1.2021年下半年英语四级阅读练习题
Electronics And FashionAs you probably know, clothing has been around since the time of Adam and Eve —and it's become a lot more sophisticated than those early fig leaf designs1 . On the other hand, electronics have been with us for only a few hundred years — beginning with Franklin running around with his portable lightning rod2 . With gadgets more popular than ever these days, the combination of clothing and electronics was inevitable.
First let me mention a line of jackets launched in the fall of 2000 by Royal Philips' Electronics and Levi Strauss &Co3. Philips'original press release4 called it"merging fashion and technology in the creation of work wear for the digital age . "I love that kind of talk.
Each design is said to contain"a simple body area network using wires integrated into the body design. "What it really does is allow you to use a Philips Xenium GSM mobile phone5 and MP3 player in a jacket — all controlled by a unified remote .
A company named VivoMetrics6 has designed a different type of electronic garment. It's called LifeShirt, and it's an ambulatory monitoring system stuffed into a flexible, washable T-shirt.
VivoMetrics has built a system that allows doctors to monitor more than 40 physiological signs ( heart rate , breathing rate, blood pressure , etc. ) over extended periods of time while patients are away from a doctor's office or hospital. One of the early target markers is people who suffer from sleep apnea7 .
"Various wires plug into a Springboard module that records and holds all of the medical data. The patient can then send the information wirelessly to their doctor or send the module to the lab. "
. .. But it says that this is the type of product that will probably never be available to consumers. Its real purpose is for clinical and medical research.
The company hopes to market the LifeShirt to pharmaceutical companies and research centers conducting trials of new drugs. VivoMetrics is going to show off the product. The company says it has" secured one driver, Jon Herd, to wear the shirt during his race".
I believe these produ cts are only the tip of the iceberg. In the future I think we 'll see more varied combinations of electronics and clothing. They'll find new ways to meld future computer designs with clothing to improve our lives seamlessly.
练习题：
Ⅰ. Give synonyms to the following words:
1. merge 2. monitor 3 . stuff
4. portable 5. ambulatory 6 . show off
Ⅱ. Question:
What is the unique function of Life Shirt and its early target marker?
答案：
Ⅰ. 1. immerge / submerge / involve 2. watch over / admonish
153 3. pack / full / cram 4. light / handy / manageable
5. moving / walking 6 . exhibit / display / set off
Ⅱ. VivoMetrics has built a system that allows doctors to monitor more than 40 physiological signs ( heart rate, breathing rate , blood pressure , etc. ) over extended periods of time while patients are away from a doctor’s office or hospital. One of the early target markers is people who suffer from sleep apnea.
2.2021年下半年英语四级阅读练习题
All Humans Are "Aliens from Outer Space"Humans are all aliens who came to earth from outer space, a leading British scientist has claimed. Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe, of Cardiff University, said new research "overwhelmingly" supported the view that human life started from outside our Earth.
The astrobiologist said the first "seeds of life" were deposited on our plant from space 3,800m years ago. He claimed microbes from outer space arrived on earth from comets, which then "multiplied and seeded" to form humam life.
He said his evidence, published in Cambridge University's International Journal 01 Astrobiology, showed humans, and all life on Earth, came from aliens brought to the earth by comets hitting the planet.
"Yes, we are all aliens-we share a cosmic ancestry," Prof Wickramasinghe said. "Each time a new planetary system forms a few surviving microbes find their way into comets seed other planets." He added: "We are thus part of a connected chain that extends over a large volume of the cosmos. Evidence is pointing inexorably in this direction."
Prof Wickramasinghe believes life is transferred from planet to planet over billions of years. He believes comets hit planets and pushed living matter out into space. He said some survived and got transferred to new planets over a timescale of millions and millions of years. But he accepts this model still does not explain how life actually began in the first place.
The professor and his late colleague Sir Fred Hoyle championed the so-calledd " panspermia" theory from the 1960s.
"Evidence from astronomy overwhelmingly supports the view that life did not start on Earth but was seeded from outside," Prof Wickramasinghe said. "Although we have no definite knowledge how life started in the first place, once started its spread in the cosmos and survival is inevitable."
"As we enter a new decade---the year 2010 - a clear pronouncement of our likely alien ancestry and of the existence of extraterrestrial life on a cosmic scale."
3.2021年下半年英语四级阅读练习题
Sex And The City-stateOn a small downtown stage, two men kiss passionately. Visitors to a nearby museum look at provocative nudes on the wall, while readers scour local magazines for the best place to buy sex toys. Think you're in New York? Guess again. This is Singapore, the famously uptight city-state better known for banning films like Eyes Wide Shut and Lolita, 2 not to mention magazines like Playboy3.
There's not exactly a free -love revolution going on, but Singapore has in recent years loosened its restrictions on sex in the arts. And more freedom is on the horizon: this month the government's Censorship Review Committee ( CRC) is expected to issue a report further easing the guidelines governing what Singaporeans read, watch and listen to. That means it may not be long before Singaporeans can enjoy Cosmopolitan magazine, and maybe even racy TV shows like HBO's Sex and the City.
The new rules are part of Singapore 's efforts to bolster its art scene . In 2002, it opened a world-class performing-arts center, the Esplanade -Theatres on the Bay, which has quickly become a visual icon and is tackling ambitious programs like the 19-hour opera The Peony Pavilion4 .
Singapore still has a long way to go to become a true bastion of artistic freedom. Sexually explicit scenes were recently cut from Chicago to give it a PG rating5. Certain topics remain very sensitive .
In the end, the CRC is expected to recommend relatively small changes: loosening controls on pay-per-view TV6 and clarifying the rating system for films and plays so viewers know exactly what to expect. Such incremental change seems to be in step with public tastes. Indeed, a recent survey by the CRC found that most people favored remaining true to existing Asian values. So don't expect to see Penthouse on newsstands any time soon.
练习题：
Ⅰ. True or False:
1. Singapore has been famous for its conservative attitude towards its sex.
2. There is exactly a free -love revolution in the city.
3. The new report means that Singaporeans can enjoy Cosmopolitan magazine at once .
Ⅱ. Questions:
1. Why the CRC issues new rules to ease the guidelines governing what Singaporeans read and watch?
2. Is there artistic freedom in Singapore? What is the present situation?
3. What is the CRC expected to do?
答案：
Ⅰ. 1. T 2. F 3 . F
Ⅱ. 1 . To bolster its arts scene.
2 . Yes, there is. It still has a long way to go to become a true bastion artistic freedom.
3 . It is expected to issue report further easing the guidelines governing what Singaporeans read, watch and listen to.
