Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers．Brain-computer interface（BCI） technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines．

Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated（展示）a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts．

In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand．He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts．

“Our brain has billions of nerve cells．These send signals through the spinal cord（脊髓）to the muscles to give us the ability to move．But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles,” Tavella says．“Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices．”

The researchers designed a special cap for the user．This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp（头皮）and sends them to a computer．The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair． The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path．They help the computer react to commands from the brain．                                               

Prof．Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands．“The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices．One example is this wheelchair．”

He says his team has set two goals．One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from．And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time．

1.BCI is a technology that can         .

     A．help to update computer systems        

B．link the human brain with computers

     C．help the disabled to recover           

D．control a person's thoughts  

2.How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?                                                                    

     A．By controlling his muscles．           

B．By talking to the machine．       

     C．By moving his hand．                   

D．By using his mind．

3.The team will test with real patients to         .

     A．make profits from them             

B．prove the technology useful to them

     C．make them live longer              

D．learn about their physical condition

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

     A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center

     B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works

     C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

     D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

 

Speeding off in a stolen car, the thief thinks he has got a great catch. But he is in for an unwelcome surprise. The car is fitted with a remote immobiliser (锁止器), and a radio signal from a control centre miles away will ensure that once the thief switches the engine off, he will not be able to start it again.

The idea goes like this. A control box fitted to the car contains a mini-cellphone, a micro- processor and memory, and a GPS (全球定位系统) satellite positioning receiver. If the car is stolen, a coded cellphone signal will tell the control centre to block the vehicle's engine management system and prevent the engine being restarted.

In the UK, a set of technical fixes is already making life harder for car thieves. 'The pattern of vehicle crime has changed,’ says Martyn Randall, a security expert. He says it would only take him a few minutes to teach a person how to steal a car, using a bare minimum of tools. But only if the car is more than 10 years old.

Modern cars are far tougher to steal, as their engine management computer won't allow them to start unless they receive a unique ID code beamed out by the ignition (点火) key. In the UK, technologies like this have helped achieve a 31% drop in vehicle-related crime since 1997.

But determined criminals are still managing to find other ways to steal cars, often by getting hold of the owner's keys. And key theft is responsible for 40% of the thefts of vehicles fitted with a tracking system.

If the car travels 100 metres without the driver confirming their ID, the system will send a signal to an operations centre that it has been stolen. The hundred metres minimum avoids false alarms due to inaccuracies in the GPS signal.

Staff at the centre will then contact the owner to confirm that the car really is missing, and keep police informed of the vehicle's movements via the car's GPS unit.

66. What's the function of the remote immobilizer fitted to a car?

A .To allow the car to lock automatically when stolen.

B. To prevent the car thief from restarting it once it stops.

C. To help the police make a surprise attack on the car thief.

D. To prevent car theft by sending a radio signal to the car owner.

67. By saying 'The pattern of vehicle crime has changed' (Lines 1-2. Para. 3). Martyn Randall suggests that ____.

A. self-prepared tools are no longer enough for car theft

B. the thief has to make use of computer technology

C. it takes a longer time for the car thief to do the stealing

D. the thief has lost interest in stealing cars over 10 years old

68. What is essential in making a modern car tougher to steal?

A. A GPS satellite positioning receiver.　      B. A unique ID card.   

C. A special cellphone signal.                D. A coded ignition key.

69. Why does the tracking system set a 100-metre minimum before sending an alarm to the operations centre?

A. To give the driver time to contact the operations centre.

B. To allow for possible errors in the GPS system.

C. To keep police informed of the car's movements.

D. To leave time for the operations centre to give an alarm.

70. What will the operations centre do first after receiving an alarm?

A. Start the tracking system.         B. Locate the missing car.

C. Contact the car owner.　         D. Block the car engine

 

Mars Was Not Always Bitterly Cold

Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have reported evidence that Mars was warmer and wetter long ago than it is today.  The Caltech scientists say they have directly established the temperature of Mars four billion years ago. At least, they established the surface temperature on part of the planet at that time. The researchers say it is the first such evidence to be discovered and presented.

The Caltech scientists say carbonate（碳酸盐） minerals formed on Mars at about eighteen degrees Celsius. They reached the finding after studying a meteorite（陨石） that had its beginnings near the Martian surface.

Today, the average temperature on Mars is sixty-three degrees below zero Celsius.

The finding was reported on the website of the National Academy of Sciences. Caltech Assistant Professor Woody Fischer helped to prepare the report. He says eighteen degrees Celsius is not especially cold or hot. He says this makes the finding extremely interesting. Knowing the temperature can give scientists an idea of the climate on Mars long ago. It can also help them decide whether the planet had liquid water. Spacecraft orbiting Mars have shown what appear to be rivers, lakebeds and mineral deposits. These pictures suggest that, at one time, water did flow there. Mars Rover vehicles and other spacecraft have confirmed the information.

Caltech Geology Professor John Eiler was another writer of the report. He says knowing the temperature of Mars from long ago provides valuable information. It shows that early in the planet's history, at least part of Mars could support a climate like that of Earth.

The meteorite the scientists examined is one of the oldest known rocks in the world. It is called the Allan Hills meteorite. Its name came from the place in Antarctica where it was found in 1984. The meteorite is believed to have blown loose from the Mars' surface when another space rock struck its "home."

1. The underlined word “establish” in Paragraph 1 probably means “___________”.

A．to set up

B．to make people accept a belief

C．to discover or prove

D．to start having a relationship with others

2.How did the scientists reach the finding?

A．By studying Allan Hills meteorite.

B．By using spacecraft orbiting Mars.

C．By studying minerals gathered on Mars

D．By studying a meteorite on the Martian surface.

3.According to the fourth paragraph, what have spacecraft orbiting Mars done?

A．Measuring the temperature of Mars.

B．Taking photos of the surface of Mars.

C．Confirming that there is water flowing on Mars.

D．Finding where human beings will probably land on Mars.

4.How did Allan Hills meteorite get its name?

A．From its original place on Mars.

B．From where it was found on the earth.

C．From the name of the scientist who found it.

D．From the name of the aircraft that discovered it

5. Where can we most probably read this passage?

A．In a biography of scientists.

B．In a geography magazine.

C．In an environment report.

D．In a science report.

 

Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers．Brain-computer interface（BCI） technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines．

Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated（展示）a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person’s thoughts．

In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand．He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts．

“Our brain has billions of nerve cells．These send signals through the spinal cord（脊髓）to the muscles to give us the ability to move．But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles,” Tavella says．“Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices．”

The researchers designed a special cap for the user．This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp（头皮）and sends them to a computer．The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair． The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path．They help the computer react to commands from the brain．

Prof．Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands．“The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices．One example is this wheelchair．”

He says his team has set two goals．One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from．And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time．

1.BCI is a technology that can         .

A．help to update computer systems	B．link the human brain with computers
C．help the disabled to recover	D．control a person's thoughts

2.How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?                                    

A．By controlling his muscles．	B．By talking to the machine．
C．By moving his hand．	D．By using his mind．

3.The team will test with real patients to         .

A．make profits from them	B．prove the technology useful to them
C．make them live longer	D．learn about their physical condition

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center

B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works

C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

 

This year some twenty-three hundred teen-agers (young people aged from 13-19) from all over the world will spend about ten months in U.S. homes . They will attend U. S. schools , meet U.S. teenagers , and form impressions of the real America . At the same time , about thirteen hundred American teenagers will go to other countries to learn new languages and gain a new understanding of the rest of the world .

Here is a two-way student exchange in action . Fred , nineteen ,spent last year in Gemany with George’s family . In turn , George’s son Mike spent a year in Fred’s home in America .

Fred , a lively young man , knew little German when he arrived , but after two months’ study , the language began to come to him . School was completely different from what he had expected-much harder . Students rose respectfully when the teacher entered the room . They took fourteen subjects instead of the six that are usual in the United States . There were almost no outside activities .

Family life , too , was different . The father’s word was law , and all activities were around the family rather than the individual. Fred found the food too simple at first . Also , he missed having a car .

“Back home ,you pick up some friends in a car and go out and have a good time . In Germany , you walk , but you soon learn to like it .”

At the same time , in America , Mike , a friendly German boy , was also forming his idea . “I suppose I should criticize American schools .” He says , “it is far too easy by our level . But I have to say that I like it very much . In Germany we do nothing but study . Here we take part in many outside activities . I think that maybe your schools are better in training for citizens . There ought to be some middle ground between the two .”

1.The whole exchange programme is mainly to         .

A．help teenagers in other countries know the real America

B．send students in America to travel in Germany

C．let students learn something about other countries

D．have teenagers learn new languages

2.Fred and Mike agreed that         .

A．American food tasted better than German food

B．German schools were harder than American schools

C．Americans and Germans were both friendly

D．there were more cars on the streets in America

3.What is particular in American school is that         .

A．there is some middle ground between the two teaching buildings

B．students usually take fourteen subjects in all

C．there are a lot of after-school activities

D．students go outside to enjoy themselves in a car

4.After experiencing the American school life , Mike thought         .

A．the easy life in the American schools was more helpful to the students .

B．German schools trained students to be better citizens .

C．American schools were not as good as German schools

D．a better education should include something good from both America and Germany