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How to wash clothes in a flash
LAUNDRY is never an easy part of housework. But if piles of sweaty (汗水浸湿的) T-shirts and
smelly socks drive you crazy, then two Chinese scientists might have the answer.
Long Mingce and Wu Deyong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University have invented a kind of cotton that
cleans itself. No need for soap or water, the scientists say. All you have to do is put the clothes out in the
sun.
According to the Guardian, this magical self-cleaning ability comes from a special chemical mixture.
The material is covered with this mixture. It can break down dirt and remove bad smells after only a few
hours in the sun.
One of the chemicals is called titanium dioxide (二氧化钛). Scientists have known for some time that
titanium dioxide can clean fabrics (织物). However , it only works under ultraviolet (紫外的) light and so
is not yet widely used - ultraviolet light cannot be seen.
"We knew that self-cleaning cotton fabrics with titanium dioxide coating had already been developed,
but they cannot work, or they work weakly, under sunlight," Long said. "If we want to use the fabrics in
daily life, we must develop cotton that cleans itself under daylight."
The scientists worked hard for years to find a better chemical. Finally , they added silver iodide (碘化银) into the mixture. This made the chemical reactions in sunlight faster. The new mixture is also nearly
seven times better than the former one with pure titanium dioxide at removing dirt and killing bacteria.
The experiment was only carried out on cotton clothing. However, according to Long, the technology
can be "applied to all kinds of fabrics and their related products." It is also cheap and environmentally
friendly , he said.
The self-cleaning material is not yet ready for the market. Scientists still need to know whether it could
harm people. Although titanium dioxide is used in some foods, it can cause health problems if it gets into
the lungs (肺). Scientists need to make sure it is safe before we can start to enjoy the benefits of this
technology .
1. Thanks to this new discovery, we will be able to clean fabrics ___ .
A. using soap and water
B. using silver iodide
C. using sunlight
D. using moonlight
2. In what way is the new material better than previous materials ?
A. It works using any kind of light.
B. It works more quickly and effectively.
C. It is widely found in nature.
D. It can be used for all kinds of fabrics .
3. What might be a problem with the self-cleaning material ?
A. It will cause pollution.
B. It costs too much to produce.
C. It breaks down easily in the sun.
D. It might cause health problems
4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. There may be many other kinds of self-cleaning fabric in the future .
B. We can already buy self-cleaning clothes on the market.
C. This was the first time that scientists discovered titanium dioxide.
D. Titanium dioxide is widely used in the food industry.

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