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.

　　词汇：

　　graphene/ 'græfi:n/ n.石墨烯

　　abundant/ə’bʌndənt / adj.丰富的，充裕的

　　atom/ 'ætəm/n.原子

　　adhesive/ əd'hi:siv/ n.胶粘剂; adj. 黏着的

　　stack/stæk/ v.使成堆，堆放

　　graphite / 'græfait / n.石墨

　　注释：

　　1. superstrength：超强的力量。该词是一个合成词，由两部分组成， super(超级的)和strength (力量)。

　　2. superthin：超薄。见注释1。

　　3. Nobel Prize for Physics ：诺贝尔物理学奖

　　4. the University of Manchester：曼彻斯特大学。这是一所位于英国曼彻斯特市的公立研究型大学，创建于1851 年。

　　5. If you were to hold a sheet of graphene in your fingers：句子使用的是虚拟语气，因为不可能将几乎肉眼看不到的石墨烯放在指尖上。

　　6. wonderstuff：神奇物。该词为合成词，由wonder(神奇)和stuff(东西)两个词构成。

　　wonderstuff 指的是第二段提到的wonder material。

　　7. apply a small piece of adhesive tape over… ：将一小片胶带敷在……上。

　　练习：

　　1 .What would change the future of electronics according to engineers?

　　A Big technology.

　　B Creative ways.

　　C Graphene.

　　D Both A and B.

　　2. According to the second and third paragraphs，what is true of graphene?

　　A It can be used to make paper.

　　B It is possible to see it with our naked eye.

　　C It is easy to find graphene.

　　D It is possibly the thickest material in the world.

　　3. Which of the following can be used to replace the word “apply”in paragraph 4?

　　A request.

　　B polish.

　　C use.

　　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.

　　B Graphite is made of layers of graphene，the thinnest material in the world.

　　C When we get to the thinnest possible layer of graphite，we find graphene.

　　D With a pencil，a sheet of paper and a piece of adhesive tape，we can find graphene.

　　5. Graphene's superstrength lies in the fact that

　　A It is the thinnest material in the world.

　　B It is made of the most abundant elements in the world.

　　C It can help to make electronic components smaller.

　　D It helps engineers to produce more sensitive electronic products.

　　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。