An early invention by Albert Einstein has been rebuilt by scientists at Oxford University. They are trying to develop an environmentally friendly refrigerator that runs without electricity.
We all know that modern fridges cause damage to the environment. They work by using a kind of man-made greenhouse gas called Freon (氟里昂), which is far more damaging than carbon dioxide.
Now Malcolm McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford, is leading a three-year project to develop appliances that can be used in places without electricity.
His team has completed a prototype (样机) of a fridge patented in 1930 by Einstein. It used only pressurized gases to keep things cold. The design was partly used in the first refrigerators, but the technology was dropped when more efficient compressors (压缩机) became popular in the 1950s. That meant a switch to using Freon.
Einstein's idea uses butane (丁烷) and water and takes advantage of the fact that liquids boil at lower temperatures, when the air pressure around them is lower.
"If you go to the top of Mount Qomolangma, water boils at a much lower temperature than it does when you're at sea level and that's because the pressure is much lower up there," said McCulloch.At one side is the evaporator (蒸发器), a bottle that contains liquid butane. "If you introduce a new vapor above the butane, the liquid boiling temperature decreases and, as it boils off, it takes energy from the surroundings to do so," says McCulloch. "That's what makes it cold."
The gas fridges based on Einstein's design were replaced by Freon-compressor fridges partly because Einstein's design was not very efficient. But McCulloch thinks that by changing the design and replacing the types of gases used it will be possible to quadruple (翻两番) the efficiency.
However, McCulloch's fridge is still in its early stages. "It's very much a prototype," he said. "Give us another month and we'll have it working."． According to the passage, an early invention by Albert Einstein _______.
| A．has been rediscovered because it costs much less and works more efficiently |
| B．is being redesigned because it could be used in places without electricity |
| C．has just been found to be energy-saving and environmentally friendly |
| D．will be fully made use of and become the fridge of the future |
．Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Freon was used in fridges long before the 1950s. |
| B．Freon is what makes current fridges big polluters. |
| C．McCulloch thinks he could improve Einstein's design by using other types of vapors. |
| D．The fridge Malcolm McCulloch and his team designed will be put into production soon. |
．We can learn from the text that the prototype completed _______.
| A．changed the air pressure around it |
| B．was tested on the top of Mount Everest |
| C．increased the liquid boiling temperature |
| D．used only pressurized gases to keep things cold |
．McCulloch's words in Paragraph 6 _____.
| A．serve as an explanation for the principle behind Einstein's fridge |
| B．give you the reason why Einstein's fridge was not efficient |
| C．tell you how to take advantage of low air pressure |
| D．show you how Einstein's fridge works |
While students in Hainan are quite used to clear skies, Beijing teenagers are not so lucky. As another warm winter approaches, the city can expect the normal clouds of smoke caused by air pollution.
But things could start to get better soon. The government is co-operating with a US-based environmental protection agency to update existing buses and trucks with clean fuel technology. The new technology could reduce air pollutants in existing diesel vehicles (柴油机) by 40 per cent. The programme will begin by testing buses in Beijing to see if the technology can be applied to them.
“We encourage the development of public transportation. But at the same time we need to reduce pollution from them,” said an official.
Efforts are being made to improve the capital’s environment with tighter controls on emissions (排放). Some heavily polluting factories and construction sites, such as those owned by the steel giant Shougang Group, have been asked to cut production in November and December or be closed.
Beijing was the third polluted city in the world at the end of last century, according to the UN. But thanks to recent measures, the capital has made some progress. Last year 224 clear days were rated as having good air quality. In 1998 the air quality index (指数) gave just 100 days as good.
“I am glad to see an improvement,” said a Senior 1 boy living in the northwest of Beijing. “Compared to other places, the air quality of Beijing is still worrying though. I hate the pollution. Once I was riding my bike in the morning when I almost had a traffic accident because I couldn’t see a car only metres away from me in frog.”
In early October, the skies were covered by such a thick fog that a display show by the visiting French air force was called off.
Rapid development, industry, traffic fumes (烟) and sandstorms from the desert all contribute to the city’s bad air.The passage is mainly about ________?
| A．a programme to improve Beijing’s air quality |
| B．progress made in Beijing’s air quality |
| C．Beijing’s air pollution |
| D．the difference between Hainan and Beijing |
Which of the following is not the measure taken or to be taken to improve Beijing’s air?
| A．Clean fuel technology will be used in public transportation. |
| B．Some factories have been asked to cut production. |
| C．Some construction sites have been told to be closed. |
| D．A display show of airplanes has been called off. |
We can infer from the passage that, with the aim of being an ecological (生态的) city by the 2008 Olympics, ________.
| A．far more still needs to be done |
| B．nothing else needs to be done |
| C．all traffic has to be closed |
| D．the development of the city has to be slowed down |
Which is not correct according to the passage?
| A．Beijing’s air quality is getting worse and worse. |
| B．Development, industry, traffic fumes and sandstorms are all the causes of bad air quality. |
| C．Clouds of smoke in the sky is the common feature in the winter of Beijing. |
| D．The government is making every effort to stop air pollution. |
How men first learned to invent words is unknown, in other words, the origin of language is a mystery. All we really know is that men, unlike animals, somehow invented certain sounds to express thoughts and feelings, actions and things, so that they could communicate with each other; and that later they agreed upon certain signs, called letters, which could be combined to represent those sounds and which could be written down. Those sounds, whether spoken, or written in letters, we call words.
The power of words, then, lies in their association—the thing they bring up before our minds. Words become filled with meaning for us by experience; and the longer we live, the more certain words recall to us the glad and the sad events of our past; and the more we read and learn, the more the number of words that mean something to us increase.
Great writers are those who not only have great thoughts but also express these thoughts in words which appeal powerfully to our minds and emotions. This charming and telling use of words is what we call literary style. Above all, the real poet is a master of words. He can convey his meaning in words which sing like music, and which by their position and association can move men to tears. We should, therefore, learn to choose our words carefully and use them accurately, or they make our speech silly and vulgar. What is the origin of language?
| A．It is unknown. |
| B．It is a matter that is unclear. |
| C．It is a question difficult to answer. |
| D．It is a problem not yet solved. |
Which of the following about a real poet is NOT true?
| A．He is less than a master of words. |
| B．His style is always charming. |
| C．His poem can move men to tears. |
| D．He can express his ideas in words that sing like music. |
Where does the real power of the words come from?
| A．From the words themselves. |
| B．From their characteristics. |
| C．From their peculiarity. |
| D．From their association. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．The importance of choosing words. |
| B．Where the real power of words come from. |
| C．What great writers are like. |
| D．We should learn to choose words carefully. |
George Washington Carver showed that plant life was more than just food for animals and humans. Carver’s first step was to analyze plant parts to find out what they were made of. He then combined these simpler isolated substances with other substances to create new products.
The branch of chemistry that studies and finds ways to use raw materials from farm products to make industrial products is called chemurgy. Carver was one of the first and greatest chemurgists of all time. Today the science of chemurgy is better known as the science of synthetics(合成纤维织物). Each day people depend on and use synthetics made from raw materials. All his life Carver battled against the disposal of waste materials, and warned of the growing need to develop substitutes(代用品) for the natural substances being used up by humans.
Carver never cared about getting credit for the new products he created. He never tried to patent(申请专利) his discoveries or get wealthy from them. He turned down many offers to leave Tuskegee Institute to become a scientist in private industry. Thomas Edison, inventor of the electric light, offered him a laboratory in Detroit to carry out food research. When the United States government made him a collaborator in the Mycology and Plant Disease Survey of the Department of Agriculture, he accepted the position with the understanding that he wouldn’t leave Tuskegee. An authority on plant disease—especially of the fungus(真菌) variety—Carver sent hundreds of specimens(标本) to the United States Department of Agriculture. At the peak of his career, Carver’s fame and influence were known on every continent. What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．It mainly tells us about Gorge Washington Carver, a great chemurgist. |
| B．It mainly tells us about chemurgy. |
| C．It mainly tells us about the research made in Tuskegee. |
| D．It mainly tells us about the development of making synthetics. |
The underlined word “disposal” in the second paragraph mean “________”.
| A．control | B．throwing away |
| C．management | D．keeping |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Make a study of plant parts. |
| B．Make new products out of farm products. |
| C．Carver helped the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| D．Make a study on animal disease. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Carver never patented what he discovered. |
| B．Carver refused many offers to work in private companies. |
| C．Carver made little money out of his discoveries. |
| D．Carver helped Edison invent electric light. |
WASHINGTON, Sept. 23—The House of Representatives, which prides itself on being “the People’s House” has been turning into a rich man’s club.
The representatives newly elected in 1984 were almost four times as wealthy as the first term lawmakers elected only six years before, according to a new study on the members’ financial reports.
Behind this remarkable swing, the study says, are two main factors: a court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns, and the enormous growth in the cost of pursuing a seat in congress. As a result, it is increasingly difficult for candidates of modest means, particularly women to amount successful challenge to entrenched office holders.
One solution, the authors contend, is a system of public financing for campaigns, but congress seems in no mood to change the political rules any time soon.
“The lower chamber is going upper class,” said Mark Green, the president of The Democracy Project, a public policy institute based in New York. “But this evolution from a House of Representatives to a House of Lords denies the diversity of our democracy. It establishes a de facto property qualification for office that increasingly says: low and middle income need not apply.
The Democracy Project produced the study in cooperation with the United States Public Interest Research Group, a similar institute situated in Washington. But their research was not entirely theoretical. In 1980 Mr Green was the unsuccessful Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 15th District, in Manhattan. The winner was Bill Green, one of the wealthiest members of CongresWhat can we know from the passage?
| A．The House of Representatives is poor men’s club. |
| B．The House of Representatives was made up of people with low and middle income. |
| C．The House of Representatives was rich men’s club. |
| D．The House of Representatives is made up of people with low and middle income. |
What does “this remarkable swing” in the second paragraph refer to?
| A．The House of Representatives prides itself on being “the people’s House”. |
| B．The new study based on the members’ financial reports. |
| C．A court decision that outlawed limits on what candidates could give to their own campaigns. |
| D．The representatives elected now are much wealthier than those elected a few years ago. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the study?
| A．Any honest man can become a representative of the House. |
| B．Women are more difficult than men to be an entrenched office holder. |
| C．Limits on what a candidate could give to his campaign are outlawed. |
| D．One must spend much money getting a seat in the Congress. |
What is the United States Public Interest Research Group like?
| A．The House of Representatives. |
| B．A public policy institute based in New York. |
| C．A public policy institute based in Washington. |
| D．The House of lords. |
To Chinese immigrants, in the mid-1800s, California was “The Land of the Golden Mountain.” In their homeland they had heard the words, “There’s gold in California.” They sailed 7,000miles to join the gold rush and strike it rich. Between 1849 and 1882, more than 30,000 Chinese came to California. Most were men. They had been farmers in China. They came here to be miners and laborers. They ended up doing many other jobs, too.
Like many other immigrants, they did not plan to stay in America. They came because of their ties to their homeland and their families. They planned to return to China with their fortunes and help their families.
Only a few Chinese gold miners struck it rich. Most picked over the areas that had been mined already. But still, white miners resented the Chinese. Slowly, they drove the “yellow peril” from the mining camps.
By the end of the 1850s, many Chinese returned home. Those who stayed found other jobs.
Few women had come west in the gold rush. The Chinese saw a good business opportunity. They began doing the jobs women would have done. Many became house servants. Many more opened laundries.
The Chinese opened restaurants. Chop suey and show mein are popular Chinese-American dishes. The Chinese probably created these dishes to serve to the white miners.
Other Chinese became fishermen, farmers, and even cigar makers. Why did Chinese go to America in the mid-1800s?
| A．Because they could find good jobs there. |
| B．Because they had found gold there. |
| C．Because they could open laundries and restaurants there. |
| D．Because they heard there was gold there. |
The underlined word “resented” mean “________”.
| A．liked | B．helped | C．hated | D．served |
of the following was NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．Some Chinese became drivers. |
| B．Many Chinese opened shops to help wash clothes. |
| C．Many Chinese picked gold around the old mines. |
| D．Many Chinese returned to China by the end of the 1850s. |
should be the title of the passage?
| A．Early Chinese immigrants in America |
| B．Dream to strike it rich |
| C．The difference between men and women |
| D．Gold miners in America |