4.（2011?安徽卷）B

Think about the different ways that people use the wind. You can use it to fly a kite or to sail a boat. Wind is one of our cleanest and richest power sources（來源）, as well as one of the oldest. Evidence shows that windmills（風(fēng)車）began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC. They were first introduced to Europe during the 1100s, when armies returned from the Middle East with knowledge of using wind power.

For many centuries, people used windmills to grind（磨碎）wheat into flour or pump water from deep underground. When electricity was discovered in the late 1800s, people living in remote areas began to use them to produce electricity. This allowed them to have electric lights and radio. However, by the 1940s, when electricity was available to people in almost all areas of the United States, windmills were rarely used.

During the 1970s, people started becoming concerned about the pollution that is created when coal and gas are burned to produce electricity. People also realized that the supply of coal and gas would not last forever. Then, wind was rediscovered, though it means higher costs. Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind.

【文章大意】本文介紹了風(fēng)能及風(fēng)能運(yùn)用的情況。在能源短缺的今天，作為最為潔凈、豐富的風(fēng)能，一定會對我們的生活作出極大的貢獻(xiàn)。

60. From the text we know that windmills .
A. were invented by European armies
B. have a history of more than 2800 years
C. used to supply power to radio in remote areas
D. have rarely been used since electricity was discovered

【解析】選C。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段句子可知，十九世紀(jì)末有了電之后，偏僻地區(qū)的人們就利用風(fēng)車發(fā)電，于是人們就有了電燈和收音機(jī)，因此選擇C項(xiàng)。根據(jù)windmills began to be used in ancient Iran back in the seventh century BC可知，A項(xiàng)錯誤，B項(xiàng)錯在more than；根據(jù)末段句子可知，盡管成本較高，人們依然使用風(fēng)能提供電力，因此D項(xiàng)錯誤。

61. What was a new use for wind power in the late l9th century?
A. Sailing a boat.
B. Producing electricity.
C. Grinding wheat into flour.
D. Pumping water from underground.

【解析】選B。細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第二段句子可知，人們最初利用風(fēng)車磨面或抽水，十九世紀(jì)末有了電之后，人們又用其發(fā)電，因此選擇B項(xiàng)。

62. One of the reasons wind was rediscovered in the 1970s is that .
A. wind power is cleaner
B. it is one of the oldest power sources
C. it was cheaper to create energy from wind
D. the supply of coal and gas failed to meet needs

【解析】選A。推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段可知，二十世紀(jì)七十年代，人們注重環(huán)保，而且認(rèn)識到煤和氣的短缺；而風(fēng)能的特點(diǎn)是潔凈、豐富和歷史悠久，但是成本較高。綜合選擇A項(xiàng)最佳。

63. What would the author probably discuss in the paragraph that follows?
A. The advantage of wind power.
B. The design of wind power plants.
C. The worldwide movement to save energy.
D. The global trend towards producing power from wind.

【解析】選D。推理判斷題。根據(jù)末段句子Today, there is a global movement to supply more and more of our electricity through the use of wind可知，接下來作者應(yīng)該談?wù)摾蔑L(fēng)能發(fā)電的情況，因此選擇D項(xiàng)。