科普知识类

科普知识类

A

Since the 1970s, scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain computer interface (BCI) technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.

Recently, two researchers, Jose Milan and Michele Avella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.

In the laboratory, Avella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.

“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.”Avella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”

The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.

Prof. Milan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”

He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.

1．How did Avella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory?

A. By controlling his muscles.

B. By talking to the machine.

C. By moving his hand.

D. By using his mind.

2．Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5?

A. scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair

B. computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair

C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair

D. cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair

3．The team will test with real patients to ________.

A. make profits from them

B. prove the technology useful to them

C. make them live longer

D. learn about their physical condition

4．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Switzerland, the BCI Research Center

B. New Findings About How the Human Brain Works

C. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

答案与解析

1.D细节理解题。根据第三段可知Tavella只是思考动他的左右手就能操作这个轮椅。甚至当他观察这台机器时就能进行交流，也能用他的思想指导机器人工作。因此机器人是在人脑的思想支配下进行工作的。故D项正确。

2.C细节理解题。根据第五段可知，首先研究人员为用户设计一种特殊的帽子，它会捕捉头皮发出的信号并将其传给电脑。电脑将这些信号进行分析翻译，给监控下的机器人轮椅发出指令。机器人轮椅装有两部摄像头能识别信号路径中的物体，从而帮助电脑对人脑的