（二）
（2011•江苏高考）
According to the US government, wind farms off the Pacific coast could produce 900 gigawatts of electricity every year. Unfortunately, the water there is far too deep for even the tallest windmills （see picture） to touch bottom. An experiment under way off the coast of Norway, however, could help put them anywhere.
The project, called Hywind, is the world's first largescale deepwater wind turbine （涡轮发电机）. Although it uses a fairly standard 152ton, 2.3megawatt turbine, Hywind represents totally new technology. The turbine will be fixed 213 feet above the water on a floating spar （ see picture）, a technology Hywind's creator, the Norwegian company StatoilHydro, has developed recently. The steel spar, which is filled with stones and goes 328 feet below the sea surface, will be tied to the ocean floor by three cables （缆索）; these will keep the spar stable and prevent the turbine from moving up and down in the waves. Hywind's stability （稳定性） in the cold and rough sea would prove that even the deepest corners of the ocean are suitable for wind power. If all goes according to plan, the turbine will start producing electricity six miles off the coast of southwestern Norway as early as September.
To produce electricity on a large scale, a commercial wind farm will have to use bigger turbines than Hywind does, but it's difficult enough to balance such a large turbine so high on a floating spar in the middle of the ocean. To make that turbine heavier, the whole spar's centre of gravity must be moved much closer to the ocean's surface. To do that, the company plans to design a new kind of wind turbine, one whose gearbox （变速箱） sits at sea level rather than behind the blades （see picture）．
Hywind is a test run, but the benefits for perfecting floating windfarm technology could be extremely large. Out at sea, the wind is often stronger and steadier than close to shore, where all existing offshore windmills are planted. Deepsea farms are invisible from land, which helps overcome the windmillaseyesore objection. If the technology catches on, it will open up vast areas of the planet's surface to one of the best lowcarbon power sources available.
1. The Hywind project uses totally new technology to ensure the stability of ________.
A. the cables which tie the spar to the ocean floor
B. the spar which is floating in deepsea water
C. the blades driven by strong and steady sea wind
D. the stones filled in the spar below the sea surface
2. To balance a bigger turbine high on a floating spar, a new type of turbine is to be designed with its gearbox sitting
________.
A. on the sea floor
B. on the spar top
C. at sea level
D. behind the blades
3. Wide applications of deepwater wind power technology can
________.
A. solve the technical problems of deepwater windmills
B. make financial profits by producing more turbines
C. settle the arguments about environmental problems
D. explore lowcarbon power resources available at sea
答案与解析
1.B 细节理解题。根据第二段倒数第三句可知，该工程采用了全新的技术，是为了确保漂浮在深海水域中的圆材的保持稳定。
2.C 细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句可知，为了使较大的涡轮发电机能在圆材上保持平衡，公司计划设计新的发电机，其变速箱在海平面上。
3.D 细节理解题。根据最后一段最后一句可知，深海风能技术的广泛应用会在海洋上开发出可使用的最好的低碳能源之一。
（三）
（2011•山东高考）
Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Braincomputer interface （BCI） technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated （展示） a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord （脊髓） to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp （头皮） and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1．BCI is a technology that can ________.
A. help to update computer systems
B. link the human brain with computers
C. help the disabled to recover
D. control a person's thoughts
2．How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
A. By controlling his muscles.
B. By talking to the machine.
C. By moving his hand.
D. By using his mind.
3．Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
A. scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair
B. computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair
C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair
D. cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair
4．The team will test with real patients to ________.
A. make profits from them
B. prove the technology useful to them
C. make them live longer
D. learn about their physical condition
5．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center
B. New Findings About How the Human Brain Works
C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled
D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries
答案与解析
1.B 细节理解题。根据第一段可知，自20世纪70年代以来，科学家一直寻找途径能将人脑与电脑相连。BCI技术能帮助残疾人向机器发送指令。故此处B项正确。而C项只是部分正确，虽然能帮助残疾人，但却不能帮他们康复。
2.D 细节理解题。根据第三段可知Tavella只是思考动他的左右手就能操作这个轮椅。甚至当他观察这台机器时就能进行交流，也能用他的思想指导机器人工作。因此机器人是在人脑的思想支配下进行工作的。故D项正确。
3.C 细节理解题。根据第五段可知，首先研究人员为用户设计一种特殊的帽子，它会捕捉头皮发出的信号并将其传给电脑。电脑将这些信号进行分析翻译，给监 控下的机器人轮椅发出指令。机器人轮椅装有两部摄像头能识别信号路径中的物体，从而帮助电脑对人脑的指令作出反应。故此处C项正确。
4．B 推理判断题。根据最后一段第二句“One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from”可知，在患者身上进行实验是他们团队工作的一个目标，旨在证明这项技术对他们有益。故正确答案选B项。
5.C 主旨大意题。本文为科技说明文，开篇点题。介绍科学家研究的这项新技术BCI，对残疾人大有裨益。故正确答案为C项。