Digital devices are great, but they can also be annoying when it comes to writing or drawing. Most of the time you must rely on your fingertips to do the typing or drawing for you, and what you wanted to write or draw might not come out the way you imagined. A new pen called “Phree”, created by Israeli company called OTM Technologies, aims to change the dependency that most of us have when it comes to writing or drawing in digital form.
The Phree pen looks a lot like a regular pen in both size and shape. The difference is that you can use the Phree pen to write on any surface (from a table to a wall), and then transfer that writing directly to your target device.
Phree uses a sensor called a 3D laser interferometer (激光干涉仪). The laser beams are projected (投影) on the surface and they will be reflected back to the interferometer. By analyzing these beams’ tracks, the laser interferometer measures the hand motion while writing.
The pen connects with your phone via a Bluetooth. Phree can be used to take notes using various applications on the target device. The notes will appear on the target device whenever you open it. You can even receive, write and send text messages using the device display (显示装置) and it can function as an earphone. Phree can also be used as a regular computer mouse whenever it is connected to a target device. The device can also be used as ID equipment as it can precisely analyze the way a person writes.
“We see Phree as a standard input device in the mobile world, in the same way the mouse became a standard part of PC use. We also see benefits to emerging technologies like AR and VR headsets, interactive TV, and IoT (Internet of Things ).” Gilad Lederer, co-founder of OTM Technologies said.
1. What inspires the OTM Technologies to create Phree?| A．Drawing pictures in a better way. |
| B．People’s relying too much on typing. |
| C．Making digital devices less annoying. |
| D．The inconvenience of data input using fingertips. |
| A．By sending out laser lines. |
| B．By connecting with the Bluetooth. |
| C．By analyzing the reflection lines of lasers. |
| D．By checking the writing ways of certain person. |
| A．It can identify people. |
| B．It can connect to the Internet. |
| C．It can be used as a remote control. |
| D．It can function as a device display. |
| A．It will create more new technologies. |
| B．It will be widely used in many areas. |
| C．It will be the best tool to write letters. |
| D．It will take the place of the mouse of PC. |
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【推荐1】If someone created a flying machine able to track you down by listening for your voice, you might be terrified. But what if you were trapped in ruins after a natural disaster and first responders couldn’t locate you? Maybe then a human-seeking drone (无人机) wouldn’t be such a terrible idea. That concept is the focus for engineers at Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE Institute, who’ve built a drone to find people by detecting human screams.
“The human seeking drone would be ideal for post-disaster situations, such as earth-quakes, hurricanes and wildfires,” said Macarena Varela, one of the lead engineers. “They could hover (盘旋) over an area that rescue crews have difficulty getting to and locate exactly where people may be trapped.”
Locating people by sound presents its share of challenges. An auditory (听觉的) system would need to tell human cries from sounds that often happen in nature, such as animal calls and wind. It might also need to recognize patterns associated with kicking, clapping or other ways people try to get the attention of rescue teams.
Engineers took those situations into account when building out their concept drone. They recorded themselves screaming, tapping and creating other noises they might be a sign of people in trouble. Then, they analyzed each sound frequency to find common signatures and used those to train artificial intelligence software. They also worked to remove the noise created by the drone and other environmental sounds.
Once the software part was completed, the team placed tiny digital microphones under the drone and used signal processing techniques that enabled them to track where human noises are coming from. The microphones also enhanced the volume and clearness of the speech. So far, they have conducted successful open field experiments, finding that the drone can estimate a victim’s location within a few seconds of picking up sound.
Next, they would like to add a higher frequency microphone to a drone to acquire more audio sound signals. The idea is to pick up noises from hundreds of meters away, Varela said. In the real world, victim’s location date might one day be sent wirelessly to emergeney crews carrying a tablet.
1. What is the advantage of the human-seeking drone?| A．Its high speed of flying. | B．Its long working hours. |
| C．Its quick response to screams. | D．Its easy access to disaster scene. |
| A．Recognize human cries. |
| B．Pick up sounds from far away. |
| C．Send victim’s location data to a tablet. |
| D．Improve the quality of human screams. |
| A．Effects. | B．Features. | C．Symbols. | D．Situations. |
| A．developed higher frequency microphones for use on drones |
| B．rescued disaster victims by using drones to recognize human cries. |
| C．coached artificial intelligence software to distinguish human and natural sounds |
| D．completed outdoor experiments using drones to quickly locate disaster victims |
| A．AI Enables Drones to Give Better Performance |
| B．Human-seeking Drones Replace Rescue Crews |
| C．Engineers Teach Drones to Hunt Human Screams |
| D．Rescuers Use Drones to Locate Disaster Survivors |
【推荐2】The San Francisco-based company, called Living Carbon, has created poplar (杨树) trees that are genetically engineered (改变基因结构) to grow larger and suck up more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than standard trees do. In February, workers planted rows of these poplars in southern Georgia. The company intends to plant 4 to 5 millions trees by the middle of next year, which they say will help with the worsening climate crisis.
When plants photosynthesize (进行光合作用), they convert carbon into sugar and nutrients that are eventually consumed by all living organisms. But they also produce a harmful byproduct, which must be broken down during the energy-intensive process of photorespiration (光呼吸), said Yumin Tao, the company’s vice president of biotechnology.
“This is not only wastes energy but also loses much fixed carbon in the form of CO2, which gets released into the air again,” Tao added. “It’s a wasteful process many plants do.” Living Carbon has reduced photorespiration in its poplars, instead channeling the energy into growth, he says.
The trees have three genes inserted to achieve this, including one from squash and one from green algae. But the company has yet to show its modified trees can capture more carbon in a real — world setting. Its only publicly available data comes from a study in a greenhouse that lasted for only a few months and has yet to be peer reviewed. “Their claims seen bold based on very limited real-world data,” says Andrew Newhouse, a conservation biologist at the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
Still, the study reported the modified poplars grew as much as 53% larger in five months compared to the unmodified ones, capturing 27% more carbon dioxide. Now, the company hopes its other field trials in locations like Oregon and Pennsylvania will show similar successes. It’s currently focused on planting on private lands, where fewer roadblocks exist.
“We specially focus on land where trees otherwise wouldn’t be planted, like abandoned mine lands-areas where there isn’t an existing, rich ecosystem that’s allowing for a large amount of carbon removal right now,” says Maddie Hall, Living Carbon’s CEO.
1. Why does the company want to plant genetically modified poplars?| A．To help with the worsening climate crisis. |
| B．To better study them to gain more accurate data. |
| C．To replace ordinary poplars with genetically modified poplars. |
| D．To find suitable places for genetically modified poplars to grow. |
| A．Disapproving. | B．Ambiguous. | C．Skeptical. | D．Supportive. |
| A．They are very resistant to carbon. | B．They have a growth advantage. |
| C．They have two genes inserted. | D．They photosynthesize even faster. |
| A．A Company Is Trying to Engineer Trees Genetically |
| B．Poplar Trees Might Be Planted All Around the World |
| C．Genetically Modified Trees Are Taking Root to capture Carbon |
| D．Research Is Being Conducted to Use Trees to Remove CO2 |
【推荐3】Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it keeps an older people company and helps them remember to take their medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a 3-million-dollar from the National Science Foundation for a special project. They want to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or AI, to Hasbro’s “Joy for All” robotic cat.
The cat has already been for sale for two years. Though priced at over 1, 000 dollars, it sold quite well. It was meant to act as a “companion” (陪伴) for older people. Now the project is aimed at developing additional abilities for the cat. Researchers are working to decide which activities older adults may need the most. They hope to make the cat perform a small number of activities very well. Such activities include finding lost objects and reminding the older people to take medicine or visit their doctor. They also want to keep the cost down to just a few hundred dollars.
It is an idea that has appealed (有吸引力) to Jeanne Elliott. Her 93-year-old mother Mary Derr lives with her in South Kingstown. Derr has dementia (痴呆) The Joy for All cat that Elliot bought this year has become a true companion for Derr. The cat stays with Derr and keeps her relaxed while Elliott is at work. Elliot said a robotic cat that helps her mother to remember to take her medicine and be careful when she walks would be greater.
The researchers are trying to learn how the improved cats will complete helpful activities and how they will communicate. They say that they do not want a talking cat, however. Instead they are trying to design a cat that can move its head in a special way to successfully communicate its message. In the end, they hope to create an exchange between the human and the cat in which the human feels the cat needs them. By doing so, the researchers hope they can even help prevent feelings of loneliness and sadness among elderly people.
1. What can we know about the cat?| A．It will be on sale in two years. |
| B．It may be cheaper in the future. |
| C．Its abilities will be made simpler for the elderly. |
| D．It can tell activities older adults need the most. |
| A．The cat gives much help to the elderly. |
| B．The cat works well to talk with the patient. |
| C．The cat can make the dementia patient less painful. |
| D．The cat should be designed to satisfy patients’ need. |
| A．Each family can afford such a cat in the future. |
| B．A talking cat is quite popular among the elderly. |
| C．Feelings of sadness among the elderly are unavoidable. |
| D．The feeling of being needed is important to the elderly. |
【推荐1】Earth is constantly being hit by space rocks. Several tons rain down on the planet each day in the form of dust. And larger strikes have created more visible features, including giant craters. But which of our planet’s extraterrestrial scars is the oldest?
Researchers reported on Tuesday in Nature Communications that they have pinpointed it, in Western Australia. It was caused by an impact more than 2.2 billion years ago. Interestingly, that timing roughly coincides with the end of one of our planet’s ice ages. An impact in the ice would have liberated an enormous amount of water vapor, the researchers suggest, perhaps enough to alter Earth’s climate.
The Yarrabubba impact structure, about a day’s drive northeast of Perth, isn’t much to look at today. The original crater, believed to have been roughly 40 miles in diameter, is long gone. That’s because the combined effects of wind, rain, glaciation and plate tectonics have washed several miles off the surface of the planet, effectively erasing the crater. The extent of erosion suggests that the impact structure is very, very old.
Existing clues yield “a pretty giant” age range of about a billion and a half years, said Timmons Erickson, a geochronologist at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston and the study’s lead author. But Dr. Erickson knew that it was possible to do far better, by reading the tiny geological clocks that hide within rocks.
In 2014, Dr. Erickson collected roughly 200 pounds of granitic rocks from Yarrabubba. Back in the laboratory, based on a series of experiments, Dr. Erickson and his team calculated that the Yarrabubba impact occurred 2.229 billion years ago, with an uncertainty of 5 million years. The nextoldest impact structure, Vredefort Dome in South Africa, is over 200 million years younger.
The age of the Yarrabubba impact structure happens to line up with the end of an ice age, which makes for a compelling coincidence, Dr. Erickson said: “Would an impact event like Yarrabubba be enough to terminate a glacial time in Earth’s history?”
To help answer that question, the scientists modeled the effects of a roughly fourmilewide impact object striking ice sheets of different thicknesses. They found that more than 100 billion tons of water vapor would have been jetted into the upper atmosphere. Water vapor is an effective greenhouse gas; suddenly having much more of it in the atmosphere could have caused a warming that ended an ice age, the team suggested. That idea still needs to be tested with climate models, the researchers noted.
Christian Koeberl, a geochemist at the University of Vienna and not involved in the research, agreed. Inferring what might have happened to Earth’s ancient climate is “Where things get a lot more speculative,” he said.
1. Which of the following statements is TRUE?| A．Craters are formed when the Earth is struck by rocks. |
| B．The Yarrabubba impact is a very popular tourist attraction in Australia. |
| C．We cannot see the original crater of the Yarrabubba impact because of erosion. |
| D．The age of the crater can be accurately measured by the degree of the erosion. |
| A．Dr. Erickson has accurately measured Yarrabubba impact with his experiments. |
| B．A sudden release of much water vapor might have resulted in the ending of an ice age. |
| C．Sufficient evidence has proved that the Yarrabubba impact had ended an ice age. |
| D．Considering the uncertainty, Vredefort Dome might still hold the title of being the oldest. |
| A．He criticized the research for its inaccuracy. |
| B．He applauded the novelty of the researchers’ approach. |
| C．What happened to earth’ climate billions of years ago has come to light. |
| D．He acknowledged the difficulty involved in further investigations. |
| A．Earth’s Oldest Impact |
| B．How To Warm a Planet |
| C．Giant Craters On Earth |
| D．Earth’s Geological Erosion |
【推荐2】Conversation around sustainability (可持续发展) has been growing in recent years, with a whole wave of new words entering the dictionary to describe its influence across many topics. To honour Earth Day, we’re exploring the developing language of sustainability in our day-to-day lives.
The climate emergency took on new meanings in 2018 thanks to climate activist Greta Thunberg. Her speeches and strikes lighted a global conversation and since then, we’ve seen many climate-related words entering the Collins Word of the Year shortlists including “rewilding” and “climate anxiety”. We also saw two climate words win CollinsWOTY: single use (2018) and climate strike (2019).
This increased everyday conversation around our planet also means we’re seeing new words enter the dictionary on an ongoing basis. Recent entries include climate justice (正义), the formulation of policies (政策的制定) to fight climate change that do not place an unfair pressure on poorer and local communities, and zero waste, a situation in which people’s activities produce nothing that cannot be reused, re-purposed, or recycled.
The more we talk about the climate crisis, the more forced we are to find solutions. This means we’re seeing new language around energy production. One example is solar park, which is an area of land that has been set aside for the generation of solar energy. Solar parks are a renewable energy source that can reduce carbon emissions (碳排放). Other energy-related words include blue hydrogen (氢) and green hydrogen, new entries to the Collins Dictionary, both described as a commercially produced hydrogen that creates little to no emissions of CO2.
Fighting the climate crisis depends on big businesses and governments using greener practices. But there are lots of ways we can protect our planet as individuals and these little changes have led to developing words around nature, diet, and lifestyle.
1. Which of the following win CollinsWOTY?| A．Rewilding and climate anxiety. | B．Single use and climate strike. |
| C．Climate justice and zero waste. | D．Blue hydrogen and green hydrogen. |
| A．To warn the climate danger. | B．To explain the carbon emissions. |
| C．To suggest the park’s new use. | D．To show new energy-related words. |
| A．The climate emergency. | B．The Collins Dictionary. |
| C．The developing climate language. | D．The celebration of Earth Day. |
| A．Examples of new words about nature, diet and lifestyle. | B．Individual protection of our planet. |
| C．Discussion about sustainability. | D．Solutions to the climate change. |
【推荐3】Koalas in Australia could disappear from New South Wales state (NSW) by 2050, unless the state government immediately acts to protect them.
Koalas are among Australia’s most beloved animals. A report released on Tuesday said that land clearing for agriculture, urban ( 城市) development, mining and forestry are threatening the koalas’ survival in NSW, since such operations destroy koala habitat. Koalas live in eucalyptus（桉树）forests, where the trees provide shelter and food for the koalas. But, the state’s recent fire season, aided by severely dry weather this year, was unusually long and proved disastrous for koalas. The research found that about 25 percent of koala habitat across the state was destroyed. The report also said that, in some parts of NSW, fires destroyed as much as 81 percent of the habitat. “The evidence could not be more disturbing,” the report reads, adding, “The government’s action on the report’s suggested measures is the only way our children’s grandchildren can see a koala in the wild in NSW.”
The report advises that the government take 42 actions to deal with the problem. One calls for immediately counting koalas in NSW. Another advises that the government place the protection of the animals above urban development. And it calls for more money to support the efforts to save the environment.
A spokesperson for NSW said the government would comment on the report after a period of consideration. The official added that the state had already provided more than $30 million to protect koalas.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?| A．The loss of Koalas’ habitat. | B．The causes of fire season. |
| C．The effect of climate change. | D．The measures of state government. |
| A．Weakened. | B．Caused. | C．Worsened. | D．Improved. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Uncaring. | C．Serious. | D．Negative. |
【推荐1】American and British people both speak English of course. But sometimes it does not seem like the same language. In fact, there are some important differences between British English and American English.
First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don't say each words separately. They say several words together. Americans may say “I dunno” instead of “I don’t know”. Or they may say “Whaddya say?” instead of “What did you say?”. However, the British are more careful in their speech. They usually say all the words and keep them separate.
Sound is not only the difference between British English and American English.Words sometimes have different meanings too. Some American words are never used in England. The same thing is true of some British words in America. For example, the vocabulary for cars and driving is very different. Americans drive trucks, but in England people drive lorries.
Many expressions are also different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone your friends, you " phone them up". In America, you "give them a call". When you are saying goodbye in England you might say "Cheerio!" In America you might say " See you later. "
There 're also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans usually use the helping verb "do" when they ask a question. They say "Do you have a storybook?" But the British often leave out the helping verb. They say " Have you a storybook?"
All these differences can be confusing if you are learning English. But most languages are like this. Languages change over time. When people live in separate places, the languages change in different ways.This is what has happened to English. It can also happen to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French, but their French is very different from the French of France.
1. What does the author think of the differences between American and British English?| A．American and British English are the same language. |
| B．American and British English are quite different. |
| C．Although American English came from the British English, there are still some important differences. |
| D．There are slight differences between American and British English. |
| A．Together. | B．One by one. |
| C．In common. | D．In different ways. |
| A．The words of American and British English are the same. |
| B．The spelling of American and British English is the same. |
| C．Although they don't sound the same, the words are the same. |
| D．Some British English words are not used in American English. |
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
【推荐2】New Zealand plans to forbid foreigners to buy existing homes. The ban is expected to become law this year. It aims to slow the rising housing prices and protect New Zealanders interested in buying a home.
The Labour Party government believes that foreign investors have pushed many possible first-time home buyers and families out of the housing market. Last year, housing prices across the country rose by 5.8 percent, to over $405,000. Housing prices rose even more in New Zealand’s capital city, Wellington. Price there rose by more than 18 percent over a 12-month period that ended in June 2017.
The rising prices have pushed home ownership outside the reach of many possible buyers. One home owner told VOA he feels sorry for the younger generation. “I just believe the market has made it impossible for them to get into the housing.” Just 25 years ago, three out of every four New Zealanders lived in their own homes. Now the rate is 64 percent — and falling.
The ban on forbidding foreigners to buy existing homes has yet to be approved. But the measure, called the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill, passed its first reading in parliament (国会)in December. Limiting foreign ownership of housing has been tried in other countries, including Switzerland, “ If foreign investors are looking to put their cash into New Zealand, if it then forces up the price of property, people cannot afford to live anymore.” says Norman Gemmell, chair of public finance at Victoria University.
Critics say foreign investors have had only a small effect on the cost of housing. Low interest rates, limited supply and immigration have also driven up house prices.
Housing prices continue to rise across the country. And for many New Zealanders, the dream of owning a home is as distant as ever.
1. Which is the main factor of the high housing prices, according to the Labour Party government?| A．Low interest rates. | B．Investors at home. |
| C．Immigration. | D．Foreign buyers. |
| A．Housing prices rose by over 18 percent over a year. |
| B．The housing prices of the capital city rose the least. |
| C．The rate of New Zealanders living in their own houses is decreasing. |
| D．The country has witnessed the highest rise in housing prices up to now. |
| A．has been approved in New Zealand |
| B．will encourage foreigners to buy a house |
| C．has been tried in other countries |
| D．will make local people harder to own a home |
| A．It is hard for the locals to buy a house in New Zealand. |
| B．New Zealand will prevent foreign buyers from buying a house. |
| C．The prices of houses in New Zealand have been rising sharply. |
| D．There are many reasons for high housing prices in New Zealand. |
【推荐3】Many teachers believe frequent quizzes (小测验) help students better grasp classroom material. Crede, an associate professor of psychology, was skeptical that something as simple as a quiz could positively affect students’ academic performance. He decided to dig deeper and conduct an analytic study of existing research to see if there was any proof to the idea. What he discovered truly surprised him.
Crede analyzed data from previously published studies that examined 52 classes with almost 8,000 students, primarily college-level courses, to determine if frequent quizzes improved the students’ academic performance. Laboratory settings were kept out of the study because Crede wanted to observe whether similar studies from labs would apply to general classrooms.
Crede discovered that when students are quizzed over class material at least once a week, they tend to perform better on midterm and final exams compared to students who did not take quizzes. He also found that students who took frequent quizzes were less likely to fail the class, especially if they were struggling with the course content. Students who struggle the most in a class seem to benefit the greatest from frequent quizzes. The other surprising thing was how much quizzes helped reduce failure rates in classes. The chances of passing a class went through the roof where instructors used this. In addition to quiz frequency, another factor that seemed to positively affect students’ performance was immediate feedback from instructors. Also, quizzes that required students to answer with written responses proved more beneficial to their understanding of class material compared to multiple-choice questions.
Asking teachers to grade written quizzes daily or weekly may discourage some from carrying them out in their classes. Instead, it is recommended that instructors give online quizzes that can be automatically graded by a course management system. Quiz attributes (属性) proved insignificant in the study, including whether the tests were pop quizzes or planned, or if they were online or on paper.
1. What did Crede do to ensure his study’s accuracy?| A．He focused on what happened in classrooms. |
| B．He researched as many students as he could. |
| C．He made laboratory settings as real as possible. |
| D．He gave easy quizzes to make every student do well. |
| A．rose | B．appeared |
| C．faded | D．lost |
| A．Frequent quizzes could remove students’ failure in classes. |
| B．Instructors’ feedback was more important than frequent quizzes. |
| C．Frequent quizzes were especially useful to the struggling students. |
| D．Multiple-choice questions shouldn’t be included in frequent quizzes. |
| A．Accessing the Internet less frequently. |
| B．Having too many exam papers to mark. |
| C．Being unable to get appropriate test materials. |
| D．Finding it hard to choose the right type of quiz. |
【推荐1】What's the attraction of coffee shops? It's been said that JK Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books sitting in one in Edinburgh.
Many people spend hours in these places nursing a coffee as they work away on their laptops. But if you're spending all day buying one expensive coffee after another and haven't sold your first novel yet, the costs can really add up.
For those who work outside of a traditional office or just want to take time out, there's a new alternative in London: a pay-per-minute café.
You can continue to stay for as long as you like in the Ziferblat coffee shop. You'll be given a clock when you come in to keep time. When you leave, you return the item and pay the bill.
The cost of hanging out, eating, working and meeting new people in the place is 3p per minute-or £1.80 an hour. The shop's owner, Ivan Meetin, says, "Everything is free, except the time you spend there".
Customers help themselves to coffee and cookies. They can also bring their own food to eat there while surfing the internet through wi-fi.
Meetin's customers clearly are not the types who rush to work with a paper cup to drink from at their desks. They are there for the atmosphere. He's always loved the idea of building his own house. "With my mates, we were building treehouses where rules of society didn't exist," he says.
Meetin believes his coffee shop is a bit like "social media", but with a face. Like-minded people go there to socialize. Some feel so much at home that they wash the dishes.
The concept of coffee shops, where you pay for the time and not for the cup, has proved popular in Russia. Ziferblat is part of a Russian chain. Only time will tell if the British will warm to the idea.
I'd like to try it at least once. Who knows— I might even start writing my own novel. If coffee shops are good enough for JK Rowling to spend quality time in, why can't I?
1. How are coffee shops similar to social media?| A．People spend hours there at a time. |
| B．People go there for the atmosphere. |
| C．People bring their own food to eat there. |
| D．People go to meet others who share their interests. |
| A．J.K. Rowling writes her books in a café. |
| B．You can complete a lot of work in a café. |
| C．More and more money is being spent in cafés. |
| D．A new coffee shop charges people by the minute. |
| A．Creative. | B．Common. | C．Traditional. | D．Magical. |
Wise use of free time does not mean getting an advanced degree，although the mental encouragement gained through education is unbeatable in keeping your mind active. Learning new things nearly always adds a spark to your daily life，especially if it is a favorite topic，such as sport，fashion，or art. Also，look through your bookstore or library to find books on your interests. Try to replace a half hour TV watching with reading.
It is reported that in the United States recently，many individuals have as few as two good friends. Long work hours and car commute act to separate people from each other. This separation is deadly. Find ways to meet people at the end of the day and on weekends. Often this can be best done by combining activities，such as by joining a walking group to get both exercise and companionship. Taking a class will lift your spirits and allow you to meet others with similar interests. Hobbies are great for reducing stress and provide another opportunity for social interaction.
Using your free time to aid your health may include these elements and many more，such as going to concerts and spending time with family. Overall，the key is to spend less free time being passive. The best ways to use free time are to be mentally and physically active，spend some time outdoors，and interact with other people on a regular basis.
1. What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Watching television may cause women to feel depressed. |
| B．Finding interests and hobbies in common means taking a class. |
| C．Going to concerts is the best way to make you mentally active. |
| D．Getting an advanced degree in education always lights up your life. |
| A．The arrangement to work every day. |
| B．The journey to work every day. |
| C．The communication between people. |
| D．The separation between people. |
| A．Live a Happy and Healthy Life |
| B．Relax Yourself in Various Ways |
| C．Spend Your Free Time Wisely |
| D．Interact With Others Outdoors |
【推荐3】Automakers around the world, from Japan to Texas, are struggling with a global shortage of computer chips. Volkswagen sounded the alarm about the growing problem last month. Now more automakers are reporting problems that are trimming production plans based on their supply of semiconductors (半导体).
Semiconductors are at the heart of our phones and computers, but they're critical components for new cars, too — and not just in fancy touchscreens. "They're controlling the engine and the emissions and even in the switches for raising and lowering your windows," says Kristin Dziczek, the vice president at the Center for Automotive Research.
Last year, when auto manufacturing was suspended for the pandemic, everyone predicted a prolonged slowdown in car sales. The global semiconductor industry planned accordingly, and arranged to sell more computer chips to other buyers. But then, much to everyone's surprise, shoppers were still eager to buy new cars. As soon as they reopened, plants resumed normal production at a remarkable speed.
At the same time, demand for chips from other sectors — like consumer electronics — was also increasing. "Every school district in the country had to buy new computers," Dziczek says.
For car shoppers, this could mean some vehicle models are harder to find for the next few months. So far, the consequences have been uneven among automakers. Ford and Fiat Chrysler have entire plants on pause, while General Motors says its manufacturing operations have not been affected, and Toyota does not expect any impact to employment. The United Auto Workers, which represents factory workers at Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler plants, notes that its contracts include "unemployment and supplemental pay" for workers affected by production downtimes.
1. In what ways can semiconductors not be applied in cars?| A．In the engine system. | B．In fancy touchscreens. |
| C．In the emission system. | D．In the switches of car doors. |
| A．It'll be harder for shoppers to find a dream car. |
| B．The contracts are not beneficial to the workers. |
| C．Toyota is expected to face employment problem. |
| D．All the automakers have paused the entire plants. |
| A．A Dream Car Is Not A Dream |
| B．The Growing Popularity Of Semiconductor |
| C．Semiconductor Won't Hurt Chip Production |
| D．Auto Production Disturbed By Chip Shortages |
