Humans once opposed coffee and refrigeration. Here’s why we often hate new stuff.
Humans have a habit of deliberately delaying their own progress. From coffee to mechanical refrigeration to genetically altered food, history is littered with innovations that caused resistance before they become fixtures in everyday life. But the past 600 years of human history help to explain why humans often oppose new technologies and why that pattern of opposition continues to this day. Calestous Juma, a professor of Harvard University, explores this phenomenon in his latest book, Innovation and Its Enemies: Why People Resist New Technologies.
Among Juma’s claims is that people do not fear innovation simply because the technology is new, but because innovation often means losing a piece of their identity or lifestyle, and separating people from nature or their sense of purpose—— two things that are fundamental to the human experience.
Juma identified in his research three key sources of opposition to innovation: those with commercial interests in existing products, those who identify with existing products, and those who might lose power as a result of change. The first group is perhaps the most obvious. Many industries have been disrupted by innovation. Just take a look at the pointless efforts of music publishers to stop the shift to digital music. Some consumers might oppose an innovation because the existing product is deeply rooted in their identity, culture or customs. Britons preferred tea time at home to sitting in a coffee shop, for example. Finally, the emergence of new technologies can also result in a shift in economic and political power, redistributing wealth and influence away from some groups, and toward others. The expansion of tractors （ 拖拉机） and other mechanical equipment reduced the need for farm labor, and the shift in population away from rural areas had significant political implications.
Humans make decisions about new innovations with their instinct rather than evidence. Opponents and enthusiasts of a new technology will often make shocking claims to support their arguments. Sometimes these claims are rooted in fact; other times they are not. People once claimed coffee could make you sterile （不育的）. Juma said beneath those arguments was typically an instinctive fear of new technologies, rather than a reasoned response. “People react intuitively, and they collect the evidence to support what they’re doing,”Juma said. “They see a new product and there is an emotional reaction to that product because it challenges their outlook on the world. This has been the story with almost every new product.”
Historically, technologists have been more concerned with the functionality of the products they create, paying less attention to the implications it may have on society at large, Juma contends. Fortunately, that may be starting to change.
1.What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 probable mean?
A.is in favour of
B.is full of
C.encourages
D.is held back
2.We can infer from the first two paragraphs that Juma’s book_____.
A.explores why history often repeats itself
B.focuses on the impact of technology on nature
C.analyzes the role of technology in social progress
D.researches the recurrence of a certain phenomenon
3.Which of the following statements is correct according to Paragraph 4?
A.A successful technological innovation can affect population flow.
B.British people have a strong sense of independence.
C.Opposition to innovation is mainly caused by loss of cultural identity.
D.Young people prefer digital music to traditional recordings.
4.In Juma’s opinion, people’s resistance to new technologies_____.
A.is a natural response
B.is not based on fact
C.arises from fear of challenges
D.reflects their prejudiced view of the world
5.It is implied in the last paragraph that technologists should give more consideration to_____.
A.the functionality of new products
B.the social usefulness of new products
C.the potential danger of new products
D.the social influence of new products
The moon may shine white above us most nights of the year, but how much do we know about Earth’s neighbor and what lies beneath its surface? Scientists are aiming to find out.
On Jan 3, 2019, China’s Change 4 spacecraft landed on the far side of the moon a first for humanity. It released a small probe（探测器）,Yutu 2, or Jade Rabbit 2, which began to search beneath the moon’s surface using Lunar Penetrating Radar（探测雷达）. These radio signals can reach 40 meters underground, three times the depth of the Chang’e 3 lunar probe launched in 2013 for the near side of the moon, China Daily reported.
In a study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found that the lunar soil’s top layer on the far side of the moon was much thicker than expected ﹣ about 40 meters. Other scientists only expected about 6 millimeters of soil based on NASA observations during the Apollo moon landings, according to The New York Times.
“It’s a fine, dusty, sandy environment, said one of the authors of the study, Elena Pettinelli, a physics and mathematics professor at Rome Tre University, Rome.
Yutu 2 is specifically exploring the Von Karman crater（大坑）,a large hole that’s 180kilometers wide and also the landing site of Chang’e 4. It’s part of an even larger, older crater spanning more than 1,770 kilometers.
“The subsurface at the Chang’e 4 landing site is very complex,” said Li Chunlai, a research professor and deputy director﹣general of National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Observations suggest that the subsurface material is totally different than the previous landing site of Chang’e 3, she said.
Radar waves revealed various layers beneath the moon’s surface: grainy（ 颗粒状的）material, boulders（岩石）,and further layers of fine and coarse（粗糙的）particles. This information is helping scientists to gain new understanding of the moon’s history and formation, as well as volcanic activity and lunar impacts.
Yutu 2 is the longest﹣working rover（巡视器）on the moon, but it won’t last forever. China plans to launch the Chang’e 5 probe later this year, Xinhua News Agency reported. The spacecraft is expected to bring pieces of the moon back to Earth for closer study.
1.What can we learn about the Chang’e 4 probe?
A.It was the first to land on the moon’s near side.
B.It explored areas as wide as 1,770 kilometers.
C.Its signals could reach 40 meters beneath the moon’s surface.
D.It is three times as large as the Change 3 lunar probe.
2.What does the lunar soil’s top layer on the moon’s far side look like, according to the text?
A.It looks like a large hole.
B.It is about 6 millimeters thick.
C.It goes farther down than expected.
D.It is covered by boulders and fine and coarse particles.
3.According to the passage, why is the Chang’e 4 probe exploration is important?
A.It observed material beneath the moon’s surface which is helping scientists to know the moon better.
B.It has offered us relevant information on the near side of the moon.
C.It told scientists the landing site is very complex.
D.It revealed the surface material on the moon which is helpful to know the moon’s activity and impact.
4.What is the Chang’e 5 probe expected to do?
A.Explore the Von Karman crater.
B.Replace Yutu 2 to explore the moon.
C.Identify the moon’s various layers.
D.Bring lunar samples back to the Earth.
5.What is the text mainly about?
A.A history of Chinese lunar missions.
B.How Yutu 2 explored beneath the moon’s surface.
C.report on the Chang’e 4 probe’s findings.
D.A comparison of the Change 3 and 4 probes.
During the outbreak of novel coronavirus, cities are locked down and borders are closed. Science, on the contrary, is becoming more open. And this “open science” is already making a difference.
Soon after the epidemic started in China, a research team from Fudan University in Shanghai successfully sequenced（测定序列）the DNA of the virus. But they didn’t keep the information to themselves. Instead, they placed the sequences on GenBank, an open-access data platform, so researchers around the world could download them for free and start studying the virus.
Due to this openness, pharmaceutical（制药的）companies across the globe are now able to work simultaneously to develop a vaccine. “There may be room for multiple different vaccines for different purposes and different age groups,”Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security in the US, told Al Jazeera.“The bigger menu we have of vaccines, the more resilient（有适应力的）well be against coronavirus outbreaks in the future. ”
Major drug companies around the world are also sharing their study results. Remdesivir, a drug originally developed by US company Gilead Sciences to treat Ebola, s found to be promising in fighting against the novel coronavirus. Currently, two trials of the drug are already underway in China, and the results might be available as soon as April, according to The Verge.
This openness in science is going to be even more crucial in the future. With climate change, increasing globalization, and population shifts, epidemics will not go away, and might even become more frequent, Dan Barouch, a Harvard Medical School professor, told Harvard Magazine.
He said, “No one group can do everything. It has to be a coordinated（合作的）approach. But I do think that the world has a greater sense of readiness this time to develop knowledge, drugs, and therapeutics（疗法）very rapidly.
Every epidemic is indeed a crisis, but it can also be a learning opportunity. One redeeming（补偿的）factor of the COVID﹣19 outbreak is that it is helping science adapt for the better.
1.What does the article mainly talk about?
A.Coordinated efforts to fight the epidemic.
B.The significance of openness and sharing of scientific knowledge.
C.Something positive we’ve learned from the epidemic.
D.What needs to be done to prevent future epidemics.
2.What is the positive effect of the research team from Fudan University placing the genetic sequence of the virus onto GenBank?
A.They alerted the world to the danger of the virus.
B.They helped remove people’s fear of the virus.
C.They invited collective efforts worldwide to develop a vaccine.
D.They showed the world how to produce a vaccine.
3.What does the underlined phrase“work simultaneously” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A.work at the same time.
B.work effectively
C.work continuously
D.work happily
4.What is the author’s purpose of mentioning remdesivir in the text?
A.To introduce a possible cure for the epidemic.
B.To prove that many drug companies readily share their discoveries.
C.To compare the treatment of Ebola and the novel coronavirus.
D.To show that the novel coronavirus will soon be contained.
5.Which of the following would Dan Barouch probably disagree with?
A.The increase in globalization may worsen future epidemics.
B.Epidemics will be less frequent thanks to scientific development.
C.No single group can fight against the epidemics independently.
D.The world is becoming better prepared to deal with epidemics.
Descriptions:
Mometrix Test Preparation is the “World’s No. 1 Test Preparation Company”. Here, we offer over 3,500 products covering more than 1,500 standardized exams ,and we are constantly working to improve and expand our line﹣up（ 阵容）. Every year ,millions of test﹣takers trust us to provide them with the best resources available, ranging from videos and other free online materials, coupled with great efforts, enable test﹣takers to attain the highest scores. We help people achieve their dreams by offering the tools people need in order to overcome the testing hurdles that stand between them and where they want to be.
We’re currently looking for a licensed personal trainer to write instructional contents for our
study guides. We need someone to create high﹣quality work that will display their knowledge and experience in the field of personal training. Please review the qualifications below.
Education/Experience:
The applicant should have a background in personal training, as well as be licensed as a personal trainer.
Responsibilities:
-Should produce high quality, unique contents.
-Must respond quickly to customers’ advice, and make necessary edits to their work.
-Should work with our project managers to guarantee that their work meets specifications.
-Must provide weekly updates to show their progress.
Qualifications:
-Should have writing experience.
-Must pay attention to details and apply that attitude to writing.
-Should be very comfortable to work with computers, and have a good working knowledge of MS Word.
-Must respond well to constructive criticism.
1.What writing style does this passage belong to?
A.Fiction.
B.Advertisement.
C.Argumentation.
D.Poetry.
2.Why does the writer write in detail about their company in the first paragraph?
A.To persuade readers to take more examinations.
B.To make readers believe the company is legal.
C.To conclude that the company has overcome difficulty.
D.To make readers feel the company is great.
3.What does the underlined phrase“coupled with”in the first paragraph mean?
A.Combined with.
B.Concerned with.
C.Covered with.
D.Contrasted with.
4.What qualities should a person have to get the job?
A.The ability to solve the problems between him and the company.
B.Having a first﹣class university degree and relevant work experience.
C.The ability to use computers and bargain with customers.
D.Having writing experience and the nice working habit.
5.What might the writer continue to write in the next paragraph?
A.How to attract test﹣takers.
B.How to make a good first impression.
C.How to get in touch with the company.
D.How to improve writing skills.
My father was born in a small town in the US. He wasn’t sure what he wanted from _______, but something told him to _______ and begin a new adventure. He began that adventure traveling to cities in the US before going on to Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. He took my mother and us three daughters with him and went wherever the road _______ him.
It’s easy to feel _______ when you’re on the road. We made lots of new friends on our trip — most of them are mechanics, since we often _______ hours in repair shops. But that was a way much _______ than sitting by the roadside while waiting for the engine to _______ when it was 40℃ outside.
Getting along well sometimes seemed _______. There were always a lot of _______, especially among us back-seat passengers about who had to _______ in the middle. But even if it was hard, we learned a lot about _______. When we were traveling in the Philippines, we drove to Quezon City one day. It should have been an hour’s drive but was nearly three thanks to bad roads and _______ traffic. “Did you put our suitcases in the car?” my father asked my mother as we arrived there. From the back seat, we saw her slowly turn towards my father. “No,” she said. “I thought you did.” That was how a three-hour car trip turned into a nine-hour one, which was mostly spent in _______.
On occasions like that, we had to learn to let go of our anger because we were _______ in a rolling box with the same people for the rest of the _______. Even if I sometimes felt like opening the car door and _______ one of my sisters out, I kept my feelings to myself.
This is why road trips were like _______ universities to us. We _______ our PHDs in how to get along with other people just by traveling in our old car.
If we were _______ given a second chance at life, we would do it all over again. Only this time would I put the _______ in the car myself.
1.A.move B.belief C.experience D.life
2.A.get out B.struggle on C.live up D.walk around
3.A.drove B.took C.served D.controlled
4.A.anxious B.upset C.lonely D.helpless
5.A.wasted B.spent C.worked D.chatted
6.A.easier B.safer C.better D.cleverer
7.A.break down B.turn over C.clear up D.cool off
8.A.impossible B.alternative C.necessary D.available
9.A.discussions B.arguments C.embarrassments D.amusements
10.A.settle B.rest C.watch D.sit
11.A.tolerance B.sharing C.communication D.respect
12.A.light B.quick C.thick D.fast
13.A.sadness B.silence C.panic D.disappointment
14.A.buried B.crazy C.impatient D.stuck
15.A.journey B.holiday C.exploration D.march
16.A.dragging B.sending C.helping D.pushing
17.A.unusual B.common C.mobile D.free
18.A.expected B.earned C.missed D.valued
19.A.somewhere B.anyway C.anytime D.somehow
20.A.suitcases B.phones C.boxes D.books
﹣So he told you you’d got the job?
﹣_____,but he said they were impressed with me.
A.Not exactly B.Don’t mention it
C.Not a little D.Don’t say so
