An electric signal can trick a monkey’s brain into believing the animal’s finger has been touched.
Touch something, and your brain knows. The hand sends signals to the brain to announce contact was made. But that feeling of touch may not require making actual contact, tests on monkeys now show. Zapping brain cells can fool the animal into thinking its finger has touched something.
A person who has lost a limb or become paralyzed may need an artificial limb to complete everyday tasks. But such patients may not truly feel any objects they hold. The new findings point toward one day creating a sense of touch in those who use such artificial limbs. Psychologist Sliman Bensmaia of University of Chicago worked on the new tests. His team’s findings appeared on October 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
The sense of touch is crucial to everyday tasks: People without it may have difficulty cracking an egg, lifting a cup or even turning a doorknob. That’s why restoring it is a major goal for designers of artificial limbs.
In their new study, Bensmaia and his co-workers worked with rhesus monkeys (恒河猴). The scientists implanted electrodes (电极)--- small devices that can detect and relay an electrical signal—into the animals’ brains. The scientists used the electrode data to identify which neurons had become active. Then the scientists used the implanted electrodes to zap those same neurons. And the monkeys reacted as though their fingers had been touched. In fact, they hadn’t.
The monkeys couldn’t use words to tell the scientists what they had felt. Instead, they communicated by looking in a particular direction—just as when they had really been touched.
The new findings show how touch-sensitive devices could be built. The new study also offers “ a nice clear pathway” for figuring out how to restore a sense of touch to an amputee(被截肢者) or someone with a injury of spinal cord.
The study shows how artificial limbs might be connected to the brain so that a person can “feel” with such a prosthesis (假肢). But such a supersensory device doesn’t exist yet and scientists have a lot of work to do before people will benefit from it. Researchers must first figure out whether the electrodes would work in people in the same way they do in monkeys.
“ I think the foundation is laid for human trials,” Bensmaia said.
1.What does the underlined word “it” refer to ?
A. The sense of touch.
B. An artificial limb.
C. The turning of a doorknob.
D. The lifting of a cup
2.Bensmania tested monkeys to prove that the feeling of touch_________.
A. is important to everyday tasks
B. may not require making actual contact
C. is a problem of life and death
D. may be a challenge for designers of artificial limbs.
3.Monkeys tell researchers their sense of touch by _______.
A. putting up one of their fingers
B. making their brain cells active
C. looking in a particular direction
D. mimicking natural signals in the brain
4.The last sentence of the text suggests humans _________.
A. will use touch-sensitive devices
B. will test monkeys soon
C. lay foundations for monkey trials
D. will be tested on the electrodes
5.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. restoring a sense of touch
B. fooling a clever monkey
C. making new artificial limbs
D. sending a signal with a touch
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
An electric signal can trick a monkey’s brain into believing the animal’s finger has been touched.
Touch something, and your brain knows. The hand sends signals to the brain to announce contact was made. But that feeling of touch may not require making actual contact, tests on monkeys now show. Zapping brain cells can fool the animal into thinking its finger has touched something.
A person who has lost a limb or become paralyzed may need an artificial limb to complete everyday tasks. But such patients may not truly feel any objects they hold. The new findings point toward one day creating a sense of touch in those who use such artificial limbs. Psychologist Sliman Bensmaia of University of Chicago worked on the new tests. His team’s findings appeared on October 14 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
The sense of touch is crucial to everyday tasks: People without it may have difficulty cracking an egg, lifting a cup or even turning a doorknob. That’s why restoring it is a major goal for designers of artificial limbs.
In their new study, Bensmaia and his co-workers worked with rhesus monkeys (恒河猴). The scientists implanted electrodes (电极)--- small devices that can detect and relay an electrical signal—into the animals’ brains. The scientists used the electrode data to identify which neurons had become active. Then the scientists used the implanted electrodes to zap those same neurons. And the monkeys reacted as though their fingers had been touched. In fact, they hadn’t.
The monkeys couldn’t use words to tell the scientists what they had felt. Instead, they communicated by looking in a particular direction—just as when they had really been touched.
The new findings show how touch-sensitive devices could be built. The new study also offers “ a nice clear pathway” for figuring out how to restore a sense of touch to an amputee(被截肢者) or someone with a injury of spinal cord.
The study shows how artificial limbs might be connected to the brain so that a person can “feel” with such a prosthesis (假肢). But such a supersensory device doesn’t exist yet and scientists have a lot of work to do before people will benefit from it. Researchers must first figure out whether the electrodes would work in people in the same way they do in monkeys.
“ I think the foundation is laid for human trials,” Bensmaia said.
1.What does the underlined word “it” refer to ?
A. The sense of touch.
B. An artificial limb.
C. The turning of a doorknob.
D. The lifting of a cup
2.Bensmania tested monkeys to prove that the feeling of touch_________.
A. is important to everyday tasks
B. may not require making actual contact
C. is a problem of life and death
D. may be a challenge for designers of artificial limbs.
3.Monkeys tell researchers their sense of touch by _______.
A. putting up one of their fingers
B. making their brain cells active
C. looking in a particular direction
D. mimicking natural signals in the brain
4.The last sentence of the text suggests humans _________.
A. will use touch-sensitive devices
B. will test monkeys soon
C. lay foundations for monkey trials
D. will be tested on the electrodes
5.The passage is mainly about ________.
A. restoring a sense of touch
B. fooling a clever monkey
C. making new artificial limbs
D. sending a signal with a touch
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Learning a second language can improve brain power, scientists believe. US researchers from Northwestern University say bilingualism(双语) is a form of brain training — a mental "work out" that adjusts the mind finely.
Speaking two languages well affects the brain and changes how the nervous system reacts to sound, lab tests showed. Experts say the experiment performed by the National Academy of Sciences provides "biological" evidence of this.
In an attempt to prove the guess that speaking two languages is good for one's mind, the team monitored how the brain of 48 healthy student volunteers reacted to different sounds. Twenty three of these volunteers were bilingual.
The scientists used special equipment to trace the pattern of brainwaves. Under quiet, laboratory conditions, the bilingual students responded in a similar way to the English-only-speaking students, who formed the control group. But the bilingual group were far superior at processing sounds even when there were a lot of people talking in the room. They were better able to focus on to the important information — the speaker's voice — and block out other distracting noises.
Prof Nina Kraus, who led the research, said: "The bilingual's better experience with sound results in a hearing system that is highly efficient, flexible and focused in its automatic sound processing, especially in challenging or novel listening conditions."
Co-author Viorica Marian said: "People do crossword puzzles and other activities to keep their minds sharp. But the advantages we've discovered in double language speakers come automatically simply from knowing and using two languages.''
Musicians appear to gain a similar benefit when rehearsing(彩排), say the researchers. According to some theories, being bilingual might help avoid dementia（痴呆）.
1.What’s the purpose for the lab test led by Prof Nina Kraus?
A. To find how better the bilingual students can react to sound than other students.
B. Just to find scientific proof for a previous guess.
C. To show the students how good it is to learn a second language.
D. To find a way to prevent dementia.
2.What does the underlined word “distracting” mean?
A. tiring B. exciting
C. interesting D. disturbing
3.What does Viorica Marian seem to believe?
A. People should do crossword puzzles to keep their minds sharp.
B. Bilingual students have more advantages in study than non-bilingual ones.
C. Speaking two languages is an easier way for people to increase their brain power.
D. Bilingual students are better at solving crossword puzzles.
4.What conclusion could be drawn from the passage?
A. Being bilingual strengthens brain power.
B. Speaking a second language can change your nervous system.
C. Bilingual musicians perform better on stage.
D. The English-only-speaking students can concentrate easily.
5. How was the bilingual group better at processing sounds?
A. They were the control group.
B. They could better fix their attention on something of importance.
C. They were able to find the speaker’s voice quickly.
D. They had better nervous system.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
（题文）The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named ＂DriveLAB＂ in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are.
Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated(隔绝) and inactive.
Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.
These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: ＂For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country, driving is important for preserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.＂
＂But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.＂
Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains: ＂The DriveLAB is helping us to understand what the key points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to address these problems.
＂For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that. ＂
＂We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.
What is the best title for the text?
A. A new Model Electric Car
B. A Solution to Traffic Problems
C. Driving Services for Elders
D. Keeping Older Drivers on the Road
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named “DriveLAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are.
Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated(隔绝) and inactive.
Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.
These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country, driving is important for preserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.”
“But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.”
Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains, “The DriveLAB is helping us to understand what the key points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to address these problems.
“For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that.
“We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.”
1.What is the purpose of the Drivel AB?
A.To explore newmeans of transport.
B.To design new types of cars.
C.To find out older driver`s problems.
D.To teach people traffic rules.
2.Why is driving important for older people according to Phil Blythe?
A.It keeps them independent.
B.It helps them save time.
C.It builds up their strength.
D.It cures their mental illnesses.
3.What do researchers hope to do for older drivers?
A.Improve their driving skills.
B.Develop driver-assist technologles.
C.Provide tips on repairing their cars.
D.Organize regular physical checkups.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A new Model Electric Car
B.A Solution to Traffic Problem
C.Driving Service for elders
D.Keeping Older Drivers on the Road
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
The Intelligent Transport team at Newcastle University have turned an electric car into a mobile laboratory named “DriveLAB” in order to understand the challenges faced by older drivers and to discover where the key stress points are.
Research shows that giving up driving is one of the key reasons for a fall in health and well-being among older people, leading to them becoming more isolated(隔绝) and inactive.
Led by Professor Phil Blythe, the Newcastle team are developing in-vehicle technologies for older drivers which they hope could help them to continue driving into later life.
These include custom-made navigation(导航) tools, night vision systems and intelligent speed adaptations. Phil Blythe explains: “For many older people, particularly those living alone or in the country, driving is important for preserving their independence, giving them the freedom to get out and about without having to rely on others.”
“But we all have to accept that as we get older our reactions slow down and this often results in people avoiding any potentially challenging driving conditions and losing confidence in their driving skills. The result is that people stop driving before they really need to.” Dr Amy Guo, the leading researcher on the older driver study, explains, “The DriveLAB is helping us to understand what the key points and difficulties are for older drivers and how we might use technology to address these problems.”
“For example, most of us would expect older drivers always go slower than everyone else but surprisingly, we found that in 30mph zones they struggled to keep at a constant speed and so were more likely to break the speed limit and be at risk of getting fined. We’re looking at the benefits of systems which control their speed as a way of preventing that.”
“We hope that our work will help with technological solutions(解决方案) to ensure that older drivers stay safer behind the wheel.”
1.What is the purpose of the DriveLAB?
A.To explore new means of transport. B.To design new types of cars.
C.To find out older driver’s problems. D.To teach people traffic rules.
2.Why is driving important for older people according to Phil Blythe?
A.It keeps them independent. B.It helps them save time.
C.It builds up their strength. D.It cures their mental illnesses.
3.What do researchers hope to do for older drivers?
A.Improve their driving skills. B.Develop driver-assist technologies.
C.Provide tips on repairing their cars. D.Organize regular physical checkups.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.A new Model Electric Car B.A Solution to Traffic Problem
C.Driving Service for elders D.Keeping Older Drivers on the Road
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
A. They will be home on time.
B. Her mother is in an area with poor signal reception.
C. She can’t connect her mother through the mobile phone now.
D. She has to notify her mother that someone is dead.
高三英语短对话简单题查看答案及解析
Scientists have created a way to control a robot with signals from human brain.By generating the proper brainwaves—picked up by a cap with electrodes (电极) that sense the signals and reflect a person’s instructions—scientists can instruct a humanoid(类人的) robot to move to specific locations and pick up certain objects.
The commands are limited to moving forward，picking up one of two objects and bringing it to one of two locations.The researchers have achieved 94 percent accuracy between the thought commands and the robot’s movements.
“This is really a proofofconcept demonstration，” said Rajesh Rao，a researcher from the University of Washington who leads the project.“It suggests that one day we might be able to use semiautonomous robots for such jobs as helping disabled people or performing routine tasks in a person’s home.”
The person wearing the electrode cap watches the robot’s movements on a computer screen through two cameras installed on and above the robot.
When the robot’s cameras see the objects that are to be picked up they pass on the information to the user’s computer screen.Each object lights up randomly on the computer screen.When a person wants something picked up and it happens to light up，the brain registers surprise and sends this brain activity to the computer and then to the robot.The robot then proceeds to pick up the object.
A similar algorithm(计算程序) is used to decide where the robot will go.
“One of the important things about this demonstration is that we’re using a ‘noisy’ brain signal to control the robot，” Rao said.“That means we can only obtain brain signals indirectly from sensors on the surface of the head，not where they are generated deep in the brain.As a result，the user can only generate highlevel commands such as indicating which object to pick up or which location to go to，and the robot needs to be autonomous enough to be able to execute such commands.”
In the future，the researchers hope to make the robots more adaptive to the environment by having them carry out more complex commands.
1.What is special about the robot introduced in the passage?
A．It is controlled by human thoughts.
B．It can be made humanoid.
C．It can be used to help the disabled.
D．It has high intelligence itself.
2.Which of the following is TRUE about the robot?
A．It can move forward and backward and pick up two objects at the same time.
B．It can move forward，pick up both objects and bring them to either location.
C．It can only move forward，pick up one object and put it in one location.
D．It can read all human thought demands and do as instructed.
3.What Rao said suggests that the new robot________.
A．is still at its early stage of development
B．will be widely used in our daily routine soon
C．is autonomous enough to complete complex commands
D．is only limited to doing routine work at home
4.The sixth paragraph mainly describes ________.
A．how the robot reacts to a person’s instructions
B．how the robot picks up the right object
C．the functions of the computer
D．how the robot finds out where to go
5.The underlined word “registers” in the passage can be best replaced by “________”．
A．receives B．shows C．writes down D．picks up
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
My medical team had said my brain could no longer send the signals for walking because those nerves in my spinal cord(脊髓)had been destroyed．Though_______unintentionally. my doctors did take something very important away from me：hope.
Then．a friend of mine_______me to try to help myself．I was angry. I said,“They’ re four of leading neurologists．They all said I'd never get any _______”
“They could have all been wrong.”．
“They said there’s _______I can do! I’m not _______any effort into trying to walk and then be miserable when I _______.”
“Trying is never failure．”
I was encouraged by him．That day I tried walking_______．I said to myself.“Why not?”
When I_______I have a Frankenstein-style gait(步态)．I get embarrassed, so I explain. I met a girl who said，“Stop_______yourself . Walk proudly!”She’s________one of the many who've taught me that if I open my heart to acceptance，the world is filled with________teams.
One morning my husband Bob said there was a huge present for me in our driveway. It was a 300-pound cycle for ________．The seats were side by side．He could pedal(踩踏板)while I ________by him and enjoyed the outdoors again．Last week he repeated. “There’s a huge present in our driveway．”He________me outside. It was a one-woman Dynamo Power Bike. “Sweetheart, you know I can’t ride a bike by myself．”I ________． He laughed sweetly. “I know. And you can't walk either. Then why does the pedometer(计步器)I bought you have 74 miles on it?”
Recently，hundreds of miles later，after________hours of efforts. for the first time in five years，I went out back，put my cane(拐杖)________and started walking .I ________42 yards.And so，I have made a(n)________silent resolution--a declaration that I am praying others will say to themselves as well．
“Yes，I can．”Christopher Reeve once said，“When we have________，we discover powers within ourselves we may have never known．”
1.A. regularly B. surely C. now and then D. sometimes
2.A. urged B. persuaded C. permitted D. ·expected
3.A. wiser B. stronger C. better D. luckier
4.A. what B. much C. reason D. nothing
5.A. putting B. turning C. giving D. casting
6.A. fail B. try C. walk D. cry
7.A. in the long run B. at best C. at no time D. on my own
8.A. race B. walk C. crawl D. stand up
9.A. helping B. excusing C. being D. finding
10.A. still B. yet C. just D. even
11.A. support B. discouragement C. depression D. optimism
12.A. free B. two C. all D. reference
13.A. waited B. walked C. sat D. 1aughedaited
14.A. led B. waited for C. pointed D. 1ooked for
15.A. shouted B. wondered C. whispered D. questioned
16.A. amazing B. impressive C. hopeless D. exhausting
17.A. away B. down C. over D. off
18.A. helped it B. put it C. appreciated it D. made it
19.A. satisfying B. increasing C. best-designed D. often-repeated
20.A. trouble B. skills C. hope D. friendship
高三英语完形填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
To the untrained eye it might seem like just a bit of a monkey trick. But when Milly the mandrill (山魈, 西非洲产的大狒狒) covers her face with her hand she is actually sending a serious message to her fellows: “Leave me alone!”
Experts believe the 15-year-old mandrill invented the gesture to warn other monkeys at Colchester Zoo to give her some space. And, surprisingly, the signal has been picked by other members of the group, who use it when they too require solitude.
Biologist Mark Laidre believes the behavior is evidence of social culture among the mandrills. Importantly, the sign language is unlikely to have been influenced by human activities because mandrills do not copy humans. Mr. Laidre expects further research will uncover other monkeys using cultural gestures — the ability to communicate with the hands in a meaningful way. “By covering their eyes with their hands, possibly conveyed to others that they wanted to be left alone and this message may have been respected as a ‘do not disturb’ sign,” said Mr. Laidre.
While the hand is in place, other monkeys are not likely to approach or touch the monkey. Those who rank lower in the social order also use the technique to avoid attacks from more powerful group members. As the discovery appears to be unique to Colchester Zoo, it suggests it is a local phenomenon that arose naturally in the community of 25 mandrills.
Curator （园长） Sarah Forsyth said: “We believe Milly made up the signal and over the past five years some of the younger mandrills have picked it up. We’re not sure why she started doing it but it could be as simple as ‘I can’t see them, so they can’t see me’. It really does show you how intelligent mandrills are.”
1. What’s the text mainly about?
A. How humans influenced monkeys.
B. A monkey invented a gesture.
C. A new social culture was discovered.
D. How experts made the new discovery.
2. What does the underlined word “solitude” in the second paragraph mean?
A. Aloneness. B. Comfort.
C. Protection. D. Respect.
3. According to Mark Laidre, _____.
A. human activities affect mandrills’ sign language
B. animals are slow in picking up information
C. mandrills’ social culture has nothing to do with humans
D. mandrills are the largest species of monkey in the world
4. The monkeys can also use the “do not disturb” sign to _____.
A. protect themselves from being harmed
B. struggle against more powerful group members
C. show humans how intelligent they are
5.What can be known from the text?
A. Milly invented the gesture when she was 15.
B. Mandrills are best known for their social ability.
C. Why Milly first used the sign language is known to experts.
D. Only the mandrills in Colchester Zoo use the gesture.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Electricity bills can be highly expensive and the power we consume comes at an even greater cost to the environment when you consider that over 85% of the electricity produced in the United States comes from fuels. Whether you’re concerned about cleaning up the environment or you simply want to reduce your electricity bill，residential wind power generators（发电机）could be a solution.
Producing wind power at home will not work for everyone. If you live in a over-populated residential area，there may be certain laws and zoning requirements that prohibit the use of windmills（风车）.If you live on 1 acre of land or more,you probably won’t have any issues but you should investigate carefully to make sure that wind power generators are both legal and practical where you live. Even if there are no laws or regulations prohibiting wind power generators you still need to be in a location that gets enough wind on a regular basis.
Some producers of wind generators recommend that you live in an area with wind speeds that average at least 10 mph. Newer models have been developed recently that can operate with wind speeds as low as 4 mph but maximum efficiency is achieved at higher wind speeds. Before you fix a wind powered system,you will have to determine your power requirements. Will you be using it to charge a small battery for a boat or vehicle or will you need enough power to run your entire household and be completely off the grid（电网）？Once you know what your power requirements are，you can start shopping around for a system that can meet those needs.
Wind power generators are a great solution for a lot of people.They’re an ideal solution for remote locations where it would be impractical or simply too expensive to tap into the grid.They are quiet and totally clean，producing no pollution. They require no fuel and very little maintenance. Residential wind power offers a lot of benefits but it’s not for everyone. You’ll have to have some money up front to pay for the system and equipment;however,you could save quite a bit of money if you’re able to do much of the work yourself. You’ll also need to live in an area that gets enough wind to make the equipment worthwhile. You’ll need to do your homework before you make a purchase,but wind power generators could be a great solution for producing clean, low-cost energy.
1.What is the main idea of the first paragraph？
A. Electricity bills can be highly expensive.
B. Most of the electricity in the US comes from fuels.
C. Generating electricity does harm to the environment.
D. Residential wind power generators are useful and necessary.
2.What can we infer from the passage？
A. wind power generators enjoy a lot of benefits.
B. you can place wind power generators wherever you want.
C. wind power generators are affordable to most families.
D. wind power generators are an ideal solution for everyone.
3. What attitude might the writer hold towards residential wind power generators？
A. Negative B. Supportive
C. Skeptical D. Cautious
4.What is the best title for the passage？
A. Ways of Fully Using Wind Power
B. How to Reduce Your Electricity Bill
C. Alternative Solution-Wind Power
D. Function of Wind Power Generators
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析