第一篇：2014年职称英语理工A押题整理

Researchers Discover Why Humans Began Walking Upright 1.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first two paragraphs?

A.Many people question the simple human activities of walking and carrying items.2.Dr.Richmond conducted the experiment with the purpose of finding

B.what made our ancestors walk upright.3.Kyoto, University's study discovered that chimpanzees.C.liked coula nuts better than oil palm nuts.4.Why did the chimpanzees walk on two limbs四肢 during Kyoto University's experiment?

D.Because they wanted to carry more nuts with two free limbs.5.What can we infer from the reading passage?

D.Human walking on two legs developed as a means of survival.Batteries Built by Viruses 1.According to the first paragraph, people try to

C.Stay away from viruses because they are causes of various diseases.2.What is Belcher’s team doing at present?

C.It is making batteries with viruses

3.What expression below is opposite in meaning to the word ―shrink‖ appearing in paragraph 5?

D.Expand 4.Which of the following is true of Belcher’s battery mentioned in paragraph 6?

D.It is a metallic disk with viruses inside it.5.How tiny is one battery part?

A.Its width is one tenth of a hair.Ants Have Big Impact on Environment as “Ecosystem Engineers”

1.Why are ants compared to ecosystem engineers?

C.Because their activity affects the environment.2.As predators, ants

A.prey on small as well as large animals.3.Dir Sanders’ study centered on how ants

D.produce such a big impact on the environment 4.What does paragraph 6 tell us?

B.Ants bring about a positiveinfluence to an area when their population is small 5.What still remains unclear about ants, according to the last paragraph?

C.How do human activities affect ants’ influence on a given ecosystem?

Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety 1.What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago, according to the first paragraph?

D.Female teachers’ confidence信心 in their math skills is related to girl’s math skills.2.What is implied暗示 in the third paragraph?

B.A difficult subject like math may affect teachers’ confidence in teaching the subject.3.According to the experiment, those teachers were probably anxious about math when they felt

C.uneasy reading the numbers of a sales receipt 4.The sixth paragraph tells us that the research findings

A.prove a strong link between female teachers’ math anxiety and their female students’ math achievements 5.David Geary thinks that

B.the research results need to be retested based on a larger sample.Cell Phones Increase Traffic Pedestrian Fatalities 1.The two new studies, lead-authored by Professor Peter D.Loeb

D.both A and C.2.According to the second paragraph, when did cell phones actually help to reduce pedestrian and traffic fatalities?

B.Before the number of cell phone users reached a critical mass 3.What is said about cell phone use in paragraph 4?

B.The number of traffic deaths was reduced in the late 1980s and part of the 1990s due to cell phone use 4.What is said about cell phone use in the mid-1980s in paragraph 5?

A.It had a life-taking effect because there weren’t enough cell phones in use then.5.Which of the following statements DOES NOT answer the question ― What caused the ―life-saving effect‖ to occur in the early 1990s?‖

B.The number of cell phone users reached about 100 million

U．S．Scientists Confirm Water on Mars 1.What was discovered by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander on Mars?

C.Water in a soil sample.2.Why did the first two attempts to deliver samples fail?

C.The samples got stuck inside the scoop 3.Which one of the following statements is NOT meant by the writer?

A.Scientists have been trying to break the ice-rich layers of soil on Mars 4.Where are the scientists involved in the research from?

C.They are from both America and Canada.5.Which of the following do you think is the best description of Phoenix’s Surface Stereo Imager camera, according to your understanding of the passage?

A.It imitates human vision and is able to capture three-dimensional images.Defending the Theory of Evolution Still Seems Needed 1.According to the first paragraph, which of the following statements about the theory or evolution is true?

B.School boards oppose反对 AIBS's effort to defend the theory of evolution.2.Which one of the following is NOT the reason for an overall lack of teaching Darwin's theory?

D.Darwin's theory is denied拒绝，否定 as the central theory of biology.3.AIBS's is composed of.A.more than 80 societies and 250,000 members

4.According to Weis in the 5th paragraph, the theory of evolution_______.A.is fundamental to the development of modern genetics, molecular biology and geonomics 5.Why do people replace the term creationism with the term intelligent design nowadays?

D.Because the term creationism is too direct.Renewable Energy Sources 1.What are the energy resources that are not renewable according to the article?

D.A and B.2.China’s Three Gorges Dam

C.is the largest of all the hydroelectric dams in the world.3.Which is the country with the first commercial power station that makes use of ocean currents produced by tides?

B.Norway.4.Which of the following statements is true of wind power?

D.All of the above.5.According to the article, resources such as wind

B.are renewable so sustainable.Too Little for Global Warming

1.What do the authors of the new analysis presented at the University of Uppsala intend to say?

D.Oil and gas will run out so fast that Earth’s doomsday will never materialize.2.Nations that signed the Kyoto Protocol agree to

B.cut CO2 emissions.3.What are the estimates of the world’s oil and gas reserves?

D.3,500 billion by a growing number of scientists.4.Which of the following about Nebojsa NaJcicenovic is true?

D.He thinks that IPCC’s estimates are more optimistic than the Swedes.5.Which of the following is the near explanation of Nakicenovic’s assertion that ―… such a switch would be disastrous..."

B.A switch to burning coal would produce disastrous environmental problems.Clone Farm 1.Which statement is the best description of the new era of factory farming according to the first paragraph?

C.Cloned chickens are bulk-produced大量生产 with the same growth rate, weight and taste 2.Which institution has offered $4.7 million to fund the research?

A.The US’s National Institute of Science and Technology

3.In the third paragraph, by saying― Producers would like the same meat quantity but to use reduced inputs to get there,‖ Mike Fitzgerald means that he wishes

D.chickens could grow to the same weight but with less feed

4.Which of the following statements about Origen and Embrex is correct according to the fifth paragraph?

C.Origen has joined hands with Embrex in producing cell-injecting machines

5.The technology of freezing stem cells from different strains of chicken can do all the following EXCEPT that

A.farmers can order certain strains of chicken only

【完型填空】

Free Stains With Fast Food Could Neutrailze Heart Risk Fast food outlets could1 provide statin drugs free of charge so that customers can reduce the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London2 suggest in a new study.Statins reduce the amount of unhealthy ―LDL‖ cholesterol3 in the blood.A wealth of trial data4 has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person’s heart attack risk

In a paper published in the American Journal of Cardiology5, Dr Darrel Francis and colleagues calculate that the reduction in heart attack risk offered by a statin is.enough to offset the increase in heart attack risk from eating a cheeseburger and drinking a milkshake.Dr Francis, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, who is the senior author of the study, said: ―Statins don’t cut out all of the unhealthy effects of cheeseburgers and French fries6.It’s better to avoid fatty food altogether.But we’ve worked out that in terms of your possibility of having a heart attack, taking a statin can reduce your risk to more or less the same degree as a fast food meal increases it.―

N’s ironic that people are free to take as many unhealthy condiments in fast food outlets as they like, but statins, which are beneficial to heart health, have to be prescribed.It makes sense7 to make risk-reducing statins available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are provided free of charge.It would cost less than 5 pence per customer —— not much different to a sachet of sugar8, ― Dr Francis said.When people engage in risky behaviours like driving or smoking, they’re encouraged to take measures that lower their risk, like wearing a seatbelt or choosing cigarettes with filters.Taking a stain is a rational way of lowering some of the risks of eating a fatty meal.“Liquefaction” Key to Much of Japanese Earthquake Damage The massive subduction zone1 earthquake in Japan caused a significant level of soil ―liquefaction‖2 that has surprised researchers with its widespread severity, a new analysis shows.We’ve seen localized3 examples of soil liquefaction as extreme as this before, but the distance and extent of damage in Japan were unusually severe,‖ said Scott Ashford, a professor of geotechnical engineering4 at Oregon State University5.―Entire structures were tilted and sinking into the sediments,‖ Ashford said.―The shifts in soil destroyed water, drain and gas pipelines6, crippling the utilities and Infrastructure these communities need to function.We saw some places that sank as much as four feet.‖

Some degree of soil liquefaction7 is common in almost any major earthquake.It’s a phenomenon in which soils soaked with water, particularly recent sediments or sand, can lose much of their strength and flow during an earthquake.This can allow structures to shift or sink or collapse.But most earthquakes are much shorter than the recent event in Japan, Ashford said.The length of the Japanese earthquake, as much as five minutes, may force researchers to reconsider the extent of liquefaction damage possibly occurring in situations such as this8.― With such a long-lasting earthquake, we saw how structures that might have been okay after 30 seconds just continued to sink and tilt as the shaking continued for several more minutes,‖ he said.―And it was clear that younger sediments, and especially areas built on recently filled ground, are much more vulnerable.‖

The data provided by analyzing the Japanese earthquake, researchers said, should make it possible to improve the understanding of this soil phenomenon and better prepare for it in the future.Ashford said it was critical for the team to collect the information quickly, before damage was removed in the recovery efforts9.There’s no doubt that we’ll learn things from what happened in Japan10 that11 will help us to reduce risks in other similar events,‖ Ashford said.―Future construction in some places may make more use of techniques known to reduce liquefaction, such as better compaction to make soils dense, or use of reinforcing stone columns.‖ Ashford pointed out that northern California have younger soils vulnerable to liquefaction – on the coast, near river deposits or in areas with filled ground.The ―young‖ sediments, in geologic terms, may be those deposited within the past 10,000 years or more.In Oregon, for instance, that describes much of downtown Portland, the Portland International Airport and other cities.Anything near a river and old flood plains is a suspect12, and the Oregon Department of Transportation has already concluded that 1100 bridges in the state are at risk from an earthquake.Fewer than 15 percent of them have been reinforced to prevent collapse.Japan has suffered tremendous losses in the March 11 earthquake, but Japanese construction standards helped prevent many buildings from collapse – even as they tilted and sank into the ground.Sharks Perform a Service for Earth’s Waters

It is hard to get people to think of sharks as anything but a deadly enemy1.They are thought to attack people frequently.But these fish2 perform a valuable service for earth’s waters and for human beings.Yet business and sport fishing3 are threatening their existence.Some sharks are at risk of disappearing from Earth.Warm weather may influence both fish and shark activity.Many fish swim near coastal areas because of their warm waters.Experts say sharks may follow the fish into the same areas,where people also swim.In fact, most sharks do not purposely charge at or bite humans.They are thought to mistake a person for a sea animal, such as a seal or sea lion.That is why people should not swim in the ocean when the sun goes down or comes up.Those are the times when sharks are looking for food.Experts also say that bright colors and shiny jewelry may cause sharks to attack.A shark has an extremely good sense of smell4.It can find small amounts of substances in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals.These powerful senses help sharks find their food.Sharks eat fish, any other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.Medical researchers want to learn more about the shark’s body defense and immune systems against disease.Researchers know that sharks recover quickly from injuries.They study the shark in hopes of finding a way to fight human disease.Sharks are important for the world’s oceans.They eat injured and diseased fish.Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too great.This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.

第二篇：2013职称英语理工B新增题整理(押题)

Teaching Math, Teaching Anxiety

In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, the psychologists at the University of Chicagol1 Sian Beilock and Susan Levine found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn:If a female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to believe that boys are better than girls at math.练习：

1.What is the result of the research at the University of Chicago,according to the first paragraph? D Female teachers' confidence in their math skills is related to girl's math skills.2.What is implied in the third paragraph?

B A difficult subject like math may affect teachers' confidence in teaching the subject.3.According to the experiment,those teachers were probably anxious about math when they felt C uneasy reading the numbers of a sales receipt.4.The sixth paragraph tells us that the research findings

A prove a strong link between female teachers' math anxiety and their female students' math achievements.5.David Geary thinks that

B the research results need to be retested based on a larger sample.Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk Fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of

charge

so that customers can reduce the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London

suggest

in a newstudy．

Statins reduce the

amount

of unhealthy ”LDL” cholesterol in the blood.A wealth of trial data has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person’s heart attack

risk

.In a paper published in the American Journal of Cardiology，Dr Darrel Francis and colleagues calculate that the reduction in heart attack risk offered by a statin is

enough to offset the increase in heart attack risk from

eating

a cheeseburger and drinking a milkshake．

Dr Francis，from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London，who is the senior author of the study, said:”Statins don’t cut out a11 of the

unhealthy

effects of cheeseburgers and French fries．It’s better to avoid fatty food altogether．But we’ve worked out that in terms of your

possibility

of having a heart attack.Taking a statin can reduce your risk to more or less the same

degree

as a fast food meal increases it.” “It’s ironic that people are free to take as many unhealthv condiments in fast food outlets as they

like

, but statins, which are beneficial to heart health, have to be prescribed.It makes sense to make risk-reducing statins available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are provided

free of charge．It would cost less than 5 pence per

customer

一not much different to a sachet of sugar.” Dr Francis said．When people engage in risky behaviours like driving or smoking, they’re encouraged to take

measures

that lower their risk, 1ike

wearing

a seatbelt or choosing cigarettes with filters.Taking a statin is a rational way of

lowering

some of the risks of eating a fatty meal．

快餐销售点为了减少油脂食物对心脏疾病的危险，可以免费提供降胆固醇类药物.伦敦大学帝国理工学院的研究者在一个新的研究中建议到。降胆固醇类药物减少了血液中低密度脂蛋白胆固醇。很多的试验数据已证明它们对降低一个人的心脏病风险有非常好的效果。

美国心脏病学期刊中出版了一篇论文，Darrel Francis博士和同事们计算出一颗降胆固醇类药物降低心脏病突发的风险足以抵抗吃一个芝士汉堡和喝一杯奶昔。

来自伦敦帝国学院国家心肺研究所的Francis博士，即这个研究的资深作者说道：“降胆固醇类药物不能抵消芝士汉堡和法式炸薯条所带来所有的不健康影响。总而言之，最好是避免油脂类食物。但是我们已经算出你得心脏病发作的可能性。服用一片降胆固醇类药物可以或多或少在同样程度上减少你因一顿快餐而引起的风险。”“讽刺的是人们免费在快餐销售点吃到许多他们喜欢的不健康调味品，而对心脏健康有益的降胆固醇类药物却是要开处方的。所以他们提供免费的降胆固醇类药物是和提供不健康调味品一样可行的。每个顾客的花费低于五便士——无异于一小袋糖的价格。”Francis博士说道。

当人们进行像喝酒或抽烟之类有风险性的举动时，他们知道衡量如何降低风险，正如平时系上安全带或选择过滤烟一样。服用一个降胆固醇类药物就是吃一顿油脂食物降低一些风险的合理方法。Computers

Today, conventional financial controls are still exercised in some minor areas such as billing and vocational training.It is unnecessary for a neighborhood baker to use a computer in his shop At present about 10% of American citizens possess a microcomputer.答案：16.A 17.B 18.B 19.A 20.B 21.C One thing that managers do not have to understand is how computers work.In some cases managers have to learn how to write programs so as to work out computerized information systems that suit their own companies best.Computerized firms would rather employ business graduates than computer science graduates because it is easier to train the former into qualified employees.Kidney Disease and Heart Disease Spur Each Other

Hearts and kidneys: If one’s diseased, better keep a close eye on1 the other.Surprising new research shows kidney disease somehow speeds up heart disease well before it has ravaged the kidneys.And perhaps not so surprising, doctors have finally proven that heart disease can trigger kidney destruction, too.1.How can one learn earlier whether he or she suffer simmering kidney disease

B By urine and blood tests.2.How many Americans suffer chronic kidney disease according to an estimation?

A 1,9,000,000

3.How many Americans suffered end-stage kidney failure and required dialysis or a transplant to survive twenty years ago according to an estimation?

D 100,000.4.What did the Archives of Internal Medicine call for doctors caring for heart patients to do?

D To start rigorously checking out their patients' kidneys.5.Which of the following is NOT one of the three markers of kidney function?

B Levels of the white blood cells in the blood.“Life Form Found” on Saturn's Titan

Scientists say they have discovered hints of alien life1 on the Saturn's moon2.The discovery of a sort of life was announced after researchers at the US space 1.What have scientists found about Saturn?

C They have found methane-based life on Titan.2.What do scientists say about Titan?

A There are life clues there.3.To date,scientists have not yet detected this form of life.(paragraph 5)What does“this form of life” refer to?

B Methane-based life.4.What can be inferred from what Allen said?

A Scientists have different arguments over whether there is life on Titan.5.Which of the following can replace the title of this passage?

D A different Life Form, a Possibility.When Our Eyes Serve Our Stomach 1.What does the new study mentioned in Paragraph 1 find?

C Hungry people are more sensitive to food-related words than stomach-full people.2.Why was there a delay on the day of the experiment?

B Because Radel wanted to create two groups of testees, hungry and non-hungry.3.What does the writer want to tell us?

C Human brains can really be at the disposal of our motives and needs.4.What did the results of the experiment indicate?

A 80 words flashed on the screen too fast for the participant to intentionally perceive.5.What can we infer from the passage?

D Humans can perceive what they need without involving high-level thinking processes.Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience

1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the first three paragraphs?

B Shimi is the creator of the musical companion.2.What does Shimi do if the user taps a beat?

D It selects a perfectly-matched song and plays it in sync with that beat.3.Which of the following about Shimi is true?

D Shimi can be creative and interactive.4.What does the author want to tell us?

A The research center is developing a stronger and more versatile Shimi.5.Which of the following is Weinberg’s assertion?

B human lives will be filled with more fun if Shimi is going to arrive in homes.

第三篇：2014职称英语押题 理工B 阅读理解

阅读理解：

第二十九篇 I’ll Be Bach（2014年新文章）

Composer David Cope is the inventor of a computer program that writes original works of classical music.It took Cope 30 years to develop the software.Now most people can’t tell the difference between music by the famous German composer J.S.Bach1(1685-1750)and the Bach-like compositions from Cope’s computer.It all started in 1980 in the United States, when Cope was trying to write an opera.He was having trouble thinking of new melodies, so be wrote a computer program to create the melodies.At first this music was not easy to listen to.What did Cope do? He began to rethink how human beings compose music.He realized that composers1 brains work like big databases.First,they take in all the music that they have ever heard.Then they take out the music that they dislike.Finally, they make new music from what is left.According to Cope，only the great composers axe able to create the database accurately,remember it,and form new musical patterns firom it.Cope built a huge database of existing music.He began with hundreds of works by Bach.1 he software analyzed the data： it broke it down into smaller pieces and looked for patterns.It then combined the pieces into new patterns.Before long, the program could compose short Bach-like works.They weren’t good,but it was a start.Cope knew he had more work to do-he had a whole opera to write.He continued to improve the software.Soon it could analyze more complex music.He also added many other composers，including his own work,to the database.A few years later，Cope’s computer program,called “Emmy”，was ready to help him with his opera.The process required a lot of collaboration between the composer and Emmy.Cope listened to the computer’s musical ideas and used the ones that he liked.With Emmy, the opera took only two weeks to finish.It was called Cradle Fallingttind it was a great success!Cope received some of the best reviews of his career,but no one knew exactly how he had composed the work.Since that first opera, Emmy has written thousands of compositions.Cope still gives Emmy feedback on what he likes and doesn’t like of her music,but she is doing most of the hard work of composing these days!词汇：

original /9 Vicinal/ adj.有独创性

coHaboration /ka丨laebdreijan / n.合作 review/ ri'vju:/ n.评论

feedback /'fi:db®k / n.反馈 注释：

1.J.S.Bach:约翰•塞巴斯蒂安•巴赫(德语:Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685 年3 月 31 日一 1750 年7月28 H),巴洛克时期的德国作曲家，杰出的管风琴、小提琴、大键琴演奏家,同作曲家亨德

尔和泰勒曼齐名。巴赫被普遍认为是音乐史上最重要的作曲家之一，并被尊称为“西方‘现代 音乐’之父”,也是西方文化史上最重要的人物之一。

练习：

1.The music composed by David cope is about

A classical music.B pop music.C drama.D country music.2.By developing a computer software,David Cope aimed A to be like Bach.B to study Bach.C to write an opera.D to create a musical database

3.What did Cope realize about a great composer's brain? A It forms new musical patterns all by itself.B It writes a computer program.C It can recognize any music patterns.D It creates an accurate database.4.Who is Emmy?

A a database

B a computer software C a composer who helped David

D an opera

5.We can infer from the passage that

A David Cope is a computer programmer.B David Cope loves music.C Bach’s music helped him a lot.D Emmy did much more work than a composer.答案与题解：

1.A第一段的第一句:David Cope发明了一个可以编写出古典音乐的电脑软件。2.C从第二段的第一句可以看出,David编写电脑软件的目的是写歌剧。A、B和D都属于创作歌剧的一部分。

3.D第二段的后半部分讲的是伟大的歌剧作者与一般的歌剧作者的不同之处是通过对数据 进行淮确的构建、记忆而后创作出新的音乐形式。

4.B从第五段第一句可知Emmy是一计笄机软件。

5.D从本文第一句可知David是一个作曲家,不是计算机程序员,所以排除A;B、C内容没有 提及;从本文的第五段和第六段可知,Emmy大大提高了 David的创作速度。

我也能成为巴赫

作曲家大卫•科普发明了一个电脑软件，它能编写出古典音乐的原创作品。科普花了 30年才 完成这个软件，现在，科普的电脑写出的作品与德国著名作曲家J.S.巴赫写的作品很相似，很少 有人能分辨出其中不同。

这一切始于1980年的美国，那时科普正在写一部戏剧，但是他无法创作出新的旋律.于楚他 编写了一个电脑软件来帮他编曲。最开始的时候，软件写出的乐曲并不动听。科普是怎么做的呢？ 他幵始重新考虑人们作曲的方式。他认识到作曲家的大脑就像一个大数据库，他们先是吸收他们 听过的所有音乐，然后去除他们不喜欢的，最后再根据留下的音乐来创作出新的旋律。科普认为，只有伟大的作曲家才能建立好的数据库，并且能熟记于心，从而创造出新的音乐。

科普根据现有的音乐建立了庞大的数据庳，最开始的时候，数据库包含了几百部巴赫的作品。科普的软件将这些数据进行分析：首先它将音乐拆解成小的片段，从中找出固定模式，然后将片 段组合成新的模式。不久，这个软件就能够写出和巴赫风格很像的小曲子。它们并不完美，但这 只是个开始。科普知道，他要做的还有很多一他得写出一整部歌剧。他进一步完普他的软件，不久它就 能够写出更复杂的音乐了。他还在数据库中加人了一些其他作曲家的作品，其中也包括他自己的作品。几年后，科普的软件“艾米”已经能够帮助他创作歌剧了。创作过程餹要作曲家和艾米共同 配合。科赘聆听艾米写出的音乐片段，从中选取他认为好的。有了艾米的帮助，科蓊只用了两个 星期就完成了这部歌剧，叫做《摇篮坠落》。演出获得巨大成功，科普也得到了他有生以来最高 的评价，但是没有人知道他究竟是怎样创作出这部歌剧的。

从那以后，艾米已经写了上千部作品。科普现在依然会给艾米反馈，吿诉她自己哪些音乐是 他喜欢的，哪些是不喜欢的，但是现在大部分艰巨的工作是由艾米来完成的！

第十九篇Musical Robot Companion Enhances Listener Experience

Shimi, a musical companion developed by Georgia Tech’s Center for Music Technology, recommends songs, dances to the beat and keeps the music pumping based on listener feedback.The smartphone-enabled, one-foot-tall robot is billed as an interactive “musical friend”.“Shimi is designed to change the way that people enjoy and think about their music，” said Professor Gil Weinberg, the robot’s creator.He will unveil the robot at the June 27th Google I/O conference in San Francisco.A band of three Shimi robots will perform for guests, dancing in sync with music created in the lab and composed according to its movements.Shimi is essentially a docking station with a “brain” powered by an Android phone.Once docked, the robot gains the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the user’s mobile device.In other words, if there’s an “app” for that, Shimi is ready.For instance, by using the phone’s camera and face-detecting software，Shimi can follow a listener around the room and position its “ears”，or speakers, for optimal sound.Another recognition feature is based on rhythm and tempo.If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phone’s musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion.Once the music starts，Shimi dances to the rhythm.“Many people think that robots are limited by their programming instructions, said Music Technology Ph.D.candidate Mason Bretan.“Shimi shows us that robots can be creative and interactive.’’Future apps in the works will allow the user to shake their head in disagreement or wave a hand in the air to alert Shimi to skip to the next song or increase/decrease the volume.The robot will also have the capability to recommend new music based on the user’s song choices and provide feedback on the music play list.Weinberg hopes other developers will be inspired to create more apps to expand Shimi’s creative and interactive capabilities.“I believe that our center is ahead of a revolution that will see more robots in homes.” Weinberg said.Weinberg is in the process of commercializing Shimi through an exclusive licensing agreement with Georgia Tech.Weinberg hopes to make the robot available to consumers by the 2013 holiday season.“If robots are going to arrive in homes, we think that they will be this kind of machines一small, entertaining and fun，，Weinberg said.“They will enhance your life and pave the way for more intelligent service robots in our lives.” 词汇：

pump v.用抽水机抽;不断播放（音乐）scan v.扫描;浏览 skip v.轻跳，跳跃

sync n.同步，同时;v.使同步 tempo n.速度;节奏 注释：

1.Georgia Tech:全称是Georgia Institute of Technology,佐治亚理工学院，建于1885 年，位于亚特兰大市中心。佐治亚理工学齒是美国南部最大的公立理工学院,也是全美最顶尖的理工学院之一，排名仅次于麻省理工学院(MIT)和加州理工学院(CalTech)。2.pump:不断播放(音乐）。例如:This radio station recently pumps out pop music.(这家广播电台近来连续播放流行音乐。)3.smartphone-enabled:由智能手机系统支持的

4.is billed as:相当于is advertised as，意为“被标榜为”。5.docking station: 插接站,扩充基座，扩展插口

-6.Android:(科幻小说里的)机器人。本文指用于智能手机和便携式计算机移动设备的一种以Linus为基础的开放源代码操作系统，通过接口和插槽连接多种外部设备。目前Android 尚未有统一中文译名，国内较多人翻译成“安卓”或“安致”。据2012年2月数据, Android 占据全球智能手机操作系统市场52.5%的份额,中国市场占有率为68.4%。7.dock：对接

8.the sensing and musical generation capabilities:传感和音乐生成能力 9.app:应用程序（=application)10.if the user taps a beat:如果用户打出某个(音乐）拍子 11.in the works:正在准备阶段;在进行中或准备中 12.intelligent service robots:智能服务型机器人 练习：

1.Which of the following is NOT true according to the first three paragraphs? A Shimi is a one-foot tall robot.B Shimi is the creator of the musical companion.C Shimi is a docking station with a“ brain” powered by an Android phone.D Shimi can gain the sensing and musical generation capabilities of the user’s mobile device.2.What does Shimi do if the user taps a beat? A It stores the beat in the musical library.B It transmits the beat to the docking station.C It positions its speakers for optimal sound.D It selects a perfectly-matched song and plays it in sync with that beat.3.Which of the following about Shimi is true? A Robots are limited by their programming instructions, and Shimi is no exception.B Present apps allow the user to shake their head to alert Shimi to skip to the next song.C Existing apps allow the user to wave a hand to alert Shimi to turn up/down the volume.D Shimi can be creative and interactive.4.What does the author want to tell us? A The research center is developing a stronger and more versatile Shimi.B Weinberg only expects staffs from Georgia Tech.to develop more apps for Shimi.C Shimi is not yet technologically ready for commercialization.D Robots such as Shimi are created for large corporations rather than homes.5.Which of the following is Weinberg’s assertion?

A Shimi as a robotic musical companion can be applied to all types of smart phones.B human lives will be filled with more fun if Shimi is going to arrive in homes.C Shimi's creative and interactive capabilities are appreciated by most of its users.D Weinberg has reached an agreement with Georgia Tech to commercialize Shimi.答案与题解：

1.B在前三段中均可找到与选项A、C、D相应的句子，强调Shimi是一种电子设备;B与原文不符, Shimi不是该机器人的发明者,Gil Weinberg教授才是the robot’s creator。

2.D选项D简要地表述了第三段的倒数第二句“If the user taps a beat, Shimi analyzes it, scans the phone’s musical library and immediately plays the song that best matches the suggestion”的意思,所以是答案。选项A、B、C都不符合上述句子的含义。

3.D选项A的意思与原文相反。虽然人们认为机器人受到程序指令的限制，但Shimi却表现出具有创造能力和互动能力，所以A不是答案。选项D的意思与原文相同，因而是答案。第四段第三句指的是未来的应用程序: future apps in the works,而选项B,C是指目前的应用程序，两者的表述均与原文有出入。4.A第三段介绍Shimi的多种功能，第四段和第五段说Weinberg还在开发更多的应用程序来丰富Shimi的功能，还希望其他研发者也参与开发，因此，A是答案。选项B说Weinberg 仅仅希望Georgia Tech员工参与开发更多的应用软件，这与原文不符。文章最后一段告诉我们,Weinberg正在与Georgia Tech进行有关Shimi商业化的谈判,选项C的意思与此相反，不会是答案。选项D也与原文不符。5.B选项A、C和D的内容Weinberg都没有说过。第三段告诉我们，Shimi是Android smart phone的扩充基座，并不适用于所有智能手机，所以A选项不正确；Shimi尚未进入市场，还谈不上公众对Shimi欣赏与否的问题，因此选项C不符合原意；Shimi正在进行商业化运作，但绝非已经完成，所以D也不是正确选项。本题的答案是B,依据是最后一段倒数第二句。

译文：

Shimi是由佐治亚理工大学音乐技术中心研发的一款音乐伴侣。它可以根据听者的反馈推荐合乎节拍的歌曲、舞蹈；并且不断播放音乐。这款髙1英尺的机器人是由智能手机系统支持的，因此被标榜为“一个可以互动的音乐朋友”。

Gil Weinberg教授是该机器人的发明者，他解释说：“Shimi设计的宗旨是改变人们欣赏音乐、认识音乐的方式。”他将在今年6月27日在旧金山的谷歌I/O大会上展示这款机器人。一个由三个机器人组成的乐队将为来宾演奏，并伴随音乐起舞。而音乐是根据不同的运动形式编制的。

Shimi实际上是一个扩充基座，它的“大脑”由安卓手机控制。一旦连接上，机器人便从用户的移动装置获得传感和音乐生成能力。换言之，只要有应用程序，机器人便能使用。例如，通过手机的照相机和辨认脸型的软件，Shimi就能在房间周围跟踪到听众，然后安置好它的“耳朵”或扬声器，以确保输送最佳声音。另外一种识别特征是基于节奏和速度。如果用户打出某个（音乐）拍子，Shimi会对此进行分析，然后浏览手机的音乐库，并立即演奏最符合要求的音乐。一旦音乐响起来，Shimi就随韵律起舞。

“许多人认为机器人受到程序指令的限制，而Shiini给我们展示了机器人可以具有创造力和与人交互的能力。”音乐技术博士研究生Mason Bretan如是说。正在研发中的程序将使用户能沟通过摇头或摆手表示不同意，来提醒Shimi跳到下一首歌或增减音量。机器人还可根据用户对歌曲的选择推荐新音乐，并对音乐播放列表提供反馈。

Weinberg希望其他研发者会因此获得灵感，开发更多的应用程序，来扩展Shimi的创新和交互功能。他说：“我认为我们中心正在引领这场将更多机器人应用到家庭中去的变革。” Weinberg正在通过获得佐治亚理工学院的独家授权来对Shimi进行商业推广。Weinberg希望到2013年的节日季消费者可购买到Shimi。Weinberg说：“如果机器人进入家庭，我们认为就应该是这种类型的机器人：小巧、令人愉快和有趣，它们能提高我们的生活质量，为更多智能服务型机器人进人我们的生活做好准备。

第二十篇Explorer of the Extreme Deep

Oceans cover more than two-thirds of our planet． Yet，just a small fraction of the undcrwaler world has been uxplored． Now，Scientists at the Woods Hole1 Oceanographic Institution(WHOI)in Massachusetts are building an underwater vehicle hat will carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters(21,320 feet)．The new machine，known as a manned submersible or human-operated vehicle(HOV)，will replace another one named Alvin2 which bas an amazing

record of discovery，playing a key role in various important and famous undersea expeditions．Alvin has been operating for 40 years but can go down only 4,500 meters(14,784 feet)．It’s about time for an upgrade，WHOI researchers say．

Alvin was launched in 1964．Since then，Alvin has worked between 200 and 250 days a year，says Daniel Fornari，a marine geologist and director of the Deep Ocean Exploration Institute at WHOI．During its lifetime，Alvin has carried some 12,000 people on a total of more than 3,000 pes． A newer，better versions of Alvin is bound to reveal even more surprises ahout a world that is still full of mysteries，Fornari says．It might also make the job of exploration a little easier．“We take so much for granted on land,” Fornari says．“We can walk around and see with our eyes how big things are． We can see colors，special arrangements．”

Size-wise，the new HOV will be similar to Alvin．It’ll be about 37 feet long．The setting area inside will be a small sphere，about 8 feet wide，like Alvin，it’ll carry a pilot and two passengers．It will be just as maneuverable．In most other ways，it will give passengers more opportunities to enjoy the view，for one thing．Alvin has only three windows，the new vehicle will have five，with more overlap so that the passengers and the pilot can see the same thing．

Alvin can go up and down at a rate of 30 meters every second，and its maximum speed is 2 knots(about 2．3 miles per hour)，while the new vehicle will be able to ascend and descend at 44 meters per second．It’ll reach speeds of 3 knots，or 3．5 miles per hour． 词汇：

fraction/5frAkFEn/n．一部分 pe/daiv/v．＆ n．潜水；跳水

underwater/5QndE5wC:tE(r)/adj． bound/baund /adj．受约束的，一定的 水下的；adv．在水下

sphere/sfiE(r)/n．球体；范围 manned/5mAnd/adj．载人的

maneuverable/mE5nu:vErEbl/adj． undersea/5QndEsi:/ adj．海底的，机动的，可调动的 submersible/sQb5mE:sEbl/n．潜艇；潜水器

overlap /5EuvE5lAp/v．＆ n．重叠 upgrade/5Qp^reid/n．升级 ascend/E5send/ v．上升 geologist/dVi5ClEdVist/n．地质学家 注释： 1． Woods Hole：美国马萨诸塞州的一个渔村，但同时拥有许多重要研究机构，如：the Marine Biological Laboratory，the Sea Education Association以及the Woods Hole Oceanographic lnstitution。

2． Alvin：世界上第一个深海潜水器，它最有名的深海探测包括1986年对泰坦尼克号残骸的测量工作。练习：

1． What is Alvin?

A A research institute． B A transporting vehicle． C A submersible． D A scientist．

2． Which of the following statements is NOT a fact about Alvin? A It can carry explorers as deep as 6,500 meters．

B It has played a key role in various important undersea expeditions C It was launched in the sixties of the twentieth century． D It has been used for more than 40 years．

3． “．．．a world that is still full of mysteries” refers to A the earth． B out space． C the ocean． D Mars．

4． In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin similar? A Size． B Speed． C Capacity． D Shape．

5． In what aspects are the new HOV and Alvin different? A Offering better views． B Speed． C Size．

D Both A and B．

答案与题解：

1． C 短文第一段的第四、第五句提供了答案

2． A 文章第一段从第三句开始说，科学家正在研制一艘可将研究人员带到6 500米深处的潜水装置，而它将替代Alvin，因为Alvin只能潜到4 500米深处。A不是事实，所以是正确选择。

3． C 本文讨论探索海底世界的潜水装置，所以“充满神秘色彩的世界”指的就是海洋。4． D 第三段的头三个句子告诉我们，HOV和Alvin在体积上和容量上相似。所以D是正确选择。

5． D 第三段最后两句告诉我们，Alvin只有三个窗户，而HOV有五个。最后一段告诉我们，两艘潜水装置的上下活动速度和行进速度有所差别。所以D是正确选择。译文： 深海探索器

海洋覆盖了我们地球三分之二的面积，但被开发的地下水却只有很小一部分。目前，马萨诸塞木洞海洋研究所的科学家们正在开发一种能载探索家们深入水下6 500米(21 320英尺)的水下交通丁具。作为一种载人潜艇或人T操作丁具，这种新的机器将替代世界上第一个深海潜水器Alvin。Azui”潜水器已经保持了惊人的纪录，在各种重要的深海考察中发挥着重要作用。Alvin潜水器已经运行了40年，但它只能深人水下4 500米(14 784英尺)。术洞海洋协会的研究家们说，潜水下具陔升级了。

Alvin潜水器下水始于1964年。海洋地质学家兼木洞海洋学研究所深海探索协会主任Daniel其不意Fornari说，自1 964年后，Alvin潜水器每年运行200～250天。在整个航程巾，它载12 000人进行过3 000多次潜水。

Fornari说，新式的Aluin潜水器必将揭示这个依旧充满神秘的水下世界的许多奇妙之处。它也可能会使水下探索更容易些。Fornari说：“我们在陆上把许多东两想当然，我们会四处行走，用我们的双眼看周同的东两的大小。我们会看到各种颜色，各种特殊的布置。”

这种新的人工操作机器与Aluin潜水器很相似，大小适中。长约37英，里面环境将是个小球体，约8英尺宽。和Azum一样，它将载一名宇航员和两名乘客。可渊动。其他方面。它将使乘客有更多机会欣赏风景，闪为旧式Aluin潜水器只有三个窗，“，新式的将有五个窗户，其中有很多折叠，乘客和宇航员可以看见相同的事物。

旧式Aluin抽潜水器可以每秒上下30米．最快时速是2节(约2．3英里／小时)；衙新式潜水器将能每秒上下44米，它最快时速将达到3节(3．5英曜/小时)。

第十八篇Thirst for Oil

Worldwide every day, we devour the energy equivalent of about 200 million barrels of oil.Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun.In fact enough energy from the Sun hits the planet’s surface each minute to cover our needs for an entire year, we just need to find an efficient way to use it.So far the energy in oil has been cheaper and easier to get at.But as supplies dwindle, this will change, and we will need to cure our addiction to oil.Burning wood satisfied most energy needs until the steam-driven industrial revolution, when energy-dense coal became the fuel of choice.Coal is still used, mostly in power stations, to cover one quarter of our energy needs, but its use has been declining since we started pumping up oil.Coal is the least efficient, unhealthiest and most environmentally damaging fossil fuel, but could make a comeback, as supplies are still plentiful: its reserves are five times larger than oil’s.Today petroleum, a mineral oil obtained from below the surface of the Earth and used to produce petrol, diesel oil and various other chemical substances, provides around 40% of the world’s energy needs, mostly fuelling automobiles.The US consumes n quarter of all oil, and generates a similar proportion of greenhouse gas emissions.The majority of oil comes from the Middle East, which has half of known reserves.But other significant sources include Russia, North America, Norway, Venezuela and the North Sea.Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge1 could be a major new US source, to reduce reliance on foreign imports.Most experts predict we will exhaust easily accessible reserves within 50 years, though opinions and estimates vary.We could fast reach an energy crisis in the next few decades, when

demand exceeds supply.As conventional reserves become more difficult to access, others such as oil shales and tar sands may be used instead.Petrol could also be obtained from coal.Since we started using fossil fuels, we have released 400 billion tonnes2 of carbon, and burning the entire reserves could eventually raise world temperatures by 130 C.Among other horrors, this would result in the destruction of all rainforests and the melting of all Arctic ice.注释:

1.Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge:美国阿拉斯加北极国家野生动物保护区。2001年，美国众议院通过了一项基于布什提出的在那里进行石油开采的议案。该议案遭到环境保护主义组织的反对。因此，目前在该区禁止开采石油。

2.tonne:公吨(= 1,000公斤〉。不同于 ton。ton:在美国等于二千磅(=0.907公吨)，所以称作 short ton:短吨。练习: 1.“… we will need to cure our addiction to oil.”Why does the author say so? A Most of the energy on Earth comes from the Sun.B Oil supply is increasing all the time.C Demand for oil is increasing all the time.D Oil supply is decreasing.2.Which of the following statements is NOT meant by the author, according to the second paragraph?

A Wood was the fuel of choice before coal.B The use of coal is declining.C Coal is the most environmentally unfriendly fuel next to oil.D Coal reserves are plentiful and will be likely to become the major fuel of choice.3.Which country is the biggest consumer of petroleum? A The United States.B Russia.C Norway.D Venezuela.4.What do experts say about the earth’s fuel reserves?

A The earth’s fuel reserves will be accessible for the next 50 years.B There will soon be an energy crisis.C Conventional reserves will soon become inaccessible.D Fuel demand will decline.5.What is NOT the result of consuming fossil fuels according to the last paragraph? A Rainforests will be destroyed.B Arctic ice will be melted.C The earth’s temperature will be raised.D The sea level will go up.答案与题解 : 1.D 答案在第一段昀后一句中。这里的 supplies指 oil supplies。

2.C短文的第二段告诉我们，木材曾经是主要燃料来源，然后被煤所替代；自人们开始采油后，对煤的需求下降了，但因为媒的储量远大于石油，它可能又会成为主要燃料，尽管它对环境昀具破坏力。所以 A、B、D均是作者的意思，而 C不是。next to oil除石油以外。

3.A文章的第三段说，美国消耗全世界四分之一的石油。

4.B答案在第五段第二句中。该段第一句说，地球上的燃料储量将在 50年内耗尽，所以 A不是正确选择；第三句的意思是，常规燃料的获取将变得困难，而不是不可获得，所以 C也不是正确选择； D明显不是作者的意思。

5.D 选项 A、B、C都是昀后一段中所表达的意思。所以 D是正确选择。

译文： 石油匮乏

全世界每天都要消耗相当于亿桶石油的能源。地球上的大部分能源来自于太阳。事实上，每分钟到达地球表层的来自于太阳的能源就足已满足我们一整年的需求，我们只是需要有效地加以利用而已。到目前为止，石油一直是一种较便宜、易获得的能源。但当供应缩减时，情况就会改变，我们就不能像现在这样不加节制地消耗石油了。

在蒸汽工业命时代，高能煤成为首选燃料之前，燃木能满足大部分能源需求。现在，煤仍然大量地运用于发电站，满足我们四分之一的能源需求。但自从我们开始大量开采石油后，煤的使用就已经在逐渐衰退。煤是使用效率最低、最不健康、最不环保的化石燃料，但因其供应充足——煤的储量是石油的6倍，煤的使用量又有所回升。

今天，石油作为一种从地表层挖掘出，用于生产汽油、柴油和其他各种化学物质的矿物油，供应着大约40%的世界能源需求，其中大部分用于供给机动车辆；美国消耗着世界四分之一的石油，同时排放出大约全球1/4的温室气体。

大部分的石油来自中东，牛东拥有50％的世界已勘探石油储存量。其他的石油产地包括俄罗斯、北美、挪威、委内瑞拉和北海。阿拉斯加北极国家野生动物保护区最新成为美国能源的又一主要供应地，减少了美国对国外进口石油的依赖。

尽管意见和评价各有不同，但大多数专家预测人类将在50年之内轻而易举地耗尽现行的所有储备石油。未来的几十年，当供不应求时我们会很快陷入能源危机。当常规能源不容易获得时，代之使用的可能是诸如油页岩和沥青砂等能源。石油也可从煤中提炼获得。

自从我们开始使用化石燃料，我们已经释放出4000亿吨碳。当化石燃料全部用完时，世界温度将上升13摄氏度。更恐怖的是，这将会导致所有热带雨林的破坏和北极冰的溶解。

第二十七篇Driven to Distraction

Joe Coyne slides into the driver’s eat, starts up the car and heads to town.The empty stretch of interstate gives way to urban congestion, and Coyne hits the brakes as a pedestrian suddenly crosses the street in front of him.But even if he hadn’t stopped in time, the woman would have been safe.She isn’t real.Neither is the town.And Coyne isn’t really driving.Coyne is demonstrating a computerized driving simulator that is helping researchers at Old Dominion University(ODU)examine how in-vehicle guidance systems affect the person behind the wheel.The researchers want to know if such systems, which give audible or written directions, are too distracting—or whether any distractions are offset by the benefits drivers get from having help finding their way in unfamiliar locations.“We’re looking at the performance and mental workload of drivers,” said Caryl Baldwin, the assistant psychology professor leading the research, which involves measuring drivers’ reaction time and brain activity as they respond to auditory and visual cues.The researchers just completed a study of the mental workload involved in driving through different kinds of environments and heavy vs.light traffic.Preliminary results show that as people “get into more challenging driving situations, they don’t have any extra mental energy to respond to something else in the environment,” Baldwin said.But the tradeoffs could be worth it, she said.This next step is to test different ways of giving drivers navigational information and how those methods change the drivers’ mental workload.“Is it best if they see a picture…that shows their position, a map kind of display?” Baldwin said.“Is it best if they hear it?” navigational systems now on the market give point-by-point directions that follow a prescribed route.“They’re very unforgiving,” Baldwin said.“If you miss a turn, they can almost seem to get angry.”

That style of directions also can be frustrating for people who prefer more general instructions.But such broad directions can confuse drivers who prefer route directions, Baldwin said.Perhaps manufacturers should allow drivers to choose the style of directions they want, or modify systems to present some information in a way that makes sense for people who prefer the survey style, she said.Interestingly, other research has shown that about 60 percent of men prefer the survey style, while 60 percent women prefer the route style, Baldwin said.This explains the classic little thing of why men don’t like to stop and ask for directions and women do, Baldwin added.练习：

1.Which statement is true of the description in the first two paragraphs? A.If Coyne had stopped the car in time, he wouldn’t have hit the woman.B.The woman would have been knocked over, if Coyne had followed the traffic regulations.C.Coyne is not really driving so it is impossible for him to have hit the woman.D.If the woman had not crossed the street suddenly, Coyne would not have hit her.2.What do researchers want to find out, according to the third and fourth paragraphs? A.Whether or not audible or written directions are distracting.B.how long it will take the driver to respond to auditory and visual stimuli.C.How the driver perform under certain metal workload.D.All of the above.3.What are the preliminary results given in the fifth paragraph? A.Drivers are afraid of getting into challenging driving situations.B.In challenging driving situations, drivers still have extra energy to handle other things.C.In challenging driving situations, drivers do not have any additional mental energy to deal with something else.D.Drivers’ mental load remains unchanged under different situations.4.The sixth paragraph mainly state that the researchers.A.is designing a visual navigational information system.B.is designing an audio navigational information system.C.is designing an audio-visual navigational information system.D.want to determine the best ways of giving navigational information system.5.What kind of directions do men and women prefer?

A.Women prefer more general directions and men prefer route directions.B.Men prefer more general directions and women prefer route direction.C.Both men and women prefer general directions.D.Both men and women prefer route directions.答案与解释 : 1.C 根据第一段和第二段的内容，读者可以知道，这不是 Coyne真实的驾车经历。第二段的第一句是虚拟语气，意思是即使他没有及时刹车，那位妇女也是安全的。因此 A、B和 D都不符合句意。

2.D 第三段告诉我们，研究者要了解什么样的驾车指南会使回车者分心。第四段告诉我们，他们要研究驾车者在驾驶中的精神负荷，测试驾车者对声音和图像的反应，包括反映时间和大脑活动。所以，D是正确选项。

3.C第五段昀后一句提供了答案。

4.D 根据本段第一句可以得知答案。

5.B 文章的昀后四段讨论驾车指南的两种类型：第九段使用的两个表达是： general instructions和 route directions 即是第八段中的 point-by-point directions that follow a prescribed route；第十段和第十一段使用的表达是：survey style 和 route style。因此，general instructions或 general directions指的是一种传递总体信息的驾车指南，point-by-point directions和 route style是一种传递具体路线信息的驾车指南。根据昀后一段的描述，大多数男士偏向于 general directions，而女士则偏向于 point-by-point directions，即 route style。

译文：

分散注意力驾驶

JoeCoyne滑进驾驶室，发动汽车朝城里开去。空荡荡的那段州际公路结束了，进入到拥塞的城市。这时，一个行人突然从Coyne的车前穿过，他急忙紧急刹车。

但是，就算Coyne来不及刹车，那个妇女也不会有事儿。因为，她是一个假人。整座城市也是假的。Coyne并不是真的在开车。他只是在演示一个计算机操控的驾驶模拟器，帮助OldDominion大学的研究者们检测车内导向系统如何影响开车人。

研究者们希望了解驾驶员在陌生环境里从这一系统提供的那些语音或书面的说明中得到的导路指南等益处是否抵消了这些东西引起的注意力不集中的问题。

主持研究的心理学副教授CarylBaldwin说：“我们一直关注着驾驶员的表现和精神负荷”这包括驾驶员在对听觉和视觉提示做出反应时的反应时间和大脑活动。

研究人员刚刚完成了一项关于在不同环境中，如交通畅通或交通拥挤时驾驶员精神负

荷的调查。Baldwin说，初步的调查结果显示人们“在更富有挑战性的环境中驾驶时，并不会对周围环境的变化做出更大的反应。”

她说，两种提示的交替使用还是有效的。下一步，他们将测试为驾驶员提供导向信息的不同方法以及这些方法如何改变驾驶员的精神负荷。

Baldwin说：“是给驾驶员看类似地图那样的显示图片好，还是让他们听到指示信息好呢？”

现在市场上的导向系统会给出点对点的方向信息，同时还会提供预定的路线。Baldwin说：“这些系统通常不会原谅人的错误。如果驾驶员错过了一个转变，它们就会变得非常生气。”

这种提供方向信息的方式通常会使更喜欢笼统信息的驾驶员产生一种受挫感。Baldwin说，笼统的信息却会使更喜欢线路批示的驾驶员感到困惑。

她说，也许，是系统制造商们应该允许驾驶员能够选择自己喜欢的指示方式，或者使系统能够为更喜欢调查信息方式的驾驶员提供有用的信息。

有意思的是，其他研究者表示60%的男性更喜欢这种提供调查信息的导向系统，而60%的女性则更喜欢线路指示系统。Baldwin说，这也就可以解释那个为什么女人喜欢下车问路，而男人却不的经典例子。

第三十二篇Mind-reading Machine

A team of researchers in California has developed a way to predict what kinds of objects people are looking at by scanning what's happening in their brains.When you look at something, your eyes send a signal about that object to your brain.Different regions of the brain process the information your eyes send.Cells in your brain called neurons are responsible for this processing.The fMRI(functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging)2 brain scans could generally match electrical activity in the brain to the basic shape of a picture that someone was looking at.Like cells anywhere else in your body, active neurons use oxygen.Blood brings oxygen to the neurons, and the more active a neuron is, the more oxygen it will consume.The more active a region of the brain, the more active its neurons, and in turn, the more blood will travel to that region.And by using fMRI, scientists can visualize3 which parts of the brain receive more oxygen-rich blood--and therefore, which parts are working to process information.An fMRI machine is a device that scans the brain and measures changes in blood flow to the brain.The technology shows researchers how brain activity changes when a person thinks, looks at something, or carries out an activity like speaking or reading.By highlighting the areas of the brain at work when a person looks at different images, fMRI may help scientists determine specific patterns of brain activity associated with different kinds of images.The California researchers tested brain activity by having two volunteers view hundreds of pictures of everyday objects, like people, animals, and fruits.The scientists used an fMRI machine to record the volunteers' brain activity with each photograph they looked at.Different objects caused different regions of the volunteers' brains to light up on the scan, indicating activity.The scientists used this information to build a model to predict how the brain might respond to any image the eyes see.In a second test, the scientists asked the volunteers to look at 120 new pictures.Like before, their brains were scanned every time they looked at a new image.This time, the scientists used their model to match the fMRI scans to the image.For example, if a scan in the second test showed the same pattern of brain activity that was strongly related to pictures of apples in the first test, their model would have predicted the volunteers were looking at apples.词汇：

scan v.&n.扫描 visualize v.使可见；设想

neuron n.神经元

注释:

1.Mind-reading: 能读出(猜出)人的想法的。mind-read: 可做动词，如，As a successful salesman, he is able to mind-read his customers.2.FMRI(functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging): 功能性磁振造影。这是一种新兴的神经影像学方式，其原理是利用磁振造影来测量神经元活动所引发之血液动力的改变。

3.visualize: 意为make(something)visible to th