(三)(2011·山東高考)

　　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 Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.

　　In the laboratory, Tavella 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.” Tavella 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 (頭皮) 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. Millan, 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．BCI is a technology that can ________.

　　A. help to update computer systems

　　B. link the human brain with computers

　　C. help the disabled to recover

　　D. control a person's thoughts

　　2．How did Tavella 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.

　　3．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

　　4．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

　　5．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

　　答案與解析

　　1.B　細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第一段可知，自20世紀(jì)70年代以來，科學(xué)家一直尋找途徑能將人腦與電腦相連。BCI技術(shù)能幫助殘疾人向機器發(fā)送指令。故此處B項正確。而C項只是部分正確，雖然能幫助殘疾人，但卻不能幫他們康復(fù)。

　　2.D　細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第三段可知Tavella只是思考動他的左右手就能操作這個輪椅。甚至當(dāng)他觀察這臺機器時就能進行交流，也能用他的思想指導(dǎo)機器人工作。因此機器人是在人腦的思想支配下進行工作的。故D項正確。

　　3.C　細節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)第五段可知，首先研究人員為用戶設(shè)計一種特殊的帽子，它會捕捉頭皮發(fā)出的信號并將其傳給電腦。電腦將這些信號進行分析翻譯，給監(jiān)控下的機器人輪椅發(fā)出指令。機器人輪椅裝有兩部攝像頭能識別信號路徑中的物體，從而幫助電腦對人腦的指令作出反應(yīng)。故此處C項正確。

　　4．B　推理判斷題。根據(jù)最后一段第二句“One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from”可知，在患者身上進行實驗是他們團隊工作的一個目標(biāo)，旨在證明這項技術(shù)對他們有益。故正確答案選B項。

　　5.C　主旨大意題。本文為科技說明文，開篇點題。介紹科學(xué)家研究的這項新技術(shù)BCI，對殘疾人大有裨益。故正確答案為C項。