Researchers from the MIT Media Lab, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Northeastern University used a robotic teddy bear, “Huggable”, across the Boston Children’s Hospital. More than 50 hospitalized children were divided into three groups that involved Huggable, a tablet-based virtual Huggable, or a traditional toy teddy bear. In general, the robotic Huggable improved various patient outcomes over the other two choices.
When first designed, Huggable was operated remotely by a specialist outside a child’ s room for the moment. Through software, a specialist could control the robot’s facial expressions and body actions. The specialists could also talk through a speaker — with their voice automatically changed to sound more childlike — and monitor the participants via camera.
During the treatments involving Huggable for kids aged 3 to 10 years, a specialist would sing nursery rhymes to younger children through the robotic bear and move the arms during the song. Older kids would play the I Spy game, where they had to guess an object in the room described by the specialist through Huggable. Through self-reports and questionnaires, the researchers recorded how much the patients and families liked Huggable. A greater percentage of children and their parents reported that the children enjoyed playing with Huggable more than with the virtual figure or traditional teddy bear.
The study proved the possibility of including Huggable in the treatments for children. Results also showed that children playing with Huggable experienced more positive emotions overall. They also got out of bed and moved around more, and emotionally connected with the robot, asking it personal questions and inviting it to come back later to meet their families. “Such improved emotional and physical outcomes are all positive factors that could contribute to hospitalized children’ s better and faster recovery,” the researchers write in their study.
The study also provided a basis for developing a fully autonomous Huggable robot, which is the researchers’ final goal. In the future, that automated robot could be used to improve children’ s further treatment and care, and monitor their well-being.
1. What can we learn about Huggable?| A．It was first designed for disabled kids. |
| B．It can make facial expressions. |
| C．It talks like a caring parent. |
| D．It works automatically. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Conventional. |
| C．Disappointing. | D．Unhelpful. |
| A．It improved their mental experience. |
| B．It protected them from possible virus. |
| C．It gave tips on taking good care of young patients. |
| D．It provided up-to-date information about their diseases. |
| A．The fast development of robots in medical area. |
| B．A new technology in medicine to treat children. |
| C．Robots’ advantages over other methods of treatment. |
| D．A robotic teddy bear used in caring for hospitalized children. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Around 1870, the world entered an era of sustained rapid technological development that was unlike anything that had happened before; each successive generation found itself living in a new world, utterly transformed from the world into which its parents had been born.
Brad DeLong, an economics professor at the University of California, argues that there are two great puzzles about this transformation in his forthcoming book “Slouching Towards Utopia.” The first is why this happened. DeLong thinks there were three great “meta-innovations”- innovations that enabled innovation itself: the rise of large corporations, the invention of the industrial research lab and globalization. The second is why all this technological progress hasn’t made society better than it has. One thing I had not fully realized until reading this book is the extent to which progress hasn’t brought felicity. Over the 140 years surveyed, there have been only two eras during which the Western world felt generally optimistic about the way things were going.
The first such era was the 40 or so years leading up to 1914, when people began to realize just how much progress was being made and started to take it for granted. Unfortunately, that era of optimism died in fire and blood, with technology enhancing rather than lessening the horror. The second era was the “30 glorious years”, the decades after World War II when social democracy(民主)-a market economy with its rough edges smoothed off by labour unions and a strong social safety net-seemed to be producing the most decent societies humanity had ever known. But that era, too, came to an end, partly in the face of economic setbacks and bitter politics.
It would be silly to say that the incredible progress of technology since 1870 has done nothing to improve things; in many ways, today’s average American has a far better life than the richest people of the Gilded Age. But the progress hasn’t made us satisfied or optimistic. DeLong offers some explanations for this disconnect. His book definitely asks the right questions and teaches us a lot of crucial history along the way.
1. What does Brad DeLong say about the transformation in his book?| A．It brought about a better society. |
| B．It could be divided into three types. |
| C．It resulted from technological progress. |
| D．It inspired many commercial innovations. |
| A．Emotional satisfaction. | B．Global development. |
| C．Social justice. | D．Economic stability. |
| A．Unique but painful. | B．Sweet but short-lived. |
| C．Glorious but violent. | D．Democratic but long-lost. |
| A．Benefits of Technology to Society |
| B．Technology Makes Us More Human |
| C．Technology and the Rise of Pessimism |
| D．How Technology Transformed Our Lives |
【推荐2】The Third China Electronic Information Expo was held at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center(会展中心)from 9 April to 11 April. It attracted more than 1,600 companies to display their products. There were more new inventions on show this year. Here are some of them.
A smartmirror can connect to the Internet. You can get the latest news about the fashion world when you touch the mirror gently with your finger. And it can help you make good choices about the types and styles of clothes that best suit you. You can also send messages on the mirror.
In the past, home robots could only do simple work like cleaning the floor or washing dishes. But a newly-made home robot can not only cook meals and serve food, but also play some musical instruments when you want to have some fun.
Smartwatches are made for kids. Kids can use them to make telephone calls and even play games. They really like smartwatches. Their parents like them as well because they can know their kids’ locations through the signals sent by the smartwatches. Besides, kids can use them as common watches to read the time.
One of the products made by DJ1 is a drone---a plane that can fly without a pilot. This kind of drone is used in many fields. Some drones have already been used at tourist attractions like Dongchong, Xichong, Yangmeikeng and Dapeng Geological Park in Nan’ao. The drones allow the police to monitor and control the traffic flow during rush hours.
Thanks to the development of science and technology, our life is full of miracles. New inventions make our life smarter and more convenient.
1. How many days did the Third China Electronic Information Expo last?| A．One day. | B．Two days. | C．Three days. | D．Four days. |
| A．A drone. | B．A smartwatch. | C．A robot. | D．A smartmirror. |
| A．Sports. | B．Science. | C．Culture. | D．Education. |
【推荐3】Since Henry Ford turned it into a massmarket product a century ago, the car has delivered many benefits. It has promoted economic growth, increased social mobility and given people a lot of fun. But the car has also brought many problems. It pollutes the air, creates traffic jams and kills people. An astonishing 1.24 million people die, and as many as 50 million are hurt, in road accidents each year.
Drivers and passengers waste around 90 billion hours in traffic jams each year. In some carchoked cities as much as a third of the petrol used is burned by people looking for a space to park.
Fortunately, a new technology promises to make motoring safer, less polluting and less tendency to holdups. “Connected cars” — which may eventually develop into driverless cars but for the foreseeable future will still have a human at the wheel — can communicate wirelessly with each other and with traffic management systems, avoid walkers and other vehicles and find open parking spots.
Some parts of the transformation are already in place. Many new cars are already being fitted with equipment that lets them keep their distance and stay in a motorway automatically at a range of speeds. Soon, all new cars in Europe will have to be able to warn the emergency services if their onboard sensors (传感器) discover a crash. Singapore has led the way with using variable tolls (道路通行费) to smooth traffic flows during rush hours; Britain is pioneering “smart motorways”， whose speed limits vary constantly to achieve a_similar_effect. These new inventions could create a much more highly effective system in which cars and their drivers are constantly warned of dangers and showed the ways. Traffic always flows at the proper speed and vehicles can travel closer together, yet with less risk of crashing.
In the past, more people driving meant more roads, more jams, more death and more pollution. In future, the connected car could offer mankind the pleasures of the road with rather less of the pain.
1. According to Paragraph 2, the problem of parking has resulted in ________.| A．more time on the road |
| B．a great waste of fuel |
| C．even heavier traffic jams |
| D．increased death and injuries |
| A．Reducing traffic jams. |
| B．Building smart motorways. |
| C．Setting proper speed limits. |
| D．Keeping steady traffic flows. |
| A．Curious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Supportive. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The Future of Cars: Wireless Wheels |
| B．The Future Traffic Management System |
| C．The Benefits and Problems of Cars |
| D．The Promising Future of Car Production |
【推荐1】Notpla, a London-based firm, makes a seaweed-based substitute (代替物) for single use plastic packaging. Although some of Notpla’s products are suitable to be eaten, they are designed to be dissolved (溶解) after usage. Made of seaweed instead of a conventional plastic coating, the company’s packaging is fully biodegradable and ideal for use as packaging for kitchen and bathroom supplies like coffee and toilet paper.
According to the United Nations, 331 million kilograms of plastic garbage is produced annually around the world. About 60% of the estimated 9.15 billion tons of plastic produced since the early 1950s has been taken to landfills.
Plastics harm the water, the air, and our bodies. Many experts agree that single-use plastics are unnecessary and dangerous. Some governments and towns in the United States have taken action. New York has banned most plastic shopping bags, while plastic straws have been banned in Miami Beach. Overseas, India stated in August that it plans to place a wide ban on single-use plastics this upcoming summer, with the European Union already implementing this ban.
Seaweed comes in a variety of species and can be harvested or farmed. Notpla uses plants that have been farmed. Rodrigo Garcia Gonzalez and Pierre Paslie, the inventors of Notpla, initially considered seaweed as a solution to the world’s plastic problem for several reasons. Seaweed is plentiful and grows quickly. Additionally it doesn’t compete with land crops and is highly favored for its ability to remove some waste products like carbon from the atmosphere.
In cooperation with the online food ordering service Just Eat, the startup recently tested its product. Last year, the two companies handed out 30, 000 takeaway boxes at various UK restaurants. Plans are in the works to offer the boxes across Europe in 2022. Notpla’s team intends to replace single use plastic in the supply chain more generally as they scale. The company recognizes the difficulty of such a job, considering the volume of plastics consumed around the world.
1. How does the author mainly develop paragraph 2?| A．By presenting figures. | B．By comparing facts. |
| C．By raising questions. | D．By quoting a saying. |
| A．Lifting. | B．Performing. | C．Protesting. | D．Removing. |
| A．The advantages of choosing seaweed. | B．The next goal of the new study. |
| C．The wide use of seaweed. | D．The shortcomings of the plastic bags. |
| A．It will be totally unpractical. | B．It will be richly rewarded. |
| C．It will be a little tough. | D．It will be rather successful. |
【推荐2】DCDIt is an unpleasant extinction that will change the world and how people communicate: within 20 years, two thirds of all the planet’s languages will be dead.
Experts agree that nothing can stop it happening but one academic is trying her hardest to slow it down. Professor Antonella Sorace is one of a growing number who believe learning a second language has enormous potential benefits for the human brain. Research consistently shows that learning a new language could delay the start of dementia (痴呆) for four to five years — a better result than with any medication to date.
It is those benefits of bilingualism (双语) that should encourage us to preserve and protect Europe’s minority languages — Gaelic, Manx, Cornish and Ulster Scots, she says.
Already her work and the project she founded three years ago in Edinburgh, Bilingualism Matters — now expanding across Europe and in the US — have convinced the Scottish government to introduce languages to primary schools. From 2024 all Scottish children will be learning a language other than English in their first year at school, with two other languages to be introduced later.
Just as disappearing forests take with them secrets of undiscovered medicines, disappearing languages can take the key to a longer and better quality of life. The first battle is to remove the popular assumption that bilingualism might damage children’s brains. There were even suggestions that it could encourage schizophrenia (精神分裂症).
“Study after study has shown the opposite to be true,” says Sorace. “These prejudices are deeply rooted, but we are perhaps halfway to persuading people that the brain can cope. Then we have to persuade people that it is actually of benefit.”
1. What will happen to the majority of the world’s languages?| A．They will become extinct in decades. |
| B．They will be learnt by more academics. |
| C．They will prevent the risk of dementia. |
| D．They will help people better communicate. |
| A．Getting rid of people’s fear for mental illnesses. |
| B．Finding the key to promoting people’s welfare. |
| C．Unlocking the secrets of undiscovered medicines. |
| D．Correcting the misconception about Bilingualism. |
【推荐3】Ask the new artificial intelligence (AI) tool ChatGPT to write an essay about the cause of the American Civil War and you can watch it produce a persuasive term paper in a matter of seconds that has even be enable to pass school exams. That’s one reason why New York City school officials this week started blocking the impressive but controversial writing tool that can generate paragraphs of human-like text. The free tool has been around for just five weeks but is already raising tough questions about the future of AI in education, the tech industry and a host of professions.
ChatGPT was launched on Nov. 30 and is part of a new generation of AI systems that can chat, generate readable text on demand and even produce novel images and video based on what they’ve learned from a vast database of digital books, online writings and other media. But unlike previous models of so-called “large language models”, such as Open AI’s GPT-3, launched in 2020, the ChatGPT tool is available to anyone with an Internet connection for free and designed to be more user-friendly. It works like a written dialogue between the AI system and the person asking it questions.
Millions of people have played with it over the past month, using it to write silly poems or songs, trying to trick it into making mistakes, or for more practical purposes such as helping compose an email.
As with similar systems, ChatGPT can generate convincing prose, but that doesn't mean what it says is factual or logical. Its launch came with little guidance on how to use it, other than a promise that ChatGPT will admit when it's wrong.
Many school districts are still struggling to figure out how to set policies on whether and how it can be used. “While the tool may be able to provide quick and easy answers to questions, it does not build critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, which are essential for academic and lifelong success,” said a school’s spokesperson Jenna Lyle from NYC. But there's no stopping a student from accessing ChatGPT from a personal phone or computer at home.
1. What can we learn about the term paper from paragraph 1?| A．It is a result of the improvement of education. | B．It can be rated as passing by schoolteachers. |
| C．It has caught the attention of the public. | D．It acts as a model for students to follow. |
| A．ChatGPT can create text. | B．ChatGPT can edit digital books. |
| C．ChatGPT is free of charge to all. | D．ChatGPT can ask its users questions. |
| A．Favourable. | B．Tolerant. | C．Uncaring. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．How Are Schools Handling Chat GPT? |
| B．You Can Check When ChatGPT’s Telling the Truth |
| C．What Is ChatGPT and Why Are Schools Blocking It? |
| D．Students Are Using ChatGPT to Do Their Homework |
【推荐1】Self-driving cars may sound like something from a futuristic sci-fi novel. However, with advanced trials expected from 2021, they are a lot closer to reality than you may think. The introduction of self-driving cars could have a major impact on how older adults go about their daily lives. It is hoped these cars will help reduce the social isolation and loneliness we often experience as we get older.
Connected and automated vehicles （also known as CAVs）, are vehicles that can perform many of the functions of today's human drivers in the future. Vehicles can connect to the internet to provide drivers with information on road, traffic and weather conditions. They can also take over limited parts of the driving task, for example, using advanced emergency braking to help avoid crashes and adaptive cruise control（自适应巡航控制）to increase fuel efficiency and reduce driving tiredness.
Aware of the potential benefits of the technology—from improving road safety and reducing traffic jams, to enabling greater travel independence, the UK government has been playing an active role in encouraging the technology. Indeed, it has committed to spending over £200 million on research and development and testing infrastructure（基础设施）to accelerate the delivery of safe and secure automated vehicles. The government is also taking big steps towards establishing how our laws and regulations might need to change to support the safe use of self-driving cars.
Meanwhile, insurance isn't as big a problem as it may first seem. Last year the government created new insurance rules for self-driving cars. The driver of an automated vehicle must get insurance that covers them when they are in control and when they hand control to their self-driving car. The insurer would pay compensation（赔偿）if the automated vehicle caused a crash, and then recover costs from whoever was responsible-and that could include the vehicle maker.
1. According to the passage, by using CAV technology people can decrease.| A．speed limit |
| B．fuel efficiency |
| C．traffic accidents |
| D．travel independence |
| A．sped up car delivery |
| B．made some commitments |
| C．tom down some city infrastructure |
| D．passed some new laws and regulations |
| A．Car owners can choose whether to get insurance or not. |
| B．The CAVs makers may have to pay compensation as well. |
| C．Insurance is so complex that no one can solve this problem. |
| D．The insurer will refuse to pay when a crash is caused by CAVs. |
| A．CAVs Are on the Way |
| B．Good News for the Old |
| C．UK, the First Country to Develop CAVs |
| D．Self-driving Cars, a Revolutionary Invention |
【推荐2】Vacation Deals Online
Sunbridge vacations
Booking with Sunbridge gives you the Sunbridge Advantage. This means one simple price covers everything. Unlike other websites, we don’t fool you with a low price for airfare, then sneak (偷偷地做) in charges for hotel, rental cars, and food until you’re paying more than you wanted. Our price is all inclusive and can’t be beat !
The Sunbridge Advantage also includes our Sunbridge Resort Ambassadors. Two of our friendly, helpful staff members will meet you at the airport and take you to your hotel.
Punta Senca Resort
Punta Senca Resort features one of the finest Caribbean beaches. The facilities(设施) include garden areas with quiet relaxation space and over two miles of paths for walking and jogging. The beauty of the garden space is improved by thousands of tropical flowers, native sculptures, and three spectacular fountains.
Punta Senca is one of our most family-friendly attractions. One option any family should consider is our Family Package, in which up to two children under ten years old stay and eat free. We know you love your family, but we also know that sometimes different family members prefer different activities. While Mom and Dad are cared for in our Spa and Wellness Center, our friendly staff can help the kids explore the island through a variety of activities including horseback riding, sailing lessons, and bike trips.
Punta Senca also features a variety of restaurants offering exciting dining experiences. We have a steakhouse, a bakery and coffee shop, a home-style Italian restaurant, a seafood restaurant serving fresh-caught fish from local fishermen, and a casual bar and grill for dining on the beach.
Guest review
Sara P. 09/23/2019
My family and I went to Punta Senca for a week and it was fine. But just that——fine. I really was expecting something a little more special. For example, I was shocked to find the different restaurant options weren’t all open every night of the week. Most nights, only two or three of the restaurants were open. And I really was unimpressed by the food.
1. What is the main benefit of the Sunbridge Advantage?| A．A relatively low total price. | B．A small hotel charge. |
| C．A discount on food. | D．A low airfare. |
| A．It provides special food for children. |
| B．It has different recreation options. |
| C．It has playground equipment. |
| D．It offers group transportation. |
| A．Delightful | B．Unpleasant |
| C．Rewarding | D．Ordinary |
【推荐3】On average, Americans spend about 10 hours a day in front of a computer or other electronic devices and less than 30 minutes a day outdoors. That is a claim by David Strayer, a professor of psychology at the University of Utah. In his 2017 TED Talk, Strayer explained that all this time spent with technology is making our brains tired.
Using an electronic device to answer emails, listen to the news and browse the web puts a lot of pressure on the front of the brain, which, Strayer explains, is important for critical thinking, problem-solving and decision-making.
Therefore, it is important to give the brain a rest. And being in nature, Strayer claims, helps a tired brain away from too much technology. More than 15, 000 campers from around the world attended an international camping festival in September. That is when friends and family take time off and escape to nature for several days. They take walks, climb, explore, swim, sleep, eat and play. Camping may be just what a tired brain needs.
Take Carl for example. He lives in West Virginia and enjoys camping. He says that staying outdoors makes him feel at ease. It also prepares him for the work he must do. Kate Somers is another example who also lives in West Virginia. She says she enjoys camping with her husband and two children. She calls it a “regenerative” experience.
At the University of Utah, David Strayer has studied both short-term and long-term exposure to nature. He found that spending short amounts of time in nature without technology does calm the brain and helps it to remember better. However, he found, it is the long-term contact with nature that does the most good. He and his research team found that spending three days in nature without any technology is enough time for the brain to fully relax and reset itself.
1. According to David Strayer, which of the following is true?| A．Americans dislike outdoor activities. |
| B．Electronic equipment should be quitted. |
| C．New technologies also have some downsides. |
| D．Electronic equipment brings great convenience. |
| A．To try another lifestyle. | B．To let our brain relax. |
| C．To make better decisions. | D．To play with our family and friends. |
| A．Refreshing | B．Memorable | C．Remarkable | D．Tiring |
| A．Electronic Equipment Harms the Brain | B．Good Rest Develops Good Memory |
| C．Tips on Using New Technologies | D．Being in Nature Is Good for the Brain |
【推荐1】What do you do when you need to look something up? Go to the library? Open an encyclopedia（百科全书）? Click onto the Internet? These days, most people go straight to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia. But how reliable is it?
There’s no denying the popularity and usefulness of Wikipedia. It attracts as many as 78 million visitors every month, and the site is available in more than 270 different languages. It’s one of the most comprehensive resources available which includes almost all details, facts and information that may be concerned. It’s got much more information than an ordinary encyclopedia. The site is updated on a daily basis by thousands of people around the world. Anyone with an Internet connection can log on and edit the contents or add a new page. And you don’t need any formal training.
Of course, there are some controls. Wikipedia has a team of more than 1,500 administrators who check for false information. And main targets for harmful comments（such as politicians）are off-limits to public editing. But with more than 16 million articles to keep an eye on, it isn’t easy. So, while Wikipedia benefits from being constantly updated with information from all over the world, it’s also open to “vandals”（恣意破坏公共财物者）.
Some of the damage is easy to notice. One person drew devil horns and a moustache on Microsoft chairman Bill Gate’s photo, while another edited Greek philosopher Plato’s biography to say he was a “Hawaiian weather man who is widely believed to have been a student of ‘Barney the purple Dinosaur’”.
But other things are harder to spot. The most common form of vandalism（恣意破坏公共财物罪） involves adding tiny items of false information into the biography of a famous person. Unbelievably, some of this misinformation has appeared in newspapers, with The Daily Mail, The Guardian and The Independent all having fallen victim to the dirty tricks. For example, in an article about British comedian Sir Norman Wisdom, one newspaper claimed that he co-wrote Dame Vera Lynn’s wartime hit. There’ll be bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover. He did no such thing. And in other article, it was reported that TV Theme tune composer Ronnie Hazlehurst had written the S Club 7’s hit Reach again, not true. So, if you’re going to use any information from Wikipedia, make sure you double- check it first.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements about Wikipedia is true?| A．The primary job of the administrators is to guarantee information conveyed is accurate. |
| B．Wikipedia is updated daily so it is the most comprehensive resources available. |
| C．Wikipedia is sure to be attacked because too many people are using it. |
| D．Whoever has access to the Internet can edit any contents of Wikipedia as they like. |
| A．information about famous people is likely to be inaccurate. |
| B．all items of false information are not easy to get spotted. |
| C．however famous the papers are, they will be cheated. |
| D．you can never be careful enough while updating information online. |
| A．Objective. | B．Critical. | C．Satisfied | D．Supportive |
| A．The Most Reliable Online Encyclopedia |
| B．Why Is Wikipedia So Popular? |
| C．An Online Encyclopedia With Advantages And Disadvantages |
| D．How Dose Wikipedia Help You? |
【推荐2】At your next meeting, wait for a pause (停顿) in conversation and try to measure how long it lasts.
Among English speakers, it is probable that it will be a second or two at most. But while this pattern may be universal, our understanding of silence differs greatly across cultures.
What one culture considers a confusing or embarrassing pause may be seen by others as a valuable moment of thought and respect for what the last speaker has said. Research in Dutch (荷兰语) and also in English found that when a silence in conversation lasts four seconds, people start to feel uneasy. However, another study of business meetings found that Japanese people are happy with silences of 8.2 seconds—nearly twice as long as in Americans’ meetings.
In Japan, it is recognized that the best communication is when you don’t speak at all. It’s already a failure to understand each other by speaking because you’re repairing that failure by using words.
In the US, it may originate from the history of colonial (殖民地的) America as a crossroads of many different races (种族). When you have difference, it’s hard to reach common understanding unless you talk and there’s understandably a kind of anxiety unless people use words to establish a common life. This applies also to some extent to London.
However, when there’s more homogeneity, perhaps it’s easier for some kinds of silence to appear. For example, among your closest friends and family it’s easier to sit in silence than with people you’re less well know.
1. Which of the following people might have the longest silence in conversation?| A．The Dutch |
| B．The American |
| C．The English |
| D．The Japanese |
| A．Speaking more gives the upper hand. |
| B．Speak out what you have in your mind. |
| C．Great minds think alike without words. |
| D．The shorter talking silence, the better. |
| A．A four second silence in conversation is universal. |
| B．It’s hard for American to reach a common agreement. |
| C．English speakers are more talkative than Japanese speakers. |
| D．The closer we and our family are, the easier the silence appears. |
| A．Similarity |
| B．Difference |
| C．Disagreement |
| D．Misunderstanding |
【推荐3】What is better for you? Exercising in the great outdoors, or signing up for a gym?To try and find out, the Guardian was invited to spend a month working withfitness and sports psychology experts at Bath University and the National Trust. The concept was that participants— including me — would spend alternate weeks exercising in a gym and on National Trust land.
The first week was spent on the exercise bikes, rowing machines and treadmills (跑步机) in a gym at Bath.Getting started at the gym was easy. There was a nice community too. People are gently teasing and encouraging each other.
On the downside, it was hard to ignore the background noise ofdance and pop music. And all the machines faced screens showing music videos, rolling news and sports channels. Not a place to get away from it all.
So it was a relief in week two to head for the hills of Dyrham, a National Trust parkland full of birds and deer.
Weeks three and four followed the same pattern. The diaries I had kept, questionnaires I had filled in, and heart monitors I had worn, were then analysed by scientists from Bath University.
The findings surprise me a bit. The heart monitors showed I had consumed a similar amount of energy whether exercising in the gym or outdoors. But fitness expert Martyn Standagewas most interested in the fact that on the days when my exercise had been done outside, I used more energy through the rest of the day.Standage said this fitted with studies that suggest working out in the outdoors leads to a greater feeling of vitality (活力).
Jo Barton, who specialises in studying outdoor exercise, suggested that working out in the fresh air could be “life-changing”.“Exercising in nature lifts your mood and increases your self-respect,” she said.
My verdict? It was more fun outside but sometimes more convenient to get to the gym. A bit of both may be the way forward.
1. Which shows the author’s exercisepattern in the four weeks?| A．in the outdoors→in the outdoors→in the gym→in the gym |
| B．in the gym→in the gym→in the outdoors→in the outdoors |
| C．in the outdoors→in the gym→in the outdoors→in the gym |
| D．in the gym→in the outdoors→in the gym→in the outdoors |
| A．He used more energy when exercising indoors. |
| B．He felt more energetic after exercising outdoors. |
| C．He was very tired after finishing daily exercise. |
| D．He summarized the findings after the experiment. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Tolerant. | D．Uncaring. |
| A．concern | B．opinion |
| C．chance | D．challenge |
