2012年职称英语理工类阅读理解新增文章及15篇完形填空

阅读理解（6篇）

第六篇Making Light of1 Sleep

第十九篇Graphene's Superstrength1

*第三＋八篇"Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan

*第四十篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety

+第四＋五篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety

+第四十六篇Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers" 注：

1、+表示A级文章；*表示B即文章；其他为C级文章

2、阅读理解

3、2012年词汇部分与2011年教材相比未作任何变化

阅读理解

第六篇Making Light of1 Sleep

All we have a clock located inside our brains. Similar to your bedside alarm clock，your internal clock2 runs on a 24-hour cycle. This cycle，called a circadian rhythm，helps control when

you wake，when you eat and when you sleep.

Somewhere around puberty，something happens in the timing of the biological clock. The

clock pushes forward，so adolescents and teenagers are unable to fall asleep as early as they used to. When your mother tells you it's time for bed，your body may be pushing you to stay up3 for several hours more. And the light coming from your computer screen or TV could be pushing you to stay up even later.

This shift4 is natural for teenagers. But staying up very late and sleeping late can get your body's clock out of sync with the cycle of light and dark5. It can also make it hard to get out of bed in the morning and may bring other problems，too. Teenagers are put in a kind of a gray cloud6when they don't get enough sleep，says Mary Carskadon，a sleep researcher at Brown University in Providence，RI7 .It affects their mood and their ability to think and learn.

But just like your alarm clock，your internal clock can be reset. In fact，it automatically resets

itself every day. How? By using the light it gets through your eyes.

Scientists have known for a long time that the light of day and the dark of night play important roles in setting our internal clocks. For years，researchers thought that the signals that synchronize the body's clock8were handled through the same pathways that we use to see.

But recent discoveries show that the human eye has two separate light-sensing systems. One system allows us to see. The second system tells our body whether it's day or night.

词汇：

circadian/s3:'keidi?n/ adj. 昼夜节奏的，生理节奏的

adolescent/?d?u'les?nt/ n．青少年；adj．青少年的

puberty/ 'pju:b?ti/ n．发育；青春期

sync/si?k/ n. （口语）同步；和谐，协调

synchronize/'si?kr?naiz / V.（使）同时发生；（使）同步

注释：

1.make light of ：轻视，不在乎。例如：We should not make light of their achievements．我们不应当低估他们的成就。

2. your internal clock ：指的是第一句中的a clock located inside our brains ，也即是第二段第一句中的the biological clock （生物钟）。

3. stay up：不睡觉，熬夜

4. This shift：这种调整。指上文所描述的由于生理时间的变化青少年上床时间越来越晚的现

象。

5. get your body's clock out of sync with the cycle of light and dark ：打乱了你的生物钟与昼夜时间循环之间的平衡

6. gray cloud ：提不起精神的状态

7. Brown University in Providence，RI：位于美国罗得岛州普罗维登斯的布朗大学。RI是Rhode

Island（罗得岛）的首字母缩写；Providence 是罗得岛州的首府。布朗大学是美国一流大学，

创建于1764 年，是世界闻名的美国―常春藤联盟‖（还包括哈佛大学、耶鲁大学、普林斯顿大学、布朗大学、哥伦比亚大学、宾夕法尼亚大学、达特茅斯大学和康奈尔大学）中的一员。

8. the signals that synchronize the body's clock：平衡生物钟的光信号

练习：

1 .The clock located inside our brains is similar to our bedside alarm clock because

A it controls when we wake，when we eat and when we sleep.

B it has a cycle of 24 hours.

C it is a cycle also called circadian rhythm.

D it can alarm any time during 24 hours.

2. What is implied in the second paragraph?

A Young children's biological clock has the same rhythm with that of the teenagers.

B People after puberty begin to go to bed earlier due to the change of the biological clock.

C Children before puberty tend to fall asleep earlier at night than adolescents.

D Teenagers go to bed later than they used to due to the light from the computer screen.

3. In the third paragraph the author wants to tell the reader that

A it is natural for teenagers to stay up late and get up late.

B staying up late has a bad effect on teenagers' ability to think and learn.

C during puberty most teenagers experience a kind of gray cloud.

D it is hard for teenagers to get out of bed in the morning.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the fourth and fifth paragraphs?

A Our biological clock resets itself automatically.

B light gets through our eyes and resets our biological clock.

C Our internal clock as well as the alarm clock can be reset automatically.

D Our internal clock，like the alarm clock，can be reset.

5. According to the last two paragraphs，what did the previous researchers think about the human eye's light-sensing system?

A The human eye had two light-sensing systems.

B The human eye had one light-sensing system.

C The human eye could sense the light of day more quickly than the dark of night.

D The human eye could reset our internal clocks in accordance with the alarm clocks.

答案与题解：

1.B 第一段第二句提供了答案。句中的your internal clock 即指a clock located inside our

Brains。

2. C 第二段主要内容是告诉读者，过了青春期（puberty），由于生物钟节奏的变化，青少年（adolescents and teenagers）比以前要晚睡几小时。所以C是该段所隐含的内容。

3. B 第三段的最后一句直接给出了答案。

4. C 根据第四和第五段的内容，闹钟和生物钟都可以重新设定时间，但生物钟能通过眼睛接

受的日光来自动调节生理节奏。所以A、B和D都是这两段中所述内容，C是正确选择，因为闹钟不能自动重新设定时间。

5.B 问题使用的是过去时，问的是研究者在最新发现（recent discoveries）之前对眼睛感光系统的认识，即，the signals that synchronize the body's clock were handled through the same

pathways that we use to see （眼睛所接受到的平衡生物钟的光信号同样作用于人类的视觉系

统），也就是说，研究者之前认为人类的眼睛只有一个感光系统。但最新发现却是，人的眼睛有两个感光系统。

第十九篇

Graphene's Superstrength1

Big technology comes in tiny packages. New cell phones and personal computers get smaller

every year，which means these electronics require even smaller components on the inside.

Engineers are looking for creative ways to build these components，and they've turned their eyes to graphene，a superthin2 material，made of carbon，that could change the

future of electronics.

This year's Nobel Prize for Physics3 has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov

from the University of Manchester4，UK. for the discovery of graphene. Graphene isn't just small,

it's―the thinnest possible material in this world，‖ says Novoselov. He calls it a―wonder

material. ‖It's so thin that you w ould need to stack about 25,000 sheets just to make a pile as thick as a piece of ordinary white paper. If you were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers5，you'd have no idea because you wouldn't be able to see it.

Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Every known kind of life

contains carbon. Graphene is a sheet of carbon，but only one atom thick. You don't have to look

far to find grapheme —it's all around you.

If you want this high-tech wonderstuff6，all you need is a pencil，paper and a little adhesive

tape. Use the pencil to shade a small area on the paper, and then apply a small piece of adhesive

tape over the area7. When you pull up the tape，you'll see that it pulls up a thin layer of some of

the shading from your pencil. That layer is called graphite，one of the softest minerals in the world.

Now stick the same piece of tape on another sheet of paper and pull the tape up —there should be an even thinner layer，this time left on the paper. Now imagine that you do this over and over，until you get the thinnest possible layer of material on the paper. This layer would be only one atom thick，and you wouldn't be able to see it. Graphite is made of layers of graphene，so when you get to the thinnest possible layer，you've found graphene.

词汇：

graphene/ 'gr?fi:n/ n．石墨烯

abundant/?’b?nd?nt / adj．丰富的，充裕的

atom/ '?t?m/n．原子

adhesive/ ?d'hi:siv/ n．胶粘剂；adj. 黏着的

stack/st?k/ v．使成堆，堆放

graphite / 'gr?fait / n．石墨

注释：

1. superstrength：超强的力量。该词是一个合成词，由两部分组成，super（超级的）和strength （力量）。

2. superthin：超薄。见注释1。

3. Nobel Prize for Physics ：诺贝尔物理学奖

4. the University of Manchester：曼彻斯特大学。这是一所位于英国曼彻斯特市的

公立研究型大学，创建于1851 年。

5. If you were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers：句子使用的是虚拟语气，因为不可能将几乎肉眼看不到的石墨烯放在指尖上。

6. wonderstuff：神奇物。该词为合成词，由wonder（神奇）和stuff（东西）两个词构成。

wonderstuff 指的是第二段提到的wonder material。

7. apply a small piece of adhesive tape over… ：将一小片胶带敷在……上。

练习：

1 .What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?

A Big technology.

B Creative ways.

C Graphene.

D Both A and B.

2. According to the second and third paragraphs，what is true of graphene?

A It can be used to make paper.

B It is possible to see it with our naked eye.

C It is easy to find graphene.

D It is possibly the thickest material in the world.

3. Which of the following c an be used to replace the word ―apply‖in paragraph 4?

A request.

B polish.

C use.

D put.

4. Which of the following is NOT meant in the last two paragraphs?

A Graphene is made of graphite，one of the softest materials in the world.

B Graphite is made of layers of graphene，the thinnest material in the world.

C When we get to the thinnest possible layer of graphite，we find graphene.

D With a pencil，a sheet of paper and a piece of adhesive tape，we can find graphene.

5. Graphene's superstrength lies in the fact that

A It is the thinnest material in the world.

B It is made of the most abundant elements in the world.

C It can help to make electronic components smaller.

D It helps engineers to produce more sensitive electronic products.

答案与题解：

1. C 第一段最后一句提供了答案：工程师将眼光投向石墨烯，一种由碳原子组成的超薄材料，

这种材料能够改变电子产品的未来。

2.C 第二段倒数第二句告诉我们，25,000 层石墨烯才能堆砌成一张普通白纸的厚度，这是为了说明石墨烯是多么的薄，而不是说它可以用来造纸，所以A不是正确答案。第三段最后一句说明石墨烯就在我们周围，因此C是答案。B和D 的表述内容都与该两段内容不符合。

3.D apply... over：将……涂（敷）在……上。

4.A 最后两段告诉我们，用一张纸，一支铅笔和一片胶带就能找到石墨烯；无数层石墨烯构成石墨，当铅笔留在纸上的石墨被胶带剥离到最薄一层时，我们就得到了石墨烯。因此只有A不是最后两段的表述内容。

5. C 第一段提供了答案。随着电子产品越来越小，需要更小的电子组件（components) ，而石墨烯作为最薄的材料可以帮助工程师实现这一目标。这就是石墨烯力量所在。

*第三＋八篇"Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan Scientists say they have discovered hints of alien life1 on the Saturn's moon2. The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space agency,NASA3,analyzed data from spacecraft Cassini4,which pointed to,the existence of methane-based form of life on Saturn's biggest moon.

Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are"breathing" in

Titan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.

They argue that hydrogen gets absorbed before hitting Titan's planet-like surface covered with methane lakes and rivers. This,they say,points to the existence of some"bugs"5consuming the hydrogen at the surface of the moon less than half the size of the Earth.

"We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan,similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,"says NASA scientist Chris McKay."If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life,it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."

To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life anywhere,though there are liquid-

water-based microorganisms on Earth that grow well on methane or produce it as a waste product. On Titan, where temperatures are around 90 Kelvin6(minus 290 degrees Farenheit),a methanebased organism would have to use a substance that is liquid as its medium for living processes, but not water itself. Water is frozen solid on Titan's surface and much too cold to support life as we know it.

Scientists had expected the Sun's interactions with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's surface. But Cassini detected no acetylene on the surface.

The absence of detectable acetylene on the Titan's surface can very well have a non-biological explanation,said Mark Allen,a principal investigator7of the NASA Titan team.

"Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed,"Allen said. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out8 possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process,without biology,can explain these results."

词汇：

Saturn /'s?t?n/ n．土星methane/'mi:θein/ n．甲烷，沼气

Titan/'tait?n/ n．土卫六acetylene/?'setili:n/ n．乙炔

alien/'eilj?n/ n．外星人；adj．外星球的；相异的

conservatism/k?n's?:v?tiz?m/ n．保守主义,守旧

注释：

1.hints of alien life：外星生命迹象。

2.the Saturn's moon：指土卫六（Titan) 。土卫六又称泰坦星，是土星卫星中最大的一颗。

3.NASA：美国国家航空航天局的缩写，全称是：National Aeronautics and Space Administration。

4.spacecraft Cassini：卡西尼号探测器，以出生于意大利的法国天文学家卡西尼的名字命名，其任务是环绕土星飞行，对土星及其大气、光环、卫星和磁场进行深人考察。1997 年10 月15日，重六吨的―卡西尼‖号星际探测器被发射飞往土星的轨道。这是上世纪发射的最后一艘行星际探测的大飞船。―卡西尼‖号用了将近七年时间，在2004 年7月1日飞达土星轨道。

5.bugs：微生物。非正式口语表达，所以使用了引号。

6.Kelvin：可翻译成―绝对温度‖。Kelvin Scale ，绝对温标，开氏温标，是由Kelvin 勋爵于19世纪中叶发明的温度计量方法，其零度相当于摄氏一273. 15" C ，被认为是宇宙中最低温度。这种温度计量方法多为科学家使用。

7.principal investigator：研究项目负责人

8.rule out：排除……的可能性

练习：

1 .What have scientists found about Saturn?

A They have found a new moon orbiting Saturn.

B They have found methane-based life on Saturn.

C They have found methane-based life on Titan.

D They have found earthlike life on a Saturn's moon.

2. What do scientists say about Titan?

A There are life clues there.

B There is acetylene there.

C Water on Titan exists in the form of ice.

D Rivers and lakes there contain life formls.

3. To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life.(paragraph 5)What does"this form

of life" refer to?

A Water-based life.

B Methane-based life.

C Liquid-water-based microorganisms.

D Gas-based life.

4. What can be inferred from what Allen said?

A Scientists have different arguments over whether there is life on Titan.

B Scientists all agree that there is life on Titan.

C Scientists all suggest that a biological explanation is reasonable.

D Scientists all agree that a non-biological chemical reaction is a possible explanation.

5. Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?

A Earthlike Living Beings Found on Titan.

B Finding of One More Moon of Saturn.

C Titan,a New Satellite Found.

D A different Life Form, a Possibility.

答案与题解：

1. C 短文的第一段提供了答案。该段告诉读者，科学家在土星的卫星土卫六（Titan ）上发现了生命的迹象，这些生命的存在是以甲烷为基础的。

2.A根据第二段―Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are

'breathing' in Titan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.‖，说明土卫六（Titan）有生命迹象。因此A是答案。

3. B this form of life 指的是土卫六（Titan ）上以甲烷为生命基础呼吸氢气的生物，即该文讨论的主题。

4.A科学家至今对土卫六是否存在生物有不同的观点和解释。Allen 说要做出土卫六上有生

物的结论，首先必须对Titan 上没有生物的观点做出回应；要排除土卫六上可能没有生物的观点，我们还须付出努力。所以只有A是正确选择。

5.D该短文的主题是，科学家在土卫六（Titan ）上发现了一种与地球生物不同的生命形式的迹象，即以甲烷为生命基础呼吸氢气的生物，但科学家还未能最后验证这一发现。第四段中的一个句子能够揭示该短文的主题：―If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would bedoubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth.‖

*第四十篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety

In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, the psychologists at the

University of Chicagol1Sian Beilock and Susan Levine found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn:If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better than girls at math.

"If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers2 in later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement3 said Levine. In other words,girls may end up learning math anxiety from their teachers4. The study suggests that if these girls grow up believing that boys are better at math than girls are,then these girls may not do as well as they would have if

they were more confident.

Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be

difficult to learn -- and teach. The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone.

Researchers use the word "anxiety" to describe such feelings: anxiety is uneasiness or

worry.

The new study found that when a teacher has anxiety about math, that feeling can influence

how her female students feel about math. The study involved 65 girls,52 boys and 17 first- and

second-grade teachers in elementary schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school year, and the researchers compared the scores.

The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether the students believed that a math superstar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers:To find out which teachers were anxious about math,the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt5. A teacher who got nervous looking at the numbers on a sales receipt, for example,was probably anxious about math.

Boys,on average,were unaffected by a teacher's anxiety. On average,girls with math-anxious

teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did.Plus,on the test showing whether someone thought a math superstar had to be a boy,20 girls showed feeling that boys would be better at math -- and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers who had math anxiety.

"This is an interesting study,but the results need to be interpreted as preliminary and in need

of replication with a larger sample6," said David Geary,a psychologist at the University of Missouri7 in Columbia.

词汇：

snowball /'sn?ub?:l/雪球；滚雪球式增长的事replication/repli'kei??n/ n ．重复，复现

superstar/'sju:p?sta:/ n．超级明星

练习：

1. University of Chicago：芝加哥大学。位于美国伊利诺伊州芝加哥市，是世界一流的私立大学，创建于1891 年。

2. keep getting math-anxious female teachers：一直由对数学有焦虑感的女教师教授数学。此处getting是having的意思，math-anxious指的是上文中提到的对数学没有自信的心理状态。另见第三段最后一句对anxiety的解释。

3. snowball effect on their math achievement：在数学成就上的雪球效应。其含义是：在数学上越来越没有信心。

4. end up learning math anxiety from their teachers：最后从老师那里获得的是对数学的焦虑。End up doing something：最终会做某事

5. sales receipt：销售清单

6. in need of replication with a larger sample：需要用更大的调查样本进行重复验证。replication

在量化实证研究中的意思是―重复（实验）‖。

7. the University of Missouri：密苏里大学。位于密苏里州，是美国一所公立研究型大学，创建于1839年。

练习：

1. What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago,according to the first paragraph?

A Girls comfortable with their own math skills are better than boys at math.

B Girls uncomfortable with their own math skills are not as good as boys at math.

C Female teachers' math skills have influence over girl students' math skills.

D Female teachers' confidence in their math skills is related to girl's math skills.

2. What is implied in the third paragraph?

A Math teachers,like math learners,do not like the subject due to its difficulty.

B A difficult subject like math may affect teachers' confidence in teaching the subject.

C Teachers are more anxious teaching math than their students learning math.

D Math is so difficult that no teachers like to teach it.

3. According to the experiment,those teachers were probably anxious about math when they felt

A nervous memorizing the numbers of a sales receipt.

B helpless saving the numbers of a sales receipt.

C uneasy reading the numbers of a sales receipt.

D hopeless filling in the numbers of a sales report.

4. The sixth paragraph tells us that the research findings

A prove a strong link between female teachers' math anxiety and their female students' math

achievements.

B show that male students are less likely to be affected by their math anxiety than female

students.

C provide strong evidence that math superstars are more likely to be males than females.

D discover a strong link between teachers' math anxiety and their students' math

achievements.

5. David Geary thinks that

A the study is interesting but it is based on unreliable research process.

B the research results need to be retested based on a larger sample.

C the research results need to be reinterpreted to be meaningful.

D the study is well based and produces significant results.

答案与题解：

1.D 该段告诉我们女教师的想法（what female teachers think）和女学生的学习（what female

students learn）之间有很大的关联度，也就是说，女教师如果对自己的数学技能没有自信，她的女学生很可能相信男孩子会在数学方面超过女孩子。

2.B 第三段的大意是，数学对任何人来说都可能有难度（The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone)，如同学生，教师也会觉得数学难学和难教，这就是研究者所言的焦虑。所以，可以推断，作者是要告诉我们，教师会因为数学这门学科的难度而对教授该课程不自信。其他选项都不是该段所要表达的内容。

3.C 第五段第三句―To find out which teachers were anxious about math, the researchers asked

the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math,such as when reading a sales

receipt‖指出了答案。memorizing the numbers；意为―记住数字‖；saving the numbers 意为―保存数字‖；filling in the numbers意为―陆续编入数字‖，而且文中没有提到

a sales report；它们均不是答案。

4.A 短文的第六段是对前一段所述调查数据结果的讨论，即，男学生较少受对数学有焦虑感的教师影响，而那些数学成绩较低的女生都有对数学有焦虑感的教师（girls with math-anxious

teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests)，而且，所有认为男生数学肯定比女生强的女生，其数学教师都是有数学焦虑感的女教师（all of these girls had been taught by female teachers who had math anxiety. )。D所以不是正确的选择，因为只提到teachers 和students,而不是female teachers 和female students。

5.B 根据David Geary的说法，实验结果还是初步的（preliminary)，需要更大的样本对其进行重复验证（in need of replication with a larger sample)。他没有认为该实验的过程不可靠，所以A不是正确选项；他认为实验样本不够大，所以D 也不是正确选项。

+第四＋五篇Small But Wise

On December 14,NASA1blasted a small but mighty telescope into space. The telescope is

called WISE and is about as wide around as a trashcan. Don't let its small size fool you:WISE has

a powerful digital camera, and it will be taking pictures of some the wildest objects2 in the known

universe,including asteroids,faint stars,blazing galaxies3and giant clouds of dust where planets

and stars are born.

"I'm very excited because we're going to be seeing parts of the universe that we haven't seen

before,"said Ned Wright, a scientist who directs the WISE project.

Since arriving in space,the WISE telescope has been circling the Earth,held by gravity in a

polar orbit4(this means it crosses close to the north and south poles with each lap5).Its camera is

pointed outward,away from the Earth,and WISE will snap a picture of a different part of the sky

every 11 minutes. After six months it will have taken pictures across the entire sky.

The pictures taken by WISE won't be like everyday digital photographs,however. WISE

stands for"Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer."As its name suggests,the WISE camera takes

pictures of features that give off infrared radiation6.

Radiation is energy that travels as a wave. Visible light, including the familiar spectrum of

light7 that becomes visible in a rainbow,is an example of radiation. When an ordinary digital

camera takes a picture of a tree,for example,it receives the waves of visible light that are reflected off the tree. When these waves enter the camera through the lens,they're processed by the camera,which then puts the image together.

Waves of infrared radiation are longer than waves of visible light, so ordinary digital cameras

don't see them,and neither do the eyes of human beings. Although invisible to the eye,longer

infrared radiation can be detected as warmth by the skin.

That's a key idea to why WISE will be able to see things other telescopes can't. Not

everything in the universe shows up in visible light. Asteroids,for example,are giant rocks that

float through space 一but they absorb most of the light that reaches them. They don't reflect light,so they're difficult to see. But they do give off infrared radiation, so an infrared telescope like WISE will be able to produce images of them. During its mission WISE will take pictures of

hundreds of thousands of asteroids.

Brown dwarfs8are another kind of deep-space object that will show up in WISE's pictures.

These objects are"failed" stars 一which means they are not massive enough to jump start9 the

same kind of reactions that power stars such as the sun. Instead,brown dwarfs simply shrink and

cool down. They're so dim that they're almost impossible to see with visible light, but in the

infrared spectrum they glow.

词汇：

trashcan / 'tr??,k?n/n．垃圾箱

infrared/'infr?'red/ adj．红外线

asteroid/'?st?r?id/ n.小行星

dwarf/dw?:f/ n. 矮星

注释：

1.NASA （美国国家航空航天局）是缩写词，全称是National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2. the wildest objects ：任何你能想象得到的天体。wild 有―未被人驯养的‖―荒唐的‖―离奇的‖意思。

3. faint stars, blazing galaxies：指的是那些只能看到微弱的光和因燃烧而无法观察到的天体。

4. polar orbit：极地轨道。指轨道平面与赤道面夹角为90。的人造地球卫星轨道。人造卫星运行时能到达南北极区上空，即卫星能飞经全球范围的上空。需要在全球范围内进行观测和应用的气象卫星、导航卫星、地球资源卫星等都采用这种轨道。

5. lap：一圈。原指竞赛场的一圈或游泳池的一个来回，如：She overtook the other runners on the last lap. 她最后一圈超过了其他参赛者。

6. infrared radiation：红外线辐射

7. spectrum of light：光谱，即，光辐射的波长分布区域。

8. Brown dwarfs：褐矮星。褐矮星非常暗淡，很难发现它们，要确定它们的大小就更加困难。

9.jump start: 启动

练习：

1 .What is so special about WISE?

A It is small in size but carries a large camera.

B It is as small as a trashcan.

C Its digital camera can help astronomers to see the unknown space.

D Never before has a telescope carried a digital camera in space.

2. Which is NOT the synonym for the word "snap" in the third paragraph?

A make.

B shoot.

C take

D photograph.

3. The camera on WISE

A is no different from an ordinary camera.

B does not see infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does.

C catches the infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does not.

D reflects light that human eyes can see.

4. Which of the following is NOT correct about"asteroids" according to paragraph 7?

A Asteroids float through space giving off visible light.

B Asteroids do not reflect light that reaches them.

C It is difficult to take asteroids' pictures by ordinary cameras,

D The WIS

E telescope can take pictures of asteroids

5.What is implied in the last paragraph?

A Brown dwarfs give off visible light.

B Brown dwarfs give off infrared radiation.

C Brown dwarfs are power stars like the sun.

D Brown dwarfs are impossible to see with the WIS

E telescope.

答案与题解：

1. C 短文的第一和第二段提供了答案。WISE 的特殊之处就在于，虽然体积小，

但它的数码相机能拍到任何天体，所以能够帮助天文学家观测到宇宙空间中（in the known universe ）的未知天文现象。其他选项都不是短文表达的意思。

2. A snap 是个多义词，可以解释为―拍照‖，更为确切的意思是―拍快照‖。这里shoot, take 和photograph 都是snap 的同义词。

3. C 短文第六段和第四段提供了答案。人类的肉眼和普通相机看到的光是visible lights ，看不见红外线辐射（infrared radiation) ，而WISE 的相机能够看到。

4. A 短文第七段第二句说并非所有的宇宙中的物体都会发出可见光，比如asteroids ，所以A是正确选项。其他选项的内容都可以在该段中找到。

5. B 最后一段的第一句说，褐矮星能出现在WISE 照片中，根据上文对WISE 望远镜的描述只有WISE 望远镜才能拍到红外线射线，所以B是正确选择。

+第四十六篇

Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers"

Research by the University of Exeter1 has revealed that ants have a big impact on their local environment as a result of their activity as "ecosystem engineers" and predators. The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.

Firstly, through moving of soil by nest building2 activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients in the soil. This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups, from decomposers to species much higher up the food chain.

Secondly, they prey on a wide range of other animals, including larger prey which can be attacked by vast numbers of ant workers.

Dirk Sanders, an author of the study from the university's Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said:"Ants are very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers. They're also very territorial3and very aggressive, defending their resources and territory against other predators. All of this means they have a strong influence on their surrounding area."

"In this research, we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the subtleties of it. What we found is that despite being predators, their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups4. They genuinely play a key role in the local environment, having a big influence on the grassland food web," Sanders said.

The study, carried out in Germany, studied the impact of the presence of different combinations and densities of black garden ants and common red ants, both species which can be found across Europe, including in the UK. It found that a low density of ants in an area increased the diversity and density of other animals in the local area, particularly the density of herbivores and decomposers. At higher densities ants had no or the opposite effect, showing that predation is counteracting the positive influence.

Dr Frank van Veen, another author on the study, said:"What we find is that the impact of ants on soil nutrient levels has a positive effect on animal groups at low levels, but as the number of ants increases, their predatory impacts have the bigger

effect — thereby counteracting the positive influence via ecosystem engineering."

Ants are important components of ecosystems not only because they constitute a great part of the animal biomass5 but also because they act as ecosystem engineers. Ant biodiversity6is incredibly high and these organisms are highly responsive to human impact, which obviously reduces its richness. However, it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem．Ants are important in below ground processes8through the alteration of the physical and chemical environment and through their effects on plants, microorganisms, and other soil organisms.

词汇：

predator /' pred?t?/ n．食肉动物

nutrient/' nju:tri?nt/ n ．营养物；adj．营养的

decomposer/,di:k?m'p?uz?/ n．腐生物；分解体

prey/prei/ v．捕食；n．被捕食的动物

subtlety/ 's?tlti/ n ，微妙，精妙

herbivore/ 'h?:biv?: / n ．食草动物

注释：

1.the University of Exeter ：埃克斯特大学。1851 年建校，位于英国西南部重要商业中心埃克斯特市，是英国著名的传统大学之一。

2. nest building ：筑巢

3. territorial ：领地的。在此用来形容蚂蚁的本性，即具有很强的领地意识，并且会竭尽全力保卫自己的领地。

4. an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups ：其他动物群体在数量和品种上的增长。

5. biomass ：物质名词，由bio和mass 两部分组成，意为―生物量‖―生物质‖。

6. biodiversity ：物质名词，由bio和diversity 两部分组成，意为―生物多样性‖。

7.the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem ：蚂蚁对生态系统的维护作用。

8. below ground processes ：土壤下面的（工作）过程，即影响生态环境的过程。练习：

1 .Why are ants compared to ecosystem engineers?

A Because they build their own nests.

B Because they collect food.

C Because their activity affects the environment.

D Because they are predators.

2. As predators, ants

A prey on small as well as large animals.

B collect nutritious food from the soil

C collect food as decomposers.

D prey on species much higher up the food chain.

3. Dir Sanders' study centered on how ants

A can manage to thrive in huge numbers.

B defend their resources and territory against other predators.

C attack those invading animals for survival.

D produce such a big impact on the environment.

4. What does paragraph 6 tell us?

A Ants bring about a negative influence to an area when their population is small.

B Ants bring about a positive influence to an area when their population is small.

C Ants' predation counteracts the positive influence they may have on an area.

D At higher density, ants produce a positive influence on an area.

5. What still remains unclear about ants, according to the last paragraph?

A What roles do ants play in the ecosystem in which they live?

B How do ants affect the animal diversity in a given ecosystem?

C How do human activities affect ants' influence on a given ecosystem?

D How do ants alter the physical and chemical environment?

答案与题解：

1. C 短文的第一段提供了答案。A不是正确答案，因为并不是因为蚂蚁会筑巢才被誉为生态系统工程师，而是因为它们筑巢和获取食物的方式改变了土壤的营养水平，为整个食物链提供了很好的生态环境（见第二段）。

2.A答案能够从短文的第三段直接找到。该段告诉我们，蚂蚁的掠食范围很广，甚至包括比它们体积更大的动物（larger animals) 。prey 在这里的意思是―捕猎，捕食‖，作为动词，后面跟介词on或upon。

3.D Dirk Sanders说：―In this research, we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the

subtleties of it.‖（第五段）所以，D是正确选择。句中the subtleties of it 的意思是：蚂蚁对环境影响的精妙之处。

4.B 短文第六段第二句的大概意思是，蚂蚁数量小（a low density of ants）的话，能使其他动物的品种和数量增加（increased the diversity and density of other animals），从而给环境带来积极影响；第三句说，如果蚂蚁的数量大（At higher densities），就不可能产生同样的影响，或者是相反的影响，这表明，蚂蚁的掠食活动会抵销蚂蚁给环境带来的积极影响。第七段Dr Frank van Veen 表达了大体相同的内容。

5.C 最后一段的第二和第三句提供了答案。第二句告诉我们，蚂蚁极易受人类的影响（these organisms are highly responsive to human impact），第三句告诉我们，科学家还不清楚人类对蚂蚁这种干扰如何破坏蚂蚁对生态系统的维护作用（‖it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem.‖）。

理工类C级第六篇不要太在意睡眠

我们每个人的大脑里都有一个像我们床边的闹钟一样的生物钟。人脑里的生物钟24小时走一圈，这一圈也就是一次完整的昼夜节律，正是这个节律决定了我们吃饭、睡觉和起床的时间。

青春期时，人的生物钟在定时方面会发生变化，生物钟会提前。这时，青少年会比以前睡得晚，所以当你妈妈告诉你该睡觉时，你的生物钟可能会让你多推迟几小时，并且电脑或电视光线可能会导致你熬夜到更晚。

生物钟的这种变化对青少年说是正常的，但熬夜到太晚会打乱你生物钟与昼夜时间循环之间的平衡，这样就会带来一些问题，例如：早晨很难按时起床。位于美国罗得州布郎大学睡眠方面的研究员Mary Carskadon说：―当青少年睡眠不足时会打不起精神，这将影响到他们心情、学习和思考问题的状态。‖

其实生物钟与闹钟一样，也是可调的，事实上，生物钟每天都在进行着自我调节，其方式就是通过你眼睛接收到光线的变化。

很早之前，科学家就知道了昼夜光线强弱的变化对生物钟调节起到了重要的作用，长久以来，研究者们认为眼睛所接受到的平衡生物钟的光信号同样作用于人类的视觉系统。

但最近几年的研究发现，人类眼睛有两个感光系统，一个是视觉系统，而另一个是感知昼夜的系统。

第十九篇石墨烯的超强力量

当今重大科学技术均以―微型‖来呈现，新手机和个人电脑每年都在变得更小，这就意味着电子设备要求内部零件更小，工程师们正在寻求制造这些零件的方法，他们逐渐把目光投向了石墨烯——一种由碳元素构成的超薄材料。这种材料将改变电子设备的未来。

今年的诺贝尔物理学奖颁发给了来自英国曼切斯特大学的Andre Geim和Kostya Novoselov，以表彰他们对石墨烯的发现。Novoselov说：―石墨烯不仅小，而且它是世界上所能找到的最薄材料。‖他把它称作―神奇材料‖。石墨烯极薄，25 000片石墨烯叠放在一起才与一张普通白纸一样厚。如果把一片石墨烯放在手指上，你根本就不会发现，因为你没办法看到它。

碳是宇宙中最多的一种元素，已知的生命体中都含有碳。石墨烯一个只有一个碳原子厚度的单层。你不用费心寻找石墨烯，它就在我们身边。

如果你想得到这种高技术材料，一支笔、一张纸和一小段胶条就足够了。用铅笔在纸上涂黑一片区域，将胶条粘在上面，当你拉开胶条你会发现它粘起了很薄的一片铅笔涂的阴影，这一片阴影就叫做石墨烯，一种世界上最软的矿物质。

现在，再将胶条粘上另外一张纸上，把它拉起来，你会得到更薄的一层。想象一下当你重复做，直到在纸上得到最薄的一层物质，这层物质只有一个原子的厚度，你根本无法看到。石墨是由一层层的石墨烯组成的，所以当你得到最薄的一层时，你已经找到了石墨烯。

理工类B级第三十八篇土卫六上发现了生命迹象

科学家们说，在土卫六上发现了外星生命迹象并宣布了这一发现。美国国家航空航天局(NASA)的研究者们对卡西尼号探测器所传回来的数据进行了分析，数据表明，土星卫星中最大的一颗卫星有以甲烷为基础的生命的存在迹象。

据报道，科学家们已经找到了在土卫六高浓度氢气大气层里―呼吸‖的原始外星生命的线索。

他们认为，氢气在到达布满甲烷河流湖泊的土卫六类似行星一样的表层前就已经被吸收了。这就证明在这个不及半个地球大小的卫星表面有某种微生物在依靠氢气生存。

美国国家航空航天局的科学家Chris Mckay说，―我们提出有氢气的消耗，是由于它是土卫六上生命赖以生存的显而易见的气体，就像我们地球上用氧气呼吸一样。如果这些迹象最终证明是生命的迹象，它会加倍令人兴奋，因为它会代表完全不同于地球上水基生命的第二种生命。‖

时至今日，尽管地球上的依赖液体水的微生物在甲烷里生长良好或把它作为废物排出，科学家在任何地方都没有探测到这种生命的形式。在土卫六上，绝对温度达到90度(相当于摄氏-273．15度)，依赖于甲烷的微生物不得不用某种液体物质作为生存的介质，这种液体不是水，水在土卫六上会冻成冰块，不能融化。我们知道，冰块太冷不能维持生命。

科学家们原指望太阳与大气层中的化学物质相互作用会在土卫六上产生一层乙炔。但卡西尼号在它的表面没有探测到乙炔。

Mark Allen是美国宇航局土卫六项目组的主要负责人，他说道，既然在土卫六的表面没有探测到乙炔，那就充分说明上面没有生物。

Allen说：―科学界的保守主义者们建议，要做出土卫六上有生物的结论，首先必须对土卫六上所有没有生物的观点做出回应；要排除土卫六上可能没有生物的观点，我们任重道远。极为可能的是，一种化学过程而非生物学能解释这些结果。‖

第四十篇教数学，教焦虑

在最新一项关于小学生学数学的研究中，芝加哥大学的心理学家Sian Beilock和Susan Levine 发现，女教师的想法和女学生的学习之间有着惊人的联系：如果女教师对自己的数学能力感到焦虑，她的女学生很可能认为男孩子数学比女孩学得更好。

"如果一直由对数学有焦虑的女教师教授数学，就会对她们的数学成绩产生雪球效应"，Levine说。换言之，女孩子们最后从老师那里获得的是对数学的焦虑。该研究表明，如果女孩子们在一个认为男孩比女孩数学好的环境中成长，那么她们的数学可能会不如在更自信的状态下学得好。

如同学生，教师也会觉得某些学科难学和难教，这就是研究者所言的"焦虑"：不自在或担心。

此研究发现，教师对数学的焦虑能够传染给她的女学生们。该研究的研究对象包括65个女孩，52个男孩和17位在中西部教一二年级的教师。学生们在学年的开始和结束时都进行数学测试，研究者们比较得分。

研究者们测试学生是否认为数学明星一定会是男孩。然后研究者们测试教师，试图找出哪些教师对数学感到焦虑，研究者们问教师们当碰到数学问题诸如阅读销售清单时的感受，如果一位教师一看到销售清单的数字就感到紧张，那么她很可能对数学存在焦虑。

平均来说，教师的焦虑不会影响到男孩子。但是，一般说来，如果教女孩子的教师有数学焦虑症，那么女孩子们在学年结束时测试得分比其他的女孩要低。另外，在关于是否认为数学明星应该是男孩的测试中，有20个女孩认为男孩数学比女孩好，这20个女孩的老师都是女性，且都患有数学焦虑症。

来自密苏里大学的心理学家David Geary说"这是一个有趣的研究，但是这只是初步结果，需要用更大的调查样本进行重复验证"。

理工类A级第四十五篇小而聪明

12月14日，美国国家航空航天局发射了一个体积小而威力大的望远镜，它的名字叫―WISE‖(聪明)，大约只有一个垃圾盒子那么宽。你可千万不要轻视这个小东西，WISE可是一款高强数码相机，它将在人类已知的宇宙里拍摄任何你所能想到的天体，包括小行星、那些只能看到微弱的光和因燃烧而无法观察到的天体，以及自行星和恒星诞生以来的巨大尘埃云。

Ned Wright是主持WISE项目的科学家，他说：―我十分兴奋，因为我们就要看到以前从未看到过的那部分宇宙‖。

到达宇宙空间后，WISE由于受极地轨道重力作用，一直在围绕地球旋转。(这意味着，每转一圈，它就离南极和北极靠近)。它的镜头是向外的，远离地球。每11分钟WISE就会抓拍天空一个不同的部分。六个月之后，它将把整个天空拍摄完毕。

然而，WISE拍摄的相片不会像我们日常的数码相片。WISE是Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer(广域红外戡测探测器)的缩写。正如名字所示，WISE能拍到发出红外线辐射物体的相片。

辐射是波浪状行进的一种能量。人能看到的光，包括大家熟悉的、在彩虹里看到的光谱就是射线的一个例子。当普通的数码相机给一棵树照相时，它能接收到树反射回来的、可见的光波。光波通过镜头进入到相机里，相机对它进行加工，然后把图像合成。

红外线的波长比可见光长，所以，普通的数码相机捕捉不到他们，人眼也看不到这种射线。尽管人们看不到，人的皮肤能感受到较长红外线带来的温暖。

这就是为什么WISE能捕捉到其他望远镜看不到的物体的主要原因。宇宙中，不是所有的东西都以可见光的方式呈现出来。例如，小行星是在太空中漂浮的大岩石，但是小行星吸收射到他们表面的大部分光。他们不能反射光，所以要看到他们很困难。但他们却释放出红外线，所以，象WISE这样的红外线望远镜才能够捕捉到它们的图像。WISE的任务就是拍摄成千上万的小行星图像。

WISE的另一任务是为另外一种太空深处的天体一褐矮星拍照。这种天体是―失败的‖恒星，它们是一些不够大，不能像太阳的能量那样启动相同的反应。褐矮星只能缩小和冷却。他们发出的光如此之微弱，人们根本看不到，但是在红外频谱中，它们是发光的。

第四十六篇蚂蚁作为―生态系统工程师‖对环境影响巨大

埃克斯特大学所做的研究表明，蚂蚁作为―生态系统工程师‖和食肉动物的行为对当地的环境影响巨大。该研究发表在动物生态杂志上，它表明蚂蚁对当地的环境有两大显著的影响。

第一，通过筑巢而挪动土壤或采集食物，蚂蚁影响土壤的营养水平。这可间接影响当地从腐生物到食物链高层的许多动物种群的数量。

第二，它们捕食的动物种类很多，包括那些被大量工蚁攻击的大猎物。

Dirk Sanders是该大学生态和保护中心所做的此项研究的作者，他说：―蚂蚁是高效的食肉动物，而且能大量繁殖。它们具有很强的领地意识，并且会竭尽全力对抗其他的食肉动物来保卫自己的领地。所有这些都意味着蚂蚁对周围环境影响巨大。‖

―在该研究中，我们第一次对蚂蚁带来的影响程度及微妙程度进行研究。所得的发现是：尽管是食肉动物，蚂蚁的出现能促使其他动物族群在数量和品种上的增长。并对当地的环境起到切实重要的作用，对大草原的食物链影响巨大。‖Sanders说。

该研究在德国进行，它对花园黑蚂蚁和一般的红蚂蚁在不同混合程度和不同密度下的影响力进行研究。黑蚂蚁和红蚂蚁在整个欧洲包括英国都能找到。研究发现，一个地区的蚂蚁密度小，而其他动物尤其是食草动物和腐生物的数量和种类会增多。如果蚂蚁的密度大，就不可能产生同样的影响，或者产生相反的影响，这表明，蚂蚁的掠食活动会抵消蚂蚁给环境带来的积极影响。

Dr Frank van Veen是本研究的另一作者，他说：―我们的发现是：如果蚂蚁的数量少，其对土壤的营养水平的影响会对动物族群产生积极的效果。但是如果蚂蚁的数量增加，其捕食的影响会达到最大化，因此会抵消蚂蚁通过生态工程给环境带来的积极影响‖。

蚂蚁是生态系统的重要组成部分，不仅因为它占有很大部分的生物量，而且因为其作为生态系统工程师的角色。蚂蚁具有难以想象的多样性，但极易受人类