right arm, which stimulate muscles. But the real magic lies higher up. Mr Kochevar can control his arm using the power of thought. His intention to move is ___32___ in neural(神经的) activity in his motor region; these signals are detected by implants in his brain and ___33___ into commands to activate the electrodes in his arms.
An ability to decode thought in this way may sound like science fiction. But brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) like the BrainGate system used by Mr Kochevar provide evidence that mind-control can work. Researchers are able to tell what words and images people have heard and seen from neural activity alone. Information can also be encoded and used to stimulate the brain. Over 300, 000 people have cochlear(耳蜗的) implants, which help them to hear by ___34___ sound into electrical signals and sending them into the brain. Scientists have “___35___” data into monkeys heads, instructing them to perform actions via electrical pulses.
As our Technology Quarterly in this issue explains, the pace of research into BCIs and the scale of its ambition are ___36___. Both America’s armed forces and Silicon Valley are starting to focus on the brain. Facebook dreams of thought-to-text ___37___. Kernel, a startup, has $100m to spend on neurotechnology. Elon Musk has formed a firm called Neuralink; he thinks that, if humanity is to survive the arrival of artificial intelligence, it needs an upgrade. Entrepreneurs imagine a world in which people can communicate using thoughts, with each other and with machines, or acquire ___38___ abilities, such as hearing at very high frequencies.
These powers, if they ever materialise, are decades away. But well before then, BCIs could open the door to wonderful new ___39___. Imagine stimulating the visual region to help the blind, making new neural___40___ in stroke victims or monitoring the brain for signs of depression. By turning the firing of neurons into a resource to be used, BCIs may change the idea of what it means to be human. 【答案】31. J 32. F 33. A 34. H 35. G 36. B 37. D 38. K 39. C 40. I 【解析】
本文为说明文。主要叙述了一个革命性的技术：用思想来控制机器。肩膀以下瘫痪了的科切瓦先生，在他右臂植入了电极后，他可以用思想的力量控制他的手臂。这听起来像不像是科幻小说？但这是事实！30多
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万人通过植入耳蜗来助听，通过刺激视觉区域来帮助盲人，在中风患者身上建立新的神经连接等，这种革命性的技术，让人们可以用思想来与他人交流，也可以与机器交流。 【31题详解】
考查形容词作定语。分析句子This ___1___ progress is partly thanks to electrodes, implanted in his right arm,可知，本空格在句中作定语，修饰名词progress，修饰名词要用形容词。根据上下文的语境可知，科切瓦先生在事故后肩膀以下瘫痪了，但他还是用自己的手来养活自己。但真正的魔力是科切瓦先生可以用思想的力量控制他的手臂。由此可知，这是个“显著的/非凡的”进步。分析选项可知remarkable符合题意，故选J。 【32题详解】
考查语境及名词。句意：他的运动意图反映在他运动区域的神经活动中。根据上文内容可知，科切瓦先生可以用思想的力量控制他的手臂。所以此处是指“他的运动意图反映（reflect）在神经活动中”。因此要用 reflects，故选F。 【33题详解】
考查被动语态。句意：这些信号通过他的大脑植入物被检测出来，并被处理成指令，激活他手臂上的电极。分析句子“these signals are detected by implants in his brain and ___3___ into commands to activate the electrodes in his arms.”可知，本空格是指信号被处理，分析选项可知process有“数据处理，加工”之意，本空与前面的主语these signals是被动关系，要填processed，故选A。 【34题详解】
考查语境及固定用法。根据语境可知，此处是指有30多万人植入了耳蜗，通过将声音转换成信号并发送到大脑来助听。“把……转换为……”为固定搭配“transform…into…”；by doing sth.为固定用法，意为“凭借……，通过……”因此此处要填transforming，故选H。 【35题详解】
考查谓语动词的时态及语态。句意：科学家已经将数据“注入”猴子的头部，指示它们通过电脉冲来执行动作。根据空格后“data into monkeys heads”可推断出，数据“注入”头部，分析选项可知inject有“注入”之意，而inject与主语scientists是主动关系。分析语境可知，本空是现在完成时，要填injected，故选G。 【36题详解】
考查语境。根据空格后的“美国军队和硅谷都开始把注意力放在大脑上”。可推断出“对BCIs的研究步伐和规模正在不断增加（increase）”。分析语境可知，空格处要用进行时，要填increasing，故选B。 【37题详解】
考查语境及动词的ing形式作宾语。根据后面的内容“企业家们设想了一个世界，在这个世界里，人们可
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以用思想、彼此和机器进行交流”可知，此处是指“Facebook梦想着文字来表达思想”，意即“从思想到文本的打印”，因此此处可填type。分析句子“Facebook dreams of thought-to-text ___7___”可知，本空在句中作of的宾语，因此要用动词的ing形式，所以填typing，故选D。 【38题详解】
考查语境。根据后面的“such as hearing at very high frequencies.”可知，此处是指“有超人的能力”，是在“在非常高的频率下的听觉”，因此此句是指“企业家们设想了这样一个世界:在这个世界里，人们可以用思想来交流，可以与他人交流，也可以与机器交流，或者获得超人（superhuman）的能力，比如在非常高的频率下听觉。”填superhuman，故选K。 【39题详解】
考查语境。上文主要叙述了新科技在神经活动中的运用。因此此处是指“但在那之前，BCI可以为奇妙的新应用（applications）打开大门。”此处填applications最合适，故选C。 【40题详解】
考查语境。分析本段的内容可知，此处是指“刺激视觉区域来帮助盲人，在中风患者身上建立新的神经连接”。make connections 意为“建立连接/关系”，此处填 connections，故选I。
III. Reading Comprehension Section A
Directions: For each blank in the following passage there are four words or phrases marked A, B, C and D. Fill in each blank with the word or phrase that best fits the context.
How comfortable are you around water? Are you a strong swimmer or do you struggle to keep your head above water? Are you comfortable venturing into the deeper water or do you prefer to move into shallow water where the bottom is ___41___?
Most people expose themselves to water and swimming situations according to their ___42___ levels of skill and comfort. The same might be true as you assess your comfort level with different academic environments ___43___ a good college “fit”. Just as you might study a body of water to figure out its temperature, depth and current before venturing in, you need to ___44___ the difficulties, pace and depth of an academic environment —and your ability to keep your “head above water” if admitted—before deciding to apply.
When looking at academic difficulties as a(n) ___45___ of “fit”, you are likely to find that you have the capacity to “get the job done” academically in a range of college environments.___46___, you are not likely to have difficulty with the “water” itself. You will
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fit best, however, at colleges and universities where your ability and preparation enable you to rise to new levels of ___47___.
Your goal should be to find academic environments where your levels of ability and preparation will enable you to achieve well as you stretch yourself ___48___. These places represent appropriate “bodies of water” for you academically.
The best ___49___ of comprehension regarding your preparedness to meet the academic requirements of various colleges and universities are your high school teachers. Because they are very familiar with your capabilities, your teachers can offer ___50___ help in identifying the colleges where you will find the best academic programs for you.
Assuming you are able to find appropriate environments academically, you then need to assess the ___51___ of your school reports for admission to those colleges. How does your academic record (grades and test scores) pile up against those of other students who will be ___52___, most (about 90%) of whom are just like you in that they can do the work too?
You need to be honest in ___53___ this part of the picture, especially if you are considering colleges that can be highly selective and tend to admit very small percentages of the students who apply. A lot of students get in over their heads competitively when they fail to consider the real odds of gaining admission. While you might feel you are a ___54___ candidate at schools that can be very choosy, the reality is that you need to be in the top 25 percent of applicant pools at such schools to have a fighting chance of being admitted. By the way, you don’t ___55___ your chances of getting into at least one such school by applying to a dozen of them! 41. A. tough 42. A. explosive 43. A. on behalf of 44. A. observe 45. A. indication 46. A. In addition 47. A. continent 48. A. considerately 49. A. sources 50. A. continuous 51. A. reliability
B. mysterious B. respective B. in the place of B. overcome B. implication B. In other words B. contribution B. traditionally B. origins B. invaluable B. alternative
C. visible C. potential C. in case of C. investigate C. innovation C. By comparison C. challenge C. influentially C. concerns C. powerless C. competitiveness
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D. different D. reasonable D. in search of D. complete D. intention D. By contrast D. conscience D. intellectually D. demands D. unforgettable D. recommendation
