According to the
US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gig watts of
electricity every year. Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even
the tallest windmills(see picture)to touch bottom. An experiment under way off
the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.
The project, called Hywind, is the world’s first large-scale deepwater wind turbine(涡轮发电机).Although it uses a fairly standard 152-ton,2.3-megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar(see picture),a technology Hywind’s creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cable(缆索)；these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves. Hywind’s stability(稳定性)in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it’s difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar’s to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox(变速箱) sits at sea level rather than behind the blades (see picture )
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating wind-farm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deep-sea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmill-as-eyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet’s surface to one of the best low-carbon power sources available.
1.
The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of _______.
A. the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor
B. the spar which is floating in deep-sea water
C. the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind
D. the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface
2.
To balance a bigger turbine high on a flatting spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting ____________.
A. on the sea floor B. on the spar top
C. at sea level D. behind the blades
3.
Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can ____________.
A. solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills
B. make financial profits by producing more turbines
C. settle the arguments about environmental problems
D. explore low-carbon power resources available at sea
1.
Which of the following is discouraged by the Friends organization?
A．To build massive complexes for public amusement.
B．To prevent possible damages to the National Park.
C．To help protect and improve the Park for all to enjoy.
D. To sponsor publications and projects in local school.
2.
One of the benefits for members of Friends is to .
A. have Friends’ goods free of charge
B. visit any place not open to the public
C. take part in work parties if they want to
D. give talks in their fields on current issues
3.
The purpose of this poster is to invite more people to_______________.
A. raise money for the Friends organization
B. join the Friends organization and be members of it
C. work as managers for Pembroke shire National Park
D. enjoy the landscape of Pembroke shire National Park
We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells —but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)？Shouldn’t we know who they are?
Joan Mclean think so. In fact, Mclean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why” and ”how” questions. According to Mclean,” When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try.”
So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device for cleaning the window. Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside, became the first windshield wiper.
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations，It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible, Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?
1.
By mentioning “traffic light” and “windshield wiper”, the author indicates that countless inventions are .
A. beneficial, because their inventors are famous
B. beneficial, though their inventors are less famous
C. not useful, because their inventors are less famous
D. not useful, though their inventors are famous
2.
Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to_____.
A. add colour and variety to students’ campus life
B. inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention
C. carry out the requirements by Mountain University
D. prepare students to try their own invention
3.
Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was _________.
A. not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer
B. inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper C. due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm
D. not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures
4.
Which 0f the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
A How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers?
B How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window?
C Shouldn’t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper?
D Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities?
A boy was walking home from school when he saw a large, tempting （诱人的）apple on one of the branches of an apple tree hanging out over a tall fence. The boy wasn’t much of a fruit-eater, 36 a bar of chocolate if given the choice, 37 , as they say, the forbidden fruit can be tempting. Seeing the apple, the boy wanted it. The more he looked at it, the 38 he felt and the more he wanted that apple.
39 as high as he could, but even as his tallest 40 he was unable to touch It. He began to 41 up and down , as high as he could, at the 42 of each jump stretching his arms to get the apple . Still it remained out of 43 . Not giving up , he though , if only he had something to 44 on . His school bag wouldn’t give enough height and he didn’t want to 45 the things inside , like his lunch box , pencil case , and Gameboy. Looking 46 , he hoped he might find an old box , a rock , or , 47 luck , even a ladder , but it was a tidy neighborhood and there was nothing he could use. He had tired everything he could think to do. 48 seeing any other choices , he gave up and started to walk 49 . At first he felt angry and disappointed thinking about how hungry he had become from his 50 , and how he really wanted that apple . The more he 51 like this , the more unhappy he became.
52 ,the boy of our story was a pretty smart guy, even if he couldn’t always get what get he wanted .He started to say to himself . This isn’t 53 ,I don’t have the apple and I’m feeling miserable as well.There’s 54 more I can do to get the apple-that is unchangeable-but we are supposed to be able to 55 our feelings. If that’s the case, what can I do to feel better?
1.A. preferring B. offering C. receiving D. allowing
2.A. so B. then C. but D or
3.A.sadder B. angrier C. hungrier D. tastier
4.A. expanding B. stretching C. swinging D. pulling
5. A. strength B. length C. range D. height
6.A.jump B. look C. walk D. glance
7.A. tip B. stage C. top D. level
8.A hope B. hand C. sight D. reach
9.A. put B. stand C. get D. hold
10.A. break B. shake C. take D. strike
11.A. up B. forward C. down D. around
12.A.for B. with C. on D. of
13.A. After B. Through C .Without D. Upon
14.A. back B. away C. up D. down
15.A. wishes B. beliefs C. efforts D. goals
16.A. thought B. imagined C. tried D. claimed
17.A.Therefore B. However C. Moreover D. Otherwise
18.A. skilful B. cheerful C. harmful D. helpful
19.A. something B. anything C. everything D. nothing
20.A．change B. express C. forget D. describe
---You could always put the decision off a little bit longer.
---_____ If I leave it much longer I might miss my chance.
A. That’s reasonable advice. B. Isn’t it a good idea.
C. Do you think so? D. I can’t agree more.
---I left my handbag on the train, but luckily someone gave it to a railway official.
---How unbelievable to get it back! I mean, someone ______ it.
A. will have stolen B. might have stolen
C. should have stolen D. must have stolen
