The Railroad Builders
The Central Pacific Railroad is the first transcontinental railroad in North America, honored by BBC as one of the seven miracles after Industrial Revolution. It had made a great contribution to the US’s economy but it couldn’t be completed without Chinese labors hard work. In order to build the railroad, a lot of workers were imported from China. They had to bear the brunt of the work, deal with the dreadful environment and endure with littler pay. What challenges did they meet? And how did they cope with them?
Join us in the railroad builders to find the answers!
The first Transcontinental Railroad (known originally as the “Pacific Railroad” and later as the “Overland Route”) was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869. By linking with the existing railway network of the Eastern United States, the road thus connected the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the United States by rail for the first time. It was one of the crowning achievements in the crossing of plains and high mountains westward by the Union Pacific and eastward by the Central Pacific.
Watch Episodes | |
Part 1 The first transcontinental railroad at the time is the most ambitious engineering project ever attempted in the United States. When work started on the most challenging Western section. Chinese labors were brought in, and before long they became brunt of the work. But what did so many Chinese nationals do with the US in mid-19 Century? | Part 2 President Lincoln had a dream that one day a railroad would cross the United States from coast to coast. As the construction of the first transcontinental railroad got underway in the mid-19 Century, large numbers of Chinese labors headed to the US. But would it be the land of fortune they dreamed off? What really awaited them at the end of the long and often difficult voyage from China? |
Part 3 The first group of Chinese labor began to work on the first transcontinental railroad of the United States. To the delight of the new employers, they proved to be excellent workers. But the Sierra Nevada would be a test of their hardness and resolve. How did the Chinese labors cope with the dreadful rain and unfamiliar freezing weather? | Part 4 It was the coldest winter ever known in the American West and thousands of labors from China found themselves having to endure the unfamiliar snow and freezing cold. And yet they managed to build something that 150 years later is still regarded as an engineering marvel. What help did they get from the powerful and highly dangerous explosive? |
Part 5 The Summit Tunnel through Sierra Nevada, every inch of it was built at the cost of the blood of even the lives of Chinese labors. And yet in return, the Chinese labors faced discrimination. The rewards they received were pitiful. How did they respond and what did the Central Pacific Railroad Company do to address their grievances? | Part 6 Paid less, and yet bearing the brunt of the work, the Chinese labors building the Central Pacific Railroad demanded more money. How did the company respond? In Sierra Nevada, they broke through rock and endured harshest winter in their memory. Now in Utah, what fresh challenges awaited them? How did they finally earn the gratitude? |
1. Which of the following is Not true about the Central Pacific Railroad?
| A．It was built by more than one railroad company working together. |
| B．It was constructed by Chinese labors solely. |
| C．It is an engineering marvel recognized even today. |
| D．It was completed with blood, sweat and tears. |
| A．handle the difficulty | B．deserve the credit |
| C．suffer the main part | D．come under attack |
| A．Before the construction of Pacific Railroad began, there was no railroad in America |
| B．Pacific Railroad was intended to realize President Lincoln’s dream after he died |
| C．The Chinese labors earned a lot by building Pacific Railroad at the cost of their health and even |
| D．It took people much longer to travel from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific coast in America before 1869 |
| A．a television channel | B．a railroad company |
| C．BBC documentaries | D．a journal on rail building |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】To complete the great map of the world was a strong passion for the people of early civilizations. Marco Polo’s tales inspired European explorers to search for sea routes from west to east. However, merchants search for sea routes from west to east. However, merchants and explorers from the East set sail from east to west many years before Columbus first did.
In ancient times, silk from China found its way overland to India, the Middle East, and Rome, along what became known as the Silk Road. A trading route across the sea was also extended along the coasts of the Indian Ocean, centred around Ceylon (now Sri Lanka ). Here, merchants from China and many other places met to negotiate trade deals, which also led to more awareness of each other’s cultures. Over the centuries, further trading allowed more exploration of the regions to the west China.
Later, the Ming Dynasty further developed relations with these regions. Between 1405 and 1433, seven large fleets sailed west on voyages of trade and exploration. These fleets were a sight to behold and were in a league of their own at that time. Under the command of Zheng He, they set sail from the South China Sea across the Indian Ocean to the mouth of the Red Sea, and then to the east coast of Africa. African royal families sent gifts such as giraffes as gestures of friendship in return for gold, silk, and spices. Although China withdrew from further expeditions after 1433, these land and sea routes remained active channels between other cultures for centuries.
To reach out across the sea remains a strong desire today. The ancient sea routes travelled by Zheng He are being revisited with the 2lst Century Maritime Silk Road, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The aim of this initiative is to encourage cooperation and trade across the historic Silk Road areas, and strengthen the bonds between China and the rest of the world. Trading has grown greatly in recent years, and will continue to do so in years to come.
1. How is the passage developed?| A．Cause and effect. | B．Time sequence. |
| C．Problem and solution. | D．Compare and contrast. |
| A．Impressive. | B．Worrisome. | C．Aggressive. | D．Fearful. |
| A．To expand China’s territorial area on the ocean. |
| B．To promote communication with other countries. |
| C．To strengthen further cooperation with other countries. |
| D．To encourage trade across the historic Silk Road areas. |
| A．The Maritime Silk Road | B．The great map of the world |
| C．Reaching out across the sea | D．The Belt and Road Initiative |
【推荐2】They asked Katherine Johnson for the moon, and she gave it to them. With little more than a pencil, a slide rule and one of the finest mathematical minds in the country, Mrs. Johnson, who died at 101 on Monday, calculated the precise track that would let Apollo 11 land on the moon in 1969 and, after Neil Armstrong’s history—making moonwalk, let it return to Earth.
Yet throughout Mrs. Johnson’s 33 years in NASA and for decades afterwards, almost no one knew her name.
Mrs. Johnson was one of several hundred strictly educated, supremely capable yet largely unrecognized women who, well before the modern feminist movement, worked as NASA mathematicians. But it was not only her sex that kept her long unsung. For some years at midcentury, the black women were subjected to a double segregation (隔离)：They were kept separate from the much large group of white women who in turn were segregated from the agency’s male mathematicians and engineers.
Mrs. Johnson broke barriers at NASA. In old age, Mrs. Johnson became the most celebrated of black women who served as mathematicians for the space agency. Their story was told in the 2016 Hollywood film Hidden Figures, which was nominated for three Oscars, including best picture.
In 2017, NASA dedicated a building in her honor. That year, The Washington Post described her as “the most high- profile of the computers”—“computers” being the term originally used to describe Mrs. Johnson and her colleagues, much as “typewriters” were used in the 19th century to represent professional typists.
She “helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space,” NASA’s administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said in a statement on Monday, “even as she made huge steps that also opened doors for women and people of color in the universal human quest to explore space.”
As Mrs. Johnson herself was fond of saying, her term at Langley—from 1953 until her retirement in 1986—was “a time when computers wore skirts.”
1. What is the function of the first paragraph?| A．To present the Apollo moon mission. | B．To stress Mrs. Johnson’s contributions |
| C．To honour Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk. | D．To mourn a great woman—Mrs. Johnson. |
| A．The difference between male and females in this field. |
| B．People’s not recognizing her talent. |
| C．Inequality in gender and race. |
| D．The hardships before the modern feminist movement. |
| A．Because they used computers to keep their work secret. |
| B．Because they were the agency’s human calculators. |
| C．Because computer systems engaged them deeply. |
| D．Because they calculate precisely using computers. |
| A．Don’t judge a person by his appearance. |
| B．The world awaits our discovery. |
| C．Use knowledge to wipe out ignorance. |
| D．Never be limited by the labels attached by others. |
【推荐3】One of the most famous buildings in the United States is Carnegie Hall, the home of classical and popular music concerts in New York. Carnegie Hall is known not just for its beauty and history, but also for its amazing sound. It has been said that the hall itself is an instrument. It takes the music and makes it larger than life.
Carnegie Hall is named after Andrew Carnegie, who paid for its construction. Construction on Carnegie Hall began in 1890 and the official opening night was on May 5, 1891.
The hall was owned by the Carnegie family until 1924 when it was sold to Robert E. Simon. The building became very old and in 1960, the new owner made plans to destroy it and build an office block. Isaac Stem led a group of people who fought to save Carnegie Hall and finally, the city of New York bought it for $5 million. It was then fixed up between 1983 and 1995.
Advertisements and stories in newspapers about how Carnegie Hall needed help to recover its history led people to send in old concert programmes and information from all over the world. Over 12,000 concert programmes were received and with these it was possible to make a proper record of Carnegie Hall’s concert history.
Carnegie Hall is actually made up of several different halls, but the Main Hall, now called the Isaac Stern Hall, is the most famous. The hall itself can hold an audience of 2,804 in five levels of seating.
Because the best and most famous musicians of all time have played at Carnegie Hall, it is the dream of most musicians who want to be great to play there. This has led to a very old joke which is now part of Carnegie Hall’s history. Question: “How do I get to Carnegie Hall?” Answer: “Practise, practise, practise.”
1. It can be inferred that people wanted to save Carnegie Hall mainly because _____.| A．it made a lot of money | B．it was worth visiting |
| C．many important concerts were held in it | D．it made some musicians become famous |
| A．Through newspaper reports. | B．Through old concert programmes. |
| C．Through old photographs. | D．Through old joke. |
| A．9 years. | B．10 years. | C．11 years. | D．12 years. |
| A．The History of Carnegie Hall. | B．The Best Musician Having Played in Carnegie Hall. |
| C．A Joke about Carnegie Hall. | D．The Dream of Most Musicians. |
【推荐1】When leaning a foreign language, most people fall back on traditional methods: reading, writing, listening and repeating. But if you also gesture with your arms while studying, you can remember the vocabulary better, even months later. Linking a word to brain areas responsible for movement strengthens the memory of its meaning.
As neuroscientist Brian Mathias and his colleagues describe in the Journal of Neuroscience, they had 22 German-speaking adults learn a total of 90 invented artificial words (such as “lamube” for “camera,” and “atesi” for “thought”) over four days. While the test subjects first heard the new vocabulary, they were simultaneously (同时地) shown a video of a person making a gesture that matched the meaning of the word. When the word was repeated, they were supposed to perform the gesture themselves. Five months later, they were asked to translate the vocabulary they had learned into German in a multiple-choice test.
At the same time, they had a device attached to their heads that sent weak pulses to their primary motor cortex (皮层) — the brain area that controls voluntary arm movements. When these interfering (干扰) signals were active, the subjects found it harder to recall the words accompanied by gestures. When the device sent no interfering signals (but still appeared to the subjects to be active), they found it easier to remember the words. The researchers concluded that the motor cortex contributed to the translation of the vocabulary learned with gestures. This applied to concrete words, such as “camera,” as well as abstract ones, such as “thought”.
“Our results provide evidence for why learning techniques that involve the body’s motor system should be used more often,” says Mathias. “I think we underuse gesture in our classrooms. People use it spontaneously (自发地), if they’re good teachers and good listeners. But we don’t necessarily bring it into the class if we don’t think about it.”
1. What were the subjects required to do in the test?| A．Repeat what other subjects describe. |
| B．Follow what the person in the video did. |
| C．Match the vocabulary with relative pictures. |
| D．Translate the vocabulary into a foreign language. |
| A．To control their body movements. |
| B．To shelter other interfering signals. |
| C．To identify the function of the motor cortex. |
| D．To confirm the abstract thoughts in their mind. |
| A．It will be carried out more frequently. |
| B．It will involve more concrete objects. |
| C．It will be plied to classroom teaching. |
| D．It will motivate his colleagues to participate. |
| A．Good Learning Techniques Matter More |
| B．Repeating Strengthens Memory |
| C．Body Language Betters Communication |
| D．Gestures Help Learn New Words |
To realize your dreams，you must translate your vision into a series of actions you can take as soon as possible. You should be able to measure these results，to make sure they take you wherever you want. And this step should not be viewed lightly! Indeed，very few people set goals and concrete actions for themselves to achieve. Very few people note what they want to accomplish，and know each day whether they have indeed advanced in the direction of their dreams.
Therefore one of the secrets that you can get results from is to write down your goals on paper first. When you give your dreams a form，they become more concrete，and you can refer to them often and easily. Whenever you read the dreams that you note down，you fill your mind with positive and motivational thoughts.
Unfortunately，many people stop there. They just simply make wishes, hope and wait. These people do not bring positive difference in their lives，because that sort of behavior is just wishful thinking. Success is not at all a miracle. It depends on clear and realistic targets through serious thoughts：concrete actions and perseverance(毅力). Don’t forget，your past does not determine your future. Only you now is your potential!
1. People can achieve success commonly in that they .
| A．have many dreams |
| B．are well-informed of how goals go |
| C．think a lot about their bright future |
| D．know what the goals are in their life |
| A．know clearly what should be done |
| B．make them accomplished smoothly |
| C．measure the results of the goals easily |
| D．mention them easily to others |
| A．having dreams is very important to everyone |
| B．to translate goals into concrete actions is important for success |
| C．what people did in the past affects what the are today |
| D．most people can make a difference in their life |
| A．The Path towards Your Targets |
| B．The Process of Making Goals |
| C．The Power of Your Goals |
| D．The Importance of Your Success |
【推荐3】Panera Bread has announced that it will update its menus with a series of climate-friendly food designed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) that helps inform consumers about how their food choices affect global climate change.
The “Cool Food Meals” sticker (标签) will appear on Panera Bread’s menu to show that the carbon dioxide used to create the ingredients (成分) is low enough to agree with the research published by the WRI, which matches agriculture and food-related emissions (排放) with the reduction in CO2 emissions needed to meet the 2030 Paris Agreement on climate change.
People are becoming more aware of climate change and its effects, but many still don’t know what they can do about it. Cool Food Meals helps people understand that taking action is as simple as what we eat. A busy parent or a college student—almost anyone—can now go into Panera and by choosing a Cool Food Meal, they are part of a growing group of people who are building a climate-friendly lifestyle.
In some ways, more consumers are looking for more climate-friendly food according to a small survey of 1,000 Americans aged 18-80. 69% of those surveyed said it was important to them that their food should be produced in a sustainable manner. 68% of participants said they tried to stay away from carbohydrates (碳水化合物) and sugar.
Through WRI’s Cool Foods Initiative (倡议), Various cities and universities have signed on to the Cool Foods Pledge (宣言) to try and turn civil food service bodies into ones that reduce the amount of CO2 in the supply chain.
According to WRI, first data shows that Cool Food Pledge Members have already reduced their food-related emission by 3%, which is beyond the course to reach the reduction aims in line with the Pans Agreement.
1. What’s the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the World Resources Institute. |
| B．To advertise Panera Bread. |
| C．To encourage new ideas. |
| D．To raise the topic of the passage. |
| A．It helps people to build a climate-friendly lifestyle. |
| B．It helps people to lose weight. |
| C．It contains higher carbon dioxide. |
| D．It gives people a chance to taste various food. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Negative. | C．Uncertain. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Science. | D．Environment. |
【推荐1】Scientists have designed “transparent wood” that could replace conventional glass in windows. The innovation was developed using wood from the balsa tree, which is native to South and Central America, and claims to be five times more thermally efficient than glass.
The team treated balsa wood in an oxidizing bath that bleaches it of nearly all visibility and then penetrated(渗透) it with a synthetic polymer (合成聚合物) called polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), creating a product that is virtually transparent. Unlike traditional glass, the transparent wood can bear much stronger impacts and will bend or break when damaged, instead of shattering.
The transparent wood was created by teams at the University of Maryland and University of Colorado, which set out to find a greener alternative to conventional glass – a production that creates 25,000 tons in emissions each year.
Along with contributing to greenhouse gases, glass contributes to a loss of energy. Residential building windows in particular account for 10-25% of the heat loss due to their poor thermal management capability, the team wrote in the study. Exploring energy efficient window materials is thus highly desirable to address heating costs, energy shortages, and the global impact of climate change associated with increased carbon emissions.
The team notes that the bonding between PVA and cellulose in the wood, creates a tightly packed structure that allows for more thermal protection and makes it more long-lived and lighter than glass.
“Switching to transparent wood could prove to be cost efficient as well,” researchers shared in a statement. It is approximately five times more thermally efficient than glass, cutting energy costs. It is made from a sustainable, renewable resource with low carbon emissions. It’s also compatible with existing industrial processing equipment, making the transition into manufacturing an easy prospect.
1. What is the meaning of “transparent” in paragraph 1?| A．man-made | B．as clear as glass |
| C．energy–saving | D．environmentally-friendly |
| A．The material of it comes from a balsa tree in nature. |
| B．It won’t break into pieces even when damaged. |
| C．It is easier to lose heat to cool the room in summer. |
| D．It is lighter and can be used longer than glass. |
| A．A new way to produce transparent wood . |
| B．Transparent wood’s advantage over conventional glass. |
| C．A kind of tough wood is discovered. |
| D．More balsa trees will be planted. |
| A．to save cost and make more money. |
| B．to replace air conditioner and save energy. |
| C．to cut down greenhouse gas to protect environment. |
| D．to find a greener choice to replace glass. |
【推荐2】Here are the top summer vacation lodges in the nation!
Out of Lake Wobegon; Fair Hills Resort
With sandcastle contests, Swedish buffet night, and family bingo, this classic northern Minnesota lodge is right out of Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon. Families can choose from a collection of activities suitable for both adults and kids—volleyball, tennis, sailing, swimming—laze by the lake, or rehearse for their star turn at the weekly talent show. The family-run resort is proud of its myriad "lifers," guests who've been vacationing here since they were kids. This year, ten of them will celebrate their 50th yearly visit.
Northern California, Unplugged; Gray Eagle Lodge
Once they find Gray Eagle Lodge off a two-lane road, most guests have no use for their cars. Days here are spent on foot, hiking to alpine lakes in the Sierras or going for a dip in the swimming hole fed by a 15-foot waterfall. "There are no officially planned activities," explains Tracy Morris, who has taken her children here for years, "unless you count the get-togethers specifically arranged for kids who have never met before but have become fast friends and enjoy fun together."
Authentic Adirondacks; The Hedges
For recent years improvements have been made—including upgrading the plumbing to accommodate more guests, answering to the main complaints in the past about its poor capacity. The current owners have restored the camp to its original Adirondack-style glory. Though tasteless to the younger age groups, the style earned the lodge a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Great Lake Lodge; The Inn at Watervale
Built as a boarding school in 1892, this lodge became a summer retreat in 1917. Today, the owner of the lodge proudly promotes the resort's lack of TV, Wi-Fi ,and decent cell phone coverage, which makes it perfect for recluses(隐士). Instead of sticking with their smartphones, parents and children both find their relationships greatly improved through hiking the 300-foot-high Old Baldy dune, combing the beach for fossils, and savoring the sunsets over the lake together.
1. Which lodge is not very attractive for kids?| A．Fair Hills Resort |
| B．Gray Eagle Lodge |
| C．The Hedges |
| D．The Inn at Watervale |
| A．Fair Hills Resort specializes in serving young vacationers with varieties of activities. |
| B．The Hedge used to be criticized for failing to serve large number of customers. |
| C．Lack of modern communication tools at The Inn at Watervale was due to poor facility conditions. |
| D．Cars are banned from Gray Eagle Lodge. |
| A．on a wedding magazine about finding a permanent residence |
| B．in a UN’s report about family relationships |
| C．on a financial magazine analyzing the prospects of tourist industry |
| D．on a website selling package tours |
【推荐3】Why Go To Yellowstone
With dramatic peaks and unspoiled lakes,Yellowstone National Park it an outdoor enthusiast s paradise. Multicolored pools swirl around hot springs;green forests weave past wide expansive meadows;and volatile geysers launch streams of steaming water toward the sky.While you traverse its 3,000-plus square miles of mountains, canyons,geysers and waterfalls,be prepared to share the trails with permanent residents like buffalo,elk and sometimes even grizzlies
Yellowstone Travel Tips
Best Months to Visit
The best times to visit Yellowstone National Park are from April to May and between September and October.These shoulder months offer mild weather and fewer crowds.July and August are the most popular months to visit:The kids are out of school,and the weather is warm enough to sleep outside.However,this park is no stranger to the cold in winter.There’s nothing quite like seeing plumes of steam rise from beneath a thick blanket of snow and ice.
How to Save Money in Yellowstone
Bring your own bed.A space in a campground is much cheaper than a room at one of the park’s lodges.plus, many campgrounds come equipped with showers,toilets and even laundry facilities.
Skip the summer. Because the summer witnesses the largest influx of tourists,hotel and campground rates tend to rise.
Do your owe cooking Yellowstone does feature several sit-down restaurants,but they can end up
Putting quite a dent in your savings.Consider bringing your own food.
Safety
When sightseeing in the park.stay a sate distance from animals at all times.Most of the park’s established campsites generally are not at risk for animal attacks,but campers should keep all food and garbage out of reach from bears and creatures.
Getting Around Yellowstone
The best way to get around Yellowstone National Park is by car,as there is no public transportation system. You can a car at any of the nearby airports.However,that doesn’t mean that you should spend your entire vacation behind the wheel . Each of Yellowstone’s eight regions has an area to park, allowing you to leave the car behind and explore by bike or on foot Guided tours and limited airport shuttle services are also available.
1. What can be inferred from the passage?| A．Accommodations in the campsite hotel are highly recommended |
| B．People camping in Yellowstone are supposed to share the trails with the animals there. |
| C．In summer.Yellowstone welcome large numbers of tourists because it’s the best season. |
| D．In winter, the scenery of Yellowstone is quite unique. |
| A．guided tours | B．parking lots | C．car rental | D．restaurant food |
【推荐1】Joy Mangano was 33 and divorced. She had three kids under age 7, and was barely keeping up payments on her small two-bedroom home by working extra hours as a waitress. “There were times when I would lie in bed and think, I don’t know how I’m going to pay that bill,” Mangano says.
But he had a special ability for seeing the obvious thing. She knew how hard it was to mop the floor. “I was tired of bending down, putting my hands in dirty water, wringing (拧) out a mop,” Mangano says. “So, There s gotta be a better way.
How about a “self-wringing” mop? She designed a special tool you could twist in two directions at once, and still keep your hands clean and dry. She set out to sell it, first a few at flea markers.
Then Mangano met with the media. But would couch potatoes (电视迷）buy a mop? The experts on shopping TV were less than certain. They gave it a try, and it failed. Mangano was sure it would sell if they’d let her do the on-camera display. She said, “Get me on that stage, and I will sell this mop because it’s a great item.”
So QVC, a multinational corporation specializing in televised home shopping, took a chance on her. “ I got onstage and the phones went crazy. We sold every mop in minutes.”
Today she’s president of Ingenious Designs, a multimillion-dollar company, and one of the stars of HSN, the Home Shopping Network. Talking about the household invention, Mangano says, “It is as natural for me as it is for a parent to talk about their child.”
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?| A．Mangano’s small home. |
| B．Mangano’s work experience. |
| C．Mangano’s unhappy marriage. |
| D．Mangano’s hard living conditions. |
| A．HSN | B．QVC |
| C．couch potatoes | D．experts on shopping TV |
| A．Special. | B．Normal. |
| C．Dissatisfied | D．Unbelievable. |
| A．HSN is a business organization that sells goods on the Internet. |
| B．The experts on shopping TV were confident about Mangano's mop. |
| C．Mangano got the idea of self-wringing mop from her own experience. |
| D．Mangano once had to work seven days a week to support her family. |
【推荐2】James T.Green thought he was having a panic attack.
He took a break from work to walk around the block during a stressful day, and noticed he felt out of breath walking up a slight slope."This isn't normal,” Green thought.He had become a regular biker in recent months and wasn't exactly out of shape.He sat down at his desk, and looked at the Apple Watch on his wrist.His heart rate was through the roof, and the Heart Watch app he was using to check his pulse （脉搏）was flashing warnings.Maybe it was something more serious, he thought.
Although he had blood clots （血栓）in his lungs a few years back, he had been taking medication, and doctors said that it was an unusual condition for someone in their mid-20s.Still, the symptoms （症 状）this time were much less serious, and he was feeling stressed, so his mind didn't automatically jump to blood clots.Green's doctor told him it sounded like anxiety.But then he showed her his heart rate recorded by the Apple Watch.
"This is my normal heart rate,” Green told her, pointing to the graph in the app.“This is where my heart is now.There's something wrong."
The doctor ordered a CT scan.The blood clots in his left lung had returned.An ambulance rushed Green to the emergency room, where he was pumped full of blood thinners.He didn't need surgery this time, but doctors told him that if he had waited, a clot could have killed him.
Green isn't the only person who has discovered a serious health condition after seeing heart-rate data on a smartwatch.And he won't be the last.Presently, smartwatches from Apple to Fitbit and others can tell you your heart rate and track your workouts.But these companies want to go beyond the basics by developing ways to tell you when something is wrong.In fact, it's already happening.
1. What is not normal for Green this time?| A．He breathed with difficulty. | B．He worked out less often. |
| C．He had a heart attack. | D．He was out of shape. |
| A．He himself. | B．His doctor. | C．The CT scan. | D．The Apple Watch. |
| A．Tiredness. | B．Anxiety. | C．Work stress. | D．Blood clots. |
| A．Apple's new study on smartwatches. | B．The tips on how to buy a smartwatch. |
| C．Other cases where smartwatches save lives. | D．The application of smartwatches in health care. |
【推荐3】Refrigerators, boilers, and even lightbulbs continually give off heat into their surroundings. This waste heat“ could — in theory-be turned into electricity.
Scientists have known for nearly 200 years that certain materials can change heat to electricity, and are being explored for use in providing extra electricity. This job is carried out by specialized thermoelectric （热 电的）materials that are fashioned into tiny devices the size of computer chips. When one side of a thermoelectric is hotter than the other, heat and electrons move from the hot to the cold side. Wiring multiple such chips together allows engineers to generate a steady electric current.
The key to changeover is finding materials that are good at conducting electrons, but not heat. Those that exist are expensive — and work best when the hot and cold sides have a temperature difference of hundreds of degrees Celsius. For low-grade heat sources like refrigerators, they're all but useless.
To overcome that problem, materials physicist Jun Zhou and colleagues at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology turned to thermocells. These devices use liquid instead of solid materials. Thermocells are good at transforming small temperature differences into electricity, but they typically produce only tiny currents. The thermocell generated five times more power for the same electrode area than previous versions. It also more than doubled the efficiency needed to make a practicable commercial device.
“This shows you can improve the performance of these devices to a very respectable level, “ says Gang Chen, a mechanical engineer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who was not involved in the research. "Whether that will be good enough to make the technology commercially successful remains to be seen," he adds. "Low-grade waste heat is everywhere. But it costs money to collect it. The next step for powering real-world devices is to add other inexpensive materials. When that happens, we may soon be able to power all sorts of small appliances （家电）with heat that's all around us."
1. What might make the changeover of waste heat practical?| A．The existing theory. |
| B．The computer technology. |
| C．Suitable and cheap materials. |
| D．The amount of heat sources. |
| A．They are the most practicable devices. |
| B．They need commercial promotion. |
| C．They improve generating efficiency. |
| D．They are the most cost-effective. |
| A．Improvement of the new devices. |
| B．Reduction of production cost. |
| C．Commercialization of the technology. |
| D．Increase of generation efficiency. |
| A．Opinion. | B．Life. |
| C．Education. | D．Science. |
