What will power your house in the future？Nuclear，wind，or solar power？According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US，it might be leaves — but artificial (人造的) ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用)．Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip with catalysts (催化剂)．Similar to natural leaves，it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell，which uses those two materials to produce electricity，located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card，scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Nocera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
The artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf，by contrast，is made of cheap materials，easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies，Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prototype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements e from Nocera's recent discovery of several powerful，new and inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now，the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides，the device can run in whatever water is available；that is，it doesn't need pure water. This is important for some countries that don't have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “give energy to the poor”，scientists believe that the new technology could be widely used in developing countries，especially in India and rural China.
【小题1】Which of the following orders correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a．artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b．the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c．the artificial leaves are put in water
d．the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricityA．c，a，b，d B．c，b，a，dC．b，c，a，dD．c，a，d，b【小题2】The purpose of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaf is to .A．build up more power stations in the worldB．provide cheaper energy for developing countriesC．offer people in developing countries access to pure waterD．gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process【小题3】The main idea of this passage is .A．an introduction to the history of artificial leaves B．a mixture of water power and solar energyC．giving energy to the poor D．an invention copying photosynthesisA
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(答案→)A
解析：本文介绍了一项仿造叶子光合作用的发明—人工叶子的工作原理、工作性能和工作条件，可为发展中国家提供便宜的能源。
【小题1】细节题：根据第三段中“it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell，which uses those two materials to produce electricity，located either on top of a house or beside the house.”当把它投入一桶水中，可以把水分解成氢和氧。然后把氢和氧气体储存到放置在房间里或房子的旁边的燃料电池中,使用这两个材料来产生电能。由此可知正确顺序是A。故选A。
【小题2】细节题：根据第四段中“scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries.”科学家声称,它可为发展中国家提供廉价的电力来源。故选B。
【小题3】主旨题：阅读全文可知本文介绍了一项仿造叶子光合作用的发明—人工叶子的工作原理、工作性能和工作条件，可为发展中国家提供便宜的能源。故选D。