题目

 阅读理解  For centuries, humans have explored the Earth's mountains, jungles and deserts. But despite covering over 70% of the Earth's surface, the ocean is still relatively a mystery. In fact, we know more about the surface of Mars than we learn about the sea floor. However, getting a fuller picture of the ocean would enable us to pilot ships more safely, create more accurate climate models, build offshore wind farms and protect ocean species — all part of what's known as the "blue economy".  Underwater robotic vehicles equipped with sensors are helping gather that data more quickly and more cheaply than ever before. But many of these vehicles rely on batteries with a limited lifespan, and need to return to a boat or the shore to recharge, making it difficult for them to map remoter parts of the sea.   A company called Seatrec is rising to the challenge, founded by oceanographer Yi Chao. While working at NASA, he developed a way to power ocean robots by making use of the naturally occurring temperature disparity of the sea. As the robot moves between colder and warmer parts of the ocean, the material inside the power module either melts or becomes solid, causing pressure that in turn creates energy and powers the robot's generator. "The ocean robots can get charged by the sea, so they can extend their lifetime almost indefinitely," Chao said.  The power module can be placed in existing data-gathering robots. The robot dives a kilometer down to examine the chemistry and the shape of the seabed, using sonar to create a map of the surrounding area. The robot returns to the surface to send back its findings via satellite.   The technology can extend the reach of data-gathering devices, according to Jamie McMichael-Phillips, director of the Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project. "One of the huge challenges we have is simply physics: unlike mapping the Earth's surface where we can use cameras or satellites, at sea, the light can't go through the water column. So we're much limited to using sonar systems. Therefore, this technology can help deal with the problem well," said Jamie. （1） What does Paragraph 1 tell us about ocean exploration?  A . It is challenging but significant. B . It may do harm to ocean creatures. C . It can be as difficult as space exploration. D . It mainly focuses on mapping the seabed. （2） What's a barrier to present underwater robotic vehicles' working successfully? A . That they fail to gather data rapidly. B . That they lack the stable power supply. C . That they can only map shallow waters. D . That they work poorly with advanced sensors. （3） What does the underlined word "disparity" in Paragraph 3 mean? A . Control. B . Restriction. C . Difference. D . Measurement. （4） Which of the following can be the best title for the text?  A . Aims of the Seabed 2030 Project B . The prospects of data-gathering robots C . The "blue economy" project of Seatrec D . New power modules for ocean robots 答案： A B C D

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