Question

Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.
The breakthrough, which scientists say is the first new way to generate electricity in 160 years, could lead to batteries that use water instead of poisonous substances.
The scientists made the discovery when they were investigating what happens when tap water is forced through extremely narrow glass tubes. Water squeezed down the tubes, each of which was narrower than a tenth the thickness of a human hair, generating a small electric current that ran the length of the tube. To produce a larger electric current, the team tried forcing water through a glass water filter(濾水器)that contained thousands of narrow channels lined up side by side. “When we took a syringe(注射器)of water and squeezed it through the filter, we got enough power to light a light bulb,” said Larry Kostiuk of the University of Alberta in Canada. “The harder you push the syringe, the more electric current you get.”
The current is produced because of an effect in the glass tubes. When they are filled with water, positively charged ions(陽離子)fixed in the tubes are washed away, leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water while positively charged ions are attracted down the tube. The result is a net flow of positively charged ions that sets up an electric current.
According to Dr Kostiuk, no one has ever thought to use water to produce electricity in this way. “The last time someone came up with a way of generating electricity was Michael Faraday in 1839,” he said. “So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”
Dr Kostiuk says water batteries might one day be used to power mobile phones and calculators, but admitted that the engineering challenges might make other applications more realistic. “You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,” he said.
More likely would be to install the electricity-generating devices where water is already being pumped, such as at city water filtration sites, he said. “It could compete with wind and solar power,” he added.
小題1:What does the passage mainly want to tell us about?

A．A kind of solar power discovered by scientists.

B．A kind of new energy source found in tap water.

C．The breakthrough to generate electricity 160 yeas ago.

D．A kind of new battery invented without poisonous substances.

小題2:The underlined word “repels” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _________.

A．rejects

B．identifies

C．attracts

D．rebels

小題3:Why were the scientists extremely happy about their new discovery?

A．They were the first to find a new way to produce electricity.

B．They could make an electric current to light a light bulb.

C．Their discovery could be used to invent water batteries.

D．Their discovery was made 160 years earlier than Faraday’s.

小題4:What can we infer about potential water batteries?

A．They must be used to power mobile phones and calculators.

B．They have some possible disadvantages like water leaking.

C．They would be needed greatly at city water filtration sites.

D．They would be better than wind and solar power.

Answer 1

小題1:B
小題2:A
小題3:A
小題4:B

試題分析：科學家發現當水通過特別細小的管道時會產生電流，這是近160年以來發現的第一種新式發電的方法，科學家對此非常興奮，他們認為這或許是替代風能或太陽能來發電的一種方式，但是在真正應用于實際之前還有很多問題需要解決。
小題1:B主旨大意題。本文是介紹科學研究類短文，在文章開頭提出Scientists who discovered a new way of generating electricity from water say they may have come across an alternative source of clean energy to rival wind and solar power.，然后在下文進行詳細介紹，由此可知文章中心就是介紹用自來水發電的新發現，選B。
小題2:A詞義猜測題。A排斥；B鑒定，認出；C吸引；D反抗，背叛。文章第四段提到leaving a slight negative charge on the glass surface. When water is then forced along the tube, the surface repels negatively charged ions in the water，從常識可知異性相吸，同性排斥，所以當管子表面的陰離子遇到陰離子時會發生排斥，由此推測A選項正確。
小題3:A細節理解題。根據文章倒數第三段“So this is the first new way of generating electricity in 160 years, which is why we are so excited about it.”可知科學家對此高興的原因是這是一個多世紀以來第一次發現一種新的發電的方法，故答案選A。
小題4:B細節理解題。根據文章倒數第二段“You’d need to be sure it wouldn’t leak, and you’d need to make sure it wouldn’t freeze,”可知這種水發電的不利之處就是水會結冰或者漏水，故答案選B。