A Japanese company has created a “smart’’ mask to improve communication for people wearing face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The use of face masks has become the new normal in parts of the world still trying hard to reduce spread of the coronavirus. However, masks and other kinds of coverings can affect the quality of communication between wearers.
It can be more difficult to hear voices through the coverings. Many business and public spaces also have social distance barriers in place, which also make it harder for people to be heard and understood.
The wearable electronic device is designed to help improve speech interactions in such conditions. The Japanese startup company Donut Robotics calls its invention the “e-mask”. The device is worn over other common face masks.
The e-mask is made of soft plastic material. It has a built-in microphone and holes in the front to let air in. When it is turned on, the mask uses Bluetooth technology to connect to a mobile device. An app then helps users perform several actions, including turning speech into text, completing telephone calls and making the user’s voice louder. If needed, when people speak, the text of the conversation can also be displayed on a large computer screen, which makes modern online meetings possible. During a company meeting, minutes can be created and translated without typing.
Donut Robotics plans to create a world where people can connect with each other from a distance better. The e-mask will be equipped with a Wi-Fi router. And the company is planning to install AR function as well.
“About 6,000 e-masks have been sold in Japan since a year ago.” Taisuke Ono, the head of Donut Robotics said, “I have received strong interest in the product and I believe it will sell well in China, the United States and Europe.”
1. The e-mask was invented in order to ________.| A．tell people to keep social distance | B．help people to be heard more clearly |
| C．change people’s ways of communication | D．improve the quality of the common mask |
| A．A mobile app | B．An hole in the front | C．A microphone | D．The plastic material |
| A．e-masks are very popular in the world now |
| B．electronic devices will be replaced by e-masks |
| C．people will buy more e-masks than common ones |
| D．Taisuke Ono is sure of the bright future of e-masks |
| A．the ways to use the e-mask better | B．the invention and function of the e-mask |
| C．the ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19 | D．the advantages and disadvantages of the e-mask |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】During the past year, lots of great technologies have come into our lives, such as driverless cars and AI. What will come next? Forbes has a few breakthrough (突破) that may have an influence in the new year.
| 5G Internet How fast is your mobile phone? After 3G and 4G, 5G is on the way. According to Science Daily, 5G tests are expected to start as early 2019 in the US and by 2020 in the UK. China has already tested 5G in some parts of Beijing and Hebei. |
| 3D metal (金属) printing 3D printing is not new. It first appeared in the 1990s. But it hasn’t been widely used in our daily life. 3D printers are expensive, costing thousands of dollars for each. However, there are new 3D printers that can print metal. HP can print some small metal parts for cars, such as key rings. |
| Green and renewable energy As many countries pay much attention to pollution, electric cars and solar energy (太阳能) might become more popular. More carmakers, including Audi and Volvo, will have more electric powered cars on the road. And by 2025, almost every sixth car sold in the world will be electric. |
1. According to Science Daily, 5G tests are expected to start in the UK by ________.
| A．2019 | B．2020 | C．2025 | D．2031 |
| A．3D printers are expensive | B．it appeared in the 1990s |
| C．few people show interest in it | D．it can’t produce products |
| A．travel faster | B．become safer |
| C．protect environment | D．save money |
| A．Sports. | B．Health. | C．Medicine. | D．Science. |
【推荐2】How do people find their ways? At first, people did it by looking at the sun, the moon and stars. Later, we started to use the compass(指南针).Today, there are navigation satellite systems(卫星导航系统).
A navigation satellite system uses groups of satellites(卫星), they send information to a receiver, such as your smart phone. Then they can find where you are.
The earliest navigation system is the Global Positioning System(GPS)（全球定位系统） of the United States. The US has put 24 satellites into space to make sure GPS can locate a person correctly and globally. Russia's GLONASS and European Union's Galileo can also work globally.
The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is China's homegrown navigation system. It was set up in 2000. On June 23rd 2020, the last satellite of China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite system was sent into space. Beidou, China’s own navigation system, was finally completed. On July 31, Beidou started providing full-scale global services(全面的全球服务). More than 120 countries and regions (地区) are now using Beidou services. Since 2000, China has sent 55 Beidou satellites.
BeiDou can find you wherever you are. It helps you go faster by finding shortcuts and using correct directions. When you are in trouble and call the police, they will know exactly where you are if you have a smart phone that uses BeiDou.
BeiDou also has a unique messaging ability. It allows people to send text messages up to 1,200 Chinese words when mobile phone services are interrupted(中断) because of some reasons.
1. How did people find their ways at first according to this passage?| A．By looking at the sun, the moon and stars. |
| B．By using the navigation satellite systems. |
| C．By looking at the compass. |
| A．It helps people plan trips. |
| B．It helps people find where they are. |
| C．It lets people send text messages |
| A．Two | B．Three | C．Four |
| A．位于 | B．设置 | C．定位 |
| A．It was set up before GPS. |
| B．BeiDou systems were completed in June. |
| C．Only China can use BeiDou system services. |
【推荐3】Boyan Slat is a 17-year-old Dutch boy. He has been dreaming of cleaning up the world’s oceans for a long time.
In 2010, he went on a diving vacation in Greece and was surprised. “I saw more plastic bags than fish in the water,” he said.
From then on, he began to pay more attention to ocean pollution. Slat decided to give up higher education and set up the Ocean Cleanup, a Non-Government Organization. Its purpose is to clean up ocean rubbish. He has set up the world’s first ocean cleanup system with his team.
Every year, over 8 million tons of plastic end up in our oceans, and it can take up to 500 years to break down. In 2018, the World Economic Forum predicted that the weight of ocean plastic would match that of all the fish in our oceans by 2050.
Sea animals easily get trapped in plastic so that they can’t move. They can even die if they eat it. Smaller plastic pieces can also enter the food chain and end up in our bodies.
Slat’s plan was to create an environmentally-friendly, large system to clear out plastic rubbish from the ocean.
After seven years of tests, on Oct. 2, 2019, a device called System 001/B came out. It successfully caught and collected a large amount of plastic rubbish floating in the ocean.
Slat and his team are working to improve System 001/B. Their dream is to clear out 90 percent of all the ocean plastic by 2040.
1. Boyan Slat found ________ while diving in Greece.| A．it was difficult to stop ocean pollution | B．there was too much plastic in the ocean |
| C．sea animals died from plastic pollution | D．ocean pollution was more serious in Greece |
| A．how serious the plastic problem is in the ocean | B．when plastic in the ocean will break down |
| C．what we should do to protect the ocean | D．where plastic in the ocean comes from |
| A．surprised | B．interested | C．excited | D．caught |
| A．It will come out by 2040. | B．It was difficult to create this system. |
| C．It will clean all of the rubbish in the ocean. | D．It only catches small pieces of plastic litter. |
| Myopia (近视) in Children |
| How do children get myopia? ★If a child spends 7+ hours a week on computers or smartphones (手机), he may have myopia. ★Fewer outdoor activities may make the risk (风险) of having myopia higher. ★Parents who have myopia may have a myopic (近视的) kid. |
| How many children have myopia? 53.6% of the children in China had myopia in 2021. ★14.5% of the children under 6 ★36.0% of the primary school students (小学生) ★71.6% of the junior high school students ★81.0% of the high school students |
| What should children do? ★Have at least two hours of outdoor activities every day. ★Follow the “20/ 20/ 20 Rule” when they are using computers or smartphones: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds (秒)! ★Get enough sleep. |
1. Who may also have myopia if a girl has myopia?
| A．Her parent. | B．Her teacher. | C．Her cousin. | D．Her friend. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．20 minutes | B．60 minutes | C．90 minutes | D．120 minutes |
① Why children have myopia.
② The percentage (比例) of myopic children.
③ Advice on staying away from myopia .
④ What should myopic children eat .
| A．①②④ | B．①②③ | C．①③④ | D．②③④ |
| A．Sport. | B．Health. | C．Interest. | D．Travel. |
Do you have a mobile phone? Do you send text messages to your friends and family?
Text messaging or “texting” is becoming very popular. But, scientists have discovered that texting can give us problems with our hands. Be careful! Too much texting can cause swelling（肿胀）in our thumbs（拇指）and wrists（手腕）. Our thumbs are not made for pushing small buttons, over and over. Scientists call this problem RSI.
We spoke to a doctor called Harriet Wilson, who treats many patients with RSI. She said we needed to see how much time we were spending in typing text messages. If we are spending more than 10-15 minutes at once, we could have problems in the future.
We also talked with Dr Harjeet Deepa who treats（治疗）RSI patients. He told us that the youngest patient she had treated was a five-year-old girl. She wasn’t doing well at school, so her parents took her for treatment. It was found that she had such bad RSI in her hands, she couldn’t hold a pencil.
As mobile phones develop, they are getting smaller with buttons closer together. Texting with a smaller phone is worse than using a larger phone with bigger buttons. Using a computer keyboard and playing video games can also cause the same problem. So, more and more people could find themselves with RSI.
Many university students and teenagers have RSI, as they do not know the danger of spending so much time using computers, video games and mobile phones. If we don’t do something about this, too many young people could grow up in terrible pain.
1. Because ________, people have the problem RSI.| A．more people have mobile phones |
| B．texting is becoming very popular |
| C．people type too many text messages |
| D．our thumbs were made for pushing buttons |
| A．The writer and a little girl | B．Harriet Wilson and Harjeet Deepa |
| C．Three scientists | D．Four doctors |
| A．right away | B．at one time | C．finally | D．immediately |
| A．she didn’t go to school | B．she was too young |
| C．she had no thumbs at all | D．she suffered a lot from RSI |
| A．comic strip（连环画） | B．story book | C．science book | D．detective story |
| A．it is better to use a larger phone with bigger buttons when we have to type |
| B．it is worse to spend less time typing the text messages |
| C．using the computer keyboard will never cause the problem RSI |
| D．university students who have RSI know it’s dangerous to do too much texting |
To feel very happy and excited (especially when sth. Good has happened)e.g.Jenny is walking on air because her friend invited her to the school dance.She can’t wait to go.
an unknown person who enters a race and gets a good gradee.g.Did you hear about the dark horse in the running race yesterday?It was his first race and he finished in the top ten.
to act quickly,without thinkinge.g.I hate working with Mary.She’s quick on the trigger and always ready to get mad.
to encourage sb. to do sth.(especially sth.They shouldn’t do)e.g.When your classmate eggs you on to copy his test paper,you should say “no” to him.
1. Picture _____ can be chosen to express “to do something without thinking”.
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．a walking man | B．a trigger |
| C．a dark horse | D．an egg |
| A．一无所有 | B．欢天喜地 |
| C．愁眉苦脸 | D．不假思索 |
| A．explanations (解释) | B．pictures |
| C．examples | D．results |
