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 . Smartphones, tablets and other digital devices can be addictive. They affect sleep. They draw kids into an alternate universe, often distracting（使分心）them from more productive-and healthier-real-world activities. And they are often linked to anxiety and depression, learning disabilities and obesity（肥胖）. Yet for many teenagers, cellphones and social media are also absolutely necessary tools for planning their social lives, keeping up with schoolwork and staying in touch with out-of-town friends and relatives.
How can parents make the most of the constructive uses of screen-based technology while minimizing its harmful effects？
The key is helping kids use technology as a tool, not a toy, “where there’s some purpose other than the medication of boredom,” says Jim Taylor, a psychologist and author of the book Raising Generation Tech：Preparing Your Children for a Media-fueled World. Taylor, like many other medical and mental health professionals, advises parents to set limits and stick to them. They should restrict the amount of time their kids spend on devices, create tech-free zones-no cellphones in their bedrooms, for example-and tech-free times, such as at the dinner table, in restaurants and on family outings.
Perhaps the best thing you can do is serve as a good role model by exhibiting the same online behavior you expect of your children, says Dr. Elias Aboujaoude, a Stanford University psychiatrist. “If parents are breaking their own rules,” Aboujaoude says, “kids cannot be expected to behave differently.”
Chad Landgraf, 44, of Oklahoma, told me he was worried about how addicted his 12-year-old son and 5-year-old daughter became when they were on their devices. So, hoping to set an example, he switched from e-books to old-fashioned print. “When I had my Kindle or ipad open, they. didn’t know if I was reading or surfing the net,” Landgraf says. “But at least if I have a paper copy of a book, they know I am reading. Modeling seems like the easiest way.”
1. What may be the result of children’s using digital devices?| A．Health improvement. | B．Free creation. |
| C．Sleep disorder. | D．Good conduct |
| A．Killing time by using screen-based technology. |
| B．Forbidding kids using smartphones. |
| C．Setting clear boundaries for kids. |
| D．Restricting tech-free family time. |
| A．He was afraid of becoming addicted. | B．He expected to be a role model. |
| C．He was tired of surfing the net. | D．He preferred paper copies of books. |
| A．Parenting in a digital world | B．Learning to be intelligent parents |
| C．Using smart devices wisely | D．Helping children behave themselves |
3 . 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. |
4 . 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. |
5 . The Arctic's permafrost is inciting— and fast. That's bad news, because these frozen soils store billions of tons of carbon, just waiting to be released. So is there a way to save the permafrost? One team of researchers thinks it may have found a possible solution: big animals, herbivores - animals that eat only plants.
Back in 1996 researchers started an experiment called Pleistocene Park. They fenced in about eight square miles of land in northeast Siberia. Then they introduced different types of herbivores: reindeer, horses, bison, sheep and other large creatures.
Since then, scientists have studied these animals' effects on the ecosystem. One outcome is that these large herbivores help keep the ground very cold — cooler than it would otherwise be.
“The snow in winter is important for soil temperature, because it acts as an insulating layer. So the air in winter, at the high latitudes, is much colder than the soil." Philipp Porada, a vegetation ecologist at the University of Hamburg. "So the idea of this experiment was to introduce large herbivores — and to quantify their effects on soil temperature to see if they can actually protect permafrost soils against melting. And this works because of the animals' trampling (践踏), and this leads to less insulation of the soil against cold air temperatures and results in a cooling effect.”
Freezing air reaches the soil more easily. Porada and his colleagues realized the significance of this effect, so they pulled data from Pleistocene Park and Sweden to model what effect herbivores could have on permafrost if they lived in large numbers in the Arctic.
They found that even in a worst-case situation, some four degrees Celsius of global wanning: “These herbivores in the model reduce soil temperature substantially, by 1.7 degrees on average. And this leads to a preservation of around 80 percent of the original — today's permafrost area. Without the herbivore effect in the model, only 50 percent of the permafrost area would remain by the year 2100. So we can say the effect of the herbivores in the model leads to a substantial preservation of permafrost soil."
1. Why is the Pleistocene Park Experiment mentioned?| A．To provide the past research data. |
| B．To share soil preservation experience. |
| C．To introduce a way to save permafrost. |
| D．To prove animals' effect on soil temperature. |
| A．Covering. | B．Blocking. |
| C．Storing. | D．Freezing. |
| A．Cooling the ground. | B．Heating the soil |
| C．Damaging the ground. | D．Softening the soil. |
| A．Permafrost Is Disappearing | B．Preservation of Permafrost |
| C．An Experiment on Herbivores | D．Herbivores Help Save Permafrost |
6 . You can't see your sleeping pet's brain waves, but its behavior can tell you when Fido or Fluffy might be dreaming. If you watch closely, you'll see that as your cat falls asleep, her breathing becomes slow and regular and her body still. She has entered the first stage of sleep, called slow-wave sleep. After about 15 minutes you'll notice a change in her breathing. Her paws and whiskers twitch(抽动) and she flicks an ear. Fluffy has entered REM(Rapid Eye Movement), or dreaming stage of sleep. Although she twitches and makes little grunting noises, messages from her brain to the large muscles in her legs are blocked, so she can’t run about. She is in a state of “sleep paralysis”.
Back in 1963, Michel Jouvet, a French scientist who was studying sleep in cats, interrupted their sleep paralysis. Even though they were completely asleep, the dreaming cats began to chase balls that Jouvet couldn't see and arched their backs at invisible enemies. He figured he was watching them act out their dreams!
What were they dreaming about? Mostly, the dreaming cats seemed to be practising important cat skills: stalking, pouncing and fighting.
In another study, neuroscientist Matt Wilson recorded rats' brain waves while they learned mazes(迷宫). One day, he left the brain-wave-recording machine on while the rats fell asleep. The pattern of brain waves in the sleeping rats matched the pattern from the maze so closely that Wilson could figure out exactly which part of the maze each rat was dreaming about!
Many researchers now think that in both people and animals, one purpose of dreams is to practise important skills and figure out recent learning. This may explain why so many people dream about fighting and escaping, skills that were probably important to our ancestors, and why dreaming affects our ability to learn.
Do all animals dream? From looking at the brain waves of sleeping animals, scientists think that all mammals dream, but reptiles, fish, and invertebrates(无脊椎动物) don't.(They're not sure about birds.)
1. What can we know about "sleep paralysis"?| A．It's the initial step of sleep. |
| B．I features slow-wave sleep. |
| C．It is in a motionless state. |
| D．It refers to the dreaming stage. |
| A．exercising basic skills. |
| B．playing balls. |
| C．recording brain waves. |
| D．learning mazes. |
| A．The museles of the reaming eats are blocked to move. |
| B．Dreaming a lot can help humans learn more. |
| C．Eighting and escaping are not necessary for ancestors. |
| D．Dreaming has a great impact on both humans and animals. |
| A．Fido and Fluffy. |
| B．Do Animals Dream? |
| C．What is Sleep Paralysis? |
| D．Stages of Animal Sleep. |
7 . The conductor on the podium (指挥台) has no baton (指挥棒), no tailcoat and no musical score, but Android Alter 3 is kicking up a storm as it guides a symphony orchestra's players through their paces.
The robot has a humanoid face, hands and lower arms, which gesture with what could pass for passion as it bounces up and down and rotates during the live performance of Keiichiro Shibuya's opera Scary Beauty in the Emirate of Sharjah.
Video from the recent performance in the Emirate of Sharjah showed the machine turning to face orchestra members and waving its arms. Alter 3 even sang at times.
Shibuya said the involvement of robots in the everyday lives of humans is continually increasing. But, he said he thinks people will need to decide in the future how artificial intelligence can best improve the human experience.
Shibuya added that he believes humans and robots can learn to work together to create beautiful art. "This work is a metaphor of that relations between humans and technology," he said. Shibuya noted that sometimes the music-leading robot can "get crazy", making it difficult for the musicians to keep up. But other times, the humans and machines cooperate very well.
Shibuya said the robots and AI that exist today are "far from complete". He is interested in studying how such incomplete technology can be combined with art.
"I think this is a very exciting idea…We came to see what it looks like and how much is possible," said Anna Kovacevic. Another audience member, who gave his name only as Billum, said after the show, "You know, a human conductor is so much better." Although he said he is interested in AI and looks forward to big developments, he concluded on the project: "The human touch is lost."
1. What does Shibuya think of Alter 3?| A．It is not perfect at present. | B．It teams up with humans well. |
| C．It often makes humans crazy. | D．It is better than human conductors. |
| A．The performance drew mixed reactions. |
| B．Billum took no interest in the performance. |
| C．The audience were fascinated by the performance. |
| D．The audience thought Alter 3 would have a bright future. |
| A．Positive | B．Negative. | C．Objective. | D．Critical. |
| A．Robot Cooperates with Humans |
| B．Robot Conducts Human Orchestra |
| C．The Significance of Robots in Art |
| D．The Relations Between AI and Humans |
8 . Just as a hungry brain craves (渴望) food, a lonely brain craves people. A new brain study demonstrates this. After being left alone, it shows people's brains would be activated at the sight of other people. The action was in the same brain region that speeds up when a hungry person sees food.
Livia Tomova, a neuroscientist, who studies how the brain produces mental activities, and her colleagues began this study. They recruited (招募) 40 people. On one day, the participants had to fast—not eat anything at all—for 10 hours. On another day, the same people were placed in a room for 10 hours. They couldn't see anyone. No friends, no family and no social media. They weren't even allowed to check their email. After both days, Tomova and her colleagues put the people in a MRI machine. It shows activity in the brain by tracking how much blood is flowing to each region.
At the end of each day, the participants showed high activity in a brain area called the midbrain. The scientists were interested in two, small areas within it. Both areas produce dopamine, a chemical that is important in craving and rewards. The two areas activated when hungry participants saw pictures of tasty pizza or juicy hamburgers. After the volunteers had been isolated, those brain areas became active when they saw social activities they missed. It might be playing sports or chatting with friends.
The midbrain plays an important part in people's motivation to seek food or friends. In fact, it responds to food and social signals even when people aren't hungry or lonely. But hunger and loneliness increased the reactions and made people's responses specific to the thing they were missing. And the more hunger or isolation the volunteers said they were experiencing, the stronger the activity in this part of the brain. Tomova and her colleagues published their results November 23 in Nature Neuroscience.
1. How does Tomova test out the result of the study?| A．By stimulating desire. | B．By controlling blood flow. |
| C．By monitoring brain activity. | D．By examining mental activities. |
| A．It consists of two areas. | B．It helps motivate desire for food. |
| C．It stops working when people are full. | D．It decreases responses to lost friends. |
| A．A midbrain area. | B．A social activity. | C．A volunteer. | D．A hamburger. |
| A．Dopamine—a Sure Sign of Age | B．Midbrain—a Nest for the Thoughts |
| C．Hunger Makes Mental Health Struggle | D．Loneliness Makes Our Brains Need People |
9 . I took a job at a vet clinic almost five decades ago. As an animal lover, I accepted the position on the condition that I wouldn’t have to assist with any wounded animals. I couldn’t bear to see any creature in pain.
At the end of my first week, we were closing the office when a young man ran up to us holding severely injured Doberman pinscher puppy (杜宾幼犬) in his arms and begging us to save his life. The four-month-old puppy had been hit by a car.
The doctor and I ran back into the operating room. The only place the skin was still attached to this poor little animal’s body was around one shoulder. The vet worked tirelessly, sewing him back together again. That was the easy part. The puppy had broken multiple bones, including his spine (脊椎). If he survived the next few days, we were quite sure he would never walk again.
That day forever changed my life. I became the vet’s assistant in all things medical. One of my first jobs was to give that puppy daily physical therapy. I remember moving his tiny legs to try to keep his muscles from weakening.
Weeks went by until one day. I felt this little fighter push back ever so slightly. And eventually he could finally use his legs.
Fast-forward about a year, I walked into the clinic’s crowded waiting room and called the name of the next client. Suddenly, a huge Doberman who had been standing quietly with his owner broke loose and dashed toward me. I found myself pinned against the wall with this magnificent dog standing on his hind legs, his front paws on my shoulders, washing my face with abundant and joyful kisses!
I still tear up in amazement at the display of love and gratitude the dog had for me that day all those years ago.
1. Which was the possible position the author took originally at the clinic?| A．A professional vet. | B．A medical assistant. |
| C．A regular receptionist. | D．An enthusiastic volunteer. |
| A．She fixed his spine. | B．She sewed his wounds. |
| C．She helped him to recover. | D．She taught him to jump. |
| A．He got well immediately. |
| B．He got fierce afterwards. |
| C．He was a loyal and adventurous companion. |
| D．He had great affection for the author. |
| A．A Loving Vet. | B．A Lucky Dog. | C．A Grateful Patient. | D．Life-exchanging Story. |
10 . An 8-year-old boy I know is small for his age, shorter and slighter than his friends, even smaller than his 5-year-old sister. Concerned about the increasing use and possible risks of growth hormone(生长激素), I asked his mother if she’d considered treating him with it. She replied, “Not really. He’s built like his father, who was short and slight as a boy and didn’t shoot up until college.”
His father, at 41, is now 6 feet tall, though still very slender. He recalls being a reasonably athletic child but without the physical power of his friends, making up for what he lacked in mass with speed and agility. “I enjoyed competitive sports and worked on skills others didn’t have,” he told me, and said he encourages his son to recognize and capitalize on the skills he has.
If only every parent with a short but healthy child approached the matter as sensibly. Experts estimate that 60% to 80% of children who are short for their age do not have a growth hormone deficiency(缺乏) or other medical condition that limits growth. But knowing there’s a therapy available to increase height, some parents seek a medical solution for a perceived problem, even when there is no medical abnormality. They should also know, however, that new research has linked growth hormone treatment to serious unfavorable health effects years later.
Dr. Adda Grimberg, a doctor at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, recalled that “Twenty years ago, families were focused on health. They came in with a child who was not growing right and wanted to know if there was an underlying disease. Now, more and more, they’re focused on height. They want growth hormone, looking for a specific height. But this is not like online shopping; you can’t just place an order and make a child the height you want.”
In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration approved use of recombinant human growth hormone for the condition known as “idiopathic short stature”, or short build of unknown cause, which is not a disease. But it has caused a growing number of parents to consider using the hormone to boost the height of their children.
The resulting rush to therapy reflects concerns about a widespread societal bias(偏见) against shortness, rather than a true medical need. Experts have noted that the practice backs up the belief that short stature is unacceptable, leading to an increasing demand for therapy. It is far better, Dr. Grimberg suggested, to help a short child develop coping skills than to buy inches through medicine.
1. As for the parents’ attitude to their 8-year-old boy’s shortness, the author is ________.| A．critical | B．tolerant | C．supportive | D．worried |
| A．They are eager to get the expected result. |
| B．They spare no effort to sort out the cause. |
| C．They feel disturbed by their children’s health. |
| D．They help develop their children’s coping skills. |
| A．It might be officially recommended. |
| B．It may fuel height discrimination. |
| C．It is pushed by a medical need. |
| D．It is targeted at certain diseases. |
| A．Shower the Short with Growth Hormones |
| B．Find Replacement for Growth Hormones |
| C．Assess the Effects of Growth Hormones |
| D．Weigh the Use of Growth Hormones |
