microscopicmess349Captain Cook Arrow LegendIt was a great legend while it lasted, but DNA testing has finally ended a two-century-old story of the Hawaiian arrow carved from the bone of British explorer Captain James Cook who died in the Sandwich Islands1 in 1779.“There is no Cook in the Australian Museum,” museum collection manager Jude Philip said not long ago in announcing the DNA evidence that the arrow was not made of Cooks bone. But that will not stop the museum from continuing to display the arrow in its exhibition, “Uncovered: Treasures of the Australian Museum” which does include a feather cape presented to Cook by Hawaiian King Kalaniopuu in 1778.Cook was one of Britains great explorers and is credited with_discovering the “Great South Land,” now Australia, in 1770. He was clubbed to death in the Sandwich Islands, now Hawaii.The legend of Cooks arrow began in 1824_when Hawaiian King Kamehameha on his deathbed gave the arrow to William Adams, a London surgeon and relative of Cooks wife, saying it was made of Cooks bone after the fatal fight with islanders.In the 1890s the arrow was given to the Australian Museum and the legend continued until it came face-to-face with science.DNA testing by laboratories in Australia and New Zealand revealed the arrow was not made of Cooks bone but was more likely made of animal bone, said Philp.However, Cooks fans refuse to give up hope that one Cook legend will prove true and that part of his remains will still be uncovered, as they say there is evidence not all of Cooks body was buried at sea in 1779. “On this occasion technology has won,” said Cliff Thornton, president of the Captain Cook Society, in a statement from Britain. “But I am sure that one of these daysone of the Cook legends will prove to be true and it will happen one day.”Avalanche and Its SafetyAn avalanche is a sudden and rapid flow of snow, often mixed with air and water, down a among the biggest dangers in the mountains for both life and property.All avalanches are caused by an over-burden of material, typically snowpack, that is too massive and unstable for the slope that supports it. Determining the critical load, the amount of over-burden which is likely to cause an avalanche, is a complex task involving the evaluation of a number of factors.Terrain slopes flatter than 25 degrees or steeper than 60 degrees typically have a low risk of avalanche. Snow does not gather significantly on steep slopes; also, snow does not flow easily on flat slopes. Human-triggered avalanches have the greatest incidence when the snows angle of rest1 is between 35 and 45 degrees; the critical angle, the angle at which the human incidence of avalanches is greatest, is 38 degrees. The rule of thumb2 is: A slope that is flat enough to hold snow but steep enough to ski has the potential to generate an avalanche, regardless of the angle. Additionally, avalanche risk increases with use; that is, the more a slope is disturbed by skiers, the more likely it is that an avalanche will occur.Due to the complexity of the subject, winter traveling in the backcountry4 is never 100% safe. Good avalanche safety is a continuous process, including route selection and examination of the snowpack, weather conditions, and human factors. Several well-known good habits can also reduce the risk. If local authorities issue avalanche risk reports, they should be considered and all warnings should be paid attention to. Never follow in the tracks of others without your own evaluations; snow conditions are almost certain to have changed since they were made. Observe the terrain and note obvious avalanche paths where plants are missing or damaged. Avoid traveling below others who might trigger an avalanche.Giant StructuresIt is an impossible task to select the most amazing wonders of the modem world since every year more wonderful constructions appear. Here are three giant structures which are worthy of our admiration although they may have been surpassed by some more recent wonders. The Petronas Twin TowersThe Petronas Towers were the tallest buildings in the world when they were completed in 1999. With a height of 452 metres, the tall twin towers, like two thin pencils, dominate the city of Kuala Lumpur. At the 41st floor, the towers are linked by a bridge, symbolizing a gateway to the city. The American architect Cesar Pelli designed the skyscrapers. Constructed of high-strength concrete, the building provides around， 800 square metres of office space on every floor. And it has a shopping centre and a concert hall at the base. Other features of this impressive building include double-decker lifts, and glass and steel sunshades. The MiUau BridgeThe Millau Bridge was opened in 2004 in the Tam Valley，in southern France. At the time it was built，it was the worlds highest bridge, reaching over 340m at the highest point. The bridge is described as one of the most amazingly beautiful bridges in the world. It was built to relieve Millaus congestion problems. The congestion was then caused by traffic passing from Paris to Barcelona in Spain. The bridge was built to withstand the most extreme seismic and climatic conditions. Besides, it is guaranteed for 120 years! The Itaipu DamThe Itaipu hydroelectric power plant is one of the largest constructions of its kind in the world. It consists of a series of dams across the River Parana,which forms a natural border between Brazil and Paraguay. Started in 1975 and taking 16 years to complete, the construction was carried out as a joint project between the two countries. The dam is well-known for both its electricity output and its size. In 1995 it produced 78% of Paraguays and 25% of Brazils energy needs. In its construction, the amount of iron and steel used was equivalent to over 300 Eiffel Towers. It is a truly amazing wonder of engineering. Animals "Sixth Sense"A tsunami was triggered by an earthquake in the Indian Ocean in December, 2004. It killed tens of thousands of people in Asia and East Africa. Wild animals, however seem to have escaped that terrible tsunami. This phenomenon adds weight to notions that1 they possess a “sixth sense” for disasters, expert said.Sri Lankan wildlife officials have said the giant waves that killed over 24,000 people along the Indian Ocean islands coast clearly missed wild beasts, with no dead animals found."No elephants are dead, not_even a dead rabbit. I think animals can sense disaster. They have a sixth sense. They know when things are happening," H. D. Ratnayake, deputy director of Sri Lankas Wildlife Department, said about one month after the tsunami attack. The waves washed floodwaters up to 2 miles inland at Yala National Park in the ravaged southeast, Sri Lankas biggest wildlife reserve and home to hundreds of wild elephants and several leopards.There has been a lot of apparent evidence about dogs barking or birds migrating before volcanic eruptions or earthquakes. But it has not been proven, said Matthew van Lierop, an animal behavior specialist at Johannesburg Zoo."There have been a lot of specific studies because you cant really test it in a lab or field sctting," he told Reuters. Other authorities concurred with this assessment"Wildlife seem to be able to pick up certain phenomenon, especially birdsthere are many reports of birds detecting impending disasters," said Clive Walker, who has written several books on African wildlife.Animals certainly rely on the known senses such as smell or hearing to avoid danger such as predators.The notion of an animal "sixth sense" - or_some other mythical power is an enduring one3 which the evidence on Sri Lankas ravaged coast is likely to add to.The Romans saw owls as omens of impending disaster and many ancient cultures viewed elephants as sacred animals endowed with special powers or attributes.Singing Alarms Could Save the BlindIf you cannot see, you may not be able to find your way out of a burning building and that could be fatal. A company in Leeds could change all that with ndirectional sound alarms capable of guiding you to the exit. Sound Alert, a company run by the University of Leeds, is installing the alarms in a residential home for blind people in Sommerset and a resource centre for the blind in Cumbria.The alarms produce a wide range of frequencies that enable the brain to determine where the sound is coming from. Deborah Withington of Sound Alert says that the alarms use most of the frequencies that can be heard by humans.“It is a burst of white noise that people say sounds like static on the radio,” she says. “Its life-saving potential is great.” She conducted an experiment in which people were filmed by thermal-imaging cameras trying to find their way out of a large smoke-filled room. It took them nearly four minutes to find the door without a sound alarm, but only 15 seconds with one. Withington studies how the brain processes sounds at the university. She says that the source of a wide band of frequencies can be pinpointed more easily than the source of a narrow band. Alarms based on he same concept have already been installed on emergency vehicles.The alarms will also include rising or falling frequencies to indicate whether people should go up or down stairs. They were developed with the aid of a large grant from British Nuclear Fuels.Ford Abandons Electric Vehicles福特放棄電動汽車The Ford motor companys abandonment of 分析家說，福特汽車公司放棄電動汽車的決定，標(biāo)志著公路技術(shù)的結(jié)束。 1999年，通用汽車公司和本田汽車公司停止生產(chǎn)電動汽車，專注于燃料電池和混合動力的電動汽油發(fā)動機(jī)，以此來吸引更多消費(fèi)者?，F(xiàn)在福特汽車公司聲明將采取同樣的行動。三年前，福特公司推出兩座的Think City汽車和被稱為Think或Think Neighbor的高爾夫用車，期望每年能夠售出5000輛汽車和10000輛高爾夫用車。但是，由于需求的缺乏，僅生產(chǎn)了1000輛汽車，而2002年至今僅售出不到1700輛高爾夫用車。福特汽車公司歐洲分公司的迪姆霍姆斯星期五說：“這個結(jié)果表明，我們認(rèn)為這不是交通環(huán)境巨大市場的未來。我們覺得我們對于電動汽車已經(jīng)全力以赴了?！?Think City汽車一次充六小時僅能行駛大約53英里的路程，而通用汽車公司的EVI電動汽車也只有100英里。非常昂貴的電池也意味著電動汽車的成本遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)高于汽油動力汽車。在美國，與汽油動力汽車僅17000美元的價格相比，電動汽車豐田RAV4 EV的價格超過了42000美元。豐田與尼?，F(xiàn)在是僅有的主要的電動汽車制造商。英國地球之友的高級交通宣傳家瑞格海格曼對環(huán)境新聞社說：“感覺上電動汽車擁有發(fā)展的機(jī)遇，現(xiàn)在福特公司不得不轉(zhuǎn)向混合動力項目。而那正是我們將進(jìn)行判斷的東西?！?近幾年豐田和本田推出的混合動力汽車銷售良好?；旌蟿恿Πl(fā)動機(jī)比汽油發(fā)動機(jī)和電池動力提供更多的里程，并且電池還能自己充電。福特公司指出，它認(rèn)為在美國這類車有助于汽車排放廢氣的新規(guī)則。然而，新規(guī)則的確切規(guī)定目前仍不清楚。今年6月，通用汽車公司和戴姆勒克萊斯勒公司贏得了法院的禁令，加州立法要求到2003年，汽車制造商推遲兩年向加州提供十萬輛零排放低排放車輛。汽車制造商們希望立法改為排放量更低，而不是零排放的車輛。Car manufacturers hope the legislation will be rewritten to allow for more low-emission, rather than zero-emission, vehicles.1.What have the Ford motor company, General Motors and Honda done concerning electric cars?-They have given up producing electric cars.2.According to Tim Holmes of Ford Europe,battery-powered cars -will not be the main transportation vehicles in the future3.Which auto manufacturers are still producing electric vehicles?-Toyota and Nissan4.According to the eighth paragraph,hybrid cars -run more miles than petrol driven cars5.Which of the following is true about the hope of car manufacturers according to the last paragraph?-The legislation will allow more low. emission to be producedWorld Crude Oil Production May Peak a Decade Earlier Than Some Predict世界原油產(chǎn)量可能提前十年達(dá)到峰值In a finding that may speed efforts to conserve oil科威特科學(xué)家預(yù)測世界常規(guī)原油產(chǎn)量將在2014年達(dá)到峰值，這一發(fā)現(xiàn)可能會促進(jìn)儲存石油的努力。這一預(yù)測比其他預(yù)測提前了將近十年，已經(jīng)發(fā)表在美國化學(xué)學(xué)會能量與燃料雜志上.伊布赫姆納夏威和同事們指出，全球石油消耗的快速增長使人們對"石油峰值"預(yù)測的興趣越來越濃?！笆头逯怠敝傅氖鞘彤a(chǎn)量達(dá)到最大值然后開始下降的時間點(diǎn)?？茖W(xué)家已經(jīng)構(gòu)建了幾個模型來預(yù)測這一時間，有些模型認(rèn)為這一時間在2020年或更晚。其中最著名的預(yù)測模型之一是赫伯特模型。赫伯特模型認(rèn)為世界石油產(chǎn)量呈鐘形曲線，與此相關(guān)的概念是“石油峰值”。這一術(shù)語指的是世界石油產(chǎn)量達(dá)到峰值的那一刻，之后將呈現(xiàn)無法逆轉(zhuǎn)的下降趨勢。赫伯特模型精確地預(yù)測到美國石油產(chǎn)量于1970年達(dá)到峰值。這一模型從此受到歡迎，已經(jīng)用于預(yù)測世界石油生產(chǎn)。但是，最近研究表明，這一模型不足以解釋某些國家更加復(fù)雜的石油生產(chǎn)周期?？茖W(xué)家稱，這些生產(chǎn)周期受到技術(shù)變化、政策和其他因素的很大影響。最新研究描述了赫伯特模型的新版本，提供了更加實際、更加準(zhǔn)確的石油生產(chǎn)預(yù)測?？茖W(xué)家使用新模型評估了47個主要產(chǎn)油國家的石油生產(chǎn)趨勢，這47個國家是世界常規(guī)原油的主要提供者?？茖W(xué)家預(yù)計全球常規(guī)原油產(chǎn)量將于2014年達(dá)到峰值，比之前預(yù)計的要早很多年?？茖W(xué)家還指出，世界石油儲量正在以2.1%的速度逐年減少，他們認(rèn)為新模型會幫助做出與能源相關(guān)的決定，幫助進(jìn)行國家政策辯論。The new model could help inform energy-related decisions and public policy debate, they suggest.1.Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word “sparked” appearing in paragraph 2?-stimulated2.The term “a bell shaped curve” appearing in paragraph 2 indicates that global oil production will_-start to decline after global oil production peaks.3.Which of the following is NOT true of the Hubbert model?-It provides a very realistic and accurate oil production4.What is the major achievement of the new study mentioned in the last paragraph?-It predicts global oil production will peak in 2014.5.Who develop the new version of the Hubbert model?-Kuwaiti scientists.Citizen Scientists公民科學(xué)家Understanding how nature responds to climate 理解大自然對氣候變化有怎樣的反應(yīng)需要監(jiān)視世界各個角落的關(guān)鍵生命周期事件一花開、葉子的出現(xiàn)、第一只青蛙叫出春天的到來。但是生態(tài)學(xué)家不可能去到世界的各個角落，所以他們向非科學(xué)家求助，這些非科學(xué)家有時也被稱作公民科學(xué)家。氣象科學(xué)家不可能足跡遍及天下。因為在世界上有如此多的地方，沒有足夠的科學(xué)家來觀察它們。所以他們請求你來幫助觀察全世界氣候變化的跡象。公民科學(xué)家運(yùn)動鼓勵普通人根據(jù)自己的興趣來觀察某一個特定的方面鳥兒、樹木、花開等等并把他們的觀察結(jié)果發(fā)送到一個巨大的數(shù)據(jù)庫來供專業(yè)科學(xué)家研究。這有助于數(shù)量有限的科學(xué)家得到如果只靠他們自己根本收集不到的巨大數(shù)據(jù)。就像公民記者幫助報道傳統(tǒng)新聞報道方式所忽略的小型社區(qū)的相關(guān)信息一樣，公民科學(xué)家也對他們所居住的環(huán)境很熟悉。所需要的就是每天或每周留出幾分鐘來搜集數(shù)據(jù)并發(fā)送過來。一群科學(xué)家和教育家在去年發(fā)起了一個叫做紐約國家物候?qū)W的組織?！拔锖?qū)W”就是科學(xué)家們所說的在自然中研究每個事件的時間。其中一個小組的首要嘗試就是依靠科學(xué)家和非科學(xué)家來收集關(guān)于每年植物開花和長葉子的數(shù)據(jù)。這一項目叫做花季追蹤計劃，它收集遍布美國的各種各樣的植物生長周期的數(shù)據(jù)。參與這一項目的人們這一計劃對所有人開放把他們的觀察記錄在花季追蹤計劃網(wǎng)站上。“人們不需要是植物學(xué)家他們僅僅需要環(huán)視四周看看周圍有什么?！盝ennifer Schwartz說，她是這項計劃的教育顧問?！巴ㄟ^收集數(shù)據(jù)，我們就能夠估算出氣候變化對植物和生物群落會有怎樣的影響?！盿nd animals will respond as the climate changes1.Ecologists turn to non-scientist citizens for help because they need them -to collect data of the life cycle-of living things.2.What are citizen scientists asked to do?-To send their research observations to a professional database.3.In "All thats needed to become one ( paragraph2)" , what does the word "one" stands for?-a citizen scientist.4.What is NOT true of Project BudBurst?-Only experts can participate in it.5.What is the final purpose of Project BudBurst?-To investigate how plants and animals will respond as the climate changes.Motoring Technology汽車技術(shù)1.2 million road deaths worldwide 每年，全世界有120萬起路面交通死亡事故，以及5000萬起路面交通傷殘事故。為降低車禍發(fā)生率，現(xiàn)在有很多研究將注意力放在行車安全和開發(fā)新型燃料上。而有些關(guān)于電動機(jī)車和生物燃料的研究旨在達(dá)到更快的速度。高速駕駛一向是很危險的。一項在機(jī)動車安全前沿領(lǐng)域的研究是有關(guān)車內(nèi)數(shù)字化輔助設(shè)施的。這些設(shè)施會確保：時睡著。通過運(yùn)用人工智能軟件，這些輔助設(shè)施可監(jiān)控行車過程并確保在關(guān)鍵時刻司機(jī)不會被手機(jī)或廣播干擾注意力。許多車禍?zhǔn)怯扇藶樵蛟斐傻亩菣C(jī)械故障。一些行車安全方面的改進(jìn)力圖改善司機(jī)的視野。雷達(dá)可對霧中的障礙物定位，而其他的科技手段可透過阻礙你視線的高大車輛看到前方。對安全帶、剎車板控制和車胎的改進(jìn)也使行車過程變得更順暢、安全。人們發(fā)現(xiàn)車的顏色與安全有關(guān)，令人不會感到驚訝的是，車的大小和形狀也與安全有關(guān)。從礦物燃料中提取的汽油的替代物，例如植物油，也是研究中的一個熱門區(qū)域。取材于氫氣的燃料電池燃燒時無污染，并已成為一項重要研究的攻克對象。但不管燃料箱中盛為何物，你可不想在駕駛座上坐的是一個竊賊。對此，也有很多創(chuàng)新來打擊汽集中一些運(yùn)用了衛(wèi)星跟蹤和遠(yuǎn)程通訊。當(dāng)發(fā)生車禍時，這些通訊系統(tǒng)也可起作用，自動地呼叫幫助。交通事故可引發(fā)許多交通堵塞。但在一暢通卻繁忙的路段上，汽車間也有很多的細(xì)微互動，從而導(dǎo)致可能的阻塞。此類阻塞可用數(shù)據(jù)統(tǒng)計工具來進(jìn)行分析。被編程的機(jī)器人可使交通流動更順暢，并有朝一日有望成為每個人的私家司機(jī)。但最新成果表明這種設(shè)想并非短期內(nèi)可以實現(xiàn)。but their latest efforts suggest that wont be soon1.What are researchers interested in doing as the road accidents worldwide increase to a shocking rate?-They focus their research on safety and new fuels.2.According to the second paragraph, most road accidents happen -because drivers make mistakes.3.Which of the safety developments is NOT mentioned in the passage?-Windscreens that can help drivers to improve their vision.4.What is NOT the purpose of innovations that use satellite tracking and remote communications?-To call for help when the car gets jammed in the traffic.5.What is true of robotic drivers?-It will take some time before robotic drivers can be put to practical use.Late-Night Drinking在深夜飲咖啡Coffee lovers beware咖啡愛好者注意了。在深夜喝一杯快速提神的咖啡會嚴(yán)重影響你的睡眠，跟興奮劑一樣，咖啡因會擾亂褪黑激素的自由流動，這種褪黑激素是大腦里促人睡眠的一種荷爾蒙。在上床睡覺前約2小時的時候褪黑激素含量開始上升，在凌晨2點(diǎn)到4點(diǎn)達(dá)到最高值，然后再次下降。加州斯坦福大學(xué)斯坦福睡眠流行病學(xué)研究中心的Maurice Ohayon說：“控制我們睡眠的是神經(jīng)激素，它告訴我們的身體什么時候睡覺，什么時候醒來?！倍陨械难芯咳藛T們發(fā)現(xiàn)含咖啡因的咖啡使這種睡眠荷爾蒙濃度降至一半。Lotan Shilo和Tel Aviv大學(xué)“Sapir醫(yī)學(xué)中心”的一組人員，在給六位志愿者做試驗時發(fā)現(xiàn)，他們在飲了咖啡因的咖啡后比飲了脫咖啡因的咖啡后睡眠質(zhì)量要差。平均來說，在喝了含咖啡因的咖啡后每晚睡眠時間為336分鐘，而喝了脫咖啡因的咖啡后則睡415分鐘。同時他們得花半個小時入睡，是通常情況的兩倍，另外，他們在床上輾轉(zhuǎn)次數(shù)也要長一倍。在實驗的第二階段，研究人員每三個小時便叫醒一次志愿者，并叫他們提供尿樣。Shilo檢驗了他們褪黑激素分解產(chǎn)物的濃度，結(jié)果顯示，咖啡因攝入者體內(nèi)的褪黑激素是非咖啡因攝入者的一半。在睡眠醫(yī)學(xué)刊物上發(fā)表的文章中，研究人員暗示說，褪黑激素的生成由酶來促成，而咖啡因阻止了酶的生成。因為要花許多小時的時間才能將身體中的咖啡因除去，Ohayon建議咖啡愛好者應(yīng)在午后換喝脫咖啡因的咖啡。that coffee lovers switch to decaf after lunch1.The author mentions “pick-me-up” to indicate that -coffee is a stimulant.2.Which of the following tells us how caffeine affects sleep?-Caffeine halves the bodys levels of sleep hormone.3.What does paragraph 3 mainly discuss?-Different effects of caffeinated coffee and decaf on sleep.4.What does the experiment mentioned in paragraph 4 prove?-Caffeine drinkers produce less sleep hormone.5.The author of this passage probably agrees that -we should not drink coffee after supper.Making Light of Sleep不要太在意睡眠All we have a clock located inside our brains我們每個人的大腦里都有一個像我們床邊的鬧鐘一樣的生物鐘。人腦里的生物鐘24小時走一圈，這一圈也就是一次完整的晝夜節(jié)律，正是這個節(jié)律決定了我們吃飯、睡覺和起床的時間。青春期時，人的生物鐘在定時方面會發(fā)生變化，生物鐘會提前。這時，青少年會比以前睡得晚，所以當(dāng)你媽媽告訴你該睡覺時，你的生物鐘可能會讓你多推遲幾小時，并且電腦或電視光線可能會導(dǎo)致你熬夜到更晚。生物鐘的這種變化對青少年說是正常的，但熬夜到太晚會打亂你生物鐘與晝夜時間循環(huán)之間的平衡，這樣就會帶來一些問題，例如：早晨很難按時起床。位于美國羅得州布郎大學(xué)睡眠方面的研究員Mary Carskadon說： “當(dāng)青少年睡眠不足時會打不起精神，這將影響到他們心情、學(xué)習(xí)和思考問題的狀態(tài)?！逼鋵嵣镧娕c鬧鐘一樣，也是可調(diào)的，事實上，生物鐘每天都在進(jìn)行著自我調(diào)節(jié)，其方式就是通過你眼睛接收到光線的變化。很早之前，科學(xué)家就知道了晝夜光線強(qiáng)弱的變化對生物鐘調(diào)節(jié)起到了重要的作用，長久以來，研究者們認(rèn)為眼睛所接受到的平衡生物鐘的光信號同樣作用于人類的視覺系統(tǒng)。但最近幾年的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，人類眼睛有兩個感光系統(tǒng)，一個是視覺系統(tǒng)，而另一個是感知晝夜的系統(tǒng)。system tells our body whether its day or night.1.The clock located inside our brains is similar to our bedside alarm -clock because -it has a cycle of 24 hours.2.What is implied in the second paragraph? -Children before puberty tend to fall asleep earlier at night than adolescents3.In the third paragraph the author wants to tell the reader that -staying up late has a bad effect on teenagers ability to think and learn.4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the fourth and fifth paragraphs?-Our internal clock as well as the alarm clock can be reset automatically.5.According to the last two paragraphs, what did the previous researchers think about the human eyes light-sensing system?-The human eye had one light-sensing systemSugar Power for Cell Phones用糖為手機(jī)發(fā)電Using enzymes commonly found in living一種新型燃料細(xì)胞通過利用活體細(xì)胞中很常見的酶能從糖中生產(chǎn)少量的電。如果這項技術(shù)能夠成功應(yīng)用于大批量生產(chǎn)，人們可以與自己的手機(jī)分享甜飲料（因為糖可以發(fā)電供給手機(jī)）。燃料細(xì)胞中的化學(xué)反應(yīng)能產(chǎn)生電流。這個過程通常依賴于貴金屬，比如鉑。在活體細(xì)胞中，酶發(fā)揮類似的作用，通過分解糖得到電子進(jìn)而產(chǎn)生能量。圣路易斯大學(xué)的Shelley D. Minteer說，以前研究人員在燃料細(xì)胞中使用酶時，很難維持酶的活性。生物細(xì)胞能不停地產(chǎn)生新鮮的酶，但燃料細(xì)胞中沒有能替換很快降解的酶的機(jī)制。Minteer與同樣來自圣路易斯大學(xué)的Tamara Klotzbach現(xiàn)在研制了一種聚合物，它能包裹酶并將其保存在用顯微鏡才能看見的袋子里。Minteer解釋說：“我們改造袋子使其能為酶提供理想的微環(huán)境?！边@種聚合物能使酶保持幾個月而不是幾天的活性。在新型燃料細(xì)胞中，裝有酶的微小的聚合物袋子鑲嵌在一張裹在一個電極上的薄膜里。含糖液體中的葡萄糖進(jìn)入袋子時，酶將其氧化，釋放出電子和質(zhì)子。電子穿過薄膜進(jìn)入一根導(dǎo)線并通過這根導(dǎo)線到達(dá)其他電子。導(dǎo)線中的電子與大氣中的氧發(fā)生反應(yīng)產(chǎn)生水。電子在導(dǎo)線中流動形成電流，電流能產(chǎn)生電能。伊利諾伊大學(xué)Urbana-Champaign校區(qū)的化學(xué)工程師Paul Kenis指出， 目前這種新型燃料細(xì)胞產(chǎn)生不了多少電能，但它們確實產(chǎn)生了電，這一事實令人激動. Kenis說：“單是使它可以產(chǎn)生電能，就是一項大的成果?！毕奶堑娜剂霞?xì)胞有可能成為高效的發(fā)電工具。糖容易得到，而且消耗糖的新型燃料細(xì)胞可生物降解，因此這項技術(shù)不會損害環(huán)境。目前，科學(xué)家們正試圖利用別的能從糖中產(chǎn)生更多電的酶。他們預(yù)計，在不到三年的時間里這種新技術(shù)便可在大眾化的產(chǎn)品中使用。new technology in as little as 3 years.1.According to the first paragraph, when can we share our sweet drinks with our cell phones?-When the technology of a new type of fuel cell is suitable for mass production.2.What trouble did Minteer and Klotzbach have in their research?-They had trouble keeping enzymes in fuel cells active.3.According to Paragraph 5, electrons are released -when the enzyme oxidizes the glucose from a sugary liquid that goes through a pocket4.What is exciting about the new fuel cells?-Their limited power generation capacity is a good beginning.5.According to the last paragraph, what is NOT true of the new fuel cells?-It will take some time before the new fuel cells can be used in popular products.Eiffel Is an Eyeful引人注目的埃菲爾鐵塔Some 300 meters up, near the世界各地的人們都來到大約300米高，接近埃菲爾鐵塔頂端的地方涂鴉。日本人、巴西人、美國人在這塊冰冷的鐵上涂上自己的名字、喜好和政治觀點(diǎn)，使這最具有法蘭西色彩的紀(jì)念碑成為動感世界的象征。從塔上可以看到巴黎市的遠(yuǎn)景，但奇怪的是，觀光者們寧愿花時間留下到此一游的痕跡，而不去觀賞風(fēng)景。但這些涂鴉者也引起了一個問題：為什么在建成,114年后，且在幾十年前就已經(jīng)不是世界上最高的建筑物的今天，埃菲爾鐵塔卻仍然這么受歡迎。這個問題的答案就像那構(gòu)成90層的鐵塔的工程一樣復(fù)雜。一部分的理由是，毫無疑問，鐵塔是永不過時的。周期性的維護(hù)使得它永遠(yuǎn)不會被腐蝕掉。埃菲爾鐵塔定期油漆，覆蓋那些涂鴉，但是它仍將繼續(xù)在下去?！鞍７茽柺前屠璧南笳?，而巴黎又代表了法國。所以，埃菲爾十分具有象征性?！盚ugues Richard說道。這位31歲的法國人保持著在19分零4秒的時間內(nèi)騎自行車經(jīng)過747級臺階登上鐵塔第二層的紀(jì)錄?！斑@是鐵娘子，能讓人產(chǎn)生靈感?！彼f。但是它能使人們產(chǎn)生怎樣的靈感呢？畢竟，鐵塔并沒有任何目的。1930年紐約的Chrysler大廈取代它成為世界上最高的建筑。但是電視和廣播信號仍然從塔頂發(fā)送出來，而Gustave Eiffel，這個狂熱的建造者利用它的高度進(jìn)行氣象學(xué)、空氣動力學(xué)和無線電通訊的研究。他在12月27日逝世，終年91歲。本質(zhì)上來說，鐵塔佇立在那兒本身就是一個靈感它就像一張空白的畫布，任游客自由遐想。對于那些善于從技術(shù)角度考慮問題的人來說，它是一個工程上的勝利；而對于戀人們來說，它則象征著浪漫?！斑@座塔將在我們所有的人離去后長久存在?！卑７茽栬F塔管理公司的Isabelle Esn