专题10 备战2022高考英语阅读理解文体专项训练之新事物科研类说明文

备战2022高考英语阅读文体专项训练

之新事物科研类说明文（学生版）

（A）

As the world's population grows, farmers will need to produce more and more food. And large farms are increasingly using precision farming to increase yields (产量) reduce waste, and reduce the economic and security risks that inevitably accompany agricultural uncertainty.

Traditional farming relies on managing entire fields - making decisions related to planting, harvesting, irrigating and applying pesticides and fertilizer(农药和化肥) - based on regional conditions and historical data. Precision farming by contrast, combines sensors, robots, GPS, mapping tools and data-analytics software to customize the care that plants receive without increasing labor. Robot-mounted sensors and camera-equipped drones (无人机) wirelessly send images and data on individual plants to a computer, which looks for signs of health and stress. Farmers receive the feedback in real time and then deliver water, pesticide or fertilizer in adjusted doses (剂量) to only the areas that need it. The technology can also help farmers decide when to plant and harvest crops.

As a result, precision farming can improve time management, reduce water and chemical use, and produce healthier crops and higher yields -all of which benefit farmers' bottom lines and conserve resources while reducing chemical runoff.

Many small businesses are developing new software, sensors, and other tools for precision farming as are large companies such as Monsanto, John Deere, Bayer, Dow and DuPont The US. Department of Agriculture, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration all support precision farming,and many colleges now offer course work on the topic.

In a related development, seed producers are applying technology to improve plant characteristics. By following individual plants over time and analyzing which ones flourish in different conditions, companies can relate the plants' response to their environments with their genomics (基因组学). That information, in turn, allows the companies to produce seed varieties that will grow well in specific soil and weather conditions. This advanced technology may also help to improve crop nutrition.

Farmers do not universally welcome precision agriculture for various reason, such as high equipment costs and lack of access to the Internet. The technology may bring great challenges to experienced farmers who are not good at computers. And large systems will also be beyond the reach of small farming operations in developing nations. But less expensive, simpler systems could potentially be applied. For others, though, cost savings in the long run may reduce the financial concerns. And however reticent some farmers may be to adopt new technology, the next generation of farmers are likely to warm to the approach.

1. Precision farming differs from traditional farming partly because it      

A provides real time information about target crops

B. relies on regional conditions and historical data

C offers plenty of water, pesticides and fertilizer .

D. guarantees high yields with more labor

2. About precision farming, we can lam that      .

A the government holds a cautious attitude

B. it draws positive responses from businesses

C seed producers have already made huge profits

D. large systems will so0n be built in developing nations

3. The underlined word“ reticent" in the last paragraph probably means        

A disappointed                   B. confused

C .shocked                      D. unwilling

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A Precision Framing Increase Crop Yields.

B. More Challenges Faced by Modern Farmers

C Development of  Farming Systems in the Us.

D. Traditional Farming is Gradually Disappearing

（B）

The regular world presented to us by our five senses—you could call it reality 1.0—is not always the most user-friendly of places. We get lost in unfamiliar cities;we meet people whose language we don’t understand. So why not try the improved version: augmented reality (AR) or reality 2.0? AR technology adds computer-produced images (图像) on the real world via a mobile phone camera or special video glasses.

Early forms of AR are already here. With the right downloads, smartphones can deliver information about nearby ATMs, restaurants and other points of interest. But that’s just the beginning. A few years from now the quantity of information available will have increased hugely. You will not only see that there’s a Chinese restaurant on the next block, but you will be able to see the menu and read reviews of it.

This is where the next revolution in computing will take place: in the interface (界面) between the real world and the information brought to us via the Internet. Imagine bubbles floating before your eyes, filled with cool information about anything and everything that you see in front of you.

Let’s jump ahead to ten years from now. A person trying to fix his car won’t be reading a book with pictures;he will be wearing a device that projects animated 3D computer graphics onto the equipment under repair, labelling parts and giving step-by-step guidance.

The window onto the AR world can be a smartphone or special video glasses. But in ten years these will have been replaced by contact lenses (隐形眼镜) with tiny LEDs, which present something at a readable distance in front of the eye. So a deaf person wearing these lenses will be able to see what people are saying.

The question is, while we are all absorbed in our new augmented reality worlds, how will we be communicating with each other?

1.What does the text mainly talk about?

A.The next information technology revolution.

B.Early forms of augmented reality technology.

C.The differences between reality 1.0 and reality 2.0.

D.The relationship between people living in reality 2.0.

2.What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 2?

A.The menu.              B.The block.   

C.The revolution.                D.The restaurant.

3.What are tiny LEDs used to do?

A.Protect people’s eyes.

B.Show text and images.

C.Warn users of dangers.

D.Replace video glasses.

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards AR technology?

A.Doubtful.                B.Disapproving.  

C.Favourable.                   D.Ambiguous.

（C）

They’re orange,they’re robots and they’re capable of sailing the high seas without human intervention.

On Tuesday the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) launched a pair of Saildrones(海洋无人机) in Pacific Northwest waters for the first time.Their summer long sailing journey will stretch from Vancouver Island to California.The Saildrone operators will collect data to help set future fishing seasons.The government wants to see whether seagoing robots can extend fishery surveys now performed by expensive manned ships.

Nora Cohen from NOAA said,“The 23-foot long seagoing robots can follow a remotely programmed course for up to a year at a time.And they don’t require any fuel.We use wind and solar power to drive the sensors.” He added,“It means that we’re able to go to places where we don’t really want to send people,and go into weather that we really don’t want anyone ever to be in,and be able to send measurements back.”

The primary mission is to investigate the species and the number of fish in existence and the places where they are.Larry Hufnagle,scientist of NOAA Fisheries in Seattle,said a traditional big NOAA research ship-based survey costs around $25,000 per day.By comparison,one Saildrone costs $2,500 per day.

“It could be a significant saving,” Hufnagle said.“But like anything else,there is a trade-off in what you get and what you don’t get.On the manned ship,we have limited time.It takes a lot of people.We spend a fair amount of money.But there is one thing the Saildrone can’t do that humans can:cast a net to catch and positively identify the fish detected below.The Saildrones are going to give us additional data,not replacement data.”

Nora Cohen said Saildrone,a venture capital-backed company based in Alameda,California,expects to launch a total of 11 of its seagoing robots to survey different waterbodies for NOAA this year.The Bering and Arctic seas,Coastal California and the Gulf of Mexico will be the locations of additional missions.

1.What is the purpose of collecting fish data?

A.To explore the ocean.

B.To assist fishing industry.

C.To learn the habits of fish.

D.To improve fishing skills.

2.What is mainly discussed about the Saildrone in Paragraph 3?

A.Its advantages. B.Its appearance.

C.Its power systems. D.Its primary mission.

3.What does the underlined word “trade-off” in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A.Debate. B.Reason. C.Reality. D.Balance.

4.What can be inferred from the text?

A.The Saildrone has a promising future.

B.Hufnagle thinks little of the Saildrone.

C.Manned ships will be completely replaced.

D.Production of seagoing robots is restricted.

（D）

When people think about British music,for the most part they think about the 60s or 70s with the likes of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones or more modern artists like Adele or Ed Sheeran.However,stuck between these two ages was,in my opinion,British music’s best period.The 90s were an optimistic time for Britain and indeed Europe,with the economy recovering from the lows of the 80s and the Cold War ending.

One of the defining features of 90s music was the birth of “Britpop”.This was a style of pop music that aimed to promote “Britishness” and commonly featured electric guitars,drums and male singers.Britpop was the style used by world-famous bands such as Oasis,Blur,Pulp and Suede who became known as “The Big Four”.The summer of 1995 was dominated by the “Battle of Britpop” which was between Blur and Oasis for the number one spot.Eventually,Blur won the battle and Oasis settled for second.

However,the 90s weren’t only for the boys,with major female groups also finding fame,the most well-known of which were “the Spice Girls” who were extremely popular in Britain and around the world.Once again they promoted “Britishness” and had catchy melodies and lyrics,but they also started the “Girl Power” movement which helped empower girls and women worldwide.It isn’t too far to assume that without their music,many female singers and artists who we love today would not have had the confidence to pursue their dream.

British music may have had many great times,however the 90s are often overlooked.Although I was not alive to enjoy the music properly,the 90s had a huge impact on British culture that can be felt today and I feel that the decade should get the recognition it deserves!

1.What can we infer from the first paragraph?

A.The Cold War came to an end in the 80s.

B.Britain’s economy began to pick up in the 90s.

C.The Beatles represented the best British music.

D.Adele is better than Ed Sheeran in modern music.

2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A.Britpop.                   B.Britishness.

C.The Big Four.                   D.Battle of Britpop.

3.What’s the most important influence of “the Spice Girls” according to the text?

A.Promoting “Britishness”.

B.Empowering girls and women.

C.Creating catchy melodies.

D.Finding fame for female groups.

4.The writer thinks the impact of the 90s music on British culture is 　　　. 

A.underestimated B.well-recognized

C.fairly evaluated D.reasonably doubted

（E）

In the future,therapy patients may spend less time sitting in a therapist’s office and more time exploring virtual worlds.Researchers have created a new virtual reality (VR) app to treat the fear of heights.The app just had a clinical trial.

People developed other VR therapies in the past.These programs needed a real-life therapist to guide patients through the treatment.But the new system only uses an animated avatar(虚拟化身) within the app.The avatar coaches patients as they climb a virtual high-rise.This kind of therapist-free counseling could make it much easier for people to get help for fears and other disorders.

This is “a huge step forward” for VR therapy,says Jennifer Hames,a clinical psychologist.“With this system,people don’t need to visit a therapist’s office to get expert help.They could get help in their regular doctor’s office,or even at home.That could be good for people who aren’t comfortable with face-to-face therapy,or who can’t afford it,” she says.

To test how effective their app was,Freeman and colleagues recruited(招募) 100 adult volunteers,who were moderately to severely afraid of heights.The researchers randomly assigned 49 people to have VR treatment while the other 51 participants got no treatment.Before the experiment began,participants filled out a questionnaire that rated their fear of heights from 16 to 80.They filled out the same questionnaire right after the treatment.Then they did it again two weeks later.

The scores of patients who got no treatment stayed the same.But people who used the VR app dropped an average of about 25 points on the scale.“The results give strong evidence that the new VR program is more helpful than no treatment at all.But it’s not clear how well this type of system could work for more complex mental health issues,” says Mark Hayward,a clinical psychologist at the University of Sussex.“And when it comes to helping people with more severe symptoms,VR probably won’t replace trained therapists any time soon.”

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A.The causes of the fear of heights.

B.The results of the fear of heights.

C.A VR app to treat the fear of heights.

D.The treatment of the fear of heights.

2.What do we know about the VR therapy?

A.It has a therapist to guide patients.

B.It is convenient and doesn’t cost much.

C.It allows patients to climb a real high-rise.

D.It requires patients to go to the therapist’s office.

3.Why did Freeman’s team conduct the experiment?

A.To rate the participants’ fear of heights.

B.To check the effectiveness of the VR app.

C.To find out how severe people’s fear of heights.

D.To explore a new way to improve the treatment.

4.In helping people with more severe symptoms,　　　. 

A.the VR app is very helpful

B.the results of the app are not clear

C.trained therapists are still needed

D.no trained therapists are necessary

（F）

For two centuries,the famous University of Cambridge debating society has hosted many prominent figures,from world leaders to scientists to comedians.

On Nov 21,the Cambridge Union hosted its first-ever non-human guest.Designed by IBM,Project Debater is a machine that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to form a spoken argument.It can even listen and answer to opposing statements,much like a real person.

Speaking with a voice similar to Siri,Project Debater uses AI to search journals,newspapers and other information sources.It then filters out(过滤) useless information,picks the strongest arguments,and arranges them into a persuasive argument.

In the Cambridge test debate,it argued the topic:AI will ultimately do more harm than good.According to IBM,it is the first machine that can debate complicated topics with humans.

Before the debate,more than 1,100 arguments for the positives and negatives of AI were submitted to the IBM website.The machine then analyzed these sources and formed the basis of its arguments in minutes.Project Debater then showed off its AI by arguing for both sides of the debate.

Over a four-minute speech,it argued first that,“AI can only make decisions that it has been programmed to solve,while humans can be programmed for all plots,possible events.”

In support of AI,it then argued that AI would create new jobs and “bring a lot more efficiency” to the workplace.

This isn’t the first test for Project Debater.In June 2018,the machine went back-and-forth for 20 minutes against champion debater Harish Natarajan.

According to New Scientist,on both occasions,Project Debater repeated points and didn’t always sufficiently support them.

Speaking to Cambridge Independent,Noam Slonim,the project’s lead engineer,said,“The AI is not perfect,but it’s going in the right direction.” The team hopes to improve the AI by researching why humans find certain arguments more persuasive than others.

1.In which way does Project Debater behave like a real person?

A.It can listen and answer to opposing statements.

B.It can speak with a voice similar to Siri.

C.It can create various useful sources.

D.It can deal with any situation.

2.What were prepared for the machine before the Cambridge test debate?

A.Analyzed sources.

B.Useless messages.

C.Materials for arguments.

D.Items about human debaters.

3.What can we infer from the text?

A.AI did better than humans in arguments.

B.AI had rich ideas to support its points.

C.AI beat Harish Natarajan in the first test.

D.AI needs more persuasive arguments in debates.

4.What is Noam Slonim’s attitude to the AI?

A.Supportive.            B.Unconfident.

C.Negative.            D.Indifferent.

（G）

At England’s University of Plymouth,Professor Eduardo Miranda has been programming pairs of robots to compose music.Miranda’s robots have simple “vocal cords(声带)” and are programmed to sing and to listen to each other.The robots’ unique warbling sounds(颤音) do not perfectly match the human voice,but each machine is exactly sharing music with the other in a new and unique way.

Each robot is equipped with speakers,software that mimics the human voice,a mouth that opens as it “sings”,a microphone for ears,and a camera for eyes.The robots also move.Miranda hopes that by studying his robot vocalists,he can discover something about how and why humans create,perform,and listen to music.

When the robots sing,first one robot makes six random sounds.Its partner responds with more sounds.The first robot analyzes the sounds to see if their sequences are similar.If they are,it nods its head and commits the sounds to memory,and the second robot notices and “memorizes” the musical sequence,too.If the first robot thinks the sounds are too different,it shakes its head and both robots ignore the sounds.Then the process continues.

Miranda set up an experiment in which he left the two robots alone in his study for two weeks.When he returned,his little warblers had,by imitating each other,not only shared notes but combined them.The product of their cooperation was far from symphonic,but the robots had begun to combine the notes into their own self-developed “songs”.

With the help of his warbling robots,one of Miranda’s goals is to create music that no human would ever compose.Miranda believes the robots are ideal for this purpose because they would not be influenced by any existing musical styles or rules.

1.Which is closest in meaning to the underlined word “mimics” in Paragraph 2?

A.Substitutes.            B.Interrupts.

C.Controls.            D.Copies.

2.What did the two robots do during Miranda’s experiment?

A.They interacted with each other.

B.They ignored the unique sound.

C.They learned to sing better than humans.

D.They committed random sounds to memory.

3.What does Miranda want his robots to do?

A.Sing as well as humans do.

B.Create new styles of music.

C.Memorize a variety of music.

D.Promote traditional musical forms.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.Future robots.                B.Special songs.

C.Music by robots. D.Experiments by Miranda.

（H）

Today,China has conducted its first 3D printing experiment in space in a newly launched spacecraft,which was put into low-Earth orbit by China’s Long March 5B heavy-lift carrier rocket.

Video broadcast on CCTV showed that the printer has printed a flat section of a honeycomb-shaped(蜂巢状的) structure as well as a symbol of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp,the parent company of the China Academy of Space Technology.The experiment was done by a 3D printer,developed and built by its Beijing Spacecrafts Manufacturing Factory,inside the prototype of China’s new-generation manned spacecraft.

The printer,named the Space-Based Composite Material 3D Printing System,uses carbon fiber-reinforced materials to autonomously print objects.It is installed in the reentry module of the experimental spaceship,and will be brought back to Earth once the module returns.

The printer features advanced technologies in material modeling,precision control and automation.Once the space-based 3D printing technology becomes operationally ready,it can extensively benefit space programs as astronauts can use it to manufacture a lot of things they currently need to obtain from resupply flights by cargo spacecraft.

Wang Yanan,editor-in-chief of the Aerospace Knowledge magazine,said the 3D printer will be very useful in extended space missions,such as those in a space station,because it will allow astronauts to make components quickly and conveniently in space.The technology will save future space journeys considerable resources and costs.

In fact,the device is not the only representative of 3D printing onboard the Prototype.

A CubeSat deployer,designed and made through 3D printing by CoSats Space Technology,is also carried by the spacecraft to check the adaptability of 3D-printed equipment in space.CoSats Chief Operating Officer Bai Ruixue said the 3D-printed deployer is much lighter and stronger than its counterparts and it will have huge potential in the space industry.

1.What did the video broadcast on CCTV show to the audience?

A.The process and the products of the 3D printing.

B.The name and the shape of the 3D printer.

C.The significance of the 3D printing technology.

D.The relationship between the two companies.

2.What if a component is broken in the space station now?

A.It has to be sent by spaceship back to Earth for repair.

B.The astronauts can fix it conveniently by hand on the spot.

C.The astronauts can make one using 3D printing and replace it.

D.It has to be unloaded and abandoned in space.

3.What does the underlined “those” (Para.5) refer to?

A.The 3D printers. B.The magazines.

C.The space missions. D.Astronauts.

4.Why is the last paragraph mentioned?

A.To introduce the CubeSat deployer produced in space.

B.To explain the advantages of 3D printing in space.

C.To show the adaptability of 3D printing in space.

D.To indicate a bright future of 3D printing in space.

（I）

It used to be the army that used small, unpiloted aircraft, called “drones”. The little planes were very costly. But as they have dropped in price more people have begun to use them.

The fast rate of development of computer technology, image sensing equipment, satellite navigation and smart phones has led to lower-priced drones. Researchers and developers have learned how to build smaller and less costly drones. Nowadays, movie-makers are using drones to film from the sky. Historians use them when they explore ancient buildings. Rescue workers use them to look for people. And now farmers are also using them to watch over their crops.

Romain Faroux is a French businessman, whose father is a farmer. He believed drones could help farmers. He has helped create a company which has developed a small drone that could be controlled by people on the ground. It's called “Agridrone”. It uses a special sensor to examine crops. The technology used on the drone is similar to that used on a smartphone—except it has wings. A computer program directs the drone to fly over the crops. The sensor on the drone records four different colored “bands” of sunlight that are reflected off the crops.

Jean-Baptiste Bruggeman is another farmer in France who is using a drone. He says the drone flies over his crops at different times of the season and provides a lot of information about his crops. The pictures taken by the drone show him the exact amount of fertilizer the crops need. It also shows exactly where the fertilizer is needed.

Romain Faroux says farmers use information provided by the Agridrone to place fertilizer only in areas where it is needed. This saves money and reduces pollution. Before they used the drones, farmers would put the same amount of fertilizer everywhere. Drones also save time because farmers can examine up to three hectares(公顷) in about a minute.

1.Why do rescue workers and farmers begin to use drones?

A.Because they are affordable now.

B.Because their sizes have become smaller.

C.Because they can save people a lot of time.

D.Because the technology has been developed.

2.What is the sensor on the drone mainly used for?

A.Helping the sunlight shine on the crops.

B.Directing the wings to fly over the crops.

C.Examining the different colors of the crops.

D.Recording the sunlight “bands” reflected off the crops.

3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to?

A.A smartphone.  B.A sensor.   C.A drone.   D.A band.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A.Crops will be harvested by drones soon.

B.Drones will be widely used in different fields.

C.French farmers use drones to examine their crops.

D.Farmers develop special drones for their crops.

（J）

Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence(AI) software to recognize and follow up the faces of chimpanzees(黑猩猩)in the wild. The new software will allow researchers and wildlife conservationists to significantly cut back on time spent analyzing videos, according to the new paper published in Science Advances.

“For species(物种)like chimpanzees, which have complex social lives and live for many years,getting photos of their behavior taken from short-term field research can only tell us so much,” says Dan Schofield, researcher and DPhil student at Oxford University's Private Models Lab, School of Anthropology. “By taking advantage of the power of machine learning to unlock large video files, it makes it possible to measure behavior over the long term.”

The computer model was trained using over 10 million images(影像):from Kyoto University's Primate Research Institute(PRI) video files of wild chimpanzees in Guinea,West Africa. The new software is the first to continuously track and recognize individuals in a wide range of poses, performing with high accuracy in difficult conditions such as low lighting or poor image quality.

“Access to this large video file has allowed us to use deep neural networks to train models to a degree that was previously not possible,” says Arsha Nagrad, co-author of the study and DPhil student at the Department of Engineering Science, the University of Oxford. “Additionally, our new software differs from previous primate face recognition software in that, it can be applied to raw videos with limited manual intervention(人工干预), saving hours of time.”

The technology can be potentially used to monitor species for conservation. Although the present application focuses on chimpanzees, the AI software provided will be applied to other species, and help drive the adoption of AI systems to solve(解决)a range of problems in the wildlife sciences.

1.What is the purpose of developing the new software?

A.To save wildlife researchers' time spent in the labs.

B.To keep track of wildlife conservationists' behavior.

C.To protect chimpanzees and help them to live longer.

D.To recognize and track the faces of wild chimpanzees.

2.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A.Getting photos.          B.Analyzing videos. 

C.A powerful machine.     D.The new AI software.

3.What does Paragraph 4 mainly talk about?

A.The working principle of the new software.

B.Some limitations of using the new software.

C.The unique advantages of the new software.

D.Controversial attitudes to the new software.

4.What can be known from the last paragraph?

A.Technology advances are the final goal of science.

B.The new software won't just be applied to chimpanzees.

C.AI systems are widely used in the wildlife sciences.

D.The application of the new technology isn't easy.