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【阅读理解】Reading: The Glass Lab
Lena came forth from the lab at dawn.
Her town in Ohio had once epitomised the atomic age.
Now a rusted factory stuck out of the snow.
The plant closed in 2009, and hard times did ensue.
She whispered a line from an old report, quote, we melt glass for the nation, unquote.
On the contrary, the town still had one open institute.
It was small but not entirely idle.
Lena ran its materials lab, a kind of embryo project, and she had to resit her grant defense each spring.
The utilization of old equipment was inevitable.
Ultimately, she inherited the mantle of her mentor, a particularly imaginative man.
His work underpinned her own.
Subliminal cues from his notes kept her going.
She had to acquaint herself with every machine.
One press was extendable; another could permeate thin sheets with gas.
She had to concentrate, because the state would not fund mistakes.
Unfortunately, her mentor had tried to enslave the process to a single formula.
That view proved predominantly wrong.
Success would hinge on an alternative path.
Her subsequent years passed in obscurity.
Despite a small institute, she felt assured.
She would not censor doubt.
Water was indispensable for the cooling step, so she began to delve into the embryo of a new design: a lens that could bend light around a core.
It was not ideal, but it was advantageous.
An analogous setup in nature, the eye of a shrimp, gave her a clue.
She would resit the old tests with a new material.
Whereas the old glass was brittle, her blend would assimilate heat and express it outward.
She used her own discretion.
The nuclear option, quitting, was not for her.
In antiquity, craftsmen knew how to facilitate such work.
A single manifestation of ignorance could ruin a batch.
The furnace gave no indication it would furnish a clean sheet.
She had to prepare for failure.
With the advent of cheap sensors, things changed.
An acrobatic young student joined her.
His exploratory medication for his fitness was a distraction, but his family's immigration had made him a compatriot in spirit.
His conclusion was simple: they should strive.
The relentless testing impaired his sleep, but he chose to participate.
Their skills were complementary.
A mining law once outlawed atomic waste, so they could not attain a permit without great expense.
That law entitled the state to keep the land inviolable.
Emails would inundate her.
She did not fancy a fight.
To enfranchise the lab, she needed votes.
Rumors abounded of venomous politics.
She would dispense with charm and compel the board with data.
Her finitude pressed on her.
She looked outward, not at laterality.
The project would encompass far more than glass.
A remarkable idea would accompany her.
The advantage was the opposite of a stillborn foetus: it would live.
Safety was paramount.
In the midst of an autocratic review, she held firm.
Efficiency and a versatile team would illustrate her point.
Currently, she could surf the new wave.
An unobtrusive stimulus, a modest grant, was advisable.
Induction into the global network had a case.
Native focus and daily contact with the landscape kept her impartial.
She would cultivate the work, not ape the past.
A tug of doubt would strike her morality, but independence mattered more than an assistantship.
Small gifts would foster miscellaneous support.
She would distribute samples and accept the irrevocable advance.
If error occurred, one more elicitation would follow.
Questions
1. What happened to the factory in Lena's town in 2009?
A. It was expanded. B. It was sold. C. It was closed. D. It was rebuilt.
2. What does the word 'embryo' in paragraph 2 most likely mean?
A. A finished product B. A large building C. An early stage D. A type of glass
3. Why did Lena's mentor's approach fail?
A. He relied on a single formula. B. He lacked imagination. C. He ignored safety rules. D. He refused to use old equipment.
4. What can be inferred about Lena's attitude towards quitting?
A. She planned to do it soon. B. She considered it often. C. She rejected it completely. D. She was tempted by it.
5. Which of the following best serves as a title for the passage?
A. The Dangers of Nuclear Waste B. How to Run a Small Institute C. The History of Atomic Energy D. A Scientist's Struggle and Innovation