable generators. “I think the thing about wind power is that you can use it in a whole range of situations,” said Corin Millais, of the European Wind Energy Association. “It’s a very local technology, and you can use it right in you backyard. I don’t think anybody wants a nuclear power plant in their backyard.”
1. What are the symbols of Netherlands according to the first paragraph?
A. The flat landscape.
B. Wooden shoes and wooden windmills.
C. Metal-pole turbines.
D. Both A and B.
2. Which statement is best describes the urban turbine mentioned in the second paragraph?
A. It is a windmill put on rooftops of buildings for energy generation.
B. It is a high-tech machine designed to generate energy for urban people.
C. It is light and quiet and therefore more efficient.
D. It is driven by urban wind.
3. The smallest models of an urban turb[FS:PAGE]ine
A. is designed for private homes.
Powering a City?It's a Breeze
1．题目：What are the symbols of Netherlands according to the first paragraph?
答案：B) Wooden shoes and wooden windmills. 2．题目：Which statement is best describes the urban turbine mentioned in the second paragraph?
答案：B) It is a high-tech machine designed to generate energy for urban people.
3．题目：The smallest models of an urban turbine
答案：C) can be carried up to the rooftop without a crane.
4. 题目：Netherlands leads in the urban turbine technology because
答案：A) Netherlands is a small country with a large population.
5．题目：According to the last paragraph, what are the advantages of wind power technology?
答案：A) It can be used for different purposes and installed in one's back yard.
速记口诀：
风力发电？一件轻而易举的事
1．木鞋风车表荷兰
2．高科技涡轮机来造能
3．不用起重机上屋顶
4．国小人多来领先
5．技术优点有两处
第二十四篇 Underground Coal Fires -- a Looming Catastrophe
Coal burning deep underground in China, India and Indonesia is threatening the environment and human life, scientists have warned. These large-scale underground blazes cause the ground temperature to heat up and kill surroundings vegetation, produce greenhouse gases and can even ignite forest fires, a panel of scientists told the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Denver. The resulting release of poisonous elements like arsenic and mercury can also pollute local water sources and soils, they warned.
“Coal fires are a global catastrophe,” said Associate Professor Glenn Stracher of East Georgia College in Swainsboro, USA. But surprisingly few people know about them.
Coal can heat up on its own, and eventually catch fire and burn, if there is a continuous oxygen supply. The heat produced is not caused to disappear and under the right combinations of sunlight and oxygen, can trigger spontaneous catching fire
and burning. This can occur underground, in coal stockpiles, abandoned mines or even as coal is transported. Such fires in China consume up to 200 million tones of coal per year, delegates were told. In comparison, the U.S. economy consumes about one billion tons of coal annually, said Stracher, whose analysis of the likely impact of coal fires has been accepted for publication in the International Journal of coal ecology, once underway, coal fires can burn for decades, even centuries. In the process, they release large volumes of greenhouse gases; poisonous gases fumes and black particles in to the atmosphere. The members of the panel discussed the impact these fires may be having on global and regional climate change, and agreed that the underground nature of the fires makes them difficult to protect. One of the members of the panel, Assistant Professor Paul Van Dijk of the International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation in the Netherlands, has been working with the Chinese government to detect and monitor fires in the northern regions of the country.
Ultimately, the remote sensing and other techniques should allow scientists to estimate how much carbon dioxide theses fires are emitting. One suggested method of containing the fires was presented by Cary Colaozzi, of the engineering firm Goodson, which has developed a heat-resistant grout (a thin mortar used to fill cracks and crevices,) which is designed to be pumped into the coal fire to cut off the oxygen supply.
1。 According to the first paragraph, one of the warnings given by the scientists is that
A. underground fires loom large in the forests.
B. coal burning deep underground is found in China
C. poisonous elements released by the underground fires can pollute water sources.
D. arsenic and mercury are the most poisonous elements to water sources
2 According to the third paragraph, what will happen when the underground heat does not disappear?
A. coal heats up on its own and catches fire and burns
B. the underground oxygen will be used up
C. poisonous fumes and greenhouse gases will be accumulated underground
D. there will be an increases of abandoned mines
3 What did Stracher analyze in his article published in the International Journal of Coal Ecology?
A. annual consumption of coal in U.S.
B. annual consumption of coal in China
C. how long coal fires has lasted in the northern region of China
D. coal fires can have an impact on the environment
4 Which of the following statements about Paul Van Dijk is Not true?
A. he was one of the scientists who have warned against the threats of underground fires
B. he has detected and monitored underground fires in Netherlands
C. he has worked with the Chinese government on the underground fires issue.
D. He works for a research institute in Netherlands.
5 According to the fifth paragraph, what is the suggested method to control underground fires?
A. using remote sensing techniques
B. controlling the release of carbon dioxide
C. making the soil heat resistant
D. cutting off the oxygen supply
1．题目：According to the first paragraph, one of the warnings give by the scientists is that 答案：C）poisonous elements released by the underground fires can pollute water sources.
2．题目：According to the third paragraph, what will happen when the underground heat does not disappear?
答案：A）Coal heats up on its own and catches fire and burns.
3．题目：What did Stracher analyze in his article published in the International Journal of Coal Ecology?
答案：D）Coal fires can have an impact on the environment.
4．题目：Which of the following statements about Paul Van Dijk is NOT true?
答案：B）He has detected and monitored underground fires in Netherlands.
5．题目：According to the fifth paragraph, what is the suggested method to control underground fires?
答案：D）Cutting off the oxygen supply.
速记口诀：
地下煤着火引发即将来临的灾难
1．科学家发警告，地火毒素污染水
2．有事发生因地热，煤要发热火要燃
3．S同志写文章，煤火影响大环境
4．阿P同志不正确，监测地火在荷兰
5．控制地火有方法，切断氧气供应源
第二十五篇 Eat to Live
A meager diet may give you health and long 1ife，but it’s not much fun—and it might not even be necessary.We may be able to hang on to most of that youthful vigor even if we don，t start to diet until old age.
Stephen Spindler and his colleagues from the University of California at Riverside have found that some of an elderly mouse’s liver genes can be made to behave as they did when the mouse was young simply by limiting its food for four weeks.The genetic rejuvenation won，t reverse other damage caused by time for the mouse，but could help its 1iver metabolize drugs or get rid of toxins.
Spindler’s team fed three mice a normal diet for their whole lives，and fed another three on half-rations。Three more mice were switched from the normal diet to half-feed for a month when they were 34 months old——equivalent to about 70 human years.
The researchers checked the activity of 11，000 genes from the mouse livers.and found that 46 changed with age in the normally fed mice.The changes were associated with things like inflammation and free radical production--probably bad news