In the west of the city Seville in Spain, a sea of giant mirrors is reflecting the sun’s energy to provide “concentrated solar power (CSP)” while brightening the path to a new wave of green energy projects.
The 624 carefully positioned mirrors reflect the sun’s heat towards a 50-meter-tall central tower where it is concentrated and used to boil water into steam. The superheated steam is then used to turn a turbine (汽轮机) that can produce up to 11 megawatts of electricity—enough power for 6,000 homes—according to Solucar, the Spanish company that has built the power plant.
The Spanish tower, known as PS10, is the first stage of an ambitious development. By 2025 it is hoped that additional towers will create “a solar farm” with an output of 500 megawatts, which would be enough power for 180,000 homes, almost the entire population of nearby Seville.
CSP produces no greenhouse gases and the only pollution is visual. There is also the possibility that production can keep going around the clock-even when the sun has gone down. Solucar is currently testing technology at a plant near Granada that will pump 50 percent of the electricity generated in the day into the Spanish national grid (国家输电网), and use the other 50 percent to melt salt, which will then act as a kind of battery, storing the sun’s power. When dusk falls, the heat stored in the molten salt can be used to generate power through the night.
The Sahara, the world’s largest desert, has always been seen as a problem. But with large-scale CSP projects, suddenly all that empty space, with its year round clear skies and hot sun, has a value that could transform local economies. It could potentially turn Africa into an exporter of energy to power-hungry Europe.
1. What is the Spanish tower PS10 used to do according to the text?| A．Store boiled water. | B．Generate electricity. |
| C．Reflect the sun’s energy. | D．Brighten the path nearby. |
| A．towers like PS10 are set up |
| B．greenhouses are built to make profits |
| C．crops are grown with new technology |
| D．farmers mainly use solar energy at home |
| A．molten salt works better than water when producing electricity |
| B．melting salt can reduce environmental pollution |
| C．some sun power can be saved for the night use |
| D．salt is easy to melt in the sun |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. | C．Subjective. | D．Optimistic. |
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Instead of satellites, Locata uses ground-based equipment to send a radio signal over a localized area that is a million times stronger on arrival than GPS. It can work indoors as well as outdoors, and the makers claim that the receivers can be shrunk(缩小) to fit inside a regular cell phone. Even the US armies, which invented GPS technology, signed a file last month agreeing to a test of Locata at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
“This is one of the most important technology developments for the future of the positioning industry,” says Nunzio Gambale, CEO and co-founder of the firm Locata, based in Griffith, Australia.
As for the Locata’s correctness, Christopher Morin of the US Air Force tested it recently at White Sands, and it worked to within 18cm along any axis(轴). Morin said it should be possible to get the exactitude down to 5cm.
The tests were performed in an open desert where GPS also worked beautifully, but its signal was weak—like a car headlight from 20,000 kilometers away—and easily cut off by solid objects(实心的物体). Locata’s signal was far stronger, though not guaranteed to work in a complex urban environment, said David, speaker of the UK’ s General Lighthouse Authorities.
Locata’s technology will face competition in the race to transform indoor navigation. But it could shine in specific areas, Gambale said. Robots with Locata could easily navigate inside buildings without the complex optical(视觉的) systems they need at the moment. And the process that handles correct location data could not only guide you around a mall, railway station or airport, but also take you to the exact shelf in a shop for the product you want. It would be small and cheap enough for smart phones and it should be available within five years—a similar path to the one GPS took on its way towards the world, he said.
1. The passage is written mainly to ______.
| A．encourage people to buy the Locata |
| B．tell us the disadvantages of the GPS |
| C．introduce a new positioning system Locata |
| D．tell us that Locata will replace GPS one day |
| A．Without the help of the satellites, Locata can tell you where you are. |
| B．Locata will be popular with most people even including the US armies. |
| C．Locata has a better signal than GPS in some bad environments. |
| D．In five years, Locata will take the place of GPS. |
| A．did the experiment at White Sands last month |
| B．believed the Locata would help to develop smart robots’ creation |
| C．doubted whether Locata can work in a complex environment or not |
| D．was worried about the competition the Locata faced |
| A．Accuracy. | B．Speed. |
| C．Determination | D．Length |
| A．Locata is as small as a cell phone. |
| B．GPS is the most practical position system at present. |
| C．Locata will tell you how to get what you want in the future. |
| D．Locata will enter our lives through the cell phone, just like GPS. |
【推荐2】Math and literature are probably two of the subjects that bring students headaches. However, mathematicians choose to join the two together-they wonder whether the beauty of math can be found in literary works.
Once Upon a Prime: The Wondrous Connections between Mathematics and Literature, a book published recently by UK mathematician Sarah Hart, presents some interesting thoughts about “three”. She argues that the number has a special hold on Western literature and languages in general.
Many common phrases are in three words, such as “ready, set, go”. Being the first things kids may learn, some nursery rhymes have a word repeated three times, such as “row, row, row your boat”. In stories, there are usually three main characters, such as Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Harry Potter series. For a series of novels, there are usually three books rather than four, according to Hart.
Three is the minimum number of points that can define a two-dimensional shape. Three sticks can create a triangle, a stable structure. These characteristics behind the number three give it “a sense of strength and completeness” which balances a story, according to the book.
Similarly, another study connected math and storytelling by mapping out readers’ “emotional experiences”. Researchers at the University of Vermont, US, analyzed more than 1,300 fiction works. As each book was divided into many 10,000-word parts, they rated how “happy” each part made readers feel. The ratings were then grouped into arcs (弧线), which showed how the readers’ emotions changed while reading.
The researchers summarized the arcs in six shapes, which covered almost all novels. The simplest patterns were “rise” and “fall”, showing that the plot was straightforward. Two of the most popular story shapes among readers were “rise-fall” and “fall-rise-fall”. It showed that more twists and turns in the stories are preferred by readers.
So why do researchers analyze the mathematics of literature? As the study’s lead author Andrew Reagan told Scientific American, turning words into data “can teach us more about stories”.
1. What aspect of the number “three” is mainly talked about in paragragh 3?| A．Its occurrence in literature. | B．Its importance in education. |
| C．Its application in novels. | D．Its interpretation in language. |
| A．Because it creates a strong emotional impact. |
| B．Because it makes literary books readable. |
| C．Because it presents a feeling of power and unity. |
| D．Because it shows a more stable structure. |
| A．Through comparing different literary types: |
| B．Through analyzing math knowledge used in different novels. |
| C．By counting the use of numbers in fiction works. |
| D．By using shapes to show readers’ reading experiences. |
| A．It offers conclusive evidence about a story’s quality. |
| B．It provides insights into understanding literary works. |
| C．It helps explore the role of literature in teaching math. |
| D．It offers an outdated approach to learning mathematics. |
【推荐3】Many people consider mosquito bites just part of summer living but these insects can carry diseases. Mosquitoes are actually some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet. According to the World Health Organization, mosquitoes cause over 700,000 deaths every year.
But there is new hope in the battle between man and mosquito. Scientists at Auburn University, in Alabama, may have found the secret to stopping mosquito-borne diseases. “We have created a type of fabric that blocks mosquito bites,” says John Beckmann, who leads the lab at the university,
Beckmann remembered a camping trip from which he returned riddled with kisses from mosquitoes despite wearing a long-sleeved shirt. “People say, ‘wear long sleeves’ a lot,” Beckmann said, “but long sleeves don’t block mosquitoes.”
While some companies are making what they state is bite-proof clothing, the clothing includes some harmful chemicals or is made of thick fabrics that are too hot to wear and are easily beaten by mosquitoes. That’s because there are holes in the makeup of their fabrics that mosquitoes and other biting insects can get through.
The key is to discover a fabric that can remove these holes and is still cool enough to wear in hot weather. “That is the reason why this project is not as easy as people think” said Beckmann. “You obviously need your clothes to be breathable. But that usually comes at the cost of letting mosquitoes bite through them. So the basic problem is keeping the holes there while blocking tiny mosquito mouth-parts at the same time.”
The team tried by using a computer numerical control knitting (编织) machine that could be programmed with different designs until they found a bite-proof one. The end result is a product that the researchers compare to popular high-quality athletic wear.
But the researchers are still not satisfied and will be spending the next year perfecting the comfort of the material and finally creating a clothing line. The hope is that finally any type of fabric can be knitted into the lab’s design, so that all kinds of clothing companies from baby clothing producers to dress designers could create bite-proof clothing.
1. What happened to Beckmann on a camping trip?| A．He was badly bitten by mosquitoes. |
| B．He discovered a new kind of mosquito. |
| C．He felt unbearably hot with long-sleeved clothes. |
| D．He mastered some skills in dealing with mosquitoes. |
| A．The popularity of bite-proof clothing. |
| B．Disadvantages of existing bite-proof clothing. |
| C．Advancements in bite-proof clothing. |
| D．Comparisons between different types of bite-proof clothing. |
| A．Persuade more researchers to join in. |
| B．Make the design applicable to different fabrics. |
| C．Find a fabric suitable for all designs. |
| D．Get funded by clothing companies. |
| A．Mosquitoes: The Silent Killers | B．The Battle Against Mosquitoes |
| C．A Step Towards a Bite-Free Future | D．Proven Ways to Prevent Mosquito Bites |
【推荐1】You probably know about the Titanic, but it was actually just one of three cutting-edge ocean ships back in the day. The Olympic class ships were built by the Harland & Wolff ship makers in Northern Ireland for the White Star Line Company. The Olympic class included the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic. What you may not know is that the Titanic wasn’t even the flagship of this class. All in all, the Olympic class ships were wonders of sea engineering, but they seemed doomed (注定) to suffer disasters.
The Olympic launched first in 1910, followed by the Titanic in 1911, and lastly the Britannic in 1914. The ships had nine decks, and White Star Line decided to focus on making them the most luxurious ships on the water.
Stretching 269.13 meters, the Olympic class ships were wonders of naval technology, and everyone thought that they would continue to be so for quite some time. However, all suffered terrible accidents on the open seas but the Olympic was the only one to survive and maintain a successful career. The Titanic was the first to sink after famously hitting a huge iceberg in 1912. Following this disaster, the Britannic hit a naval mine in 1916 and subsequently sank as well.
Each ship was coal-powered by several boilers constantly kept running by exhausted crews below deck. Most recognizable of the ship designs are the ship’s smoke stacks (烟囱), but the fourth stack was actually just artistic in nature and served no functional purpose. While two of these ships sank, they were all designed with double hulls (船体) believed to make them “unsinkable”, perhaps a mistaken idea that led to the Titanic’s and the Britannic’s miserable end.
The Olympic suffered two crashes with other ships and went on to serve as a hospital ship and troop transport in World WarⅠ. Eventually, she was taken out of service in 1935, ending the era of the luxurious Olympic class ocean liners.
1. Why does the author mention “the Titanic” at the beginning?| A．To tell its unknown story. | B．To remind readers of its glory. |
| C．To introduce the Olympic class ships. | D．To arouse readers’ interest in the ship. |
| A．Their unscientific designs. |
| B．Their captains’ misjudgment. |
| C．The assumption that they possessed the latest technology. |
| D．The belief that they could never sink with a double-layer body. |
| A．It performed safely on the sea. | B．It had a career of more than 30 years. |
| C．It was the model of modern engineering. | D．It was used for multiple purposes. |
a. The Olympic was retired from service.
b. Harland & Wolff ship makers built the Olympic.
c. The Britannic suffered a disastrous accident.
d. The Titanic sank due to a huge iceberg.
e. The Titanic launched.
| A．b-e-c-d-a | B．b-e-d-c-a | C．b-e-a-d-c | D．e-b-d-a-c |
【推荐2】In a May 2020 study, researchers showed that a junk food diet can be particularly bad for teen brains because it does not contain the good fats needed to build healthy brain cells. The good news is that you can make food choices that support a healthy brain. “The brain is the most fat-rich organ we have,” notes Alexandra Richardson, an expert at the University of Oxford. “And where does it get its fats? From what we eat.”
But not all fats are the same. Our brains need a type known as omega-3 fats, which are found in fish and some oils and help build the membrane (膜状物) that surrounds brain cells, which need membranes to hold them together and to communicate well with each other.
In the study, Richardson and her team showed improved mental health in children who took omega-3 pills. The children who took part were between the ages of 5 and 12. All not only had problems with attention and impulsivity, but also struggled with reading and spelling. After taking omega-3 pills for three months, they showed improved attention and ability to control their impulsive behavior. Their reading and spelling scores also went up.
“Research shows exercise can be a good way to avoid damage from junk food,” notes Cassandra Lowe, who has studied kids’ brains and nutrition.
Two important things happen in the brain when we exercise. The first is that the brain’s reward system — the one that feels good when we do something we like — becomes less sensitive to food cues (食物诱惑).
Exercise also triggers the body to make a protein called BDNF, which helps brain cells grow and strengthens links between them.
“Processed and fried foods, such as store-bought baked goods and chips don’t have many of the nutrients our bodies and brains need,” Richardson says. Kids need to understand that they tend to be rich both in calories and in “mixture (混合物) of chemicals that do not support human health — physical or mental.”
1. What is the writing purpose of Paragraph 2?| A．To emphasize that fish belongs to foods that are low in fat. |
| B．To introduce the idea that the brain gets its fats from foods. |
| C．To explain the difference between the fats found in various foods. |
| D．To describe how certain types of fat promote brain function and health. |
| A．By describing a study about the relationship between omega-3 fats and behavior. |
| B．By emphasizing that omega-3 fats help children form the habit of eating healthily. |
| C．By explaining that exercise can increase the body’s production of omega-3 fats. |
| D．By stressing omega-3 fats mainly promote good physical health in children. |
| A．People who exercise regularly tend to take a risk. |
| B．Regular exercise can reduce the effect of junk food. |
| C．Regular exercise can help people consume less junk food. |
| D．Junk food may damage the good fats that help build the membrane. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Doubtful. | D．Neutral. |
【推荐3】Sending human travelers to Mars would require scientists and engineers to overcome a range of technological and safety obstacles. One of them is the serious risk posed by particle radiation (辐射) from the sun, distant stars and galaxies (星系).
Answering two key questions would go a long way toward overcoming that difficulty: Would particle radiation pose too serious a threat to human life throughout a round trip to the red planet? And, could the very timing of a mission to Mars help shield astronauts and the spacecraft from the radiation?
In a new article published in the journal Space Weather, an international team of space scientists, including researchers from UCLA, answers those two questions with a “no” and a “yes.” That is, humans should be able to safely travel to and from Mars, only if the spacecraft has enough protection and the round trip is shorter than approximately four years. And the timing of a human mission to Mars would indeed make a difference: The scientists determined that the best time for a flight to leave Earth would be when solar activity is at its peak (高峰期), because, during this period, the most dangerous and energetic particles from distant galaxies are deflected (偏转) by the enhanced solar activity.
A trip of that length would be imaginable. The average flight to Mars takes about nine months, so depending on the timing of launch and available fuel, it is reasonable that a human mission could reach the planet and return to Earth in less than two years, according to Yuri Shprits, a UCLA research geophysicist and co–author of the paper.
“This study shows that while space radiation impose (强加) strict limitations on how heavy the spacecraft can be and the time of launch, and it presents technological difficulties for human missions to Mars, such a mission is possible,” said Shprits, who also is head of space physics and space weather at GFZ Research Centre for Geosciences in Potsdam, Germany.
1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?| A．To list human’s achievements in space. |
| B．To show a possible way to travel to Mars. |
| C．To introduce scientists’ effort to travel to Mars. |
| D．To present one of the difficulties of the trip to Mars. |
| A．Escape. | B．Approach. | C．Protect. | D．Separate. |
| A．About 9 months. | B．Less than 4 years. | C．Less than two years. | D．One year. |
| A．Will It Be Safe for Humans to Fly to Mars? |
| B．Humans Will Travel to Mars in the Near Future. |
| C．The Timing of a Trip to Mars Is Planned. |
| D．Particle Radiation Changes for the Solar Activity. |
