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

 

Hospital emergency rooms treat injured fingers all the time. Without treatment，a bad cut can lead to permanent damage. But how should a person know when a bleeding cut is serious enough to require medical attention? We asked Dr. Martin Brown. Chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Virginia.   

First，the medical term for a cut or tear in the skin is a laceration(严重划破，撕裂伤). Dr. Brown says the length is usually not as important as the depth. He says a long cut on a finger can likely be treated without a visit to a doctor if the wound is not very deep. “If you have a short but deep laceration where there’s been a structure underneath that's been damaged a tendon，a nerve，a blood vessel,”says Martin，“it may, in fact，need professional attention. ”

Some injuries —like a fingertip that gets cut off might even require surgery to repair. That requires a specialist to either file(锉平) down the bone or reattach the fingertip. More often，filing down the bone is what is done because reattaching a fingertip is often not successful.

How a wound bleeds can be a sign of how serious it is. Minor cuts usually produce what is known as venous(静脉)bleeding. This means the blood flows steadily from the injury. The bleeding will often stop when pressure is put on the wound. Dr. Brown says in most cases holding direct pressure with clean gauze or a cloth for four to five minutes should stop the bleeding. With a cut finger, holding the hand above the heart can reduce the loss of blood. But if a cut appears to be pumping blood out with some force，this may be a sign of arterial(动脉)bleeding. This kind of injury should be treated by a medical professional as soon as possible.

Even a cut that does not require medical attention must be kept clean to prevent infection. Small cuts should be cleaned gently with clean water. Use a washcloth to clean the area if the wound is dirty. Dr Brown says cuts should be covered with a clean, dry bandage. 

1. What does the writer want to tell the readers in the first paragraph? 

A．Hospital emergency rooms always treat injured fingers.

B．A bleeding cut is serious enough to require medical attention.

C．Dr Martin Brown is in charge of Inova Alexandra Hospital.

D．It is important for us to be able to tell how serious a finger cut is.

2. According to the passage，_____________________.

A．a finger cut without treatment will certainly lead to permanent damage

B．the length of a cut on a finger is more important than the depth

C．a long but not very deep cut often doesn’t need professional attention

D．a short but deep laceration that’s been damaged need professional attention

3. The underlined word “reattach” in Para. 3 is closest in meaning to ________________.

A．repair

B．rebuild

C．reconstruct

D．reconnect

4. Which of the following statements in NOT true according to the passage?

A．How a wound bleeds can show us how serious the wound could be.

B．Venous bleeding will often stop when we put pressure on the wound.

C．Holding up the hand with a finger cut can reduce the loss of blood.

D．Arterial bleeding should get professional treatment as soon as possible.

5. The best title of this passage should be ______________________.

A．Hospital Emergency Treatments For Injured Fingers

B．When a Cut Finger Is More Serious Than It Might Seem

C．Serious Finger Cut That Requires Medical Attention

D．Keep Finger Cuts Clean to Prevent Serious Infection

 

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

 

Have you ever intended to be fully absorbed in your work but found yourself distracted by e-mail, the Internet and other things throughout the day? According to the survey made by a famous university in the USA, most people have the experience.

"People often lose their concentration when they are bored, of course, but also when they are engaged in challenging tasks," says Peter Bregman, the head of the survey. "They sometimes have a feeling to escape from what's difficult or boring, so they jump out," he says. The part of the brain devoted to attention is connected to the brain's emotional center. Any strong emotion —quarrels with colleagues, problems at home —can interrupt our attention. Studies over the last decade have shown that too much work to do at a time can easily lead to distraction.

Refocusing is hard for many people. Robert Epstein suggests the following, "Stop and listen to some soft music for a few minutes. Find a good friend or a teacher and say out your matter on your mind. Go for a short walk or take a deep breath, where you breathe in deeply, count to five slowly, hold it and breathe out very slowly." This can "blow out all the tension and the unwanted in your mind to restore your focus."

Take more control by structuring your time and becoming more aware of your behaviors. "Setting the phone alarm to go off every hour is my way of creating awareness," Mr. Bregman says. "You have to inform yourself that you've lost focus in order to do something about it." Starting the day with a to-do list is also important, such as when to eat, when to go to the gym or take a walk. But if it's overly ambitious, you will put yourself in a state of anxiety, which makes it hard for the brain to concentrate. "Choosing three or four things as your priority for the day allows your brain to settle down and focus," he says.

1.According to the passage, which is NOT the reason why some people can be distracted from their work?

A．They don't want to be devoted to their work.

B．They are disturbed by the Internet and other things.

C．They can't find interest in their work.

D．They feel their work is too hard for them.

2.Which incident might NOT interrupt your attention?

A．You were scolded by your teacher.

B．You had words with your good friend.

C．You went to school at six as usual.

D．Your mother and father had a quarrel.

3.What's the meaning of the underlined word "restore" in the passage?

A．recover

B．reform

C．release

D．react

4.According to Robert Epstein, how can we refocus on what we should do?

A．Listen to rock music for some time.

B．Turn to your good friends or teachers for help.

C．Run around the playground for some time.

D．Take a breath from time to time.