Getting electricity(电)has always been a problem for the 173 people living in Nuevo Saposoa, a small village in Peru, South America. However, things went from bad to worse in March 2015 after heavy rains damaged(损坏)the only power cables(电缆)in the area. The villagers were forced to use oil lamps, which are not only expensive but also dangerous because of the harmful gases they produce.

Luckily, researchers at the University of Technology(UT)in Lima, Peru heard about their problem and found a wonderful solution(解决方法).They made a lamp that can be powered by plants and soil, both of which can be easily found in the Amazonian rainforest where the village lies. The lamp takes energy from a plant growing in a wooden box and uses it to light up an LED light bulb.

While that may sound amazing and even impossible, the science behind the idea is quite simple. As plants create their food (using the sun's energy, water and chemicals from the soil ),they also produce waste which they return to the soil. Tiny animals in the soil eat this waste and they produce electrons一the building blocks of electrical energy. The UT team put special sticks inside the soil to get the energy and keep it in the lamp's batteries for later use. The researchers say a single charge can power a 50-watt LED light for two hours 一enough time for local villagers to get their evening work done.

The university gave ten Plant Lamps to the villagers of Nuevo Saposoa in October 2015. So far, they have been a huge success! Elmer Ramirez, the UT professor who invented the lamp,believes the Plant Lamp could help improve the lives of many people, especially small rainforest communities. 42% of whom have no electricity.

1.What is true about the Plant Lamp?

A. It can be made by local people.

B. It is much easier to use than oil lamps.

C. It can produce all the electricity the villagers need.

D. The things it needs to make electricity are easy to find.

2.The Plant Lamp's inventor believes it could be most helpful for .

A. rainforest communities B. cars

C. poor people in cities D. farmers

3.What is the purpose of the passage?

A. To report on a new invention

B. To explain a new scientific theory(理论)

C. To describe how electricity is made

D. To discuss the problems of poor villages

I grew up in a house where the TV was seldom turned on and with one wall in my bedroom entirely lined with bookshelves, most of my childhood was spent on books I could get hold of. In fact, I grew up thinking of reading as natural as breathing and books unbelievably powerful in shaping perspectives( 观点 ) by creating worlds we could step into, take part in and live in.

With this belief, I, at fourteen, decided to become a writer. Here too, reading became useful. Every writer starts off knowing that he has something to say, but being unable to find the right ways to say it. He has to find his own voice by reading widely and discovering which parts of the writers he agrees or disagrees with. He cannot write without loving to read, because only through reading other people’s writing can one discover what works, what doesn’t and, in the end, together with lots of practice, what voice he has.

Now I am in college, and have come to realize how important it is to read books. Reading reminds me that there is life beyond my own. It allows me to travel across the high seas and along the Silk Road, all from the comfort of my own armchair, to experience, though secondhand, exciting experiences that I wouldn’t necessarily be able to have in my lifetime.

1.What can be inferred about the author as a child?

A. He never watched TV.

B. He found reading unbelievable.

C. He considered reading part of his life.

D. He read what he had to.

2.The underlined word “voice” in the second paragraph most probably means “________”.

A. a belief B. a way of writing C. a sound quality D. a world to write about

3.What effect does reading have on the author?

A. It opens up a wider world for him.

B. It helps him to realize his dream.

C. It makes his college life more interesting.

D. It increases his interest in worldwide travel.

4.Which of the following can be the best title of this text?

A. How do I read? B. What do I read? C. Why do I read? D. When do I read?

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