You've heard of the fat suit and the pregnancy suit;now meet AGNES—the old person suit.
AGNES stands for “Age Gain Now Empathy(换位体验) System” and was designed by researchers at MIT's AgeLab to let you know what it feels like—physically—to be 75 years old.“The business of old age demands new tools,”said Joseph Coughlin,director of the AgeLab.“While focus groups and observations and surveys can help you understand what the older consumer needs and wants,young marketers never get that‘Ah ha!’moment of having difficulty opening a jar, or getting in and out of a car.That’s what AGNES provides.”
Coughlin and his team carefully adjusted the suit to make the wearer just as uncomfortable as an old person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and not doing much exercise.Special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance,while braces on the knees and elbows limit joint mobility.Gloves give the feeling of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists,and earplugs make it difficult to hear high—pitched sounds and soft tones.A helmet with straps(带)attached to it presses the spine(脊柱),and more straps attached to the shoes decrease hamstring flexibility, and shortens the wearer's step.
AGNES has been used most recently by a group of students working on a design of an updated walker.By wearing the suit they could see for themselves what design and materials would make the most sense for a physically limited older person.Coughlin said the suit has also been used by clothing companies,car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer.
“AGNES is not the destiny of everybody,” he said.“She is a badly behaved lady who didn't eat and exercise very well.A secondary benefit we’ve found with AGNES is that it has become a powerful tool to get younger people to invest in their long-term health.”
【小题1】AGNES has been developed to       

A.make the users more comfortable
B.1et us understand old people better
C.help old people move more quickly
D.produce new tools for the old-age business
【小题2】“An updated walker”(underlined)most likely refers to    
A.someone who travels a lot
B.a physically limited old person
C.some equipment that helps old people walk
D.a company whose service involves old people
【小题3】Which may be a fact resulting from the “secondary benefit” of AGNES?
A.Young people respect old people.
B.Old-age business improves their service
C.Old people eat and exercise well.
D.Young people eat and exercise well.

Inventors are always looking for ways to make our lives easier, greener and a whole lot more fun. Take a look at the following breakthroughs in science and technology. What in the world will inventors dream up next?
Superhero Suit
Have you ever dreamed of becoming a superhero? Dream no more. There’s a real Iron Man suit, XOS 2, which instantly transforms the person wearing it. The suit provides the power to lift 200 pounds with ease and break slabs(厚片)of wood with a single karate chop. It was designed to help the military with heavy lifting. One person in the suit could do the work of three soldiers.
Up, Up and Away!
It took him 30 years to develop it, and now Glen Martin’s invention is ready to take off. The Martin Jetpack allows its operator to fly 8,000 feet into the air. Unfortunately, you can’t soar through the skies too long. The jetpack holds only 30 minutes’ worth of fuel. The aircraft will sell for $100,000.
Hardworking Robot
The EMIEW2 robot is the perfect office helper. Need a document delivered? No problem! It can also guide visitors to their destinations. The three-foot-tall robot can identify different human voices and respond to commands. One day, it may serve as a receptionist or a security guard.
Green Machine
Say goodbye to gasoline! The AirPod car runs on air power. That means this car won’t pollute the environment. A high-pressure air tank can fill the car in minutes. The three-wheeler can travel about 130 miles between fill-ups.
Beef Power
All aboard the beef train! Amtrak’s Heartland Flyer runs partly on fuel that is made from cow fat. The goal is to reduce carbon emissions by 10%. The train travels between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Fort Worth, Texas.
Robo-Guard
EMILY is a robotic, four-foot-long buoy (救生圈). She can swim through riptides (激流) at up to 24 miles per hour. Her inventor, Tony Mulligan, says that’s 15 times as fast as human lifeguards! EMILY is powered by a tiny electric pump and operated by remote control.
【小题1】What is the disadvantage of Glen Martin’s invention?

A.It uses large amounts of fuel.B.It only flies at low altitudes.
C.It needs a big landing field.D.It has a small gas tank.
【小题2】Which of the following inventions may be popular with modern companies?
A.The EMIEW2 robot. B.EMILY.
C.XOS 2. D.The Martin Jetpack.
【小题3】How many environment-friendly inventions are mentioned in the passage?
A.One. B.Two. C.Three. D.Four.
【小题4】From the passage we learn that __________.
A.the Superhero Suit is designed for fun
B.the EMIEW2 robot can tell different human voices
C.Robo-Guard may serve as a security guard
D.the AirPod car travels far with a little gas

You've heard of the fat suit and the pregnancy suit;now meet AGNES—the old person suit.

AGNES stands for “Age Gain Now Empathy(换位体验) System” and was designed by researchers at MIT's AgeLab to let you know what it feels like—physically—to be 75 years old.“The business of old age demands new tools,”said Joseph Coughlin,director of the AgeLab.“While focus groups and observations and surveys can help you understand what the older consumer needs and wants,young marketers never get that‘Ah ha!’moment of having difficulty opening a jar, or getting in and out of a car.That’s what AGNES provides.”

Coughlin and his team carefully adjusted the suit to make the wearer just as uncomfortable as an old person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and not doing much exercise.Special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance,while braces on the knees and elbows limit joint mobility.Gloves give the feeling of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists,and earplugs make it difficult to hear high—pitched sounds and soft tones.A helmet with straps(带)attached to it presses the spine(脊柱),and more straps attached to the shoes decrease hamstring flexibility, and shortens the wearer's step.

AGNES has been used most recently by a group of students working on a design of an updated walker.By wearing the suit they could see for themselves what design and materials would make the most sense for a physically limited older person.Coughlin said the suit has also been used by clothing companies,car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer.

“AGNES is not the destiny of everybody,” he said.“She is a badly behaved lady who didn't eat and exercise very well.A secondary benefit we’ve found with AGNES is that it has become a powerful tool to get younger people to invest in their long-term health.”

1.AGNES has been developed to       

A.make the users more comfortable    

B.1et us understand old people better

C.help old people move more quickly   

D.produce new tools for the old-age business

2.“An updated walker”(underlined)most likely refers to    

A.someone who travels a lot

B.a physically limited old person

C.some equipment that helps old people walk

D.a company whose service involves old people

3.Which may be a fact resulting from the “secondary benefit” of AGNES?

A.Young people respect old people.   

B.Old-age business improves their service

C.Old people eat and exercise well.   

D.Young people eat and exercise well.

 

Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.

Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.

"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?

Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.

“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.

One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.

Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.

Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.

1.Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.

A. not having a layer of blubber            B. having few feathers due to old age

C. having no wetsuit                        D. others penguins rejecting him

2.The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.

A. total invention                          B. waterproof feathers

C. the use of wetsuit on humans             D. the use of heat lamp

3.Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.

A. whether other penguins would reject him

B. if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit

C. if the wetsuit kept warm

D. whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering

4.The best title of the passage is _____.

A. Wetsuit for An Old Penguin           B. Old Penguin Getting Bald

C. Unwilling to Swim                    D. Strange Look of Pierre

 

Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.

Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.

"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?

Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.

“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.

One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.

Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.

Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.

1.Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.

A. not having a layer of blubber            B. having few feathers due to old age

C. having no wetsuit                        D. others penguins rejecting him

2.The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.

A. total invention                          B. waterproof feathers

C. the use of wetsuit on humans             D. the use of heat lamp

3.Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.

A. whether other penguins would reject him

B. if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit

C. if the wetsuit kept warm

D. whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering

4. The best title of the passage is _____.

A. Wetsuit for An Old Penguin               B. Old Penguin Getting Bald

C. Unwilling to Swim                    D. Strange Look of Pierre

 

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