What do butterfly wings have to do with computer screens? What do birds have to do with high speed trains?
These may sound like strange things to put together. But scientists, inventors, and designers are doing just that. They are learning from nature to create new technology.
The word biomimicry (仿生学) combines two words: biology and mimicry. So people using biomimicry try to use examples in nature to design new technology.
Biomimicry is not a new idea. People have been studying nature for hundreds of years. Leonardo DaVinci used birds as models to invent his flying machine. And when the Wright Brothers made the first successful airplane, they also studied birds. In 998, Janine Benyus, a natural science writer and teacher, wrote a book about biomimicry. To develop her interest in the subject, Janine Benyus started the Biomimicry Institute.
The Biomimicry Institute is a non-profit organization. It brings together scientists, designers, inventors and many other people. It offers classes to teach people biomimicry. It provides money for people to research and test new technologies. And it wants all people, from children to adults, to think about new ways to learn from nature.
People involved with the Biomimicry Institute believe that biomimicry can help solve many of the world’s problems. Often, new technologies can harm nature, but this is not true for biomimicry. Let’s look at some examples.
Butterflies have colorful wings because light shines off them in a special way. Scientists want to copy these same ways to make light shine off computers. They hope this will make for more colorful screens.
Another example of biomimicry is the bullet train. It travels at speeds of over 250 kilometers per hour! But it had a problem: it made too much noise!
Through the observation of birds, scientists thought about a kind of bird, the kingfisher(翠鸟). The kingfisher can dive into water without making any noise because of the shape of its beak(喙). Researchers thought that if they could design the front of the train like this beak, the train would be quieter. Well, it worked!
71. The first paragraph is written to_____.
A. start a discussion B. make a brief summary
C. introduce the topic of the text D. test readers' knowledge on science
72. Why did Janine Benyus set up the Biomimicry Institute?
A. To honor the Wright Brothers.
B. To show her recent inventions.
C. To gather talented people for her research.
D. To explore the link between nature and technologies.
73. We know from the text that the Biomimicry Institute _____.
A. earns a lot by giving classes on biomimicry B. tells people about their technologies
C. gives free support to scientists D. teaches children about birds
74. The author gives the two examples at the end of the text to show _______.
A. biomimcry works harmoniously with nature B. the fast development of modern technology
C. how biomimcry changes our life D. how nature inspires scientists
75. What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Biomimicry is widely used in the world.
B. People copy nature to create new technologies.
C. The Biomimicry Institute was set up for science.
D. Birds play an important part in new technologies.
科目:高中英语 来源:河北省河间四中2010届高三下学期月考试卷(英语) 题型:阅读理解
This is the first time your child will be away from home for a period of time. We understand that this can be an exciting and anxious time both for parents and students. In this part,we hope to give you a better idea of what to expect in the areas that matter most to you. If you have any question that we have not answered here, please call us at 618-353-1398 or e-mail us at buhssumr@bu. edu.
Housing and Dining
Housing and dining is provided for all High School Summer Program students. Students should live on campus. The dining room in Warren Towers offers a variety of food options. Summer Program includes 19 meals a week, of which five lunches are included in the program fee. Visit www. bu. edu/housing-dining for more information.
Family Visits
If a parent is in town and would like to spend time with his child, he needs to plan the visit during the student’s free time when there are no activities planned. The parent also needs to send written permission to the Summer Term office forty-eight hours before the student is planning to leave campus. The parent can either e-mail or fax a letter of permission including details to buhssumr@bu. edu or 617-353-5532.
Fitness and Recreation
Students may buy membership cards of the Fitness & Recreation Center as long as they are at least 15 years old and have a Permission Form signed by their parents. We suggest that you fill out the forms even if you do not buy membership cards. We have some planned activities at the Fitness & Rercreation Center and student should have the signed Permission Form. Visit www. bu. edu/fitrec to learn more about it .
45. The passage is most probably taken from________.
A. a newspaper B. a travel guide
C. a health magazine D. a school website
46. If you want to know more about Summer Program. You could_______.
A. call 617-353-5532
B. call 618-353-1398
C. visit www. bu. edu/housing-dining
D. visit www. bu. edu/fitrec
47. If a parent wants to spend time with his child, he________.
A. can go to the Summer Term office for permission
B. can email to buhssumr@bu. edu after the student leaves campus
C. has to plan the visit and ask the Summer Term office for permission
D. must call the Summer Tern office at 617-353-5532 ahead of time.
48. If a student goes to the Fitness & Recreation Center, he______.
A. needs a Permission Form signed by his parents
B. must buy a membership card
C. can be of any age.
D. should buy tickets first.
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科目:高中英语 来源:黑龙江省双鸭山一中2009-2010学年度高二学业考试 题型:阅读理解
Something big is happening to the human race, something that could be called the Great Transformation.
The Transformation consists of all the changes that are occurring in human life due to advancing technology. For thousands of years such progress occurred slowly. Now everything is changing so fast that you may find yourself wondering where all this progress is really leading.
Nobody knows what all these changes will really mean in the long run. But this mysterious Transformation is the biggest story of all times. It is the story of the human race itself.
Some people worry about what will happen when the deposits(蕴藏)of petroleum are gone, but already researchers are finding all kinds of new ways to get energy. Someday, solar power collected by satellites circling the earth or fission(裂变) power produced by mankind may give us all the energy we need for an expanding civilization(文明).Space exploraton promises to open up much new land for human settlement, as well as leading to the harvest of mineral resources.
Like it or not, our advancing technology has made us masters of the earth. We not only control all the other animals, but also reshape the world’s plant life and even its soil and rocks, its waters and surrounding air.
Technology gives us the power to build a great new civilizaion, if we can just agee on what we want it to be, bu today, there is little global agreement on goals and how we should achieve them.
So it remanins to be seen what will happen as a result of our technology. Pessimists(悲观主义者) worry that we will use the technology eventually to blow ourselves up. But they have been saying that for decades, and so far we have escaped. Whether we will continue to do so remains unknown, but we can continue to hope.
68.The Great Transformation is caused by ________.
A. changes in human life B.the development of science and technology
C. space exploration D. unknown reasons
69.Today it is impossible for people to build a remarkable new civilization because __________. A.nobody is optimistic about the future
B.human beings aare unabale to do so
C.people diagree with each other in many ways
D.people are worried too much
70.Advancing technology could possibly make us_______.
A.hesitate B.decisive C.powerless D.mysterious
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科目:高中英语 来源:2013届河南省灵宝市第三高级中学高三上学期第一次质量检测英语试卷(带解析) 题型:阅读理解
On Jan. 3, a netizen(网民)nicknamed “Programmer Humor”published a short story on his micro-blog. It said that there was an old lady who swept nearly every inch of his Internet company. When she passed by a programmer, she took a look at the codes on the programmer’s computer and kindly reminded him, “Be careful, the stack is overfilled!”
Certainly, it is a casual and fictitious(虚构的)story made up by the micro-blogger. However, no one would have guessed that the short blog would eventually cause the first great Internet meme(网络快速爆红现象) of 2011 in China. Suddenly, the mysterious “Sweeping Old Lady” is showing up nearly everywhere and reminding professionals of their mistakes. From 8 a. m. on Jan. 5, some netizens collected stories of the “Sweeping Old Lady” and found she had appeared to give advice in 150 kinds of careers. A netizen even said he had met with a similar situation in real life.
Actually, the “Sweeping Old Lady” is not new figure, but is based on the “sweeping monk (和尚)”in Louis Cha’s famous Kung fu novel of “Tian Long Ba Bu”. The “sweeping monk” is an old monk and does the lowest class of work in Shaolin Temple, but he is actually the No. 1 master in the noel both in Kung fu and in the study of Buddhism.
The “Sweeping Old Lady” is also a great modest master. Lots of netizens wish that they could have such a lady beside them to give them precious suggestions at a key time.
Although there may be 1,000 “Sweeping Old Ladies” in 1,000 people’s minds, it cannot prevent the “Sweeping Old Lady” from becoming the most popular figure on the Internet.
“Programmer Humor” said he is just a programmer in the real world and once he saw the story about the “Sweeping Old Lady,” he wrote it down in his micro-blog because it was funny. He never knew who the original writer of the story was and never thought the story could be so popular.
【小题1】What quality does the “Sweeping Old Lady” have?
A.Honest and knowledgeable. | B.Modest and patient. |
C.Modest and knowledgeable. | D.Honest and patient. |
A.She is an old lady good at sweeping the Internet. |
B.She is just an imaginary figure created by a netizen. |
C.She is well-know as the old “sweeping monk.” |
D.She likes to give instructions everywhere. |
A.The sweeping old lady is always looking down on the people around her. |
B.We should ask sweeping old lady for advice when meeting with difficulties. |
C.People want to have a “Sweeping Old Lady” nearby to do the cleaning. |
D.We shouldn’t judge a person by his or her appearance and we’d better respect everyone. |
A.She should be praised and respected. |
B.She shouldn’t mind others’ business. |
C.She should go in for network. |
D.She shouldn’t show off before professionals. |
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科目:高中英语 来源:河北省2010届高三下学期月考试卷(英语) 题型:阅读理解
This is the first time your child will be away from home for a period of time. We understand that this can be an exciting and anxious time both for parents and students. In this part,we hope to give you a better idea of what to expect in the areas that matter most to you. If you have any question that we have not answered here, please call us at 618-353-1398 or e-mail us at buhssumr@bu. edu.
Housing and Dining
Housing and dining is provided for all High School Summer Program students. Students should live on campus. The dining room in Warren Towers offers a variety of food options. Summer Program includes 19 meals a week, of which five lunches are included in the program fee. Visit www. bu. edu/housing-dining for more information.
Family Visits
If a parent is in town and would like to spend time with his child, he needs to plan the visit during the student’s free time when there are no activities planned. The parent also needs to send written permission to the Summer Term office forty-eight hours before the student is planning to leave campus. The parent can either e-mail or fax a letter of permission including details to buhssumr@bu. edu or 617-353-5532.
Fitness and Recreation
Students may buy membership cards of the Fitness & Recreation Center as long as they are at least 15 years old and have a Permission Form signed by their parents. We suggest that you fill out the forms even if you do not buy membership cards. We have some planned activities at the Fitness & Rercreation Center and student should have the signed Permission Form. Visit www. bu. edu/fitrec to learn more about it .
45. The passage is most probably taken from________.
A. a newspaper B. a travel guide
C. a health magazine D. a school website
46. If you want to know more about Summer Program. You could_______.
A. call 617-353-5532
B. call 618-353-1398
C. visit www. bu. edu/housing-dining
D. visit www. bu. edu/fitrec
47. If a parent wants to spend time with his child, he________.
A. can go to the Summer Term office for permission
B. can email to buhssumr@bu. edu after the student leaves campus
C. has to plan the visit and ask the Summer Term office for permission
D. must call the Summer Tern office at 617-353-5532 ahead of time.
48. If a student goes to the Fitness & Recreation Center, he______.
A. needs a Permission Form signed by his parents
B. must buy a membership card
C. can be of any age.
D. should buy tickets first.
查看答案和解析>>
科目:高中英语 来源:0910学年黑龙江双鸭山一中高二学业考试英语试题 题型:阅读理解
Something big is happening to the human race, something that could be called the Great Transformation.
The Transformation consists of all the changes that are occurring in human life due to advancing technology. For thousands of years such progress occurred slowly. Now everything is changing so fast that you may find yourself wondering where all this progress is really leading.
Nobody knows what all these changes will really mean in the long run. But this mysterious Transformation is the biggest story of all times. It is the story of the human race itself.
Some people worry about what will happen when the deposits(蕴藏)of petroleum are gone, but already researchers are finding all kinds of new ways to get energy. Someday, solar power collected by satellites circling the earth or fission(裂变) power produced by mankind may give us all the energy we need for an expanding civilization(文明).Space exploraton promises to open up much new land for human settlement, as well as leading to the harvest of mineral resources.
Like it or not, our advancing technology has made us masters of the earth. We not only control all the other animals, but also reshape the world’s plant life and even its soil and rocks, its waters and surrounding air.
Technology gives us the power to build a great new civilizaion, if we can just agee on what we want it to be, bu today, there is little global agreement on goals and how we should achieve them.
So it remanins to be seen what will happen as a result of our technology. Pessimists (悲观主义者) worry that we will use the technology eventually to blow ourselves up. But they have been saying that for decades, and so far we have escaped. Whether we will continue to do so remains unknown, but we can continue to hope.
68.The Great Transformation is caused by ________.
A. changes in human life B.the development of science and technology
C. space exploration D. unknown reasons
69.Today it is impossible for people to build a remarkable new civilization because __________. A.nobody is optimistic about the future
B.human beings aare unabale to do so
C.people diagree with each other in many ways
D.people are worried too much
70.Advancing technology could possibly make us_______.
A.hesitate B.decisive C.powerless D.mysterious
查看答案和解析>>
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