1 . A humanoid robot can relay video and touch sensations to a person wearing a haptic (触觉内) feedback suit and a virtual reality (VR) headset hundreds of kilometres away, offering away for people to attend events without travelling.
The iCub 3 robot is a 52-kilogram, 125-centimetre-tall robot with 54 joints across its body. Its head contains two cameras where a human’s eyes would be, and an Internet-connected computer where the brain would go. Along with the cameras, sensors covering its body send data to the robot’s “brain”. These sensations are then reproduced on a suit and VR headset worn by a remote human operator.
When the operators react to what they see and feel, the suit’s sensors pick up the movements and the robot matches them. “The key is to translate every signal and bit of digital data that can be sent through the network.” says Stefano Dafarra, who was part of the iCub3 team. There can be a small delay of up to 100 milliseconds to capture and transmit the visual shots, but the operator can case this by moving slightly slower than normal.
The team demonstrated the robot at the Venice Biennale, where it wandered through an exhibition while its operator stood 290 kilometres away in Genoa. Dafarra hopes people will use the iCub3 to attend events remotely, reducing the need to travel. “But at present, a fall could be hugely damaging to the robot, and it’s uncertain whether it could stand up again on its own," he says.
“iCub3 is an interesting robot and offers clear advantages from the previous versions.” says Jonathan Aitken, whose laboratory owns a prior version of the robot. However, he is disappointed that the team wasn’t clear in its research about the data transmission requirements of the new version of the robot. “It would be good to know just how much data was required, and what the upper and lower bounds were.” he says.
1. What’s the principle behind the humanoid robot?| A．It conveys sensations to the wearer and acts accordingly. |
| B．It receives commands from an operator through the Internet. |
| C．The cameras take pictures and then interact with the sensors. |
| D．The computer in the robot processes the data and gives orders. |
| A．Medical consultation. | B．Sports events. |
| C．Outdoor workouts. | D．Virtual tourism. |
| A．It fails to appeal to potential investors. |
| B．Its performance hasn’t been evaluated clearly. |
| C．Its present version still requires to be updated. |
| D．Its transmission of data came across technical problems. |
| A．Humanoid robots with sense of touch catch on |
| B．iCub 3 robot combines with VR to benefit more people |
| C．Humanoid robots let people see and feel things remotely |
| D．New advances in technology enable people to travel at work |
2 . Some of our planet’s power pollinators (传粉昆虫) may have originated tens of millions of years earlier than scientists once believed. In a study published July 27 in the journal Current Biology, a team of researchers traced bee family back over 120 million years to the ancient supercontinent Gondwana (冈瓦纳大陆). While looking deeper into bee history, the team found evidence that bees originated earlier, diversified faster, and spread wider than previously suspected, putting together pieces of a puzzle on the origin of these pollinators.
In the study, an international team of scientists would be in sequence and compared genes from over 200 bee species. They then compared these bees with the traits from 185 different bee fossils and extinct fossils to develop an evolutionary history and genealogical model for how bees have historically been spread around the world. The team was able to analyze hundreds of thousands of genes at a time to make sure that the relationships they inferred were correct.
“This is the first time we have broad genome-scale data for all seven bee families,” study co-author and Washington State University entomologist Elizabeth Murray confidently said in a statement. Earlier studies established that the first bees potentially evolved from wasps (黄蜂), transitioning from predators up to collectors of pollen and nectar (花蜜). According to this study, bees arose in the dry regions of western Gondwana during the early Cretaceous period, between 145 million years ago to 100.5 million years ago.
“There’s been a long-time puzzle about the origin of bees,” study co-author and Washington State University entomologist Silas Bossert said in a statement. “For the first time, we have statistical evidence that bees originated on Gondwana. We now know that bees are originally southern hemisphere insects.” The team found evidence that as new continents formed, the bees moved northward. They continued to diversify and spread in parallel partnership with flowering plants called angiosperms. The bees later moved into India and Australia and all major bee families appear to have split off from one another before the beginning of the Tertiary period (65million years ago).
1. What’s the purpose of bee history researchers do research on?| A．To discover the origin of these pollinators. |
| B．To find out some reasonable proofs. |
| C．To know much about our planet. |
| D．To study the life of bee species. |
| A．in danger. | B．in need. | C．in order | D．in favor. |
| A．Unbelievable. | B．Reliable. | C．Positive. | D．Negative. |
| A．The earliest home of bees may be in Gondwana. |
| B．The world’s earliest bees were found in India and Australia. |
| C．The researchers are going on doing research on bee families. |
| D．The researchers get a lot evidence to prove their research. |
3 . Samsung Electronics America announced that Galaxy device owners can make their own repairs to the Galaxy S20 and S21 family of products, as well as the Galaxy Tab S7+, starting August 2nd.
Samsung is cooperating with iFixit, the leading online repair community, to deliver their Self-Repair program. This program adds to Samsung’s continued expansions for convenient repair for consumers and helps them with sustainable solutions to support a more circular economy by extending the life of their devices, as well as minimizing e-waste.
Samsung consumers who wish to make their own repairs can now purchase real device parts and convenient, easy-to-use repair tools, available through iFixit, Samsung retail (零售) and service locations, at the same pricing offered to our repair providers. In addition, Galaxy device owners will have full access to online repair guides that provide both visual and written step-by-step instructions, and best of all, at no cost.
“Making replacement parts available is a key sustainability strategy. We’re excited to be working directly with Samsung and their customers to extend the lifetime of their phones,” said CEO of iFixit.
Starting today, Galaxy device owners can replace the phone screen, back glass, and charging ports. In the future, Samsung plans to expand self-repair to include more devices and repair options from our extensive product portfolio (档案).
Furthermore, the program makes it easy for consumers to return their thrown-away parts for responsible recycling, as the new display kits will come with a return label to ship thrown-away parts back to Samsung — at no cost to the consumer.
In addition to the convenience of these new self-repair options, Galaxy smartphone owners have a choice on how they can extend the life of their devices across Samsung’s expansive care options, including: Through Samsung’s perfect care network, customers have access to over 11,000 Samsung Mobile certified repair technicians in the U.S.
1. Who will do the repair work under the Self-Repair program?| A．The iFixit community. | B．The Galaxy consumers. |
| C．Samsung Repair staff. | D．The devices themselves. |
| A．To promote a circular economy. | B．To make full use of the old parts. |
| C．To enrich the life of the phone users. | D．To ensure better service by iFixit. |
| A．The Samsung device parts. | B．New Samsung products. |
| C．The written repair instructions. | D．The easy-to-use repair tools. |
| A．A New Invention | B．A New Technology |
| C．A Successful Cooperation | D．An Initiative practice |
4 . Restricting meals to early in the day did not affect weight among overweight adults with prediabetes or diabetes(糖尿病), according to a research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020.
“We have wondered for a long time if when one eats during the day affects the way the body uses and stores energy,” said study author Nisa M. Maruthur, associate professor of medicine in Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “Most previous studies have not controlled the number of calories, so it wasn't clear if people who ate earlier just ate fewer calories. In this study, the only thing we changed was the time of eating in the day.”
Maruthur and colleagues followed 41 overweight adults in a 12-week study. Most participants(参与者)（90%）were African American women with prediabetes or diabetes, and average age of 59 years. Twenty-one of the adults followed a time-restricted eating pattern, limiting eating to specific hours of the day and ate 80% of their calories before 1 pm. The remaining 20 participants ate at usual times during a 12-hour window, consuming half of their daily calories after 5 pm for the entire 12 weeks. All participants consumed the same pre-prepared, healthy meals provided for the study. Weight and blood pressure were measured at the beginning of the study；then at 4 weeks, 8 weeks and 12 weeks.
The analysis found that people in both groups lost weight and had decreased blood pressure no matter when they ate. "We thought that the time-restricted group would lose more weight,” Maruthur said. “Yet that didn't happen. We did not see any difference in weight loss for those who ate most of their calories earlier versus later in the day. We did not see any effects on blood pressure either.”
The researchers are now collecting more detailed information on blood pressure recorded over 24 hours, and they will bring this information together with the results of a study on the effects of time-restricted feeding on blood sugar, insulin(胰岛素)and other hormones and making analyses on the data. "Together, these findings will help us to more fully understand the effects of time-restricted eating on cardiometabolic(心血管代谢)health," Maruthur said.
1. What made this study different from earlier ones?| A．Participants' age. | B．Participants' daily eating time |
| C．The number of participants. | D．Research members. |
| A．Research procedure. | B．Research result. |
| C．Research purpose. | D．Research institution. |
| A．Blood pressure is connected with eating time. |
| B．Taking in less calories earlier makes for weight loss. |
| C．Eat calories earlier doesn't affect weight loss. |
| D．Eating time determines your effect of losing weight. |
| A．Stop research. | B．Announce findings. |
| C．Write essays. | D．Analyze data. |
5 . At most universities, core (核心) curriculum or general education is required, whether that is two or more courses in core academic subjects. These core academics consist of mathematics, science, history and English, which are used to provide students with a broad range of academic knowledge and aid in their individual development.
However, are these courses more beneficial or harmful to students? Based on studies from across the district there is a gap between the necessities and burdens of general education courses. According to an article by Best Value Schools, students sometimes discover a hidden passion for a field of study while taking general education courses. Although this may be true, many students consider the program as “a collection of courses without connection, consistency or meaning”. The negative concept of these courses could possibly be connected to the fact that many students don’t actually obtain these skills.
Many schools have been working to improve their core curriculum program by developing the adoption of mission, goal and outcome statements. Some University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG) professors have recently been requiring students to take self-assessments and complete assignments based on how to develop critical thinking, communication and cooperation skills, as well as apply them within and outside of the classroom. It is through these channels of self discovery that students can often find their passions, which can possibly lead to choosing a major.
Typically, one-third of first-time college students change their major within the first three years. Major changes can be for a variety of reasons. It can be associated with a dissatisfaction in coursework. It can also be due to the discovery of a major which simply fits a student better. General education classes can play an important role in helping to make this discovery. Though students’ opinions vary on the importance of core curriculum, the basis of the program should be taken into consideration. At the same time, institutions should continue to work towards developing more authentic ways to provide a sense of importance and pride in the program to aid in student learning and the development of real-world skills.
1. What is the function of core curriculum?| A．Laying foundation for students’ future. |
| B．Developing students’ good characteristics. |
| C．Determining students’ major in college. |
| D．Releasing students’ burden of study. |
| A．Why it is needed in careers. | B．Whether it is really important. |
| C．What advantages it brings about. | D．Who will benefit most from it. |
| A．Stick to their majors. |
| B．Focus on core curriculum. |
| C．Improve academic performance. |
| D．Assess themselves and develop skills. |
| A．The reasons for students’ changing majors. |
| B．The significant part core curriculum plays. |
| C．The necessity of reforming core curriculum. |
| D．Opinions students hold to general education. |
6 . A simple blood test that can tell how well a person is likely to age is on the horizon after scientists uncovered blood signature patterns which predict ill health. The breakthrough means doctors will soon be able to check the likelihood of dementia(痴呆), cardiovascular disease and a range of other conditions many years before patients show any symptoms.
Researchers at Boston University learned to recognize combinations of specific biomarkers (生物标志物), or chemicals found in the blood, of 5,000 people in a study. They then matched these with the participants’ health outcomes over a period of eight years. They found specific patterns associated with disease and disability-free aging, as well as patterns associated with the threat of several diseases.
While various techniques already exist for predicting specific conditions, such as heart disease, the new approach will, for the most part, enable doctors to paint a comprehensive picture of their patient’s overall future health. It also promises to give people the chance to change their lifestyles or begin preventative treatment to circumvent diseases considered as a risk by their blood composition.
“These signatures show differences in how people age, and they show promise in predicting healthy ageing, changes in cognitive(认知的) and physical function, survival and age-related diseases like stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer,” the research team said. “We can now measure thousands of biomarkers from a small amount of blood with the idea of eventually being able to predict who is at risk of a wide range of diseases long before any clinical signs become apparent.”
1. What can the new technique be used to do?| A．Cure a person’s dementia. |
| B．Prevent people from aging. |
| C．Tell a person’s future health. |
| D．Change people’s blood composition. |
| A．understand | B．spread | C．record | D．avoid |
| A．Its practical use. | B．Its original theory. |
| C．Its development process. | D．Its widespread popularity. |
| A．In an economic report. | B．In a medical magazine. |
| C．In an investigation report. | D．In an entertainment newspaper. |
1. What does the woman offer to do for the man?
| A．Phone a hotel. | B．Book a restaurant table. | C．Change traveler's cheques. |
| A．Modern. | B．Beautiful. | C．Large. |
| A．The price of a hotel. |
| B．The history of the town. |
| C．The opening time of the banks. |
| A．Near a square. | B．Opposite a hotel. | C．Outside a bank. |
1. What makes the woman feel uncomfortable?
| A．A sea plant. | B．The sea water. | C．The diving suit. |
| A．Diving. | B．Rock climbing. | C．Bungee jumping. |
| A．She loves bungee jumping. |
| B．She decides to go rock climbing. |
| C．She will never dive again. |
9 . An experimental cleanup device called RemoveDebris has successfully cast a net around adummy (仿造的) satellite, simulating (模拟) a technique that could one day collect spaceborne garbage.
The test, which was carried out this week, is widely believed to be the first successful demonstration of space cleanup technology, experts told CNN. And it signals an early step toward dealing with what is already a key problem: rubbish in space.
Millions of pieces of junk are turning around in orbit, the result of 50 years of space travel and few regulations to keep space clean. At orbital speeds, even a small bit of paint crashing with a satellite can cause serious damage.
Various companies have plans to send thousands of new satellites into low-Earth orbit, already the most crowded area.
The RemoveDebris experiment is run by a company and researchers led by the UK’s Surrey Space Centre and includes Airbus, Airbus-owned Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and France’s Ariane Group.
Guglielmo Aglietti, the director of Surrey Space Centre, said that an operational version of the RemoveDebris technology would cast out a net that remains fastened to the main satellite so the debris can be dragged out of orbit. It could target large pieces of junk, including dead satellites up to 10meters long.
The RemoveDebris satellite will conduct a few more experiments in the coming months, including testing navigation systems that could help guide the satellite to a specific piece of debris. Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics, said the success of this week’s experiment was exciting, but he cautioned against “over-publicizing” it. There are still big barriers to clear before operational cleanup tasks will be underway, he said, and the biggest challenge is figuring out how to fund such projects.
Aglietti, the Surrey professor who helped lead the RemoveDebris project, said “the challenge will be to convince the relevant authorities to sponsor these tasks”. Aglietti said he hopes RemoveDebris will conduct a few cleanup tasks per year, targeting the largest pieces of rubbish in the most crowded orbits. Aglietti is hopeful.
1. What attracts people to invent RemoveDebris?| A．Exploring space. | B．Testing an orbit. |
| C．Cleaning satellites. | D．Removing waste in space. |
| A．It throws a net to take junk from orbit. | B．It fastens junk to the main satellite. |
| C．It targets large pieces of junk carefully. | D．It drags junk up to 10 meters long. |
| A．It is successful in cleanup tasks. |
| B．It still needs to be broadcasted widely. |
| C．It should get some financial help from authorities. |
| D．It helps researchers to find a specific junk. |
| A．Space Garbage Causes Severe Damage |
| B．Researchers Advertise Waste Collecting Satellite |
| C．Authorities Sponsor RemoveDebris Project |
| D．Satellite First Time Collects Waste |
10 . Brave daughter Neve, aged seven, and son Billy, five, save their mum’s life after calling 999 to say “mummy’s dead”. A proud mum was
The mum said she remembered going upstairs at her home in morning, but after that everything went
Rebecca, who is diabetic (糖尿病患者) and has had four
The mother said it
| A．rescued | B．monitored | C．observed | D．operated |
| A．secretly | B．calmly | C．normally | D．desperately |
| A．left | B．lent | C．fetched | D．bought |
| A．felt | B．slept | C．stood | D．lay |
| A．permission | B．praise | C．hesitation | D．violence |
| A．open | B．virtual | C．blank | D．available |
| A．help | B．award | C．love | D．care |
| A．Finally | B．Gradually | C．Directly | D．Incredibly |
| A．report | B．idea | C．address | D．principal |
| A．driver | B．operator | C．service | D．hospital |
| A．operations | B．debts | C．burden | D．requirement |
| A．astonished | B．pleased | C．ordered | D．trained |
| A．mind | B．mercy | C．promise | D．spirit |
| A．unpack | B．unfolded | C．undo | D．unsettle |
| A．demanding | B．determined | C．shy | D．caring |
| A．insists | B．establishes | C．highlights | D．replies |
| A．response | B．meaning | C．sense | D．inspiration |
| A．creative | B．considerable | C．objective | D．quick |
| A．teenagers | B．guardians | C．directors | D．assistants |
| A．personal | B．selectional | C．educational | D．religious |
