The ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group in Scotland. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity. The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy, and it is already being used in Scotland.
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”
When waves come towards the coast, people can set up dams(大坝) to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine(涡轮). The turbine can then power an electrical generator(发电机).
We will never run out of wave power. Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as oil and coal do.
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface. That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world. But there are some disadvantages that need us to pay more attention to.
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money. He said that its influence on animals in the sea is still unknown. Besides, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic.
With more research, “Many of these problems might be solved,” Taylor said. “Finding more energy sources(资源) is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day.”
In the future, when you turn on a light button, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

【小题1】We can learn from the passage that__________________.

The ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group in Scotland. “There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity. The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy, and it is already being used in Scotland.
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean. “The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing, those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves,” Taylor said. “Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”
When waves come towards the coast, people can set up dams(大坝) to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine(涡轮). The turbine can then power an electrical generator(发电机).
We will never run out of wave power. Besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as oil and coal do.
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface. That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world. But there are some disadvantages that need us to pay more attention to.
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money. He said that its influence on animals in the sea is still unknown. Besides, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic.
With more research, “Many of these problems might be solved,” Taylor said. “Finding more energy sources(资源) is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day.”
In the future, when you turn on a light button, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

1. 1.

   We can learn from the passage that______.

   1. A.
      almost every country is making use of the wave power at present
   2. B.
      it is necessary for us to develop wave power instead of oil and coal
   3. C.
      wave power will be sure to make some bad influence on sea animals
   4. D.
      scientists are making efforts to find new ways of fishing and boat traffic
2. 2.

   What does the fourth paragraph tell us?

   1. A.
      Why scientists are doing the research on wave power
   2. B.
      What experience that scientists have achieved so far
   3. C.
      How the wave energy forms and grows bigger
   4. D.
      Which countries are trying out wave power
3. 3.

   What’s the writer’s attitude towards wave power?

   1. A.
      The writer believes that wave power will be used widely by man
   2. B.
      The writer doubts if wave energy can be changed into electricity
   3. C.
      The writer is sure the experiments will come to the end some day
   4. D.
      The writer thinks that wave power isn’t worth researching at all
4. 4.

   What can be the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Sea Animals and Wave Power
   2. B.
      How Do We Get Wave Energy?
   3. C.
      The Advantages of Wave Power
   4. D.
      Can Waves Make Electricity?

Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without cars most people feel that they are poor. And even though a person is poor, he doesn't really feel poor when he has a car.

Perhaps(可能) you have heard of Henry Ford. He first started making cars in large numbers. Perhaps he didn't know how much the car was going to be to American culture(文化). The car made the United States a nation on wheels(车轮). And it helped make the United States what it is now.

The car has become popular in the United States. The Americans like to move around in cars. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.

1.In the United States ____.

2.Who was Henry Ford? ____.

3.Henry Ford started making cars in large numbers because ____.

4.Which of the following do you think is true? ____.

A. There are too many people everywhere in the USA.  

B. There are a lot of cars everywhere in the USA . 

C. Car pollution(污染) is the biggest problem in the USA.  

D. Every family more or less has a car.

5.We can know from this passage(文章) that ____.

In the 1500s, South American fishermen said that the sea became warmer every few years. They gave this special event a Spanish name ’El Nino’, meaning ’the baby’. It is called ’the baby’ because it arrives around Christmas.
El Nino is a huge area of warm water in the middle of cold water in the Pacific Ocean. It happens every two to seven years. It moves around the ocean and becomes bigger and smaller at different times. This warm water affects the weather. It is always raining over El Nino. El Nino contains a lot of energy. Scientists think this energy is formed when wind comes from the northern half of the world. The winds blow across warm sea water in the south. When the strong wind hits the warm water, violent weather happens. Scientists think that El Nino existed for many thousands of years.
El Nino affects every person in the world because it affects the entire world’s weather. It can bring the rain that farmers need. It can bring storms that destroy homes. It can mean that fishermen cannot catch fish, and it can bring floods. There is nothing we can do about El Nino. It is an event of nature. We can help the world’s weather by trying to stop the greenhouse effect and air pollution. The most important job for scientists is to learn how to predict when El Nino is going to bring dangerous weather. Then, people can try to prepare for storms, floods and droughts. New technology like satellite pictures and temperature measuring equipment can help. Still, it is very hard to say when or where El Nino will cause damage.
【小题1】El Nino is ______.