课时作业(20) 选择性必修第二册 Unit 4 Living with technology（Word练习）-【优化指导】2024高考英语一轮复习高中总复习·第1轮（译林版 新教材 新高考）

课时作业(二十)　Unit 4　Living with technology 一、阅读理解 (2022 ·重庆市第二次联合诊断检测)A race is on in solar engineering to create almost impossibly­thin, flexible solar panels. Stanford University researchers announced they have achieved record efficiencies in a promising class of new materials—which can be thinner than a piece of paper. According to the study published in the journal Nature Communications, it uses a new material called “transition metal dichalcogenides” (TMDs). They absorb incredibly high volumes of sunlight that reach their surface compared to other solar materials. “Imagine an autonomous drone(无人机) that powers itself with a solar panel atop its wing that is less than six micrometers thick.” said Koosha Nassiri Nazif, co­lead author of the study. Slimming down is necessary because the king of solar materials, silicon, is much too heavy, large and rigid for applications where flexibility, lightweight and high power are important and excellent. While TMDs hold great promise, research experiments to date have struggled to change more than 2% of the sunlight they absorb into electricity. But the scientists believe they could practically reach 27% efficiency with electrical improvements. That would be comparable with today’s top solar panels, silicon included. Nazif told Forbes that the new materials are great candidates for next­generation electronics and solar cells. Chipmakers like Intel and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company are already considering TMDs for their future technology. They could be used in a variety of mobile applications, including self­powered wearable devices and sensors, as well as giving a boost to lightweight airplanes and electric cars. The ultra­thinness does come with engineering challenges, primarily in mass production. When transferring such a layer of TMD to a flexible, supporting material, the TMD layer is frequently damaged. But the team thinks it is possible to overcome these challenges. Should they succeed, it could change s