In A New Light: LEDs At the end of the 1800’s, Thomas Edison introduced the incandescent light bulb and changed the world. R

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问题                                         In A New Light: LEDs
    At the end of the 1800’s, Thomas Edison introduced the incandescent light bulb and changed the world. Remarkably, the incandescent bulb used today has changed little over a hundred years. An incandescent light consists of a glass bulb filled with an inert gas such as argon. Inside the bulb, electricity passes through a metal filament. Because of resistance, the filament becomes so hot that it glows. Given that 20% of the world’s electricity is used to power lights, this represents an enormous amount of wasted energy.
    In the 1940’s, a new, more efficient form of lighting, the fluorescent bulb, was introduced. Fluorescents work by passing electrical current through gas in a tube, producing invisible ultraviolent light. A phosphor coating on the inside of the tube then converts the ultraviolent to visible light. Little heat is wasted. Fluorescents have proved popular in offices, factories, and stores, but they never took over the residential lighting market. The harsh color isn’t as pleasing as the warmer glow of incandescent lamps. Besides, they have a tendency to flicker on and off and to produce an annoying buzz.
    Now, lighting engineers are developing a new form of lighting that is both pleasing to the eyes and energy efficient. This is the light-emitting diode, or LED. LEDs are made up of layers of electron-charged substances. When an electrical current passes through layers, electrons jump from one layer to another and give off light without producing heat. Different types of materials result in light of different colors. Red, green, and orange LEDs have been used for decades in devices such as digital clocks, calculators, and electronic toys. In the future, however white-light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) may be used to light homes. Engineers say that they are significantly more efficient than either incandescent or fluorescent lights.
    Arrays of colored LEDs are beginning to be used in traffic lights and automotive lights. Today, colored light such as red brake light is created by shining a white incandescent light through a colored plastic filter. This is incredibly inefficient because only the red light that passes through the filter is used. The rest is wasted. Because LEDs actually produce red light, no filter is needed and no light is wasted. LEDs have other practical applications as well. For example, they can be used to light heat-sensitive materials like food or important documents.
    The next challenge for researchers is to develop an efficient, bright, inexpensive WLED. A few years ago, a Japanese scientist named Shuji Nakamura discovered that, by using layers of gallium nitride, he could create a powerful blue LED. Later, engineers devised two ways to use this blue LED to create a WLED. Red, green, and blue LEDs can be combined, creating a pleasant white light. Another way is to use a chemical coating similar to that inside a fluorescent bulb that converts the blue light to white. Nevertheless, it will still be some time before WLEDs are commonly used in homes. WLEDs are currently only twice as energy efficient as incandescent. They are also very expensive. But researchers believe that they can create WLEDs that are ten times as efficient and one thousand times as long-lasting as incandescent lights, making them cost effective.
    LEDs may someday have an even greater impact on developing countries than in the developed world. Worldwide, an estimated 2 billion people lack access to electricity. Lighting is usually provided by kerosene lamps. Kerosene is expensive, creates indoor pollution, does not provide very bright light, and worst of all, causes many fires. In India alone, 2. 5 million people were killed or injured annually in fires caused by overturned kerosene lamps. A low-energy (1-watt) WLED can provide enough light for a person to read by—more light, in fact, than most kerosene lamps. An entire rural village could be lighted with less energy than that used by a single conventional 100-watt light bulb. Energy to light these efficient LEDs can be provided by batteries that are charged by pedal-driven generators, or by solar energy. LEDs could revolutionize lighting to the same extent that the cell phone has revolutionized communication in places where land telephone lines are unavailable.
In paragraph 2, which of the following is NOT mentioned as one of the problems with fluorescent lights?

选项 A、The need to replace them often.
B、An annoying sound.
C、The harsh quality of the light they produce.
D、Their tendency to flicker.

答案A

解析 事实细节题。第二段最后两句提到,荧光灯发出的光刺眼,不如白炽灯的暖光那么悦目。此外,它们容易闪烁并产生令人讨厌的嗡嗡声。由此可知,荧光灯存在“颜色刺眼”“嗡嗡的声音”以及“容易闪烁”等问题,B项、C项和D项的表述与文意相符。文中没有提及 “经常要更换”,故答案为A项。
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