閱讀理解專項訓練

程海潮

A

The latest fashion breakthrough is taking “activewear” in an entirely new direction： researchers at Nottingham Trent University have developed a new fabric（布料） that is able to recharge electronic devices like mobile phones and smartwatches.

According to the school's announcement last week，the prototype swatch（原型樣品） includes 1，200 mini solar panels—each measuring just 5 by 1.5 millimeters—that can generate 400 milliwatts （mWatts） from the sun，which is enough to keep small devices juiced.

“Until now very few people would have considered that their clothing products could be used for generating electricity，” explains Theodore Hughes-Riley，lead researcher and an associate professor of Electronic Textiles.“The material which we have developed appears and behaves the same as any ordinary fabric，and it can be washed in a machine.”He also notes that，because the tiny solar cells are made up of silicon（硅），wearers aren't able to even notice a difference in the fabric's composition when compared to standard clothing．

This new fabric will enjoy wide usages including constructing items like outerwear，backpacks，and other carrying bags using the material，all of which could allow wearers to keep their devices charged while on-the-go during the day.“Electronic fabric really possibly changes people's relationship with technology，as this prototype shows how we could do away with charging many devices at the wall，” adds Hughes-Riley．

Solar power innovations are key to transitioning human society away from fossil fuel technologies，and are coming into view in a variety of different fields.The European Space Agency，for example，plans to experiment with solar panel systems orbiting above Earth.Since there are no real “days” or “nights” in space—not to mention zero cloud coverage—potential solar power

generation could be as much as 8 or 9 times greater than what's currently achievable here on the planet's surface.

1.Why is the new fabric special？

A.Because it can store solar power．

B.Because it can generate electricity．

C.Because it can be made into smartwatches．

D.Because it can be used as a big solar panel．

2.What makes the new fabric look like ordinary clothing？

A.Its soft feeling.?B.Its light weight．

C.Its composition.???D.Its washing method．

3.What will be on the way out with the rise of the new fabric？

A.Old plant materials．

B.Current cleaning products．

C.Fixed charging equipment．

D.Traditional dressmaking skills．

4.What does the last paragraph want to tell readers？

A.The new fabric is promising．

B.Solar power do good to our planet．

C.The new fabric has changed many fields．

D.The European Space Agency is in the lead in solar power．

B

In his past 79 years，Robert Hume has served for the Navy，taught high school American government，owned a bus tour company for 28 years，and drove a bus for James Madison University．

But now after moving to Georgia to be with his son earlier this year，Hume was looking for an opportunity and a way to give back to his new community.He decided that now was a perfect time to further his education in public health by enrolling in the Graduate Certificate in Gerontology at the University of Georgia．

Hume's wife was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1994 and it kickstarted his focus on public health.“I gave her a kidney in 1995 that lasted for 17 years.I was so amazed by the medical aspect of that and begun an interest in it，”said Hume.

While enrolled in the gerontology program，he also volunteers as a medic at a rescue squad in Virginia.When he isn't volunteering in Virginia，Hume responds to medical calls in Towns County，Georgia，his new home．

Above everything，having an impact in his community is what Hume strives for every single day.“I'm not looking for a career.I had a chance to join as a paid person，but I didn't want to do that.I felt very strongly over the years that I wanted to be a volunteer in the medical field.… I want to make a difference.”

Once he completes the certificate program，he has no desire to stop--he plans to start a Master of Public Health program at UGA．

“I think that what's important to me is that I can do whatever I set my mind to do，I can accomplish any goal.I'll pick something and succeed，because I have the right frame of mind … you wouldn't know that I'm 79，” Hume said.“And anybody can do this if you have the right frame of mind.”

1.What can be learned about Hume's previous life from paragraph 1？

A.It was full and colorful．

B.It was far from his dream．

C.It was unstable and miserable．

D.It was connected closely with buses．

2.What can replace the underlined word “kickstarted” in the text？

A.Held up.?B.Strengthened.

C.Weakened.D.Woke up.

3.Why does Hume take up several jobs at the same time？

A.To live a richer life．

B.To help those in need.

C.To get rid of loneliness．

D.To pay for his son's schooling．

4.What may Hume agree？

A.No pains，no gains．

B.Never too old to learn．

C.Well begun is half done．

D.Knowledge starts with practice．

C

If you've logged on to any social media app this week，you've probably seen pictures of your friends，but re-imaged as fairy princesses，handsome princes，and charming characters.It is all because of Lensa，an app which uses artificial intelligence to present digital portraits based on photos users submit．

Lensa recommends users submit 10-20 selfies for the best results.The pictures should be close-up of your face with a variety of different backgrounds，facial expressions，and angles.A yearlong subscription to the app，which also provides photo editing services，costs $35.99.But you can use the app for a weeklong free trial if you want to test it out before committing．

To test out the app，I took 20 selfies I thought showed a variety of expressions and angles and submitted.It took around 20 minutes for Lensa to return my portraits，which fell into several categories： fantasy，fairy princess，focus，pop，stylish，light，kawaii，and cosmic.In general，I felt like the app did a decent job producing artistic images based on my selfies.

Other users have documented unfavorable experiences which come from their Lensa images.Aubrey Gordon，a writer and fat rights activist，wrote on her Instagram the app produced images which made her look much thinner than she actually is.“Lensa is really working overtime to make AI me into a thin person，”she wrote in the caption．

Several of the artists expressed concern the apps could also threaten their livelihoods.Digital artists cannot compete with the low prices and fast turnaround artificial intelligence enables for a digital portrait，they said at the time．

Lensa's owner Prisma has tried to relieve anxiety about their technology eliminating work for digital artists.“While both humans and AI learn about artistic styles in semi-similar ways，there are some fundamental differences： AI is capable of rapidly analyzing and learning from large sets of data，but it does not have the same level of attention and appreciation for art as a human being.”

1.What can be learned about Lensa？

A.It is a tool that stores photos．

B.It is a photo trading platform．

C.It is an app that takes photos．

D.It aims to offer customized photos．

2.What impressed the author most？

A.The low price of Lensa．

B.The wide popularity of Lensa．

C.The artistic images Lensa made．

D.The speed at which Lensa makes photos．

3.Why does Aubrey Gordon disapprove of Lensa？

A.Because it is time-consuming．

B.Because it is friendly to the thin．

C.Because it presents unrealistic photos．

D.Because it is posing a threat to her job．

4.What does Prisma imply？

A.Lensa will give a hand to digital artists．

B.Lensa cannot replace human artists．

C.Lensa needs further improvement．

D.Lensa is good at data analysis．

D

In 1924，14 American bison arrived on Santa Catalina Island，22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles.Although they didn't make it to the big screen，descendants of the beasts have star power，helping attract hundreds of thousands of visitors every year．

Today，the herd presents benefits and challenges for local ecology.Visitors take bison tours，enjoy bison burgers and “buffalo milk” cocktails .Such tourism helps fund the nonprofit Catalina Island Conservancy （CIC），which controls 88 percent of the island and works to restore and protect native plants．

At its peak，in the 1980s，the herd numbered 550，but concerns about the animals'?health and ecological impact led the CIC to ship bison off the island regularly.A 2003 study found the bison were still disturbing native plants： Their coats carry plants that were imported，such as fennel，to places they wouldn't otherwise reach，disrupting native species like St.Catherine's lace.The study also found the bison were smaller and less fertile than their mainland counterparts，partly from persistent drought.In 2009，the CIC launched a program to control the number of the bison．

Yet population control efforts may have gone too far.By 2020，the herd was down to 100； no calves had been born since 2013，and the CIC scaled back its program in 2015.Before 2020，the group had planned to import two pregnant females to add genetic diversity，re-causing the debate about the herd's health and its impact on the land.Calvin Duncan，a former CIC biologist，says an increase in droughts threatens the bison，but he believes they will reproduce again when conditions improve.

Juanita Constible，a consulting biologist on the 2003 study，says relocating the herd could endanger the island： Without bison grazing，wildfire intensity could increase，as the grass，undoubtedly，adds fuel.Forcing the herd to leave the island would also hurt island residents—4，000 or so in all—many of whom rely on bison tourism.“Wildlife management is not just about the wildlife—it's also about the human context，”Constible says．

1.Why were the bison taken to Santa Catalina Island in 1924？

A.To get bison meat．

B.To make new species．

C.To finish shooting films．

D.To develop the local tourism．

2.What did the bison bring to Santa Catalina Island？

A.Fertile soil.B.Imported plants．

C.Frequent drought.D.Abandoned farmlands．

3.Why did the CIC plan to import two pregnant bison？

A.To keep the bison's health．

B.To carry out genetic research．

C.To put people's debate to rest．

D.To increase bison's population．

4.What might Constible agree ？

A.Bison make tourism attractive.

B.Bison increase the risk of wildfire．

C.Humans should live in peace with bison．

D.Bison benefit Santa Catalina Island and its people．

【參考答案與解析】

答案及解析

A

語篇導讀：這是一篇說明文。一種新型的布料可以借助太陽能發電給手機和智能手表充電。

1.B.細節理解題。 根據文章第一段中“that is able to recharge electronic devices like mobile phones and smartwatches.”和第二段中“that can generate 400 milliwatts （mWatts） from the sun，which is enough to keep small devices juiced.”，可知B選項為正確答案。

2.C.細節理解題。 根據文章第三段中“ because the tiny solar cells are made up of silicon，wearers aren't able to even notice a difference in the fabric's composition when compared to standard clothing.”可知C選項為正確答案。

3.C.推理判斷題。文章第四段中提到“這種新型的布料會消除在墻上充電的方式”，也就是說，固定的充電方式會被淘汰。所以C選項為正確答案。

4.A.推理判斷題。文章最后一段中提到“太陽能的革新把人類社會從化石原料中拯救出來，并運用在很多領域，”然后以歐洲宇航局的研究計劃為例進一步說明這一點；結合本文的主要說明對象，可知作者要表明的觀點是：這種新型的布料很有前景。所以A選項為正確答案。

B

語篇導讀：這是一篇記敘文。Hume在79歲的年紀參加老年醫學的學習并同時參加多種志愿者活動，希望對自己所在的社區產生影響。

1.A.推理判斷題。文章第一段中提到“Hume在過去所從事的多種工作經歷”，說明其充實而豐富的生活。所以A選項為正確答案。

2.D.猜測詞意題。根據下文 Hume所說的“他的妻子在1995年接受了腎臟移植，這令他感到驚嘆，他開始對其產生了興趣”，所以可以推測“kickstarted”應是“激發”的意思。所以D選項為正確答案。

3.B.細節理解題。文章第五段中提到Hume參加的老年醫學學習以及各種志愿者活動的目的是為 “having an impact in his community” 和“make a difference”，所以B選項為正確答案。

4.B.推理判斷題。文章最后一段Hume提到“良好的心態是他能夠實現目標的關鍵”，結合文章中所描敘的“Hume在79歲的年級參加老年醫學的學習并且還要攻讀碩士學位”，可知，在Hume眼中，他的心態就是“活到老學到老”，所以B選項為正確答案。

C

語篇導讀：這是一篇說明文。Lensa，一款以人工智能為基礎的App，根據用戶提供的照片可以生成不同種類的美照。對此，不同的人表達了不同的看法。

1.D.細節理解題。根據文章第一段中提到的“re-imaged as fairy princesses，handsome princes，and charming characters”以及第三段中提到的“which fell into several categories： fantasy，fairy princess，focus，pop，stylish，light，kawaii，and cosmic”，可知Lensa可以為用戶提供各種類型主題的照片，用戶可以根據需要進行選擇。

2.C.細節理解題。根據文章第三段中提到的“In general，I felt like the app did a decent job producing artistic images based on my selfies”，可知，作者對Lensa提供的藝術照印象深刻。

3.C.推理判斷題。文章第四段中提到“Aubrey Gordon認為Lensa提供的照片中她本人變瘦了，而實際上她不是瘦的，這一點讓她生氣”，可知，Lensa提供的不真實的照片讓Aubrey Gordon不認可Lensa。

4.B.推理判斷題。文章最后一段中提到“ Prisma 在努力減少數字藝術家對Lensa搶奪他們工作的擔憂，Prisma 認為Lensa 和人類藝術家有著根本的差別”，也就是說，Lensa 是取代不了人類藝術家的。

D

語篇來源：

https：//www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/uneasy-future-catalina-island-wild-bison-180980559/

語篇導讀：這是一篇說明文。Santa Catalina Island最初引進野牛是為了完成電影拍攝，然后野牛留在了島上，這也給帶來了當地生態系統帶來了收益和挑戰。

1.C.細節理解題。 文章第一段中提到“The animals were to appear in two movies being filmed on the island”，可知，野牛最初引入到Santa Catalina Island是為了拍攝電影。所以C選項為正確選項。

2.B.細節理解題。 文章第三段提到“A 2003 study found the bison were still disturbing native plants： Their coats carry plants that were imported，such as fennel，to places they wouldn't otherwise reach，disrupting native species like St.Catherine's lace.”，可知野牛給Santa Catalina Island帶來了外來植物。所以B選項為正確答案。

3.D.推理判斷題。文章第三段提到“為了野牛的健康和當地的生態，CIC發起了控制野牛數量的行動”。第四段提到“但是控制野牛數量的行動有些過了，野牛的數量驟降，因此CIC收縮了計劃，并且引入兩頭懷孕的母牛”，顯然這樣做的目的是為了增加野牛的數量。所以D選項為正確答案。

4.D.推理判斷題。文章最后一段Constible認為“野牛啃食野草，降低了山火發生的危險，同時野牛促進了當地旅游業的發展，很多島上居民以野牛旅游業為生”，可見野牛使得Santa Catalina Island及其居民獲益。所以D選項為正確答案。

責任編輯吳昊雷