1 . Range anxiety(里程焦虑), the fear of running out of power before being able to recharge an electric vehicle, may be a thing of the past, according to a team of Penn State engineers who are looking at lithium iron phosphate batteries(磷酸铁锂电池) that have a range of 250 miles with the ability to charge in 10 minutes.
“We developed a pretty clever battery for mass-market electric vehicles,” said Chao-Yang Wang, a professor and director of the Electrochemical Engine Center at Penn State. “There is no more range anxiety and this battery is affordable”. The researchers also say that the battery should be good for 2 million miles in its lifetime.
They report today in Nature Energy that the key to long-life and rapid recharging is the battery’s ability to quickly heat up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, for charge and discharge, and then cool down when the battery is not working.
The battery uses a self-heating approach previously developed in Wang’s center. The self-heating battery uses a thin nickel foil(镍箔) with one end attached to the negative terminal and the other extending outside the cell to create a third terminal. Once electrons flow it rapidly heats up the nickel foil through resistance heating and warm the inside of the battery. Once the battery’s internal temperature is 140 degrees F, the switch opens and the battery is ready for rapid charge or discharge.
“This battery has slenderized weight, volume and cost,” said Wang. “I am very happy that we finally found a battery that will benefit the mainstream consumer mass market.” According to Wang, these smaller batteries can produce a large amount of power upon heating—40 kilowatt hours and 300 kilowatts of power. An electric vehicle with this battery could go from zero to 60 miles per hour in 3 seconds and would drive like a Porsche, he said. “This is how we are going to change the environment and not contribute to just the luxury cars,” said Wang. “Let everyone afford electric vehicles.”
1. Which can best describe the battery in the text?| A．Cheap and heavy. | B．Costly but beneficial. |
| C．Expensive but small-sized. | D．Affordable and efficient. |
| A．It is environmentally friendly. | B．It heats up and cools down rapidly. |
| C．It helps speed up the car instantly. | D．It charges when it doesn’t work. |
| A．How the battery works. | B．Advantages of the battery. |
| C．How the battery is produced. | D．Applications of the battery. |
| A．promoted | B．gathered | C．combined | D．reduced |
2 . In the 1994 film Forrest Gump, there's a famous saying, "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get. The surprise is part of the fun. Now blind box toys（盲盒)are bringing the magic of surprise to online shopping.
A blind box toy is hidden inside similar boxes but invisible from the outside. You don't know what will be inside, although the toys typically come from pop culture, ranging from movies to comics and cartoons.
Blind boxes have become popular since they were first introduced from Japan to China in 2014. According to a 2019 Tmall report, the mini-series of Labubu blind box designed by Hong Kong-born Kasing Lung, was named Champion of Unit Sales with 55, 000 sold in just 9 seconds during the Singles Day shopping event. Most customers for blind boxes are young people aged 18 to 35.
According to The Paper, blind box toys are popular in part because of their cute appearances. The typically cute cartoon figures(人物)come in small sizes, making them suitable for display almost anywhere.
Even if blind boxes are not their top choice for decorations, the mystery and uncertainty of the process also attracts people. It's the main reason why people buy blind boxes one after another.
"Expecting the unknown is always a part of the box-opening process," said Miss Cao, 24, who lives and works in Shenyang. Speaking to Sina News, she said: "Until you open all the boxes, you cannot know what it is inside."
Opening a blind box is a delightful little surprise for our mundane daily lives, something small but fun to wait for each day, week or month. When people open this simple little box, they may be disappointed, but the uncertainty is part of the fun. People will open more blind boxes and hope for a better outcome.
When someone re-makes Forrest Gump, don't be surprised if he says, "Life is like a blind box."
1. What do we know about blind boxes?| A．They may bring surprise to our life. | B．They are visible from the outside. |
| C．They are popular among all ages. | D．They were first designed in 2014. |
| A．Because blind boxes are fashionable gifts. |
| B．Because blind boxes are educational gifts. |
| C．Because people enjoy box-opening process. |
| D．Because people prefer the colorful boxes. |
| A．Wonderful | B．Interesting | C．Amazing. | D．Boring. |
| A．A diary. | B．A magazine. | C．A novel. | D．A guidebook. |
3 . Once upon a time two brothers, who lived on neighboring farms, had a quarrel. It was the first serious rift in 40 years, sharing machinery and exchanging goods as needed.
One morning there was a knock on the older brother's door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter's tool box.
"I'm looking for a few days' work." he said." Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with?"
"Yes." said the older brother. Look across the creek（小溪）at that farm. That's my younger brother. Last week there was a grassland between us, but he made a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to make difficulties for me, but I'll do him one better." "I want you to build me an 8-foot fence, so I won't need to see his place or his face anymore."
The carpenter said, "Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I'll be able to do a job that pleases you." The older brother got things ready and went to town.
The carpenter worked hard all that day. About sunset, when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job.
The farmer's eyes opened wide. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge—a bridge from one side of the creek to the other! The neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward them." You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I've said and done." They met in the middle, taking each other's hand.
They turned to see the carpenter taking his toolbox onto his shoulder.
"No, wait! Stay fora few days. I've a lot of other projects for you," said the older brother.
"I'd love to stay on," the carpenter said, "but I have many more bridges to build."
1. What does the underlined word "rift" in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Failure | B．Discussion | C．Quarrel | D．Competition |
| A．Because he was asked to build it. |
| B．Because he was willing to help others. |
| C．Because he hated the older brother. |
| D．Because it was easier to build a bridge. |
| A．Selfish. | B．Generous. | C．Smart. | D．Famous. |
| A．Never Too Late To Learn |
| B．Bridge Is Better Than Fence |
| C．Care and Diligence Brings Luck |
| D．Fact Speaks Louder Than Words |
4 . Gitanjali Rao, a teenager who invented a mobile device to test for lead(铅)in drinking water, is Time's Kid of the Year for 2020. The magazine announced the award Thursday, indicating Rao's ability to apply scientific ideas to real-world problems and her desire to motivate other kids to take up their own causes.
It's just the latest recognition for Rao, 15, who was named last year to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list(福布斯30岁以下青年才俊榜).She won praise in 2017 after she created a device named Tehys, using carbon nanotube sensors to detect lead in water. She was named America's Top Young Scientist when she was in the seventh grade. She went on to collaborate with scientists in the water industry to try to get the device on the market.
More recently , Rao has developed a phone and Web tool named Kindly, which uses artificial intelligence technology to detect possible early signs of cyberbullying(网络欺凌).
Rao was chosen in part because of the way she has followed up her technical work with efforts to get other young people to work on solving the problems they see. "I don't look like the typical scientist. Everything I see on TV is that it's an older, usually white man as a scientist,” she said. “My goal has really shifted not only from creating my own devices to solve the world's problems, but inspiring others to do the same as well. Because, from personal experience, it's not easy when you don't see anyone else like you. So I really want to put out that message: If I can do it, you can do it. and anyone can do it.”
1. What made Rao win Time's Kid of die Year?| A．Her invention and inspiration to others. |
| B．Her ability to ensure kids' drinking water. |
| C．Her motivation to solve practical problems. |
| D．Her way of influencing other young people. |
| A．She developed a tool called Kindly. |
| B．She created a device called Tehys. |
| C．She won America's Top Young Scientists. |
| D．She became one of the Forbes 30 Under 30. |
| A．Compete. | B．Exchange. | C．Cooperate. | D．Bargain. |
| A．She wants to be a typical scientist. | B．She once suffered cyberbullying. |
| C．She lived a hard life when young. | D．She encourages others to do like her. |
