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The Tech That Will Invade Our Lives in 2020

The 2010s made one thing clear: 1.It is in our homes with thermostats that heat up our rooms before we walk through the door.It is in our cars with safety features that warn us about vehicles in nearby lanes.We even wear it on ourselves in the form of watches that monitor our health.Here's what to watch in tech this year.

2.

In the last few years,Amazon,Apple and Google have battled to become the center of our homes.Now,they are working together on a standard to help make smart home products work well with one another.For example,if you open your door,then the door can say to the lights to turn them on.

5G rises steadily.

One important benefit of the technology is its ability to greatly make everything faster. 3.That will be important for the compatibility(兼容性）of next-generation devices like robots. sell-driving cars and drones.For example,if your car has 5G and another car has 5G,the two cars can talk to each other.4.

The wearables market heats up.

It is a time of intense competition in wearable computers.5.Computer chips are making their way into other electronic products like earphones,which means that companies are likely to introduce innovations in wearable equipment,That whole area of improving our hearing and hearing the way other people hear us is really interesting.

A.Home becomes smarter.

B.Tech is everywhere in life,

C.Door upgrades intelligently,

D.The biggest thing is connected everything.

E.And the competition is set to lead to more creativity and innovation.

F.The other is the time it takes for devices to communicate with one another.

G.And they can also signal to each other when they are braking and changing lanes.

    HOW BIG should a business team be?It is an enormously important issue for companies, Teams that are too small may lack the skills required to get the job done:teams that are too big may be impossible to co-ordinate.

Robin Dunbar.an anthropologist at Oxford University,has done a lot of work on primate(灵长目）groups.His argument is that the size of the group is linked to the size of the brain.With their large brains,humans can cope with larger bands,A larger social group has many advantages,allowing for greater protection and specialization.

Whereas 150 is sometimes referred to as the"Dunbar number",the academic himself in fact refers to a range of figures.He observes that humans tend to have five intimate friends,15 or so good friends,around 50 social friends and 150-odd acquaintances.

Running a larger network can be difficult.The armed forces have spent more than 1,000 years experimenting with unit size.A Roman centurion(百天长）oversaw 100.The modern American army company has 180 members.Britain's equivalent numbers 120.These are rough estimates,rather than fixed figures.But it is striking that many group activities seem to be close to a Dunbar number. The Special Air Service of Britain has four-man patrols;when your life depends on it,you need to have absolute trust in your colleagues.As a result,such groups are limited in size.

For much of economic history,work was conducted in small units by peasants,tenant farmers and craftsmen.The coming of powered machinery enabled production at a much larger scale,with workers crowded into factories.These days the rise of the service economy means that workers are no longer concentrated in such large groups.

This may not be a bad thing.It was easy for employees in large factories to regard remote company owners as "them"rather than"us".The modern company may settle on a model with a small group of"core"workers and a larger group of contract workers.The result may be more united within the core staff but the non-core staff may be less well treated.The small core teams may work effectively.The big question will be the effect on morale of those outside those teams.

1.What does the first paragraph serve as in the whole article?

A.An example of the topic,

B.An introduction to the topic,

C.A guide to the whole article,

D.No relation to the passage at all.

2.What does the underlined"This"in the last paragraph refer to?

A.Workers crowded into factories

B.'These days the service economy has risen.

C.Workers are no longer concentrated in such large groups.

D.Employees regard company owners as"them"rather than"us".

3.What is probably the best model for a company according to the author?

A.A large group of exact 150 workers.

B.A small group of less than 15 core workers.

C.A small group of peasants and a large group of factory workers.

D.A small group of efficient workers and more contract workers.

4.What is the main purpose of writing the text?

A.To offer companies some useful advice.

B.To introduce us the most suitable size of teams.

C.To arouse the readers' interest in Robin Dunbar.

D.To persuade companies to adopt the"Dunbar number".

    Artificial flesh is growing ever closer to the real thing. Scientists in Australia have now created a new jelly-like material which they claim has the strength and lasting usage of actual skin, ligaments(韧带）,or even bone.

“With the special chemistry we’ve engineered in the hydrogel(水凝胶）,it can repair itself after it has been broken like human skin can,” explains chemist Luke Connal from the Australian National University. “Hydrogels are usually weak, but our material is so strong it could easily lift very heavy objects and can change its shape like human muscles do.”

Having a wet and soft material with such remarkable properties could be very important for the development of next-generation soft robotics and biomedical devices. Creating a shape-changing hydrogel that has multiple functions has proved an ongoing challenge for scientists, even with natural inspiration from sea creatures, such as jellyfish, sea cucumbers, and Venus fly traps.

While some hydrogels can withstand mechanical stress, others have self-healing properties, and a few more have the abilities to memorize shapes or change colours. As far as the ANU researchers know, no one else has been able to incorporate all these functions into one all-encompassing gel. At least, not at the speed and efficiency they’ve achieved.

Using this material, the researchers made extremely thin films of “flesh” without any breakage.

When these films were heated or cooled, they then changed into different shapes, bending one way or the other before returning back to their original state along with the temperature. If temperature is somehow used as a control, the authors think this gel could one day be moved like an artificial muscle. Researchers are trying to modify their temperature control technology accordingly and make a significant step towards turning this hydrogel into practical use.

1.What do you know about the new material according to the text?

A.It looks like the jelly and functions like the robot.

B.It can be easily repaired by scientists after being broken.

C.It is likely to be the most multifunctional hydrogel at present.

D.It can hardly go back to its original shape after heated or cooled.

2.What is the author’s attitude towards the future of the dynamic hydrogel?

A.Indifferent.

B.Neutral.

C.Negative.

D.Positive.

3.What is the best title for the text?

A.Getting scientific inspiration from nature.

B.Lifting heavy objects by dynamic hydrogels.

C.Creating a new kind of flesh with chemistry.

D.Enabling artificial robots to heal themselves.

4.What will the author most probably talk about in the following paragraph?

A.The characters of artificial flesh.

B.The creation of the dynamic hydrogel.

C.The shapes and colors of artificial flesh.

D.The application of the dynamic hydrogel.

    It was the homecoming parade in Rockwall,Texas,and cheerleader Tyra Winters,was riding on the top of one of the school's floats(彩车）。As it slowly made its way down the wide road,the 17-year-old enthusiastically waved at the crowd,all the while soaking in the music,laughter,and applause.

All of a sudden.a horrific scream sounded.Looking down,Winters saw a two-year-old on the sidewalk gasping for air.his extremely worried mother begging for help.The boy,Clarke Hornback Lad been sucking on a piece of candy when it slid down the back of his mouth,lodging in his throat and blocking his windpipe.

＂I see a little bright red face and his mom's begging,Someone help me,someone help me.'"

Winters told KTVT."There was no coughing;there was no breathing,Clarke's mother,Nicole Homback,later told news station NBCDFW.He was just gasping for air."No one seemed to know how to help.

Except for Winters.A senior with dreams of becoming a pediatric surgeon,she had learned the Heimlich maneuver and CPR.Knowing that the clock was ticking,she leaped off the moving float and ran to the child.

By the time she got to Clarke,his face had turned purple."I got him!"she yelled to Nicole as she grabbed the boy from her."I tilted him and gave a good three back thrusts,"she told the local CBS station.

Soon,the boy coughed up the piece of candy,gasped,and began breathing again.Without another word,Winters handed Clarke back to his mother and ran back to her float before it could leave her behind.

It all happened so fast,Nicole never had time to thank the teen.Winters' s heroic actions left Nicole speechless."I don't really have any words,"she says."The words that you would say to anyone who does something for you is' thank you.' But that doesn't seem good enough."

1.What does the underlined word"lodging"mean in Paragraph 2?

A.Stuck. B.Caught.

C.Slid. D.Found.

2.Which of the following is the correct order of the events?

a. The boy coughed up the piece of candy, gasped, and began breathing again.

b. Winters leaped off the moving float and ran to the child.

c. Winters was riding on the top of one of the school's floats.

d. Winters tilted the boy and gave a good three back thrusts.

e. The boy, Clarke Hornback, had been sucking on a piece of candy, blocking his windpipe.

A.c-a-d-b-c

B.c-e-b-d-a

C.b-d-a-c-e

D.a-e-d-c-b

3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A.It happened so fast, Nicole had no time to thank the teen.

B.Nicole didn't want to say anything about the incident.

C.Nicole was grateful for Winters' s heroic actions.

D.It is always good to learn more knowledge.

4.What kind of person do you think Winters is?

A.Helpful. B.Mean.

C.Organized. D.Determined.

    Have you always wanted to discover the night sky but just don't know where to start?If so,then Back Garden Astronomy SkyatMight , Week is for you!

Launching at the start of March,this new beginner's guide from BBC Sky at Night Magazine will introduce the wonders of  Earth's constant companion in space,the Moon,in easy-to-do, nightly observing instalments.

Just sign up and each day from Monday 2 to Monday 9 March we'll send you a no-nonsense email newsletter that will help you discover the wonders of our planet's natural satellite.We'll show you how to judge the Moon's movement across the sky,and introduce you to some of the most spellbinding sights on its surface.

We'll guide you to the Moon's most dramatic craters and seas,allowing you to discover for  yourself the rugged locations that attracted the Apollo astronauts.

Each day during Back Garden Astronomy Week you'll also get essential observing tips and a fascinating insight into the Moon-explaining everything from what's behind its ever-changing phases to how old we think it is.

Sign up today to start your journey of discovery and we'll send you a FREE 62-page digital  starter pack including a Guide to the Moon before Back Garden Astronomy Week starts!

SIGN UP TODAY!

Visit www.skyatnightmagazine.com/backgarden to sign up in a few easy steps.

1.Who is the Back Garden Astronomy Week intended for?

A.Researchers studying the universe.

B.Anyone interested in space.

C.Teenagers interested in the Moon.

D.New beginners interested in the Moon.

2.After signing up,what can you receive from this project before Monday 2?

A.Essential observing tips.

B.A free Guide to the Moon.

C.A no-nonsense email newsletter.

D.A chargeable digital starter pack.

3.Where can you most probably read this passage?

A.On a website.

B.On a university bulletin board.

C.In a text book.

D.In a travel guide book.