A
(2020·开封市一模)Andrew Grey doesn't fit most people's idea of an astronomer.He works in a car repair shop,not in a lab or university,yet the Australian repairman discovered a star system hiding in data from NASA's Kepler space telescope.
Mr.Grey is one of millions of citizen scientists helping researchers to expand collective understanding.For centuries,only a few ordinary people had been contributing to science,but advances in technology have brought a higher level of democratization(民主化)to science.
“This is a collaborative(合作的)effort that anyone could get involved in,”says Chris Lintott,an Oxford University astrophysicist(天体物理学家)and cofounder of Zooniverse,a platform that hosts dozens of citizen science projects.Citizen scientists can contribute to breakthroughs in almost any field,from ecology to astrophysics.
“As long as pattern recognition is involved,there are no limits to what can become a citizen science project,”Lintott says.“Anyone can identify patterns in images,graphs,or even seemingly boring data after a short tutorial.Machine learning allows computers to do some pattern recognition.But humans,particularly amateur scientists,don't stay focused on what they're supposed to.And that's good,because people who do that notice the unusual things in a data set.”
“And citizen science doesn't have to be directed by a scientist,”says Sheila Jasanoff,director of the Program on Science,Technology and Society at Harvard University.“Citizens producing knowledge in places where official organs have failed then can also be citizen scientists,”she says.That's what happened in Flint,Michigan,when a local mother started drinking water tests that caused a broader investigation of lead levels.
Citizenpowered research is as old as scientific inquiry.For centuries before science became professionalized,regular people looked for patterns in the world around them.Despite a lot of advanced equipment and computer models,scientists still welcome help from everyday people.
As a professional scientist himself,Lintott says,“People think that we're intelligent,but science is easy and we need your help.”
【语篇解读】 数个世纪以来,只有少数普通人为科学做出了贡献。但科技的进步已经为科学带来了更高水平的民主化,科学是任何人都能参与的,每个人都有可能成为科学家。
1.What made citizen scientists appear?
A.The high level of science projects.
B.The development of technology.
C.The support of the government.
D.The foundation of Zooniverse.
B [细节理解题。根据第二段中的“only a few ordinary people...to science”可知,科技的进步为科学带来了更高水平的民主化,从而使更多的普通人也能参与科学研究,促成了公民科学家的出现,故选B。]
2.What is a advantage of humans in pattern recognition compared with machines?
A.Humans can identify patterns more swiftly.
B.Humans focus their attention on data.
C.Humans can observe uncommon things.
D.Humans have stronger emotions.
C [细节理解题。根据第四段最后一句“And that's good,because people who do that notice the unusual things in a data set”可知,在模式识别方面,人类与机器相比,人类的优势在于其能够注意到一些不寻常的东西,故C项正确。]
3.What is Lintott's attitude towards citizen science?
A.Favorable. B.Cautious.
C.Indifferent. D.Doubtful.
A [观点态度题。根据第三段Lintott表述的科学人人都能参与,第四段他表述的公民科学家有自身的优势和尾段中他说的话“People think that we're intelligent,but science is easy and we need your help”可推知,Lintott支持公民科学,故选A。]
4.What would be the best title of the text?
A.Citizen Scientists Can Be Intelligent
B.Science Is Important to Everyone
C.Anyone Can Be a Scientist
D.Science Is Everywhere
C [标题归纳题。文章第一段以表述澳大利亚汽车修理工Andrew Grey成为公民科学家来引入话题,接着又讲到天体物理学家Chris Lintott和Sheila Jasanoff对于公民科学家的看法,并结合倒数第二段中的“scientists still welcome help from everyday people”可知,本文主要肯定了公民科学家,表达了任何人都可能成为科学家的观点,故C项最适合作文章标题。]