单选题
If phone calls and web pages can be beamed through
the air to portable devices, then why not electrical power, too? It is a
question many consumers and device manufacturers have been asking themselves for
some time. But to seasoned observers of the electronics industry, the promise of
wireless recharging sounds depressingly familiar. In 2004 Splashpower, a British
technology firm, was citing “very strong” interest from consumer-electronics
firms for its wireless charging pad. Based on the principle of electromagnetic
induction (EMI) that Faraday had discovered in the 19th century, the company’s
“Splashpad” contained a coil that generated a magnetic field when a current
flowed through it. When a mobile device containing a corresponding coil was
brought near the pad, the process was reversed as the magnetic field generated a
current in the second coil, charging the device’ s battery without the use of
wires. Unfortunately, although Faraday’s principles of electromagnetic induction
have stood the test of time, Splashpower has not — it was declared bankrupt last
year without having launched a single product. Thanks to its
simplicity .and measurability, electromagnetic induction is still the technology
of choice among many of the remaining companies in the wireless-charging arena.
But, as Splashpower found, turning the theory into profitable practice is not
straightforward. But lately there have been some promising
developments. The first is the formation in December 2008 of
the Wireless Power Consortium, a body dedicated to establishing a common
standard for inductive wireless charging, and thus promoting its adoption. The
new consortium’s members include big consumer-electronics firms, such as Philips
and Sanyo, as well as Texas Instruments, a chipmaker. Fierce
competition between manufacturers of mobile devices is also accelerating the
introduction of wireless charging. The star of this year’s Consumer Electronics
Show held in Las Vegas was the Pre, a smart-phone from Palm. The Pre has an
optional charging pad, called the Touchstone, which uses electromagnetic
induction to charge the device wirelessly. As wireless-charging
equipment based on electromagnetic induction heads towards the market, a number
of alternative technologies are also being developed. PowerBeam, a start-up
based in Silicon Valley, uses lasers to beam power from one place to
another. It now seems to be a matter of when, rather than if,
wireless charging enters the mainstream. And if those in the field do find
themselves languishing in the disillusionment, they could take some
encouragement from Faraday himself. He observed that “nothing is too wonderful
to be true if it be consistent with the laws of nature.” Not even a wirelessly
rechargeable iPhone.
单选题
What’s the final goal of the Wireless Power Consortium?
A. To turn the Faraday’s theory into profitable practice.
B. To find ways for the consumer-electronics industry.
C. To integrate consumer-electronics firms and chipmakers.
D. To promote a common standard for inductive wireless charging.
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 段首复杂句
[解析] 事实细节题。由题干关键词Wireless Power Consortium将答案锁定在第三段首句。这是一个主系表结构，a body...作Wireless Power Consortium的同位语；dedicated...相当于省略了which is的定语从句，做后置定语，修饰a body。这句话的意思是说：这一组织致力于确立无线感应充电的通用标准，并以此推动这一标准的应用，因此答案为 [D]。[A]项是利用电磁感应原理开发无线充电技术厂商的目标，故错误；[B]项文中未提到；第三段尾句提到，无线充电联盟的成员包括消费电子产品公司和芯片制造商，“包括”不表示“整合”，故[C]项错误。
单选题
The author gives the example of Touchstone to show
A. the smart phone Pre has enough creativeness to be the star of the
show.
B. intensified competition promotes the introduction of wireless
charging.
C. big companies have been trying hard to promote wireless charging.
D. the Wireless Power Consortium has done a great job up till now.
【正确答案】
B
【答案解析】[解析] 举例处
[解析] 推理判断题。Touchstone出现在第四段末尾。一般来说，例子是用来支持作者的观点的，因此我们首先要找到作者的论点。本段的主题句是首句，提到移动设备制造商之间激烈的竞争加速了无线充电技术的引入，[B]项表达的正是此意，故为答案。[A]项是对第四段第二句和第三句的错误理解，举Pre为例只是为了证明激烈的竞争促进了无线充电技术的发展；[C]项推理无依据；[D]项错误明显， Touchstone是Palm推出的，与Wireless Power Consortium无关。
单选题
What’s the difference between the technology of Splashpower and that of
PowerBeam?
A. Splashpower lies on the principle of EMI and PowerBeam doesn’t.
B. Splashpower uses coils to cause EMI and PowerBeam uses lasers.
C. Splashpower went bankrupt and PowerBeam grows prosperous.
D. PowerBeam uses a special charging pad and Splashpower doesn’t.