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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 whenyou wake，when you eat and when you 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 its time for bed，your body may be pushing you to stay up3 for several hours 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 bodys clock out of sync with the cycle of light and dark5. It can also make it hard to get out of bed in the morning and may bring other problems，too. Teenagers are put in a kind of a gray cloud6 when they dont 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 clock，your internal clock can be reset. In fact，it automatically resetsitself 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 thought that the signals that synchronize the bodys 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 its day or night.词汇：circadian/s3:keidin/ adj. 昼夜节奏的，生理节奏的adolescent/dulesnt/ 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 bodys 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：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 bodys 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 clock 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 childrens biological clock has the same rhythm with that of the 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 the 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 morning.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 clock，like the alarm clock，can be reset.5. According to the last two paragraphs， what did the previous researchers think about the human eyes 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 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 bodys clock were handled through the samepathways that we use to see （眼睛所接受到的平衡生物钟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Graphenes 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 creative ways to build these components，and theyve turned their eyes to graphene，a superthin2 material，made of carbon，that could change the future of electronics.This years Nobel Prize for Physics3 has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselovfrom the University of Manchester4，UK. for the discovery of graphene. Graphene isnt just small,its“the thinnest possible material in this world，” says Novoselov. He calls it a“wondermaterial. ”Its 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 fingers5，youd have no idea because you wouldnt be able to see it.Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Every known kind of lifecontains carbon. Graphene is a sheet of carbon，but only one atom thick. You dont have to lookfar to find grapheme its all around you.If you want this high-tech wonderstuff6，all you need is a pencil，paper and a little adhesivetape. Use the pencil to shade a small area on the paper, and then apply a small piece of adhesivetape over the area7. When you pull up the tape，youll see that it pulls up a thin layer of some ofthe 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 wouldnt be able to see it. Graphite is made of layers of graphene，so when you get to the thinnest possible layer，youve found graphene.词汇：graphene/ grfi:n/ n石墨烯abundant/bndnt / adj丰富的，充裕的atom/ tm/n原子adhesive/ dhi:siv/ n胶粘剂； adj. 黏着的stack/stk/ v使成堆，堆放graphite / grfait / 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. 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 easy 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 materials 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. Graphenes superstrength lies in the fact 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工程师实现这一目标。这就是石墨烯力量所在。
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