In a ditty for the stage, W.S. Gilbert once gave warning that "Things are seldom what they seem/Skim milk masquerades as cream." If appearances were tricky in 1878, they have just become trickier still. By doubling the resolution of existing liquid-crystal displays (LCDS), IBM has created a monitor which, when viewed from 18 inches away or farther, shows images that the human eye finds indistinguishable from the real thing.

　　The T220, as it is called, measures 22 inches across the diagonal, and displays 9.2m picture elements ("pixels"). That gives it a resolution of 200 pixels per inch, twice the previous state of the art. This achievement has come as a result of gradual improvements in optics, liquid-crystal chemistry and microelectronics made by IBM groups in Yamato, Japan, and Yorktown Heights, New York.

　　LCDs work by sandwiching a thin sheet of liquid crystals-in this case, thin-film transistors-between two narrowly separated panes of glass. Typically, small glass spheres have held the two panes of glass apart, impairing by refraction the performance of the display. IBM has replaced the spheres with small posts, which are located in the interstices between pixels, and so do not disturb the light as it leaves the excited liquid crystal. In the past, attempts to achieve such high pixel rates have been stymied by the build-up of electrical static, which caused problems with the brightness of the screens. The IBM groups have solved this by using a laser to scan back and forth across the glass, preventing the build up of static electricity.

　　At a current retail price of $22,000, the T220 is hardly going to be flying off the shelves. But it will be ideal for hospitals. Historically, radiology has been a driving force behind the development of high-resolution screens. And the T220's price tag will go almost unnoticed when attached to MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computerised tomography) scanning machines. Until now, no monitor has been able to display the 5m pixels of data that a typical CT-scanning machine produces. The ability to reproduce the data with perfect fidelity should help radiologists make more accurate diagnoses from the computer screen.

　　According to Bob Artemenko, director of marketing and strategy for IBM'S business display unit, the new screen could also help petroleum engineers to speed up their analysis of where to drill from one month to one day. Similarly, the higher fidelity will allow CAD (computer-aided design) systems, especially in the motor and aerospace industries, to work faster-because the detail revealed by the new monitor can cut out costly prototype-building exercises. RAM'S idea is that the new monitor will allow designers of all sorts to go straight from computer image to final product, eliminating many costly and time-consuming middle stages.

　　With prices of more conventional 15 inch LCDs now below $500, IBM is expected to shift its engineering effort from achieving high resolution to lowering costs. How long before the T22o starts showing up in high-end laptops? Judging from previous experience, it could happen sooner than most people think.

1. How does the author introduce the topic?
　　[A]Posing a contrast.
　　[B]Justifying an assumption.
　　[C]Making a comparison.
　　[D]Explaining a phenomenon.

2. Which of the following is not the advantage of the T220?
　　[A]Reasonable price.
　　[B]Time-saving.
　　[C]Cost-saving.
　　[D]High fidelity.

3. The expression “stymied”(Line 6, Paragraph 3) most probably means _____________.
　　[A]limited
　　[B]controlled
　　[C]improved
　　[D]hindered

4. Why does the hospital ignore the price tag of T220?
　　[A]T220 creates a driving force for the medical staff.
　　[B]T220 guarantees a more accurate diagnosis.
　　[C]CT-scanning machine fails to produce such high fidelity images.
　　[D]T220 owns the ability to reproduce data with perfect fidelity.

5. What is the current problem IBM facing?
　　[A]Achieving high resolution.
　　[B]Pursuing more applications.
　　[C]Lowering the price.
　　[D]Reducing the size of the screen.

　　答案：CADBC

　　篇章剖析

　　本文是一篇说明文，详细介绍了清晰度比以前的屏幕高一倍的新型液晶显示器所显示的影像看起来与真实物品几乎难分真假。第一段以比较的手法引出本文的论点：T220显示的影像看起来与真实物品几乎难分真假，“眼见不为实”；第二段指出T220的性能优势以及它是由谁研究开发的；第三段指出T220的运做原理；第四段指出T220是医院的理想选择；第五段指出这种新型显示器的应用；最后一段指出T220的发展前景。

　　词汇注释

　　sharpness [5FBrpnEs; 5FB:pnEs] n. 清晰度

　　indistinguishable [indis5tiN^wiFEbl] adj. 不能区别的，难区分的; 不易觉察的

　　ditty [5dItI] n. 小曲；小调；短歌

　　skim milk n. 脱脂奶，脱脂乳

　　tricky [5trIkI] adj. 难处理的；棘手的；微妙的；奸诈的；狡猾的

　　pixel [5pIks(E)l]＝picture element n. 像素

　　tomography [tE5mC^rEfi] n. (=laminography)X线体层照相术, X线断层照相术

　　the state-of-the-art技术发展水平，科技发展水平，工艺发展水平

　　LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) n. 液晶显示器

　　sandwich vt. 夹在中间；挤入；把...做成三明治；挤出时间做某事

　　liquid-crystal sheet n. 液晶膜(层)

　　Thin-Film Transistors (TFT) 薄膜晶体管

　　impair [im5pZE] vt. 损害, 伤害；减少(量、价值、力等)

　　refraction [ri5frAkFEn] n. 折光, 折射；折射作用, 折射度；折光差[度]

　　interstice [in5tE:stis] n. 间隙, 空隙, 小缝

　　stymy v. 从中作乱, 完全妨碍

　　fly off v. (轮子等)飞脱，飞出；飞速(或突然)离去; 逃脱，跑掉

　　unnoticed [5Qn5nEutist] adj. 未被注意的; 未被顾及的; 不触目的, 不引人注意的

　　CT (Computerized Tomography) 计算机X射线断层造影术［电脑断层摄影法］

　　难句突破

　　1．Similarly, the higher fidelity will allow CAD (computer-aided design) systems, especially in the motor and aerospace industries, to work faster-because the detail revealed by the new monitor can cut out costly prototype-building exercises.

　　主体句式：the higher fidelity will allow CAD systems to work faster …

　　结构分析：本句要认清过去分词“revealed”做后置定语来修饰“the detail”;词组“cut out”的意思是“切掉, 裁剪出, 取代, 停止”的意思；“costly”的词性是形容词。

　　句子译文：同样，较高的保真度也将使CAD(电脑辅助设计)系统——特别是汽车和航天工业——工作得更快，因为新荧屏显示的细节可省去昂贵的原型拟造程序。

　　2．RAM'S idea is that the new monitor will allow designers of all sorts to go straight from computer image to final product, eliminating many costly and time-consuming middle stages.

　　主体句式：RAM'S idea is that …

　　结构分析：本句是一