职称英语理工类新增文章含练习解析及译文

1、2012年职称英语理工类新增文章阅读理解（6篇） 第六篇 Making Light of1 Sleep第十九篇 Graphene's Superstrength1*第三八篇 "Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan*第四十篇 Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety+第四五篇 Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety+第四十六篇Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers"注：1、+表示A级文

2、章；*表示B即文章；其他为C级文章2、阅读理解3、2012年词汇部分与2011年教材相比未作任何变化 阅读理解第六篇 Making Light of1 SleepAll we have a clock located inside our brains. Similar to your bedside alarm clock， your internal clock2 runs on a 24-hour cycle. This cycle，called a circadian rhythm，helps control when you wake，when you eat and when yo

3、u sleep.Somewhere around puberty，something happens in the timing of the biological clock. Theclock pushes forward，so adolescents and teenagers are unable to fall asleep as early as they used to. When your mother tells you it's time for bed，your body may be pushing you to stay up3 for several hou

4、rs more. And the light coming from your computer screen or TV could be pushing you to stay up even later.This shift4 is natural for teenagers. But staying up very late and sleeping late can get your body's clock out of sync with the cycle of light and dark5. It can also make it hard to get out o

5、f bed in the morning and may bring other problems，too. Teenagers are put in a kind of a gray cloud6 when they don't get enough sleep，says Mary Carskadon，a sleep researcher at Brown University in Providence，RI7 .It affects their mood and their ability to think and learn.But just like your alarm c

6、lock，your internal clock can be reset. In fact，it automatically resets itself every day. How? By using the light it gets through your eyes.Scientists have known for a long time that the light of day and the dark of night play important roles in setting our internal clocks. For years，researchers thou

7、ght that the signals that synchronize the body's clock8 were handled through the same pathways that we use to see.But recent discoveries show that the human eye has two separate light-sensing systems. One system allows us to see. The second system tells our body whether it's day or night.词汇：

8、circadian/s3:'keidin/ adj. 昼夜节奏的，生理节奏的adolescent/ædu'lesnt/ n青少年；adj青少年的puberty/ 'pju:bti/ n发育；青春期sync/sik/ n. （口语）同步；和谐，协调synchronize/'sikrnaiz / V.（使）同时发生；（使）同步注释：1.make light of ：轻视，不在乎。例如： We should not make light of their achievements我们不应当低估他们的成就。2. your internal clock ：指的是

9、第一句中的a clock located inside our brains ，也即是第二段第一句中的the biological clock （生物钟）。3. stay up：不睡觉，熬夜4. This shift：这种调整。指上文所描述的由于生理时间的变化青少年上床时间越来越晚的现象。5. get your body's clock out of sync with the cycle of light and dark ：打乱了你的生物钟与昼夜时间循环之间的平衡6. gray cloud ：提不起精神的状态7. Brown University in Providence， RI

10、：位于美国罗得岛州普罗维登斯的布朗大学。RI是RhodeIsland（罗得岛）的首字母缩写；Providence 是罗得岛州的首府。布朗大学是美国一流大学，创建于1764 年，是世界闻名的美国“常春藤联盟”（还包括哈佛大学、耶鲁大学、普林斯顿大学、布朗大学、哥伦比亚大学、宾夕法尼亚大学、达特茅斯大学和康奈尔大学）中的一员。8. the signals that synchronize the body's clock：平衡生物钟的光信号练习：1 .The clock located inside our brains is similar to our bedside alarm cl

11、ock becauseA it controls when we wake，when we eat and when we sleep.B it has a cycle of 24 hours.C it is a cycle also called circadian rhythm.D it can alarm any time during 24 hours.2. What is implied in the second paragraph?A Young children's biological clock has the same rhythm with that of th

12、e teenagers.B People after puberty begin to go to bed earlier due to the change of the biological clock.C Children before puberty tend to fall asleep earlier at night than adolescents.D Teenagers go to bed later than they used to due to the light from the computer screen.3. In the third paragraph th

13、e author wants to tell the reader thatA it is natural for teenagers to stay up late and get up late.B staying up late has a bad effect on teenagers' ability to think and learn.C during puberty most teenagers experience a kind of gray cloud.D it is hard for teenagers to get out of bed in the morn

14、ing.4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the fourth and fifth paragraphs?A Our biological clock resets itself automatically.B light gets through our eyes and resets our biological clock.C Our internal clock as well as the alarm clock can be reset automatically.D Our internal

15、 clock，like the alarm clock，can be reset.5. According to the last two paragraphs， what did the previous researchers think about the human eye's light-sensing system?A The human eye had two light-sensing systems.B The human eye had one light-sensing system.C The human eye could sense the light of

16、 day more quickly than the dark of night.D The human eye could reset our internal clocks in accordance with the alarm clocks.答案与题解：1.B 第一段第二句提供了答案。句中的your internal clock 即指a clock located inside ourBrains。2. C 第二段主要内容是告诉读者，过了青春期（puberty），由于生物钟节奏的变化，青少年（adolescents and teenagers）比以前要晚睡几小时。所以C是该段所隐含的内

17、容。3. B 第三段的最后一句直接给出了答案。4. C 根据第四和第五段的内容，闹钟和生物钟都可以重新设定时间，但生物钟能通过眼睛接受的日光来自动调节生理节奏。所以A、B和D都是这两段中所述内容，C是正确选择，因为闹钟不能自动重新设定时间。5.B 问题使用的是过去时，问的是研究者在最新发现（recent discoveries）之前对眼睛感光系统的认识，即，the signals that synchronize the body's clock were handled through the samepathways that we use to see （眼睛所接受到的平衡生物钟

18、的光信号同样作用于人类的视觉系统），也就是说，研究者之前认为人类的眼睛只有一个感光系统。但最新发现却是，人的眼睛有两个感光系统。第十九篇Graphene's Superstrength1Big technology comes in tiny packages. New cell phones and personal computers get smallerevery year，which means these electronics require even smaller components on the inside.Engineers are looking for c

19、reative ways to build these components，and they've turned their eyes to graphene，a superthin2 material，made of carbon，that could change the future of electronics.This year's Nobel Prize for Physics3 has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov from the University of Manchester4，UK. fo

20、r the discovery of graphene. Graphene isn't just small,it's“the thinnest possible material in this world，” says Novoselov. He calls it a“wonder material. ”It's so thin that you would need to stack about 25,000 sheets just to make a pile as thick as a piece of ordinary white paper. If you

21、 were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers5，you'd have no idea because you wouldn't be able to see it.Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Every known kind of life contains carbon. Graphene is a sheet of carbon，but only one atom thick. You don't have to loo

22、k far to find grapheme it's all around you.If you want this high-tech wonderstuff6，all you need is a pencil，paper and a little adhesive tape. Use the pencil to shade a small area on the paper, and then apply a small piece of adhesive tape over the area7. When you pull up the tape，you'll see

23、that it pulls up a thin layer of some of the shading from your pencil. That layer is called graphite，one of the softest minerals in the world.Now stick the same piece of tape on another sheet of paper and pull the tape up there should be an even thinner layer，this time left on the paper. Now imagine

24、 that you do this over and over，until you get the thinnest possible layer of material on the paper. This layer would be only one atom thick，and you wouldn't be able to see it. Graphite is made of layers of graphene，so when you get to the thinnest possible layer，you've found graphene.词汇：graph

25、ene/ 'græfi:n/ n石墨烯abundant/bndnt / adj丰富的，充裕的atom/ 'ætm/n原子adhesive/ d'hi:siv/ n胶粘剂； adj. 黏着的stack/stæk/ v使成堆，堆放graphite / 'græfait / n石墨注释：1. superstrength：超强的力量。该词是一个合成词，由两部分组成， super（超级的）和strength （力量）。2. superthin：超薄。见注释1。3. Nobel Prize for Physics ：诺贝尔物理学奖4.

26、 the University of Manchester：曼彻斯特大学。这是一所位于英国曼彻斯特市的公立研究型大学，创建于1851 年。5. If you were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers：句子使用的是虚拟语气，因为不可能将几乎肉眼看不到的石墨烯放在指尖上。6. wonderstuff：神奇物。该词为合成词，由wonder（神奇）和stuff（东西）两个词构成。wonderstuff 指的是第二段提到的wonder material。7. apply a small piece of adhesive tape over ：将一

27、小片胶带敷在上。练习：1 .What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?A Big technology.B Creative ways.C Graphene.D Both A and B.2. According to the second and third paragraphs，what is true of graphene?A It can be used to make paper.B It is possible to see it with our naked eye.C It is ea

28、sy to find graphene.D It is possibly the thickest material in the world.3. Which of the following can be used to replace the word “apply”in paragraph 4?A request.B polish.C use.D put.4. Which of the following is NOT meant in the last two paragraphs?A Graphene is made of graphite，one of the softest m

29、aterials in the world.B Graphite is made of layers of graphene，the thinnest material in the world.C When we get to the thinnest possible layer of graphite，we find graphene.D With a pencil，a sheet of paper and a piece of adhesive tape，we can find graphene.5. Graphene's superstrength lies in the f

30、act thatA It is the thinnest material in the world.B It is made of the most abundant elements in the world.C It can help to make electronic components smaller. D It helps engineers to produce more sensitive electronic products.答案与题解：1. C 第一段最后一句提供了答案：工程师将眼光投向石墨烯，一种由碳原子组成的超薄材料，这种材料能够改变电子产品的未来。2.C 第二段

31、倒数第二句告诉我们，25,000 层石墨烯才能堆砌成一张普通白纸的厚度，这是为了说明石墨烯是多么的薄，而不是说它可以用来造纸，所以A不是正确答案。第三段最后一句说明石墨烯就在我们周围，因此C是答案。B和D的表述内容都与该两段内容不符合。3.D apply. over：将涂（敷）在上。4.A 最后两段告诉我们，用一张纸，一支铅笔和一片胶带就能找到石墨烯；无数层石墨烯构成石墨，当铅笔留在纸上的石墨被胶带剥离到最薄一层时，我们就得到了石墨烯。因此只有A不是最后两段的表述内容。5. C 第一段提供了答案。随着电子产品越来越小，需要更小的电子组件（components) ，而石墨烯作为最薄的材料可以帮助

32、工程师实现这一目标。这就是石墨烯力量所在。*第三八篇 "Life Form Found" on Saturn's TitanScientists say they have discovered hints of alien life1 on the Saturn's moon2. The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space agency,NASA3,analyzed data from spacecraft Cassini4,which po

33、inted to,the existence of methane-based form of life on Saturn's biggest moon.Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are"breathing" in Titan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.They argue that hydrogen gets absorbed before hitting Titan's

34、 planet-like surface covered with methane lakes and rivers. This,they say,points to the existence of some"bugs"5 consuming the hydrogen at the surface of the moon less than half the size of the Earth."We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consu

35、me on Titan,similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,"says NASA scientist Chris McKay."If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life,it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."To date,scientists have

36、not yet detected this form of life anywhere,though there are liquid-water-based microorganisms on Earth that grow well on methane or produce it as a waste product. On Titan, where temperatures are around 90 Kelvin6(minus 290 degrees Farenheit),a methanebased organism would have to use a substance th

37、at is liquid as its medium for living processes, but not water itself. Water is frozen solid on Titan's surface and much too cold to support life as we know it.Scientists had expected the Sun's interactions with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's sur

38、face. But Cassini detected no acetylene on the surface.The absence of detectable acetylene on the Titan's surface can very well have a non-biological explanation,said Mark Allen,a principal investigator7 of the NASA Titan team."Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation

39、should be the last choice after all non-biological explanations are addressed,"Allen said. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out8 possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process,without biology,can explain these results."词汇：Saturn /'sætn/ n土

40、星 methane/'mi:ein/ n甲烷，沼气Titan/'taitn/ n土卫六 acetylene/'setili:n/ n乙炔alien/'eiljn/ n外星人；adj外星球的；相异的 conservatism/kn's:vtizm/ n保守主义,守旧注释：1.hints of alien life：外星生命迹象。2.the Saturn's moon：指土卫六（Titan) 。土卫六又称泰坦星，是土星卫星中最大的一颗。3.NASA：美国国家航空航天局的缩写，全称是： National Aeronautics and Space Ad

41、ministration。4.spacecraft Cassini：卡西尼号探测器，以出生于意大利的法国天文学家卡西尼的名字命名，其任务是环绕土星飞行，对土星及其大气、光环、卫星和磁场进行深人考察。1997 年10 月15日，重六吨的“卡西尼”号星际探测器被发射飞往土星的轨道。这是上世纪发射的最后一艘行星际探测的大飞船。“卡西尼”号用了将近七年时间，在2004 年7月1日飞达土星轨道。5.bugs：微生物。非正式口语表达，所以使用了引号。6.Kelvin：可翻译成“绝对温度”。Kelvin Scale ，绝对温标，开氏温标，是由Kelvin 勋爵于19世纪中叶发明的温度计量方法，其零度相当于摄

42、氏一273. 15" C ，被认为是宇宙中最低温度。这种温度计量方法多为科学家使用。7.principal investigator：研究项目负责人8.rule out：排除的可能性练习：1 .What have scientists found about Saturn?A They have found a new moon orbiting Saturn.B They have found methane-based life on Saturn.C They have found methane-based life on Titan.D They have found ea

43、rthlike life on a Saturn's moon.2. What do scientists say about Titan?A There are life clues there.B There is acetylene there.C Water on Titan exists in the form of ice.D Rivers and lakes there contain life formls.3. To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life.(paragraph 5)What do

44、es"this formof life" refer to?A Water-based life.B Methane-based life.C Liquid-water-based microorganisms.D Gas-based life.4. What can be inferred from what Allen said?A Scientists have different arguments over whether there is life on Titan.B Scientists all agree that there is life on Tit

45、an.C Scientists all suggest that a biological explanation is reasonable.D Scientists all agree that a non-biological chemical reaction is a possible explanation.5. Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?A Earthlike Living Beings Found on Titan.B Finding of One More Moon of Satu

46、rn.C Titan,a New Satellite Found.D A different Life Form, a Possibility.答案与题解：1. C 短文的第一段提供了答案。该段告诉读者，科学家在土星的卫星土卫六（ Titan ）上发现了生命的迹象，这些生命的存在是以甲烷为基础的。2.A根据第二段“Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are'breathing' in Titan's dense atmosphere filled with

47、hydrogen.”，说明土卫六（Titan）有生命迹象。因此A是答案。3. B this form of life 指的是土卫六（ Titan ）上以甲烷为生命基础呼吸氢气的生物，即该文讨论的主题。4.A科学家至今对土卫六是否存在生物有不同的观点和解释。Allen 说要做出土卫六上有生物的结论，首先必须对Titan 上没有生物的观点做出回应；要排除土卫六上可能没有生物的观点，我们还须付出努力。所以只有A是正确选择。5.D该短文的主题是，科学家在土卫六（ Titan ）上发现了一种与地球生物不同的生命形式的迹象，即以甲烷为生命基础呼吸氢气的生物，但科学家还未能最后验证这一发现。第四段中的一个句

48、子能够揭示该短文的主题：“If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would bedoubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth.”*第四十篇 Teaching Math, Teaching AnxietyIn a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, the psychologi

49、sts at the University of Chicagol1 Sian Beilock and Susan Levine found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn:If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better t

50、han girls at math."If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers2 in later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement3 said Levine. In other words,girls may end up learning math anxiety from their teachers4. The study suggests that if these girls grow up believ

51、ing that boys are better at math than girls are,then these girls may not do as well as they would have if they were more confident.Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be difficult to learn - and teach. The subject of math can be particularly

52、difficult for everyone. Researchers use the word "anxiety" to describe such feelings: anxiety is uneasiness or worry.The new study found that when a teacher has anxiety about math, that feeling can influence how her female students feel about math. The study involved 65 girls,52 boys and 1

53、7 first- and second-grade teachers in elementary schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school year, and the researchers compared the scores.The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether the students believed that a math supers

54、tar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers:To find out which teachers were anxious about math,the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt5. A teacher who got nervous looking at the numbers on a sales

55、 receipt, for example,was probably anxious about math.Boys,on average,were unaffected by a teacher's anxiety. On average,girls with math-anxious teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did.Plus,on the test showing whether someone thought a math super

56、star had to be a boy,20 girls showed feeling that boys would be better at math - and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers who had math anxiety."This is an interesting study,but the results need to be interpreted as preliminary and in need of replication with a larger sample6,&q

57、uot; said David Geary,a psychologist at the University of Missouri7 in Columbia.词汇：snowball /'snub:l/雪球；滚雪球式增长的事 replication/repli'kein/ n 重复，复现superstar/'sju:psta:/ n超级明星练习：1. University of Chicago：芝加哥大学。位于美国伊利诺伊州芝加哥市，是世界一流的私立大学，创建于1891 年。2. keep getting math-anxious female teachers：一直由

58、对数学有焦虑感的女教师教授数学。此处getting是having的意思，math-anxious指的是上文中提到的对数学没有自信的心理状态。另见第三段最后一句对anxiety的解释。3. snowball effect on their math achievement：在数学成就上的雪球效应。其含义是：在数学上越来越没有信心。4. end up learning math anxiety from their teachers：最后从老师那里获得的是对数学的焦虑。End up doing something：最终会做某事5. sales receipt：销售清单6. in need of r

59、eplication with a larger sample：需要用更大的调查样本进行重复验证。replication在量化实证研究中的意思是“重复（实验）”。7. the University of Missouri：密苏里大学。位于密苏里州，是美国一所公立研究型大学，创建于1839年。练习：1. What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago,according to the first paragraph?A Girls comfortable with their own math skills are better than boys at math.B Girls uncomfortable with their own ma