In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French, and English -- and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel, a computer science professor at US' s Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany' s University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.

One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.

Another prototype (雏形机) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. "It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you," Waibel said.

Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe (转录) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display (LCD) screen.

Then there' s the Muscle Translator. Electrodes (电极) capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted (植入) in a person' s face, according to researchers.

During a demonstration (演示) held last Thursday in CMU' s Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Stan Jou had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed -- without speaking aloud -- a few words in Mandarin(普通话) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: "Let me introduce our new prototype".

This particular gadget (器械), when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, "to switch your mouth to a foreign language". "The idea behind the university' s prototypes is to create 'good enough' bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world," Waibel said.

With spontaneous (自发的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.

What kind of prototype did the Chinese student named Stan Jou try?

A. Lecture Translation.            B. Translation Glasses.

C. Muscle Translator.             D. We don' t know.

What is the purpose of inventing the translators?

    A. To help students to learn English.

    B. To help people to watch foreign TV programs.

    C. To help people travel in foreign countries.

    D. To promote cultural exchanges between countries.

What is the best title of this text?

    A. Speak different languages at the same time?

    B. Flow to learn to speak foreign languages?

    C. New ways to learn foreign languages

D. You' re welcome to learn foreign languages

It’s nearly noon on a Saturday and you can’t believe it: your teenager is still in bed, sleeping away. But before you wake him up---mumbling to yourself that you can’t believe what a lazybones he is---you should know that he probably needs all the zzzs he can get.
As much as nine hours of sleep a night, in fact. Furthermore, teens’ circadian rhythms (i.e., processes that occur once a day) mean that young people would rather stay up past midnight and rise after 9 a.m. The result? Many teens stay up late, drag themselves out of bed early for school and try to make up the sleep debt on the weekends---or in class!
“There’s a biological reason why teens stay up late and want to sleep late,” says Dr. Stan Kutcher, the Sun Life Chair of Adolescent Mental Health at Dalhousie University in Halifax. “Their natural sleep-wake cycle changes as part of the maturation process. And because of changes in their social activities, recovering from sleep debt is more problematic.”
Teens need extra sleep for several reasons. First, their brains are changing. “The brain is reorganizing itself, laying down new pathways. What we’re seeing is a relationship between brain redevelopment and an increased need for sleep,” says Kutcher. As well, growth hormones are released during sleep, so adequate sleep is crucial for adolescents’ physical development. In addition, everything adolescents have learned in school that day is being processed and locked into long-term memory during sleep. Sufficient sleep also plays a key role in overall physical health. The immune system, for example, needs deep sleep to become and remain robust(healthy).
Staying up late on school nights means that, on average, teens get between six and a half and seven hours of sleep a night---about two hours less than they need. As a result, many either doze off in class or have trouble concentrating. Some of the behavioural problems and irritability in teens can be linked directly to sleep deprivation(损失), Kutcher says.
Then there’s the breakfast issue. Dr. Carlyle Smith, a sleep researcher and a psychology professor at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., adds that many teens simply cannot tolerate food when they first wake up, so skipping breakfast becomes another factor in reduced alertness in class. The most obvious solution to the teen sleep problem is to have school start later in the day, but initiatives(积极性) toward this across the country have gone nowhere, Smith says, mainly because of costs and resistance from school boards and teachers.
So for now, just sympathize with your teens. Encourage them to go to bed, if not early, then at least at a regular time, so they won’t develop insomnia from erratic(不稳定的) schedules. Warn them not to have too many caffeinated drinks before bed. And don’t let sleeping away the weekend become an issue to fight over. Schedule family activities to take place later in the day on weekends and let them sleep in. “If you want your kids to grow and remember stuff, let them sleep,” says Smith. “It’s not laziness. Their brains are working really, really hard.”
【小题1】The word “zzzs” (Paragraph 1) most probably means __________.

A.foodB.sleepC.energyD.blame
【小题2】What causes teenagers to be less sleepy late at night and more sleepy early in the morning?
A.Caffeinated drinks.
B.Too much family activities.
C.Circadian rhythms.
D.Too much homework.
【小题3】How many reason why teens need extra sleep are mentioned in Paragraph 4?
A.Three.B.Four.C.Five.D.Six.
【小题4】One of the reasons why many teenagers fail to have better performances in class is that __________.
A.teenagers go to bed early and sleep late
B.teenagers stay up late and get up late
C.teenagers participate in too many social activities at night
D.teenagers skip breakfast because of sleeping in
【小题5】The author wrote this article to __________.
A.advise parents to let sleeping teenagers lie
B.explain why teenagers often sleep late
C.state schools should start late in the day
D.warn teenagers not to drink coffee before bed

You’re finishing up your history homework when your cell phone rings. You’ve got 30 minutes to reach head-quarters, get your equipment packed and receive your task. There’s a lost hiker in the mountains near the edge of town. Your task: find the missing person; provide emergency medical treatment, if necessary; and be prepared to operate 48 hours on your own with only the supplies you carry.

Sounds like some kind of film’s plot? Not if you’re a member of the Arapahoe teen rescue patrol in the suburbs of Denver. About 25 teen guys and girls are active members of this search, rescue and emergency organization, and they know firsthand that you don’t have to be an adult to save lives.

These 9th-through-12th graders are the real deal when it comes to emergency services. In fact, they’re the only teen-commanded patrol in the nation. Sure they have adult advisers to turn to if necessary, but in the field it’s a teen patrol officer calling the shots — sometimes even giving direction to adults.

Members are trained in rock-high-angle,swift-water and avalanche rescue (雪崩施行营救), winter and alpine operation , wilderness life support and emergency care, among other skills. They also regularly ride along with the local fire and police departments, providing support such as security details and evidence searching.

When asked what qualities make a good patrol member, founder and president Stan Bush named good physical conditioning and an interest in helping people. “We put in lots and lots of hours helping people in trouble,” he says. “So if a person is not really interested in doing that kind of thing, he won’t last as a member.”

1.In the first paragraph, the author describes ______.

A. a plot in some kind of film                                 B. a teen patrol member’s life

C. an emergency rescue                                                  D. a lost hiker in trouble

2.Which of the following is NOT true about the Arapahoe teen rescue patrol?

A. They are trained to have many special skills.

B. They also work with local firemen and policemen.

C. They turn to adults for help sometimes.

D. They think they can save lives only when growing up.

3.If you want to become a good rescue patrol member, you must ______.

A. be strong and interested in offering help

B. be a 9th-through-12th grader

C. finish your history homework first

D. spend many hours helping people first

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. What qualities make a good patrol member?

B. The Arapahoe teen rescue patrol

C. How to become a rescue patrol member

D. Skills a rescue patrol member needs

 

Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: Trevor The Taxi

In this children's story, suited to younger children, we have an adventure with Trevor. He is a taxi. Trevor loves his life:

“Sometimes he takes patients to the nursing home, where they can get better after being ill, and sometimes he takes people home when they have been shopping, and Stan puts all their packages inside Trevor's boot, so they will not get wet or broken.”

The black cab, in this adventure, goes far beyond the call of duty whilst he achieves his wildest dreams! What could this be? Well you will just have to read this short story for yourself!

Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: The Girl Who Believed In Fairies

The fairy queen is upset and the elves just don't know what to do:

“Oh dear, oh dear," sobbed the queen, getting her hankie all wet with her constant crying. For the twelfth time that day, Elgie the chief elf took her hankie and wrung it out on to the carpet of grass that grew all around the palace.”

How will they manage to help the queen? Why was she so unhappy? There is only one person that can help! Can she do it? This is a lovely fairy tale that will glow the embers of your heart - only for young girls!

Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: The Envious Kings

This story is suitable for 6 years and upwards.

Unfolding in the story pages of this recommendation is a children's story about two kings who were competing with each other:

“In spite of the easy life that the two kings had, they were not happy, for each of them kept thinking that the other one had a bigger and better palace, or owned more horses, or had more jewels or even had creamier milk.”

They were both petty and, through their envy, they caused themselves much trouble. Who do you think saved the day? Well, you will just have to read the story to find out!

Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: The Wise Old Woman

This story is probably suited to the 8 years old age range and upwards, although would appeal to adults, alike.

Here I introduce you to one of my kids on-line stories listed on the writing and literature section of Hubpages. In this parable you will find a magical world of wisdom involving trees, people and someone very special.

“As she stood and watched, the knowledge melted into her and the sapling grew...The magical transition took her breath away and as she watched on with ore, she noticed something strange.”

So, what was this strangeness and magical transition? Let me leave you with wonderment ... and a click of the link!

Free On-line Short Stories For Kids: Unusual Stories - Faffenburger's Odyssey

This story is probably more suited to the older child. So who is Faffenburger? Well with one of these free on-line short stories for kids, we enter into a different realm. A world of nonsense as Faffenburger moves within alpha and omega. This is a rather unusual story as you will find out!

“My friend, Henry Faffenburger stomped down the long lane on his short stumpy legs, moonlight glancing off his bald-spot, which was a little surprising as there was no moon that night. As he rounded the bend, he saw a pair of headlights coming toward him. They drew level, and stopped. A small man with yellow eyes emerged from the darkness behind the lights, and enquired if Faffenburger would like a lift.

"Where are you going ?" asked my friend. "Wherever you want to go", replied the owner of the yellow eyes.”

So, the adventure begins! Where will they go? Alpha, Omega or just the middle? After all, it was a long summer - especially the middle! Take a closer look at this - you might find something a little more strange and a little more hidden that you have noticed before. Intrigued? Well you should be with Faffenburger's Odyssey!

1.Which story is more well-received by young girls?

A.Trevor The Taxi                         B.Faffenburger's Odyssey

C.The Wise Old Woman                    D.The Girl Who Believed In Fairys

2.You can find the description of a night scene in _______?

A.The Envious Kings                       B.The Girl Who Believed In Fairies

C.The Wise Old Woman                    D.Faffenburger's Odyssey

3.According to the passage, the kings in “The Envious Kings” can be described as_______?

A.Jealous           B.powerful          C.rude             D.ugly

4.Who will most probably find the passage useful?

A.parents with children                    B.children who love to surf the Internet

C.teachers in high school                   D.experts who concern children

 

It’s nearly noon on a Saturday and you can’t believe it: your teenager is still in bed, sleeping away. But before you wake him up---mumbling to yourself that you can’t believe what a lazybones he is---you should know that he probably needs all the zzzs he can get.

As much as nine hours of sleep a night, in fact. Furthermore, teens’ circadian rhythms (i.e., processes that occur once a day) mean that young people would rather stay up past midnight and rise after 9 a.m. The result? Many teens stay up late, drag themselves out of bed early for school and try to make up the sleep debt on the weekends---or in class!

“There’s a biological reason why teens stay up late and want to sleep late,” says Dr. Stan Kutcher, the Sun Life Chair of Adolescent Mental Health at Dalhousie University in Halifax. “Their natural sleep-wake cycle changes as part of the maturation process. And because of changes in their social activities, recovering from sleep debt is more problematic.”

Teens need extra sleep for several reasons. First, their brains are changing. “The brain is reorganizing itself, laying down new pathways. What we’re seeing is a relationship between brain redevelopment and an increased need for sleep,” says Kutcher. As well, growth hormones are released during sleep, so adequate sleep is crucial for adolescents’ physical development. In addition, everything adolescents have learned in school that day is being processed and locked into long-term memory during sleep. Sufficient sleep also plays a key role in overall physical health. The immune system, for example, needs deep sleep to become and remain robust(healthy).

Staying up late on school nights means that, on average, teens get between six and a half and seven hours of sleep a night---about two hours less than they need. As a result, many either doze off in class or have trouble concentrating. Some of the behavioural problems and irritability in teens can be linked directly to sleep deprivation(损失), Kutcher says.

Then there’s the breakfast issue. Dr. Carlyle Smith, a sleep researcher and a psychology professor at Trent University in Peterborough, Ont., adds that many teens simply cannot tolerate food when they first wake up, so skipping breakfast becomes another factor in reduced alertness in class. The most obvious solution to the teen sleep problem is to have school start later in the day, but initiatives(积极性) toward this across the country have gone nowhere, Smith says, mainly because of costs and resistance from school boards and teachers.

So for now, just sympathize with your teens. Encourage them to go to bed, if not early, then at least at a regular time, so they won’t develop insomnia from erratic(不稳定的) schedules. Warn them not to have too many caffeinated drinks before bed. And don’t let sleeping away the weekend become an issue to fight over. Schedule family activities to take place later in the day on weekends and let them sleep in. “If you want your kids to grow and remember stuff, let them sleep,” says Smith. “It’s not laziness. Their brains are working really, really hard.”

1.The word “zzzs” (Paragraph 1) most probably means __________.

A.food             B.sleep             C.energy           D.blame

2.What causes teenagers to be less sleepy late at night and more sleepy early in the morning?

A.Caffeinated drinks.

B.Too much family activities.

C.Circadian rhythms.

D.Too much homework.

3.How many reason why teens need extra sleep are mentioned in Paragraph 4?

A.Three.            B.Four.             C.Five.             D.Six.

4.One of the reasons why many teenagers fail to have better performances in class is that __________.

A.teenagers go to bed early and sleep late

B.teenagers stay up late and get up late

C.teenagers participate in too many social activities at night

D.teenagers skip breakfast because of sleeping in

5.The author wrote this article to __________.

A.advise parents to let sleeping teenagers lie

B.explain why teenagers often sleep late

C.state schools should start late in the day

D.warn teenagers not to drink coffee before bed

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网