Besides golden yellow, can gold show other colors? Can water reach 0℃ without turning into ice? Yes and yes. Welcome to the world of nanogeochemistry (纳米地球化学). Professor Wan works at an institute in Guizhou. He is a leading scientist in this research field.

“Nanogeochemistry is a field that bridges nanotechnology (纳米科技) and geochemistry (地球化学),” said Wan. Nanotechnology looks at things as tiny as one-billionth (十亿分之一) of a meter, while geochemistry studies Earth from a chemical point of view. You might think it seems strange to mix these two fields. But Chinese scientists have thought about it since the 1990s, Wan noted. One reason is that high-technology products, especially computers and smartphone chips (芯片), keep getting smaller but more powerful.

“Nanogeochemistry tries to understand how tiny things form (形成) and spread on Earth. Among them, particles (粒子) are one to 100 nanometers in size,” Wan said. That is much smaller than a human hair, which is usually 80,000 to 100,000 nanometers wide.

In the nanoworld, things act in strange ways because of quantum effects (量子效应). For example, if gold is made just a few nanometers big, it can shine blue, purple or even red. Another example is water. When water is placed inside nano-sized holes, it can stay liquid (液态的) even under -40 ℃.

Nanogeochemistry is important for space research. Wan’s team is studying the effects of high-speed impacts (撞击) on space bodies. This might help explain how certain metal nanoparticles formed on the moon, Mars, and so on.

1.1. How does the writer start the passage?

A By telling a story.

B By listing numbers.

C By asking questions.

D By using famous sayings.

解析：选C。细节理解题。解析：文章开头“Besides golden yellow, can gold show other colors? Can water reach 0℃ without turning into ice? Yes and yes.” 是提出两个问题来引出话题。C选项“通过提问”符合原文，故选C。

2.2. What does Nanogeochemistry try to understand according to Paragraphs 2~3?

A How smartphone chips were invented.

B How tiny things form and spread on Earth.

C How nanotechnology makes human hair healthier.

D How geochemistry helps environmental protection.

解析：选B。细节理解题。解析：文中第三段“Nanogeochemistry tries to understand how tiny things form (形成) and spread on Earth.”直接说明了纳米地球化学想要了解微小物质如何在地球上形成和扩散。B选项和原文一致，故选B。

3.3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A Things in the nanoworld act strangely.

B Nanogeochemistry has no use in space research.

C Gold can only shine blue if it is made just a few nanometers big.

D Chinese scientists started studying nanogeochemistry in the 1980s.

解析：选A。细节理解题。解析：文中“In the nanoworld, things act in strange ways because of quantum effects (量子效应).”表明在纳米世界里，物质的表现很奇特。A选项和原文一致。故选A。

4.4. What’s the best title of the passage?

A Hopeful but Challenging: the Future of Geochemistry

B Small but Powerful: the Importance of Nanogeochemistry

C Stories behind Science: Achievements of Technology in China

D The Beauty of Nature: Amazing Phenomena (现象) of the Nanoworld

解析：选B。主旨大意题。解析：全文围绕纳米地球化学展开，讲述微小的纳米世界有着奇妙特性，并且这门学科对太空研究意义重大。B选项“微小但强大：纳米地球化学的重要性”契合文章主旨，故选B。