fierce competition in nuclear power business
failure in other businesses like semiconductors and DVD players
popularity of nuclear power around the world
expected increase in market demand for nuclear power generation
第1题：
D
Batteries can power anything from small sensors to large systems. While scientists are finding ways to make them smaller but even more powerful, problems can arise when these batteries are much larger and heavier than the devices themselves. University of Missouri(MU) researchers are developing a nuclear energy source that is smaller, lighter and more efficient.
“To provide enough power, we need certain methods with high energy density(密度)”，said Jae Kwon, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at MU. “The radioisotope(放射性同位素) battery can provide power density that is much higher than chemical batteries.”
Kwon and his research team have been working on building a small nuclear battery, presently the size and thickness of a penny, intended to power various micro / nanoelectromechanreal systems (M/NEMS). Although nuclear batteries can cause concerns, Kwon said they are safe.
“People hear the word ‘nuclear’ and think of something very dangerous,” he said, “However, nuclear power sources have already been safely powering a variety of devices, such as pace-makers, space satellites and underwater systems.”
His new idea is not only in the battery’s size, but also in its semiconductor(半导体). Kwon’s battery uses a liquid semiconductor rather than a solid semiconductor.
“The key part of using a radioactive battery is that when you harvest the energy, part of the radiation energy can damage the lattice structure(晶体结构) of the solid semiconductor,” Kwon said, “By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem.”
Together with J. David Robertson, chemistry professor and associate director of the MU Research Reactor, Kwon is working to build and test the battery. In the future, they hope to increase the battery’s power, shrink its size and try with various other materials. Kwon said that battery could be thinner than the thickness of human hair.
71. Which of the following is true of Jae Kwon?
A. He teaches chemistry at MU.
B. He developed a chemical battery.
C. He is working on a nuclear energy source.
D. He made a breakthrough in computer engineering.
细节理解题。根据第三段的叙述可知Kwon在研究一种原子能电池，所以C项正确。
第2题：
第3题：
根据下列材料请回答 31～35 题：
C
The police fired tear gas and arrested more than 5,000 passively resisting protestors Friday in an attempt to break up the largest antinuclear demonstration ever staged in the United States. More than 135,000 demonstrators confronted the police on the construction site of a 1,000-megawatt nuclear power plant scheduled to provide power to most of southern New Hampshire. Organizers of the huge demonstration said that the protest was continuing despite the police actions. More demonstrators were arriving to keep up the pressure on state authorities to cancel the project. The demonstrator had charged that the project was unsafe in the densely populated area, would create thermal pollution in the bay, and had no acceptable means for disposing of its radioactive wasters. The demonstrations would go on until the jails and the courts were so overloaded that the state judicial system would collapse.
Governor Stanforth Thumper insisted that there would be no reconsideration of the power project and no delay in its construction set for completion in three years. “This project will begin on time and the people of this state will begin to receive its benefits on schedule. Those who break the law in misguided attempts to sabotage the project will be dealt with according to the law,” he said. And the police called in reinforcements from all over the state to handle the disturbances.
The protests began before dawn Friday when several thousand demonstrators broke through the police lines around the cordoned-off construction site. They carried placards that read “No Nukes is Good Nukes,” “Sunpower, Not Nuclear Power,” and “Stop Private Profits from Public Peril.” They defied police order to move from the area. Tear gas canisters fired by the police failed to dislodge the protestors who had been prepared with their own gas masks or facecloths. Finally the gas-masked and helmeted police charged into the crowd to drag off the demonstrators one by one. The protestors did not resist the police, but refused to walk away under their own power. Those arrested would be charged with unlawful assembly, trespassing, and disturbing the peace.
第 31 题 What were the demonstrators protesting about?
A． Private profits.
B． The nuclear power station.
C． The project of nuclear power construction.
D． Public peril.
第4题：
第5题：
第6题：
Liquid semiconductor is used to _________.
A. get rid of the radioactive waste
B. test the power of nuclear batteries.
C. decrease the size of nuclear batteries
D. reduce the damage to lattice structure.
细节理解题。根据By using a liquid semiconductor, we believe we can minimize that problem可知D项正确。
第7题：
第8题：
Besides climate change, developing countries like China need to deal with energy【21】and environmental issues: the development of sources of clean energy needs to be【22】line with their interests. Clean energy has been given greater prominence than ever before; it is seen as a new industrial【23】and【24】of economic growth for the new century. The time for clean energy has come.
In China, clean energy is moving ahead at full speed. Take wind power as an example: by the end of last year, China had【25】wind power generating capacity of 12. 21GW, making China the largest wind power generator in Asia and fourth in the world. But according to the research, one-third of wind power capacity is running【26】due to an inability to get the power to the national【27】.
India-like China—relies【28】on coal for its energy needs. This will only change if the funds and technology to develop clean energy, such as wind and nuclear power, are【29】. India will not choose clean energy【30】. Nuclear power is currently the most【31】of clean energy sources.【32】, if it is to be【33】on a large scale by developing nations, technological advances will be needed to make it competitive with coal.
Compared【34】developed countries, developing countries have more【35】choices when it comes to energy structure. Promoting economic growth requires【36】energy—and coal, the cheapest and most【37】source of energy for many countries—is the【38】choice. Cheap coal means cheap electricity and a competitive economy. Rising electricity prices would cause public【39】and impact on standards of【40】.
(21)
A．scarce
B．scare
C．scarcity
D．scary
第9题：
第10题：