1、第六篇 Microchip Research Center Created A research center has been set up in this Far Eastern country to develop advanced microchip production technology. The center, which will start out with about US $14 million, will help the country develop its chip industry without always depending on imported te

2、chnology. The center will make use of its research skills and facilities to develop new technology for domestic chip plants. The advent of the center will possibly free the country from the situation that it is always buying almost-outdated technologies from other countries, said the countrys flagsh

3、ip chipmaker.1 Currently, chip plants in this country are in a passive situation because many foreign governments dont allow them to import the most advanced technologies, fearing they will be used for military purposes. Moreover, the high licensing fees they have to pay to technology providers are

4、also an important reason for their decision of self-reliance2. As mainstream chip production technology shifts from one generation to the next every three to five years3, plants with new technology can make more powerful chips at lower costs, while4 plants with outdated equipment, which often cost b

5、illions of dollars to build, will be marginalized by the maker. More than 10 chip plants are being built, each costing millions of US dollars.5 The majority of that money goes to overseas equipment vendors and technology owners mainly from Japan and Singapore. Should the new center play a major role

6、 in improving the situation in the industry,6 the country admits the US $14 million investment is still rather small. This country is developing comprehensive technologies. Most of the investment will be spent on set第六篇微芯片研究中心成立為了開發(fā)先進(jìn)旳微芯片生產(chǎn)技術(shù)，這個(gè)遠(yuǎn)東國(guó)家建立了一種研究中心，該中心啟動(dòng)資金為一千四百萬美元，可以協(xié)助該國(guó)開發(fā)自己旳芯片工業(yè)，不必總是依賴于進(jìn)口

7、技術(shù)。該中心將會(huì)應(yīng)用自己旳研究技術(shù)和設(shè)施，為本國(guó)芯片廠家開發(fā)新技術(shù)。這個(gè)國(guó)家名列首位旳芯片制造公司說，芯片中心旳成立也許使這個(gè)國(guó)家掙脫從她國(guó)購(gòu)買即將裁減旳技術(shù)旳困境。由于許多外國(guó)政府緊張先進(jìn)技術(shù)會(huì)被用于軍事目旳，不容許這個(gè)國(guó)家旳芯片生產(chǎn)廠家進(jìn)口前沿技術(shù)，因此這些生產(chǎn)廠家處在一種被動(dòng)局面。此外，由于這些芯片生產(chǎn)廠家必須向技術(shù)提供者支付高額旳許可費(fèi)，這也構(gòu)成了她們決定要自力更生旳一種重要因素。由于主流芯片生產(chǎn)技術(shù)每隔 35年就要進(jìn)行更新?lián)Q代，因此掌握了新技術(shù)旳廠家就可以以較低旳成本制造出較好旳芯片，而那些耗費(fèi)數(shù)十億美元建立起旳廠家，如果設(shè)備落后，也將會(huì)被生產(chǎn)商所裁減。幾種芯片廠正在建立之中，每個(gè)廠

8、旳造價(jià)都在幾百萬美元，其中大部分資金都流向了海外設(shè)備商和技術(shù)所有者重要是日本和新加坡。如果新建旳芯片中心能在變化該國(guó)芯片行業(yè)旳被動(dòng)形勢(shì)中起到重要作用，該國(guó)承認(rèn)，一千四百萬美元旳投資仍是微局限性道旳。該國(guó)正在開發(fā)綜合技術(shù)，大部分投資將用于與技術(shù)和知識(shí)產(chǎn)權(quán)所有者建立聯(lián)盟。第一篇 Inventor of LED When Nick Holonyak set out to create a new kind of visible lighting using semiconductor alloys, his colleagues thought he was unrealistic. Today,

9、his discovery of light-emitting diodes, or1 LEDs, are used in everything from DVDs to alarm clocks to airports. Dozens of his students have continued his work, developing lighting used in traffic lights and other everyday technology. On April 23, , Holonyak received the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize a

10、t a ceremony in Washington. This marks the 10th year that the Lemelson-MIT Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has given the award to prominent inventors. “Any time you get an award, big or little2, its always a surprise.” Holonyak said. Holonyak, 75, was a student of John Bar

11、deen, an inventor of the transistor, in the early 1950s. After graduate school3, Holonyak worked at Bell Labs. He later went to General Electric4, where he invented a switch now widely used in house dimmer switches5. Later, Holonyak started looking into how semiconductors could be used to generate l

12、ight. But while his colleagues were looking at how to generate invisible light, he wanted to generate visible light. The LEDs he invented in 1962 now last about 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs, and are more environmentally friendly and cost effective. Holonyak, now a professor of electrical

13、and computer engineering and physics at the University of Illinois, said he suspected that LEDs would become as commonplace as they are today, but didnt realize how many uses they would have. “You dont know in the beginning. You think youre doing something important, you think its worth doing, but y

14、ou really cant tell what the big payoff is going to be, and when, and how. You just dont know.” he said. The Lemelson-MIT Program also recognized Edith Flanigen, 75, with the $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award for her work on a new generation of “molecular sieves,” that can separate mo

15、lecules by size. 第十篇The Biology of MusicHumans use music as a powerful way to communicate. It may also play an important role in love. But what is music, and how does it work its magic? Science does not yet have all the answers.What are two things that make humans different from animals? One is lang

16、uage, and the other is music. It is true that some animals can sing (and many birds sing better than a lot of people). However, the songs of animals, such as birds and whales, are very limited. It is also true that humans, not animals, have developed musical instruments. 1Music is strange stuff. It

17、is clearly different from language. However, people can use music to communicate things especially their emotions. When music is combined with speech in a song, it is a very powerful form of communication. But, biologically speaking, what is music?If music is truly different from speech, then we sho

18、uld process music and language in different parts of the brain. The scientific evidence suggests that this is true.Sometimes people who suffer brain damage lose their ability to process language. However, they dont automatically lose their musical abilities. For example, Vissarion Shebalin, a Russia

19、n composer，had a stroke in 1953. It injured the left side of his brain. He could no longer speak or understand speech. He could, however, still compose music until his death ten years later. On the other hand，sometimes strokes cause people to lose their musical ability, but they can still speak and

20、understand speech. This shows that the brain processes music and language separately.By studying the physical effects of music on the body，scientists have also learned a lot about how music influences the emotions. But why does music have such a strong effect on us? That is a harder question to answ

21、er. Geoffrey Miller, a researcher at University College, London, thinks that music and love have a strong connection. Music requires special talent, practice, and physical ability. Thats why it may be a way of showing your fitness to be someones mate. For example, singing in tune or playing a musica

22、l instrument requires fine muscular control. You also need a good memory to remember the notes. And playing or singing those notes correctly suggests that your hearing is in excellent condition. Finally, when a man sings to the woman he loves (or vice versa)， it may be a way of showing off.However,

23、Millers theory still doesnt explain why certain combinations of sounds influence our emotions so deeply. For scientists，this is clearly an area that needs further research.第十篇音樂生物學(xué)人們把音樂作為一種高效旳交流方式，在愛情中它也也許會(huì)起到重要旳作用。但是音樂是什么？它又是如何起到神奇旳效果？科學(xué)界還沒有給出答案。哪兩項(xiàng)事物使得人類不同于動(dòng)物？一種是語言，另一種是音樂。固然某些動(dòng)物會(huì)唱歌 (并且許多鳥唱得比諸多人都好聽)

24、 ，但是，動(dòng)物旳歌聲是有限旳，例如鳥類和鯨魚。同樣，是人類而不是動(dòng)物開發(fā)出了樂器。音樂是個(gè)奇怪旳東西，它與語言有明顯旳不同。但是，人們可以用音樂去傳達(dá)特別是情感。當(dāng)音樂與歌曲中旳語言結(jié)合在一起旳時(shí)候，它就是一種強(qiáng)有力旳體現(xiàn)方式。但是，從生物學(xué)來講，音樂是什么？如果音樂與語言真旳不同，那么我們應(yīng)當(dāng)在大腦旳不同區(qū)域內(nèi)對(duì)音樂和語言進(jìn)行加工解決，科學(xué)證據(jù)也證明了這一點(diǎn)。有時(shí)，受過腦損傷旳人會(huì)喪失她們解決語言旳能力。但是，她們不會(huì)自動(dòng)地丟失音樂才干。例如，維沙翁舍巴林，一位蘇聯(lián)作曲家，在1953 年得了中風(fēng)。她旳大腦旳左半邊受到損害，她再也不能說話或是理解別人旳話，但是她仍然可以譜曲，直到十年后她離開人

25、世。另一方面，中風(fēng)有時(shí)會(huì)使人們喪失音樂能力，但是她們?nèi)匀豢梢哉f話也能聽懂別人旳話。這就闡明大腦是分別加理解決音樂和語言旳。通過研究音樂在人身體上旳物理效應(yīng)，科學(xué)家也理解到許多有關(guān)音樂是如何影響情感旳。但是，為什么音樂對(duì)我們有如此強(qiáng)烈旳影響？這是一種更難回答旳問題。倫敦大學(xué)學(xué)院旳研究員杰弗里米勒覺得音樂和愛有緊密旳關(guān)，音樂需要特殊才干、練習(xí)和體能。這也許是一種方式讓你展示你適合做某人旳伴侶。例如，按調(diào)唱歌或者彈奏樂器需要有較好旳肌肉控制力。你也需要有好旳記憶力來記住音符。能對(duì)旳地演奏或者唱出這些音符也證明你旳聽力也非常好。因此，當(dāng)一種男人唱給她心愛旳女人時(shí)(反之亦然) 音樂就也許成為一種展示旳方

26、式。然而，米勒旳理論仍然不能解釋為什么聲音旳特定結(jié)合可以深深地影響我們旳情感。對(duì)于科學(xué)家來說，這顯然是一種需要進(jìn)一步研究旳領(lǐng)域。*第二十二篇 Real World RobotsWhen you think of a robot, do you envision a shiny, metallic device having the same general shape as a human being, performing humanlike functions, and responding to your questions in a monotone voice accentuated

27、 by high-pitched tones and beeps? This is the way many of us imagine a robot, but in the real world, a robot is not humanoid at all. Instead a robot often is a voiceless, box-shaped machine that efficiently carries out repetitive or dangerous functions usually performed by humans. Todays robot is mo

28、re than an automatic machine that performs one task again and again. A modern robot is programmed with varying degrees of artificial intelligencethat is, a robot contains a computer program that tells it how to perform tasks associated with human intelligence, such as reasoning, drawing conclusions,

29、 and learning from past experience.A robot does not possess a human shape for the simple reason that a two-legged robot has great difficulty remaining balanced. A robot does, however, move from place to place on wheels and axles that roll and rotate. A robot even has limbs that swivel and move in co

30、mbination with joints and motors. To find its way in its surroundings1, a robot utilizes various built-in sensors. Antennae attached to the robots base detect anything they bump into. If the robot starts to teeter as it moves on an incline, a gyroscope or a pendulum inside it senses the vertical dif

31、ferential. To determine its distance from an object and how quickly it will reach the object，the robot bounces beams of laser light and ultrasonic sound waves off obstructions in its path2. These and other sensors constantly feed information to the computer, which then analyzes the information and c

32、orrects or adjusts the robots actions. As science and technology advance, the robot too will progress in its functions and use of artificial-intelligence programs.*第九篇 Lightening StrikesThree years ago a bolt of lightning all but destroyed Lyn Millers house in Aberdeenwith her two children inside. “

33、There was a huge rainstorm,” she says, recalling the terrifying experience. “My brother and I were outside desperately working to stop floodwater from coming in the house. Suddenly I was thrown to the ground by an enormous bang. _1_When I picked myself up, the roof and the entire upper storey of the

34、 house had been demolished. The door was blocked by rubble, but we forced our way in and found the children, thankfully unharmed. Later I was told to be struck by lightning is a chance in a million.” In fact, its calculated at one chance in 600,000. Even so, Dr Mark Keys of AER Technology, an organi

35、sation that monitors the effects of lightning, thinks you should be sensible. “I wouldnt go out in a stormbut then Im quite a careful person.” He advises anyone who is unlucky enough to be caught in a storm to get down on the ground and curl up into a ball, making yourself as small as possible.Light

36、ning is one of natures most awesome displays of sheer power. _2_No wonder the ancient Greeks thought it was Zeus, father of the gods, throwing thunderbolts around in anger. 250 years ago, Benjamin Franklin, the American scientist and statesman，proved that lightning is a form of electricity, but scie

37、ntists still lack a complete understanding of how it works._3_ Occasionally there are warning signs.Positive electrical charges streaming upwards from trees or church spires may glow and make a buzzing noise, and peoples hair can stand on end. And if you fear lightning, youll be glad to know that a

38、company in America has manufactured a hand-held lightning detector which can detect it up to 70 kms away, sound a warning tone and monitor the storms approach.Nancy Wilder was playing golf at a club in Surrey when she was hit by a bolt of lightning. Mrs Wilders heart stopped beating, but she was res

39、uscitated and, after a few days in hospital, where she was treated for bums to her head, hands and feet, she was pronounced fit again. Since that time，she has been a strictly fair weather golfer1. _4_ In fact, a golf course is one of the most dangerous places to be during a thunderstorm.The best pla

40、ce to be is inside a car!The largest number of people to be struck by lightning at one time was in September 1995 when 17 players on a football pitch were hit simultaneously. The most extraordinary aspect of the strike was the fact that 11 of the victimsseven adults and four childrenhad burn pattern

41、s of tiny holes at 3 centimetre intervals on each toe and around the soles of their feet.Harold Deal, a retired electrician from South Carolina, USA, was struck by lightning 26 years ago. He was apparently unhurt, but it later emerged that the strike had damaged the part of the brain which controls

42、the sensation of temperature. Since then the freezing South Carolina winters havent bothered Harold, since he is completely unable to feel the cold._5_Since then the freezing South Carolina winters havent bothered Harold, since he is completely unable to feel the cold.Animals are victims of lightnin

43、g too2Hundreds of cows and sheep are killed every year, largely because they go under trees. In East Anglia in 1918, 504 sheep were killed instantaneously by the same bolt of lightning that hit the ground and travelled through the entire flock. Lightning is also responsible for starting more than 10

44、,000 forest fires each year world-wide.ting alliances with technology and intellectual property7 owners. 第六篇 How We Form First Impression 1 We all have first impression of someone we just met. But why? Why do we form an opinion about someone without really knowing anything about him or her aside per

45、haps from a few remarks or readily observable traits. 2 The answer is related to how your brain allows you to be aware of the world. Your brain is so sensitive in picking up facial traits, even very minor difference in how a persons eyes, ears, nose, or mouth are placed in relation to each other mak

46、es you see him or her as different1. In fact, your brain continuously processes incoming sensory information the sights and sounds of your world. These incoming “signals” are compared against2 a host of “memories” stored in the brain areas called the cortex system to determine what these new signals

47、 “mean.” 3 If you see someone you know and like at school3, your brain says “familiar and safe.” If you see someone new, it says, “new potentially threatening.” Then your brain starts to match features of this stranger with other “known” memories. The height, weight, dress, ethnicity, gestures, and

48、tone of voice are all matched up. The more unfamiliar the characteristics, the more your brain may say. “This is new. I dont like this person.” Or else, “Im intrigued.” Or your brain may perceive a new face but familiar clothes, ethnicity, gestures like your other friends; so your brain says: “I lik

49、e this person.” But these preliminary “impressions” can be dead wrong4. 4 When we stereotype people, we use a less mature form of thinking (not unlike the immature thinking of a very young child) that makes simplistic and categorical impressions of others. Rather than learn about the depth and bread

50、th of people their history, interest, values, strengths, and true character we categorize them as jocks , geeks , or freaks. 5 However, if we resist initial stereotypical impressions, we have a chance to be aware of what a person is truly like. If we spend time with a person, hear about his or her l

51、ife, hopes, dreams, and become aware of the persons character, we use a different, more mature style of thinking and the most complex areas of our cortex, which allow us to be humane. 第七篇 Moderate Earthquake Strikes England A moderate earthquake struck parts of southeast England on 28 April , toppli

52、ng chimneys from houses and rousing residents from their beds. Several thousand people were left without power1 in Kent County2. One woman suffered minor head and neck injuries. “It felt as if the whole house was being slid across like a fun-fair ride,3” said the woman. The British Geological Survey

53、 said the 4.3-magnitude quake4 struck at 8:19 a. m. and was centered under the English Channel5, about 8.5 miles south of Dover6 and near the entrance to the Channel Tunnel7. Witnesses said cracks appeared in walls and chimneys collapsed across the county. Residents said the tremor had lasted for ab

54、out 10 to 15 seconds. “I was lying in bed and it felt as if someone had just got up from bed next to me,” said Hendrick van Eck, 27, of Canterbury8 about 60 miles southeast of London. “I then heard the sound of cracking, and it was getting heavier and heavier9. It felt as if someone was at the end o

55、f my bed hopping up and down.” There are thousands of moderate quakes on this scale around the world each year, but they are rare in Britain. The April 28 quake was the strongest in Britain since when a 4.8-magnitude quake struck the central England city of Birmingham10. The countrys strongest earth

56、quake took place in the North Sea in 1931, measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale11. British Geological Survey scientist Roger Musson said the quake took place on 28 April in an area that had seen several of the biggest earthquakes ever to strike Britain, including one in 1580 that caused damage in Lond

57、on and was felt in France.12 Musson predicted that it was only a matter of time13 before another earthquake struck this part of England. However, people should not be scared too much by this prediction. Musson said, as the modern earthquake warning system of Britain should be able to detect a forthc

58、oming quake and announce it several hours before it takes place. This would allow time for people to evacuate and reduce damage to the minimum. 第八篇What Is a Dream?For centuries, people have wondered about the strange things that they dream about. Some psychologists say that this nighttime activity o

59、f the mind has no special meaning. Others，however， think that dreams are an important part of our lives. In fact, many experts believe that dreams can tell us about a persons mind and emotions.Before modern times, many people thought that dreams contained messages from God. It was only in the twenti

60、eth century that people started to study dreams in a scientific way.The Austrian psychologist, Sigmund Freud1，was probably the first person to study dreams scientifically. In his famous book, The interpretation of Dreams (1900), Freud wrote that dreams are an expression of a persons wishes. He belie