Modern advancements in digital and online technology are changing the art market. Online events are becoming more popular than ever as they can be attended by anyone from anywhere. At the heart of this online art world are OVRs.
Before going into how OVRs are shaping the art world, it’s important to understand what they are. An OVR is an Online Viewing Room that allows art enthusiasts to take part in events through their computer screens. OVRs transmit galleries and events to art lovers through live feed which can be viewed from anywhere in the world!
OVRs enable art to travel across the world, without ever leaving the studio! This increases the number of possible collectors and buyers that will be able to view new pieces.
Online viewings also meant that the art market could continue to function and exhibit art, even with lockdown restrictions. Although many events were cancelled, a study showed 41% of wealthy people bought work at a fair in 2020, while 45% did it through an online viewing room.
Besides, OVR displays can be changed easily and updated at any time. This means that viewers can easily stay on track with the latest works and view updated displays as regularly as they would like.
While OVRs may be practical, many enthusiasts say that the online viewing platforms don’t provide the full gallery experience, and this is their main problem. Physical art shows allow enthusiasts to network with new people, discuss and see the art in real life before making a decision to buy.
So, will OVRs continue to rise? Probably yes: OVRs are likely to play a big role in future art sales. This is because online viewing platforms bring a number of benefits to art lovers. However, the interactive aspect of viewing art cannot be fully replaced by OVRs, so expect a combination of the physical and the digital art world.
1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing Paragraph 1?| A．To bring up the topic of the text. | B．To list some interesting examples. |
| C．To show the types of the markets. | D．To introduce a problem to be solved. |
| A．The art market is easily affected by accidents. |
| B．OVRs are more effective than face-to-face events. |
| C．OVRs help the art market to survive during lockdown. |
| D．People involved in art sales are mostly from wealthy families. |
| A．The future of OVRs. | B．The history of OVRs. |
| C．The popularity of OVRs. | D．The disadvantages of OVRs. |
| A．OVRs will gradually replace face-to-face art events. |
| B．OVRs will coexist with the physical art world. |
| C．OVRs will create an interactive atmosphere for art lovers. |
| D．OVRs will make up more than half of the future art market. |
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【推荐1】China's newest space laboratory, Tiangong Ⅱ, will be sent up into the air from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China. It will provide more comfortable digs for astronauts living aboard.
Zhu Zongpeng, chief designer of Tiangong Ⅱ said designers aimed to create an astronaut-friendly environment in every regard when they refitted the space lab that was developed based on Tiangong Ⅰ.
"A number of particulars were taken into account, including the sound, lighting, inner decorations as well as support equipment. For instance, the carpet in Tiangong I was replaced with floorboards. We fixed a foldable, multifunctional table that can be used for dining and experiments. The light is softer and can be adjusted. Each astronaut has a bed lamp. We also equipped the astronauts with Bluetooth headsets and Bluetooth speakers." Zhu added.
The Tiangong Ⅱ consists of two cabins（舱）with separate functions—the experiment cabin is sealed and acts as the astronauts' living quarters, while the resource cabin contains solar panels（太阳电池板）, storage batteries, engines, etc.
The lab has about 15 square meters for astronauts to live and work, including a separate sleep section and waste storage area. The equipment in the spacecraft ensures its inner sound under 50 decibels（分贝）. The temperature within the experiment cabin is kept between 22℃ and 24℃ and the humidity（湿度） between 45 and 55 percent.
In addition, Tiangong Ⅱ has an air detector（空气探测器）, and it can be used to check and deal with more than 20 dangerous gases. Also, designers placed exercise equipment in the space lab to help astronauts keep healthy and its communication systems also allow astronauts to receive and reply to emails and make calls to family and friends.
1. What does the underlined word "digs" in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Rooms. | B．Temperature. |
| C．Headsets. | D．Light. |
| A．To help astronauts keep healthy. |
| B．To create an astronaut-friendly environment. |
| C．To help astronauts to receive and reply to emails. |
| D．To deal with over 20 dangerous gases in the lab. |
| A．A table for dining and experiment was fixed. |
| B．A few aspects were considered to refit the space lab. |
| C．Astronauts were equipped with Bluetooth headsets. |
| D．Bright lamps which could be adjusted were placed. |
| A．Astronauts can live and work in different places. |
| B．Exercise equipment has been placed for astronauts to keep fit. |
| C．Astronauts will feel more comfortable in the space lab after the improvement. |
| D．The sound and temperature in the spacecraft will help astronauts sleep well. |
【推荐2】This year's hottest destination is Mars. On 23 July, China launched the Tianwen-1 mission to the Red Planet — one of three spacecrafts' planning to head there in 2020. This is China's second interplanetary mission, but the first that the nation has launched on its own. The other, Phobos-Grunt, was a cooperation with Russia that didn't make it out of Earth's orbit after blasting off in 2011.
The new mission, called Tianwen, translated as "questions to heaven" — consists of an orbiter, a lander and a rover, the last of which will be named via a public competition. "It's very ambitious because it's a four-part mission: there's the launch, getting into orbit, the landing and the rover, and every single step has to go right, says space consultant Laura Forczyk. All those steps must work on the first try, an achievement no other space program me has accomplished on a Mars mission because of the difficulty of landing there.
If all goes well, Tianwen-1 will arrive at Mars in February 2021 and the lander and rover will touch down two or three months later. They will take pictures from the surface, measure the soil composition, make radar observations of the planet's underground structure and observe Mars's magnetic field. Due to the harsh environment on Mars, the rover is expected to last about 90 Martian days. It weighs around 240 kilograms, about the same as China's Yutu-2 rover, which is currently roaming the moon. "The Chinese mission to the far side of the moon has been hugely successful, so they are building on that success now," says Forczyk.
The orbiter, which will relay data from the lander and rover back to scientists on Earth, also carries a suite of scientific instruments. It has two cameras and a spectrometer (光谱仪), which it will use to create a map of the mineral composition of Mars's surface, as well as radar and detectors to examine particles in the Martian atmosphere. It will also look for deposits of water ice that could be helpful for future explorers.
Tianwen-1 won't be alone in Mars orbit. The United Arab Emirates has just launched its first mission to Mars, and NASA's Perseverance rover is set to launch on 30 July. These missions are all leaving now because Mars is at its closest point to Earth, which happens once every two years.
1. Which statement is true according to the first two paragraphs?| A．On 23 July, three countries launched space crafts to Mars. |
| B．Every step of Tianwen mission can be completed at several attempts. |
| C．The mission, Phobos-Grunt, cooperated with Russia was a great success. |
| D．Tianwen mission shows the pioneering efforts of China's space exploration. |
| A．Travelling around. | B．Floating past. | C．Wandering aimlessly. | D．Moving swiftly. |
| A．act as a detector to examine particles on the earth |
| B．search for a substance useful for future exploration |
| C．send information back to the earth collected from Mars |
| D．identify the position of minerals possibly lying on Mars |
| A．China's Successful Space Explorations |
| B．China Launching Missions to Mars |
| C．Tianwen, the First Interplanetary Mission |
| D．Mars, the Hottest Destination to Explore |
Ceely’s near miss made the news because she blamed it on her GPS (导航仪). She had never driven the route before. It was dark and raining heavily. Ceely was relying on her GPS, but it made no mention of the crossing. “I put my complete trust in the device and it led me right into the path of a speeding train,” she told the BBC.
Who is to blame here? Rick Stevenson, who tells Ceely’s story in his book When Machines Fail Us, points the finger at the limitations of technology. We put our faith in digital devices, he says, but our digital helpers are too often not up to the job. They are filled with small problems. And it’s not just GPS devices: Stevenson takes us on a tour of digital disasters involving everything from mobile phones to wireless keyboards.
The problem with his argument in the book is that it’s not clear why he only focuses on digital technology, while there may be a number of other possible causes. A map-maker might have left the crossing off a paper map. Maybe we should blame Ceely for not paying attention. Perhaps the railway authorities are at fault for poor singalling system. Or maybe someone has studied the relative dangers and worked out that there really is something specific wrong with the GPS equipment. But Stevenson doesn’t say.
It’s a problem that runs through the book. In a section on cars, Stevenson gives an account of the advanced techniques that criminals use to defeat computer-based locking systems for cars. He offers two independent sets of figures on car theft; both show a small rise in some parts of the country. He says that once again not all new locks have proved reliable. Perhaps, but maybe it’s also due to the shortage of policemen on the streets. Or changing social circumstances. Or some combination of these factors.
The game between humans and their smart devices is amusing and complex. It is shaped by economics and psychology and the cultures we live in. Somewhere in the mix of those forces there may be a way for a wiser use of technology.
If there is such a way, it should involve more than just an awareness of the shortcomings of our machines. After all, we have lived with them for thousands of years. They have probably been fooling us for just as long.
1. What did Paula Ceely think was the cause of her accident？
| A．She was not familiar with the road. |
| B．It was dark and raining heavily then. |
| C．The railway workers failed to give the signal. |
| D．Her GPS device didn’t tell her about the crossing. |
| A．close hit | B．heavy loss |
| C．narrow escape | D．big mistake |
| A．Modern technology is what we can’t live without. |
| B．Digital technology often falls short of our expectation. |
| C．Digital devices are more reliable than they used to be. |
| D．GPS error is not the only cause for Ceely’s accident. |
| A．one-sided | B．reasonable |
| C．puzzling | D．well-based |
| A．The major causes of traffic accidents and car thefts. |
| B．The relationship between human and technology. |
| C．The shortcomings of digital devices we use. |
| D．The human unawareness of technical problems. |
【推荐1】Climate change is already affecting water access for people around the world causing more severe droughts and floods. Climate change impacts the water cycle by influencing when, where, and how much rain falls It also leads to more severe weather events over time. Increasing global temperatures causes water to rise into the air in larger amounts, which will lead to higher levels of atmospheric water vapor and more frequent, heavy, and intense rains in the coming years.
Climate scientists predict that this change will lead to more floods since more water will fall than vegetation and soil can absorb. The remaining water, or runoff, flows into nearby waterways, picking up pollutants like fertilizers (肥料) on the way. Too much runoff eventually travels to larger bodies of water like lakes, and the ocean, damaging the water supply and limiting water access for humans and ecosystems.
When fertilizers from farming wash into lakes and the ocean, they promote the rapid growth of algae (藻类). These resulting algal blooms fill waterways with clouds of green, blue-green, red, or brown algae. They block sunlight from reaching underwater life and reduce oxygen levels within the water Poisons from the algae can kill off fish and other aquatic animals, make people sick, and even kill humans. These poisons are especially dangerous because they can survive rainfall processes, making tap water unfit to consume once polluted. Algal blooms also impact industries that rely on the water for business, and often cause local waterfronts to shut down during blooms.
There are many things that everyone can do to lessen the impact of climate change. Some measures include growing your own fruits and vegetables or buying locally grown produce, since produce is often transported to grocery stores from far away by trucks, which add more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. You could also walk or bike instead of driving a car.
1. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Global warming will lead to more water vapour and fewer rains in the planet |
| B．Farmland remaining water makes some waters inaccessible for humans and ecosystems |
| C．Algae blooms will promote the increase of oxygen levels within the water. |
| D．Industries relying on the water for business will grow due to algal blooms. |
| A．The impact on humans and ecosystem. | B．The pollution of lakes and oceans. |
| C．The damage to water supply. | D．The loss of farming soil. |
| A．Master several techniques to do farming work. |
| B．Purchase more foreign fruits and vegetables. |
| C．Exercise regularly like walking or biking. |
| D．Develop some habits of reducing carbon dioxide. |
| A．Causes of Climate Change | B．Ham Climate Change Does to Humans |
| C．Impacts of Climate Change on Water Access | D．Ways to Lessen the Impacts of Climate Change |
【推荐2】This Ardie is not a place for the weak. This vast land of wilderness is where people can get up close to nature’s extremes. The place is “no joke”. US photographer Mark Mahaney told PLAIN Magazine. “When midnight sun is replaced by polar night, everything’s different. Eyes to the horizon and it’s nothing. And then more nothing, in every direction.”
One of the most harsh (恶劣的), yet most pristine (原始的) places on Earth, the Arctic has been affected by human activities — exploration, booming tourism and most importantly, global warming in recent decades.
Scientists have been recording changes in the Arctic. Its sea ice minimum in summer, for example, has reduced by 40 percent in the past 30 years. These changes have done harm to the Arctic and the human, animal and plant life that calls it home.
But the impact of these changes is not restricted to the inhabitants of this area alone. In fact, it could be said that the weight of the world relies on this icy region.
The Earth’s steady climate depends on the Arctic’s sea ice, which acts as a huge white reflector at the top of the planet, bouncing some of the sun’s rays back into space. The more Arctic sea ice melts, the less light is reflected, and the more the dark oceans will absorb the sun’s radiation (辐射).
With visible changes in the global climate, the Arctic has given us a wake-up call — what happens up in the North doesn’t just stay there. It comes with a high cost to the world at large. It’s time for us to pay attention to this freezing region and learn more about what’s happening there.
1. What does the underlined sentence “The place is ‘no joke’” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．The weak are unhappy in the Arctic. |
| B．The natural conditions are extreme in the Arctic. |
| C．Photographers are not allowed to take photos. |
| D．People are banned to make jokes in the Arctic. |
| A．Animals and plants. | B．Global warming. |
| C．The activities of human beings. | D．The scientists’ records. |
| A．To regulate climate. | B．To keep water clean. |
| C．To attract the sun’s rays. | D．To support the living creatures. |
| A．The Most Harsh Land |
| B．Changes of the Arctic |
| C．The Arctic Sending Warning Signals |
| D．Nature’s Extremes Attracting Scientists |
【推荐3】Airports will soon add a new layer to their security procedures. Several airports in Europe will start giving lie detector tests to passengers. Special lie detector machines will use artificial intelligence to test travellers.
The lie detector machines are backed by a European Union project called iBorderCtrl. The first machines will be at border checkpoints in Hungary, Greece and Latvia. Airports in these countries will carry out tests on the lie detector machines this month.
Travelers from outside the EU countries will have to take the test. They will look into a webcam and answer questions from a computer-animated immigration official. The computer- produced animation will change to match the race and language of the traveler.
A European Union spokesperson said the virtual border guard will scan passengers' faces and analyze their micro expressions. They will use these expressions to find out if the passenger might be lying.
A human security guard will take over if the lie-detecting software detects a security risk. The procedure will firstly divide passengers into two types. Low-risk travelers will be asked basic information in the lie-detection process while high-risk passengers will get more detailed questions. A psychology expert doubted if the system would work. He said, “If you ask people to lie, they will do it differently and show very different behavioral cues than if they truly lie...This is a known problem in psychology.”
1. Where will you see this special lie detector machine?| A．At a border checkpoint in Italy | B．At Greece airports |
| C．In iBorderCtrl offices. | D．In Hungary security department |
| A．supported | B．produced | C．Tested | D．sold |
| A．By scanning passengers’ brain. | B．By looking into a webcam |
| C．By analyzing facial expressions. | D．By distinguishing abnormal mood. |
| A．indifferent | B．supportive | C．opposed | D．skeptical |
