2014届高三英语二轮专题精品特训：阅读理解94.docVIP

2014届高三英语二轮专题精品特训：阅读理解 When top engineers in Germany wanted to build a more energy-efficient car，they headed to the natural history museum to study dolphins and sharks.But it was the boxfish (盒子鱼)that interested them. “We were surprised when this clumsy-looking fish became our model for designing an aerodynamic (空气动力学的)car”，says Thomas Weber.He is the research and development chief for the car company Daimler.An aerodynamic design reduces wind drag and increases fuel efficiency. The boxfish may look clumsy，but it can start，stop，back up and zigzag (曲折前进)through the water with ease.And it does all this using surprisingly little energy.Daimlers bionic (仿生学的)car is modeled on the fishs boxy skeletal(骨骼的)system.Like the fish，the car is fast and drives easily.Its efficient too. The science behind nature-inspired inventions is called biomimicry (生物仿生)．Biologist Janine Benyus came up with the term.As co-founder of the Biomimicry Guild，she has worked with cereal companies，sneaker designers and others to develop products based on Natures best ideas. This month，the Natures 100 Best List will be revealed at the World Conservation Congress (代表大会)in Barcelona，Spain.Benyus co-authored the list of nature-inspired designs with economist Gunter Pauli. In Zimbabwe，a country in southern Africa，engineers designed energy-efficient buildings modeled on termite (白蚁)mounds (土堆)．The buildings use vents (孔) to keep the air flowing and the temperature cool. A company in Atlanta，US，developed a self-cleaning paint modeled on the lotus (荷花)leaf.When the paint dries，it becomes bumpy (不平的)，just like the lotus leaf.Rain drops form on the bumps and roll off，carrying dirt along with them. Nature has done billions of years of research.Only the best-designed products have survived.Companies owe Mother Nature a debt for all that hard work，says Benyus. For scientists and inventors，the possibilities for copying nature are limitless.Technology may never be as efficient as nature，or as colorful.But that do