[問題] 戴爾美語練功坊 雅思閱讀測驗試題(5/10)
戴爾美語練功坊…雅思閱讀測驗試題(5/10日)
Spider Silk
Spider silk is not a single, unique material --- different species produce
various kinds of silk. Some possess as many as seven distinct kinds of
glands, each of which produces a different silk.
Why so many kinds of silk? Each kind plays particular roles. All spiders
make so-called dragline silk that functions in part as a lifeline, enabling
the creatures to hang from ceilings. And it serves as a constant
connection to the web, facilitating quick escapes from danger.
Dragline silk also forms the radial spokes of the web; bridgeline silk is
the first strand, by which the web hangs from its support ; yet another
silk forms the great spiral.
The different silks have unique physical properties such as strength
and elasticity, but all are very strong compared to other natural and
synthetic materials. Dragline silk combines toughness and strength to
an extraordinary degree. A dragline strand is several times stronger
than steel, on a weight-for-weight basis, but a spider's dragline is
only about one-tenth the diameter of a human hair. The movie
Spider-Man drastically underestimates the strength of silk --- real
dragline silk would not need to be nearly as thick as the strands
deployed by the web-swinging hero in the movie.
Dragline silk is a composite material comprised of two different
proteins, each containing three types of regions with distinct
properties. One of these forms an amorphous (non-crystalline)
matrix that is stretchable, giving the silk elasticity. When an insect
strikes the web, the stretching of the matrix enables the web to absorb
the kinetic energy of the insect's flight. Embedded in the amorphous
portions of both proteins are two kinds of crystalline regions that
toughen the silk. Although both kinds of crystalline regions are tightly
pleated and resist stretching, one of them is rigid. It is thought that the
pleats of the less rigid crystals not only fit into the pleats in the rigid
crystals but that they also interact with the amorphous areas in the
proteins, thus anchoring the rigid crystals to the matrix. The resulting
composite is strong, tough, and yet elastic.
Then, why doesn't a spider get stuck on its own web? Over the years,
three explanations for this phenomenon have surfaced. The first
invokes an oil, secreted by the spider, that serves as an anti-stick agent.
The problem with this hypothesis is that such an oil hasn't been
discovered yet.
The second scenario is based on the diversity of silks. Many webs
include strands made of silks that are much less sticky than the others
are. The non-sticky strands appear in the hub of the web, the radial
spokes and the threads by which the web hangs from plants or other
supports. Some researchers have thus posited that the arachnids use
only these strands when navigating their webs. If you watch them in
action, however, you will see that although they do seem to prefer the
non-sticky strands, the spiders are able to move around freely,
toughing many of the strands, including the very sticky ones that spiral
out from the hub.
The third explanation appears to solve the sticky-strand problem. In
short, the legs of at least some spiders feature a disengaging
mechanism that enables the arachnid to detach itself instantly from a
sticky strand. This mechanism involves a clever anatomical adaptation.
Each leg ends in a pair of " walking claws " that grasp vegetation,
among other functions, but a third claw collaborates with associated
spiny, elastic hairs to detach the leg from a sticky web strand. This
third claw grasps the strand, pulls it against the elastic hairs, and pulls
them further, cocking the mechanism. When the claw relaxes, the hairs
rebound vigorously, throwing the strand away and springing the leg
free.
Police, the military, physicians, and other groups are eager to obtain
large quantities of dragline silk, which can be woven or compacted to
make bulletproof clothing, replacement ligaments, medical sutures,
fishing line, ropes for rock climbers, tethers to snag planes landing on
aircraft carriers and myriad other products. It is impracticable to
harvest sufficient quantities of silk from spiders due to their territorial
nature, so biotechnologists have turned to other sources. The
Canadian company Nexia has demonstrated that goats and cows can
be genetically engineered so as to produce dragline silk in their milk.
Using a clone of such goats, Nexia aims to produce a modified
dragline silk, which they call BioSteel, to meet the many demands.
Questions 1-3
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
from the passage and write your answer in the spaced numbered 1-3
on your answer sheet.
1. Which organ of spiders produces silk?
………
2. What kind of silk helps spiders to escape from danger?
………
3. Name three features of dragline silk mentioned by the writer.
………
Questions 4-6
Answer the questions below using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS
from the passage and write your answer in the spaced numbered 4-6
on your answer sheet.
Name three types of regions of proteins constituting dragline silk.
4. ………………………………
5. ………………………………
6. ………………………………
Answers:
1. gland
2. dragline silk
3. strong, though, elastic
4. the amorphous matrix (= non-crystalline matrix)
5. less rigid crystals 6. the rigid crystals
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