A report on a new software that enables eyes to do the typing appears in Wednesday's edition of the journal Nature. Replacing a keyboard or mouse, eye-scanning-cameras mounted on computers have become necessary tools for people without limbs or those affected with paralysis. The camera tracks the movement of the eye, allowing users to "type" on a virtual keyboard as they look at the screen. And now, researchers from the Cavendish Laboratory at prefix = st1 /CambridgeUniversitysay they have developed software that replaces the standard QWERTY keyboard layout with one that is nearly twice as efficient, more accurate and easier on the eyes. Called Dasher, the prototype program looks into the natural gaze of the eye and makes predictable words and phrases simpler to write. Any off-the-shelf camera capable of scanning eye movement can be used with Dasher, though the person must sit fairly still during the interaction. The letters of the alphabet appear in a single column on the right of the screen, with an underline symbol to represent a space. Each letter is framed by a color1ed box. As the user looks at a particular letter on the right side of the screen and drags it to the left with their eye, another sub-alphabet column begins to emerge inside the box on the right-hand side, along with more letters framed in color1ed boxes. Dasher is designed to anticipate which letter will be needed, so although the successive sub-alphabet columns are initially very small, the letters or combination of letters that appear are most likely to be used next in that sequence. For example, if a person starts with the letter "h", the language models in Dasher will bring up "a" "e" "i" "o" and "u" in the sub-alphabet box, along with a few other possible combinations like "ello" to form the word "hello". Each box has a complete alphabet within it, though the first letters to appear have the highest probability of usage. The letters are then placed together to form a sentence on the left side of the screen. Researchers say people... The software Dasher _ . A) is able to predict the next sequence of words the user is going to write B) can form coherent sentences based on the first word typed in by the user C) has to be used with eye-scanning cameras specially designed for the software D) does not allow the user to move a lot during the interaction
D
(Question)
It is not often realized that women held a high place in southern European societies in the 10 th and 11 th centuries. As wife, the woman was protected by the setting up of a dowry or decimum. Admittedly, the purpose of this was to protect her against the risk of desertion ,but in reality its function in the social and family life of the time was much more important. The decimum was the wife's right to receive a tenth of all her husband's property. The wife had the right to withhold consent, in all transactions the husband would make, And more than just a right: the documents showed that she enjoyed a real power of decision, equal to that of her husband. In no case did the documents indicate any degree of difference in the legal status of husband and wife. The wife shared in the management of her husband's personal property, but the opposite was not always true. Women seemed perfectly prepared to defend their own inheritance(,)against husbands who tried to exceed their rights, and on occasion they showed a fine fighting spirit. A case in point is that of Maria, Vivas, a Catalan woman of Barcelona. Having agreed with her husband Miro to sell a field she had inherited, for the needs of the household, she insisted on compensation. None being offered, she succeeded in dragging her husband to the scribe to have a contract duly drawn up assigning her a piece of land from Miro's personal inheritance. The unfortunate husband was obliged to agree, as the contract says, "for the sake of peace." Either through the dowry or through being hot-tempered, the Catalan wife knew how to win herself, within the context of the family, a powerful economic position. Which of the following is Not mentioned as an effect of the dowry system? A) The husband had to share the power of decision in marriage. B) The wife was protested from desertion. C) The wife gained a powerful economic position. D) The husband was given control over his wife's property.
(Answer)
D
Ques: Bantham Beach, Devon The South Devon coast is knee deep in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Bantham is a golden bank of sand. There are rock pools for younger children and for their elders. This is one of the county's favourite surfing beaches. The 14th-century Sloop Inn (01548 560489, sloopatbantham.co.uk) has summer doubles from PS145 per night (and it's only a couple of hundred yards to the beach). Camber Sands, East Sussex Head to the western end of the overflow car park and then it ,s a pleasant walk through dunes to your own private area on the endless sands. If you haven't bought a picnic, the village's Rye Bay Cafe is good for lunch and the nearby Rye Bay Nature Reserve provides walking, cycling and bird watching options. Charming double rooms at The Galivant (01797 225057, thegalivant.co.uk) start at PS115 per night. Aberdour Silver Sands, Fife This small, rural, sandy beach is beside woodland and offers dreamy views out to the islands of Inchmickery and Inchcolm. The Fife coastal path passes through and there's a good walking road following the cliff top to Hawkcraig with views across the river Forth to Edinburgh. Lunch at Sands beachfront cafe and book a room at Forth View Hotel (01383 860402,forthviewhotel.co.uk), where doubles cost from PS85 per night. Druridge Bay, Northumberland Druridge Bay has 99 acres of golden, sweeping sands. The kids can explore the towering grassland dunes that shelter the bay, and just 300 yards from the beach is the Druridge Bay County Park and Visitor Centre with wildlife displays and play areas. Food can be had at the Widdrington Inn (eight miles away) while Eshott Hall (01670 787 454, eshotthall.co.uk) has doubles from PS120 per night. If you want to watch wild life displays, you can go to_. A) Bantham Beach, Devon B) Camber Sands, East Sussex C) Aberdour Silver Sands, Fife D) Druridge Bay, Northumberland
Ans: D
Australia's worst pests are the rabbits, introduced by a settler who released 24 into the wild for sport hunting. In less than 100 years, the rabbits grow into the millions of ones, leaving large areas of land looking like the surface of the moon due to thousands of rabbit caves. The spread of the rabbits in Australia was the fastest of all animals in the world. The spread of the rabbits' disease in 1950 cut the number, but it was not until 1997 when the spread of another disease targeted the pests that the number was finally brought under control. Farm losses due to rabbits today still remain a surprising total A $200 million (US$112 million) a year. The European red foxes, also released for sport hunting, are growing and eating sheep flocks, costing farmers A$40 million (US $22.4 million) a year. The State of Victoria offers a A$10 (US$5.6) prize for each fox tail and has gathered 25,000 in a few months. Foxes are one of the biggest threats to wildlife in Australia. Foxes kill thousands of lambs , birds and native wildlife. Australia lost its long battle against wild pests. Which of the following is Not mentioned? A) A great many rabbits eat too much trees. B) Rabbits make too much caves. C) The surface is destroyed a lot by rabbits. D) The birth rate of the rabbits is high.
A