Question

    New climate-control jackets have helped people stay warm in subzero conditions, and even made cows comfortable enough to produce more milk. But it all began with an Indian graduate’s simple wish for clothing that could be used for both the cold Boston winters and heated MIT campus rooms. Now, the MIT graduated company has begun selling the jackets and other clothes that allow wearers to control their level of comfort without adding or removing layers. “Our products can go from 0°C to 100 °C in the push of a button,” said Vistakula, founder and CEO of the company. “We have four levels of heating and four levels of cooling that include low, medium, high and very high.”

When electricity runs through the junction where two different metals meet, it creates a temperature difference so that one side heats up and the other side cools down. Such heat-exchange equipment also needs fans to blow away the heat. “We were able to reduce the weight and get rid of the need for a fan,” Vistakula told Innovation News Daily. “That made it very suitable to put it into clothes.”

The current clothing runs on a range of laptop batteries (电池) that can support up to eight hours of hot or cold comfort. Aside from shoes, jackets and bike helmets, the startup also sells knee and elbow packs that provide hot or cold therapy (疗法) for aching joints. That’s just the beginning, as the 20-person team tries many new and different applications (应用) in the search to find what works. They have their eyes set on a “HaemoSave” application that could use freezing temperatures to control bleeding, and pain during medical emergencies. “That’s at a very early stage,” Vistakula explained.

“It works for superficial (表面的) wounds, but we have to do deeper wounds and see what happens.” In another case, tests with jackets adapted for cows succeeded in enabling the cows to produce more milk. But the current costs mean that farmers can’t afford such equipment - at least not until the company scales up its production and lowers the price.

It’s an ambitious goal, but their confidence is supported by the startup’s innovation (创新) philosophy. “Nature has been innovating for billions of years, so you just have to look in the right place,” Vistakula said. “If you go looking for answers, you’ll find them.”

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A.The technology were first designed to control climate.

B.The clothing is user-friendly with a simple push of button.

C.The clothing runs on batteries that can last at least eight hours.

D.The clothing needs fans to create a temperature difference.

2.According to Vistakula, next they have to test whether HaemoSave can ________.

A.be applied to reduce pain B.be used to control bleeding

C.function for deeper wounds D.make body temperatures low

3.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.

A.the technology doesn’t work well in practice

B.the technology can be widely applied in life

C.the company will increase production to meet market needs

D.the company is now facing a very uncertain future

4.What can we conclude from what Vistakula said in the last paragraph?

A.We can probably innovate anything in nature.

B.Innovation should be encouraged to protect nature.

C.It has taken billions of years for nature to change.

D.We should innovate as it agrees with Nature.

Answer

1.B

2.C

3.B

4.D

【解析】

这是一篇记叙文。新型的气候控制夹克可以帮助人们在零度以下的环境下保持温暖，甚至可以让奶牛舒服地产更多的奶。这说明“科学技术可以广泛应用于生活中。我们应该创新，因为它符合自然。”

1.

细节理解题。根据第一段中“Our products can go from 0°C to 100 °C in the push of a button,” said Vistakula, founder and CEO of the company. “We have four levels of heating and four levels of cooling that include low, medium, high and very high.” Vistakula是该公司的创始人和首席执行官，他说:“我们的产品可以通过一个按钮从0摄氏度到100摄氏度。”“我们有四个加热和冷却级别，包括低、中、高和非常高。”由此可知，只需一个简单的按钮，衣服就很人性化。所以B项正确。

2.

推理判断题。根据第四段中“It works for superficial (表面的) wounds, but we have to do deeper wounds and see what happens.”“ 它对表面伤口有效，但我们必须对更深的伤口进行研究，看看会发生什么。”由此可知，根据Vistakula的说法，下一步他们必须测试HaemoSave是否对更深的伤口有效。故选C。

3.

推理判断题。根据第一段中New climate-control jackets have helped people stay warm in subzero conditions, and even made cows comfortable enough to produce more milk. But it all began with an Indian graduate’s simple wish for clothing that could be used for both the cold Boston winters and heated MIT campus rooms.“新型的气候控制夹克可以帮助人们在零度以下的环境下保持温暖，甚至可以让奶牛舒服地产更多的奶。但这一切都始于一位印度毕业生的一个简单愿望:既能在波士顿的冬天穿，又能在麻省理工学院的校园里取暖。”由此可知，从文章中可以推断出技术可以广泛应用于生活中。故选B。

4.

推理判断题。根据最后一段It’s an ambitious goal, but their confidence is supported by the startup’s innovation (创新) philosophy. “Nature has been innovating for billions of years, so you just have to look in the right place,” Vistakula said. “If you go looking for answers, you’ll find them.” 这是一个雄心勃勃的目标，但他们的信心得到了这家初创公司创新理念的支持。Vistakula说:“大自然已经创新了数十亿年，所以你只需要找对地方就可以了。”“如果你去寻找答案，你就会找到它们。”从Vistakula在最后一段所说的，可知“我们应该创新，因为它符合自然。”故选D。