Hurricane_Katrina.doc

第三十一篇Hurricane Katrina
A hurricane is a fiercely powerful, rotating form of tropical storm that can be 124 to 1,240 miles in diameter. The term hurricane is derived from Hurican, the name of a native American storm god1. Hurricanes are typical of2 a calm central region of low pressure between 12 to 60 miles in diameter, known as the eye. They occur in tropical regions. Over its lifetime3, one of these storms can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs4.
The seed for hurricane formation5 is a cluster of thunderstorms over warm tropical waters. Hurricanes can only form and be fed6 when "the sea-surface temperature exceeds 270C and the surrounding atmosphere is calm. These requirements are met between June and November in the northern hemisphere.
Under these conditions, large quantities of water evaporate and condense into clouds and rain -- releasing heat in the process. It is this heat energy, combined with the rotation of the Earth, that drives a hurricane.
When the warm column of air7 from the sea surface first begins to rise, it causes an area of low pressure. This in turn creates wind as air is drawn into the area. This spinning wind drags up more moisture-laden air from the sea surface in a process that swells the storm8. Cold air falls back to the ocean surface through the eye9 and on the outside of the storm.
Initially, when wind speeds reach 23 miles per hour, these mild, wet and grey weather systems are known as depressions10. Hurricane Katrina formed in this way over the south-eastern Bahamas on23 August 2005. Katrina has had a devastating impact on the Gulf Coast of the US, leaving a disaster zone of 90,000 square miles in its wake11- almost the size of the UK. Thousands have been killed or injured and more than half a million people have been displaced in a humanitarian crisis of a scale not seen in the US since the great depression.12 The cost of the damage may top13 $ 100 billion.
答题：
1. What is the eye of a hurricane?
A A native American storm god.
B A rotating form of tropical storm that can be 124 t01240 miles in diameter.
C A calm central region of low pressure between 12 t060 miles in diameter.
D A storm that can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs.
2. Which of the following is NOT the "requirements" mentioned in the second paragraph?
A The tropical waters are warm and calm.
B The sea-surface temperature exceeds 270C.
C There are thunderstorms over warm tropical waters.
D The atmosphere surrounding the sea is calm.
3. Which of the following is the best explanation of the word "drive" in the third paragraph?
A To guide, control, or direct.
B To force to go through or push in.
C To supply the motive force or power and cause to function.
D To force to move in a particular direction.
4. What does the warm air mentioned in the fourth paragraph produce when it is rising from the sea surface.?
A High pressure.
B Low pressure.
C Wind.
D Cold air.
5. What is NOT true of Hurricane Katrina according to the last paragraph?
A The area affected is almost the size of the UK.
B It left a disaster zone of 90,000 square miles,
C Half a million people are forced to leave the area.
D The humanitarian crisis is as serious as that of the great depression.
答案与题解：
1．C文章的第一段第三句描述了飓风的特点，即一个直径为12 - 60英里的、平静的低气压中心地带，这个中心就叫做eye of a hurricane。
2．A第二段的第一、二句描写飓风的形成原因，最后一句中的These requirements即是第一、二句中所述内容。所以B、C和D都不是正确选项。
3．C A的意思是“驾驶”；B的意思是“敲”，“打”，“击”，如：Drive in a nail.把钉子敲进去。D的意思是“驱赶”，如：Drive the cattle along the road.沿大路驱赶牛群。C的意思是“发动”，“驱动”，是正确选项。
4．B第四段第一句提供了答案。…．it causes an area of low pressure, it代指从海面上升起来的暖流。
5．D选项A、B、C的内容均在课文最后一段中被提到。文中．，．in a humanitarian crisis of a scale not seen in the US since the great depression.的大致意思是：如此大规模的人道主义危机是美国自大萧条以来还未经历过的。D句不符合这句话的意思，所以是正确选项。
第三十一篇卡特里娜飓风
飓风是一种猛烈、强大、螺旋形式的热带风暴，直径可达 124～1240英哩。飓风 hurricane一词是由 Hurica一词衍生而来， Hurican是美国本地风暴之神的名字。飓风的特征是其中心的无风区域气压低，直径在 12～ 60英里之间，被称作风眼。它们在热带区域出现。在飓风肆虐整个过程中，有一种飓风可释放相当于 1万颗核弹的能量。
飓风形成的原因是由于雷暴聚集在温暖的热带水面上。只有当海平面的温度超过 27摄氏度并且周围的空气稳定时，飓风才能形成，壮大。在 6月到 11月之间的北半球这些条件可达到。
在这些条件下，大量的水蒸气凝结成云和雨，并在此过程中释放热量。正是这些热能，加上地球的自转驱动着飓风。
当海平面的柱状暖气流首次开始上升时，它会引起一片低气压区，而这一区域紧接着会形成风，因为空气被吸引流动进这一区域。这一旋转运动的风带起了海面上更多的充满水汽的空气。这一过程增大了暴风的威力。冷空气通过暴风中心降回海面，落到暴风外围。
开始，当风速达到每小时 23英时，这些温和、潮湿、灰色的气候系统被称作低气压区。 2005年的 8月 23日，卡特里娜飓风以这种方式在巴哈马群岛东南形成。卡特里娜飓风对美国墨西哥湾沿岸造成了毁灭性打击，其后留下了面积为 9万平方英里的受灾区域——几乎和英国的面积一样大。数以千计的人因此伤亡。五十多万人被迫离开家园，如此大规模的人道主义危机是美国自大萧条以来还未经历过的。此次飓风造成的破坏可能超过 1千亿美元。
第三十二篇Mind-reading1 Machine
A team of researchers in California has developed a way to predict what kinds of objects people are looking at by scanning what's happening in their brains.
　　When you look at something, your eyes send a signal about that object to your brain. Different regions of the brain process the information your eyes send. Cells in your brain called neurons are responsible for this processing.
　　The fMRI (functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging ) 2 brain scans could generally match electrical activity in the brain to the basic shape of a picture that someone was looking at.
　　Like cells anywhere else in your body, active neurons use oxygen. Blood brings oxygen to the neurons, and the more active a neuron is, the more oxygen it will consume. The more active a region of the brain, the more active its neurons, and in turn, the more blood will travel to that region. And by using fMRI, scientists can visualize3 which parts of the brain receive more oxygen-rich blood--and therefore, which parts are working to process information.
　　An fMRI machine is a device that scans the brain and measures changes in blood flow to the brain. The technology shows researchers how brain activity changes when a person thinks, looks at something, or carries out an activity like speaking or reading. By highlighting the areas of the brain at work when a person looks at different images, fMRI may help scientists determine specific patterns of brain activity associated with different kinds of images.
　　The California researchers tested brain activity by having two volunteers view hundreds of pictures of everyday objects, like people, animals, and fruits. The scientists used an fMRI machine to record the volunteers' brain activity with each photograph they looked at. Different objects caused different regions of the volunteers' brains to light up on the scan, indicating activity. The scientists used this information to build a model to predict how the brain might respond to any image the eyes see.
　　In a second test, the scientists asked the volunteers to look at 120 new pictures. Like before, their brains were scanned every time they looked at a new image. This time, the scientists used their model to match the fMRI scans to the image. For example, if a scan in the second test showed the same pattern of brain activity that was strongly related to pictures of apples in the first test, their model would have predicted the volunteers were looking at apples.
　　练习:
　　1. What is responsible for processing the information sent by your eyes?
　　A）A small region of the brain.
　　B）The central part of the brain.
　　C）Neurons in the brain.
　　D）Oxygen-rich blood.
　　2. Which of the following statements is NOT meant by the writer?
　　A）Ceils in your brain are called neurons.
　　B）The more oxygen a neuron consumes, the more blood it needs.
　　C）FMRI helps scientists to discover which parts of the brain process information.
　　D）fMRI helps scientists to discover how the brain develops intelligently.
　　3. "Highlighting the areas of the brain at work" means
　　A）"marking the parts of the brain that are processing information"
　　B）"giving light to the parts of the brain that are processing information"
　　C）"putting the parts of the brain to work"
　　D）"stopping the parts of the brain from working"
　　4. What did the researchers experiment on?
　　A）Animals, objects, and fruits.
　　B）Two volunteers.
　　C）fMRI machines.
　　D）Thousands of pictures.
　　5. Which of the following can be the best replacement of the tide?
　　A）The Recent Development in Science and Technology.
　　B）Your Thoughts Can Be Scanned.
　　C）A Technological Dream.
　　D）A Device that can Help You Calculate.
　　答案与题解：
　　1. C 文章第二段的最后两个句子提供了答案。Cells in your brain called neurons are
　　responsible for this processin9．这里的processin9指的就是上句中的内容。
　　2. D 的电容文章中没有出现。A的内容在第二段可找到。B的内容在第二段可找到。C的内容在第五段可找到。
　　3. A highlight：使…显得突出，标出。at work：正在工作的。这里指正在处理信息的(大脑区域)。
　　4. B答案在文章的第六段中可以找到。实验者让两个自愿受试者观看许多照片，并用fMRI对设备测试他们的大脑在这一过程中的活动。
　　5．B A论述的范围太大。fMR技术已不再是梦想，所以C也不是正确选择。D所述内容与
　　文章完全不符。B符合文章内容，是最佳选择。
第三十二篇读心机
一个加州的研究团队开发了一种可以通过扫描人体大脑所发生的变化从而预测出这个人正在看一些什么样的物体的方法。
当你注视一些物体时，你的眼睛会发送一个关于该物体的信号到你的大脑中。大脑的不同区域处理眼睛发送的这些信号。大脑中负责这个过程的细胞叫做神经元。
fMBI(功能性磁振造影 )脑扫描可以大体地比较大脑中人们对所观察物体基本形状的电运动。像身体中其他地方的细胞一样，活跃的神经元细胞也需要氧气。血液为神经元提供氧气，神经元越活跃，对氧气量的需求越大。大脑中越是活跃的区域，它的神经元也就越活跃。为此，更多的血液会流经这一区域。那么通过使用 fMRI，科学家可以使大脑中接收相对多的富氧血液的部分可视化。因此，可视化的部分就是处理信息的部分。
fMRI机是一种可以扫描大脑和测量流向大脑的血液变化的设备。这项技术为研究者显示，当人们思考观察进行像说话阅读这样的活动时，大脑运动的变化。通过突出显示人们观看不同图像时头脑工作的区域， fMRI可以帮助科学家们确定与不同图像相关的大脑活动的具体形式。
加州的研究者让两个志愿者观测数百个诸如人、动物和水果这样的日常事物。他们用这样方式来测试大脑的活动。科学家使用 fMRI机来记录志愿者看每一张图片时大脑的活动。显示这一活动时，不同物体会使志愿者大脑的不同区域在扫描时亮度增加。科学家利用此信息来建立一种模式去预测大脑对所看到事物可能如何反映。
在第二个测试中，科学家让志愿者看 120个新图像。和以前一样，他们每看一张新图像时大脑都被扫描一次。这次，科学家用他们的模式来比较 fMRI扫描的图像。例如，如果图像在第二次测试显示相同的形式的大脑活动，同时，该脑活动与在第一次测试中苹果图片有大关联，那么这个模式可能会预测出志愿者们正在看一些苹果。
第三十三篇  Experts Call for Local and Regional Control of Sites for Radioactive Waste (B级)
    The withdrawal of Nevada’s Yucca Mountain as a potential nuclear waste repository has reopened the debate over how and where to dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste. In an article in the July 10 issue of Science, University of Michigan geologist Rodney Ewing and Princeton University nuclear physicist Frank von Hippel argue that, although federal agencies should set standards and issue licenses for the approval of nuclear facilities, local communities and states should have the final approval on the siting of these facilities. The authors propose the development of multiple sites that would service the regions where nuclear reactors are located.
    “The main goal.., should be to provide the United States with multiple alternatives and substantial public involvement in an open siting and design process that requires acceptance by host communities and states,” the authors write.
    Ewing and von Hippel also analyze the reasons why Yucca Mountain, selected by Congress in 1987 as the only site to be investigated for long-term nuclear waste disposal, finally was shelved after more than three decades of often controversial debate. The reasons include the site’s geological problems, management problems, important changes in the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard, unreliable funding and the failure to involve local communities in the decision-making process.
    Going forward, efforts should be directed at locating storage facilities in the nation’ s northeastern, southeastern, midwestern and western regions, and states within a given region should be responsible for developing solutions that suit their particular circumstances. Transportation of nuclear waste over long distances, which was a concern with the Yucca Mountain site, would be less of a problem because temporary storage or geological disposal sites could be located closer to reactors.
    “This regional approach would be similar to the current approach in Europe, where spent nuclear fuel and high-level nuclear waste from about 150 reactors and reprocessing plants is to be moved to a number of geological repositories in a variety of rock types ,” said Rodney Ewing, who has written extensively about the impact of nuclear waste management on the environment and who has analyzed safety assessment criteria for the controversial Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository.
    练习：
    1. Which of the following words can best substitute the word “withdrawal” in the first paragraph?
    A  Retirement,
    B  Canceling.
    C  Replaced.
    D  Disposal.
    2. According to Rodney Ewing and Frand von Hippel, where to locate nuclear facilities
    A  should be approved by the federal government.
    B  should be approved by local people and states.
    C  should be approved by Congress.
    D  is not an important issue.
    3. What is NOT true about the 1987 decision by Congress concerning siting of nuclear waste disposal?
    A  Yucca Mountain was selected as the only site for a nuclear waste repository.
    B  The selection of Yucca Mountain for nuclear waste disposal caused much controversy.
    C  The decision by Congress was put aside due to a number of problems.
    D  The decision by Congress was accepted by local communities.
    4. What does the author of the essay in the fourth paragraph want to say?
    A  Efforts should be made to solve the problems of transportation of nuclear waste over long distance.
    B  Efforts should be made to develop as many nuclear disposal sites in the US as possible.
    C  Efforts should be made to develop nuclear disposal sites to suit the circumstances of  the region.
    D  Efforts should be made to build as many temporary nuclear disposal sites as possible.
    5. What is meant by “regional approach” as mentioned in the last paragraph?
    A  Waste disposal sites are located close to reactors and in places suitable for the regional circumstances.
    B  Geological repositories are located in a variety of rock types.
    C  Spent nuclear fuel and high -level nuclear waste is moved to developing countries.
    D  Waste disposal sites are located far away from reactors.
   参考答案   B  B  D  C  A
    专家呼吁局部和区域控制放射性废物地点
    撤消内华达州尤卡山作为一个潜在的核废物处置库重新开启了关于怎么和往哪里处理乏核燃料和高放核废物的讨论。在七月十目的科学报的一篇文章中，美国密歇根大学地质学家Rodney
    Ewing和美国普林斯顿大学的核物理学家Frank von Hippel指出，虽然联邦局玎以制定核设施标准和颁发许可证，但是当地社区和州应该在选址问题上有最后的决定权。作者提议发展多种多样的场地以便能够服务那些核反应所在的地方。
    “主要的目的…就是给美国在公开的场地和设计程序上提供多重选择和更多的公众参与，也需要各地区和州的同意。”作者写道。  
    Ewing and von Hippel也分析了为什么尤卡山在1987年被美国国会选为长期存放核废物的地点，却在三十年之后的争议下被束之高阁。原因包括这个地方的地址问题、管理问题、环境保护局标准的变化、不可靠的资金和在做决定时没有使地方社区参与进来。
    以后，我们应该把安放存储设备的地点转到这个国家的东北、东南、中西部和西部地区，并且处于该特定地区的州应该负责制定方案来适应当地特定的环境。尤卡山存在的远距离运输核废物问题应该不算什么问题，因为暂时存储和地质处理点都离反应装置很近。
     “这个地区的方法应该和目前欧洲的方法很像，在那里，乏核燃料和高(强度)放(射性)核废物都要以大约150个核反直装置和再处理的I厂转移到各种不同岩层中的地贯处置本中。”Rodney Ewing说，他写了大量关于核废物对环境的影响的文章，而且分析了这个受争议的尤卡山核废料库的安全评价标准。
第三十四篇 Batteries Built by Viruses
What do chicken pox，the common cold, the flu，and AIDS have in common? They’re all disease caused by viruses，tiny microorganisms that can pass from person to person．It's no wonder1 that when most people think about viruses, finding ways t0 steer clear of2 viruses is what's on people's minds．
Not everyone runs from the tiny disease carders, though3．In Cambridge, Massachusetts4, scientists have discovered that some viruses can be helpful in an unusual way．They are putting viruses to work, teaching them to build some of the world's small