The outstanding biography — from the same author who brought us Steve Jobs and Einstein —portrays the life of the complicated Renaissance (文艺复兴时期的) artist with details. We come to see da Vinci as not only an inventor of musical instruments and early flying machines, but also a notebook keeper and vegetarian (素食者), who had trouble finishing many of the projects and paintings he started.
Yet what is most thrilling is getting to know da Vinci the scientist. Isaacson explains how loving science and applying the scientific method to observing the world was really what made da Vinci a great artist and, Isaacson argues, a genius.
Da Vinci was fascinated with observing and understanding phenomena in nature, from the proportions of the human body to how the muscles of the lips moved. He wanted to know about everything around him, in minute detail, Isaacson writes. He wondered about questions “most people over the age of ten no longer puzzle about”— for instance, how the tongue of a woodpecker works.
To learn about the world, da Vinci combined his own observations with experimentation. Never formally schooled, “he preferred to induce from experiments rather than deduce from theoretical principles,” Isaacson explains. He recorded his observations, looked for patterns among them, and then tested those patterns through additional observation and experimentation.
When he became fascinated with the idea that he could invent flying machines, three and a half centuries before the Wright brothers flew the first airplane, he observed various birds and filled notebooks with the function and speed at which their wings flapped. That’s why Isaacson calls da Vinci an exemplar of this scientific method.”He goes on:“Galileo, born 112 years after Leonardo, is usually credited with being the first to develop this kind of approach and is often regarded as the father of modern science,” the historian Fritjof Capra wrote. “There can be no doubt that this honor would have been bestowed (赐予) on Leonardo da Vinci had he published his scientific writings during his lifetime, or had his notebooks been widely studied soon after his death.”
Da Vinci’s emphasis on empirical observation also helped him improve his art. First, he was able to use what he learned from looking at nature to paint and draw. His studies of the body, animals, motion, shadow and light, perspective and proportion helped him better understand what he was seeing in front of him, and render it in art more accurately and finely than anyone else of his time. He also used his observations of nature to make connections among phenomena. A recorder (竖笛) was like a larynx (喉管) in the throat. Here’s Isaacson again: What Leonardo probably began as four distinct elements ended up woven together in a way that illustrates a fundamental theme in his art and science: the interconnectedness of nature, the unity of its patterns, and the similarity between the workings of the human body and those of the earth.
Most importantly, his curiosity-driven explorations, and ability to connect art and science, helped him innovate in his work. They helped him think differently, Isaacson argues. Da Vinci made surprisingly diverse series of discoveries, including conceptualizing the helicopter and solar power and advancing knowledge about everything from the reproductive organs to botany. This genius is also what drew Isaacson to Albert Einstein and Steve Jobs as subjects: They’re all innovators who were inspired by and drew connections between art and science.
“Leonardo da Vinci is the ultimate example of the main theme of my previous biographies: how the ability to make connections across disciplines — arts and sciences, humanities and technology — is a key to innovation, imagination, and genius,” Isaacson writes. And this wonderful book is a reminder, in a time of increasingly narrow specialization and focus, that the methods of Renaissance men like da Vinci are as relevant as ever.
1.What is the highlight of da Vinci’s biography?
A.His unfinished paintings.
B.His preference for vegetables.
C.His spirit of exploring science.
D.His opposition to formal education.
2.What made da Vinci’s thinking different from others?
A.He was used to skipping school.
B.He kept his childhood’s sense of curiosity.
C.He was filled with ambition to become an artist and inventor.
D.He developed a fascination with historical novels.
3.Why does Isaacson mention Galileo in the book?
A.To introduce his important findings.
B.To memorize the father of modern science.
C.To show the prejudice faced by da Vinci during his lifetime.
D.To illustrate the significance of da Vinci’s research method.
4.The underlined word “render” in Paragraph 6 can be replaced by“_____”.
A.express B.mix C.confirm D.associate
5.What does Isaacson think of the methods of Renaissance men?
A.They are too complicated to understand.
B.They focus on the workings of the human body.
C.They are more accurate than modern methods.
D.They still apply to contemporary scientific research.
6.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.How a Genius Changed the World
B.The Features of Renaissance Art
C.How Science Shaped His Art
D.The Comparison between Induction and Deduction
You have probably read about robots replacing human labor as automation takes root in one industry after another. But a new report suggests humans are not the only ones who might lose their jobs.
In New Zealand, farmers are using drones (无人机) to herd (放牧) and monitor livestock (牲畜), assuming a job that highly intelligent dogs have held for more than a century. The robots have appropriated one of the animal’s effective tools: barking, Radio New Zealand reports. The DJI Mavic Enterprise, a $3,500 drone favored by farmers, has a feature that lets the machine record sounds and play them over a loud speaker, giving the machine the ability to imitate its canine counterparts.
Corey Lambeth, a shepherd on a sheep and beef farm, told RNZ the machines are surprisingly effective. “That’s the one thing I’ve noticed when you’re moving cows and calves: the old cows stand up to the dogs, but with the drones, they’ve never done that.” he said. That means the drones move livestock faster, with less stress, than the dogs do.
Farmers told RNZ the drones come in handy for more than just herding cows and sheep. The robots allow farmers to monitor their land from afar, monitoring water and feed levels and checking on livestock health without disturbing the animals.
Jason Rentoul told RNZ last spring that a two-hour herding job that used to require two people and two teams of dogs could be accomplished in 45 minutes using a single drone.“Being a hilly farm where a lot of stuff is done on foot, the drones really saved a lot of man hours,” he said. “The drone does the higher bits that you can’t see (from the ground). Before using drones, you would (otherwise) have to walk half an hour to go and have a look and then say, “Oh, there are no sheep here.”
Farmers all over the world are using drones. In South Africa, they monitor crop health from above, which boosts harvests, according to CNN. In California, winemakers use drones equipped with sensors to grow healthier grapes, according to MIT Technology Review. Because drones fly closer to the ground, they are able to provide high-resolution images that are less expensive than hiring someone to fly over a field in a manned aircraft, the publication reported.
For now, farmers in New Zealand say, some dogs are already learning to work alongside drones, identifying the machines as more co-worker than enemy. Besides, there is still a need for herding dogs, primarily because they have a longer life span than drones, can work in bad weather and do not require an electrical socket (插座) every few hours to recharge.
1.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 probably refers to“_____”.
A.farmers’ order
B.dogs’ barking
C.the call of sheep
D.the sound of loud speakers
2.What’s the advantage of drones according to the farmers?
A.They can be purchased at a low price.
B.They put less stress on livestock.
C.They can do more than one task efficiently.
D.They help them monitor weather conditions.
3.What does Paragraph 6 mainly talk about?
A.The secret to harvesting healthier grapes.
B.The application of drones in global agriculture.
C.How drones provide less expensive but clearer images.
D.Why manned aircraft are losing appeal for
4.It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________.
A.drones function normally in extreme weather
B.farmers are troubled by where to charge drones
C.the herding dogs show no enthusiasm to drones
D.drones cannot replace dogs entirely at the moment
Fireflies flash not just for mating (交配), but survival, a new study suggests. Scientists wanted to find out if there’s more to the lightning bug’s signature blinking glow (一闪一闪的亮光) than finding a mate. Some experts had assumed it was a glaring signal to predators (捕食者), like bats, that fireflies taste bad.
To test out whether the glow acted like that, researchers at Boise State University in Idaho put bats and fireflies in front of high-speed cameras. They published their results in Wednesday’s journal Science Advances.
The painstaking experiment required researchers to introduce western bats, which had never seen lightning bugs before, to the insects. Later, they hand-painted firefly bellies black, turning off their night lights but avoiding the holes the insects breathe through. When the bats first saw the unfamiliar lit-up fireflies, they acted excitedly and ate a lot of the bugs, only to get a bad taste in their mouths.“They shake their heads and spit and generally hate their caretakers for giving them such a rude meal,” said study author Jesse Barber, a Boise State biology professor and author of the study. After a few tries, the bats then avoided the glowing fireflies. Despite the popular misconception, bats aren’t blind, a study author noted.
Once the fireflies essentially taught bats that they taste bad, Barber and his colleagues introduced the darkened fireflies. About 40 percent of the painted ones were eaten, while none of the normal fireflies were eaten. Researchers also think the way lightning bugs fly signals what they are. To test that they put fireflies on fishing lines and the bats went after them, despite already knowing that fireflies don’t taste good. The results make sense and are valuable, said Nick Dowdy, a Purdue University researcher in Indiana, who was not involved in the study.
Scientists already knew that fireflies have distinctive flash patterns that tell others who they are and where they are. And some females prefer males that flash at higher rates, according to study co-author Marc Branham of University of Florida. Barber noted that even in their larval (幼虫) stage, the bugs glow and don’t get eaten. So he theorized that when it comes to evolution, fireflies’ glowing trait (特点) may have developed first as protection from predators and later became a mating signal.
So, Barber said, “Bats may have invented fireflies.”
1.The purpose of the researchers’ study is to see________
A.whether fireflies flash to warn their predators away
B.how fireflies react to high-speed cameras
C.how fireflies flash to attract a mate
D.when fireflies make a bright light
2.Why did the researchers put fireflies on fishing lines?
A.To hide their flashes.
B.To make them fly faster.
C.To make them more energetic.
D.To change their flying patterns.
3.What does Barber mean in the last paragraph?
A.Bats have influenced fireflies’ evolution.
B.Bats and fireflies depend on each other.
C.Bats have similar traits to fireflies.
D.Bats tend to avoid larval fireflies.
From 16th to 27th March 2019 the ATOM Festival wants to show you that science is definitely for you. ATOM takes place in Abingdon, one of the UK’s “Science Capitals” sitting at the heart of British Science between Culham, Harwell and Oxford.
ATOM 2019 begins with five leading scientists, engineers and educators taking up our “Three Million Dollar Challenge”— solving the big challenge of how to get more people into science and technology.
As well as showcasing inspiring speakers — including BBC science presenter and mathematician Dr Hannah Fry — this year sees a broader range of formats and events than ever before, and much of it is free thanks to our sponsors and supporters: the Science Market, the Family Science Fair, the Discovery Dome, family shows, lectures, stand-up science comedy and film screenings. Working through the Abingdon Science Partnership your local school will also have been offered the chance to join in one of our competitions. On the fiftieth anniversary of the first moon landing, we’ve gathered together science fiction authors to imagine our future in space.
Ticket Prices
If you are planning to go to several events, take a moment to consider our Festival Pass, costing £20. Once purchased, the pass entitles the holder to attend all the festival events at no further cost.
Passes do not include refreshments which must be purchased separately at the venue. Passes cannot be used by more than one person. There is no under-18s Festival Pass. Due to separate ticketing arrangements this Pass is not valid for the Apollo 13 Film Show at Abbey Cinema.
1.What is one of the attractions of this year’s ATOM Festival?
A.It lasts longer than ever before.
B.Visitors can experience more diverse events.
C.It takes place in Oxford University for the first time.
D.Some astronauts will be present in memory of the moon landing.
2.What can we learn about Festival Passes?
A.They offer no discounts for teenagers.
B.They can be used jointly by family members.
C.They give group visitors access to free refreshments.
D.They allow holders to watch the Apollo 13 Film Show.
On a freezing December afternoon, Tyler Freburger was standing in front of a set of mirrors wearing a suit picked out for him by a tailor to attend a funeral. As a homeless veteran (老兵) living in Baltimore, Mr. Freburger would usually have difficulty _______ such an outfit (一套衣服), especially one selected for him _______. But in this instance, he was _______ the nonprofit Sharp Dressed Man.
Since 2011, the organization has been helping men improve their lives by _______ them for job interviews and other _______ with well-fitting suits. This is not a “grab any jacket off the rack (架子)” kind of experience; _______, the nonprofit provides a “measure-to-fit”, personalized styling experience. The nonprofit was _______ by clothing designer Christopher Schafer. He opened a shop in downtown Baltimore not long after _______ from London, where he learned the art of _______ and design. Once when Schafer was ________ some custom suits to a customer, he was ________ handed two bags of gently ________ suits in return.
“He said I ________ him with how I made his custom suits fit, and he couldn’t wear his old suits anymore.” Schafer found a nonprofit that would ________ the suits, but as time went on, more of his ________ did the same thing. At the suggestion of a friend, he decided to found his own nonprofit, Sharp Dressed Man.
The organization’s space ________ a traditional men’s clothing store, ________with volunteer tailors and racks of clothing. It’s open one day a week for those who have been referred.
Schafer sees the nonprofit as filling the ________ between job training and the ________ required for a person to land a job.“If you treat a guy with ________, he has a better chance of treating himself with it,” he says.
1.A.sorting B.storing C.sewing D.securing
2.A.automatically B.personally C.partly D.generally
3.A.appointed to B.accustomed to C.referred to D.opposed to
4.A.promoting B.arranging C.rewarding D.equipping
5.A.occasions B.discounts C.benefits D.systems
6.A.thus B.meanwhile C.otherwise D.instead
7.A.found B.launched C.surrounded D.shifted
8.A.escaping B.returning C.differing D.hearing
9.A.counting B.transporting C.measuring D.packing
10.A.delivering B.ordering C.folding D.advertising
11.A.naturally B.doubtfully C.urgently D.unexpectedly
12.A.donated B.alternative C.worn D.clumsy
13.A.bothered B.spoiled C.discouraged D.interrupted
14.A.exhibit B.possess C.accept D.clean
15.A.relatives B.designers C.clerks D.clients
16.A.suits B.threatens C.resembles D.strengthens
17.A.adequate B.complete C.economic D.complicated
18.A.hardship B.relationship C.gap D.position
19.A.status B.feel C.talent D.look
20.A.dignity B.curiosity C.honesty D.caution
Sorry for failing to get what you wanted. He kept silent about the matter except saying ______.
A.that’s his feet of clay B.a little bird told him
C.he wanted to kill the fatted calf D.he was the salt of the earth
