At first glance, the image that flashed on the computer screen looked like an ordinary road map. Then John Richardson, acting manager of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), began tapping at his keyboard. With one click he got a close-up view of New York, divided not along town or county lines but along sectors of airspace. With another click on the key he eliminated hundreds of tiny black dots showing the location of low-flying aircraft and private jets. What remained on the screen were larger, winged symbols representing commercial airliners. With a few more key taps he color-coded the jetliners according to their airport destination.
To computer fans at ease with the graphic interpretation of Max Headroom, the FAA demonstration might seem simple. But to air-traffic professionals gathered in the agency’s sixth-floor “ war room, ” it represented a technological breakthrough. Before last week, FAA radar data showing the location of planes flying over the U.S. could be shown only dot on computer screens at one or more of the airline agency’s 20 regional control centers. Now, all that information has been combined and displayed on a single screen, giving the nation’s air-traffic controllers a unique view of overhead traffic patterns as they unfold from coast to coast. Exclaimed Richardson, with pride: “ It’s unbelievable! ”
Last week’s display — more evolutionary than revolutionary — involved the conveying of data on aircraft position, altitude (海拔), speed and identification from each of the regional air-traffic control centers to the FAA’s Washington headquarters. There the information is combined into a manageable whole by an assembly of Apollo work-stations and displayed through custom-designed software on as many as three dozen screens. The objective of the system is to provide centralized management of traffic problems as they may build up at any of the country’s 12,500 airports. Cost of the new computer operation so far: about $2 million. The FAA’s final goal, though, is a multibillion-dollar air-traffic control system so highly automated that it can monitor flights and direct pilots with little or no human disturbance.
Such a system is far in the future, but the new linkup may have arrived just in time. A badly overburdened U.S. air-traffic system has pushed control tower errors to record levels. Midair close calls added 215 in the previous three months of 1987, while errors by overtaxed air controllers jumped 18%. The safety crisis urged the chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board to recommend the FAA take “ immediate action ” to reduce air traffic at key airports before the expected summer air-travel crush. FAA officials say that with their new control system they will be able to meet those recommendations without reducing the number of flights entering or leaving the critical barriers. Also supervisors can monitor with greater precision specific sections of airspace that are becoming dangerously overcrowded. Traffic jams can then be relieved or prevented by shifting the altitude of some flights or rerouting others to avoid jammed areas.
1. What can be concluded about the FAA demonstration?| A．It can present a close-up view of the New York Metropolitan area along town or county lines. |
| B．It makes it easy to highlight the location of low-flying private aircrafts by tiny black dots. |
| C．It can show the remaining larger, winged symbols that represent commercial airliners. |
| D．It makes it complicated to color-code the jetliners according to their airport destination. |
| A．To show the technology breakthrough of airline agencies. |
| B．To manage air traffic problems in a concentrated way. |
| C．To inspect the overall situation in 20 regional control centers. |
| D．To train the operators to control air traffic more efficiently. |
| A．The heavily burdened system has driven control tower errors to record levels. |
| B．Control tower errors increased by over 18% in the first three months of 1987. |
| C．Midair close calls increased at least 215 in the previous three months of 1987. |
| D．It’s impossible for supervisors to shift the altitude of some flights or reroute others. |
| A．It can operate flights and direct pilots with little or no human disturbance. |
| B．It recommends reducing flights entering or leaving the critical barriers. |
| C．It enables supervisors to monitor specific sections of airspace more precisely. |
| D．It avoids most air traffic jams by changing the altitude of all flights at ease. |
相似题推荐
The days of staring at a map or the screen of your smartphone when you’re lost will soon be over — thanks to new shoes that tell you which way to turn.
The shoes use a Bluetooth link to communicate with your mobile’s mapping system. The mobile works out which route you should be following and the shoes then emit a vibration in either foot telling you when and where to change direction. The shoes will also count the number of steps you’ve taken and the calories you’ve burned.
“They are as easy to use as a tap on the shoulder,” said Krispian Lawrence, 30, who developed the shoes with partner Anirudh Sharma, 28, in Hyderabad, India.
“You can even communicate with them using hand gestures and finger snaps because the shoes have sensors that can pick up movement and sound.” The Lechal shoes go on sale worldwide in June but Lawrence and Sharma’s company, Ducere Technologies, has already taken more than3,000 pre-orders.
Lawrence believes the shoes will also improve road safety. “If I’m on my bike or motorbike, I don’t want to stare at my phone—it’s dangerous,” he says, “I’d rather be guided by my footwear.”
He believes his invention will prove helpful for the visually impaired and has promised that every pair sold by Ducere will subsidize a cheaper pair for a visually impaired person.
However, the shoes do not impress explorer Sir Ranulph Fienne. “What’s wrong with a good old-fashioned map?” said the 70-year-old when told of the shoes. “If you rely too heavily on technology, you’ve heading for trouble. Too many people have forgotten the basics: how to read a map and a compass.”
1. How do the shoes communicate with the mobile’s mapping system? (no more than 5 words)2. Who developed the shoes that tell you which way to turn? (no more than 8 words)
3. Why can you communicate with the shoes using hand gestures and finger snaps? (no more than 12 words)
4. Why does Lawrence think the shoes can improve road safety? (no more than13 words)
5. What is Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ opinion about the shoes? (no more than 7 words)
Have you ever had a wonderful idea and thought it would make a great invention, but didn’t know what to do next?
The first thing that you should do is do some research on the Internet to see if anyone else has invented it. If not, you should search through the US Patent (专利) information to see if a patent was ever created for your type of invention.
The easiest thing to do is working with a company that can help you to make your dreams a reality. It can help you present your ideas and get your product to the right companies. One company that has good fame is “Lambert and Lambert”.
Call the company and make an appointment. You will be required to bring in a model of your invention and a complete description of your ideas.
Once your invention has been sold to a large company, get ready to get the benefits of becoming the next great inventor.
| A．Write down exactly about your invention. |
| B．Here are some steps that you can take. |
| C．It may take a year or two. |
| D．You will find something new on the Internet. |
| E．If there is no patent, go to the next step. |
| F．They offer free advice for good ideas. |
| G．You will be the next inventor. |
【推荐3】The global population growing, the climate is warming, and, no surprise, the demand for energy is steadily increasing. We need to use less energy in any way that we can.
German design student Tobias Tribenbacher, from the University of the Arts Berlin, has created a street light called Papilio in response to global sustainability initiatives, saying that he initially chose to create a city-facing streetlight due to such lights’ role in light pollution.
Papilio can be mounted to walls or set up as a freestanding lantern. The lamp should ideally be placed between three to six metres above ground, where ground-level winds are the strongest. The lamp is shaped like a pinwheel that acts as a wind turbine (涡轮), catching the wind to produce its own energy. It also has a rechargeable battery that stores electricity, so the lamp can operated even on less windy days.
Another key component of the lamp is the light itself. The warm-colored light doesn’t draw the attention of insects, and it uses an infrared (红外线的) sensor so that the light is only started by nearby motion, reducing its contribution to light pollution.
Aside from saving public space and beautifying streets, the streetlight’s design is also a visual signal of clean energy in action. “Design not only determines how street lights are working. It can also shape our attitude towards them and consequently affect how we use them,” Tobias Tribenbacher says. “Because energy creation is often an invisible process, projects such as these help the production of electricity become comprehensible.”
The lamp’s ability to change wind power into electricity can also be a huge benefit to naturally windy areas. And since it doesn’t require any electrical infrastructure (基础设施), there will be an opportunity to fix the street lights in remote settings or places where infrastructure innovations can be cost-prohibitive.
Just as lanterns create the character of streets and squares, Papilio is envisioned as a public sustainability statement that motivates residents to take part in transforming our cities into climate-friendly, future-proof environments.
1. Why did Tribenbacher choose to create the street light?| A．To cope with light pollution. | B．To reduce biodiversity loss. |
| C．To beautify the city he lives in. | D．To draw public attention to waste. |
| A．It occupies a large space. | B．It can be fixed anywhere. |
| C．It is switched off by hand. | D．It is unattractive to insects. |
| A．The climate crisis is tough to address. | B．Design can facilitate our comprehension. |
| C．We must take action to save clean energy. | D．We know little about electricity generation. |
| A．A history book. | B．A science journal. |
| C．A fashion magazine. | D．A personal biography. |
【推荐1】It is interesting to see that the force of only 6 or 7 people pushing in the same direction can cause up to1,000 pounds of force—enough to break brick walls. During a fatal stampede (蜂拥), people can even die standing up. People die when pressure is put to their bodies in a front to back direction, causing them not to be able to breathe.
If you are in a crowd, the first and most important thing is to make yourself familiar with your surroundings and find different exits. No matter where you are, make sure you always know how to get out.
Make yourself aware of the type of the ground you are standing on, and know that in a crowd of moving people wet ground can cause you to fall.
When in danger, a few seconds can make a difference, giving you the possibility of making use of your escape route. Always stay closer to the escape route. If you find yourself in the middle of a moving crowd, do not fight against the pressure and do not stand still or sit down, because you can easily get trampled (踩伤)．Instead, move in the same direction of the crowd; make use of any space that may open up to move sideways to the crowd movement where the flow is weaker.
Keep your hands up by your chest, like a boxer —it gives you movement and protects your chest. If you fall, get up quickly. If you can't get up because you are injured, get someone to pull you up. If you have kids，lift them up. If you fall and cannot get up, keep moving in the same direction of the crowd, or if that is not possible, then cover your head with your arms; do not lie on your stomach or back.
1. Why may people in a stampede die standing up?| A．They can't breathe freely. |
| B．They push in the same direction. |
| C．They are not able to get up. |
| D．They aren't familiar with the surroundings. |
| A．Harmful. | B．Shocking. |
| C．Deadly. | D．Hateful. |
| A．Fight against the pressure. | B．Stand still where you are. |
| C．Sit down covering your chest. | D．Move along the escape route. |
| A．How to stay far away from a crowd. | B．What to do when you are in a crowd. |
| C．Where to go when you are in danger. | D．How to get along with a big crowd. |
【推荐2】When I visited the remote Swedish town. of Alvdalen, I was immediately struck by the forest-covered valley in which it is situated. I was set to meet the last speakers of Elfdalian. The language is currently used only by about 2,500 people, but it has preserved language features that are to be found nowhere else in Scandinavia.
Elfdalian is unique among Nordic (北欧人的) languages, with different tones and sounds. Even the grammar and vocabulary are unlike Swedish. So, while speakers of Swedish, Norwegian, and Danish are able to have simple conversations and understand each other, it is not so with Elfdalian. While Elfdalian originated from the same region as Swedish, it is completely baffling to non-local people.
For centuries, it was unnecessary for the majority of the native Elfdalian-speaking population to learn standard Swedish or other languages, as most trade and economio networks occurred within local areas. Elfdalian remained an active language until the 20th century.
However, with increased mobility and the arrival of mass media, speakers of Elfdalian shifted to Swedish. At present, only half of the residents of Alvdalen speak it, and of the youngest generation, only about 60 children under the age of 15 are fluent in it.
During my visit, I was lucky to be introduced to a group of language activists united under the name Ulum Dalska. Attempts are being made by these local enthusiasts to revive (复苏) the language. After many years of action; Ulum Dalska has recently been successful in convincing the local authorities to start up an Elfdalian-speaking group at the local preschool. This means that, for the first time in history, Elfdalian has made its official entry into the Swedish schooling system.
On the whole, more and more people seem to be convinced of the preciousness of Elfdalian and the need to preserve it for future generations. And in a globalizing world, the right attitude is perhaps the most important step towards a full language recovery.
1. Why did the author go to the town of Alvdalen?| A．To pay a visit to some friends. | B．To tour a forest-covered valley. |
| C．To discover a remote Swedish forest. | D．To explore a unique ancient language. |
| A．Out of date. | B．Easy to learn. |
| C．Convenient to spread. | D．Beyond the comprehension. |
| A．The huge Elfdalian-speaking population. |
| B．The self-sufficient economy among the locals. |
| C．The natives’ refusal to accept other languages. |
| D．The high economic status of Elfdalian-speaking areas. |
| A．It aims to protect Elfdalian. | B．It is financed by the government. |
| C．It was initiated by language experts. | D．It tries to reform the teaching philosophy. |
| A．An encounter with some language activists in Alvdalen |
| B．Social development determines language evolution |
| C．Elfdalian, an old tongue, set to come to life |
| D．Globalization is an unavoidable trend |
【推荐3】Cool inventions
Powerful snowmobile
With this turbocharged (涡轮增压的) snowmobile, getting over snow and ice will be snow problem. The Snow Crawler snowmobile is designed with two skis under its front end. Below its back end is a pair of tracks, or rubber belts around a set of wheels. Inside it's heated, so jump inside, start up the engine, and listen as the wheels start to turn the tracks. Each track is designed to grip (抓住) slippery surfaces easily, allowing the snowmobile to move over them without difficulty. Let it snow!
Floating furniture
It's easy to fall asleep in the special bed. This comfortable sleeping place is a plastic, water﹣filled mattress (气垫) that's designed to adapt to the shape of the person lying on it. Simply kick off your shoes and climb onto the bed. As you lie there, the mattress will hug your body. Meanwhile, the water in the mattress will gently rock you from side to side. It's a similar feeling to floating on your back in a pool. The mattress even heats up to make you extra comfortable. Now that's a dream bed.
Smart insoles (鞋垫)
This might take shoes in a new direction. The Lechal company has created shoe insoles that "tell" wearers how to get from one place to another. How do they work? Put the insoles into your shoes. The insoles are built to vibrate(震动). They are also connected wirelessly to your smartphone. Pull up the Lechal app on your phone and type in your destination. The app uses GPS to map out the quickest path for you to walk. Every time you need to take a left or right, the app signals the correct insole to vibrate so you know which direction to turn. That's amazing.
1. What can we learn about the Snow Crawler snowmobile？| A．It uses little energy. | B．It can work in snowy areas. |
| C．It is designed to clear snow. | D．It loses control on icy surfaces. |
| A．They would feel silly. | B．They would feel strange. |
| C．They would feel tired. | D．They would feel relaxed. |
| A．By vibrating. | B．By working out the path. |
| C．By letting out voice signals. | D．By sending messages to their phone. |
