You've heard of the fat suit and the pregnancy suit;now meet AGNES—the old person suit.

AGNES stands for “Age Gain Now Empathy(換位體驗)System” and was designed by researchers at MIT's AgeLab to let you know what it feels like—physically—to be 75 years old.“The business of old age demands new tools,”said Joseph Coughlin,director of the AgeLab.“While focus groups and observations and surveys can help you understand what the older consumer needs and wants,young marketers never get that ‘Ah ha!’ moment of having difficulty opening a jar, or getting in and out of a car.That’s what AGNES provides.”

Coughlin and his team carefully adjusted the suit to make the wearer just as uncomfortable as an old person who has spent a lifetime eating poorly and not doing much exercise.Special shoes provide a feeling of imbalance,while braces on the knees and elbows limit joint mobility.Gloves give the feeling of decreased strength and mobility in the hands and wrists,and earplugs make it difficult to hear high—pitched sounds and soft tones.A helmet with straps(帶)attached to it presses the spine(脊柱),and more straps attached to the shoes decrease hamstring flexibility, and shortens the wearer's step.

AGNES has been used most recently by a group of students working on a design of an updated walker.By wearing the suit they could see for themselves what design and materials would make the most sense for a physically limited older person.Coughlin said the suit has also been used by clothing companies,car companies and retail goods companies to help them understand the limitations of an older consumer.

“AGNES is not the destiny of everybody,” he said.“She is a badly behaved lady who didn't eat and exercise very well.A secondary benefit we’ve found with AGNES is that it has become a powerful tool to get younger people to invest in their long-term health.”

71. AGNES has been developed to ______ .

A. make the users more comfortable

B. 1et us understand old people better

C. help old people move more quickly 

D. produce new tools for the old-age business

72. According to the article,young marketers never       

A.feel the same way as old people do 

B.see the efforts old people make

C.a(chǎn)sk what old people need and want 

D.say “Ah ha!” when they meet with difficulty

73. The 3rd paragraph mainly tells about       .

A.how the AGNES wearer feels    B.how AGNES has been developed

C.how old people act             D.how AGNES works

74. “An updated walker”(underlined)most likely refers to     

A.someone who travels a lot

B.a(chǎn) physically limited old person

C.some equipment that helps old people walk

D.a(chǎn) company whose service involves old people

75. Which may be a fact resulting from the “secondary benefit” of AGNES?

A.Young people respect old people.   

B.Old-age business improves their service·

C.Old people eat and exercise well.   

D.Young people eat and exercise well.

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科目:高中英語 來源:山東省濟南外國語學(xué)校10-11學(xué)年高一下期末考試英語卷 題型:閱讀理解

I met the old man at a cafe. “Did you hear the radio news yesterday?” he asked me. “No,” I replied. “Anything exciting?”“Exciting? NO! Something very sad. A group of hungry dogs killed and ate my best friend.”?
“Oh, dear!” I cried. “How did it happen?”“He was working on the hillside when the dogs attacked him. When he didn't return, I went to the hillside and found…”“His body?” I asked. The old fellow drank half of his coffee. “No. I told you they were hungry dogs, didn't I? The big bones were lying every where. But they found this.” He pushed open a match box he was holding in his hand. In it was a man's thumb, lying on some white bloody material.?
“This is my friend's right thumb. The dogs ate the rest of him”. The old man began to cry. He finished his coffee quickly and left the cafe. I drank mine and called the waiter. “I'll pay the gentleman's bill. His poor friend—how terrible!”“You've heard the news?” The waiter laughed. “Sure. There's a hole in the bottom of the match box. He put his own thumb through the hole. The blood is red ink, I believe. Is the story worth a cup of coffee, sir?”“But he held the box in his right hand.”“Yes, but listeners look into the box. They just can't take their sight off that terrible thing.”“And when he tells the story, he gets free cup of coffee!” I said, laughing. “Yes, sir, but only from strangers who come to this town, and, of course, he does us no harm!”?
【小題1】 We can learn from this passage ________.?

A.the writer came to the cafe for the first time?
B.the old man made a living by telling jokes in the cafe?
C.the writer had known about the old man before?
D.what had happened to his best friend made the old man mad?
【小題2】 Having heard the old man's story, the writer _______ .?
A.couldn't help laughing immediately?B.showed great mercy upon him?
C.didn't believe him at all?D.bought the old man another cup of coffee?
【小題3】 It turned out that the thumb in the match box was actually __________.?
A.the right thumb of his best friend?
B.the thumb he stole from the dead body of an unknown person?
C.something made of bloody white materials?
D.his own right thumb?
【小題4】The waiter hadn't let out the truth of the old man's story earlier because _______ .
A.he was nobody but the best friend of the old man?
B.the old man wouldn't pay for his coffee if he did ?
C.the waiter hadn't seen through the old man's trick?
D.the old man helped the cafe in some way?
【小題5】 As suggested by the passage, what might happen in the end?      ??
A.The writer refused to pay the old man's bill.?
B.The writer decided to make the trick known to the public.?
C.More strangers would hear the old man's story.?
D.The old man wouldn't visit the cafe any more.

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科目:高中英語 來源:2011-2012學(xué)年度江蘇省江陰市一中高二上學(xué)期期中考試英語卷 題型:閱讀理解

請仔細(xì)閱讀下列文章,并根據(jù)所讀內(nèi)容在文章后的表格中的空格內(nèi)填入一個最恰當(dāng)?shù)膯卧~。
注意:請將答案寫在答題卡上相應(yīng)題號的橫線上,每空只填一個單詞。
When difficult people expresses themselves orally, they generally want at least two things: they’ve been heard and they’ve been understood. As a good communicator should be a good listener, five steps are advocated toward good listening.
The first step is cooperating. How does a difficult person know that you’re listening and understanding? In fact, it’s through the way you look and sound while he is talking. You may help him to fully express his thoughts and feelings. You do this by nodding your head in agreement, making certain sounds of understanding.
When the person begins to repeat what’s been said, it’s a signal of step two: turning back. It means that you repeat back some words he is using, sending a clear signal that you’ve listening carefully and that you think what he is saying is important.
Having heard what he has to say, the next step is clarifying. At this point, you start to gather information about what is being communicated. Ask same open-ended questions, which will allow you to figure out what intention he is hoping to satisfy.
The fourth step is to summarize what you’ve heard. This allows you to make sure that both you and the difficult person the same page. When you do this, two things happen. First, if you’ve missed something, he can fill in the details. Second you’ve shown that you’re making an effort to understand completely. This increases possibility of gaining cooperation from him.
Having listened carefully, you’ve now arrived at the point of confirming with the person that he feels satisfied that his thoughts have been fully voiced. Ask if he feels understood.
Then enough sincere listening, questioning, and remembering are brought together, understanding is usually achieved and a difficult person becomes less difficult and more cooperative.

【小題1】   
Listen to understand
Reason
Difficult people hope they have been heard and【小題2】   when they express themselves.
【小題3】    towards listening
◆【小題4】   in agreement and make some sounds of understanding while a difficult person is speaking.
◆Repeat some【小題5】     that you have heard.
◆Collect information about the person’s expressions and find his 【小題6】  .
◆Give a 【小題7】   of what the person has said.
◆Confirm that the person gains【小題8】   from speaking his thoughts.
Result
A difficult person will be【小題9】   to cooperate with if understanding is achieved.
【小題10】  
You may unlock the doors to difficult people’s minds after you listen and understand.
 

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科目:高中英語 來源:2012-2013學(xué)年湖南省高二第三次月考英語試卷(解析版) 題型:閱讀理解

How old is “old”?  The answer has changed over the years. Two hundred years ago,you were old at 35.At the beginning of the 20 th century,the average life span(平均壽命)was 45. In 1950,70-year-olds were really old.Today,a healthy 70-year-old is still thought young.

So,how old is old? The answer is one you’ve heard many times,from all kinds of people.“You are as old(or young)as you feel.”Your age simply tells you how many years you have lived.Your body tells you how well you’ve lived.

“Nobody grows old by living a number of years.” wrote a writer.“People grow old when they don’t have their ideas.”

People shouldn’t have the wrong ideas about aging.Sometimes,older minds can be as bright as young minds.Alice Brophy once said,“It makes me unhappy when people say,‘You look young for your age! What does that mean?You know you can die old at 30 and live young at 80. ”

1.In 1950, the average life span was       .

A.35

B.45

C.50

D.70

2.People grow old when        according to a writer.

A.they don’t have their ideas.

B.they live many years.

C.They can’t live longer.

D.they have their ideas.

3.The meaning of the underlined word “aging” is “        ”

A.growing old

B.staying young

C.keeping healthy

D.feeling unhappy

4.Which question is NOT answered in the passage?

A.Can older people be as bright as young people?

B.What’s the wrong ideas about aging?

C.How old is “old”?

D.what is the average life span today?

5.The passage is mainly about __________ .

A.the average life span

B.a(chǎn)ging

C.the 20th century

D.older people and young people

 

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科目:高中英語 來源:福建省三明市2010屆高三下學(xué)期5月質(zhì)量檢查(英語) 題型:閱讀理解

This is a dangerous world we live in. The numbers of murders goes up every year; people are dying of cancer;more people contract(感染)HIV;more teens are using drugs;etc. You know this because you’ve heard all the statistics on the news. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background, statistics mean very little.

This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous.

For example, several years ago a high school student reported dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors(腫瘤), is found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statements is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made the mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.

The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave out information that is different to his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people may die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightning strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people who are in danger of a lightening strike. When you think about it, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able think critically, and form our own views. rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. To be warned is to be prepared.

59.In the first paragraph, what problem does the writer want to warn us?

A. We are now living in a dangerous world.

B. We got a lot of false statistics from the media.

C. There are around us more and more murders, diseases etc.

D. Statistics alone without full background don’t give us an accurate picture of things.

60.Why does the writer use the example in the second paragraph?

A. To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.

B. To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.

C. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.

D. To warn us of the harmful substances(物質(zhì))around us.

61.Relative information is often left out because__________

A. relative information is not that important

B. the author is trying to show what he or she says is true

C. too much information will make readers feel confused

D. readers are not able to analyze so much information at once

62.What is the main idea of this passage?

A. Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.

B. We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.

C. The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.

D. Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.

 

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科目:高中英語 來源:湖南省2010屆高三5月月考英語試題 題型:閱讀理解

 

This is a dangerous world we live in. The number of murders goes up every year, people are dying of cancer, more people contract HIV, more teens are using drugs, ect. You know this because you’ve heard all the statistics on the news and in the paper. But do you really have an accurate idea what they mean? The numbers are going up, but how do they compare to the growth in population? Are more cases of these diseases being reported because of better testing techniques, or are the diseases more common? The fact is that without knowing the background statistics mean very little.

This growing trend of reporting only part of the information is becoming dangerous. For example, several years ago a high school student reported the dangers of the chemical known as dihydrogen monoxide. This chemical, found in most cancerous tumors, is often found in the blood of people drunk on alcohol, and causes complete physical and mental dependence for those who take the chemical even once. After reading his report, more than 75% of his Advanced Placement Chemistry class voted to forbid this dangerous chemical! Every one of the above statement is true, yet this chemical is necessary to all life on earth. The students made a mistake because they voted knowing only a few statements and statistics, rather than the chemical’s full background.

The point of this article is that one should be aware of what is and is not being said. When one finds a new fact or number, one should try to consider other important information before forming an opinion with only half-truths. Always remember that the author is trying to convince you of his or her own view, and will leave our information that is different from his view. For example, look again at the statistics that suggest skiing is safe. Only 32 people die each year when skiing, while 897 die from lightening strikes, but which is really more dangerous? If you think more about it, you will realize far fewer people go skiing each year than the number of people in danger of a lightning strike. When you think about it again, skiing is more dangerous than you might at first think when looking at the statistics. If we teenagers are to be left in this world, we had better be able to think critically, and form our own views, rather than be easily persuaded by another’s. to be warned is just to be prepared.

1.What’s the author’s attitude towards the growing trend of reporting only part of the___________ information?

A.sapproving   B. Positive       C. Indifferent     D. Dangerous

2.In the first paragraph, what does the writer suggest?

A.We are now living in a dangerous world.

B.We get a lot of false statistics from the media.

C.There are around us more and more murders diseases, ect.

D.Statistics alone without full background don’t give us an accurate picture of things.

3.What’s the purpose of the writer’s using the two examples in the second paragraph?

A.To argue that high school students are easily persuaded.

B. To prove what is necessary to us might be dangerous.

C.To show the danger of reporting only part of the information.

D.To warn us of the harmful substance around us.

4.Relative information is often left out because ___________________. 

A.it is not important

B.the author is trying to show what he or she says is true

C.readers will consider other important information

D.readers are able to form an opinion with half-truths

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Some measures must be taken to protect our dangerous world.

B.The growing trend of reporting only half-truths is getting out of control.

C.Teenagers ought to improve their ability of telling right from wrong.

D.We should learn to think critically and look at problems from all sides.

 

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