题型：阅读理解 题类：常考题 难易度：困难
黑龙江省哈尔滨市第六中学2016-2017学年高二下学期期中考试英语试题
Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface (界面) (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.
Recently, two researchers, Jose Milan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic schooling Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated(展示)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. Milan, 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.
Chinese President Xi Jinping once said. "Heroes come from the people." Every year, there are ordinary people spreading positive energy (正能量) and touching our hearts. Let's take a look at some of them.
Name: Zhu Yanfu Age: 88 Profession: soldier (士兵) and officer What he did: In 2021, everyone was impressed by the soldiers in the film The Battle at LakeChangjin. Zhu Yanfu was one of the real soldiers. He lost his hands, left eye and both legs in the battle (战斗). After returning to his village, he used all his money to open a reading room and set up the first evening school in the village. He also led the villagers to plant fruits and vegetables. | Name: Wu Tianyi Age: 86 Profession: doctor What he did: To better understand altitude sickness (高原病), Wu spent years studying the local people. Wu and his team came up with a way to help them. That allowed all 140,000 workers who built the Oinghai-Tibet Railway to avoid altitude sickness. It was considered a miracle (奇迹). Now, in his eighties, Wu refuses to give up working and still works there. |
Name: Janis Chan Age: 40 Profession: reporter and TV host What she did: Chan hosted a show called No Poverty Land. The show tells how people in faraway villages of China work hard to shake off poverty (脱贫). For the documentary, Chan spent three months walking across mountains and rivers to reach those faraway villages. Chan also had to climb a 2,556-step ladder to reach some villages. She not only talked with locals, but also experienced their lives. | Name: Jiang Mengnan Age: 30 Profession: student What she did: When Jiang was just 6 months old, she lost her hearing after relatives gave her the wrong medicine. To understand other people, Jiang learned to read lips. When she was in primary school, she failed to catch much of what the teachers said. She copied down everything on the blackboard and study after class. Her hard work made her a top student. At the end of this year, the 30-year-old will receive her doctorate (博士学位) at Tsinghua University. |
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