1 . Video calls are a common occurrence, but have you imagined being able to touch the person on the other end of the line? Scientists are making this a reality.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have invented a soft skin stretch device (SSD), a haptic (触觉的) device that can recreate the sense of touch. Haptic technology mimics (模仿) the experience of touch by stimulating small areas of the skin in ways that are similar to what is felt in the real world, through force, vibration (震动) or motion.
Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and has been built into many electronic devices, such as one attached to the back of a trackpad (触控板) in laptops, which mimics a button clicking. However, haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when used continuously. The existing technology also has great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely, according to Mai Thanh Thai, lead author of the study.
The new technology overcomes issues with existing haptic devices. The research team introduced a novel method to recreate the sense of touch through soft, artificial “muscles”.
“Our three-way directional skin stretch device, built into the fingertips of the wearable haptic glove we also created, is like wearing a second skin — it’s soft, stretchable and mimics the sense of touch — and will enable new forms of haptic communication to enhance everyday activities,” said Thanh Nho Do, senior author of the study.
It works like this: Imagine you are at home and you call your friend who is in Australia. You wear a haptic glove with the SSDs and your friend also wears a glove with integrated (集成的) 3D force sensors. If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend’s fingers. And his/her glove with 3D force sensors will measure these interactions. The force signals can be sent to your glove so your device will generate the same 3D forces, making you experience the same sense of touch as your friend.
The haptic devices could be applied in various scenarios, allowing users to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance. This could be especially beneficial during such times like the COVID-19 pandemic when people rely on video calls to stay connected with loved ones. Or it could be used in medical practices. Doctors can feel a patient’s organ tissues with surgical tools without touching them.
1. What’s the main purpose of the text?| A．To encourage the use of a new product. |
| B．To inform readers of a new invention. |
| C．To compare different haptic devices. |
| D．To introduce the development of haptic technology. |
| A．It mimics the sense of touch through a trackpad. |
| B．It mainly uses vibration technology. |
| C．It takes the shape of a glove. |
| D．It makes virtual haptic communication possible. |
| A．The advantages of the new haptic glove. |
| B．The applications of the new haptic technology. |
| C．An explanation of how the haptic device works. |
| D．A personal experience of using SSDs during a video call. |
| A．It could replace video calls as a way to communicate. |
| B．it could be used for recreating organ tissues. |
| C．Doctors could perform surgeries at once. |
| D．Users could feel remote objects in a realistic way. |
2 . Honeybees can’t swim, and when their wings are wet, they can’t fly, either. But Chris Roh and other researchers at the California Institute of Technology found that when bees drop into bodies of water, they can use their wings to produce little waves and slide toward land-like surfers who create and then ride their own waves.
As with many scientific advances-Isaac Newton’s apple or Benjamin Franklin’s lightning bolt-Dr. Roh’s experiment began with a walk. Passing Caltech’s Millikan Pond in 2016, he observed a bee on the water’s surface producing waves. He wondered how an insect known for flight could push itself through water.
Dr. Roh and his co-worker, Morteza Gharib, used butterfly nets to collect local Pasadena honeybees and observed their surf-like movements. The researchers used a wire to restrict each bee’s bodily movement, allowing close examination of their wings. They found that the bee bends its wings at a 30-degree angle, pulling up water and producing a forward force. Bees get trapped on the surface because water is roughly three times heavier than air. But that weight helps to push the bee forward when its wings move quickly up and down. It’s a tough exercise for the bees, which the researchers guess could handle about 10 minutes of the activity.
The researchers said the surf-like movement hasn’t been documented in other insects and most semiaquatic insects use their legs for propulsion, which is known as water-walking. It may have evolved in bees, they-predicted.
Dr. Roh and Dr. Gharib have imagined many practical applications for bees’ surfing. One plan is to use their observations to design robots able to travel across sky and sea. “This could be useful for search and rescues, or for getting samples of the surface of the ocean, if you can’t send a boat or helicopter,” Dr. Gharib said.
1. What does the author intend to show by mentioning Newton and Franklin?| A．Roh’s admiration for them. | B．Roh’s chance discovery about bees. |
| C．Their outstanding talent for science. | D．Their similar achievements in discovery. |
| A．The air weight. | B．Its leg extension. |
| C．The water movement. | D．Its continuous wingbeat. |
| A．Fast flight | B．Driving force. | C．Pulling speed. | D．Explosive power. |
| A．Honeybees can surf to safety. | B．Bees help scientists make inventions. |
| C．Insects can adapt to the environment. | D．Nature is a helpful guide for discovery. |
3 . Having worked for more than a decade in finance in the oil industry in Canada, Tori Fahey found herself wanting more from life. But it wasn't through desperation that her circumstances changed: “I didn't get fed up and storm off, nothing like that; it was curiosity about other interests and wanting to experience something new.”
Fahey left her job and completed an MBA before setting up a move to New York to begin a degree. However, the opportunity of an open year between the MBA and the degree came up, and as a keen touring cyclist, Fahey realised that a much dreamed-about adventure was now becoming a possibility: "The ride in Africa had been on my fantasy list. It was a moment when I realised that I could do anything, so I should."
Fahey rode across Africa, a 7,500-mile trip that took four months. The whole experience had a life-changing impact. Fahey said: “Bicycles provide a literal freedom. You don't allow yourself to feel like that in everyday life because there are so many distractions. But when you' re out on the bike and there's nothing else, you' re really free to experience what life is.”
Post-degree, Fahey worked on projects with the UNDP(United Nations Development Project) in Montenegro with the aim of bringing investment to rural communities.
It was while working on these projects that the seeds were sown for the next new investment. “It was through my trip across Africa that I discovered pannier and rack systems inconvenient and I was never going to use them again.” Little did she know this would lead her to start up her own company.
In 2013, Apidura was born, producing storage solutions for people looking to travel the world by bike, race across continents and carry all they need to do so. It's now a successful global brand, but Fahey remains reflective about what else the company can do for people.
1. Why did Fahey leave her job in Canada?| A．She was bored with the job. | B．She was disappointed with life. |
| C．She wanted to add new dimensions to her life. | D．She found it hard to adjust to the circumstances. |
| A．Demanding. | B．Liberating. | C．Eventful. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．To encourage bicycle traveling. | B．To make her investment profitable. |
| C．To help cyclists carry traveling stuff. | D．To increase the pleasure of riding bikes. |
| A．A tough path to fame. | B．An adventure across Africa. |
| C．The benefits of green travelling. | D．The story behind the birth of Apidura. |
4 . If you really love Elvis, you won't want to miss our special Hound Dog Tour in August. It's a fun musical tour exploring the places that Elvis lived, worked, and played, and has become an Elvis Week tradition.
But no matter what time of year, no visit to Memphis is complete without a tour of Elvis' beloved home, Graceland. Since the recent remodeling and expansion of the Visitor's Center, there's more to do and see than ever before!
See exciting Elvis sites such as ：
Sun Studio
The Presley's Lauderdale Courts apartment
Elvis' high school
The Overton Park Shell, the theater where he performed his first big show in 1954
The original Lansky Bros, clothing store
The former Memphian Theater
Elvis Week Schedule ：
Sunday Aug. 11 1 ：00 pm
Wednesday Aug. 14 1 ：00 pm
Friday Aug. 16 1 ：00 pm
The following is included with the price of each ticket ：
Round-trip transportation to Graceland from downtown Memphis Graceland mansion audio tour and orientation film Full access to the Visitor Entertainment Complex
Elvis Presley Automobile Museum
Join us today for this unforgettable adventure into the world of Elvis! Please be aware that, due to exhibit construction and restoration, Graceland may close an exhibit or attraction, remove or exchange handicraft works on display, or change operating hours without prior notice and without refund or compensation (补偿).
1. What can be learned about Hound Dog Tour?| A．It is now part of Elvis Week. | B．It usually lasts about a month. |
| C．It covers adventures in Graceland. | D．It attracts more attention than before. |
| A．Attend live theatre shows. | B．Visit Elvis5 former primary school. |
| C．Enjoy morning performances. | D．Enter the Entertainment Complex. |
| A．They must be aware of prior notices. |
| B．They should follow the original timetable. |
| C．They can have compensation for any loss. |
| D．They may miss originally owned contents. |
5 . Application and Essays
You can apply to Stanford by submitting online either the Coalition Application or the Common Application.
Both applications include essay prompts for your personal essay. In addition to the personal essay, you also need to reply to the Stanford Questions, which you can access in either application once you add Stanford University to your list of colleges.
When you apply to Stanford, we encourage you to indicate potential majors and career interests in the application, but please know you are not bound by these selections in any way.
Stanford Questions
We ask applicants to choose one of the three topics below and write a short essay.
◆ Reflect on an idea or experience that makes you genuinely excited about learning in Stanford.
◆Write a note to your future roommate that reveals something about you or that will help your roommate know you belter.
◆Tell us about something that is meaningful to you, and why? How to Submit Required Materials
◆We suggest using Coalition or Common Application online forms whenever possible to Submit documents, which is the speediest method.
◆If online submission is not possible; school personnel may send materials as an email Attachment to personnel@ stanford.edu.
◆When ordering college transcripts, please use credentials@stanford.edu as the contact email.
◆If your checklist is not complete by the deadline, simply continue to check your Application Status Portal until we have received all items.
1. What is necessarily included in an application?| A．A personal essay. | B．Career interests. |
| C．Personal hobbies. | D．The selected major. |
| A．Writing an essay to include the three topics. |
| B．Writing a note about something that interests you. |
| C．Writing an essay on what inspires your learning in Stanford. |
| D．Writing a note to recommend something meaningful to your roommate. |
| A．personnel@ stanford.edu | B．credentials@ stanford.edu |
| C．Application Status Portal. | D．Coalition or Common Application. |
6 . If you believe that scientists and artists are most creative when they're young, you are missing an important part of the story. A new study published in De Economist looked at Nobel Prize winners in the field of economics. It found there are two different peaks of creativity. One comes early in a person's career, while another comes later.
The research supports previous work by the authors that found similar patterns in the arts and other sciences.
"We believe what we found in this study isn't limited to economics, but could apply to creativity more generally," said Bruce Weinberg, lead author of the study and professor of economics at The Ohio State University.
"Many people believe that creativity is exclusively associated with youth,but it really depends on what kind of creativity you're talking about."
In the study, those who did their most groundbreaking work early in their careers tended to be "conceptual" innovators(创新者).
These type of innovators "think outside the box", challenging conventional wisdom and suddenly coming up with new ideas. Conceptual innovators are not yet immersed(沉浸于)in the accepted theories of their field, Weinberg said.
But there is another kind of creativity, he said, which is found among "experimental" innovators. These innovators accumulate knowledge through their careers and find new ways to understand it.
The long periods of trial and error for important experimental innovations come later in a Nobel laureate's(荣誉获得者的)career.
"Whether you hit your creative peak early or late in your career depends on whether you have a conceptual or experimental approach," Weinberg said.
The researchers took a novel, empirical(经验主义的)approach to the study, which involved 31 laureates. They arranged the laureates on a list from the most experimental to most conceptual.
This ranking was based on the laureates' most important work, classifying them into "conceptual" or "experimental".
After classifying the laureates, the researchers determined the age at which each laureate made his most important contribution to economics and could be considered at his creative peak.
They found that conceptual laureates peaked between ages 25 and 29. Experimental laureates peaked when they were roughly twice as old, in their mid-50s.
"Our research suggests that when you're most creative is more about how you approach your work."
1. What did the study published in De Economist find?| A．Creativity comes at any age, young or old. |
| B．Creativity tends to decrease as people get older. |
| C．Economists, artists and other scientists have much in common. |
| D．Economists are more creative than artists and other scientists. |
| A．Follow rules strictly. |
| B．Experiment on boxes. |
| C．Break old thought patterns. |
| D．Figure out how to escape from a box. |
| A．They usually come up with new ideas all of a sudden. |
| B．They make discoveries through constant trial and error. |
| C．The majority of them reach their creative peak in their twenties. |
| D．They make more contributions than "conceptual" innovators. |
| A．One's personality type. |
| B．What kind of job one takes. |
| C．How one handles their work. |
| D．One's attitude toward their work. |
7 . Australian experts have expressed concerns that too many millennials(千禧一代）are hoping to use their social media accounts to build their careers.
Their concerns follow the sudden rise in "insta-celebrities" who make money by posting sponsored photos online. For the lucky few who are not only talented photographers but also good-looking and business-savvy(有商业头脑的)，making money off social media isn't impossible.
Instagram is flooded with social media professionals paid to promote products and services. However, social scientist Dr Lauren Rosewarne, from the University of Melbourne, says that in reality, there are far fewer people making money off the platforms than one may think.
She said many young Australians were getting sucked in by the appeal of making money on platforms like Instagram, describing it as "totally unrealistic" and extremely difficult to do.
"Young people are hoping to be famous in numbers that were simply not there 20 years ago," Rosewarne told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation(ABC) on Saturday. "There are some people who can make fortunes out of monetizing(使具有货币性质)their Instagram posts, but that is not the norm."
She said it was up to parents and schools to discourage students from seeking Insta-fame, as many believe it is a possible career choice. "There's the warning for parents; this is not a normal or even common occurrence that you can monetize your Instagram account."
Meanwhile Toni Eager from Australian National University said social problems could arise from spending too much time with social media.
"Where do the insta-celebrities go ... to separate the life people see on Instagram from their actual normal life?" Eager said. "All of a sudden, people own your private life."
1. Why is there a sudden rise in "insta-celebrities"?| A．Many young people want to be photographers. |
| B．Many people see it as a shortcut to making money. |
| C．People want to socialize by sharing photos online. |
| D．Instagram offers young people more career choices. |
| A．benefiting from something |
| B．becoming involved in something |
| C．taking advantage of something |
| D．being satisfied with something |
| A．Young people today are more business-savvy than ever. |
| B．Young people are becoming less interested in Internet fame. |
| C．Instagram is not a good platform to promote new products. |
| D．It's a bad idea for young people to try earning money on Instagram. |
| A．An over-reliance on Instagram. |
| B．A loss of personal privacy. |
| C．Less interaction with people in real life. |
| D．The desire to monetize one's Instagram account. |
8 . On a Saturday afternoon, Tasi Lama had just finished lunch and was going to wash his hands when the ground under his feet started shaking violently. Objects began to fall down from overhead and rising above the crashes, he could hear terrified screams all around him. Several months later, the painter from Nepal's Kathmandu Valley remembers that day more vividly than his wedding day or the birth of his son.
It was on April 25, 2015 that an earthquake hit Nepal, the former Himalayan kingdom out of sight between its giant neighbors China and India, 81 years after a similar disaster. This killer quake and aftershocks that continued for more than a month afterward killed over 8,000 people, destroyed thousands of houses, and ruined an economy already damaged by many other reasons.
It was also of consequence for the ancient art style Nepali painters such as Lama have been practicing for generations. “We left our homes and lived in the open fields outside the city, under tarpaulins（防水油布）for a month," Lama said. Many of the houses, built of mud and bricks, were in ruins and the aftershocks continued, though less frequently. One day, I went to my showroom to get some of the paintings out and the Earth started shaking again. I dropped everything and ran out for my life. ”
Dinesh Lama, a 32-year-old artist from Nepal's capital city, Kathmandu, said his Boudha Stupa Thangka Center, which functions as his showroom as well as his studio, has remained shut since the earthquake, as his artisans(工匠）are too traumatized （心理受到创伤的）to take up the brush again. “We lived in temporary tents for more than a month," he said. “When they try to sit inside the studio and paint, fear makes their hands shake. Luckily, we have got a lot of aid from China. I believe we will come back to our home soon. ”
1. What can we conclude from the second paragraph?| A．The April 25 earthquake made Nepal disappear for long. |
| B．This quake caused more deaths than the one 81 years ago. |
| C．Nepal also suffered a serious disaster due to the 1934 quake. |
| D．The earthquake is the only reason for Nepal being backward. |
| A．Many Nepali painters lost their lives in the quake. |
| B．Only the houses built of mud and bricks broke down. |
| C．His showroom fell into ruins after the quake. |
| D．He had no choice but to stop working for long. |
| A．That his showroom had been totally destroyed. |
| B．That his artisans were incapable of working. |
| C．That he couldn't sell his works as usual. |
| D．That he would never pick up his brush to draw. |
| A．Earthquake Brings Damage to Ancient Art |
| B．Earthquake Causes Many Artists Out of Job |
| C．China Gives a Timely Hand to Nepal |
| D．Nepal Suffers from Two Nonstop Quakes |
9 . Guinness World Records Set by Kids
♦ The youngest club DJ
Oratilwe A J Hongwane likes putting in more efforts when playing music for a crowd. In 2012, he became the youngest club DJ—he was five when he played a one- hour set to 100 people at a bar in South Africa. Known in the business as DJ Arch Jnr, he broke the record previously held by a six-year-old in Japan.
♦The most viewed video game-unboxing video
Kids love watching someone unbox a new purchase—especially if it's something they can't get themselves. Maybe that's why more than 25 million people have watched YouTube HD. What's really cool about Evan is that he actually donates most of the toys to those in need. He also uses his popular YouTube channel to draw people's attention to worthy organizations for helping the poor.
♦The youngest drummer
The rules of Guinness World Records say a drummer must record a real song and be paid for his skills and that the drummer must give at least 20 concerts of 45 minutes or longer within five years. At the age of just four Julian Pavone met all those qualifications.
♦The fastest assembly (组装)of 10,000 Lego pieces and the longest Lego chain
A group of school kids in New Jersey went for their world records to increase public awareness about a fellow student who is suffering from a rare and deadly disease. The group put together 10,000 Lego pieces in just three hours, breaking the old one by five hours. They also set the record for the longest Lego chain, which ended up at 947 meters, beating the old record by 40.
1. Who is devoted to charity?| A．Oratilwe A J Hongwane. | B．Evan. |
| C．DJ Arch Jnr. | D．Julian Pavone. |
| A．He has recorded 20 real songs. |
| B．He gave at least 20 concerts at five. |
| C．He must earn a lot of money by recording. |
| D．He was qualified for the Guiness World Reords at four. |
| A．To help a sick schoolmate. |
| B．To inspire team spirit. |
| C．To prevent a rare disease. |
| D．To make their school famous. |
10 . For several decades, there has been an organized campaign intended to produce distrust in science, funded by those whose interests are threatened by the findings of modern science. In response, scientists have tended to stress the success of science. After all, scientists have been right about most things, from the structure of the universe to the relativity of time and space.
Stressing successes isn’t wrong, but for many people it’s not persuasive. An alternative answer to the question “Why trust science?” is that scientists use the so-called scientific method. But what is called the scientific method isn’t what scientists actually do. Science is dynamic: new methods get invented; old ones get abandoned; and at any particular point, scientists can be found doing many different things. False theories sometimes lead to true results, so even if an experiment works, it doesn’t prove that the theory it was designed to test is true.
If there is no specific scientific method, then what is the basis for trust in science? The answer is the methods by which those claims are evaluated. A scientific claim is never accepted as true until it has gone through a long process of examination by fellow scientists. Scientists draft the initial version of a paper and then send it to colleagues for suggestions. Until this point, scientific feedback is typically fairly friendly. But the next step is different: the revised paper is submitted to a scientific journal, where things get a whole lot tougher. Editors deliberately send scientific papers to people who are not friends or colleagues of the authors, and the job of the reviewer is to find errors or other faults. We call this process “peer review” because the reviewers are scientific peers—experts in the same field—but they act in the role of a superior who has both the right and the responsibility to find fault. It is only after the reviewers and the editor are satisfied that any problems have been fixed that the paper will be printed in the journal and enters the body of “science.”
Some people argue that we should not trust science because scientists are “always changing their minds.” While examples of truly settled science being overturned are far fewer than is sometimes claimed, they do exist. But the beauty of this scientific process is that science produces both creativity and stability. New observations, ideas, explanations and attempts to combine competing claims introduce creativity; transformative questioning leads to collective decisions and the stability of scientific knowledge. Scientists do change their minds in the face of new evidence, but this is a strength of science, not a weakness.
1. Scientists stress the success of science in order to ________.| A．promote basic knowledge of science |
| B．remind people of scientific achievements |
| C．remove possible doubts about science |
| D．show their attitude towards the campaign |
| A．It’s an easy job to prove its existence. |
| B．It usually agrees with scientists’ ideas. |
| C．It hardly gets mixed with false theories. |
| D．It constantly changes and progresses. |
| A．It seldom gives negative evaluation of a paper. |
| B．It is usually conducted by unfriendly experts. |
| C．It aims to perfect the paper to be published. |
| D．It happens at the beginning of the evaluation process. |
| A．it is not uncommon for science to be overturned |
| B．scientists are very strong in changing their minds |
| C．people lose faith in those changeable scientists |
| D．changes bring creativity and stability to science |
