Imagine getting ready for bed, brushing your teeth, setting your alarm and then putting a device on your head that allows you to control your dreams. It might sound like something out of a Christopher Nolan movie, but it’s also the real-life promise of a new futuristic-looking headband called Halo, currently in development by US tech start-up Prophetic.
Planned for release in 2025, Halo aims to allow you to have more lucid dreams-dreams where you are aware that you’re dreaming. In some cases, you might also exert (施加) a degree of control over what happens in these dreams, perhaps in ways that benefit your waking life, such as solving work problems, visiting faraway lands, practising guitar and much more.
The state-of-the-art approach taken by the team behind the Halo device involves two stages. First, they are using EEG (脑电图) and fMRI (功能性磁共振成像) to collect vast amounts of brain data from volunteers experiencing lucid dreams. This information will be key for the second main area of investigation, which involves using TUS (超声) to manipulate brain activity in a way that will induce (诱导), sustain and influence lucid dreams by employing high-frequency sounds.
So, is there any reason not to be excited about the Halo headset? One issue is that TUS is a relatively new approach to brain stimulation and it's not entirely clear what the long-term consequences of zapping your brain with high-frequency sounds might be. A second Issue is that some sleep scientists believe dreams have basic functions. One potential concern is that by using a device to alter (更改) the nature of your dreams, you risk interfering with the usual purpose of your dreams: A final consideration is that there are already several established techniques for inducing lucid dreams that do not involve cutting-edge technology, such as training by repeatedly pairing a sound with deliberate thoughts of self-awareness, which are cheaper than the Halo headset.
With all these issues taken into consideration, the journey ahead is not without obstacles, and only time will reveal the future path of Halo.
1. How does Halo aim to impact users’ dreams?| A．By keeping a clear track of dreams. | B．By enabling more conscious dreams. |
| C．By producing more frequent dreams. | D．By increasing the duration of dreams. |
| A．Too much control over dream content. |
| B．Known long-term impacts on the brain. |
| C．Privacy concerns about collecting brain data. |
| D．Interference with the basic functions of dreams. |
| A．Dreams altered by Halo would lose all usual functions. |
| B．Other. established techniques are less effective than Halo. |
| C．Halo is the most advanced device for lucid dreams so far. |
| D．High-frequency sounds cause permanent damage to the brain. |
| A．The Basic Functions of Lucid Dreams |
| B．The Promising Future of Halo Headband |
| C．The Pros and Cons of Dream Controlling |
| D．Halo Headband: a Device for Lucid Dreams |
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【推荐1】Traffic Management
Traffic lights are key tools for regulating traffic now.They are not, however, perfect.Drivers exchange the traffic jams that would happen at unmanaged crossings for a pattern of stop-go movement that can still be annoying, and which burns more fuel than a smooth passage would.
Creating such a smooth passage means adjusting a vehicle's speed so that it always arrives at the lights when they are green.That is theoretically possible, but practically hard.Roadside signs wired to traffic lights can help get the message across a couple hundred metres from a crossing, but such signs are expensive, and are not widespread.Margaret Martonosi and Emmanouil Koukoumidis at Princeton University, and Li-Shiuan Peh at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, however, have an idea that could make the process cheaper and more effective.Instead of a hardwired network of signs, they propose to use mobile-phone applications.The driver must load the team's software, named SignalGuru, into his phone and then put it on a special thing attached to the inside of his car's windscreen, with the camera lens （镜头） pointing forward.SignalGuru is designed to detect traffic lights and track their status as red, yellow or green.It broadcasts this information to other phones in the area that are fitted with the same software, and — if there are enough of them, the phones thus each know the status of most of the lights around town.Using this information, SignalGuru is able to calculate the traffic-light schedule for the area and suggest the speed at which a driver should travel in order to avoid red lights.
Tests in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where five drivers were asked to follow the same route for three hours, and in Singapore, where eight drivers were asked to follow one of two routes for 30 minutes, revealed that SignalGuru was capable of predicting traffic-light activity with an accuracy of 98.2% and 96.3% respectively, in the two cities.This was particularly impressive because in Cambridge the lights shifted, roughly half-way through the test, from their unbusy schedule to their afternoon-traffic schedule, while in Singapore lights are adaptive, using detectors fixed under the road to determine how much traffic is present and thus when a signal should change.In neither case was SignalGuru fooled.
Fuel consumption fell, too —by about 20%.SignalGuru thus reduces both annoyance and fuel use, and makes going back and forth to work a slightly less horrible experience.
1. Roadside signs wired to traffic lights are not the best way to create a smooth passage because____________.| A．they are too costly and not widely used |
| B．they are expensive and easily break |
| C．they are complex and confusing to drivers |
| D．they are theoretically possible but practically useless |
| A．a camera | B．a computer |
| C．a mobile phone | D．a GPS system in one's car |
| A．help drivers avoid traffic accidents | B．allow drivers to adjust their speed |
| C．change the traffic lights in advance | D．send information to all cell phones |
| A．proved to be unreliable | B．operated at a high speed |
| C．understood drivers' schedules | D．functioned rather stably |
【推荐2】A national engineering laboratory in Tianjin is the base of the world’s largest and most advanced sound source identification system for commercial use. At first sight, the equipment, known as a sound camera and consisting of a big wheel with a supporting frame, resembles a mini Ferris wheel that lacks seats and cannot turn around. A closer look at the 5-meter-diameter wheel reveals high-tech features like an array of 144 sensors used to capture, identify and analyze the source of noise on railways.“It is like a sound radar (雷达) for discovering noise,” said Hu Wenlin, vice head of the National Engineering Laboratory for Noise Control and Reduction at China Railway Design Corporation.
Hu said that the data produced by the machine allows engineers to better understand the sounds generated when a train passes by, e.g. which part produces the most noise. After analyzing the data, engineers can draw up precise plans to reduce noise and make construction plans accordingly. For example, if a railway passes a residential area with stricter noise abatement requirements, engineers can come up with a plan to minimize noise, usually at greater expense. But if a railway passes a place with more relaxed noise control requirements, designers can make a cheaper plan.
Noise control technologies have been applied to dozens of major railway projects across the country. The sound camera, fully developed in China, is advanced by world standards, said Wang Changjin, the director of the National Engineering Laboratory. Before the sound camera was available, engineers usually used a pole fitted with sensors to collect sound data along railway lines.“It cannot be compared to the technique we are using now, which is far more precise,” Wang said.
The machine is just one of many innovations developed by the laboratory. It has conducted many research projects on railways, leading to the development of key noise control equipment for high-speed railways and bringing quieter lives to people living near the lines.
1. What can we learn about the sound camera?| A．It’s invented by Hu Wenlin for business use. |
| B．It translates sound information into images. |
| C．It’s a sound radar in the shape of a wheel. |
| D．It’s fitted with many sensors to study noise. |
| A．The data of the sound camera assist engineers to make better plans. |
| B．Engineers can control the noise requirements. |
| C．Engineers can make precise plans to reduce noise. |
| D．The stricter the noise control requirements, the cheaper the expenses. |
| A．It’s easier to move than other sound collectors. |
| B．It has been widely used in railway projects. |
| C．It operates much more accurately. |
| D．It’s available for railway workers. |
| A．China’s noise control technology leads the world. |
| B．Sound cameras make railway lines quieter. |
| C．Advanced technology rids people of much noise. |
| D．Conducting sound research is of great importance. |
【推荐3】A Pen That Draws in Any Color
The Scribble is a magical pen that can scan colors and instantly reproduce the colors. Hold the Scribble’s scanner up to any color, and within a second that color is stored in its memory.
Who can use the Scribble?
Children will love the Scribble because it can create different colors, replacing even their biggest box of crayons. Besides, anyone working with color in their professional lives, such as artists, will be able to scan and reproduce colors instantly.
Green! One of the most important characteristics of the Scribble is that, since it can reproduce any color, it replaces marking pens, greatly reducing the huge amount of plastic waste.
What’s inside the Scribble?
There will be two different versions of the Scribble, the Scribble K and the Scribble S. The K will be able to reproduce exact colors on paper. It includes a color sensor and a rechargeable battery.
How did we create the Scribble?
We’ve been in the design process for two years and the Scribble has gone through various design changes to get it to where we are now. Because of its small size we have created some ideas never seen before in the color reproduction industry.
Thank you for your support.
| A．What do we need the Scribble for? |
| B．What’s the Scribble’s best colour? |
| C．It’s the best birthday gift you may choose for your kids. |
| D．Thank you so much for your concern about the Scribble. |
| E．There is 1 GB of internal memory that will store over 100, 000 colors. |
| F．We created the Scribble for YOU and want you to be a part of the process. |
| G．Once stored, that color can be used to draw on paper or on a digital screen. |
【推荐1】Researchers have known for decades that orcas (逆戟鲸) across the North Pacific have harmful pollutants in their system.
Now, a new study reveals orcas in the western North Atlantic, including those in the Arctic, are significantly more polluted than animals in the east — a finding that “shocked” study leader Anaïs Remili, a postdoctoral researcher at McGill University in Montreal. The research strongly points to their diet playing a major role in the level of pollutants, rather than their location.
The study looked at the presence of persistent organic pollutants, or toxic chemicals that degrade slowly and accumulate in the body, in the blubber (鲸脂) of orcas across the North Atlantic. These pollutants, relics of industrial and agricultural processes, “have a tendency to bind to fat,” says Remili, whose study was published in October in the journal Environmental Science & Technology. These chemicals weaken orcas’ immune systems, disrupt their endocrine (内分泌) function, prevent growth and brain development, and even interfere with reproduction.
Pollutants increase as they move up through the food chain, and the orcas that consume top predators — for example, those that primarily eat other marine mammals rather than fish—are most polluted. Thanks to their high body fat and position as apex (最高点) predators, orcas are some of “the most contaminated animals on the planet,” Remili says.
Her earlier research showed that eastern North Atlantic orcas primarily feed on herring (鲱鱼); mid-North Atlantic orcas feed on seals and mackerel (鲭鱼); and western North Atlantic orcas feed on baleen whales, porpoises (海豚) and seals.
It makes sense that western North Atlantic orcas would have higher pollutants, due to their diet, but “you would expect less contaminants overall in the Arctic compared to industrialized areas,” such as off the east coast of North America, Remili says.
“We’ve really come to learn that you are what you eat,” says Peter Ross, senior scientist and healthy waters program director at the Raincoast Conservation Foundation in British Columbia, who wasn’t involved in the study. “The top of the food chain, as illustrated by these long-lived killer whales, is extremely easy to hurt.”
1. What can we know according to Anaïs Remili’s study?| A．The polluted orcas in the Eastern Atlantic are in the lead. |
| B．The orcas’ immune system is influenced negatively by chemicals. |
| C．The blubber of orcas is easy to break down and accumulate in the body. |
| D．Orcas’ location is more important than their diet in the level of pollutants. |
| A．Those feeding on fish. | B．Those feeding on marine plants. |
| C．Those feeding on predators. | D．Those feeding on marine mammals. |
| A．Orcas’ tastes vary from place to place. | B．Orcas can be particular about food. |
| C．Orcas are fond of fish and shrimps. | D．Orcas can only be found in the Atlantic. |
| A．Orcas’ diet resulted in more pollutants. | B．The marine food chain needs to be protected. |
| C．Peter Ross participated in the study unwillingly. | D．Pollutants found in the Arctic orcas are not the most. |
Now speaking a foreign language is what most people want. Every year millions of people start learning one. How do they do it? Some people try at home, with books and records of tapes; some use radio or television programs; some use computers and network; others go to evening classes. If they use the language only 2 or 3 times a week, learning it will take a long time, like learning a foreign language at school. A few people try to learn a language fast by studying for 6 or more hours a day. It is clearly easier to learn the language in the country where it is spoken.
However, most people cannot afford this, and for many it is not necessary. They need the language in order to do their work better. For example, scientists and doctors chiefly need to be able to read books and reports in the foreign language. Whether the language is learnt quickly or slowly, it is hard work. Machines and good books will help, but they cannot do the student’s work for him.
1. According to some advertisements, you ______.
| A．have to pay your money if you cannot master a foreign language in 6 weeks |
| B．needn’t pay your money if you cannot learn a foreign language in 6 weeks |
| C．must pay your money if you cannot master a foreign language in 6 weeks |
| D．will be paid much money if you cannot learn a foreign language in 6 weeks |
| A．read the literature of the country |
| B．read books and reports |
| C．do their work better |
| D．go to foreign countries |
| A．only for scientists and doctors |
| B．only for the students at school |
| C．for those people at home |
| D．for most people |
【推荐3】Volunteering means working for free to help someone else. Many teens agree that helping others feels great and makes a difference. These days, more teens volunteer to work for others. They cleanup parks, walk dogs at animal shelters, visit the elderly.
Some cities — including Seattle, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. require high school students to volunteer. Students must volunteer in order to graduate. The student volunteers learn new skills and help their communities (社区).
Many parents subscribe to the idea — they say volunteering helps teens build job skills. But most teens don’t want to be forced to volunteer. They say they are busy and volunteering is only fun if it’s a choice.
Read both sides of the debate and decide.
Yes·Volunteering can help teens get into college or get a job.
·Many cities and towns need help. Volunteers can help keep important programs going.
·Not all teens will volunteer if it isn’t required. Schools should require students to do all they can to get ready for adult life.
No·Most teens are already very busy with classes, homework, jobs, and sports. Forcing them to do more isn’t fair.
·It should be up to each person. Helping out doesn’t feel as good if you have to do it.
·Finding a volunteer job isn’t always easy, Students shouldn’t be kept from graduating because of something they can’t control.
1. What does the “No” side think of volunteer jobs?| A．They waste students’ precious time. |
| B．Students shouldn’t be stopped from graduation because of them. |
| C．They won’t help teens prepare for their adult life. |
| D．They are not as important as students’ homework. |
| A．correct | B．revise | C．devote | D．agree with |
| A．volunteering is a must for college school students |
| B．everyone would like to volunteer |
| C．finding a volunteer job is not difficult |
| D．high school students won’t graduate if they don’t volunteer |
| A．Whether volunteering is good for students. | B．Whether students should be required to volunteer. |
| C．What kind of volunteer jobs students should do. | D．Who are best to do volunteer jobs. |
