Obtaining Drinking Water from Air Humidity

　　Not a plant to be seen, the desert ground is too 1 . But the air contains water, and research scientists have found a 2 of obtaining drinking water from air humidity. The system is based completely on renewable energy and is therefore autonomous.

　　Cracks permeate the dried-out desert ground and the landscape bears testimony to the lack of water. But even here, where there are no lakes, rivers or groundwater, considerable quantities of water are stored in the air. In the Negev desert1 in Israel2, for example, annual average relative air humidity is 64 percent -- in every cubic meter of air there are 11,5 milliliters of water.

　　German research scientists have found a way of converting this air humidity autonomously into drinkable water. The process we have developed is based exclusively on renewable energy sources such as thermal 3 collectors and photovoltaic cells, which makes this method completely energy-autonomous. It will therefore function in regions 4 there is no electrical infrastructure, says Siegfried Egner, head of the research team. The principle of the 5 is as follows3: hygroscopic brine ~ saline solution which absorbs moisture -- runs down a tower-shaped unit and absorbs water from the air. It is then sucked into a tank a few meters 6 the ground in which a vacuum prevails4. Energy from solar collectors heats up the brine, which is diluted by the water it has 7 .

　　Because of the vacuum, the boiling point of the liquid is 8 than it would be under normal atmospheric pressure. This effect is known from the mountains: as the atmospheric pressure 9 is lower than in the valley, water boils at temperatures 10 below 100oC. The evaporated, non-saline water is condensed and runs down through a completely filled tube in a controlled manner. The gravity of this water column continuously produces the vacuum and so a vacuum pump is not needed. The reconcentrated5 brine runs down the tower surface 11 to absorb moisture from the air.

　　The concept is suitable for various water 12 . Single-person units and plants 13 water to entire hotels are conceivable, says Egner. Prototypes have been built for both system components air moisture absorption and vacuum evaporation and the research scientists have already 14 their interplay on a laboratory scale. In a further step the researchers intend to develop a demonstration 15 .

　　詞匯：

　　autonomous adj.獨(dú)立的 thermal adj.熱的 permeate v.遍布 photovoltaic adj.光電的 hygroscopic n.吸濕的

　　infrastructure n.基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施

　　brine n.鹽水 interplay n.相互作用 saline adj.含鹽的

　　注釋：

　　1. Negev desert：內(nèi)蓋夫沙漠。

　　2. Isreal：以色列 3. as follows：如下

　　4. in which a vacuum prevails：水箱里是真空狀態(tài)。Which 指代的是前半句的 tank。 Prevail 意為占上風(fēng)。

　　5. reconcentrated：重新濃縮的。

　　練習(xí)：

　　答案與題解：

　　1. A第一段說的是，沙漠沒有河流、湖泊等，所以缺水。但空氣中含有水汽，可以從空氣 中吸取水。根據(jù)上下文的意思，dry 是答案。

　　2. B 前面的句子說，雖然沙漠缺水，但空氣含有水汽，人們可以從中吸濕制水。最后一句 的意思顯然是，科學(xué)家已經(jīng)找到從空氣中吸濕制水的方法。在四個(gè)選項(xiàng) route， way，channel和 road中，只有 way 最合適。

　　3. D renewable energy是解題的重要線索，oil/wood/coal 不是 renewable energy，只有 solar energy 才是 renewable energy。

　　4. C 這套吸濕制水機(jī)靠太陽能驅(qū)動，他可以自主獨(dú)立工作，適合于沒有發(fā)電廠提供電能的 地區(qū)使用。there is no electrical infrastructure 是定語從句，修飾地點(diǎn)名詞 regions，連接詞應(yīng)該選 where.

　　5. D 本句說明吸濕制水機(jī)的工作原理，promise，progress或 prospect

　　都與句意不符，只有 process最合適。

　　6. C of the ground 和 with the ground 與句意接不上，below the ground 不合邏輯，因 為從空氣中吸濕制水的設(shè)備不可能安裝在地面之下。Off the ground，置 設(shè)備于離開地面若干公尺的空氣之中就合理了。

　　7. A 同一段的前面句子中出現(xiàn) absorbs moisture 和 absorbs water from the air，這是 吸濕制水機(jī)工作過程的第一階段。所以， absorbed 是合乎邏輯的選擇。

　　8. D 本段第二句由 as the atmospheric pressure is lower than in the valley，這是解題的重要線索。此外，根據(jù)科學(xué)常識，大氣壓力降低，水的沸點(diǎn)也 隨著降低。所以，lower 是答案。

　　9. B 根據(jù)上下文的意思，可以判斷出，答案是 there，因?yàn)檫@里的意思是那兒的大氣 壓。

　　10. B 首先要知道四個(gè)選項(xiàng)英語單詞的詞義。graduallybelow 100℃，necessarily below 100℃或 possibly below 100℃，都不符合大氣壓力降 低，水的沸點(diǎn)也隨著降低的原理。所以。只有選 distinctly 最合適。

　　11. A 從上下文判斷，只有 again 才是答案。其余三個(gè)選項(xiàng)填入句子中都說不通。

　　12. A 后面句子的 single-person和 hotels 是吸濕制水機(jī)的用戶，提示了本題的 答案是 users.

　　13. C 本句的意思是：適合個(gè)人使用的吸濕制水機(jī)及可供整間酒店用水的吸濕制水廠是有望 制造成功的。Supplying 是答案。吸濕制水機(jī)或吸濕制水廠本身不會使用 水。Obtaining后接 from，而本句用的是 to，所以不是答案。Cleaning 也不是 答案，因?yàn)槿粑鼭裰扑畽C(jī)或吸濕制水廠為酒店清潔用水，cleaning 后要接 for，而不是 to。

　　14. D 從上下文判斷，再加上 on a laboratory scale 的提示，本題要選 tested。

　　15. C 本題前面的句子談到，科學(xué)家已經(jīng)制成了吸濕制水機(jī)的原型并在實(shí)驗(yàn)室中進(jìn)行了試驗(yàn)運(yùn)行，下一步該做什么呢?demonstration 提供了線索，答案應(yīng)該是 facility。

　　Obtaining Drinking Water from Air Humidity

　　Not a plant to be seen, the desert ground is too 1 . But the air contains water, and research scientists have found a 2 of obtaining drinking water from air humidity. The system is based completely on renewable energy and is therefore autonomous.

　　Cracks permeate the dried-out desert ground and the landscape bears testimony to the lack of water. But even here, where there are no lakes, rivers or groundwater, considerable quantities of water are stored in the air. In the Negev desert1 in Israel2, for example, annual average relative air humidity is 64 percent -- in every cubic meter of air there are 11,5 milliliters of water.

　　German research scientists have found a way of converting this air humidity autonomously into drinkable water. The process we have developed is based exclusively on renewable energy sources such as thermal 3 collectors and photovoltaic cells, which makes this method completely energy-autonomous. It will therefore function in regions 4 there is no electrical infrastructure, says Siegfried Egner, head of the research team. The principle of the 5 is as follows3: hygroscopic brine ~ saline solution which absorbs moisture -- runs down a tower-shaped unit and absorbs water from the air. It is then sucked into a tank a few meters 6 the ground in which a vacuum prevails4. Energy from solar collectors heats up the brine, which is diluted by the water it has 7 .

　　Because of the vacuum, the boiling point of the liquid is 8 than it would be under normal atmospheric pressure. This effect is known from the mountains: as the atmospheric pressure 9 is lower than in the valley, water boils at temperatures 10 below 100oC. The evaporated, non-saline water is condensed and runs down through a completely filled tube in a controlled manner. The gravity of this water column continuously produces the vacuum and so a vacuum pump is not needed. The reconcentrated5 brine runs down the tower surface 11 to absorb moisture from the air.

　　The concept is suitable for various water 12 . Single-person units and plants 13 water to entire hotels are conceivable, says Egner. Prototypes have been built for both system components air moisture absorption and vacuum evaporation and the research scientists have already 14 their interplay on a laboratory scale. In a further step the researchers intend to develop a demonstration 15 .

　　詞匯：

　　autonomous adj.獨(dú)立的 thermal adj.熱的 permeate v.遍布 photovoltaic adj.光電的 hygroscopic n.吸濕的

　　infrastructure n.基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施

　　brine n.鹽水 interplay n.相互作用 saline adj.含鹽的

　　注釋：

　　1. Negev desert：內(nèi)蓋夫沙漠。

　　2. Isreal：以色列 3. as follows：如下

　　4. in which a vacuum prevails：水箱里是真空狀態(tài)。Which 指代的是前半句的 tank。 Prevail 意為占上風(fēng)。

　　5. reconcentrated：重新濃縮的。

　　練習(xí)：

　　答案與題解：

　　1. A第一段說的是，沙漠沒有河流、湖泊等，所以缺水。但空氣中含有水汽，可以從空氣 中吸取水。根據(jù)上下文的意思，dry 是答案。

　　2. B 前面的句子說，雖然沙漠缺水，但空氣含有水汽，人們可以從中吸濕制水。最后一句 的意思顯然是，科學(xué)家已經(jīng)找到從空氣中吸濕制水的方法。在四個(gè)選項(xiàng) route， way，channel和 road中，只有 way 最合適。

　　3. D renewable energy是解題的重要線索，oil/wood/coal 不是 renewable energy，只有 solar energy 才是 renewable energy。

　　4. C 這套吸濕制水機(jī)靠太陽能驅(qū)動，他可以自主獨(dú)立工作，適合于沒有發(fā)電廠提供電能的 地區(qū)使用。there is no electrical infrastructure 是定語從句，修飾地點(diǎn)名詞 regions，連接詞應(yīng)該選 where.

　　5. D 本句說明吸濕制水機(jī)的工作原理，promise，progress或 prospect

　　都與句意不符，只有 process最合適。

　　6. C of the ground 和 with the ground 與句意接不上，below the ground 不合邏輯，因 為從空氣中吸濕制水的設(shè)備不可能安裝在地面之下。Off the ground，置 設(shè)備于離開地面若干公尺的空氣之中就合理了。

　　7. A 同一段的前面句子中出現(xiàn) absorbs moisture 和 absorbs water from the air，這是 吸濕制水機(jī)工作過程的第一階段。所以， absorbed 是合乎邏輯的選擇。

　　8. D 本段第二句由 as the atmospheric pressure is lower than in the valley，這是解題的重要線索。此外，根據(jù)科學(xué)常識，大氣壓力降低，水的沸點(diǎn)也 隨著降低。所以，lower 是答案。

　　9. B 根據(jù)上下文的意思，可以判斷出，答案是 there，因?yàn)檫@里的意思是那兒的大氣 壓。

　　10. B 首先要知道四個(gè)選項(xiàng)英語單詞的詞義。graduallybelow 100℃，necessarily below 100℃或 possibly below 100℃，都不符合大氣壓力降 低，水的沸點(diǎn)也隨著降低的原理。所以。只有選 distinctly 最合適。

　　11. A 從上下文判斷，只有 again 才是答案。其余三個(gè)選項(xiàng)填入句子中都說不通。

　　12. A 后面句子的 single-person和 hotels 是吸濕制水機(jī)的用戶，提示了本題的 答案是 users.

　　13. C 本句的意思是：適合個(gè)人使用的吸濕制水機(jī)及可供整間酒店用水的吸濕制水廠是有望 制造成功的。Supplying 是答案。吸濕制水機(jī)或吸濕制水廠本身不會使用 水。Obtaining后接 from，而本句用的是 to，所以不是答案。Cleaning 也不是 答案，因?yàn)槿粑鼭裰扑畽C(jī)或吸濕制水廠為酒店清潔用水，cleaning 后要接 for，而不是 to。

　　14. D 從上下文判斷，再加上 on a laboratory scale 的提示，本題要選 tested。

　　15. C 本題前面的句子談到，科學(xué)家已經(jīng)制成了吸濕制水機(jī)的原型并在實(shí)驗(yàn)室中進(jìn)行了試驗(yàn)運(yùn)行，下一步該做什么呢?demonstration 提供了線索，答案應(yīng)該是 facility。