C
(2021· 汉中模拟)
When a laptop or smartphone battery starts losing its power, the only options are to buy an expensive replacement, or just keep it plugged in all the time. But a woman Mya Le Thai may have found the answer to this problem.
Thai was frustrated that the batteries for her wireless devices degraded(降级)over time, until they failed to charge fully. She did not like having to keep her laptop connected to an electrical outlet to keep it powered on. So, she decided to do something about that problem. At first, she and her team at UC Irvine thought about inventing a new battery. But as they experimented, Thai discovered something that might permit lithium-ion(锂离子)batteries to last forever.
Lithium-ion batteries power most wireless devices. Over time, the batteries lose the ability to hold a charge. Most of these batteries have a life span of about 7, 000 charging cycles before they die. One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade is their use of nanowires to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. A human hair is thousands of times thicker, for example. Nanowires are extremely efficient carriers of electricity, which makes them useful in batteries.
But, Thai had a theory—the nanowires might last longer if covered with a gel(凝胶). She and her team tested this theory. “It was a long process and a lot of work, ”Thai said. The team tried many coverings for the wires. PMMA, a type of plastic, was one of them. The nanowires were coated with PMMA and cycled through charges 200, 000 times. The PMMA-coated nanowires showed no evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever, without losing charging ability.
Thai hopes to continue her research to understand why this gel works so well and to see if any other gel could create better results and she is enjoying the publicity about her discovery. She said she never expected her research to get media coverage. “It’s kind of cool”, she said. “I’m really glad people are showing interest in my work and not just in the work itself, but also in technology and energy. ”
【文章大意】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要讲述一位名叫Mya Le Thai的女士研发出可永久使用的电池的故事。
28. Why did Mya Le Thai work on lithium-ion batteries?
A. She disliked the batteries for her laptop.
B. Her team was assigned to invent a new battery.
C. Many people thought batteries were too expensive.
D. The batteries would soon lose the function to charge fully.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据文章第二段Thai was frustrated that the batteries for her wireless devices degraded over time, until they failed to charge fully. . . So, she decided to do something about that problem. 可知, Thai研究锂电池是因为她的无线设备的电池完全失去了充电功能。
29. What can we infer about nanowires?
A. They last only 7, 000 charging cycles.
B. They are too weak to carry electricity.
C. They are not suitable to use in batteries.
D. Their thinness is a cause of batteries’ degradation.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据文章第三段One of the reasons lithium-ion batteries degrade is their use of nanowires to carry electricity. Nanowires are extremely thin. 可知, 用来输送电力的纳米线极其细, 导致了电池的降级。
30. What might be Thai and her team’s breakthrough?
A. Coating nanowires in gel.
B. A new kind of battery.
C. New materials for batteries.
D. A new way of charging batteries.
【解析】选A。细节理解题。根据文章第四段The nanowires were coated with PMMA and cycled through charges 200, 000 times. The PMMA-coated nanowires showed no evidence of damage. The results suggest that batteries could last forever, without losing charging ability. 可知, Thai和她的团队在纳米线上裹上PMMA并循环充电20万次, 纳米线没有损坏的迹象, 且没有失去充电能力, 说明Thai和她的团队在此方面取得了突破。
31. What may be the best title for the passage?
A. The Options of Batteries for Wireless Devices
B. A Woman Invents a Life-long Battery
C. Mya Le Thai Discovered Nanowires
D. The Reasons for Batteries Degrading
【解析】选B。主旨大意题。根据文章第一段But a woman Mya Le Thai may have found the answer to this problem. 和全文内容可知, 本文主要讲述一位名叫Mya Le Thai的女士研发出可永久使用的电池。
