难度：4星
主题语境：人与社会-科学与技术-技术
天学英语|时文阅读：新材料可防止眼镜起雾
眼镜起雾是一件让人头疼不已的事情，特别是在冬天。通常，人们会使用防雾喷雾剂去解决这种问题，但这种方法会受细菌、污垢等的影响，需要时常更换，效果不佳。据报道，来自瑞士苏黎世联邦理工大学的研究人员最近开发出了一种超薄的黄金纳米涂层，能够将阳光转化为热量，将其用于眼镜表面，可以有效防止起雾。让我们一起来看看吧。
A team of researchers at ETH Zurich has the perfect long-lasting solution to our fog problem. They have developed a very thin and gold-based transparent coating（涂层）that can convert sunlight into heat, which can be applied to glass and other surfaces to prevent them from fogging.
The special coating is developed using titanium oxide and gold particles. It selectively absorbs infrared radiations（红外线照射）from the sunlight and creates a heating effect that is powerful enough to keep fog away from the surface of an object. The coating basically employs heat to stop fogging. The coating absorbs a large part of the infrared radiation, which causes it to heat up — by up to 8℃.
Previously, products like anti-fogging sprays create a very thin film of water on the surface to remove fog. The problem with such surfaces is pollution. Along with water, the sprays also attract dirt, dust, oil, and various other dirty substances, and just a little dirt on the surface makes it useless. However, the new coating repels（排斥）water. Furthermore, the coating is significantly thinner, which makes it more transparent as well as flexible. It is heated passively and requires, during daytime, no additional energy source.
Gold might be expensive, but the researchers stress that their coating requires so little that the material costs remain low. Their coating is produced with standardized and readily scalable methods, all cost-effectively. However, although this product can work at very low levels of solar irradiation, it does rely on a certain amount of light.
The researchers will develop the coating further for other applications. In the process, they will examine whether other metals work just as well as gold. There is no need to fear, however, this would cause a car or a building to heat up more in the summer. The researchers have already filed a patent. Hopefully, this groundbreaking product will soon be available on the market.
1. How does the new coating work to remove fog?
A. By reflecting part of sunlight selectively.
B. By keeping cool air away from the object.
C. By creating a thin film of water on the surface.
D. By absorbing infrared radiations to heat the coating.
2. Why does the author mention previous anti-fogging products?
A. To stress the advantages of the new coating.
B. To introduce the inspiration behind the new coating.
C. To prove the difficulty of creating anti-fogging products.
D. To explain the reason for the anti-fogging coating being popular.
3. What is the limitation of the new coating?
A. It is considerably expensive.
B. It depends on sunlight to work.
C. It takes too much time to produce.
D. It is difficult to clean and maintain.
4. What do the researchers plan to do next?
A. Apply for a patent for the invention.
B. Develop the product for more practical uses.
C. Explore the environmental impact of the coating.
D. Seek a cheaper material as an alternative to gold.
答案：DABB
生词
particle n. 微粒
语块
1. titanium oxide 二氧化钛
2. solar irradiation 太阳辐照
3. rely on 依赖
4. file a patent 申请专利
知识拓展
titanium oxide
二氧化钛是一种无机物，白色固体或粉末状的两性氧化物。它可以应用于工业、食品行业、化境保护和防晒化妆品等领域。二氧化钛，作为光涂料颜料的催化剂，不仅是一种环境安全的清洁剂，而且可以起到节省能量还有保护环境资源的作用。此外二氧化钛性质稳定，具有良好的遮盖能力，能够有效反射太阳光，为地球降温。
