SnotBot is on a mission. The toaster-sized drone(无人机)flies over the open ocean,directly above an unusual whale. On a boat nearby,Andy Rogan smiles with joy. Rogan has been studying whales in his entire career but had never seen this species.
Back in 2011,Lian Pin Koh and Serge Wich,conservation experts,wondered if there might be an easier way to get data of animals in the wild. Wildlife researchers often walk through forests. They may look closely at whales from boats or stay in helicopters to view animals from above. Such trips are usually dangerous. Plus,their noise may scare animals. And helicopters can’t fly very far over the ocean because there’s nowhere to land or refuel.
“We thought,’What if you fly over them with a flying camera?’’says Wich. So they put together a drone from a remote-control model airplane and camera equipment. And it did the trick. On a test flight,the drone caught an image of an orangutan(猩猩)at the top of a very tall tree. The pair realized this was just the beginning of a whole new way of doing conservation work.
Now Wich and his colleagues are building AI that automatically locates and recognizes animals. They call their project Conservation Al. When someone uploads an image or video,the model analyzes the data. Then the model recognizes anything it can. In the future,an AI model could keep watch,instead of forest guards. It could send warnings when seeing doubtful activities..
The team tested this idea in a study in East Africa. Volunteers in Tanzania pretended to be poachers(偷猎者). The researchers made drones fly over the actors at different times of the day. Overall,people looking at the drone images did a better job than the Al model at finding pretend poachers. The model picked out many things that weren’t people at all. But the model found poachers that most people missed. With a little more work, Wich thinks that systems like this will make it easier for conservationists to better protect endangered animals.
1. What can we say about the researchers’ traditional way of studying animals?| A．It’s risky and ineffective. | B．It’s demanding and cheap. |
| C．It can cause great harm to wildlife. | D．It usually focuses on land animals. |
| A．It can replace conservationists’ work. | B．It works by studying data first. |
| C．It can punish the poachers. | D．It is fully automated. |
| A．Critical. | B．Hopeful | C．Worried. | D．Prejudiced. |
| A．Achievements in Wildlife Conservation |
| B．Major Discoveries of Biological Species |
| C．AI Study Has Achieved a Breakthrough |
| D．Flying Robots Protect Endangered Wildlife |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If you were a superhero, what would your super power be? Would you want to fly or be invisible? Or, perhaps, you’d rather have the power to read minds? Wouldn’t that be cool?
Reading minds is not as far-fetched as you might think. In fact, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a wearable device that can actually express a person’s thoughts and allow them to talk to a computer-without anyone else hearing.
The device, called AlterEgo, allows a person to control a computer and ask it questions without ever saying one word. When a person wearing the device thinks of a word or a phrase but does not speak it, AlterEgo picks up the neuromuscular (神经肌肉的) signals in the person’s jaw and face. AlterEgo sends those signals to a computer, which is programmed to associate them with specific words.
The device is fairly accurate. In a 10-person trial, AlterEgo had the 92 percent transeription (转录) accuracy. Researchers say that number will increase over time. “Our idea was: Could we have a computing platform that’s more internal, that combines humans and machines in some ways and that feels like an internal extension (延伸) of our own thought?” Amav Kapur, a graduate student at the MIT Media Lab said.
So what effect could this have on communication? AlterEgo can change the way humans communicate with computers, allowing us to silently connect with Al assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri without anyone knowing. If a person is having a conversation and wants to look up a bit of information, they don’t have to take out their computer or mobile phone; instead they can just think of the question. AlterEgo will answer without breaking in on the conversation. The device can also help people communicate with their voice in noisy situations, such as on a factory floor or on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
1. Why are the questions raised in Paragraph 1?| A．To ask readers for their opinions. |
| B．To lead into the topic of the text. |
| C．To inspire readers’ imagination. |
| D．To show the author’s curiosity. |
| A．Questions. | B．Computers. |
| C．Signals. | D．Devices. |
| A．Positive. | B．Worried. |
| C．Respectful. | D．Unconcemed. |
| A．People no longer need mobile phones. |
| B．People will become a good mind-reader. |
| C．People can apply Al assistants skillfully |
| D．People can communicate more smoothly. |
【推荐2】British shoppers buy 2.15 million tons of clothing and shoes annually, yet UK citizens have an estimated €30 billon worth of unused clothing at the back of the wardrobe. But new technology could see the end of that, with the garments themselves reminding the owners of their existence.
“Smart clothes” could help us clear out our wardrobes by sending messages or tweeting us if they haven’t been worn for a good while. If these messages are ignored, the garments will get in touch with a clothing charity and ask to be reused, with an organization automatically sending out donation information. They could be programmed for a public sale where they are sold to whoever offers the highest price on eBay.
Academics at Birmingham City University are developing the connected “wardrobe” to encourage more suitable clothes consumption. The concept sees garments tagged, using washable contactless technology.
Mark Brill, senior lecturer at the university, said, “Think of the surprise when an owner suddenly receives bids for items that they didn’t know were in their wardrobe.” “The connected wardrobe is a practical pleasant concept to encourage people to think about their clothing consumption. Finally, I hope it will encourage more appropriate fashion consumption,” he added. “Perhaps we can even move away from the idea of ‘ownership’ of clothing. When we’ve worn them enough, the items will pass themselves on to their next keeper. ”
It follows in the footsteps of the “Internet of Things” —a concept that sees ordinary household items connecting to the Internet in order to share information. Now, the “Internet of Clothes” will see that neglected garments will tweet and text the owners, “asking” to be worn depending on the weather and frequency of wear. Clothes will keep track of other information, such as who owned them previously, as well as how much they originally cost, who made them and how much the worker was paid for them.
1. What does the author say about “smart clothes”?| A．They may be donated on eBay. | B．They have gained in popularity. |
| C．They give warnings if worn out. | D．They may be recycled if long forgotten. |
| A．It helps people buy clothes at reasonable prices. | B．It changes people’s shopping habits. |
| C．It contributes to right consumption attitude. | D．It improves shoppers’ confidence. |
| A．The Internet is a platform to share items. | B．Weather affects the connected wardrobe. |
| C．Clothes are sold online at a low price. | D．Clothes can be a source of information. |
| A．Critical. | B．Uninterested. | C．Approving. | D．Doubtful. |
【推荐3】The days of glancing 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 to. 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 send out a small vibration (震动) 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 and they’ll even buzz to warn you you’ve left your phone behind, or to alert (警示) you when you're travelling past an interesting landmark.
“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 than 3,000 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’ rather be guided by my shoes.” He believes his innovation will prove invaluable for the visually impaired and has promised that every mainstream pair sold by Ducere will subsidize (资助) a cheaper pair for a visually impaired person.
Eootnav technology does not impress explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, however, “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’re heading for trouble. Too many people have forgotten the basics: how to read a map and a compass.”
1. Which of the following is NOT the function of smart shoes according to the passage？| A．Warn the loss of priceless things. | B．Count steps and calories. |
| C．Improve road safety. | D．Guide the road. |
| A．they are linked to smart phones’ mapping system |
| B．the vibration of our feet can be felt by us |
| C．a remote control is guiding them |
| D．people can talk to them |
| A．Appear. | B．Ring. | C．Begin. | D．Sound. |
| A．He doesn’t need it at all. |
| B．He doesn’t believe the functions of the inventions. |
| C．He hopes people can still rely on traditional ways. |
| D．He thinks smart phones will do harm to us. |
【推荐1】Rubbish is a major kind of environmental pollution. Each person produces about two kilograms of rubbish in our homes a day. And this is only a small part of all the rubbish we produce. We also create waste in industry.
Have you wondered what happens to the rubbish? Most of it is buried in landfills (垃圾填埋地) or burned. Less than 25% of our waste is recycled.
A landfill is carefully designed and it is built into or on top of the ground. Rubbish buried in landfills is cut off from the surrounding environment (groundwater, air, rain, etc).
One problem with landfills is that they cover a lot of land space. If they are not well-built, there is a high risk of polluting the land and water. Some people also say that landfills remove materials for ever. As a result, the materials that can be reused are wasted.
Burning rubbish in factories is another way to cut out waste. Burning reduces 95% of the waste. And if poisonous materials are removed, and burning is completed at controlled temperatures, it is possible to do so without causing too much pollution. Some factories could even produce electricity from the burning process.
Not all of the rubbish can be burned, so we have to separate it before we burn it. However, separation costs a lot of money. Another problem with burning rubbish is that what is left after burning is poisonous. How to safely deal with it is a continuing problem.
Before the mid-20th century, landfills were the main way to deal with waste. In the late 20th century, other ways like recycling have been introduced to help reduce global pollution.
Maybe in the near future, with combined efforts, scientists will find a better way to dispose rubbish and cut out waste, like recycling things. But anyway, mountains of rubbish from life every day is a huge burden for any country.
1. What is the advantage of burying rubbish in landfills?| A．Producing electricity. |
| B．Reusing the materials buried in landfills. |
| C．Reducing 95% of the waste. |
| D．Cutting off rubbish from the surrounding environment. |
| A．the separation of rubbish | B．the problems with burning rubbish |
| C．the safety of burning rubbish | D．the cost of burning rubbish |
| A．rubbish should be separated when it is burning |
| B．landfills are too dangerous to be built too many |
| C．there’re advantages and disadvantages about burning rubbish |
| D．developed countries are better at dealing with rubbish |
| A．Pollution. | B．Landfills. |
| C．Recycling. | D．Environment. |
【推荐2】For many years now, scientists have reported that we, as human beings, are affecting and changing the Earth’s climate. They say that, in particular, the last 50 years has seen a huge increase in the quantity of greenhouse gases being released into our atmosphere from factories and vehicles, and that this increase is speeding up the process known as global warming. Scientists believe global warming to be by far the biggest environmental problem of the 21st century. So what is it, how is it a danger, and why is it relevant to us?
Global warming is the term used to indicate a rise in the Earth’s temperature which, in turn, causes changes to the Earth’s climate. Scientists have discovered that the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which trap the heat from the Sun, control the temperature. When the greenhouse gases increase, more heat is trapped and the Earth’s temperature rises.
The Earth’s temperature has increased by one degree Fahrenheit in the last 100 years. Much of this has been attributed to human activities, such as increased industry, agriculture, the falling of forests, the rise in transport and the burning of fuels.
One degree Fahrenheit may not sound like much, but if we continue to produce greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, we will have to face the repercussions(影响、后果). Scientists warn that global warming will cause catastrophic climate changes, including more frequent flooding, drought and extreme weather. The increase in pollution will also cause serious health impacts and affect agriculture directly.
The melting of the polar ice caps will also have direct consequences, with sea levels rising causing flooding in low-lying areas, such as islands and coastal cities.
So, how can we stop this from happening? Governments everywhere have a responsibility to reduce the production of greenhouse gases. But we can make small changes too. Every person needs to play his/her part. Suggestions include recycling, using public transport, using less water at home, using more energy efficient appliances and switching off lights. Small personal changes will add up to big changes worldwide if we all develop these habits for all of our lives, that is, 70 years or so.
1. What is by far the biggest environmental problem of the twenty-first century?| A．Air pollution. | B．Greenhouse gases. |
| C．Climate changes. | D．Global warming. |
| A．50 years. | B．21 years. |
| C．A century. | D．70 years. |
| A．Global warming has become so serious that everyone should take action. |
| B．Let me introduce global warming to you in detail. |
| C．Govemments of all countries should call on everyone to take action. |
| D．It’s never too late for everyone to take steps to prevent global warming. |
| A．The author affirms that govemments should take action firstly. |
| B．The author believes we will slop global warming some day. |
| C．The author takes it for granted that small personal changes can have a small influence. |
| D．The author suggests everyone should play a role in reducing the production of green gases. |
【推荐3】Inside a fishbowl, the goldfish — a species of carp native to East Asia, bred for aesthetic delight and traditionally believed to bring good fortune — is among the easiest of pets to keep. But released into the wild, the seemingly humble goldfish, freed from glass boundaries, can grow to large proportions. They can even kill off native marine wildlife and help destroy fragile and economically valuable ecosystems.
“They can eat anything and everything,” said Christine Boston, an aquatic research biologist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Over the past several years, Ms. Boston and her colleagues have been tracking invasive goldfish in Hamilton Harbour, which is on the western tip of Lake Ontario (安大略湖), about 35 miles southwest of Toronto.
Their study, published last month in the Journal of Great Lakes Research, could help pinpoint goldfish populations for culling, said Ms. Boston, who is the lead author. “We found out where they are before they start spawning (产卵),” she said. “That’s a good opportunity to get rid of them.”
The fast-growing female goldfish, Ms. Boston noted, can also reproduce several times in one season. “They have the resources,” she added, “and they can take advantage of them.” Their football-shaped bodies can swell to a size that makes them too large a meal for predators (捕食者) — up to about 16 inches long. The feral goldfish are also destructive, uprooting and consuming plants that are home to native species.
Nicholas Mandrak, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Toronto Scarborough, studies in the “dramatically increase” of the wild population in the past two decades. Their spawning explosion, he said, resulted partly from people in densely-populated areas releasing pets in urban ponds. He added, environmental managers tend to forget the goldfish. “They just assume, ‘It’s been there for 150 years — there’s nothing we can do about it.’”
The problem is not unique to Canada. In Australia, a handful of unwanted pet goldfish and their offspring took over a river in the country’s southwest. And the discovery of football-size creatures in a lake in 2021 even led British officials to beg their citizens: “Please don’t release your pet goldfish into ponds and lakes!”
People wrongly believe that because goldfish are “small and cute” they won’t pose a problem when released into the wild, said Anthony Ricciardi, a professor of invasion ecology at McGill University in Montreal.
Goldfish, he added, are just a small part of a vast invasion of non-native species whose outcomes can be unpredictable, and in some cases, are worsened by climate change.
“Under human influence, beasts are moving faster farther in greater numbers, reaching parts of the planet they could never reach before,” he said. “We’re talking about the redistribution of life on Earth.”
1. Which of the statements about the goldfish is correct?| A．Their place of origin is Canada. | B．They are capable of reproducing. |
| C．They will grow well over 16 inches. | D．They only invade Lake Ontario. |
| A．Killing | B．Controlling | C．Catching | D．Observing |
| A．Citizens wrongly set free the fish. | B．Climate change has a negative impact. |
| C．The environmental management is absent. | D．The food increases in habitats. |
| A．Now goldfish are turning into wild monsters. |
| B．Now goldfish are on the way to become a global issue. |
| C．Now goldfish are attracting scientists to study in. |
| D．Now goldfish are threatening the Great Lakes. |
ARC is the Eye of the Storm, at the core, hub and center of a major cultural shift in the art world. With a growing body of experts, we are setting standards to become ARC Approved for artists, art schools, systems of training, museum exhibitions and historical scholarship, to bring guidance, direction, goals and reality to an art establishment that has been sailing rudderless(无领导者的) for nearly a hundred years.
Additionally, the Art Renewal Center is a non-profit educational organization committed to refreshing standards of craftsmanship and excellence. Only by gaining a full command of the skills of the past masters can we create the masters of tomorrow. This is a step forward for our culture. Experimentation and creativity can only succeed and prosper(使……繁荣) when built on a solid foundation of past accomplishments, with the tools which can make artists realize their visions.
Nothing has been more restricting(有限制的) and weakening than the theories of modernism, which got rid of these tools, along with the skills to employ them. We are providing a forum for artists, scholars, collectors and the public to appreciate great art, and to recognize that they’re not alone in their doubts about the emptiness of modern and postmodern art. These doubts are fully justified by the overwhelming(压倒的) body of evidence and historical facts.
1. Where does this passage come from?
A newspaper of art
| A．A textbook | B．A magazine |
| C．A website | |
| A．ARC has brought guidance, direction for art schools, systems of training. |
| B．ARC is the Eye of the Storm of the art and museum. |
| C．Some arts establishment have been aimless for nearly a century. |
| D．ARC has employed many experts for their exhibition. |
| A．To lay a solid foundation for the tomorrow masters. |
| B．To make refreshing standards of craftsmanship and excellence. |
| C．To obtain a good knowledge of the past experts’ skills. |
| D．To accept the non-profit educational organization. |
| A．To get the information of great arts all over the world. |
| B．To help evaluate great arts and encourage to develop modern arts. |
| C．To show the doubts of the public and resist the exhibition. |
| D．To offer enough room to complain about what they are dissatisfied with. |
One scientist recently came up with a way to explain this ant behavior. Dong-Hwan Choe is a biologist. Choe found that Argentine ants have a chemical on the outside of their bodies that signals to other ants, “I’m dead—take me away.”
But there’s a twist to Choe’s discovery. Choe says that the living ants—not just the dead ones —have this death chemical. In other words, while an ant crawls around, perhaps in a picnic or home, it’s telling other ants that it’s dead.
What keeps ants from dragging away the living ants? Choe found that Argentine ants have two additional chemicals on their bodies, and these tell nearby ants something like, “Wait—I’m not dead yet.” So Choe’s research turned up two sets of chemical signals in ants: one says, “I’m dead,” and the other set says, “I’m not dead yet.”
Other scientists have tried to figure out how ants know when another ant is dead. If an ant is knocked unconscious, for example, other ants leave it alone until it wakes up. That means ants know that unmoving ants can still be alive.
Choe suspects that when an Argentine ant dies, the chemical that says “Wait- I’m not dead yet” quickly goes away. Once that chemical is gone, only the one that says “I’m dead” is left. “It’s because the dead ant no longer smells like a living ant that it gets carried to the graveyard, not because its body releases new unique chemicals after death,” said Choe. When other ants detect the “dead” chemical without the “not dead yet” chemical, they drag away the body.
Understanding this behavior may help scientists figure out how to stop Argentine ants from invading new places and causing problems. Choe would like to find a way to use the newly discovered chemicals to spread ant killer to Argentine ant nests.The ants’ removal behavior is important to the overall health of the nest. “Being able to quickly remove dead individuals and other possible sources of disease is extremely important to all animals living in societies, including us,” says Choe. “Think about all the effort and money that we invest daily in waste management.”
1. The underlined word “twist” in Paragraph 3 means _____.
| A．an unexpected change | B．a clear mistake |
| C．an important key | D．a shocking conclusion |
| A．the sense of taste | B．the sense of smell |
| C．the sense of touch | D．the sense of sight |
| A．kill troublesome pests |
| B．solve the problem of endangered species |
| C．prevent further expansion of the ants’ territory |
| D．keep the balance of nature |
| A．Because it is easier to manage the living. |
| B．Because it can save money to deal with the waste. |
| C．Because it can provide more space for the living. |
| D．Because it can keep the living from suffering disease. |
| A．Dead or living? It is easy to judge |
| B．Pulling away the dead ants is a difficult task |
| C．Ant nests have great undertaking capacity |
| D．Leaving it alone or taking it away? Ants feel puzzled |
【推荐3】There were initially 16 elephants in the herd, which left their nature reserve in 2020 to wander in nearby counties of Pu’er City. One adult elephant dropped out and two were born in the journey.
Officials became alert in April 2021 when the 17-member herd arrived in Yuanjiang County of Yuxi City. Another two adults left the herd for home while the rest continued to travel north. They came upon Eshan and walked the streets for six hours after authorities evacuated pedestrians (疏散行人) and vehicles and warned residents to stay indoors.
Later, the endangered animals were seen in the Hongta District of Yuxi, where authorities established an on-site command center to monitor their movements 24 hours a day and prevent them from entering populous (人口稠密的) areas by creating barriers and using food as bait (诱饵). Over 360 people, 76 police cars, dirt trucks and nine drones were called out, and 18 tonnes of elephant food were prepared.
Chen Mingyong, an Asian elephant expert in Yunnan University, said: “Migration of Asian elephants is common, but it usually happens among several habitats in a certain area. It was the first time that China had recorded such a long-distance northward migration of wild elephants.”
“We can’t tell what their destination is,” he said, suggesting that the migration might not even have a destination. “It is possible that the chief of the herd lacks experience and led the whole group to a wrong path.”
“Up to now, the giant creatures have resulted in 412 cases, damaging 56 hectares of farmland in the counties of Yuanjiang and Shiping alone, causing direct economic losses of about 6. 8 million yuan.”
“For these 15 elephants, all we can do at present is to issue early warnings and evacuate residents in time to decrease losses.” said Chen.
1. Which of the following was not a measure taken by authorities?| A．Monitoring the elephants all day initially. |
| B．Warning residents not to go out. |
| C．Setting up an on-site command center. |
| D．Preparing food for the elephants. |
| A．It happened between their habitats. |
| B．It was a new long-distance record in China. |
| C．It led the whole group to being lost. |
| D．It caused few economic losses. |
| A．To reduce losses. | B．To offer the elephants a habitat. |
| C．To let elephants go home. | D．To guarantee the elephants rest. |
| A．A Time-consuming Journey | B．Annoying Elephants |
| C．An Aimless Elephants’ Journey | D．Watching out for Elephants |
