Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri(MU) researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.
“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density(密度)”，said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. “The radioisotope(放射性同位素) battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries.”
Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, presently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro / nanoelectromechanreal systems (M/NEMS). Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe.
“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said, “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.”
His new idea is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor(半导体). Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor.
“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure(晶体结构) of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said, “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.”
Together with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery. In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair.
1.Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon?
A. He teaches chemistry at MU.
B. He developed a chemical battery.
C. He is working on a nuclear energy source.
D. He made a breakthrough in computer engineering.
2.Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4_________.
A. to show chemical batteries are widely applied.
B. to introduce nuclear batteries can be safely used.
C. to describe a nuclear-powered system.
D. to introduce various energy sources.
3.Liquid semiconductor is used to _________.
A. get rid of the radioactive waste
B. test the power of nuclear batteries.
C. decrease the size of nuclear batteries
D. reduce the damage to lattice structure.
4.According to Jae Kwon, his nuclear battery _______.
A. uses a solid semiconductor
B. will soon replace the present ones.
C. could be extremely thin
D. has passed the final test.
5.The text is most probably a ________.
A. science news report B. book review
C. newspaper ad D. science fiction story
Rae Armantrout, who has been a poetry professor at the University of California San Diego(UCSD) for two decades, has won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in the poetry category for her most recent book, “Versed”.
“I’m delighted and amazed at how much media recognition that the Pulitzer brings, as compared to even the National Book Critics Award, which I was also surprised and delighted to win,” said Armantrout.
“For a long time, my writing has been just below the media radar, and to have this kind of attention, suddenly, with my 10th book, is really surprising.”
Armantrout, a native Californian, received her bachelor’s degree at UC Berkeley, where she studied with noted poet Denise Levertov, and her master’s in creative writing from San Francisco State University. She is a founding member of Language Poets, a group in American poetry that analyzes the way language is used and raises questions to make the reader think.
In March, she won the National Book Critics Circle Award for “Versed.”
“This book has gotten more attention,” Armantrout said, “but I don’t feel as if it’s better.”
The first half of “Versed” focuses on the dark forces taking hold of the United States as it fought the war against Iraq. The second half looks at the dark forces casting a shadow over her own life after Armantrout was diagnosed with cancer in 2006.
Armantrout was shocked to learn she had won the Pulitzer but many of her colleagues were not. “Rae Armantrout is a unique voice in American poetry,” said Seth Lerer, head of Arts and Humanities at UCSD.
“Versed”, published by the Wesleyan University Press, did appear in a larger printing than her earlier works, which is about 2,700 copies. The new edition is scheduled to appear in May.
1.According to Rae Armantrout, ____________.
A. her 10th book is much better
B. her winning the Pulitzer is unexpected
C. the media is surprised at her works
D. she likes being recognized by her readers
2.Which of the following is true of Rae Armantrout?
A. She published a poetry textbook.
B. She used to teach Denise Levertov.
C. She started a poets’ group with others.
D. She taught creative writing at UC Berkeley.
3.What can we learn about “Versed”?
A. It consists of three parts.
B. It is mainly about the American army.
C. It is a book published two decades ago.
D. It partly concerns the poet’s own life.
4.Rae Armantrout’s colleagues think that she ____________.
A. should write more B. has a sweet voice
C. deserves the prize D. is a strange professor
5.What can we learn from the text?
A. About 2,700 copies of “Versed” will be printed.
B. Cancer made Armantrout stop writing.
C. Armantrout got her degrees at UCSD.
D. “Versed” has been awarded twice.
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling. Recycling in the home is very important of course. However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need. We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place.
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005. It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK. In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard.
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment. The UK, for example, is running out of it for carrying this unnecessary waste. If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy. The solution is not to produce such items in the first place. Food waste is a serious problem, too. Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need. However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue , encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example.
But this is not just about supermarkets. It is about all of us. We have learned to associate packaging with quality. We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality. This is especially true of food. But is also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary.
There are signs of hope. As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realise just how much unnecessary material are collecting. We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb.
1.What does the underlined phrase “over-consumption” refer to?
A. Using too much packaging.
B. Recycling too many wastes.
C. Making more products than necessary.
D. Having more material than is needed.
2.The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _______.
A. the tendency of cutting household waste
B. the increase of packaging recycling
C. the rapid growth of super markets
D. the fact of packaging overuse
3.According to the text, recycling ______.
A. helps control the greenhouse effect
B. means burning packaging for energy
C. is the solution to gas shortage
D. leads to a waste of land
4.What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
A. Unpackaged products are of bad quality.
B. Supermarkets care more about packaging.
C. It is improper to judge quality by packaging.
D. Other products are better packaged than food.
5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. Fighting wastefulness is difficult.
B. Needless material is mostly recycled.
C. People like collecting recyclable waste.
D. The author is proud of their consumer culture.
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes(糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin(胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness, and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones—a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with type diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people—225 to date—who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000—in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."
1.Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
A. He needs to go to the doctor every day.
B. He studies the leading cause of diabetes
C. He has a positive attitude to this disease.
D. He encourages diabetics by writing articles.
2.Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
A. diabetics to communicate B. volunteers to find jobs
C. children to amuse themselves D. rock stars to share resources.
3.According to the text, Kody ______.
A. feel lonely because of his illness
B. benefits from diabeticrockstar.com
C. helps create the online kid’s forums
D. writes children’s stories online
4.What can we learn about Fight It?
A. It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties.
B. It organizes parties for volunteer once a year.
C. It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics.
D. It owns a well-known medical website.
5.The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
A. works full-time in a diabetes charity B. employs 22 people for his website
C. helps diabetics in his own way D. ties to find a cure for diabetes
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并从答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
It was a cool October evening. Excitement and family members __1___ the hall. I was only a 7-year-old girl, but I was the center of __2___. Finally, after weeks of preparation, I would __3_ all my hard work in a dance of performance. Everything would be __4___ —so I thought. I waited baskstage all __5__ in my black tights with a golden belt. In a loud and clear voice, the master of ceremonies __6__ that my class was next.
My dance class was doing a routine on wooden boxes two feet by two feet, facing the __7___. All I had to do in the next move was put one foot on the box next to mine and keep my other foot on my box. I really was an __8__ move. I was concentrating so much __9___ the huge smile on my face and holding my head up that I did not look __10__ I was going. I missed my partner’s box altogether and __11__. There I was standing on the stage floor when my classmates were on top of their boxes. I could hear giggles(咯咯笑) coming from the audience, and I felt the ___12___ rush to my face. I remembered my dance teacher had told us, “If you make a mistake, keep smiling so the audience will not ___13___.” I did my best to follow her ___14___ as I continued with the routine.
When the curtain dropped, so did my __15___ for the evening. I ___16___ bitterly, tasting the salt from the tears that streamed down my face. I ran backstage, but no one could __17__ me down.
Recently I realized I had been a __18__ that night. I was ___19___, but I fought the urge to run off the stage. __20___, I finished the routine with a smile on my face. Now when friends and family laugh about the time I slipped during a dance performance, I can laugh too.
1.A. filled B. visited C. attended D. decorated
2.A. pressure B. impression C. debate D. attention
3.A. take over B. show off C. look after D. give up
4.A. reasonable B. suitable C. obvious D. perfect
5.A. dressed up B. folded up C. covered up D. mixed up
6.A. suggested B. explained C. announced D. predicted
7.A. music B. audience C. curtain D. stage
8.A. easy B. active C. adventurous D. extra
9.A. containing B. hiding C. sharing D. keeping
10.A. why B. whether C. where D. what
11.A. wandered B. slipped C. waved D. skipped
12.A. blood B. pleasure C. pride D. tear
13.A. leave B. cheer C. believe D. notice
14.A. gesture B. example C. advice D. plan
15.A. doubts B. hopes C. voice D. patience
16.A. argued B. shouted C. begged D. sobbed
17.A. turn B. calm C. let D. put
18.A. star B. pioneer C. loser D. fool
19.A. satisfied B. moved C. embarrassed D. confused
20.A. However B. Instead C. In total D. in return
Mothers holding jobs outside the home should have _______ schedules to make it easier to care for their children.
A. heavy B. smooth C. flexible D. complex
