What will power your house in the future? Nuclear, wind, or solar power? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be leaves –but artificial ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用). Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip (硅片) with catalysts (催化剂). Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell (电池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Docera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
An artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, by contrast, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prorotype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation (转换) inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn’t need pure water. This is important for some countries that don’t have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.Which of the following order correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a. artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b. the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c. the artificial leaves are put in water
d. the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity
| A．cbad | B．cabd | C．bcad | D．cadb |
Which of the following statements about new artificial leaves is TRUE according to the article?
| A．They are inexpensive but unstable. |
| B．They are as efficient at carrying out photosynthesis as natural leaves. |
| C．They can work only in pure water. |
| D．They need several catalysts to help them work efficiently. |
The aim of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaves is to .
| A．build-up more power stations in the world |
| B．provide cheaper energy for developing countries |
| C．offer people in developing countries access to pure water |
| D．gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process |
What is the main point of the article?
| A．Introduction to the history of artificial leaves. |
| B．An invention copying photosynthesis. |
| C．Giving energy to the poor. |
| D．A mixture of water power and solar energy. |
Research has shown that music has an important effect on one’s body and psyche (心灵). In fact, there is a growing field of health care known as music therapy(治疗), which uses music to treat diseases. Even hospitals are beginning to use music therapy. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many powerful ways.
Research has shown that quick music can make a person feel more alert（警觉戒备）, while slow music can produce a calm, deep thinking state. Also, research has found that music can change brainwave activity levels. This can help the brain to change speeds more easily on its own as needed, which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.
Breathing and heart rates can also be influenced by music. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate. This is why music and music therapy can help reduce the damaging effects of long-term stress, greatly promoting (促进) not only relaxation, but health.
Music can also be used to bring about a more positive state of mind by helping to keep worries away. Music has also been found to bring many other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing the risk of strokes（中风）. It is no surprise that so many people are considering music as an important tool to help the body become or stay healthy.What can we infer about music therapy(治疗)?
| A．It is a type of music. |
| B．It is a research about music. |
| C．It is a kind of musical effect on diseases. |
| D．It is the use of music method to help treat diseases. |
According to the second paragraph, we can know that ________.
| A．music with different speeds has different effects |
| B．quick music is not good for one’s health |
| C．slow music can help one to think more calmly and slowly |
| D．music will have less benefit after one stops listening |
The reason why music can help deal with stress is that ________.
| A．it is used by many hospitals |
| B．it can help change brainwaves |
| C．it does good to breathing and heart rates |
| D．it can bring a more positive state of mind |
According to the passage, music can help deal with all the following EXCEPT ______.
| A．nervousness | B．mind illnesses |
| C．strokes | D．high blood pressure |
阅读短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题。
In college, Spring Break （春假）is usually associated with the beach, parties and sleepless nights, bringing about relaxation, free time and friends. Students who wish to spend their break doing something productive and rewarding, however, may choose to participate in the Alternative Break Program. It places college students in communities both at home and abroad.
The Program allows students to take part in various projects dealing with issues such as literacy （识字）, homelessness and the environment. It includes helping kids with their lessons, raising money for families in need and collecting data for environmental research.
The hope is that, by getting themselves involved in different environments, students will have the opportunity to learn about members of communities and broaden their view. In turn, they will incorporate (融合) their experiences and lessons learned into their own communities. In a word, the Program aims to encourage students to be active citizens and engage themselves in making a difference in society.
In the spring of 2006, about 36,000 students in the USA participated in the Alternative Break Program.
Samantha Giacobozzi, now director of the Program, has been on five alternative break trips herself, including trips to New Orleans, India and Dominican Republic. “I was a student who went on alternative break trips and had my life totally transformed by that experience,” she said. “Every year, we meet many students who have attended the Program. You can see changes in their life that are connected with their alternative break experiences.”
The Program began in 1991.Today, it has become increasingly popular with college students in the United States.Who may choose to participate in the Alternative Break Program?(within 10 words)
Wha is the aim of the Program?(within 15 words)
What is the meaning of the underlined word "transformed" in Paragraph 5?( 1 word)
What is Samantha's attitude toward the Program?(within 10 words)
If you take part in the Program, which project are you interested in? And why?(within 15 words)
Liverpool, my hometown, is a unique city. It is so unique that in 2004 it became a World Heritage Site.
I recently returned to my home city and my first stop was at a museum on the River Mersey. Blanketed in mist(薄雾), Victorian architecture rose from the banks of the river, responded to the sounds of sea-birds, and appeared unbelievably charming. When I headed toward the centre, I found myself surrounded by buildings that mirror the best palaces of Europe. It is not hard to imagine why, on first seeing the city, most visitors would be overpowered by the beauty of the noble buildings, which are solid signs of Liverpool’s history.
As if to stress its cultural role, Liverpool has more museums and galleries(美术馆) than most cities in Britain. At Walker Art Gallery, I was told that it has the best collections of Victorian paintings in the world, and is the home of modern art in the north of England. However, culture is more than galleries. Liverpool offers many music events. As Britain’s No.1 music city, it has the biggest city music festival in Europe, and its musicians are famous all over the world. Liverpool is also well-known for its football and other sports events. Every year, the Mersey River Festival attracts thousands of visitors, making the city a place of wonder.
As you would expect from such a city, there are restaurants serving food from around the world. When my trip was about to complete, I chose to rest my legs in Liverpool’s famous Philharmonic pub(酒馆). It is a monument to perfection, and a heritage attraction itself.
Being a World Heritage Site, my home city is certainly a place of “outstanding universal value”. It is a treasure house with plenty of secrets for the world to explore.Visitors who see the city for the first time would be deeply impressed by________
| A．its charming banks | B．its famous museums |
| C．its wonderful palaces | D．its attractive buildings |
The third paragraph is developed mainly by______
| A．providing different examples | B．following the order of space |
| C．making comparisons | D．analyzing causes |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The universal value of the world heritage in Liverpool |
| B．The exciting experience of the author in Liverpool |
| C．The special cultural atmosphere of Liverpool |
| D．The beautiful historic sites of Liverpool |
Four people in England back in 1953, stared at Photo 51,It wasn’t much—a picture showing a black X. But three of these people won the Nobel Prize for figuring out what the photo really showed –the shape of DNA The discovery brought fame and fortune to scientists James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maurice Wilkins. The fourth, the one who actually made the picture, was left out.
Her name was Rosalind Franklin.”She should have been up there,” says historian Mary Bowden.” If her photos hadn’t been there, the others couldn’t have come up with the structure.” One reason Franklin was missing was that she had died of cancer four years before the Nobel decision. But now scholars doubt that Franklin was not only robbed of her life by disease but robbed of credit by her competitors
At Cambridge University in the 1950s, Watson and Click tried to make models by cutting up shapes of DNA’s parts and then putting them together. In the meantime, at King’s College in London, Franklin and Wilkins shone X-rays at the molecule(分子). The rays produced patterns reflection the shape.
But Wilkins and Franklin’s relationship was a lot rockier than the celebrated teamwork of Watson and Crick, Wilkins thought Franklin was hired to be his assistant .But the college actually employed her to take over the DNA project.
What she did was produce X-ray pictures that told Watson and Crick that one of their early models was inside out. And she was not shy about saying so. That angered Watson, who attacked her in return, “Mere inspection suggested that she would not easily bend. Clearly she had to go or be put in her place.”
As Franklin’s competitors, Wilkins, Watson and Crick had much to gain by cutting her out of the little group of researchers, says historian Pnina Abir-Am. In 1962 at the Nobel Prize awarding ceremony, Wilkins thanked 13 colleagues by name before he mentioned Franklin, Watson wrote his book laughing at her. Crick wrote in 1974 that “Franklin was only two steps away from the solution.”
No, Franklin was the solution. “She contributed more than any other player to solving the structure of DNA . She must be considered a co-discoverer,” Abir-Am says. This was backed up by Aaron Klug, who worked with Franklin and later won a Nobel Prize himself. Once described as the“Dark Lady of DNA”, Franklin is finally coming into the light.What is the text mainly about?
A. The disagreements among DNA researchers.
B. The unfair treatment of Franklin.
C. The process of discovering DNA.
D. The race between two teams of scientists.Watson was angry with Franklin because she .
| A．took the lead in the competition | B．kept her results from him |
| C．proved some of his findings wrong | D．shared her data with other scientists |
Why is Franklin described as“Dark Lady of DNA”?
A. She developed pictures in dark labs.
B. She discovered the black X-the shape of DNA.
C. Her name was forgotten after her death.
D. Her contribution was unknown to the public.What is the writer’s attitude toward Wilkins, Watson and Crick?
| A．Disapproving. | B．Respectful. | C． Admiring. | D．Doubtful. |
Timetable
Which of the following is true of the membership card?
| A．Its number is l0865 305305. |
| B．It belongs to Mr. E. M. Driscoll. |
| C．It is valid through the year of 2010. |
| D．It gets the owner a discount when used. |
If one wants to attend a business lunch in London at l2：00 ,the latest train that he should take at Oxford leaves at .
| A．11：45 | B．11：15 | C．10：35 | D．10：05 |
If you would like to have some vegetable beef, what may be your choice?
A．French Slam® |
B．Chicken-Fried Steak® |
| C．The Super Bird® | D．Sandwich with Salad or Soup® |
The chart shows that from 2005 to 2008， .
| A．the percentage of the Spanish families with a computer rose 35 points |
| B．the percentage of the White families with a computer remained unchanged |
| C．the number of the Black families with a computer was on the decrease |
| D．the number of the Asian families with a computer showed the sharpest increase |