Researchers from the MIT Media Lab, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Northeastern University used a robotic teddy bear, “Huggable”, across the Boston Children’s Hospital. More than 50 hospitalized children were divided into three groups that involved Huggable, a tablet-based virtual Huggable, or a traditional toy teddy bear. In general, the robotic Huggable improved various patient outcomes over the other two choices.
When first designed, Huggable was operated remotely by a specialist outside a child’ s room for the moment. Through software, a specialist could control the robot’s facial expressions and body actions. The specialists could also talk through a speaker — with their voice automatically changed to sound more childlike — and monitor the participants via camera.
During the treatments involving Huggable for kids aged 3 to 10 years, a specialist would sing nursery rhymes to younger children through the robotic bear and move the arms during the song. Older kids would play the I Spy game, where they had to guess an object in the room described by the specialist through Huggable. Through self-reports and questionnaires, the researchers recorded how much the patients and families liked Huggable. A greater percentage of children and their parents reported that the children enjoyed playing with Huggable more than with the virtual figure or traditional teddy bear.
The study proved the possibility of including Huggable in the treatments for children. Results also showed that children playing with Huggable experienced more positive emotions overall. They also got out of bed and moved around more, and emotionally connected with the robot, asking it personal questions and inviting it to come back later to meet their families. “Such improved emotional and physical outcomes are all positive factors that could contribute to hospitalized children’ s better and faster recovery,” the researchers write in their study.
The study also provided a basis for developing a fully autonomous Huggable robot, which is the researchers’ final goal. In the future, that automated robot could be used to improve children’ s further treatment and care, and monitor their well-being.
1.What can we learn about Huggable?
A.It was first designed for disabled kids.
B.It can make facial expressions.
C.It talks like a caring parent.
D.It works automatically.
2.How did the children find Huggable?
A.Favorable. B.Conventional.
C.Disappointing. D.Unhelpful.
3.How did Huggable help the hospitalized children with their treatment?
A.It improved their mental experience.
B.It protected them from possible virus.
C.It gave tips on taking good care of young patients.
D.It provided up-to-date information about their diseases.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.The fast development of robots in medical area.
B.A new technology in medicine to treat children.
C.Robots’ advantages over other methods of treatment.
D.A robotic teddy bear used in caring for hospitalized children.
While the human world is suffering from the novel coronavirus outbreak, our planet is actually showing certain signs of “recovery” from the damage caused by human activity. According to the BBC, new satellite images released by the European Space Agency showed that levels of air pollutants and greenhouse gases have “fallen sharply” in major cities in Europe and the United States ever since the lockdown started.
This is what happened after recent discoveries in Antarctica. An international team of 89 scientists found that the ice in Greenland and Antarctica is melting six times faster in the 2010s than it was in the 1990s. And in February, Argentina’s Marambio research station in Antarctica recorded a record high temperature of 20.75 ℃ on the continent.
So what exactly will happen if the temperature keeps rising and the ice keeps melting? A third study might give you an idea. A team of scientists drilled a hole into the seafloor in west Antarctica and extracted (提取) material from underground, in which they found traces of roots, spores and pollen—typical products of a rainforest—that dated back 90 million years ago. In other words, Antarctica was very likely a rainforest back when the dinosaurs walked on Earth. But given the fact that the South Pole has four months of darkness during winter—even millions of years ago—scientists believe that the rainforest could only exist if the greenhouse gas concentrations were extremely high back then to keep the continent warm when there was little or no sunlight.
“We didn’t know that this Cretaceous (白垩纪的) greenhouse climate was that extreme,” Johann Klages of the Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany and a co-author of the research told the Guardian. “It shows us what carbon dioxide is able to do.”
Ice or no ice, Antarctica will be—and has always been—fine with extreme changes. The human world, however, may not be.
Now, during the coronavirus lockdown, we’ve seen the changes resulting from less human activity. Hopefully, we’ll hold on to those changes—not for Antarctica or the planet, but for ourselves.
1.What does Paragraph 1 mainly tell us?
A.Our planet is returning to its original state due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
B.The lockdown of major cities contributed to the decrease of greenhouse gases.
C.The novel coronavirus has a positive effect on the human beings.
D.The novel coronavirus outbreak resulted from human activity.
2.What do we learn from the third study?
A.Typical products of a rainforest were dug out in Antarctica.
B.Traces of dinosaurs living in rainforests were spotted in Antarctica.
C.There was a good possibility of high greenhouse gas concentrations in Antarctica.
D.There used to be enough sunlight for the rainforest in the Cretaceous Antarctica.
3.Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A.Human activity doesn’t threaten life in Antarctica.
B.The ice in Antarctica is melting faster in the 2010s than now.
C.We should reduce carbon dioxide emissions for our own sake.
D.The lockdown can be carried on to slow down global warming.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage?
A.To encourage us to defeat the novel coronavirus.
B.To explain the effects of greenhouse gases.
C.To draw our attention to ecosystem in Antarctica.
D.To call on us to reduce human impact on the environment.
They are probably the longest-standing and biggest rivals (对手) in international sport— Chinese badminton player Lin Dan, with his deadly smashes (扣球) and drop shots, and his Malaysian rival Lee Chong Wei, who is known for his spirit and determination.
Over the years, the two have competed with each other many times, and both have experienced victory and defeat. But Lin beat Lee the first two times they faced each other in the Olympic Games—in Beijing in 2008 and then in London in 2012.
And that was inadmissible for Lee. In fact, according to BadmintonBlaze.com, Lee once said that if he had the choice between winning an Olympic gold and beating Lin, he would absolutely choose victory over his old rival.
And he eventually did, at the 2016 Rio Games. When he beat Lin that day, Lee dropped to the floor, covered his face with his hands and looked around the stadium like a gold-medal moment although Lee eventually lost out in the final to another Chinese player, Chen Long.
All the years of trying to outdo each other have not only driven Lin and Lee to surpass (超越) themselves as players, but also developed a special friendship between the two.
They care for and encourage each other. They invited each other to their own weddings. And right before this year’s Malaysia Open, Lee, who wasn’t able to compete there on account of his nose cancer, wrote on social networking site Facebook, “My friend Lin Dan, you have my best wishes for this Malaysian Open. If I were to hope for a non-Malaysian to win the men’s singles title, I hope that it’s you my friend, my greatest rival.”
Lin and Lee are now pushing 36 and 37 respectively—ages by which most athletes would have retired—but they are planning to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, in the hope that they can play each other once again.
It’s as Badminton Association of Malaysia vice president David Wee once said of the two, “they bring out the best in each other”.
1.Which phrase can best describe their relationship?
A.Familiar strangers. B.Friends and enemies.
C.Colleagues and rivals. D.Teammates and competitors.
2.What does the underlined word “inadmissible” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Unacceptable. B.Inescapable.
C.Unexpected. D.Impossible.
3.What did Lee’s reaction at the 2016 Rio Games indicate?
A.He mistakenly believed he had won the gold medal.
B.He was confident to defeat Lin Dan next time.
C.He didn’t care about the Olympic gold medals.
D.He took his victory over Lin most seriously.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Lin ranks second to Lee in the world badminton.
B.Lin is sure to compete against Lee at the 2020 Olympics.
C.Lee has no intention to quit playing badminton in spite of his nose cancer.
D.Lee wished Lin to win the men’s singles title in this year’s Malaysia Open.
It is safe to say that on this week’s roundup of G.L Events This Weekend, we celebrate a legend and a major percentage of the events are organized for the annual Ferlabration Festival.Your weekend roundup starts here!!!
Electronic Soundscapes
Electronic Soundscapes returns this year with double the music! If you enjoyed the 2015 concert at Printing Press, don’t miss the performances taking place during next week’s Ferlabration at FreedomPark programme. Enjoy the best of European and Nigerian electronic music on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15.
Time: 7:00PM
Fee: N500
Just Listen
16/16 is excited to host an intimate listening session of songs from South African artist Lindiwe Maxolo’s upcoming album on Friday, October 14th. Lindiwe Maxolo is an emerging powerful singer in the South African Jazz music industry. She has worked with South African legends such as Sibongile Khumalo, Concord Nkabide.
Tickets can be bought at the door or in advance. Tickets are limited so get them early.
Time: 7:00PM
Fee: N7000
Jeun Soke (Supper Club)
Meaning ‘to eat up’ in Yoruba, Jeun Soke is Lagos’ premier supper club. We host a dinner with drinks pairings. Jeun Soke features a Taste of Asia menu. 7 courses of shared plates along with 3 cocktails. NGN 20,000 gets you food and drinks. The sans-drinks (without drinks) menu costs NGN 15,000. You are welcome to bring your own bottle of wine but that will cost a corkage fee of NGN 3,000.
Time: 6:30PM
Fee: N20,000 or N15,000
For reservations: 09098800995 or 08188325714.
Echoes (Closing Ceremony)
Echoes is an exhibition that includes, but is not limited to, over a hundred masks of Fela and the queen mother in diverse colors and moods and a study and display of his fashion sense and wardrobe, all of which were inspired by his struggle for freedom, human dignity, courage, to mention a few. The closing ceremony promises to be a grand affair with an Artist’s talk and dance performance. Cocktail will follow as the guests get to enjoy the rest of the exhibition before closing.
Time: 1:00PM - 7:00PM
Fee: Open to All
1.In which event will people surely enjoy jazz music?
A.Electronic Soundscapes. B.Just Listen.
C.Jeun Soke. D.Echoes.
2.How much should one with his own wine pay for a sans-drinks meal?
A.NGN 3,000. B.NGN 15,000.
C.NGN 18,000. D.NGN 20,000.
3.What do we know about Echoes?
A.It offers a dinner with drinks pairings.
B.Tickets to Echoes are expensive and limited.
C.It provides the best of Nigerian electronic music.
D.Masks in various colors and moods are on display.
阅读下面材料，根期其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
When Anne Glancey, a retired school teacher, received notice from the city of Hamilton Township that she would be fined up to $3,000 per day for code violations(违规) and repairs that needed to be made to her home, she didn't know what to do.She did not have the money to pay for the repairs, and she had no family or friends she could ask for help.
The only contact she regularly made with others was with her neighbors of five years,Adam and Kristin Polhemus. Anne showed the-letter to them which explained that she needed to scrape(刮) and paint her house, remove the abandoned and rusted car in her yard, and cut the grass. These were three violations in total,each with a fine of no mote than$1 ,000, per day,per violation.Anne had grown up in the house, and the letter made her upset. She didn't know what she was going to do and she couldn't do this herself.“Anne, we'll help you get this fixed,”Adam said.
Kristin posted a call for help and volunteers to help make repairs and paint Anne's house on Facebook. Her post read as follows:
Hamilton area friends! Are you free for a few hours this weekend? We need you! Adam and I could use your help for some painting at the home of our elderly neighbor, Anne. As you know, she received a heavy fine and she's on a deadline to scrape and repaint her home to avoid the fine. She's limited in funds and the physical ability to do the work, and we'd love nothing more than to show her we care. We really do need your help; we only have a few people right now and we're hoping for about 20 volunteers to make this happen. THANK YOU!
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假定你是李华，你的英国笔友Frank来信询问你关于新冠疫情中复学的情况，请根据以下要点给他写一封回信:
1.表达感谢;
2.介绍你的情况(学习、生活等);
3.表示关心。
注意:1.词数80左右，
2.可透当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
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