A Dutch company has developed technology to follow the movements and activities of cows. The hightech system, powered by AI and motion sensors, is called “the Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant”. The company, Connecterra, launched the system in the United States in December after several years of testing and operation in Europe.
A device is put around the neck of the cow to record its movements. This information is then processed by a computer that uses AI to learn about the animal’s behavior over time. The system can tell farmers what the cow is doing in real time. This information can help predict when cattle get sick, become less productive or are ready for mating.
Richard Watson owns the Seven Oaks Dairy in Waynesboro, Georgia. He was one of the first American farmers to use the hightech system.
“It can pick up whether the cow is eating, whether it is walking, whether it is drinking, whether it is lying down, standing up.”
Richard said the system is a big help because it is impossible for farmers to keep up with the activities of each cow individually. He added that having a computer identify which of his 2,000 cattle need attention could help improve farm productivity by up to 10 percent. He estimated this difference could greatly increase his profits.
“Just a 10 percent or 5 percent increase or improvement in productivity means hundreds of thousands of dollars to us, aside from the fact that we just want happier, healthier and more welfare of our animals, anyway.”
The founder and head of Connecterra is Yasir Khokhar. He said the idea for the system came while he was living on a dairy farm in the south of Amsterdam.
“It turns out that the technology farmers use is really outdated in many aspects，” Yasir Khokhar told the Associated Press. “Most of the technology that does exist is difficult to use and modern agriculture greatly needs new technology like this，” he added.
The company says information about the cows can be collected and seen on a cellphone or other mobile devices. A text message can also inform farmers of concerns involving the animals.
语篇解读：本文是一篇新闻报道。一家荷兰公司开发出了跟踪奶牛运动和活动的“智能奶农助手”的技术。文章说明了这个高科技系统的工作原理、人们对此的评价和看法，以及创始人开发这个高科技系统的原因。
1．How does “The Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant” help farmers?
A．By giving alarms to farmers.
B．By focusing farmers’ attention on cattle.
C．By sending real time information about cows to farmers.
D．By telling farmers which cow is less productive or ready to mate.
解析：选C 细节理解题。根据第二段前三句可知，“智能奶农助手”通过向农民发送关于奶牛的实时信息来帮助奶农。故选C项。
2．What’s Richard Watson’s attitude towards the hightech system?
A．Indifferent. B．Neutral.
C．Passive. D．Confident.
解析：选D 推理判断题。根据第五段内容可推知，Richard Watson认为这个系统帮了很大的忙，他对其很有信心。故选D项。
3．Why did Yasir Khokhar come up with the idea of the hightech system?
A．Because he once lived on a dairy farm.
B．Because some agricultural technologies were out of date.
C．Because he wanted to increase the income of farmers.
D．Because some farming systems turned out to be a failure.
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据倒数第二段内容可知，Yasir Khokhar提出了这个高科技系统的想法是因为一些农业技术已经过时了，并且大部分现有的技术很难使用。故选B项。
4．What does the passage mainly talk about?
A．Modern agriculture in America.
B．Ways of raising cows more efficiently.
C．A Dutch company known as a hightech system.
D．“Smart Farm” technology tracking behavior of cows.
解析：选D 主旨大意题。根据第一段前两句内容可知，一家荷兰公司已经开发出跟踪奶牛的运动和活动的技术。这个由人工智能和运动传感器驱动的高科技系统被称为“智能奶农助手”。故选D项。
