Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri (MU) researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.
“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with energy density (密度),” said Jae kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. “The radioisotope (放射性同位素) battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries.”
Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, recently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro/nano-electromechanical systems (M/NEWS). Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe.
“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said. “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.”
His new idea is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor (半导体). Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor.
“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure (晶格结构) of the solid semiconductor, ” Kwon said. “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.”
Together with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery. In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that the battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair.
1.Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon?
A. He teaches chemistry at MU.
B. He developed a chemical battery.
C. He is working on a nuclear energy source.
D. He made a breakthrough in computer engineering.
2. Jae Kwon gave examples in Paragraph 4 ________.
A. to show chemical batteries are widely applied
B. to indicate nuclear batteries can be safely used
C. to describe a nuclear-powered system
D. to introduce various energy sources.
3. Liquid semiconductor is used to ________ .
A. get rid of the radioactive waste
B. test the power of nuclear batteries
C. decrease the size of nuclear batteries
D. reduce the damage to lattice structure
4. According to Jae Kwon, his nuclear battery ________.
A. uses a solid semiconductor B. will soon replace the present ones
C. could be extremely thin D. has passed the final test
5.The text is most probably a ________.
A. science news report B. book review
C. newspaper ad D. science fiction story
Christopher Thomas, 27, was a writer by night and a teacher by day when he noticed he was always tired and was losing weight fast. Diagnosed with diabetes (糖尿病), Thomas would need to inject himself with insulin (胰岛素) three times a day for the rest of his life or risk nerve damage, blindness and even death. And if that weren't bad enough, he had no health insurance.
After a month of feeling upset, Thomas decided he'd better find a way to fight back. He left Canton, Michigan for New York, got a job waiting tables, nicknamed himself the Diabetic Rockstar, and created diabeticrockstar.com, a free online community for diabetics and their loved ones — a place where over 1,100 people share personal stories, information, and resources.
Jason Swencki’s son, Kody, was diagnosed with diabetes at six. Father and son visit the online children's forums(论坛) together most evenings. "Kody gets so excited, writing to kids from all over," says Swencki, one of the site's volunteers. "They know what he's going through, so he doesn't feel alone."
Kody is anything but alone: Diabetes is now the seventh leading cause of death in the United States, with 24 million diagnosed cases. And more people are being diagnosed at younger ages.
These days, Thomas's main focus is his charity（慈善机构）, Fight It, which provides medicines and supplies to people —225 to date— who can't afford a diabetic's huge expenses. Fight-it.org has raised about $23,000 — in products and in cash. In May, Thomas will hold the first annual Diabetic Rockstar Festival in the Caribbean.
Even with a staff of 22 volunteers, Thomas often devotes up to 50 hours a week to his cause, while still doing his full-time job waiting tables. "Of the diabetes charities out there, most are putting money into finding a cure," says Bentley Gubar, one of Rockstar's original members. "But Christopher is the only person I know saying people need help now."
1. Which of the following is true of Christopher Thomas?
A. He needs to go to the doctor every day.
B. He studies the leading cause of diabetes
C. He has a positive attitude to this disease.
D. He encourages diabetics by writing articles.
2. Diabeitcrockstar.com was created for _________.
A. diabetics to communicate B. volunteers to find jobs
C. children to amuse themselves D. rock stars to share resources.
3.According to the text, Kody ______.
A. feel lonely because of his illness
B. benefits from diabeticrockstar.com
C. helps create the online kid’s forums
D. writes children’s stories online
4.What can we learn about Fight It?
A. It helps the diabetics in financial difficulties.
B. It organizes parties for volunteer once a year.
C. It offers less expensive medicine to diabetics.
D. It owns a well-known medical website.
5.The last paragraph suggests that Thomas ______.
A. works full-time in a diabetes charity
B. employs 22 people for his website
C. helps diabetics in his own way
D. ties to find a cure for diabetes
There were smiling children all the way. Charily they knew at what time the train passed their homes and they made it their business to stand along the railway, wave to complete strangers and cheer them up as they rushed towards Penang. Often whole families stood outside their homes and waved and smiled as if those on the trains were their favorite relatives. This is the simple village people of Malaysia. I was moved.
I had always traveled to Malaysia by plane or car, so this was the first time I was on a train. I did not particularly relish the long train journey and had brought along a dozen magazines to read and reread. I looked about the train. There was not one familiar face. I sighed and sat down to read my Economics.
It was not long before the train was across the Causeway and in Malaysia. Johore Baru was just another city like Singapore, so I was tired of looking at the crowds of people as they hurried past. As we went beyond the city, I watched the straight rows of rubber trees and miles and miles of green. Then the first village came into sight. Immediately I came alive; I decided to wave hack.
From then on my journey became interesting. I threw my magazines into the waste basket and decided to join in Malaysian life. Then everything came alive. The mountains seemed to speak to me. Even the trees were smiling. I stared at everything as if I was looking at it for the first time.
The day passed fast and I even forgot to have my lunch until I felt hungry. I looked at my watch and was surprised that it was 3:00 pm. Soon the train pulled up at Butterworth. I looked at the people all around me. They all looked beautiful. When my uncle arrived with a smile, I threw my arms around him to give him a warm hug (拥抱). I had never done this before. He seemed surprised and then his weather-beaten face warmed up with a huge smile. We walked arm in arm to his car.
I looked forward to the return journey.
1.The author expected the train trip to be ________.
A. adventurous B. pleasant C. exciting D. dull
2.What did the author remember most fondly of her train trip?
A. The friendly country people. B. The mountains along the way.
C. The crowds of people in the streets. D. The simple lunch served on the train.
3.Which of the following words can best take the place of the word “relish” in the second paragraph?
A. choose B. enjoy C. prepare for D. carry on
4.Where was the writer going?
A. Johore Baru. B. The Causeway. C. Butterworth. D. Singapore.
5.What can we learn from the story?
A. Comfort in traveling by train. B. Pleasure of living in the country.
C. Reading gives people delight. D. Smiles brighten people up.
阅读下面短文, 按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为16—25的相应位置上。
A man who knows how to write a personal letter has a very powerful tool. A letter can be enjoyed, read and reread. It can set up a warm conversation __1._ two people far apart (远离的); it can keep a _2.__ (friend) with very little effort.
I will give an example. A few years ago my older brother and I were not getting along. We had been close as children 3._ had grown apart. Our meetings were not _4.__ (pleasure); our conversation was filled with arguments and quarrels: and every effort to clear the air seemed to only _5.__ (deep) our misunderstanding. Then he moved to a small island in the Caribbean and we lost touch. One day he wrote me a letter. He described his island and _6._ people, told me what he was doing, said how he felt, and encouraged me to write. Rereading the letter, I _7._ (drive) by its humor（幽默）and clever expressions. These were all qualities for __8._ I had once respected my older brother but thought he no longer had them. I had never known he could write so well. And with that one letter we became friends again.
__9._ might never have occurred to my brother to write me if he had not been in a place where there were no phones. For him, writing was a necessity. It also turned out to be the best way for us to get back in touch. Because we live in __10.__ age of easy communication（通讯）, people often forget that they don’t always have to phone or email. They have a choice. And that is to write.
It was a cool October evening. Excitement and family members __1__ the hall. I was only a 7-year-old girl, but I was the center of __2__. Finally, after weeks of preparation, I would show off all my hard work in a dance of performance. Everything would be __3__ —so I thought. I waited backstage all dressed up in my black tights with a golden belt. In a loud and clear voice, the master of ceremonies __4__ that my class was next.
My dance class was doing a routine on wooden boxes two feet by two feet, facing the __5__. All I had to do in the next move was put one foot on the box next to mine and keep my other foot on my box. It really was an __6__ move. I was concentrating so much __7__ the huge smile on my face and holding my head up that I did not look where I was going. I missed my partner’s box altogether and __8__. There I was standing on the stage floor when my classmates were on top of their boxes. I could hear giggles (咯咯笑) coming from the audience, and I felt the __9__ rush to my face. I remembered my dance teacher had told us, “If you make a mistake, keep smiling so the audience will not __10__.”I did my best to follow her __11__ as I continued with the routine.
When the curtain dropped, so did my __12__ for the evening. I __13__ bitterly, tasting the salt from the tears that streamed down my face. I ran backstage, but no one could __14__ me down.
Recently I realized I had been a star that night. I was __15__, but I fought the urge to run off the stage. Instead, I finished the routine with a smile on my face. Now when friends and family laugh about the time I slipped during a dance performance, I can laugh too.
1.A. filled B. visited C. attended D. decorated
2.A. pressure B. impression C. debate D. attention
3.A. reasonable B. suitable C. obvious D. perfect
4.A. suggested B. explained C. announced D. predicted
5.A. music B. audience C. curtain D. stage
6.A. easy B. active C. adventurous D. extra
7. A. containing B. hiding C. sharing D. keeping
8.A. wandered B. slipped C. waved D. skipped
9. A. blood B. pleasure C. pride D. tear
10.A. leave B. cheer C. believe D. notice
11.A. gesture B. example C. advice D. plan
12.A. doubts B. hopes C. voice D. patience
13.A. argued B. shouted C. begged D. sobbed
14.A. turn B. calm C. let D. put
15.A. satisfied B. moved C. embarrassed D. confused
阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。(满分２５分)
After my brother died in an accident , my mother was inconsolable(痛苦的，极其伤心的). I was only 4 years old at that time, but I still understood the seismic shift（地震的改变） in my mom’s attitude towards safety. Suddenly, everything around us was potentially dangerous.
I grew up with a lot of restrictions（限制）that were meant to protect me. I couldn’t walk home from school by myself even though everyone I knew already did. I couldn’t attend parties, or go to summer camp, because what if something happened to me. My life was divided into “things you should avoid” and “things you needed to do in order to have a good , long life”.
I became a natural worrier. I worried about things like getting cancert, losing my wallet, car accidents, and earthquakes-disasters big and small, real and imagined.
When I was 14, my mother died suddenly in a car accident. That loss, on top of my brother’s unnatural death, could have paralyzed(瘫痪) me. But at my mom’s funeral, I made a choice. I could either live out the rest of my life trying to be “safe” or I could be brave enough to live out a fulfilling, exciting and, yes, sometimes dangerous life.
I began constantly forcing myself to do the things that frighten or worry me. In fact, I’ve developed a rule for myself: If it scares（使….害怕） me, I have to do it at least once. I’ve done lots of things that my mom would have worried about: I’ve ridden a motorcycle, I’ve dived, I’ve tried rock-climbing, I’ve traveled a lot.
Courage（勇气，勇敢） isn’t a natural attribute (性格) of human beings. I believe that we have to practice being courageous; using courage is like developing a muscle. The more often I do things that scare me, the more I realize that I can do a lot more than I originally thought I could. I’ve also come to believe that fear can be good thing if we face it.
写作内容
1. 以约３０词概括以上短文的主要内容；
2. 然后以约１２０词写一篇短文谈谈你对培养勇气的看法，并包括如下要点：
1).勇气是否需要后天的培养；
2).以你自己成长的经历（真实的或虚拟的）举例说明。
写作要求:
可参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文句子。
