More than a billion people around the world have smart phones, almost all of which come with some kind of navigation app such as Google or Apple Maps. This raises the age-old question we meet with any technology: What abilities is our brain losing to these apps? But also, importantly: What abilities are we gaining?
Talking with people who are good at finding their way around or good at using paper maps, I often hear a lot of annoyance with digital maps. North/south direction gets messed up, and you can see only a small section at a time. I can really understand that it may be quite disturbing for the already skilled to be limited to a small phone screen.
But consider what digital navigation aids have meant for someone like me. Although being a frequent traveler, I’m so terrible at finding my way that I still use Apple Maps almost every day in the small town where I have lived for many years.
In many developed nations, street names and house numbers can be meaningful, and instructions such as go north for three blocks and then west make sense to those familiar with these rules. In Istanbul, however, where I grew up, none of those hold true. For one thing, the locals seldom use street names. Besides, the city is full of winding and ancient alleys that cross with newer avenues at many angles. In such places, you’d better turn to the locals. In the countryside, however, there is often nobody outside to ask. In fact, along came Apple Maps, like a fairy grandmother whispering directions in my ear. Since then, I travel with a lot more confidence, and my world has opened up.
Which brings me back to my original question: While we often lose some skills after depending on new technology, this new equipment may also allow us to gain new abilities. Maybe when technology closes a door, we should also look for the doors it opens.
1. Why do people who are skilled at reading paper maps feel upset?| A．They are interested in reading paper maps, |
| B．They don’t know how to use navigation apps. |
| C．They are confused by digital maps’ direction. |
| D．They are limited to a single smart phone app. |
| A．Asking local people the way. |
| B．Following the navigation app. |
| C．Getting familiar with the city rules. |
| D．Looking for street names and house numbers. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Ambiguous |
| C．Critical | D．Favorable |
| A．Benefits of Navigation Apps |
| B．Have Navigation Apps Worsened Our Brain? |
| C．My World Opens Up by New Technology |
| D．Disadvantages of Navigation Apps |
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【推荐1】Facial recognition technology is mostly associated with uses such as the authentication of human faces, but scientists believe they’ve found a new use for it—saving seals.
Researchers have developed SealNet. The system is a database of seal faces created by taking pictures of many harbor seals in Maine’s Casco Bay. The research team found the tool’s accuracy in identifying the mammals was close to 100 percent.
The researchers are working on increasing the size of their database to make it available to other scientists. Increasing the database to include rare species could help efforts to save them. The Mediterranean monk seal is thought to be the world’s most at-risk seal with only a few hundred animals remaining.
Creating a list of seal faces and using machine learning to identify them can also help scientists know where in the ocean seals are. Marine mammals move around a lot and are hard to photograph in the water. Scıentists need to be able to identify individuals.
SealNet is designed to identify the face in a picture. It recognizes the seal’s face based on information related to the eyes and nose shape, as it would a human. A similar tool called PrimNet, which is for use on primates, had been used on seals earlier, but SealNet performed better.
Seals and other ocean mammals have long been studied using satellite technology. Using artificial intelligence to study them is a way to bring conservation into the 21st century. Facial recognition technology could provide valuable data.
“Once the system is perfected I can picture lots of interesting environmental uses for it,” said Michelle Berger, a scientist. “If they could recognize seals, and recognize them from year to year, that would give us lots of information about movement, how much they move from site to site.” He added that harbor seals give important information about the environment around them.
1. What can we learn about SealNet from the passage?| A．It increases the size of the database. |
| B．It identifies the mammals accurately. |
| C．It performs more poorly than PrimNet. |
| D．It includes rare species movement. |
| A．It identines which seal is at risk in the ocean. |
| B．It recognizes the shape of a seal in a picture. |
| C．It helps scientists know the location of the seals. |
| D．It gives information about the animals around seals. |
| A．It can provide information of the surroundings. |
| B．It can recognize the seals for a year. |
| C．It can increase the number of seals. |
| D．It can provide information about migration. |
| A．To present a high-tech method to protect seals |
| B．To introduce the species of seals |
| C．To explain why seals are in danger |
| D．To propose new methods to recognize seals |
【推荐2】Imagine you enter a car with no steering wheel, no brake or accelerator pedals (踏板). Under a voice-activated command, you say an address. “The fastest route will take us 15.3 minutes. Should I take it?” You say “yes” and you are on your way. The car responds and starts moving all by itself. All you have to do is sit back and relax.
How weird would it be if, one day in the future, everyone had such a car? No crazy driving, no insults, no cutting in; traffic laws would be respected and driving much safer. On the other hand, imagine the cost savings for local police enforcement and town budgets without all those speeding and parking tickets.
A new technology has the potential to change modern society in radical ways. There’s no question that self-driving vehicles could be an enormous benefit. The potential for safer cars means accident statistics would drop: some 94% of road accidents in the U.S involve human error. Older drivers and visually- or physically-impaired people would gain a new level of freedom. Maintaining safe speeds and being electric, self-driving cars would drastically reduce pollution levels and dependency on non-renewable fuels. Roads would be quieter, people safer.
But we must also consider the impact of the new technology on those who now depend on driving for their livelihoods. According to the U.S. Department of Labor. In May 2015 there were 505,560 registered school bus drivers. The American Trucking association lists approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the U.S.
The companies developing self-driving vehicles should be partnering with state and federal authorities to offer retraining for this massive workforce, many of whom will be displaced by the new technology. This is similar to what’s happening in the coal and oil industries, a situation that fuels much of the current political discontent in this country.
New technologies will, and should, be developed. This is how society moves forward. However, progress can’t be one-sided. It is necessary for the companies and state agencies involved to consider the ethical consequences of these potential changes to build a better future for all.
1. What would be the impact of the extensive use of driverless car?| A．People would be driving in a more civilized way. |
| B．It would save local governments a lot of money. |
| C．More policemen would be patrolling the streets. |
| D．Traffic regulations would be a thing of the past. |
| A．They could enjoy greater mobility. |
| B．They would suffer no road accidents. |
| C．They would have no trouble driving. |
| D．They could go anywhere they want. |
| A．Political dissatisfaction. | B．Retraining of employees. |
| C．Fossil fuel conservation. | D．Business restructuring. |
| A．The conflict between labor and management would intensify. |
| B．The gap between various sectors of society would be widened. |
| C．Professional drivers would have a hard time adapting to new road conditions. |
| D．Numerous professional drivers would have to find new ways of earning a living. |
| A．Keep pace with technological developments. |
| B．Make new technologies affordable to everyone. |
| C．Enable everyone to benefit from new technologies. |
| D．Popularize the use of new technologies and devices |
【推荐3】Your next Saturday night takeaway could be brought to you by a robot after a major food delivery company announced plans to use automated vehicles to transport meals. Europe’s biggest online takeaway food company Just Eat has partnered with Starship Technologies to deliver food with robots on the streets of London later this month. “Nobody has ever done deliveries with land-based robots,” said Allan Martinson, the chief operating officer of Starship.
The robot courier can travel up to 4 miles per hour for about 10 miles. It uses a GPS signal and nine cameras to navigate (确定方向). Instead of a person arriving at their door, customers could find themselves receiving a notification (通知) on their phone that says a robot is on its way and a code to unlock the automated courier. “Put the code in, the robot opens up, and there’s your food,” said David Buttress, chief manager of Just Eat.
The robot, which has so far been tested in Greenwich, Milton Keynes and Glastonbury, costs ￡1 to transport within 3 miles, compared with the ￡3 to ￡6 it costs for a human courier. To date 30 robots have driven nearly 5,000 miles without getting into an accident or finding themselves picked on by passers-by. They have driven in more than 40 cities around the world, including London and Tallinn, Estonia.
An initial worry was how the public would react to robots. But Martinson said the public has been calm when passing the delivery machine on the streets. “The most surprising reaction has been the lack of reaction,” said Martinson.
Another significant fear was that people would disrupt (扰乱) the robots, or try to steal them and their contents. To prevent this, the robot is fitted with nine cameras, two way audio, and movement sensors that send a warning if it is lifted off the ground. And it opens only with a pass code provided to the customer via a notification. “It’s much easier to shoplift than it is to steal a robot,” said Martinson.
1. According to the text, the Starship robot ________.| A．opens up upon hearing the code |
| B．travels 10 miles per hour at most |
| C．finds its way by means of GPS and cameras |
| D．sends a message to the customer upon arrival |
| A．they are easy to operate |
| B．the robot delivery is appreciated in big cities |
| C．the robot delivery is cheaper than human delivery |
| D．they can travel for 10 hours continuously |
| A．People’s indifference to the robots |
| B．Safety of the robot delivery |
| C．Accuracy of the robot delivery _ |
| D．People’s concern about public traffic |
| A．describe the great improvement of Just Eat |
| B．tell about the global trend of Food Companies |
| C．show new robots are to move on the road |
| D．show delivery robots are to replace takeaway drivers |
【推荐1】When Ariyah Georges was born 15 weeks early, she weighed only one pound 12 ounces. Her mother, Jovan, knew how important breastfeeding (母乳) was, especially for a premature (早产的) baby like Ariyah, so she began pumping milk to feed her through a tube. But two days later, Jovan felt dizzy and feverish —104 Fahrenheit degrees, in fact. She had a blood disease and was close to full shock.
She was separated from others for nearly two weeks at the regional Northern Virginia hospital where she’d delivered. During that time, she could still pump breast milk, but Ariyah couldn’t consume it because of the risk of infection (感染). Without it, the newborn was particularly easily affected by diseases. There are many cases like this, which creates the need for the milk donation.
Enter donor (捐献者) milk — breast milk purchased by hospitals for mothers who aren’t able to produce enough milk on their own, due to health complications, stresses, or other factors. The milk comes from milk banks, organizations that collect and screen breast milk from those women willing to donate. Usually processed in intensive-care units, the milk is only available by prescription (处方).
In recent years, both milk banks and the use of donated human milk have risen swiftly in the United States. In 2011, 22 percent of NICUs used donor breast milk; four years later, that number doubled to nearly 40 percent, and went even higher for the most intensive NICUs — as much as 75 percent. There are 23 milk banks in the United States recognized by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America, or HMBANA, double the number that existed five years ago.
But as the demand for donor milk rises, banks must find more charitable donors — a task made more complicated by informal networks of milk sharing that happens online. And many of the most vulnerable (脆弱的) infants are still not being reached.
1. Jovan couldn’t feed her baby Ariyah on her breast milk because _______.| A．Ariyah was a premature baby | B．Jovan couldn’t produce enough milk |
| C．Jovan was in poor health | D．Jovan was separated from others |
| A．introduce the topic of an increasing need for donated human milk |
| B．remind us of the importance of breastfeeding the newborn |
| C．tell us what to do if mothers cannot produce enough milk |
| D．warn us against the risk of the newborn being affected by diseases |
| A．By following time order. | B．By making predictions. |
| C．By giving examples. | D．By listing data. |
| A．It’s difficult to find enough charitable donors. |
| B．Networks of milk looking for donors online are informal. |
| C．The milk purchased from milk banks cannot reach infants’ home. |
| D．The number of women willing to donate breast milk are decreasing. |
【推荐2】From checking social media every minute to being lost in computer games, we tend to overuse technology. ”For many people, a moment without your phone or laptop in sight can feel like a lifetime,“ the Daily Mail commented.
A computer model called Mindy may persuade many people to think twice. A team from the US-based company Toll Free Forwarding built a three-dimensional(三维的)model to uncover the negative effects technology can have on human bodies in less than 800 years.
”Spending hours looking down at your phone strains your neck and throws your spine off balance,“ explained Caleb Backe, a health and wellness expert in the US. Then, the muscles in our neck need to spend extra effort to support the head, making our back hunched(驼背的)and neckwide.
”The way we hold our phones can cause strain in certain points of contact-causing text claw(手机手),“ Nikola Djordjevic, a practicing physician in Serbia, told the team. It affects the elbows too, causing pain in the arm. Scientifically, it is called cubital tunnel syndrome. That’s why Mindy has a 90-degree elbow, and her hands look like she’s always holding a mobile phone.
Some people also commented that human evolution may not work this way. They believe that only features with actual benefits would be kept throughout the years. For example, features that can increase the rate of survival instead of the negative impact of technology.
However, current human lifestyles still raise concerns. A model called Emma was built by researchers in the UK in 2019 to show how the way people work at their desks could change them in 20 years. The research team built Emma based on the health issues mentioned by over 3,000 workers in France, Germany and the UK. Emma’s back stays bent and her legs are swollen due to the time people spend in front of computers. With little time spent outdoors and in the sun, her skin is pale, too.
1. What is the purpose of building the model Mindy?| A．To test how our backs become hunched. |
| B．To help people avoid overusing phones. |
| C．To explore how technology can affect human bodies. |
| D．To study people’s unhealthy habit of using phones. |
| A．She has dark skin. | B．She has a thin neck. |
| C．She has beautiful hands. | D．She has a strange elbow. |
| A．A further example of the technological impact. |
| B．A different opinion on how people will evolve. |
| C．Different comments on Mindy’s appearance. |
| D．The connection between evolution and technology. |
| A．To compare the two models. |
| B．To promote healthy lifestyles. |
| C．To point out typical health issues. |
| D．To show people’s worries about current lifestyles. |
【推荐3】In the United States, more and more families have turned to assisted living centers to care for their aged parents. However, as we hear from Faith Lapidus, there may be an even better project —one that provides a safe environment for older adults while keeping them close to loved ones.
In a quiet neighborhood near Washington, DC, two homes sit within several meters of each other. The larger house belongs to Soc Page and her family. Behind it is a small home where her mother, Viola Baez, lives. Miss Baez’s home is a MED Cottage. These structures are built to meet the medical and safety needs of the elderly. Soc Page says it is the best place for her mother.
“My home is just not safe for her. So this is an alternative. She’s here, but she has her own space. It’s set up for her. It’s safe for her and it’s not a nursing home. We are actually her primary caretakers, and she won’t feel lonely in this place.”
The MED Cottage is small—just 28 square meters. But it has separate areas for living and bathing. There is even space for medical equipment. The builder included special soft padding under the floor so older adults will not break a bone if they fall. From her own house, Soc Page can use cameras and intercom equipment to see and hear her mother.
Ken Dupin started N2 Care, the company that builds the small homes. He wanted to help families stay together.
“If I have a purpose for the rest of my life, it is somehow challenging and working up people’s enthusiasm of accepting this responsibility to take care of their parents, and it’s funny in that it’s its own reward.” He hopes he can make many other families as happy in the homes as this one.
1. What is the purpose of the project?| A．To take better care of parents. |
| B．To meet parents’ medical needs. |
| C．To provide a larger living space for parents. |
| D．To enable people to live closer to their parents. |
| A．She won’t hurt herself when she falls. |
| B．It meets all her medical needs. |
| C．She won’t be disturbed by anyone. |
| D．She has her own private space. |
| A．Decreasing. | B．Motivating. | C．Praising. | D．Annoying. |
| A．It is well practiced. |
| B．It needs to be more interesting. |
| C．It is challenging in some way. |
| D．It takes a long period to prove its results. |
【推荐1】In 2006, documents were published by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They suggested that cloned animals and cloned animal products would be allowed into the American food supply.
The FDA has stated that cloned animal products are safe for consumption, and has performed many studies to support this view. In fact, products from cloned animals have already been eaten by some Americans without ill effects. The FDA analyzed the structure(结构)and content of cloned animal products and compared it with that of traditionally reproduced animals, and discovered no statistical difference between the two.
Consumers raised serious concerns about cloned animals. The first is the question of whether or not cloned tissue and animal products are truly safe. The second is that many clones are also genetically modified(转基因的)animals, which the FDA has said are unsafe for human consumption. The third is that consumers want to be able to choose what they put into their bodies.
The first concern about cloned animals is almost unnecessary due to the price of producing a clone. Making a clone needs hard work and is very costly. These clones live spoiled lives because they are very valuable, despite biologists' warning that cloned animals decrease diversity.
The second concern, about genetic modification of cloned animals, is more problematic. It may be very difficult to separate genetically modified animals from normal ones. The purpose of genetically modified cloned animals is unclear, and the FDA hasn't allowed their products onto the market, due to health concerns, but the risk of genetic pollution of healthy animals still exists.
Finally, the matter of choice is a large one. Many animal rights activists are worried about clone rights because cloned or not, the animals still have lives. Other consumers are simply trying to eat healthy foods, and have doubts about the cloned animals. If the FDA does not make labeling (贴标签)laws, people may not be able to make informed choices about their food.
1. Why did the FDA allow cloned animal products for consumption?| A．They appeal to consumers very much. |
| B．They differ from traditional animal products. |
| C．They taste better than normal animal products. |
| D．They have been proved safe in several aspects. |
| A．It takes much more efforts and money. | B．It provides some new medical benefits. |
| C．It needs less time than raising animals. | D．It helps increase the diversity of animals. |
| A．Cloned animals should be forbidden to enter market. |
| B．Cloned animals should have the same rights as humans. |
| C．Laws should be made to protect people's right to choose food. |
| D．Animal rights activists are strongly against cloned animal products. |
| A．Doubts about cloned animals rights. | B．Discussions about how to clone animals. |
| C．Concerns about animal cloning technology. | D．Worries about cloned animal consumption. |
【推荐2】Should parents send their freshmen off to campus armed with a debt or credit card to learn how to handle money? Or is it better to keep firm control through the Bank of Mom and Dad? The "correct" answer will vary by family and personal preference.
The Credit Card Act that took effect 2.5 years ago made it much harder for anyone under 21 to get a card. Gone are the days of card issuers collecting plenty of new customers on campus by handing out free T-shirts or rewards points for spring break.
Under-21s can still obtain a credit card if they have a qualified co-signer or proof of sufficient income to repay the debt. And card issuers still market aggressively to college students, targeting them with pre-screened mail offers. That makes parents, as the likeliest co-signers, more involved in the card-or-no-card decision.
Robyn Kahn Federman of Rochester, N.Y., says there’s “no way” she’ll let either of her two daughters have a credit card at such a financially tender age. Her daughter Sarah, who’s 19 and about to start her second year of college, uses Robyn’s PayPal card instead. That lets her mom fund the balance and see how she spends her money.
“I don’t think anything related to debt belongs in the hands of a college kid,” says Federman, communications director of a marketing agency. “The vast majority are not experienced enough with money or aware enough of the risks.”
Some students, though, have shown they’re disciplined enough to have their own card on campus.
Scott Gamm, 20, a junior at New York University's Stern School of Business, used his income from freelance work and blogging to obtain a Visa card and then an American Express card. He charges $200 to $300 on them monthly and pays every bill in full.
But he has friends who obtained three or four cards within a year and now have big debts.
“The more credit you have access to, especially at that young age, the higher the probability you’ll use that card to finance fancy clothes, restaurants and entertainment.” says Gamm.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statement is true?| A．People hold different opinions about their kids using credit cards. |
| B．Credit cards are useful in helping deal with money matters. |
| C．It is better to have Mom and Dad who now run a bank. |
| D．The new Act made it impossible to get a credit card for freshmen. |
| A．own a credit card of his own previously |
| B．have someone to repay the possible debt |
| C．turn to their parents to get their permission |
| D．ask their parents to write the application letter |
| A．is a kind of credit card | B．funds the balance automatically |
| C．has access to credit | D．keeps records of money spent |
| A．The Credit Card Act | B．Students and credit cards |
| C．Card issuers and students | D．Parents and choice of cards |
【推荐3】What would you do if someone did something you didn’t agree with? Would you completely stop talking to them? Or would you tell them how their actions were wrong?
The “cancel culture” trend has been picking up some steam recently. According to Dictionary.com, “cancel culture” is defined as “publicly rejecting, boycotting or ending support for particular people or groups because of their socially or morally unacceptable views or actions”.
Neelam, a 17-year-old high school senior in the US, told The New York Times that she wasn’t being sensitive when she saw someone doing something wrong and “called them out” for it.
However, others think that “canceling” people is counterproductive and can actually be harmful to the person.
To Ben, a high school junior in Providence, Rhode Island, US, canceling someone “takes away the option for them to learn from their mistakes and kind of alienates them”. Ben, 17, thinks that people should be held accountable for their actions, regardless if they are your friend or someone famous.
In fact, quite a few celebrities have already faced the wrath of cancel culture. Some celebrities who have been “canceled” this year include British author of the Harry Potter series J.K. Rowling, US comedian Ellen DeGeneres and English guitarist Eric Clapton.
And, over the summer, about 150 public figures like authors J.K. Rowling and Margaret Atwood signed an open letter against the cancel culture trend. The letter expressed that cancel culture was hurting people’s freedom of expression in areas like the arts, universities and journals.
Professor Loretta Ross, who teaches a university course on cancel culture, is trying to fight back against this new trend. “It really does alienate people, and makes them fearful of speaking up,” she told The New York Times. Ross also noted that cancel culture isn’t new: “What’s new is the virality and the speed and the anonymity.”
Our world is beautiful because of the wonderful mix of different cultures, ideas and opinions. So, the next time you think someone should be “called out” or “canceled”, maybe try calling them in instead.
1. What does the underlined sentence most probably mean in paragraph 3?| A．She realized canceling a person was harmful. | B．She thought it was reasonable to cancel a person. |
| C．She didn’t think it was fair to cancel a person. | D．She thought we shouldn’t cancel a person. |
| A．Cancel culture doesn’t help with a person’s growth. |
| B．Cancel culture encourages people to reflect on their mistakes. |
| C．Canceling people applies to all, whether they are friends or celebrities. |
| D．Cancel culture makes people unfriendly toward each other. |
| A．People should be careful in expressing their opinions. |
| B．Cancel culture enables people to speak up freely. |
| C．The meaning of cancel culture changes with the times. |
| D．The Internet has made cancel culture more powerful. |
| A．The origin of cancel culture. | B．Why cancel culture is harmful. |
| C．The issue of cancel culture. | D．Why cancel culture is trendy. |
