Smartphones are getting boring. The new models are either a bit faster or have better cameras, but they are basically no different from the ones already in our pockets. This is why scientists are hoping, and working for something new, something that will change our lives just as greatly as smartphones do. At the moment, the next invention might be smart glasses.
Just imagine. Instead of having to pick up your phone and look at the screen, all of the information you need simply appears just in front of you, in your glasses. Satellite navigation (导航) directions would appear right there on the road. And your smart glasses could guide you to the right shelf in the supermarket!
Smart glasses could also be used in industry. They could show engineers the instructions they need to fix things more quickly. A doctor could carry out a difficult operation, guided in real time by someone on the other side of the world.
This may sound impossible. But most of the technologies to invent them are already there. For example, one key technology is called AR, which can make digital 3D objects appear as if they are part of the real world. We’ve used it a lot on our video calls. Similarly, huge progress has been made in spatial audio. This is when a sound is made to give it a sense of place, like what you hear in an empty room. Some high-end earphones can already do that. Future glasses will of course need to recognize (识别) your voice to do tasks. This technology has been widely used in our daily life.
So, why aren’t we all wearing smart glasses yet? So far, no one has invented a good way to send images (图像) of our world onto glasses. However, with the rapid development of technology, smart glasses could arrive much sooner than we think.
1. Why does the writer mention smartphones in Paragraph 1?A.To start a story. | B.To explain an idea. |
C.To introduce a topic. | D.To discuss a problem. |
A.When smart glasses might be made. | B.Where smart glasses could be used. |
C.How smart glasses would give directions. | D.Why smart glasses should be changed. |
A.Making spatial audio. | B.Recognizing voices. |
C.Creating digital 3D objects. | D.Sending images onto glasses. |
A.Bored. | B.Confident. |
C.Satisfied. | D.Uncertain. |
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【推荐1】School had just started in August when Conner began throwing up for no reason. It wasn’t long before the boy also began suffering terrible headaches. In February a 1.7-inch tumor (肿瘤) was found in his brain and Conner was set to begin to receive radiation (放射疗法) treatments. Before treatments start, technicians make a white plastic mask to keep patients immovable and protect unaffected parts of the brain while radiation is directed at the tumor.
It’s an unpleasant experience and a frightening time. The doctor Cook decided that the masks could at least be made to look like something fun — maybe Batman or Mickey Mouse. “I started thinking these masks are white and not fun at all for kids,” she told The Greenville News. “I felt like if we could make it a little more fun for them, they might be a little more excited about coming in for the treatment. Because the kids are afraid. While the treatment itself isn’t physically painful, it can cause a lot of anxiety. And the treatment is required daily for up to six weeks.” And the masks really make a difference. “The kids really like them because they get to choose something themselves.” Cook said.
When new children come in for the treatment, Cook finds out what their favorite movies or cartoon characters are. Then she sets about creating the mask by drawing the image she wants onto paper, sticking it with glue, and once it’s dry, she applies the colors using paints. Each child can take the mask home once the treatment ends.
“Coming to the doctor always means fear and pain. I wanted to make it fun,” she said. “The kids really love it. It’s something they enjoy and can relate to. And it fills an interest I have. I get great pleasure from it.”
1. Why was the plastic mask used according to Paragraph 1?A.To check the patient’s brain. |
B.To reduce the patient’s headache. |
C.To protect the patient’s brain during the treatment. |
D.To prevent the patient from throwing up. |
A.It can be received at home. |
B.It may make the patients feel anxious. |
C.It has to be finished in a month. |
D.It will cause huge physical pain for patients. |
A.Make the masks more interesting to kids. |
B.Show them their favorite movies or TV shows. |
C.Dress them up as cartoon characters. |
D.Offer them some free masks as gifts. |
A.Health matters to everyone. |
B.Creativity leads to success. |
C.Love can treat the terrible sickness. |
D.Kindness can bring warmth and joy. |
【推荐2】China is recognized as a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) and facial recognition systems. A Chinese company says it has created a new facial recognition system that can identify people even if they are wearing masks. Engineers at the Beijing-based company say their system is the first to be created to effectively identify people wearing face masks.
The company told a news agency that a team of 20 people built the system in about a month. The system is based on existing technologies developed over the past 10 years. The process involved adding a collection of about 6 million unmasked faces and a much smaller collection of masked faces, the company said.
The company is now selling two main kinds of products that use the new technology. One performs “single channel” recognition, which is designed to be used at the entrances to buildings. The other product is a “multi-channel” recognition system that uses groups of surveillance (监视) cameras. It can identify individuals in a crowd of up to 30 people within a second.
“When people are wearing a mask that covers the mouth and the nose, the recognition rate can reach about 95%, which can ensure that most people can be identified,” said Huang, vice president of the company. He added that the system’s success rate for people not wearing a mask is about 99.5%.
However, the new system struggles to identify people wearing both a mask and sunglasses. “In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough,” Huang said.
People react to the new technology differently. While some citizens have been against using such tools, the majority have accepted the technology as an effective way to reduce crime and catch criminals.
1. What did the company do to build the system?A.It gathered many face images. |
B.It used the latest technology. |
C.It added a collection of masks. |
D.It employed hundreds of people. |
A.Its success rate is affected by cameras. |
B.It recognizes groups of people in seconds. |
C.Its performance changes with the location. |
D.It does better in identifying unmasked faces. |
A.Negative. | B.Doubtful. | C.Objective. | D.Supportive. |
A.An Effective Way to Reduce Crime |
B.Benefits of a New Facial Recognition System |
C.The Development of AI |
D.A New Facial Recognition System |
【推荐3】When Sarah Lee was a child, she loved to watch the birds in her backyard and wonder how they could fly so effortlessly. As she grew older, Sarah became interested in the science behind flight and decided to study aerospace engineering in college.
After graduation, Sarah began working for a company that designed airplanes. However, she soon realized that the traditional methods of airplane design were not always efficient or sustainable. She began to wonder if there was a way to design airplanes that mimicked the natural world.
Sarah started to study birds and insects, observing how they were able to fly with such grace and efficiency. She asked questions like: How do birds adjust their wings to different wind conditions? How do insects use their wings to hover in place?
With this knowledge, Sarah began to design airplanes that incorporated biomimicry, or the imitation of nature. She created wings that could adjust their shape based on wind conditions, just like a bird’s wings. She also designed planes that could hover in place, like a dragonfly.
Sarah’s designs were a hit. Her company began to produce airplanes that were more efficient and sustainable than ever before. They used less fuel and emitted fewer pollutants into the air.
Sarah now travels around the world, giving talks on the benefits of biomimicry in engineering. “Nature has been solving problems for millions of years,” she says. “We can learn a lot from the natural world if we just take the time to observe and ask questions.”
1. What made Sarah Lee’s interest in aerospace engineering?A.Her fascination with airplanes. |
B.Her desire to study flight science. |
C.Her childhood dream of becoming a pilot. |
D.Her love for watching birds in her backyard. |
A.Wings that adjust their shape based on wind conditions. |
B.Engines that run on renewable energy sources. |
C.Cockpits that mimic the structure of a bird’s nest. |
D.Landing device that resembles insect legs. |
A.She wants to become a pilot. |
B.She aspires to be an aerospace engineer. |
C.She plans to study birds and insects. |
D.She aims to design efficient airplanes. |
A.Violated. | B.Imitated. | C.Resembled. | D.Pretended. |
【推荐1】A walk along the Beijing Central Axis, joining the dots of the Drum Tower, the busy Nanluoguxiang Lane, the Jingshan Park and the Forbidden City — this was Zhao Xianghan’s maiden city-walking journey in the spring of 2022. Since then, the 21-year-old student from the Beijing Foreign Studies University has remained a city-walk enthusiast (爱好者), believing it to be the best way to “rediscover a city”.
With the increasing different kinds of travel choices, traditional group tours can no longer satisfy people who are looking for a more personalized and differentiated travel experience and hoping to explore every part of the city in a more immersive (沉浸式的) way. It is written in a blog on social media platform WeChat, which has got more than 100,000 views. Compared with tightly-scheduled travel plans and picture-taking tours, city-walking focuses on the free, relaxing and spontaneous (自发的) experience, read a recent article by the People’s Daily.
The city-walk culture to experience urban life with no transportation means other than one’s legs and feet has made sensations on different social media platforms. According to a report from China’s lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu, in the first half of 2023, searches about city-walk increased 30-fold from the previous year.
Netizens also share their city-walking experience on the Twitter-like Sina Weibo. One post recommended a classic city-walk path from Wukang Road to Fuxing Park in Shanghai. “The path offers a look into the culture and landscape of Shanghai in different historical stages as well as its beautiful natural scenery,” it wrote.
Following his experience in Beijing, Zhao hasalso explored Wuhan, Hangzhou and other cities through city-walking tours. “City-walk is all about doing whatever you want in your own exploration of a city, and it is actually a kind of slow-paced and low-carbon lifestyle that I relate to so much,” said Zhao.
1. What does the underlined word “maiden” probably mean in Paragraph 1?A.First. | B.Formal. | C.Crazy. | D.Challenging. |
A.More relaxing and simpler. |
B.More natural and comfortable. |
C.More traditional and safer. |
D.More personalized and detailed. |
A.To prove the city-walk is popular. |
B.To advertise for Shanghai tourism. |
C.To share one city-walking experience. |
D.To show problems of city-walking tours. |
A.A Famous City-walk Lover |
B.Social Medias Focus on City-walk |
C.A Travel Way with Eyes and Souls |
D.City-walk Brings a Green Lifestyle |
【推荐2】In an era dominated by texting and messaging apps, phone calls seem to become a relic (遗物) of the past among younger generations, Gen Z in particular. A recent survey shows that a quarter of 18 to 24-year-olds refuse to pick up the phone, and over half ignore calls from their parents. Why do we find phone calls so awkward, and is avoiding them damaging our relationships?
The avoidance of phone calls isn’t just a preference; it’s a display of anxiety. Phone conversations can be awkward due to the lack of non-verbal clues. In face-to-face interactions, we rely heavily on gestures, facial expressions, and body language to interpret messages, which are absent in phone conversations. This can lead to misunderstandings and a feeling of disconnect. Additionally, the pressure to respond immediately without enough time to think, as afforded by messaging apps, can increase the anxiety associated with phone calls.
Despite the discomfort they may cause, phone conversations are an important skill. In the professional world, the ability to communicate effectively over the phone remains a critical skill. As I emphasize in my teachings and workshops, clear, confident, and real-life communication can significantly impact personal and professional success. Therefore, it’s crucial for younger generations, including Gen Z, to learn how to communicate well with others over the phone, not just for professional success but also for developing personal relationships.
Relying merely on messaging apps can have harmful effects on Gen Z’s well-being and relationships. The survey indicates a growing discomfort with direct voice communication can lead to a lack of deeper, empathetic (共情的) connections. This can potentially impact their ability to form meaningful relationships and deal with situations where direct communication like phone calls is momentous.
Moreover, as I advocate in my approach to public speaking, including emotional elements into communication enhances memorability (值得记忆) and impact. Phone conversations, with their immediate and personal nature, can develop a deeper emotional connect ion than text-based communication.
1. What can we know from paragraph 2?A.Why people are making fewer phone calls. |
B.How young men respond to phone calls. |
C.What impact can phone calls have. |
D.How much further phone calls go. |
A.Future success is mainly based on phone talks. |
B.It's vital to acquire the art of phone conversation. |
C.Learning how to communicate is the focus. |
D.Much remains to be done for better personal skills. |
A.Obvious. | B.Important. | C.Missing. | D.Temporary. |
A.An interview. | B.A book review. | C.A lecture. | D.A diary entry. |
【推荐3】A stuffy nose is usually nothing to worry about; it’s mostly just uncomfortable, with varying symptoms. “For some people, it’s having something sticky in the nose or a feeling that the airways are blocked and there’s a declining sense of smell.” says Dr. Ahmad Sedaghat, a director of Rhinology at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Actually, COVID-19 might cause a stuffy nose in some cases, although it wasn’t on the original list of COVID symptoms. Classic symptoms of the SARS-CoV-2 initial variant(变体)included fever, a cough, body aches and pains, shortness of breath and a loss of taste and smell-without a stuffy nose. However, the Delta variant is different. It’s often associated with symptoms of a common cold, like a stuffy or runny nose and sore throat. But there is something that needs to keep in mind.
One is that the Delta variant still results in the loss of taste and smell, and it’s far-reaching. Sedaghat says that’s because the COVID virus can infect the taste buds. “When you lose smell with a stuffy nose, you can still taste sweet, salty, bitter or sour. But that ability is wiped out with COVID. There’s no taste at all.” he says.
The other to consider in distinguishing COVID from a stuffy nose: vaccination(接种疫苗),accompanying symptoms and health history. “If you’re fully vaccinated against COVID and you have a known history of allergies, then a stuffy nose without any other symptoms is likely allergies. If you’re not vaccinated, we are less sure. But anyone who’s had a potential exposure to someone with COVID should be monitored closely.” Sedaghat advises.
1. What is the distinction between the SARS-CoV-2 variant and the Delta variant?A.A stuffy nose. |
B.The chance of recovery. |
C.The loss of taste. |
D.The death rate. |
A.It leads to breathing problems. |
B.It causes high fever eventually. |
C.It has the same symptoms as flu. |
D.It gives rise to a total loss of taste. |
A.By analyzing cause and effect. |
B.By making assumptions and reasoning. |
C.By listing examples. |
D.By comparing data. |
A.How to Deal with Stuffy Nose |
B.The Research on COVID-19 |
C.Stuffy Nose and COVID-19 |
D.Ways to Identify Virus Variants |