Passage Eleven (Superconducting Materials)
The stone age, The Iron Age. Entire epochs have been named for materials. So what to call the decades ahead? The choice will be tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff. Material science -- once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics. But superconductors are just part of the picture: from house and cars to cook pots and artificial teeth, the world will someday be made of different stuff. Exotic plastics, glass and ceramics will shape the future just as surely as have genetic engineering and computer science.
The key to the new materials is researchers’ increasing ability to manipulate substances at the molecular level. Ceramics, for example, have long been limited by their brittleness. But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections that cause it, scientists are making far stronger ceramics that still retain such qualities as hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors and knives that stay sharp for years and never rust or corrode.
A similar transformation has overtaken plastics. High-strength polymers now form bridges, ice-skating rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed is used in electric guitars, touch sensors for robot hands and karate jackets that automatically record each punch and chop. Even plastic litter, which once threatened to permanently blot the landscape, has proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic six-pack rings for example, gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass. Besides, composites – plastic reinforced with fibers of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved in combat: a helmet saved an infantryman’s life by deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.
Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cable that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.
But new materials have no impact until they are made into products. And that transition could prove difficult, for switching requires lengthy research and investment. It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to commercialization will determine the success or failure of a country in the near future.
1.How many new materials are mentioned in this passage?
A.Two          B.Three          C.Four               D.Five
2.Why does the author mention genetic engineering and computer science?
A.To compare them with the new materials.
B.To show the significance of the new materials on the future world.
C.To compare the new materials to them.
D.To explain his view point.
3.Why is transition difficult?
A.Because transition requires money and time.
B.Because many manufacturers are unwilling to change their equipment.
C.Because research on new materials is very difficult.
[D]Because it takes 10 years.
4.Where lies success of a country in the New Age of superstuff?
A.It lies in research.
B.It lies in investment.
C.It lies in innovation.
D.It lies in application.

Passage Eleven (Superconducting Materials)

The stone age, The Iron Age. Entire epochs have been named for materials. So what to call the decades ahead? The choice will be tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff. Material science -- once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics. But superconductors are just part of the picture: from house and cars to cook pots and artificial teeth, the world will someday be made of different stuff. Exotic plastics, glass and ceramics will shape the future just as surely as have genetic engineering and computer science.

The key to the new materials is researchers’ increasing ability to manipulate substances at the molecular level. Ceramics, for example, have long been limited by their brittleness. But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections that cause it, scientists are making far stronger ceramics that still retain such qualities as hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors and knives that stay sharp for years and never rust or corrode.

A similar transformation has overtaken plastics. High-strength polymers now form bridges, ice-skating rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed is used in electric guitars, touch sensors for robot hands and karate jackets that automatically record each punch and chop. Even plastic litter, which once threatened to permanently blot the landscape, has proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic six-pack rings for example, gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass. Besides, composites – plastic reinforced with fibers of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved in combat: a helmet saved an infantryman’s life by deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.

Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cable that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.

But new materials have no impact until they are made into products. And that transition could prove difficult, for switching requires lengthy research and investment. It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to commercialization will determine the success or failure of a country in the near future.

1.How many new materials are mentioned in this passage?

A.Two          B.Three          C.Four               D.Five

2.Why does the author mention genetic engineering and computer science?

A.To compare them with the new materials.

B.To show the significance of the new materials on the future world.

C.To compare the new materials to them.

D.To explain his view point.

3.Why is transition difficult?

A.Because transition requires money and time.

B.Because many manufacturers are unwilling to change their equipment.

C.Because research on new materials is very difficult.

[D]Because it takes 10 years.

4.Where lies success of a country in the New Age of superstuff?

A.It lies in research.

B.It lies in investment.

C.It lies in innovation.

D.It lies in application.

Superconducting Materials

       The stone age, The Iron Age. Entire epochs have been named for materials. So what to call the decades ahead? The choice will be tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff(超级材料). Material science -- once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics. But superconductors are just part of the picture: from house and cars to cook pots and artificial teeth, the world will someday be made of different stuff. Exotic plastics, glass and ceramics will shape the future just as surely as have genetic engineering and computer science.

       The key to the new materials is researchers’ increasing ability to manipulate substances at the molecular level. Ceramics, for example, have long been limited by their brittleness. But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections that cause it, scientists are making far stronger ceramics that still retain such qualities as hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors and knives that stay sharp for years and never rust or corrode.

      A similar transformation has overtaken plastics. High-strength polymers now form bridges, ice-skating rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed is used in electric guitars, touch sensors for robot hands and karate jackets that automatically record each punch and chop. Even plastic litter, which once threatened to permanently blot the landscape, has proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic six-pack rings for example, gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass. Besides, composites – plastic reinforced with fibers of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved in combat: a helmet saved an infantryman’s life by deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.

       Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic(光学纤维的) cable that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.

       But new materials have no impact until they are made into products. And that transition could prove difficult, for switching requires lengthy research and investment. It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to commercialization will determine the success or failure of a country in the near future.

How many new materials are mentioned in this passage?

A Two      B Three    C Four    D Five

Why does the author mention genetic engineering and computer science?

A To compare them with the new materials.

B To show the significance of the new materials on the future world.

C To compare the new materials to them.

D To explain his view point.

Why is transition difficult?

A Because transition requires money and time.

B Because many manufacturers are unwilling to change their equipment.

C Because research on new materials is very difficult.

D Because it takes 10 years.

Where lies success of a country in the New Age of superstuff?

A It lies in research.      B It lies in investment.

C It lies in innovation.    D It lies in application.

                  Dead-end Austrian town blossoms with green energy

For decades, the Austrian town of Gussing was a foreign outpost not far from the rusting barbed-wire border of the Iron Curtain.

Now it’s at the edge of a greener frontier: alternative energy. Gussing is the first community in the European Union to cut carbon emissions by more than 90 percent, helping it attract a steady stream of scientists, politicians and eco-tourists.

“This was a dead-end town and now we are the center of attention,” said Maria Hofer, a lifelong resident, as she bought organic vegetables at a farmer’s market. “It seems like every week We read about new jobs from renewable energy.”

Gussing’s transformation started 15 years ago when, struggling to pay its electricity bill, the town ordered that all public buildings would stop using fossil fuels. Since then, Gussing has fostered a whole renewable energy industry, with 50 companies creating more than 1,000 jobs and producing heat, power and fuels from the sun, sawdust, core and cooking oil.

Signs reading “Eco-Energy Land “ greet people entering the town, located 130 kilometers, or 80 miles, southeast of Vienna. Visitors are as divers as Scottish farmers, Japanese investors and a delegation from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.

Gussing used to rely on agriculture, with farmers selling their corn, sunflower oil and timber. As for tourism, the main attraction was a 12^th-century castle built by Hungarian nobles.

The town could hardly afford its 6 million, or $8.1 million, fuel bill when Peter Vadasz was first elected mayor in 1992.The turnaround started after he hired Rheinhard Koch, an electrical engineer and Gussing native, to assess how the town of 4,000 people could benefit from its natural resources.

1.Where is Gussing ?

  A. It is in the border of Australia.             B. It is in the center of Austrian.

  C. It is not far from the Japanese border.      D. It is in the southeast of Vienna.

2.Who does the town attract ?

  A. Scientists, eco-tourists, politicians and Japanese farmers.

  B. Scientists, politicians, eco-tourists, farmers and investors.

  C. Politicians, Scottish farmers, Japanese investors and Organization for Security

  D. Politicians, tourists, co-operation workers, and European soldiers

3.Which of the following doesn’t belong to “Eco-Energy “material ?

  A. Fossil fuels   B. The sun    C. Sawdust and corn    D. Cooking oil

4.Besides the mayor, who did great contribution to the Gussing’s transformation ?

  A. Peter Valdasz    B. European Union    C. Rheinhard       D. Maria Hofer

When we talk about a wolf, we tend to describe it as a kind of fierce creature. But is it true that the wolf stands for devil(魔鬼) and ugliness?
Have you read the book "The Wolf Totem'' 《狼图腾》by a famous writer Jiang Rong, which tells the story of the relationship between wolves and human beings? Have you ever 51 the wolves' world? If you had, you would __52__ the wolves. In the book, wolves are heroes on the large grassland. They know more about __53__ than humans. They can attack sheep without disturbing their mothers. They also know how to __54__ full use of the shape of land to __55__ sheep. I believe that if wolves were humans, they would be __56__ at fighting.
The wolf is a kind of special creature that can deeply understand __57__. Each wolf serves its group with its heart and soul. A __58__ wolf has little power, but a group of wolves __59__ nothing. All the wolves obey the rules. __60__ they are beaten, they run away together. It is their teamwork __61__ makes wolves powerful.
The wolves also have great self-preservation and won't __62__ to anyone. The writer, who wrote the book “The Wolf Totem”, __63__ stole a one - month - old baby wolf and raised it very carefully. To his __64__, he found the little wolf still wanted to go back with __65__ wolves. The little wolf bit through the iron chain that limited it. The wolf was __66__ and never gave up fighting __67__ its death. It seemed that the little wolf died as a glorious fighter.
I was shocked by this kind of __68__ wolves which are one of the most respected creature on the  earth. I want everyone to look at wolves in a __69__ way. They are our teachers. They show us how to survive and __70__ this not simple but dangerous world. Please honor the wolves, please honor all these heroes of nature!