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 lighter 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 / nanoelectromechanical 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 indicate 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.
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
Are African wild dogs really dogs? What’s the difference between African wild dogs and the dogs we know as pets? For one thing, African wild dogs, which live in Africa, only have four toes, while domestic (驯养的) dogs and wolves have five. But you won’t want to count for yourself, because they are truly wild animals.
“Wild dogs are not somebody’s domestic dogs that ran away and didn’t come back, although some people used to think that,” explains Dr. McNutt, who studies these animals at Wild Dog Research Camp in the African country of Botswana. “They are actually Africa’s wolves, and just like wolves, they do not make good pets. They need to be out in the wild doing what they are supposed to do — find the food they need to survive and feed their babies.” In fact, they travel so far that researchers have to use radio collars (颈圈) to keep track of them. The collars send out radio signals that tell people where the dogs are. No two wild dogs have the same pattern of coats, so it is easy to tell them apart.
African wild dogs are smart and sociable, like pet dogs. Adult dogs, male and female, are willing to take good care of young ones.
Millions of domestic dogs live on the planet, but there are probably fewer than 6,000 African wild dogs left. Humans hunt them and farmers who don’t want them to go after cows and sheep poison them. Humans are also destroying the wild, natural habitat (栖息地) they need to survive in. Fortunately, today more farmers are finding other ways to protect their cows and sheep from African wild dogs instead of killing the animals.
1.Which of the following can explain why African wild dogs are different from domestic dogs?
A. African dogs can live longer than domestic dogs.
B. African dogs have fewer toes than domestic dogs.
C. African dogs are much bigger in size than domestic dogs.
D. African dogs are much more dangerous than domestic dogs.
2.In Dr. McNutt’s view, African wild dogs .
A. are a kind of wolves
B. can be trained as pet dogs
C. actually are missing domestic dogs
D. generally are not used to living in groups
3.What’s the researchers’ purpose of using radio collars?
A. To know where African wild dogs go.
B. To play games with African wild dogs.
C. To tell African wild dogs apart from other dogs.
D. To prevent African wild dogs from traveling too far.
4.What suggestion does the author give in the last paragraph?
A. Farmers should use domestic dogs to fight against wild dogs.
B. African wild dogs should be protected instead of being killed.
C. Farmers should take responsibility for feeding African wild dogs.
D. African wild dogs should be used to protect farmers’ cows and sheep.
5.Which of the following can be used as the title of the passage?
A. How to keep wild dogs
B. How to train domestic dogs
C. An introduction to African wild dogs
D. Differences between domestic dogs and wild dogs
There are plenty of people in the UK for whom even Basic English is a problem. According to the survey, 726,000 people in England and Wales said they could not speak English well, and another 138,000 said they did not speak it at all.
Ling, 40, who arrived five years ago from China,, found it difficult to learn English. “After I came here, I was at home for the next three years. It took me longer to learn as I was very busy with my children.” Eventually she was able to begin taking classes and now speaks good conversational English. But even with classes, it can be a long process to pick up the language.
Age is the most important factor in language study, said Mila Vulchanova, professor of linguistics (语言学) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. “There is a key time in language learning, which is biologically determined. So the younger the immigrants(移民)， the better. Since this decline is only gradual, teenagers are at an advantage over adults,”he said.
There are a number of systems for grading English. The government expects immigrants to reach “ESOL Entry 3”or “B1 level” in Scotland, before they can be given citizenship. It means to be able to hold a confident conversation and it might take 360 hours of study to achieve.
George Osborne, the UK chancellor(财政大臣)，said in June that benefit claimants (申请救济金者) who don’t speak English will have their benefits cut if they fail to attend language courses. Huan Japes, deputy chief executive of English UK, a trade body for language colleges, said it needed 360 hours-----120 hours for each of three stages ---- to get to the result the government expected benefit claimants to reach.
“Using 120 hours, for each stage of English fluency(流利)，is a rather traditional way to course book learning,” said Dr Elaine Boyd, head of English language at Trinity College London. “If someone is really highly motivated, they can learn really quickly. It’s common for children under the age of 11 to be fluent in about six months.”
1.The first paragraph serves as a(n) _______.
A. introduction B. discussion
C. explanation D. conclusion
2.What does Mila Vulchanova mainly stress?
A. The importance of key teaching ways.
B. The necessity of working hard at English.
C. The advantages of learning English.
D. The importance of starting learning English early.
3.The UK government hopes that benefit claimants ______.
A. reach “ESOL Entry 1”. B. are advanced English learners.
C. study English for about 360 hours. D. get citizenship from the government first.
4.What Dr Elaine Boyd said suggested that _____.
A. 120 hours is a high level for learners. B. one can learn English fast if active.
C. English fluency can be easily achieved. D. children under 11 learn English hard.
假定你是李华，上周应留学生朋友 Leslie的邀请，你去听了一场钢琴音乐会，你打算
教他认识中国汉字以示感谢。就此请你用英语给他写一封电子邮件，内容包括
1．对受邀表示感谢
2．简要回忆音乐会
3．提出教他汉字作为回报。
注意
1．词数100左右
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、除或
修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉
修改；在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Mao Zhaomu drop out of high school several years ago. Now the self-taught English learner has been admitted to one of Chinas top foreign language university. Sichuan International Studies University, that he used to deliver food to students. Mao once worked a delivery man for a restaurant, And he chatted happy with English learners online during her spare time. There were much grammatical mistakes, but that didn’t prevent him from chatting. To seize every chance to study English. he would memorize words while wait for customers. Mao said that how he hoped very much to become an interpreter. Whoever have a dream and dares to seek it is the loveliest person.
