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题型:阅读理解-阅读单选 难度:0.85 引用次数:40 题号:13965079

Postmates, an American delivery company, has built a robot, called Serve, which was designed to make short-distance deliveries in cities.

To know what's going on, Serve has a laser radar (激光雷达)sensor on top, in which spinning lasers let it detect objects around it and know how far away they are. Also, behind each artificial eye is a camera, with six more imaging devices spread around the robot. Inside it is another sensor that allows Postmates to know if there is a package in there.

“One of our key decisions early on was to rely heavily on the robot’s ability to see the environment,” says Ali Kashani, the vice president for robotics at Postmates. Since the sidewalk is “a very chaotic environment”,he points out, the robot needs to be able to take it all in and figure out what to do. This robot, and many like it, also must be able to signal their intentions to the pedestrians. For that,it has a number of approaches. One is using its eyes; another is a colorful light ring that goes around the top. “When it wants to make way for a pedestrian, it will use its eyes and look down,” he explains. It can also use the lights on the top as a turn signal,which is obvious, and also look left and right when it’s turning left and right.

Using eye movements and other silent signals is a good idea,” says Aaron Steinfeld, a professor on human-robot interaction (互动).Serve is intended for sidewalks * and Steinfeld says that environment is challenging. People usually walk fast while staring at a smartphone. For a robotthat’s a lot. “We have active research on robot moving socially around walking people,” he says. “And it,s really tricky to do this well. ”

Postmates plans to use Serve in Los Angeles at first, and that its intended task is to move small objects over short distances”. The robot can travel 30 miles on one charge and is able to carry 50 pounds.

1. What was Serve designed for?
A.Object detection.
B.Package transportation.
C.Environment protection.
D.Short-distance communication.
2. What is challenging to Serve?
A.Moving objects.
B.Sending silent signals.
C.Sidewalk environment.
D.Pedestrian recognition.
3. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A.Calling other robots.
B.Signaling to the people nearby.
C.Making way for the pedestrians.
D.Turning on the colorful light ring.
4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To introduce a new robot.
B.To explain human-robot interaction.
C.To present different opinions on hi-tech.
D.To advertise an American delivery company.

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阅读理解-阅读单选(约350词) | 较易 (0.85)
名校
文章大意:这是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了Lensa这款拍照应用程序并说明了不同的人的使用感受。

【推荐1】If you’ve logged on to any social media app this week, you’ve probably seen pictures of your friends, but they are re-imagined as fairy princesses, handsome princes, and charming characters. It is all because of Lensa, an app which uses artificial intelligence to present digital portraits based on photos users submit.

Lensa recommends users submit 10-20 selfies for the best results. The pictures should be close-up of your face with a variety of different backgrounds, facial expressions, and angles. A yearlong subscription to the app, which also provides photo editing services, costs $35.99. But you can use the app for a weeklong free trial if you want to test it out before committing.

To test out the app, I took 20 selfies I thought showed a variety of expressions and angles and submitted. It took around 20 minutes for Lensa to return my portraits, which fell into several categories: fantasy, fairy princess, focus, pop, stylish, light, kawaii, and cosmic. In general, I felt like the app did a decent job producing artistic images based on my selfies.

Other users have documented unfavorable experiences which come from their Lensa images. Aubrey Gordon, a writer and fat rights activist, wrote on her Instagram the app produced images which made her look much thinner than she actually is. “Lensa is really working overtime to make AI me into a thin person,” she wrote in the caption.

Several of the artists expressed concern the apps could also threaten their livelihoods. Digital artists cannot compete with the low prices and fast turnaround artificial intelligence enables for a digital portrait, they said at the time.

Lensa’s owner Prisma has tried to relieve anxiety that digital artists will be robbed of work opportunities owing to the technology. “While both humans and AI learn about artistic styles in semi-similar ways, there are some fundamental differences: AI is capable of rapidly analyzing and learning from large sets of data, but it does not have the same level of attention and appreciation for art as a human being.”

1. What can be learned about Lensa?
A.It is a tool that stores photos.B.It is a photo trading platform.
C.It is an app that takes photos.D.It aims to offer customized photos.
2. What impressed the author most?
A.The low price of Lensa.B.The wide popularity of Lensa.
C.The artistic images Lensa made.D.The speed at which Lensa makes photos.
3. Why does Aubrey Gordon disapprove of Lensa?
A.Because it is time-consuming.B.Because it is friendly to the thin.
C.Because it presents unrealistic photos.D.Because it is posing a threat to her job.
4. What does Prisma imply?
A.Lensa cannot replace human artists.B.Lensa will give a hand to digital artists.
C.Lensa needs further improvement.D.Lensa is good at data analysis.
2023-01-15更新 | 58次组卷
阅读理解-阅读单选(约440词) | 较易 (0.85)

【推荐2】Norway' s capital Oslo will become the first city in the world to use wireless (无线的) charging systems for electric taxis, hoping to make recharging quick.

The project will use induction(电磁感应)technology, with charging plates (板) in the ground at taxi stands where taxis line up to wait for passengers,Finnish company Fortum, said on Thursday.

"Receivers will be in a taxi, and when it drives up to the charger, a wireless charging process will automatically start. This will allow the taxis to charge in a place where they would anyway be waiting for new customers, says Annika Hoffner, head of Fortum.From 2023 all taxis in Oslo will have to be zero emission (排放) and Norway wants all new cars to be zero emission by 2025. Among other nations, Britain and France have similar goals for 2040.

Fortum is working with US firm Momentum Dynamics and the city of Oslo on the system. It said the greatest difficulty with electrification of taxis is that it takes too much time for drivers to find a charger, and then wait for the car to charge.

"Time equals money when taxi drivers are working," said OleGudbrann Hempel, head of


Fortum' s public charging network in Norway.

Norway has the world' s highest rate of electric car ownership, partly thanks to measures such as free or discounted road fees, parking and charging points. If you buy an electric car, you do not need to pay the same taxes (税) as those on traditional cars,which are very high in the country.                                                                                                                

Last year, almost one in three new cars sold was electric.With just five million people, Norway bought 46, 143 new electric cars in 2018, making it the biggest market in Europe. It is ahead of Germany which bought 36,216 and France which bought 31,095,according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.

1. What does Hoffner tell us about the charging system?
A.A problem with the system.
B.An advantage of the system.
C.Possible customers of the system.
D.Passengers reaction to the system.
2. What is the problem with electric taxis according to Fortum?
A.They waste too much of drivers' time.
B.They sometimes cause safety problems.
C.They cannot run as fast as traditional taxis.
D.They are not as comfortable as traditional taxis.
3. What can we conclude from the figures in the last two paragraphs?
A.Electric cars are expensive in Norway.
B.Taxes on vehicles are increasing in Europe.
C.France is following the example of Germany.
D.Norway is trying to encourage the use of electric cars.
4. Why does the author write this text?
A.To present the electric car market in Oslo.
B.To introduce an original program in Oslo.
C.To compare electric cars with traditional cars.
D.To show the wide use of electric charging systems.
2021-08-21更新 | 152次组卷
阅读理解-阅读单选(约310词) | 较易 (0.85)
文章大意:本文是一篇应用文。文章主要介绍了四项发明:水上自行车、机器猫、音乐服饰以及发光背包。

【推荐3】WATER BIKE

An off-road bike is pretty cool, but what’s even better? An on-water bicycle! Just wade into a lake or calm sea and then cycle on the water’s surface. The craft can move up to 13 miles an hour, about as fast as the average cyclist. Just don’t try to catch a big wave—you’ll definitely wipe out.

ROBOT KITTY

Are you allergic to cats but still dream of having one? Well, pay£1,400 and you can ‘adopt’ a MarsCat! The robotic animal companion reacts to your touch and voice, and even meows back when you talk to it.

Each MarsCat has a unique body shape and ‘personality’, and will respond differently depending on how you play with it.

The robot also obeys commandsbut only sometimes, just like real cats! The best part? It doesn’t kill any birds!

MUSICAL CLOTHING

Have you ever heard people saying that they can ‘feel’ the music? Well, with this Sound Shirt, you can!

Made of stretchy fabric with tiny components that move, this shirt can capture sound waves from the air or connect to a phone app. Then it translates the music into pulses and vibrations that the wearer can feel.

The inventors hope the device will be especially useful for people who have hearing loss. That rocks!

LIGHT-UP BACKPACK

Create a wild light show on your back with the Pix Backpack. Just beneath its water-proof fabric, the bag has 320 lights that can create over 16 million color combinations. Using an app, you can create your own art or choose an emoticon or cartoon—then change it anytime you want. You can even display video games or rolling text on the backpack. You’ll never lose your bag in the pile again.

1. What can people do on a water bike?
A.Cycle in mountainous areas.B.Ride faster than common cyclists.
C.Have fun of surfing.D.Take a ride on peaceful seas.
2. Of the four inventions, which can benefit people with hearing problems?
A.Water Bike.B.Robot Kitty.C.Musical Clothing.D.Light-up Backpack.
3. Which two inventions are designed to meet the needs for uniqueness?
A.Robot Kitty & Water Bike.B.Robot Kitty & Light-up Backpack.
C.Musical Clothing & Water Bike.D.Musical Clothing & Light-up Backpack.
2022-05-24更新 | 70次组卷
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