These devices were among the thousands featured at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, a conference that brings industry experts together to share the latest and greatest in tech.
A food baby-friendly belt
College students are familiar with “food babies,” big stomachs caused by eating a little — okay, a lot — too much. This smart belt automatically adjusts to your stomach size. That’s right. When you overeat, Belty expands with your stomach.
“You’ll definitely know how many months into the pregnancy you are,” jokes Steve Greenberg, author of Gadget Nation, who just got back from CES.
If you don’t want to use Belty while pigging out, you can take advantage of its health-related features instead. Along with shifting size, Belty tracks food intake and exercise. It even vibrates(振动) if you’ve been inactive too long.
The Rocket Power characters’ dream product
Most students walk, bike or skate across campus. But with Rocketskates, which are electronic, motorized skates tied to your regular shoes, you can move very quickly.
The skate’s wheels, which are run by a microprocessor, get going when you lean forward and stop when you lean back. Top speed is 12 miles per hour, meaning you could leave your dorm at 7:56 and be on time for your 8:00 class. And you can carry them afterwards, since they’re light-weight.
A magical microwave
Most 3D printers turn plastic into 3D objects. But XYZprinting’s version turns flour and chocolate into cookies, cake and candy.
The printer, which is about the same size as a traditional all-in-one version, is simple to use. You select a 3D food item from the company’s database of “recipes”, all of which have been approved by a food specialist. Within minutes, your food is ready.
The “why hasn’t someone invented this sooner” phone charger
Everyone knows college students are busy — mostly because we take every available opportunity to say so.
The StoreDot FlashBattery can’t solve scheduling issues for smart phones, but it does make life easier by completely charging them in one minute.
Doron Myersdorf, StoreDot CEO, calls the battery’s quick-charging time “ideal” for college students. He even visualizes free StoreDot stations on campus that would make carrying a charger unnecessary.
1.What’s the main function of Belty?
A. To track food intake and exercise.
B. To warn you it’s time to get up and exercise.
C. To predict how long a person has been pregnant.
D. To make your stomach comfortable by shifting size.
2.Which of the following is true about Rocketskates?
A. It is powered by your feet.
B. It can run as fast as a car.
C. You may start it by leaning forward.
D. It is too heavy to carry by hand.
3.How does the new 3D printer differ from traditional versions?
A. It is much smaller in size. B. It turns flour into 3D food.
C. It turns plastic into 3D objects. D. It is operated by a food specialist.
4.Which of the following is true?
A. The author believes college students are very busy.
B. Free StoreDot stations are available on campus now.
C. The FlashBattery charges a phone unbelievably quickly.
D. Doron Myersdorf is not satisfied with the FlashBattery.
After nearly half a century behind the wheel, Hisao Matsumoto, 85, is not ready to stop driving. “I’m not that old yet,” he says. “I still have 15 more years to go till I reach 100.” Mr. Matsumoto is one of more than 5 million drivers aged 75 or older. A million more will be on the roads by 2021. Worried, the police are trying to persuade many of them out of driving, because over-75s are twice as likely to cause a fatal accident as younger drivers, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).
Nearly half of older drivers who caused fatal accidents had signs of cognitive impairment (认知障碍). Hundreds of older drivers turn the wrong way into motor ways every year. In January an 85-year-old man steered his vehicle into oncoming traffic on a country road, hitting a car and two schoolgirls. Police believe he mistook the accelerator for the brake. The man’s family said he had rejected their requests to hand over his keys many times.
Such stubbornness is common, notes Kazunori Iwakoshi, who heads an NGO that supports elderly drivers. Many drivers argue that they have never had an accident and it is unfair to do that, so they resent themselves being cast aside.
Since last March over-75s renewing their licenses must take cognitive tests to screen for dementia (老年痴呆). The NPA expects these changes to take 15,000 drivers off the road each year. Last year more than 250,000 over-75s gave up their licenses after their families’ constant stream of persuasion, says Mr. Iwakoshi. His organization publishes a check list for elderly drivers, aimed at getting them to assess their responses themselves.
Mr. Matsumoto is lucky. His city gives pensioners unlimited access to public transport. However, thousands of elderly people are stuck in rural communities with no buses.
1.Why do the police try to persuade elderly drivers to stop driving?
A. To encourage younger drivers to drive safely.
B. To reduce the number of deadly accidents.
C. To introduce the National Police Agency.
D. To stress the significance of safe driving.
2.Which word is closest in meaning to the underlined word “resent” in paragraph 3?
A. resemble B. support
C. injure D. dislike
3.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?
A. Tests to assess elderly drivers’ responses.
B. Families’ contributions to traffic safety.
C. Ways to renew licenses for elderly drivers.
D. Measures to control the number of elderly drivers.
4.What is implied about the restriction to elderly drivers in the last paragraph?
A. It can cause some new problems.
B. It is popular among elderly drivers.
C. It will do elderly drivers more harm than good.
D. It brings about easy access to public transport.
I am traveling home. It is bitterly cold and snowy, but the warm train is right on time. I feel pleasantly satisfied as I look out at the rush hour traffic on the motorway. I feel more satisfied as the smell of fresh coffee announces the arrival of the drinks service. Swiss friends often tell me, proudly, that their rail service is the best in the world, but recently, one experience has proved that the great Swiss love affair with their railway has turned a little sour.
It all began with the decision to end ticket sales on trains. One cold morning I arrived at my local station only to find that the ticket machine was broken. No matter, I thought, I have got a smart phone, and I hurriedly set about buying my ticket that way. This was not as easy as I had expected, busying myself between credit card and phone with freezing cold fingers, but, by the time I got on the train to Geneva I had an e-ticket and I proudly showed it to the conductor. Unfortunately she told me that my ticket was not valid. Several weeks later a letter arrived from Swiss railways together with a fine for 190 francs ($ 210).
The good people there tell me the formal payment for my ticket from my credit card company arrived four minutes after my train left the station. That means, they say, that I bought my ticket on the train—and that is strictly prohibited.
Swiss railways say their policy is designed to protect honest ticket-paying passengers, but a quick look at their balance sheet suggests something else. The company is making about $2 million a month from fines.
Although train travel is still popular, those seats do not feel as comfortable; the coffee does not smell quite so good—because Swiss railways have lost, for now anyway, something far more precious than $2 million a month: good relations with their customers.
1.What can we learn from paragraph 1?
A. The Swiss trains usually come late.
B. Traffic on the motorway goes smoothly.
C. The author hates traveling on the Swiss train.
D. The author is generally pleased with the Swiss rail service.
2.Why did the conductor say that the author’s e-ticket was invalid?
A. It was purchased online.
B. It was paid for after the train’s departure.
C. It was purchased on a ticket machine.
D. It was paid on a smart phone.
3.What does the author want to show by telling the experience?
A. The fine was unfair.
B. The conductor was impolite.
C. E-tickets are getting popular.
D. Credit cards can be inconvenient.
4.What does the author think of the new policy of Swiss railways?
A. It attracts more people to travel by train.
B. It makes the company lose a lot of money.
C. It damages company-customer relations.
D. It protects honest ticket-paying passengers.
Journalism Fellowships
In this important year for Europe, here is your chance to become one of the finest reporters and launch a career at two of the most globally famous news organizations—The Economist & the Financial Times. Below are the details.
What do the prizes involve and who has the right qualifications?
Two awards are on offer: one, for a British applicant, will consist of a three-month fellowship (职员身份) in continental Europe at The Economist; the other, for an applicant from elsewhere in the European Union, will be in London at the Financial Times also lasting three months. Both winners will also receive £6,000 to cover accommodation and travel. The fellowships are open only to European Union citizens.
Who are the fellowships suited for?
The fellowships are established specially for those ambitious early-career journalists with bold ideas and a lively writing style, each capable of adapting to the excitement and pressures of a modern newsroom. The fellow should have a particular interest and curiosity about European affairs, as the prize aims to help continental writers understand Britain and British writers understand Europe.
What is this year’s subject?
What is Europe’s greatest weakness? Please choose the country, institution, or issue that is of greatest concern.
How to apply?
Please send a submission on the subject above, together with a CV (简历) and covering letter. The submission can be:
an unpublished written article, blog post or data-rich essay of max 850 words
an unpublished 2-minute video
Entries should be sent, by the closing date of May 16th 2018, by e-mail to ncprize@ft.com. Successful applicants will be informed by the end of July 2018.
1.Why is the British winner to be posted at The Economist?
A. For him or her to tour more places.
B. For him or her to know Europe better.
C. To help him or her understand economics.
D. For him or her to become a European Union citizen.
2.Who are the fellowships intended for?
A. College students. B. Amateur writers.
C. New journalists. D. European politicians.
3.Which of the following can be accepted as a proper submission?
A. A published blog post. B. An unpublished 800-word essay.
C. An unpublished photo. D. A 3-minute video.
假定你是李华，你的朋友Henry向你询问快餐(Fast Food)在中国的发展情况，请你给他写封邮件，内容包括：1.很流行，尤其儿童和青少年更喜欢吃。
2.原因：方便，节约时间，店里干净，舒适，服务周到，食品美味。
3.缺点：不是一种均衡的饮食，不能满足青少年身体的需要。
4.你对快餐的态度。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，已使行文连贯。
Dear Henry,
I’m Li Hua. I’m writing to tell you something about fast food in China.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thanks for your kindness.
Yours，
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词：
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
When someone ask me what my Chinese Dream is, I will tell him “To be a good doctor” with any hesitation（犹豫）. The reason why I want to be a doctor is because I want to save as many people’s lives as I can. When I was young, I have a terrible car accident. Thank to the doctors, I survived and recovered. From them on, to be a good doctor has always been a inspiration to myself. I will study hardly to make sure that my dream will be come true in the future. Chinese Dream is made up of every ordinary person’s dream. We should do our best realize our dreams.
