A robot created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists could help elderly people with dementia (痴呆) and other limitations live independently in their own homes.
The Robot Activity Support System, or RAS, uses sensors installed in a WSU smart home to determine where its residents are, what they are doing and when they need assistance with daily activities. It navigates (定位) through rooms and around obstacles to find people on its own, provides video instructions on how to do simple tasks and can even lead its owner to objects like their medication or a snack in the kitchen.
“RAS combines the convenience of a mobile robot with the activity detection technology of a WSU smart home to provide assistance in the moment, as the need for help is detected,” said Bryan Minor, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Currently, an estimated 50 percent of adults over the age of 85 need assistance with every day activities such as preparing meals and taking medication and the annual cost for this assistance in the US is nearly $2 trillion. With the number of adults over 85 expected to triple by 2050, researchers hope that technologies like RAS and the WSU smart home will relieve some of the financial strain on the healthcare system by making it easier for older adults to live alone.
RAS is the first robot researchers have tried to incorporate into their smart home environment. They recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that demonstrates how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently.
“While we are still in an early stage of development, our initial results with RAS have been promising,” Minor said. “The next step in the research will be to test RAS’ performance with a group of older adults to get a better idea of what prompts, video reminders and other preferences they have regarding the robot.”
1.How does RAS serve elderly people?
A.Through sensors. B.Through objects.
C.Through a mobile robot. D.Through their daily activities.
2.What can we know about RAS?
A.It is the first robot used in daily life. B.Its function remains to be tested.
C.It can locate people and do any task. D.It can cook for owners on its own.
3.What’s Minor’s attitude toward the future of RAS?
A.Doubtful. B.Negative.
C.Optimistic. D.Uncertain.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Elderly people leave the nursing home.
B.Smart Home Tests first elder-Care robot.
C.RAS, the first robot to make home smart.
D.Older adults have benefited from RAS.
高二英语阅读理解困难题
A robot created by Washington State University (WSU) scientists could help elderly people with dementia (痴呆) and other limitations live independently in their own homes.
The Robot Activity Support System, or RAS, uses sensors installed in a WSU smart home to determine where its residents are, what they are doing and when they need assistance with daily activities. It navigates (定位) through rooms and around obstacles to find people on its own, provides video instructions on how to do simple tasks and can even lead its owner to objects like their medication or a snack in the kitchen.
“RAS combines the convenience of a mobile robot with the activity detection technology of a WSU smart home to provide assistance in the moment, as the need for help is detected,” said Bryan Minor, a postdoctoral researcher in the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.
Currently, an estimated 50 percent of adults over the age of 85 need assistance with every day activities such as preparing meals and taking medication and the annual cost for this assistance in the US is nearly $2 trillion. With the number of adults over 85 expected to triple by 2050, researchers hope that technologies like RAS and the WSU smart home will relieve some of the financial strain on the healthcare system by making it easier for older adults to live alone.
RAS is the first robot researchers have tried to incorporate into their smart home environment. They recently published a study in the journal Cognitive Systems Research that demonstrates how RAS could make life easier for older adults struggling to live independently.
“While we are still in an early stage of development, our initial results with RAS have been promising,” Minor said. “The next step in the research will be to test RAS’ performance with a group of older adults to get a better idea of what prompts, video reminders and other preferences they have regarding the robot.”
1.How does RAS serve elderly people?
A.Through sensors. B.Through objects.
C.Through a mobile robot. D.Through their daily activities.
2.What can we know about RAS?
A.It is the first robot used in daily life. B.Its function remains to be tested.
C.It can locate people and do any task. D.It can cook for owners on its own.
3.What’s Minor’s attitude toward the future of RAS?
A.Doubtful. B.Negative.
C.Optimistic. D.Uncertain.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Elderly people leave the nursing home.
B.Smart Home Tests first elder-Care robot.
C.RAS, the first robot to make home smart.
D.Older adults have benefited from RAS.
高二英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析
A Robot Fish has been developed by National University of Singapore’s researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.This robot fish has movements which have been inspired by the movements of the carp(鲤鱼).
There are various purposes that it can be used for.It can help in underwater archaeology ( 考古学 ).For example, it can enter a sunken city where human divers cannot enter.Just like a fish , it can also look at all the comers of particular wreckage.This robot can also be used for general purposes such as detection of leakages in a pipeline or for laying down communication cables across oceans.It also has possible military uses.
In order to copy carp movements, Mr.Fan studied the movements of the fish for around 3 months.He studied all the different movements of carp using different cameras and then converted these movements mathematically to transfer this data to the robot using many actuators(驱动器).
Professor Xu commented on the robot that the current models that copy fish movements are capable only of 2D movements which limits their capability as they are not able to dive into water.He said that his model is the first model with 3D movements which allows it to dive as well as float with the help of its fins, just as a normal fish would do.Hence, this fish model robot has much greater movement capability.It would be much harder for enemies to detect as compared to traditional ones when used for military purposes.
The researches want to make their robot fish even smaller, more realistic while adding more sensors such as GPS and video camera to it.This will improve its autonomous 3D movement.They are also planning to test the fish by giving it more difficult tasks such as detecting various objects.
1.The author gave an example in paragraph 2 _____.
A.to introduce the Robot Fish can help in underwater archaeology
B.to show the Robot Fish can be used for general purposes
C.to show the Robot Fish can lay down communication cables across oceans
D.to tell us the Robot Fish has possible military uses
2.Which is NOT true about the 3D Robot Fish?
A.It is capable of diving into water.
B.It cannot dive into water.
C.It can float using its fins.
D.It is difficult to detect.
3.What' s the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.The researchers will give the robot more difficult tasks.
B.The researches want to make their robot smaller.
C.The researchers are going to test the robot.
D.The researches plan to improve the robot.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement used widely
B.First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement treading the ocean
C.First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement created in Singapore
D.First Robot Fish with Autonomous 3D Movement's general purposes
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Traditionally, robots have been hard, made of metal and other rigid material .But a team of scientists at Harvard University in the US has managed to build an entirely soft robot—one that draws inspiration from an octopus (章鱼).
Described in science journal Nature, the “Octobot” could pave the way for more effective autonomous robots that could be used in search, rescue and exploration. “The Octobot is minimal system which may serve as a foundation for a new generation of completely soft, autonomous robots”, the study’s authors wrote.
Robots built for precise, repetitive movements in a controlled environment don’t do so well on rough terrains (地形) or in unpredictable conditions. And they aren’t especially safe around humans, because they’re made out of hard and heavy parts that could be potentially dangerous to their users.
So researchers have been working on building soft robots for decades. They’ve taken inspiration from nature, looking to animals from jellyfish to cockroaches, which are often made up of more flexible matter.
But creating a completely soft robot remains a challenge. Even if engineers build a silicone (硅酮) body, it’s still a grand challenge to construct flexible versions of essential parts, such as a source of power.
“Although soft robotics is still in its early stage, it holds great promise for several applications, such as search-rescue operations and exploration,” Barbara Mazzolai and Virgilio Mattoli of the Italian Institute of Technology Center for Micro-BioRobotics, wrote in a comment. “Soft robots might also open up new approaches to improving wellness and quality of life.”
1.What’s the special feature of “Octobot”?
A.It’s very small. B.It’s made of metal.
C.It’s soft. D.It looks like an octopus.
2.What’s the shortcoming of traditional robots?
A.They’re hard to control. B.They can’t behave well all the time.
C.They can’t predict conditions. D.They’re too heavy to move.
3.Which of the following is wrong?
A.The original robots can work on rough land well.
B.The original robots may hurt people.
C.It’s tough to invent an absolutely soft robot.
D.The soft robots might improve the quality of human life.
4.One of the biggest challenges is to build Octobot’s ________.
A.silicone body B.complex structure
C.precise movements D.flexible power source
5.What’s the possible application of “Octobot”?
A.Medical research. B.Life rescue.
C.Machine operation. D.House cleaning.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Welcome to Olympic National Park!
The park is located in the western state of Washington and it covers more than 400,000 hectares. Each area of the park offers visitors something special. Here are some places to go.
Elwha Valley
The Elwha Valley is in the central part of the park. It is the Olympic Peninsula’s largest watershed (分水岭). Long ago, the rivers in this area held the most salmon (鲑鱼) outside of Alaska. In the 1920s, a growing community of settlers built two hydroelectric (水力发电) dams to provide energy for the local economy. The dams created many problems for the river. They decreased the water in the rivers, which caused the fish population in the area to decrease. This affected the other animals that depended on fish for food.
The community later decided to take some measures to solve these problems. Today, the Elwha River is the site of one of the largest ecosystem restoration projects in National Park Service history.
Hurricane Ridge
Hurricane Ridge is a mountain area in the northern part of the park. It is easy to enter, and provides incredible views of the Olympic Mountains.
The ridge has many hiking paths. In winter, people come here to ski. They also come here to take part in other fun winter activities, like sledding and snowboarding.
Hurricane Ridge usually has snow from December through the end of March. Visitors must be prepared for icy roads and severe weather.
The Coast
The westernmost part of the park is Pacific coastline. Olympic National Park has many breathtaking beaches.
Rialto Beach is known for its tall seastacks (海蚀柱). These formations are tall towers of rock standing in the sea. Kalaloch Beach is known for its white sand. It also has three national wildlife refuges, which protect the area’s bird and fish species.
The coastline areas offer hiking and camping. They are some of the most popular places in the park.
1.What happened to the Elwha River after the two dams were built?
A. Local settlers had enough energy.
B. Local settlers made more money.
C. The Elwha Valley was formed.
D. The ecosystem was greatly affected.
2.Which place is most suitable for winter activities?
A. Elwha Valley B. Hurricane Ridge
C. Rialto Beach D. Kalaloch Beach
3.What’s the purpose of the passage?
A. To attract visitors to the park,
B. To introduce the parkas history.
C. To show the variety of the park.
D. To stress the importance of ecosystem.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Washington, a state in the United States, was named _________ one of the greatest American presidents.
A. in honour of B. instead of
C. in favour of D. by means of
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
Washington, a state in the US, was named ______one of the greatest American presidents.
A. in honor of B. instead of
C. in favor of D. by means of
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
George Washington was born in 1732 in a rich family in _______ is now the state of Virginia.
A. which B. where C. that D. what
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
George Washington was born in 1732 in a rich family in _______ is now the state of Virginia.
A.which | B.where | C.that | D.what |
高二英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析
George Washington was born in 1732 in a rich family in _______ is now the state of Virginia.
A. which B. where C. that D. what
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析
George Washington was born in 1732 in a rich family in _______ is now the state of Virginia.
A.which | B.where | C.that | D.what |
高二英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析