2011 年理工类职称英语教材新增文章.doc

理工类职称英语教材新增文章下载 2011 年理工类职称英语教材新增文章免费下载 阅读理解新增文章（ 阅读理解新增文章（共 6 篇）目录： 第三十四篇(B 级)：Batteries Built by Viruses 第三十八篇(B 级)：Longer Lives for Wild Elephants 第四十五篇(A 级)：Some People Do Not Taste Salt Like Others 第四十六篇(A 级)：Marvelous Metamaterials 第三十四篇 Batteries Built by VirusesWhat do chicken pox, the common cold，the flu，and AIDS have in common? Theyre all disease caused by viruses，tiny microorganisms that can pass from person to person. Its no wonder1 that when most people think about viruses, finding ways to steer clear of2 viruses is whats on peoples minds. Not everyone runs from the tiny disease carriers, though3.In Cambridge，Massachusetts4, scientists have discovered that some viruses can be helpful in an unusual way. They are putting viruses to work，teaching them to build some of the worlds smallest rechargeable batteries.Viruses and batteries may seem like an unusual pair, but theyre not so strange for engineer Angela Belcher, who first came up with5 the idea. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge，she and her collaborators bring together different areas of science in new ways. In the case of the virus-built batteries， scientists combine what they know about biology， the technology and production techniques. Belchers team includes Paula Hammond， helps put together the tiny batteries， Yet-Ming who and Chiang, an expert on how to store energy in the form of a battery. Were working on things we traditionally dont associate with nature, says Hammond. Many batteries are already pretty small. You can hold A，C and D batteries6 in your hand. The coin-like batteries that power watches are often smaller than a penny. However，every year， new electronic devices like personal music players or cell phones get smaller than the year before. As these devices shrink，ordinary bakeries wont be small enough to fit inside. The ideal battery will store a lot of energy in a small package. Right now，Belchers model battery，a metallic disk completely built by viruses，looks like a regular watch battery. But inside，its components are very small-so tiny you can only see them with a powerful microscope. How small are these battery parts? To get some idea of the size，pluck one hair from your head. Place your hair on a piece of white paper and try to see how wide your hair is-pretty thin， right? Although the width of each persons hair is a bit different，you could probably fit about 10 of these virus-built battery parts，side to side，across one hair. These microbatteries may change the way we look at viruses7. 词汇： chicken pox 水痘 collaborator n.合作者，协作者 microorganism n.微生物 pluck v.拔，摘，采 metallic adj.金属的 注释： 1.no wonder：不足为奇的，难怪 2.steer clear of：避开，绕开 3.though：意思为“然而，可是”。在句中使用时通常放在句末。 4.Cambridge， Massachusetts： 马萨诸塞州的剑桥市。 本文第三段提到的 the Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT)in Cambridge 即指坐落于剑桥市的麻省理工学院。麻省理工学院于 1861 年由著名自 然科学家威廉巴罗吉杰斯创立。这是美国的一所私立研究型大学，培养高级科技人才和管理人才，是以 理工科为主的、世界一流的综合性大学。 5.came up with：提出 6.A，C and D batteries：A、C、D 均为电池型号。 7.These microbatteries may change the way we look at viruses：这些微型电池可能会改变我们 看待病毒的方式。作者想表达的意思是：人们一直认为病毒有害无益，现在病毒可用来制作电池，人们对 病毒的看法可能会因此而发生变化。 练习： 1.According to the first paragraph，people try to A.kill microorganisms related to chicken pox，the flu，etc.B.keep themselves away from viruses because they are invisible.C.stay away from viruses because they are causes of various diseases. D.cure themselves of virus-related diseases by taking medicines. 2.What is Belchers team doing at present? A.It is finding ways to get rid of viruses. B.It is mass-producing microbatteries. C.It is making batteries with viruses. D.It is analyzing virus genes. 3.What expression below is opposite in meaning to the word shrink appearing in paragraph 5 ? A.Broaden. B.Spread. C.Extend. D.Expand. 4.Which of the following is true of Belchers battery mentioned in paragraph 6? A.It is made of metal. B.It is a kind of watch battery. C.It can only be seen with a microscope. D.It is a metallic disk with viruses inside it. 5.How tiny is one battery part? A.Its width is one tonth of a hair. B.It equals the width of a hair. C.It is as thin as a piece of paper. D.Its width is too tiny to measure. 答案与题解： 1.C 短文第一段的大致意思是，许多疾病都由病毒引起，诸如水痘、感冒和艾滋病，所以人们想尽办 法躲避病毒。这是 C 所表达的意思。A 不是正确选择，因为文章并没有说人们想方设法去杀死病毒。B 的后 半句的内容(病毒肉眼看不见)和 D 的内容(吃药治疗病毒引起的疾病)文中没有提到。 2.C 短文的第二段明确提供了答案。 3.D 根据上下文，shrink 在此的意思是“收缩，即“缩小。所以，它的反义词是 expand(增大，扩 张)。 不是正确选择， C 因为 extend 的意思是 become longer， 即“延伸”或“加长。 的意思是“加宽”， A 也不是答案。B 的意思是“伸展，展开，在一定的上下文里也可以做 shrink 的反义词，但在第五段这个 语境里，B 不是最佳选择。 4.D 第六段第二句中提到的 metallic disk 是指“金属圆盘”，它是微型电池的外形，其内部是由病 毒构成的电池部件。 微型电池不是由金属组成的， 所以 A 不是答案。 本段提到， 这种电池 looks like a regular watch battery，与手表里电池外形相似，但并不等同手表电池，所以 B 也不是正确选择。文章只是说电池 的部件(但并没有说整个电池)小到只能用显微镜才能看到，所以 C 也不是正确的选择。D 才是第六段所要 表达的主要内容，因此是答案。 5.A 短文最后一段的第四句(“you could probably fit about 10 of these virus-built battery parts，side to side，across one hair”)提供了本题的答案 第三十八篇 Longer Lives for Wild ElephantsMost people think of zoos as safe places for animals， where struggles such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators dont exist. Without such problems，animals in zoos should live to a ripe old age1. But that may not be true for2 the largest land animals on Earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often suffer from poor health. They develop diseases，joint problems and behavior changes. Sometimes, they even become infertile，or unable to have babies. To learn more about how captivity affects elephants，a team of international scientists compared the life spans of female elephants born in zoos with female elephants living outdoors in their native lands. Zoos keep detailed records of all the animals in their care，documenting factors such as birth dates, illnesses, weight and death. These records made it possible for me researchers to analyze 40 years of data on 800 African and Asian elephants in zoos across Europe. The scientists compared the life spans of the zoo-born elephants with the life spans of thousands of female wild elephants in Africa and Asian elephants that work in logging camps3，over approximately the same time period. The team found that female African elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years. Their wild counterparts who died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years-more than three times as long. Female Asian elephants followed a similar pattern. In zoos，they lived 18.9 years， while those in the logging camps lived41.7 years. Scientists dont yet know why wild elephants seem to fare so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts. Georgia Mason，a biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada who led the study， thinks stress and obesity may be to blame4.Zoo elephants dont get the same kind of exercise they would in the wild，and most are very fat. Elephant social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild，where they live in large herds and family groups. Another finding from the study showed that Asian elephants born in zoos were more likely to die early than Asian elephants captured in the wild and brought to zoos. Mason suggests stress in the mothers in zoos might cause them to have babies that are less likely to survive. The study raises some questions about acquiring more elephants to keep in zoos. While some threatened and endangered species living in zoos reproduce successfully and maintain healthy populations，that doesnt appear to be the case with elephants. Currently，zoos are net consumers of elephants，not net producers, Mason says. 词汇： predator n.食肉动物 captivity/ n.监禁;束缚 ripe adj.成熟的 fare v.过活，生活 infertile adj.不生育的 obesity n.过度肥胖;肥胖症 注释： 1.1ive to a ripe old age：这是一种固定用法，意思是 live to an age that is considered to be very old(长寿，高寿)。 2.be true for：或者 be true of：对适用。短文中第二段第一句：But that may not be true for the largest land animals on Earth.这里，作为主语的 that 指的是第一段所陈述的内容。这个句子 要传达的意思是：动物园对其他动物来说是一个安栖之地，而对大象来说却不然。 3.logging camps：伐木场。Logging 作为名词，意思是：伐木业。 4.stress and obesity may be to blame：压力和肥胖是问题的根源。be to blame：该受责备，应承 担责任。 练习：1.According to the first two paragraphs，unlike other zoo animals，zoo elephants A.have difficulty eating food. B.1ive to a ripe old age. C.are not afraid of predators. D.develop health problems. 2.Which of the following about the international scientists research on the life spans of elephants is NOT true?(See paragraph 3)? A.They compared zoo elephants with wild elephants. B.They kept detailed records of all the elephants in their care. C.They analyzed the records of the elephants kept in zoos. D.The zoo-born elephants they studied are kept in European zoos. 3.What do the scientist find in their research? A.Female elephants live longer than male elephants. B.Female zoo elephants live longer than their wild counterparts. C.Female zoo elephants die much earlier than their wild counterparts. D.Elephants in zoos and those in the wild enjoy the same long life spans. 4.What are the possible causes of stress and obesity Zoo-raised elephants generally suffer from? A.They do not like living in herds. B.They do not get enough exercise. C.They do not live with their families. D.Both B and C. 5.Which of the following does the author suggest in the last paragraph 7?A.It may not be a wise policy to keep elephants in the zoo. B. Elephants are no longer an endangered species. C.Zoo-born elephants should be looked after more carefully. D.Zoos should keep more animals except elephants. 答案与题解： 1.D 短文的第一段告诉我们，人们通常认为动物园内的动物没有猎食的困难，也不受其他猎食动物的 威胁，所以一般寿命较长。但第一段并没有提及大象。第二段则说，动物园内的大象却不然，它们面临很 多健康问题。所以，除了 D 以外，其他选项均不符合这两段内容。 2.B 第三段告诉我们，动物园，而不是这些研究人员，保存了所有园内动物的详细相关信息。所以应 该选择 B。其他三个选项均能在该段中找到相关内容。 3.C 短文的第四段提供了答案。该段告诉我们，野生的雌性大象的平均寿命是动物园里的雌性大象平 均寿命的 3 倍还多。 4.D 短文的第五段提供了答案。该段第三句的意思是：动物园里的大象不像野生大象那样活动，因此 非常肥胖。他们也不像野生大象那样过着群居的生活，即 live in herds and family groups。 5.A 短文通篇陈述了大象在动物园内的生存问题，最后一段是全文的总结。该段第一句指出，对动物 园大象的研究向人们提出了一个问题：是否应该将更多的大象关进动物园。该段还重复了第一、第二段的 观点：其他动物在动物园能够很好地繁衍生息，而大象却不能。所以，A 是正确选择。B、C、D 均没有在文 中被提及 第四十五篇 Some People Do Not Taste Salt Like OthersLow-salt foods may be harder for some people to like than others，according to a study by a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences1 food scientist. The research indicates that genetic factors influence some of the difference in the levels of salt we like to eat. Those conclusions are important because recent，well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food2 have left many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others3，pointed out John Hayes，assistant professor of food science， who was lead investigator4 on the study. Diets high in salt can increase the risk of high blood pressure and stroke. That is why public health experts and food companies are working together on ways to help consumers lower salt intake through foods that are enjoyable to eat. This study increases understanding of salt preference and consumption. The research involved 87 carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods such as soup and chips，on multiple occasions，spread out over weeks5.Test subjects were 45 men and 42 women， reportedly healthy，ranging in age from 20 to 40 years. The sample was composed of individuals who were not actively modifying their dietary intake and did not smoke cigarettes. They rated the intensity of taste on a commonly used scientific scale，ranging from barely detectable to strongest sensation of any kind. “Most of US like the taste of salt. However，some individuals eat more salt，both because they like the taste of saltiness more，and also because it is needed to block other unpleasant tastes in food. said Hayes. Supertasters，people who experience tastes more intensely，consume more salt than nontasters do. Snack foods have saltiness as their primary flavor，and at least for these foods，more is better，so the supertasters seem to like them more.” However，supertasters also need higher levels of salt to block unpleasant bitter tastes in foods such as cheese，Hayes noted. For example，cheese is a wonderful blend of dairy flavors from fermented milk，but also bitter tastes from ripening that are blocked by salt, he said. A supertaster finds low-salt cheese unpleasant because the bitterness is too pronouncedo6. Hayes cited research done more than 75 years ago by a chemist named Fox and a geneticist named Blakeslee，showing that individuals differ in their ability to taste certain chemicals. As a result，Hayes explained，we know that a wide range in taste acuity exists，and this variation is as normal as variations in eye and hair color. “Some people，called supertasters，describe bitter compounds as being extremely bitter， while others. called nontasters，find these same bitter compounds to be tasteless or only weakly bitter，he said. Response to bitter compounds is one of many ways to identify biological difterences in food preference because supertasting7 is not limited to bitterness. (476)词汇： publicize v.引起公众对的注意;(用广告)宣传 ferment v.(使)发酵 geneticist n.遗传学家 dietary adj.饮食的;规定食物的 acuity n.敏锐;尖锐注释： 1.Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences：即 Penn State University-College of Agricultural Sciences 宾州州立大学农学院。Penn 是 Pennsylvania 的缩写，是美国宾夕法尼亚州州名。 宾州州立大学建于 1855 年， 在全国共有 24 个分校。 在句中， Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences 用作定语，修饰 food scientist。 2.well-publicized efforts to reduce the salt content in food：大力宣传减少食物含盐量的做 法 3.1eft many people struggling to accept fare that simply does not taste as good to them as it does to others：使得许多人努力去接受适合其他人而不适合他们口味的食物。fare 相当于 food。 4.1ead investigator：研发项目负责人 5.carefully screened participants who sampled salty foods as soup and chips，on multiple occasion，spread out over weeks：经过仔细筛选的实验参与者，他们在几周内的不同时间里品尝了 汤和薯条等含盐食物。 6.too pronounced：此处 pronounced 为形容词，意为 very noticeable，conspicuous(明显的，显著 的)。 7.supertasting：超重味感 练习： 1.In paragraph 2，John Hayes points out that A.it is good to health to eat food without salt. B.many people reject low-salt food completely. C.many people accept low-salt tasteless food reluctantly D.food with reduced salt tastes better. 2.The fourth paragraph describes briefly A.how to select subjects and what to do in the research. B.how to identify supertasters and nontasters. C.why to limit the number of subjects to 87 persons. D.why to select more male subjects than female ones. 3.The article argues that supertasters A.1ike the taste of saltiness to block sweet tastes in food. . B.1ike snack foods as saltiness is their primary flavor. C.consume less salt because they don t like intensive tastes. D.1ike to share salty cheese with nontasters. 4.Which of the following applies to supertasters in terms of bitter taste? A.They like bitterness in foods as well as saltiness. B.They like high-salt cheese as it has intense bitter taste. C.They prefer high-salt cheese，which tastes less bitter. D.They prefer high-salt cheese as it is good to health. 5.What message do the last two paragraphs carry? A.Taste acuity is genetically determined. B.Taste acuity is developed over time after birth. C.Taste acuity is related to ones eye and hair color. D.Taste acuity is still a mysterious subject in science. 答案与题解： 1.C 根据短文的第二段内容，很多人因为食物中的含盐量降低，所以必须做出很大努力(struggling) 去适应，而低盐食物对于他们来说，口味很不好(fare that simply does not tastegood to them)。选 项 C 有 accept reluctantly(勉强接受)表达了这层意思，所以是正确的选择。A、B、D 三个选项均是错误 的。 2.A 第四段介绍了科学家是如何设计这项研究的，它包含了研究对象的人数、性别、人选条件、咸度 味感分级表等。选项 A 概括了这方面的内容，所以是答案。而选项 B、C、D 所述内容均不符合该段的意思。 3.B 短文的第五段提供了答案。supertaster 在这里的意思是：口味重的人，在本文中，nontaster 是 其反义词，即，口味清谈的人。该段告诉我们，口味重的人消耗更多的盐;因为快餐食品的主要味道就是咸 味，而且咸度越高，口味越好，所以口味重的人对快餐较为偏爱。选项 B 表达了上述内容，所以是答案。 4.C 短文第六段提供了答案。该段告诉我们，奶酪发酵会产生苦味，supertasters 不喜欢苦味，而高 含盐量可以盖住奶酪里的苦味，这是他们偏爱高盐奶酪的原因。所以，只有 C 是正确选择。 5.A 文章第七段中，Hayes 引用了 75 年前一位遗传学专家的实验。从这项实验中，Hayes 得出的结论 是，Taste acuity(味觉敏度)上的差异与他们头发和眼睛的颜色上的差异是同一类 现象，也就是说，都是与生俱来的。第八段又说，这是一种 biological difference(生物差异)，所 以 A 是答案。B 说味觉敏度是后天形成的，显然与作者的结论相左。C 说味觉敏度的差异与头发和眼睛的颜 色上的差异有关，显然是错误的。D 的内容在最后两段都没有提到，所以不会是答案 第四十六篇 Marvelous MetamaterialsInvisibility cloaks1 would have remained impossible，forever locked in science fiction， had it not been for the development of metamaterials2.In Greek，“meta” means beyond，and metamaterials can do things beyond what we see in the natural world-like shuffle light waves around an object，and then bring them back together3.If scientists ever manage to build a full-fledged invisibility cloak，it will probably be made of metamaterials. “We are creating materials that dont exist in nature，and that have a physical phenomenon that doesnt exist in nature，”says engineer Dentcho Genov. “That is the most exciting thing.” Genov designs and builds metamaterials-such as those used in cloaking-at Louisiana Tech University in Ruston，Louisiana4. An invisibility cloak will probably not be the first major accomplishment to come from the field of metamaterials. Other applications are just as exciting. In many labs，for example， scientists are working on building a hyperlens. A lens is a device-usually made of glass-that can change the direction of light waves. Lenses are used in microscopes and cameras to focus light， thus allowing a researcher to see small things or a photographer to capture image of things that are far away.A hyperlens，however，would be made of metamaterials. And since metamaterials can do things with light that ordinary materials cant，the hyperlens would be a powerful tool. A hyperlens would allow researchers to see things at the smallest scale imaginable-as small as the wavelength of visible light. Genov points out that the science of metamaterials is driven by the imagination：If someone can mink of an idea for a new behavior for light，then the engineers can find a way to design a device using metamaterials. “We need people who can imagine，”he says. Since 2006，many laboratories have been exploring other kinds of metamaterials that dont involve just visible light. I