2 ln 1905, Albert Einstein published a research paper in which he explained what is referred to as the photoelectric effect. This theory explains that particles make up light. The particles Einstein was referring to are weightless bundles(束)of electromagnetic(电磁)energy called photons(光子). Today, scientists agree that light has a dual(二重) nature — it is part particle and part wave. It is a form of energy that allows us to see things around us.

　　3 Things that give off light are known as sources of light. During the day, the primary source of light is the sun. Other sources of light include stars, flames, flashlights, street lamps and glowing gases in glass tube.

　　4 When we draw the way light travels we always use straight lines. This is because normally light rays travel in a straight line. However, there are some instances that can change the path and even the nature of light. They are reflection, absorption, interference (干扰), etc.

　　5 Physicists have attempted to measure the speed of light since the early times. In 1849, Hippolyte Fizeau conducted an experiment by directing a beam of light to a mirror located kilometers away and placed a rotating cogwheel(旋转齿轮)between the beam and the mirror. From the rate of rotation of the wheel, number of wheel’s teeth and distance of the mirror, he was able to calculate that the speed of light is 313 million meters per second. In a vacuum(真空),however, the speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second. This is about a million times faster than the speed of an airplane.

　　23. Paragraph 2 ___A___

　　24. Paragraph 3 ___B___

　　25. Paragraph 4 ___D___

　　26. Paragraph 5 ___C___

　　A. How is the nature of light explained today?

　　B. What are sources of light?

　　C. How did physicists measure the speed of light?

　　D. How does light travel?

　　E. How did people think of light years ago?

　　F. What causes a shadow?

　　27. Objects are visible to the human eye as light is __F____

　　28. Stars, flames, flashlights are some examples of ___A___

　　29. Some instances such as reflection and absorption can change ___C___

　　30. Hippolyte Fizeau conducted an experiment to measure ___B___

　　A. sources of light

　　B. the speed of light

　　C. the path of light

　　D. a straight line

　　E. a beam of light

F. a form of energy

第四部分：阅读理解(第31~45题，每题3分，共45分)

　　下面有3篇短文，每篇短文后有5道题。请根据短文内容，为每题确定1个最佳选项。

　　第一篇

　　Graphene's Superstrength

　　Big technology comes in tiny packages. New cell phones and personal computers get smaller every year, which means these electronics require even smaller components on the inside. Engineers are looking for creative ways to build these components, and they've turned their eyes to graphene, a superthin material, made of carbon, that could change the future of electronics.

　　This year's Nobel Prize for Physics has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov from the University of Manchester, UK. for 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 were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers, 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 look far to find graphene—it's all around you.

　　If you want this high-tech wonderstuff, 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 area. When you pull up the tape, you'11 see 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 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.

　　31. What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?( C )

　　A. Personal computer.

　　B. Big technology.

　　C. Graphene.

　　D. Creative ways.

　　32. Which of the following statements about graphene is true ?( B )

　　A. It is visible to the human eye.

　　B. It is possibly the thinnest material in the world.

　　C. It can be used to make paper.

　　D. Finding it demands time and money.

　　33. The word “apply” in paragraph 4 could be used to replaced by ?( D )

　　A. push.

　　B. find.

　　C. collect.

　　D. put.

　　34. What does the writer tell in the last two paragraph ?( A )

　　A. An easy way to find graphene.

　　B. Significance of the discovery of graphene.

　　C. Development of high-tech wonders.

　　D. Possible applications of graphene.

　　35. Graphene's super strength lies in the fact that.( C )

　　A. 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.

　　第二篇

　　Puerto Rican Cuisine(菜肴)

　　Puerto Rico, a Caribbean (加勒比海区) island rich in history and remarkable natural beauty, has a cuisine all its own. Immigration(移民) to the island has helped to shape its cuisine, with people from all over the world making various contributions to it. However, before the arrival of these immigrants, the Taino people lived on the island of Puerto Rico. Taino cuisine included such foods as rodents (啮齿动物), fresh shellfish and fish fried in corn oil.

　　Many aspects of Taino cuisine continue today in Puerto Rican cooking, but it has been heavily influenced by the Spanish, who invaded Puerto Rico in 15