How You Open Your Car Door Matters to Cyclists
The“Dutch reach”isn’t a new dance move or a random YouTube challenge. It’s a simple move that can help prevent harm to cyclists. And you might keep your car door safe in the process, too. 1.
Typically, a person sitting in the driver’s seat of a car opens the door with the hand closest to it. It makes sense since doors are designed to be opened that way. 2. But if you happen to do that at the wrong time, you may unknowingly create an obstacle for a passing cyclist. The cyclist might be knocked down off the bike. The car door is likely to be damaged by the fast-moving bicycle.
3. However, the car door design and long-time habits have made the process automatically. Luckily，there’s a simple way to solve the problem. Open your car door with your other hand，using the Dutch reach. So instead of using your left hand, reach for the door handle with your right. 4. At the very least, you’11 look into your side view mirror to check for any traffic.
The Dutch are used to opening their car doors this way. All Dutch are taught it. It’s part of regular driver education. The technique dates back about 50 or 60 years in the Netherlands. In 2016 an American named Michael Charney started the Dutch Reach Project. He wanted to popularize the practice in the United States. Charney’s efforts may be paying off. 5.
A. Pull the handle and the door is open.
B. This will force you to turn your body.
C. It is easy to do once you are used to it.
D. People are trying to change the way to open the car.
E. All you have to do is change how you open your door.
F. Several states now include the Dutch reach in their drivers’handbooks.
G. Clearly, the solution is for the person exiting the vehicle to check for traffic.
A new study has shown how computers and robots powered by artificial intelligence can read human eye movements to “read” human personalities.
The eyes, they say, are the windows to the soul. And if that is true, computers and robots powered by complex artificial intelligence algorithms(算法) may soon have the ability to peer into your soul. That is the result of a new study on the connection between eye movements and personality, conducted by neuroscience researchers based at the University of South Australia and Published in the scientific Journal Frontiers in Neuroscience.
“Eye movements during an everyday task predict aspects of our personality,” wrote the researchers, led by University of South Australia neuroscientist Tobias Loetscher, whose team follows 42 study subjects around the university campus recording their eye movements, then determines their personality traits(特点) with “well-established questionnaires” for determining personality type, according to a summary of the study published by the site Science Daily.
The researchers fed the data into their Al algorithms and found that computers running the algorithms were able to record human eye movements and immediately determine a person's major personality traits, such as “neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, as well as perceptual(感知的) curiosity”, the scientists wrote.
“The new findings could improve the way human beings interact with their computers and other high-tech devices, even robots, allowing for more natural and realistic social interactions with machines,” Loetscher said.
“People are always looking for improved, personalized services. Today’s robots and computers are not socially aware so they cannot adapt to non-verbal information,” Loetscher said in a statement quoted by Indian Express. This research provides opportunities to develop robots and computers so that they can become more natural, and better at interpreting human social signals.”
The study revealed previously undiscovered relations between specific personality characteristics and specific eye movement tendencies, according to a summary in Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper.
1.What do the underlined words “peer into” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A. Stare at. B. Understand.
C. Search for. D. Concern about.
2.How did the researchers conduct the research?
A. It was carried out in a lab.
B. 42 subjects’ eye movements were recorded.
C. The students’ daily movements were tracked.
D. Its subjects’ personalities were determined by computer.
3.What can we know according to Tobias Loetscher?
A. Robots and computers are socially conscious.
B. People care less about improved, personalized services.
C. Today’s robots and computers can accustom to non-verbal information.
D. The discovery will improve the interaction between human beings and machines.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Human Personality Traits
B. What Human Eye Movements Are
C. Tell Personalities by Eye Movements.
D. How Humans and Machines Can Interact
When was the last time you used plastic plates? Next time, why not try some edible ones? You’ll help the environment and your guests won’t go hungry.
“I used to work in school catering and saw a lot of money being thrown away. I thought that was criminal, so I decided to do something about it,” said Italian school chef Tiziano Vicentini.
Now, Vicentini has an amazing range of edible plates for schools. The plates are made out of bread dough, so you can eat them afterwards. “These dishes cost a few pennies each and are either eaten by the kids, or go into recycling bins for animal food,” explained Vicentini, 50, of Milan.
But now other companies are developing edible plates, too. The Edible Plate Company offers edible plates, bowls, trays and cups. Their products are environmentally-friendly, 100% biodegradable and can be used for all types of catering and home use. And they’re made from a natural plant. After use, they can be fed to animals or left to degrade naturally. They also have a range of cutlery (餐具）made from corn and potato starch (淀粉).
These plates will also help reduce the amount of plastic we create. Waste from plastic causes damage to the environment, costing governments millions in waste management. Plastic bags often end up in landfill sites. And the burning of plastic waste causes toxic gases that pollute the air.
In response to this, governments around the world are introducing tough recycling regulations. And many shops are offering biodegradable plastic bags and eco-safe packaging on their products. To help matters, the International Organization for Standardization (the ISO) has also developed a system to evaluate the biodegradability of products, with a certification and logo scheme. Meanwhile, how about a nice plate for lunch?
1.Which of the following is not the advantage of edible plates?
A. They are expensive. B. They can degrade naturally.
C. They are environmentally-friendly. D. They are made from natural plant.
2.Which of the following statements is true?
A. Tiziano is from Germany.
B. Edible plates are only used for school catering,
C. Corn and potato starch can be used to make cutlery.
D. The Edible Plate Company doesn’t produce edible bowls.
3.What does the underlined word “this” refer to?
A. The air pollution.
B. The edible cutlery.
C. The toxic gases caused by the burning of plastic.
D. The damage to the environment caused by plastic waste.
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The measures to stop the pollution.
B. The ways to reduce the plastic waste.
C. How to make edible plates from natural plants.
D. The plate solution to eating and environmental problem.
When I was three years old, I couldn’t speak. It was a strange reality that none of the doctors I visited could understand.
One day, I was shadowing（跟随）my mother. She found herself looking in a mirror, and through it our eyes met. She began to speak to me through the reflection, and I slowly began to mimic（模仿）her mouth’s movements until I formed a word.
It turned out I’m deaf in my left ear, and have a slight problem in my right. Being hard of hearing has been difficult, but I’ve never lived in a state of self-hating sorrow.
Imagine being able to shut out all sound as you lay your head down to sleep by simply rolling over onto one side. That’s my reality when I sleep on my “good ear”, and it makes me feel like a superhero sometimes.
People call my deaf side my “bad ear”, but when I wear my hearing aid, I have access to a range of features that some other deaf people don’t. In cinemas, for example, with one click of a button I can enjoy a whole film as though it were whispered to me from the mouths of the actors.
Owning a hearing aid hasn’t always felt good, however. On the first day I got my aid, when I was eight, I took it to school for show-and-tell. As I explained how it worked to my classmates, a boy yelled out, “Aren’t those for old men?” At that moment, I felt different. It took me a long time to get over that sense of being so unlike my peers.
But it’s not just school kids who can make us deaf and hard-of-hearing people feel like burdens. Every video on social media that lacks subtitles（字幕）, for example, means an entire community of deaf people is unable to enjoy it. Completely deaf people are excluded from enjoying many movies too, as subtitles in cinemas are almost impossible to find.
And with hearing aids costing around $2,500 each, it can be hard for many people to afford to be able to listen to the things that others take for granted. As for me, I can listen to music, enjoy films, and catch conversations – I’m lucky. I’m deaf, but I can still hear everything. I’ve been blessed with wonderful life experiences, and I am human. And when it comes to sleeping, I’m even superhuman.
1.How does the author view his hearing difficulty?
A. It’s a disaster and causes him a lot of trouble.
B. It gave him a chance to experience something special.
C. It made him feel embarrassed in front of his classmates.
D. It helped him to live in his own world without being interrupted.
2.What can be inferred from the passage about the author?
A. He was born deaf.
B. He is optimistic and helpful.
C. The hearing aid brings convenience to his daily life.
D. His family and classmates have supported him a lot.
3.What is the author’s attitude toward his life？
A. Excited.
B. Anxious.
C. Grateful.
D. Disappointed.
4.What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To give advice on life to disabled people.
B. To show how difficult life is for disabled people.
C. To show the convenience a hearing aid could bring.
D. To share his experience of treating a disadvantage with gratitude.
Bus Tours in Washington DC
The Lights Night Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $56.33
Highest-rated Night Tour in DC! The ONLY DC Night Tour where the Tour Guides HOP OFF with you at each stop and tell you about each monument and attraction. Hop aboard the The Lights Night Tour! The best time to take a tour of Washington DC is at night.
Best Mount Vernon & Arlington Cemetery Tour from Washington DC
Duration: 6 hours $78.96
See Arlington Cemetery, Old Town Alexandria and George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate on this small group bus tour from Washington DC. Your tour guide will accompany you through Mount Vernon, telling you about all of the attractions there and the history of George Washington’s home on the Potomac River.
The Best Minibus Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $46.92
See all the key attractions DC has to offer in a 3-hour format. You will learn all about the history and trivia that surrounds Washington and visit the major monuments and attractions DC has to offer.
Please Note: Rates for this tour vary by day of the week. When you choose your specific date on the availability calendar, the rates for that date will be displayed.
The Blossoms Tour in Washington DC
Duration: 3 hours $56.99
BEST WAY to Experience the Cherry Blossoms! Each year from mid March to mid April, see the beautiful Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC and get great photos because you’ll be led to all the best spots by the best guides. The annual spring bloom in DC is a magical time and this tour promises to provide the very best tour opportunity for you!
1.Which tour would provide you with a sightseeing boat?
A. The Blossoms Tour.
B. The Lights Night Tour.
C. The Best Minibus Tour.
D. Best Mount Vernon & Arlington Cemetery Tour.
2.What is special about The Best Minibus Tour?
A. Its price is not fixed.
B. The best time to take it is at night.
C. The tour guide accompanies you.
D. You can get great photos of cherry.
3.Which date suits The Blossoms Tour most?
A. July 4.
B. August 15.
C. March 27.
D. October 8.
假定你是李华，你的家乡将举行庆祝首个“中国农民丰收节”( Chinese Farmers' HarvestFestival)活动，请你写封邮件，邀请你的新西兰朋友Eric来参加，内容包括:
1.时间和地点；
2.活动内容(民俗文化表演、美食品尝及观光活动等)。
注意:
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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