Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?

    Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Buffler of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate (贯穿) the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.

    To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron (磁控管). He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. /sq.cm.); a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50 mw./sq.cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw./sq.cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw./sq. cm.

    In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwaves oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it’s on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)

    While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.

Which of the following can tell the main idea of the passage?

    A. A new heating system.    B. A new microwave oven.

    C. A popular technique.     D. The magnetron.

The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about ____.

    A. 20 mw. / sq. cm.         B. 40 mw. / sq. cm.

    C. 60 mw. / sq. cm.         D. 85 mw. / sq. cm.

According to paragraph 4, which of the following fills the room with low-power microwaves?

    A. The magnetron.       B. The motion detector.

    C. The microwave oven.      D. The radiation-absorbing chemical.

Which of the following statements about microwave heaters would Buffler most probably agree with?

    A. Microwave heaters will soon be widely used by homeowners.

    B. Microwave heaters sometimes make people feel uncomfortable.

C. Microwave heaters will be probably first used by livestock farmers to protect their lambs in winter.

D. Microwave heaters cannot be accepted by the public because they are somewhat unsafe.

 Nobody likes home economics (家政学). But restoring the program could help us in the fight against obesity and chronic (慢性的) diseases today.

The home economics movement was founded on the belief that housework and food preparation were important subjects that should be studied scientifically. The first classes occurred in the agricultural and technical colleges that were built in the 1860s. When most departments of universities rejected women, home economics was a back door into higher education.

Indeed, in the early 20th century, home economics was a serious subject When few people understood germ (微生物) theory and almost no one had heard of vitamins, home economics classes offered vital information about washing hands regularly, eating fruits and vegetables and not feeding coffee to babies.

However, today we remember only the fixed ideas about home economics, forgetting the movement’s most important lessons on healthy eating and cooking. Too many Americans simply don’t know how to cook. Our diets, consisting of highly processed foods made cheaply outside the home, have contributed to many serious health problems. In the last decade, many cities and states have tried to tax junk food heavily or to ban the use of food stamps (食品券) to buy soda. Clearly, many people are doubtful about any governmental steps to promote healthy eating. But what if the government put the tools of obesity prevention in the hands of children themselves by teaching them how to cook?

My first experience with home economics happened two decades ago when I was a seventh grader in a North Carolina public school. A year later, my father’s job took our family to Wales, where I attended a large school for a few months. It was the first time I had ever really cooked anything. I remember that it was fun, and with an instructor standing by, it wasn’t hard. Those lessons stuck with me when I first started cooking for my husband and myself after college and they still do. Teaching cooking in public schools can help solve some problems facing Americans t day. The history of home economics shows it’s possible.

1.Home economics______.

A. is a subject becoming more and more popular with Americans

B. is often used to help fight against obesity and chronic diseases

C. once offered women a. special approach to university education

D. was first taught in the agricultural and technical colleges in the early 1900s

2. The third paragraph mainly tells us______ .

A. the importance of regular hand washing

B. the health benefits of fruits and vegetables

C. the contents of home economics classes in the early 20th century

D. the significance of teaching home economics in the early 20th century

3. In the opinion of the author, how should we fight against childhood obesity?

A. Children should be taught how to cook.

B. A heavy tax should be put on junk food

C. Healthy eating should be promoted at school

D. Using food stamps to buy soda should be banned

4. What does the author imply in the last paragraph?

A. Her family moved frequently in her childhood.

R Cooking classes have a far-reaching influence on her later life.

C. To receive a better education, she went to a large school in Wales.

D. Teaching cooking is the key to solving Americans’ health problems.

 

  Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?
Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Buffler of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate (贯穿) the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.
To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron (磁控管). He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. /sq.cm.); a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50 mw./sq.cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw./sq.cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw./sq. cm.
In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwaves oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it’s on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)
While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.
【小题1】 Which of the following can tell the main idea of the passage?

A．A new heating system.	B．A new microwave oven.
C．A popular technique.	D．The magnetron.

【小题2】 The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about ____.

A．20 mw. / sq. cm.	B．40 mw. / sq. cm.
C．60 mw. / sq. cm.	D．85 mw. / sq. cm.

【小题3】 According to paragraph 4, which of the following fills the room with low-power microwaves?

A．The magnetron.	B．The motion detector.
C．The microwave oven.	D．The radiation-absorbing chemical.

【小题4】 Which of the following statements about microwave heaters would Buffler most probably agree with?

A．Microwave heaters will soon be widely used by homeowners.

B．Microwave heaters sometimes make people feel uncomfortable.

C．Microwave heaters will be probably first used by livestock farmers to protect their lambs in winter.

D．Microwave heaters cannot be accepted by the public because they are somewhat unsafe.

Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?

    Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Burlier of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate (贯穿) the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.

    To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron (磁控管). He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 kilowatts per square centimeter (mw. / sq. cm. ) ; a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50 mw. / sq. cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw. / sq. cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw. / sq. cm.

    In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector (运动感应器)would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwave oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it’s on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)

    While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole-body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock(家畜) farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.

Which of the following can tell the main idea of the passage?

A. A new heating system.   

B. A new microwave oven.

C. A popular technique.

D. The magnetron.

According to Paragraph 2, which of the following does not describe the characteristics of a microwave heater?

A. It directly heats people in a room.         

B. It heats walls and furniture in a room.

C. It is safe.                            

D. It saves energy．

The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about ________________.

A. 20 mw. / sq. cm.     B. 40 mw. / sq. cm.

C. 60 mw. / sq. cm.         D. 85 mw. / sq. cm.

According to Paragraph 4, which of the following fills the room with low-power microwaves?

A. The magnetron.  

B. The motion detector.

C. The microwave oven. 

D. The radiation-absorbing chemical.

Which of the following statements about microwave heaters would Buffler most probably agree with?

    A. Microwave heaters will soon be widely used by homeowners.

    B. Microwave heaters sometimes make people feel uncomfortable.

    C. Perhaps microwave heaters will be first used by livestock farmers, who wish to protect their lambs in winter.

D. Microwave heaters cannot be accepted by the public because they are somewhat unsafe.                                   

    Microwaves may be great at warming up food, but what about warming people?

    Using microwaves to directly heat owners of a room would save much of the energy wasted by heating walls and furniture. And despite popular ideas about microwaves, this technique would be safe, according to Charles R. Buffler of the Microwave Research Center in Marlborough, New Hampshire. Low-power microwaves only penetrate (贯穿) the skin (low-power microwave penetration in a ham is about 0.2 inches, for example) and with no negative effects.

    To test this idea, Buffler subjected himself to microwaves in a special room using a standard 500-watt, 2459 MHz magnetron (磁控管). He found that a person will start to feel warmth at about 20 milliwatts per square centimeter (mw. /sq.cm.); a satisfactory feeling of warmth occurs between 35 and 50 mw./sq.cm. By comparison, a person standing in noonday summer sun feels the amount of 85 mw./sq.cm. And a frozen meat pie in your microwave oven receives about 1000 mw./sq. cm.

    In houses of the future, each room could be provided with its own magnetron, says Buffler. When you stepped into the living room, for example, a motion detector would turn on the magnetron, filling the room with low-power microwaves. In the same way that a microwaves oven heats up a hamburger, but not the plate it’s on, you would feel warmth from the microwaves without changing the temperature of your coffee table. (You could, however, make your favorite easy chair even more comfortable by treating it with a radiation-absorbing chemical.)

    While it might be some time before homeowners are comfortable enough with the idea to set up whole body microwave heaters in houses, Buffler says microwaves may attract livestock farmers. Lambs that are born outdoors in winter, for example, are frequently lost to cold. Microwaves could warm the lambs safely and quickly.

1. Which of the following can tell the main idea of the passage?

    A. A new heating system.    B. A new microwave oven.

    C. A popular technique.     D. The magnetron.

2. The test conducted by Buffler shows that when a person feels comfortable warmth, he receives about ____.

    A. 20 mw. / sq. cm.         B. 40 mw. / sq. cm.

    C. 60 mw. / sq. cm.         D. 85 mw. / sq. cm.

3. According to paragraph 4, which of the following fills the room with low-power microwaves?

    A. The magnetron.       B. The motion detector.

    C. The microwave oven.      D. The radiation-absorbing chemical.

4. Which of the following statements about microwave heaters would Buffler most probably agree with?

    A. Microwave heaters will soon be widely used by homeowners.

    B. Microwave heaters sometimes make people feel uncomfortable.

C. Microwave heaters will be probably first used by livestock farmers to protect their lambs in winter.

D. Microwave heaters cannot be accepted by the public because they are somewhat unsafe.