“Big data” lives up to its name: We produce 2.5 quintillion bytes (字节) of data every day through the digital connections that link people, objects, and devices. Every email, text, post, online search and doctor’s visit contribute to big data.【小题1】

Many believe it is. Stores are using it to improve our shopping experience.【小题2】 In the United   States,   Macy's   department   store   credits   big data   with   improving   their   customer   satisfaction   and helping to increase sales by 10 percent.

Banks are also putting quite   a   lot   of   money   into big   data.【小题3】 One   area   to   benefit   is customer service, where valuable information collected is supporting speedier decisions on loans (贷款) and credit while providing better protection against theft and even overspending.

Health care is also seeing a marked   difference. Data   collection   is   helping   to   reduce   preventable deaths, improve quality of life, predict and cure diseases.【小题4】 Big data searches for patterns to predict how cancers will behave and recently led to the breakthrough discovery that a commonly used antidepressant (抗抑郁剂) has the potential to help find a cure for lung cancer.

Big   data   is   still   just   getting   started,   but   it already   influences   almost   every   area   of   our lives — mostly attempts   to   make   them better.   By 2021,   there will     be   200   billion   connected   devices.

【小题5】 If computational power and data scientists can keep pace with such growth, the potential for big data to make an even bigger difference is huge.

A computer program that could help catch and ever translates from aliens in outer space has been started by a British scientist.

If aliens are discovered one day, scientists fear their language may make it possible to understand them. But John Elliott of needs Metropolitan University in Britain has come up with a program that can figure out the structure(结构)of their language. He thinks that’s the first step in understanding what they are saying.

Dr.Elliott’s program would compare an alien language to a database(数据库)of 60 different languages in the world to look for a similar structure. He believes that even an alien language will have its own structure.Language has to be structured in a certain way, or it will be harder to use,he told New Scientist magazine.

Research had shown that it is possible to know if a signal(信号)carries a language rather than a picture or music. Dr.Elliott has gone a step further by finding a way to pick out what might be words and sentences. Because languages have different word orders, Dr.Elliott has set up a library of the sentence structures of 60 human languages.

If a message is received from outer space, it could be compared against this database. Scientist would then be able to see if it’s similar to any human language, or a mix of the language.

However, Dr.Elliott also said that in order to translate what the aliens are actually saying, it may still be necessary to have a code book.

Someone has put forward a dream home which is so advanced that its kitchen can suggest what to make with certain things. Also, a Microsoft home doesn’t just warn you when you’re out of milk—it can send you a fresh gallon.

But are these innovations(创新)just magic, or are they really coming soon to a neighborhood near you? To find it out, US News asked some experts to get their opinions about the home of the not-so-distant future. Here’s a look at the innovations.

The housing boom(迅速发展)was marked by mass produced buildings filled with units which look the same. The coming years, however, will see a personalized approach to home building, with houses as more of an instrument of self-expression. “The successful builders will be the ones that figure out how to change their production model enough to make the buyers feel like they are really getting something that is designed for them, not just a model,” says Kermit Baker, the chief economist at the American Institute of Architects.

Future homes will probably shrink. “We will be building small but smarter houses,” says Ed McMahon, a senior resident fellow at the Urban Land Institute. “Instead of having a room for just one use, buyers will need homes that make better use of space,” says Susanka, whose best-selling book. The Not So Big House, has become increasingly influential in home design. Seldom used quarters, such as dining and living rooms, will be replaced with space that can serve both functions(功能). “The goal of his ‘right-size’ home is to fit its owners like a specially cut suit rather than a jacket you buy in a store,” says Susanka.