1 . Want to get your package delivered via robots? Now there’s an app for that. If you live in Washington D.C., or Redwood, you may have glimpsed a small, boxy robot rolling along a local sidewalk, minding its own business, but attracting the attention of many curious onlookers.
The autonomous machines were part of a pilot program last year by Starship Technologies focusing on delivering meals from local restaurants in dozens of cities around the world. This week, the company unveiled plans to broaden its delivery service beyond food to include package, a move that led it to declare itself “the world’s first robot package delivery service”. The next time you order food, this cute robot might roll up to deliver it. The package delivery service is not available to everyone yet.
The wheeled robots have a top speed of 4mph and can detect obstacles from 30 feet away. “The robot can operate through anything,” Nick Handrick, head of operations for Starship’s D.C. office, sad, “If you had something in the way-a stick –it’s able to climb sticks.”
To sign up for the service, which costs a little more than $10 per month, customers need to download the company’s app. Customers then create a “Starship Delivery Address”, a unique address inside a Starship facility, where they can have package sent from places such as Amazon.com. Once a package is delivered to the Starship address, customers receive a text notification that allows them to schedule a home delivery via robot. The robots are opened by customers via a mobile phone code.
Barriers exist for robotic ground delivery, with many states requiring that humans be in control of delivery robots. Those regulations haven’t stopped Starship Technologies from accumulating experience on streets around the globe ahead of the company’s latest launch. The company says its robots have covered more than 125,000 miles in more than 100 cities in 20 countries.
1. What can we know about the robotic delivery?A.It is part of a trial project by Starship Technologies. |
B.The robotic delivery is available to everyone at present. |
C.You can use the service free of charge via smart phones. |
D.The robots are opened by customers with a text notification. |
A.Revised. | B.Released. | C.Restored. | D.Reset. |
A.The good news of the service. |
B.How the robotic delivery works. |
C.The disadvantages of the robotic delivery. |
D.Robotic delivery develops despite challenges. |
A.New Robot Was Invented | B.Wheelless Robots Are on the Way |
C.How Robots Deliver Packages | D.Packages Will Be Delivered by Robots |
2 . Do you want to live another 100 years or more?Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生),”said Michael Zey,a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “I think by 2075 we will see it and that's a conservative estimate(保守的估计).”
At the conference in San Francisco,Donald Louria,a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nano technology(纳米技术)make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last past about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less diseases, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live." It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?" said Leonard Poon,director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre." At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all."
1. By saying “we are knocking at the door of immortality”, what does Michael Zey mean?A.they believe that there is no limit of living |
B.they are sure to find the truth about long living |
C.they have got some ideas about living forever |
D.they are able to make people live past the present life span |
A.people can live from 120 to 180 years |
B.it is still doubtful how long humans can live |
C.the human body is designed to last past about 120 years |
D.it is possible for humans to live longer in the future |
A.a great push | B.the idea of living from 200 to 300 years |
C.the idea of living beyond the present life span | D.the conservative estimate |
A.Living Longer or Not | B.Science,Technology and Long Living |
C.Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living | D.No Limit for Human Life |
I have seen amazing things.
My first visit was to a space station considered the most modern in space. Described as an enormous round plate, it spins slowly in space to imitate the pull of the earth’s gravity. Inside was an exhibition of the most up-to-date inventions of the 31st century. A guide showed us around along a moveable path.
Guide: Good morning to all our visitors from 2008. First we’re going to examine one of the latest forms of communication among our space citizens! Messages can now be sent using a “thoughtpad”. You place the metal band over your head, clear your mind, press the sending button, think your message and the next instant it’s sent. It’s stored on the “thoughtpad” of the receiver. It’s quick, efficient and environmentally friendly. The only limitation is if the user does not think his or her message clearly, an unclear message may be sent. But we cannot blame the tools for the faults of the user, can we?
During the explanation I looked at the pair of small objects called “thoughtpad” on a table. They just looked like metal ribbon. So ordinary but so powerful! While I was observing them, the path moved us on.
Guide: And now ladies and gentlemen, we are in the “environment area”. People used to collect waste in dustbins. Then the rubbish was sent to be buried or burned, am I right?(We nodded.)Well, now there’s a system where the waste is disposed of using the principles of ecology. A giant machine, always greedy for more, swallows all the waste available. The rubbish is turned into several grades of useful material, such as “fertilizer” for the fields and “soil” for deserts. Nothing is wasted, and everything, even plastic bags is recycled. A great idea, isn’t it?
I stared at the moving of the waste machine, absorbed by its efficiency. But again we moved on.
Part 1
Our third stop shows the changes that have happened to work practices. Manufacturing no longer takes place on earth but on space stations like this one.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Part 2
My mind began to wander. What job would I do? My motivation increased as I thought of the wonderful world of the future.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3D printing and virtual reality are cool, but when are we going to be able to clone ourselves? It'd be fantastic for
In large part, cloning has been
如何克服失重条件下吃饭和喝水的问题:随身携带所有食物;外太空的重力很弱,如果食物是固体,就会到处漂浮,所以要特殊制作,可以放在软管中,这样就更容易吮吸,也可以用吸管。只有这样该问题才能解决。这样我也许能有一次快乐的旅行。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . Welcome to your future life!
You get up in the morning and look into the mirror. Your face is firm and younglooking. In 2035, medical technology is better than ever. Many people at your age could live to 150, so at 40, you're not old at all. And your parents just had an antiaging (抗衰老的) treatment. Now, all three of you look the same age!
You say to your shirt, "Turn red." It changes from blue to red. In 2035, "smart clothes" contain particles (粒子) much smaller than the cells in your body. The particles can be programmed (编程) to change your clothes' color or pattern.
You walk into the kitchen. You pick up the milk, but a voice says, "You shouldn't drink that!" Your fridge has read the chip (芯片) that contains information about the milk, and it knows the milk is old. In 2035, every article of food in the grocery store has such a chip.
It's time to go to work. In 2035, cars drive themselves. Just tell your "smart car" where to go. On the way, you can call a friend using your jacket sleeve. Such “smart technology" is all around you.
So will all these things come true? "For new technology to succeed," says scientist Andrew Zolli, "It has to be so much better that it replaces what we have already." The Internet is one example—what will be the next?
1. We can learn from the text that in the future .A.people will never get old | B.everyone will look the same |
C.red will be the most popular color | D.clothes will be able to change their pattern |
A.Milk will be harmful to health. |
B.More drinks will be available for sale. |
C.Food in the grocery store will carry electronic information. |
D.Milk in the grocery store will stay fresh much longer. |
A.Food and clothing in 2035. | B.Future technology in everyday life. |
C.Medical treatments of the future. | D.The reason for the success of new technology. |
Life on Mars
Some people believe humans could live on the planet Mars by the year 2100. Our own planet, the Earth, is becoming more and more crowded and polluted because of the rapid increase in population.
As the development of science and technology sped up, people had a much
最近,在一本英文旅游杂志上刊登了国际空间站(TSS-- International Space Station)将在2020年对游客开放的信息(见下表)。如果有可能(具备足够的时间和金钱),你是否会去争取成为第一批游客。请谈谈你的理由。
Information About the Trip to ISS
Number of visitors 2 every year
Length of stay 30 days (at most)
Cost $ 27000 per night (stay)
$ 40 million (transport)
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 . The days of staring attentively at the computer screen pretending to be interested in an assignment even though you are bored out of your mind may soon be coming to an end. That’s because if Dr. Harry Witchel has his way, computers of the future will be able to detect (察觉)boredom and even react to it real-time.
But before you get concerned, the machine is not reading your mind. It is just keeping track of the constant involuntary movements that people exhibit when in front of a computer or even a television. These are not the bigger instrumental actions like moving a mouse or using the remote, but subtle barely noticeable movements like scratching or stretching. Witchel says the level of movement is directly relative to how absorbed the person is in what he/she is reading or watching — the higher the interest level, the lesser the movement!
To test the theory Witchel and his team invited 27 people and exposed them to a variety of digital content for three minutes at a time. The activities ranged from playing online games to reading documents like the EU banking regulations that most people would find boring. A video motion tracker monitored their movements as they powered through each assignment. Just as the researchers had suspected, the involuntary actions decreased surprisingly, by as much as 42%, when the subjects were totally absorbed in what they were reading or seeing.
Fortunately, the scientists are not planning to use the findings that were published in the online Journal to create machines that report students who are not focusing at school. Instead, they believe that combining the motion detecting technology into future computers will help enhance (加强)the digital learning experience.
The scientists say that being able to measure the student’s interest level, will enable educators to adjust the materials real-time and re-engage the student. Witchel also believes that the technology can provide filmmakers with honest audience opinions and in the future, also be used in developing more understanding companion robots.
1. Dr. Harry Witchel wants future computers to have the competence to_______.A.sense when users feel tired and less absorbed |
B.record how long people surf on the Internet |
C.help educators to prepare teaching materials |
D.read the people’s mind in front of a computer |
A.The machine will be used to detect whether the students are focusing at school. |
B.Subjects will make fewer unconscious movements if they are concentrated. |
C.Future computers are intended to cure adolescents of their network addiction. |
D.Most people think banking documents boring because they are of little value. |
A.Being Exposed to Computers All Day Long Makes You Bored. |
B.Scientists are Developing a More Advanced Computer Now. |
C.Computers of the Future May be Able to Detect Boredom. |
D.The Future Machine is Helpful to Teachers And Students. |