Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1.BCI is a technology that can ________.
A. help to update computer systems
B. link the human brain with computers
C. help the disabled to recover
D. control a person's thoughts
2.How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?
A. By controlling his muscles.
B. By talking to the machine.
C. By moving his hand.
D. By using his mind.
3.Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?
A. scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair
B. computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair
C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair
D. cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center
B. New Findings About How the Human Brain Works
C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled
D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并从答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
I had been playing hockey（冰球）for about 10 years. I was always the one sitting at the end of the bench, and got into a game. I went to all the and showed up even when it was so that your ‘breath froze’ and when the other players had decided to stay home. I felt I had enough and thought of quitting.
I finally decided to the news to my mom that I was leaving the team. My mom may have looked like a tiny and quiet lady but on my words, she said, “Remember, ‘A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.’ Your mother didn’t raise , so think about yourself in a way and see yourself as a winner!” So I worked harder than ever at getting in better shape, my shot accuracy and changing my .
Once in a match, we our first game badly. What’s worse, one of our best players got hurt. I was sitting at my place, at the end of the bench, when the coach came over and told me I was going , I was nervous, excited and terrified all at the same time.
The opposing team was fast and I had to admit I was a little . But my mom’s words out in my head like a church bell. Instead of being afraid, I was “pumped” and I very quickly found that all my work was paying off. I was as fast a skater as anyone else on the ice, and I seemed to get the to score. The crowd went quiet. All the time I spent on the ice when everyone had gone home had _____ me for this moment.
Won! I won!
The lesson I learned from my mom’s has stayed with me over the years. I hear them whenever I am faced with a challenge, or whenever I myself.
1.A. once B. seldom C. usually D. even
2.A. meeting B. shows C. matches D. practices
3.A. cloudy B. wet C. cold D. windy
4.A. suffered B. explained C. planned D. escaped
5.A. write B. tell C. read D. report
6.A. noticing B. gathering C. hearing D. analyzing
7.A. talkers B. dreamers C. attackers D. losers
8.A. positive B. familiar C. brief D. convenient
9.A. testing B. improving C. questioning D. affecting
10.A. aim B. taste C. habit D. attitude
11.A. lost B. controlled C. practiced D. continued
12.A. usual B. safe C. secret D. private
13.A. off B. in C. by D. up
14.A. annoyed B. nervous C. delighted D. bitter
15.A. ran B. gave C. stood D. rang
16.A. delicate B. extra C. creative D. casual
17.A. chance B. message C. order D. note
18.A. spared B. requested C. prepared D. sent
19.A. actions B. reasons C. words D. promises
20.A. judge B. express C. comfort D. doubt
It is shown that men have as women do on average while driving according to recent statistics.
A. twice as many serious accidents
B. serious accidents as twice many
C. twice serious accidents as many
D. serious accidents as many twice
Not until the train pulled into the station that his suitcase was gone.
A. did he find B. had he found C. he had found D. he found
This is the best way ______ I have thought of ______ the problem.
A. that; solving B. in which; solving
C. which; to solve D. /; to solve
However difficult you find to arrange your time, it will pay off in the long run.
A .this B. one C. it D. that
