Ⅰ. 阅读理解
We can video chat with astronauts aboard the International Space Station and watch live footage(直播) from the frozen heights of Everest. But communicating with a submarine(潜艇) or a diver is not so easy. The lack of practical methods for sharing data between underwater and airborne devices has long been a frustration for scientists. The difficulty originates from the fact that radio signals work perfectly in air travel but poorly in water. Sonar(声呐) signals used by underwater sensors reflect off the surface of the water rather than reaching the air.
Now, researchers at MIT have developed a method with the potential to revolutionize underwater communication. “What we’ve shown is that it’s actually feasible to communicate from underwater to the air, ” says Fadel Adib, a professor at MIT’s Media Lab, who led the research.
The MIT researchers designed a system that uses an underwater machine to send sonar signals to the surface, making vibrations(震动) corresponding to the 1s and 0s of the data. A surface receiver then reads and decodes these tiny vibrations. The researchers call the system TARF. “It has a number of potential real-world uses, ” Adib says. It could be used to find downed planes underwater by reading signals from sonar devices in a plane’s black box and it could allow submarines to communicate with the surface.
Right now the technology is low-resolution. The initial study was conducted in the MIT swimming pool at maximum depths of around 11 or 12 feet. The next steps for the researchers are to see if TARF is workable at much greater depths and under varying conditions—high waves, storms, schools of fish. They also want to see if they can make the technology work in the other direction—air to water.
If the technology proves successful in real-world conditions, expect“texting while diving” to be the latest underwater fashion.
【文章大意】这是一篇说明文, 讲述的是水下与陆地上的通信在之前是无法实现的。随着科技的进步, 这一通讯逐渐能够变为现实。
1. What does the author mainly talk about in Paragraph 1?
A. The future of video chat underwater and in air.
B. The difficulty of communication from water to air.
C. The frustrations of developing underwater devices.
D. The current situation of communicating with a submarine.
【解析】选B。细节理解题。根据第一段的第二、三句“But communicating with a submarine or a diver is not so easy. The lack of practical methods for sharing data between underwater and airborne devices has long been a frustration for scientists. ”可知, 从水里向空气中传递信息, 进行交流是很困难的。
2. What does the underlined word “feasible” mean?
A. Changeable. B. Convenient.
C. Achievable. D. Alternative.
【解析】选C。词义猜测题。根据第二段的第一句“Now, researchers at MIT have developed a method with the potential to revolutionize underwater communication. ”可推断海底与外界的沟通实际上是可行的。所以该词的意思是“可行的, 可实现的”。
3. What do we know about TARF?
A. It is widely used to find downed planes.
B. It can work well at great depths underwater.
C. It is an underwater machine that sends signals.
D. It can send, receive and read signals from underwater.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第三段前三句内容可知, TARF系统可以从水下发送、接收和读取信号。
4. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. The Real-world Uses of Sonar Technology
B. A Breakthrough in the Application of Video Chat
C. Full Water-to-air Communication Closer to Reality
D. TARF Becoming a New Means of Communication
【解析】选C。标题归纳题。根据第一段的最后两句和第二段的第一句可知, 本文讲述的是水下与陆地上的通信在以前是无法实现的, 但随着科技的进步, 这一通讯逐渐能够变为现实。
