Scientists in Michigan have developed a forest fire alarm system. It can not only monitor when a fire begins but also call for help. This battery-free device hangs in a tree and gains all the energy it needs from the natural swinging of branches. Such a sensor (传感器) could watch the woods for a decade without humans’ attention.
“For forest fire monitoring, you don’t need high amounts of energy,” says Cao Changyong, an engineer at Michigan State University, who led the team behind the new device. It recharges itself about every 10 minutes with just enough power to take a measurement. That’s plenty of time, Cao says, “to produce enough energy.”
There’s an obvious need for fast monitoring of faraway forests. Every year, fires burn millions of acres in the United States. Early findings also can save lives. Right now, forest fires are found from satellites or fire towers. Neither, Cao says, is as fast or low-cost as tree-hanging sensors would be.
Cao’s group faced some challenges in creating its new sensors. For example, these have to produce enough power to check the forest and send out a signal and that power source has to be used for longer time. To deal with the problems, they decided to change mechanical motion (机械运动) into electricity. The device to do this is known as a TENG short for triboelectric nanogenerator. Scientists have explored TENGS as one way to gain energy from the natural world, including harvesting energy from effects on tabletops, falling rain-even keyboards. The new TENG for forest use produces a current (电流) when a tree branch swings. That current is small, yet enough to power a thermometer (温度计) to monitor the temperature changes signaling fire.
Cao says his team’s new model has not yet been tested over long time periods in the real world, but the device is ready. All he needs now is the money to build more of them.
1. What is special about Cao’s sensor?A.It can save lives. | B.It is shaped like a branch. |
C.It is self-powered. | D.It keeps power for about a day. |
A.Recharging every minute. | B.Monitoring the forest fires. |
C.Measuring at a slow speed. | D.Working for a longer time. |
A.Sending out a signal when a fire breaks out. | B.Producing enough power to check the forest. |
C.Turning mechanical energy into electrical power. | D.Monitoring the temperature changes signaling a fire. |
A.It doesn’t work. | B.It is of no use in fact. | C.It needs enough money. | D.It isn’t easily performed. |
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【推荐1】Although Sir Isaac Newton did not employ his reflecting telescope to uncover novel astronomical phenomena, he did use it to completely transform how we view the world we live in and the universe as a whole.
Reflecting telescopes use mirrors to bend light and enlarge images, distinguishing them from refractors (折射望远镜) that rely on lenses. Their simplicity in construction and ability to achieve much greater sizes than refractors have led to a transformation in our astronomical knowledge and our comprehension of the universe.
As light passes through glass, various colors or bands are refracted at varying angles, leading to chromatic aberration (色差) and consequently, distorted images when viewed through a lens. In the time of Newton, the technology for producing glass and lenses was still very primitive, and the challenges associated with chromatic aberration had not been adequately addressed. Today we can make lenses that have almost no chromatic aberration but we can’t make them very large. As the size of a lens increases significantly, it becomes extremely heavy, causing its own weight to distort the lens and consequently ruin the image quality.
Newton’s telescope solved these problems. A mirror doesn’t allow light to pass. It simply bounces all the light off the surface. This means there’s no chromatic aberration. Plus, because we only need to bounce light off the surface, we can support the entire mirror on a base, reducing its weight. This allows us to build much larger mirrors without any distortion.
While Galileo is credited with the discovery of moons around Jupiter and Halley with predicting the comet’s orbit, what Newton did do was tie in mathematics, astronomy and our comprehension of the universe through the use of his telescope and his universal gravitation theory.
The original telescope constructed by Newton is preserved and maintained by the Royal Society of London. It is showcased in London and occasionally embarks on international tours as an element of exhibitions.
1. What do we know about Newton’s reflecting telescope?A.It has a complex structure. |
B.It relies on mirrors instead of lenses. |
C.It can make the image smaller than a refractor. |
D.It helped Newton uncover novel astronomical phenomena. |
A.Confused. | B.Twisted. | C.Evident. | D.Vivid. |
A.Issues with image quality. | B.Restrictions on the size. |
C.Challenges of lens making. | D.Limits of light passing angles. |
A.To state a fact. | B.To raise a point. |
C.To explain a concept. | D.To make a comparison. |
【推荐2】Two years ago, Kiirsat Ceylan was in New York to give a talk about disability rights at the U. N. Blind since birth, the Turkish man was struggling to find his hotel, holding a cane in one hand and pulling his luggage with the other.
"Not surprisingly, suddenly I bumped into a pole, and he says, "It was a bit bloody."
The problem with a cane is that, while it can tell you what's on the grounds it doesn't help with objects at the body or head level. It wasn't the first time Ceylan had run into something, injuring himself.
"" I have no problem with my scars, which make me more handsome I guess," Ceylan says, laughing. "But I don't need new ones."
With WeWalk, a new smart cane, Ceylan hopes to help other blind people navigate their environments more easily.The cane uses an ultrasonic(超声波)sensor which detects objects at body or head level and gives a warning vibration. WeWalk users pair the cane with their smartphones and then use the cane's touchpad to access features like voice assistant or navigation Before leaving home, they can plug their destination into Google Maps and get spoken directions as they walk In the future, Ceylan hopes to connect WeWalk with public transportation and ridesharing services.
Assistive technology is often expensive for blind people, says Eelke Folmer, a computer science professor at the University of Nevada! Reno. "But developers fail to realize their devices are out of reach for many blind people, To Folmer, the price point-﹩ 500-- sets the WeWalk cane apart from other technologies.
Ceylan sees WeWalk as part of an attempt to help blind people achieve greater freedom of movement, which he believes will give them greater access to education and jobs. The canes are already having an impact on users, Ceylan says. He recently received an email from a teacher in Ireland who had become blind as an adult. He'd been depressed and housebound. But since getting a WeWalk cane, your device forced me to go out. It became my anti- depressant. " he wrote.
1. Why is a story about Kursat Ceylan given at the beginning of the text? ______A.To stress the difficulty caused by blindness. |
B.To show his reason for developing his cane. |
C.To indicate the problems with present canes. |
D.To show his positive and humorous character. |
A.Provide fast Internet access. |
B.Start conversations with users. |
C.Tell users what is around them. |
D.Connect with ridesharing services. |
A.It is easily affordable, | B.It is easily controllable. |
C.It works better for users. | D.It looks more attractive. |
A.The increasing demand for smart canes. |
B.A blind man’s devotion to smart canes. |
C.A smart cane's effects on blind people. |
D.An assistive technology for the blind. |
【推荐3】In recent years, terms like “going green” and “eco-friendly” have become buzz words on talk shows, commercials and product packaging. The term “eco-friendly” has been used for so many different products and practices.
Eco-friendly Car Race
Can you imagine a car racer is so eco-friendly that its tyres are made from potatoes, its body is created from hemp (大麻) and rapeseed oil and it runs on fuel made from wheat and sugar beet (甜菜)? The one-seater racing car called Eco One is built by experts from Warwick University, who hope that Eco One will be adopted by the automotive industry. It is sold at $ 51,000.
Pollution-sensitive Dress
Don’t be caught outside unaware of pollution levels in the air. The pollution-sensitive EPA Dress by Stephanie Sandstrom notices pollution in the air accordingly. This dress — which is actually quite pretty — looks like you pull it from the bottom of the dirty laundry pile when the air is dirty. It might protect your health by advising you to stay indoors for the day, but it won’t do you any favor if you’re meeting with clients.
Eco-friendly Umbrella
Traditional umbrellas come with a fixed surface. Although it is changeable, you cannot replace it easily. This eco-friendly design is more flexible. It is actually only an umbrella skeleton(骨架)without any surface, which can be folded, so you can put anything such as newspapers, plastic bags or whatever you want to serve as the protecting surface.
Eco-friendly Moss (苔藓) Carpet
It is said that walking on fresh grass increases your blood circulation. The Moss Carpet, created by Nguyen La Chanh, looks at getting the grass to your feet. The mat includes ball moss, island moss and forest moss. The humidity (湿度) of the bathroom ensures that it grows well. And that’s why you need to place it there and not anywhere else.
1. According to Paragraph 1, we can find Eco One __________.A.can seat one passenger and one driver |
B.can’t be afforded by the public at present |
C.is mainly made from some kinds of plants |
D.will take the place of the traditional car industry |
A.To advise people to stay at home as often as possible. |
B.To stop people from meeting their clients if necessary. |
C.To make women look pretty even in the polluted air. |
D.To keep users informed of the polluted levels in the air. |
A.is changeable | B.hasn’t any surface |
C.can be folded | D.is made of newspapers |
【推荐1】Imagine your smartphone’s screen gets broken, or your favourite boots get a hole in them. What do you do? You could buy a replacement. Or you could join the worldwide trend of taking your broken stuff to a “repair café”.
The Bower Reuse and Repair Centre has just launched Australia’s first repair café, in Sydney’s inner west. The crowd-funded project will hold weekly repair sessions focusing on bikes, furniture and electrical items.
The first repair café was set up in Amsterdam in 2009, and the Repair Cafe Foundation says there are now more than 400 around the world. A repair café is a free face-to-face meeting of skilled volunteers and local residents who want things fixed. Visitors bring broken items from home and watch, learn or help as the repairs get done. Some things are fixed during the event, while for more challenging items people might be referred to local speciality repair shops.
Last year, according to the ABS, Australians sent more than half a million tons of leather to landfill—more than ten times the amount that was reused or recycled. Mending represents an attempt to resist the throwaway culture. Repair cafés get people talking and give them the chance to network and learn about the local resources available. And, perhaps most surprisingly for anyone who considers mending to be some kind of drudgery, repair cafés can be fun and creative.
“In a circular economy, repair cafés fit right in”, says the organiser Martine Postma. In rejecting buy-use-throw, the circular economy aims to keep resources moving around in the economy, rather than moving them through it to a dead end, where they cannot be put into valuable use.
It might be quicker and easier to throw stuff in the bin, but it’s more expensive and less fun too.
1. What can we know about the repair café in Sydney?A.It’s financed by the government. | B.Its visitors are involved in the fixing. |
C.It’s the first repair café in the world. | D.All items are fixed during the event. |
A.To stress the difficulty of landfill. | B.To indicate the urgency of reusing. |
C.To support the throwaway culture. | D.To show the influence of repair cafés. |
A.Special network. | B.Weekly meetings. |
C.Unpleasant work. | D.Interesting games. |
A.Places to Meet Up and Drink |
B.Repair and Share Every Month |
C.Repair Cafes Continue the Art of Mending |
D.Repair Cafes Fix Things- Including the Economy |
【推荐2】A broken heart. A sad ending to a love affair. That’s something most of us have experienced, or probably will. After all, it’s part of human life. But no question, the experience can be hard to get over.
But research shows there are pathways through the heartache. Listening to sad music is a major one. It can help you begin to feel joy and hopefulness about your life again. It can arouse (激发,唤醒) the desire (渴望) to connect with others.
Sad music can help heal and uplift you from your broken heart. A recent study from Germany found the emotional influence of listening to sad music is an arousal of feelings of empathy (共情), and a desire for positive connection with others. That, itself, is psychologically healing. It draws you away from concentration on yourself, and possibly towards helping others in need of comfort.
Another experiment, from the University of Kent, found that when people were experiencing sadness, listening to music that was “beautiful but sad” improved their mood. In fact, it did so when the person first consciously accept the situation causing their sadness, and then began listening to the sad music. That is, when they intended that the sad music might help, they found that it did.
These findings link with other studies that show accepting your sad situation emotionally leads to healing and growth beyond it. It seems unbelievable but it does make sense. For example, research from Cornell University, published in Psychological Science, found that accepting discomfort about a life experience or new situation, and viewing it as a step towards growth and change, encourages people to find a pathway through it, beyond it. As Churchill famously said, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” That discomfort points you towards creating a plan, a new action. It fuels hope.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 3 and paragraph 4?A.Sad music can make people help others. |
B.Sad music can make sad people feel better. |
C.Sad music can make people believe in themselves. |
D.Sad music can make people concentrate on themselves. |
A.Listen to a sad song. | B.Avoid unwise actions. |
C.Find support from others. | D.Face the discomfort directly. |
A.By listing figures. |
B.By giving directions. |
C.By comparing examples. |
D.By presenting research findings. |
A.How to Find Pathways through Heartaches |
B.How We React to A Broken Heart Matters a Lot |
C.What We Can Do to Overcome Discomfort in Life |
D.Why Listening to Sad Music Heals Your Broken Heart |
【推荐3】From Smells to Soundtracks
When a young sawfly, a bee-like insect, is threatened by its attackers like ants, it emits a mixture of unpleasant smells to defend itself. These emissions can seriously annoy a potential enemy.
Scientists wanting to study these smelly compounds—to understand which aspects of them discourage attackers and why—face great challenges. Meetups between sawflies and ants in a lab are difficult to carry out. There are also a very limited quantity of the insects’ emissions. On the side, Jean-Luc Boevé, a zoologist who studies insects, from the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, is an amateur musician and composer. He decided to try a different way—the sound approach. “To be honest, I considered this project so unpractical myself that I set it aside,” he said. It was months before Boevé and his partner, Rudi Giot, finally made a resolution to get started on it.
They chose 16 sawfly species’ emissions to translate into sounds. First, they figured out which molecules (分子) were present in each smelly compound and in what amounts. Then they assigned various characteristics of those molecules matching properties of sound. For example, smaller molecules like a kind of acid found in vinegar, a sour-tasting liquid, evaporate (挥发) quickly, so Boevé and Giot assigned them sounds with higher pitch ( 音 高 ). Larger molecules were given lower-pitched sounds. In all, the scientists created individual audio descriptions for 20 molecules. Then they combined the sounds of each molecule present in a sawfly’s smell to construct the insect’s soundtrack. If a molecule was of higher proportion in an emission, they assigned it a higher volume. In such a case, the smaller a molecule is, the higher its pitch will be; and the higher the proportion of a molecule is, the higher its volume will be.
To test out the audio descriptions they created, Boevé and Giot examined people’s reactions to the soundtracks and compared them to ants’ reactions to the original smells. They played the 16 emission soundtracks and the 20 molecule sounds through speakers to about 50 study participants. Then the scientists measured how far people backed up to get to a “comfortable position” away from the noise. Most of the study volunteers told the researchers that the high pitch, as well as the high volume, was what made them withdraw. “Ants and volunteers moved away from a chemical and its matching soundtrack respectively,” the researchers wrote.
Boevé said he hoped the process would give other zoologists a new way to compare sawflies’ chemical defenses with those from other insects. It may also offer researchers clues about which molecules fight off enemies most.
1. What do we know about Boevé from paragraph 2?A.He was devoted to the research for several months. |
B.He started a new approach after months’ hesitation. |
C.He came up with a creative idea thanks to a composer. |
D.He was faced with difficulties in studying rare sawflies. |
A.The volume of sounds is based on the proportion of molecules. |
B.Smaller molecules and lower pitch share similar characteristics. |
C.Audio descriptions of the molecules can be divided into 16 kinds. |
D.Participants were required to compare the sounds with the smells. |
A.the soundtracks are more than what humans are likely to bear |
B.the ants dislike the sounds as much as humans hate the smells |
C.humans’ reactions to the sounds resemble ants’ responses to the smells |
D.other zoologists are looking for innovative ways of studying molecules |
A.explain ways to transfer smells into soundtracks |
B.introduce research on sawfly’s effect on humans |
C.demonstrate a scientific study on insects’smells |
D.test out people’s reaction to various soundtracks |