Question

Have you heard about the periodic table (元素周期表) lately? Well, there’s some big news about this special table, but first, remember that the periodic table is used for all the elements（元素）, or things that make up our world.

Elements are all around us. Iron is one of the most common elements found on the earth. You probably know the element oxygen (氧), which is the element that we breathe in all the time. And elements can combine (结合) to make new things like H2O. This is hydrogen (氢) and oxygen put together, also known as water! Learning about these things helps us better understand the world we live in.

But have you ever noticed something missing in the periodic table? There were already 114 elements. But the seventh row of the table was not finished, until now!

In December, scientists from the IUPAC（国际纯粹与应用化学联合会) found the four elements that were missing. They are elements 113, 115, 117 and 118.

“To scientists, this is of greater value than an Olympic gold medal,” Ryoji Noyori, a Nobel honored chemist said.

The new elements are heavy metals and were made in lab. These kinds of elements can’t be found in nature. Scientists are still looking for ways to use these elements, and other elements in the eighth row in our daily lives.

Scientists have been working on this for 10 years, but the work is not done. Now they will prepare to look for “element 119 and beyond”. But for now, be mindful (留心的) when you read your science books because the periodic table might be outdated (过时的).

1. In Paragraph 2, the writer mainly talks about_________.

A. examples of some common elements

B. the importance of oxygen

C. how elements make new things

D. how to learn about elements

2.The newly found elements are ________.

A. elements 113, 114, 115, 116

B. elements 113, 114, 117, 118

C. elements 113, 115, 117, 118

D. elements 113, 115, 117, 119

3.The underlined word “beyond” means ________ in the last paragraph.

A.更前面         B.更后面         C.更上面         D.更里面

4.Which of the following about the new elements is NOT true?

A. They are heavy metals.

B. They were made in labs.

C. They can’t be found in nature.

D. They are widely used in our daily lives.

Answer

1.A

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

试题分析：短文大意：你听说过元素周期表吗？请记住元素周期表是用于所有的元素。元素都在我们身边。铁是地球上最常见的元素之一。你可能知道元素氧和氢。学习这些东西有助于我们更好地了解我们生活的世界。

1.A细节理解题。根据第二段首句Elements are all around us可知元素都在我们身边。该段谈到了铁、氧、氢这些常见元素，所以选A。

2.C细节理解题。根据第四段的描述可知科学家从IUPAC发现四元素失踪。它们是113、115、115和117号元素。所以选C。

3.B词义猜测题。根据Now they will prepare to look for “element 119可推知划线词的意思是“更后面”，所以选B。

4.细节理解题。根据第六段中The new elements are heavy metals and were made in lab. These kinds of elements can’t be found in nature.可知这些新的元素是重金属，在实验室里也有。这些元素在自然界中是不存在的。所以选D。

考点：科普类短文阅读。