2012年职称英语理工类

2012年职称英语理工类新增文章
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第六篇 Making Light of1 Sleep
All we have a clock located inside our brains. Similar to your bedside alarm clock， your internal clock2 runs on a 24-hour cycle. This cycle，called a circadian rhythm，helps control when you wake，when you eat and when you sleep.
Somewhere around puberty，something happens in the timing of the biological clock. The clock pushes forward，so adolescents and teenagers are unable to fall asleep as early as they used to. When your mother tells you it's time for bed，your body may be pushing you to stay up3 for several hours more. And the light coming from your computer screen or TV could be pushing you to stay up even later.
This shift4 is natural for teenagers. But staying up very late and sleeping late can get your body's clock out of sync with the cycle of light and dark5. It can also make it hard to get out of bed in the morning and may bring other problems，too. Teenagers are put in a kind of a gray cloud6 when they don't get enough sleep，says Mary Carskadon，a sleep researcher at Brown University in Providence，RI7.It affects their mood and their ability to think and learn.
But just like your alarm clock，your internal clock can be reset. In fact，it automatically resets itself every day. How? By using the light it gets through your eyes.
Scientists have known for a long time that the light of day and the dark of night play important roles in setting our internal clocks. For years，researchers thought that the signals that synchronize the body's clock8were handled through the same pathways that we use to see.
But recent discoveries show that the human eye has two separate light-sensing systems. One system allows us to see. The second system tells our body whether it's day or night.
练习：
1 .The clock located inside our brains is similar to our bedside alarm clock because
B it has a cycle of 24 hours.
2. What is implied in the second paragraph?
C Children before puberty tend to fall asleep earlier at night than adolescents.
3. In the third paragraph the author wants to tell the reader that
B staying up late has a bad effect on teenagers' ability to think and learn.
4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the fourth and fifth paragraphs?
C Our internal clock as well as the alarm clock can be reset automatically.
5. According to the last two paragraphs，what did the previous researchers think about the human eye's light-sensing system? B The human eye had one light-sensing system.
答案与题解：
1.B 第一段第二句提供了答案。

句中的your internal clock 即指a clock located inside our Brains。

2. C 第二段主要内容是告诉读者，过了青春期（puberty），由于生物钟节奏的变化，青少年（adolescents and teenagers）比以前要晚睡几小时。

所以C是该段所隐含的内容。

3. B 第三段的最后一句直接给出了答案。

4. C 根据第四和第五段的内容，闹钟和生物钟都可以重新设定时间，但生物钟能通过眼睛接受的日光来自动调节生理节奏。

所以A、B 和D都是这两段中所述内容，C是正确选择，因为闹钟不能自动重新设定时间。

5.B 问题使用的是过去时，问的是研究者在最新发现（recent discoveries）之前对眼睛感光系统的认识，即，the signals that synchronize the body's clock were handled through the samepathways that we use to see （眼睛所接受到的平衡生物钟的光信号同样作用于人类的视觉系统），也就是说，研究者之前认为人类的眼睛只有一个感光系统。

但最新发现却是，人的眼睛有两个感光系统。

译文：不要太在意睡眠
我们每个人的大脑里都有一个像我们床边的闹钟一样的生物钟。

人脑里的生物钟24小时走一圈，这一圈也就是一次完整的昼夜节律，正是这个节律决定了我们吃饭、睡觉和起床的时间。

青春期时，人的生物钟在定时方面会发生
1
变化，生物钟会提前。

这时，青少年会比以前睡得晚，所以当你妈妈告诉你该睡觉时，你的生物钟可能会让你多推迟几小时，并且电脑或电视光线可能会导致你熬夜到更晚。

生物钟的这种变化对青少年说是正常的，但熬夜到太晚会打乱你生物钟与昼夜时间循环之间的平衡，这样就会带来一些问题，例如：早晨很难按时起床。

位于美国罗得州布郎大学睡眠方面的研究员Mary Carskadon说：“当青少年睡眠不足时会打不起精神，这将影响到他们心情、学习和思考问题的状态。

”
其实生物钟与闹钟一样，也是可调的，事实上，生物钟每天都在进行着自我调节，其方式就是通过你眼睛接收到光线的变化。

很早之前，科学家就知道了昼夜光线强弱的变化对生物钟调节起到了重要的作用，长久以来，研究者们认为眼睛所接受到的平衡生物钟的光信号同样作用于人类的视觉系统。

但最近几年的研究发现，人类眼睛有两个感光系统，一个是视觉系统，而另一个是感知昼夜的系统。

第十九篇Graphene's Superstrength1
Big technology comes in tiny packages. New cell phones and personal computers get smaller every year，which means these electronics require even smaller components on the inside.
Engineers are looking for creative ways to build these components，and they've turned their eyes to graphene，a superthin2 material，made of carbon，that could change the future of electronics.
This year's Nobel Prize for Physics3 has been awarded to Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov from the University of Manchester4，UK. for the discovery of graphene. Graphene isn't just small,
it's“the thinnest possible material in this world，” says Novoselov. He calls it a“wonder material. ”It's so thin that you would need to stack about 25,000 sheets just to make a pile as thick as a piece of ordinary white paper. If you were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers5，you'd have no idea because you wouldn't be able to see it.
Carbon is one of the most abundant elements in the universe. Every known kind of life contains carbon. Graphene is a sheet of carbon，but only one atom thick. You don't have to look far to find grapheme —it's all around you.
If you want this high-tech wonderstuff6，all you need is a pencil，paper and a little adhesive tape. Use the pencil to shade a small area on the paper, and then apply a small piece of adhesive tape over the area7. When you pull up the tape，you'll see that it pulls up a thin layer of some of the shading from your pencil. That layer is called graphite，one of the softest minerals in the world.
Now stick the same piece of tape on another sheet of paper and pull the tape up —there should be an even thinner layer，this time left on the paper. Now imagine that you do this over and over，until you get the thinnest possible layer of material on the paper. This layer would be only one atom thick，and you wouldn't be able to see it. Graphite is made of layers of graphene，so when you get to the thinnest possible layer，you've found graphene.
练习：
1 .What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?
C Graphene.
2. According to the second and third paragraphs，what is true of graphene?
C It is easy to find graphene.
3. Which of the following can be used to replace the word “apply”in paragraph 4?
D put.
4. Which of the following is NOT meant in the last two paragraphs?
A Graphene is made of graphite，one of the softest materials in the world.
5. Graphene's superstrength lies in the fact that C It can help to make electronic components smaller.
答案与题解：
1. C 第一段最后一句提供了答案：工程师将眼光投向石墨烯，一种由碳原子组成的超薄材料，这种材料能够改变电子产品的未来。

2.C 第二段倒数第二句告诉我们，25,000 层石墨烯才能堆砌成一张普通白纸的厚度，这是为了说明石墨烯是多么的薄，而不是说它可以用来造纸，所以A不是正确答案。

第三段最后一句说明石墨烯就在我们周围，因此C是答
2
案。

B和D的表述内容都与该两段内容不符合。

3.D apply... over：将…涂（敷）在…上。

4.A 最后两段告诉我们，用一张纸，一支铅笔和一片胶带就能找到石墨烯；无数层石墨烯构成石墨，当铅笔留在纸上的石墨被胶带剥离到最薄一层时，我们就得到了石墨烯。

因此只有A不是最后两段的表述内容。

5. C 第一段提供了答案。

随着电子产品越来越小，需要更小的电子组件（components) ，而石墨烯作为最薄的材料可以帮助工程师实现这一目标。

这就是石墨烯力量所在。

译文：石墨烯的超强力量
当今重大科学技术均以“微型”来呈现，新手机和个人电脑每年都在变得更小，这就意味着电子设备要求内部零件更小，工程师们正在寻求制造这些零件的方法，他们逐渐把目光投向了石墨烯——一种由碳元素构成的超薄材料。

这种材料将改变电子设备的未来。

今年的诺贝尔物理学奖颁发给了来自英国曼切斯特大学的Andre Geim和Kostya Novoselov，以表彰他们对石墨烯的发现。

Novoselov说：“石墨烯不仅小，而且它是世界
上所能找到的最薄材料。

”他把它称作“神奇材料”。

石墨烯极薄，25 000片石墨烯叠放在一起才与一张普通白纸一样厚。

如果把一片石墨烯放在手指上，你根本就不会发现，因为你没办法看到它。

碳是宇宙中最多的一种元素，已知的生命体中都含有碳。

石墨烯一个只有一个碳原子厚度的单层。

你不用费心寻找石墨烯，它就在我们身边。

如果你想得到这种高技术材料，一支笔、一张纸和一小段胶条就足够了。

用铅笔在纸上涂黑一片区域，将胶条粘在上面，当你拉开胶条你会发现它粘起了很薄的一片铅笔涂的阴影，这一片阴影就叫做石墨烯，一种世界上最软的矿物质。

现在，再将胶条粘上另外一张纸上，把它拉起来，你会得到更薄的一层。

想象一下当你重复做，直到在纸上得到最薄的一层物质，这层物质只有一个原子的厚度，你根本无法看到。

石墨是由一层层的石墨烯组成的，所以当你得到最薄的一层时，你已经找到了石墨烯。

*第三＋八篇 Life Form Found" on Saturn's Titan
Scientists say they have discovered hints of alien life1 on the Saturn's moon2. The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space agency,NASA3,analyzed data from spacecraft Cassini4,which pointed to,the existence of methane-based form of life on Saturn's biggest moon.
Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are"breathing" in Titan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.
They argue that hydrogen gets absorbed before hitting Titan's planet-like surface covered with methane lakes and rivers. This,they say,points to the existence of some"bugs"5consuming the hydrogen at the surface of the moon less than half the size of the Earth.
"We suggested hydrogen consumption because it's the obvious gas for life to consume on Titan,similar to the way we consume oxygen on Earth,"says NASA scientist Chris McKay."If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life,it would be doubly exciting because it would represent a second form of life independent from water-based life on Earth."
To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life anywhere,though there are liquid-
water-based microorganisms on Earth that grow well on methane or produce it as a waste product. On Titan, where temperatures are around 90 Kelvin6(minus 290 degrees Farenheit),a methanebased organism would have to use a substance that is liquid as its medium for living processes, but not water itself. Water is frozen solid on Titan's surface and much too cold to support life as we know it.
Scientists had expected the Sun's interactions with chemicals in the atmosphere to produce a coating of acetylene on Titan's surface. But Cassini detected no acetylene on the surface.
The absence of detectable acetylene on the Titan's surface can very well have a non-biological explanation,said Mark Allen,a principal investigator7of the NASA Titan team.
"Scientific conservatism suggests that a biological explanation should be the last choice after all non-biological
3
explanations are addressed,"Allen said. "We have a lot of work to do to rule out8 possible non-biological explanations. It is more likely that a chemical process,without biology,can explain these results."
练习：
1 .What have scientists found about
C They have found methane-based life on Titan.
2. What do scientists say about Titan?
A There are life clues there.
3.Todate,scientists have not yet detected this form of life.(paragraph 5)What does"this form of life" refer to?
B Methane-based life.
4. What can be inferred from what Allen said? A Scientists have different arguments over whether there is life on Titan.
5. Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?
D A different Life Form, a Possibility. 答案与题解：
1. C 短文的第一段提供了答案。

该段告诉读者，科学家在土星的卫星土卫六（ Titan ）上发现了生命的迹象，这些生命的存在是以甲烷为基础的。

2.A根据第二段“Scientists have reportedly discovered clues showing primitive alien beings are 'breathing' in Titan's dense atmosphere filled with hydrogen.”，说明土卫六（Titan）有生命迹象。

因此A是答案。

3. B this form of life 指的是土卫六（ Titan ）上以甲烷为生命基础呼吸氢气的生物，即该文讨论的主题。

4.A科学家至今对土卫六是否存在生物有不同的观点和解释。

Allen 说要做出土卫六上有生物的结论，首先必须对Titan 上没有生物的观点做出回应；要排除土卫六上可能没有生物的观点，我们还须付出努力。

所以只有A是正确选择。

5.D该短文的主题是，科学家在土卫六（ Titan ）上发现了一种与地球生物不同的生命形式的迹象，即以甲烷为生命基础呼吸氢气的生物，但科学家还未能最后验证这一发现。

第四段中的一个句子能够揭示该短文的主题：“If these signs do turn out to be a sign of life, it would bedoubly exciting because it would represent a second form
of life independent from water-based life
on Earth.”
译文：土卫六上发现了生命迹象
科学家们说，在土卫六上发现了外星生命
迹象并宣布了这一发现。

美国国家航空航天局(NASA)的研究者们对卡西尼号探测器所传回来的数据进行了分析，数据表明，土星卫星中
最大的一颗卫星有以甲烷为基础的生命的存在迹象。

据报道，科学家们已经找到了在土卫六高
浓度氢气大气层里“呼吸”的原始外星生命的线索。

他们认为，氢气在到达布满甲烷河流湖泊
的土卫六类似行星一样的表层前就已经被吸收了。

这就证明在这个不及半个地球大小的卫星表面有某种微生物在依靠氢气生存。

美国国家航空航天局的科学家Chris Mckay说，“我们提出有氢气的消耗，是由于它是土卫六上生命赖以生存的显而易见的气体，就像我们地球上用氧气呼吸一样。

如果这些迹象最终证明是生命的迹象，它会加倍令人兴奋，因为它会代表完全不同于地球上水基生命的第二种生命。

”
时至今日，尽管地球上的依赖液体水的微
生物在甲烷里生长良好或把它作为废物排出，
科学家在任何地方都没有探测到这种生命的形式。

在土卫六上，绝对温度达到90度(相当于摄氏-273．15度)，依赖于甲烷的微生物不得不用某种液体物质作为生存的介质，这种液体不是水，水在土卫六上会冻成冰块，不能融化。

我们知道，冰块太冷不能维持生命。

科学家们原指望太阳与大气层中的化学物质相互作用会在土卫六上产生一层乙炔。

但卡西尼号在它的表面没有探测到乙炔。

Mark Allen是美国宇航局土卫六项目组的主要负责人，他说道，既然在土卫六的表面没有探测到乙炔，那就充分说明上面没有生物。

Allen说：“科学界的保守主义者们建议，要做出土卫六上有生物的结论，首先必须对土卫六上所有没有生物的观点做出回应；要排除土卫六上可能没有生物的观点，我们任重道远。

极为可能的是，一种化学过程而非生物学能解释这些结果。

*第四十篇Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, the psychologists at the University of Chicagol1 Sian Beilock and Susan Levine found a surprising relationship between
4
what female teachers think and what female students learn:If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better than girls at math.
"If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers2in later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement3 said Levine. In other words,girls may end up learning math anxiety from their teachers4. The study suggests that if these girls grow up believing that boys are better at math than girls are,then these girls may not do as well as they would have if they were more confident.
Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be difficult to learn -- and teach. The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone. Researchers use the word "anxiety" to describe such feelings: anxiety is uneasiness or worry.
The new study found that when a teacher has anxiety about math, that feeling can influence how her female students feel about math. The study involved 65 girls,52 boys and 17 first- and second-grade teachers in elementary schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school year, and the researchers compared the scores.
The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether the students believed that a math superstar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers:To find out which teachers were anxious about math,the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt5. A teacher who got nervous looking at the numbers on a sales receipt, for example,was probably anxious about math.
Boys,on average,were unaffected by a teacher's anxiety. On average,girls with math-anxious teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did.Plus,on the test showing whether someone thought a math superstar had to be a boy,20 girls showed feeling that boys would be better at math -- and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers who had math anxiety.
"This is an interesting study,but the results need to be interpreted as preliminary and in need of replication with a larger sample6," said David Geary,a psychologist at the University of Missouri7 in Columbia.
练习：
1. What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago,according to the first paragraph? D Female teachers' confidence in their math skills
is related to girl's math skills.
2. What is implied in the third paragraph?
B A difficult subject like math may affect teachers' confidence in teaching the subject.
3. According to the experiment,those teachers were probably anxious about math when they felt C uneasy reading the numbers of a sales receipt.
4. The sixth paragraph tells us that the research findings A prove a strong link between female teachers' math anxiety and their female students' math achievements.
5. David Geary thinks that
B the research results need to be retested based on a larger sample.
答案与题解：
1.D 该段告诉我们女教师的想法（what female teachers think）和女学生的学习（what female students learn）之间有很大的关联度，也就是说，女教师如果对自己的数学技能没有自信，她的女学生很可能相信男孩子会在数学方面超过女孩子。

2.B 第三段的大意是，数学对任何人来说都可能有难度（The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone)，如同学生，教师也会觉得数学难学和难教，这就是研究者所言的焦虑。

所以，可以推断，作者是要告诉我们，教师会因为数学这门学科的难度而对教授该课程不自信。

其他选项都不是该段所要表达的内容。

3.C 第五段第三句“To find out which
5
teachers were anxious about math, the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times when they came across
math,such as when reading a sales receipt”指出了答案。

memorizing the numbers；意为“记住数字”；saving the
numbers意为“保存数字”；filling in the numbers意为“陆续编入数字”，而且文中没有提到a sales report；它们均不是答案。

4.A 短文的第六段是对前一段所述调查数据结果的讨论，即，男学生较少受对数学有焦虑感的教师影响，而那些数学成绩较低的女生都
有对数学有焦虑感的教师（girls with math-anxious teachers scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests)，而且，所有
认为男生数学肯定比女生强的女生，其数学教师都是有数学焦虑感的女教师（all of these girls had been taught by female teachers
who had math anxiety. )。

D所以不是正确的选择，因为只提到teachers 和students,而不是female teachers 和female
students。

5.B 根据David Geary的说法，实验结果还是初步的（preliminary)，需要更大的样本对其
进行重复验证（in need of replication with a larger sample)。

他没有认为该实验的过程不可靠，所以A不是正确选项；他认为实验样
本不够大，所以D也不是正确选项。

译文：教数学，教焦虑
在最新一项关于小学生学数学的研究中，
芝加哥大学的心理学家Sian Beilock和Susan Levine 发现，女教师的想法和女学生的学习之间有着惊人的联系：如果女教师对自己的数
学能力感到焦虑，她的女学生很可能认为男孩子数学比女孩学得更好。

"如果一直由对数学有焦虑的女教师教授
数学，就会对她们的数学成绩产生雪球效应"，Levine说。

换言之，女孩子们最后从老师那里获得的是对数学的焦虑。

该研究表明，如果女孩子们在一个认为男孩比女孩数学好的环境中成长，那么她们的数学可能会不如在更自信的状态下学得好。

如同学生，教师也会觉得某些学科难学和难教，这就是研究者所言的"焦虑"：不自在或担心。

此研究发现，教师对数学的焦虑能够传染给她的女学生们。

该研究的研究对象包括65个女孩，52个男孩和17位在中西部教一二年级的教师。

学生们在学年的开始和结束时都进行数学测试，研究者们比较得分。

研究者们测试学生是否认为数学明星一定会是男孩。

然后研究者们测试教师，试图找出哪些教师对数学感到焦虑，研究者们问教师们当碰到数学问题诸如阅读销售清单时的感受，如果一位教师一看到销售清单的数字就感到紧张，那么她很可能对数学存在焦虑。

平均来说，教师的焦虑不会影响到男孩子。

但是，一般说来，如果教女孩子的教师有数学焦虑症，那么女孩子们在学年结束时测试得分比其他的女孩要低。

另外，在关于是否认为数学明星应该是男孩的测试中，有20个女孩认为男孩数学比女孩好，这20个女孩的老师都是女性，且都患有数学焦虑症。

来自密苏里大学的心理学家David Geary 说"这是一个有趣的研究，但是这只是初步结果，需要用更大的调查样本进行重复验证"。

+第四＋五篇 Small But Wise
On December 14,NASA1 blasted a small but mighty telescope into space. The telescope is called WISE and is about as wide around as a trashcan. Don't let its small size fool you:WISE has a powerful digital camera, and it will be taking pictures of some the wildest objects2 in the known universe,including asteroids,faint stars,blazing galaxies3 and giant clouds of dust where planets and stars are born.
"I'm very excited because we're going to be seeing parts of the universe that we haven't seen before,"said Ned Wright, a scientist who directs the WISE project.
Since arriving in space,the WISE telescope has been circling the Earth,held by gravity in a polar orbit4(this means it crosses close to the north and south poles with each lap5).Its camera is pointed outward,away from the Earth,and WISE will snap a picture of a different part of the sky every 11 minutes. After six months it will have taken pictures across the entire sky.
The pictures taken by WISE won't be like everyday digital photographs,however. WISE stands for"Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer."As its name suggests,the WISE camera takes pictures of features that give off infrared radiation6.
Radiation is energy that travels as a wave. Visible light, including the familiar spectrum of light7 that becomes
6
visible in a rainbow,is an example of radiation. When an ordinary digital camera takes a picture of a tree,for example,it receives the waves of visible light that are reflected off the tree. When these waves enter the camera through the lens,they're processed by the camera,which then puts the image together.
Waves of infrared radiation are longer than waves of visible light, so ordinary digital cameras don't see them,and neither do the eyes of human beings. Although invisible to the eye,longer infrared radiation can be detected as warmth by the skin.
That's a key idea to why WISE will be able to see things other telescopes can't. Not everything in the universe shows up in visible light. Asteroids,for example,are giant rocks that float through space 一but they absorb most of the light that reaches them. They don't reflect light,so they're difficult to see. But they do give off infrared radiation, so an infrared telescope like WISE will be able to produce images of them. During its mission WISE will take pictures of hundreds of thousands of asteroids.
Brown dwarfs8are another kind of deep-space object that will show up in WISE's pictures.
These objects are"failed" stars 一which means they are not massive enough to jump start9the same kind of reactions that power stars such as the sun. Instead,brown dwarfs simply shrink and cool down. They're so dim that they're almost impossible to see with visible light, but in the infrared spectrum they glow.
练习：
1 .What is so special about WISE?
C Its digital camera can help astronomers to see the unknown space. 2. Which is NOT the synonym for the word "snap" in the third paragraph? A make.
3. The camera on WISE
C catches the infrared radiation while the ordinary camera does not.
4. Which of the following is NOT correct about"asteroids" according to paragraph 7?
A Asteroids float through space giving off visible light.
5.What is implied in the last paragraph?
B Brown dwarfs give off infrared radiation.
答案与题解：
1. C 短文的第一和第二段提供了答案。

WISE 的特殊之处就在于，虽然体积小，但它的数码
相机能拍到任何天体，所以能够帮助天文学家
观测到宇宙空间中（in the known universe ）的未知天文现象。

其他选项都不
是短文表达的意思。

2. A snap 是个多义词，可以解释为“拍照”，更为确切的意思是“拍快照”。

这里shoot, take 和photograph 都是snap 的同
义词。

3. C 短文第六段和第四段提供了答案。

人类
的肉眼和普通相机看到的光是visible lights ，看不见红外线辐射（infrared radiation) ，而WISE 的相机能够看到。

4. A 短文第七段第二句说并非所有的宇宙
中的物体都会发出可见光，比如asteroids ，所以A是正确选项。

其他选项的内容都可以在
该段中找到。

5. B 最后一段的第一句说，褐矮星能出现在WISE 照片中，根据上文对WISE 望远镜的描
述只有WISE 望远镜才能拍到红外线射线，所
以B是正确选择。

译文：小而聪明
12月14日，美国国家航空航天局发射了一个
体积小而威力大的望远镜，它的名字叫“WISE”（聪明），大约只有一个垃圾盒子那么宽。

你可千万不要轻视这个小东西，WISE可
是一款商强数码相机，它将在人类已知的宇宙
里拍摄任何你所能想到的天体，包括小行星、
那些只能看到微弱的光和因燃烧而无法观察
的天体，以及自行星和恒星诞生以来的巨大尘
埃云。

Ned Wright是主持WISE项目的
科学家，他说：“我十分兴奋，因为我们就要
看到以前从未看到过的那部分宇宙”。

到
达宇宙空间后，WISE由于受极地轨道重力作用，一直在围绕地球旋转。

（这意味着，每转
一圈，它就离南极和北极靠近）。

它的镜头是
向外的，远离地球。

每11分钟WISE就会抓
拍天空一个不同的部分。

六个月之后，它将把
整个天空拍摄完毕。

然而，WISE拍摄的
相片不会像我们日常的数码相片。

WISE是Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer （广域红外
勘测探测器）的缩写。

正如名字所示，WISE
7
能拍到发出红外线辐射物体的相片。

辐射
是波浪状行进的一种能量。

人能看到的光，包
括大家熟悉的、在彩虹里看到的光谱就是射线的一个例子。

当普通的数码相机给一棵树照相
时，它能接收到树反射回来的、可见的光波。

光波通过镜头进入到相机里，相机对它进行加工，然后把图像合成。

红外线的波长比可见光长，所以，普通的数码
相机捕捉不到他们，人眼也看不到这种射线。

尽管人们看不到，人的皮肤能感受到较长红外
线带来的温暖。

这就是为什么WISE能
捕捉到其他望远镜看不到的物体的主要原因。

宇宙中，不是所有的东西都以可见光的方式呈
现出来。

例如，小行星是在太空中漂浮的大岩
石，但是小行星吸收射到他们表面的大部分光。

他们不能反射光，所以要看到他们很困难。

但他们却释放出红外线，所以，像WISE这样
的红外线望远镜才能够捕捉到它们的图像。

WISE的任务就是拍摄成千上万的小行星图像。

WISE的另一任务是为另外一种太空
深处的天体一褐矮星拍照。

这种天体是“失败的”恒星，它们是一些不够大，不能像太阳的
能量那样启动相同的反应。

褐矮星只能缩小和
冷却。

他们发出的光如此之微弱，人们根本看不到，但是在线外频谱中，它们是发光的。

+第四十六篇Ants Have Big Impact on
Environment as "Ecosystem Engineers"
Research by the University of Exeter1
has revealed that ants have a big impact
on their local environment as a result of their activity as "ecosystem engineers" and predators. The study, published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, found that ants have two distinct effects on their local environment.
Firstly, through moving of soil by nest building2 activity and by collecting food they affect the level of nutrients in the soil. This can indirectly impact the local populations of many animal groups, from decomposers to species much higher up the food chain.
Secondly, they prey on a wide range of
other animals, including larger prey
which can be attacked by vast numbers of ant workers.
Dirk Sanders, an author of the study
from the university's Centre for Ecology and Conservation, said:"Ants are very effective predators which thrive in huge numbers. They're also very territorial3 and very aggressive, defending their resources and territory against other predators. All of this means they have a strong influence on their surrounding area."
"In this research, we studied for the first time how big this impact is and the subtleties of it. What we found is that despite being predators, their presence can also lead to an increase in density and diversity of other animal groups4. They genuinely play a key role in the local environment, having a big influence on the grassland food web," Sanders said.
The study, carried out in Germany, studied the impact of the presence of different combinations and densities of black garden ants and common red ants, both species which can be found across Europe, including in the UK. It found that a low density of ants in an area increased the diversity and density of other animals in the local area, particularly the density of herbivores and decomposers. At higher densities ants had no or the opposite effect, showing that predation is counteracting the positive influence.
Dr Frank van Veen, another author on the study, said:"What we find is that the impact of ants on soil nutrient levels has a positive effect on animal groups at low levels, but as the number of ants increases, their predatory impacts have the bigger effect —thereby counteracting the positive influence via ecosystem engineering."
Ants are important components of ecosystems not only because they constitute a great part of the animal biomass5 but also because they act as ecosystem engineers. Ant biodiversity6is incredibly high and these organisms are highly responsive to human impact, which obviously reduces its richness. However, it is not clear how such disturbance damages the maintenance of ant services to the ecosystem．Ants are important in below ground processes8through the alteration of the physical and chemical
8。