Perhaps you’ve heard the old saying “curiosity killed the cat.” It’s a phrase that’s often used to warn people — especially children — not to ask too many questions.
In addition to this, there’s the fact that we all now connect so deeply with technology, particularly with our phones. The more we stare at our screens, the less we talk to other people directly.
The final — and perhaps most worrying — way in which technology stops us from asking more has to do with algorithms, the processes followed by computers. As we increasingly get our news via social media, the big data find out what we like and push more of the same back to us.
| A．Yet it’s widely agreed that curiosity actually makes learning more effective. |
| B．All too often we accept the images of people that social media provides us with. |
| C．That means we end up inside our own little bubbles, no longer coming across new ideas. |
| D．We are always encouraged to challenge our pre-existing beliefs |
| E．In science, basic curiosity-driven research can have unexpected important benefits. |
| F．However, curiosity is currently under the biggest threat, coming from technology. |
| G．It is still not known why learning gives us such pleasure |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Three Types of Renewable Energy Sources
Water Power
Water power is the world’s biggest source of renewable energy by far, with China, Brazil, Canada, the U. S. , and Russia the leading water power producers. While water power is a clean energy source provided by rain and snow, it also has several drawbacks.
Large dams can damage river ecosystems and surrounding communities, harming wildlife and displacing residents. Even water power at full capacity bears its own emissions problems, as rotting organic material in reservoirs releases methane (甲烷,沼气).
Dams aren’t the only way to use water for power. Tidal and wave energy projects around the world aim to capture the ocean’s natural rhythms. The potential marine energy is great.
Wind Power
Wind turbines (涡轮) are growing around the globe, and China, the U. S., and Germany are the leading wind energy producers.
Some people may object to how wind turbines look on the horizon (地平线) and to how they sound, but wind energy, whose prices are declining, is proving too valuable a resource to deny. Another problem with wind turbines is that they’re a danger for birds and bats, killing hundreds of thousands annually that engineers are working on solutions to make them safer for flying wildlife.
Solar Power
From home rooftops to farms, solar power is reshaping energy markets around the world.
In addition to solar panels, which change the sun’s light to electricity, concentrating solar power (CSP) plants use mirrors to concentrate the sun’s heat, getting thermal energy. Solar thermal energy is also being used worldwide for hot water, heating, and cooling. China, Japan, and the U. S. are leading the solar transformation, but solar still has a long way to go.
1. Which country is the leading producer of all the three renewable energies?| A．China. | B．Japan. | C．Germany. | D．Russia. |
| A．Gathering organic material in reservoirs. |
| B．Employing alternative water sources. |
| C．Moving residents away from dams |
| D．Using water power at full capacity. |
| A．They cost too much. |
| B．They occupy much space. |
| C．They cause noise pollution. |
| D．They affect flying wildlife’s health. |
【推荐2】While the metaverse (虚拟空间) may seem virtual to many people, it has provided Italian artist Elisa Laraia with a real-life trip to China, where she demonstrated the charm of technology through several works of art from her native land.
The three-day 11th China Popularized Science Products Exposition, in the city of Wuhu, concluded on Monday. With an exhibition area of 36,000-square-metres, it offered audiences a fresh look at science and technology through its panoramic (全景) virtual exhibition hall and highly interactive exhibits.
Multiple leading sci-tech achievements and cutting-edge products were introduced and displayed. For Elisa, the exhibition provided a rare opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the metaverse concept and China’s development in this field.
Back home in Italy, Elisa is a professor at the School of Sculpture at the Naples Academy of Fine Arts, and director of Laboratorio Permanent e di Arte Pubblica (LAP) — a permanent public art workshop. Over a period of years, she has become increasingly attracted by her Chinese students, taking more interest in Chinese art and culture. One of her Chinese students has been serving as LAP’s Chinese liaison (联络人) and invited her to attend the exhibition in Wuhu, bringing along some art works from Italy.
Elisa grasped the opportunity to see China for the first time, and brought a series of works by seven artists from the Naples Academy of Fine Arts to be shown at the event. The seven artworks integrate cutting-edge concepts, such as the metaverse and artificial intelligence, with realistic topics such as environmental pollution and social resources. During her trip to Wuhu, Elisa also delivered a speech on the theme of the metaverse and art education. “I found that many works focus very much on improving the experience of the exhibitors, allowing them to integrate into the works of art,” said Elisa. “The various technological exhibits in the exhibition hall also allow people to en vision the future.”
She added that exploring the impact of technology and art on society is a topic she continues to pay attention to, and this experience has provided more inspiration for her future teaching activities.
1. What may be shown at the exhibition?| A．Local green products. | B．Italian modern clothing. |
| C．AI foundation models. | D．China’s traditional architecture. |
| A．Elisa has never visited China before. | B．Elisa sponsored the virtual exhibition. |
| C．Chinese artists are highly respected. | D．The exhibits are mostly Italian art works. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Favourable. | C．Cautious. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．A science textbook. | B．A travel brochure. | C．A research paper. | D．A news report. |
【推荐3】A European Union program is letting blind people experience famous paintings for the first time. It uses three dimensional (3-D) printing to re-create famous paintings so that they can be touched.
One painting printed with the new technology is Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss.” It is a popular attraction at the Belvedere Museum in Vienna, Austria. The painting shows a man and a woman standing in a field filled with flowers. They are wearing gold robes and have their arms around each other. The man leans down to kiss the woman.
Klimt finished the painting in 1908. Until now, people who have trouble seeing can not enjoy the artwork. But thanks to the reproduction (复制品) they can touch the piece and feel the ridges (隆起) and depressions (凹地). Andreas Reichinger started making 3-D versions of artwork in 2010. He said this reproduction was his most difficult project because the couple’s robes are so detailed (精细的).
Dominika Raditsch is a blind museum visitor. She touched the reproduction. As she moved her hands around it, she said, “Exactly, can you see these? There are so many details.” Raditsch said she can imagine what the original painting looks like when she touches the reproduction. “It’s somehow round. You can feel it. It comes with it. And in many places it’s so smooth. And then I think to myself: it probably shines too!” Raditsch said.
The Belvedere is not the only museum to have 3-D versions of its artwork. Some of the pieces at the Prado, in Madrid, Spain, have reproductions that can be touched. But the piece in Vienna has one special part: it is made with widely available 3-D printing technology. That means one day, blind art fans anywhere in the world could download the source files and print the reproductions themselves.
1. What is “The Kiss”?| A．A European Union project. | B．A popular painting |
| C．A 3-D technology. | D．A famous museum. |
| A．The painting was reproduced detailedly. |
| B．The original artwork was made in 1908. |
| C．Blind art fans can’t download the source files. |
| D．The 3-D technology is not available. |
| A．A European Union Program for Museum Visitors |
| B．How to Reproduce the World-famous Paintings |
| C．A Special Museum for Art Fans in Vienna, Austria |
| D．3-D Printing Lets the Blind Experience Famous Paintings |
【推荐1】Because Skyler and Kreed are speechless teens with autism (自闭症), making friends hasn’t always been easy for them. Now that they have each other, their friendship is stronger than what any word could ever describe.
Aside from having autism, 14-year-old Skyler is currently deaf and is losing his sight. He also has no effective means to communicate. Kreed, 17, uses a device to communicate and has multiple medical conditions. Once Kreed learned Skyler was also speechless, their friendship began.
“We were able to explain to Kreed that Skyler is deaf and also speechless like him,” Kreed’s mother, Erin Polk, said. “He seemed to understand and ever since then has wanted to be with Skyler and calls him his best friend.”
The best friends, who live down the street from each other, hang out just like typical teenagers. They eat pizza and French fries and watch movies together. They also give each other a helping hand.
“Kreed will help Skyler by leading him to places he is afraid to walk into,” Polk said. “We think his lack of good sight makes it scary for him in new places, so Kreed will always offer his hand to help him through those times.”
For Kreed, his best friend role has given him confidence. According to his mom, being able to help others helps him as well.
“Skyler has given Kreed more social confidence. By having a friend, he can 100 percent be himself and finally to be able to actually help another peer rather than being the person always helped,” she said.
Even though they're speechless, the teens communicate in their own way by giving certain looks or connecting through touch. Kreed doesn’t mind if Skyler gets close to him or touches him, which seems to please Skyler. According to Polk's blog, the teens simply want to be around each other.
It's clear that something unites Kreed and Skyler, but it's more than their autism or speechless communication. It's their beautiful friendship --- that clearly has no boundaries.
1. From the passage, we can learn that Skyler and Kreed ______.| A．have something in common | B．are of the same age |
| C．are unable to see each other | D．have no ability to communicate |
| A．By taking him where he dare not go alone. |
| B．By giving him good advice on where to go. |
| C．By taking him to the places where he used to go. |
| D．By getting rid of his scare on the way to school. |
| A．has gained confidence | B．is also benefited |
| C．is able to communicate better | D．is more outgoing |
| A．to touch each other a lot in small talk | B．to talk to each other in close distance |
| C．to avoid eye contact while chatting | D．to keep their distance while chatting |
【推荐2】A hospitality college in Bali, Indonesia, has begun accepting coconuts (椰子) as tuition payment as students face economic hardship as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
When students at the Venus One Tourism Academy pay their fees with coconuts, the college will use them to harvest virgin coconut oil, UPI reported.
Alternatively, students can pay using leaves from moringa (辣木) and gotu kola plants (积雪草), which can be converted into herbal soap and sold to raise money for the academy, Food & Wine added.
The program has been running since March, after the college received a permit to allow it to operate on this basis, according to The Bali Sun.
Venus One Tourism Academy’s director, Wayan Pasek Adi Putra, told local news outlet Balipuspa News: “Initially, the tuition payment scheme was paid in installments three times, with the first installment at 50%, the second 20%, and the third 30%. Because of this Covid pandemic, we have adapted a flexible policy. We produce virgin coconut oil, so students can pay their tuition by bringing coconuts.”
He added: “We have to educate them to optimize the natural resources in their surroundings. When the pandemic is over, they will enter the world of hospitality with different skills.”
Bali is a major international tourist destination but in August, the Balinese government closed the island to non-Indonesian visitors until 2021, BBC News reported.
1. Why did the hospitality college accept coconuts as tuition payment?| A．Because people there like eating coconuts. |
| B．Because some students face financial trouble as a result of corona virus pandemic. |
| C．Because the college want to harvest virgin coconut oil. |
| D．Because coconuts are expensive. |
| A．They can be processed into herbal soap to raise money. |
| B．They can attract more visitors to Bali. |
| C．They can be used to treat coronavirus. |
| D．They can help to educate students. |
| A．The students must pay off their tuition fee at a time initially. |
| B．The college began accepting coconuts as tuition payment in August. |
| C．No foreign tourists can visit Bali in September 2020. |
| D．Many people in Indonesia died in coronavirus pandemic. |
| A．New tourist destination. | B．A new strain of coronavirus. |
| C．A new way of tuition payment. | D．A new discovery of coconuts |
【推荐3】Many people travel to enrich and enjoy themselves. However, their travel methods may be different each year.
Lonely Planet and Forbes concluded some top trends (趋势) in 2022. Here are three of them for you to take a look.
Solo (独自) travel
Traditionally, travel seems to be a group activity to have fun together and avoid loneliness. But solo travel became popular, especially among young people in 2022.
Traveling on your own means that you are the boss of everything, choosing wherever you want to go, whatever you eat and whenever you go out. For some people, it also makes them a more confident person that is ready to deal with anything. Traveling in a totally foreign land on your own can be challenging. “It opens up your mind to new things, and pushes you out of your comfort zone,” Kristina Wegscheider, a traveler from the US, told Travel Pulse.
Augmented attractions (增强型景点)
World travel can be expensive. But virtual reality (虚拟现实) and augmented reality, or VR and AR, are giving more possibilities to travel for little cost. With ever-improving headsets, smartphones and Wi-Fi connections, people can have a 360-degree experience of museums, theme parks and historical sites.
With these technologies, visitors can experience the surface of Mars with just a headset, or view a sea cow’s growing flesh before their eyes in a museum.
Getting off the touristy path
There are always some “must-see” spots anywhere you travel. But traveling in such places always brings problems like overcrowding and noise.
In order to have a better travel experience, many tried to visit less famous places in 2022. With less transportation and fewer things to do, visiting a little town lets people slow down and notice the little things. Take a walk, ride a bike, sip coffee a little slower, take a deep breath and explore the natural scenery.
1. Who are most likely to choose solo travel?| A．An old man. | B．A young man. |
| C．A little child. | D．A middle aged woman. |
| A．They allow us to visit places at a low cost. |
| B．They make museums the hottest destinations. |
| C．They challenge us to walk out of our comfort zones. |
| D．They make space travel a reality for ordinary people. |
| A．Health. | B．Travel. | C．Science. | D．Environment. |
