【推荐2】Unless you are like Nasty Gal’s founder Sophia Amoruso, the passwords you use to access your email and the endless other accounts you need for work aren’t filled with intention. With increasing security requirements, it’s likely your word/number combinations are becoming even less memorable. But new research suggests it may not be long before you won’t need to memorize passwords.

“Brainprint”, published in Neurocomputing, reveals that the brain’s reaction to certain words could be a unique identifying code — like a fingerprint — that could eventually replace passwords.

In a small experiment, the researchers measured the brains’ signals of 45 volunteers as they read through a list of 75 acronyms such as FBI and DVD. The word-recognition response differed so much between each participant that a second experiment using a computer program could identify each one with 94% accuracy.

It’s not enough to feel totally secure, but promising enough to hint at the future of securing sensitive information.

The advantage of using such a biometric system (生物识别系统) is that it can be used for continuous verification (验证), New Scientist points out. Passwords or fingerprints only provide a tool for one-off identification. Continuous verification could in theory allow someone to interact with many computer systems at the same time or even with a variety of intelligent objects, without having to repeatedly enter passwords for each device.

As Hollywood has illustrated, it’s simply a matter of cutting off a finger to steal that person’s identity. “Brainprints, on the other hand, are potentially cancellable,” said Sarah Laszlo, assistant professor of psychology and linguistics at Binghamton University and co-author of the study, “So, in the unlikely event that attackers were actually able to steal a brainprint from an authorized user, the authorized user could then ‘reset’ their brainprint.”

Until now, brain signals have been a challenge to understand. This experiment leaped over the obstacle by focusing on the brainwaves from the specific area that reads and recognizes words. The signal is therefore clearer and easier to measure.

The problem, so far, is that the brain signal is still not as accurate as scanning someone’s fingerprint, and initially requires sticking diodes (二极管) on your head in order to get a read. That’s ok, according to Zhanpeng Jin, assistant professor at Binghamton University and coauthor of the study, because brainprint isn’t going to be mass-produced any time soon. He says the researchers foresee its use at places such as the Pentagon, where the number of authorized users is small, and they don’t need to be continuously verified the way you do to access your mobile device or email.

Better keep your memory sharp, at least a little while longer.

1. In paragraph 5, “one-off identification” refers to the identification that _______.

A．happens as part of a regular series	B．interacts with intelligent objects
C．can be verified continuously	D．needs repeated verification

2. According to Sarah Laszlo, _______.

A．fingerprints can be canceled once stolen	B．brainprints are theft-proof and resettable
C．attackers can steal and replace brainprints	D．users have the authority to cancel brainprints

3. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．brainprints will sharpen users’ memory	B．brainprints will become easier to be measured
C．brainprints will receive narrow application	D．brainprints will eventually replace fingerprints

4. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?

A．Brainprints: A New Way to Replace Passwords

B．Brainprints: A Unique Device to Identify Codes

C．Brainprints: A Quicker Way to Access Your Email

D．Brainprints: A Securer Device to Identify Brain Signals

【推荐1】A books-for-food program in Guatemala is helping feed needy children as hunger rates rise during the pandemic(疫情). It is run by a local nonprofit organization that aims to feed nearly 400 children.

The program is simple. People choose a book they want from a list of donated titles, and in return give bags of Incaparina, a high-protein drink mix. Bonifaz Diaz works for the program. By bringing the books-for-food program directly to people's homes, Diaz makes sure donations keep flowing. He has traveled more than 2,000 kilometers on his bicycle, delivered loads of books and carried back thousands of kilograms of Incaparina for the nonprofit group 32 Volcanoes. Diaz sometimes pulls a small cart that helps him carry up to 57 kilograms of product. He has traveled as far as 60 kilometers for a delivery to a town in the Western Highlands, where road conditions are poor.

Nearly a year into the books-for-food program, two more cyclists have joined Diaz and donations keep flowing in. Ana Castillo is a 29-year-old high school teacher who recently received the sociology book from Diaz. She donates to the program often. The 1.8 kilograms of Incaparina she provided will help one family eat for a month.

Castillo looks forward to choosing her books from the titles Diaz posts on social media. She also loves the feeling of a "growing circle" of giving and receiving. "You might not get to those places, but your help can. "she says.

Diaz says he plans to continue cycling against hunger as long as the need exists. He has faced his own economic difficulties since the theater company he co-founded closed last spring. But the program has kept him active. "It's an opportunity to serve in which we all benefit. "Diaz said.

1. What is the purpose of the program?

A．To serve the readers.

B．To produce Incaparina.

C．To offer poor children food.

D．To fight the pandemic.

2. What did Diaz do for the program?

A．He set up a social media.

B．He made donations frequently.

C．He rented a cart to carry goods.

D．He traveled to deliver books and food.

3. How is the program going now?

A．More people are involved in it.

B．Only two cyclists work for it.

C．Over 400 adults benefit from it.

D．Financial difficulties put it to an end.

4. Which word best describes Diaz's attitude towards the program?

A．Indifferent.

B．Supportive.

C．Tolerant.

D．Unwilling

【推荐2】What kind of amusing activities will you participate in during your life? Will you be spending your free time doing safe sports with little danger or will you always be one of the first people to try the next popular extreme activity? Scientists have been interested in finding out why some people seem to prefer dangerous activities.

Researchers have found that men often try to impress other people by proving that they are courageous and fearless, and they are more likely to take risks when people are watching them or when they are competing against other men. Research also shows that as people get older they usually behave more responsibly and avoid taking unnecessary risks. In addition, when people are in stable relationships, they seem to be less attracted to daring activities.

Some people seem to be more daring than others, but there are many different types of risks. Psychologists have identified a number of categories of risks. These include financial risks, risks related to health and safety, amusing risks and social risks. Psychologists discover that even if a person enjoys bungee(蹦极) jumping, it doesn’t mean he or she will take a chance when investing (投资) money or that he or she will tell a joke to a group of strangers.

Interestingly, research shows that in most cases men are less cautious than women, but women take more social risks than men. They are more likely to make career changes as they get older and to express unpopular opinions in business meetings.

Yet, at the end of the day, the probability of particular people taking a risk depends on their personalities. In general, optimistic people are more likely to take risks because they focus on the possible positive outcomes of their actions. On the other hand, those with opposite personality are much more likely to avoid taking a chance.

1. Why do men try to prove they are brave according to research?

A．To attract women’s attention.

B．To take on more responsibility.

C．To make favorable impressions on people.

D．To develop stable relationships with others.

2. What does the example of bungee jumping indicate?

A．There are more than one type of risk.

B．Bungee jumping is dangerous but popular.

C．People take one type of risk but not another.

D．Some people are more courageous than others.

3. What have researchers discovered about women?

A．They are willing to take risks.

B．They are always changing jobs.

C．They are good at doing business.

D．They are usually more conservative than men.

4. What is the text mainly talking about?

A．Different types of people’s risks.

B．Risks between men and women.

C．Personality determines whether people take risks.

D．People’s sense of taking risks.

【推荐3】There is proof that, in the past, large comets（彗星）or asteroids（小行星）have struck the Earth. Thirty-five million years ago, a three-kilometer-wide rock hit the ocean floor, 160 kilometers from what is now Washington, D. C., leaving an 85-kilometer-wide crater（坑）buried beneath Chesapeake Bay. Another giant rock, called Titan, ten kilometers in diameter smashed into the Gulf of Mexico around 65 million years ago, giving off thousands of times more energy than all the nuclear weapons on the planet combined. "The whole Earth burned that day," says Ed Lu, a physicist and former astronaut. "The chaos and destruction were unimaginable. Three-quarters of all life forms, including the dinosaurs, died out."

Astronomers have found numerous asteroids big enough to cause a disaster for the whole planet. None is on course to do so in our lifetimes, but there are many smaller asteroids that could strike in the near-future, with destructive effects. On June 30, 1908, an object as big as a 15-story building fell in Tunguska, a remote part of Siberia. The object, an asteroid or a small comet, exploded several kilometers before impact, burning and blowing down trees across 2, 000 square kilometers. Clouds of dust and ice filled the sky. The particles reflected the surfs light onto the Earth, and for days people in Europe could read newspapers outdoors at night. More recently, in 2013, a 20-meter meteor（流星）exploded over Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, injuring dozens of people on the ground. It was the largest object to enter the Earth's atmosphere since Tunguska.

The next time a large object falls out of the sky, we may be taken by surprise. Currently, there is no early-warning system for near-Earth objects. However, over the next decade, sky surveys, like the one being done by Tholen should begin filling that gap. Astronomers are making a list of thousands of asteroids to help us predict the next strike. "Every couple of weeks," says Lu, "we're going to be finding another asteroid with, like, a one-in-a-thousand chance of hitting the Earth."

1. When did the largest object mentioned in the text enter the Earth's atmosphere?

A．65 million years ago.	B．35 million years ago.
C．In 1908.	D．In 2013.

2. What does the author want to tell us by the examples in Paragraph 2?

A．The recent findings of rare stars.	B．The significance of disaster prevention.
C．The new knowledge of space travel.	D．The threat of comets and asteroids.

3. What can we infer from Ed Lu's words?

A．The chance of the earth being hit is decreasing.

B．Titan destroyed most life forms on earth.

C．The dinosaurs died out due to a nuclear explosion.

D．We have already had mature warning systems.

4. What is the author's attitude towards future predictions?

A．Pessimistic.	B．Indifferent.
C．Optimistic.	D．Neutral.