Microsoft has developed a new smartphone app that interprets eye signals and translates them into letters, allowing people with motor neurone disease to communicate with others from a phone.
The GazeSpeak app combines a smartphone’s camera with artificial intelligence to recognize eye movements in real time and convert them into letters, words and sentences.
For people suffering from ALS（渐冻症）, also known as motor neurone disease, eye movement can be the only way they are able to communicate.
“Current eye-tracking input systems for people with ALS or other motor impairments are expensive, not robust under sunlight, and require frequent re-calibration (重新校对) and substantial, relatively immobile setups,” said Xiaoyi Zhang, a researcher at Microsoft who developed the technology.
“To mitigate the drawback，we created GazeSpeak, an eye-gesture communication system that runs on a smartphone, and is designed to be low-cost, robust, portable and easy to learn.”
The app is used by the listener by pointing their smartphone at the speaker. A chart that can be stuck to the back of the smartphone is then used by the speaker to determine which eye movements to make in order to communicate.
The sticker shows four grids of letters, which each correspond to a different eye movement. By looking up, down, left or right, the speaker selects which grids the letters they want belong to. The artificial intelligence algorithm（计算程序） is then able to predict the word or sentence they are trying to say.
1.Who is the smartphone app designed for?
A. People with motor eye disease.
B. People suffering from eye communication.
C. People with problems in intelligence.
D. People suffering from motor neurone disease.
2.The underlined word “mitigate” in the fifth paragraph probably means ________.
A. relieve B. get rid of
C. remove D. find
3.According to the text, ________.
A. for people suffering from ALS, eye movement is one of the best ways to communicate.
B. a new communication system that runs on a smartphone is designed to be immobile.
C. the speaker could use the app by pointing their smartphone at the listener.
D. the artificial intelligence algorithm will translate sentences for speakers.
Crossing your legs is an extremely common habit; most people don’t even notice that they’re doing it when they sit down. While you may find it comfortable to sit with one knee crossed over the other, it might be causing health problems that you are not aware of.
A study published in Blood Pressure Monitoring stated that sitting with your legs crossed can increase your blood pressure. The reason this happens is because the blood in your legs has to work against gravity to be pumped back to your heart, crossing one leg over the other increases resistance, making it even harder for the blood to circulate. This causes your body to increase your blood pressure to push the blood back to the heart.
Crossing your legs can also lead to neck and back pain. When you sit with your legs crossed, your hips are in a twisted position, which can cause one of your pelvic (骨盆的) bones to rotate. Since your pelvic bone supports your neck and spine, this can cause pressure on your lower and middle back and neck.
You also might notice that when you sit with your legs crossed for long periods of time, your feet and legs get tingly or have the feeling of being asleep. This is because when one leg sits on top of the other, it causes pressure on the veins (血管) and nerves in your legs and feet. It can cause numbness and/or temporary paralysis in the legs, ankles, or feet.
So next time you sit down, try to get yourself in the habit of sitting with both of your feet on the floor. Not only will it help your posture and stability, but it will also save your health in the long run.
1.Crossing legs may lead to the following health problems except ________.
A. It can increase your blood pressure
B. It can cause pressure on your lower and middle back and neck
C. It will make your neck and spine twisted
D. It can cause paralysis for the time being
2.Why can crossing your legs increase your blood pressure?
A. Because the blood in your legs has to work against being pumped back to your heart.
B. Because it will prevent the blood circulating.
C. Because crossing legs results in less resistance for the blood to circulate.
D. Because higher blood pressure contributes to pushing the blood back to the heart.
3.What is the purpose of writing this article?
A. To persuade us not to cross our legs any longer.
B. To make us aware of the health problems caused by crossing legs.
C. To tell us the benefits of sitting with our feet on the floor.
D. To show that crossing legs is an extremely common habit.
假定你是李华，你校英文报外国文化栏目拟刊登美国节日风俗和中学生生活的短文。请给你的美国朋友Peter写信约稿。要点如下:
1.栏目介绍
2.稿件内容
3.稿件长度:400字词汇
4交稿日期:6月28日前
注意:词数100左右，行文连贯
Dear Peter
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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。 文中共有 10 处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、 删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改 10 处，多者(从第 11 处起)不计分。
Since an early age, I have been told to be kind to others. One day I was in line at our local post office. Behind me stood a man, which coat was dirty and ragged. It was clearly that he hadn’t bathed or change his clothes for a long time. Hardly had he come in that the others stood back several foot away from him. In fact, I didn’t notice her at first. After I had my business finishing, I turned back to see what had been taken place. Turning to leave, I said to him, “Wish you nice day!” The man nodded, a big smile in his face.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Faraday was the 1. (invent) of the electric generator and electric motor. Faraday’s father suffered from long-time health problems, as a result of 2. his family had little money to afford his formal schooling. But he was curious and determined to learn.
While 3. (work) in London as a teenager, he had a chance to read 4. (vary) books that he could get his hands on. In 1812, he attended four lectures at the Royal Institution given by a famous chemist named Humphrey Davy. A year later Faraday 5. (accept) as Davy’s lab assistant. Davy also took Faraday on 6. 18-month tour of Europe, where Faraday met some of the most famous scientists of the day. But for Davy, Faraday 7. (lose) the opportunity to gain a complete scientific education.
He soon began to do 8. (experiment) with electricity. In 1831, he discovered electromagnetic induction. And for the next eight years Faraday worked long hours in the lab, which did harm 9. his health. By the end of the decade he was in 10. poor health that his research did not begin again until 1845. In the mid-1850s, he was forced to retire and he lived at Hampton Court until his death on August 25, 1867.
As a young man, Alan was a skilled artist, a painter with a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son_________a bad stomachache. Thinking it was only some_________intestinal (肠的) disorder, neither Alan nor his wife took the condition very________. But the boy died suddenly that night. Knowing the death could have been ________if he had only realized the seriousness of the _______, he always felt the loss of his son was due________ him. To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, _______ him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Alan could _______, and he turned to alcohol for help. _______ Alan became an alcoholic. ___________the alcoholism progressed, Alan began to lose everything he _________— his land, house, etc. Finally Alan died alone in a small bar. Hearing of Alan’s death, I thought, “What a totally wasted life! What a complete_________!” As time went by, I began to reconsider my earlier_________. I knew Alan’s now ________ son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most_________, most loving men I have ever known. I saw the love between Ernie and his children, thinking that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere. I hadn’t heard Ernie talked much about his_________. One day, I worked up my_________ to ask him what on earth his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie said __, “As a child until I left home at 18, Alan came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘love you, son.’” Tears came to my eyes as I realized what I had been a fool to_________ Alan as a failure. He had not left any ________ belongings behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.
1.A. exploded B. developed C. spread D. lifted
2.A. certain B. rare C. common D. informal
3.A. lightly B. slightly C. consciously D. seriously
4.A. cured B. saved C. banned D. prevented
5.A. situation B. position C. stage D. reaction
6.A. to B. by C. for D. on
7.A. giving B. leaving C. providing D. asking
8.A. stand B. understand C. explore D. support
9.A. As usual B. In no time C. In time D. On occasion
10.A. Though B. As C. If D. Because
11.A. needed B. shared C. benefited D. owned
12.A. failure B. trouble C. hardship D. success
13.A. choice B. chance C. judgment D. expectation
14.A. teen B. adult C. old D. poor
15.A. careful B. strict C. caring D. excited
16.A. brother B. mother C. child D. father
17.A. courage B. appreciation C. interest D. enthusiasm
18.A. aggressively B. quietly C. impatiently D. excitedly
19.A. spot B. wonder C. view D. call
20.A. emotional B. natural C. basic D. material
