Question

    At one time or another in your life you have probably done origami, even if it was just making a paper airplane or something more complicated like a paper crane. The chances are that as you did it, you reflected on how inventive this traditional art is. Animals, boxes, flowers, boats: it all can be created from a single square or rectangular sheet of paper simply by folding it. No cutting, no pasting.

But did you ever stop to think how the same techniques might be applied to engineering? Equipment that could be of real practical use? Origami meets the demand for things that need to be small when transported and large when they arrive, like the everyday umbrella. In fact, origami-inspired creations have already flown in space; in 1995, Japanese engineers launched a satellite with solar panels that folded like a map.

“It’s now mathematically proven that you can pretty much fold anything,” says physicist Robert J. Lang, who quit his engineering job eight years ago to fold things full time. Lang, an origami enthusiast since age six, advised a advised well-known ear manufacturer the best way to fold an airbag into a dashboard. He is currently working on a space telescope lens that, if all goes according to plan, should be able to unfold to the size of a football field.

At the other end of the scale, researchers are also working on tiny folding devices that could lead to breakthroughs in medicine and computing. There’s no doubt that computers of the future may contain tiny, folded motors or capacitors for faster processing and better memory.

Applications for origami engineering go further than many of us might imagine. “Some day,” says MIT’s Erik Demaine, “we’ll build reconfigurable (可重构的) robots that can fold on their own from one thing into another, like Transformers. Too much like science fiction to be true? Maybe—though you certainly wouldn’t want to bet against it.”

1.What do we know about origami?

A.It consumes lots of time. B.It involves interesting ideas.

C.It requires complex techniques. D.It has to do with cutting and pasting.

2.Which of the following is an application of origami?

A.A space telescope lens can be folded to the size of an umbrella.

B.A satellite is equipped with solar panels and a folded map.

C.An airbag can be better folded into a dashboard of a car.

D.A future computer contains many huge folded motors.

3.What is Erik Demaine’s attitude towards origami engineering?

A.Hopeful B.Doubtful.

C.Disapproving. D.Ambiguous.

4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A.Entertainment. B.Culture.

C.Education. D.Pop-science.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.A

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。折纸是一种具有创造性的传统艺术，而现在它已经被应用到技术工程领域，人们利用折纸原理创造出了很多可折叠的装置。折纸工程将在很大程度上影响未来的医药、计算机和机器人行业。

1.推理判断题。根据文章第一段的The chances are that as you did it, you reflected on how inventive this traditional art is. Animals, boxes, flowers, boats: it all can be created from a single square or rectangular sheet of paper simply by folding it. No cutting, no pasting.可知，折纸是一个具有创造性的传统艺术，我们不用裁剪或拼贴，只通过折叠就可以把一张正方形或者三角形的纸变成动物、纸盒、花、船等东西，由此推测折纸需要有创造性的和有趣的想法。B. It involves interesting ideas.（它需要有趣的想法）符合以上推测，故选B项。

2.细节理解题。根据文章第三段的Lang, an origami enthusiast since age six, advised a well-known ear manufacturer the best way to fold an airbag into a dashboard.可知折纸爱好者Lang向一位制造商建议了把安全气囊折叠到仪表盘中的最佳方式。C. An airbag can be better folded into a dashboard of a car.（安全气囊能被更好地折叠到汽车仪表盘中）符合以上说法，故选C项。

3.推理判断题。根据文章最后一段的Applications for origami engineering go further than many of us might imagine可知Erik Demaine认为折纸工程的应用远远超出了我们的想象，由此可推测Erik Demaine对折纸工程的未来充满希望。A. Hopeful（充满希望的）符合以上推断，故选A项。

4.推理判断题。根据文章第二段的in 1995, Japanese engineers launched a satellite with solar panels that folded like a map.第三段段的Lang, an origami enthusiast since age six, advised a advised well-known ear manufacturer the best way to fold an airbag into a dashboard. 第四段的There’s no doubt that computers of the future may contain tiny, folded motors or capacitors for faster processing and better memory. 和第五段的Some day,” says MIT’s Erik Demaine, “we’ll build reconfigurable (可重构的) robots that can fold on their own from one thing into another, like Transformers.可知卫星，安全气囊的折叠，未来电脑的发展和未来可重构机器人，这些都和科学技术相关，故推测本文很有可能出现在报纸的科学板块。D. Pop-science.（大众科学）符合以上推测，故选D项。