When you walk with a backpack, do you know how the things inside move from side to side? Now scientists have figured out how to tap into that movement to produce electricity.
Picture a pendulum (摆锤) fixed to a backpack frame and stabilized with springs on either side. The pack’s weight is attached to the pendulum, so the pendulum swings side to side as you walk. Then a machine is driven by that swinging movement, and spits out electrical current to charge a battery.
Volunteers carried the pack while walking on a running machine and wore masks to measure the flow of O2 and CO2. Walking with the slightly swinging 20-pound load, the device (设备) did not significantly affect the volunteers’ metabolic (新陈代谢的) rate compared to when they carried the same weight fixed in place. In fact, the energy-harvesting pack reduced the forces of acceleration they’d feel in a regular pack, which might mean greater comfort for a long hike. And the device did produce a steady trickle (涓流) of electricity. If you up the load to 45 pounds, the swing of the pack could fully charge a smart phone only after 12 hours. The details are in the journal Royal Society Open Science.
The device produces electricity from human movement and has been identified as a workable solution to providing a renewable energy source for portable electronic devices. It is particularly useful for those who work in remote areas, as these people often carry a lot of weight in a backpack for their exploration.
But here’s a real conundrum: the energy-harvesting device currently weighs five pounds. The researchers say that’s about four pounds too many to be a smart alternative to batteries. So they hope that more research lets them lighten the load, to ensure the pack charges you up without weighing you down.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?| A．How the device works. |
| B．What the device looks like. |
| C．Who the device is designed for. |
| D．Why scientists designed the device. |
| A．It greatly affected the volunteers metabolic rate. |
| B．It harvested energy as the volunteers walk. |
| C．It failed to produce steady electricity. |
| D．It was useless for a long walk. |
| A．Problem. | B．Method. | C．Bond. | D．Decision. |
| A．Increase the charging speed of their device. |
| B．Find smarter alternatives to batteries. |
| C．Reduce the weight of their device. |
| D．Put their device on the market. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】“Creativity is the key to a brighter future,” says education and business experts. Here is how schools and parents can encourage this important skill in children.
It Dick Drew had listened to his boss in 1925, we might not have a product that we now think of as of great importance: a new type of tape. Drew worked for the Minnesota Mining Company. At work he developed a kind of material strong enough to hold things together. But his boss told him not to think more about the idea. Finally, using his own time, Drew improved the tape, which now is used everywhere by many people. And his former company learned from its mistake. Now it encourages people to spend 15 percent of their work time just thinking about and developing new ideas.
Creativity is not something one is just born with, nor is it necessarily a character of high intelligence. The fact that a person is highly intelligent does not mean that he uses it creatively. Creativity is the matter of using the resources one has to produce new ideas that are good for something.
Unfortunately, schools have not tried to encourage creativity. With strong attention to test results and the development of reading, writing and mathematical skills, many educators give up creativity for correct answers. The result is that children can give back information but can’t recognize ways to use it in new situation. They may know the rules correctly but they are unable to use them to work out practical problems.
It is important to give children choices. From the earliest age, children should be allowed to make decisions and understand their results. Even if it's choosing between two food items for lunch, decision-making helps thinking skills. As children grow older, parents should try to let their children decide how to use their time or spend their money. This is because the most important character of creative people is a very strong desire to find a way out of trouble.
1. What did the company where Drew once worked learn from its mistake?| A．They should encourage people to work a longer time. |
| B．People should be discouraged to think freely. |
| C．People will do better if they spend most of their work time developing new ideas. |
| D．It is necessary for people to spend some of their work time considering and improving new ideas. |
| A．something that most people are born with |
| B．something that has nothing to do with intelligence at all |
| C．a way of using what one has learned to work out new problems |
| D．something that is not important to the character of a person at all |
| A．They don't attach importance to creativity education. |
| B．They don't want their students to make mistakes. |
| C．They pay some attention to examination marks, language and maths skills. |
| D．They think it more important to remember some information. |
| A．Help them when necessary. |
| B．Try to help them as much as possible. |
| C．Take no notice of whatever they do. |
| D．Leave the children as they are. |
【推荐2】Recently, Londoners were treated to a new way in dining. Food Ink, “the world’s first 3D printing restaurant”, opened to a group of guests who dined on a nine-course meal prepared right before their eyes using 3D printers. Even the restaurant’s tables and chairs, cups and plates were created with 3D technology. With London just the beginning, Food Ink plans to bring its innovative restaurant format to a number of other cities around the globe.
Like other 3D applications, printing food is a process that builds layers upon layers of material on top of each other. Each layer is pushed through a print head to form an object with a desired shape, texture, size, and so forth. Unlike other 3D printing, which uses spools (线轴) to create objects out of plastic, food materials in 3D printing are inserted into a syringe (吸管) like container which are then pressed into the shape required. Any food ingredients that can be turned into a paste (糊状物) can be used in 3D food printing.
Fine dining is only one aspect of the food industry about to be revolutionized by 3D printing. Researchers have been exploring ways to use 3D printing to fight world hunger. Mass production of food using powdered nutritional ingredients could help feed a growing population. This is especially important with the world population projected to be 6.5 billion by 2030. The 3D-printed food would have the advantage of being produced cheaply and having a long shelf life.
The technology will enable consumers to quickly make meals with ingredients to suit their specific health needs. The Netherlands Organization for applied scientific research is turning to 3D printing to mash up (捣成糊状) peas, broccoli, and carrots to produce 3D-printed versions of the vegetables. These are easier to chew but hold their shape. The 3D-printed vegetables are being served throughout nursing homes in Germany. It seems that there is no end to the potential of 3D printing.
1. What can we learn about “Food Ink”?| A．It attracts lots of guests. | B．It’s a 3D technology company. |
| C．It is popular around the world. | D．It features the 3D printing food. |
| A．Its target users. | B．Its wide popularity. |
| C．Its major function. | D．Its production process. |
| A．It can make food tastier. | B．It can make food more nutritional. |
| C．It can reduce food production cost. | D．It will slow world population growth. |
| A．3D printing has a bright future. |
| B．3D printing food will replace the traditional food. |
| C．3D application has been used in every aspect of our life. |
| D．Netherland and Germany are leading the 3D technology. |
【推荐3】The project, called Nemo’s Garden, is the brainchild of Sergio Gamberini, a chemical engineer who runs a scuba (水肺) diving business. In 2013, he was chatting with local farmers when he came up with the idea. Several days later, he dived to the bottom of Noli’s bay and placed a vase with seeds inside a plastic balloon. After 48 hours, the seeds were coming up and Gamberini decided to scale up the experiment.
Nemo’s Garden’s key innovation, a sub-water biosphere, is a unique type of underwater greenhouse. It can use the ocean’s positive environmental factors, temperature stability, evaporative water generation, CO2 absorption, the abundance of oxygen, and inherent protection from pests, to create an environment ideal for crop cultivation. The plants are fed by a hydroponic (水耕法) system. Water is generated from salt-water evaporating and then condensing (冷凝), so no additional fresh water source is required. Additional power for lighting, pumps and sensors is provided by wind generators and solar panels situated on the surface. This makes the entire set-up completely eco-friendly and self-sustaining.
Inside the biosphere, it is even more impressive. Each dome has a shelf running the entire circumference on which plants, equipment and tools can be placed. There is oxygen, carbon dioxide and humidity sensors, radio communication, lights, a fresh-water hose and to top it all off, Wi-Fi. You can control everything in the dome via an app on your phone from the surface. You can turn the lights on, check the conditions and even watch a live video stream of the plants growing.
Gianni Fontanesi, Nemo’s Garden project manager, has logged nearly a thousand dives to perform underwater farming. He says that being inside the greenhouse is like being in an aquarium turned inside out: “You are the fish looking out into the outside world.”
1. What does the Nemo’s Garden refer to according to the passage?| A．A scuba diving business. | B．A vase with basil seeds. |
| C．A farm project underwater. | D．A garden in the bottom of Noli’s bay. |
| A．How Nemo’s Garden works. | B．Why Nemo’s Garden was built. |
| C．What Nemo’s Garden includes. | D．Where Nemo’s Garden was set up. |
| A．A hydroponic system. | B．Diving under the sea. |
| C．An app on our phones. | D．Wind generators and solar panels. |
| A．Special and eye-catching. | B．Impressive and traditional. |
| C．Convenient and economical. | D．Innovative and eco-friendly. |
【推荐1】Any actor would admit that it's tricky to play roles based on real people. They need to do mountains of research to make sure they're staying as true to life as possible. Besides, they try to add their own touches to the performance so that their work can be called their own.
American actor Andrew Garfield, 33, faced that dilemma when playing Desmond Doss in the film Hacksaw Ridge. Doss was a US army doctor during World War II who refused to carry a gun because of his beliefs, but saved 75 lives without firing a single shot. His actions made him the first conscientious objector —a person who objects to serving in the armed forces for moral or conscience reasons (基于道德或良心等原因)—to be presented with the Medal of Honor, the US's highest honor awarded for personal acts of bravery.
Garfield's first stage of research was to study as many documentaries of Doss he could get his hands on. But Garfield soon realized that he needed to learn not only the Doss' outer characteristics, but also “the deepest part of himself", he said. He traveled to Doss' hometown. The actor wanted to walk where Doss walked and handle the tools Doss handled, while all the time keeping in mind how the research would affect his performance.
"I don't think I could have gone too far in terms of getting to know who Doss was," Garfield said. "But it can't be an impression of him. That doesn't interest me. Garfield explains that it's like the difference between slipping into someone's clothes and stepping into their skin. Until he goes deep inside a role based on a real person, he doesn't feel he's done the work perfectly. And it's not until he fully understands the character that Garfield feels confident he can do the things asked of the role in the script (脚木)without hesitation or thought.
1. What makes it difficult for actors to play roles based on real people?| A．Copying the roles in appearance. | B．Masses of close touches with the roles. |
| C．Acting without their own feelings. | D．Lifelike performances with personal styles. |
| A．victory | B．failure |
| C．difficulty | D．celebration |
| A．To recognize his brave actions. | B．To attract people to join the army. |
| C．To admit the value of conscience. | D．To encourage doctors to follow his suit. |
| A．To meet Doss in person. | B．To do research on Doss early life. |
| C．To find out the insides of Doss. | D．To know about Doss' living conditions. |
Sometimes, we do not have enough time to read all the news carefully, so we just take a quick look at the front page. At other times, we may be in such a hurry that we only have a few minutes to look at the headlines of the passage.
Newspapers can be found everywhere in the world. We can get many different kinds of newspapers in big cities, but in some mountain villages we can see few newspapers.
Some newspapers are published once a week, but most of the papers are published once a day with many pages, some even published twice a day! You know different people enjoy reading different newspapers. Some like world news, and others prefer short stories. They just choose what they are interested in.
Today newspapers in English have the largest numbers of readers in the world. The English language is so popular that many Chinese students are reading English newspapers such as China Daily or 21st Century. Also they bring us more and more information with the Internet.
1. From the passage we can see that ________ when people get newspapers.
| A．they read them very carefully |
| B．they just read the headlines |
| C．not everyone reads all the pages |
| D．they have no time to read them |
| A．learn the latest news |
| B．meet their own different needs |
| C．read the short stories |
| D．find the morning news |
| A．出售 | B．印刷 | C．出版 | D．排版 |
| A．more and more people like to read them |
| B．people enjoy reading something different |
| C．newspapers become cheaper |
| D．more pages mean more money |
| A．magazines | B．advertisements |
| C．e-mails | D．the Internet |
【推荐3】Annoying snoring can be prevented
An American researcher has developed a simple device to help people stop snoring. The device limits the movements of the tissue(组织)that caused the disliked sound. Snoring is a common problem. It may prevent a person from getting enough sleep. It may also prevent enough oxygen from reaching the heart and lungs during the sleep. But for most people snoring affects relations with the other person who must sleep in the same room.
Snoring happens when the sleeping person breathes with the mouth open. In the back of the mouth the tissues surrounding the entrance of the throat are soft. As the person breathes, the movement of the air around the soft tissues caused them to move or vibrate(振动). This tissue movement causes the sound we call snoring. A number of possible solutions have been suggested. Some devices keep the mouth shut. They forced the patient to breathe only through the nose. A medical operation is also possible. Other devices listen for the sound of snoring and then wake the patient. The new anti-snoring device was developed by a dentist, George Wagner at the Indiana University School of Dentistry. He developed a piece of plastic that fits up against the inside of the mouth. The device keeps the soft tissues from vibrating and making the snoring noise. It was worn only at night. Doctor Wagner said several patients report that the simple device has ended their snoring problem.
1. The underlined word “snoring” probably means “________”.| A．speaking while one sleeps | B．dreaming while one sleeps |
| C．noises made while one sleeps | D．sighs made while one is asleep |
| A．Snoring may affect one’s roommates. |
| B．Snoring may lead to slower heartbeat. |
| C．Snoring may cause one’s lack of oxygen. |
| D．Snoring may prevent one from having enough sleep. |
| A．to keep the soft tissues from vibrating |
| B．to give the patient a medical operation |
| C．to wake him/her up as soon as he/she snores |
| D．to make him/her listen to the sound of snoring |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
【推荐1】Every day on her walk to school, Khloe Thompson, a nine-year-old girl, kept noticing the same homeless people and couldn’t help but feel troubled. She kept asking her mom why or how they were there, and at the end of the conversation she always wondered, “What can I do to help?” Seeing these struggling individuals in her community, Khloe made a resolution to create her own charity devoted to improving the lives of local homeless people. After Khloe made the decision firmly, she quickly began to effect change in the homeless community, raising spirits while lending some much-needed assistance to those living on the street.
“No dream is too small or too big!” writes Khloe on her GoFundMe page, which was set up by Khloe and her mom Alisha and has raised $14,000 in the two months since it was established, exceeding its original $10,000 goal. “Any funds raised on this page will go toward our charity filing fees and any future volunteer projects. The more we raise, the more people we can help!”
The charity, called Khloe Kares, is a community service-oriented organization that plans different projects to give some assistance to those in need. Khloe’s first project was Kare Bags, which are intended to help the homeless. “I like to give them a nice sturdy bag that they can have forever,” says Khloe, “Sometimes they give me hugs and then they say thank you.”
“As a parent, you’re going to be concerned about her walking up to random strangers,” says Alisha, who accompanies Khloe when she hands out her Kare Bags. After seeing people’s positive reactions, she said “People really warm up to her quickly.”
As Khloe strives to help those near her, homelessness has become an increasingly pressing issue. For Khloe, Kare Bags are just the beginning. She is currently planning a toy drive for kids living in group homes, which will take place on July. She has collected about $1,000 worth of toys to give out, and additional voluntary gifts will go towards The Raise Foundation of Orange County, whose goal is to stop child abuse and neglect.
1. Khloe created her own charity to .| A．collect money for children’s toys |
| B．help homeless people of the local area |
| C．protect more children from abuse and neglect |
| D．improve the living condition of the community |
| A．is a community service-oriented organization |
| B．was set up by Khloe and some local volunteers |
| C．plans different projects to help those people in need |
| D．raises fund for filing fees and future volunteer projects |
| A．Devoted and open-minded. |
| B．Humorous and strong-willed. |
| C．Determined and warm-hearted. |
| D．Knowledgeable and hard-working. |
| A．No Life is Easy |
| B．The Road to Success |
| C．The Power of Volunteers |
| D．Lend a Hand to Strangers |
【推荐2】Optional Tours Available in Langkawi
Langkawi geopark 1 mangrove tours and eagle feeding Catch exciting movement and magnificent views of how eagles try to get their food skillfully at kilim river mangrove jungle safiari, visit limestone bats cave and have lunch on floating restaurant. | package includes: return transfier (hotel-marina-hotel) licensed and experienced crew food and beverage adult rate RM 160.00/ person child rate (age 3 ~12yrs) RM 120.00/ person infant (below 3yrs) free time: 9.00 am - 14.00 pm |
Langkawi geopark 2 snorkeling and baby shark feeding Pulau Payar marine park with spectacular corals and colorful tropical marine life is one of the most beautiful and exotic marine parks in Malaysia. ♦diving _ additional RM 150.00 / person | package includes: return transfier (hotel-marma-hotel) licensed and experienced crew food and beverage adult rate RM 220.00/ person child rate (age 3 -12yrs) RM 150.00/ person infant (below 3yrs) free time: 8.00 am - 17.00 pm |
| Langkawi geopark 3 Day cruise around Langkawi archipelago Experience swimming among fishes and view spectacular corals and exotic marine life. | package includes: return transfer (hotel-marina-hotel) licensed and experienced crew food and beverage adult rate RM 450.00/ person child rate (age 3 -12yrs) RM 350.00/ person infant (below 3yrs) free time: 9.00 am 一 17.00 pm |
| Langkawi geopark 4 amazing sunset cocktail and dinner cruise Experience the amazing sunset scenery around the Andaman sea while having cocktail and dinner | package includes: return transfer (hotel-marina-hotel) licensed and experienced crew food and beverage adult rate RM 350.00/ person child rate (age 3 -12yrs) RM 250.00/ person infant (below 3yrs) free time: 16.00 pm 一 21.00 pm |
1. What is special about the tour at Langkawi geopark 1?
| A．It lasts the longest. | B．It allows tourists to feed animals. |
| C．It is the cheapest. | D．It provides food. |
| A． RM 800.00. | B． RM 1250.00. |
| C． RM 900.00. | D． RM 450.00. |
| A．Langkawi geopark 1. | B．Langkawi geopark 2. |
| C．Langkawi geopark 3. | D．Langkawi geopark 4. |
【推荐3】SUMMER PROGRAM
Program Title:
London: Creativity, Innovation and Leadership
The Academic Program:
| The first week | A mix of traditional academic lectures about British history and contemporary culture. |
| The second week | Creativity, innovation and leadership through interactive workshops and comparative student-led sessions. |
Program Dates:
•Teaching will take place daily finishing 4 pm every day from July 23 to August 3.
•Accommodation check-in on Sunday July 22 and check-out on Saturday August 4.
Number of Participants:
The cost is based on a minimum of 30 students(£2,450 per student). In addition there will be two group leaders who will accompany the group. Please note that we cannot accept a reduction in the number of students without adjusting the cost of the program.
Accommodation:
Participants will be accommodated in King's College London student dormitory. Each apartment has a single bedroom, laundry room and free Wi-Fi connection.
The program fee will include:
•Weekday breakfast and lunch on campus(Monday-Friday only).
•Academic lectures, seminars and workshops.
•Guided excursions and site visits.
•Cultural and social activities as outlined.
•Accommodation inside campus.
•Course certification.
• Airport transfers on arrival and departure
English culture, King's College London, academic study …If you are interested, come and sign up!
1. What can students do in the first week of the program?| A．Go for excursions | B．Learn about British history |
| C．Do some interactive workshops | D．Take part in student-led sessions |
| A．Every day from July 23 to Aug 3. | B．Weekdays from July 23 to Aug 3. |
| C．Every day from July 22 to Aug 4. | D．Weekdays from July 22 to Aug 4. |
| A．pay£ 1,450 at most | B．have a single bedroom be |
| C．pay for Wi-Fi by himself | D．accompanied by a volunteer |
| A．visa application fee | B．three meals every day |
| C．accommodation outside campus | D．guided excursions and site visits |
【推荐1】On a farm in England, Gavin and Alice Munro are taking sustainability (持续性) to the next level: they harvest trees which they grow into chairs.
The couple have a furniture (家具) farm in Derbyshire where they are growing 250 chairs and 50 tables. It is their answer to what they see as the inefficient (效率低的) process of cutting down mature trees to create furniture.
“Instead of growing a tree for 50 years and then cutting it down and making it into smaller and smaller bits ... the idea is to grow the tree into the shape that you want directly. It’s like a kind of 3D printing,” said Gavin.
Part of the inspiration for the idea came when Gavin was a young boy. He found an overgrown bonsai tree (盆景树) which looked like a chair.
The 44-year-old man began experiment in 2006. In 2012, Gavin and Alice set up the company Full Grown. Within several years, the couple developed the most effective way to shape a tree without limiting its growth. They guide shoots (新枝) heading in the right direction, rather than forcing them the wrong way against their natural growth.
The average chair takes six to nine years to grow and another year to dry out. The labor and time involved in producing the organic pieces mean they do not come cheap. Chairs sell for￡10,000 each and tables for￡2.500 to £12.500.
1. What is special about the farm?| A．3D printing is used. | B．Bonsai trees grow there. |
| C．It was set up by a couple. | D．Trees can grow into furniture. |
| A．By limiting its growth. |
| B．By following its natural growth. |
| C．By forcing it against its natural growth. |
| D．By guiding its shoots in the right direction. |
| A．Over 50 years. | B．6 to 9 years. |
| C．6 years at most. | D．7 to10 years. |
| A．It has brought in huge amounts of money. |
| B．Trees grow there inefficiently. |
| C．It’s a good try of sustainability. |
| D．It will gain popularity soon. |
【推荐2】There are billions of people on this planet, and many of us love to eat meat. Can the demand be filled in a sustainable(可持续的) and affordable way? A bunch of businessmen are not only optimistic but are working to make this happen sooner than you may think.
The environmental effects caused by meat consumption (食用)—waste, animal treatment, health problems and even the greenhouse gas effects that are potentially caused by methane gas produced by cows—have given rise to a number of startups(新兴公司)looking to develop meats in different ways.
For example, San Francisco-based Memphis Meats is developing cell-based meats in its labs without requiring any animals. Israel’s Future Meat Technologies is doing the same by producing fat and muscle cells that are being tested by chefs in Jerusalem. All of these companies use special processes to harvest cells from animals and grow them in a lab.
But don’t worry if you’re not a meat lover. Startups such as Jet Eat, which is also based in Israel, are working on food products grown in labs that are plant-based and replicate (复制) meats using natural elements while still keeping flavor, consistency and the “overall sensory experience”, according to a report on NoCamels. Jet Eat, which was founded in early 2018, aims to 3D-print their lab-grown products by 2020.
As you can imagine, there are plenty of barriers facing the industry. Educating the public is a big one. Another controversial issue is the labeling of the products. Recently both the USDA and the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) announced that they will begin jointly controlling the new “cell-based meat” category.
Many of us have concerns about the challenges facing future generations as our global population increases and the earth’s natural resources decreases. The good news is that there are plenty of businessmen around the world—like those producing lab-grown meats—who are working to solve some of these problems and make a little money in the process. Nothing wrong with that.
1. Why do some companies begin to develop new kinds of meats?| A．To analyse the causes of air pollution. |
| B．To stress the importance of protecting wild animals. |
| C．To make people less interested in eating meat and more healthy. |
| D．To meet people’s demand for meat in environmentally friendly ways. |
| A．They cost less. | B．They are plant-based. |
| C．They are more delicious. | D．They are available on the market now. |
| A．How to let people accept the meat. | B．How to give the meat an elegant name. |
| C．How to produce the meat in large amounts. | D．How to reduce the cost of making the meat. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Opposing. | C．Ambiguous. | D．Cautious. |
I am writing to express my concern about the plans to build a motorway near our village.
Haldersham is one of the loveliest villages in England. It is peaceful and quiet, and it is situated in a very attractive valley. There are also several beautiful countryside walks in the surroundings, with a view of many rare trees and plants.
Most of the people who live in Haldersham have moved here from other places, often from London and other big cities. They have bought houses here to live in a place far away from the noise and the stress of the big city. They paid a lot of money for their houses, but they knew they would get a high quality of life for it.
If the planned motorway is built, life in Haldersham will change greatly. There will be a lot of noise around us, and nobody will want to go on the walks. House prices will certainly go down, because nobody will want to buy houses in a place close to a motorway. Haldersham will become an ugly place.
I don’t think any of the people living in this beautiful village want that, and we all believe exposure to noise pollution can have a direct influence on our health. So, let’s all tell the politicians who support the motorway plans what we think about them!
Yours faithfully,
Hilary Riley
1. Many people move to Haldersham because ______.
| A．it has a good environment |
| B．it is not far away from big cities |
| C．they want to be a help to the village |
| D．they prefer to study rare plants in this area |
| A．cause high house prices |
| B．bring people stress |
| C．provide a convenient life |
| D．affect the quality of life |
| A．To give an introduction of Haldersham. |
| B．To show grateful thanks to the politicians. |
| C．To express disapproval about the motorway. |
| D．To offer suggestions on building the motorway. |
