In some science-fiction movies, robots refuse to die no matter how people fight back (反击). Now, it has turned into a fact. For the first time, researchers have created a robot that can take a beating (挨打) and keep on working. Developed by scientists from Cornell University and the University of Vermont, the new robot looks like a spider with four legs.
Until now, even the most advanced robot was almost certain to break down when damaged. That’s because its computer doesn’t know how to operate the machine after its shape has been changed.
To solve this problem, the scientists put some sensors (传感器) into the machine. The sensors can read how the machine is working and send signals to the computer.
Using this information, the system follows a new way to tell the machine’s shape at any given moment. The computer considers a lot of possible next steps, and it calculates how best to move the robot forward the longest possible distance, before trying to move it again.
The new technology is a major advance in robotics(机器人技术), scientists say. It may someday help researchers create better artificial arms and legs that give new freedom to people who lack them. The new know ledge might also help scientists understand how people and animals tell their own sense of place in space.
“Designing robots that can fit changing environments has been a difficult problem,” says scientist Olaf Sporns of Indiana University. “This work provides a new way toward solving this important problem.”
1. Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?| A．They cannot repair themselves. |
| B．The computer has changed a lot. |
| C．They have nothing special to protect them. |
| D．The computer cannot operate a changed robot. |
| A．They can replace the computer when it’s broken. |
| B．They can find out where the damage comes from. |
| C．They help the computer learn the robot’s condition. |
| D．They can send signals to the person who uses the robot. |
| A．robots |
| B．arms and legs |
| C．sensors |
| D．researchers |
| A．He does not express his opinions clearly. |
| B．He doubts if it can work well in real life. |
| C．He thinks it is a great development in robotics. |
| D．He thinks more experiments are needed to test it. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Women Whose Inventions Changed Life
Rachel Zimmerman — Blissymbol Printer （1984）
At the age of 12, Zimmerman invented the Blissymbol Printer, which helps people with physical disabilities communicate via symbols that get translated into written language. What began as a project for a school science fair ended up competing at the World Exhibition of Achievement of Young Inventors. Zimmerman now works at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where she develops innovations combining space technology and assistive intelligence.
Olga De Gonzalez-Sanabria ——Long Cycle-Life Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries （1987）
Director of the Systems Management Office and the highest-ranking Hispanic at NASA Glenn Research Center, Gonzalez-Sanabria played a critical role in the development of the "Long Cycle-Life Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries" which helped enable the International Space Station power system. She has since won the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
Ann Tsukamoto — Stem Cell Isolation （1991）
Tsukamoto and her colleagues were the first scientists to identify and isolate （分离） blood-forming stem cells. Patented in 1991 --- the first of 12 patents related to her research --- Tsukamoto has furthered her research and thanks to her, bone marrow transplants （骨髓移植）have saved the lives of thousands of people battling blood cancer
Donna Strickland — Chirped Pulse Amplification （2018）
The third woman to win the Nobel Prize in Physics, Strickland, along with Dr Gerard Mourou of France, has significantly advanced the science of lasers （激光）.They developed a technology for creating short, powerful laser pulses. The technique, called Chirped Pulse Amplification, has been used in corrective eye surgeries.
1. What can we learn about the invention developed in 1987?| A．It connects space technology with assistive intelligence. |
| B．It can translate symbols into written languages. |
| C．It is used in the International Space Station, |
| D．It is the inventor's first of 12 patents, |
| A．Combining space technology and assistive intelligence. |
| B．Creating short and powerful laser pulses. |
| C．Enabling the International Space Station power system. |
| D．Inspiring a cure for blood cancer. |
| A．Blissymbol Printer | B．Stem Cell Isolation. |
| C．Chirped Pulse Amplification. | D．Long Cycle-Life Nickel-Hydrogen Batteries. |
【推荐2】Top 4 Mid-Range Mobile Phones
If you don’t want to, you don’t need to break the bank to have a quality smartphone. Actually there are a wealth of choices in the more affordable range. Here are four phones that stand out.
Honor 70
The Honor 70 is a bit of an upgrade on the Honor 50, with much the same features, including a high-quality OLED display, though the 70 is slightly bigger. It has a fast-processing chip and is made for multitasking, so slow performance shouldn’t be a problem.
Samsung A53
The A53 comes in at slightly smaller than the A13 but also has some of the same features, a quad camera system, and a similar battery. However, the A53 does have a better full HD display and better peak brightness, ideal for watching movies and videos on the go.
Oppo A94
The A94 comes with very fast 5G capability, making long waiting times for downloads when watching video a thing of the past. Coupled with intelligent power consumption for longer use and a colourful, vibrant AMOLED display, it’s perfect for entertainment on the go.
iPhone 12
Powered by 5G and Apple’s A14 chip to enable faster downloading, streaming and overall boot up(开机)time, the iPhone 12 is a speedy and powerful device. Also featured is a HDR display for clear viewing-and Nano Ceramic Crystals in the glass display to protect the screen from the occasional drop and from scratches.
1. What is the feature of Honor 70?| A．It is designed to multitask. | B．It is equipped with an HD display. |
| C．It is smaller in size than Honor 50. | D．It has the best battery performance. |
| A．They run at a high speed. | B．They are easily scratched. |
| C．They have the same display. | D．They use the same type of chip. |
| A．In a diary. | B．In a novel. |
| C．In a magazine. | D．In a science paper. |
【推荐3】It will soon be possible to reduce common indoor air pollution using just a curtain. A mineral-based surface treatment enables this new curtain from IKEA to break down air pollutants when exposed to light. Air pollution is a global problem. According to WHO, around 90% of people worldwide breathe polluted air. It causes eight million deaths per year.
The Swedish furniture company hopes to reduce this number by producing an air-purifying (净化空气) curtain. It can increase people’s awareness of indoor air pollution. It can also change some people's bad habits and bring clean air to the world. The technology will be applied to other textiles (纺织品).
The curtain uses a technology that has been developed by IKEA suppliers over the last few years. The process, similarly to photosynthesis (光合作用), is activated by both outdoor and indoor light. It's important to work on products that solve actual problems. Textiles are used across homes. By enabling a curtain to purify the air, they are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution. Meanwhile, the home will become more beautiful.
For many years, IKEA has been reducing air pollution. They avoid using chemicals that release air. Last year, IKEA launched a campaign, aiming to turn rice straw—a rice harvesting remains that is traditionally burned and contributes heavily to air pollution—into a new renewable material source.
IKEA has also promised to become climate positive by 2030, reducing our overall climate footprint by 70% on average per product. The company has recently been praised for making their products made from renewable or recycled materials. In fact, IKEA has been working on positive change. It is their dream to enable people to live healthier lives.
1. What's special about the new curtain from IKEA?| A．It can purify air. | B．It can beautify the home. |
| C．It can block polluted air out. | D．It can carry on the photosynthesis. |
| A．It is a high-tech textile company. | B．It is a high-tech costume company. |
| C．It focuses on environmental protection. | D．It is an international environmental group. |
| A．Because of its economical materials. | B．Because of its environmental production. |
| C．Because it has made people live healthier. | D．Because it has developed a high-tech product. |
| A．A global problem. | B．A new explanation of photosynthesis. |
| C．An environmental company. | D．An air-purifying curtain. |
【推荐1】Beethoven was born over 250 years ago, yet his music is still played daily around the world. Beethoven wrote many famous pieces of music, but he’s probably best known for his nine symphonies (交响曲). Before Beethoven died in 1827, he began a 10th Symphony, but never finished. What he left behind were some notes about the piece and a few “sketches” (草图) — short bits of written music.
In 2019, a special team of musicians, computer scientists, and historians was formed. Their goal: to try to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony to celebrate his 250th birthday. The team wanted to come as close as possible to producing the symphony that Beethoven meant to write.
The team trained an AI to help with the symphony. They turned every piece of music that Beethoven ever wrote into a form the computer could understand. By feeding the program all of Beethoven’s music, the AI could look for the way Beethoven wrote. Other members of the team studied Beethoven’s notes and sketches, and attempted to find out what Beethoven was planning to do.
One early test told the team they were on the right track. They took a few minutes of music created by the AI based on Beethoven’s sketches, and played it for Beethoven experts, musicians, and reporters. No one could tell which parts had been written by Beethoven and which parts the AI made up. Finally, the AI connected the little musical bits into a symphony. It took the team over two years to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony-40 minutes’ music.
So Beethoven now has a 10th Symphony. And though Beethoven didn’t write it all, the team feels sure that the music is very much like what he might have written, if he’d had the chance.
1. What is the purpose of the team?| A．To train an AI to create music. | B．To finish Beethoven’s 10th Symphony. |
| C．To celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday. | D．To find out what Beethoven wrote. |
| A．The challenge of the team. | B．The functions of the AI. |
| C．The technology the team used. | D．The great efforts the team made. |
| A．It’s created by the AI entirely. | B．It’s played for the public at first. |
| C．It’s like Beethoven’s original. | D．It took two years to practice. |
| A．Science. | B．Sports. | C．Health. | D．Education. |
【推荐2】If you are in Dubai you may notice a robot police officer sharing the street with you. Your first thought might be, “Have I walked into a movie set？”
The answer is no. That robot is Dubai's newest police officer. The robot has a touch screen instead of a weapon. The robot will be employed mostly at shopping centers and other places popular with visitors.
The robot's face has eyes but no mouth or nose. It stands 165 centimeters tall and weighs 100 kilograms. If the robot works well, Dubai says 25 percent of its police force could be robots by 2030. The robot cop(巡警) was officially presented at Dubai's Gulf Information and Security Expo and Conference in May.
The police hope the robot will make life easier for the people of Dubai. Khalid Al Razooqi is Director General of Smart Services at the Dubai Police. He said the robot can help the public every day, and that “it won't ask for any sick leave”.
The robot cannot make arrests. But it can recognize faces and compare them to photographs on a criminal database. It can also sense emotions. People can use the robot's touch screen to do things like reporting a crime, paying fines and reporting lost or found things. They can also ask how to get somewhere. The robot can salute and shake hands with people. So far, the robot can speak Arabic and English. It soon will learn other languages such as Russian, Chinese, French and Spanish. In addition to having a touch screen, the robot has a camera that can livestream video to a police command center.
Dubai has plans to add other kinds of robots to its police force. Within two years, the city plans to use a threemetertall robot that can run up to 80 kilometers an hour. The Dubai government says the machine would be the world's largest robot. A human police officer will be able to sit inside and control the robot. It will be able to lift heavy objects.
The city also plans to use an eggshaped robot to control parking areas and give tickets to people who break traffic laws.
1. What are the features of the robot cop in Dubai?①It is 165 centimeters tall and weighs 100 kilograms.
②It has a touch screen.
③Its face has eyes, a mouth and a nose.
④It can sense emotions.
⑤It can make arrests.
| A．①，②，③ | B．③，④，⑤ | C．①，②，④ | D．②，③，④ |
| A．To attract more tourists to Dubai. |
| B．To make people's life much easier. |
| C．To reduce the cost of the human workforce. |
| D．To introduce new technology to people. |
| A．report a crime |
| B．pay fines |
| C．report lost or found things |
| D．speak every language in the world |
| A．Robots have a bright future in Dubai. |
| B．Robots will replace the police in the near future. |
| C．People prefer robots to the human police service. |
| D．Robots will be used in every public area in Dubai. |
【推荐3】The discussion on renewable energy has been going on for at least a decade and people have relied on fossil fuels almost entirely for more than a century. However, the situation when fossil fuels were the most efficient and the cheapest source of energy has been left far in the past. Many countries such as Germany and Sweden have already made significant efforts to fix this situation, employing numerous power plants working on the renewable resources of energy. The most effective among these resources is geothermal (地热的) energy.
Geothermal energy does not depend on the world’s economic and political situation as strongly as fossil fuels do. Besides, extracting (提炼) fossil fuels adds to the price of energy produced from them. Therefore, geothermal energy is much cheaper than traditional ones, saving up to 80% of the costs over fossil fuels.
Being a renewable resource, geothermal energy produces less waste and pollution than traditional energy sources. In geothermal systems, carbon dioxide makes up about 10% of air produced. Overall, in order to produce the electricity that can be used for one hour, the geothermal systems produce 0.1 pound of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. For a comparison, a power plant producing from gas produces up to 2 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and those power plants that work on coal (煤) produce an astonishing 3.6 pounds of greenhouse gases.
Low costs is another reason why using geothermal power plants should be the first choice for many countries. Geothermal heat systems require 25% to 50% less energy for work compared with the traditional systems for heating or cooling. Besides, geothermal equipment is less big: due to the very nature of geothermal energy, geothermal power plants have only a few moving parts, all of which can be easily sheltered inside a relatively small building. What’s more, the life span of geothermal equipment is rather long. All these make geothermal power stations easy to build and keep.
1. Fossil fuels are more expensive than geothermal energy partly because _______.| A．it is free to use geothermal energy |
| B．fossil fuels are nearly used up |
| C．the production of fossil fuels costs a lot |
| D．geothermal energy doesn’t depend on political situation |
| A．Coal is much more efficient than gas. |
| B．Gas and coal are often used to produce electricity. |
| C．Geothermal energy is environmentally friendly. |
| D．The geothermal systems don’t produce harmful gases. |
| A．the nature of geothermal energy | B．geothermal power plants |
| C．life span of geothermal equipment | D．the small buildings |
| A．Many countries have benefited from geothermal energy. |
| B．Geothermal energy is well accepted. |
| C．Geothermal energy has many advantages. |
| D．Fossil fuels are being run out of. |
【推荐1】MINNEAPOLIS—A 13-year-old entrepreneur (企业家) who was reported for operating a hot dog stand outside his house without a license is still in business, thanks to Minnesota officials who could have shut it down.
The Minneapolis Department of Health received a complaint this summer about the hot dog stand that Jaequan Faulkner had set up outside his home. But instead of closing down the operation, officials decided to help. “We helped Jaequan become permitted and went through some food safety techniques and procedures with him so he could operate legally and safely,” said Minneapolis Health Department supervisor Ryan Krick. Besides, the staff of health department raised the money for his permit fee, which was $87.00. Daniel Huff, the environmental health director for the department, says his agency was excited to give him coaching for some business knowledge, instead of shutting down the operation.
Jaequan says he is supported widely. “I was actually kind of surprised at first, because usually I would have one person at a time help me, but then so many people came at once. Now I realize how much people enjoy it, ” he added.
Jaequan began operating with a license on Monday. He started the hot dog stand with help from his uncle, who said Jaequan handles about 90 percent of the business. The teen now works four—hour days, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and spends his free time “thinking about what’s next.” Maybe a food cart, so he can take his operation on the road.
Jaequan said he’s also thinking about donating some of earnings to charities that help people with depression.
1. According to the passage, why was Jaequan complained?| A．Because he was too young. | B．Because he didn’t get the license. |
| C．Because he chose an improper location. | D．Because he sold some unhealthy foods. |
| A．offering advice on food security | B．helping him get the official permit |
| C．asking him to pay for the permit fee | D．coaching him for some business knowledge |
| A．Grateful. | B．Terrified. | C．Confused. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Leaving his business to his uncle. | B．Expanding his business to some extent. |
| C．Working full time on his hot dog stand. | D．Giving away all his earnings to the poor. |
| A．To inspire teenagers to establish their own career. |
| B．To call on people to donate their earnings to charities. |
| C．To inform people of a touching story in Minneapolis. |
| D．To persuade people to support Jaequan’s business. |
【推荐2】A 45-second video of a Nigerian boy dancing barefoot in the rain has landed the dancer a scholarship at New York's ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance.
Anthony 's dance video went viral on social media with hundreds of thousands of views from people all over the globe. The video eventually caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, a former principle dancer with American Ballet Theater and the current artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance, one of America’s most distinguished ballet schools. "A friend who lives in the UK sent me the video.” Harvey told Cincinatti.com. “Within a day, I was trying to find him.”
Two days later, Harvey managed to contact the boy and his teacher. Soon after, she had arranged for full scholarships so Anthony could attend the ABT virtual Young Dancer Summer Workshop, a three-week intensive program. "A child who shows this much devotion, you just have to help," she said.
Anthony's teacher, Daniel Ajala Owoseni, is a self-taught dancer who opened the Leap of Dance Academy in his own small home.
The video of Anthony was filmed outside of his home due to limited space inside.
"It made us just feel very astonished and grateful. We can not believe our eyes, and so much support, sometimes we think we’re dreaming. "God has been so gracious to us by providing all these things.Anthony is very excited and has always been a hard worker, so he is happy to continue working towards his dreams and have this opportunity, Owoseni told Bored Panda.
1. How did Harvey learn about the boy?| A．His teacher recommended him to her. |
| B．She found him in the UK. |
| C．She happened to see him performing online. |
| D．She watched his video from a friend. |
| A．She was deeply touched by him. | B．Her friend asked her to do so. |
| C．Her school was expecting students. | D．She wanted to realize her dream. |
| A．Light-hearted. | B．Kind-hearted. | C．Sensitive. | D．Honest. |
| A．He never went to school. | B．He learned dance by himself. |
| C．He is hard-working and ambitious. | D．He opened a dance school. |
【推荐3】TikTok has pushed a new safety update to its app that allows parents to take more control of their teenager’s accounts, as social media companies come under increasing pressure to make their platforms safer for children.
The company said that its Family Pairing now enables parents to turn off comments on their children’s videos entirely or limit them to friends only. Parents whose accounts are linked to their kids will also be able to set their accounts to private ones, turn off the search function for content or users, and limit who can see which videos their children have liked.
The Family Pairing lets parents see how long their children are spending on TikTok each day and limit the content they can see.
TikTok allows children to register (注册) and create an account if they’re over the age of 13. All they need to do is provide their date of birth. However, because TikTok doesn’t require registrants (注册人) to prove their identities, some children under 13 have registered by lying about their age, according to U.K. regulator Ofcom (英国通信管理局)
Alexandra Evans, head of child safety public policy for TikTok in Europe, told CNBC that Family Pairing has “put itself in parents’ shoes”since it was launched. “If we’re thinking of it as a toolbox, we want to offer more tools,” she said on a video call ahead of the announcement.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．The safety tips from TikTok. |
| B．The limits on Family Pairing. |
| C．New apps explored by TikTok. |
| D．The functions of Family Pairing. |
| A．The low age limit of users. |
| B．The demand for users’ birth dates. |
| C．TikTok’s failure to check identities. |
| D．The difficulty in opening an account. |
| A．Uninterested. | B．Objective. | C．Disappointed. | D．Favorable. |
| A．TikTok’s Safety Update |
| B．New Guidelines for Safety |
| C．Family Pairing under Debate |
| D．Controlling Your Kids Online |
