第二篇 Archive Gallery: The Best of Bionics(仿生学)
Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes(长颈鹿), which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day.
We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint(蓝图)for invention. We’ve borrowed canals from beavers(河狸)and reflectors from cat’s eyes. Although the words “bionics” became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives(档案)don’t go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes.
To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright’s pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore(梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter.
Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic (简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett’s fish submarine (潜水艇) actually looks like a fish.
Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)-sounds shocking, doesn’t it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that.
36. “cats”,”monkeys” and “giraffes” mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to illustrate
A. they are highly-evolved species as humans.
B. humans can learn animals’skills.
C. they are skillful in different ways.
D. animals have skills that humans do not possess.
37. Which of the following can be found in the archive gallery?
A. History books.
B. The Wright brothers’sculpture.
C. First practical airplanes built in the late 19th century.
D. Leonardo da vinci’s bird-like flying machines.
38. What happened after the Wright brothers’success?
A. People carried out a systematic study on pigeons.
B. People studied more animals and plants to develop the airplane.
C. People cound fly their airplane for fun.
D. People kept their airplane at a French gallery.
39. Which of the following in true about the research carried out by the US Army?
A. It has changed our life.
B. It has cost a large sum of money.
C. It has improved the abilities of tanks.
D. It has not succeeded yet.
40. What does the writer want to tell in the passage?
A. Many inventions get ideas from nature.
B. Some animals possess unique skills.
C. People should protect nature.
D. Bionics is far from perfect.
第三篇 "Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan
Scientists say they have discovered hints of alien life on the Saturn's moon. The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space agency,NASA,analyzed data from spacecraft Cassini,which pointed to the existence of methane-based form of life on Saturn's biggest moon.
Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are"breathing" in Titan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.
They argue that hydrogen gets absorbed before hitting Titan's planet-like surface covered with methane lakes and rivers. This,they say,points to the existence of some"bugs" consuming the hydrogen at the surface of the moon less than half the size of the Earth.
"We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan,similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,"says NASA scientist Chris McKay."If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life,it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."
To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life anywhere,though there are liquid-water-based microorganisms on Earth that grow well on methane or produce it as a waste product. On Titan, where temperatures are around 90 Kelvin (minus 290 degrees Farenheit),a methanebased organism would have to use a substance that is liquid as its medium for living processes, but not water itself. Water is frozen solid on Titan's surface and much too cold to support life as we know it.
Scientists had expected the Sun's interactions with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's surface. But Cassini detected no acetylene on the surface.
The absence of detectable acetylene on the Titan's surface can very well have a non-biological explanation,said Mark Allen,a principal investigator of the NASA Titan team.
"Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed,"Allen said. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process,without biology,can explain these results."
41 .What do scientists claim to have found about Saturn?
A. Water-based life on it.
B. Methane-based life on its biggest moon.
C. A new moon moving around it.
D. Earthlike life on its biggest moon.
42. Which of the following statements about Titan is true?
A. It is as large as the Earth.
B. There is acetylene on its surface.
C. Water on it acts as a life supporting medium.
D. Hydrogen consumption is reported to be on it.
43. The expression "this form of life" in paragraph 5 refer to?
A. Water-based life.
B. oxygen-based life.
C. Methane-based life.
D. Liquid-based microorganisms.
44. It can be inferred from Mark Allen’s address that
A. Scientists are trying to confirm these is life on Titan.
B. Scientists agree that a chemical process is a convincing explanation.
C. Scientists share the opinion that a biological explanation is reasonable.
D. Scientists are arguing over whether there is life on Titan.
45. Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?
A . A different Life Form, a Possibility.
B. Earthlike Living Beings Found on Titan.
C. Finding of One More Moon of Saturn’s.
D. Titan, a New Satellite Discovered.
