2012年職稱英語理工類A級考試真題(部分)

　　Small But Wise$lesson$

　　On December 14, NASA1 blasted a small but mighty telescope into space. The telescope is called WISE and is about as wide around as a trashcan. Don't let its small size fool you: WISE has a powerful digital camera, and it will be taking pictures of some the wildest objects2 in the known universe, including asteroids, faint stars, blazing galaxies3 and giant clouds of dust where planets and stars are born.

　　"I'm very excited because we're going to be seeing parts of the universe that we haven't seen before, "said Ned Wright, a scientist who directs the WISE project.

　　Since arriving in space, the WISE telescope has been circling the Earth, held by gravity in a polar orbit4 (this means it crosses close to the north and south poles with each lap5). Its camera is pointed outward, away from the Earth, and WISE will snap a picture of a different part of the sky every 11 minutes. After six months it will have taken pictures across the entire sky.

　　The pictures taken by WISE won't be like everyday digital photographs, however. WISE stands for "Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer." As its name suggests, the WISE camera takes pictures of features that give off infrared radiation6.

　　Radiation is energy that travels as a wave. Visible light, including the familiar spectrum of light7 that becomes visible in a rainbow, is an example of radiation. When an ordinary digital camera takes a picture of a tree, for example, it receives the waves of visible light that are reflected off the tree. When these waves enter the camera through the lens, they're processed by the camera, which then puts the image together.

　　Waves of infrared radiation are longer than waves of visible light, so ordinary digital cameras don't see them, and neither do the eyes of human beings. Although invisible to the eye, longer infrared radiation can be detected as warmth by the skin.

　　That's a key idea to why WISE will be able to see things other telescopes can't. Not everything in the universe shows up in visible light. Asteroids, for example, are giant rocks that float through space ― but they absorb most of the light that reaches them. They don't reflect light, so they're difficult to see. But they do give off infrared radiation, so an infrared telescope like WISE will be able to produce images of them. During its mission WISE will take pictures of hundreds of thousands of asteroids.

　　Brown dwarfs8 are another kind of deep-space object that will show up in WISE's pictures. These objects are "failed" stars ― which means they are not massive enough to jump start9 the same kind of reactions that power stars such as the sun. Instead, brown dwarfs simply shrink and cool down. They're so dim that they're almost impossible to see with visible light, but in the infrared spectrum they glow.

　　詞匯：

　　trashcan / 'træʃ,kæn/n.垃圾箱

　　infrared/'infrə'red/ adj.紅外線

　　asteroid/'æstərɔid/ n.小行星

　　dwarf/dwɔ:f/ n. 矮星

　　注釋：

　　1.NASA (美國國家航空航天局)是縮寫詞，全稱是National Aeronautics and Space Administration。

　　2. the wildest objects ：任何你能想象得到的天體。wild 有“未被人馴養(yǎng)的”“荒唐的”“離奇的”意思。

　　3. faint stars, blazing galaxies：指的是那些只能看到微弱的光和因燃燒而無法觀察到的天體。

　　4. polar orbit：極地軌道。指軌道平面與赤道面夾角為90。的人造地球衛(wèi)星軌道。人造衛(wèi)星運(yùn)行時(shí)能到達(dá)南北極區(qū)上空，即衛(wèi)星能飛經(jīng)全球范圍的上空。需要在全球范圍內(nèi)進(jìn)行觀測和應(yīng)用的氣象衛(wèi)星、導(dǎo)航衛(wèi)星、地球資源衛(wèi)星等都采用這種軌道。

　　5. lap：一圈。原指競賽場的一圈或游泳池的一個(gè)來回，如： She overtook the other runners on the last lap. 她最后一圈超過了其他參賽者。

　　6. infrared radiation：紅外線輻射

　　7. spectrum of light：光譜，即，光輻射的波長分布區(qū)域。

　　8. Brown dwarfs：褐矮星。褐矮星非常暗淡，很難發(fā)現(xiàn)它們，要確定它們的大小就更加困難。

　　9.jump start: 啟動

　　練習(xí)：

　　1 .What is so special about WISE?

　　A It is small in size but carries a large camera.

　　B It is as small as a trashcan.

　　C Its digital camera can help astronomers to see the unknown space.

　　D Never before has a telescope carried a digital camera in space.

　　2. Which is NOT the synonym for the word "snap" in the third paragraph?

　　A make.

　　B shoot.

　　C take.

　　D photograph.

　　3. The camera on WISE

　　A is no different from an ordinary camera.

　　B does not see infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does.

　　C catches the infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does not.

　　D reflects light that human eyes can see.

　　4. Which of the following is NOT correct about "asteroids" according to paragraph 7?

　　A Asteroids float through space giving off visible light.

　　B Asteroids do not reflect light that reaches them.

　　C It is difficult to take asteroids' pictures by ordinary cameras,

　　D The WISE telescope can take pictures of asteroids

　　5.What is implied in the last paragraph?

　　A Brown dwarfs give off visible light.

　　B Brown dwarfs give off infrared radiation.

　　C Brown dwarfs are power stars like the sun.

　　D Brown dwarfs are impossible to see with the WISE telescope.

　　答案與題解：

　　1. C 短文的第一和第二段提供了答案。WISE 的特殊之處就在于，雖然體積小，但它的數(shù)碼相機(jī)能拍到任何天體，所以能夠幫助天文學(xué)家觀測到宇宙空間中( in the known universe )的未知天文現(xiàn)象。其他選項(xiàng)都不是短文表達(dá)的意思。

　　2. A snap 是個(gè)多義詞，可以解釋為“拍照”，更為確切的意思是“拍快照”。這里shoot, take 和photograph 都是snap 的同義詞。

　　3. C 短文第六段和第四段提供了答案。人類的肉眼和普通相機(jī)看到的光是visible lights ，看不見紅外線輻射( infrared radiation) ，而WISE 的相機(jī)能夠看到。

　　4. A 短文第七段第二句說并非所有的宇宙中的物體都會發(fā)出可見光，比如asteroids ，所以A是正確選項(xiàng)。其他選項(xiàng)的內(nèi)容都可以在該段中找到。

　　5. B 最后一段的第一句說，褐矮星能出現(xiàn)在WISE 照片中，根據(jù)上文對WISE 望遠(yuǎn)鏡的描述只有WISE 望遠(yuǎn)鏡才能拍到紅外線射線，所以B是正確選擇。

　　Solar Power without Solar Cells

　　A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan1 researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.

　　The researchers found a way to make an "optical 1 ," said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.

　　Light has electric and magnetic components. Until now, scientists thought the 2 of the magnetic field were so weak that they could be ignored. What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than 3 expected. 4 these circumstances, the magnetic effects develop strength equivalent to a strong electric effect.

　　"This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation," Rand said. "In solar cells, the 5 goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load2. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment3. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power 6."What makes this possible is a previously undetected brand of "optical rectification4," says William Fisher, a doctoral student5 in applied physics. In traditional optical rectification, light's electric field causes a charge separation, or a pulling 7 of the positive and negative charges6 in a material. This sets up a voltage, similar to 8 in a battery.

　　Rand and Fisher found that under the right circumstances and in right types of materials, the light's magnetic field can also create optical rectification. The light must be shone through7 a 9 that does not 10 electricity, such as glass. And it must be focused to an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter8. Sunlight isn't this intense on its own, but new materials are being sought that would work at lower intensities, Fisher said.

　　"In our most recent paper, we show that incoherent light9 like sunlight is theoretically almost as. 11 in producing charge separation as laser light is," Fisher said.

　　This new 12 could make solar power cheaper, the researchers say. They predict that with improved materials they could achieve 10 percent efficiency in 13 solar power to useable energy. That's equivalent to today's commercial-grade solar cells.

　　"To manufacture 14 solar cells, you have to do extensive semiconductor processing," Fisher said. "All we would need are lenses to focus the light and a fiber to guide it. Glass works for 15 . It's already made in bulk10, and it doesn't require as much processing. Transparent ceramics might be even better."

　　詞匯：

　　optical / 'ɔptikəl / adj.光學(xué)的 incoherent /, inkəu’hiərənt/ adj.非相干的

　　capacitive / kə'pæsitiv/ adj. 電容(量)的 semiconductor /,semikən’dʌktə/n.半導(dǎo)體

　　rectification /, rektifi'keiʃən/ n.改正，修正 ceramics / si' ræmiks/n.陶瓷

　　注釋：

　　1.University of Michigan：密歇根大學(xué)。建校于1817 年，是美國名列前茅的公立大學(xué)，擁有優(yōu)良的師資和頂尖的商學(xué)院、法學(xué)院、醫(yī)學(xué)院和工學(xué)院。

　　2. heat load：熱負(fù)荷

　　3. magnetic moment：磁矩

　　4. optical rectification：光學(xué)校正

　　5. doctoral student：博士生

　　6. positive and negative charges：正電荷與負(fù)電荷

　　7. shone through：shone是shine的過去式。shine through是“(光)通過”。

　　8. an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter：每平方厘米一千萬瓦特的強(qiáng)度

　　9. incoherent light：非相干光

　　10.It's already made in bulk：它(指玻璃)已大量生產(chǎn)。in bulk 是“大量，成批”。

　　練習(xí)：

　　1.A microscope B instrument C fiber D battery

　　2. A modifications B effects C applications D results

　　3. A frequently B privately C previously D formally

　　4.A Under B At C On D Over

　　5.A light B electricity C chemical D magnetism

　　6.A plant B equipment C source D line

　　7.A down B up C together D apart

　　8. A this B that C those D it

　　9. A material B lens C meter D detector

　　10.A produce B convey C use D conduct

　　11.A remote B poor C effective D rare

　　12.A prototype B skill C technique D miracle

　　13.A converting B obtaining C delivering D transmitting

　　14.A compact B modern C durable D handy

　　15. A others B some C all D both

　　答案與題解：

　　1.D第一段說密歇根大學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)，光所產(chǎn)生的巨大磁效應(yīng)有望用于太陽能發(fā)電，從而取代傳統(tǒng)的半導(dǎo)體太陽能電池。因此本題的正確選項(xiàng)應(yīng)該是battery。optical battery是“光電池”。

　　optical microscope (光學(xué)顯微鏡)、optical instrument (光學(xué)儀器)或optical fiber (光纖)與第一段的意思沒有聯(lián)系。

　　2.B 選擇本題的答案的依據(jù)還是要回到第一段。第一段第一句的起始詞語是“A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light"。本篇文章中心議題是用magnetic effect of light開發(fā)新型的太陽能電池。而以前的科學(xué)家認(rèn)為magnetic effect of light太微弱，不值得去關(guān)注它。因此，本題選effects與上下文的意思很連貫。

　　3. C 本句的意思是：當(dāng)光通過一種絕緣材料時(shí)，光場產(chǎn)生的磁效應(yīng)比以前想象的要強(qiáng)一億倍。previously是當(dāng)然的選擇。其他三個(gè)選項(xiàng)填入句子中，意思不合邏輯：frequently(頻繁地)/privately(私下地)/formerly(正式地)expected。

　　4. A under these circumstances 是固定詞組，意為“在這種情況下”。也可以說in these circumstances ，而at、on或over 都不與circumstances 連用。

　　5.A通篇文章談的是光產(chǎn)生的磁效應(yīng)，所以在太陽能電池中，當(dāng)然是光進(jìn)入某種材料起作用。答案是選項(xiàng)A。

　　6. C 密歇根大學(xué)的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)太陽光產(chǎn)生強(qiáng)烈的磁效應(yīng)，再轉(zhuǎn)換為電，所以磁效應(yīng)是產(chǎn)生電的源泉(source)。power plant (發(fā)電廠)、power equipment (電力設(shè)備)或power line (輸電線)與上文的意思接不上。

　　7.D or 在本句的意思是“即”，后面的詞語是解釋專業(yè)術(shù)語charge separation (電荷分離)。選apart與pushing構(gòu)成pushing apart。pushing apart 的意思相當(dāng)于separation。所以本題的答案是D。

　　8. B 從上下文判斷，要填人的代詞是替代前面的voltage。根據(jù)英語語法，替代單數(shù)名詞的代詞要用that ，替代復(fù)數(shù)名詞的代詞要用those。voltage 是單數(shù)，所以that 是答案。

　　9.A從本句句末的such as glass 判斷，要填入的詞一定是包括glass 的概括詞。因此，只有選項(xiàng)material 符合這個(gè)條件。而且第三、四段也都提到光磁場效應(yīng)是由光通過一個(gè)不導(dǎo)電的材料( material )而產(chǎn)生的。

　　10.D 答案的根據(jù)可以在第三段中找到。原句是："What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected.”選項(xiàng)conduct 是答案。

　　11.C 激光通過特定材料時(shí)能產(chǎn)生charge separation 。密歇根大學(xué)科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，陽光通過特定材料時(shí)也像激光一樣能產(chǎn)生charge separation。如果charge separation 是remote、 poor 或rare，密歇根大學(xué)科學(xué)家所說的利用光磁場效應(yīng)開發(fā)新型的太陽能電池就不可能成立。所以答案是effective。

　　12.C 說這種樣機(jī)( this prototype )、技巧( this skill )或這一奇跡( this miracle )能降低太陽能的價(jià)格，似乎離題太遠(yuǎn)。只有用這一技術(shù)( this technology )概括上一段的意思才準(zhǔn)確。因此本題答案是technology。

　　13.A 科學(xué)家預(yù)測，通過改進(jìn)材料，可使太陽能轉(zhuǎn)化成可用能源的效率達(dá)到10%。本題的答案是converting。而obtaining(得到)、delivering (輸送)和transmitting(發(fā)射)與“能量轉(zhuǎn)換”掛不上號。

　　14. B 通篇文章沒有談到新型太陽能電池是compact(緊湊小型的)、durable(耐用的)或handy(使用便利的)，所以不會是答案。選modern是合理的，因?yàn)槊苄髮W(xué)科學(xué)家研發(fā)的不用半導(dǎo)體的太陽能電池是先進(jìn)的。

　　15.D 答案是both，指代的是上一句的“to focus the light and a fiber to guide it”這兩點(diǎn)