A plan has been officially presented to build the world's deepest swimming pool in Cornwall,England. The pool, which is being built by the company Blue Abyss, will be used to train astronauts and develop underwater robots.
The Aerohub Enterprise Zone at Cornwall airport will house the pool, which may cost £ 150 million to build. It will be 40 metres wide and 50 metres deep. For comparison, Nelsons Column in Trafalgar Square in London is 52 metres tall. So this pool would almost be as deep as the column is tall. It will also be the world's largest pool by volume ( 容 积), containing enough water to fill 17Olympic-sized swimming pools.
The pool will be covered by a roof which can be easily removed and a 30-tonne crane(起重机)will lower heavy objects into it. These could include film sets and restaurants of the International Space Station (ISS). Training astronauts is going to be one of the pool's main uses. Astronauts train in swimming pools because moving underwater is similar to being weightless in space.
Astronaut Tim Peake said, "This project will help us to widen our knowledge of how humans and technology can work in extreme environments for the benefit of people and the planet." In 2015, Peake became the first British astronaut to board the ISS.and in 2016, he became the first British astronaut to go on a spacewalk.
John Vickers, who is the head of Blue Abyss and a former army diving instructor, came up with the idea for the pool. As well as having research and training purposes, he says the pool will be “a fantastic education centre for children and university students".
Blue Abyss says the pool could create up to 160 jobs and bring in £ 8 million a year for the local economy. The pool is scheduled to open in 2023.
1. What is special about the swimming pool in Cornwall?| A．It aims to test robots underwater. |
| B．It costs a lot and is huge in volume. |
| C．It is being built near Nelson Column. |
| D．It is sponsored by the Cornwall government. |
| A．It offers astronauts access to space. |
| B．It brings convenience to astronauts. |
| C．It earns a good reputation as a training center. |
| D．It features similar weightless environment to space. |
| A．It has the potential to reshape space training. |
| B．It will mainly serve as an educational center. |
| C．It is likely to bring some long-lasting benefits. |
| D．It enables human to work in extreme environments. |
| A．To introduce a project in England. |
| B．To appeal to the public for support. |
| C．To publicize the company Blue Abyss. |
| D．To stress the key factor in training astronauts. |
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【推荐1】Robots often star in popular science fiction movies as the bad guys that take over the world and control mankind. But with the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (新型冠状病毒), robots are increasingly being employed as helpers, performing often dull, difficult and dangerous tasks and thus reducing humans’ exposure (暴露) to COVID-19.
Across the world, robotics companies are teaming with health care providers and government officials to develop technological solutions for dealing with the global health crisis. In China, robots have rolled down streets spraying disinfectant. In at least one hospital in South Korea, robots are being used to check patients’ temperatures and give out hand wash.
In the United States, two of the major ways in which robotic technology is being used are to disinfect hospital rooms and to act as telemedicine portal (远程医疗门户), allowing doctors and health care workers to communicate via video conference directly with patients without unnecessarily exposing themselves to the virus.
In Boston, doctors, researchers and robotics engineers have cooperated to bring a friendly, dog-like robot named Spot into Brigham and Women’s Hospital, allowing doctors to interact with COVID-19 patients via telemedicine. What sets Spot apart is its four-legged design, which allows the robot to move about easily in different settings, such as the tent set up outside the hospital.
In March, researchers began developing and testing the robot’s design to enable Spot to interact with patients, thus reducing the exposure of frontline health care workers to the virus. In the place of head, Spot has an iPad fixed to stand, allowing doctors to conduct telemedicine sessions with their patients.
Researchers are working to increase the robots’ diagnostic (诊断) abilities, enabling it to test the patient’s temperature and measure his or her respiratory rate.
Dr. Peter Chai, an emergency medicine physician, predicts that hospitals will continue to find ways to use robots even after the coronavirus pandemic is over, whether it may be through delivering supplies to rooms or seeing patients with other contagious (传染性的) diseases.
1. In China, robots are used to ________.| A．rid the streets of the virus | B．hand out hand wash |
| C．communicate with patients | D．measure the patients’ temperature |
| A．greetings | B．decisions | C．experiments | D．conferences |
| A．More robots will be used to fight the virus. |
| B．New robots will be invented to fight the virus. |
| C．Robots will still play a part in medical treatment. |
| D．Robots will be invented to deliver medicines to patients. |
| A．Robots, deliverers of COVID-19 | B．Robots, fighters against COVID-19 |
| C．Robots, helpers in fighting COVID-19 | D．Robots, pioneers in fighting COVID-19 |
【推荐2】Whether in the home or the workplace, social robots are going to become a lot more common in the next few years. Social robots are about to bring technology to the everyday world in a more humanized way, said Cynthia Breazeal, chief scientist at the robot company Jibo.
While household robots today do the normal housework, social robots will be much more like companions than tools. For example, these robots will be able to distinguish when someone is happy or sad. This allows them to respond more appropriately (适当地) to the user.
The Jibo robot, arranged to ship later this year, is designed to be a personalized assistant. You can talk to the robot, ask it questions, and make requests for it to perform different tasks. The robot doesn’t just deliver general answers to questions, it responds based on what it learns about each individual in the household. It can do things such as reminding an elderly family member to take medicine or taking family photos.
Social robots are not just finding their way into the home. They have potential applications in everything from education to health care and are already finding their way into some of these spaces.
Fellow Robots is one company bringing social robots to the market. The company’s “Oshbot” robot is built to assist customers in a store, which can help the customers find items and help guide them to the product’s location in the store. It can also speak different languages and make recommendations for different items based on what the customer is shopping for.
The more interaction the robot has with humans, the more it learns. But Oshbot, like other social robots, is not intended to replace workers, but to work alongside other employees. “We have technologies to train social robots to do things not for us, but with us,” said Breazeal.
1. How are social robots different from household robots?| A．They can control their emotions. | B．They are more like humans. |
| C．They do the normal housework. | D．They respond to users more slowly. |
| A．Communicate with you and perform operations. |
| B．Answer your questions and make requests. |
| C．Take your family pictures and deliver milk. |
| D．Obey your orders and remind you to take pills. |
| A．A new design idea of household robots. | B．Marketing strategies for social robots. |
| C．Information on household robots. | D．An introduction to social robots. |
【推荐3】New smart wheelchairs are designed to allow users more freedom of movement. Some even allow them to raise or lower the seats or to go up and down stairs. Now, Scewo, a Swiss company, has designed their futuristic motorized wheelchair Scewo Bro that is a complete solution with multitasking innovation. This smart wheelchair is so advanced and multifunctional that it won the Design Prize in 2018 and has been recognized as a pioneer in the medical technology industry.
With clearly defined lines and a reduction to the essentials, the design team developed a clear design language. That way, Scewo Bro is seen as a new generation of wheelchairs at first glance. Scewo Bro users can control the wheelchair either by a touch interface (界面) or a smartphone. They can switch from one to the other and can also choose from three different modes: park mode, drive mode, and track mode. This allows for any terrain (地形) and for people with mobility disabilities to be independent.
Built with safety in mind, the seat always balances itself so the user stays in a sitting position. This feature allows users to deal with different terrains without the risk of tipping over. Besides, the foot rests, seat, and arm rests are designed to be comfortable and adjustable.
The smart wheelchair can go up to 35 kilometers on one charge and can go 10 kilometers per hour. If a break is needed, just put the chair into the relaxation position. The smart wheelchair comes with two secure storage areas for people on the go to store valuables. It can fit in the trunk of a car and can be charged in just five hours.
Scewo Bro is available in Switzerland, Austria, and Germany. While the first batch(首批) has sold out, people can pre-order for delivery at the end of 2021. This futuristic wheelchair will allow for increased movement and a better quality of life for people with mobility issues.
1. What do we know about the wheelchair?| A．It targets medical workers. |
| B．It features more functions. |
| C．It is designed for household use. |
| D．It is the first motorized wheelchair. |
| A．Its design philosophy. |
| B．Its working principle. |
| C．Its customer experience. |
| D．Its fashionable elements. |
| A．By giving exact figures. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By offering examples. |
| D．By listing reasons. |
| A．The wheelchair needs further improvement. |
| B．The company Scewo is a non-profit organization. |
| C．The wheelchair users can move around independently. |
| D．The design team has been awarded many design prizes. |
【推荐1】Scientists say only enlarging the world’s nature reserves to help protect plants and animals may be useless.The main reason is that levels of human activity are rising in and around the nature reserves.In fact,recognizing spaces as protected areas is not reducing human activity there.
The researchers have found that a lack of money to pay for land conservation (保护) is affecting conservation efforts. And it is a lack of communication between people who live in protected natural areas and outsiders. About 17 percent of the world is within protected areas, including the national parks, nature reserves and wilderness. Protected areas are important for supporting environments with many different kinds of plants and animals.
The researchers have also found increasing human activity in most protected areas in every country. However, they say that human activity appears to be more of a problem in nations with fewer roads and poorer living standards on the Human Development Index (指数).The index uses information about length of life, education and earnings to grade countries on human development.
Across the northern Australia,protected areas often prove effective in slowing human activity when compared with unprotected areas.But in South America,Southeast Asia and African countries,pressure from human activity inside protected areas is higher.
Experts say governments need to provide fund support to help protected areas. Simply recognizing a place as a protected area can’t be the beginning and the end of the conservation effort.Working with local people to take efforts is also important. If they are not partners in the protected areas, then wildlife conservation is much more difficult.
1. What’s the Human Development Index used to do?| A．Record more roads in the world. | B．Improve education in all countries. |
| C．Grade countries on human development. | D．Lead more people to make money. |
| A．Enlarge protected areas. | B．Offer extra money and work with locals. |
| C．Attract more people to travel there. | D．Allow local people to farm there. |
| A．People May Cause Harm to Plants and Animals |
| B．Local People Should Focus on the Natural Environment |
| C．Nature Reserves in the World Should Be Increased |
| D．Nature Reserves May Not Protect Wildlife Safely |
【推荐2】Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. — Ralph Waldo Emerson
Being enthusiastic about something means being excited about a given project. Enthusiasm involves having a strong interest in the task at hand. If you decided to learn a new language, which is not easy anyhow, you would have to dedicate yourself wholeheartedly to the cause. Anything less would result in failure.
What is real enthusiasm? In your pursuing success, enthusiasm means that you believe deeply in what the company is doing. You also believe that your job is important and contributes to the cause. It means that you’re willing to make every effort to achieve the company’s goals.
Real enthusiasm is when you leap out of bed in the morning and attack your day with much enthusiasm and energy. You have great enthusiasm for the work you do and the people you work with. This pushes you to improve and become a better person. Enthusiasm means that you are stimulated by your work, and are able to find new challenges and keep growing professionally.
Furthermore, most jobs have some elements that are less fun and more difficult to carry out. This is where passion really comes into play. Passion helps you get ahead. Enthusiasm about a job or project usually translates into positive energy. That is, if you are excited about a project, you will be anxious to get started and get results. The mere fact of looking forward to your work will help make you more productive and effective. You will plan more effectively and pay careful attention to detail. You will carry out your plan more carefully and aim for the best results possible.
Increase your enthusiasm. Most men aren’t born great—they become great. Similarly, not everyone is the enthusiastic type that falls in love with their work. However, do not despair. There are ways to become more passionate.
1. What’s the purpose of quoting Emerson’s saying at the beginning of the passage?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To arouse readers’ enthusiasm. |
| C．To illustrate Emerson’s influence. | D．To summarize great people’s enthusiasm. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Benefits of enthusiasm. | B．Significance of enthusiasm. |
| C．Good ways to boost passion. | D．Success stories of passionate people. |
【推荐3】Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator (猎食动物) gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the “hurt” adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.
Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.
Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don’t make nests. Instead, they get into other birds’ nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.
Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner’s hand and start fighting again.
Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don’t hear them, and they don’t need to share their food.
As children, many of us learn the saying “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” But maybe you can’t trust her, either.
1. A plover protects its young from a predator by ________.| A．getting closer to its young | B．driving away the adult predator |
| C．leaving its young in another nest | D．pretending to be injured |
| A．chimps are ready to attack others |
| B．chimps are sometimes dishonest |
| C．chimps are jealous of the winners |
| D．chimps can be selfish too |
| A．Some chimps lower their cry to keep food away from others. |
| B．The losing chimp won the fight by taking the winner's hand. |
| C．Cuckoos fool their adoptive parents by making no nests. |
| D．Some clever scrub jays often steal their food back. |
| A．Do animals lie? |
| B．Does Mother Nature fool animals? |
| C．How do animals learn to lie? |
| D．How does honesty help animals survive? |
