More than 2,600 enterprises gathered and presented their advanced products at the China International Import Expo (CIIE). And many innovative products have made their world premiere. Let’s have a look at three of them.
Quick corona-virus test machine
Nucleic acid testing could be faster in the future. King Fisher Apex, made by the Finnish tech company Thermo Fisher Scientific,can complete the extraction of 96 nucleic acid samples in just 15 minutes. The tester can purify nucleic acid and protein automatically to save researchers’ time spent on additional steps, significantly improving nucleic acid test efficiency. Also, the system eliminates manual intervention. The risk of exposure to harmful re-agents or biological samples, such as blood,is greatly reduced for medical staff.
Myopic (近视) prevention glasses
Here comes a lifesaver for teenagers with poor eyesight — a myopic control lens. Whether it’s a classroom blackboard or a tablet,an outdoor activity or a mobile phone game, the Stellest lens from Essilor, a French company, keeps the same control effect, with changeable viewing angles and constant visual clarity. The lens can create a beam in front of the retina that will slow down the increase of the eye axis. Therefore, the development of myopia can be contained.
Portable kayak
A folding,portable,18-kilogram“backpack”can be inflated into a kayak. The safe, lightweight ITIWIT X500 Kayak,made by Decathlon,a French sports goods group, makes kayak racing accessible to the majority. It consists of five“air chambers”, so even if two of them don’t work, the inflatable kayak will help passengers safely return to land.To solve long-standing problems in the kayak industry — from lack of durability to overall insufficient performance — the company applied a special metal processing technology to its product. The ITIWITX500 Kayak’s V-shaped bottom makes this product long-lasting and tough.
1. Whose safety is largely guaranteed by King Fisher Apex?| A．The tester. | B．Researchers. |
| C．Medical staff. | D．The COVID-19 infected. |
| A．It is designed for people with poor eyesight. |
| B．It can be a cure for adolescent myopia. |
| C．Its control effect is mainly determined by viewing angles. |
| D．It may keep teenagers from developing high myopia. |
| A．Its air chambers. | B．Its V-shaped bottom. |
| C．Its light weight. | D．Its portable feature. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Scientists at a Nevada earthquake lab tested new bridge designs last Wednesday. The designs have connectors they say are innovative (创新的).The designs were created to better stand violent earthquakes and speed reconstruction efforts after major quake damage.
The engineers in University of Nevada, Reno performed the experiments on a huge “shake table.” They attempted to simulate (模拟)the violent movements of an earthquake hitting a 100-ton, 70-fbot bridge model. They wanted to see how well it would hold up. Graduate students measured and marked signs of tiny cracks. But no major structural damage was observed in the initial review of the experiments. “The bridge has done better than we expected”, said Saiid Saiidi. He is a professor of civil and environmental engineering, also the project leader. He’s done related research for more than 30 years.
Bridges are already designed not to fall apart in earthquakes. But they are often unsafe for travel after big quakes. He said the tested designs used special types of connectors to link pre-made bridge parts. This included high-performance concrete. The parts have been tested on their own. But they were never tested before combined in a bridge model subjected to realistic earthquake movements, like the 1994 Northridge, California quake. Wednesday’s test inside the University of Nevad’s Earthquake Engineering Laboratory simulated the activities of a quake as large as magnitude 7. 5. The innovative connectors allow for ready-made concrete and other materials to be attached to an existing bridge foundation. This should speed repair and reconstruction.
The University of Nevada’s Earthquake Engineering Laboratory is the largest of its kind in the United States. The latest project is funded by the California Department of Transportation, which is currently developing plans for 10 pilot projects based on the developing bridge connector technology.
1. Why did the scientists work on the new bridge designs?| A．To observe quake damage. |
| B．To measure structural damage. |
| C．To simulate violent earthquakes. |
| D．To accelerate repair and rebuilding of bridges. |
| A．Satisfied. | B．Disappointed. | C．Indifferent. | D．Curious. |
| A．They were conducted in a small lab. |
| B．They caused huge cracks on the model. |
| C．They combined bridge parts with connectors. |
| D．They tested the bridges in genuine earthquakes. |
| A．To solve a problem. | B．To present a research result. |
| C．To give practical advice. | D．To prevent damage from happening. |
【推荐2】The air conditioner is nearly 100 years old, but the technology is essentially the same as it used to be. Although it has made our lives easier and more comfortable, this all comes at a cost. The cooling of our air is responsible for 10% of the planet’s electricity consumption. And as the world heats, demand for air conditioners will continue to grow. This, in turn, will increase the influence that cooling machines have on the climate, thus warming the Earth further and creating a vicious cycle.
The current technology is unsustainable. That’s why a group led by RMI, a nonprofit environmental research organization, has launched the Global Cooling Prize, a $1-million competition to design of the next generation of air cooling systems. The proposed designs employ a wide range of technologies. Barocal, a Cambridge University startup, uses solid-state cooling technologies instead of traditional liquid refrigerants (制冷剂) that may leak out over time. Meanwhile, a proposal from Kraton, a Texan chemical engineering company, simply uses water, completely doing away with the main mechanical component of air conditioners, the compressor, to make the design more affordable. Others focus on the limitations of current air conditioning units, such as the lack of control over both temperature and humidity (湿度) at the same time. The design proposed by US startup M2 Thermal Solutions allows users to set both a specific temperature and the level of humidity in a room.
It’s difficult to tell what these proposed new machines will look like before the actual machines are built, but it’s arguable that they will create something new, as most of the shortlisted designs are based on fundamentally different technology compared to traditional devices.
The overall winner, announced in November 2021, will be awarded $1 million in prize money. This is when the real challenge begins: convincing the world that traditional air conditioners need replacing. “The current industry is worth more than $100 billion and has a well-established value chain from manufacturing (生产) to distribution to after-sales support,” said Vijay Mhetar, Kraton’s senior vice president. “Any new design will need to have minimum barriers for customer adoption and have a similar supply chain established.”
1. What does the underlined word “vicious” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Slow. | B．Negative. |
| C．Natural. | D．Efficient. |
| A．Water instead of a compressor. |
| B．Solid-state cooling technologies. |
| C．Recycled liquid refrigerants. |
| D．Control over humidity. |
| A．It must be multifunctional. |
| B．It must be cheap and energy-saving. |
| C．It should have an entire service system. |
| D．It should offer more choices to customers. |
| A．To talk about the history of air conditioning. |
| B．To ask people to reduce air conditioning use. |
| C．To show the disadvantages of air conditioners. |
| D．To introduce a contest for new air conditioners. |
【推荐3】It has been a year since 1 first saw UBTech's Walker robot at CES 2019. I was blown away by its ability to perform many tasks.
A year later, it had come a long way, gaining much better motor skills and the ability to maintain balance. During a CES 2020 demo(演示), UBTech showed how far Walker had come.The robot walked over to a table, picked up a bottle opener and used it to remove the cap from a bottle of soda. It picked up the bottle and a glass and poured the liquid in, without spilling.During the demo, Walker also performed a number of serious Yoga( 瑜伽) poses, including standing on one foot and leaning back.
UBTech said that the ability to pour drinks required visual servo( 伺服系统) technology using its cameras to judge the position of objects. The same methods allowed Walker to uncap a marker and draw a picture of a flower on a piece of paper at another point in the demo.
All of the betterment was made via software as UBTech hasn't made any physical adjustments too the robot since we saw it last year. On the inside, the robot uses a combination of a few different operating systems on these internal PCs, including Ubuntu, ROS and Android. Its battery promises up to 2 hours battery life after a 2-hour charge time,
UBTech continues development on this pioneering robot, but doesn't have public launch date. The company is targeting Walker toward the home, with an emphasis on helping seniors or. just doing house cleaning. To make it stable enough to adapt to all these different conditions is a huge challenge. However, if development of Walker continues, this robot could eventually be a game-changer.
1. How did the author feel when first seeing the robot?| A．Amazed. | B．Proud. |
| C．Awkward. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．The demos of CES 2019. | B．The improvements of the robot. |
| C．The robot's motor ability. | D．The robot's ability to remain steady. |
| A．The cap of the marker. | B．The ability to pour drinks. |
| C．The using of more cameras. | D．The system of position judging. |
| A．The robot is stable enough to help the old. |
| B．The robot has been available to the public. |
| C．Our life could be greatly influenced by the robot. |
| D．The basic concept of robot making will be changed. |
【推荐1】I don’t think translation apps will make learning foreign languages completely outdated. No program can accurately recreate the implication of real conversation. For example, by dropping “will” or “am going to” in “Tomorrow I start my diet,” I am implying a previous delay of the diet. A typical translation by apps would be “Tomorrow I am going to start my diet,” which gets across the basic idea but lacks the intended implication.
However, technology is eliminating the need to learn foreign languages for practical purposes such as re serving hotel rooms or ordering meals in a foreign country, since practicality is why most people want to learn a new language.
Douglas Hofstadter, a cognitive scientist, sees his mastery of foreign languages as a reflection of his identity. As an enthusiastic language learner myself, I don’t entirely share his perspective, but I do agree with the writer Graeme Wood, who has noted “to actively enjoy piecing together how other languages work is an individual quirk (怪癖), not a human universal.” True enthusiasts learn new languages for the sheer joys of discovery or accomplishment. Most people, however, are uninterested in this odd desire.
Some would say a foreign language is a window into a new way of processing the world. But did the humble level of French or Spanish we picked up in school provide us with a new lens on the world? If our goal is getting directions to the bus station in Rome, technology now makes that possible at the press of a button.
As someone endlessly fascinated by languages, I am working hard to accept this new reality. With an iPhone handy and an appropriate app downloaded, foreign languages will no longer present most people with the barrier they once did. Learning a new language will likely become a pursuit of interest to a much smaller but more committed set of enthusiasts.
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The function of real conversation. | B．The importance of accurate translation. |
| C．The limitation of translation technology. | D．The necessity of learning foreign languages. |
| A．To satisfy an inner desire. | B．To display his individuality. |
| C．To serve practical purposes. | D．To explore his core identity. |
| A．Uninspiring. | B．Irrelevant. | C．Inflexible. | D．Insufficient. |
| A．Language enthusiasts will lose their passion. |
| B．Foreign languages won’t pose big challenges. |
| C．Many people will quit learning new languages. |
| D．Learning languages is no longer a personal choice. |
【推荐2】In contrast to the often-heard views that robots will replace human workers, researchers from Gartner predicts that artificial intelligence(AI)may actually create, more jobs than it’s expected to take away. By 2020, artificial intelligence has created 2. 3 million jobs, going beyond the 1. 8 million that it has replaced, the company said in a recent report. In the following five years to 2025, net (净得的)new jobs created in relation to AL will reach 2 million, according to the report.
The number of jobs affected will be different from industry to industry. The public sector(公共部门), health care and education are expected to get the most jobs, while manufacturing(制造业)and transportation may be hit the hardest, said Gartner’s research director, Manjunath Bhat.
“Robots are not here to take away our jobs, they’re here to give us a promotion”. “I think that’s the way we should start looking at AI” Bhat told reporters on Tuesday.
Gartner’s positive predictions contrast with the warnings on the dangers of AI sounded by top technology industry voices such as Kai-Fu Lee, the founder of venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures. He said robots are likely to replace 50 percent of all jobs in the next decade.
Gartner acknowledged in its report that AI would cut millions of middle-and low-level positions. But it stressed that more new jobs would be created, including highly-skilled jobs, management positions and even low-skilled jobs.
“IT leaders should not only focus on the projected increase of jobs,” the report said. “For the greatest value, focus on improving people with AI. Enrich people’s jobs, reimagine old tasks and create new industries. Change your culture to make it rapidly adaptable to AI-related opportunities or threats.”
1. What does research firm Gartner think of artificial intelligence?| A．Human workers will be out of work. | B．AI will create more jobs than it cuts. |
| C．AI will run out of human control. | D．New industries will replace old ones. |
| A．Teachers. | B．Dentists. |
| C．Bus drivers. | D．Social workers. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Hopeful. |
| C．Worried. | D．Confused. |
| A．Take advantage of new industry opportunities. |
| B．Provide people with training programmes. |
| C．Stop the old business and turn to new business. |
| D．Welcome AI and adapt to changes brought by it. |
【推荐3】Today, battery power per kilowatt hour costs around only ten percent of what it did a decade ago. And the expectation is that the costs will continue to fall, because battery chemistry improves and manufacturing(批量生产) lots of batteries on a massive scale makes the production of individual batteries cheaper.
You can be forgiven for thinking that this might only be of interest to accountants, but the possible effects of this are enormous, and will benefit all of us. First and most obviously, it has made the batteries in electric cars cheaper and longer-lasting. And brilliantly, because electric batteries are improving so dramatically, we can already see the results. Last September, 15 percent of all new vehicle registrations were pure electric vehicles. So the change is starting to happen.
However, better batteries do not just mean better cars. They can also help us decarbonize the entire national grid(输电网). Storing energy has always been a problem for the grid. Today, only a tiny amount of generated electricity is stored for later use, which leads to lots of power going to waste. But better batteries make it technologically and economically viable to store large amounts of energy from the grid.
It’s possible that in the not-too-distant future, we might have an enormous battery in the garage. It would take power from the grid (or maybe even solar panels on the roof), and power appliances and lights in our homes at the times when demand for electricity is high. Home batteries are not yet as established as electric cars but they are also growing in popularity.
So, given how much technology has improved batteries over the last decade, I can’t help but be strangely optimistic about the future. Batteries may not be as flashy(华丽的) as phones, rockets or other new technologies. But when it comes to technology to fight climate change, they’re definitely leading the charge.
1. What makes batteries in electric cars cheaper?| A．The expectation of the government. |
| B．The mass production of batteries. |
| C．The increasing vehicle registrations. |
| D．The accountants’ interest in cheaper batteries. |
| A．Absolutely. | B．Instantly. |
| C．Specially. | D．Significantly. |
| A．Batteries,phones and other new technologies will help fight climate change. |
| B．Only a small amount of electricity can be stored for later use nowadays. |
| C．Home batteries are more popular than electric cars. |
| D．Batteries will help make cars sell better. |
| A．The improvement of home batteries. |
| B．Petrol-powered cars will be out of date. |
| C．Batteries are becoming better and better. |
| D．Battery technology is improving slowly but soundly. |
A life, on the other hand, is very different. A life is what you lead when you know what matters most to you. It is very simple and comes from being connected to what you know is important and being willing to put that first, no matter what others may think. When you create a life vs. a lifestyle, your self-esteem comes from what’s inside you, not what others think about you.
Lifestyle is expensive financially and personally, because it costs a great deal to keep up appearances and do what you think is socially acceptable. A life is not expensive. Rather than using personal or financial resources, a life generates energy and staying power. It’s about liberating yourself from the mindless consumption that society expects. It is about making the choices that are in line with your values, instead of using up your bank account or energy for no heart-driven reason.
How can you make the change? Understand the difference between a life and a lifestyle. Analyze your current lifestyle to see what is costing you in money, time, stress, and energy to maintain it. Let go and make room for what is really important to you, what supports you and brings you joy. Remember who you are from within, not what you own!
1. Which of the following examples best explains “what is life about”?
| A．We work long hours in a job that we do not enjoy. |
| B．We focus on what we wear, or what kind of car we drive. |
| C．We find out what our true beliefs and values are and choose to live by these. |
| D．We think that how others see us is more important than what we think of ourselves. |
| A．Making comparison. | B．Giving an example. |
| C．Giving a definition. | D．Giving a reason. |
| A．be directed from within | B．be directed from outside |
| C．be driven by social values | D．be driven by others’ opinions |
| A．To describe what life is. |
| B．To introduce what lifestyle is. |
| C．To promote life instead of lifestyle. |
| D．To tell the differences between life and lifestyle. |
【推荐2】It should be one of the main goals in today’s society to reduce plastic consumption. Though many believe recycling will solve the problem, and continue using plastic, it’s actually the opposite. In 2013, 254 million tonnes of trash was produced in the U.S. alone, and only around 30% was recycled. This means the rest ended up in a landfill and will stay there for up to 1000 years.
Now Asian countries, including Vietnam and Thailand, are looking for new ideas to avoid plastic. One of those ideas was a new, eco-friendly way to pack their goods by avoiding plastic packaging. One of Perfect Homes Chiangmai’s team members noticed a creative way to reduce plastic that a supermarket called Rimping Supermarket was using. Little did he know that people all around the world would absolutely love this idea. “I just entered to get a few items while we were waiting to sign some contracts with our lawyer, who was delayed. When I noticed the vegetables wrapped in banana leaves and simply liked the idea. So I took a few pictures and posted them online,” he said.
With more than 3.5 million views and over 17 thousand shares, the idea became something people can encourage more supermarkets to implement (实施).
Some have noticed that not everything on the shelves is completely plastic-free to which the supermarket responded that they are taking one step at a time, but it’s not that easy. Many products come to the supermarkets pre-packaged and many companies are interested in wrapping their produce in plastic since it is the cheapest and the easiest option.
It’s now up to the shoppers to show the supermarket which they prefer. If everyone opts for the banana leaf packaging, they will probably stop stocking the items in plastic.
1. What can we infer about recycling from Paragraph 1?| A．The author thinks highly of recycling. |
| B．The US did a great job in recycling in 2013. |
| C．Recycling has failed to solve the plastic problem. |
| D．Recycling helps a lot in reducing plastic consumption. |
| A．To buy some items. | B．To look for new ideas there. |
| C．To take photos of their shelves. | D．To sign a contract with a lawyer. |
| A．Doubts. | B．Increases. | C．Dislikes | D．Chooses. |
| A．Leaf Packaging Spreads Rapidly |
| B．Reducing Plastic Consumption |
| C．Recycling Avoids Plastic Packaging |
| D．A Good Option Makes A Difference |
【推荐3】From a very early age, some children exhibit better
self-control than others. Now, a new study that began with about 1, 000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now. They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed. Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like “acting before thinking” and “Persistence in reaching goals.”
The study led by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1, 000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten, later on had the most health problems in their 30s, ” Moffitt said, “and they had the worst financial situation. They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.” Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed, and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others, though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence. But good self-control can be set to run in familles because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents. But the good news, Moffitt said, is that self-control can be taught by parents, and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective.
1. From the first two paragraphs we learn that ________.| A．the research has been carried out for five years |
| B．self-control in kids tends to determine their future |
| C．self-control was assessed by children’s intelligence |
| D．children’s self-control is almost the same at early age |
| A．become wealthy in later life | B．get good school performance |
| C．have better financial planning | D．adopt negative behaviors |
| A．only good genetic factors can shape their lives in the future |
| B．scientists know well why some children have better self-control |
| C．self-control in childhood has nothing to do with criminal activity |
| D．willpower as a child really influences people’s chances of adulthood |
| A．Self-control cannot be taught in schools. |
| B．The study is restricted within few participants. |
| C．It’s never too late to deal with self-control problems. |
| D．Good parenting can improve self-control and life success. |
| A．Child’s self control predicts future health, success |
| B．Kids are encouraged to take risks at an early age |
| C．Children’s development cannot be changed by teachers |
| D．How to teach the kids a bit of self-control in schools |
