Question

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has just published a report on new materials and has looked at the case of nanotechnology（納米技術）, which describes the science of the very small. Nanotechnology covers those man-made materials or objects that are about a thousand times smaller than the microtechnology（微電子技術）we use, such as the silicon chips of computers.
Nanotechnology gets its name from the nanometer, which is a billionth of a meter. There are about 600 consumer products already on the market that use nanotechnology. Nanomedicine is also being developed to fight cancer and other fatal diseases.
The Royal Commission found no evidence of harm to health or the environment from nanomaterials, but this “absence of evidence” is not being taken as “evidence of absence”. In other words, just because there are no apparent problems, this is not to say that here is no risk now or in the future. The commission is concerned about the pace at which we are inventing and adopting new nanomaterials, which could result in future problems that we are ill-equipped to understand or even find with current testing methods.
One of the problems about nanotechnology is that when we make something very small out of a well known material, we may actually change the functionality of that material even if the chemical composition remains the same. Indeed, it is not the particle（顆粒）size that should concern us, but its functionality. Take gold, for example, which is a famously inert (惰性) substance, and valuable because of it. It doesn’t rust or corrode because it doesn’t interact with water or oxygen. However, a particle of gold that is between 2 and 5 nanometers in diameter becomes highly reactive. This is not due to a change in chemical composition, but because of a change in the physical size of the gold particles. How can a change in size result in a change of function? One reason is to do with surface area. Nanoparticles have relatively a much bigger surface area. It is like comparing the surface area of a basketball with the total surface area of many pea-sized balls with the same weight of the single basketball. The pea-sized balls have a surface area many hundreds, indeed thousands of times bigger than the basketball, and this allows them to interact more easily with the environment. It is this increased interactivity that changes their functionality—and makes them potentially more dangerous to health or the environment.
小題1:Why does the writer mention microtechnology in the first paragraph?

A．to introduce the topic of nanotechnology

B．to help us better understand nanotechnology

C．to help us know more about microtechnology

D．to compare microtechnology with nanotechnology

小題2:The example of the “gold” in the last paragraph is intended to show that_________.

A．gold is valuable because it is an inert substance

B．an inert substance like gold doesn’t interact with water or oxygen

C．the function of gold is steady because it is an inert substance

D．the function of gold changes when made into something very small

小題3:Which process explains that there might be risks in nanotechnology?

A．expand surface area →increase interactivity → change functionality→cause possible dangers

B．expand surface area → change functionality → increase interactivity →cause possible dangers

C．increase interactivity → expand surface area → change functionality→cause possible dangers

D．increase interactivity → change functionality → expand surface area→cause possible dangers

小題4:What does the passage mainly focus on?

A．the introduction of nanotechnology and its wide use

B．the present use of nanotechnology and its future

C．the potential danger nanotechnology may bring us

D．the proposal to stop nanotechnology due to the potential danger

Answer 1

小題1:B
小題2:D
小題3:A
小題4:C

試題分析：人們在生活中時常會碰到納米技術這個術語，那么什么是納米技術呢？納米技術對我們是有害還是有益呢？本文作者認為沒有證據能證明納米技術對人類無害并不等于納米技術對人類真正無害。作者在文中通過舉例來說明納米技術對物質性能的改變很可能會對人類和環境造成危害。
小題1:B推理判斷題 。人們僅僅知道納米技術這個術語，但是很多人不明白其含義，于是作者通過與微電子技術相對比，讓讀者更好的了解納米技術，所以答案選B。
小題2:D 推理判斷題。文章末段首先介紹One of the problems about nanotechnology is that when we make something very small out of a well known material, we may actually change the functionality of that material納米技術會改變一種物質的功能，然后提出以黃金為例（Take gold, for example）,由此可知作者用黃金這種物質為例來說明當黃金通過納米技術被制成微小的物質時，它的功能性質會發生變化，答案選D。
小題3:A細節理解題。根據文章末段中用同等重量的籃球和很多豌豆大小的球相比The pea-sized balls have a surface area many hundreds,…… and this allows them to interact more easily with the environment. It is this increased interactivity that changes their functionality—and makes them potentially more dangerous to health or the environment.可以得知A選項的過程能準確反映納米技術可能導致的危險，故答案選A。
小題4:C主旨大意題。文章首段向人們介紹了納米技術，然后在第二段提出Nanomedicine is also being developed to fight cancer and other fatal diseases.，再從下文中通過舉例來說明納米技術可能對人類以及環境存在的危害，故C選項內容更能反映文章中心。