【推荐1】Many metals must be made into thin films before they can be used in technological products like electronics or fuel cells. “Stubborn” metals, however, are very difficult to turn into thin films because they require extremely high temperatures.

Typically, scientists make metal films using the technique that consists of making metals become gas at high temperatures and allowing a film to form on top of wafers (晶片). But this conventional method is very expensive, uses a lot of energy, and may also bé unsafe due to high temperatures. Now, the researchers from University of Minnesota have developed a way to make these metals become gas at significantly lower temperatures, fewer than 200 degrees instead of several thousands. By designing and adding organic ligands (有机配体) to these metals, the researchers were able to greatly increase the material vapor (蒸气) pressure, making them easier to become gas at lower temperatures. Not only is their new technique simpler, but it also makes higher quality materials.

“The ability to make new materials with ease and control is necessary to walk into a new era of energy economy,” said Bharat Jalan, the senior author of the study. “There is already a historical link between the innovation in science and the development of new technology. Millions of dollars go into making materials for various applications. Now, we’ve come up with a simpler and cheaper technology that makes better materials.”

These “stubborn” metals are used to make lots of products. “Bringing down the cost and complexity of these metals will play a large role in both industrial and research efforts,” said William Nunn, the paper’s first author. “Now that making these metals into thin films becomes easier, we want to see renewed interest in the more complex materials which contain these stubborn metals.”

The research is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

1. How did scientists use to make metal films?

A．By using high temperatures.	B．By consuming less energy.
C．By adding new materials.	D．By decreasing metal vapor pressure.

2. What is Bharat Jalan’s attitude towards the new technology?

A．Negative.	B．Uninterested.
C．Doubtful.	D．Positive.

3. What is William Nunn’s hope?

A．To attract more attention to “stubborn” metals.

B．To reduce the cost of “stubborn” metals.

C．To increase the complexity of “stubborn” metals.

D．To make energy economy develop faster.

4. What is this text mainly about?

A．Characteristics of “stubborn” metals.

B．The usages of metal thin films.

C．The process of making “stubborn” metals.

D．A new way to make metal thin films.

【推荐2】To solve a big environmental problem, chemists in the Czech Republic have been thinking small. Really small. Their new minirobot has one purpose: to help clean up tiny bits of plastic polluting waterways across the globe.

Each new robot is no bigger than the tip of a sharpened pencil. They are magnetic (有磁性的) and shaped like stars. When sunlight hits them, they produce chemical reactions that push them through water in a specific direction. When they find a piece of plastic, they stick to it and start to break it down. When the light goes out, they let go and are free to be used again.

“This work is great,” says Douglas Blackiston at Tufts University in Medford, Mass. He’s a biologist who did not work on the project but knows about such devices. He’s been designing robots out of living cells, including some that might help with pollution cleanup. Speaking of the new one, he mentions that, “These robots can eat plastic. They chew it up. Or they can recover it and be collected with a magnet. Scientists love robots with all these capabilities. ”

Chemist Martin Pumera at the Czech University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague led the project. He studies ways to build microrobots. About a decade ago, he says, scientists began developing tiny bots that could move themselves in water. Then, they had to find them a mission and thought “Let’s make them do something useful.” Since then, Pumera has focused on the problem posed by microplastics, which are everywhere—from the bottom of the ocean to air blowing onto ice atop mountains. They’ve turned up in drinking water, both bottled and tap water, and some studies estimate that trillions of pieces of plastic end up in the world’s waters. The plastic has many sources, from drinking straws and shopping bags to laundry and cleaning wipes. Plastic doesn’t easily degrade or fall apart, and that’s always been one of its appeals.

Pumera says his final goal is to make cheap and environmentally friendly robots that can be used anywhere in the world.

1. What do the new robots mainly do?

A．To collect tiny bits of plastic in the sea	B．To push the pollution in water away
C．To help do research into the plastic	D．To deal with the plastic in water

2. How do the new robots get powered?

A．By stars

B．By plastic

C．By sunlight

D．By living cells

3. Why did Pumera take part in the project?

A．Because of public attention to the plastic

B．Because of the challenges from the plastic

C．Because he was asked to do so by other scientists

D．Because he was inspired by the invention of microrobots

4. What is the best title of the article?

A．Small robots, big dreams	B．No plastic in water anymore!
C．Robots, winners against plastic	D．The fight between robots and plastic

【推荐3】Ten years ago, when Benjamin Choi was in the third grade, he watched a “60 Minutes” documentary about a mind-controlled robotic arm. Researchers put tiny sensors (传感器) into the brain of a patient who moved a robotic arm using only her thoughts. “I was really, really amazed at the technology at the time,” he says. “But I was also alarmed that it   required this really risky open brain surgery. And it’s so inaccessible and so expensive.”

When the pandemic hit in 2020, Choi — then a tenth grader — suddenly found himself with lots of free time. And the documentary he had seen years earlier still stuck with him, so he decided to build a robotic arm himself. He set up a temporary laboratory in his basement, on the ping-pong table, where he sometimes would work up to 16 hours a day. With experience in programming and robotics, he was able to independently design the first version of his robotic arm using his sister’s $75 3D printer and some fishing line.

After more than seventy-five design attempts, Choi’s non-invasive, mind-controlled robotic arm is   now made from engineering-grade materials. It   operates using an algorithm   (算法) driven by artificial intelligence (AI) that interprets a user’s brain waves, which are picked up by electroencephalography, or EEG. The EEG devices record the brain’s electrical activity using sensors placed on the head. And it only costs around $300 to make the arm.

Brock Wester, a bio-medical engineer at Johns Hopkins University, says Choi’s design is very impressive. “He should continue to do research in this space, because I think he can make lots of important contributions,” he says of Choi.

Choi’s mind has apparently gone far beyond his achievement of the robotic arm. “Brain wave interpretation is a really big emerging field,” he says. “I believe my algorithm is among the best of all the algorithms reported in literature. I think it could have big applications going forward.”

1. What did the documentary about a robotic arm probably mean to Choi?

A．An alarm.	B．An instruction.
C．An inspiration.	D．An entertainment.

2. Where are the sensors settled to catch brain waves according to Choi’s design?

A．In the brain.	B．On the head.
C．In the AI arm.	D．On EEG devices.

3. Which word best describes Wester’s attitude when he says of Choi?

A．Expectant.

B．Satisfied.

C．Suspect.

D．Reserved.

4. What does the underlined “it” in the last paragraph refer to?

A．The robotic arm.	B．Literature.
C．Brain wave interpretation.	D．Choi’s algorithm.

【推荐3】“I’ve always been quite confident myself,” Leah Williamson tells The Week Junior, “but more shy than people realise.”

Williamson is the captain of the England women’s football team, the Lionesses, who won the Euro 2022 tournament (联赛). However, reaching such heights hasn’t always been easy and she’s had to learn how to believe in herself. Using her own experiences, she has written a book with journalist Susan, called You Have the Power: Find Your Strength and Believe You Can, to encourage young people.

Football has always been a big part of Williamson’s life, ever since she started playing at the age of six. She says, “It’s probably the one thing in my life that I’ve been truly passionate about the whole time.” Her family loved it too, and were divided between supporting Hotspur and Arsenal—rival (竞争对手) clubs in north London. When she was a child, her family encouraged Williamson not to be scared, even if it felt intimidating to take part in a sport that was mostly played by boys. By teaching her important lessons, such as how to have faith in herself, her family helped her to grow.

She hopes she can encourage readers to achieve their dreams—football-related or not. “I’m not trying to make everybody that reads this book the next best footballer in the world,” she says. “I’m just trying to give them a sense of how amazing it feels to look at yourself and be proud.”

You Have the Power: Find Your Strength and Believe You Can is out in bookshops now.

1. What do we know about Williamson?

A．She wrote a book on her own.	B．She won the World 2022 tournament.
C．Her book was based on her experiences.	D．It was easy for her to win football games.

2. How did Williamson’s family support her?

A．They taught her how to play football.

B．They encouraged her to be brave and confident.

C．They loved and supported the same football team.

D．They showed her the significance of playing football.

3. What does the underlined word “intimidating” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Frightening.

B．Inspiring.

C．Puzzling.

D．Embarrassing.

4. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To inspire readers to achieve their dreams.

B．To attract more young people to play football.

C．To tell readers some information about football.

D．To introduce a female football player and her book

【推荐1】A few months ago, a friend gifted me a robot sweeper that’s programmed to move around a room and clean as it goes.

When the box arrived, I was afraid the device would detect me and suck up (汲取) data along with the dog hair and dust. But the instructions were easy, and I finally decided not to care.

I powered up the sweeper, watched it leave its docking station to work, and quickly fell in love with my newly shiny floors. I kept shooting its working videos. “I think you’re giving more attention to it than to us,” joked my son.

One day, I returned home and discovered that our front door had blown open and the robot rolled into the yard, trying to clean the flower beds. Even when its brushes were blocked with leaves, bugs and mud, its little wheels bravely kept turning.

The robot acted properly as it was programmed to clean “dirty” things. In a kitchen, dirt can be garden debris (碎片) such as leaves and mud. In a garden, this kind of dirt does not need to be removed. The context is important. The problem for robots is that reading this context is difficult.

This accident inspired me to think more about AI (artificial intelligence). As far as I am concerned, AI is simply well trained and reproduces what it has learned. And it is undeniable that robots are increasingly being given powerful intelligence. Some experts even predict that we will soon see not only AI-enabled robots designed to solve problems according to their instructions, but also those with the ability to judge how they should respond when they are in a different setting.

Maybe this will happen in the near future.

1. What was the author’s concern about the robot sweeper at first?

A．Its after-sales service.	B．Its working efficiency.
C．The privacy of her family.	D．The readability of its instructions.

2. How did the author feel about the robot sweeper after using it?

A．Enthusiastic.

B．Regretful.

C．Uncertain.

D．Cautious.

3. What was the root cause of the accident happening to the robot sweeper?

A．Its program went wrong.	B．It lacked critical thinking.
C．Its wheels were badly designed.	D．It failed to work on rough surfaces.

4. What does the sixth paragraph mainly talk about concerning AI?

A．The accident.	B．Some experts’ thinking.
C．Its appeal to the author.	D．The author’s opinion.

【推荐2】If job seekers knew companies were using artificial intelligence in hiring, would it stop them from applying for the job? The answer, according to a recent study, is yes — sometimes.

Companies dealing with recent labor shortages are increasingly turning to AI as a way to speed up the hiring process. The new research focuses on when using AI in hiring could be counterproductive (产生相反效果). For instance, in one part of the study participants were shown fictional job postings and then asked if they intended to apply for the position. The researchers found that if the job posting said AI was used to both screen applicants and conduct interviews, participants’ intention to apply for the position was 2.77 on a six-point scale on average. If AI was used only for the screening process, participants’ intention to apply averaged 3.73.

In another experiment, the researchers also found that participants saw advantages as well as disadvantages in the use of AI in hiring. When AI was used to both screen applicants and conduct interviews, participants expected the hiring process to be more consistent in its judgments than when Al was less involved, ranking the process at an average of 3.66 for consistency on a five-point scale. When AI was just used to screen applicants but not interview them, participants ranked the process at 3.48 for consistency. When AI was used in neither of them, participants ranked the process at 3.16 for consistency. On the other hand, when the participants were told the hiring would be fully automated (机械化), they tended to believe that it will lead to a lack of personal interaction during interviews. Overall, the study results suggest that this concern tends to outweigh the appreciation of AI’s fairness at the interviewing stage where they expect opportunities to sell themselves and to learn more about the company.

“A hybrid approach where companies use AI in some stages of hiring but not others may be a way to get the best of both worlds,” says Jenny Wesche, a co-author of the study. “It depends on the situation where it’s used.”

1. What is the purpose of the question raised in paragraph 1?

A．To present a new trend.	B．To express concern.
C．To make an assumption.	D．To introduce a research.

2. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The use of AI in interviews may discourage some job applicants.

B．A hybrid approach is being used in most companies to hire employees.

C．The more automated the hiring is, the less consistent the judgements are.

D．The participants place fairness above personal interaction during interviews.

3. What is Jenny Wesche’s attitude towards the use of AI in the hiring process?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.