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考题类型：阅读理解
Putting Plants to Work
Using the power of the sun is nothing new. People have had solar-powered calculators and buildings with solar panels（太阳能电池板） for decades. But plants are the real experts: They've been using sunlight as an energy source for billions of years.
Cells in the green leaves of plants work like tiny factories to convert sunlight, carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）, and water into sugars and starches（淀粉）, stored energy that the plants can use. This conversion process is called photosynthesis（光合作用）. Unfortunately, unless you're a plant, it's difficult and expensive to convert sunlight into storable energy. That's why scientists are taking a closer look at exactly how plants do it.
Some scientists are trying to get plants, or biological cells that act like plants, to work as miniature photosynthetic power stations. For example, Maria Ghirardi of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colo., is working with green algae. She's trying to trick them into producing hydrogen instead of sugars when they perform photosynthesis. Once the researchers can get the algae working efficiently, the hydrogen that they produce could be used to power fuel cells in cars or to generate electricity.
The algae are grown in narrow-necked glass bottles to produce hydrogen in the lab. During photosynthesis, plants normally make sugars or starches. "But under certain conditions, a lot of algae are able to use the sunlight energy not to store starch, but to make hydrogen." Ghirardi says. For example, algae will produce hydrogen in an airfree environment. It's the oxygen in the air that prevents algae from making hydrogen most of the time.
Working in an airfree environment, however, is difficult. It's not a practical way to produce cheap energy. But Ghirardi and her colleagues have discovered that by removing a chemical called sulfate （硫酸盐）from the environment that the algae grow in, they will make hydrogen instead of sugars, even when air is present.
Unfortunately, removing the sulfate also makes the algae's cells work very slowly, and not much hydrogen is produced. Still, the researchers see this as a first step in their goal to produce hydrogen efficiently from algae. With more work, they may be able to speed the cells' activity and produce larger quantities of hydrogen.
The researchers hope that algae will one day be an easy-to-use fuel source. The organisms are cheap to get and to feed, Ghirardi says, and they can grow almost anywhere: "You can grow them in a reactor, in a pond. You can grow them in the ocean. There's a lot of flexibility in how you can use these organisms."
36. How do plant relate to solar energy?
A. They are the real experts in producing it.
B. They have been a source of it
C. They have been use to produce it.
D. They have been using it for billions of year.
专家解析：
第一步：划出题干中的信息词。本题目信息词有：plant，relate to，solar energy。
第二步：根据顺序出题原则，将信息词回归原文。本题回归至原文的第一段最后一句话，即：But plants are the real experts: They've been using sunlight as an energy source for billions of years.
第三步：对比原文及题目信息，确定答案。题干问的是plant和solar energy是怎么联系在一起的？原文 说的是但是plants是真正的专家（real experts），他们已经把sunlight作为能源（as an energy source）使用（using）上亿年了（for billions of years）。也就是选项D说的they（他们，指代 plants）已经使用它（it，指代solar energy太阳能）上亿年了for billions of years。可见和原文 意思一致，所以本题的答案为选项D。
37. Scientists study how photosynthesis is works because they want to
A. improve the efficiency of it.
B. make green plants a new source of energy.
C. turn plant sugar to a new form of energy.
D. get more sugars and starches form plants.
专家解析：
第一步：划出题干中的信息词。本题目信息词有：Scientists，study，how，photosynthesis，because 。
第二步：将信息词回归原文。本题回归至原文的第二段后半部分，即：This conversion process is called photosynthesis（光合作用）. Unfortunately, unless you're a plant, it's difficult and expensive to convert sunlight into storable energy. That's why scientists are taking a closer look at exactly how plants do it.
第三步：对比原文及题目信息，确定答案。题干问的是Scientists研究（study）photosynthesis 怎么 工作（works）是因为（because）他们想怎么样。原文第二段最后一句话出现了because的对应词why， 并且提到了how plants do it（plants怎么做到的），可见答案应该在why所在句子的前面，即除非 （unless）是plants，不然很难（difficult）而且代价也很高（expensive）把sunlight转变为 （convert）为可储藏的能源（storable energy）。也就是选项B所说的使green plants成为一种新能源 （a new source of energy），故本题的答案为选项B。
38. Algae are able to use solar energy to produce hydrogen when
A. they are grow in narrow-necked bottles.
B. there is enough oxygen in the air.
C. there is no oxygen in the air.
D. enough starch is stored.
专家解析：
第一步：划出题干中的信息词。本题目信息词有：Algae，produce hydrogen，when。
第二步：根据顺序出题原则，将信息词回归原文。本题回归至原文的第四段后半部分，即： "But under certain conditions, a lot of algae are able to use the sunlight energy not to store starch, but to make hydrogen." Ghirardi says. For example, algae will produce hydrogen in an airfree environment. It's the oxygen in the air that prevents algae from making hydrogen most of the time.
第三步：对比原文及题目信息，确定答案。题干问的是在什么时候（when）algae能使用（able to use ）solar energy来产生（produce）hydrogen。原文说的是在某些条件下（under certain conditions ），algae能使用（able to use）sunlight energy（也就是solar energy）来产生（make）hydrogen 。比如（for example），algae在真空环境（airfree environment）中能产生（produce）hydrogen。 因为空气中的oxygen阻止（prevents）了algae产生（making）hydrogen。可见答案就是选项C的there is no oxygen in the air（空气中没有oxygen）。所以本题的答案为选项C。
39. Researchers find it difficult to make algae produce hydrogen efficiently because
A. it is hard to create an air free environment.
B. removing the sulfate slows down hydrogen production.
C. it is expensive to remove the sulfate from the environment.
D. the algae's cells work slowly if there is no oxygen in the air.
专家解析：
第一步：划出题干中的信息词。本题目信息词有：difficult，efficiently，because。
第二步：将信息词回归原文。本题回归至原文的第六段前半部分，即：Unfortunately, removing the sulfate also makes the algae's cells work very slowly, and not much hydrogen is produced. Still, the researchers see this as a first step in their goal to produce hydrogen efficiently from algae.
第三步：对比原文及题目信息，确定答案。题干问的是Researchers发现（find）使algae高效 （efficiently）地产生（produce）hydrogen很难（difficult）是因为什么。原文说的是removing the sulfate导致algae的cells工作的很慢（work slowly），而且没产生多少hydrogen。另外， researchers把这看作为从algae中高效（efficiently）生产hydrogen目标的第一步。可见困难的原因就 是removing the sulfate导致algae的cells工作的很慢（work slowly），也就是选项B说的removing the sulfate降低了（slows down）的hydrogen产量（production）。所以本题的答案为选项B。
40. What does Ghirardi say about algae？
A. They can be a good energy source.
B. They grow faster in a reactor.
C. They will be planted everywhere.
D. They are cheap to eat.
专家解析：
第一步：划出题干中的信息词。本题目信息词有：Ghirardi，say。
第二步：根据顺序出题原则，将信息词回归原文。本题回归至原文的最后一段，即：The researchers hope that algae will one day be an easy-to-use fuel source. The organisms are cheap to get and to feed, Ghirardi says, and they can grow almost anywhere: "You can grow them in a reactor, in a pond. You can grow them in the ocean. There's a lot of flexibility in how you can use these organisms."
第三步：对比原文及题目信息，确定答案。题干问的是Ghirardi关于algae说了（say）什么？原文说的是 他们(they指代algae)几乎可以到处生长 （grow almost anywhere）。“可以种在reactor，pond， ocean里。”也就是选项C说的他们(they指代algae)能被种植在任何地方（planted everywhere）。所以 本题的答案为选项C。
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