The Square
Jack Dorsey, the co-inventor of Twitter, is promoting his latest invention called the Square. The square is a small plug-in attachment to your mobile phone that allows you to receive credit card payments.
The idea starting from Dorsey's friend Jim McKelvey who was unable to sell some glass work to a customer because he couldn't accept a particular card being used.
Accepting credit card payments for something you're selling isn't always easy, especially if you are mobile like a tradesman, or delivery service at a trade show.
This latest invention uses a small scanner that plugs into the audio input item on a mobile device. It reads information on a credit card when it is swiped(刷卡). The information is not stored on the device but sent over secure channels to banks. It basically makes any mobile phone a cash register for accepting card payments.
As a payer, you receive a receipt via email that can be instantly accessed securely online. You can also use a text message to authorize payment in real time. Retailers can create a payer account for their customers which speeds the payment process. For example, a cardholder can assign a photo to their card so their photo will appear on the phone for visual identity confirmation. Mobile devices with touch screens will also allow you to sign for goods.
There are no contracts, monthly fees, or hidden costs to accept card payments using Square and it is expected the plug-in attachment will also be free of charge.
As with Twitter, it's expected that Dorsey will direct the company based upon feedback from users. Square Inc. has offices in San Francisco, Saint Louis and New York and is currently beta testing the invention with retailers in the United States.
【小题1】Why is Jack Dorsey promoting his latest invention?

A．To test a plug-in attachment.

B．To identify a particular credit card.

C．To sell some glass work to a customer.

D．To allow people to receive credit card payments.

【小题2】What can we infer from Paragraph 4?

A．The service performs only on special mobile phones.

B．The latest invention is just a small scanner.

C．The Square contains information on a credit card.

D．It is safe for your information to be sent to banks.

【小题3】How can a cardholder receive a receipt?

A．By email online.

B．By oral message.

C．By a payer account.

D．Over safe channels to banks.

【小题4】What does the writer imply in the last paragraph?

A．The invention may be used in the future.

B．The Square has already put into use widely.

C．The invention hasn’t been tested these days.

D．The Square is popular among people in the US.

   We all know the hard work that filmmakers and actors put in the film to provide us with entertainment, but it seems that even regular moviegoers like us have a big impact on how a movie turns out too.
For decades, film studios have used so-called test screenings to get feedback from members of the public before a movie comes out.
While test audience members are usually asked to fill in a questionnaire after a screening, telling the film studio what they liked and didn't like, media giant Disney has come up with a more high-tech solution.
According to a paper published this summer by the company's researchers, Disney is measuring the test audience's reactions by using special cameras placed inside cinemas.
Pairing the cameras with custom(定制的) software, the company can track what each audience member is feeling at any point in the movie, from anger to joy.
This works by mapping 68 different points on each audience member's face. The cameras can see in the dark, and the software can figure out a person's mood based on the slightest facial expressions.
It's hoped that this new method will allow more detailed feedback from the test audience. Rather than relying on audience members to recall their feelings after the movie's over,it can accurately read their reactions in real-time.
Test screenings are highly valued in the movie industry, and several well-known movies have been greatly altered(改变)following feedback.
Viewers of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial would have left the cinema feeling a whole lot of difference if it had not been for its test audience's feedback.
"In one cut of the film that was tested,E.T. died instead of going home in his spaceship. You won't be surprised to hear that the test audience in question. didn't warm to this ending at all," wrote media website Den of Geek.
But for those who are concerned about privacy, the cameras won't be installed in public cinemas.
After all, unless you're part of the test audience,being in front of the camera is best left to the movie stars.
【小题1】How do the test audience influence a movie before it comes out?

A．They get involved in the shooting of a movie.

B．They help promote it after test screenings.

C．They give advice on how a movie should end.

D．Their views on the movie may help change it.

【小题2】What is the main advantage the cameras Disney researchers are using have over questionnaires?

A．They protect the audience's privacy better.

B．They allow the audience to recall their feelings more easily.

C．They are able to record the audience's moods accurately on the spot.

D．They can help audience members adjust their moods with custom software.

【小题3】With the example of

A．T. the Extra-Terrestrial, the author intends to ______.

B．illustrate the significance of test screenings

C．emphasize the importance of altering a movie

D．show what kind of endings are better received by viewers

E．explain what kind of feedback could be accepted in test screenings

【小题4】The underlined word "cut"in the third-to-last paragraph probably means ______.

A．a particular version of a movie

B．a part that is removed from a movie

C．a part of something that is shared among people

D．a reduction in the number or amount of something

   Leon，12，was born without fingers on his left hand. That didn't stop him from being able to do many tasks. But Leon could not grasp more than one object at a time. So Leon's father，Paul，created a prosthesis（义肢），using a3-D printer. Now Leon has fingers that can open and close. "It was a do-it-yourself，father and son adventure，" says Paul.

When Leon was a baby，his doctor advised his parents not to give him a prosthetic hand until he was in his early teens. "The doctor said Leon should first learn to get full use of the hand he was born with，"says Paul. As Leon got older，his father considered buying a prosthetic hand，which can cost as much as $30，000. Then Paul found a more affordable solution.

One day，Paul discovered a video on the Internet about Robohand，a prosthesis created by a 3--D printer. He downloaded the free instructions and called Robohand's creators for advice. They told him all he needed was a 3-D printer-which costs around $2，000 and some materials.

Luckily，Leon's school had recently bought a 3-D printer and it offered to help Paul build the hand for Leon. "We used a soccer shin pad（护胫），cardboard，and tape. They cost about $10，"says Paul.

With his new hand，Leon can do things better. "I can help my mom more，because now I can carry two grocery bags，"he says.

Leon's father has already built several hands for Leon. Leon helps design each one. He says there's one thing in particular that he wants to do with a future prosthesis. "The goal，"he tells the reporter from the local evening paper，"is to be able to tie my shoelaces（鞋带）".

【小题1】Why did Leon's doctor disapprove of his using a prosthesis in his childhood?

A．The prosthetic technology was underdeveloped then.

B．A prosthesis was very expensive at that time.

C．To learn to use the disabled hand was important.

D．The original hand could do many tasks.

【小题2】Leon's father managed to get Leon a new hand by _________.

A．collecting money on the Internet

B．buying a prosthetic hand

C．buying a 3-D printer

D．printing a hand

【小题3】The materials used for Leon's hand can be described as _______.

A．cheap and common

B．strange and valuable

C．personal and lovely

D．basic and solid

【小题4】What is the best title for the passage？

A．A DIY Enthusiast	B．A Helping Hand
C．A Great Adventure	D．A Lucky Escape

   Driverless technology will soon enter another major global industry: shipping. Several companies recently announced plans to launch self-sailing ships to improve safety and efficiency.

One of them is the Norwegian chemical company Yara International. Yara has teamed up with another Norwegian company, Kongsberg, to build an autonomous goods ship expected to be launched next year. Kongsberg developed the ship’s electrical technology and autonomous control systems. The ship is fully electric to reduce air pollution. It is designed to carry goods containers normally transported by truck. This means the ship will also improve road safety by replacing about 40,000 truck trips a year. The company plans to operate the ships by far-away control beginning sometime next year. By 2020, the ships should be loading and sailing themselves. While Yara’s ships will be limited to Norway at first, the company plans to greatly expand its autonomous shipping operations in the coming years.

Another company putting a high priority (优先) to self-sailing ships is the world’s largest mining company, Australia’s BHP Billiton. The company’s Vice President of Freight, Rashpal Bhatti, recently spoke about the technology in a website post. Bhatti believes automation will be one of the biggest changes for shipping in the future. He said, “Autonomous ships offer important opportunities to improve safety and provide more effective results to the supply chain of the sea.” He added that self-sailing ships could become a reality within the next decade.

Rolls-Royce, the British automobile and engine manufacturer (制造商), is also developing unmanned (无人驾驶的) shipping technologies. Oskar Levander is the company’s head of operations at sea. He said in a conference last year, “This is happening. It’s not if, it’s when.”

Levander said these autonomous ships could be controlled by far-away operators from anywhere. He added, “Because these ships will be designed to be unmanned, they can be built smaller, more efficient and environmentally friendly.”

【小题1】Why have several countries announced plans to produce self-sailing ships?

A．To save money.

B．To develop electrical technology in ships.

C．To compete in autonomous control systems.

D．To make shipping more effective and less risky.

【小题2】How will the Norwegian autonomous ship be developed?

A．On the basis of Rolls-Royce.

B．By a single company independently.

C．By two native companies working together.

D．By taking electrical technology from Australia.

【小题3】What do Oskar Levander’s words suggest in Paragraph 4?

A．It is too early to make autonomous ships.

B．The supply chain of the sea will be busier.

C．People are more concerned about autonomous ships.

D．Unmanned shipping technologies are becoming more mature.

【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?

A．Automation under Sail	B．Self-sailing Ships in Use
C．Automation in Some Fields	D．Automation in Imagination

   Would you buy a car that can release calming smells into the air when you are stuck in heavy traffic? Would you buy a robot that smells like a human being?

Many people have seen the 3-D computer-made environments of virtual reality（虚拟现实）. Now these virtual worlds will not just look and sound real. Researchers have created VR environments that even smell like the real ones. With the new technology, users open a virtual door and step into a new environment, like a rainforest. After they enter this virtual world, special equipment releases forest-like smells into the air to make the experience feel more real.

Suzanne Fisher-Murray said, “It is a really wonderful experience that you have because you’re exploring this environment and you have smells with it.”

In the United States, Smell-O-Vision was designed to provide smells during the showing of a movie. The Smell-O-Vision system was once popular in the 1960s. Now, Emanuela Maggioni says it is close to becoming popular again. “It connects emotions and memories with the sense of smell,” Maggioni said. “It is unbelievable what we can do with the technology.”

The uses of smell technology are not just limited to films and the performing arts. Researchers showed a computer program where users could imagine themselves driving a car. The system included a special smell-spraying machine. Dmitrijs Dmitrenko said, “We want to deliver the smell of lavender(薰衣草) every time the person drives over the speed limit. We choose lavender because it’s a very calming smell.”

Scientists are experimenting with smells instead of sounds or image-based alerts on telecommunications equipment. And businessmen have already used smells to influence people’s behavior. “Not only in stores, but also in other places you can create and stimulate(刺激) immediate purchase,” Maggioni said. “So you’re in a library and when you smell coffee you will unconsciously have the need to drink a coffee.”

【小题1】Using smell technology, researchers make VR environments ________.

A．have a smell of a rainforest

B．even smell like the real ones

C．look like a 4-Denvironment

D．frighten people with a virtual world

【小题2】The example of Smell-O-Vision proves that________.

A．America is the first to use smell technology

B．cinemas are the most suitable places for the sense of smell

C．smell technology has been used before

D．it is out of date to use smell-spraying devices

【小题3】How is smell technology used by businessmen？

A．To make buyers understand salesmen better.

B．To remind people of their unrealistic purchase.

C．To help customers choose their favorite goods.

D．To stimulate people to buy things.

【小题4】What is the main idea of the passage？

A．The new developments of smell technology.

B．A major breakthrough of VR technology.

C．The sense of smell in human communication.

D．The advanced smell-spraying machines.