1 . As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, healthcare workers continue to risk their lives to treat patients. Under the current system, diagnosing, monitoring, and managing COVID-19 are contributing to its spread through contact. In an effort to improve this situation, data analytics company SDG Group has announced a new smartphone application called Docdot to help doctors collect relevant clinical data through telemonitoring.
Docdot uses facial recognition technology on smartphone cameras to detect a patient’s vita signs and process them using artificial intelligence. This recognition and processing technology (photoplethysmography) was developed by Binah. ai. It enables smartphone cameras to use the light reflected by blood vessels (血管) under the skin to detect and record changes in the volume of blood flowing in blood vessels under the skin, and that occur due to variations in respiration (呼 吸), blood pressure, etc. The app converts this into measurements reportedly 90 percent as accurate as hospital-grade monitors.
Docdot enables people to look into their smartphone’s screen and share early indicators of infection .It gives health workers the information they need to triage (分诊) patients at a safe distance, preventing unnecessary visits to hospitals and reducing the risk of exposure among health workers and patients. This maximizes the availability of healthcare resources for those who need them most, and contributes to slowing the spread of the virus.
“Use of this technology for virus monitoring and detection is new,” says Heather Beardmore, SDG Group UK chief executive. “This healthcare innovation is the first remote-monitoring and triage tool with potential to transform diagnosis and management.” It is also recognized by World Health Organization (WHO) and Forbes as being one of the most innovative digital health solutions worldwide. Docdot has undergone clinical trials in Canada India and Japan, and is now used in the USA hospitals.
1. What is the function of Docdot?| A．To manage COVID-19 effectively. |
| B．To detect COVID-19 patients accurately. |
| C．To monitor COVID-19 patients remotely. |
| D．To treat COVID-19 patients successfully. |
| A．How Docdot works. |
| B．How to use Docdot. |
| C．Where to use Docdot. |
| D．What advantages Docdot has. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Skeptical. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Effective Measures Against COVID-19 |
| B．Global Cooperation Against COVID-19 |
| C．Doctors — Heroes who Fight COVID-19 |
| D．Docdot — A Mobile App that Helps Doctor |
2 . It is generally acknowledged that the older we get, the more slowly we react. However, the new findings suggest that mental speed — the speed at which we can deal with issues requiring rapid decision-making — does not change substantially over decades.
Under the leadership of Dr Mischa von Krause and Dr Stefan Radev, psychologists at Heidelberg University evaluated data from a large-scale online experiment with over a million participants. They came to the conclusion that the speed of cognitive information processing remains largely stable between the ages of 20 and 60, and only deteriorates at higher ages.
In the online experiment, subjects had to press a button to sort pictures of people into the categories “white” or “black” and words into the categories “good” or “bad”. According to Dr Mischa von Krause, the content focus was of minor importance. Instead, the researchers used the large number of data as an example of a response-time task to measure the duration of cognitive decisions.
When evaluating the data, Dr Mischa von Krause and his colleagues noted that, on average, the response time of the test subjects rose with increasing age. However, with the aid of a mathematical model, they were able to show that this phenomenon was not due to changes in mental speed. They think that older test subjects are slower mainly because they reply more cautiously and concentrate more on avoiding mistakes. At the same time, motor function speed slows down during the course of adult life: older participants in the experiment needed longer to press the appropriate key after they had found the right answer.
Another finding of the study was that average information processing speed only progressively declined with participants over the age of 60. “It looks as though, in the course of our life, we don’t need to fear any substantial losses of mental speed — particularly not in the course of a typical working life,” says Dr Mischa von Krause.
1. What is the common assumption about the adults’ mental speed?| A．It declines with age. | B．It is faster at the old age. |
| C．It is not affected by the age. | D．It is constantly changing with age. |
| A．Stays stable. | B．Becomes worse. | C．Changes suddenly. | D．Increases rapidly. |
| A．Their emotional stability. | B．The decline of mental speed. |
| C．Their mature and cautious nature. | D．The lack of exercise for the older. |
| A．To describe an online experiment. | B．To appeal to people to respect the elderly. |
| C．To tell people how to improve mental speed. | D．To reveal the conclusion of an online experiment. |
3 . One day, Vinod Menon, the head of the physics department at the City College of New York, who had to face the unpleasant task of going through almost a year of COVID-lockdown office mail, opened a 9-month-old package, only to find it contained $180,000.
Piled notes in 50s and 100s wrapped in paper bands, a letter, and a return address to an alias were all that accompanied the parcel addressed to “Head of the Physics Department.” “I’ve never seen this kind of money in real life in cash form except in movies,” Menon told CNN. “That really floored me, so I just did not know how to react.”
The sender evidently had unshakable faith in the US postal system, and desired to send the cash to poor students looking to pursue physics and other sciences. City College of New York is one of the most-productive public university systems, and the physics department is particularly outstanding. Three Nobelists in physics received their education there, and in 1921 Albert Einstein gave one of his first lectures at the campus.
“Assuming that you are a bit curious as to why I am doing this, the reason is straightforward,” the letter read, continuing to explain that its writer had, many years ago, taken advantage of the “excellent educational opportunity” available at City College to study physics, earn a master’s, and pursue a “long, productive, rewarding scientific career.”
The alias return address was to Kyle Paisley, a name absent from the university’s graduation logs, at a house in Pensacola, Florida, whose owners apparently had no idea of the donation. After a two-month long investigation revealing nothing linking the money to criminal activity, the Board of Trustees held a vote and decided to keep the money. Dr Menon noted that the gift would provide for two fully-funded scholarships every year for a decade.
1. How did Vinod Menon most likely feel when seeing the cash?| A．Shocked. | B．Ashamed. | C．Worried. | D．Excited. |
| A．To introduce Einstein’s achievements. |
| B．To prove that it is not easy to win a Nobel Prize. |
| C．To show the excellence of the physics department. |
| D．To tell that Einstein received education in the physics department. |
| A．Generous and grateful. | B．Athletic and cautious. |
| C．Brave and professional. | D．Cooperative and caring. |
| A．The writer of the letter was eventually found. |
| B．Dr Menon was in charge of keeping the money. |
| C．The school was careful when handling the money. |
| D．Kyle Paisley is a graduate of the physics department. |
4 . The 2022 Olympic Winter Games have come to an end but the legacy of this showcase event that took place over two glorious weeks will last a lifetime.
Chloe Kim wins in the snowboard halfpipe
USA snowboard star Chloe Kim entered Beijing 2022 as the youngest athlete ever to have won snowboard Olympic gold after claiming the halfpipe title at Pyenong Chang 2018. Kim scored 94.00 points on her very first run to take the gold on February 10.
Arianna Fontana becomes Italy’s most decorated Winter Olympian
Italy’s short track star Arianna Fontana began her Beijing 2022 campaign needing two medals to equal the record as the most-decorated Italian Winter Olympian of all time. Not only did she do that, but she also surpassed the mark with a silver in the 1500 m that put her in a league all of her own with 11 Winter Olympic medals.
Su Yiming thrills the hosts in men’s snowboard big air
The Winter Olympic hosts had something special to celebrate when Su Yiming won the first-ever snowboard gold medal for China. A pair of huge 1800s in his first two runs was enough to see the 17-year-old (now 18) beat off competition from seasoned competitors and take his place at the top of the Olympic podium.
Ireen Wust makes history in Olympic Winter Games
Qualifying for one Olympics is a big feat, but speed skater Ireen Wust of the Netherlands has won an individual gold medal at five different Olympics, becoming the first athlete in history to do so. The 36-year-old attended her first Olympics in 2006. Since then, she has 13 medals, six being gold.
1. How many medals did Arianna Fontana win in the 2022 Winter Olympics?| A．Eleven. | B．Three. | C．Two. | D．One. |
| A．Chloe Kim. | B．Arianna Fontana. | C．Su Yiming. | D．Ireen Wust. |
| A．Receiving the most popularity. | B．Being a champion in five Olympics. |
| C．Qualifying for the Olympics many times. | D．Winning the most medals in the 20220lympics. |
1. Where will the junior and senior competitions take place this season?
| A．At Queen’s Park. | B．At King’s Park. | C．At Royal Park. |
| A．Watch an awards ceremony. |
| B．Go to a party. |
| C．Attend a picnic. |
| A．Four teams will take part in it. |
| B．Players will wear red shirts this year. |
| C．The games will be played on Sundays. |
6 . Nowadays, a multilingual voice app helping Indians shop online. India is a country where 1.3 billion people speak 22 officially recognized languages and hundreds of dialects, communication can be a problem online. Despite the number of Indian internet users who don’t speak English as a first language is large, 60% won’t buy online due to language barriers, according to a 2017 report.
Niki, a voice-enabled e-commerce platform, is trying to solve this, providing a virtual assistant that lets people use voice commands to do their shopping, pay utility bills and users speak to the app in their preferred languages, getting products or services.
The company’s target market is people who don’t live in cities and do not speak English in the northern Indiana states. It is planning to introduce seven more languages and hopes to carry out its business in 10 more states.
Thanks to a machine learning algorithm, Nikiis able to understand variations and dialects within a language with increasing accuracy. When the app first appeared, it had a 65% accuracy rate. Now with a bank of 250 million conversations, Niki can process voice commands with 95% accuracy, he says.
The app differs from typical online marketplaces. It limits the number of buying choices. Rather than offering many similar products as the supermarkets do, Niki presents a few quality-controlled objects from providers. That is more like a local store.
1. Many Indian Internet users don’t shop online because________.| A．they aren’t able to use the Internet | B．they have trouble using apps |
| C．they like to shop in the local store | D．they have difficulty in communicating |
| A．There are more products for them to choose | B．They may like the way NiKi talks with them |
| C．It’s difficult for them to buy good products | D．It’s just like shopping in a big supermarket |
| A．New apps develop quickly in India | B．The voice app helps Indians shop online |
| C．It’s hard to change Indians’ shopping fashion | D．Indians become interested in online shopping |
| A．Population and environment | B．History and traditions |
| C．Sports and entertainment | D．Science and technology |
7 . The sun is setting, brightening your kids’ faces as they play in the waves. You reach for your phone for this perfect moment. But before you do, here’s a bit of surprising science: Taking photos is not the perfect way to keep memory as you think.
Taking too many pictures could actually harm the brain’s ability to keep memories, says Elizabeth Loftus, a psychology professor at the University of California. So we get the photo but kind of lose the memory.
Photography “outsources” memories. It works in two ways: We either shake off the responsibility of remembering moments when taking pictures, or we’re so distracted by the process that we miss the moment altogether.
The first explanation is the loss of memory. People know that their camera is recording that moment, so they don’t try to remember. The other is distraction. We’re distracted by the process of taking a photo-how we hold our phone, composing the photo, such as smiling faces, the background to our liking and clear image, all of which uses up our attention that could otherwise help us memorize.
However, taking photos can help memory when done mindfully. While taking a photo may be distracting, the act of preparation by focusing on visual details around has the opposite. When people take the time to take clear pictures, memories become strengthened.
Another advantage is that we recall moments more exactly with the photos. Memory has been reshaped with the help of new information and new experiences. Thus, photos or videos help us recall moments as if they really happened.
Memories die away without a visual record backing them up. Therefore, a photo is an excellent tool to help remember when done purposefully, which is worth exploring further.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce the topic. | B．To make us recall similar experience. |
| C．To show the interest in taking photos. | D．To call on readers not to take photos. |
| A．Taking photos is helpful for us to memorize. |
| B．Photos are more detailed than memories. |
| C．People depend more on photos to remember than their brains. |
| D．Many sources influence people’s memories during photo-taking |
| A．When taking photos is better. | B．When distraction is likely to happen. |
| C．How to stay focused while taking photos. | D．How to use photo-taking to memorize better. |
| A．Photography Does Help to Memories |
| B．Remember the Moment and Take Photos Properly |
| C．Too Many Photos Taken Result in Poor Memories |
| D．The Fewer Photos We Take, the Better We Will Remember |
8 . CREATIVE SUMMER CAMPS
Video Game Design
This international organization is aimed at inspiring girls to explore the world of games and build their confidence in the areas of math and technology. Students are grouped based on skill levels. Girls at all levels are welcome!
Time: June 15-26Age: 7-15
Fees: $ 160 each one; $ 128 members
Contact: Call Children’s Creativity Museum at 415-820-3320 or visit www. creativity. org.
History Summer Camp
Each day, kids will have a task to explore a different aspect of past life, including food, work, music, art through games, storytelling and even silent films.
Time: June 22-26Age: 8-12
Fees: 200 each one; 160 members
Contact: Call at 252-1770 or visit www.historiccolumbia.org.
Adventures in Creative Writing
This helps improve your writing skills if you have already mastered the basics of good writing. You’ll discover new techniques and polish your writing.
Time: June 21-26Age: 9-12
Fees: $ 500 each one
Contact: Call at 777-9444 or visit www.saeu.sc.edu/adventures.
Heathwood Hall Guitar
Whether you are a beginner or an experienced guitar player who wants to improve your skills, Heathwood Hall Guitar provides top-quality guitar instruction using a variety of fun games and exercises.
Time: June 15-19; July 13-17; Aug. 3-7Age: 3-12
Fees: 150 each one
Contact: Call Heathwood Hall at 231-7710 or visit www.heathwood.org.
Basic Drawing Writing Camp
This camp helps beginners discover the basic skills of drawing and writing and how to make it come to life on paper.
Time: June 8-11Age: 6-12
Fees: $ 350 each one; $ 300 members
Contact: Call Ladybug Art Studios at 603-7312 or visit www.ladybugartstudios.com.
1. What do we know about Video Game Design?
| A．It groups students by age. | B．It accepts no boy students. |
| C．It welcomes only experienced students. | D．It mainly develops students’ team spirit. |
| A．www.heathwood.org. | B．www.historiccolumbia.org. |
| C．www.saeu.sc.edu/adventures. | D．www.ladybugartstudios.com. |
| A．Charging the same fees. | B．Putting students into groups. |
| C．Offering professional instructions. | D．Letting students learn through games. |
9 . Over the last decades, we have witnessed an ever-increasing use of electronic devices, leading in turn to electronic waste (e-waste) becoming the world’s fastest growing waste stream. In 2019, a total of 53.6 Mt of e-waste was generated globally, only 17 percent of which is documented as having been managed in an environmentally sound manner, which has been pushing researchers to address the e-waste problem.
Now researchers at the Cellulose & Wood Materials Laboratory have crafted a water-activated disposable (一次性的) battery made of paper and other environmentally friendly materials.
The new paper battery has the same key components as traditional standard batteries. Like a traditional chemical battery, it has a positively charged side called a cathode, a negatively charged side called an anode and a conductive material called an electrolyte between the two. Instead, in the new battery, the anode and cathode are inks printed onto the front and back of a piece of paper. That paper is filled with salt. It will dissolve when you add just a couple of drops of water to the paper. The resulting saltwater solution acts as the electrolyte, which allows electrons to flow. About 20 seconds later, the battery will produce a stable 1.2 volts of electricity until the paper dries out. (For comparison, a standard AA battery provides 1.5 volts.)
The researchers demonstrated that their battery could present a sustainable alternative to the more harmful batteries that are common in low-power devices, such as an alarm clock. Nyström, head of the research, even pictures a bright future where these batteries are applied to diagnostic tests in hospitals and environmental sensors, ideally with other sustainable components such as screens and packaging. “That future may not be so far off.” Nyström said hopefully.
It is hard to predict a time line for producing such items on a large scale, but Nyström says he is in contact with potential industry partners and believes these batteries could make their way into products within the next two to five years.
1. What can we learn from paragraph 1?| A．Electronic devices are overly used. |
| B．Electronic devices are the main source of waste. |
| C．Electronic waste has become a global problem. |
| D．Electronic waste is mostly managed in a sound way. |
| A．The salt. | B．The paper. | C．The battery. | D．The ink. |
| A．It has come into the market. |
| B．It can power common electrical equipment. |
| C．It has the same anode and cathode as the traditional battery. |
| D．It stops producing electricity when the saltwater solution dries out. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Positive. | C．Negative. | D．Doubtful. |
While many people have made videos to cheer on those working on the front lines of the fight since the latest COVID-19 outbreak in Shanghai, Chien Meishuang
The paintings are part of her Journal of the Pandemic Lockdown,
The Taiwan native, who lives in Shanghai, is being on the receiving end of her neighbors’ kindness.
“It is because of the pandemic
