Shanghai residents passing through the city's eastern Huangpu district in October might have astonished at an unusual sight: a “walking” building. An 85-year-old primary school has been lifted off the ground and relocated using new technology named the “walking machine.”
In the city's latest effort to preserve historic structures, engineers attached nearly 200 mobile supports under the five-story building, according to Lan Wuji, chief technical supervisor (技术总监) of the project. The supports act like robotic legs. They're divided into two groups which alternately rise up and down, imitating the human pace. Attached sensors help control how the building moves forward, said Lan.
In recent decades, China's rapid modernization has seen many historic buildings razed to clear land for high-rise buildings. But there has been growing concern about the architectural heritage lost as a result of destruction across the country. Some cities have launched new preservation and conservation campaigns including, on occasion, the use of advanced technologies that allow old buildings to be relocated rather than destroyed.
Shanghai has possibly been China's most progressive city when it comes to heritage preservation. The survival of a number of 1930s buildings in the famous Bund district and 19th-century “Shikumen” houses in the rebuilt Xintiandi neighborhood have offered examples of how to give old buildings new life. The city also has a satisfying record of relocating old buildings. In 2018, the city relocated a 90-year-old building in Hongkou district, in what was then considered to be Shanghai's most complex relocation project to date.
The Lagena Primary School, which weighs 7,600 tons, posed a new challenge-it's T-shaped, while previously relocated structures were square or four-sided. Experts met to discuss possibilities and test a number of different technologies before deciding on the “walking machine”, Lan said. However, he couldn't share the exact cost of the project, and that relocation costs will differ case by case. “It can't be used as a reference, because we have to preserve the historical building no matter what,” he said. “But in general, it's cheaper than destroying and then rebuilding something in a new location.”
1. How does the “walking” machine work?| A．It uses hundreds of ropes to lift up the entire building. |
| B．It uses many wheels to roll the building to the new place. |
| C．It lifts off the building story by story with the robotic legs. |
| D．It uses sensors to control the movement of mobile supports. |
| A．replaced | B．burnt | C．protected | D．destroyed |
| A．The use of advanced technology leads to growing concern. |
| B．Shanghai is the pioneer in preserving architectural heritage. |
| C．The local government has already taken action since the 1930s. |
| D．It consequently holds back the progress of modernization. |
| A．New preservation campaigns are launched in China. |
| B．Modernization poses threats to historic buildings. |
| C．A building in Shanghai “walks” to a new location. |
| D．“Walking machine” makes heritage protection cheaper. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】General Motors announced Tuesday that all of its electric vehicles (EVs) will have two-way charging capability by model year 2026, with some available by 2024. The feature, known as vehicle-to-home, enables their massive batteries to power homes during blackouts, heat waves and other periods of high energy demand. GM’s announcement is good news, and a promising indication of where the auto market is headed.
There is a small but growing number of EV models that offer the ability to send electricity in both directions. Tesla, whose electric Model Y is California’s best-selling passenger vehicle, also plans for its lineup to be equipped with two-way charging capability by 2025.
But consumers shouldn’t be dependent on the sometimes unreliable promises of automakers. That’s why California lawmakers should support legislation (立法) to require backup power capability as a standard feature. Senate Bill 233, proposed by Senator Nancy Skinner, would require that all new EVs sold in California have two-way charging capability starting in model year 2030. It’s a no-brainer. And if anything, 2030 isn’t soon enough.
However, it’s surprising that automakers call a two-way charging requirement “premature” even as companies such as Hyundai, Kia, Nissan and Ford promote it as a desirable feature in some of their own vehicles. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation wrote in a letter to lawmakers last month that customers should not be forced to pay for a feature they may not use, and “this technology is a competitive matter between vehicle producers and should remain that way”. It sounds like they just don’t like being told what to do.
It is clear that government officials and the auto industry need to do a lot more before we see the widespread use of EVs to power homes or the electrical grid (电网), but requiring this capability in new vehicles is a sensible first step. It isn’t just a nice-to-have feature, like heated seats and a moon roof, but an essential one for consumers and the power grid.
1. What did CM announce regarding its EVs?| A．They can supply homes with power. | B．They can consume less energy. |
| C．They will promote its sales in the EV market. | D．They will have larger batteries. |
| A．To enhance competition among EV makers. |
| B．To raise the safety standards in producing EVs. |
| C．To speed up the development of eco-friendly EVs. |
| D．To make two-way charging capability a must in EVs. |
| A．Their promising future. | B．Their disagreement. |
| C．Their worsening situations. | D．Their new technologies. |
| A．Disapprove. | B．Wait-and-see. | C．Favorable. | D．Conservative. |
【推荐2】At some point in the near future, self-driving cars may become common on the roads. Self-driving cars have already been test-driven, but they are not yet available for the public.
Self-driving cars have already been test-driven thousands of miles.
Another issue is that self-driving cars have maps programmed into their memory, but these maps aren't always updated and accurate.
| A．Self-driving cars has disadvantages. |
| B．These cars had only passengers, no drivers. |
| C．The safety problems have almost been addressed. |
| D．New roads are built, and old roads are closed down. |
| E．So why aren't self-driving cars common on roads today? |
| F．The self-driving cars can react to things only once they actually occur. |
| G．Self-driving vehicles also have difficulty adjusting to weather conditions. |
【推荐3】Feeling a hug from each other via the internet may be a possibility in the near future. A research team led by City University of Hong Kong recently developed a wireless, soft e-skin that can both detect and deliver the sense of touch, and form a touch network allowing one-to-multiuser interaction. It offers great potential for improving the distance touch communication.
While there are numerous devices in the market to simulate (模拟) the sense of touch in the virtual world, they provide only touch sensing or touch response. The uniqueness of the novel e-skin is that it can perform self-sensing and touch reproducing functions on the same interface.
The e-skin is a 7cm×l0cm, 4.2mm-thick device containing 16 flexible actuators (驱动器), a microcontroller unit, a Bluetooth module, and other electronics on a flexible circuit board. The actuator serves as the core part of the e-skin. Once the actuator is pressed and released by a force, a current is produced to provide electrical signals that are turned into digital signals by a converter (转换器) and then sent to another e-skin via Bluetooth. When the signals are received, a current is caused to reproduce the touch response on the receiver’s e-skin through mechanical vibration (振动). The process can be reversed to deliver vibrations from the receiver’s e-skin to the corresponding actuator of the sender’s.
The e-skin can communicate with Bluetooth devices and send data through the internet with smartphones and computers to perform long-distance touch, and to form a touch Internet of Things (IoT) system, where one-to-one and one-to-multiple touch delivery could be realized. Friends and family in different places could use it to “feel” each other. This form of touch overcomes the limitations of space and greatly reduces the sense of distance in human communication.
Next, the research team will focus on practical applications for people with visual disability, who could wear the e-skin to gain remote directional guidance and read Braille messages.
1. What is the unique feature of the e-skin?| A．It provides hugs for users. |
| B．It builds a social network. |
| C．It provides touch sensing and copying, |
| D．It monitors the process of self-sensing. |
| A．Started. | B．Disturbed. | C．Completed. | D．Exchanged. |
| A．It strengthens bonds across distance. |
| B．Its converter vibrates when working. |
| C．It sends electrical signals to receivers. |
| D．Its system delivers touch with phones. |
| A．A signal-sending application |
| B．An invention for the disabled |
| C．A device for virtual interaction |
| D．A long distance communication |
【推荐1】Peking Opera is being introduced to primary and middle school students in an effort to promote the traditional art to the younger generation.
The country's first set of textbooks about Peking Opera was compiled and published by the Beijing Association of Promoting Quintessence of Chinese Culture and People's Education Press in 2015.
The textbooks for optional courses have been put on trial use in middle schools in Fengtai district and will be used in middle schools across the city. The textbooks for primary schools will also be rolled_out.
Since 2008, Beijing has promoted a program to provide opera training at dozens of primary schools. Schools apply for funds from the city's education department to hire professional actors and actresses to work with students as young as 6 or 7.
Peking Opera arose during the rule of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty (1644 － 1911). It flourished for decades in China and as its fame spread, it drew audiences in other countries, including the United States and Japan.
Yet over the years, its popularity diminished. While a significant number of people listened to radio productions of Peking Opera before the 1980s, generations born after that pursued pop culture over the traditional arts.
1. What is the purpose of introducing Peking Opera to primary and middle school students?| A．To make their horizons broader. | B．To increase their knowledge. |
| C．To find their interest. | D．To make Peking Opera inherited. |
| A．sold out | B．printed out | C．released | D．delivered |
| A．The introduction process can't be completed very soon. |
| B．Since 2008, dozens of primary schools have started to provide opera training. |
| C．Peking Opera dates from Emperor Qianlong. |
| D．Peking Opera was popular with audiences from the United States and Japan. |
| A．Like. | B．Dislike. | C．Hate. | D．Don't care. |
PROMOTING CULTURE THROUGH DIGITAL IMAGES
Lanzhou, 9 August 2017. A group of researchers and scientists from China and other countries are working together to help increase knowledge and appreciation of China’s ancient cultural heritage. They are recording and collecting digital images of cultural relics from the Mogao Caves, which were a key stop along the Silk Road throughout China’s ancient history. Nearly 500,000 highquality digital photographs have been produced since the international project started in 1994.
The Mogao Caves have long been a meeting point for different cultures and are part of the history of many countries. Today, the caves are just as international as they were at the time when people travelled the Silk Road. Tourists from all over the world visit Dunhuang to see the caves, and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles has even reproduced a copy of the caves and paintings for people to admire in America.
By sharing so many digital photos over the Internet, the group hopes to promote even wider interest around the world in China’s ancient history, culture, and traditions. They also hope to further educate people about the importance of safeguarding historic and cultural relics for future generations to understand and appreciate. As one researcher who is working on the project explains, “Appreciating one’s own cultural heritage is very important for understanding oneself. Appreciating the cultural heritage of other countries is very important for international communication and understanding.”
1. What are the researchers and scientists trying to do?| A．To help people understand and appreciate China’s Mogao Caves. |
| B．To work together to find more information about the Silk Road. |
| C．To raise money to rebuild the Mogao Caves of China. |
| D．To start an international project to protect the Mogao Caves. |
| A．The computer. |
| B．The Internet. |
| C．A copy of caves. |
| D．Highquality digital images. |
| A．Because it can be appreciated in America. |
| B．Because its caves are as international as before. |
| C．Because they want to travel the Silk Road. |
| D．Because they want to admire its paintings. |
| A．It’s right. | B．It’s wrong. |
| C．It’s puzzling. | D．It’s foolish. |
| A．Chinese researchers’ contributions. |
| B．The Mogao Caves of China. |
| C．High-quality digital photos. |
| D．International communication. |
【推荐3】Have you ever tried to wear a historical object? On 12 September, 2021, in the finale of China Trending Now. a hip Chinese reality show, an inventive participant chose to integrate motifs from Sanxingdui, an ancient Bronze Age culture from Sichuan Province, with today’s fashion technology.
Historic designs are generating interest in China. Over the past year, more people have visited museums online than in real life. And the number of visits to museum design stores on Tmall alone has topped 1.6 billion. Of these visits, 100 million users were born in the 1990s.
In 2013, the Palace Museum in Beijing first demanded product design ideas from the public for a cultural and creative design competition. According to Wang Yamin, executive deputy director of the Palace Museum in 2017 alone it launched some 10,000 types of cultural and creative products, earning an income of more than 1 billion RMB.
After witnessing the huge commercial potential of cultural and creative products, many other Chinese museums have followed the Palace Museum’s example. The Sanxingdui Museum announced its take-on Sanxingdui masks, with toy character designs inspired by Sanxingdui cultural relics. The Dunhuang Academy launched a Tianlong Babu blind box, a gift box with a random (随机的) collection inside,based on its frescoes(壁画). The Henan Museum launched an archaeological blind box complete with mini play drilling tools that consumers must use to access the toys inside.
The trend has been boosted by museum-related reality shows. On the 600th anniversary of the Forbidden City, its museum worked with Beijing TV on a reality show titled New Cultural Relics: Forbidden City. Researchers carefully explained the historical origins of each cultural and creative product featured to celebrities. This educational exercise mixed modern elements with traditional culture helping to immerse a new generation in the museum’s cultural stories.
1. The question at the beginning of the passage is to______| A．survey readers’ related knowledge | B．introduce the topic |
| C．compare different museums | D．encourage people to watch the show |
| A．cultural and creative products are gaining popularity among youths |
| B．young people tend to buy items online instead of visiting physical stores |
| C．museums have more opportunities for profit by opening design stores |
| D．museums top the list of must-go places for Generation Z |
| A．A gift box | B．A toy character mask |
| C．An archaeological blind box | D．An ancient bronze tool |
| A．it was based on history | B．it was participated by celebrities |
| C．it was a documentary shot by a famous director | D．people will gain much knowledge after watching it |
【推荐1】The sighting of a new family of gray wolves in Oregon’s Cascade mountains has given wildlife protectors hope that the recovery of the endangered animal in the state is on the way. The state’s fish and wildlife department (部门) said a group of two adults and two babies was recorded by a track camera in August.
The wolves were found in the area of Warm Springs and officials have named it AKW — a new area of known wolf activity. If the group still has all four members surviving at the end of the year, the animals will be known as the Warm Springs group, the state’s third one in the northern Cascades. “Wolves will move to different places, but when we have resident wolves, like we know they’re sticking in that area, that’s when we create an AKWA to make sure the wolf count rise constantly.” the agency’s worker, Michelle Dennehy, told USA Today.
Many years of hunting of gray wolves almost made them die out across the nearby 48 US states by the middle of the last century. In Oregon at the end of 2009 only 14 wolves were known to exist. With protections from the Endangered Animals Act beginning in 1974, numbers have risen slowly since, to 175 in Oregon by the end of last year, living in more than 35 groups.
“I hope this will be an exciting new chapter in the story of wolf recovery in the state. Having more wolves establish families in western Oregon will be important for the long-term survival of these beautiful animals,” Amaroq Weiss, senior wolf protector at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
1. How did people find the gray wolves?| A．By sighting their families. | B．By taking their pictures. |
| C．By recording their voices. | D．By observing their tracks. |
| A．It is created according to wolves’ species. | B．It aims to prohibit wolves’ moving around. |
| C．It can help the increase of wolf population. | D．It will warn people to watch out for wolves. |
| A．Add some background information. | B．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| C．Offer solutions to wildlife protectors. | D．Show reasons of gray wolves’ hunting. |
【推荐2】Sand, sun, fitness, and fun were popular at the LeapFrog’s Fit Made Fun Day event on September 6. With LeapFrog’s new LeapBand activity tracker, the event look place at Santa Monica Beach in California educate kids about staying active.
The LeapBand is Leapfrog’s newest product. It straps (用带子系好) onto the wrist, like a watch, features a virtual (虚拟的) pet that kids can care for. Kids do activities such as walking like a penguin and popping like popcorn to earn points and power-ups, which unlock new pets and rewards.
“We want to make sure kills understand that gelling up, getting active, having fun, and getting healthy tips can all be part of their daily lives,” says Greg Ahearn, who works for LeapFrog. “Our goal with the LeapBand is to get kills up and active and having fun.”
The event included creative Illness activities for kids and parents. Artie Green and Easy A. D., who are a part of an organization called Hip Hop Public Health, performed songs and taught dances. There were photo opportunities, healthy snacks, and goodie bags too.
Mia Hamm, a former member of the United States national women’s soccer team, is the official spokesperson for the LeapBand. Hamm took part in Women’s World Cups and the Olympics. When she was about 15, she knew that her sport was soccer. “I loved the way it challenged me every single day,” she said. Hamm says exercising should be fun “whether it’s playing soccer with your friends or hopping on one foot or dancing”. She advises aspiring athletes to “go for it. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s meaningful”.
Later in the afternoon, the crowd came together to try to break three Guinness World Records: the most people making sand angels, the most people hopping on one foot, and the most people doing the swim dance. Participants (参加者) enjoyed exercising together, dancing, hopping, and flapping along to music. Better yet, they broke all three records! Ahearn hopes these families and many more continue to take part in fitness activities. “Fun is the most important thing,” he says.
1. The event LeapFrog’s Fit Made Fun Day is to ________.| A．encourage participants to break Guinness World Records |
| B．introduce LeapFrrog’s newest product — the LeapBand |
| C．instruct people, especially kids to keep an active lifestyle |
| D．find suitable volunteers to rare for virtual pets |
| A．Kids don’t understand the value of active life. |
| B．The activities of the event are concerned with fitness. |
| C．Soccer doesn’t mean a lot to Hamm. |
| D．Ahearn thinks breaking all three records is the most important thing. |
| A．is active in sports activities |
| B．was a famous woman soccer player |
| C．acts as the spokesperson for the LeapBand |
| D．calls on people to do sports activities |
| A．To sell a product |
| B．To provide information about an activity |
| C．To promote an activity |
| D．To describe an experience |
【推荐3】New research has found that young adults who smoke both tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes appear to have a higher risk of stroke than those who only smoke tobacco.
Carried out by researchers at George Mason University, the new study looked at 161,529 participants aged 18 to 44 years of age, who were surveyed about their cigarette and e-cigarette use.
The researchers also calculated the participants’ risk of experiencing a stroke, taking into account factors such as how much participants smoked, high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol levels, body mass index and physical activity levels.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, showed that the participants who smoked cigarettes and used e-cigarettes were nearly two times more likely to have a stroke compared to current cigarette — only smokers, and nearly three times more likely than non-smokers.
The team also found that participants who used only e-cigarettes had a lower risk of stroke than those who smoked only tobacco cigarettes. In fact, those who used e-cigarettes on their own did not have a significantly greater risk of stroke than non-smokers.
However, the researchers failed to find any clear benefit from switching from cigarette smoking to using e-cigarettes, even though many people believe that e-cigarettes are a “healthy” alternative to cigarettes, and a way to help smokers kick the habit. They also noted that the nicotine dependence and toxicity associated with e-cigarettes is worrying, particularly among young adults who smoke them for fun and the range of flavors.
“It’s long been known that smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke. Our study shows that young smokers who also use e-cigarettes put themselves at an even greater risk,” explained lead investigator Tarang Parekh, MBBS, MSc. “This is an important message for young smokers whoperceivee-cigarettes as less harmful ones and consider them a safer alternative.We have begun understanding the health impact of e-cigarettes and concomitant cigarette smoking, and it’s not good.”
“Our findings demonstrate an additive harmful effect of e-cigarettes on smokers’ blood vessels, hearts and brains,” explained Parekh.
“Consider this study as a wake-up call for young vapers, clinicians, and healthcare policymakers. There is an urgency to regulate such products to avoid economic and population health consequences and a critical need to conduct further research on the benefits and risks of smoking cessation altermatives,” warned Parekh.
1. What does the text belong to?| A．A science fiction. | B．A news report. |
| C．A short story. | D．A public announcement. |
| A．A few elderly people were surveyed. |
| B．Some of them are non smokers . |
| C．All of them use cigarettes and e-cigarettes. |
| D．They have a lower risk of stroke than others . |
| A．Think. | B．Practise. |
| C．Predict. | D．Receive. |
| A．Smoking cigarettes is among the most significant risk factors for stroke. |
| B．E-cigarettes are a “healthy” alternative to cigarettes. |
| C．Smoking both tobacco and e-cigarettes can make young adults at an greater risk of stroke. |
| D．It is beneficial to switch from cigarette smoking to using e-cigarettes. |
1. The word “address” in the first line probably means .
| A．talk about | B．deal with | C．fight for | D．write to |
| A．39% of the population. | B．200 million people. |
| C．About 3 million people. | D．About one-fifth of the population. |
| A．they have no home addresses |
| B．they mostly have a drinking problem |
| C．they aren't supported by government programs |
| D．they often don't have enough work experience |
| A．The passing of new housing laws. |
| B．The fast growth of family size. |
| C．The slow construction of houses. |
| D．The ever-rising price of housing. |
【推荐2】In 1926, US automaker Henry Ford shortened its employees' workweek from six eight-hour days to five, with no pay cuts. It's something workers and labor unions had been calling for. Ford wasn't responding to worker demands； he was being a businessman. He expected increased productivity and knew workers with more time and money would buy and use the products they were making. It was a way of encouraging consumerism and productivity to increase profits, and it succeeded.
Since standardization of the 40-hour workweek in the mid-20th century, everything has changed but the hours. If anything, many people are working even longer hours, especially in North America. This has a severe influence on human health and well-being, as well as the environment. Until the Second World War, it was common for one person in a family, usually the oldest male, to work full-time. Now, women make up 42 percent of the world's full-time workforce. Technology has made a lot of work unnecessary, with computers and robots doing many tasks previously performed by humans.
Well into the 21st century, we continue to work the same long hours as 20th century laborers, using up ever more of Earth's supply to produce more goods that we must keep working to buy, use and replace in a seemingly endless cycle of hard work and consumption. It's time to pause and consider better ways to live like shifting from fossil-fueled lifestyles with which our consumer-based workweeks are connected.
The UK think tank, New Economics （经济学）Foundation, argues that a standard 21-hour workweek would address a number of interconnected problems： "overwork, unemployment, over-consumption, high carbon emissions, low well-being, and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other, and simply to enjoy life".
Economic systems that require constant growth on a finite （有限的）planet don't make sense. It's time for a change in our economic thinking.
1. Why did Ford decide to shorten the workweek?| A．To cut workers' pay. |
| B．To make more profits. |
| C．To respond to worker demands. |
| D．To meet labor unions, requirements. |
| A．More women worked full-time. |
| B．The number of laborers decreased. |
| C．Technology enabled people to work shorter hours. |
| D．It was unnecessary for a family's oldest male to work. |
| A．Longer working hours means better consumption ability. |
| B．The 21st century sees the longest working hours in history. |
| C．The cycle of hard work and consumption should be changed. |
| D．Pausing our way of living can change the present workweek. |
| A．increase unemployment |
| B．cause various problems |
| C．encourage people to enjoy life |
| D．challenge the economic growth |
【推荐3】Twelve-year-old Lydia Denton was recently named the winner of CITGO's Fueling Education Student Challenge, where she earned $20,000 after creating the Beat the Heat Car Seat, which is a portable device placed in the car seat that not only senses weight over five pounds but monitors temperature when the baby is in the seat.
The soon-to-be seventh grader says she became inspired to make the invention after watching the news that babies were being left in hot cars, often by accident.“At first, I thought about raising money for the families, but that wouldn't fix the problem: I wanted to invent something that could prevent the deaths from happening.”
Lydia's device is started when it senses the weight of the child and the temperature setting reaches over 100 F (38℃). At that point, an alarm goes off and a warning is sent via SMS to the parents. If the parents don't reset the device within 60 seconds, a built-in GPS chip sends a message to local authorities with the vehicle's location. After many rounds of testing with her local 911, Lydia is proud to say that Beat the Heat Car Seat is a success.
Though many newer vehicles come with warning systems and smart seat systems, Lydia's goal was to create a device that would reach more people and that could also transfer from car seat to car seat as the child grew. She decided to use her prize money to continue making improvements on the device, which would sell for only about $40.
Lydia is now working with an instructor who is helping her with production and teaching her about business. Lydia hopes that her work will inspire more kids of her age to make their ideas come true. “Don't think that you have to accept things in the world. If there is something that bothers you, think of ways to make it better!”
1. Why did Lydia make the invention?| A．To win 20,000-dollar prize. |
| B．To raise money for unlucky families. |
| C．To help stop babies dying in hot cars. |
| D．To guarantee babies' safety in a car crash. |
| A．How it works. | B．What it consists of. |
| C．Why it raises the alarm. | D．How parents respond to it. |
| A．It will be much stronger. | B．It will be more affordable. |
| C．It will be less problematic. | D．It will be more effective on older kids. |
| A．No competition, no progress. |
| B．It's never too late to go into business. |
| C．One should be open to any suggestion. |
| D．Creative thinking is the key to success. |
