Even chess experts perform worse when air quality is lower, suggesting a negative effect on cognition(认知). Here’s something else chess players need to keep in check: air pollution.
That’s the bottom line of a newly published study co-authored by a researcher, showing that chess players perform objectively worse and make more suboptimal(次优的) moves, as measured by a computerized analysis of their games, when there is more fine particulate matter(颗粒物) in the air, notated as PM 2.5.
More specifically, given a modest increase in fine particulate matter, the probability that chess players will make an error increases by 2.1 percentage points, and the spectrum of those errors increases by 10.8 percent. In this setting, at least, cleaner air leads to clearer heads and sharper thinking.
“We find that when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they make more mistakes, and they make larger mistakes,” says Juan Palacios, an economist in Sustainable Urbanization Lab.
“It’s pure random exposure to air pollution that is driving these people’s performance,” Palacios says. “Against comparable opponents in the same tournament round, being exposed to different levels of air quality makes a difference for move quality and decision quality.”
The researchers also found that when air pollution was worse, the chess players performed even more poorly when under time limitation. “We find it interesting that those mistakes especially occur in the phase of the game where players are facing time pressure,” Palacios says.
“There are more and more papers showing that there is a cost with air pollution, and there is a cost for more and more people,” Palacios says. “And this is just one example showing that even for these very excellent chess players, who think they can beat everything, it seems that with air pollution, they have an enemy who harms them.”
1. What effect does air pollution have on chess players?| A．They make fewer good choices. | B．They perform subjectively worse. |
| C．They suffer body discomfort. | D．They lose all games with computers. |
| A．Magic. | B．Process. | C．Range. | D．Balance. |
| A．His appeal for attention to chess players. |
| B．His concern about air pollution. |
| C．An example of chess players’ performance. |
| D．Approaches to dealing with air pollution. |
| A．Air pollution is a tough enemy chess players face. |
| B．Chess players make more and more mistakes. |
| C．There is a cost with air pollution for more people. |
| D．Chess players perform poorly under time limitation. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】E-waste is fast becoming a serious global problem.
The source of e-waste
We live in a society that constantly produces and consumes electronic products. It is often cheaper to buy new pieces of equipment than to repair old ones. Also, through clever advertising, companies persuade consumers to replace their old TVs, mobile phones and computers for the latest models. E-waste is created when we throw away electronic equipment like this. In the EU alone, about 8.7 million tonnes of e-waste is produced each year.
The problem with e-waste
Burying e-waste in landfills or burning it causes serious problems for the environment.
Global recycling schemes (计划)
Take-back policy
Another solution to e-waste is to make manufacturers responsible for their used products. This could mean forcing them to take back old products which are no longer wanted.
Consuming less
We can all reduce the amount of waste we produce by buying electrical products only when we have to.
| A．In recent years, many countries have started recycling e-waste. |
| B．They should then make sure they are properly recycled or reused. |
| C．Sadly, just over one million tonnes is recycled. |
| D．This report will examine this problem and provide some possible solutions. |
| E．By resisting the temptation to buy a product just to have the latest version, we cut down on e-waste. |
| F．Electronics contain dangerous chemicals and metals. |
| G．Both manufacturers and consumers must accept their responsibilities and make efforts to keep it to a minimum. |
【推荐2】Beijing is hardly alone in its air pollution problems. The world Health Organization has said that roughly half of the world’s urban population is exposed to pollution at least 2.5 times higher than it recommends.
While it may take years to fix this global problem, innovative minds in the Asia region have come up with creative solutions for living with air pollution.
DIY Purifier
Thomas Talhelm started worrying about the air inside his Beijing home during “airpocalypse” in 2013 when Beijing’s air quality index skyrocketed to a terrifying 755.
The scholar couldn’t afford the luxury of an expensive air purifier. “Fillers are actually very simple— a high efficient filter is all you need to get over 96% of the PM2.5,” he said.
With three of his friends, Talhelm created Smart Air, an air purifier consisting of a basic household fan with a high efficient filter attached to it.
It works as efficiently as the big brands selling for thousands of dollars, removing more than 90 percent of PM 2.5 in your room, according to Talhelm’s research.
Invisible Mask
Infipure’s “nose mask” claims to cut 99% of PM2.5 without the trouble of a surgical face mask.
The filters, made from special materials, are inserted into your nose and aim to be undetectable.
“People care about their health, but don’t want all the downsides that come with a traditional face mask.” Infipure co-founder Francis Law explained.
Plant Backpack
Taiwanese artist Chui Chih has designed a survival device for an apocalyptic world.
Named Voyage on the Planet, a potted plant is housed inside a clear backpack hooked up to two tubes to bring fresh to a face mask. It’s a bold, abstract idea from an oxygen tank.
Smog Vacuum
Daan Roosegaarde has been working on a smog vacuum that will suck pollutants from the sky to the ground like a vacuum, making way for clean air.
A byproduct of this smog vacuum, namely The Smog Free Tower, is the “smog ring”—a piece of jewelry made from smog particulates.
“The pollution we suck up, the small particulates, we don’t throw them away. We put them under pressure for a couple of weeks and they crystallize, creating something like a diamond,” Roosegaardc explains.
1. Thomas Talhelm invented Smart Air for all the following reasons except ________.| A．the high price of the big brands | B．the help from three of his friends |
| C．the poor quality of the indoor air | D．the simple principle behind the device |
| A．Smart Air. | B．Infipure’s nose mask. |
| C．Voyage on the Planet. | D．The Smog Free Tower. |
| A．DIY Purifier. | B．Invisible Mask. | C．Plant Backpack. | D．Smog Vacuum. |
【推荐3】August 24, 2023 may be imprinted in history as the day of disaster for the marine environment. Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has asked Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, to release nuclear wastewater into the ocean from Thursday, ignoring strong objections from both home and abroad.
It will be a public crime if the discharge goes through and the decision will prove to be extremely unrewarding. The international community can hold Japan accountable indefinitely.
According to Paris-based French TV network France 24, some 1.34 million tonnes of nuclear wastewater, equivalent to almost the water in 540 Olympic pools, will be released into the ocean off Japan’s northeast coast, at a maximum rate of 500 cubic meters per day. The whole process is expected to take 30 to 40 years and cost around eight trillion yen (55 billion USD).
Junichi Matsumoto, the TEPCO executive in charge of the water release, told the Associated Press in July that the company plans to release 7,800 tonnes of treated water for 17 days in the first round. By the end of March 2024, the aim is to release 31,200 tonnes. The pace is expected to pick up later.
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong asked the Japanese ambassador to China Hideo Tarumi on August 22 to meet him and make serious representations over the Japanese government’s announcement that it would start releasing nuclear-contaminated water on August 24.
Sun said the Fukushima nuclear accident is one of the world’s most serious nuclear accidents to date, resulting in the release of a large amount of radioactive material, which has far-reaching implications for the marine environment, food safety, and human health.
“The ocean is the blue home that all humanity depends on for survival, and the Japanese side should not dump nuclear-contaminated water at will,” Sun said.
1. Who did Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ask to release nuclear wastewater into the ocean?| A．Spokesperson Wang Wenbin. |
| B．The TEPCO executive Junichi Matsumoto. |
| C．Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong. |
| D．The operator of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. |
| A．1.34 million tonnes. | B．7,800 tonnes. | C．2,3400 tonnes. | D．31,200 tonnes. |
| A．It has no implications for the marine environment. |
| B．Has no implications for food safety and human health. |
| C．It is one of the most serious nuclear accidents in history. |
| D．It resulted in the release of a small amount of radioactive material. |
| A．A research paper. | B．A newspaper report. |
| C．A business report. | D．A geography textbook. |
【推荐1】The four-day workweek’s moment has arrived. With a new proposal of legislation (立法) in America to reduce the standard workweek from 40 to 32 hours, awareness of a shorter workweek — and enthusiasm for it — is gaining. And so is the doubt around it.
Initial doubt is reasonable since American work culture has been founded on constant working and expectations for overachievement. However, if there were ever a time for transforming thinking, this is it. The challenges over the past years have strengthened our muscles of adaptation. And the new practice of working from home proved that we can adjust quickly to changing conditions.
Four-day workweek pilots (试点) are emerging across the globe, with some companies now deciding to adopt the policy permanently. Microsoft Japan and Kickstarter represent just the growing number of organizations exploring the four-day workweek.
Supporters cite many benefits, including improved physical and mental health, increased gender equity and positive environmental impacts. It is easy to imagine what we might do with an additional day-off - spend time with family and friends, pursue a hobby, sleep. Pilot findings show increased productivity as well. Many in favor of the four-day workweek anticipate a more fulfilled community.
Some leaders will see the research and believe that a pilot is worthwhile. Others will resist the idea. They were taught that face time with employees is the only way to ensure accountability (责任心) and productivity. Less face time can feel like a loss of control.
While each organization will need to find what works for them, doing so can be a productive exercise. Leaders can let employees work out the details rather than “solving” the challenge from the top down. Perpetual Guardian asked employees to propose their own productivity measures, including how to increase productivity and arrange shifts. Awin, a tech firm, saw 80 employees volunteer for task forces to ensure that their switch to a four-day workweek went smoothly.
1. Why are Americans doubtful about the new workweek practice?| A．There are limited legislation proposals for it. |
| B．It challenges American work value. |
| C．It goes beyond their standard workweek. |
| D．There are few pilots for it across the globe. |
| A．American work culture. |
| B．Challenges of the new practice. |
| C．Details of the new workweek pilots. |
| D．The possibility of adopting the new practice. |
| A．A more healthy and efficient society. |
| B．Diversity of organization management. |
| C．Increased sense of responsibility. |
| D．More choices of community services. |
| A．Handle the challenges from the top down. |
| B．Allow the employees to try the new practice. |
| C．Work out detailed solutions for the organization. |
| D．Develop more ways to measure productivity. |
【推荐2】The world is full of screens. They are on TVs, computers and smartphones. Screens are at school, at home, and just about everywhere in between. The time people spend every day looking at screens is known as “screen time.” Most families have rules about how much time children can spend with screens. Why do they have rules? Are there good reasons to limit screen time?
In many ways, screens are helpful for communication and connecting with other people. Social media and video calls allow people to be always in touch with one another. ________By sharing and commenting on videos, photos, games or music, people can meet others who have similar interests.
However, some adults are worried that young people spend too much time on screens and not enough time meeting people in real life. As a result, they may not properly understand feelings or develop strong relationships.
Many kinds of screen time may be good for students. Students may use screen time to develop their skills in creating music or videos. They may even learn skills such as coding (编程) computer programs. When students use their screen time to do research online, they may meet people who are different from them or ideas they have never thought about before.
However, some researchers think that screens change how the brain processes information. Some have linked (连接) screen time to lower test scores or less attention time.
In the future, scientists will continue studying the effects of screen time. Parents will likely continue to make rules limiting screen time. Plenty of good things can come from all this screen time, but it’s a good idea for people to pay attention to how much time in a day they spend looking at a screen. They should know how screen time influences their health, relationships, and learning.
1. Choose the best sentence to fill in the blank “ ________” in Paragraph 2.| A．People create videos and photos with their screen time. |
| B．People spend too much time sharing photos and videos. |
| C．Screen time can also help people build new relationships. |
| D．Screen time encourages people to meet friends in real life. |
| A．Social media. | B．Learning Skills. |
| C．Playing Games. | D．Researching online. |
| A．It should be increased. | B．It should not be limited |
| C．It should be made good use of. | D．It should not be allowed at school. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．What Is Screen Time? | B．Screen Time and Learning. |
| C．Screen Time: Good or Bad? | D．Screen Time and Social Life. |
【推荐3】Russian police have started a new attempt to get drivers to slow down at zebra crossings by having painted horses as zebras walk across on the busiest streets in some of the big cities in an attempt to improve road safety and raise awareness among Russia’s notoriously (臭名昭著地) careless drivers.
The light grey horses, painted with black stripes, carried signs on their backs reading: “Careful, children are on their way to school.” The police sent the “zebras” to several different locations in the Russian capital, where officials in orange vests walked them over zebra crossings and handed out leaflets (传单) to passing drivers.
Some held up rainbow-coloured umbrellas over the painted animals to protect them from the rain. Russian roads are notoriously dangerous and drivers still rarely take the initiative (主动采取措施) to avoid pedestrians. Nearly half of all traffic accidents in the country’s big cities are caused by cars hitting pedestrians, and a third of those occur on crossings, according to traffic police figures published last month.
In the first six months of this year, 378 people were killed and more than 6, 600 injured on pedestrian crossings in Russia, according to police. In Moscow alone, 43 people were killed, including two children.
Though police officials said that only safe paint would be used on the animals, animal rights activists still disagreed with the idea, accusing the police of “treating animals like garbage”.
“Children understand that paints are bad for animals,” the Interfax news agency quoted president of Vita animal rights group Irina Novozhilova as saying.
Let’s hope this part of the campaign is over and animals are left out of future attempts to raise pedestrians’ awareness.
1. Why do Moscow police have “zebras” walk across on the busiest streets?| A．To make a call on protecting animals. |
| B．To remind people zebras are in danger of extinction. |
| C．To tell people it is dangerous to cross streets. |
| D．To raise drivers’ awareness of road safety. |
| A．The zebras. | B．The horses. |
| C．The policemen. | D．The drivers. |
| A．most Russian drivers have realized the seriousness of the problem |
| B．Russian drivers often ignore traffic lights |
| C．Russian drivers seldom give way to pedestrians |
| D．the driving skills of Russian drivers are bad |
| A．Drivers must slow down at pedestrian crossings. |
| B．These animals are ill-treated by the police. |
| C．The paints used on the horses are safe. |
| D．Road safety should be improved. |
| A．Critical. | B．Reserved. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
【推荐1】Scientists have made a “breakthrough” in handling nuclear fusion (聚变). The US Department of Energy officially announced the milestone in fusion energy research.
For the first time, researchers created a nuclear fusion reaction that produced more energy than they put into the process. The experiment, conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, generated 3.15 megajoules of energy, more than the 2.05 megajoules put into creating it.
Nuclear fusion works by forcing together two atoms-most often hydrogen-to make a heavier one-like helium (氦). This explosive process releases massive amounts of energy, the Department of Energy explains. Fusion is the opposite of fission (裂变), the reaction that powers nuclear reactors used commercially today.
Fusion occurs naturally in the heart of the Sun and the stars, providing these cosmic (宇宙的) objects with fuel. Since the 1950s, scientists have been trying to reproduce it on Earth in order to make use of the so-called clean, cheap, and almost limitless electricity. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, fusion generates four times more energy per kilogram than the fission used to power nuclear plants, and nearly 4 million times more energy than burning oil or coal. What’s more, unlike fossil fuels, fusion doesn’t release carbon dioxide the greenhouse gas that’s the main driver of climate change-into the atmosphere. And unlike nuclear fission, fusion doesn’t create long-lived radioactive waste, according to the Department of Energy. But so far, nuclear fusion hasn’t solved our energy problems on a grand scale.
The recent announcement is a huge step forward in nuclear fusion energy, but applying the technology at commercial scale is likely still years away. Chanda Prescod Weinstein, a theoretical physicist, pointed out that the process the Department of Energy uses requires tritium (氚), a rare and radioactive isotope (同位素)of hydrogen. “It may yet convey important information that is ultimately transformative. We don’t know yet,” Prescod Weinstein tweeted. Investors, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, have poured billions into clean energy field trying to make fusion commercially workable, and the recent announcement is likely to continue that trend.
1. What is the breakthrough in nuclear fusion reaction?| A．It releases massive amounts of energy. |
| B．It produces 3. 15 megajoules of energy. |
| C．It works by forcing together two atoms. |
| D．It generates more energy than that put into it. |
| A．To avoid the commercial use of fission. |
| B．To recycle the byproduct of radioactive waste. |
| C．To reduce emission (排放) of greenhouse gas. |
| D．To aim for the high efficiency in producing energy. |
| A．The attitude of investors. |
| B．The prospect of fusion energy. |
| C．The significance of the announcement. |
| D．The difficulty in producing fusion energy. |
| A．Critical. |
| B．Negative. |
| C．Optimistic. |
| D．Doubtful. |
【推荐2】A study of 8 different experiments showed that our brains tend to prefer addition rather than subtraction when it comes to finding solutions—in many cases, it seems we just don’t consider the strategy of taking something away at all.
The researchers found that this preference for adding was noticeable in three situations in particular: when people were under higher cognitive (认知的) load, when there was less time to consider the other options, and when volunteers didn’t get a specific reminder that subtracting was an option. In one of the experiments, participants were asked to improve a Lego structure so that it was able to take more weight. Half the volunteers were reminded that they could take away bricks as well as add them, and half weren’t. In the group that got the reminder, 61 percent solved the problem by taking away a brick—which was a much faster and more efficient way of making the structure stable. In the group that didn’t get the reminder, only 41 percent went for the removing bricks approach.
“Additive ideas come to mind quickly and easily, but subtractive ideas require more cognitive effort,” says psychologist Benjamin Converse, from the University of Virginia. “Because people are often moving fast and working with the first ideas that come to mind, they end up accepting additive solutions without considering subtraction at all.”
The researchers have a few ideas about what might be going on. Our brains might find additive changes easier to process perhaps, or we might be associating adding with ideas of something that's bigger and therefore better in our subconscious. There might also be associations in our minds with the current status being something that needs to be maintained as much as possible—and taking something away is arguably more destructive to the current status than adding something new.
The researchers say their work is important in a much broader sense: for institutions looking to streamline (简化), for example, and even for the human race looking for ways to better manage the planet’s resources.
1. What does the underlined word “subtraction” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Removal. | B．Moderation. | C．Refusal. | D．Solution. |
| A．When they are under high pressure. | B．When they lack cognitive ability. |
| C．When they are specially reminded. | D．When they are hurried to decide. |
| A．Re-shape Lego bricks. | B．Take Lego bricks away. |
| C．Move the Lego structure. | D．Stabilize the Lego structure. |
| A．The ways to make additive changes. |
| B．The effects of taking something away. |
| C．The reasons for brains preferring addition. |
| D．The importance of maintaining current status. |
【推荐3】Two-thirds of the world population lives under conditions where the freshwater demand is more than twice the natural water availability for at least one month per year. According to official statistics, one billion of those live in India and 0.9 billion live in China. Other areas facing this problem for longer periods include Bangladesh (130 million people), the western and southern states of the USA (130 million), Pakistan (120 million), Nigeria (110 million), and Mexico (90 million).
Communities use a range of techniques to overcome this issue. In dry summers, those near the coast can desalinate (淡化) seawater, although the process requires a large amount of energy and expenditure. Some remote inland communities have alternative methods that suit their particular conditions. For example, many high-altitude Chilean communities in the Andes use fog collectors, specialized nets that can gather just a few liters a day.
Elsewhere, there’s another option available. Researchers at ETH Zurich have developed a new device that passively harvests water from the air around the clock. The device is made up of a specially coated glass pane that reflects solar radiation and also radiates away its own heat. In doing so, it cools down by as much as 15 degrees Celsius below the surrounding temperatures. This difference in temperature between the air and the pane causes water vapor to condense (凝结) on its underside, which can then be easily collected.
Tests so far have been conducted on a university building in Zurich and suggest that the device can produce twice as much water per day as other passive water-collection technologies. Under ideal conditions, researchers harvested 0.53 decilitres of water per square metre of the surface per hour. “That’s close to the theoretical maximum value of 0.6 decilitres per hour, which is physically impossible to exceed,” says Iwan Hächler, a doctoral student who is working on the technology.
The zero-energy input of the set-up could make it suitable for use in developing countries, particularly in remote communities where water scarcity is often combined with power shortages. The scientists are hopeful that the device could be used with other water-collection methods, such as desalination, to increase productivity.
1. What does the author want to tell us by mentioning official statistics in Paragraph 1?| A．Fresh water insecurity is a global crisis. |
| B．Water resources are unevenly distributed globally. |
| C．Lack of water seriously restricts many countries’ growth. |
| D．Developed countries are better at handling water shortages. |
| A．To hold the condensed water. | B．To work as a cooling surface. |
| C．To get rid of harmful solar radiation. | D．To record the changes in temperature. |
| A．It produces satisfying outcomes. | B．It is limited to laboratory environments. |
| C．It has met with theoretical bottlenecks. | D．It needs further confirmation from experts. |
| A．The explosive water demand throughout the world |
| B．The consequences of water scarcity for people’s life |
| C．A comparative analysis of water-collection methods |
| D．A zero-energy solution for harvesting water from the air |
