閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

Technology Transfer in Germany

　　When it comes to translating basic research into industrial success, few nations can match Germany. Since the 1940s, the nation's vast industrial base has been fed with a constant stream of new ideas and expertise' from science. And though German prosperity （繁榮） has faltered （衰退） over the past decade because of the huge cost of unifying east and west as well as the global economic decline, it still has an enviable （令人羨慕的）record for turning ideas into profit.

　　Much of the reason for that success is the Fraunhofer Society, a network of research institutes that exists solely to solve industrial problems and create sought-after technologies. But today the Fraunhofer institutes have competition. Universities are taking an ever larger role in technology transfer, and technology parks are springing up all over. These efforts are being complemented by the federal programmes for pumping money into start-up companies.

　　Such a strategy may sound like a recipe for economic success, but it is not without its critics. These people worry that favouring applied research will mean neglecting basic science, eventually starving industry of fresh ideas. If every scientist starts thinking like an entrepreneur （企業(yè)家）, the argument goes, then the traditional principles of university research being curiosity-driven, free and widely available will suffer. Others claim that many of the programmes to promote technology transfer are a waste of money because half the small businesses that are promoted are bound to go bankrupt within a few years.

　　While this debate continues, new ideas flow at a steady rate from Germany's research networks, which bear famous names such as Helmholtz, Max Planck and Leibniz. Yet it is the fourth network, the Fraunhofer Society, that plays the greatest role in technology transfer.

　　Founded in 1949, the Fraunhofer Society is now Europe's largest organisation for applied technology, and has 59 institutes employing 12, 000 people. It continues to grow. Last year, it swallowed up the Heinrich Hertz Institute for Communication Technology in Berlin. Today, there are even Fraunhofers in the US and Asia.

　　1 What factor can be attributed to German prosperity?

　　A Technology transfer.

　　B Good management.

　　C Hard work.

　　D Fierce competition.

　　2 Which of the following is NOT true of traditional university research?

　　A It is free.

　　B It is profit-driven.

　　C It is widely available.

　　D It is curiosity-driven.

　　3 The Fraunhofer Society is the largest organisation for applied technology in

　　A Asia.

　　B USA.

　　C Europe.

　　D Africa.

　　4 When was the Fraunhofer Society founded?

　　A In 1940.

　　B Last year.

　　C After the unification.

　　D In 1949.

　　5 The word "expertise" in line 3 could be best replaced by

　　A "experts".

　　B "scientists".

　　C "scholars".

　　D "special knowledge".

　　第二篇

Superconducting Ceramic （陶瓷）

　　An underground revolution begins this winter. With the flip （輕擊） of a switch, 30,000 homes in one part of Detroit will soon become the first in the country to receive electricity transmitted by ice-cold high-performance cables. Other American cities are expected to follow Detroit's example in the years ahead, which could conserve enormous amounts of power.

　　The new electrical cables at the Frisbie power station in Detroit are revolutionary because they are made of superconductors. A superconductor is a material that transmits electricity with little or no resistance. Resistance is the degree to which a substance resists electric current. All common electrical conductors have a certain amount of electrical resistance. They convert at least some of the electrical energy passing through them into waste heat. Superconductors don't. No one understands how superconductivity works. It just does.

　　Making superconductors isn't easy. A superconducting material has to be cooled to an extremely low temperature to lose its resistance. The first superconductors, made more than 50 years ago, had to be cooled to -263 degrees Celsius before they lost their resistance. Newer superconducting materials lose their resistance at -143 degrees Celsius.

　　The superconductors cable installed at the Frisbie station is made of a ceramic material that contains copper, oxygen, bismuth （鉍）, strontium （鍶）, and calcium （鈣）. A ceramic is a hard, strong compound, made from clay or minerals. The superconducting ceramic has been fashioned into a tape that is wrapped lengthwise around a long tube filled with liquid nitrogen. Liquid nitrogen is supercold and lowers the temperature of the ceramic tape to the point where it conveys electricity with zero resistance.

　　The United States loses an enormous amount of electricity each year to resistance. Because cooled superconductors have no resistance, they waste much less power. Other cities are watching the Frisbie experiment in the hope that they might switch to superconducting cable and conserve power, too.

　　6 What is the benefit of the revolution mentioned in the first paragraph?

　　A With a flip of switch, electricity can be transmitted.

　　B Other American cities can benefit from the high-performance cables.

　　C Great amounts of power can be conserved.

　　D Detroit will first receive electricity transmitted by the new electrical cables.

　　7 Compared to common electrical conductors, superconductors

　　A have little or no electrical resistance.

　　B can be used for a long time.

　　C are not energy-efficient.

　　D can be made easily.

　　8 At what temperature does the superconducting ceramic lose its resistance?

　　A -143 degree Celsius.

　　B - 263 degree Celsius.

　　C As long as it is ice-cold.

　　D Absolute zero.

　　9 What element enables the ceramic tape to lower its temperature?

　　A Copper.

　　B Liquid nitrogen.

　　C Clay.

　　D Calcium.

　　10 According to the last paragraph, which of the following statements is NOT true?

　　A Other cities hope they can also conserve power.

　　B Other cities hope they can use superconducting cables soon.

　　C Superconductors waste less power because of their low resistance.

　　D The Frisbie experiment is not successful.

　　第三篇

The Science of the Future

　　Until recently, the 'science of the future' was supposed to be electronics and artificial intelligence. Today it seems more and more likely that the next great breakthroughs in technology will be brought through a combination of those two sciences with organic chemistry and genetic engineering. This combination is the science of biotechnology.

　　Organic chemistry enables us to produce marvelous synthetic （合成的） materials. However, it is still difficult to manufacture anything that has the capacity of wool to conserve heat and also to absorb moisture. Nothing that we have been able to produce so far comes anywhere near the combination of strength, lightness and flexibility that we find in the bodies of ordinary insects.

　　Nevertheless, scientists in the laboratory have already succeeded in 'growing' a material that has many of the characteristics of human skin. The next step may well be 'biotech hearts and eyes' which can replace diseased organs in human beings. These will not be rejected by the body, as is the case with organs from humans.

　　The application of biotechnology to energy production seems even more promising. In 1996 the famous science-fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, many of whose previous predictions have come true, said that we may soon be able to develop, remarkably cheap and renewable sources of energy. Some of these power sources will be biological, Clarke and others have warned us repeatedly that sooner or later we will have to give up our dependence on non-renewable power sources. Coal, oil and gas are indeed convenient. However, using them also means creating dangerously high levels of pollution. It will be impossible to meet the growing demand for energy without increasing that pollution to catastrophic （災(zāi)難性的） levels unless we develop power sources that are both cheaper and cleaner.

　　It is attempting to think that biotechnology or some other 'science of the future' can solve our problems. Before we surrender to that temptation we should remember nuclear power. Only a few generations ago it seemed to promise limitless, cheap and safe energy. Today those promises lie buried in a concrete grave in a place called Chernobyl, in the Ukraine. Biotechnology is unlikely, however, to break its promises in quite the same or such a dangerous way.

　　11 According to the passage, the science of the future is likely to be

　　A electronics.

　　B biotechnology.

　　C genetic engineering.

　　D nuclear technology.

　　12 Organic chemistry helps to produce materials that are

　　A as good as wool.

　　B as good as an insect's body.

　　C not as good as natural materials.

　　D better than natural materials.

　　13 According to the passage, it may soon be possible

　　A to make something as good as human skin.

　　B to produce drugs without side effects.

　　C to transplant human organs.

　　D to make artificial hearts and eyes.

　　14 In 1996, Arthur C. Clarke predicted that

　　A biological power sources would be put into use soon.

　　B oil, gas and coal could be repeatedly used in the future.

　　C dependence on non-renewable power sources would be reduced soon

　　D the Chernobyl disaster would happen in two years.

　　15 What do we learn from the last paragraph?

　　A Biotechnology can solve all our future energy problems.

　　B Biological power is cheaper than nuclear power.

　　C Biological power may not be as dangerous as nuclear power

　　D Biological power will keep all its promises.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. D

　　6. C 7. A 8. A 9. B 10. D

　　11. B 12. C 13. D 14. A 15. C