In summer, millions of people will head for the beach. And while the ocean can b

In summer, millions of people will head forthe beach. And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it mayalso be useful in another way. Some scientists think that waves could help makeelectricity.

“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat andfelt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water andfelt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked JamieTaylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland．“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves．”

Scientists are working on using that energyto make electricity．

Most waves are created when winds blowacross the ocean．“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples getbigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said．“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking upenergy and then sending it off on a journey．”

When waves come towards the shore, peoplecan set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through alarge wheel called a turbine (涡轮) ．The turbine can then power an electricalgenerator (发电机) ．

The United States and a few other countrieshave started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used inScotland．

The resource is huge．We will never run out ofwave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as otherenergy sources, such as oil and coal．

Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface．That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy aroundthe world．There are some drawbacks, however．

Jamie Taylor said that wave power still costtoo much money．He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown．Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic．

With more research, however, “many of these problemsmight be overcome,” Taylor said．“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars,and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world．Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditionalsources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day．”

In the future, when you turn on a lightswitch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!

1.Whichof the following is NOT true?

A．Wave power costs too much money．

B．Wave energy creates the same amount of pollutionas other energy sources．

C．Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic．

D．Wave power may affect marine animals．

2.We caninfer from the passage that ______．

A．finding more new energy sources is not necessarybecause of wave energy

B．wave energy is a resource that will never runout and is used all over the world

C．wave power is perfect for creating energy aroundthe world

D．wave power doesn’t create any pollution

3.Theunderlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______．

A．regrets        B．adventures     C．disadvantages    D．difficulties

4.Whatcan be the best title for the passage? 

A．How to Get Electricity by Waves．                  B．The Advantages of Wave Energy.

C．Can Waves Make Electricity?      D．The Disadvantages of Wave Energy．

试题答案

【答案】

1.A

2.C

3.C   

4.C