Question

Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.

The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances.

The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter(滤水器)that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. “When we took a syringe(注射器)of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb,” said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. “The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get.”

The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions(阳离子)fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current.

According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. “The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839,” he said. “So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”

Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. “You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,” he said.

More likely would be to install the electricity-generating devices where water is already being pumped, such as at city water filtration sites, he said. “It could compete with wind and solar power,” he added.

1.What does the passage mainly want to tell us about?

A. A kind of solar power discovered by scientists.

B. A kind of new energy source found in tap water.

C. The breakthrough to generate electricity 160 yeas ago.

D. A kind of new battery invented without poisonous substances.

2.The underlined word “repels” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.

A. rejects       B. identifies         C. attracts         D. rebels

3.Why were the scientists extremely happy about their new discovery?

A. They were the first to find a new way to produce electricity.

B. They could make an electric current to light a light bulb.

C. Their discovery could be used to invent water batteries.

D. Their discovery was made 160 years earlier than Faraday’s.

4.What can we infer about potential water batteries?

A. They must be used to power mobile phones and calculators.

B. They have some possible disadvantages like water leaking.

C. They would be needed greatly at city water filtration sites.

D. They would be better than wind and solar power.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.A

4.B

【解析】

试题分析：科学家发现当水通过特别细小的管道时会产生电流，这是近160年以来发现的第一种新式发电的方法，科学家对此非常兴奋，他们认为这或许是替代风能或太阳能来发电的一种方式，但是在真正应用于实际之前还有很多问题需要解决。

1.B主旨大意题。本文是介绍科学研究类短文，在文章开头提出Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.，然后在下文进行详细介绍，由此可知文章中心就是介绍用自来水发电的新发现，选B。

2.A词义猜测题。A排斥；B鉴定，认出；C吸引；D反抗，背叛。文章第四段提到leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water，从常识可知异性相吸，同性排斥，所以当管子表面的阴离子遇到阴离子时会发生排斥，由此推测A选项正确。

3.A细节理解题。根据文章倒数第三段“So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”可知科学家对此高兴的原因是这是一个多世纪以来第一次发现一种新的发电的方法，故答案选A。

4.B细节理解题。根据文章倒数第二段“You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,”可知这种水发电的不利之处就是水会结冰或者漏水，故答案选B。

考点：考查社会科学类短文阅读。