(2019·济南市针对性训练)Nathan，a freshman student at San Marino High School in California，US，doesn't like doing housework any more than anybody else.But he said doing it made him wonder why hot water worked better than cold water when washing up after dinner，and what made soap a good cleaner.The experiments he designed to figure out these things earned him the top prize at the 2016 Broadcom MASTERS.
MASTERS stands for Math，Applied Science，Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars.Every year，the event brings together 30 middle school students from around the country to share their science projects.
“At first，I thought that my ideas were naive，”the teenager told Student Science.“But when I was presented with this special award，it proved that young inventors can actually deal with real－world problems.”
Inspired by reports of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico，he connected washing dishes to cleaning oil spills.“I decided that I wanted to find a method for cleaning that's both efficient and environmentally friendly，”Nathan told Student Science.So he created his own setup for measuring surface tension—a scientific term that refers to the tension of a layer of liquid.He ended up learning why soap and hot water are better for cleaning，and a way to remove oil from water.
“Science and math help you understand the world around you.You can learn it from books and teachers，but you can also discover it yourself by doing science projects.” He even plans to sell his setup to schools，so other teens can do his experiment and learn his theory.
When asked his secret to success，he said to keep a science fair project simple at first.“Break down the problem into smaller，manageable steps，so in the way，you will be able to know what you are doing and build on your knowledge gradually.”
【语篇解读】 本文主要介绍了一个美国高中生的创造发明获得MASTERS奖的故事。
1．What do we know about Nathan?
A．He enjoys doing housework.
B．He wants to clean up oil spills.
C．He figured out how cleaning worked.
D．He won many prizes for his fancy ideas.
C [细节理解题。根据第一段第二句“But he said doing it made him wonder why hot water worked better than cold water when washing up after dinner，and what made soap a good cleaner”和第四段最后一句“He ended up learning why soap and hot water are better for cleaning，and a way to remove oil from water”可知，Nathan弄明白了清洗的原理，故选C。]
2．What can best describe Nathan?
A．Generous and wealthy.
B．Curious and creative.
C．Lazy but talented.
D．Polite but shy.
B [推理判断题。根据第一段第二句“But he said doing it made him wonder why hot water worked better than cold water when washing up after dinner，and what made soap a good cleaner”可推知，Nathan富有好奇心，结合第四段可推知，Nathan比较有创造性，故选B。]
3．What is Nathan's secret to success?
A．Doing things step by step.
B．Doing science projects alone.
C．Working hard at math problems.
D．Learning about the world from books.
A [细节理解题。根据文章最后一句“Break down the problem into smaller，manageable steps，so in the way，you will be able to know what you are doing and build on your knowledge gradually”可推知，Nathan成功的秘诀就在于做事循序渐进，逐个突破，故选A。]
