When computer servers operate a complex program, they can get very hot. Cooling the servers can be costly. So researchers asked what would happen if the heat created by the servers could be captured and used?
Data centers of large Internet companies such as Google and Microsoft have thousands of computer servers. As these servers process information, they create large amounts of heat, so they need huge cooling systems, which send the heat into the air.
The Dutch company Nerdalize thinks paying for electricity to operate the servers and then paying again to cool them is a waste of energy. So it developed a device called the e-Radiator, a computer server that also works as a heating source.
Boaz Leupe, the chief executive officer of Nerdalize, says the e-Radiator saves money because companies don’t have to pay to cool their servers. “…The kilowatt hour you are using is used twice — once to heat the home and once to compute the client’s task without the cooling expenses.”
At present five homeowners in the Netherlands are testing the heating device in their homes.
“We compensate the electricity the server uses, and that we can do because of the computer clients on the other side, and, in that way, homeowners actually get heating for free, and computer users don’t have to pay for the expenses of the data center.”
Jan Visser is one of the participants in the year-long experiment. He notices that the amount of heat produced by the e-Radiator depends on the work being done by the computer server. He reveals it cannot be used as the primary source of heat. But he is ready to try it. “If it provides enough warmth, I will be able to use my home’s heating system less, which will save me money.” he added.
Nerdalize says e-Radiators create heat temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius. It’s also said that the devices could save users up to $440 in heating costs a year.
1.What can we learn from this passage?
A. E-Radiator can save homeowners a big sum of money in cooling the computers.
B. Google and Nerdalize developed the heating device, e-Radiator.
C. E-Radiator has been put into use in the Netherlands.
D. The heating device will benefit computer users as well as homeowners.
2.According to the passage, what’s Jan Visser’s attitude towards e-Radiator?
A. Cautious. B. Positive. C. Satisfied. D. Doubtful.
3.Where can we most probably read the passage?
A. In an economic report.
B. In a science magazine.
C. In an education newspaper.
D. In a computer guide book.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Money-saving heating device.
B. E-Radiator, the primary source of heat.
C. Hot computers could be used to heat home.
D. Nerdalize developed e-Radiator, a heating system.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题
When computer servers operate a complex program, they can get very hot. Cooling the servers can be costly. So researchers asked what would happen if the heat created by the servers could be captured and used?
Data centers of large Internet companies such as Google and Microsoft have thousands of computer servers. As these servers process information, they create large amounts of heat, so they need huge cooling systems, which send the heat into the air.
The Dutch company Nerdalize thinks paying for electricity to operate the servers and then paying again to cool them is a waste of energy. So it developed a device called the e-Radiator, a computer server that also works as a heating source.
Boaz Leupe, the chief executive officer of Nerdalize, says the e-Radiator saves money because companies don’t have to pay to cool their servers. “…The kilowatt hour you are using is used twice — once to heat the home and once to compute the client’s task without the cooling expenses.”
At present five homeowners in the Netherlands are testing the heating device in their homes.
“We compensate the electricity the server uses, and that we can do because of the computer clients on the other side, and, in that way, homeowners actually get heating for free, and computer users don’t have to pay for the expenses of the data center.”
Jan Visser is one of the participants in the year-long experiment. He notices that the amount of heat produced by the e-Radiator depends on the work being done by the computer server. He reveals it cannot be used as the primary source of heat. But he is ready to try it. “If it provides enough warmth, I will be able to use my home’s heating system less, which will save me money.” he added.
Nerdalize says e-Radiators create heat temperatures of up to 55 degrees Celsius. It’s also said that the devices could save users up to $440 in heating costs a year.
1.What can we learn from this passage?
A. E-Radiator can save homeowners a big sum of money in cooling the computers.
B. Google and Nerdalize developed the heating device, e-Radiator.
C. E-Radiator has been put into use in the Netherlands.
D. The heating device will benefit computer users as well as homeowners.
2.According to the passage, what’s Jan Visser’s attitude towards e-Radiator?
A. Cautious. B. Positive. C. Satisfied. D. Doubtful.
3.Where can we most probably read the passage?
A. In an economic report.
B. In a science magazine.
C. In an education newspaper.
D. In a computer guide book.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?
A. Money-saving heating device.
B. E-Radiator, the primary source of heat.
C. Hot computers could be used to heat home.
D. Nerdalize developed e-Radiator, a heating system.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
C
As every computer owner knows, when their machines run a complex program they get pretty hot. In fact, cooling the processors can be expensive, especially when you're dealing with huge banks of computer servers. But what if that energy could heat private homes? A Dutch energy firm aims to do just that.
Data centers of large Internet firms, such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and others, contain thousands of computer servers. As they process information they generate enormous amounts of heat requiring cooling towers that dissipate it into the atmosphere.
A Dutch firm thinks paying for electricity to run the servers and then paying again to cool them is a waste of energy.
Boaz Leupe, CEO of the start-up Nerdalize, says it’s actually quite simple.
"We don't actually have to build the data center, which saves a lot of costs in infrastructure and we don't have the cooling overhead, plus that you have the environmental benefit, that the kilowatt hour you are using is used twice, once to heat the home and once to compute the clients task without the cooling overhead," says Leupe.
The company developed what it calls an e-Radiator, a computer server that also works as an alternative heating source. Leupe says that five Dutch homeowners are experimentally using them in their homes.
“We reimburse the electricity the server uses, and that we can do because of the computer clients on the other side, and, in that way, home owners actually get heating for free, and computer users don't have to pay for the overhead of the data center,” says Leupe.
One of the participants in the year-long experiment, Jan Visser, says the amount of heat produced by e-Radiator depends on the work being done by the server’s processors so it cannot be used as the primary source. But he is ready to try it.
“If it gives good enough warmth, you can use less of your existing central heating, and there is the chance for a home owner to pay less bills.”
Nerdalize says e-Radiators generate temperature of up to 55 degrees Celsius and could save up to $440 in annual heating costs.
1.Which one is true according to the passage?
A. It is expensive to deal with huge banks of computer servers.
B. A Dutch energy firm attempted to heat private homes.
C. Computer servers generate large quantities of heat.
D. The cooling tower is a waste of energy.
2.The underlined phrase “overhead” in the third paragraph probably means______.
A. daily cost B. fixture
C. forehead D. method
3.What is NOT true about e-Radiator according to the passage?
A. It is a computer server used as an alternative heating source.
B. It has been launched onto the market.
C.It is environmentally friendly.
D. It can save users’ money.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ?
A. A New Kind of Data Servers
B. Data Servers Could Heat Private Homes
C. How to Heat the Private Homes with Computers
D. An Alternative Heating Source
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
How can they learn much ________ they spend so much time playing computer games?
A.although B.when C.till D.until
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
When first ________ to the market, the computer software . was not a success due to its complexity in operation.
A.introducing | B.being introduced | C.introduced | D.to be introduced |
高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
When first __________ to the market, the computer software was not a success due to its complexity in operation.
A.introducing | B.being introduced |
C.introduced | D.to be introduced |
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
The AlphaGo program’s victory is an example of how smart computers have become.
But can artificial intelligence (AI) machines act ethically, meaning can they be honest and fair?
One example of AI is driverless cars. They are already on California roads, so it is not too soon to ask whether we can program a machine to act ethically. As driverless cars improve, they will save lives. They will make fewer mistakes than human drivers do. Sometimes, however, they will face a choice between lives. Should the cars be programmed to avoid hitting a child running across the road, even if that will put their passengers at risk? What about making a sudden turn to avoid a dog? What if the only risk is damage to the car itself, not to the passengers?
Perhaps there will be lessons to learn from driverless cars, but they are not super-intelligent beings. Teaching ethics to a machine even more intelligent than we are will be the bigger challenge.
About the same time as AlphaGo’s triumph, Microsoft’s ‘chatbot’ took a bad turn. The software, named Taylor, was designed to answer messages from people aged 18-24. Taylor was supposed to be able to learn from the messages she received. She was designed to slowly improve her ability to handle conversations, but some people were teaching Taylor racist ideas. When she started saying nice things about Hitler, Microsoft turned her off and deleted her ugliest messages.
AlphaGo’s victory and Taylor’s defeat happened at about the same time. This should be a warning to us. It is one thing to use AI within a game with clear rules and clear goals. It is something very different to use AI in the real world. The unpredictability of the real world may bring to the surface a troubling software problem.
Eric Schmidt is one of the bosses of Google, which own AlphaGo. He thinks AI will be positive for humans. He said people will be the winner, whatever the outcome. Advances in AI will make human beings smarter, more able and “just better human beings.”
1.What does the author want to show with the example of AlphaGo’s victory?
A.Computers will prevail(战胜) over human beings. B.Computers have unmatched potential.
C.Computers are man’s potential rivals. D.Computers can become highly intelligent.
2.What does the author mean by AI machines acting ethically?
A.They are capable of predicting possible risks.
B.They weigh the gains and losses before reaching a decision.
C.They make sensible decisions when facing moral dilemmas.
D.They sacrifice everything to save human lives.
3.What is said to be the bigger challenge facing humans in the AI age?
A.How to make super-intelligent AI machines share human feelings.
B.How to ensure that super-intelligent AI machines act ethically.
C.How to prevent AI machines doing harm to humans.
D.How to avoid being over-dependent on AI machines.
4.What do we learn about Microsoft’s ‘chatbot’ Taylor?
A.She could not distinguish good from bad. B.She could turn herself off when necessary.
C.She was not made to handle novel situations. D.She was good at performing routine tasks.
5.What does Eric Schmidt think of artificial intelligence?
A.It will be far superior to human beings. B.It will keep improving as time goes by.
C.It will prove to be valuable to human beings. D.It will be here to stay whatever the outcome.
高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
(2013·甘肃诊断测试)Your cousin is said ________ a new computer program recently, but do you know when he will finish it?
A.to design B.designing
C.to have been designing D.to have designed
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Your cousin is said ________ a new computer program recently, but do you know when he will finish it?
A.to design B.designing
C.to have been designing D.to have designed
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Your cousin is said ________ a new computer program recently, but do you know when he will finish it?
A. to design B. to be designing C. to have been designing D. to have designed
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Your cousin is said________a new computer program recently, but do you know when he will finish it?
A. to design B. to be designing
C. to have been designing D. to have designed
高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析