D
Every year, companies like GoPro manage to pack more and more functions into smaller and smaller action cameras that are less noticeable to wear. But a team of researchers from the University of Washington have managed to build a live-streaming wireless camera that’s so small that even an insect can wear it. It’s not quite small and light enough to be held to a fly, but at around 250 milligrams, the camera was successfully carried by a beetle.
Although the camera inside a modern smartphone is certainly tiny, it’s too large and heavy for an insect to carry once the batteries are added. Capturing millions of pixels（像素）with every shot requires a lot of image processing, which in turn requires a lot of power. Taking an alternate route, the researchers copied nature’s approach to how flies see the world. Their large compound eyes can not only detect motion across a wide field of view（it’s why they’re so difficult to hit）but also feature a small, high-resolution（分辨率）region that can focus on their targets, which helps reduce the load on their tiny brains.
Given its size and low-power approach, the camera’s streaming abilities are similarly limited, with a Bluetooth connection that maxes out at a distance of roughly 120 meters, requiring a remote operator to be fairly close to the camera at all times. However, battery life is surprisingly decent. The camera can run for up to two hours, but to extend that, the researchers included an accelerometer so that it’s only capturing and broadcasting images whenever the beetle is moving That can increase the camera’s battery life to over six hours.
The researchers acknowledge that their design certainly raises some privacy concerns, given how easy it is for insects to find their way into your home. But the camera could provide entomologists（昆虫学者）with new insights into how insects cross their environment, respond to threats in the wild, and even provide a closer look at their social structures.
12. What is the feature of the new camera?
A. It’s small-size and low-weight. B. It takes much clearer pictures.
C. It can perform tasks in the open air. D. It protects beetles from their enemies.
13. What do the researchers learn from flies for the new camera?
A. How to enlarge its vision.
B. How to capture the target
C. How to save power of its battery.
D. How to make sharp turns during flying.
14. What can best replace the underlined word “decent” in Paragraph 3?
A. casual B. adequate
C. beneficial D. unsatisfactory
15. What’s the author’s attitude to the design of the new camera?
A. Critical. B. Doubtful. C. Favorable. D. Objective.
【答案】12. A 13. A 14. A 15. B
Every year, companies like GoPro manage to pack more and more functions into smaller and smaller action cameras that are less noticeable to wear. But a team of researchers from the University of Washington have managed to build a live-streaming wireless camera that’s so small that even an insect can wear it. It’s not quite small and light enough to be held to a fly, but at around 250 milligrams, the camera was successfully carried by a beetle.
Although the camera inside a modern smartphone is certainly tiny, it’s too large and heavy for an insect to carry once the batteries are added. Capturing millions of pixels（像素）with every shot requires a lot of image processing, which in turn requires a lot of power. Taking an alternate route, the researchers copied nature’s approach to how flies see the world. Their large compound eyes can not only detect motion across a wide field of view（it’s why they’re so difficult to hit）but also feature a small, high-resolution（分辨率）region that can focus on their targets, which helps reduce the load on their tiny brains.
Given its size and low-power approach, the camera’s streaming abilities are similarly limited, with a Bluetooth connection that maxes out at a distance of roughly 120 meters, requiring a remote operator to be fairly close to the camera at all times. However, battery life is surprisingly decent. The camera can run for up to two hours, but to extend that, the researchers included an accelerometer so that it’s only capturing and broadcasting images whenever the beetle is moving That can increase the camera’s battery life to over six hours.
The researchers acknowledge that their design certainly raises some privacy concerns, given how easy it is for insects to find their way into your home. But the camera could provide entomologists（昆虫学者）with new insights into how insects cross their environment, respond to threats in the wild, and even provide a closer look at their social structures.
12. What is the feature of the new camera?
A. It’s small-size and low-weight. B. It takes much clearer pictures.
C. It can perform tasks in the open air. D. It protects beetles from their enemies.
13. What do the researchers learn from flies for the new camera?
A. How to enlarge its vision.
B. How to capture the target
C. How to save power of its battery.
D. How to make sharp turns during flying.
14. What can best replace the underlined word “decent” in Paragraph 3?
A. casual B. adequate
C. beneficial D. unsatisfactory
15. What’s the author’s attitude to the design of the new camera?
A. Critical. B. Doubtful. C. Favorable. D. Objective.
【答案】12. A 13. A 14. A 15. B
