1 . We Are Cyborgs

RoboCop, the Bionic Woman, Darth Vader—what do these characters have in common? They are all cyborgs—humans who are made more powerful by advanced technology. You might think that cyborgs exist only in fiction, or are a possibility only in the distant future. But cyborg technology already exists.

The word “cyborg” was first used in 1960 and defined as an organism(有机体) “to which external parts have been added for the purpose of adapting to new environments”. According to this definition, an astronaut in a spacesuit is an example of cyborg, as the spacesuit helps the astronaut adapt to a new environment—space. More recently, the word has evolved(进化)to refer to human beings who have mechanical body parts that make them more than human.

Although super-humans like RoboCop are not yet a reality, advances in real-life cyborg technology allow some people to compensate(弥补)for abilities they have lost, and give other people new and unusual abilities. An example is filmmaker Rob Spence and his bionic eye. Spence injured one of his eyes in an accident. A camera was implanted(移植)in his prosthetic eye. The eye is not connected to his brain or optic nerve(视神经), but it can record what he sees. Spence has used his camera eye to record interviews for a documentary about people with bionic body parts.

Some types of cyborg technology replace a lost ability by connecting directly to a person’s nerves. Michael Chorost completely and suddenly lost his ability to hear in July of 2001. Two months later, doctors placed a cochlear(耳蜗)implant, a kind of computer, inside his skull. This type of implant connects to auditory nerves and allows a deaf person to hear again. Around the world, over 300,000 people have now been fitted with cochlear implants.

These examples of cyborg technology have enabled people to enhance or change their abilities and improve their lives. But does everyone want to use cyborg technology? It might be too late to decide. Cyborg scientist Amber Case argues that most of us are already cyborgs. Anyone who uses a computer or a smartphone, Case claims, is a cyborg. Consider the data that you have in your smartphone. It keeps information for you so you don’t have to remember it: notes, phone numbers, email addresses, messages. It also allows you to communicate with friends and family via telephone, text messages, email, and social networks.

The potential benefits of cyborg technology are evident, but can this new technology be harmful, too? Could we become too dependent on cyborg technology—and become less than human? These still remain questions.

1. According to the passage, the cyborg ________.

A．is similar to human beings	B．took root in fiction characters
C．first appeared in space industry	D．has some device attached to the body

2. Among the following, which one can be considered as an “evolved cyborg”?

A．a cyclist in a helmet	B．an astronaut in a spacesuit
C．a man with a heart pacemaker	D．a secretary using a typewriter

3. Amber Case probably thinks that ________.

A．technology makes cyborgs become common

B．cyborg technology is crucial to modern society

C．the use of mobiles improves cyborg technology

D．cyborg technology helps improve human memory

4. What is the author’s attitude toward cyborg technology?

A．Critical.

B．Objective.

C．Skeptical.

D．Optimistic.

3 . According to new studies, many birds in the Amazon rainforest have become smaller as temperatures have increased. The difference hasn’t been obvious, but it has been significant enough that some scientists have suggested it’s a universal response to climate change.

But new research finds that the body size reductions aren’t happening across the board with some large­brained birds having much less significant changes.

For the study, researchers studied some data on about 70,000 birds that had died when they crashed into buildings in Chicago from 1978 to 2016. They added data on brain volume and lifespan (寿命) for 49 of the 52 species of migratory birds (候鸟) in the original study.

They found that birds with very large brains had reductions in overall body size that were about one­third of the reductions noted in birds with smaller brains. They thought that in birds, the species with big brains are the ones that build tools, manage to survive in tough environments, live longer, invest more time and energy into raising babies, and end up surviving better in the wild.

Researchers aren’t certain exactly how warmer temperatures might lead to decreasing body size in birds, but they are considering two possible explanations, which could even be happening at the same time. First, natural selection might be favoring birds that can dissipate heat better. This is because smaller birds have higher ratios (比例) of surface area to volume, so being small can help birds stay cool. Second, warmer summers might have less food available for birds at the time when they are feeding their babies. In that case, birds might be getting smaller because of decreased food over the years.

The findings don’t suggest that climate change is having zero impact on bigger­brained birds, but researchers believe these findings can inform us of climate change and help set conservation priorities.

1. How does climate change affect birds?

A．Their body size shrinks.	B．Their lifespan shortens.
C．Their body temperature rises.	D．Their brain size expands.

2. How did the scientists do the research?

A．By analyzing the bird data.	B．By observing the birds dying.
C．By studying the bird death rate.	D．By clarifying the bird species.

3. Which word can best replace the underlined word “dissipate” in paragraph 5?

A．use

B．hold

C．absorb

D．lose

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Birds’ Body Sizes Vary	B．Brain Size Matters for Birds
C．Climate changes Sharply	D．Temperature Rises Globally