职称英语考试 理工类ABC级 阅读理解与完形填空最后的押题

阅读理解文章_理工类_C级第一篇FordAbandonsElectricVehicles【福特放弃电动汽车】汽车公司停止生产（givenup）电池动力汽车不会是工具（notbe）ToyotaandNissan仍在生产（ToyotaandNissan）混合动力汽车里程更长（moremiles）汽车生产商希望允许生产更多（allowmore）第二篇WorldCrudeOilProductionMayPeakaDecadeEarlierThanSomePredict【世界原油产量可能提前十年达到峰值】点燃很刺激（stimulated）石油产量峰值时开始下降（declineafterglobal）现实准确（realistic）新研究成果20XX年（in2014）赫尔伯特模型科威特（Kuwaiti）第三篇CitizenScientists【公民科学家】生态学家需要数据（data）公民科学家要交数据库（database）一个公民科学家（acitizenscientist）只有BudBurst计划（Only）目的是气候（climate）第四篇MotoringTechnology【汽车技术】事故与新燃料（newfuels）交通事故司机的失误（mistakes）安全设施不包括挡风玻璃（Windscreens）实现机器人司机还要时间（takesometime）第五篇Late-nightDrinking【深夜喝咖啡】咖啡是刺激物（stimulant）咖啡减半（halves）三段在睡觉（onsleep）四段少激素（lesshormone）作者吃晚饭（supper）第六篇MakingLightofSleep【不要太在意睡眠】闹钟24小时周期（cycleof24hours）二段青春期（adolescents）三段很不利（badeffect）四五闹钟与自动（alarmclockautomatically）最后两段眼睛有一个（hadone）第七篇SugarPowerforCellPhones【用糖为手机发电】1段细胞大量生产（massproduction）维持酶（keepingenzymes）5段葡萄糖进入袋子（glucosepocket）燃料细胞是开始（beginning）最后一段需要时间（time）第八篇EiffelIsanEyeful【引人注目的埃菲尔铁塔】艾菲尔铁塔来涂鸦（scribble）浪费时间很奇怪（wastingtime）Richard有数字（747，19，4）建塔目的是研究（research）创造想象（imagine）第九篇Egyptfelledbyfamine【埃及饱受饥荒折磨】金字塔有文明（civilisation）气候对灭亡负责（climate）正确的是两河分支（WhiteandBlue）旱灾期过后衰败（afterdrought）单词是破坏（damaging）第十篇YoungFemaleChimpsOutlearnTheirBrothers【年轻雌猩猩学习优于她们的弟兄】捕白蚁母亲教（mothers）工具是蔬菜（Vegetables）雌猩猩捕更多（Females，more）雄猩猩是猎手和斗士（fightersandhunters）捕食猴子不正确（huntmonkeys）第十一篇WhenOurEyesServeOurStomach【我们的视觉服务于我们的胃口】第一段饱食了（stomach-full）要延迟两组（twogroups）作者说大脑（brains）实验结果闪太快（toofast）推断出需要（need）第十二篇FloridaHitbyColdAirMass【佛罗里达遭受冷气团袭击】一二段没提温度（temperature）第二段南佛罗里达降温（SouthFlorida）king被寒流袭击（suddencold）GovernorJeb来鼓励（encourage）最后一段弗罗里达（Florida）第十三篇InvisibilityRing【隐形环】哈利波特搞发明（invent）微波波长长（longer）隐形装置反射光（bounceoff）coaster去保护（protect）隐形斗篷与微波（microwaves）第十四篇JapaneseCarKeepsWatchforDrunkDrivers【日本用来监视醉酒司机的新型概念车】概念车与引擎（ignitionsystem）Volvo呼汽酒精监测器（breathalyzer）第4段是否需要（needs）Doi减少死亡率（fatalityrate）第6段车将自动（automatically）第十五篇WingedRobotLearnstoFly【肋生双翅机器人学飞行】第二段有数据（data）机器人获得高度（gainedheight）机器人不会飞（neverreallyfly）运动探测仪测高度（movementdetector）最后一段都是对的（Alltheabove）第十六篇JapaneseDrillingintoCoreofEarth【日本人的地心旅行】Unzen山1991爆发（1991）预测不是目的（predicting）原因有活火山（livingvolcanoes）地点在半山腰（halfwayupthemountain）标题是中心的孔（ahole）阅读理解文章_理工类_B级第一篇ASunshadeforthePlanet【地球防晒霜】前2段科学家们有办法（someoptions）不想人们认为已解决（solved）美沙酮很有效（effective）Stephen涂防晒霜（sunscreen）防晒霜不减少（decreases）第二篇ThirstforOil【石油匮乏】克服依赖因为石油减少（decreasing）第2段没说环境不好（environmentallyunfriendly）美国消费汽油最大（TheUnitedStates）专家们说能源危机（energycrisis）燃料不使海平面上升（sealevel）第三篇MusicalRobotCompanionEnhancesListenerExperience【音乐机器人伴侣提升音乐欣赏体验】前三段Shimi不是发明者（creator）Shimi会选择（selects）Shimi有创新（creative）作者描述研究中心（researchcenter）Weinberg想象Shimi进家庭（inhomes）第四篇ExploreroftheExtremeDeep【深海探索器】Alvin是潜艇（submersible）6,500不对（6,500）海洋很神秘（theocean）HOV和Alvin形似（Shape）HOV和Alvin两种不同（Both）第五篇PlantGas【植物，沼气的又一来源】沼气缺氧（oxygen-free）测沼气要氧浓度相同（halves）温度与释放量成正比（onsleep）沼气没有微生物（Microbes）沼气有益是更少（Less）第六篇Snowflakes【雪花】教授认为没有相同（thesame）六边形最简单（six-sided）湿温度最影响（Humidityandtemperature）作者在欣赏（admires）教授不能制造相同（exactlyalike）第七篇PoweringaCity?It’saBreeze【风力发电？轻而易举】荷兰木木（Wooden）涡轮机高科技（high-tech）最小的不用吊车（withoutacrane）荷兰国小人多（small，large）风力发电安在后院（installed，backyard）第八篇UndergroundCoalFiresaLoomingCatastrophe【地下煤着火—即将来临的灾难】警告污染（pollute）地热自燃（itsown，fireandburns）教授谈煤火（Coalfires）发现监测不正确（detectedandmonitored）控制切断（Cuttingoff）第九篇EattoLiveEattoLive【为生存而食】童年减肥不正确（childhood）二段证明影响（effect）老鼠得炎症（inflammation）老年老鼠最有兴趣（oldage）后两段节食ing（dieting）第十篇MaleandFemalePilotsCauseAccidentsDifferently【男女飞行员引起飞行事故的差异】大学研究关系（relation）性别差异不正确（genderdifferences）研究者进行研究（studied）女飞行员起飞或降落失控（takeoffandrunningoutoffuel）男女对比男易错（decision-making）第十一篇DriventoDistraction【分散注意力驾驶】不开车不可能撞到人（impossible）三四段全正确（All）五段有处理（dealwith）六段有方法（bestways）男爱线路女爱笼统（route，general）第十二篇SleepLetsBrainFileMemories【睡眠促使记忆归档存储】睡眠帮助记忆吗？（usefulorder）新皮海马相作用（worktogether）第四段很穷（poorer）海马越萎缩记忆越差（less，poorer）健身水平（levels）第十三篇I'IIBeBach【我也能成为巴赫】大卫编古典（classical）大卫创歌剧（opera）大卫编数据（database）艾米是软件（software）艾米更辛苦（morework）第十四篇DigitalRealm【数码王国】语音识别在初级（initialstage）第二段有思想（ourthoughts）三段发展数码（development，digitalworld）四段什么都有（Alloftheabove）个性市场满足需要（tailored）第十五篇HurricaneKatrina【卡特里娜飓风】飓风眼有中心（central）二段温暖又平静（warmandcalm）drive三段来提供（supply）大脑开发不是作者意思（braindevelops）经济大萧条不正确（greatdepression）第十六篇Mind-readingMachine【读心机】神经元发送信息（Neurons）预测不是目的（predicting）句意被标记（marking）两人实验（Two）标题有扫描（Scanned）第十七篇ExpertsCallforLocalandRegionalControlofSitesforRadioactiveWaste【专家呼吁局部和区域控制放射性废物地点】替换请撤消（Canceling）州或地方政府去安置（localpeopleandstates）决定被接受不正确（accepted）四段地点来适应（suit）意思来自地方（regional）阅读理解文章_理工类_A级第一篇BatteriesBuiltbyViruses【病毒电池】一段导致疾病（variousdiseases）贝尔彻病毒电池（batterieswithviruses）萎缩与扩展（Expand）六段有病毒（viruses）电池比头发宽度小得多（onetenthofahair）第二篇PuttingPlantstoWork【植物效能】作者谈了十亿年（billions）植物变成新能源（anewsource）五段很缺氧（nooxygen）困难很慢（tooslow）海藻便宜是错的（cheap）第三篇ListeningDeviceProvidesLandslideEarlyWarning【听觉仪器提供早期山崩预警】自然灾害是山崩（data）山崩下面都正确（Alloftheabove）研制新的说明旧的会出错（falsealarms）四段不能满是沙粒（filledinwithgravel）positives是证据（Evidences）第四篇“Don’tDrinkAlone”GetsNewMeaning【“不要在就餐时间以外饮酒”有了新含义】餐后饮酒易得癌（outsideofmeals）不是结论有数字（20percent）每天三杯不贪杯（3drinks）喉癌几率低（Laryngeal）降酒精难得癌（reduces）第五篇“LifeFormFound”onSaturn'sTitan【土卫六上发现了生命迹象】甲烷是基础（Titan）土卫六有生命（lifeclues）甲烷基础生物（Methane-based）科学家之间大不同（different）标题有一种可能性（Possibility）第六篇CloneFarm【克隆农场】克隆小鸡新时代（Clonedchickens）研究院资助研究（Institute）三段减投入（lessfeed）五段联手产细胞（cell-injecting）作用不能限品种（whatever）第七篇TeachingMath,TeachingAnxiety【教数学，教焦虑】第一段有信心（confidence）三段学科影响信心（confidence）老师们不自在（uneasy）六段焦虑与成绩有关（astronglink）Geary需要大样本（alargersample）第八篇TooLittleforGlobalWarming【全球变暖“缺油”】世界末日不会来（nevermaterialize）二氧化碳减排（cut）储存3,500亿桶（3,500billion）IPCC过于乐观（moreoptimistic）燃煤污染环境（environmentalproblems）第九篇RenewableEnergySources【可再生资源】石油，煤，天然气不可再生（AandB）三峡世界最大（largest）挪威商业电站（Norway）风力发电都正确（Alloftheabove）风能可再生（renewable）第十篇ForecastingMethods【天气预报的方法】方法没有想象力（Imagination）气候不变，方法起作用（notchange）缺陷较稳定（constant）气候学和相似物方法（climatologyandanalog）气候不同方法不同（differsfrom）第十一篇DefendingtheTheoryofEvolutionStillSeemsNeeded【捍卫进化论仍必要】第一段反对AIBS（oppose）生物学中心理论（central）80协会250，000成员（societies，members）进化论是三门学科的基础（fundamental）替换太直接（direct）第十二篇SmallButWise【小而聪明】WISE能测天象（unknownspace）make不等于snap（make）能看到红外线辐射（catches）小星星发光不正确（visiblelight）红外线辐射（infraredradiation）第十三篇AntsHaveBigImpactonEnvironmentas“EcosystemEngineers”【蚂蚁作为“生态系统工程师”对环境影响巨大】蚂蚁行为影响环境（environment）蚂蚁又大型又小型（aswellas）蚂蚁对环境影响大（territory）少量蚂蚁有积极影响（small，positive）人类行为（humanactivities）第十四篇ListeningtoBirdsong【倾听鸟鸣】斑胸草雀变换了嗓音（changetheirsongs）雌斑喜欢雄斑雀唱歌（forthem）雄草雀唱歌给雌草雀（forfemale）给自己唱歌是错误的（themselves）主题是交流（communication）第十五篇ResearchersDiscoverWhyHumansBeganWalkingUpright【研究人员发现人类开始直立行走的原因】前两段在质疑（question）博士研究祖先直立行走（walkupright）黑猩猩更喜欢可乐果（better）用空闲的肢体（twofreelimbs）生存的手段（survival）第十六篇U.S.ScientistsConfirmWateronMars【美国科学家确认火星上有水】火星上有水（Water）样品粘在了铲子里（gotstuck）火星破冰（ice-rich）美国和加拿大的科学家（AmericaandCanada）捕捉三维呈像（three-dimensional）第十七篇CellPhonesIncreaseTraffic,PedestrianFatalities【手机增加交通行人死亡】两个选项都正确（bothAandC）第二段临界点（acriticalmass）四段死亡率减少（reduced）80年代手机使用少（weren’tenough）使用一亿不清楚完形填空文章_理工类_C级第一篇CaptainCookArrowLegend【库克船长弓箭的传说】Itwasagreatlegendwhileitlasted,butDNAtestinghasfinallyendedatwo-century-oldstoryoftheHawaiianarrowcarvedfromtheboneofBritishexplorerCaptainJamesCookwhodiedintheSandwichIslandsin1779.“ThereisnoCookintheAustralianMuseum,”museumcollectionmanagerJudePhilipsaidnotlongagoinannouncingtheDNAevidencethatthearrowwasnotmadeofCook'sbone.Butthatwillnotstopthemuseumfromcontinuingtodisplaythearrowinitsexhibition,“Uncovered:TreasuresoftheAustralianMuseum,”whichdoesincludeafeathercapepresentedtoCookbyHawaiianKingKalani’opu’uin1778.CookwasoneofBritain’sgreatexplorersandiscreditedwithdiscoveringthe“GreatSouthLand,”nowAustralia,in1770.HewasclubbedtodeathintheSandwichIslands,nowHawaii.ThelegendofCook’sarrowbeganin1824whenHawaiianKingKamehamehaonhisdeathbedgavethearrowtoWilliamAdams,aLondonsurgeonandrelativeofCook’swife,sayingitwasmadeofCook’sboneafterthefatalfightwithislanders.Inthe1890sthearrowwasgiventotheAustralianMuseumandthelegendcontinueduntilitcameface-to-facewithscience.DNAtestingbylaboratoriesinAustraliaandNewZealandrevealedthearrowwasnotmadeofCook’sbonebutwasmorelikelymadeofanimalbone,saidPhilp.However,Cook’sfansrefusetogiveuphopethatoneCooklegendwillprovetrueandthatpartofhisremainswillstillbeuncovered,astheysaythereisevidencenotallofCook’sbodywasburiedatseain1779.“Onthisoccasiontechnologyhaswon,”saidCliffThornton,presidentoftheCaptainCookSociety,inastatementfromBritain.“ButIamsurethatoneofthesedays...oneoftheCooklegendswillprovetobetrueanditwillhappenoneday.”第二篇AvalancheandItsSafety【雪崩和安全问题】Anavalancheisasuddenandrapidflowofsnow,oftenmixedwithairandwater,downamountainside.Avalanchesareamongthebiggestdangersinthemountainsforbothlifeandproperty.Allavalanchesarecausedbyanover-burdenofmaterial,typicallysnowpack,thatistoomassiveandunstablefortheslopethatsupportsit.Determiningthecriticalload,theamountofover-burdenwhichislikelytocauseanavalanche,isacomplextaskinvolvingtheevaluationofanumberoffactors.Terrainslopesflatterthan25degreesorsteeperthan60degreestypicallyhavealowriskofavalanche.Snowdoesnotgathersignificantlyonsteepslopes;also,snowdoesnotfloweasilyonflatslopes.Human-triggeredavalancheshavethegreatestincidencewhenthesnow'sangleofrestisbetween35and45degrees;thecriticalangle,theangleatwhichthehumanincidenceofavalanchesisgreatest,is38degrees.Theruleofthumbis:Aslopethatisflatenoughtoholdsnowbutsteepenoughtoskihasthepotentialtogenerateanavalanche,regardlessoftheangle.Additionally,avalancheriskincreaseswithuse;thatis,themoreaslopeisdisturbedbyskiers,themorelikelyitisthatanavalanchewilloccur.Duetothecomplexityofthesubject,wintertravellinginthebackcountryisnever100%safe.Goodavalanchesafetyisacontinuousprocess,includingrouteselectionandexaminationofthesnowpack,weatherconditions,andhumanfactors.Severalwell-knowngoodhabitscanalsoreducetherisk.Iflocalauthoritiesissueavalancheriskreports,theyshouldbeconsideredandallwarningsshouldbepaidattentionto.Neverfollowinthetracksofotherswithoutyourownevaluations;snowconditionsarealmostcertaintohavechangedsincetheyweremade.Observetheterrainandnoteobviousavalanchepathswhereplantsaremissingordamaged.Avoidtravelingbelowotherswhomighttriggeranavalanche.第三篇 GiantStructures【巨型建筑】Itisanimpossibletasktoselectthemostamazingwondersofthemodernworldsinceeveryyearmorewonderfulconstructionsappear.Herearethreegiantstructureswhichareworthyofouradmirationalthoughtheymayhavebeensurpassedbysomemorerecentwonders.ThePetronasTwinTowersThePetronasTowerswerethetallestbuildingsintheworldwhentheywerecompletedin1999.Witha_heightof452metres,thetalltwintowers,liketwothinpencils,dominatethecityofKualaLumpur.Atthe41stfloor,thetowersarelinkedbyabridge,symbolizingagatewaytothecity.TheAmerican_architectCesarPellidesignedtheskyscrapers.Constructedofhigh-strengthconcrete,thebuildingprovidesaroundl,800squaremetresofofficespaceoneveryfloor.Andithasashoppingcentreandaconcerthallatthebase.Otherfeaturesofthisimpressivebuildingincludedouble-deckerlifts,andglassandsteelsunshades.TheMillauBridgeTheMillauBridgewasopenedin2004intheTarnValley,insouthernFrance.Atthetimeitwasbuilt,itwastheworld'shighestbridge,reachingover340matthehighestpoint.Thebridgeisdescribedasoneofthemostamazinglybeautifulbridgesintheworld.ItwasbuilttorelieveMillau'scongestionproblems.ThecongestionwasthencausedbytrafficpassingfromParistoBarcelonainSpain.Thebridgewasbuilttowithstandthemostextremeseismicandclimaticconditions.Besides,itisguaranteedfor120years!TheItaipuDamTheItaipuhydroelectricpowerplantisoneofthelargestconstructionsofitskindintheworld.ItconsistsofaseriesofdamsacrosstheRiverParana,which_formsanaturalborderbetweenBrazilandParaguay.Startedin1975andtaking16yearstocomplete,theconstructionwascarriedoutasajointprojectbetweenthetwocountries.Thedamiswell-knownforbothitselectricityoutputanditssize.In1995itproduced78%ofParaguay'sand25%ofBrazil'senergyneeds.Initsconstruction,theamountofironandsteelusedwasequivalenttoover300EiffelTowers.Itisatrulyamazingwonderofengineering.第四篇Animal's"SixthSense"【动物的“第六感”】AtsunamiwastriggeredbyanearthquakeintheIndianOceaninDecember,2004.ItkilledtensofthousandsofpeopleinAsiaandEastAfrica.Wildanimals,however,seemtohaveescapedthatterribletsunami.Thisphenomenonaddsweighttonotionsthattheypossessa"sixthsense"fordisasters,expertssaid.SriLankanwildlifeofficialshavesaidthegiantwavesthatkilledover24,000peoplealongtheIndianOceanisland'scoastclearlymissedwildbeasts,withnodeadanimalsfound."Noelephantsaredead,notevenadeadrabbit.Ithinkanimalscansensedisaster.Theyhaveasixthsense.Theyknowwhenthingsarehappening,"H.D.Ratnayake,deputydirectorofSriLanka'sWildlifeDepartment,saidaboutonemonthafterthetsunamiattack.Thewaveswashedfloodwatersupto2milesinlandatYalaNationalParkintheravagedsoutheast,SriLanka'sbiggestwildlifereserveandhometohundredsofwildelephantsandseveralleopards."Therehasbeenalotofapparentevidenceaboutdogsbarkingorbirdsmigratingbeforevolcaniceruptionsorearthquakes.Butithasnotbeenproven,"saidMatthewvanLierop,ananimalbehaviorspecialistatJohannesburgZoo."Therehavebeennospecificstudiesbecauseyoucan'treallytestitinalaborfieldsetting,"hetoldReuters.Otherauthoritiesconcurredwiththisassessment."Wildlifeseemtobeabletopickupcertainphenomenon,especiallybirds...therearemanyreportsofbirdsdetectingimpendingdisasters,"saidCliveWalker,whohaswrittenseveralbooksonAfricanwildlife.Animalscertainlyrelyontheknownsensessuchassmellorhearingtoavoiddangersuchaspredators.Thenotionofananimal"sixthsense"—orsomeothermythicalpower—isanenduringonewhichtheevidenceonSriLanka'sravagedcoastislikelytoaddto.TheRomanssawowlsasomensofimpendingdisasterandmanyancientculturesviewedelephantsassacredanimalsendowedwithspecialpowersorattributes.第五篇SingingAlarmsCouldSavetheBlind【警报器救盲人】Ifyoucannotsee,youmaynotbeabletofindyourwayoutofaburningbuilding—andthatcouldbefatal.AcompanyinLeedscouldchangeallthatwithdirectionalsoundalarmscapableofguidingyoutotheexit.SoundAlert,acompanyrunbytheUniversityofLeeds,isinstallingthealarmsinaresidentialhomeforblindpeopleinSommersetandaresourcecentrefortheblindinCumbria.Thealarmsproduceawiderangeoffrequenciesthatenablethebraintodeterminewherethesoundiscomingfrom.DeborahWithingtonofSoundAlertsaysthatthealarmsusemostofthefrequenciesthatcanbeheardbyhumans."Itisaburstofwhitenoisethatpeoplesaysoundslikestaticontheradio,"shesays."Itslife-savingpotentialisgreat."Sheconductedanexperimentinwhichpeoplewerefilmedbythermal-imagingcamerastryingtofindtheirwayoutof3alargesmoke-filledroom.Ittookthemnearlyfourminutestofindthedoorwithoutasoundalarm,butonly15secondswithone.Withingtonstudieshowthebrainprocessessoundsattheuniversity.Shesaysthatthesourceofawidebandoffrequenciescanbepinpointedmoreeasilythanthesourceofanarrowband.Alarmsbasedonthesameconcepthavealreadybeeninstalledonemergencyvehicles.Thealarmswillalsoincluderisingorfallingfrequenciestoindicatewhetherpeopleshouldgoupordownstairs.TheyweredevelopedwiththeaidofalargegrantfromBritishNuclearFuels.完形填空文章_理工类_B级第六篇CarThievescouldBeStoppedRemotely【远程制止偷车贼】Speedingoffinastolencar,thethiefthinkshehasgotagreatcatch.Butheisinanastysurprise.Thecarisfittedwitharemoteimmobilizerandaradiosignalfromacontrolcentermilesawaywillensurethatoncethethiefswitchestheengineoff,hewillnotbeabletostartitagain.Fornow,suchdevicesareonlyavailableforfleetsoftrucksandspecialistvehiclesusedonconstructionsites.Butremoteimmobilizationtechnologycouldsoonstarttotrickledowntoordinarycars,andshouldbeavailabletoordinarycarsintheUKintwomonths.

Theideagoeslikethis.Acontrolboxfittedtothecarincorporatesaminiaturecellphone,amicroprocessorandmemory,andaGPSsatellitepositioningreceiver.Ifthecarisstolen,acodedcellphonesignalwilltelltheunittoblockthevehicle’senginemanagementsystemandpreventtheenginebeingrestarted.Thereareevenplansforimmobilizersthatshutdownvehiclesonthemove,thoughtherearefearsoverthesafetyimplicationsofsuchasystem.IntheUK,anarrayoftechnicalfixesisalreadymakinglifeharderforcarthieves.“Thepatternofvehiclescrimehaschanged,”saysMartynRandallofThatcham,asecurityresearchorganizationbasedinBerkshirethatisfundedinpartbythemotorinsuranceindustry.Hesaysitwouldonlytakehimafewminutestoteachanovicehowtostealacar,usingabareminimumoftools.Butonlyifthecarismorethan10yearsold.Moderncarsareafartougherproposition,astheirenginemanagementcomputerwillnotallowthemtostartunlesstheyreceiveauniqueIDcodebeamedoutbytheignitionkey.IntheUK,technologieslikethishavehelpedachievea31percentdropinvehicle-relatedcrimesince1997.Butdeterminedcriminalsarestillmanagingtofindotherwaystostealcars.Oftenbygettingholdoftheowner’skeysinaburglary.In2000,12percentofvehiclesstolenintheUKweretakenusingtheowner’skeysdoublethepreviousyear’sfigure.Remote-controlledimmobilizationsystemwouldputamajornewobstacleinthecriminal’swaybymakingsuchtheftspointless.AgroupthatincludesThatcham,thepolice,insurancecompaniesandsecuritytechnologyfirmshavedevelopedstandardsforasystemthatcouldgoonthemarketsoonerthanthecustomerexpects.第七篇AnIntelligentCar【智能汽车】Drivingneedssharpeyes,keenears,quickbrain,andcoordinationbetweenhandsandthebrain.Manyhumandrivershavealltheseandcancontrolafast-movingcar.Buthowdoesanintelligentcarcontrolitself?Thereisavirtualdriverinthesmartcar.Thisvirtualdriverhas“eyes,”“brains,”“hands”and”feet,”too.Theminicamerasoneachsideofthecararehis“eyes,”whichobservetheroadconditionsaheadofit.Theywatchthetraffictothecar’sleftandright.Thereisalsoahighlyautomaticdrivingsysteminthecar.Itisthebuild-incomputer,whichisthevirtualdriver’s“brain,”His‘brain”calculatesthespeedsofothermovingcarsnearitandanalyzestheirpositions.Basingonthisinformation,itchoosestherightpathfortheintelligentcar,andgivesinstructionstothe“hands”and“feet”toactaccordingly.Inthisway,thevirtualdrivercontrolshiscar.Whatisthevirtualdriver’sbestadvantage?Hereactsquickly.Theminicamerasaresendingimagescontinuouslytothe“brain.”Itcompletestheprocessingoftheimageswithin100milliseconds.However,theworld’sbestdriveratleastneedsonesecondtoreactbesides,whenhetakesaction,heneedsonemoresecond.Thevirtualdriverisreallywonderful.Hecanreducetheaccidentrateconsiderablyonexpressways.Inthiscase,canwelethimhavethewheelatanytimeandinanyplace?Expertswarnthatwecannotdothatjustyet.Hisabilitytorecognizethingsisstilllimited.Hecannowonlydriveanintelligentcaronexpressways.第八篇WhyIndiaNeedsItsDyingVultures【印度为什么需要濒临灭亡的秃鹰】Thevulturesinquestionmaylookuglyandthreatening,butthesuddensharpdeclineinthreespeciesofIndia'svulturesisproducingalarmratherthancelebration,anditpresentstheworldwithanewkindofenvironmentalproblem.Thedramaticdeclineinvulturenumbersiscausingwidespreaddisruptiontopeoplelivinginthesameareasasthebirds.ItisalsocausingseriouspublichealthproblemsacrosstheIndiansub-continent.WhiletheirreputationandappearancemaybeunpleasanttomanyIndians,vultureshavelongplayedaveryimportantroleinkeepingtownsandvillagesalloverIndiaclean.Itisbecausetheyfeedondeadcows.InIndia,cowsaresacredanimalsandaretraditionallyleftintheopen6whentheydieintheirthousandsuponthousandseveryyear.Thedisappearanceofthevultureshasledtoanexplosioninthenumbersofwilddogsfeedingontheremainsofthesedeadanimals.Therearefearsthatrabiesmayincreaseasaresult.Andthisterrifyingdiseasemayultimatelyaffecthumansintheregion,sincewilddogsareitsmaincarriers.Rabiescouldalsospreadtootheranimalspecies,causinganevengreaterprobleminthefuture.Theneedforactionisurgent,soanemergencyprojecthasbeenlaunchedtofindasolutiontothisseriousvultureproblem.Scientistsaretryingtoidentifythediseasecausingthebirds’deathsand,ifpossible,developacure.Large-scalevulturedeathswerefirstnoticedattheendofthe1980sinIndia.Apopulationsurveyatthattimeshowedthatthethreespeciesofvultureshaddeclinedbyover90percent.Allthreespeciesarenowlistedas"criticallyendangered".Asmostvultureslayonlysingleeggsandtakeaboutfiveyearstoreachmaturity,reversingtheirpopulationdeclinewillbealonganddifficultexercise.第九篇WonderWebs【奇妙的网】Spiderwebsaremorethanhomes,andtheyareingenioustraps.Andtheworld’sbestwebspinnermaybetheGoldenOrbWeaverspider.ThefemaleOrbWeaverspinsaweboffibersthinenoughtobeinvisibletoinsectprey,yettoughenoughtosnareaflyingbirdwithoutbreaking.Thesecretoftheweb’sstrength?Atypeofsuper-resilientsilkcalleddragline.Whenthefemalespiderisreadytoweavetheweb’sspokesandframe,sheusesherlegstodrawtheairythreadoutthroughahollownozzleinherbelly.Draglineisnotsticky,sothespidercanracebackandforthalongittospintheweb’strademarkspiral.Unlikesomespidersthatweaveanewwebeveryday,aGoldenOrbWeaverreusesherhandiworkuntilitfallsapart,sometimesnotfortwoyears.ThesilkythreadisfivetimesstrongerthansteelbyweightandabsorbstheforceofanimpactthreetimesbetterthanKevlar,ahigh-strengthhuman-madematerialusedinbullet-proofvests.Andthankstoitshightensilestrength,ortheabilitytoresistbreakingunderthepullingforcecalledtension,asinglestrandcanstretchupto40percentlongerthanitsoriginallengthandsnapbackaswellasnew.Nohuman-madefiberevencomesclose.Itisnowondermanufacturersareclamoringforspidersilk.Intheconsumerpipeline:High-performancefabricsforathletesandstockingsthatneverrun.Thinkparachutecordsandsuspensionbridgecables.Asteadysupplyofspidersilkwouldbeworthbillionsofdollars–buthowtoproduceit?Harvestingsilkonspiderfarmsdoesnotworkbecausetheterritorialarthropodshaveatendencytodevourtheirneighbors.Now,scientistsatthebiotechnologycompanyNexiaarespinningartificialsilkmodeledafterGoldenOrbdragline.Thefirststep:extractsilk-makinggenesfromthespiders.Next,implantthegenesintogoateggcells.Thenannygoatsthatgrowfromtheeggssecretedraglinesilkproteinsintheirmilk.“Theyounggoatspassonthesilk-makinggenewithoutanyhelpfromus,”saysNexiapresidentJeffreyTurner.Nexiaisstillperfectingthespinningprocess,buttheyhopeartificialspidersilkwillsoonbesnaggingcustomers.Asfastastherealthingsnagsbugs.第十篇ChickenSoupfortheSoul:ComfortFoodFightsLoneliness【心灵鸡汤：爽心食品排解孤独感】Mashedpotatoes,macaroniandcheese,maybebadforyourarteries,butaccordingtoastudyinPsychologicalScience,they'regoodforyourheartandemotions.Thestudyfocuseson“comfortfood”andhowitmakespeoplefeel.“Formepersonally,foodhasalwaysplayedabigroleinmyfamily,”saysJordanTroisi,agraduatestudentattheUniversityofBuffalo,andleadauthoronthestudy.Thestudycameoutoftheresearchprogramofhisco-authorShiraGabriel.Ithaslookedatnon-humanthingsthatmayaffecthumanemotions.SomepeoplereducelonelinessbybondingwiththeirfavoriteTVshow,buildingvirtualrelationshipswithapopsongsingerorlookingatpicturesoflovedones.TroisiandGabrielwonderedifcomfortfoodcouldhavethesameeffectbymakingpeoplethinkoftheirnearestanddearest.Inoneexperiment,inordertomakeparticipantsfeellonely,theresearchershadthemwriteforsixminutesaboutafightwithsomeoneclosetothem.Othersweregivenanemotionallyneutralwritingassignment.Then,somepeopleineachgroupwroteabouttheexperienceofeatingacomfortfoodandotherswroteabouteatinganewfood.Finally,theresearchershadparticipantscompletequestionsabouttheirlevelsofloneliness.Writingaboutafightwithaclosepersonmadepeoplefeellonely.Butpeoplewhoweregenerallysecureintheirrelationshipswouldfeellesslonelybywritingaboutacomfortfood.“Wehavefoundthatcomfortfoodsareconsistentlyassociatedwiththoseclosetous,”saysTroisi.“Thinkingaboutorconsumingthesefoodslaterthenservesasareminderofthosecloseothers.”Intheiressaysoncomfortfood,manypeoplewroteabouttheexperienceofeatingfoodwithfamilyandfriends.Inanotherexperiment,eatingchickensoupinthelabmadepeoplethinkmoreaboutrelationships,butonlyiftheyconsideredchickensouptobeacomfortfood.Thiswasaquestiontheyhadbeenaskedlongbeforetheexperiment,alongwithmanyotherquestions,sotheywouldn'trememberit.Throughouteveryone'sdailylivestheyexperiencestress,oftenassociatedwithou