During the winter, Andy Law likes to keep his house warm, which used to be a problem. He’d sometimes forget to turn down the thermostat(恒温器）when he traveled, which raised his heating bills. But he hasn’t had to worry about that since buying one of Google’s Nest thermostats.
In fact, companies are developing many smart devices that will tailor their functions to what they learn about their user’s needs. But many of these devices are still in the drawing board, so the Nest thermostat first provides a good example of what is fast coming down the road.
Officials at Google Inc, say the Nest thermostat can understand what its owners want. The first three to four days is when it’s most eager to learn, said Maxime Veron, director of product marketing for Nest. It gathers data, temperature, the time it was set and occupancy. After four days, Nest learns enough to keep the house as hot or cold as the person generally prefers at different times.
One feature that will click in about a week after Nest starts learning is its “ Atuo-Away” function. Nest will automatically adjust the temperature to whatever the person previously has indicated they prefer when they’re gone.
The Auto -Away sensors also are designed to scan a room for movement “above most pets’ heads,” so it doesn’t mistake a dog or cat for a person and assume someone is still in the home. But the thermostats can be fooled by large pets.
Another feature many people seem to like is “Nest Leaf,” which gives the user feedback(反馈）whenever the temperatures they set save energy. So if the person raises the temperature enough on a hot day or down on a cool one, a green leaf appears on the thermostat.
However, some people say that it is too expensive. But after trying it out, PC Magazine editor John Delaney said, “it is a must for anyone looking to save on heating and air conditioning costs and I like the idea of setting it and forgetting it.”
1. After buying a Nest thermostat, Andy Law _____| A．doesn’t worry about his traveling expenses |
| B．has solved his health problems |
| C．doesn’t need to keep his house warm |
| D．has reduced his heating bills |
| A．out of control | B．in the process of being planned |
| C．designed in many new ways | D．made for a special purpose |
| A．affect and change its users’ living habits |
| B．recognize the differences between people and large pets |
| C．collect detailed information about its users’ activities |
| D．learn its users’ daily heating and cooling preferences |
| A．adjust your Nest thermostat to an energy-efficient temperature |
| B．turn down your Nest thermostat on a hot day |
| C．turn on the “Auto-Away” function of your Nest thermostat |
| D．place your Nest thermostat in a cool house |
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【推荐1】Android phones will be used to sense earthquakes around the world and may one day be able to provide global warnings, with the first mass alert system coming into use on August 11 in California, a search engine company announced.
The company, which helped develop Android, worked with California and the United States Geological Survey to build the quake alerts into all phones that run the common mobile operating system. Android users who have enabled location services and are near a quake of magnitude 4.5 or greater will receive a full-screen earthquake warning telling them to seek cover. The screen also will provide estimates of the quake’s magnitude and distance from the user. Depending on their distance from a quake, people could get several seconds or perhaps a minute of warning.
Users won’t need to download California’s MyShake app in order to receive the alerts. That application, developed by the University of California, Berkeley and launched last year, has been downloaded by only about 1 million of California’s 40 million residents. By contrast, many millions of people own Android phones.
“This announcement means that California’s world-class earthquake early warning system will be a standard function on every Android phone—giving millions of people precious seconds to seek cover when the big one hits,” Gov Gavin Newsom said. The iPhone users won’t receive the alerts through Apple’s operating system, but they can download the MyShake app.
Also, the company announced that Android phones would begin detecting earthquakes from around the world through their motion-sensing accelerometers. “Your Android phone can be a mini-seismometer(微型地震仪), joining millions of other Android phones there to form the world’s largest earthquake detection network,” according to the company. More than 2 billion devices run the Android operating system. Hundreds of millions of people live in earthquake-prone areas. But many countries lack the resources to build detection and alert systems, the company said. The information will be used at first to provide fast and accurate information on the search engine. But the company said it could begin sending out earthquake alerts next year.
1. If an earthquake hits the US, who won`t receive the earthquake warning?| A．Android users who haven’t downloaded the MyShake app. |
| B．The iPhone users who have downloaded the MyShake app. |
| C．Android users who have downloaded the MyShake app. |
| D．The iPhone users who haven`t downloaded the MyShake app. |
| A．The earthquake early warning system will be of great help. |
| B．The company has sent out earthquake alerts since last year. |
| C．Millions of people have downloaded the MyShake app. |
| D．Over 2 billion devices run the Apple operating system. |
| A．New technology developed by the company. | B．The large number of Android phone users. |
| C．The newly developed MyShake app. | D．Motion-sensing accelerometers. |
| A．To promote Android phones. |
| B．To share a new MyShake app. |
| C．To introduce a new function of Android phones. |
| D．To make a search engine company known to the world. |
【推荐2】Can you recall last night’s dream? Were you on an adventure? Did you encounter inspiring people or achieve great things? Are you now feeling energized? Or has a dream left you feeling confused — why were you in the middle of the school football field wearing your pyjamas (睡衣)? And why did no one else seem to notice?
Experts claim that people dream around four to six times every night. While you’re lying in bed sleeping, the brain processes memories, emotions and information that you’ve absorbed throughout the waking day. Sometimes you recall good dreams in the morning; now and again more negative images stay in your mind — something Native Americans were all too aware of, hence their invention of dreamcatchers.
Made from a circular hoop to look like a spider’s web (蜘蛛网), they were thought to bring good luck, especially when placed by a window in a room used for sleeping. Believing the night air to be filled with both positive and negative dreams, tribes (部落) claimed that pleasant ones would easily pass through the hoop, gently going down the attached feathers to comfort the person in bed. Anything upsetting would be trapped by the dreamcatcher’s web, disappearing in the first ray of early light.
Dreamcatchers are thought to be from the Ojibwa and Lakota tribes of America. One legend has it that a mystical female in the tribe was so worried when her children went to various new destinations that she created the dreamcatcher and placed her trust in it to protect them. Only then could she relax, knowing that wherever these children lived, and whatever happened to them, the dreamcatcher would ensure that all the children would sleep soundly. They’d be happy and content, dreaming only sweet dreams.
Dreamcatchers don’t only have to hang in a bedroom window. You could place one in a study where it could help you sift (筛选) your way through future aspirations (抱负). Focus on a dreamcatcher catching the light while thinking about a goal you want to achieve, and if you believe only positive messages can pass through its web, inspiration may strike.
1. Where can you find the reason why people dream?| A．In paragraph 1. |
| B．In paragraph 2. |
| C．In paragraph 3. |
| D．In paragraph 4. |
| A．They helped create positive dreams. |
| B．They should be used during sleep. |
| C．They should be made of spider silk. |
| D．They kept dreamers from bad dreams. |
| A．The origin of dreamcatchers. |
| B．The popularity of dreamcatchers. |
| C．The application of dreamcatchers. |
| D．The importance of dreamcatchers. |
| A．Goal setting leads to future success. |
| B．Dreamcatchers are things of the past. |
| C．Dreamcatchers are more effective than you expect. |
| D．Positive thinking could help your dream come true. |
【推荐3】Scientists based in Japan’s Osaka University have found a way to 3D print wagyu beef (the most expensive Japanese beef) in a lab — a step they believe will one day help make widely available and sustainably-produced cuts of cultured meat that closely resemble original products.
Using cells that they took from wagyu cows, the Japanese scientists set out to create a structure with the special feature seen in wagyu beef that makes it different from other cuts of beef. By isolating beef cells, the scientists organized how muscles, fat and other cells should be placed. The researchers then shaped these tissues (组织) into the form of a steak using a technique called 3D bioprinting (生物打印), where cell structures can be made to look like real tissues in living things. The researchers believe that the development could be a big step toward a sustainable future. Its origins from real meat also make it different from plant-based options.
“By improving this technology, it will be possible to not only reproduce complex meat structures, but also make subtle adjustments to the fat and muscle components,” Michiya Matsusaki, one of the project’s researchers, said excitedly in a statement. Michiya added that with these adjustments, more customers might one day be able to order a cultured cut of meat with the amount of fat they like, tailor-made to their tastes and health concerns.
Wagyu beef is known to be extremely expensive, with high-grade wagyu fetching prices of up to $200 per pound and adult cows selling for more than $30,000. In 2019, Japan’s wagyu exports reached a record high of $268.8 million in profits, up 20% from 2018.
While this might be the first cut of wagyu beef ever to be 3D-printed, other attempts have been made to bio-print steaks. In February this year, Aleph Farms and the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Israel Institute of Technology jointly bio-printed and cultivated a rib eye steak using real cow cells.
1. What does the underlined word “cultured”―in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Educated. | B．Natural. | C．Man-made. | D．Elegant. |
| A．Bio-printing technology was created by Japanese scientists. |
| B．The 3D printed beef tastes exactly like real Wagyu beef. |
| C．Animal-based meal is different from plant-based meat. |
| D．Scientists could organize the structure of organs and cells in beef. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Unclear. | D．Neutral. |
| A．More researches are done to make 3D bio-printing beef. |
| B．It is impossible to make meat to the need of the customers. |
| C．Japanese scientists are the first in the world to bio-print steaks. |
| D．Reproducing more complex meat structures has already come true. |
【推荐1】One CT image of a brain changed science and medicine forever.
Half a century ago, the first CT image of a patient lifted the veil (面纱) of invisibility that covers the interior of the human body, providing scientists a window on our innards (内脏) unlike any before.
Today, doctors in the United States alone order more than 80 million scans per year. X-ray computed tomography, or CT, is frequently the quickest way of getting a handle on what’s causing a mysterious problem. CT scans can find out heart disease, tumors, blood clots, internal bleeding and more. The technique can give surgeons a heads-up about what they will encounter inside a patient, and guide treatment for cancer and other diseases.
“It answers so many questions quickly. That’s why it’s used,” says medical physicist Cynthia McCollough of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
A CT scan involves thousands of X-ray measurements taken from multiple angles. Here's how it works: A source of X-rays moves around the body, sending a beam (光束) of radiation through bone, blood and tissue, while moving detectors measure the beam that makes it through.
Different materials in the body absorb X-rays differently. The calcium (钙) in bone actively absorbs X-rays, for example, while soft tissues absorb less. So when the data collected by the detectors are joined together by a computer, it can form a cross-sectional view of what’s inside based on where X-rays are absorbed more or less. Moving the table holding the patient so that the X-ray beam and detectors slide along the body enables 3-D reconstructions of organs and other parts.
Over the years, scientists have continually improved the technology, making it faster and higher resolution (清晰度), and cutting the amount of radiation that patients receive. These improved CT scans have painted ever more detailed landscapes of the human body. It’s hard not to be impressed by the beauty of the inner world that the scans bring to the surface.
1. What does the underlined word “heads-up” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Measure. | B．Choice. | C．Forecast. | D．Treatment. |
| A．By using different materials to absorb X-rays. |
| B．By collecting and sending data to the computer. |
| C．By checking the amount of calcium in the bone. |
| D．By scanning what’s inside based on different X-rays absorption. |
| A．Lower speed. | B．More radiation. | C．Higher resolution. | D．Fewer details. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Indifferent. |
【推荐2】When you’re not at home, many worries may start to crowd your mind. Did I turn the coffee maker off? Did I lock the door? Are the kids doing their homework or watching television?
A smart home is a home with a communication network. This network connects devices, such as lights and TV sets, and allows them to be controlled from far away through electrical wiring, mobile phone communication or WiFi over the Internet.
Most smart home technology and devices are wireless and can be setup with a minimum of tools, using only the guiding information. When a problem appears you can deal with it yourself without paying a professional.
Now, many scientists are excited at the future of smart home technology. Imagine being able to get fashion advice from your mirror, or receive food shopping suggestions from your refrigerator.
| A．Is there anyone else breaking into my house? |
| B．They can even feed the cat and water the plants. |
| C．With a smart home, you can quiet all of these worries. |
| D．However, for home-users, the smart home technology is far from perfect. |
| E．Therefore, many people think the smart home technology has some disadvantages. |
| F．Meanwhile, others worry those smart devices will make people lazier and lonelier. |
| G．Many people may consider owning a smart home, making life much more convenient. |
【推荐3】As for old people, some of the applications are hard to use because they didn't grow up with them. They don't have simple models of how they should work, what to do when something doesn't work or where to go for help. We make it as easy as possible to be used for people who are not familiar with the technology.
I think there is huge potential and we are designing it. The ability to connect to friends, who remember the same movies and news and music, is really important, especially as people get old. They end up in retirement homes and they aren't always close to their friends. Allowing the network to help them connect with friends and family is a really powerful thing.
My mother is an enthusiastic user of the Internet，although it took me years to get her to use e－mail. She was born with normal hearing, but lost it when she was 3.She was totally deaf for many years, until age 53, when she got ear aids. They work really well. That is a big change for her. But before then, her friends couldn't call her on the phone, so they insisted she use e-mail to communicate with them.
Young people don't even think of the Internet as technology. It’s just there, and they use it. There’s been a very interesting change in communications styles between old people and young people. There are some kids who are now in their teens and aren't willing to make phone calls. And they think of e-mail as old-fashioned and slow.
The reason why teens don't make phone calls seems to be that they don’t know what to say. When they call they often stop for a while. They don't know what to say，and there's this silence. On the other hand, texting is considered proper, and it's okay if you don't answer. You might have been distracted. It's not considered rude. But it is considered strange if you're in this kind of voice conversation and simply stop talking.
1. What is the trouble that old people meet when surfing the Internet?| A．They don’t know how to use some applications. |
| B．They have to buy electronic productions at a high price. |
| C．There is no professional teacher to teach them how to use the Internet. |
| D．They have no friends to communicate with online. |
| A．company manager | B．program designer |
| C．college professor | D．mobile phone designer |
| A．Interesting. | B．Amazing. |
| C．Boring. | D．Common. |
| A．Teens face challenges when taking phone calls with the old. |
| B．The author's mother is still using e-mail to communicate with others after getting ear aids. |
| C．Teens like to send texts to communicate with others in order to avoid embarrassment. |
| D．Most people consider e-mail as the most old-fashioned tool to communicate with others. |
