In the future those who are taking care of old people may get help from the house itself.
Over the last few years, new technology, such as the Internet, Wi-Fi and flat TV screens, has changed our homes and the way that we live. Now, another technology revolution is happening. A new project at the University of Hertfordshire wants to create a home that monitors people living in it who are elderly.
The researchers have developed a wristband device（装置）which helps us to watch the elderly person who is wearing it. The device collects information to see if the person has fallen or has wandered away from where he or she should be.
The assisted-living project is part of the university’s wider Interhome project, which is the development of a smart house. The house remembers the habits of the person who lives there and it uses very low amounts of energy. The Interhome team hope that offering this service will help take care of the elderly. They say, “It’s very important that these technologies are there to help and support and not replace any of the existing services.”
The Interhome is not just a research method. It’s also a way for students from different scientific backgrounds to learn and develop technology. The university uses the latest technology to help students get experience by developing new hardware and software themselves. The team includes design, engineering and computer science students working together.
“We are working on a smart-home project in Watford with some companies at the moment,” says the project leader. “We are looking at how a smart home can provide even more services.” This could help millions of old people around the world have a better and safer life in the future.
1.The wristband device benefits its users by .
A.changing the living habits of the elderly
B.monitoring people who live in a smart home
C.offering information to the person wearing it
D.watching over the elderly who may fall or get lost
2.Whom does the University of Hertfordshire have in its research team?
A.Students who want to find a job eagerly.
B.Students who prefer to work on their own.
C.Students from different scientific backgrounds.
D.Students with a lot of rich working experience.
3.What is the project leader’s attitude towards the future of the smart home project?
A.Uncertain. B.Uninterested.
C.Optimistic. D.Disappointed.
4.What might be the main idea of the passage?
A.A wristband device has changed the way that we live.
B.A smart home helps students develop hardware and software.
C.An Interhome project has been put into use to help the elderly.
D.An Interhome project will help the old live a better and safer life.
As the proverb goes，man struggles upwards；water flows downwards．Water runs downhill from mountaintops to streams, to rivers and to oceans．But downhill isn't the only way that water moves．A new study measures how water travels from country to country for human consumption．This flow isn't the type we usually think about．These scientists looked at the water used to grow and make the products which get shipped from nation to nation as imports or exports．They call this a flow of “virtual water”．
We typically think about water as the liquid that flows from a tap．However，92% of the water used by people goes into growing crops, according to a water researcher Arjen Hoekstra．He recently studied the hidden travels of virtual water used in products made from things like crops and meats．These products are shipped around the world．
For example, consider a sugary soft drink．Hoekstra estimated that to produce one half-liter of the drink requires between 170 and 310 liters of water-about 95% is used to grow and process the ingredients. Another 4% goes into the packaging and labeling．In Hoekstra's calculation, when one country produces a half-liter of soda and sells it abroad，it exports as much virtual water as would fill a large refrigerator．
According to Hoekstra's new report, dry countries like Israel and Kuwait, both in the Middle East, get the majority of their virtual water from other countries，through imported products. More surprisingly, some wetter countries, like the Netherlands and the United Kingdom，also get the majority of their virtual water from other places．That means that most of the water used to grow or produce the products and food consumed in those countries came from other countries．
1.The underlined proverb in Paragraph 1 is used to ．
A.inspire readers to struggle upward B.tell a law of nature
C.introduce the topic of the passage D.summarize the main idea of the passage
2.In which countries does most part of virtual water come from outside？
A.The United Kingdom and China B.America and Israel
C.The Netherlands and Kuwait D.The Netherlands and America
3.What can be a suitable title for the passage？
A.Benefits of Virtual Water B.Hidden Uses of Water
C.Crops and Virtual Water D.Virtual Water’s Worldwide Travels
4.Where does the passage probably come from？
A.A science news report B.A newspaper advertisement
C.A book review D.A science fiction story
“Hungary?” I looked at my school headmaster in confusion. “I never mentioned wanting to go to Hungary.” And with that, my adventure started.
My name is Jonathan Diamond and I just finished an amazing exchange year in Hungary.
Going on an exchange had always been my dream. When my high school offered an all-year program，I jumped at the opportunity. It would pay for almost everything and all I had to do was get a plane ticket. I knew where I wanted to go: Spain, the country of dancers wearing flowing red dresses. So when I heard that I was going to Hungary, I was pretty shocked. But I decided to make the best of it, since it was，after all, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Before I knew it, I was on the airplane, leaving for Budapest International Airport, Hungary.
I had times when I almost gave up. Hungarian is the hardest language on the planet. Cultural differences occasionally embarrassed both my peer teens and me. I had to give up eating carrots, my beautiful favorite, for they think carrots are rubbish in their country. The change in the landscape was amazing, looking nothing like skyscrapers, bullet trains, cars，and people in tiny houses that I had been accustomed to. Gradually, I fell in love with the relaxing lifestyle, the warm-hearted people, and getting home at 2：30 p. m. at the latest from school. And I was sad to leave on my very last day.
Having the host family who took me as one of their own members was the best thing I have ever experienced. From my little sisters, I learned how to embrace life to its fullest. From my brothers I learned that it’s OK for a boy to run around the house. From my host parents I learned to stay positive, to smile, and that when you pick the right persons and take their hands, suddenly, you become friends.
1.How did Jonathan feel when he was told to go to Hungary?
A.Excited and satisfied. B.Confused and shocked.
C.Amazed and embarrassed. D.Delighted and interested.
2.Why did Jonathan still decide to go to Hungary instead of Spain?
A.He didn’t like Spain. B.He wanted to learn Hungarian.
C.It was a rare chance. D.Going to Hungary was much cheaper.
3.What can we learn about Jonathan during his stay in Hungary?
A.He fell in love with eating carrots. B.He couldn’t wait to leave.
C.He was surprised by the landscape. D.He quickly got used to the life there.
4.According to Jonathan, the host family________.
A.changed him completely B.taught him how to dance well
C.treated him as equally as a student D.showed him the good things of life
Choose Your One-Day-Tours!
Tour A - Bath &Stonehenge including entrance fees to the ancient Roman bathrooms and Stonehenge -￡37 until 26 March and ￡39 thereafter. Visit the city with over 2,000 years of history and Bath Abbey, the Royal Crescent and the Costume Museum, Stonehenge is one of the world’s most famous prehistoric monuments dating back over 5,000 years.
Tour B - Oxford & Stratford including entrance fees to the University St Mary’s Church Tower and Anne Hathaway’s -￡32 until 12 March and ￡36 thereafter. Oxford: Includes a guided tour of England’s oldest university city and colleges. Look over the “city of dreaming spires(尖顶）” from St Mary‘s Church Tower. Stratford: Includes a guided tour exploring much of the Shakespeare wonder.
Tour C - Windsor Castle &Hampton Court: including entrance fees to Hampton Court Palace -￡34 until 11 March and ￡37 thereafter. Includes a guided tour of Windsor and Hampton Court, Henry VILL’s favorite palace. Free time to visit Windsor Castle(entrance fees not included).With 500 years of history, Hampton Court was once the home of four Kings and one Queen. Now this former royal palace is open to the public as a major tourist attraction. Visit the palace and its various historic gardens, which include the famous maze(迷宫) where it is easy to get lost!
Tour D –Cambridge including entrance fees to the Tower of Saint Mary the Great -￡33 until 18 March and ￡37 thereafter. Includes a guided tour of Cambridge, the famous university town, and the gardens of the 18th century.
1.Which tour will you choose if you want to see England’s oldest university city?
A.Tour A B.Tour B
C.Tour C D.Tour D
2.Which of the following tours charges the lowest fee on 17 March?
A.Windsor Castle & Hampton Court B.Oxford & Stratford
C.Bath & Stonehenge D.Cambridge
3.Why is Hampton Court a major tourist attraction?
A.It used to be the home of royal families B.It used to be a well-known maze
C.It is the oldest palace in Britain D.It is a world-famous castle
–The pine tree in front of the lecture hall is so tall.
–Yes. It ______ nearly 20 metres.【选项】
A.measures B.is measured C.will measure D.is measuring
Only when he reached the tea-house _________ it was the same place he’d been in last year.
A.he realized B.he did realize
C.realized he D.did he realize
