单选题 Current Group, a Germantown-based technology firm, has taken over an ordinary looking house in Bethesda and turned it into a laboratory for smart-grid technology, the system the company believes will bring the nation's electricity grids into the digital age.
In the front yard stands a utility pole hooked up to a special transformer that connects the power lines to high-speed Internet. Hundreds of sensors attached to the lines monitor how power flows through the home. That information is then sent back to the utility company.
The process lets a utility more efficiently manage the distribution of electricity by allowing two-way communication between consumers and energy suppliers via the broadband network on the power lines. Based on data they receive from hundreds of homes, utilities can monitor usage and adjust output and pricing in response to demand. Consumers can be rewarded with reduced rates by cutting back on consumption during peak periods. And computerized substations can talk to each other so overloaded circuits hand off electricity to those that have not fully loaded, helping to prevent blackouts.
Some utility companies have launched initiatives to give consumers data about their energy consumption habits in an effort to lower energy bills. Smart-grid technology takes such programs further by automating electricity distribution, which would make grids more reliable and efficient.
By partnering with utilities, the company hopes to tap into $4.5 billion in stimulus grants intended to encourage smart-grid development. When he announced the funding, President Obama pointed to a project in Boulder, Colo. , as an example of a successful smart-grid experiment. Current is one of the companies working on the project.
Current's chief executive Tom Casey believes the technology will help utility companies better distribute electricity produced by renewable resources, such as solar panels or wind farms. " A smart grid's system can be paired up with the renewable resources so that when the renewable source is varying, the overall load can be varied as well, " Casey told the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming. " This will reduce or eliminate the need for backup coal or gas-based power generation plants. /

单选题 For smart-grid technology to work, which of the following is a must?
[A] The front yard of a house with a tall wooden pole.
[B] A huge hook that can connect power lines together.
[C] High-speed Internet access and Internet services.
[D] Many monitors through which power flowing can be seen.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。由题干中的smart-grid technology定位到第一段，但第一段没有介绍实现智能电网的条件，因此相关信息需要从第二段查找。第二段提到Current集团进行智能电网实验的房子前院里竖着一根电线杆，连接到一台特殊变压器上，变压器又将电线和高速互联网连接在一起。电线上有几百个传感器，监控着房子里的电流使用情况。然后所有信息都被发送到公用事业公司。所以C项是必须条件，故为正确答案。原文提到进行实验的房子有前院，但前院和高耸的木杆与智能电网技术无关，故排除A；原文提到电线杆连接到一台特殊变压器上，并没有提到把所有电线连接起来，故排除B；整个过程需要传感器监控电流使用情况，并没有说需要很多显示器显示电流的流动情况，故排除D。
单选题 What benefit can the smart-grid technology bring?
[A] Substations can talk to each other through computers.
[B] The consumers and energy suppliers can have direct communication.
[C] Consumers can be rewarded for using less electricity.
[D] The electricity supply of a certain area can be adjusted accordingly.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。由题干中的benefit定位到第三段。第三段提到，公用事业公司可以高效管理配电，故D为正确答案。文中提到，联网的变电所之间可以进行交流，将电流从负载过重的电路转移到未满负荷运转的电路上，从而避免停电，故A的表述不是智能电网带来的好处，排除；文中提到，借助电线上的宽带，消费者和电力供应商可以进行双向交流，但这并不是智能电网实验的目的，其目的是达到高效配电，因此排除B；原文中提到，如果在用电高峰期减少用电量，消费者可以获得优惠价作为奖励，C项缺少“用电高峰期减少用电量”这一前提条件，故排除。
单选题 Why is the system called " smart-grid " technology?
[A] Because with all the sensors and transformers, the equipment looks very modern.
[B] Because with all the data, they can help the utilities make clever decisions.
[C] Because the technology is making good use of computer intelligence.
[D] Because the consumers can have wise ideas on the usage of electricity.
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 推理判断题。根据出题顺序与行文顺序一致原则可知，该题答案可定位到第三段之后。第四段提到，智能电网技术通过自动配电，使得整个电网更可靠，也更高效。而智能电网技术离不开互联网和计算机分析，智能电网技术的“智能化”体现在很好地利用了计算机智能，故选C。文章中没有提到它外观是否时髦，因此排除A；根据数据做出明智的决定体现不出该系统的“智能化”，因此排除B；而D项是应用这项技术的结果，故也排除。
单选题 What does the phrase " tap into " (Line 1. Para. 5)mean?
[A] To take advantage of the government money.
[B] To organize a smooth money flow.
[C] To spend money like water.
[D] To absorb the money from shareholders.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 语义理解题。由题干中的tap into定位到第五段前两句。由第二句可知，奥巴马总统宣布了这一财政支持，也就是说，这笔钱是政府的投入，故A为正确答案。B、C和D与本词组在原文中的意思不符，故排除。
单选题 What's the passage mainly about?
[A] Computers and Internet bring utilities into digital age.
[B] A new technology is introduced into the nation's electricity grids.
[C] The U. S. government will work with a private electricity company.
[D] Smart-grid technology will take the place of coal or gas based power plant.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 主旨大意题。文章第一段引入了“智能电网”这一概念，第二段讲述了该技术的实现方式，第三、四段讲智能电网的好处，第五段讲智能电网获得了政府支持，第六段讲智能电网对发展可再生能源的前景。由此可知，这篇文章主要在介绍这种新技术，所以B为正确答案。A项错在原文说的是电网技术使国家电网系统进入数字时代，故排除；C项在文中提到过，但无论从所占篇幅和重要程度来看，都不是文章的主要内容，故排除；第六段最后一句虽然提到智能电网技术“会减少甚至彻底消除对依赖煤炭或是天然气的发电厂的需求”，但这只是文中人物对该技术的前景展望，不是全文主旨，故排除D。