A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane(生物甲烷)gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking．

    Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas，Martin Orrill，said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified to the highest standard and has no smell．The gas is produced at a sewage(污物) treatment works in Didcot．

   The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks．The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria(厌氧菌)digest the sewage，with the aid of enzymes(酶)to speed up the process．The digestion process produces methane，which can be burned to drive machines(甲烷)to produce electricity，or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.

   Partners in the Didcot project，British Gas，Scotia Gas Network，and Thames Water，all hope to expand the process to other towns，and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned．One of these projects in Manchester could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery(啤酒厂)waste to around 235 families．

   The Didcot project cost￡25 million and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies．An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020．

   The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually．If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology，they could supply gas for up to 350, 000 families.

1..   Which of the following is TRUE of the biomethane gas?

   A. it’s mainly made from rotting plants      B. It’s an environmentally friendly gas

   C. Its production process is too long        D. It’s easily recognized by customers

2..   What is the function of the enzymes?   

A. To digest the solid waste material        B. To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria

   C. To help purify the biomethane．         D. To speed up the digestion process．

3..   According to the passage，the biomethane gas had better be used         .

A. as the power for vehicles         B. for heating and cooking

   C. to produce electricity            D. to drive a variety of machines

4..   The last three paragraphs mainly show that        .

A. the UK government supports the biomethane projects

B. the biomethane projects are very costly   

   C. the biomethane projects still face many barriers

   D. the biomethane projects are promising

5..  . What should the text belong to?

A .Computer science    B. Engineering    C. Energy             D. Business

完型填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，满分30分）

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从36—55各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she was certainly not afraid of the dark.   36  , it was only a 15 – minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish she hadn’t been so   37  .

As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly   38  cold – very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it was hard for her to ride.

With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move __39__ that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also __40__. Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something __41__. Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need __42__. I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes.”

“Airport? You __43__ are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers __44__ you reach the T-junction. Turn left and __45__ for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the __46__ to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no __47__ you’ll get there in five minutes!”

“Thank you very much, dear,” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry — I’ll __48__ in time.”

The __49__ moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it __50__ and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something __51__ happened. The car began changing. First, its color __52__from black to silvery-grey. Then, the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward, __53__ just above the ground. As the car __54__ into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint(微弱的) whistling __55__, the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…

36．A．However        B．Besides              C．Therefore      D．Otherwise

37．A．brave          B．excited           C．curious              D．certain

38．A．fell                B．seemed             C．proved             D．grew

39．A．aside               B．around              C．forward      D．backward

40．A．arrived             B．stopped             C．stayed               D．started

41．A．gathered             B．existed              C．dropped             D．moved

42．A．help           B．gas             C．rest                D．water

43．A．necessarily           B．normally            C．basically            D．certainly

44．A．if             B．until             C．unless              D．as

45．A．drive              B．walk               C．follow              D．march

46．A．address              B．signs                C．notices              D．guidance

47．A．doubt          B room             C．time                D．way

48．A．have it              B．get it        C．make it             D．finish it

49．A．door               B．window            C．headlight            D．wheel

50．A．passed              B．rushed              C．turned              D．continued

51．A．strange             B．sensitive       C．imaginable          D．terrible

52．A．developed           B．appeared            C．spread              D．faded (become paler)

53．A．rolling              B．floating      C．drawing             D．flashing

54．A．pointed             B．returned             C．broke               D．rose

55．A．tune           B．voice            C．sound              D．tone

A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane（生物甲烷）gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking.

Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified（提炼）to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage（污物）treatment works plant in Didcot.

The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria（厌氧菌）digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes（酶）to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.

Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families.

The Didcot project cost ￡2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020.

    The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families.

Which of the following is true of the biomethane gas?

   A. It’s mainly made from rotting plants.

   B. It’s an environmentally friendly gas.

   C. Its production process is too long.

   D. It’s easily recognized by the customers.

What is the function of the enzymes?

   A. To digest the solid waste material.

   B. To help get rid of anaerobic bacteria.

   C. To help purify the biomethane.

   D. To speed up the digestion process.

According to British Gas, the biomethane gas had better be used _____.

   A. as the power for the vehicles                          

   B. for the heating and cooking

   C. to produce the electricity                               

   D. to drive a variety of machines

The last three paragraphs mainly show that _____.

   A. UK government supports the biome thane projects

   B. the biome thane projects are very costly

   C. the biome thane projects still face many barriers

   D. the biome thane projects are promising

What should the text belong to?

   A. Computer science.             B. Engineering.      C. Energy.             D. Business.

When Alice started to cycle home from Jenny’s house, she wasn’t nervous. She was certainly not afraid of the dark.  31 , it was only a 15-minute ride home. But halfway there, she began to wish that she hadn’t been so   32 .

As she rounded a sharp bend, it suddenly   33  cold－very cold. Alice’s breath became puffs of white cloud and her legs were so cold that it became hard to ride.

With her heart beating fast, she struggled so hard to move   34  that she didn’t hear the car which suddenly appeared beside her. She stopped by the road. The big black car also   35 . Slowly, the passenger-window began to slide down. Alice held her breath. In the soft light inside the car, something   36 . Then, the light brightened and Alice was staring at a sweet, grey-haired old lady. “Hello, dear,” said the old lady. “I need   37 . I’m afraid I’m lost. I need to find the nearest airport. I must be there in the next five minutes. ”

“Airport? You   38  are lost,” Alice said. “You need to go back five kilometers   39  you reach the T-junction. Turn left and  40 for about another 10 kilometers to the main highway. From there, just follow the 41 to the airport. But I’m afraid there’s no  42 you’ll get there in five minutes!”

“Thank you very much, dear.” replied the old lady. “Don’t worry—I’ll  43 in  time. ”

The  44 moved up and the car started off. A little way ahead, it  45 and with headlights flashing, it drove past Alice. But then, something  46 happened. The car began changing. First, its color  47 from black to silvery- grey.  And then the wheels began disappearing, but the car continued to move forward,  48 just above the ground. As the car  49 into the dark sky, the big red tail-lights grew larger and larger and glowed more and more brightly. With a faint whistling  50 , the car was gone in seconds, leaving Alice shaking her head in disbelief…

A town in Oxfordshire has become the first in the UK to have biomethane（生物甲烷）gas from human waste piped to their homes for gas central heating and cooking.
Up to 200 families in Didcot now receive the gas via the national gas power system. Head of energy and technology at British Gas, Martin Orrill, said customers wouldn’t notice any difference as the gas is purified（提炼）to the highest standard and has no smell. The gas is produced at a sewage（污物）treatment works plant in Didcot.
The entire process takes only less than three weeks, with the sewage being collected and sent first to settlement tanks. The solid waste material is then fed into digesters, where anaerobic bacteria（厌氧菌）digest the sewage, with the aid of enzymes（酶）to speed up the process. The digestion process produces methane, which can be burned to drive machines to produce electricity, or can be purified and fed into the gas network and piped to homes and businesses. British Gas says supplying the gas rather than electricity is far more efficient since around two-thirds of the energy is lost in producing electricity.
Partners in the Didcot project, British Gas, Scotia Gas Networks, and Thames Water, all hope to expand the process to other towns, and other companies such as Ecotricity and United Utilities have also announced biomethane projects being planned. One of these projects, in Manchester, could be supplying 500 homes with biomethane by mid next year. Another British Gas project in Suffolk will provide gas from digestion of brewery wastes to around 235 families.
The Didcot project cost ￡2.5m and was influenced by promises of government aids aimed at encouraging companies to develop renewable technologies. An EU directive means the UK must ensure at least 15 percent of its energy is from renewable sources by 2020.
The UK produces about 1.73 million tons of sewage annually. If all sewage treatment works in the UK were fitted with the technology, they could supply gas for up to 350,000 families.
【小题1】Which of the following is true of the biomethane gas?