Traditionally, robots have been hard, made of metal and other rigid material .But a team of scientists at Harvard University in the US has managed to build an entirely soft robot—one that draws inspiration from an octopus (章鱼).
Described in science journal Nature, the “Octobot” could pave the way for more effective autonomous robots that could be used in search, rescue and exploration. “The Octobot is minimal system which may serve as a foundation for a new generation of completely soft, autonomous robots”, the study’s authors wrote.
Robots built for precise, repetitive movements in a controlled environment don’t do so well on rough terrains (地形) or in unpredictable conditions. And they aren’t especially safe around humans, because they’re made out of hard and heavy parts that could be potentially dangerous to their users.
So researchers have been working on building soft robots for decades. They’ve taken inspiration from nature, looking to animals from jellyfish to cockroaches, which are often made up of more flexible matter.
But creating a completely soft robot remains a challenge. Even if engineers build a silicone (硅酮) body, it’s still a grand challenge to construct flexible versions of essential parts, such as a source of power.
“Although soft robotics is still in its early stage, it holds great promise for several applications, such as search-rescue operations and exploration,” Barbara Mazzolai and Virgilio Mattoli of the Italian Institute of Technology Center for Micro-BioRobotics, wrote in a comment. “Soft robots might also open up new approaches to improving wellness and quality of life.”
1.What’s the special feature of “Octobot”?
A.It’s very small. B.It’s made of metal.
C.It’s soft. D.It looks like an octopus.
2.What’s the shortcoming of traditional robots?
A.They’re hard to control. B.They can’t behave well all the time.
C.They can’t predict conditions. D.They’re too heavy to move.
3.Which of the following is wrong?
A.The original robots can work on rough land well.
B.The original robots may hurt people.
C.It’s tough to invent an absolutely soft robot.
D.The soft robots might improve the quality of human life.
4.One of the biggest challenges is to build Octobot’s ________.
A.silicone body B.complex structure
C.precise movements D.flexible power source
5.What’s the possible application of “Octobot”?
A.Medical research. B.Life rescue.
C.Machine operation. D.House cleaning.
Despite being used by 1.34 billion people each year, traveling on the Tube in London can actually be quite lonely. An unwritten rule encouraging reticence (沉默寡言), mixed with classic British reserve, means that even though you’re packed into enclosed space with hundreds of other people, the morning trip can leave you feeling somewhat lonely.
One London resident, however, is trying to change this. “You get on the Tube and it’s completely silent and it’s strange,” says Jonathan Dunne, an American living in London, who has started a campaign of giving out badges (徽章) with the slogan “Tube chat?” last month, encouraging travelers in London to get to talk to one another. “I handed out 500 badges during rush hour in a city of 8 million, expecting most of them to be thrown away, but after about 24 hours it completely snowballed,” he says. Dunne and his “Tube chat” campaign have been reported by media across the world, seeing TV interviews in Sweden, Brazil and the UK, as well as countless website, newspaper and magazine appearances.
Although Dunne says he’s received mostly positive responses, there are always exceptions.
Londoner Brian Wilson responded with a campaign of his own, handing out 500 badges with the words “Don’t even think about it” on them. “I can’t stand the idea of having to talk to strangers on the Tube on my way to work,” he said.
Michael Robinson, 24, a student from London, agrees. “Being on the Tube is the only peace and quiet some people get on their journeys to and from work. It doesn’t need to be spoiled by people coming up and chatting to you,” he says.
“People assume that I just walk up and talk to strangers, which I don’t, but it’s been a great way to meet people you would never have normally spoken to,” Dunne says. So if you ever end up using public transport in London, why not say hello to the person next to you? Just make sure to check for a badge first.
1.What does the underlined word “reserve” mean?
A.tidiness B.gentleness
C.silence D.vividness
2.What can the badge with “Tube Chat?” be seen as?
A.A request for keeping silent.
B.A special way of greeting someone.
C.A signal of avoiding being disturbed.
D.An encouragement to start a conversation.
3.How is Dunne’s campaign getting along?
A.Most passengers have refused to accept it.
B.Wilson has made great efforts to promote it.
C.It has been covered in many countries.
D.It has become a worldwide campaign.
4.Why does the author mention Brian and Michael?
A.To stress the importance of communication.
B.To show not everyone agrees with Dunne’s idea.
C.To prove Londoners are speechless on the Tube.
D.To state the disadvantages of chatting with strangers.
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A.Please mind the silence on the Tube!
B.Time to change your way to take the subway!
C.What makes people feel lonely on the Tube?
D.Why was the “Tube Chat?” campaign not a success?
Every November, Time magazine picks out what it calls “The 25 Best Inventions” of the year. Here, Teens has chosen some of the most interesting ones.
Ember Mug
It’s hard to always keep coffee at the right temperature, especially in winter. It’s too hot to drink at first, but before we know it, it gets too cold and loses all its taste. The perfect level of warmth for a cup of coffee only lasts for 37 seconds, which makes the Ember Mug a great innovation. It keeps your coffee or tea at a certain temperature, anywhere between 45℃ and 62℃ once you set it through a smart-phone app.
Tasty One Top
TV cooking shows make cooking look so easy, but it’s almost impossible to get the recipes to cook the same as how the professionals cook. However, the Tasty One Top DIY cooking companion is here to help. Developed by Buzzfeed, the cooker can be connected to a smartphone app, which has more than 1,700 recipes and videos. You choose a recipe and the app will let the cooker know what to do. For example, it’ll tell you when to turn your steak or when to add certain ingredients.
Jibo
Smart speakers from companies like Amazon and Xiaomi have added a lot of fun to our lives, but they’re still just faceless speakers. However, Jibo, developed by MIT professor Cynthia Breazeal, has brought smart technology to life. Said to be “the world’s first social robot for the home”, Jibo looks like a cartoon character. Inside its “head”, there are various sensors (传感器) and cameras, which allow it to recognize faces and speech. It can also set alarms, remind you of important things, tell you the weather and read news or messages from your friends and family.
1.Which of the following is true of Ember Mug?
A.It’s an invention to heat coffee in 37 seconds.
B.It can make a cup of tea.
C.It’s hard to keep coffee at the right temperature by Ember Mug.
D.You can use it by setting through a smart-phone app.
2.How can Tasty One Top help people?
A.By giving people different recipes.
B.By helping people cook intelligently.
C.By saving energy while cooking.
D.By offering different kinds of cooking apps.
3.What can Jibo probably be?
A.A faceless robot.
B.A family assistant.
C.A cartoon character.
D.A smart alarm.
4.What does the underlined word “innovation” mean?
A.matter B.magazine
C.invention D.temperature
5.What is the purpose of the passage?
A.To advertise high-tech products.
B.To introduce some new inventions.
C.To encourage subscription to Time.
D.To tell about some “tasty” products.
假设你是天津某中学高二年级的学生李津。你校正在讨论是否应该骑自行车上学。请你围绕这一论题，根据以下要点用英语写一封倡议书，号召尽可能多的同学骑自行车上学。
要点：1. 建议骑自行车上学；
2. 自行车是学生常用交通工具；
3. 骑自行车的一些好处；
4. 骑自行车需要注意的问题。
注意：1. 词数： 不少于100字，开头和结束语已经为你写好（不计入总词数）；
2. 可以根据要点适当增加细节， 使行文连贯。
Dear schoolmates,
Recently, a debate concerning whether we should cycle to school or not has appeared in our school.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Don’t hesitate, everybody. Let’s ride to school.
Li Jin
From Class 1 Grade 1
阅读下面短文，请根据短文后的要求答题。
It is never too late to add some new and better practices into your daily life. Here are some wise lessons that I wish I knew when I was younger:
Don’t wait until tomorrow. Enjoy every moment of today, because you are not guaranteed a tomorrow. Don’t put off your dreams. Don’t wait to do. If it’s important to you，then do it today. Pay attention to what is happening now, to the people around you, to the task at hand and to all of the choices you make today.
It’s called work for a reason. Success at anything takes work. When you hear about an overnight success story, don’t forget about all of the work that came before. You may have to do work you do not enjoy before you get success. Keep going.
Don’t burn your bridges. You never know when a former boss，colleague, business partner or acquaintance may come in handy. Try to part on good terms, stay on good terms and never gossip(说长道短)about former connections. A wide pool of friends, coworkers and connections of all kinds will provide a wealthy resource of ideas and support as you go forward in life.
It’s not a race. You have so much to do and it feels as though you have to be in a hurry to get there. But in fact，you do not have to do it all at once. If you try to do it all at once, you will at best not have time to enjoy it and at worst burn out and damage your health and relationships. Slow down and take one thing at a time, one day at a time．
Look for the good in everything. Stay positive. Look for the good in people. Celebrate the happy moments. Give helpful encouragement rather than negative criticism. If you view the world around you and life’s challenges through goodness，then you will find life much more enjoyable．
1.What’s the author’s attitude towards success? (No more than 15 words )
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.List three kinds of helpful bridges while you go forward in life. (No more than 8 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
3.What does the underlined word “coworkers” mean in English? (No more than5 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
4.What’s the result if you do something in a hurry? (No more than 20 words)
_______________________________________________________________________________
5.In your opinion, which lesson in the passage is the most meaningful to you? Why?(No more than 30 words )
_______________________________________________________________________________
What are the biggest problems that society will have to deal with in the new age? There are diseases like AIDS and cancer. There’s climate change, of course. And what about producing enough cheap food and energy for the world’s growing population? Who’s going to solve all these terrible problems? Yes, politicians and world leaders will have a big part to play. Yes, businesses will need to create the economic wealth to pay for some of these things. But who’s going to make a much greater difference to something like AIDS or climate change? It’s going to be a scientist. It is the scientist who can turn some new bit of science into a new technology to solve these problems.
If you like thinking about the world around you, why not become a scientist? It doesn’t mean you have to wear a white coat and plastic glasses and spend all your time in a lab as most people often imagine! Scientists do all kinds of amazing things that are actually interesting!
Military scientists develop not only new weapons but new military technologies that could help make wars out of date. Forensic(法医的) scientists work with the police to find quite small clues to catch criminals. Scientists work in schools and colleges as the teachers and professors who will train tomorrow’s scientists. Don’t think a scientist is far away! Maybe you like cooking? You could be a food technologist helping to keep fruit and vegetables fresher for longer. Perhaps sport is your thing? Do you know that most top athletes work with sports scientists in order to improve their performance? You could even be the science writer who gets to spend the life studying the latest advances and sharing them with the world.
Looking for something to do for the rest of your life? My advice? Take a long and hard look at science. It is interesting and ever.
1.Many problems are mentioned in the first paragraph to ________.
A.suggest they are impossible to be solved
B.introduce the causes of these problems
C.show the writer’s worry about the future world
D.show scientists play an important part in solving them
2.What is needed to solve these problems?
A.Advanced weapons. B.Enough energy.
C.New technologies. D.A growing population.
3.Most people think the life of scientists is ________.
A.amazing B.boring C.colorful D.unreal
4.Which of the following statement is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Military technologies could help prevent wars in the future.
B.For those interested in cooking, food technologies may be a choice.
C.Forensic scientists play an important part in dealing with crimes.
D.Politicians and world leaders can solve all the social problems.
5.The passage is intended for people who ________.
A.haven’t decided on their career
B.have no interest in science
C.hope for the world peace
D.have little knowledge of science
