综合类C级：阅读理解Weaving with Light
In the Sierra Madre mountain range of west central Mexico1，the native Huichol people2 live much the way their ancestors did-without electricity. Thats because its too expensive to string power lines3 to the remote mountain areas where they live. To help support themselves，the Huichol create beautiful artwork. They sell their art in cities hundreds of miles away from their villages. And without electricity-at home or on the road，they can only work during daylight hours. When it gets dark，they must stop whatever they’re doing.
Now，a team of scientists，designers，and architects is using4 new technologies to provide the Huichol with light after the sun sets The scientists technique involves weaving tiny electronic crystals into fabrics that can be made into clothes，bags，or other items.
By collecting the sun’s energy during the day，these lightweight fabrics provide bright white light at night. Their inventors have named the fabrics "Portable Lights." Portable Lights have the potential to transform the lives of people without electricity around the world，says project leader Sheila Kennedy.
“Our invention，”Kennedy says，“came from seeing how we could transform technology we saw every day in the United States and move it into new markets for people who didn’t have a lot of money.”
At the core of5 Portable Light technology are devices called high-brightness light-emitting diodes，or HB LEDs6.These tiny lights appear in digital clocks，televisions，and streetlights.
LEDs are completely different from the light bulbs. Most of those glass bulbs belong to a type called incandescent lights. Inside，electricity heats a metal coil to about 2，200 degrees Celsius. At that temperature，bulbs give off light we can see.
Ninety percent of energy produced by incandescent lights，however，is heat - and invisible. With all that wasted energy，bulbs bum out quickly. They are also easily broken.
LEDs，on the other hand，are like tiny pieces of rock made up of molecules that are arranged in a crystal structure. When an electric current passes through an LED，the crystal structure produces light. Unlike incandescent bulbs，they can produce light of various colors. Within an LED，the type of molecules and their particular arrangement determines what color is produced.
词汇：
Portable adj.轻便的，手提式的 incandescent adj.白灼的
Light-emitting diode(LED) 发光二极管 coil n.线圈，卷，圈
Bulb n.灯泡；球状物 molecule n.分子
注释：
1.Sierra Madre mountain range of west central Mexico：墨西哥中西部的马德雷山脉。Sierra一词在西班牙语中本身就包含了“山脉”的意思，确切地说是“呈齿状起伏的山脉"，因为在西班牙语中Sierra有“锯子"的意思。
2.Huichol people：维克人。他们是居住在墨西哥中西部地区马德雷山脉的土著印地安人。该地区山路崎岖，所以西班牙人未涉足于此，墨西哥文化也没能影响维克人的土著文化。据估计，维克印地安人现仅存约一万人。
3.string power lines：架设输电线
4.Now，a team of scientists…is using：a team of scientists可以视作单数，也可以视作复数。本句用作单数，所以后接的谓语动词是is.
5.At the core of：此处the core of意为the basic or most important part of(最重要的部分)。
6.At the core of Portable Light technology are devices called high-brightness light-emitting diodes， or HB LEDs：本句是倒装句，主语是“devices called high-brightness light-emitting diodes， or HB LEDs"，谓语动词是“are”。High-brightness light-emitting diodes可译为“高亮度发光二极管。