2010年职称英语理工类新增文章

2010年职称英语等级考试用书（理工类）

新增文章

第四部分阅读理解（共 6 篇）

第3篇Citizen Scientists

Understanding how nature responds to climate change will require monitoring key life cycle1 events-flowering, the appearance of leaves, the first frog calls of the spring - all around the world. But ecologists can't be everywhere so they're turning to non-scientists, sometimes called citizen scientists, for help.

Climate scientists are not present everywhere. Because there are so many places in the world and not enough scientists to observe all of them, they're asking for your help in observing signs of climate change across the world. The citizen scientist movement encourages ordinary people to observe a very specific research interest - birds, trees, flowers budding, etc. - and send their observations to a giant database to be observed by professional scientists. This helps a small number of scientists track a large amount of data that they would never be able to gather on their own. Much like citizen journalists helping large publications cover a hyper-local beat2, citizen scientists are ready for the conditions where they live. All that's needed to become one is a few minutes each day or each week to gather data and send it3 in.

A group of scientists and educators launched an organization last year called the National Pheonology4 Network. "Phenology" is what scientists call the study of the timing of events in nature.

One of the group's first efforts relies on scientists and non-scientists alike to collect data about plant flowering and leafing every year. The program, called Project BudBurst, collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the United States. People participating in the project - which is open to everyone - record their observations on the Project BudBurst website.

"People don't have to be plant experts -they just have to look around and see what's in their neighborhood," says Jennifer Schwartz, an education consultant with the project. "As we collect this data, we'll be able to make an estimate of how plants and eommunities5 of plants and animals will respond as the climate changes."

词汇：

Frog n. 蛙Ecologist n.生态学家Phenology n.物候学Bud v.发芽，萌芽；n.芽，花蕾

Neighbor(u)rhood n.近邻；邻近地区Database n.数据库

Professional adj.专业的，职业的；n.职业选手，专业人员

注释：

1. life cycle：生命周期，即生物发展过程的系列变化。

2. hyper-local beat: beat 在此做名词用，意思是：某类新闻报道，如，a business beat；商业专题报道。这

是近年来出现的新词。Hyper-local beat 即hyper-local news，指的是被传统新闻报道方式所忽略的小型社区或居民居住区里发生的相关信息报道。在美国由此而诞生了hyper-local news website，专门对主流媒体所没有覆盖的地区所发生的事件进行报道，其形式多以网民，即短文中所提及的citizen journalists，上传所在社区发生的事件报道、照片或视频为主。这是网络时代产生的又一新生事物。

3. data 是复数形式，但常用做单数，所以这里的代词是it。另参见最后一段―As we collect this data, ...‖。

这里的data 也用作单数。

4. phenology：物候学或生物气候学，是气候学和生态学的边缘学科，主要研究气候环境对生物的影响。

5. communities：生态学词汇：生物群落，记载比较相似的环境条件下在特定自然区域或环境中生活和互

相影响的一群植物和动物。

练习：

1. Ecologists turn to non-scientist citizens for help because they need them

A) to provide their personal life cycles. B) to observe the life cycle of plants.

C) to collect data of the life cycle of living things. D) to teach children knowledge about climate change.

2. What are citizen scientists asked to do?

A) To develop a specific research interest and become professional scientists.

B) To send their research observations to a professional database.

C) To increase their knowledge about climate change.

D) To keep a record of their research observations.

3. In "All that's needed to become one... (paragraph 2) ", what does the word "one" stands for?

A) a citizen journalist. B) a citizen scientist. C) a scientist. D) a citizen.

4. What is NOT true of Project BudBurst?

A) Only experts can participate in it. B) Everybody can participate in it.

C) It collects life cycle data on a variety of common plants. D) It has its own website.

5. What is the final purpose of Project BudBurst?

A) To study when plants will have their first buds.

B) To find out the types of plants in the neighborhood.

C) To collect life cycle data on a variety of common plants from across the

United States.

D) To investigate how plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.

答案与题解：

1. C第一段和第二段的第一句告诉我们，要在世界范围内观察气候对大自然中生物生命周期的影响，数

量有限的科学家不可能足迹遍及天下，为此科学家求助于普通公民的参与。所以C 是正确选择。

2. B第二段第三句中encourage ordinary people to observe…的主语是The citizen scientist movement，即公

民参与科学观察的运动。所以D 不是正确选择。A 和C 不符合文章的句意，因此也不是正确的选择。这个句子的大意是：这一运动鼓励普通公民根据自己的兴趣爱好进行科学观察，并将观察结果送交数据库，让专门领域的科学家做进一步的观察。B 正确表达了这个意思。

3. B one 在这里是一个代词，其前置词是citizen scientists ，而不是citizen journalists，

这里的one 指的是one of citizen scientists。所以A、C 和D 都不是正确选择。这个句子的意思是，只要每天或每星期花上几分钟收集数据并发送出去，就能成为一个公民科学家。

4. A 文章最后一段说，这个计划向所有人开放（open to everyone），所以应选择A。B，C，D 所述内

容都在该段中提到。

5. D C 表述的内容是Project Budburst 所要做的工作，但其最终的目的不仅仅是收集数据，而是研究气

候变化对生物生命周期的影响。因此，D 才是正确答案。

第6篇Arctic Melt

Earth's North and South Poles are famous for being cold and icy. Last year, however, the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean fell to a record low1.

Normally, ice builds in Arctic waters around the North Pole each winter and shrinks during the summer. But for many years, the amount of ice left by the end of summer has been declining.

Since 1979, each decade has seen an 11.4 percent drop in end-of-summer ice cover2. Between 1981 and 2000, ice in the Arctic lost 22 percent of its thickness -- becoming 1.13 meters thinner.

Last summer, Arctic sea ice reached its skimpiest levels yet. By the end of summer 2007, the ice had shrunk to cover just 4.2 million square kilometers. That's 38 percent less area than the average cover at that time of year. Andit's a very large 23 percent below the previous record low, which was set just 2 years ago. This

continuing trend has scientists concerned.

There may be several reasons for the ice melt, says Jinlun Zhang, an oceanographer at the University of Washington3 in Seattle. Unusually strong winds blew through the Arctic last summer. The winds pushed much of the ice out of the central Arctic, leaving a large area of thin ice and open water4.

Scientists also suspect that fewer clouds cover the Arctic now than in the past. Clearer skies allow more sunlight to reach the ocean. The extra heat warms both the water and the atmosphere. In parts of the Arctic Ocean last year, surface temperatures were 3.5℃Celsius warmer than average and 1.5℃ warmer than the previous record high5.

With both air and water getting warmer, the ice is melting from both above and below. In some parts of the Beaufort Sea6, north of Alaska and western Canada, ice that measured 3.3m thick at the beginning of the summer measured just 50 centimeters by season's end.

The new measurements suggest that melting is far more severe than scientists have seen by just looking at ice cover from above, says Donald K. Perovich, a geophysicist at the U. S. Army Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H.7

Some scientists fear that the Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover.

词汇：

Arctic n.北极，北极圈；adj.北极的

the Arctic Ocean 北冰洋shrink v.萎缩；缩小，减少oceanographer n.海洋学家skimpy adj.缺乏的，不足的centimeter n.厘米geophysicist n.地球物理学家

注释

1. fell to a record low: 跌到历史最低点。record 作形容词时，意思是―空前的，创记录的‖。Record low 的反义词是record high: 历史最高点。

2. ice cover: 冰覆盖量

3. University of Washington: 华盛顿大学，创建于l861 年，座落在美国华盛顿州西雅图市东北角，所以又称西雅图华盛顿大学，是美国著名的公立研究型大学。

4. open water: 没有冰覆盖的海面

5. record high : 见注释1。

6. the Beaufort Sea: 波弗特海，是北冰洋边缘海，位于美国阿拉斯加州东北岸和加拿大西北岸，海中岛屿稀少，有无岛海之称。

7. Hanover，N．H：新罕布什尔州汉诺威市。N．H．是New Hampshire 的缩写。该州位于美国新英格兰地区。

练习：

1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word "build" in the first sentence of the second paragraph?

A) Construct. B) Extend. C) Create. D) Expand.

2. What is the ice cover in the Arctic by the end of 2007 summer?

A) 4.2 million square kilometers. B) 11.4 million square kilometers. C) 1.13 million square kilometers.

D) 38 million square kilometers.

3. What are the reasons for the ice melt according to the scientists?

A) Strong winds and clear skies. B) Long summer and short winter.

C) Open water and thin ice. D) Light clouds and light winds.

4. Why is the ice melting from both above and below?

A) Because extra heat warms the air.

B) Because extra heat warms the water.

C) Because the temperature above the water is higher. D) Both A and B.

5. What can be a possible title for the passage?

A) What are scientists looking for in the Arctic Ocean? B) What are scientists doing in the Arctic Ocean?

C) Why are scientists worrying about the Arctic Ocean? D) Why are scientists interested in the Arctic

Ocean?

练习：

1．D build 是个多义词，四个选项都是该词的潜在词义。但在第二段的第一句中，build 与后半句中shrink(become smaller)一词相对，意思是become bigger 之义。Extend 是增长的意思，不适合用在此处。2．A 答案可在第四段的第二句中找到。该句的意思是：2007 年夏末，冰的覆盖面积已经缩小至420 万平方公里。

3．A 短文的第五和第六段回答了这个问题。第五段告诉我们，由于强风的原因，大面积海面仅有薄冰覆盖或没有冰层覆盖。第六段告诉我们，晴朗的天空使太阳直接照射海面，导致高温。所以A 是正确选择。B 的内容没有在文中提到。C 的表述内容是间接原因，是刮强风的结果。D 选项中，light clouds 的确是ice melt 的原因，但fight winds 是错误的理解。

4．D 答案可在倒数第三段第一句话中找到。from both above and below 的意思是：无论从海水上面还是底下，也就是说，无论是海水还是海面上的空气。所以A 和B 都回答了问题：高温不但可能使水温增高，也使气温增高。

5．C 本文描述了科学家对北冰洋冰覆盖量的研究，研究结果是Arctic is stuck in a warming trend from which it may never recover．(北冰洋变暖的趋势可能不会逆转)。第四段最后一句说：This continuing trend has scientists concerned，短文最后一句也告诉我们，科学家对这种趋势十分忧虑(fear)。所以，C 是本题的答案。

﹡第33篇Experts Call for Local and Regional Control of Sites for Radioactive Waste

The withdrawal of Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste repository1 has reopened the debate over how and where to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste. In an article in the July 10 issue of Science, University of Michigan2 geologist Rodney Ewing and Princeton University3 nuclear physicist Frank von Hippel argue that, although federal agencies should set standards and issue licenses for the approval of nuclear facilities, local communities and states should have the final approval on the siting of these facilities. The authors propose the development of multiple sites that would service the regions where nuclear reactors are located.

"The main goal…, should be to provide the Unied States with multiple process that requires acceptance by host communities and states," the authors write.

Ewing and yon Hippel also analyze the reasons why Yucca Mountain, selected by Congress4 in 1987 as the only site to be investigated for long-term nuclear waste disposal, finally was shelved5 after more than three decades of often controversial debate. The reasons include the site's geological problems, management problems, important changes in the Environmental Protection Agency's standard, unreliable funding and the failure to involve local communities in the decision-making process.

Going forward, efforts should be directed at locating storage facilities in the nation's northeastern, southeastern, midwestern and western regions, and states within a given region should be responsible for developing solutions that suit their particular circumstances. Transportation of nuclear waste over long distances, which was a concern with the Yucca Mountain site, would be less of a problem because temporary storage or geological disposal sites could be located closer to reactors.

"This regional approach would be similar to the current approach in Europe, where spent nuclear fuel6 and high-level nuclear waste7 from about 150 reactors and reprocessing plants is to be moved to a number of geological repositories in a variety of rock types8," said Rodney Ewing, who has written extensively about the impact of nuclear waste management on the environment and who has analyzed safety assessment criteria for the

controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.

词汇：

radioactive adj.放射性的shelve v.搁置repository n.储藏地，储藏室controversial adj.有争议的geologist n.地质学家reactor n.反应堆，反应器geological adj.地质的

注释：

1. The withdrawal of Nevada's Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste repository: Nevada's Yucca

Mountain：美国境内的内华达州尤卡山。nuclear waste repository：核废物处理库。美国能源部部长朱棣文2009 年 3 月5 日表示，拟在内华达州尤卡山建设的核废物最终处理库将不再是美国储存高放废物的一个选项。

2. University of Michigan：美国密歇根大学，建于1817 年。

3. Princeton University：美国普林斯顿大学，建于1746 年。

4. Congress: 美国国会，美国最高立法机关，由参议院（Senate）和众议院（House of

Representatives）组成。

5. …was shelved：......被束之高阁。

6. spent nuclear fuel：也叫做used nuclear fuel，一般译为―乏核燃料‖。

7. high-level nuclear waste：高（强度）放（射性）核废物。

8. geological repositories in a variety of rock types：各种不同岩层中的地质处置库。geological repositories

指的是地表以下300～1500 米的稳定的地质体中建造的用于最终处置高放废物和乏核燃料的工程设施。处置库是一个多重屏障系统，工程屏障由废物体、废物罐、外包装和缓冲回填材料组成，而天然屏障则是能有效阻滞放射性核素迁移的地质体，包括花岗岩、粘土岩、凝灰岩和岩盐等。许多专家认为地质处置是安全的，技术上是可行的，对环境是无害的。

练习：

1. Which of the following words can best substitute the word "withdrawal" in the first paragraph?

A Retirement.

B Canceling.

C Replaced.

D Disposal.

2. According to Rodney Ewing and Frand von Hippel, where to locate nuclear facilities

A should be approved by the federal government.

B should be approved by local people and states.

C should be approved by Congress.

D is not an important issue.

3. What is NOT true about the 1987 decision by Congress concerning siting of nuclear waste disposal?

A Yucca Mountain was selected as the only site for a nuclear waste repository.

B The selection of Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste disposal caused much controversy.

C The decision by Congress was put aside due to a number of problems.

D The decision by Congress was

accepted by local communities.

4. What does the author of the essay in the fourth paragraph want to say?

A Efforts should be made to solve the problems of transportation of nuclear waste over long distance.

B Efforts should be made to develop as many nuclear disposal sites in the

US as possible.

C Efforts should be made to develop nuclear disposal sites to suit the circumstances of the region.

D Efforts should be made to build up temporary nuclear disposal sites as possible.

5. What is meant by "regional approach" as mentioned in the last paragraph?

A Waste disposal sites are located close to reactors and in places suitable for the regional circumstances.

B Geological repositories are located in a variety of rock types.

C Spent nuclear fuel and high –level nuclear waste is moved to developing countries.

D Waste disposal sites are located far away from reactors.

答案与题解：

1. B withdrawal 是个多义词，在句子中的意思是―撤销‖或―中止‖。

2. B 第二段中提到的两个科学家认为，联邦政府可以设定核设备的标准，以及颁发许可证，但是州政府

或地方政府在选址问题上应该有最终决定权。

3. D 第三段的第一个句子包含了A、B 和C 所述内容。

4. C 尽管第四段提到了尤卡山的确存在长距离运送核废料的问题，但不是这段的主要内容，所以A 不

是正确选择。作者说，要在全国东西南北各地区建造核废料处置库，但没有说要尽量多的建造，所以 B 也不是正确选择。作者想表达的意思是，要在全国各地区建造核废料处置库，但州政府必须根据地方特殊情况制定方案，包括最后一句中所说的―靠近核反应堆‖的临时处置库。所以，C 是正确的。D 也不是作者的意思。

5. A This regional approach 的意思是：地域性方法，指的是前一段中所表述的内容，即，地方政府应

当考虑当地的特殊环境，对核废物的处置地选择负责。B、C 和D 的表述内容都是错误理解。

﹡第38篇Night1 of the Living Ants

When an ant dies, other ants move the dead insect out of the nest. This behavior is interesting to scientists, who wonder how ants know for sure – and so soon-that another ant is dead.

Dong-Hwan Choe, a scientist at the University of California2 found that Argentine3 ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, "I'm dead - take me away."

But there's a twist to Choe's discovery4. These ants are a little bit like zombies. Choe says that the living ants - not just the dead ones - have this death chemical. In other words, while an ant crawls around, perhaps in a picnic or home, it's telling other ants that it's dead5.

What keeps ants from hauling away the living dead? Choe found that Argentine ants have two additional chemicals on their bodies, and these tell nearby ants something like, "wait -I'm not dead yet. "So Choe's research turned up6 two sets of chemical signals in ants: one says, "I'm dead," the other set says, "I'm not dead yet."

Other scientists have tried to figure out how ants know when another ant is dead. If an ant is knocked unconscious, other ants leave it alone until it wakes up. That means ants know that unmoving ants can still be alive.

Choe suspects that when an Argentine ant dies, the chemical that says "Wait- I'm not dead yet" quickly goes away. Once that chemical is gone, only the one that says "I'm dead" is left." It's because the dead ant no longer smells like a living ant that it gets carded to the graveyard, not because its body releases new unique chemicals after death," said Choe. When other ants detect the "dead" chemical without the "not dead yet" chemical, they haul away the body. This was Choe's hypothesis.

To test his hypothesis, Choe and his team put different chemicals on Argentine ant pupae. When the scientists used the "I'm dead" chemical, other ants quickly hauled the treated pupae7 away. When the scientists used the "Wait- I'm not dead yet" chemicals, other ants left the treated pupae alone. Choe believes this behavior shows that the "not dead yet" chemicals override the "dead" chemical when picked up by adult ants. And that when an ant dies, the "not dead yet" chemicals fade away. Other nearby ants then detect the remaining "dead" chemical and remove the body from the nest.

词汇：

Zombie n 还魂尸，僵尸Pupa n.蛹

Graveyard n.墓地

hypothesis n.假设

override v.优先于，比……更重要

注释：

1. night：night 是个多义词，其比喻意义是―死亡‖，即本篇短文标题中该词的意思。标题是用了逆喻的

修辞手法。

2. the University of California：加利福尼亚大学，位于美国西部的公立高等学校系统，目前拥有10所大学，

包括加州大学伯克利分校（Berkeley）、洛杉矶分校（Los Angeles）、圣地亚哥分校（San Diego）、圣克鲁兹分校（Santa Cruz）等。

3. Argentine：阿根廷，位于南美洲的国家。

4. But there's a twist to Choe's discovery.然而，Choe 又有了新的出乎意料的发现。Twist 有―出人意料的

变化‖的意思。

5. 本句it's telling other ants that it's dead 中两个it 指代前面爬行中的蚂蚁，也就是下段第一句中的the

living dead。

6. turned up：发现，找到。

7. treated pupae：经过处理的蛹，即被科学家涂抹上化学药剂的蛹。

练习：

1. What is meant by "death chemical" mentioned in paragraph 3?

A A chemical that contains poison.

B A chemical that causes death.

C A chemical that announces death.

D A chemical that prevents death.

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the question "What keeps ants from hauling away the living dead? (paragraph 4)"?

A How do ants know what is to be hauled away from the dead ants?

B What prevents ants from removing the ants that are not yet dead?

C What do ants do to keep themselves away from the dying ants?

D What prevents ants from being carried away after they die.

3. What is NOT true about Choe's finding?

A When an ant dies, it produces a "I am dead" signal.

B Living ants have the death chemical on their bodies.

C Ants have two sets of chemicals on theft bodies.

D Ants have the "I am not dead" chemical on their bodies.

4. According to Choe's hypothesis,

A an ant still smells like a living when it dies.

B the "I am dead" chemical leaves the ant's body when it dies.

C the "I am not dead yet" chemical is left when an ant dies.

D the "I am not dead yet" chemical leaves the ant's body when it dies.

5. What is the result of the test on Choe's hypothesis?

A It proves that his hypothesis is time.

B Not enough evidence has been found to support his hypothesis.

C It shows that his hypothesis is wrong.

D It indicates that his hypothesis needs revising.

答案与题解：

1. C 根据文章第二段和第三段的表述，阿根廷蚂蚁身上有种化学物质，它会告诉其他蚂蚁―I am dead.‖。

文章没有说这种物质有毒，也没有说它能导致或预防死亡，所以其他三项都是错误的选择。

2. B keep sb. from doing sth. 这个句型的意思是：使……不做……，阻止……去

做……。所以只有B 是正确理解。

3. A 第三段和第四段告诉我们，蚂蚁身上会带有两种化学气味，―I am not dead yet‖ 和―I am dead‖。这层

意思分别在B、C 和D 中的表述出现。短文的第六段告诉我们，蚂蚁死去时，―I am not dead yet‖的气味就离开了它的躯体，剩下的就是―I am dead‖ 的气味。―I am dead‖的气味不是死后新产生的化学物质。所以A 是正确的选择。

4. D 短文第六段告诉我们，当―I am not dead yet‖化学物质离开蚂蚁的躯体，―I'm dead‖ is left。这里，be left

的意思是：留了下来。所以，其他选项都是错误理解。

5. A 最后一段告诉我们，Choe 和他的研究小组用阿根廷蚂蚁蛹进行实验，结果与他的假设吻合，即证

实了他的假设。

+第46篇How the First Stars in the Universe Came into Existence

Researchers believe that our universe began with the Big Bang1 about 13 billion years ago, and that soon after that event, matter began to form as small dust grains and gases. How the first stars formed from this dust and gas has been a burning question2 for years, but a state-of-the-art3 computer simulation now offers the most detailed picture yet of how these first stars in the universe came into existence.

The composition of the early universe was quite different from that of today, and the physics that governed the early universe were also somewhat simpler. Dr. Naoki Yoshida and colleagues in Japan and the U. S. incorporated these conditions of the early universe, sometimes referred to as the "cosmic dark ages," to simulate the formation Of an astronomical object that would eventually shine its light into this darkness.

The result is a detailed description of the formation of a protostar4 the early stage of a massive primordial star of our universe -and the researchers' computer simulation sets the bar5 for further investigation into the star formation process. The question of how the first stars evolved is so important because their formations and eventually explosions provided the seeds for subsequent stars to come into being.

According to their simulation, gravity acted on minute density variations in matter, gases, and the mysterious "dark matter" of the universe after the Big Bang in order to form this early stage of a star - a protostar with a mass of just one percent of our sun. The simulation reveals how pre-stellar gases would have actually evolved under the simpler physics of the early universe to form this protostar. Dr. Yoshida's simulation also shows that the protostar would likely evolve into a massive star capable of synthesizing heavy elements, not just in later generations of stars, but soon after the Big Bang.

"This general picture of star formation, and the ability to compare how stellar objects form in different time periods and regions of the universe, will eventually allow investigation into the origins of life and planets," said Lars Hernquist, a Professor of Astronomy at Harvard University. "The abundance of elements in the universe has increased as stars have accumulated," he says,"and the formation and destruction of stars continues to spread these elements further across the universe. So when you think about it, all of the elements in our bodies originally formed from nuclear reactions in the centers of stars, long ago."

Their simulation of the birth of a protostar in the early universe signifies a key step toward the ambitious goal of piecing together the formation of an entire primordial star and of predicting the mass and properties of these first stars of the universe. More powerful computers, more physical data, and an even larger range will be needed for further calculations and simulations, but these researchers hope to eventually extend this simulation to the point of nuclear reaction initiation when a stellar object becomes a true star.

词汇：

astronomical adj. 天文的；天文学的pre-stellar adj. 前恒星的synthesize v.合成，综合

protostar n.原恒星stellar adj.恒星的；星球的primordial adj. 原始的

注释：

1. the Big Bang：宇宙大爆炸，创始大爆炸。这是天体物理学关于宇宙起源的理论。根据大爆炸理论，大

约在130 亿年前，宇宙所有的物质都高度密集在一点，有着极高的温度，因而发生了巨大的爆炸。

大爆炸以后，物质开始向外大膨胀，就形成了我们今天看到的宇宙。但是，宇宙大爆炸仅仅是一种学说，是根据天文观测研究之后得到的一种设想。

2. burning question：最吸引人的问题，亟待解决的问题。

3. state-oe-the-art：形容词，意思是―最新的‖、―达到最高技术水平的‖、―代表当前科技发展水平‖。

4. protostar 原恒星，就是处于―原始状态‖（处于慢收缩阶段的天体）的恒星。原恒星由―大爆炸‖后产生

的星际云演变而来。

5. sets the bar：制定标准

练习：

1. What can the state-of-the-art computer simulation tell us about?

A How matter began to form the first stars after the Big Bang.

B How the Big Bang marked the beginning of our universe.

C How the Big Bang took place about 13 billion years ago.

D How dust grains and gases form after the Big Bang.

2. What does the "astronomical object" (paragraph 2) refer to?

A The early universe.

B Cosmic dark ages.

C The first star formed in the universe.

D Dust grains and gases.

3. What does the word "minute" mean in the expression "minute density variations"?

A A unit of time equal to one sixtieth of an hour.

B A short interval of time.

C Exceptionally large.

D Exceptionally small.

4. According to paragraph 4, what is NOT true about a protostar?

A It had a mass of one percent of the sun.

B It was developed into a massive star before the Big Bang.

C It began to combine heavy elements after it evolved into a massive star.

D It was evolved from pre-stellar gases.

5. All except one of the following indicate the goals of the simulation project. Which one is it?

A To know more about the mass and properties of the first stars of the universe.

B To apply the simulation to the study of nuclear reaction initiation.

C To know how a stellar object becomes a true star.

D To obtain a detailed picture of the early universe before the Big Bang.

答案与题解：

1. A 第一段最后一句告诉我们说，最先进的计算机模拟能详细描述how these first stars in the universe

came into existence。该段第一和第二句告诉我们，大爆炸后，粉尘和气体开始聚集成物质，这些物质形成了宇宙中的星球。其他三选项都是错误的理解。

2. C 根据上下文，astronomical object 指的是上段第二句中的―first stars‖，即下面一段第一句中的

―protostar‖。

3. D minute 在这里是形容词，意思是―极其细微的‖，读作：/mai'nju:t/。

4. B A、C 和D 的表述都可以在本段中找到。从上文和该段的最后一个句子可以得知，原恒星进化的

过程不是在宇宙大爆炸之前发生。所以，应该选择B。

5. D A 是最后一段第一句句子的表述内容，B 和C 是文章最后一句的表述内容。D 是对文章的错误理

解。

+第50篇Cell Phones Increase Traffic, Pedestrian Fatalities

Cell phones are a danger on the road in more ways than one. Two new studies show that talking on the phone while traveling, whether you're driving or on foot, is increasing both pedestrian deaths and those of drivers and passengers, and recommend crackdowns on cell1 use by both pedestrians and drivers.

The new studies, lead-authored by Rutgers University, Newark, Economics Professor Peter D. Loeb2, relate the impact of cell phones on accident fatalities to the number of cell phones in use, showing that the current increase in deaths resulting from cell phone use follows a period when cell phones actually helped to reduce pedestrian and traffic fatalities. However, this reduction in fatalities disappeared once the numbers of phones in use reached a "critical mass" 3 of 100 million, the study found.

These studies looked at cell phone use and motor vehicle accidents from 1975 through 2002, and factored in4 a number of variables, including vehicle speed, alcohol consumption, seat belt use, and miles driven. The

studies found the cell phone-fatality correlation to be true even when including factors such as speed, alcohol consumption, and seat belt use.

Loeb and his co-author determined that, at the current time, cell phone use has a "significant adverse effect on pedestrian safety" and that ―ce ll phones and their usage above a critical thresholds adds to motor vehicle fatalities." In the late 1980s and part of the 1990s, before the numbers of phones exploded, cell phone use actually had a "life-saving effect" in pedestrian and traffic accidents, Loeb notes. "Cell-phone users' were able to quickly call for medical assistance when involved in an accident. This quick medical response actually reduced the number of traffic deaths for a time," Loeb hypothesizes.

However, this was not the case when cells were first used in the mid-1980s, when they caused a "life-taking effect" among pedestrians, drivers and passengers in vehicles. In those early days, when there were fewer than a million phones, fatalities increased, says Loeb, because drivers and pedestrians probably were still adjusting to the novelty of using them, and there weren't enough cell phones in use to make a difference in summoning help following an accident, he explains.

The "life-saving effect" occurred as the volume of phones grew into the early 1990s, and increasing numbers of cells were used to call 911 following accidents, leading to a drop in fatalities, explains Loeb. But this life-saving effect was canceled out6 once the numbers of phones reached a "critical mass" of about 100 million and the "life-taking effect" - increased accidents and fatalities outweighed the benefits of quick access to 911 services, according to Loeb.

Loeb and his co-authors used econometric models to analyze data from a number of government and private studies. He and his co-authors recommend that governments consider more aggressive policies to reduce cell phone use by both drivers and pedestrians, to reduce the number of fatalities.

词汇：

crackdown n.制裁，严惩outweigh v.超过fatality n.死亡者econometric adj.计量经济的

hypothesize v.假设，假定

注释：

1. cell：cell phone 的缩写。

2. The new studies, lead-authored by Rutgers University, Newark, Economics Professor Peter D. Loeb ...第一作

者为罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校的经济学教授Peter D. Loeb 的新研究成果……lead-author：第一作者；

lead-authored 为动词的过去分词形式，具有被动意义。罗格斯大学纽瓦克分校是美国新泽西州最负盛名的文理学院。

3. critical mass：临界数量。

4. factored in：包括，把……计算在内。

5. a critical threshold：指的是前文所说的critical mass。见注释3。

6. was canceled out：被抵消。

练习：

1. The two new studies, lead-authored by Professor Peter D. Loeb

A show that talking on the phone while driving or walking in the street increases deaths of drivers and pedestrians.

B show that talking on the phone while driving increases pedestrian deaths.

C recommend that strict measures be taken to restrain cell phone use.

D both A and C.

2. According to the second paragraph, when did cell phones actually help to reduce pedestrian and traffic fatalities?

A Right after cell phones were invented.

B Before the number of cell phone users reached a critical mass

C When cell phone users totaled to a certain number.

D When the number of cell phones decreased to a certain number.

3. What is said about cell phone use in paragraph 4?

A The number of cell phones in use exploded in the late 1980s and part of the 1990s.

B The number of traffic deaths was reduced in the late 1980s and part of the 1990s due to cell phone use.

C Cell phone users are likely to be involved in traffic accidents.

D The use of cell phones has a life-saving effect for pedestrians and drivers.

4. What is said about cell phone use in the mid-1980s in paragraph 5?

A It had a life-taking effect because there weren't enough cell phones in use then.

B The increased use of cell phones then caused a "life-taking effect."

C Traffic fatalities increased then because the number of cell phones in use decreased.

D Traffic fatalities decreased then because the number of cell phones in use increased.

5. Which of the following statements DOES NOT answer the question "What caused the "life-saving effect" to occur in the early 1990s?"

A There were more cell phone users during that period.

B The number of cell phone users reached about 100 million.

C More cell phones were used to call 911 when accidents occurred.

D Cell phones enabled people to have quick access to 911 services.

答案与题解：

1. D 根据短文第一段的内容，Loeb 教授的最新研究发现，开车或行路时打手机使司机和行路人的死亡

率上升，并建议采取严厉措施限制司机和行路人使用手机。B 是错误理解，因为只有行路人被提到。

2. B 短文第二段最后两个句子提供了答案：在手机使用者达到1 亿的临界点之前，手机的使用的确减

少了交通事故的死亡率。A、C 和D 的表述内容都没有在文章中提到。

3. B A 是错误选择，因为该段的第四个句子In the late 1980s and part of the 1990s, before the numbers of

phones exploded, ...表明。手机数量在80 年代末期和90 年代早期还未激增。C 的表述内容没有在文章中提到。句子…cell phone use actually had a ―life-saving effect‖用的是过去式，说的是发生在80 年代末期和90 年代早期的事情，而D 句用的是一般现在时，表示通常的状况，所以是错误的选择。

4. A第五段的大概意思是，80 年代中期，交通事故的死亡率增加，因为人们还在适应这一新事物，没有

足够的手机让人们在发生交通事故时及时求救。该段没有讨论80 年代中期手机数量的增减问题，所以B、C 和D 都是错误选择。

5. B第六段最后一个句子说，当手机使用者数量达到100 万时，life-saving effect 就被抵消了，life-saving

effect 超过了手机使用者能迅速呼叫911 服务的优点。所以，B 不是问题的答案。其他选项都表述了该段的内容。

第六部分完形填空（共3篇）

第3篇Seeing Red Means Danger Ahead

The color red often means danger - and by paying attention, 1 can be prevented. At railroad crossings, flashing red fights warn cars to stay back. A red light at a traffic intersection tells cars to stop, so 2 don't run into other cars.

In the future, the color red also may help prevent danger 3 construction sites. Thanks to1 new work by engineers, bridge supports2 - or other kinds of materials - could one day contain a color-changing material. It will turn red 4 a structure collapses or falls 5 . A tiny molecule may make a big difference in future warning systems.

A polymer 6 a color-changing molecule called a mechanophore turns red seconds before it snaps3. The technology may one day allow damage to materials or structures4 to be easily 7 .

The secret behind the color-changing material is a particular type of molecule. A molecule is a group of atoms held together by 8 bonds. Molecules come in all shapes and sizes, and make up 9 you can see, touch or feel. How a molecule behaves depends on what kinds of atoms it contains, and how they're held together.

When a polymer containing a color-changing molecule called a mechanophore is about to breaks, it produces a color. When a polymer with mechanophore molecules becomes "injured" or 10 , one of the mechanophore bonds breaks and the material turns red. "It's a really simple detection method," says Nancy Sottos, one of the scientists who worked on the project. "We're 11 up this one bond, and it changes color." Sottos and her team tested the color-changing polymers in their lab. The test 12 proved encouraging.

There is a way to get rid of~ the red color: 13 . When a bright light is shone on the mechanophore, the broken bond is fixedrn and the red color disappears. This "self-healing" may be a problem for engineers. They need to use the color-changer in big construction projects that will be 14 , in sunlight. And sunlight will make the mechanophore's warning system useless.

Sottos and her fellow scientists still have 15 work to do before the color-changing molecules can. be used outside the lab.

词汇：

crossing n.十字路口mechanophore n.机械响应性聚合物intersection n.交叉路口

molecule n.分子snap v.折断，断裂polymer n.聚合物atom n.原子

注释：

1. Thanks to：多亏，由于

2. bridge supports：桥梁支柱

3. seconds before it snaps：聚合物断裂前几秒钟。Seconds 修饰状语从句before it snaps。It 指代polymer。

4. damage to materials or structures：材料或建筑物的损坏。to 是介词。介词短语to materials or structures 修

饰damage。

5. is about to break：即将断裂。be about to ( + V)意为―刚刚，行将‖。

6. get rid of：除去。

7. the broken bond is fixed：断裂的键被修复。Fix 意为―修理，修复‖。

练习：

1 A measures B accidents C actions D collapses

2 A they B it C some D most

3 A with B over C at D in

4 A before B after C once D while

5 A together B behind C down D apart

6 A contacting B conducting C containing D considering

7 A controlled B spotted C repaired D changed

8 A technical B electronic C physical D chemical

9 A everything B something C nothing D anything

10 A weak B strong C tough D soft

11 A using B opening C turning D finishing

12 A laws B theories C tools D results

13 A air B electricity C light D sound

14 A aside B beside C inside D outside

15 A a part of B a pair of C a piece of D a lot of

答案与题解：

1. B 从第一句的―The color often means danger‖ 和―...can be prevented‖所表达的意思判断，accidents 是答

案。因为存在danger,就有可能出现accidents。因为有了红色预警信号，accidents 就有可能prevented。

2. A 本题的测试点是代词。代词所要指代的词是cars，它是复数，所以代词they 是唯一选择。

3. C construction sites 前面的介词要用at。with, over 和in 都不合适。

4. A 这两段说，把一种能变色的化学物质加在建筑材料中，当建筑物断裂之前，变色材料会显示红色。所以，after 与上下文逻辑相悖。用了once，句意变成―一旦建筑物断裂，变色材料会显示红色‖，这不合逻辑，断裂后才变色就是去了预警作用。While 也说不通，因为―It will turn red while a structure collapses‖的意思是―在建筑物倒塌期间，变色材料会显示红‖，断裂后才显示红色已经没有意义了。所以，只有before 才是答案。

5. D 要选apart。fall apart 意为―破碎，破裂‖。Collapses or falls apart 中的or

意为―即‖，所以，fall apart 与collapse 同义。

6. C 从上下文所表达的意思判断，本次要选的词是containing，即―含有（变色材料的聚合物）‖。其余三个选项，即contacting（接触），conducting（进行），considering（考虑）都与句意搭不上。

7. B 建筑物断裂之前，变色材料会显示红色。这种新技术的预警性很明显，人们见到建筑物出现红色就知道有险情。所以，spotted（发现，认出）是答案。

8. D 本段对变色材料为什么会变色的原理做出解释，句中出现atoms，molecule 等。所以变色是一种化学反应，不会是一种物理、电子或技术反应。

9. A 本句的意思是：分子的大小和形状构成世界万物，所以应选everything（每样东西，即万物）。

10. A 本句的意思是：含有mechanophore 分子的聚合物―受伤‖时，mechanophore 中的一个键就会断开，于是它便呈现红色。句中的or 意为―即‖，也就是说，紧接在or 后面的词应该是injured 的同义词，所以要选weak。

11. B Sottos 和她的研究组进行了实验，断开mechanophore 的一个键，让其呈现红色。Opening up 是―打开，断开‖的意思，与上下文意思相符，所以选opening 是答案。Using up

（用完），turning up（出现）或finishing up（做完）与bond 连用，意思都不对。

12. D 上文说到，Sottos 和她的研究组进行了实验，所以test 后面的词应该是results。最后一个词是encouraging，也提示了results 是答案。

13. C 本段第二句说，当明亮的光线射到被断开的化学键上，化学键就会被修复，于是红色

预警信号就消失了。第二句的light 提示了第一句缺失的关键词就是light。

14. D 大型建筑物一半均是露天的。句末的sunlight 提示了要选sunlight。

15. D 红色预警信号在阳光下是不会出现的。所以，如何能使红色预警信号在室外也能显现，这是科学家今后研究的课题，而且研究的难度和工作量还很大。四个选项中，只有 a lot of 与上下文的意思对得上号。A part of（一部分）和 a pair of（一双）明显不合适。A piece of（一件）也不合逻辑。

﹡第12篇The Case of the Disappearing Fingerprints

One useful anti-cancer drug can effectively erase the whorls and other characteristic marks that give people their distinctive fingerprints. Losing 1 become troublesome. A case released online in a letter by Annals of Oncology indicates how big a 2 of losing fingerprints is.

Eng-Huat Tan, a Singapore-based medical doctor describes a 62-year old man who has used capecitabine1 to 3 his nasopharyngeal cancer. After three years on the 4 , the patient decided to visit U.S. relatives last December. But he was stopped by U.S. customs officials 5 4 hours after entering the country when those officials couldn't get fingerprints from the man. There were no distinctive swirly 6 appearing from his index finger2.

U.S. customs3 has been fingerprinting incoming foreign visitors for years, Tan says. Their index fingers are 7 and screened against digital files of the fingerprints of bad guys -- terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country4. Unfortunately, for the Singapore travelers, one potential 8 effect of his drug treatmerit is a smoothing of the tissue on the finger pads6. 9 , no

fingerprints.

"It is uncertain when fingerprint loss will 10 to take place in patients who are taking capecitabine," Tan points out. So he cautions any physicians who 11 the drug to provide their patients with a doctor's note pointing out that their medicine may cause fingerprints to disappear.

Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States7. I guess the name on his passport didn't raise any red flags8. But he's also now got the explanatory doctor's note – and won't leave home 12 it.

By the way, maybe the Food and Drug Administration9, 13 approved use of the drug 11 years ago, should consider 14 its list of side effects associated with this medicine. The current list does note10 that patients may experience vomiting, stomach pain and some other side effects. But no where

15 it mention the potential for loss of fingerprints.

词汇：

fingerprint n.指纹nasopharyngeal adj.鼻咽的whorl n.罗纹，箩状指纹swirly adj.旋涡状的

annals n.年度digit n.数字oncology n.肿瘤学onset n.开始capecitabine n.卡培他滨vomit v.呕吐

注释：

1. capecitabine 卡培他滨。是一种口服的化疗药物，用于治疗转移性乳腺癌、大肠癌、咽喉癌等，以缓

解肿瘤生长。

2. index finger：食指。

3. U.S. customs：美国海关。Customs 视作一个组织，用做单数名词，所以在文章中后接has。

4. terrorists and potential criminals that our federal guardians have been tasked with keeping out of the country：

我们的联邦卫士的职责是要把那些恐怖分子和疑似罪犯挡在国门之外。关系代词that 引导的是一个限制性定语从句，修饰terrorists and potential criminals。That 在定语从句中做keeping 的宾语。

5. traveler：旅行者。traveler 是美国英语的拼法。英国英语的拼法是traveller。

6. the tissue on the finger pads：指尖上的肉垫组织。

7. Eventually, the Singapore traveler made it into the United States：那位新加坡旅客终于进入了美国。make

it into 意为―进入‖。

8. red flags：（表示危险的）红旗，即危险信号。挥动红旗表示危险，最初用于铁路，后来西方公司等

用英文red flags 或红色小旗表示业绩下降等。

9. the Food and Drug Administration：美国食品和药物局。

10. The current list does note：现有的副作用清单中确实列出。在肯定句谓语动词前加do/does/did，是为了强调该动词，汉语可译为―确实‖。如：

He speaks Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.

He does speak Chinese, English, French, Spanish and Russian.

（他确实会说汉语，英语，法语，西班牙语和俄语。）

练习：

1. A he B them C her D him

2. A theme B topic C creation D problem

3. A treat B cut C find D smooth

4. A recovery B diet C drug D diagnosis

5. A in B at C for D on

6. A digits B marks C images D pictures

7. A printed B located C cured D placed

8. A normal B good C main D side

9. A However B Hence C Moreover D Furthermore

10. A begin B like C decide D have

11. A prevent B preserve C presume D prescribe

12. A off B on C without D with

13. A who B where C when D which

14. A updating B using C printing D cancelling

15. A must B does C may D should

答案与题解：

1. B 根据上下文的意思，失去（losing）的应该是fingerprints。Fingerprints 是复数形式，指代它的带

刺是them。其他三个代词都不合适。

2. D 前面两个句子说，失去指纹是一大问题。本句说，要举出一个实例以说明失去指纹会造成极大的

困扰。所以只有选项D 最合适。

3. A第二段描述了实例的细节。第一句说病人用一种药名为卡培他滨的抗癌药治疗他的鼻咽癌。所以

treat 是必然的选择。cut（切割），find（寻找）和smooth（弄平）都与上下文接不上。

4. C 从上下文判断，―After three years on the…（经过三年的……）‖后面应该接―用药‖、―治疗‖等字眼，

所以选drug 是正确的。选recovery（康复），diet（节食）或diagnosis（诊断）都与后面提到的病人进入美国受阻的事件接不上。

5. C for 表示时间上―达到‖，for 4 hours 意为―长达四小时‖。

6. B 美国海关因为采集不到那为癌症患者的指纹样本，于是盘问了他4 小时。所以本句提到的swirly

应该与marks 搭配，意思是―旋涡状指纹标记‖。

7. A 为了防止恐怖分子和罪犯进入美国，美国海关通过电脑对入境者进行指纹采样，然后与指纹库进

行比照。根据常理，海关要检查每一位外国人的指纹。采样的手指是食指。后面的screened（比照）是解题的重要线索，引导读者选A，即printed。这里，printed=finger-printed（采集指纹样本）。

其他三个选项，即located（找出）、cured（治疗）和placed（放置），都与上下文的意思接不上。

8. D 实例中的新加坡人用了抗癌药后的一个副作用是指纹消失，这是一种不良反应。所以，选good，

main，normal（正常的）都不符合上下文的意思，只有side 才是答案。Side effect 意为―副作用‖。

9. B 前面句子提及的服用抗癌药是因，本段最后一句是果，连接词应该用Hence。而However 表示转

折关系，Moreover 和Furthermore 表示―进一步‖的关系，与上文连接不上。

10. A 本段表达的意思是：由于癌症病人服用了卡培他滨后指纹何时开始消失还不清楚，所以主治医生

要提前为病人开具指纹可能会消失的证明。to take place（发生）之前填上like，decide 或have 都与上下文的意思接不上，唯有begin 最合适。

11. D 参阅上一题的题解。本题四个选项中的英语单词的前三个字母都是pre-，只要知道prescribe 的词义是―开处方‖，就会选D。

12. C第五段的意思是，那位病人已经拿到医生开具的指纹消失证明单，现在他们出门旅行不会不带上

它。本题without 是答案。

13. D 哪一个政府机构许可（approved）使用该类抗癌药？就是本段第一句提到的the Food and Drug

Administration。四个选项中，只有关系代词which 能指代the Food and Drug Administration，它是approved 动作的发出者。

14. A 最后一段表达的意思是：过去该药列出的不良反应只包括呕吐等，没有列出指纹消失这一副作用，

现在应该补上这一条。所以，updating（更新）是答案。

15. B 最后一段最后一句中，为了强调no where，将它移到句首，这时，原句的―it does not m ention the

potential for loss of fingerprints‖就要写成强调句形式的―no where does it mention the potential for loss of fingerprints‖。所以，答案是B。

+第15篇Obtaining Drinking Water from Air Humidity

Not a plant to be seen, the desert ground is too 1 . But the air contains water, and research scientists have found a 2 of obtaining drinking water from air humidity. The system is based completely on renewable energy and is therefore autonomous.

Cracks permeate the dried-out desert ground and the landscape bears testimony to the lack' of water. But even here, where there are no lakes, rivers or groundwater, considerable quantities of water are stored in the air. In the Negev desert1 in Israel2, for example, annual average relative air humidity is 64 percent -- in every cubic meter of air there are 11,5 milliliters of water.

German research scientists have found a way of converting this air humidity autonomously into drinkable water. "The process we have developed is based exclusively on renewable energy sources such as thermal 3 collectors and photovoltaic cells, which makes this method completely energy-autonomous. It will therefore function in regions 4 there is no electrical infrastructure," says Siegfried Egner, head of the research team. The principle of the 5 is as follows3: hygroscopic brine ~ saline solution which absorbs moisture -- runs down a tower-shaped unit and absorbs water from the air. It is then sucked into a tank a few meters 6 the ground in which a vacuum prevails4. Energy from solar collectors heats up the brine, which is diluted by the water it has 7 .

Because of the vacuum, the boiling point of the liquid is 8 than it would be under normal atmospheric pressure. This effect is known from the mountains: as the atmospheric pressure 9 is lower than in the valley, water boils at temperatures 10 below 100oC. The evaporated, non-saline water is condensed and runs down through a completely filled tube in a controlled manner. The gravity of this water column continuously produces the vacuum and so a vacuum pump is not needed. The reconcentrated5 brine runs down the tower surface 11 to absorb moisture from the air.

"The concept is suitable for various water 12 . Single-person units and plants 13 water to entire hotels are conceivable," says Egner. Prototypes have been built for both system components—air moisture absorption and vacuum evaporation —and the research scientists have already 14 their interplay on a laboratory scale. In a further step the researchers intend to develop a demonstration 15 .

词汇：

autonomous adj.独立的thermal adj.热的permeate v.遍布photovoltaic adj.光电的hygroscopic n.吸湿的infrastructure n.基础设施

brine n.盐水interplay n.相互作用saline adj.含盐的

注释：

1. Negev desert：内盖夫沙漠（位于以色列南部的沙漠地区，占以色列国土面积一半以上）。

2. Isreal：以色列

3. as follows：如下

4. in which a vacuum prevails：水箱里是真空状态。Which 指代的是前半句的tank。Prevail 意为―占上风‖。

5. reconcentrated：重新浓缩的。

练习：

答案与题解：

1. A第一段说的是，沙漠没有河流、湖泊等，所以缺水。但空气中含有水汽，可以从空气中吸取水。根

据上下文的意思，dry 是答案。

2. B 前面的句子说，虽然沙漠缺水，但空气含有水汽，人们可以从中吸湿制水。最后一句的意思显然是，

科学家已经找到从空气中吸湿制水的方法。在四个选项route（路线），way（方法），channel （途径）和road（道路）中，只有way 最合适。

3. D renewable energy（可再生能源）是解题的重要线索，oil/wood/coal 不是renewable energy，只有solar

energy 才是renewable energy。

4. C 这套吸湿制水机靠太阳能驱动，他可以自主独立工作，适合于没有发电厂提供电能的地区使

用。…there is no electrical infrastructure 是定语从句，修饰地点名词regions，连接词应该选where. 5. D 本句说明吸湿制水机的工作原理，promise（答应），progress（进展）或prospect

（前景）都与句意不符，只有process（工作过程，方法）最合适。

6. C of the ground 和with the ground 与句意接不上，below the ground 不合逻辑，因为从空气中吸湿制

水的设备不可能安装在地面之下。Off the ground（离开地面），置设备于离开地面若干公尺的空气

之中就合理了。

7. A 同一段的前面句子中出现absorbs moisture 和absorbs water from the air，这是吸湿制水机工作过程

的第一阶段（第二阶段是用蒸馏法脱盐以获取淡水）。所以，absorbed 是合乎逻辑的选择。

8. D 本段第二句由― as the atmospheric pressure … is lower than in the valley…‖，这是解题的重要线索。此

外，根据科学常识，大气压力降低，水的沸点也随着降低。所以，lower 是答案。

9. B 根据上下文的意思，可以判断出，答案是there，因为这里的意思是―那儿的大气压……‖。

10. B 首先要知道四个选项英语单词的词义。gradually（逐渐地）below 100℃，necessarily below 100℃（必

须地）或possibly（可能地）below 100℃，都不符合―大气压力降低，水的沸点也随着降低‖的原理。

所以。只有选distinctly 最合适。

11. A 从上下文判断，只有again 才是答案。其余三个选项填入句子中都说不通。

12. A 后面句子的single-person（units）和hotels 是吸湿制水机的用户，提示了本题的答案是users.

13. C 本句的意思是：适合个人使用的吸湿制水机及可供整间酒店用水的吸湿制水厂是有望制造成功的。

Supplying 是答案。吸湿制水机或吸湿制水厂本身不会―使用‖（using）水。Obtaining（获得）后接from，而本句用的是to，所以不是答案。Cleaning 也不是答案，因为若吸湿制水机或吸湿制水厂为酒店清洁用水，cleaning 后要接for，而不是to。

14. D 从上下文判断，再加上on a laboratory scale 的提示，本题要选tested。

15. C 本题前面的句子谈到，科学家已经制成了吸湿制水机的原型并在实验室中进行了试验运行，下一步

该做什么呢？demonstration 提供了线索，答案应该是（demonstration）facility（示范设备）。