第四部分：阅读理解(第31~45题，每题3分，共45分)
下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。
第一篇
Graphene's Superstrength
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 superthin material, made of carbon, that could change the future of electronics.
This year's Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov from the University of Manchester, 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 would 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 fingers, 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 graphene—it's all around you.
If you want this high-tech wonderstuff, 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 area. When you pull up the tape, you'11 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.
31. What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?
A. Personal computer.
B. Big technology.
C. Graphene.
D. Creative ways.
【答案】：C
32. Which of the following statements about graphene is true ?
A. It is visible to the human eye.
B. It is possibly the thinnest material in the world.
C. It can be used to make paper.
D. Finding it demands time and money.
【答案】：B
33. The word “apply” in paragraph 4 could be used to replaced by ?
A. push.
B. find.
C. collect.
D. put.
【答案】：D
34. What does the writer tell in the last two paragraph ?
A. An easy way to find graphene.
B. Significance of the discovery of graphene.
C. Development of high-tech wonders.
D. Possible applications of graphene.
【答案】：A
35. Graphene's super strength 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】：C
第二篇
Puerto Rican Cuisine(菜肴)
Puerto Rico, a Caribbean (加勒比海区) island rich in history and remarkable natural beauty, has a cuisine all its own. Immigration(移民) to the island has helped to shape its cuisine, with people from all over the world making various contributions to it. However, before the arrival of these immigrants, the Taino people lived on the island of Puerto Rico. Taino cuisine included such foods as rodents (啮齿动物), fresh shellfish and fish fried in corn oil.
Many aspects of Taino cuisine continue today in Puerto Rican cooking, but it has been heavily influenced by the Spanish, who invaded Puerto Rico in 1508, and Africans, who were initially brought to Puerto Rico to work as slaves. Taino cooking styles were mixed with ideas brought by the Spanish and Africans to create new dishes. The Spanish extended food choices by bringing cattle, pigs, goats, and sheep to the island. Africans also added to the island's food culture by introducing powerful, contrasting tastes in dishes. In fact, much of the food Puerto Rico is now famous for - coffee, coconuts, and oranges - was actually imported by foreigners to the island.
A common assumption many people make about Puerto Rican food is that it is very spicy(辛辣的). lt's true that chili peppers are popular; aij caballero in particular is a very hot chili pepper that Puerto Ricans enjoy. However, milder(微辣的) tastes are popular too, such as sofrito. As the base of many Puerto Rican dishes, sofrito is a sauce made from chopped onions, green bell peppers, sweet chili peppers, and a handful of other spices. It is fried in oil and then added to other dishes.
36、who lived in Puerto Rico first
A.the Africans
B.the Spanish
C.the Americans
D.the Taino people
【答案】：D
37、In the first paragraph the word “it” refers to
A.immigration
B.Caribbean history
C.the island’s natural beauty
D.Puerto Rican cuisine
【答案】：D
38、what is the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.Taino dishes are important in Puerto Rican cooking
B.Food imported by foreigners isn’t really Puerto Rican
C.Puerto Rican cooking has many outside influences
D.African foods have probably had the most influence
【答案】：C
39、How is sofrito used?
A.It is eaten before meals
B.It is added to other dishes
C.It is used where foods are too spicy
D.It is eaten as a main dish
【答案】：B
40、which of the following is NOT true?
A.softito is a type of extremely spicy food
B.Many people think Puerto Rican food is spicy
C.Puerto Rican cuisine uses a lot of chili peppers
D.Aij caballero is a type of chile pepper
【答案】：A
第三篇
Archive Gallery: The Best of Bionics (仿生学)
Humans might be the most highly-evolved species on the planet, but most animals possess skills we can only dream of having. Imagine how much electricity we could save if we could see in the dark the way cats do. Imagine leaping from tree to tree like a monkey. Giraffes(长颈鹿), which are otherwise calm and good-natured, sleep only 4.6 hours a day.
We realized a long, long time ago that nature provides the best blueprint(蓝图) for invention. We've borrowed canals from beavers(河狸) and reflectors from cat's eyes. Although the words "bionics" became popular only after the 1960s, history shows that nature has always provided ideas on solving everyday problems. Our archives(档案) don't go back to the time of Leonardo da Vinci and his bird-like flying machines, but we can take you to the late 19th century, where we applied those same principles for building our first practical airplanes.
To prepare for their flight at Kitty Hawk, the Wright brothers studied the movements of pigeons to figure out how they stayed high up when they were heavier than air. Their success inspired scores of successors to improve on the airplane by studying various aspects of nature. One of Orville Wright's pupils caught and stuffed seagulls to examine their wingspan. Meanwhile, two French inventors examined spinning sycamore (梧桐) seeds in an effort to apply those same motions, reversed, to a helicopter.
Some examples are more obvious than others. The outside of the airplane designed by the Wright brothers looks like a minimalistic(简单抽象艺术) structure. On the other hand, Barney Connett's fish submarine(潜水艇) actually looks like a fish.
Some bio-inspired concepts have yet to be invented. In the 1960s, the US Army commissioned several university professors to conduct research on the motor skills of animals in hope of applying those same abilities to tanks. Tanks that run like horses or jump like grasshoppers(蚂蚱)- sounds shocking, doesn't it? But imagine how life would change if we could achieve that.
41. "Cats", "monkeys" and 'giraffes" mentioned in paragraph 1 are examples to illustrate
A. they are highly-evolved species as humans.
B. animals have skills that humans do not possess.
C. humans can learn animals' skills.
D. they are skillful in different ways.
【答案】：B
42. Which of the following can be found in the archive gallery?
A. First practical airplanes built in the late 19th century.
B. History books.
C. The Wright brothers' sculpture.
D. Leonardo da Vinci's bird-like flying machines.
【答案】：A
43. What happened after the Wright brothers' success?
A. People carried out a systematic study on pigeons.
B. People could fly their airplane for fun.
C. People kept their airplane at a French gallery.
D. People studied more animals and plants to develop the airplane.
【答案】：D
44. Which of the following is true about the research carried out by the US Army?
A. It has changed our life.
B. It has cost a large sum of money.
C. It has improved the abilities of tanks.
D. It has not succeeded yet.
【答案】：C
45. What does the writer want to tell in the passage?
A. Some animals possess unique skills.
B. Many inventions get ideas from nature.
C. People should protect nature.
D. Bionics is far from perfect.
【答案】：B