Question

A team of engineers at Harvard University has been inspired by Nature to create the first robotic fly. The mechanical fly has become a platform for a series of new high-tech systems. Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly. Its mini wings allow it to stay in the air and perform controlled flight tasks.

“It’s extremely important for us to think about this as a whole system and not just the sum of a bunch of individual components(元件), ”said Robert Wood, the Harvard engineering professor who has been working on the robotic fly project for over a decade. A few years ago, his team got the go-ahead to start piecing together the components. “The added difficulty with a project like this is that actually none of those components are off the shelf and so we have to develop them all on our own,” he said.

They engineered a series of systems to start and drive the robotic fly. “The seemingly simple system which just moves the wings has a number of interdependencies on the individual components, each of which individually has to perform well, but then has to be matched well to everything it’s connected to,” said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. Wood says the success of the project proves that the flying robot with these tiny components can be built and manufactured.

While this first robotic flyer is linked to a small, off-board power source, the goal is eventually to equip it with a built-in power source, so that it might someday perform data-gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers’ fields or on the battlefield. “Basically it should be able to take off, land and fly around,” he said.

Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect-scale. Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications. “You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead,” he said. “So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day-to-day basis.”

72. The difficulty the team of engineers met with while making the robotic fly was that ________.

A. they had no model in their mind

B. they did not have sufficient time

C. they had no ready-made components

D. they could no assemble the components

73. It can be inferred from paragraphs 3 and 4 that the robotic fly_________.

A. consists of a flight device and a control system

B. can just fly in limited areas at the present time

C. can collect information from many sources

D. has been put into wide application

74. Which of the following can be learned from the passage?

A. The robotic flyer is designed to learn about insects.

B. Animals are not allowed in biological experiments.

C. There used to be few ways to study how insects fly.

D. Wood’s design can replace animals in some experiments.

75. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A. Father of Robotic Fly

B. Inspiration from Engineering Science

C. Robotic Fly Imitates Real Life Insect

D. Harvard Breaks Through in Insect Study

Answer 1

【语篇解读】本文为一篇说明文，讲述机器人苍蝇的研发，面临的困难以及前景。

段落	关键词、句	大意推测
第一部分（Para. 1）	create the first robotic fly; the mechanical fly; a platform for a series of new high-tech systems;  what a fly does naturally; the size of a fat housefly; mini wings; perform controlled flight tasks.	哈佛大学的一组技师在自然界的激发下，创造了第一部机器人苍蝇。进而描述了机器人苍蝇的样子与用途。
第二部分（Para. 2）	extremely important; as a whole system;  not just the sum of a bunch of individual components(元件); has been working on；for over a decade；got the go-ahead to start piecing together the components.；the added difficulty; off the shelf; have to develop them all on our own	机器人苍蝇要的是一套完整的体系，而不是一组独立原件简单地相加。哈佛大学Robert Wood教授数十年都在致力于研究机器人苍蝇这个课题。几年前，他的团队就开始了拼装原件。但这个项目也遇到了困难：那些元件没有一件能现货供应的，只能自己做。
第三部分（Para. 3-4）	a series of systems to start and drive…；has a number of interdependencies on the individual components; was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems; …the success of the project proves that…; these tiny components can be built and manufactured; is linked to; a small, off-board power source;  equip it with; a built-in power source; someday perform data-gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers’ fields or on the battlefield; be able to take off, land and fly around.	从两个方面说明机器人苍蝇：一.机器人苍蝇所需要的一套体系。看上去相当简单地能够移动翅膀的系统却在那些单个原件中有很多相互依赖的成份，每个成分不仅要各自运转良好，还要和与它相连的所有成分都配合好。二. 机器人苍蝇配有内置电源，是为了将来有一天能在营救点，在牧场上或者战场上从事数据收集工作。
第四部分（Para. 5）	a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect-scale; …on board could have much broader applications; open scientific questions; difficult with the animals; using…instead; drives us on …	此设计为研究飞行力学和控制昆虫规模提供了一种崭新的方法。然而(搭载的)动力设备，传感以及运算技术会有更广泛的应用。Wood设计的机器人苍蝇在某些动物实验方面可以用来代替动物。

72. 答案：C.

解析：细节理解题。考生根据第二段最后一句 “The added difficulty with a project like this is that…可知事实上那些元件没有一件能现货供应的，要理解be off the shelf 的用法，所以选项C. they had no ready-made components就是对本句的同义替换，故为正确答案根据文章第一段Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly.是有制作模型的，故排除A。根据文章第二段“It’s extremely important for us to think about …, ”the Harvard engineering professor who has been working ….可知选项B. they did not have sufficient time他们没有充足的时间，不合适；而选项D. they could no assemble the components他们不会组装元件是对原文的误解，并不是要组装，故排除选项D。

73. 答案：B

解析：推理判断题。题干要求在第三段和第四段来推测，所以根据文章内容but then has to be matched well to everything it’s connected to,” said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. 故选项A. consists of a flight device and a control system是片面的，排除；根据第四段so that it might someday perform data-gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers’ fields or on the battlefield.可知选项C.中的from many sources应为 from many sites/places，故排除；选项D. has been put into wide application的定位在第五段Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications.可知已经大量应用是错误的，故排除。纵观三四两段，尤其是第四段尾句“Basically it should be able to take off, land and fly around,” he said.可推断出只有B. can just fly in limited areas at the present time正确。

74. 答案：D

解析：推理判断题。文章末段的to study biology in ways…would be difficult with animals, but using these robots instead告诉我们这些机器人可以替代动物，故D项正确。考生注意的是，说明文末段尤其带有转折关系的路标词往往是题眼所在。根据第四段so that it might someday perform data-gathering work at rescue sites, in farmers’ fields or on the battlefield. 可知A选项错误，故排除。文章最后一段中指出“You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead,” he said.，并没有说：不允许拿动物进行生物实验，故排除B选项。根据文章最后一段Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect-scale.及“So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day-to-day basis.”可知以后会有更多的问题等待我们去探索，但并不是说过去在研究昆虫飞行方面常常方法很少，故排除。

75. 答案：C

解析：主旨大意题。本题考查考生理解全文、提炼信息、概括总结的能力。选择最佳标题，一般来说，考生只有通篇理解文章传递的信息，才可能概括出全文的最佳标题。对比四个选项，A选项意为“机器人苍蝇之父”，文章的主题主要说明“机器人苍蝇”，故排除。B选项“来自工程学中的灵感”与文章的主题“机器人苍蝇”关系不大，故排除。D选项“哈福大学在昆虫研究领域的突破”， 并没有点明主题“机器人苍蝇”，故排除。C选项既交待了“Robotic Fly” 又讲了与真实生活中昆虫的关系，所以争取答案为C。