Solar Power without Solar Cells

A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light discovered by University of Michigan1 researchers could lead to solar power without traditional semiconductor-based solar cells.
The researchers found a way to make an "optical 1 ," said Stephen Rand, a professor in the departments of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Physics and Applied Physics.
Light has electric and magnetic components. Until now, scientists thought the 2 of the magnetic field were so weak that they could be ignored. What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than 3 expected. 4 these circumstances, the magnetic effects develop strength equivalent to a strong electric effect.

"This could lead to a new kind of solar cell without semiconductors and without absorption to produce charge separation," Rand said. "In solar cells, the 5 goes into a material, gets absorbed and creates heat. Here, we expect to have a very low heat load2. Instead of the light being absorbed, energy is stored in the magnetic moment3. Intense magnetization can be induced by intense light and then it is ultimately capable of providing a capacitive power 6."What makes this possible is a previously undetected brand of "optical rectification4," says William Fisher, a doctoral student5 in applied physics. In traditional optical rectification, light's electric field causes a charge separation, or a pulling 7 of the positive and negative charges6 in a material. This sets up a voltage, similar to 8 in a battery.

Rand and Fisher found that under the right circumstances and in right types of materials, the light's magnetic field can also create optical rectification. The light must be shone through7 a 9 that does not 10 electricity, such as glass. And it must be focused to an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter8. Sunlight isn't this intense on its own, but new materials are being sought that would work at lower intensities, Fisher said.

"In our most recent paper, we show that incoherent light9 like sunlight is theoretically almost as. 11 in producing charge separation as laser light is," Fisher said.
This new 12 could make solar power cheaper, the researchers say. They predict that with improved materials they could achieve 10 percent efficiency in 13 solar power to useable energy. That's equivalent to today's commercial-grade solar cells.

"To manufacture 14 solar cells, you have to do extensive semiconductor processing," Fisher said. "All we would need are lenses to focus the light and a fiber to guide it. Glass works for 15 . It's already made in bulk10, and it doesn't require as much processing. Transparent ceramics might be even better."

詞匯：
optical / '?ptik?l / adj．光學(xué)的 incoherent /, ink?u’hi?r?nt/ adj．非相干的
capacitive / k?'p?sitiv/ adj. 電容（量）的 semiconductor /,semik?n’d?kt?/n．半導(dǎo)體
rectification /, rektifi'kei??n/ n．改正，修正 ceramics / si' r?miks/n．陶瓷

注釋：
1.University of Michigan：密歇根大學(xué)。建校于1817 年，是美國名列前茅的公立大學(xué)，擁有優(yōu)良的師資和頂尖的商學(xué)院、法學(xué)院、醫(yī)學(xué)院和工學(xué)院。
2. heat load：熱負(fù)荷
3. magnetic moment：磁矩
4. optical rectification：光學(xué)校正
5. doctoral student：博士生
6. positive and negative charges：正電荷與負(fù)電荷
7. shone through：shone是shine的過去式。shine through是“（光）通過”。
8. an intensity of 10 million watts per square centimeter：每平方厘米一千萬瓦特的強(qiáng)度
9. incoherent light：非相干光
10.It's already made in bulk：它（指玻璃）已大量生產(chǎn)。in bulk 是“大量，成批”。

練習(xí)：
1.A microscope B instrument C fiber D battery
2. A modifications B effects C applications D results
3. A frequently B privately C previously D formally
4.A Under B At C On D Over
5.A light B electricity C chemical D magnetism
6.A plant B equipment C source D line
7.A down B up C together D apart
8. A this B that C those D it
9. A material B lens C meter D detector
10.A produce B convey C use D conduct
11.A remote B poor C effective D rare
12.A prototype B skill C technique D miracle
13.A converting B obtaining C delivering D transmitting
14.A compact B modern C durable D handy
15. A others B some C all D both?

答案與題解：
1.D第一段說密歇根大學(xué)發(fā)現(xiàn)，光所產(chǎn)生的巨大磁效應(yīng)有望用于太陽能發(fā)電，從而取代傳統(tǒng)的半導(dǎo)體太陽能電池。因此本題的正確選項(xiàng)應(yīng)該是battery。optical battery是“光電池”。
optical microscope （光學(xué)顯微鏡）、optical instrument （光學(xué)儀器）或optical fiber （光纖）與第一段的意思沒有聯(lián)系。
2.B 選擇本題的答案的依據(jù)還是要回到第一段。第一段第一句的起始詞語是“A dramatic and surprising magnetic effect of light"。本篇文章中心議題是用magnetic effect of light開發(fā)新型的太陽能電池。而以前的科學(xué)家認(rèn)為magnetic effect of light太微弱，不值得去關(guān)注它。因此，本題選effects與上下文的意思很連貫。
3. C 本句的意思是：當(dāng)光通過一種絕緣材料時(shí)，光場(chǎng)產(chǎn)生的磁效應(yīng)比以前想象的要強(qiáng)一億倍。previously是當(dāng)然的選擇。其他三個(gè)選項(xiàng)填入句子中，意思不合邏輯：frequently（頻繁地）/privately（私下地）/formerly（正式地）expected。
4. A under these circumstances 是固定詞組，意為“在這種情況下”。也可以說in these circumstances ，而at、on或over 都不與circumstances 連用。
5.A通篇文章談的是光產(chǎn)生的磁效應(yīng)，所以在太陽能電池中，當(dāng)然是光進(jìn)入某種材料起作用。答案是選項(xiàng)A。
6. C 密歇根大學(xué)的科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)太陽光產(chǎn)生強(qiáng)烈的磁效應(yīng)，再轉(zhuǎn)換為電，所以磁效應(yīng)是產(chǎn)生電的源泉（source）。power plant （發(fā)電廠）、power equipment （電力設(shè)備）或power line （輸電線）與上文的意思接不上。
7.D or 在本句的意思是“即”，后面的詞語是解釋專業(yè)術(shù)語charge separation （電荷分離）。選apart與pushing構(gòu)成pushing apart。pushing apart 的意思相當(dāng)于separation。所以本題的答案是D。
8. B 從上下文判斷，要填人的代詞是替代前面的voltage。根據(jù)英語語法，替代單數(shù)名詞的代詞要用that ，替代復(fù)數(shù)名詞的代詞要用those。voltage 是單數(shù)，所以that 是答案。
9.A從本句句末的such as glass 判斷，要填入的詞一定是包括glass 的概括詞。因此，只有選項(xiàng)material 符合這個(gè)條件。而且第三、四段也都提到光磁場(chǎng)效應(yīng)是由光通過一個(gè)不導(dǎo)電的材料（ material ）而產(chǎn)生的。
10.D 答案的根據(jù)可以在第三段中找到。原句是："What Rand and his colleagues found is that at the right intensity, when light is traveling through a material that does not conduct electricity, the light field can generate magnetic effects that are 100 million times stronger than previously expected.”選項(xiàng)conduct 是答案。
11.C 激光通過特定材料時(shí)能產(chǎn)生charge separation 。密歇根大學(xué)科學(xué)家發(fā)現(xiàn)，陽光通過特定材料時(shí)也像激光一樣能產(chǎn)生charge separation。如果charge separation 是remote、 poor 或rare，密歇根大學(xué)科學(xué)家所說的利用光磁場(chǎng)效應(yīng)開發(fā)新型的太陽能電池就不可能成立。所以答案是effective。
12.C 說這種樣機(jī)（ this prototype ）、技巧（ this skill ）或這一奇跡（ this miracle ）能降低太陽能的價(jià)格，似乎離題太遠(yuǎn)。只有用這一技術(shù)（ this technology ）概括上一段的意思才準(zhǔn)確。因此本題答案是technology。
13.A 科學(xué)家預(yù)測(cè)，通過改進(jìn)材料，可使太陽能轉(zhuǎn)化成可用能源的效率達(dá)到10%。本題的答案是converting。而obtaining（得到）、delivering （輸送）和transmitting（發(fā)射）與“能量轉(zhuǎn)換”掛不上號(hào)。
14. B 通篇文章沒有談到新型太陽能電池是compact（緊湊小型的）、durable（耐用的）或handy（使用便利的），所以不會(huì)是答案。選modern是合理的，因?yàn)槊苄髮W(xué)科學(xué)家研發(fā)的不用半導(dǎo)體的太陽能電池是先進(jìn)的。
15.D 答案是both，指代的是上一句的“to focus the light and a fiber to guide it”這兩點(diǎn)

友情提示：2012年職稱英語考試成績將會(huì)在考后兩個(gè)月左右公布（5月中旬至6月），請(qǐng)大家隨時(shí)關(guān)注滬江英語職稱英語版塊。