文章原文
Paragraph A
A rare textile made from the silk of more than a million wild spiders has been on display at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. To produce this golden cloth, 70 people spent four years collecting golden-orb spiders from telephone poles in Madagascar, while another dozen workers carefully extracted about 80 feet of silk filament from each of the arachnids. The resulting 11-foot-by-4-foot textile is the only large piece of cloth made from natural spider silk in the world today.
Paragraph B
Spider silk is very elastic and strong compared with steel or Kevlar, said textile expert Simon Peers, who co-led the project. Kevlar is a lightweight synthetic fabric, chemically related to nylon, that is used in bullet-proof vests. Kevlar is resistant to wear, tear and heat and has virtually no melting point. But the tensile strength of spider silk is even greater than Kevlar's aramid filaments and higher than that of high-grade steel. Most importantly, spider silk is extremely lightweight: a strand long enough to circle the Earth would weigh less than 500 grams (18 oz). It is also especially ductile, able to stretch up to 140 percent of its length without breaking and to retain its strength below -40°C, giving it toughness equal to that of leading commercial fibres.
Paragraph C
Researchers have long been intrigued by the unique properties of spider silk. Unfortunately, spider silk is extremely hard to mass-produce. Unlike silkworms—easy to raise in captivity—spiders have a habit of biting off each other's heads when housed together. According to Peers, there is intensive research worldwide aimed at replicating spider-silk tensile properties for use in medicine and industry, but no-one has yet reproduced all the qualities of natural silk.
Paragraph D
Peers conceived the idea of weaving spider silk after reading about French missionary Jacob Paul Camboué, who worked with spiders in Madagascar during the 1880s and 1890s. Camboué built a small hand-driven machine to extract silk from up to 24 spiders at once, without harming them: the spiders were briefly restrained, their silk collected, then released. Peers built a replica of this 24-spider "silking" machine, said co-leader Nicholas Godley. As a test the pair collected about 20 spiders. "When we stuck them in the machine and started turning it, lo and behold, this beautiful gold-coloured silk started coming out," Godley recalled.
Paragraph E
To make a textile of any significant size, the scale had to increase dramatically. Fourteen thousand spiders yield about an ounce of silk, Godley said, and the finished textile weighs about 2.6 pounds. By the handlers had worked with more than one million female golden-orb spiders—abundant in Madagascar and famed for their golden thread. Because the spiders produce silk only in the rainy season, all were collected between October and June. An additional 12 workers used hand-powered machines to extract the silk and twist it into 96-filament yarn. After "silking", the spiders were released; within a week they regenerate their silk, allowing the same individuals to be used again—"the gift that never stops giving," said Godley.
Paragraph F
Spending four years to produce a single piece of cloth is hardly practical for scientists or companies hoping to exploit spider silk in biomedicine or as a Kevlar alternative. Several groups have inserted spider genes into bacteria and even goats to make silk, but results have been only partly successful. One reason is that spider silk begins as a liquid protein produced in a special gland in the abdomen. Using the spinneret, the spider applies force that rearranges the protein's molecular structure, transforming it into solid fibre. "When we talk about a spider spinning silk, we're talking about how it applies force to convert liquid to solid," explained spider-silk expert Todd Blackledge of the University of Akron, who was not involved in the project. "Every year we get closer to mass production, but we're not there yet." For now, we must be content with one extraordinarily beautiful cloth—courtesy of more than a million spiders.
题目
Questions 14-19: 段落标题匹配题
List of Headings
- i: Experimenting with an old idea
- ii: Life cycle of Madagascar spiders
- iii: Advances in the textile industry
- iv: Resources needed to meet the project's demands
- v: The physical properties of spider silk
- vi: A scientific analysis of spider silk
- vii: A unique work of art
- viii: Importance of the silk-textile market
- ix: Difficulties of raising spiders in captivity
Questions 20-23: 研究者匹配题
List of Researchers
- A: Simon Peers
- B: Nicholas Godley
- C: Todd Blackledge
Questions 24-26: 摘要填空题
Producing spider silk in the lab
Scientists and manufacturers are interested in producing silk for many purposes. Some researchers have tried to grow silk by introducing genetic material into and some animals. But these experiments have been somewhat disappointing.
It is difficult to make spider silk in a lab because the silk comes from a liquid protein made in a inside the spider's body. When a spider spins silk, it applies that turns this liquid into solid silk. Scientists cannot replicate this yet.
解析
Questions 14-19: 段落标题匹配题解析
14. Paragraph A
正确答案: vii – A unique work of art
定位词: rare textile, only large piece of cloth, golden cloth
关键原文句: "A rare textile... the only large piece of cloth made from natural spider silk in the world today."
解析: 强调纺织品的稀有性、独特性及艺术价值。
干扰项分析:
- viii – Importance of the silk-textile market: 未提及市场或商业价值。
15. Paragraph B
正确答案: v – The physical properties of spider silk
定位词: elastic and strong, tensile strength, lightweight, ductile
关键原文句: "Spider silk is very elastic and strong... tensile strength... greater than Kevlar... lightweight... ductile..."
解析: 描述蜘蛛丝的物理特性，如强度、弹性、轻质、延展性等。
干扰项分析:
- vi – A scientific analysis of spider silk: 是特性描述而非科学成分分析。
16. Paragraph C
正确答案: ix – Difficulties of raising spiders in captivity
定位词: hard to mass-produce, bite off each other's heads, not easy to raise
关键原文句: "spider silk is extremely hard to mass-produce... spiders have a habit of biting off each other's heads when housed together."
解析: 指出蜘蛛难以群养是大规模生产的主要障碍。
干扰项分析:
- ii – Life cycle of Madagascar spiders: 未提及生命周期。
17. Paragraph D
正确答案: i – Experimenting with an old idea
定位词: conceived the idea after reading about... 1880s, built a replica
关键原文句: "Peers conceived the idea... after reading about French missionary... built a replica of this 24-spider 'silking' machine..."
解析: 描述受19世纪历史方法启发，复制并试验古老取丝机器。
干扰项分析:
- iii – Advances in the textile industry: 使用的是历史方法，非现代工业进展。
18. Paragraph E
正确答案: iv – Resources needed to meet the project's demands
定位词: 14,000 spiders yield about an ounce, more than one million spiders, 12 workers
关键原文句: "Fourteen thousand spiders yield about an ounce of silk... more than one million... spiders... 12 workers..."
解析: 说明制作纺织品所需的大量蜘蛛、人力、时间等资源。
干扰项分析:
- ii – Life cycle of Madagascar spiders: 提到产丝季节，但非完整生命周期。
19. Paragraph F
正确答案: vi – A scientific analysis of spider silk
定位词: liquid protein, special gland, molecular structure, apply force
关键原文句: "spider silk begins as a liquid protein produced in a special gland... the spider applies force that rearranges the protein's molecular structure..."
解析: 解释蜘蛛丝在生物体内的形成原理，属科学层面分析。
干扰项分析:
- iii – Advances in the textile industry: 核心是科学原理，非工业进展。
Questions 20-23: 研究者匹配题解析
20. It takes a tremendous number of spiders to make a small amount of silk.
正确答案: B – Nicholas Godley
定位句: "Fourteen thousand spiders yield about an ounce of silk, Godley said..." (Paragraph E)
解析: Godley明确指出蜘蛛数量与产丝量的比例。
21. Scientists want to use the qualities of spider silk for medical purposes.
正确答案: A – Simon Peers
定位句: "...research worldwide aimed at replicating spider-silk tensile properties for use in medicine and industry, said Peers." (Paragraph C)
解析: Peers提到全球研究目标包括医学应用。
22. Scientists are making some progress in their efforts to manufacture spider silk.
正确答案: C – Todd Blackledge
定位句: "Every year we get closer to mass production, but we're not there yet, explained spider-silk expert Todd Blackledge." (Paragraph F)
解析: Blackledge表示每年都更接近大规模生产。
23. Spider silk compares favourably to materials known for their strength.
正确答案: A – Simon Peers
定位句: "But the tensile strength of spider silk is even greater than Kevlar's... and higher than that of high-grade steel, said textile expert Simon Peers." (Paragraph B)
解析: Peers比较蜘蛛丝与凯夫拉纤维和钢材的强度优势。
Questions 24-26: 摘要填空题解析
24.
正确答案: bacteria
定位句: "Several groups have inserted spider genes into bacteria and even goats to make silk..." (Paragraph F)
25.
正确答案: gland
定位句: "...spider silk begins as a liquid protein produced in a special gland in the abdomen." (Paragraph F)
26.
正确答案: forces
定位句: "Using the spinneret, the spider applies force that rearranges the protein's molecular structure, transforming it into solid fibre." (Paragraph F)