Thirst for Oil

　　Werldwide every day，we devour the energyequivalent of about 200 million barrels of Oil.MoHt of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun.In fact enough energy from the Sun hits the planet’s surface each minute to cover our needs for an entire year，we just need to find an efficient way to use it.So far the energy in oil has been cheaper and easier to get at.But as supplies dwindle，this will change，and we will need to cure our addiction to oil.

　　Burning wood satisfied most energy needs until the steam-driven industrial revolution，when energy-dense coal became the fuel of choice.Coal is still used，mostly in power stations，to cover orle quarter of our energy needs，but its use has been declining since wc Staned

　　pumping up oil.Coal is the least efficient，unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel，but could make a comeback，as supplies are still plentiful;its reserves are five times larger than oil’s.

　　Today petroleum，a mineral oil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to produce petrol，diesel oil and various other chemical substances，provides around 40% of the world’s energy needs，mostly fuelling automobiles.The US consumes a quarter of all oil，and generates a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.

　　The majority of oil Comes from the Middle East，which has half of known reserves.But other significant sources include Russia，North America，Norway，Venezuela and the North Sea.Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge1 could be a major new US source，to reduce reliance on foreign imports.

　　Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years，though opinions and estimates vary.We could fast reach an energy crisis in the next few decades，when demand exceeds supply. As conventional reserves become more difficuh to access.others such as oil shales and tar sands may be used instead.Petrol could also be obtained from coal.

　　Since we started using fossil fuels，we have released 400 billion tonnes2 of carbon，and burning the entire reserves could eventually raise world temperatures by 13℃.Among other horrors，this would result in the destruction of all rainforests and tile inching of all Arctic ice.

　　詞匯：

　　devour/di5vauE (r)/v.吞沒，耗盡 dwindle/5dwindl/v.減少

　　dense/dens/adj.密集的 diesel oil 柴油

　　pump/pQmp/v.用泵抽吸 accessible/Ek5sesEbl/adj.可使用的，

　　可得到的

　　petrolcum/5petrEl/n.石油，原油 rainforest n.(熱帶)雨林

　　reliance/ri5laiEns/n.依賴，依靠 tar sand 瀝青砂

　　oil shale 油頁巖 destruction/dis5trQkFEn/n.破壞，毀滅

　　注釋：

　　1. Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge：美國阿拉斯加北極國家野生動(dòng)物保護(hù)區(qū)。2001年，美國眾議院通過了一項(xiàng)基于布什提出的在那里進(jìn)行石油開采的議案。該議案遭到環(huán)境保護(hù)主義組織的反對。因此，目前在該區(qū)禁止開采石油。

　　2. tonnes：公噸(=1，000公斤)。不同于ton。 ton：在美國等于二千磅(=0.907公噸)，所以稱作short ton：短噸。

　　練習(xí)：

　　1. “...we will need to cure our addiction to oil.” Why does the author say so?

　　A Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun.

　　B Oil supply is increasing all the time.

　　C Demand for oil is increasing all the time.

　　D Oil supply is decreasing.

　　2. Which of lhe following statements is NOT meant by the author，according to the second paragraph?

　　A Wood wets the fuel of choice before coal.

　　B The use of coal is declining.

　　C Coal is the most environmentally unfriendly fuel next to oil.

　　D Coal reserves are plentiful and will be likely to become the major fuel of

　　choice.

　　3. Which country is the biggest consumer of petroleum?

　　A The United States.

　　B Russia.

　　C Norway.

　　D Venezuela.

　　4. What do experts say about the earth’s fuel reserves?

　　A The earth’s fuel reserves will be accessible for the next 50 years.

　　B There will soon be an energy crisis.

　　C Conventional reserves will soon become inaccessible.

　　D Fuel demand will decline.

　　5. What is NOT the result of consuming fossil fuels according to the last paragraph?

　　A Rainforests will be destroyed.

　　B Arctic ice will be melted.

　　C The earth’s temperature will be raised.

　　D The sea level will go up.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. D 答案在第一段最后一句中。這里的xupplies指oil supplies。

　　2. C 短文的第二段告訴我們，木材曾經(jīng)是主要燃料來源，然后被煤所替代;白人們開始采油后，對煤的需求下降了，但因?yàn)槊旱膬?chǔ)量遠(yuǎn)大于石油，它可能又會(huì)成為主要燃料，盡管它對環(huán)境最具破壞力。所以A、B、D均是作者的意思，而C不是。ncxt to oil除石油以外。

　　3. A 文章的第三段說，美國消耗全世界四分之一的石油。

　　4. B 答案在第五段第二句中。該段第一句說，地球上的燃料儲(chǔ)量將在50年內(nèi)耗盡，所以A不是正確選擇;第三句的意思是，常規(guī)燃料的獲取將變得困難，而不是不可獲得，所以C也不是正確選擇;D明顯不是作者的意思。

　　5. D 選項(xiàng)A、B、I：都是最后一段中所表達(dá)的意思，所以D是正確選擇。

　　Explorer of the Extreme Deep

　　Oceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet. Yet，just a small fraction of the undcrwaler world has been uxplored. Now，Scientists at the Woods Hole1 Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle hat will carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters (21,320 feet).The new machine，known as a manned submersible or human-operated vehicle (HOV)，will replace another one named Alvin2 which bas an amazing record of discovery，playing a key role in various important and famous undersea expeditions.Alvin has been operating for 40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters (14,784 feet).It’s about time for an upgrade，WHOI researchers say.

　　Alvin was launched in 1964.Since then，Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year，says Daniel Fornari，a marine geologist and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI.During its lifetime，Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more than 3,000 dives. A newer，better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more surprises ahout a world that is still full of mysteries，F(xiàn)ornari says.It might also make the job of exploration a little easier.“We take so much for granted on land,” Fornari says.“We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things are. We can see colors，special arrangements.”

　　Size-wise，the new HOV will be similar to Alvin.It’ll be about 37 feet long.The setting area inside will be a small sphere，about 8 feet wide，like Alvin，it’ll carry a pilot and two passengers.It will be just as maneuverable.In most other ways，it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view，for one thing.Alvin has only three windows，the new vehicle will have five，with more overlap so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thing.

　　Alvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second，and its maximum speed is 2 knots (about 2.3 miles per hour)，while the new vehicle will be able to ascend and descend at 44 meters per second.It’ll reach speeds of 3 knots，or 3.5 miles per hour.

　　詞匯：

　　fraction/5frAkFEn/n.一部分 dive/daiv/v.& n.潛水;跳水

　　underwater/5QndE5wC:tE(r)/adj. bound/baund /adj.受約束的，一定的

　　水下的;adv.在水下

　　sphere/sfiE(r)/n.球體;范圍 manned/5mAnd/adj.載人的

　　maneuverable/mE5nu:vErEbl/adj. undersea/5QndEsi:/ adj.海底的

　　機(jī)動(dòng)的，可調(diào)動(dòng)的 submersible/sQb5mE:sEbl/n.潛艇;潛水器

　　overlap /5EuvE5lAp/v.& n.重疊 upgrade/5Qp^reid/n.升級(jí)

　　ascend/E5send/ v.上升 geologist/dVi5ClEdVist/n.地質(zhì)學(xué)家

　　注釋：

　　1. Woods Hole：美國馬薩諸塞州的一個(gè)漁村，但同時(shí)擁有許多重要研究機(jī)構(gòu)，如：the Marine Biological Laboratory，the Sea Education Association以及the Woods Hole Oceanographic lnstitution。

　　2. Alvin：世界上第一個(gè)深海潛水器，它最有名的深海探測包括1986年對泰坦尼克號(hào)殘骸的測量工作。

　　練習(xí)：

　　1. What is Alvin?

　　A A research institute.

　　B A transporting vehicle.

　　C A submersible.

　　D A scientist.

　　2. Which of the following statements is NOT a fact about Alvin?

　　A h can carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters.

　　B It has played a key role in various important undersea expeditions

　　C It was launched in the sixties of the twentieth century.

　　D It has been used for more than 40 years.

　　3. “...a world that is still full of mysteries” refers to

　　A the earth.

　　B out space.

　　C the ocean.

　　D Mars.

　　4. In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin similar?

　　A Size.

　　B Speed.

　　C Capacity.

　　D Shape.

　　5. In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin different?

　　A Offering better views.

　　B Speed.

　　C Size.

　　D Both A and B.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C 短文第一段的第四、第五句提供了答案

　　2. A 文章第一段從第三句開始說，科學(xué)家正在研制一艘可將研究人員帶到6 500米深處的潛水裝置，而它將替代Alvin，因?yàn)锳lvin只能潛到4 500米深處。A不是事實(shí)，所以是正確選擇。

　　3. C 本文討論探索海底世界的潛水裝置，所以“充滿神秘色彩的世界”指的就是海洋。

　　4. D 第三段的頭三個(gè)句子告訴我們，HOV和Alvin在體積上和容量上相似。所以D是正確選擇。

　　5. D 第三段最后兩句告訴我們，Alvin只有三個(gè)窗戶，而HOV有五個(gè)。最后一段告訴我們，兩艘潛水裝置的上下活動(dòng)速度和行進(jìn)速度有所差別。所以D是正確選擇。

　　Plant Gas

　　Scientists have been studying natural sources of methane for decades but hadn’t regarded plants as a producer，notes Frank Keppler，a geochem[st at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg，Germany1.Now Keppler and his colleagues find that plants，from grasses to trees，may also be sources of the greenhouse gas.This is really surprising，because most scientists assumed that methane production requires an oxygen-free environment.

　　Previously，researchers had thought that it was impossible for plants to make significant amounts of the gas.They had assumed that，microbes2 need to be in environments without oxygen to produce methane.Methane is a greenhouse gas，like carbon dioxide.Gases such as methane and carbon dioxide trap heat in Earth’s atmosphere and contributeto global warming.

　　In its experiments，Keppler’s team used sealed chambers that contained the same concentration of oxygen that Earth’s atmosphere has.They measured the amounts of methane that were released by both living plants;and dried plant material，such as fallen leaves.

　　With the dried plants，the researchers took measurement at temperatures ranging from 30 degrees Celsius to 70 degrees C.At 30 degrees C，they found，a gram of dried plant material released up to 3 nanograms of methane per hour.(One nanogram is a billionth of a gram.) With every 10-degree rise in temperature，the amount of methane released each hour roughly doubled.

　　Living plants growing at their normal temperatures released as much as 370 nanograms of methane per gram of plant tissue per hour.Methane emissions tripled when living and dead plant was exposed to sunlight.

　　Beeause there was plenty of oxygen available，it’s unlikely that the types of bacteria that normally make methane were involved. Experiments on plants that weregrown in water rather than soil also resulted in methane emissions.That’s another strong sign that the gas came from the plants and not soil microbes.

　　The new finding is an “interesting observation,” says Jennifer Y.King，a biogeochemist at the University of Minnesota in St.Paul3.Because some types of soil microbes consume methane，they may prevent plant-produced methane from reaching the atmosphere.Field tests will be needed to assess the plant’s influence，she notes.

　　詞匯:

　　methane/5meWein/n.甲烷，沼氣 emission/i5miFEn/n.散發(fā)，發(fā)射

　　geochemist n.地球化學(xué)家 triple/5tripl/v.增加三倍;adj.三倍的

　　Celsius n.&.adj.攝氏(的) bacteria/bAk5tiEriE/n.(bacterium 的復(fù)數(shù))細(xì)菌

　　microbe/5maIkrEJb/n.微生物 nanogram n.微克

　　biogeochemist n.生物地球化學(xué)家 chamber/5tFeimbE(r)/n.室，房間;腔

　　注釋：

　　1. the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg，Germany：馬克思?普朗克核物理研究所，位于德國海德堡。海德堡系德國西南部城市，在巴登一符騰堡州的內(nèi)卡河畔。海德堡大學(xué)是德國歷史最悠久的大學(xué)。

　　2. microbe：細(xì)菌，意義同bacterium(bacteria的單數(shù)形式)。但microbe不用作專門術(shù)語。

　　3. St.Paul：圣保羅，美國明尼蘇達(dá)州首府。

　　練習(xí)：

　　1. What was scientists understanding of methane?

　　A h was produced from plants.

　　B It was not a greenhouse gas.

　　C It was produced in oxygen-free environments.

　　D It traps more heat than any other greenhouse gas.

　　2. To test whether plants are a sot，roe of methane，the scientists created

　　A a oxygen-free environment.

　　B an environment with the same concentration of oxygen as the Earth has.

　　C a carbon dioxide-free environment.

　　D an environment filled with the greenhouse gas.

　　3. Which statement is true of the methane emissions of plants in the experiment?

　　A The lower the temperature，the higher the amount of methane emissions.

　　B I.iving plants release less methane than dried plants at the same temperature.

　　C When exposed to sunlight，plants stop releasing methane.

　　D The higher the temperature，the greater the amount of methane emissions.

　　4. Which of the following about methane is Not mentioned in the passage?

　　A Plants growing in soil release methane.

　　B Plants growing in water release methane.

　　C Soil microbes consume methane.

　　D Microbes in plants produce methane.

　　5. What is the beneficial point of some microbes consuming plant-produced methane?

　　A Methane becomes less poisonous.

　　B Methane is turned into a fertilizer.

　　C Less methane reaches the atmosphere.

　　D Air becomes cleaner.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C 短文的第一和第二段都講到，科學(xué)家過去曾經(jīng)認(rèn)為，沼氣必須在無氧的環(huán)境中才能產(chǎn)生。注意，作者用的是過去式：Most scientists assumed that...They had assumed that...。

　　2. B 第三段第一句說，科學(xué)家使用密封的房間來做實(shí)驗(yàn)，房間里氧氣的濃度與地球大氣中的氧氣濃度相仿。所以B句符合原文的意思，其他三個(gè)選擇則不符合原文內(nèi)容。

　　3. D 根據(jù)第四和第五段的內(nèi)容，只有D是正確的說法。溫度越高沼氣的釋放量越高，有生命的植物釋放的沼氣遠(yuǎn)大于干植物的釋放量，在陽光下，它們的沼氣釋放量是正常情況的三倍。

　　4. D 最后兩段告訴我們，無論在土壤中還是在水中生長的植物都能釋放沼氣，土壤中的微生物消耗沼氣，使沼氣不至于進(jìn)入空氣。所以A、B、C的內(nèi)容均符合短文最后兩段中作者的意思。D的內(nèi)容短文中沒有提到。

　　5. C 最后一段的第二句可以找到本題的答案。

　　五:補(bǔ)全短文

　　Albert Einstein, whose theories on space time and matter helped unravel the secrets of the atom and of the universe, was chosen as "Person of the Century" by Time magazine on Sunday.

　　A man whose very name is synonymous with scientific genius, Einstein has come to represent_(1)_the flowering of 20th century scientific thought that set the stage for the age of technology.

　　"The world has changed far more in the past 100 years than in any other century in history. The reason is not political or economic, but technological-technologies_(2)_," wrote theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking in a Time essay explaining Einstein's significance. "Clearly, no scientist better represents those advances than Albert Einstein."

　　Time chose as runner-up President Franklin Roosevelt to represent the triumph of freedom and democracy over fascism, and Mahatma Gandhi as an icon for a century when civil and human rights became crucial factors in global politics.

　　"What we saw Franklin Roosevelt embodying the great theme of freedom's fight against totalitarianism, Gandhi personifying the great theme of individuals struggling for their rights, and Einstein being both a great genius and a great symbol of a scientific revolution that brought with it amazing technological advances_(3)_," said Time Magazine Editor Walter Isaacson.

　　Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany in 1879. In his early years, Einstein did not show the promise of what he was to become. He was slow to learn to speak and did not do well in elementary school. He could not stomach organized learning and loathed taking exams.

　　In1905, however, he was to publish a theory which stands as one of the most intricate examples of human imagination in history. In his "Special Theory of Relativity," Einstein described how the only constant in the universe is the speed of light. Everything else-mass, weight, space, even time itself-is a variable. And he offered the world his now-famous equation: energy equals mass times the speed of light squared-E=mc2.

　　"Indirectly, relativity paved the way for a new relativism in morality, art and politics, " Isaacson wrote in an essay___(4)____. "There was less faith in absolutes, not only of time and space but also of truth and morality."

　　Einstein's famous equation was also the seed that led to the development of atomic energy and weapons. In1939, six years after he fled European fascism and settled at Princeton University, Einstein, an avowed pacifist, signed a letter to President Roosevelt urging the United States to develop an atomic bomb before Nazi Germany did. Roosevelt heeded the advice and formed the "Manhattan Project"_(5)_. Einstein did not work on the project.

　　Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey in 1955.

　　A.explaining Time's choices

　　B. how he thought of the relativity theory

　　C. more than any other person

　　D. that secretly developed the first atomic weapon

　　E. that flowed directly from advances in basic science

　　F. that helped expand the growth of freedom

　　Key: CEFAD

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