Superheroes first caught our attention in the 1930s when Superman and Batman appeared in American comic books, and we’ve been crazy about them ever since. But have you ever stopped to think whether the superman really exists(存在)?
Wim discovered his super power one day after saving a man from a frozen lake. Since then, he’s puzzled scientists with his super ability to bear the freezing temperature. Using breathing skills and a strong mental focus, he’s learned to control his body temperature. For his 2011 Guinness World Record he stayed in ice for nearly two hours. He’s also climbed to Mount Everest in just his shorts and run a desert marathon(马拉松赛跑)without a drop of water.
In the real world, there’re some blind people who can use echo-location skills to see the world around them, just like bats. By making noises with their mouths or by snapping their fingers, they can interpret(领会)the sound waves made back by nearby objects. Daniel, who lost his sight because of cancer as a baby, has taught himself the skills and shared his knowledge with hundreds of blind people worldwide. This has enabled them to run, hike, play football and go skateboarding, etc.
Dean can run forever. He regularly pushes his mind and body to the limits-running non-stop without sleep for 350 miles or completing 50 marathons in 50 days. He’s also run 135 miles non-stop across Death Valley around 49℃ and to the South Pole, where temperatures fell to -40℃.
Alain is one of the best rock climbers worldwide. Some of his tallest climbs include the Sydney Tower and the Eiffel Tower. Unbelievably strong both mentally and physically, Alain is famous for his free solo climbing, climbing tall buildings without ropes—just with his arms, legs and a bag of chalks.
Some of the above people are self-taught and have gained their skills with years of training. Others are born with unusual physical characters, leaving scientists confused. One thing is for sure—the superman certainly exists.
1. According to Paragraph 2, Wim is able to ______.| A．stand the very low temperature |
| B．focus his thoughts on a frozen lake |
| C．change his body temperature |
| D．stay in ice for nearly a whole day |
| A．understand what others are thinking |
| B．make less noises than others |
| C．live a happier life than before |
| D．communicate with other blind people |
| A．Daniel | B．Alain |
| C．Wim | D．Dean |
| A．make us respect people with power |
| B．introduce supermen in the real world |
| C．convince readers of humans’ super power |
| D．guide us how to discover our own super power |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Our species’ incredible capacity to quickly acquire words from 300 by age 2 to over 1, 000 by age 4 isn’t fully understood. Some cognitive scientists and linguists have theorized that people are born with built-in expectations and logical constraints (约束) that make this possible. Now, however, machine-learning research is showing that preprogrammed assumptions aren’t necessary to swiftly pick up word meanings from minimal data.
A team of scientists has successfully trained a basic artificial intelligence model to match images to words using just 61 hours of naturalistic footage (镜头) and sound-previously collected from a child named Sam in 2013 and 2014. Although it’s a small slice of a child’s life, it was apparently enough to prompt the AI to figure out what certain words mean.
The findings suggest that language acquisition could be simpler than previously thought. Maybe children “don’t need a custom-built, high-class language-specific mechanism” to efficiently grasp word meanings, says Jessica Sullivan, an associate professor of psychology at Skidmore College. “This is a really beautiful study, ” she says, because it offers evidence that simple information from a child’s worldview is rich enough to kick-start pattern recognition and word comprehension.
The new study also demonstrates that it’s possible for machines to learn similarly to the way that humans do. Large language models are trained on enormous amounts of data that can include billions and sometimes trillions of word combinations. Humans get by on orders of magnitude less information, says the paper’s lead author Wai Keen Vong. With the right type of data, that gap between machine and human learning could narrow dramatically.
Yet additional study is necessary in certain aspects of the new research. For one, the scientists acknowledge that their findings don’t prove how children acquire words. Moreover, the study only focused on recognizing the words for physical objects.
Still, it’s a step toward a deeper understanding of our own mind, which can ultimately help us improve human education, says Eva Portelance, a computational linguistics researcher. She notes that AI research can also bring clarity to long-unanswered questions about ourselves. “We can use these models in a good way, to benefit science and society, ” Portelance adds.
1. What is a significant finding of machine-learning research?| A．Vocabulary increases gradually with age. |
| B．Vocabulary can be acquired from minimal data. |
| C．Language acquisition is tied to built-in expectations. |
| D．Language acquisition is as complex as formerly assumed. |
| A．Facilitate. | B．Persuade. | C．Advise. | D．Expect. |
| A．Its limitations. | B．Its strengths. | C．Its uniqueness. | D．Its process. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Cautious. | C．Dismissive. | D．Positive. |
【推荐2】There is a common belief that clutter (杂物) adds unnecessary stress to our lives and is holding us back from our dreams and goals. But is it true? Sabine Kastner of Princeton University, an expert on the subject who has been studying how the brain processes clutter for 20 years, may answer this question. “Not all clutter is bad. And our brains can deal with it.” She says, “The media often writes about clutter in a very simple, black-and-white way: Clutter affects the mind and we need to clear it out. But it is much more complex than that. For starters, our brains are designed to deal with clutter.”
“The attention system in our brains actually likes clutter because that is what it is used to. And it is using this cluttered environment to make meaningful selections from it.” In terms of how best our brains perform around it, Kastner says there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. The idea that an uncluttered workplace is better is not “universally true.”
Some people need to see their work. If something is carefully put away, to them it does not exist anymore. Out of sight, out of mind. For other people, objects can stimulate their creativity and give them ideas.
Even there are other people who actually like that clutter. And they clutter their environment because it actually helps them. It almost like stimulating their brain to do something.”
However, other people are unable to work in a cluttered environment. Kastner notes that some people may get distracted by having lots of things around them. These people may need more organization and less clutter to work well.
Some people do not care either way. Whether the area is cluttered or clear they work the same. And for others it may depend on the project. For administrative work, they might need a clear workspace. But for more creative projects, they may need many things around them.
Our brains are all so different and that is what makes us who we are.
1. The passage begins with the belief to ________.| A．introduce the main topic | B．show the author's attitude |
| C．describe the harm of clutter | D．explain how to clear clutter |
| A．it affects the mind |
| B．it may get people less distracted |
| C．it is almost stimulating our brain to do something |
| D．it is using this cluttered environment to make meaningful selections |
| A．they can’t see clutter when they work. |
| B．they depend completely on clutter to finish their work. |
| C．objects around them can stimulate their creativity and give them ideas. |
| D．a cluttered environment can enable your brain to improve gradually. |
| A．Objective (客观的) | B．Disgusted (厌恶的) |
| C．Contradictory (对立的) | D．Critical (批判地) |
【推荐3】There is an English saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” Until recently, few people took the saying seriously. Now, however, doctors have begun to look into laughter and the effects it has on the human body. They have found that laughter can really improve people’s health.
Tests were carried out to study the effects of laughter on the body. People watched funny films while doctors checked their heart, blood pressure, breathing and muscles. It was found that laughter has similar effects to physical exercise. It increases blood pressure, the heart beating and breathing; it also works several groups of muscles in the face, the stomach, and even the feet. If laughter exercises the body, it must be beneficial.
Other tests have shown that laughter appears to be able to reduce the effects of pain on the body. In one experiment, doctors produced pain in groups of students who listened to different radio programs. The group that tolerated the pain for the longest time was the group which listened to a funny program. The reason why laughter can reduce pain seems to be that it helps to produce a kind of chemicals in the brain which decrease both stress and pain.
As a result of these discoveries, some doctors in the United States now hold laughter clinics, in which they help to improve their patients’ condition by encouraging them to laugh. They have found that even if their patients do not really feel like laughing, making them smile is enough to produce beneficial effects similar to those caused by laughter.
1. We learn from the first paragraph that laughter______.| A．is good for one’s health | B．is related to some illness |
| C．has been investigated | D．has no effect on the body |
| A．It reduces pain. | B．It exercises the body. |
| C．It reduces stress. | D．It can cure cancer. |
| A．laugh at their patients | B．encourage their patients to laugh |
| C．smile when they don’t feel like laughing | D．never stop laughing |
| A．Critical. | B．Doubtful. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
【推荐1】The early life of the green sea turtles (海龟) is full of danger. Only one in 1,000 baby sea turtles survive to adulthood. From its home in the sand, it breaks its egg with an egg tooth. Its mother is not there to help it. Instead, it is greeted by crabs, coyotes and dogs waiting to eat it for dinner. To survive, the baby turtle must hide in the sand until night. Then, it moves slowly to the sea.
The small green sea turtles must swim hard to reach the ocean waters. In the sea, it tries hard to find food. It must also keep itself from being food for fish.
As dangerous as the sea turtles’ life is in the natural world, its most dangerous enemies are humans. The rubbish left by humans in the ocean causes problems for the small green sea turtles. A little turtle might eat a piece of plastic (塑料) in the sea. It might also eat oil on the ocean’s surface. Young turtles also get caught in fishing nets. There are laws against hunting sea turtles. Still, many are hunted, both for their meat and for their shells (壳). All of these dangers must be prevented.
Sea turtles that do survive to grow into adulthood go through many changes. For example, they stop eating jellyfish and other meat and eat only plants. And they may plan a trip to go back home again. A mother sea turtle goes back to the beach where she was born. This is the only place where she will lay eggs. Even if it has been forty years since she was a baby, she always knows her way back home.
1. Why do baby turtles move to the sea at night?| A．To wait for their parents’ care and help. | B．To protect themselves from being eaten. |
| C．To enjoy the night view of the sea alone. | D．To avoid staying in the sand for a long time. |
| A．Peaceful. | B．Happy. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Interesting. |
| A．Some helpful laws against hunting green sea turtles. |
| B．The serious problems in the ocean caused by rubbish. |
| C．Some human-made danger sea turtles meet in the sea. |
| D．The medical value of green sea turtles’ meat and shells. |
| A．Adult green sea turtles will eat anything they get. |
| B．Mother sea turtles will lay eggs where they were born. |
| C．Only baby sea turtles may have the danger of surviving. |
| D．Sea turtles will forget the way home when they are old. |
【推荐2】Virtual reality isn’t just for video games anymore. The technology is changing industries that many people had never thought it would, such as dairy farming.
Russian dairy farmers gave cows VR goggles (眼镜) with hope that they would be happier and make better milk. A farm just outside of Moscow is testing VR glasses for its cows, it says, in an effort to increase the quantity and quality of the milk produced.
That’s according to a news release published Monday from the Ministry of Agriculture of the Moscow region. It came accompanied by photos of a cow trying out its fancy new goggles. The ministry explains it like this:Studies have shown that cows, environmental conditions can impact the milk produced, specifically improving its quality or increasing its quantity. So, a team of developers, with the help of vets and consultants for dairy production, made some oversized VR glasses for cows. They adapted the human versions to account for cows’ different head shapes and eyesight, the news release says. And then voila! Cow VR glasses. And what were these cows experiencing with their new VR glasses? A wild, expansive field beneath the summer sun. A cow’s (virtual) paradise (天堂).
So far, it’s unclear if the glasses have helped milk production-further study will be needed for that. But a first test did reveal a decrease in anxiety and an increase in the emotional mood of the herd, the release said. To be fair, if we were transported to a vast field in the summertime, our anxiety and emotional mood would be better, too. Russian dairy farmers aren’t the only ones going the extra mile to keep their cows happy and improve product, though. Some Wagyu farmers set mood lighting, among other tricks, to keep their cows calm and producing the best beef possible. Others play them music, which one Missouri farmer says leads to better milk.
1. Why were VR glasses used in the farm?| A．To avoid cows’ fighting. | B．To cure the cows’ diseases. |
| C．To test the cows’ eyesight. | D．To get more and better milk. |
| A．Exciting movies. | B．Video games. |
| C．A vast field in the sun. | D．More cows in the distance. |
| A．Playing beautiful music. | B．Telling animal stories. |
| C．Choosing better meal time. | D．Photos of many cows. |
| A．Nature. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Entertainment. |
【推荐3】Astronomers have taken the first ever image of a black hole, which is located in a distant galaxy (星系).The black hole is 500 million trillion km away and was photographed by a network of eight telescopes across the world. It was captured by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT).
The announcement was made in Washington, Brussels, Santiago, Shanghai, Taipei and Tokyo. Details have been published today in Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Prof Heino Falckc, of Radboud University in the Netherlands, who suggested the experiment, told BBC News that the black hole was found in a galaxy called M87. "What we see is larger than the size of our entire Solar System," he said. "It has a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun. And it is one of the heaviest black holes that we think exists. It is an absolute monster, the heavyweight champion of black holes in the Universe."
The image shows an intensely bright "ring of fire", as Prof Falckc describes it, surrounding a perfectly circular dark hole. The bright halo is caused by very heated gas falling into the hole. The light is brighter than all the billions of other stars in the galaxy combined - which is why it can be seen at such distance from Earth. The edge of the dark circle at the center is the point at which the gas enters the black hole, which is an object that has such a large gravitational pull (万有引 力）,not even light can escape.
"It is remarkable that the image we observe is so similar to that which we get from our theoretical calculations. So far, it looks like Einstein is correct once again." said Dr Ziri Younsi, of University College London -who is part of the EHT cooperation.
Chinese scientists were involved in the observation through a telescope in Hawaii. They were also highly involved in follow-up data processing and theoretical analysis, said Shen Zhiqiang, head of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Shanhai Astronomical Observatory and a member of the EHT international team.
Shanghai and Taipei were selected as two of the cities to hold news conferences, together with Washington, Brussels, Santiago and Tokyo, a recognition of China's contribution.
"In the fields of astronomy, radio astronomy, and space astrophysics, China has made a significant contribution to this global project," Falcke said.
1. What is the best title for the passage?| A．First Image of a Black Hole Taken |
| B．How Einstein Discovered a Black Hole |
| C．How a Black Hole Is Formed |
| D．A Book about Black Holes |
| A．Shen Zhiqiang. | B．Heino Falcke. |
| C．Albert Einstein. | D．Ziri Younsi. |
| A．It was the first black hole ever discovered. |
| B．It took eight telescopes to work together. |
| C．It was a joint effort of many countries. |
| D．It's the heaviest of black holes. |
| A．started the experiment |
| B．led the experiment |
| C．provided the equipment |
| D．played an important role |
| A．Black holes can swallow up everything in the Universe. |
| B．Scientists knew about black holes before they see them. |
| C．Einstein has been proved wrong many times. |
| D．Black holes might be some make-up stories. |
【推荐1】All over the world people enjoy sports, Sports help to keep people healthy and happy, and to live longer.
Many people like to watch others play games. They buy tickets or turn on their TVs to watch the games. They often get very excited when "their" player or team wins.
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for(参加) them. Football, for example, has spread(展开)around the world. Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers. What fun it is to jump into a pool or lake, whether in China, Egypt or Italy! And think of people in cold countries. Think how many love to skate or ski (滑雪) in Japan, Norway or Canada.
Some sports or games go back thousands of years, like running or jumping. Chinese wushu, for example, has a very long history. But basketball and volleyball are rather new. Neither one is a hundred years old yet. People are inventing new sports or games all the time. Water-skiing is one of the newest in the family of sports.
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other, but after a game together they often become good friends. Sports help to train(培养,训练) a person’s character(性格,品格). One learns to fight hard but fight fair, to win without pride and to lose with grace(胜不骄，败不馁).
1. Why do people all over the world enjoy sports?| A．Because sports keep them healthy. |
| B．Because sports keep them happy. |
| C．Because they want to live longer. |
| D．All the above. |
| A．their favorite team wins | B．they win the game |
| C．they get the good news | D．they can’t help themselves |
| A．Water-skiing. | B．Basketball. | C．Volleyball. | D．Jumping. |
【推荐2】Around the Mount Rushmore area of South Dakota, there are many things that you can do with the family. Below is a list of tours we can provide.
Tour 1
This tour brings visitors to the Holy Terror Mini Golf course. Since it is located on the side of a hill, you get to experience the fresh South Dakota air and enjoy the great outdoors. The course features three different types of lawn that’s like real golf course and it features many slopes and stairs. Therefore, it is a challenging course for those who love a little competition.
Available between March 15& Oct 31
Tour 2
Take a fun train tour to find out how people used to travel in the days before modern cars.
Experience travel the way it was in the 19th century with the 1880 Train, a completely restored authentic steam engine train, as you explore the beautiful Black Hills area of South Dakota. The tour runs daily and is disabled-accessible.
Available between May 9 & Sep 30
Tour 3
This is an 8-hour guided sightseeing bus tour. You’ll see Mount Rushmore National Memorial,
Crazy Horse Memorial, Custer State Park, as well as other beautiful sights along the way for a great introduction into American history. Lunch and hotel pickup are included.
Available between May 13 & Sep 15
Tour 4
This tour gives visitors the chance to tour an authentic gold mine- Big Thunder Gold Mine. The mining museum is a fascinating and informative site with displays showing what life was like for those who really "went for the gold”. There is no additional charge to get in the museum, and guests are encouraged to try and pan for gold and other riches.
Available between May 25& Oct 11
1. Where can visitors go on May Day?| A．Crazy Horse Memorial. | B．Big Thunder Gold Mine. |
| C．The Holy Terror Mini Golf course. | D．Mount Rushmore National Memorial. |
| A．Tour 1. | B．Tour 2. | C．Tour 3. | D．Tour 4. |
| A．It is a steam train guided tour. | B．Visitors can try their hand at mining. |
| C．Visitors can take part in a competition. | D．It offers visitors free hotel pickup. |
【推荐3】The poet Lovelle Drachman once said, “blessed are the curious, for they shall have adventures.”, which is certainly true of people with wanderlust.
“Wanderlust” is derived from a German word meaning “a love of hiking” and now used to describe the burning desire to escape the everyday and explore the unfamiliar. Wanderlust is a common, but not universal experience. What makes some people catch that travel bug while others are apparently unaffected?
One theory is to do with our genes. Scientific research has identified a variant of the DRD4 gene that affects sensitivity to dopamine (多巴胺), the neuro-transmitter often released in the brain when we do something we enjoy. Actually, it’s not that the 7R version of the DRD4 specifically creates a thirst for travel, but people with the 7R variant are less sensitive to that delicious dopamine hit.
So simple things that bring other people pleasure, like a jog in the park or a cheeky chocolate treat, might not cut it for them, which makes those with the 7R type of the DRD4 gene more likely to be risk takers to get increased dopamine levels. That’s way DRD4-7R has been called the wanderlust gene. Other researches have also linked the same 7R variant to far riskier behaviours, such as addiction and offensive behaviour. By comparison, the strong sudden desire to go travelling seems like the better end of the Theory of Evolution.
But another theory looks at the psychology of living in our inter-connected human society, one in which we are constantly aware of what friends and social media influencers are doing and keep comparing ourselves to them in two distinct ways. Upwards social comparisons, comparing ourselves to those we see as more successful than us. And downward social comparisons, comparing ourselves to those we see as worse off than us. In the age of social media, it’s very easy to compare ourselves unfavourably with the idealized version. How can we compete with influencers, with their perfectly dark brown legs on neat and clean while sand, and their once in a lifetime sunsets over Machu Picchu?
Whether the motivation to explore the world is genetic, psychological or something else, there are far more harmful hobbies than the desire to explore the world. Venturing outside your comfort zone, to learn about new cultures, meet people you might otherwise never have had the chance to meet, and finally, learn who you are in different situations. Sounds like a life well-lived. As the novelist Jack Kerouac said, “Because in the end, you won’t remember the time you spent in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain.”
1. The underlined phrase “catch that travel bug” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to _______.| A．be crazy about travelling | B．be curious about travelling |
| C．escape daily life by travelling | D．experience common travelling |
| A．Because they are more fascinated by risks and unfamiliar things. |
| B．Because the 7R variant cause them to be less sensitive do dopamine hit. |
| C．Because they have comparatively higher level of dopamine than other people. |
| D．Because the 7R variant, also called wanderlust gene, helps create a craving for travelling. |
| A．a well-lived life doesn’t involve venturing outside comfortable zone |
| B．the 7R variant is inevitably linked with some more risky behavior such as addiction |
| C．people tend to forget their daily routine, but adventures really leave footprints in their hearts |
| D．when people compare themselves with less successful ones, it may give rise to mixed feelings |
| A．Wanderlust and its two main categories. |
| B．A less harmful hobby and analysis of its different cause. |
| C．The distinctions between gene variants and social comparisons. |
| D．Physical and psychological reasons for the desire to explore the world. |
【推荐1】On Monday, about 270 pilot whales got into difficulty on a sandbank at Macquarie Heads, near Strahan on Tasmania’s west coast, about 190 kilometres from Hobart. Another 200 of the animals were found early on Wednesday, making it Tasmania’s largest recorded stranding event. The Department of Primary Industry, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) said that about a third had died.
Marine biologists arrived in the area to carry out rescue operations. They planned to use specialized equipment such as special tarpaulins to push the whales back into the deep water. The local police also assisted in the rescue.
The whales that were stranded are Pilot Whales, and they are found in almost all the oceans of the world, according to the Marine conservation group. Pilot whales are in fact one of the largest members of the dolphin family, but they are treated as whales for the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations issued in 1992.They were named pilot whales because it was thought that each pod followed a ‘pilot’ in the group.
Cetacean stranding, commonly known as beaching, is a phenomenon in which whales and dolphins strand themselves on land, usually on a beach. Several explanations for why cetaceans strand themselves have been proposed, including changes in water temperatures, unusual features of whales’ echo location in certain surroundings, and geomagnetic disturbances, but none have so far been universally accepted as a definitive reason for the behavior.
In recent years, whale strandings have become more frequent around the world. In November 2018, a dead sperm whale that had washed ashore in eastern Indonesia consumed a horrifying collection of plastic trash, including 115 drinking cups, 25 plastic bags, plastic bottles, two flip-flops and a bag containing more than 1,000 pieces of string. In all, the plastic contents of the whale’s stomach weighed 13.2 pound (six kilograms). The bags are black due to a reaction with the creature’s stomach acids, according to Thai Whales organization. A person, on average, breathes or swallows at least 74,000 microscopic particles of plastic each year.
1. How many whales died according to DPIPWE?| A．About 160. | B．About 200. | C．About 270. | D．About 470. |
| A．Being put into danger. |
| B．Being trapped in trouble. |
| C．Being found in extinction. |
| D．Being left or driven ashore. |
| A．Whales mistake plastics for food. |
| B．Whales need the ability of self-protection. |
| C．Whales’ living conditions are worsening. |
| D．Whales have an excellent digestive system. |
| A．Protective measures for whales. |
| B．The reasons for whale stranding. |
| C．Studying whales’ stomach deeply. |
| D．Researching the oceans’ ecosystem. |
The idea of you and your colleagues heading off for a lie down in the afternoon may seem strange, but some companies such as Google and Facebook actually encourage it. Because it’s thought that a power-nap makes them more refreshed and more focused, and this in turn makes them more productive.
An Australian health writer called Victoria is a founder of a campaign called Nap Now which is trying to make sleeping at work more acceptable. She calls herself a “naptivist”! She says: “I think that our culture is a bit crazy not to accept it… It’s time to end the common work principle which is all about working longer and harder.”
So should we all be taking a sleeping bag and pillow to work with us? A few years ago, research by the East of England Development Agency found 30% of people have their best ideas in bed compared to just 11% who have them at their desk. That suggests people are more creative when they are relaxed--and the agency has called for companies to put beds in the workplace.
A nap in the afternoon is nothing new. In certain hot countries, such as Spain, a short rest or sleep in the afternoon-called a siesta-is perfectly normal. So maybe we should break from the traditional nine-to-five work culture and take up the siesta. The UK’s Sleep Council claims the nine-to-five working day does not fit into the natural sleeping pattern of the human race and says that bosses need to introduce a more sleep-friendly working day.
1. Why are the employees of Google allowed to nap in the workplace?
| A．They are expected to work better. |
| B．They can’t focus their attention on the work. |
| C．They are running the Nap Now campaign. |
| D．They have difficulty in falling sleep at night. |
| A．takes no nap at work |
| B．enjoys napping at work |
| C．studies sleeping at work |
| D．fights against working long hours |
| A．It is a newly practiced pattern. |
| B．It has been taken up in Finland. |
| C．It is sort of traditional work culture. |
| D．It fits into the natural sleeping pattern. |
| A．To explain how to nap at work. |
| B．To show how the new study was carried out. |
| C．To tell us the importance of sleeping at work. |
| D．To call for the more sleep-friendly work culture. |
【推荐3】The Walt Disney Company has built a room that can wirelessly power and charge any devices inside. Wireless charging usually only works when a device is touching a power source. But researchers say they have found a way to provide wireless power and charging capability to large areas.
A scientific team from Disney Research recently demonstrated the technology. Alanson Sample is the lead researcher at Disney Research. He explained the goal of the project in a video. “What we really want is a three-dimensional charging experience where you walk into your living room or office and your cellphone is charged simply by walking in.”
The process uses magnetic fields to send power to specially designed receivers.
Researchers built a 54-cubic-meter room in which the walls, floor and ceiling were covered with metal panels. They placed a long metal pipe in the middle of the room. Electrical currents travel up and down this pole about 1.3 million times per second. These currents also move through the ceiling, walls and floor, before flowing again up the pole. Small devices inside the pole set the level of electromagnetic waves. These waves continuously move around the room to send power to receiving devices. The Disney researchers said repeated experiments led to successful wireless power transfers to many devices running at the same time.
One of the concerns of electric fields is that they can be harmful to humans. But associate research scientist Matt Chabalko said the level of power being produced inside the room is not dangerous. “Our simulations show that we can transmit 1.9 kilowatts of power while meeting federal safety guidelines. This means it’s completely safe for people to occupy this space for any amount of time.”
The experiments also showed that furniture inside the room was not damaged and did not block the wireless energy. One of Disney’s likely uses for wireless power will be to create areas at its parks where visitors can charge their devices.
1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word“demonstrated”in Paragraph 2?| A．Believed. | B．Showed. | C．Improved. | D．Chose. |
| A．How a room is built for wireless charge. |
| B．What is needed to charge wirelessly. |
| C．What devices can be charged in the room. |
| D．How wireless charge functions in the room. |
| A．To get rid of people’s worry. | B．To remind people of its existence. |
| C．To show the way to solve it. | D．To explain how harmful it is. |
| A．Visitors charge their devices cheaply. |
| B．Visitors can stay in a safer environment. |
| C．Their cellphones can be charged by themselves. |
| D．The parks can brighten visitors without wires. |
