A bike path in Krommenie, a city in the Netherlands, isn’t just helping people get around — it’s also producing energy. The path, named SolaRoad, is paved (铺) with solar cells (太阳能电池), which use the power of the sun to make electricity.
The project was created to show that the places where people ride, walk, or drive can also serve to produce energy. And the solar-powered path is doing a better job than expected. So far, it has created enough electricity to power three houses for a year.
Many cities already cover rooftops with solar panels (太阳能板). By using renewable (可再生的) sources of energy, urban areas can decrease their dependence on fossil fuels, like coal, oil, and natural gas. Renewable sources of energy don’t get used up or create pollution as fossil fuels do.
Roads could provide an even larger space than roofs to harvest energy from the sun. Sten de Wit, one of the researchers behind SolaRoad, says, “In the Netherlands, we have about 140,000 kilometers of roads. It’s a huge area, more than all of the rooftops combined.”
To create the experimental bike path, the SolaRoad team laid down concrete slabs (混凝土板) with rows of solar cells above. A layer of strong glass covers and protects the cells. Sunlight passes through the glass and into the cells, which turn the sunlight into electrical energy.
Although the bike path was expensive to build, with the energy it produces, it could pay for itself within 15 years. By building solar-powered bike paths and roads, cities could produce enough energy to power streetlamps, traffic lights, and even electric cars. Most people don’t notice that the bike path is different from a traditional street. Sten de Wit says, “That is exactly what we want: it does whatever it has to do to be a proper road while harvesting solar energy at the same time.”
8. What do we know about renewable sources of energy?
A.They are friendly to the environment. |
B.They are only fit for urban areas. |
C.They are more expensive than fossil fuels. |
D.They provide more energy than fossil fuels. |
9. Which of the following shows the right structure of the bike path?
(
=concrete slabs
= solar cells
=strong glass)
10. What can we know from the last paragraph?
A.Not all people consider SolaRoads are useful. |
B.SolaRoads look the same as traditional roads. |
C.Most urban areas can’t afford to build SolaRoads. |
D.The solar-powered bike path is worth the effort. |
11. What can be the best title of the text?
A.New solar cells take the place of traditional solar panels. |
B.A bike path in the Netherlands produces energy from the sun. |
C.A new kind of solar-powered bike gets ready to amaze you. |
D.A new way of making solar cells promises cheaper power. |