1 . Independent living at home is the ideal for every aging person. But a fall or other health-threatening incidents can change everything rapidly.
The wearable “panic buttons” introduced in the late 1980s were a great advance. But they only work if people actually wear them and can reach the button in an emergency. Today there are passive wearables that automatically detect falls, and camera-based systems to monitor elder safety.
Coming from a 40-year career in the semiconductor and wireless communication field, Rafi Zack decided to find a better alternative. “People aren’t devoted to wearing small devices 24/7, and camera-based systems are an invasion（侵犯）of privacy,” he points out, “The most challenging aspect is a fall. How fast we can detect a fall matters because the medical situation worsens quickly. Sometimes people stay on the floor for a long time. We have to find out how to solve that problem.”
Zack is a co-founder, CEO and vice president of R&D at EchoCare Technologies which has developed ECHO (Elderly Care Home Observer), a cloud-connected monitor based on radar technology and machine learning.
Because radar sees through walls, one ECHO unit fixed on the ceiling or wall can monitor one person (or two persons, in a future version) in a standard-sized apartment in a senior living facility. The device detects falls, breathing difficulties, drowning in a bathtub and other dangerous events. It gives out warnings to potential health worsening conditions by continuously monitoring and analyzing the person’s location, posture（姿势）, motion and breath. EchoCare tested the device in the United States, Japan, Australia and Israel. ECHO was certified（认证）in 2019 in Japan with the most aging population in the world.
“Bathrooms were the main testing area where about 17,000 deadly accidents happen annually.” said SMK Director and Executive Vice President Tetsuo Hara. “Bathroom makers, home security service providers and nursing homes are highly interested in EchoCare’s solution.” Zack noted, “As more and more elder people live alone as a result of social distancing, there is an increased need to monitor them without the burden of wearables or privacy-invading cameras.”
1. What’s the advantage of ECHO over “panic buttons”?| A．It has camera-based systems. | B．It has been widely accepted. |
| C．It can function without cameras. | D．Its buttons can be easily reached. |
| A．It is designed to send out warnings regularly. |
| B．It monitors dangerous health-related events. |
| C．It was certified in many developed countries. |
| D．It detects more than one person at the same time. |
| A．It’ll become more popular with the elderly. |
| B．It’ll stop 17,000 deaths happening annually. |
| C．It’ll be used in nursing homes and hospitals. |
| D．It’ll help elderly people to live an active life. |
| A．An Advanced Medical Instrument |
| B．A High-tech Monitor for the Elderly |
| C．The Invention of a Healthcare Device |
| D．The Improvement of a Medical Facility |
2 . The first wave of a new class of anti-aging drugs have begun human testing. These drugs won't let you live longer but aim to treat specific illnesses by slowing a fundamental process of aging.
The drugs are called senolytics—they work by removing certain cells that accumulate as we age. Known as “senescent” cells, they can create low-level inflammation (炎症) that prevents normal systems of living cells repair and creates a poisonous environment for neighboring cells.
In June, San Francisco - based Unity Biotechnology reported initial results in patients with mild to severe osteoarthritis (关节炎) of the knee. Results from a larger clinical trial are expected in the second half of this year. The company is also developing similar drugs to treat age-related diseases of the eyes and lungs, among other conditions.
Senolytics are now in human tests, along with a number of other promising approaches targeting the biological processes that lie at the root of aging and various diseases.
A company called Alkahest injects patients with components found in young people's blood and says it hopes to stop conscious and functional decline in patients suffering from mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease. The company also has drugs for Parkinson's and dementia in human testing.
And in December, researchers at Drexel University College of Medicine even tried to see if a cream including the immune-suppressing drug could slow aging in human skin.
The tests reflect researchers' expanding efforts to learn if the many diseases associated with getting older- such as heart diseases, arthritis, cancer, and dementia- can be dealt with to delay their outbreak.
1. Why do the researchers develop the drugs?| A．To rid inflammation. | B．To lengthen people's life. |
| C．To treat age-related diseases. | D．To remove cancer cells. |
| A．Repairing. | B．Cycling. | C．Aging. | D．Dividing. |
| A．By listing data. | B．By providing details. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By analyzing causes. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. | C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
3 . My life as a tax-paying employed person began in middle school, when, for three whole days, I worked on an assembly (装配) line. My best friend Betsy’s father was an executive (管理者) at Hough Bakeries, which, at special festivals, made little rabbit-shaped cakes for all its stores. The plant downtown needed eight kids for temporary help, and the shift (轮班) fell over spring break, during which I had no plans. Cake? I loved cake-icing especially. I’d earn minimum wage. I’d see how a factory worked. My parents thought all of this was a grand idea for a girl like me and called Betsy’s dad with their permission.
Our roles on the line were simple: Place cakes on conveyor belt. Attach icing ears. Apply icing eyes and nose. Remove the cakes from belt; place onto trays. This was harder than it sounds. With your mind wandering, the cakes pile up. As I told my parents that first night, it was all a little more high-pressure than I’d expected. Dad smiled. This was the sort of work that made you appreciate the money you earned, he told me. And if your feet hurt or the minutes felt like hours, well then that was just motivation to keep those grades up and get that college education.
And the icing? We kids were allowed to eat as much as we wanted. By noon the first day, I could barely look at the stuff. To borrow a favorite phrase from my father: The executives weren’t born yesterday.
1. Why did the writer decide to take the job?| A．To earn lots of money. |
| B．To enjoy her spring break. |
| C．To help Betsy’s father temporarily. |
| D．To learn of the operation of the plant. |
| A．The writer found the job simple. |
| B．The job needed great concentration. |
| C．The writer quit the job the first night. |
| D．Father laughed at the writer’s performance. |
| A．Inspiring. | B．Doubtful. | C．Critical. | D．Sympathetic. |
| A．She found the icing ugly. | B．She was tired from the work. |
| C．She had eaten too much icing. | D．She felt depressed with the job. |
4 . Skyscraper didn’t always mean a tall building. The earliest reference to the word dates back to 1788, when it was used to describe a really tall horse, according to The Oxford English Dictionary. By the 1790s, a Philadelphia doctor had used the term to describe the triangular sail at the very top of a ship.
After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the Home Insurance Company hired architect William Jenney to design a tall, fire-proof head office. Jenney was inspired to design the building’s steel framework (框架)after his wife placed a heavy book on a small birdcage and found that the cage supported the weight. Today, that revolutionary structure is widely considered to be the first skyscraper.
Since then, the competition to build the world’s tallest building has been as sharp as the top of the Empire State Building. In the late 1920s, Walter Chrysler and his architect arranged for the secret construction of a roof that added 125 feet of height to the new Chrysler Building, making it 1,046 feet tall. The plan allowed them to eclipse(使逊色)the 927-foot Bank of Manhattan Trust Building.
However, only 11 months after the Chrysler Building was ranked the world’s tallest, it was surpassed by a new neighbor — the Empire State Building. Yet when it opened in 1931, less than 25 percent of the building was occupied. New York jokers called it the “Empty State Building”.
The largest skyscraper in the world always seems to be under construction. Jeddah Tower in Saudi Arabia is the latest and it’s expected to stretch nearly one kilometer (3, 280 feet) into the sky.
1. What did the word “skyscraper” originally mean？| A．A triangular sail. | B．A high building. |
| C．A fire-proof head office. | D．An extremely tall horse. |
| A．given away | B．left behind | C．put off | D．taken up |
| A．It was ranked the world’s tallest. |
| B．Tourists were not allowed to visit it. |
| C．Its construction lasted eleven months. |
| D．Only a few people lived or worked in it. |
| A．In order of time. | B．In order of space. |
| C．By analyzing causes. | D．By giving definitions. |
5 . Flocks of hundreds of regent honeyeaters（王吸蜜鸟）could once be spotted all over south-eastern Australia on a regular basis, but today the species is critically endangered, with only 300 believed to exist in the entire world. They were also known for the complexity of their mating songs, but as their numbers started declining, scientists started noticing male regent honeyeaters didn’t even sound like their species anymore. Today, there is enough evidence that regent honeyeaters have forgotten how to sing, which could cause the entire species to go extinct.
At one point, Australian scientists noticed that male regent honeyeaters were imitating（模仿）the songs of other bird species. Some experts believed that the imitation was a purposeful strategy to avoid attacks from their enemies. However, a recent study showed otherwise. Young regent honeyeaters learn their songs from adult members of their species, just like human children learn to speak, but because they are spread so thin in their habitat-they could occupy probably 10 times the size of the UK but are really small in quantity-many males don’t get to listen to the right songs, so they start adopting the tunes of other bird species. The problem is that these aren’t the songs female regent honeyeaters want to hear, so their chances of finding a mate are very slim.
Scientists are now planning to catch wild males that can sing and put them next to caged regent honeyeaters so that the young birds can learn the right song. They then plan to release them into the wild every few years, where they will hopefully be able to attract females and reproduce.
“This study shows how damaging population declines and habitat fragmentation（碎片）might be to this critical process in the life of songbirds,” said Dr Sue Zollinger, an expert in animal communication from Manchester Metropolitan University.
1. Why are regent honeyeaters faced with extinction?| A．They are short of food. | B．They are incapable of imitation. |
| C．Their habitats are badly destroyed. | D．Male birds fail to sing the right songs. |
| A．Analyse the reason. | B．Draw a conclusion. |
| C．Present the problem. | D．Add some background. |
| A．Broadcasting mating songs to the young birds. |
| B．Introducing wild birds to teach caged ones. |
| C．Training them to escape from the enemies. |
| D．Spreading them in different habitats. |
| A．To indicate the difficulty of catching wild birds. |
| B．To offer some strategies for animal communication. |
| C．To point out the critical tunes of the bird’s mating songs. |
| D．To stress the significance of an ideal population per habitat. |
6 . On July 24, 2020, Mike Stout launched his kayak（皮筏艇）just before 8：30 a.m. About 56 miles and 16.5 hours later, he landed on the sandy Michigan shore. It was his second time crossing Lake Michigan.
By chance, Stout said, he gave kayaking a try in 2016. Already in good physical condition, he considered kayaking a weekend escape. Then he was challenged by a client of his firm to think bigger. He did go big quickly. Weekend kayak trips were 40, 50 and 60 miles long over the next few months. Then his goal was to cross Lake Michigan that year. On August 3, Stout completed his first crossing of Lake Michigan in 15.5 hours. Since then, he’s finished countless long-distance trips on Minnesota rivers and lakes.
In heading back to Lake Michigan last summer, Stout thought he could become the first kayaker to make a round-trip crossing of the Great Lake. He felt capable. He’d put in 800 miles since March 1, 2020-when ice was still on the Minnesota River.
Stout wanted to do with manageable winds. Possibilities rose, only to become worse, the lake showing its mercurial nature. Stout realized a single crossing was his best hope. With local police informed of his plans and plenty of food aboard, Stout launched. His plan was to land on the Michigan shore 12.5 hours later. The lake thought otherwise. The winds and waves were working against him, too. Still, he was resolute. Finally he could hear waves crashing on shore.
“Never did I have a sense of doubt or fear or worry,” Stout said. Despite the constant, forceful wind, he said the crossing was easier than his others because of his experience. But no less meaningful. The stars, the chance to speak to the heavens, and the hope that his adventure would inspire others-all were fuel to finish.
1. What can we infer about Stout from paragraph 2?| A．He challenged his client. |
| B．He intended to escape real life. |
| C．He was organized and determined. |
| D．He set a goal bigger than his capability. |
| A．His physical state. | B．The weather condition. |
| C．The freezing water. | D．Warning from local police. |
| A．Changeable. | B．Merciful. | C．Perfect. | D．Balanced. |
| A．Weather. | B．Adventure. | C．Geography. | D．Entertainment. |
7 . An unusual experiment in Botswana suggests that painting eyes on the rear (臀部) ends of cows may help protect them from large predators (食肉动物) like lions. Protecting cows could also end up protecting the lions from angry farmers.
Large predators like lions are under pressure. Much of the land they used to roam (徜徉) has been taken over by humans. Many are hunted illegally. One serious threat to large predators comes from farmers, who often shoot or poison them after losing farm animals for their attacks.
This has long been a problem in the Okavango Delta. Some parts of the Okavango are protected, but there are also many small farms in the area, with between 6 and 100 cows. Lions are the biggest threat to cattle in the area. At night, farmers normally keep their animals in closed areas protected from predators. But in the daytime, when many predators are most active, the cattle are allowed out to eat grass.
Scientists from the University of New South Wales wondered if painting pictures of eyes on the cows' rear ends might protect them. The idea isn't as strange as it may sound. There are many examples of animals such as butterflies or fish using fake “eyes” to protect themselves.
Working with over 2,000 cows 8 on 14 different farms in the Okavango area, the scientists tested their ideas in a four-year study. The researchers separated the cows into three different groups. They painted large eyes on the rear ends of one group of cows. The second group got simple Xs. The final group got nothing.
The eyes worked very well. Of the 683 cows with eyes painted on them, none were killed in the four-year period. Cows with nothing on their rear ends didn't do so well. Fifteen of the 835 cows with bare backsides were killed. The scientists were surprised to learn that even Xs seemed to give the cows some protection. Only 4 of the 543 cows with Xs were killed.
1. What makes farmers become a threat to large predators?| A．Hunting them for meat. |
| B．Defending themselves. |
| C．Protecting farm animals. |
| D．Shooting them for pleasure. |
| A．They are close to life. |
| B．Their colors vary. |
| C．They are fierce enough. |
| D．Their fake eyes work. |
| A．By listing the number of cows. |
| B．By presenting the facts of tests. |
| C．By analyzing the varieties of tests. |
| D．By showing the differences of tests. |
| A．Protecting Cows Proves Urgent. |
| B．Lions Become Enemies of Cows. |
| C．Fake Eyes Protect Cows from Lions. |
| D．Cows Are in Danger of Extinction. |
8 . Urban planners may soon have a new way to measure traffic jams. By putting in the different routes by which vehicles can travel between locations, researchers have developed a new computer algorithm (运算法则) that helps quantify regions of jams in urban areas and suggests ways around them.
The study, published in the Journal of Physics: Complexity, used traffic speeds from taxis in New York City to demonstrate how road infrastructure (基础设施) and driver behavior can create complex road networks that differ among cities.
The team approached the issue by designing a computer algorithm to capture the topology-or relationship between the different routes between locations-of road networks. “We found that the most significant traffic bottlenecks in Manhattan seem to arise as a result of the city’s structural layout,” said study co-author Daniel Carmody. “For example, the fact that a bridge enters Manhattan at a range where traffic is already limited due to Central Park slows traffic in the area considerably.”
The researchers performed a comparative analysis using traffic patterns in Chengdu, China, to test if the algorithm works equally well in areas with different layouts. Manhattan has a long and thin structure, while Chengdu is round. There are significant differences in the way traffic moves between these two different setups, the researchers said.
“The bottlenecks in Chengdu seem to arise due to the function of the buildings in a particular area,” Carmody said. “For example, it is hard to travel in and out of the central business district in Chengdu because of the large amount of traffic alone. Beltways, or faster streets around busy areas, have emerged in circles around this area, which is not surprising because this feature was intentionally built into the city.”
In Manhattan, the bridges and underpasses that form the entry and exit points cause traffic slowdowns. However, in lower Manhattan, where drivers seem to obey the lower posted speed limits, traffic moves more smoothly, forming a new traffic beltway with the southern end of Central Park acting as a block between lower and central Manhattan.
“It surprised us that there is an emergent beltway in such a busy area of Manhattan,” Carmody said. “This indicates that, unlike in Chengdu, beltways seem to arise from driver behavior even when they aren’t part of the structural plan of a traffic network.”
“The researchers have imagined that this technology could give urban planners a means to quantify traffic patterns, leading to better traffic,” Carmody said. “As methods of transportation develop, new problems will emerge, and we hope that our tools will give planners new ways to measure what is going on with city traffic.”
1. According to the new study, what contributes to traffic jams in Manhattan?| A．The number of bottlenecks and beltways. |
| B．The location of bridges and underpasses. |
| C．Road facilities and driver behavior. |
| D．Road signs and urban population. |
| A．compare the layouts of the two cities |
| B．find better infrastructure for one city |
| C．design traffic patterns with the algorithm |
| D．assess the effectiveness of the algorithm |
| A．Because of lower posted speed limits. |
| B．Because drivers follow the traffic rules. |
| C．Because it is planned in the traffic network. |
| D．Because a beltway has emerged around the area. |
| A．City planners. |
| B．Slower drivers. |
| C．Infrastructure developers. |
| D．Road sign designers. |
9 . A new study found evidence that dogs developed in physical ways to present “puppy dog eyes” as a way to help connect with humans.
The study compared the facial muscles(肌肉) of dogs and wolves, which share ancestral history. Dogs broke off from wolves after being domesticated (驯化) about 33, 000 years ago. During that time dogs changed physically and behaviorally to adapt to life with humans.
The researchers examined the heads of six dogs and two wolves for comparison. They found the facial structures of both animals were mostly very similar. But one major difference was found above the eyes. The dogs were found to have two well-formed muscles around the eye that were not present in the wolves. These small muscles permit dogs to raise their inner eyebrows, the study found.
Juliane Kaminski, a comparative psychologist from the research suggests this eyebrow-rising movement causes “a warm” feelings in humans because it makes the dogs’ eyes appear larger. This expression also makes the dog look more like a human baby. The eye movement is similar to that which humans make when they are sad.
“The evidence is very obvious that dogs developed a muscle to raise the inner eyebrows after they were domesticated from wolves, ” Kaminski said.
In a separate part of the study, the researchers observed how 27 dogs and nine wolves interacted with a human. “We also studied dogs’ and wolves’ behavior. And when exposed to a human for two minutes, dogs raised their inner eyebrows more and higher than wolves,” Kaminski said.
The researchers suggest that the eye movements developed over time as a way for dogs to get humans to do things for them, such as giving them food, care or attention.
The only dog species in the study that did not have the muscles was the Siberian husky, which is an ancient kind of dog. The husky could be the best living example of what the link between dogs, and wolves looked like.
1. What is the difference found between dogs and wolves?| A．Dogs have nice eyebrows. |
| B．They have different ancestors. |
| C．They have easily distinguishable faces. |
| D．Dogs have additional muscles around the eyes. |
| A．Dogs have developed in order to get along with humans. |
| B．Dogs have learned facial expressions from human babies. |
| C．Dogs are intentionally raising their eyebrows to please humans. |
| D．Dogs have changed their behaviors to get food from humans. |
| A．It has lovelier eyes than the other dogs. |
| B．It seems much more like a wolf than a dog. |
| C．It can raise its eyebrows higher than most dogs do. |
| D．It is better at linking with humans than an ordinary dog. |
| A．The evolution of the wolves. |
| B．Dogs’ ability to connect with humans. |
| C．The similarities between dogs and wolves. |
| D．Changes in dogs caused by domestication. |
10 . If a president and a philosopher owed their success to the same secret, would you try to follow it too? What if the secret was something you already knew how to do? In fact, you probably do it every day. Here's what Friedrich Nietzsche wrote: “It is only ideas gained from walking that have any worth”. Thomas Jefferson: “Walking is the best possible exercise. Accustom yourself to walking very far.”
Are you still sitting there reading this? Get walking! It is not just the two great minds who made a case for it as a main creativity booster（推动）. Researchers have traced numerous connections between walking and novel ideas. A Standford University study found that participants were 81% more creative when walking as opposed to sitting. According to the study, walking outside—versus on a treadmill（跑步机）—produces the most novel and highest-quality ideas in participants who walked and then sat down to do creative work.
The movement aspect of walking is obviously key. You've probably heard the phrase “exercise your creativity”, which refers to the brain as muscle. Our creative thinking is triggered by physical movement, which is exactly why walking—with your dog, a friend or alone—feeds creative thinking.
But the scenery is almost as important as the sweat. A survey reveals that Americans spend 87% of their time indoors. Being inside, you're more likely to have less energy. Without energy, you can't wonder or create. Interrupting your routine with a walk can be a catalyst（催化剂）for gaining fresh insights into problems or projects. Just by going outside，you are stepping out of your comfort zone which is necessary if you want to open your mind to new possibilities. You can walk through a tree-filled neighborhood or a park and observe people wandering or birds singing.
So instead of setting a fitness goal, why not set a creative goal that starts with walking? Engage more closely with your surroundings. Walk just for exercise. Walk for wonder.
1. Why are the two great minds mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To suggest the way to exercise | B．To show the benefits of walking. |
| C．To give the definition of success | D．To stress the importance of creativity |
| A．Motivated. | B．Blocked. | C．Controlled. | D．Changed. |
| A．Americans spend most of their time enjoying it. |
| B．One can't wonder or create without it. |
| C．It can build a comfort zone for people. |
| D．It will expose people to new chances. |
| A．Scenery inspires new ideas. | B．Your creativity lies in sweat. |
| C．Exercise feeds creative thinking. | D．Your brain is made for walking. |
