Batteries Built by Viruses

What do chicken pox，the common cold, the flu，and AIDS have in common? They’re all disease caused by viruses，tiny microorganisms that can pass from person to person.It's no wonder1 that when most people think about viruses, finding ways t0 steer clear of2 viruses is what's on people's minds.

Not everyone runs from the tiny disease carders, though3.In Cambridge, Massachusetts4, scientists have discovered that some viruses can be helpful in an unusual way.They are putting viruses to work, teaching them to build some of the world's smallest rechargeable batteries.

Viruses and batteries may seem like an unusual pair，but they're not so strange for engineer Angela Belcher，who first came up with5 the idea.At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, she and her collaborators bring together different areas of science in new ways.In the case of the virus-built batteries, the scientists combine what they know about biology, technology and production techniques.

Belcher's team includes Paula Hammond，who helps put together the tiny batteries, and Yet-Ming Chiang， an expert on how to store energy in the form of a battery.“We’re working on things we traditionally don’t associate with nature.” says Hammond.

Many batteries are already pretty small.You can hold A.C and D batteries6 in your hand.The coin—like batteries that power watches are often smaller than a penny.However。every year，new electronic devices like personal music players or cell phones get smaller than the year before.As these devices shrink, ordinary batteries won't be small enough to fit inside.

The ideal battery will store a lot of energy in a small package.Right now，Belcher's model battery，a metallic disk completely built by viruses，looks like a regular watch battery.But inside，its components are very small—so tiny you can only see them with a powerful microscope.

How small are these battery parts? To get some idea of the size，pluck one hair from your head.Place your hair on a piece of white paper and try to see how wide your hair is—pretty thin，right? Although the width of each person's hair is a bit different，you could probably fit about l o of these virus—built battery parts，side to side，across one hair.These microbatteries may change the way we look at viruses7.

词汇：

chicken pox水痘

microorganism n.微生物

metallic adj.金属的

collaborator n.合作者，协作者

pluck v.拔，摘，采

注释：

1.no wonder：不足为奇的，难怪

2.steer clear of：避开，绕开

3.though：意思为“然而，可是”。在句中使用时通常放在句末。

4.Cambridge，Massachusetts：马萨诸塞州的剑桥市。本文第三段提到的the Massachusetts

Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge即指坐落于剑桥市的麻省理工学院。麻省理工学院于1861年由着名自然科学家威廉·巴罗吉杰斯创立。这是美国的一所私立研究型大学，培养高级科技人才和管理人才，是以理工科为主的、世界一流的综合性大学。

5.came up with：提出

6.A，C and D batteries：A、C、D均为电池型号。

7.These microbatteries may change the way we look at viruses：这些微型电池可能会改变我们看待病毒的方式。作者想表达的意思是：人们一直认为病毒有害无益，现在病毒可用来制作电池，人们对病毒的看法可能会因此而发生变化。

练习：

1.According to the first paragraph，people try to

A.kill microorganisms related to chicken pox，the flu，etc.

B.keep themselves away from viruses because they are invisible.

C.stay away from viruses because they are causes of various diseases.

D.cure themselves of virus—related diseases by taking medicines.

2.What is Belcher's team doing at present?

A.It is finding ways to get rid of viruses..

B.It is mass—producing microbatteries.

C.It is making batteries with viruses.

D.It is analyzing virus genes.

3.What expression below is opposite in meaning to the word "shrink" appearing in paragraph 5?

A.Broaden.

B.Spread.

C.Extend.

D.Expand：

4. Which of the following is true of Belcher's battery mentioned in paragraph 6?

A.It is made of metal.

B.It is a kind of watch battery.

C.It can only be seen with a microscope.

D.It is a metallic disk with viruses inside it.

5. How tiny is one battery part?

A.Its width is one tenth of a hair.

B.It equals the width of a hair.

C.It is as thin as a piece of paper.

D.Its width is too tiny to measure.

答案与题解：

1.C短文第一段的大致意思是，许多疾病都由病毒引起，诸如水痘、感冒和艾滋病，所以人们想尽办法躲避病毒。这是C所表达的意思。A不是正确选择，因为文章并没有说人们想方设法去杀死病毒。B的后半句的内容(病毒肉眼看不见)和D的内容(吃药治疗病毒引起的疾病)文中没有提到.

2.C短文的第二段明确提供了答案。

3.D 根据上下文，shrink在此的意思是“收缩”，即“缩小”。所以，它的反义词是expand(增大，扩张)。C不是正确选择，因为extend的意思是become longer，即“延伸”或“加长”。A的意思是“加宽”，也不是答案。B的意思是“伸展，展开”，在一定的上下文里也可以做shrink的反义词，但在第五段这个语境里，B不是最佳选择。

4.D第六段第二句中提到的metallic disk是指“金属圆盘”，它是微型电池的外形，其内部是由病毒构成的电池部件。微型电池不是由金属组成的，所以A不是答案。本段提到，这种电池looks like a regular watch battery，与手表里电池外形相似，但并不等同手表电池，所以B也不是正确选择。文章只是说电池的部件(但并没有说整个电池)小到只能用显微镜才能看到，所以C也不是正确的选择。D才是第六段所要表达的主要内容，因此是答案。

5.A 短文最后一段的第四句(“you could probably fit about lo of these virus-built battery parts，side to side，across one hair”)提供了本题的答案。

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