Question

What will power your house in the future？Nuclear，wind，or solar power？According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US，it might be leaves — but artificial (人造的) ones.

Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用)．Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.

The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts (催化劑)．Similar to natural leaves，it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell，which uses those two materials to produce electricity，located either on top of a house or beside the house.

Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card，scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.

The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf，by contrast，is made of cheap materials，easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies，Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.

The wonderful improvements come from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful，new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now，the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides，the device can run in whatever water is available；that is，it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.

With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “give energy to the poor”，scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries，especially in India and rural China.

1.Which of the following orders correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?

a．a(chǎn)rtificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen

b．the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell

c．the artificial leaves are put in water

d．the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity

A. c，a，b，d                               B．c，b，a，d  

C．b，c，a，d                 D．c，a，d，b

2.The purpose of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaf is to________.

A．build up more power stations in the world

B．provide cheaper energy for developing countries

C．offer people in developing countries access to pure water

D．gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process

3.The main idea of this passage is ________.

A．a(chǎn)n introduction to the history of artificial leaves

B．a(chǎn) mixture of water power and solar energy

C．giving energy to the poor

D．a(chǎn)n invention copying photosynthesis

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.B

3.D

【解析】

試題分析：本文介紹了一項(xiàng)仿造葉子光合作用的發(fā)明—人工葉子的工作原理、工作性能和工作條件，可為發(fā)展中國家提供便宜的能源。

1.細(xì)節(jié)題：根據(jù)第三段中“it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell，which uses those two materials to produce electricity，located either on top of a house or beside the house.”當(dāng)把它投入一桶水中，可以把水分解成氫和氧。然后把氫和氧氣體儲存到放置在房間里或房子的旁邊的燃料電池中,使用這兩個(gè)材料來產(chǎn)生電能。由此可知正確順序是A。故選A。

2.細(xì)節(jié)題：根據(jù)第四段中“scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries.”科學(xué)家聲稱,它可為發(fā)展中國家提供廉價(jià)的電力來源。故選B。

3.主旨題：閱讀全文可知本文介紹了一項(xiàng)仿造葉子光合作用的發(fā)明—人工葉子的工作原理、工作性能和工作條件，可為發(fā)展中國家提供便宜的能源。故選D。

考點(diǎn)：考查科教類閱讀