1 . In an effort to stop poaching (偷猎) and protect endangered species, people are using technology previously created to discover stars. Claire Burke, who led the project, says the application of the starhunting tech has so far paid off big for conservation. “Since animals and humans in thermal imagery (热成像) ‘glow’ in the same way as stars in space, we have been able to combine the technical expertise of astronomers with the conservation knowledge of ecologists to develop a system to find the animals or poachers automatically,” she said in a statement.
In addition to species identification, the software can also provide an overview of health. Burke said that diseased or injured animals give off a different thermal imagery than the healthy ones. “The real advantage this gives you is that if you know how many animals you have and where they are and what kind of health they are in, then you can work out a good conservation strategy for looking after them,” she said.
The following is a post written by Burke on Twitter: More animals for the thermal imagery library. Thanks to Chester Zoo Science @ScienceatCZ for letting us observe their fantastic creatures. Images are giraffes, Indian elephants, and fruit bats.— Claire Burke (@CBurkeSci) October 27, 2017.
To train the software on a wide variety of heat signatures from different species, the team of researchers spent time collecting thermal imagery of animals. Their first field trial to detect Riverine rabbits, one of the most endangered mammals in the world (with only 500 living adults left in the wild), was a complete success. “The rabbits are very small, so we flew the drone (无人机) quite low to the ground at a height of 20 meters (65 feet). Although this limited the area we could cover with the drone, we managed to see the rabbit five times,” said Burke. “Given that there have only been about 1,000 times people have seen Riverine rabbits, it was a real success.”
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Technology has helped a lot in helping the endangered animals. |
| B．Scientists use stargazing tools to protect endangered species. |
| C．What we should do to protect the endangered animals. |
| D．Scientists are working hard to protect the environment. |
2 . Asking for help is a sign of strength rather than weakness. In American culture, the independent individual is seen as their ideal. As the University of Missouri at St. Louis states on its website under the heading Key American Values, “Americans have been trained since very early in their lives to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.” The value also makes them think they can do everything themselves, and makes them feel badly about asking for help when they need it.
What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．What key American values are. |
| B．Why Americans refuse to ask for help. |
| C．Asking for help is a sign of strength. |
| D．Americans are responsible for their life. |
3 . The number of trees larger than two feet across has declined by 50 percent on more than 46, 000 square miles of California forests, the new study finds. No area was spared or unaffected, from the foggy northern coast to the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the San Gabriels above Los Angeles. In the Sierra high country, the number of big trees has fallen by more than 55 percent; in parts of southern California the decline was nearly 75 percent.
What is the second paragraph mainly about?
| A．The seriousness of big-tree loss in California. |
| B．The increasing variety of California big trees. |
| C．The distribution of big trees in California forests. |
| D．The influence of farming on big trees in California. |
4 . If you ever get the impression that your dog can "tell" whether you look content or annoyed, you may be onto something. Dogs may indeed be able to distinguish between happy and angry human faces, according to a new study
Researchers trained a group of 11 dogs to distinguish between images（图像）of the same person making either a happy or an angry face. During the training stage, each dog was shown only the upper half or the lower half of the person's face. The researchers then tested the dogs' ability to distinguish between human facial expressions by showing them the other half of the person's face on images totally different from the ones used in training. The researchers found that the dogs were able to pick the angry or happy face by touching a picture of it with their noses more often than one would expect by random chance.
The new study focused on whether dogs can_________.
| A．distinguish shapes | B．make sense of human faces |
| C．feel happy or angry | D．communicate with each other |
5 . 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 |
6 . Young children who have experienced compassionate (有同情心的) love and empathy (认同感) from their mothers may be more willing to turn thoughts into action by being generous to others, a University of California, Davis’ study suggests.
In lab studies, children tested at ages 4 and 6 showed more willingness to give up the tokens (代金券) they had earned to fictional children in need when two conditions were present—if they showed bodily changes when given the opportunity to share and had experienced positive parenting that modeled such kindness. The study initially included 74 preschool-age children and their mothers. They were invited back two years later, resulting in 54 mother-child pairs whose behaviors and reactions were analyzed when the children were 6.
“At both ages, children with better physiological regulation and with mothers who expressed stronger compassionate love were likely to donate more of their earnings,” said Paul Hastings, UC Davis professor of psychology. “Compassionate mothers likely develop emotionally close relationships with their children while also providing an early example of satisfying the needs of others,” researchers said in the study, published in November in Frontiers in Psychology” Emotion Science.
In each lab exercise, after attaching a monitor to record children’s heart-rate activity, the examiner told the children they would be earning tokens for a variety of activities, and that the tokens could be turned in for a prize. The tokens were put into a box, and each child eventually earned 20 prize tokens. Then before the session ended, children were told they could donate all or part of their tokens to other children.
Taken together, the findings showed that children’s generosity is supported by the combination of their socialization experiences—their mothers’ compassionate love—and their physiological regulation, and that these work like “internal and external supports for the ability to act prosocially that build on each other”.
In addition to observing the children’s propensity (习性) to donate their game earnings, Hastings suggested that “being in a calmer state after sharing could reinforce (加强) the generous behavior that produced that good feeling.”
1. How do young children loved by their mother tend to become in later years?| A．Considerate. | B．Emotional. |
| C．Generous. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．The process of the research. | B．The result of the experiment. |
| C．The reactions of the children. | D．The importance of Mom’s love. |
| A．Their moms love them deeply. | B．They donate the tokens easily. |
| C．They behave physiologically. | D．They are calmer after sharing. |
| A．What Contributes to Generosity? |
| B．The More You Give, the Calmer You Will Be |
| C．Do You Prefer to Receive or Give? |
| D．More Giving, Less Receiving |
7 . Nearly everyone knows eBay is a website where you can buy and sell pretty much anything. There are other Internet auction (拍卖) sites, but none come close to eBay for brand-name recognition. And for good reason: eBay is the largest English-language online auction site in the world. Buyers come to eBay for the best chance of finding the particular thing they want. Sellers come for the largest pool of buyers, which they hope means the best chance of selling at the highest possible price.
Buying things on eBay is pretty simple. You can type a term into the search field, or click through the categories list to get to what you want. Inside an individual item listing, you’ll see the current asking price, and a little button to click if you wish to place your own bid. Enter a price, occasionally come back to see if someone has bid higher than you and wait for the end of the auction period. If your bid is the highest, you win! Now all you have to do is arrange payment and shipping method with the seller. eBay is only in the business of putting buyers and sellers together for a small fee from the seller. It doesn’t handle the actual payment or shipping of goods. In other words, it isn’t a big department store, or a warehouse. It’s the owner of a flea market, and you have to do your own deals with the individual sellers in their virtual stalls.
To be a skillful eBay buyer, you should learn when to trust sellers and how a proxy (代理人) bid can save you from going online every half-hour to up your bid. Experienced eBay users also know how to use escrows (公正托管) to guarantee goods, and how to avoid selling tricks such as fake bids that push up prices. The more often you buy on eBay, the more you learn.
1. Why is eBay the best website for people to buy and sell things?| A．Because it has all brand products. |
| B．Because the trade language is English. |
| C．Because sellers and buyers can close their deals. |
| D．Because sellers can find a swimming pool there. |
| A．Find the current asking price. |
| B．Click a button to place your own bid. |
| C．Enter a price which is higher than others. |
| D．Find what you want in the categories list. |
| A．Get goods from eBay. |
| B．Determine payment and shipment. |
| C．Send somebody for the goods. |
| D．Talk about the price of the goods. |
| A．How to be a skillful buyer at eBay. |
| B．How to make sure of qualified goods. |
| C．How to avoid being cheated by others. |
| D．How to spare you from going online frequently. |
8 . The use of AI (artificial intelligence) is becoming more common in many branches of industry and online shopping. Traditional lines of work, such as goods transport and driving, are developing in a similar direction although mainly out of public view. Scientists at the University of Göttingen have now investigated how efficient (高效的) the use of AI can be in the commercial management of trucks.
“Digital applications—as well as machine leaning, a kind of AI—are increasingly applied to operations and courses in the transport area,” explains Professor Matthias Klumpp from the Faculty of Economics. “The question in the commercial area, however, is whether or not this contributes to achieving goals.”
To answer this question, the researchers compared the work efficiency of truck drivers with their main use of AI applications. Looking at trade delivery by truck, they studied three groups: the first drove completely following human decision-making models; the second used a combination of human and machine; and the third depended completely on fully automated decisions.
The researchers found that an intelligent combination of human work and decision-making abilities with AI applications promises the highest transport and driving efficiency. “On average, the second group achieved the most efficient transport trips, with the fewest interventions (干预) and off-course from the best path.” one researcher said, “Clearly, neither a completely human decision-making structure nor a fully automated driving system can promise to meet current goods transport requirements.” The scientists therefore summarized that despite the progress of AI in the field of transportation by truck, human experience and decision-making abilities will still be necessary in the longer term. However, the challenge is that a wide range of training and qualification (资格) needs will come along by working with Al applications, especially for simple goods transport activities.
1. What does Matthias Klumpp focus on?| A．The efficiency of AI. |
| B．The advantages of AI. |
| C．The problems caused by AI. |
| D．The wide applications of AI. |
| A．By providing examples. |
| B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By using different trucks. |
| D．By listing three experiments. |
| A．Al is better at making decisions. |
| B．A balance is needed between human and AI. |
| C．Human will soon be replaced by AI in driving. |
| D．Al applications meet the current requirements. |
| A．The future of transport. |
| B．Artificial intelligence as a co-driver. |
| C．Artificial intelligence-a better choice in driving. |
| D．The strengths of artificial intelligence in transport. |
9 . A new product from Google may help people solve their sleep problems, but some privacy rights groups are concerned.
Google showed off its newest Nest Hub home assistant device on Tuesday. In addition to recognizing your voice, showing pictures, videos, news and weather, it can also track your sleep. The basic model costs about $100 and the sleep-tracking technology will be available for free for the rest of 2021. The sleep tracker makes Google’s product different from a similar home assistant from Amazon. If you put the Nest Hub beside your bed, it can follow how you sleep. That is because of a new computer chip called Soli, which can sense motion. Some people may like the new technology because they would not have to wear another device to bed. Some companies make products people can wear on their wrist to track their sleep.
Google says the new Nest Hub will create reports each week that show how long and how well a person sleeps. It will also show if they snore, cough or wake up often. The company said it studied 15,000 people over the course of 110,000 nights to develop the technology.
For people who want to know more about their sleep, the device sounds like a good idea. But, people who pay attention to privacy are worried what Google might do with the information it is gathering. Jeff Chester is one of those people. He is the director of the Center for Digital Democracy. “Google’s goal is to monetize every cell of your body,” he said.
Google recently bought FitBit, a company that makes a health tracker people can wear on their wrist. Some technology experts think Google may find a way for the Nest Hub to work with the FitBit.
Google says the sleep tracker has a lot of privacy protections. For example, it will only work if the user turns it on. The company said it will not use a person’s sleep information to try to sell advertising. But Chester said he is not so sure that promise will be kept.
1. Which is true about the Google’s new Nest Hub?| A．It’s the first device to track people’s sleep. |
| B．It has some functions as a home assistant. |
| C．It can be available for free for the rest of 2021. |
| D．It is the same as a health tracker produced by FitBit. |
| A．Because private information may be let out. |
| B．Because the sleeping problems can’t be solved. |
| C．Because sleep may be interrupted. |
| D．Because sleeping reports may be created each week. |
| A．Make money on. | B．Keep track of. | C．Take care of. | D．Give away. |
| A．Google’s New Soli |
| B．Google’s sleep problem solver |
| C．Google’s Newest Nest Hub |
| D．A Sleep Tracker |
10 . Have you ever heard about Black Friday and Cyber Monday? Surely, they are all about finding the best deals on holiday gifts for yourself and family members. And have you heard about GivingTuesday? Here is something about it!
GivingTuesday is observed annually on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, which encourages people to help those in need by making financial donations or doing good in their local community. The “Global Day of Giving” was started in 2012 by New York City nonprofit 92nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation.
Unlike Black Friday, GivingTuesday serves a more altruistic purpose. In its first year, the movement brought in almost $10 million for charities, and things have only improved since. In 2019, many GivingTuesday social media campaigns worldwide helped raise an amazing $ 1.9 billion from 27 million donors! Over the past five years, many higher education institutions have also been using the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to ask alumni for donations. In 2019, the University of Michigan, which calls it Blueday, received 5887 gifts totaling over $4 million, while Pennsylvania State University raised $710 000 to benefit over 85 University programs.
Though donating money certainly helps, there are many other ways to support the great cause, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can video tutor kids struggling with online learning, or team up with an adult to get groceries or medications for an elderly neighbor. Alternatively, call on your peers to help you with a service project that addresses an issue close to your heart, or pick one from the several ideas suggested on the GivingTuesday website. You can also donate your gently-used clothes and toys to local shelters, or mail a handwritten note to a grandparent or a friend you miss seeing.
What are you going to do to make a positive difference in your community on GivingTuesday? Let us know by adding your comments below!
1. Why does the author mention Black Friday and Cyber Monday in Paragraph 1?| A．To make a comparison. | B．To lead to the topic. |
| C．To arouse readers’ interest. | D．To express his doubt. |
| A．To promote the development of economy. | B．To attract people to buy more holiday gifts. |
| C．To call on more universities to donate money. | D．To encourage people to help those in need. |
| A．Selfless. | B．General. | C．Specific. | D．Complex. |
| A．Where people can offer their kind help. | B．What people can do on GivingTuesday. |
| C．How people can stay safe during COVID-19. | D．Why people need to support the great cause. |
