What do butterfly wings have to do with computer screens? What do birds have to do with high speed trains?
These may sound like strange things to put together. But scientists, inventors, and designers are doing just that. They are learning from nature to create new technology.
The word biomimicry (仿生學(xué)) combines two words: biology and mimicry. So people using biomimicry try to use examples in nature to design new technology.
Biomimicry is not a new idea. People have been studying nature for hundreds of years. Leonardo DaVinci used birds as models to invent his flying machine. And when the Wright Brothers made the first successful airplane, they also studied birds. In 998, Janine Benyus, a natural science writer and teacher, wrote a book about biomimicry. To develop her interest in the subject, Janine Benyus started the Biomimicry Institute.
The Biomimicry Institute is a non-profit organization. It brings together scientists, designers, inventors and many other people. It offers classes to teach people biomimicry. It provides money for people to research and test new technologies. And it wants all people, from children to adults, to think about new ways to learn from nature.
People involved with the Biomimicry Institute believe that biomimicry can help solve many of the world’s problems. Often, new technologies can harm nature, but this is not true for biomimicry. Let’s look at some examples.
Butterflies have colorful wings because light shines off them in a special way. Scientists want to copy these same ways to make light shine off computers. They hope this will make for more colorful screens.
Another example of biomimicry is the bullet train. It travels at speeds of over 250 kilometers per hour! But it had a problem: it made too much noise!
Through the observation of birds, scientists thought about a kind of bird, the kingfisher(翠鳥(niǎo)). The kingfisher can dive into water without making any noise because of the shape of its beak(喙). Researchers thought that if they could design the front of the train like this beak, the train would be quieter. Well, it worked!
【小題1】The first paragraph is written to_____.

Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers urged, “Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were! Enthusiastic people can turn a boring drive into an adventure, extra work into opportunity and strangers into friends.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste that helps you hang in there when the going gets tough. It is the inner voice that whispers, “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist (遺傳學(xué)家) who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t let up on her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.

We are all born with wide – eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such a youthful air, whatever their age. At 90,cellist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach (巴赫). As the music flowed through his fingers, his bent shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes. As author and poet Samuel once wrote, “Years wrinkle(使生皺紋) the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

Enthusiastic people also love what they do, regardless of money, title or power. Patricia Mcllrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money.”

If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can do it as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville, Kan, was 68 before she began to draw. This activity ended her depression that had troubled her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, “I am persuaded to call Layton a genius.”

We can’t afford to waste tears on “might-have-beens”. We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be.” We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses-finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow.

1. The author mentions cellist Pablo Casals in the third paragraph to show that         .

A. music can arouse people’s enthusiasm

B. enthusiasm can give people inspiration needed to succeed

C. enthusiasm can make people feel young

D. enthusiasm can keep people healthy

2.How many examples are given in the passage to show the importance of enthusiasm?

A. Two.                        B. Three.                  C. Four.                    D. Five.

3.The author holds the view that       .

A. enthusiastic people will never get old

B. enthusiasm can make you succeed and enjoy life

C. enthusiasm is more important than experience

D. enthusiasm can give people more success and fame

Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers urged, “Barbara, be enthusiastic! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience.” How right they were! Enthusiastic people can turn a boring drive into an adventure, extra work into opportunity and strangers into friends.

“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It is the paste that helps you hang in there when the going gets tough. It is the inner voice that whispers, “I can do it!” when others shout, “No, you can’t!” It took years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist (遺傳學(xué)家) who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted. Yet she didn’t let up on her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.

We are all born with wide – eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such a youthful air, whatever their age. At 90,cellist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach (巴赫). As the music flowed through his fingers, his bent shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes. As author and poet Samuel once wrote, “Years wrinkle(使生皺紋) the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.”

Enthusiastic people also love what they do, regardless of money, title or power. Patricia Mcllrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, “My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, I never made a penny until I stopped working for money.”

If we cannot do what we love as a full-time career, we can do it as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville, Kan, was 68 before she began to draw. This activity ended her depression that had troubled her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, “I am persuaded to call Layton a genius.”

We can’t afford to waste tears on “might-have-beens”. We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after “what-can-be.” We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses-finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a backyard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, and the beauty of a rainbow.

1.The author mentions cellist Pablo Casals in the third paragraph to show that         .

A. music can arouse people’s enthusiasm

B. enthusiasm can give people inspiration needed to succeed

C. enthusiasm can make people feel young

D. enthusiasm can keep people healthy

2.How many examples are given in the passage to show the importance of enthusiasm?

A. Two.             B. Three.         C. Four.          D. Five.

3.The author holds the view that       .

A. enthusiastic people will never get old

B. enthusiasm can make you succeed and enjoy life

C. enthusiasm is more important than experience

D. enthusiasm can give people more success and fame

Years ago, when I started looking for my first job, wise advisers advised," Barbara, be enthusiastic (熱情的) ! Enthusiasm will take you further than any amount of experience. "How right they were!
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson. It isthe paste that helps you hang on there, then the going gets tough. It is the inner voice that whispers, "I can do it!" When others shout, "No, you can't!" It took years and years for the early work of Barbara McClintock, a geneticist who won the 1983 Nobel Prize in medicine, to be generally accepted, yet she didn't stop working on her experiments. Work was such a deep pleasure for her that she never thought of stopping.
We are all born with wide-eyed, enthusiastic wonder and it is this childlike wonder that gives enthusiastic people such youthful air, whatever their age. At 90, Cellist Pablo Casals would start his day by playing Bach. As the music flowed through his fingers, his stooped shoulders would straighten and joy would reappear in his eyes. An author and poet Samuel Ulman once wrote," Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. "
Enthusiastic people also love what they do, regardless of money or title or power. Patricia Mellrath, retired director of the Missouri Repertory Theater in Kansas City, was once asked where she got her enthusiasm. She replied, "My father, a lawyer, long ago told me, 'I never made a dime until I stopped working for money.' "
If we can't do what we love as a full-time career, we can as a hobby. Elizabeth Layton of Wellsville Kan, was 68 before she began to draw. This activity ended periods of depression that had troubled her for at least 30 years, and the quality of her work led one critic to say, "I am tempted to call Layton a genius. "
We need to turn the tears into sweat as we go after "what-can-be". We need to live each moment whole-heartedly, with all our senses--finding pleasure in the sweet smell of a back-yard garden, the simple picture of a six-year-old, the beauty of a rainbow.

1. 1.

   Which of the following would be the best title for the test?

   1. A.
      Enthusiastic people will never get old.
   2. B.
      Enthusiasm can make you succeed and enjoy life.
   3. C.
      Enthusiasm is more important than experience.
   4. D.
      Enthusiasm can give people more success and fame.
2. 2.

   Which of the following can best explain the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?

   1. A.
      Enthusiasm can give you courage and strength in difficult times.
   2. B.
      If you don't have enthusiasm, you can achieve nothing.
   3. C.
      Enthusiastic people never consider money and fame.
   4. D.
      Enthusiastic people can gain great fame and honour.
3. 3.

   The author mentions Cellist Pablo Casals in the third paragraph to show that _______.

   1. A.
      music can arouse people’s enthusiasm
   2. B.
      enthusiasm can give people needed inspiration to succeed
   3. C.
      enthusiasm can make people feel young
   4. D.
      enthusiasm can keep people healthy
4. 4.

   How many examples are given in the passage to show the importance of enthusiasm?

   1. A.
      Three.           
   2. B.
      Two.             
   3. C.
      Four.            
   4. D.
      Five.