A virtual reality headset has restored (修复) sight to people who are legally blind. While it didn’t cure the physical cause of their blindness, the device let people with severe macular degeneration (黄斑退化) go on with activities like reading and gardening — tasks they previously found impossible.
Macular degeneration is a common, age-related condition. It affects many people worldwide. It leaves people with a blind spot in the centre of their vision and causes legal blindness. The new system, called Iris Vision, uses VR headset to make the most of peripheral vision (周边视觉). It records the person’s surroundings and displays them in real time, and the user can widen the image as many times as they need for their peripheral vision to become clear. Doing so also helps to effectively reduce or remove their blind spot.
In a trial,30 people used the system for two weeks, filling out questionnaires on their ability to complete daily activities before and after the period. “They can do things that for years were not even a consideration,” says David Rhew at Samsung Electronics America. According to Rhew, the vision of participants was all but restored with the headset. “The baseline rate of vision in the individuals came in at 20/400, which is legally blind, and with the use of this technology it improved to 20/30, which is pretty close to 20/20 vision,” he says. Tom Peterson has serious macular degeneration. When he first started using the device, “It was an emotional experience. I sensed that I could see again and tears started coming,” he says.
The results were presented at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (眼科学) annual meeting. The headset is now being used in 80 ophthalmology centres around the US, and the next step is to adapt the software to work for other vision disorders. Some have commented that it is heavy for long periods of use. “Many people with macular degeneration regularly use eight to ten different tools, such as telescopes and magnifying glasses, to help them with daily life, but Iris Vision can replace them all,” says Perski.
1. What may lead to legal blindness?| A．Too much reading. | B．A blind spot. |
| C．Increasing ages. | D．Macular degeneration. |
| A．To explain the process of the trial. |
| B．To show the problems with the trial. |
| C．To prove the effectiveness of Iris Vision. |
| D．To promote the new product of Iris Vision. |
| A．Objective. | B．Negative. | C．Supportive. | D．Critical. |
| A．A VR headset —new ways to cure blindness |
| B．A VR headset —good news for blind people |
| C．Macular degeneration —a deadly eye disease |
| D．Macular degeneration — an important body organ |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Laughter comes in many forms, from a polite and quiet laugh to a great hearty laugh. Scientists are now developing an AI system to recreate different laughs in proper social contexts. The team behind the laughing robot Erica said that the system could improve natural conversations between people and an AI robot. “We think that one of the important functions of conversational AI is empathy(共情),” said Dr Koji Inoue, the lead author of the research. “So we decided that one way a robot can empathize with its users is to share their laughter.”
The team have set out to teach their AI system the art of conversational laughter. They gathered training data from more than 80 daily dialogues between male subjects and the robot that was initially operated by four actresses remotely. The dialogue data was grouped into social laughs (where polite or embarrassed laughter isn’t involved) and laughter of joy. Based on the audio files, the algorithm(算法) learned the basic characteristics of social laughs, which tend to be softer, and merry laughs, with the aim of mirroring these inappropriate situations.
“Our biggest obstructor in the work was identifying the actual cases of shared laughter because as you know, most laughter is actually not shared at all,” said Inoue. “We had to carefully decide exactly which laughs we could use for our analysis and we couldn’t just assume that any laugh can be responded to. It was really not easy work.” The team said laughter could help create robots with their own distinct character although it could take more than 20 years before it would be possible to have a casual chat with a robot like we would with a friend.
“One of the things we’d keep in mind is that a laughing robot or algorithm will never be able to understand you or the meaning of laughter,” points out Prof. Sandra Wachter of the Oxford Internet Institute. “But with their development, they might get very good at tricking you into believing they understand what’s going on.”
1. Why did Inoue’s team develop the AI system?| A．To better understand human empathy. |
| B．To promote the social skills of robots. |
| C．To explore the differences between laughs. |
| D．To assist robots in identifying people's moods. |
| A．Repeat the details of the 80 dialogues |
| B．Distinguish people by hearing their laughs |
| C．Recreate a scene played by the four actresses |
| D．Master the features of laughs provided by data. |
| A．Potential. | B．Barrier. | C．Alternative. | D．Division. |
| A．Are AI systems going beyond human ability? |
| B．Can conversational AI really understand us? |
| C．Laughing robots are round the conner. |
| D．Robots become laughing masters. |
【推荐2】Medha Gupta sometimes felt worried making the 20-minute walk from the corner where the school bus dropped her off to her home in Herndon, Va. — especially during the colder months in winter.
Her mother, Divya Gupta had a suggestion: write an app. She was half-kidding, but Medha took the challenge seriously. So she went to work.
The result was Safe Travel, an app designed by Medha to help walkers feel more secure when travelling alone. Using the iPhone, a person can program it to send a warning to someone he or she trusts if he or she fails to arrive at a destination within a certain time.
It was the first iOS app that Medha had created. While she didn’t think much would come from the project, her effort caught the eye of judges for the annual Congressional App Challenge, who selected her as the winner for Virginia’s 10th District.
The App Challenge is designed to encourage students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and math by experimenting with coding and computer science. Winning students are invited to attend a reception on Capitol Hill in April and also received $250 in Amazon Web Service credits.
Medha said it took her about 40 hours to design, program and test the app. As for her next app? Medha’s not certain. She temporarily has her app-development ambitions on hold because she’s busy teaching herself artificial intelligence to help deal with improper words on Facebook. Yes, she knows that there are teams of engineers probably doing the same thing. But she figures it can’t hurt her own part, too.
“If we see something wrong with the world, we should do something about it, ” she said. “After all, the only one stopping us from doing something is ourselves. ”
1. Why did Medha Gupta feel worried?| A．It took a long time to walk home. |
| B．It was colder than ever in winter. |
| C．It was unsafe to walk home alone. |
| D．It was difficult to write an app. |
| A．Curious. | B．Sensitive. | C．Uncertain. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．Delayed. | B．Developed. | C．Suspected. | D．Satisfied. |
| A．Medha registered for the App Challenge. |
| B．Medha designed Safe Travel successfully. |
| C．The App Challenge directs students to choose careers. |
| D．An app guides walkers home. |
【推荐3】Benjamin Franklin's inventions reveal a man of many talents and interests. His natural curiosity about things and the way they work made him try to find ways to make them work better.
Ben had poor vision and needed glasses to read. He got tired of constantly taking them off and putting them back on, so he decided to figure out how his glasses let him see both near and far. He had two pairs of glasses cut in half and put half of each hens in a single frame. Today, we call them bifocals.
Everyone knows the story of Ben's famous kite flight. Although he made important discoveries and advancements, Ben did not “invent” the electricity. He did, however, invent the lighting rod which protects buildings and ships from lighting.
In colonial America, most people warmed their homes by building a fire in a fireplace even though it was dangerous and used a lot of wood. Ben figured that there had to be a better way. His invention of an iron furnace stove allowed people to warm their homes less dangerously and with less wood. The furnace stove that he invented is called the Franklin Stove. Interestingly enough, Ben also established the first fire company and the first fire insurance company in order to help people live more safely.
As a postmaster, Ben had to figure out routes for delivering the mail. He went out riding in his carriage to measure the routes and needed a way to keep track of the distance. He invented a simple odometer and attached it to his carriage.
Later, other famous inventors, like Thomas Alva Edison and Alexander Graham Bell, followed in Ben's footsteps by trying to find ways to help people live better.
1. What do we know about the Franklin Stove?| A．It is made of iron and easy to carry. | B．It is much smaller than the traditional stove. |
| C．It is much safer and can save wood. | D．It reaches the requirements of the fire company. |
| A．They had a strong desire to make life better. | B．They were excellent students at school. |
| C．They were born in the same age. | D．They made people's life simple. |
| A．The life of Benjamin Franklin | B．A great man |
| C．Benjamin Franklin, a great inventor | D．How to help people live better. |
【推荐1】In what is believed to be a world first, University of South Australia researchers have designed a self-sufficient solar-driven system that evaporates (蒸发) seawater and recycles it into freshwater, growing crops without any human intervention. It could help address global food shortages in the decades ahead, with the world’s population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050.
Professor Haolan Xu and Dr Gary Owens from UniSA’s Future Industries Institute have developed the vertical (垂直的) floating sea farm which consists of two parts: an upper layer room similar to a glasshouse and a lower water harvest room.
“In this case, clean water is supplied by a line of solar evaporators that absorb the seawater, trap the salts in the evaporator body and, under the sun’s rays, release clean water vapour (a) into the air which is then concentrated on water belts and transported to the upper plant growth part.” Dr Owens said.
The system, which is powered only by solar light, has several advantages over other solar sea farm designs currently being trialled, according to Professor Xu. “Other designs have build evaporators inside the growth room which takes up valuable space that could otherwise be used for plant growth. Also, these systems are very likely to suffer from overheating and crop death,” Professor Xu says.
“In our design, the vertical distribution (分布) of evaporator and growth room decreases the device’s overall footprint, maximizing the area for food production. It is fully automatic, low cost, and extremely easy to operate, using only solar energy and seawater to produce clean water and grow crops.”
Dr Owens says their design is only proof-of-concept at this stage, but the next step is to scale it up using a small line of individual devices to increase plant production. Meeting larger food supply needs will mean increasing both the size and number of devices.
1. What can the vertical floating sea farm system do?| A．Address the problem of sea pollution. |
| B．Deal with the problem of food shortage. |
| C．Raise awareness about global food safety. |
| D．Assist fishermen with intelligent fishing techniques. |
| A．The makeup of the system. | B．The distinct advantages of the system. |
| C．The working principle of the system. | D．The application prospects of the system. |
| A．is more difficult to maintain | B．makes the most of the space |
| C．relies on wind power for operation | D．is likely to be affected by crop loss |
| A．Expand. | B．Reduce. | C．Revise. | D．Promote. |
【推荐2】Scientists have changed a spider’s web into audio (音频). The process involving imaging and analysing a three-dimensional spider web. Led to a curious piece of music played on a ‘harp-like instrument’ in several live performances. The investigator, Markus Buehler, has extended the research beyond the scientific world: Webs could be a new source for musical inspiration that is different from the usual human experience.
To create the music, the researchers first produced a 3D digital model of the spider’s web by taking 2D cross-section images and using computer algorithms (算法). They then changed the non-audible data into something audible — a process known as sonification. This involved assigning distinct notes to each of the silk strands (纤维丝)of the spider’s web based on their length.
The innovative approach allowed the researchers to come up with “novel interpretations” of the spider’s web, offering a new perspective of understanding the natural world. The researchers also set up a virtual reality environment, combining the visual and audio representations of the web: “By hearing and seeing it at the same time, you can really start to understand the environment the spider lives in,” says Beuhler.
And it isn’t all about music. The researchers are keen to show that an in-depth understanding of natural constructions such as spider webs, has great potential for aiding our own technological constructions. Just one example is the method named “spider-mimicking”, in which complex micro-structures are 3D printed, using the spider web as inspiration.
Beuhler expressed his hopes the new research into sonification will lead to further work in cross-species communication: If we expose the spiders to certain patterns of rhythms or vibrations (振动), can we affect what they do, and can we begin to communicate with them? Those are really exciting ideas.Future research could potentially explore ways of communicating with spiders “in their own language”, or influence their behaviour with the help of machine algorithms. A previous study in 2018 by researchers including Buehler, found that most researches on spider webs to date have focused on the orb web (a specific form of web which is 2D and round in shape), while the majority of webs created by spiders are not orb webs. This analysis of a 3D web structure pushes the research a step further.
Spider webs are actually very diverse and also have a number of desirable properties. As the paper’s abstract states, spider webs have a unique strength, toughness, elasticity and hardness, making them a particularly appealing natural formation to study.
1. What does the underlined word “sonification” probably mean?| A．the process of making something audible. |
| B．the behavior of taking notes of the spider webs. |
| C．the algorithms of analyzing three-dimensional spider webs. |
| D．the procedure of changing 2D images into 3D digital models. |
| A．A piece of music played on the instrument resulted in study on spider webs |
| B．Researchers have already worked out ways to communicate with spiders |
| C．This spider web music hints at potential for cross-species communication |
| D．The spider webs’ unique formation attracts scientists to study music |
| A．Analysis of spiders’ behavior. |
| B．Significance of 3D web structure. |
| C．Previous researches on orb webs. |
| D．Further researches on cross-species communication. |
【推荐3】“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard NASA’s Space Elevator. We’re going to leave soon. The entire ride will take about five hours, so sit back and enjoy the trip.”
Does this sound like the Sci-Fi Channel? Well, it’s not. Although space elevators are often considered as a science fiction dream, I believe they will exist soon—perhaps in two or three decades.
Throughout my career as an aerospace engineer and physics professor, I keep coming back to the concept of a cable stretching from Earth to space, along which people and cargo can easily travel. In recent years I and other researchers have found new ways to tinker with designs and answer questions about how space elevators could work.
There are many reasons to build a space elevator. The obvious one is the major energy and cost savings; it’s a much more practical way to get to orbit than rockets. Another reason that is often overlooked is accessibility. The word “space mission” would be replaced by “transit,” as trips to space become routine and mostly independent of weather conditions. Transits involving humans would be safer than current practices, whereby astronauts must accept an enormous risk to their lives with each launch. A space elevator becomes a bridge to the entire solar system. Release a payload in the lower portion, and you orbit Earth, but do so in the upper portion, and you orbit the sun; all without fuel.
Although I may come across as a space elevator advocate, the truth is, I simply enjoy studying their mechanics. In a world with monumental problems, dreaming of such projects allows me to envision a scenario where we have become responsible custodians (守护者) on this planet.
1. What’s the function of Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To set a background. |
| C．To make a comparison. | D．To give an example. |
| A．Abandon. | B．Improve. | C．Establish. | D．Discuss. |
| A．To please science fiction fans. | B．To promote space tourism. |
| C．To protect astronauts’ safety. | D．To make space travel easier. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Doubtful. | C．Optimistic. | D．Dismissive. |
【推荐1】Life is full of ups and downs. You must understand that you will sometimes fail at things, and it is okay when that happens. Almost all of our lives, we have been taught that failure is really bad, and when we fail, we must drown (沉浸) ourselves in sorrow. This is an entirely wrong approach.
From a kid to an adult, you will fail at many things in life but that will only tell you about yourself. You will learn about your true capabilities, what you are good at, and what you are bad at. We must learn to accept the process rather than run from it. Only then will we be able to achieve our goals in life.
Let me tell you something about myself and how I faced failures in life. In my early years a school, I had trouble with some subjects. I used to get really bad grades. Sometimes, I would get an F, which would make me really scared. I used to think: What will I show my parents? So what I used to do was to cover those grades up. I would turn the F into a B just to please my parents. The short version is that it didn’t work out, and eventually, I was caught doing that. I learned a lot after that. I knew that I had to accept that failure and learn from it, and something good actually came from it. I started doing better with my grades. That F turned into a B naturally, and that B turned into an A.
Whenever you face a failure, never think that you are never going to recover from this. You must think of ways to better yourself. Did you know that it took Thomas Edison 10,000 attempts to perfect the light bulb? Bill Gates failed many times; even his first company was a complete failure. These prove that we must learn from our failures, not run from them!
1. What does the author think of failures?| A．They bring us great pressure and wrong ideas. | B．They can be avoided if we take things seriously. |
| C．They sadden us and make us lose faith gradually. | D．They can lead to success if we learn from them. |
| A．He told his parents the truth but got a scolding. |
| B．He made up his mind to learn as much as he could. |
| C．He secretly changed his grades to please his parents. |
| D．He paid no attention to them and kept studying hard. |
| A．To present their outstanding achievements. | B．To stress the necessity to learn from failures. |
| C．To explain the great significance of hard work. | D．To show their approaches to starting a business. |
| A．Rome Is Not Built in a Day | B．There Is No End to Learning |
| C．Failure Is the Mother of Success | D．A Good Beginning Is Half Done |
【推荐2】Over the last two days, much of Spain has been coated with dust (灰尘) , and the skies have turned bright orange. A huge cloud of dust from the Sahara Desert is causing the strange weather. The dust cloud is expected to spread to other parts of Europe.
Across much of Spain on Tuesday morning, a thin layer (层) of red dust coated everything outside. From streets to sidewalks to balconies, everything was covered with a layer of dust. As the sun rose, the dust in the air turned the skies in some cities a strange orange. The cause of the dust and unusual sky colour wasn’t a forest fire, but dust from the Sahara Desert.
Every year, a large cloud of dust rises from the Sahara Desert. It’s called the Saharan Air Layer. Usually, it crosses the Atlantic Ocean as part of a natural cycle that helps develop farmland and beaches in Central and South America.
But sometimes, depending on the weather, the layer of dust gets forced to the north. Large sandstorms in northern Africa lift sand and dust into the air, where it gets blown towards Spain. Though the particles (微粒) in the air come from sand, they’re much more like dust than sand at a beach.
These kinds of storms aren’t unknown in Spain. In fact, it has a special name. It’s called a “calima”. This calima is so large that it can be seen from space. A NASA scientist who studies weather in the atmosphere says it’s like a river of dust in the air. That river of dust has met with a river of wet air driven by strong winds.
Spain’s weather service described the dust storm as being “very intense (强烈) ”. At one point on Tuesday, the air quality in Madrid was the worst in the world. Government health experts warned people not to go outside without a mask, and to keep their windows and doors closed at home.
1. What turned Spain’s skies orange?| A．A huge cloud. | B．Pollutant from Europe. |
| C．Dust from Sahara. | D．Heavy rainfall. |
| A．It’s helpful for farming. | B．It hits Spain every year. |
| C．It’s from South America. | D．It leads to forest fires. |
| A．Attractive. | B．Unbelievable. | C．Common. | D．Useful. |
| A．Travel. | B．Nature. | C．Science. | D．Health. |
【推荐3】Why is it that you can remember the name of your childhood best friend that you haven't seen in years yet easily forget the name of a person you just met a moment ago？In other words, why are some memories stable over decades, while others disappear within minutes？
Caltech researchers carried out their work about memories in the laboratory. The research team developed a test to examine mice's neural（神经的）activity as they learn about and remember a new place. In the test, a mouse was placed in a straight enclosure( 围 场 ), about 5 feet long with white walls. Unique symbols marked different locations along the walls. Sugar water（a treat for mice）was placed at either end of the track.
When a mouse was placed in the track, it was unsure of what to do at first and wandered left and right until it came across the sugar water. In these cases, single neurons were activated when the mouse took notice of a symbol on the wall. Over numerous experiences with the track, the mouse became familiar with it and remembered the locations of the sugar water. As the mouse became more familiar, more and more neurons were activated when seeing each symbol on the wall. Essentially, the mouse was recognizing where it was with respect to each unique symbol.
To study how memories disappear over time, the researchers then kept back the mice from the track for up to 20 days. Upon returning to the track after this break, mice that had formed strong memories encoded（编码）by higher numbers of neurons remembered the task quickly. Even though some neurons showed different activity, the mouse's memory of the track was clearly identifiable when researchers analyzed the activity of large groups of neurons.
This work shows that memories might disappear more rapidly as we age because a memory is encoded by fewer neurons, and if any of these neurons fail, the memory will be lost. The study suggests that one day, designing treatments that could encourage a higher number of neurons to encode a memory could help prevent memory loss.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| B．To show the examples of bad memory. |
| C．To compare different people's memories. |
| D．To prove the importance of childhood memories. |
| A．lost interest in the symbols soon |
| B．had to climb over the long white wall |
| C．would get sugar water as their rewards |
| D．wandered left and right nervously all the time |
| A．They had their neurons show different activity. |
| B．They love sugar water better than other mice. |
| C．They stayed in the track for over 20 days. |
| D．They possessed more activated neurons. |
| A．Mice's memory seems better than humans |
| B．The aging process of humans is unavoidable. |
| C．Memory loss is expected to be cured in the future. |
| D．The study has found the way to prevent neurons from failing. |
