【推荐2】When Swiss watch boss, Christoph Grainger-Herr, was unable to fly to a global trade show because of Covid-19 restrictions, he decided to join the show as a life-size, 3D hologram(全息投影). Appearing in 4K resolution, he was able to talk to, and see and hear the people who were physically attending the event.

With the coronavirus pandemic having put a stop to much global travel since March 2020,there is a growing interest in the use of holograms—3D light projections(投影) of a person—as amore life-like, more immersive, more sensory alternative to video calls.

Los Angeles-based Portl is one of the firms at the forefront of the technology. Its portals(投影设备) are eight feet (2.5m) tall, glass-fronted, computerised boxes. Inside the booths a life-size hologram of a person appears. The portals have built-in speakers, so that the hologram’s “voice” can be heard. They also include cameras and microphones so that the user of the hologram can see and hear the people in front of his, or her projection. “And were it not for the sheet of glass in front of the hologram, you’d think the person was actually there. In fact, if there is no light on the glass so that you cannot see it reflecting, then you do think the person is actually there.” says Mr Nussbaum, the boss of US holograms firm Portl.

The portals cost about $60,000 each, so they are certainly expensive, although the company says they can be rented for considerably less. “In a few years’ time, this is going to become a regular way of communicating between offices,” says Mr Nussbaum.

Yet, he cautions that problems may occur in the future if these holographic images become so real that distinguishing them from an actual person will become impossible. “If you can create digital experiences that get closer and closer to how you sense reality, you’re more likely to be manipulated(操控),” says Mr Nussbaum.

Mr Nussbaum says he is confident that hologram technology is going to replace standard video screens in video conferencing in five years. He also predicts that it will see off video information screens. “This will be the new way that businesses will want to present their content whether live or recorded.”

1. What is the function of the first paragraph?

A．To give an example.	B．To present an argument.
C．To lead to the main topic.	D．To attract readers’ attention.

2. What can we learn about the portals?

A．They are life-size glass boxes.	B．They have a built-in computer.
C．They reduce light reflection on the glass.	D．They consist of audio and video equipment.

3. What can we expect of the hologram technology in the future?

A．It will record live conference automatically.

B．It is helpful in telling an actual person from a digital one.

C．It will possibly take the place of conventional screens.

D．It is not likely to popularise due to high cost of the portals.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To explain the function of hologram technology.

B．To compare video calls with hologram technology.

C．To introduce hologram technology as a communication means.

D．To show the importance of hologram technology in communication.

【推荐3】When a chunk of ice fell from a collapsing glacier(冰川)on the Swiss Alps’ Mount Eiger in 2017, part of the long deep sound it produced was too low for human ears to detect. But these vibrations held a key to calculating the ice avalanche’s(崩塌)critical characteristics.

Low-frequency sound waves called infrasound that travel great distances through the atmosphere are already used to monitor active volcanoes from afar. Now some researchers in this field have switched focus from fire to ice: dangerous blocks snapping off glaciers. Previous work has analyzed infrasound from snow avalanches but never ice, says Boise State University geophysicist Jeffrey Johnson. “This was different,” Johnson says. “A signature of a new material has been detected with infrasound.”

Usually glaciers move far too slowly to generate an infrasound signal, which researchers pick up using detectors that track slight changes in air pressure. But a collapse—a sudden, rapid breaking of ice from the glacier’s main body—is a prolific infrasound producer. Glacial collapses drive ice avalanches, which pose an increasing threat to people in mountainous regions as rising temperatures weaken large fields of ice. A glacier “can become detached from the ground due to melting, causing bigger break— offs,” says University of Florence geologist Emanuele Marchetti, lead author of the new study. As the threat grows, scientists seek new ways to monitor and detect such collapses.

Researchers often use radar to track ice avalanches, which is precise but expensive and can monitor only one specific location and neighboring avalanche paths. Infrasound, Marchetti says, is cheaper and can detect break—off events around a much broader area as well as multiple avalanches across a mountain. It is challenging, however, to separate a signal into its components (such as traffic noises, individual avalanches and nearby earthquakes) without additional measurements, says ETH Zurich glaciologist Malgorzata Chmiel. “The model used by Marchetti is a first approximation for this,” she says. Isolating the relevant signal helps the researchers monitor an ice avalanche’s speed, path and volume from afar using infrasound.

Marchetti and his colleagues are now working to improve their detectors to pick up more signals across at-risk regions in Europe, and they have set up collaborations around the continent to better understand signals that collapsing glaciers produce. They are also refining their mathematical analysis to figure out each ice cascade’s physical details.

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2 and Paragraph 3?

A．Infrasound has a major role to play in discovering new materials.

B．Ice avalanches are a bigger threat to people than volcanic eruptions.

C．Researchers are trying to use infrasound in detecting ice avalanches.

D．Scientists employ infrasound more in mountain areas than in other places.

2. Which is an advantage of infrasound over radar?

A．The combination with other relevant signals.

B．The accuracy in locating a certain avalanche.

C．The ability in picking up signals in wider areas.

D．The sensitivity in tracking air pressure changes.

3. The underlined word “this” in Paragraph 4 refers to________.

A．distinguishing different components of a signal

B．detecting multiple avalanches at the same time

C．calculating the speed and path of ice avalanches

D．monitoring the specific location of ice break—offs

4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A．From Fire to Ice	B．Glacier Whispers
C．Nature is Warning	D．Secret of Ice Avalanches

【推荐1】Despite their endless social activities, closely packed urban environments often come with the hidden phenomenon of increased loneliness. According to Dr. Vivek Murthy, United States Surgeon General, the global “loneliness epidemic” is an overlooked consequence of urban living that carries serious risks, associated with heart disease, depression, anxiety, and dementia.

While there are many ways to overcome loneliness, such as redesigning urban architecture to help facilitate social interactions or making it easier for people to own pets, a new study also recommends adding nature into the mix.

The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, follows a review of assessments provided by more than 750 U. K. residents who volunteered to use a custom — built smartphone app for two weeks. The participants were questioned randomly three times a day using a technique called an “ecological momentary assessment”. In addition to questions about overcrowding and social inclusion (融入), the volunteers were asked about their natural surroundings, such as “Can you see trees, plants and water right now?” Feelings of“momentary loneliness” were then ranked on a five-point scale.

According to the more than 16, 600 assessments received, overcrowded environments increased feelings of loneliness by a shocking 38%, regardless of age, gender, education level, or occupation. When people were able to interact with green spaces or hear birds or see the sky, however, loneliness dropped by 28%. Social inclusivity, defined by the research team as feeling welcomed by a group or sharing similar values, also dropped loneliness by 21%.

These findings appear to correlate (联系) with previous research into the mental benefits of walking through natural areas. Johanna Gibbons, leader of the research team, further indicates that high-quality green and blue spaces such as parks and rivers in dense urban areas, which is often viewed as a key weapon in the fight against climate change, can also be critical in improving our own well — being and reducing feelings of isolation. She said, “I believe deep in our souls, there are really deep connections with natural forces.”

1. What problem is discussed in paragraph 1?

A．Urban living lacks social connection.

B．Loneliness is a growing threat in cities.

C．Modern cities are getting overcrowded.

D．Aging population are facing more risks.

2. What did the social survey focus on?

A．How loneliness affected people of all ages.

B．What the root of the loneliness in cities was.

C．How hi-technology improved people’s lives.

D．What people’s favorite living surroundings were.

3. What might help deal with urban loneliness according to the new survey?

A．A life experience in nature.	B．Low rates of social activities.
C．An overcrowded environment.	D．A design of urban architecture.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．Playing hard is harmful to mental health.

B．People in green spaces may be more cheerful.

C．Global warming changes our characteristics.

D．Everything is connected with natural forces.

【推荐2】Every bookstore in Beijing used to have a massive fiction room piled to the ceiling with great books. These days, you’re as likely as not to find that those rooms have been shrunk down to the size of a solitary (单独的) table thickly covered with the latest releases and best-selling novels. This, however, begs the question: Is fiction dying out, or is print media finally succumbing to (屈服于) its electronic and audio copy rivals (对手)?

Now that Kindle is leaving China, some say that maybe people will get back to traditional reading. I doubt it, however. This downward reading trend has been evident for a long time now. When Jeff Bezos first launched Kindle, Steve Jobs from Apple said it would fail because “people don’t read anymore. It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is.”

But I don’t think reading itself is dying. It is merely becoming more functional — in other words, something you have to do in order to get some tangible (实际的) benefit. Gone are the days when people just read for fun. Why lumber (迫使担负) through a musty old book when you can watch an action movie or play a video game? Of course, people know that these are poor substitutes (替代品) for a good book.

In fact, there is nothing better than getting lost in a great book. I remember reading Shackleton, the British polar explorer, when I was a boy. After turning over the last leaf of this extraordinary adventure, I felt as if I, too, had just been to the South Pole and back. This imaginary achievement translated into a sense of confidence which must have been infectious, as soon afterwards all of my friends were themselves picking up books to read for fun. Psychologists say that you are the average of the five friends you surround yourself with. We can learn from them and they can also come to have a profound effect on our own habits and mindset. In this way, a book, too, can be a mentor (导师). The ideas, advice, mindset, and experiences of other people living in other times can get transmitted to us down through the pages of a good book.

In the age of fragmented (碎片化的) information, the winners will be those who can stay focused. However, in a world that easily gets distracted, deep reading seems to be getting further away from us. Our biggest problem is not Kindle’s departure from China, but our own departure from reality. Great books transmit universal truths; get them read. How exactly you do so is up to you.

1. The author mentioned Kindle in the text to _______.

A．praise its convenience and popularity in reading

B．explore the reason for the decline of print media

C．highlight the decreasing trend of traditional reading

D．show our regret for its departure from China’s market

2. Which of the following statements is true about Shackleton according to the passage?

A．He is famous for imaginary writing.	B．He finds nothing better than an old book.
C．He visited the South Pole many times himself.	D．His adventure story influenced the author a lot.

3. We can benefit a lot from reading according to the author except that _______.

A．we can be influenced by positive ideas	B．we’d surround ourselves with good friends
C．we can learn from other people’s experiences	D．we can develop good habits and ways of thinking

4. The author probably agrees that _______.

A．great books are more popular than action movies

B．we should avoid being distracted by modern technology

C．reading great books can help us stay focused

D．traditional reading will eventually disappear

5. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It’s necessary to find a better substitutes for books like Kindle.

B．We should read more in order to escape from reality.

C．We need to face the reality that reading is becoming less popular.

D．We have to accept the fact that Kindle is leaving China.

6. What is the author’s main purpose in writing this passage?

A．To discuss the future trend of reading.	B．To advocate the benefits of reading.
C．To analyze the reasons for the decline of reading.	D．To compare different forms of reading.