Nature has its own way of balancing itself out，but when we humans get involved，we tend to throw things out of control. Forests and oceans are natural carbon sinks that absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but since we’ve been pumping too much into the air, those sinks can’t keep up. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for the Advancement of Science in Germany, led by biologist Tobias Erb，have figured out a way to supercharge plants to make them better at absorbing carbon dioxide, which could be a key defense against climate change.

Erb and his team figured out a way to make plants more efficient（效率高的）at absorbing carbon, so that they consumed more carbon in a shorter amount of time. “If you think about plants, they are efficient carbon dioxide -fixing filters, but they are not fast,” Erb said. “I think there is a chance to improve existing biology with synthetic（人造的）biology.”

Erb’s team identified 17 enzymes（酶）from nine different organisms, re-engineering three of them, which had enlarged carbon consumption. When those enzymes worked together as a team, they worked better at not only plants’ natural enzymes, but also themselves individually.

Existing enzymes in plants consume about 5 to 10 molecules（分子）of carbon dioxide per second. The team of enzymes that Erb used consumed 80 molecules per second.

So far, these enzymes have only been tested in test tubes in the lab, but the next step is real world testing where the enzymes would be introduced into plants to see if the same result occurs. If those tests show that plants really can be supercharged, we will have a new tool in the fight against climate change where not only do we protect the amazing carbon-absorbing forests we have, but we also apply these super plants or an artificial leaf technology using the enzymes into other fields.

【小题1】Why can't forests and oceans balance nature nowadays?

A．Oceans and forests are getting smaller.

B．We human beings give off too much carbon dioxide.

C．A large number of forests are cut down.

D．There are too many creatures in the world.

【小题2】Which is the key defense against climate change according to Erb and his team?

A．To increase the plants' ability and efficiency to absorb carbon dioxide.

B．To make oceans and forests absorb more carbon dioxide quickly.

C．To reduce humans' activities giving off too much carbon dioxide.

D．To increase the number of plants in the world.

【小题3】What can we conclude from the last paragraph?

A．The enzymes have proved useful in the real world.

B．Erb’s team are confident about the technology.

C．The enzymes only work in the lab.

D．The technology may have a bright future.

【小题4】This passage is intended to ____.

A．introduce a possible way to better plants’ ability to absorb carbon dioxide

B．call on people to pay more attention to the balance of nature

C．analyze the cause and result of climate change related to plants

D．explore the possibility of using plants to fight against climate change

   A new keyboard can tell whether you are its owner. The keyboard records information about the typing pattern（模式）and sends it to a computer program. The program then checks to see if the pattern matches the right user. If not, an alarm sounds, and the computer locks the typist out. It locks out everyone else, even if the person knows the password. What's more, this equipment needs no batteries. It collects all the energy it needs from your actions of typing. Besides, the keyboard is also self-cleaning and the keys are free of damage from water, oil and dirt.

The keys of the new keyboard are made of the same inexpensive plastic that might be found on any other standard keyboard. But instead of being smooth, the keys have millions of tiny plastic nanowires（纳米线）on their surface area, increasing the effective contact areas between the plastics and fingers. This guarantees that there's enough power to run the keyboard as someone types.

Liming Dai, a scientist, did not work on the new keyboard, but he thinks the design could be important in getting better performance from a variety of equipment. "It could also be applied to a touch screen, for example, "Dai says. " Then smart phones and notepads could collect energy from someone's actions of typing or drawing. "

"Future work might make the keyboard even more useful, "Dai adds. " A later design might build tiny capacitors onto the nanowires, "he suggests. Capacitors are little devices that temporarily store electric charge. Those might then be LEDs to light a keyboard in the dark.

Zhonglin Wang is a co-designer of the new keyboard. His team has built a working model of the keyboard. "If a company decides to fund（资助）its production, this keyboard could be in stores in as few as two years, "says Wang.

【小题1】How does the new keyboard tell whether you are its owner？

A．By matching the typing pattern to the right user.

B．By sending alarms to a computer program.

C．By checking the right user's passwords.

D．By just recording information about the typing pattern.

【小题2】Why are there many nanowires on the surfaces of the keys？

A．To keep the keyboard free of damage.

B．To improve the speed of typing.

C．To make the keys smooth.

D．To help produce power.

【小题3】What's Dai's attitude to the new keyboard？

A．Unconcerned.	B．Doubtful.
C．Positive.	D．Critical.

【小题4】What is the best title for the text？

A．A New Keyboard Made of Nanowires

B．A New Keyboard Entirely Owned by You

C．A New Keyboard's Future

D．A New Keyboard Powered by Typing

   Humans have been keeping animals as pets for tens of thousands of years, but Dr Jean-Loup Rault, an animal scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia, believes new companions are coming: robot pets.

“Technology is moving very fast,” Rault told ABC News, “The Tamagotchi in the early 1990s was really the first robotic pet, and now Sony and other big companies have improved them a lot.”

This may not sit well with pet lovers. After all, who would choose a plastic toy over a lovely puppy? But Rault argues that the robotic kind has a lot going for it: “You don’t have to feed it, you don’t have to walk it, it won’t make a mess in your house, and you can go on a holiday without feeling guilty.” The technology also benefits those who are allergic to pets, short on space, or fearful of real animals.

It’s not clear whether robot pets can replace real ones. But studies do suggest that we can bond with these smart machines. People give their cars names and kids give their toy animals life stories. It’s the same with robots. When Sony stopped its repair service for its robot dog Aibo in March 2014, owners in Japan held funerals.

As an animal welfare researcher, Rault is concerned about how robotic pets could affect our attitudes towards live animals. “If we become used to a robotic companion that doesn’t need food, water or exercises, perhaps it will change how humans care about other living beings,” he said.

So are dogs and cats a thing of the past, as Rault predicts? For those who grew up with living and breathing pets, the mechanical kind might not do. But for our next generation who are in constant touch with smart technology, a future in which lovely pets needn’t have a heartbeat might not be a far-fetched dream.

【小题1】What does the underlined phrase “sit well with” means?

A．be refused by	B．be beneficial to
C．make a difference to	D．receive support from

【小题2】What are the advantages of robot pets?
a. They are plastic and feel smooth.
b. Owners needn’t worry about them when going out.
c. They can help cure allergies(过敏).
d. They save space and costs.

A．ab	B．bc
C．bd	D．cd

【小题3】We can learn from the passage that___________.

A．Sony is the first company to produce robot pets Aibo.

B．People can develop strong bond(联系、关系) with their robot pets.

C．Rault thinks robot pets still have a long way to go.

D．Robot toys may help people care more about living beings.

【小题4】The passage mainly tells us___________.

A．the advantages of robot toys	B．the popularity of robot pets
C．living pets are dying out.	D．robot pets are coming.

   After years of research and tests, the hybrid car was developed and put on the market. It's an interesting and exciting new improvement in today's world as we look for better ways to protect the quality of the air we breathe and protect our natural resources.

The quality of our air is affected by many different things. But one of the largest sources of air pollution is the burning of fossil fuel such as coal and gasoline which is used to power a car's engine. The Environmental Protection Agency（EPA）has set national standards to help control the level of harmful pollutants sent off into the air, and the automobile industry has acted by producing the hybrid car that uses less gas and therefore causes less pollution.

A hybrid car is a combination of a regular car that runs on gasoline and an electric car that is battery-powered. Some people tend to think that since the hybrid car is partially electric, you have to plug it in to charge it. But that's not how it works. The 144 volt battery pack（电池组）is actually recharged through the energy that is produced when the car's brakes are used. This is referred to as "regenerative braking", because it generates electricity.

Although the hybrid car still runs on gasoline most of the time, this helps it use less gas than a regular car. When the driver stops at a traffic light, the engine automatically shuts off to save fuel. Then, as soon as the driver puts the car in gear and touches the gas pedal（踏板）, the engine starts backing up.

Have you ever ridden in a car with someone which ran out of gas？That probably wouldn't happen if you were riding in a hybrid car. It flashes a warning on its computer screen that says, "I am low on gas. "When it completely runs out, the warning reads, "YOU ARENOW OUT OF GAS！"Then the electric power supply starts to work to let the driver travel a few more miles to a gas station.

【小题1】Which of the following is true according to the passage？

A．The hybrid car will be put on the market.

B．Hybrid cars run faster than regular cars.

C．When the hybrid car stops at a traffic light, the driver will get a warning.

D．The burning of fossil fuel is one of the largest sources of air pollution.

【小题2】According to the passage, the word "hybrid" refers to_________.

A．a high-tech discovery	B．energy saving
C．a new invention	D．a combination of two things

【小题3】"Regenerative braking" is an important process of the hybrid car because _________.

A．it allows the car to come to a quick stop

B．it gives the driver a smoother ride

C．it produces energy to charge the battery

D．it can control the speed of the car

【小题4】Which of the following is the reason for developing hybrid cars?

A．They use less gas than regular cars.

B．They' re safer to drive than most cars.

C．They' re more modern than other cars.

D．They cost less than regular cars.

语法填空

China's first manned spaceship lifted off at 9 a. m. on Wednesday, October 15th, 2003 in Jiuquan, Gansu Province. It carried China's first astronaut, Yang Liwei, 【小题1】 was a pilot in the army. The launch was 【小题2】（success）. "When the spaceship separated 【小题3】 the rocket, I suddenly got 【小题4】 feeling of soaring into the sky because of the zero gravity, "said Yang Liwei. The Shenzhou V circled the earth 14 times. When the spaceship 【小题5】（do）its seventh circle, Yang showed the flags of China and the United Nations, 【小题6】（express）the wishes of the Chinese people 【小题7】（explore）and use space 【小题8】（peaceful）. Yang landed in Inner Mongolia safely at 6：23 a. m. on October 16th. He told 【小题9】（report）that when Shenzhou V let out its parachute, he felt the ship was shaking. Millions of people all over China were watching TV when the spaceship landed safely. Yang was happy to return home 【小题10】 he thought 21 hours was too short to stay in space.