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Today's reading comprehension:
Passage Eleven (Superconducting Materials)
The stone age, The Iron Age. Entire epochs have been named for materials. So what to call the decades ahead? The choice will be tough. Welcome to the age of superstuff. Material science -- once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics. But superconductors are just part of the picture: from house and cars to cook pots and artificial teeth, the world will someday be made of different stuff. Exotic plastics, glass and ceramics will shape the future just as surely as have genetic engineering and computer science.
The key to the new materials is researchers’ increasing ability to manipulate substances at the molecular level. Ceramics, for example, have long been limited by their brittleness. But by minimizing the microscopic imperfections that cause it, scientists are making far stronger ceramics that still retain such qualities as hardness and heat resistance. Ford Motor Co. now uses ceramic tools to cut steel. A firm called Kyocera has created a line of ceramic scissors and knives that stay sharp for years and never rust or corrode.
A similar transformation has overtaken plastics. High-strength polymers now form bridges, ice-skating rinks and helicopter rotors. And one new plastic that generates electricity when vibrated or pushed is used in electric guitars, touch sensors for robot hands and karate jackets that automatically record each punch and chop. Even plastic litter, which once threatened to permanently blot the landscape, has proved amenable to molecular tinkering. Several manufacturers now make biodegradable forms; some plastic six-pack rings for example, gradually decompose when exposed to sunlight. Researchers are developing ways to make plastics as recyclable as metal or glass. Besides, composites – plastic reinforced with fibers of graphite or other compounds – made the round-the-world flight of the voyager possible and have even been proved in combat: a helmet saved an infantryman’s life by deflecting two bullets in the Grenada invasion.
Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cable that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.
But new materials have no impact until they are made into products. And that transition could prove difficult, for switching requires lengthy research and investment. It can be said a firmer handle on how to move to commercialization will determine the success or failure of a country in the near future.
1. How many new materials are mentioned in this passage?
[A] Two.
[B] Three
[C] Four
[D] Five
2. Why does the author mention genetic engineering and computer science?
[A] To compare them with the new materials.
[B] To show the significance of the new materials on the future world.
[C] To compare the new materials to them.
[D] To explain his view point.
3. Why is transition difficult?
[A] Because transition requires money and time.
[B] Because many manufacturers are unwilling to change their equipment.
[C] Because research on new materials is very difficult.
[D] Because it takes 10 years.
4. Where lies success of a country in the New Age of superstuff?
[A] It lies in research.
[B] It lies in investment.
[C] It lies in innovation.
[D] It lies in application.
Vocabulary(in order to improve your ability of guessing words, you'd better see this section after you answer the quenstions)
1. superstuff 超级材料
2. superconducting ceramic 超导陶瓷
3. exotic 神奇的
4. shape 塑造，成型
5. brittleness 脆性
6. polymer 聚合体
7. karate jacket 空手道外衣
8. touch sensor 触及传感器
9. each punch and chop 每一个击、打
10. blot 玷污，损害风景的东西
11. tinker 修补，调整
12. amendable 服从于，遵循的
13. biodegradable 能生物递减分解的
14. six-pack rings 放六个罐子的环状物
15. decompose 分解
16. recyclable 可循环（使用的）
17. infantryman 步兵
18. deflect 使偏斜，使转向
19. a new twist 一个新的观点，方法
难句译注（试着分析长难句的句子结构）
1. Material science – once the least sexy technology – is bursting with new, practical discoveries led by superconducting ceramics that may revolutionize electronics.
【参考译文】材料科学，一度曾是最无吸引力（最不起眼）的技术，正以崭新的 ，以超导陶瓷为首的种种实用性发明绽开新颜。这种超导陶瓷可能会使电子技术彻底改变。
2. Some advanced materials are old standard with a new twist. The newest fiberoptic cables that carry telephone calls cross-country are made of glass so transparent that a piece of 100 miles thick is clearer than a standard window pane.
【参考译文】有些高级材料是带有新方法的老标准。最新全国电话的光纤电缆由玻璃制成。这种玻璃透明度极高，一片100英里厚的玻璃比一块标准的窗框玻璃还要清晰透明。
写作方法与文章大意
这是一篇介绍“超导材料”的论说文，采用一般到具体的分类写作手法。先指出未来时代的材料属于超导，然后再提出三种超导材料，再逐一说明。
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本帖最后由 Alice-nemo 于 2008-6-15 10:37 编辑 ]
