“I will never marry,” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married.In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous.A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organise and lead her military campaigns.More important, she needed male heirs to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them.Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation.This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage.The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics.The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one.Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other, deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife.Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents.
Some writers, based on very fragile evidence, have argued that Elizabeth was frightened or incapable of the sex act, but it is more likely that she feared childbirth. Two of her stepmothers, her grandmother and several acquaintances had died in childbed.
Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent.The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.
1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes,Elizabeth ________.
A.held back the truth
B.gave a definite answer “no”
C.kept them expecting deliberately
D.said she preferred the single state
2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.
A.prejudice against her
B.separation of the court
C.jealousy among English courtiers
D.a negative impact on English politics
3.Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?
A.Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.
B.Some foreign princes made war on Britain.
C.Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.
D.Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.
4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?
A.Pitiful. B.Approving.
C.Negative. D.Neutral.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
“I will never marry,” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married.In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous.A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organise and lead her military campaigns.More important, she needed male heirs to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them.Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation.This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage.The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics.The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one.Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other, deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife.Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents.
Some writers, based on very fragile evidence, have argued that Elizabeth was frightened or incapable of the sex act, but it is more likely that she feared childbirth. Two of her stepmothers, her grandmother and several acquaintances had died in childbed.
Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent.The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.
1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes,Elizabeth ________.
A.held back the truth
B.gave a definite answer “no”
C.kept them expecting deliberately
D.said she preferred the single state
2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.
A.prejudice against her
B.separation of the court
C.jealousy among English courtiers
D.a negative impact on English politics
3.Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?
A.Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.
B.Some foreign princes made war on Britain.
C.Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.
D.Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.
4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?
A.Pitiful. B.Approving.
C.Negative. D.Neutral.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“I will never marry,” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married. In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous. A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organize and lead her military campaigns. More important, she needed male heirs to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them. Indeed , although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation. This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics. The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other, deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife. Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents.
Some writers, based on very fragile evidence, have argued that Elizabeth was frightened or incapable of the sex act, but it is more likely that she feared childbirth. Two of her stepmothers, her grandmother and several acquaintances had died in child bed.
Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent.The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.
1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes,Elizabeth ________.
A.held back the truth
B.gave a definite answer “no”
C.kept them expecting deliberately
D.said she preferred the single state
2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.
A.prejudice against her
B.separation of the court
C.jealousy among English courtiers
D.a negative impact on English politics
3.Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?
A.Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.
B.Some foreign princes made war on Britain.
C.Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.
D.Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.
4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?
A.Pitiful. B.Approving. C.Negative. D.Neutral.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
“I will never marry, ” the future Elizabeth I declared at the age of eight, and, to the terror of her people, the Great Queen kept her word.
For four centuries, historians have guessed why Elizabeth never married. In her own day, her decision to remain single was considered absurd and dangerous. A queen needed a husband to make political decisions for her and to organize and lead her military campaigns. More important, she needed male heirs (继承人) to avoid a civil war after her death.
There was no shortage of suitors for the Queen, both English courtiers (朝臣) and foreign princes, and it was confidently expected for the best part of 30 years that Elizabeth would eventually marry one of them. Indeed, although she insisted that she preferred the single state, she kept these suitors in a state of permanent expectation. This was a deliberate policy on the Queen's part, since by keeping foreign princes in hope, sometimes for a decade, she kept them friendly when they might otherwise have made war on her kingdom.
There were, indeed, good political reasons for her avoiding marriage. The disastrous union of her sister Mary I to Philip II of Spain had had an unwelcome foreign influence upon English politics. The English were generally prejudiced against the Queen taking a foreign husband, particularly a Catholic one. Yet if she married an English, jealousy might lead to the separation of the court.
There were other deeper reasons for Elizabeth's unwillingness to marry, chief of which, I believe, was her fear of losing her autonomy as Queen. In the 16th century, a queen was regarded as holding supreme dominion(统治权)over the state, while a husband was thought to hold supreme dominion over his wife. Elizabeth knew that marriage and motherhood would bring some harm to her power.
She once pointed out that marriage seemed too uncertain a state for her. She had seen several unions in her immediate family break down, including that of her own parents. Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, had had her mother, Anne Boleyn, killed; her stepmother Catherine Howard later suffered the same fate. When Elizabeth was 14 she was all but attracted by Admiral Thomas Seymour, who also went to the prison within a year. Witnessing these terrible events at an early age, it has been argued, may have put Elizabeth off marriage.
Elizabeth had to decide her priorities. Marriage or being single? Elizabeth was far too intelligent. The choice she made was courageous and revolutionary, and, in the long run, the right one for England.
1.To the suitors including English courtiers and foreign princes, Elizabeth ________.
A. held back the truth
B. gave a definite answer “no”
C. kept them expecting on purpose
D. said she preferred the single state
2.If Elizabeth had married a foreign prince, there might have been ________.
A. prejudice against her
B. separation of the court
C. jealousy among English courtiers
D. a negative impact on English politics
3.Which of the following implications is right according to the passage?
A. Queen Elizabeth was not a Catholic.
B. Some foreign princes made war on Britain.
C. Catherine Howard was killed by Anne Boleyn.
D. Admiral Thomas Seymour was killed by Henry VIII.
4.What is the attitude of the author towards Queen Elizabeth never marrying in her life?
A. Pitiful. B. Approving. C. Negative. D. Neutral.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
____ volunteer service at the museum can better cater to visitors in future will be discussed at the seminar.
A.That B.Why C.When D.How
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
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(催化剂).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.artificial 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,b,a,d B.c,a,b,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.an introduction to the history of artificial leaves
B.an invention copying photosynthesis
C.giving energy to the poor
D.a mixture of water power and solar energy
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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 (催化剂).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.artificial 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.an introduction to the history of artificial leaves
B.a mixture of water power and solar energy
C.giving energy to the poor
D.an invention copying photosynthesis
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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 (催化剂).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.artificial 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.an introduction to the history of artificial leaves
B.a mixture of water power and solar energy
C.giving energy to the poor
D.an invention copying photosynthesis
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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 (催化剂). 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. artificial 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. an introduction to the history of artificial leaves
B. a mixture of water power and solar energy
C. giving energy to the poor
D. an invention copying photosynthesis
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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 man-made 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 copy this seemingly simple process.
The man-made leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his partners at MIT can be seen as a special chip with catalysts (催化剂). 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 (电池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity.
A man-made leaf is not a new idea. The first man-made leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and changeable for practical use. The new leaf, on the contrary, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that a man-made 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, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy change 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 machine 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 enough pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new machine could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.
1.What will give power to our house in the future, according to MIT?
A. Man-made leaves. B. Nuclear.
C. Solar power. D. Wind.
2.Which of the following orders correctly shows how the man-made leaf is used to produce electricity?
a. man-made leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b. the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c. the man-made leaves are put in water
d. the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity
A. cbad. B. bcad.
C. cabd. D. cadb.
3.What does the underlined “stable” in the 4th paragraph mean?
A. Secure. B. Powerful.
C. Unnatural. D. Unchangeable.
4.The aim of the scientists at MIT in developing the new man-made leaves 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
高三英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析
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 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 (硅片) with catalysts (催化剂). 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 (电池), 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 Docera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
An 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 prorotype (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, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation (转换) 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 “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.
1.Which of the following order correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a. artificial 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. cbad B. cabd C. bcad D. cadb
2.Which of the following statements about new artificial leaves is TRUE according to the article?
A. They are inexpensive but unstable.
B. They are as efficient at carrying out photosynthesis as natural leaves.
C. They can work only in pure water.
D. They need several catalysts to help them work efficiently.
3.The aim of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaves 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
4.What is the main point of the article?
A. Introduction to the history of artificial leaves.
B. An invention copying photosynthesis.
C. Giving energy to the poor.
D. A mixture of water power and solar energy.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析