2 . We Are Cyborgs

RoboCop, the Bionic Woman, Darth Vader—what do these characters have in common? They are all cyborgs—humans who are made more powerful by advanced technology. You might think that cyborgs exist only in fiction, or are a possibility only in the distant future. But cyborg technology already exists.

The word “cyborg” was first used in 1960 and defined as an organism(有机体) “to which external parts have been added for the purpose of adapting to new environments”. According to this definition, an astronaut in a spacesuit is an example of cyborg, as the spacesuit helps the astronaut adapt to a new environment—space. More recently, the word has evolved(进化)to refer to human beings who have mechanical body parts that make them more than human.

Although super-humans like RoboCop are not yet a reality, advances in real-life cyborg technology allow some people to compensate(弥补)for abilities they have lost, and give other people new and unusual abilities. An example is filmmaker Rob Spence and his bionic eye. Spence injured one of his eyes in an accident. A camera was implanted(移植)in his prosthetic eye. The eye is not connected to his brain or optic nerve(视神经), but it can record what he sees. Spence has used his camera eye to record interviews for a documentary about people with bionic body parts.

Some types of cyborg technology replace a lost ability by connecting directly to a person’s nerves. Michael Chorost completely and suddenly lost his ability to hear in July of 2001. Two months later, doctors placed a cochlear(耳蜗)implant, a kind of computer, inside his skull. This type of implant connects to auditory nerves and allows a deaf person to hear again. Around the world, over 300,000 people have now been fitted with cochlear implants.

These examples of cyborg technology have enabled people to enhance or change their abilities and improve their lives. But does everyone want to use cyborg technology? It might be too late to decide. Cyborg scientist Amber Case argues that most of us are already cyborgs. Anyone who uses a computer or a smartphone, Case claims, is a cyborg. Consider the data that you have in your smartphone. It keeps information for you so you don’t have to remember it: notes, phone numbers, email addresses, messages. It also allows you to communicate with friends and family via telephone, text messages, email, and social networks.

The potential benefits of cyborg technology are evident, but can this new technology be harmful, too? Could we become too dependent on cyborg technology—and become less than human? These still remain questions.

1. According to the passage, the cyborg ________.

A．is similar to human beings	B．took root in fiction characters
C．first appeared in space industry	D．has some device attached to the body

2. Among the following, which one can be considered as an “evolved cyborg”?

A．a cyclist in a helmet	B．an astronaut in a spacesuit
C．a man with a heart pacemaker	D．a secretary using a typewriter

3. Amber Case probably thinks that ________.

A．technology makes cyborgs become common

B．cyborg technology is crucial to modern society

C．the use of mobiles improves cyborg technology

D．cyborg technology helps improve human memory

4. What is the author’s attitude toward cyborg technology?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Skeptical.

D．Optimistic.

3 . I believe even the smartest people have to work hard to achieve success. People make themselves into winners by their own _______.

Many years ago, I took the head _______ job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a tradition for the school's old team to play against the _______ team at the end of spring practice. The old team had no coach, and they didn't even practice to _______ the game, but to my disappointment we were defeated. Thinking hard about it, I came to _______ that I had to change my _______ towards their ability and potential.

I started doing anything I could to help them build a little _______. Most importantly, I began to treat them like _______. That summer vacation, we met every day and _______     passing and kicking the football.

Six months after our defeat, we won our first game and our second, and continued to ________ . Finally, we faced the number one team in Georgia. I felt that it would be a ________ for us even if we lost the game. But my boys beat them , giving me the greatest ________ of my life!

       From the experience I learnt a lot about how the attitude of the leader can ________ the members of a team. Instead of seeing my boys as losers, I pushed and ________ them. I helped them to see themselves ________       , and they built themselves into winners. Winners are made, not born.1.

A．tests

B．luck

C．efforts

D．nature

2.

A．operating

B．editing

C．consulting

D．coaching

3.

A．new

B．excellent

C．strong

D．successful

4.

A．cheer for

B．prepare for

C．help with

D．finish with

5.

A．realize

B．claim

C．permit

D．demand

6.

A．decision

B．attitude

C．conclusion

D．intention

7.

A．pride

B．culture

C．fortune

D．relationship

8.

A．leaders

B．partners

C．winners

D．learners

9.

A．risked

B．missed

C．considered

D．practiced

10.

A．expand

B．improve

C．relax

D．defend

11.

A．shame

B．burden

C．victory

D．favor

12.

A．chance

B．joy

C．concern

D．offer

13.

A．surprise

B．relate

C．interest

D．affect

14.

A．encouraged

B．observed

C．protected

D．impressed

15.

A．naturally

B．individually

C．calmly

D．differently

4 . Imagine a cat that does not need someone to clean up after it keeps an older people company and helps them remember to take their medicine. That is the shared dream of the toy maker Hasbro and scientists at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. The researchers received a $ 3-million-dollar from the National Science Foundation for a special project. They want to find ways to add artificial intelligence, or AI, to Hasbro’s “Joy for All” robotic cat.

The cat has already been for sale for two years. Though priced at over 1,000 dollars, it sold quite well. It was meant to act as a “companion”(陪伴) for older people. Now the project is aimed at developing additional abilities for the cat. Researchers are working to decide which activities older adults may need the most. They hope to make the cat perform a small number of activities very well. Such activities include finding lost objects and reminding the older people to take medicine or visit their doctor. They also want to keep the cost down to just a few hundred dollars.

It is an idea that has appealed (有吸引力) to Jeanne Elliott. Her 93-year-old mother Mary Derr lives with her in South Kingstown. Derr has dementia (痴呆). The Joy for All cat that Elliot bought this year has become a true companion for Derr. The cat stays with Derr and keeps her relaxed while Elliott is at work. Elliot said a robotic cat that helps her mother to remember to take her medicine and be careful when she walks would be greater.

The researchers are trying to learn how the improved cats will complete helpful activities and how they will communicate. They say that they do not want a talking cat, however. Instead they are trying to design a cat that can move its head in a special way to successfully communicate its message. In the end, they hope to create an exchange between the human and the cat in which the human feels the cat needs them. By doing so, the researchers hope they can even help prevent feelings of loneliness and sadness among elderly people.

1. What’s the purpose of the project?

A．To reduce the pain of the elderly.

B．To increase the sales of a medicine.

C．To help make the robotic cat smarter.

D．To invent a robotic cat for the elderly.

2. What can we know about the cat?

A．It will be on sale in two years.

B．It may be cheaper in the future.

C．Its abilities will be made simpler for the elderly.

D．It can tell the activities that older adults need the most.

3. What does the example in Paragraph 3 show?

A．The cat gives much help to the elderly.

B．The cat works well to talk with the patient.

C．The cat can make the dementia patient less painful.

D．The cat should be designed to satisfy patients’ need.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Each family can afford such a cat in the future.

B．A talking cat is quite popular among the elderly.

C．Feelings of sadness among the elderly are unavoidable.

D．The feeling of being needed is important to the elderly.