Unit 1 Festivals around the world grammar课时作业

第一节 阅读理解

　　A

　　When top engineers in Germany wanted to build a more energy efficient car，they headed to the natural history museum to study dolphins and sharks. But it was the boxfish(盒子鱼)that interested them.

　　"We were surprised when this clumsy－looking fish became our model for designing an aerodynamic(空气动力学的)car"，says Thomas Weber. He is the research and development chief for the car company Daimler. An aerodynamic design reduces wind drag and increases fuel efficiency.

　　The boxfish may look clumsy，but it can start，stop，back up and zigzag(曲折前进)through the water with ease. And it does all this using surprisingly little energy. Daimler's bionic(仿生学的)car is modeled on the fish's boxy skeletal(骨豁的)system. Like the fish，the car is fast and drives easily. It's efficient too.

　　The science behind nature inspired inventions is called biomimicry (生物仿生)．Biologist Janine Benyus came up with the term. As cofounder of the Biomimicry Guild，she has worked with cereal companies，sneaker designers and others to develop products based on Nature's best ideas.

　　This month，the Nature's 100 Best List will be revealed at the World Conservation Congress(代表大会)in Barcelona，Spain. Benyus coauthored the list of nature inspired designs with economist Gunter Pauli.

　　In Zimbabwe，a country in southern Africa，engineers designed energy efficient buildings modeled on termite(白蚁)mounds(土堆)．The buildings use vents(孔)to keep the air flowing and the temperature cool.

　　A company in Atlanta，US，developed a self-cleaning paint modeled on the lotus(荷花)leaf. When the paint dries，it becomes bumpy(不平的)，just like the lotus leaf. Rain drop form on the bumps and roll off，carrying dirt along with them.

　　Nature has done billions of years of research. Only the best designed products have survived. Companies owe Mother Nature a debt for all that hard work，says Benyus.

　　For scientists and inventors，the possibilities for copying nature are limitless. Technology may never be as efficient as nature，or as colorful. But that doesn't mean we should stop trying to learn from the world around us. Take a walk outside. Watch a squirrel climb up a tree. Look closely at the veins(纹理)of a leaf. Hear the birds chirping in the trees. Such small details may help solve big problems in the future.

　　1．Which is TRUE according to the passage?

　　A．In America a self-cleaning paint was modeled on the lotus flower.

B．Zimbabwe engineers learned from termites to create highly advanced heating