In a world where nearly 6 million fingerprint records of government employees are stolen in one computer hack, and here millions of people are victims of identity theft every year, the next step in cybersecurity may well be mapping your brain.
Researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York are working on a biometric system that records how your brain reacts to certain images. With a little more polishing, the scientists’ brainchild could become the way you get into a safe deposit box, your office or past scanners at the airport. It could replace the password for your online banking, your email or your social media accounts.
The started their project by measuring the brain waves of 30 subjects, The subjects were fitted with a cap that had 30 electrodes attached to it, and then shown various images and symbols—celebrity faces, words, pictures of food—on a computer screen in 200- millisecond bursts. The brain's reaction was recorded.
The idea is that every time a person needs to use a “password”, he or she goes through the same procedure, and the results are matched with their first-time reaction. If the “brainprint”' is compromised—like what happened with the fingerprint records—then the system is merely reset by running another set of images and collecting a different set of brain waves. “Even if that was stolen, you could just cancel it and record one to something else”, says professor Laszlo.
Laszlo and her team have shown that their system can be 100 percent accurate. So one of the more difficult parts of making the system practical already has been overcome. Now they're spending much time recording accurate brainprints with as few as three electrodes, which could make recording in the future as easy as wearing a pair of special glasses. They're also working with cheaper material and methods to see if they can bring the cost down.
1. What does the underlined word “brainchild” in Paragraph 2 refer to?A.The brain function. | B.The fingerprint record. |
C.The biometric system. | D.The online password. |
A.To create their brainprints. | B.To check the brain's reaction. |
C.To match brainprints with pictures. | D.To connect brain waves to electrodes. |
A.Making it user-friendly. | B.Improving its accuracy. |
C.Recording more brainprints. | D.Increasing the number of electrodes. |
A.Brain waves—the necessity of passwords | B.Biometric systerm—the hope of cybersecurity |
C.Brainprint—the future of passwords | D.Fingerpint—the challenge of cybersecurity |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Google announced this week that it’s building 100 self-driving car prototypes and Lloyd wrote a great piece discussing various city and planning implications, questions, and suggestions.
It’s electric!
Google didn’t make a big point of this, but the self-driving cars will be 100% electric.
Their small size would further help on the green front, but one commenter noted to me that the aerodynamics could be much better. Indeed. However, my understanding is that the shape of the vehicle is centered around the laser and radar sensors, maximizing their view.
You can summon the car!
As The Guardian puts it, "the car is summoned by a smartphone for pickup at the user’s location with the destination set."
A key point that was very quickly mentioned in Lloyd’s post is that the cars only contain "two seats, a space for passengers’ belongings, buttons to start and stop, and a screen that shows the route — and that’s about it."
The car will have a range of 100 miles
A.It has no pedals, no steering wheel |
B.Confused? Don’t worry, this isn’t just for fun. |
C.The car doesn’t want you to feel too at home |
D.That would certainly make them much greener than typical cars. |
E.On a full charge, the car will have a range of 100 miles, which is a lot for a non-Tesla 100% electric car. |
F.Here are a few more points about the self-driving cars themselves that we thought were pretty interesting. |
G.I know that’s what we all think of, but I thought that step of the technology was still a long way off. |
【推荐2】For over a decade, Zubin Kanga, a pianist, composer and technologist, has changed the limits of the forms of musical performances. He has both organized and performed shows that have pushed barriers, with motion sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), live-generated 3D visuals and virtual reality among the technological advancements used to unlock new possibilities of music and performances.
Kanga’s approach to employing cutting-edge technology was first informed by the relative limitations of his chosen instrument. “The piano is a very accurate technology,” he says. “From the early 20th century till now it hasn’t really changed at all. It’s an amazing instrument, but it does have certain limitations in terms of the types of sound you can create.”
One of the early works is Steel on Bone, composed by Kanga himself. He performs the piece using MiMU multi-sensor gloves. “I can put up one finger, and that’ll produce a particular sound,” Kanga explains. “And then I can control that sound just by moving my wrist through the air — I can do that with lots of different gestures.”
“For Steel on Bone, I’m actually playing inside the piano with these steel knitting (编织) needles, and getting all these interesting effects on the strings. Then I’m using samples of them. Sometimes I’m using live delays and operating them. The sound can change depending on how my hands are moving. It allows me to make a very theatrical piece, and people can see this immediate connection between how I’m moving — these very big, almost conductor-like gestures through the air — and the way the sound is changing,” said Kanga.
This is just the start, and Kanga goes on to be enthused with the use of motion sensors to make music, the possibilities that AI offers composers as a tool, and how virtual reality could transform performances and more.
1. What do technological advancements do for music and performances?A.Remove music barriers. |
B.Bring new performance forms. |
C.Popularize musical performances. |
D.Make performances professional. |
A.To indicate its stability. |
B.To prove its rare accuracy. |
C.To show it has a long history. |
D.To clarify why he uses technology. |
A.By moving his hands in the air. | B.By pressing the piano keys. |
C.By beating the steel knitting needles. | D.By making very small gestures. |
A.Technology: When It Replaces Music |
B.Virtual Reality: Future of Performances |
C.Zubin Kanga: When Music Meets Technology |
D.AI Music: From Composing to Performing |
【推荐3】Noise created by humans, such as car traffic, quieted by about 30% between late March and early May, 2020, when Governor Greg Abbott closed schools and restaurants across Texas, according to analysis by researchers at Southern Methodist University (SMU).
“There was quite a big change in some areas,” said Stephen Arrowsmith, a seismologist at SMU, who took on the project with a class of undergraduate and graduate students. Arrowsmith and his students looked at data from a dozen seismometers (地震仪) across North Texas. Seismometers are used to detect earthquakes, but they are sensitive to just about everything that makes the ground vibrate, such as strong winds, ocean waves, construction and traffic.
The innovative idea of using seismometers to track urban noise gained popularity last March when Belgian seismologist Thomas Lecocq posted some of his urban noise data from Brussels on Twitter. Lecocq, of the Royal Observatory of Belgium, received such an enthusiastic response from scientists that he launched the group “Lockdown Seismology” online. “It’s where bored seismologists around the world are working together,” Arrowsmith joked.
Arrowsmith hopes his findings will contribute to a growing list of creative ways in which researchers are using seismometers. In his course, Arrowsmith teaches students how seismic stations can help investigators solve crimes, like terrorist bombings, aid scientists in tracking nuclear tests or assist inspectors in investigating accidents, like chemical plant explosions. One potential application of his research is to better understand the shallow layers of Earth beneath cities. “That could be useful in places where there’s a real seismic hazard, like San Francisco or Los Angeles,” he said, “where just knowing what that shallow structure is tells you a lot about how it would respond in a big earthquake.”
1. What did the researchers do to obtain the data of noise in Texas?A.They observed car traffic. | B.They surveyed their students. |
C.They consulted the governor. | D.They employed Seismometers. |
A.Urban noise is reduced. | B.Crime investigation is simplified. |
C.Seismologists are attracted. | D.Earthquake detection is improved. |
A.Risk. | B.Spot. | C.Assistance. | D.Report. |
A.Its possible risks. | B.Its potential applications. |
C.Its appeal to the public. | D.Its market value. |
【推荐1】Dreams are pictures, sounds and feelings that happen during sleep. According to modern researches, dreaming is an activity of the brain, which occurs when brainwaves are especially fast. In history people have had many explanations for dreams. In ancient Greece dreaming was thought to be a kind of contact with the gods. Sometimes they were regarded as signs of what may happen in the future.
Over the past centuries, many dream theories have come up. The most famous expert on dreaming was Sigmund Freud, an Austrian doctor, who believed that in dreams we acted out our desires and wishes that couldn’t be satisfied in reality.
Everyone dreams while most of the time we cannot remember our dreams. Even blind people dream. They may see images of events that they have experienced before they became blind. On the other hand, a person who was born blind does not see pictures in dreams, but they can hear, smell and taste in them.
Most people cannot control their dreams. They just happen. Very few people experience lucid dreaming. They know exactly that they are dreaming and can even control what happens in their dreams while they are asleep.
People often have the same dreams over and over again. They may be events in your life that have caused problems which you have not solved yet. Nightmares are dreams that are so terrible that you usually wake up. There is medical treatment for nightmares. You can go to a therapist who tries to find out why you have nightmares and how to deal with them.
Some experts think that dreams are full of symbolic messages that mean something which is deep inside us.
1. What do dreams mean to us according to Freud?A.Ways to contact with the gods. | B.Signs of the future events. |
C.Wishes that cannot be satisfied. | D.Things happening in our life. |
A.Clear. | B.Real. | C.Frequent. | D.Awful. |
A.Lucid dreams and their causes. | B.Blind people and their experiences. |
C.Common dreams and their meanings. | D.Famous experts and their suggestions. |
A.An art magazine. | B.A science newspaper. |
C.A biology textbook. | D.A news report. |
【推荐2】For top students from low-income families, applying to colleges is particularly difficult. One approach makes this whole process easier? Provide an adviser for them.
That’s the idea behind CollegePoint, a program to help gifted students go to schools that match their intelligence. When a high school student takes a standardized test—the PSAT, SAT or ACT—and they score in the 90th percentile, and their families make less than $ 80, 000 a year, they get an email from the program offering them a free adviser. The advisers listen, guide and answer students’ questions.
Connor Rechtzigel, an adviser in Minnesota, sees the importance of his role, for research shows that low-income students are far more likely to undermatch because they don’t think they have what it takes to get in and because many don’t even know what schools are out there. He helped high school senior Justice Benjamin, the first in his family to apply to college, thinking about what his ideal learning experience was. Finally, Justice narrowed in on smaller schools where he could study environmental science and made his final choice: Skidmore College in New York.
Figuring out how to pay for college is a major part of what CollegePoint advisers do. Nakhle, an adviser in North Carolina, is working with Hensley, an Ohio high school senior who can’t get extra financial help from her family. They spent a lot of time comparing and analyzing her financial-aid award letters, which made her decision much clearer. Finally, the Ohio State University offered an option where she would pay nothing. Staying in-state wasn’t her first choice, but it was the best option for her.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?A.The history of CollegePoint. | B.How CollegePoint works. |
C.Ways to apply for a free adviser. | D.The challenge of choosing colleges. |
A.Knowing little about colleges. | B.Thinking highly of their abilities. |
C.Lack of enough learning experience. | D.Failure to pass the entrance exam. |
A.She didn’t want to stay far from home. | B.Her favorite major was provided there. |
C.The university met her financial needs. | D.She would show her talents to the full. |
A.Steps for Students to Choose Suitable Colleges |
B.CollegePoint—Helping Students Select Ideal Colleges |
C.Advisers Helping College Students to Score High |
D.CollegePoint—How to Be a Financial Adviser |
【推荐3】In the winter of 1664-65, a bitter cold fell on London in the days before Christmas. Above the city, an unusually bright comet (彗星) shot across the sky, exciting much prediction of a snow storm, Outside the city wall, a woman was announced dead of a disease that was spreading in that area. Her house was locked up and the phrase “Lord Have Mercy On Us” was painted on the door in red.
By the following Christmas, the virus that had killed the woman would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London—almost a third of those who did not flee.
In The Great Plague (瘟疫), historian A.Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C.Moote provide a deeply informed account of this plague year. Reading the book, readers are taken from the palaces of the city’s wealthiest citizens to the poor areas where the vast majority of Londoners were living, and to the surrounding countryside with those who fled. The Mootes point out that, even at the height of the plague, the city did not fall into chaos. Doctors, nurses and the church staff remained in the city to care for the sick; city officials tried their best to fight the crisis with all the legal tools; commerce continued even as businesses shut down.
To describe life and death in and around London, the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals. Through their letters and diaries, the Mootes offer fresh descriptions of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease; how medical, religious, and government bodies reacted; how well the social order held together; the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city; and the nature of the material, social, and spiritual resources supporting those who remained. Based on humanity, the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its residents attacked by—and daringly resisting -unimaginable horror.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?A.A comet always follows a storm. | B.London was prepared for the disease. |
C.London was under an approaching threat. | D.The woman was the beginning of the disease. |
A.The cit remained organized. | B.The people tried a lo in vain. |
C.The plague spared the rich areas. | D.The majority fled and thus survived. |
A.They were famous people in history. | B.They all managed to survive the plague. |
C.They united by thinking and acting as one. | D.They provided vivid stories of humanity in the disaster. |
A.To record an epidemic. | B.To introduce a book. |
C.To report a new survey. | D.To correct a misunderstanding. |
【推荐1】Every two or three months, Thyago Ohana goes out on the busy streets of Vienna with a sign saying “Free Hugs”. The handsome 32-year-old Brazilian, who works in international trade at India’s Vienna embassy, chooses a popular site, like the historic shopping street, Kaemtner Strasse. There he opens his arms to anyone who wants a hearty embrace (拥抱).
He does it because back in 2012, when he was feeling very stressed and anxious during a visit to Paris, a stranger gave him a free hug. He’s never forgotten how it filled him with unexpected calm and joy.
For those who take up his offer, the hug makes them laugh and smile. But sometimes it does more, as when an elderly woman in a tour group stopped and watched him. The group moved on, but she remained and asked, “Can I have a hug?” “Of course you can!” said Thyago who wrapped his arms round her. When they broke their embrace, she kept holding onto his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Thank you,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I was hugged this way.”
It’s a memory that still makes Thyago emotional. “It was a really powerful moment of human connection. It’s why I keep doing it.”
Of our live senses, our sense of touch is the one that is most easily taken for granted. “A child can be born blind or deaf and they will grow up just fine,” says David J Linden, author of Touch. The Science of Hand, Heart and Mind. “Yet if a baby is lacking in loving social touch for the first two years of life, then all sorts of disasters unfold.” That’s one reason why when babies are born, they are now usually placed on their mother’s skin.
Linden says however you do it, “maximizing touch in your life is a good thing”— whether holding hands, petting a dog, going to the hairdresser, hugging our kids, our partners or even a stranger.
1. Why did Thyago Ohana offer free hugs to strangers?A.He longed for calm and joy. |
B.He felt stressed and upset. |
C.He wanted others to feel connected and cared. |
D.He hoped to help others cure their diseases. |
A.Our sense of touch isn’t so important. |
B.Our sense of touch is undervalued. |
C.Our sense of touch does no good to us. |
D.Our sense of touch is thought highly of. |
A.The way of offering social touch counts. |
B.Offering hugs is the best way to get social touch. |
C.Blind kids will be cured as long as they get enough social touch. |
D.Many problems can be tracked back to babyhood short of social touch. |
A.A health magazine. | B.A research paper. |
C.A guide book. | D.A biology textbook. |
【推荐2】It was the beginning of another school year. I had agreed to teach all struggling students in need of critical intervention(介入). I knew what lay ahead — tough work hours overlaid with guilt, consumed with essays that needed feedback and lesson plans with best practice strategies. No wonder people always acknowledge my teaching career with, “I'm glad it's you and not me.”
Suddenly, my mind transported me to my first few years of teaching.
“Peter Potter,” I called from my name list, trying to control my laughter. “Laughlin McLaughlin?” Surely these were not real names.
“Emotionally disabled... keeps them separated from the other kids...,” the vice headmaster commanded. This was my first teaching assignment.
Surely this year could never be as discouraging as those first few. In my new classroom, I looked into the face of Jason. At eleven, his mother was killed in an accident, leaving him with physical, academic, and certainly emotional scars. I looked at another student, Robert, standing at the door; my vice headmaster asked if I would take him, even though he was an eleventh grader in my tenth grade class.
But then there were — and are — stories of success — of Dustin, in Graduate School for Electrical and Computer Engineering; of Michael, now a teacher in a city school; of Willie... I thought of the thousands of students whose lives have touched mine far more than I could have ever touched theirs.
I broke from my daydream, a smile spreading across my face. Sadness, tears, challenges, fears — yes, teaching is filled with all of these — yet, it is also filled with laughter and smiles, hope, dreams, and rewards beyond measure.
“I'm glad it's you and not me.” Those words resounded in my mind once again.
1. What might the author's job be like?A.Easy. | B.Boring. |
C.Interesting. | D.Challenging. |
A.These people would like to teach. |
B.These people did not like the author. |
C.These people would not want this job. |
D.These people wanted to learn from the author. |
A.To stress the importance of family education. |
B.To show her regrets about taking up teaching. |
C.To express her dissatisfaction with the school. |
D.To introduce the basic situation of her students. |
A.She was doing a worthwhile job. |
B.She could never go back to the past. |
C.She was the inspiration behind the success stories. |
D.She would never make greater achievements in the future. |
【推荐3】I had difficulty in finding work when I was in my twenties. Finally, Seagulls Reuse in Leeds took me on as a volunteer. It's an environmental social enterprise that rescues 400 tonnes of paint from landfill (垃圾填埋池) annually and repurposes it to offer a bespoke (定制的) paint-mixing service. I carved out my own role, mixing paint, working with other volunteers and assisting customers, before being hired as a decorator and full-time member of staff. It wasn't until then, in my late 20s, that I realised I'm colour-blind.
Mixing paint is nothing like the colour wheel you learn at school; blue and green doesn't just make green. You don't even mix different greens to make green paint. It's more technical and complex than that, and there are so many subtle (微妙的) variations.
Dulux and other big companies let machines do all the work, but our process is nothing like that. We can also only use the colours we have in the warehouse that day, so we sometimes have to get creative. They have scientists, but we have our intuition (直觉), years of experience and an essential human touch and eye.
I'm 38 now, and have been at Seagulls for 11 years. I've learned that I struggle most with colours. I see green in dark browns and creams and some reds I see as pink. So, along with the knowledge I've now memorised, I use different skills with customers. I get them involved by explaining how I'm creating their paint and encourage feedback (反馈). That way, we're both helping each other get the perfect result. I write down things I do wrong, so I don't repeat them.
If I tell customers I'm colour-blind, they're always shocked and say they'd never have guessed. I do have a visual problem, but I'm not angry about it and wouldn't change it even if I could. It's made me push myself harder.
1. Why did the author volunteer to work in Seagulls Reuse?A.It accepted colour-blind staff. |
B.It helped to save the environment. |
C.He had no other better jobs to do. |
D.He possessed a talent for the work. |
A.It's rather challenging. |
B.It's compulsory at school. |
C.It's attractive to teenagers. |
D.It's unbearable to the author. |
A.By learning from his mistakes. |
B.By depending more on machines. |
C.By turning to experts if necessary. |
D.By managing to see colours correctly. |
A.We shouldn't regret what we’ve done. |
B.We should do what we're really good at. |
C.We shouldn't let our problems hold us back. |
D.We should keep learning new things all our life. |
【推荐1】We will all probably know both some introverts (内向的人)and extroverts (外向的人)in life, and yet we can gain a wrong impression about both types of people. For example, some introverts can be extremely confident and they can be able people. However, some extroverts aren’t as confident as they'd like to appear to be and often try to hide their true identities behind a false appearance.
Shyness can affect both introverts and extroverts and anybody else too. It can be very debilitating (使衰弱的)and, if severe, can have a huge negative influence upon our ability to form meaningful relationships and it can also affect our careers or jobs.
A lot of people feel shy because they have low self-respect and feel unworthy when comparing themselves to others. They find it difficult to communicate with others whom they don't know. In that case, one of the best ways of overcoming the shyness is to focus the attention on the other person instead. Shy people can try changing people's focus on someone else, so that they don't need to talk about themselves too much.
If you recognize that you are shy and see that as a lion in the way of enjoying your life. you should first overcome it by accepting that it's causing a problem for you. Trying getting into conversations with strangers is helpful. Shy people are challenging themselves and over- coming their shyness. In this way, shy people can get their own self-respect. Each time they do it, this will be repeated until they feel confident enough.
Like any negative thought, determination can also help you beat shyness and having a positive attitude is the key to overcoming the shyness.
1. What does the author intend to tell us in paragraph 2?A.The difference between introverts and extroverts. |
B.The relationship between ability and shyness. |
C.The harmful effects of shyness. |
D.The cause of shyness. |
A.They are afraid of learning from others. |
B.They are often made fun of. |
C.They are short of confidence. |
D.They have to talk too much. |
A.Do sports as much as they can. |
B.Listen to the voice in their heart. |
C.Have a good talk with their parents. |
D.Keep a strong belief in supporting themselves. |
A.How to Overcome Shyness |
B.Tips of Expressing Shyness |
C.How to Understand Introverts |
D.Tips of Talking with Extroverts |
【推荐2】Two years ago, Kursat Ceylan was in New York to give a talk about disability rights. Blind since birth, the Turkish businessman was struggling to find his hotel, holding a cane (手杖) in one hand and pulling his luggage with the other while trying to get GPS directions from his phone.“Not surprisingly, all ofa sudden I hit a pole," he says. While the cane can tell you what's on the ground, it doesn' t help with objects at the body or head level. It wasn' t the first time Ceylan had run into something, injuring himself.
With WeWALK, a new smart cane, Ceylan hopes to help blind people navigate (设法穿越) their environments more easily. The cane can tell users what's around them. A sensor detects objects at the body or head level and gives a warning vibration (振动). WeWALK users pair the cane with their smartphones and then use the cane's touchpad to access features like voice assistant or navigation.
In the future, Ceylan hopes to connect WeWALK with public transportation and ridesharing services. That way it could tell the user the number of the bus coming down the street or the license plate of the Uber stopping at the roadside. The cane will update with new features as they come online, much the way smartphones do.
Ceylan believes WeWALK can help blind people achieve greater freedom of movement, which will give them greater access to education and jobs. Blind people are less likely to complete higher education and have higher rates of unemployment.“WeWALK is not just a smart cane for us," he says. "It is a movement to increase full and equal participation in social life. "
The cane is already having an impact on users, Ceylan says. He recently received an email from a teacher who had become blind as an adult. He had been depressed, he wrote. But since getting a WeWALK cane,“'It became my antidepressant,' he wrote," Ceylan recalls. "This is the most important feedback that we got," Ceylan says. “We saw that we are touching the real problem."
1. Why is Ceylan' s experience mentioned in Paragraph 1?A.To support disability rights. | B.To call for care for the blind. |
C.To show the problem with the cane. | D.To prove the competence of the blind. |
A.Issue features online. | B.Identify the bus numbers. |
C.Book a ridesharing service. | D.Warn users of higher barriers. |
A.It helps them fit into society. | B.It guarantees them a good job. |
C.It enables them to enjoy a smart life. | D.It allows them to receive special education. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Curious. | C.Proud. | D.Dissatisfied. |
【推荐3】Are you worried about moving up to Senior High school?It can be a new experience,but you shouldn’t worry.We’ve put together a guide on how to survive the first week.
You’re not alone!
Remember everybody else in your year is on the same boat.They may not realize it,but they’re just as nervous as you are.Moving to Senior High school is an opportunity,not a problem.Things are different and all you need to do is be polite and learn the new rules.
Teachers are ready to help!
If you’re unsure what to do or are worried about anything then you had better ask for help.Teachers are probably the best people to turn to as they’re experienced in helping new students.Some Senior High schools also have a “friends system”.If your school has this,then you will be paired with an older student.They will look out for you and help you if you have any problems or questions.
All change
There are lots of differences between Junior High school and Senior High school.You’ll have a homework diary or a student planner.You will have your lessons with different teachers in different rooms.You will have homework for different subjects on different days,so make sure you get organised.Make sure you have a copy of your school timetable written down so you know which rooms your classes are in and on which days you will have your different subjects.
Other points
If you’ve got an elder brother or sister at the school then ask them for advice.
Be yourself!It sounds simple,but people will know you much better if you just act naturally.
Having early nights makes a difference and you’ll find it easier to get up in the morning!
1. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?A.Other students have similar feelings to yours. |
B.Other students have to learn boating with you. |
C.Other students will help you solve your problems. |
D.Other students will teach you politeness and new rules. |
A.teachers won’t blame them as parents do |
B.teachers are good at helping solve problems |
C.teachers are equal to every student |
D.parents are too busy to help them |
A.You can act in a natural way. |
B.You should go to bed early enough. |
C.You must focus on dressing properly. |
D.You may ask your elder brother or sister for advice. |
A.To tell students the importance of learning. |
B.To warn students not to ignore friendship in Senior High school. |
C.To make a difference when moving up to Senior High school. |
D.To help new students to get used to the life in Senior High school. |