2．FOR most people，life without plants is unimaginable．They feed us，clean up our air and brighten up our gardens．But what if someone told you that even our smartphones can benefit from plants？
Meet the scientists from the Freiburg University of Mining and Technology in Germany．According to reports from Reuters，they have come up with a way to take the important element germanium （鍺） from plants．
The element was first discovered in Germany （hence the name） and was used to develop the first transistor （晶體管） because it can transport electricity very quickly．Nowadays，silicon-germanium alloy （硅鍺合金） plays an important role in making computers，smartphones and fiber-optic cables （光纖電纜）．
Although germanium can be found in soil around the world，it is difficult to extract （提�。甀n the traditional process，people take the material after zinc （鋅） mining or burning coal．But the Freiburg scientists decided to fall back on the natural world．
Biology professor Hermann Heilmeier is one of the scientists who are using common plants for this uncommon process．"Different energy crops are being planted，for example，sunflowers，corn…we want to use them for phytomining．In German we call it‘mining with plants'．"
Others have used this method in the past with metals like gold and copper （銅）．But in their study，the Freiburg scientists brought germanium from the soil into the roots and shoots of the plants，harvested them and then took the element from the plants．The process did not cost too much because germanium can be taken after plants are processed for use as biogas （沼氣）．So many of the costs are already covered in existing biogas plants．
However，there is still a lot of work to do before we can all experience the benefits．At the moment germanium can only be harvested in very small amounts，just a few milligrams per liter．Now scientists are working on different plants to improve this．
"As is so often the case，industry is still waiting because they want to see everything already working．Then they say，‘We'll have it．'But of course we have to complete the step in between first，"said Professor Martin Bertau，head of industrial chemistry at Freiburg University．
67．We can learn from the article that germaniumB．
A．is mostly produced in Germany
B．can effectively transfer electricity
C．exists mostly in soil and water
D．is very easy to get from nature
68．What can we conclude from the article？D
A．Germanium can be easily produced during the process of mining zinc or burning coal．
B．Sunflowers and corn are currently the most efficient plants to use when extracting germanium．
C．The process of harvesting germanium from plants isn't costly because after harvesting，the plants can be used for biogas．
D．The new method for extracting germanium that the Freiburg scientists are trying is greener and cheaper than the traditional one．
69．According to the article，phytominingC．
A．is a completely new method for extracting metals
B．has been widely used in extracting all kinds of rare metals
C．has different productivity depending on the type of energy crop
D．is now being tested on types of plants that it has never been tried on
70．Which of the following statements would Professor Martin Bertau agree with？D
A．Many businesses have already started contributing money to this research．
B．Industry and science have stronger and closer connections than is generally expected．
C．People from related industries showed no interest in extracting germanium from plants．
D．Germanium has to be extracted from plants in large quantities before this type of extraction becomes industrialized．
分析 本文屬于說明文閱讀，作者通過這篇文章主要向我們描述了鍺可以有效傳輸電力，弗萊堡科學(xué)家正在嘗試提取鍺的新方法比傳統(tǒng)方法更環(huán)保、更便宜．
解答 67．B．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第三段The element was first discovered in Germany （hence the name） and was used to develop the first transistor （晶體管） because it can transport electricity very quickly可知鍺可以有效傳輸電力；故選B．
68．D．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第五段The process did not cost too much because germanium can be taken after plants are processed for use as biogas 可知弗萊堡科學(xué)家正在嘗試提取鍺的新方法比傳統(tǒng)方法更環(huán)保、更便宜；故選D．
69．C．細(xì)節(jié)理解題．根據(jù)第三段．"Different energy crops are being planted，for example，sunflowers，corn…we want to use them for phytomining可知phytomining是指有不同的生產(chǎn)率取決于能源作物類型；故選C．
70．D．推理判斷題．根據(jù)最后一段As is so often the case，industry is still waiting because they want to see everything already working．Then they say，‘We'll have it．'But of course we have to complete the step in between first可知Martin Bertau教授認(rèn)為在這種萃取成為工業(yè)化之前，鍺必須大量從植物中提取出來；故選D．
點評 考察學(xué)生的細(xì)節(jié)理解和推理判斷能力，做細(xì)節(jié)理解題時一定要找到文章中的原句，和題干進(jìn)行比較，再做出正確的選擇．在做推理判斷題不要以個人的主觀想象代替文章的事實，要根據(jù)文章事實進(jìn)行合乎邏輯的推理判斷．
