Question

Printing images is easy. Just select an image of a purple robot on your PC, for example, and press print. Your home printer exactly shoots drops of ink onto a flat piece of paper, creating the robot’s 2-D image. “Printing” 3-D objects is different. Take the purple robot. First select a file of the 3-D printer. Immediately, the printer begins making noise, and a nozzle (喷嘴) releases plastic material in thin layers. In two or three hours, a 3-D purple robot is standing before you.

3-D printing has developed to the point where printers can now create high-quality objects using a variety of materials, including metals. That means 3-D printers can now make final products that meet high industrial standards. 3-D printers are already being used to make parts for racecars and jets as well as man-made limbs and hearing aids.

So far, few homes have 3-D printers. That’s because 3-D printing is not only new to most people but also quite expensive. To bring 3-D printing to the masses, some retail stores (零售商店) plan to offer the service. For example, the Staples chain of office supply stores has announced that it will offer 3-D printing in Europe beginning in 2013. Customers will be able to submit their own 3-D designs to Staples website for printing. After the job is done, they’ll pick up their item at a nearby Staples store or have it mailed to their homes. This service is sure to encourage many more people to try out 3-D printing.

1.According to this article, who are 3-D printed parts already helping?

A. People with physical disabilities.

B. People in the solar energy field

C. People who lack suitable housing

D. People in need of computer skills

2.What will customers need in order to submit their designs to Staples?

A. A credit card account

B. Its local phone number

C. Professional experience

D. Access to the Internet

3.What does the writer of this article imply about 3-D printing?

A. Its inventor is famous

B. Its future looks bright.

C. It is still quite cheap.

D. It will be of little use.

4.What do we learn about the 3-D purple robot?

A. How long it can usually last

B. How it can darken its own color

C. How it gradually takes shape

D. How much it costs to produce

Answer

1.A

2.D

3.B

4.C

【解析】

试题分析:本文属于新闻类文章，告知新兴技术3D打印技术的流行和发展。

1.A 考察细节理解。根据第二段最后一句3-D printers are already being used to make parts for racecars and jets as well as man-made limbs and hearing aids.可以得出3D打印技术已经用在了残疾人身上了，故选A。

2.D 考察推理判断。根据第三段Customers will be able to submit their own 3-D designs to Staples website for printing.可以得出消费者可以把3D设计递交到其官方网站上，故推断出需要网络，故选D。

3.B 考察作者意图。根据第三段To bring 3-D printing to the masses, some retail stores (零售商店) plan to offer the service.以及最后一句This service is sure to encourage many more people to try out 3-D printing.可以推断出作者对3D打印持有乐观的态度，故选B。

4. 考察推理判断。根据第一段First select a file of the 3-D printer. Immediately, the printer begins making noise, and a nozzle (喷嘴) releases plastic material in thin layers. In two or three hours, a 3-D purple robot is standing before you.这些句子描述了3D机器人打印的过程，故选C。

考点：考察新闻阅读。

【名师点睛】

文章特点时事新闻类阅读材料的组成有一个共同的特点，即都是由标题(Headlines)、导语(Introductions)、背景(Background)、主体(Main body)和结尾(Ends)五部分构成。此类文章主题突出，文章的第一句话或第一自然段往往就是对整篇文章的高度概括。比如文中第一句“People in the western state of California who are in the United States illegally can now request a driver's license.”就直接交代了文章的话题和内容。因此读懂首句或首段至关重要。

标题是新闻报道中心思想高度而又精辟的概括，必然是命题者考虑设题的重点。上篇文章的标题可能是出题人有意省略了，那么就需要考生自己去提炼整片文章的中心词。所以出题人也可能在这个方面设题。因此，学生平时在看英语报刊或者在做时事新闻类阅读理解题时要特别注意研究标题和英语标题的特点。

导语是消息开头的第一段或第一句话，它扼要地揭示出消息的核心内容，高度概括新闻事实。因此，抓导语便对新闻事件有了大体把握，对做阅读理解试题来说就是抓住了“牛鼻子”。作者总是在一开始就向读者交代何人、何时、何地、为什么、怎么样、干了何事等等。如果是用英文表示就是who(whom)、what、when、where、why以及how，这也就是我们通常所说的五个“W”和一个“H”。

一般来说，新闻一开始就交代了以上内容，只要读懂了第一句也就明白了这则新闻的大概意思。再往下读只是了解更多的细节内容。在训练新闻阅读理解练习题时，一定要牢记这五个“W”和一个“H”。边读边分析边记忆各自的情况，不仅有助于搞清文章的脉络，弄清基本事实，还有助于提高阅读能力，提高阅读速度。

命题角度：此类阅读材料的命题在新闻背景和主体部分设题较多，有时可能会省去一两个部分，要求考生依据五个部分之间的必然联系去推知未知的要素。命题形式主要有细节理解题、词义猜测题、推理判断题和识图题等。其中事实细节题占多数(比如上文的61，63题)。这篇文章就主要讲了新闻背景和主题部分。然后报道了一些各类人对改革的看法。考生需要搞清文章脉络，弄清基本事实，这样做题来便得心应手了。