China Makes Major Breakthrough in Sodium-ion Batteries(钠离子电池)
In recent years, with the fast development of new energy, batteries have become more and more important in our daily life. They are widely used in electric cars, mobile phones and energy storage systems. However, safety has always been a big problem for many kinds of batteries. Thermal runaway (热失控) often causes batteries to catch fire or even explode, which brings huge risks to people’s lives and property. But now, China has made a world-class breakthrough in sodium-ion batteries.
Scientists from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have achieved a great success for the first time in the world. They have completely stopped thermal runaway in ampere-hour (安时) level sodium-ion batteries. This is a very important milestone in the development of battery technology.
Before this breakthrough, traditional batteries, including some sodium-ion batteries, had safety hidden dangers. When they were overcharged, short-circuited or exposed to high temperatures, thermal runaway would happen easily. Most ways to solve this problem in the past could only passively slow down the heat, but not stop it completely. The Chinese team used a new kind of non-flammable electrolyte (电解质) in the batteries. This special material can change from liquid to solid automatically when the temperature rises too high. It forms a safe barrier (屏障) between the positive and negative poles (正负极) of the battery, cutting off the heat spread and stopping thermal runaway from the root.
The new sodium-ion batteries have passed many strict tests, such as high-temperature baking at 300℃, needle pricking and squeezing. During the tests, the batteries never smoked, caught fire or exploded. They also work well in a wide temperature range, from -40℃ to 60℃. Compared with lithium (锂) batteries, sodium-ion batteries have more advantages. Sodium is much cheaper and easier to get, as it is widely found in salt and the earth’s crust.
This breakthrough will greatly push the development of the new energy industry. It will make electric vehicles, energy storage stations and other devices much safer. It also shows that China is playing a leading role in global new energy technology research.
阅读理解
1. What is the big problem for many kinds of batteries according to the passage?
A. High cost
B. Short service life
C. Safety risks like thermal runaway
D. Difficult production
2. Where did the Chinese scientists who made the breakthrough come from?
A. Tsinghua University
B. Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
C. Peking University
D. A famous foreign research center
3. How does the new electrolyte stop thermal runaway?
A. It makes the battery run faster
B. It turns into solid to form a barrier when overheated
C. It lowers the battery’s power
D.It increases the battery’s temperature
4. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of sodium-ion batteries?
A. Sodium is cheap and easy to get
B. They can avoid thermal runaway completely
C. They are more dangerous than lithium batteries
D. They work well in a wide temperature range
5. What can we learn from the passage?
A. The breakthrough is meaningless for the new energy industry
B. China leads the world in this sodium-ion battery technology
C. The new batteries failed the strict tests
D.Thermal runaway can never be solved
答案
1. C
2. B
3. B
4. C
5. B
词汇积累
1. breakthrough /ˈbreɪkθruː/ n. 突破
2. thermal runaway 热失控
3. explode /ɪkˈspləʊd/ v. 爆炸
4. milestone /ˈmaɪlstəʊn/ n. 里程碑
5. non-flammable /ˌnɒn ˈflæməbl/ adj. 不易燃的
6. barrier /ˈbæriə(r)/ n. 屏障
7. advantage /ədˈvɑːntɪdʒ/ n. 优势
8. leading /ˈliːdɪŋ/ adj. 领先的
9. in recent years 近年来
10. widely used 被广泛使用
11. hidden dangers 隐患
12. from the root 从根源
13. push the development of 推动……的发展
14. However, safety has always been a big problem for many kinds of batteries.
然而，安全一直是多种电池面临的一大难题。
15. This is a very important milestone in the development of battery technology.
这是电池技术发展中一个非常重要的里程碑。
16. It also shows that China is playing a leading role in global new energy technology research.
这也表明中国在全球新能源技术研究中发挥着主导作用。
