One day, gardeners might not just hear the buzz of bees among their flowers, but the whirr of robots, too. Scientists have managed to turn an unassuming drone into a remote-controlled pollinator by attaching horsehairs coated with a special, sticky glue to the under part of it.
Animal pollinators are needed for the reproduction of 90% of flowering plants and one third of human food crops. Chief among those are bees-but many bee populations in the United States have been in steep decline in recent decades. Thus, the decline of bees isn't just worrisome because it could spoil ecosystems. but also, because it could spoil agriculture and economy. People have been trying to come up with replacement techniques, but none of them are especially effective yet.
Scientists have thought about using drones, but they haven't figured out how to make free-flying robot insects that can rely on their own power source without being attached to a wire. “It’s very tough work." said Senior author Elijio Miyako, a chemist at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. His particular contribution to the field involves a kind of glue, one he'd considered a mistake 10 years before and stuck in a storage cabinet. When it was rediscovered a decade later, it hadn't dried up or broke down at all. “I was so surprised because it still had high viscosity,” Miyako said.
The chemist noticed that when dropped, the glue absorbed an impressive amount of dust from the floor. Miyako realized this material could be very useful for picking up pollen. He and his colleagues chose a drone and attached horsehairs to its smooth surface to imitate a bee's furry body. They coated those horsehairs in the glue, and then controlled the drones over flowers, where they would pick up the pollen from one flower and then deposit the pollen at another one, thus fertilizing it.
The scientists looked at the hairs under a scanning electron microscope and counted up the pollen grains attached to the surface and found that the drones whose horsehairs had been coated with the glue had about 10 times more pollen than those that had not been coated with the glue.
Mivako does not think such drones would replace bees altogether, but could simply help bees with their pollinating duties. There’s a lot of work to be done before that's a reality, however. Small drones will need to become more controllable and energy efficient, as well as smarter, with better GPS and artificial intelligence.
1.What does the underlined word “viscosity” in Para.3 probably mean?
A.Hardness. B.Stickiness.
C.Flexibility. D.Purity.
2.We can learn from the passage that .
A.bees disturb both agriculture and economy
B.scientists invented automatic robot insects
C.Miyako found the special feature of the glue accidently
D.bees in the United States are on the edge of extinction
3.A drone works best in picking up pollen when ___
A.it is coated with the glue B.its body is made like a bee's
C.researchers control it precisely D.horsehairs with the glue are attached to it
4.According to Eijiro Miyako, the drones____
A.are not yet ready for practical use B.may eventually replace bees in the future
C.are much more efficient than bee pollinators D.can provide a solution to economic depression
＂New and improved."These words are put in so many marketing campaigns that we tend to accept them as linked.But many new drugs aren't an improvement over the best existing drug for a given condition,and the fast drug-approval processes in recent years have added to the uncertainty about their advantages.
A recent report in the British Medical Journal,"New Drugs;Where Did We Go Wrong and What We Do Better?" analyzed the issue,The authors looked at 216 drugs approved between 2011 and 2017; 152 were newly developed,and 64 were existing medicine approved for new uses. Only 25% offered a major advantage over the established treatment,and fully 58% had no confirmed added benefit to reduce symptoms or improve health-related quality of life.
＂This doesn't mean there's no added benefit,"lead author Wieseler said."It just means we have no positive proof Either we have no studies or have studies not good enough.”Wieseler and her co-authors work for a German agency which evaluates new treatments and advises on whether the country's health care system should pay a premium(补贴）for them.If payers think a new drug isn't better than an existing drug,these agencies will require that hospitals try the cheaper drug first.
Germany's HTA demands trials to prove that a new treatment beats the existing standard. This isn't always practical. For one thing, such studies can be expensive and time-consuming,with no guarantee of success.Secondly,it can discourage companies from attempting to develop new alternatives.This is already happening.Drug developers are increasingly focused on areas where there are no good treatments to compete with,such as rare diseases.
This lack of meaningful data to guide patients is a major point of Wieseler's paper.With accelerated approval,there are more products approved,with a greater amount of uncertainty about risks and benefits. But there are other solutions besides drug trials.One idea is to require postmarket studies to track the effectiveness of newly approved drugs-a step too often neglected.
1.What message does the recent report convey?
A.Improved drugs have advantages over old ones.
B.The approval processes for new drugs are too fast.
C.Many new drugs have no improved advantages.
D.Almost half the drugs approved target the special cases.
2.What's the disadvantage of Germany's HTA trial demands?
A.Making drug companies think of illegal ways to cut cost.
B.Holding companies back from improving existing drugs.
C.Getting patients to depend on the government for support.
D.Pushing companies to try alternatives for existing drugs.
3.What is the best title for the text?
A.The Advantage of Existing Drugs B.The Great Potential of New Drugs
C.People's Preference for New or Old Drugs D.A Dilemma with New Drug Alternatives
PAssion Arts Festival PASSIONARTSIC PAssion Arts Festival this year will run from 6 July to 25 August. The festival theme,"Our Home,Our HeARTs",invites residents to use arts to express our love for our community and for our country. Our aim is to bring residents together to experience and appreciate creativity.Look forward to over 500 arts activities and programmes. The following are some of them. |
ARTS PARTY@TELOK BLANGAH TIME:14 July(9:00 AM-12:00 AM) PLACE:Talok Blangah Mall Art can happen in so many ways and for so many people.For example,you can participate in the large oil painting activity or carry art in your pocket anytime and anywhere by creating your own matchbox art. We're also bringing art therapy to the elderly as it becomes more popular in our society.Come explore Nagomi art,a Japanese art healing method that introduces calm and relaxation to the painter. |
HUES IN TUNE TIME:20 July(2:00 PM-8:00 PM) PLACE:Kampung Admiralty, One of the most expected part is Hues in Tune's performance line-up.Sembawang Hues is the highlight with music performances.Fusion Tunes features cross-racial bands,and Our Own Tune presents heartfelt music by talented residents. |
L.O.U.D@KAMPONG GLAM TIME:27 July(7:30 PM-9:30 PM) PLACE:Kampong Glam Community Club At Kampong Glam,the theatre performance Voices from the Belly of Carp will take us back centuries into the country's history for new discoveries. |
MAD TEA PARTY TIME:12 August(9:30 AM-11:30 AM) PLACE:Pasir Ris Elias CC ARTISTS:Stacy Huang,Jesse Chong and Lena Lok Mad Tea Party is inspired by Alice in Wonderland.This will be an installation of delightful treats, where residents can gather around the tea table to create"food"together. |
1.What is the goal of PAssion Arts Festival?
A.To make the country more appealing in art.
B.To promote cooperation between communities.
C.To develop a sense of togetherness through art.
D.To build up a young generation with creativity.
2.What can be learned from the poster?
A.Hues in Tune's performances are intended for music lovers.
B.Mad Tea Party mainly involves learning to make and serve tea.
C.The performance at Kampong Glam is about the history of man.
D.Arts Party@Telok Blangah is specially designed for the elderly.
My cousin is nine years old,a little bit fat and doesn’t do really well at school.She is heavily _______, and thus has developed some resistance and _______ towards adults, who usually don’t put high hopes in her.
Yesterday we went to an art _______together.There were paintings from kids with disabilities.My 1ittle girl has a(n)_______eye,for the paintings she liked most were also the best of the show.She voluntarily helped to_______the chairs and table for a sharing session, painted by herself alongside new fiends and also_______helped me to get my bag from another room,something that doesn’t happen often at _______as she’s usually_______to her iPad.
In the afternoon,we went to buy books together.I bought a book written by a mom _______her journey with her autistic(自闭的）son.On the bus back home, I ____________introduced the book to my cousin, and to my ____________she was truly interested.She kept asking me to tell more stories about the boy who____________with small things in life.Even when the subject wandered elsewhere, she ____________hearing more about this boy.I have never seen her so interested in a ____________ .Usually when she talks to me she describes events without a ____________focus. I’m ____________that the life of a ____________ has found its way into this little girl's heart.
I'm very thankful for the____________of books,for the beauty that my cousin revealed to me,and for the time we had together.I ____________that I can keep seeing clearly the wonderful things in her,so that whenever unkindness____________, I can remind her how truly wonderful she has always been.
1.A.abused B.envied C.teased D.amused
2.A.curiosity B.dependence C.confusion D.distrust
3.A.exhibition B.performance C.competition D.lesson
4.A.innocent B.sharp C.doubtful D.critical
5.A.remove B.prepare C.distribute D.arrange
6.A.regularly B.reluctantly C.cheerfully D.cautiously
7.A.home B.school C.work D.night
8.A.introduced B.attached C.committed D.related
9.A.tailoring B.recording C.promoting D.making
10.A.proudly B.secretly C.concretely D.briefly
11.A.surprise B.admiration C.relief D.worry
12.A.interferes B.lives C.struggles D.meets
13.A.got over B.insisted on C.set about D.picked up
14.A.book B.journey C.boy D.topic
15.A.clear B.simple C.familiar D.fresh
16.A.touched B.satisfied C.hopeful D.successful
17.A.reader B.parent C.traveler D.stranger
18.A.sales B.content C.power D.characters
19.A.assume B.deduce C.pray D.conclude
20.A.continues B.arises C.spreads D.works
— Hi,do you know roadside food stalls are back?
— _________？They were banned to keep the cities clean.
A.Who cares B.What if C.How come D.Why bother
It was when the private company successfully launched astronauts into space__________I knew it would open up more opportunities in the space industry.
A.which B.how C.where D.that
