The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream, years away from materializing in the real world. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless taxi services. California, it should be noted, isn’t leading the way here. Companies have been testing their vehicles in cities across the country. It’s hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars (and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions (排放) and offer more convenient and affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy—or even worsen—the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles. They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages urban spread. They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle to circle the building to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport—an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing (叫车) services.
A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80% and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure (基础设施) and operations 40% by 2050. Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues (责任与维护问题). But driverless car ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people，and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
1.According to the author, attention should be paid to how driverless cars can __________.
A. provide better services to customers
B. help deal with transportation-related problems
C. cause damage to our environment
D. make some people lose jobs
2.As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern？
A. Management. B. Side effects. C. Affordability. D. Safety.
3.What does the underlined word “fielded” in Paragraph 4 probably mean？
A. Replaced. B. Employed. C. Shared. D. Reduced.
4.What is the author’s attitude to the future of self-driving cars？
A. Doubtful. B. Sympathetic. C. Disapproving. D. Positive.
Scientists say we are all born with a knack for mathematics. Every time we scan the cafeteria for a table that will fit all of our friends, we’re exercising the ancient estimation center in our brain.
Stanislas Dehaene was the first researcher to show that this part of the brain exists. In 1989, he met Mr. N who had suffered a serious brain injury. Mr. N couldn’t recognize the number 5, or add 2 and 2. But he still knew that there are “about 50 minutes” in an hour. Dehaene drew an important conclusion from his case: there must be two separate mathematical areas in our brains. One area is responsible for the math we learn in school, and the other judges approximate amounts.
So what does the brain’s estimation center do for us? Harvard University researcher Elizabeth Spelke has spent a lot of time posing math problems to preschoolers. When he asks 5-year-olds to solve a problem like 21+30, they can’t do it. But he has also asked them questions such as, “Sarah has 21 candles and gets 30 more. John has 34 candles. Who has more candles?” It turns out preschoolers are great at solving questions like that. Before they’ve learned how to do math with numerals and symbols, their brains’ approximation centers are already hard at work.
After we learn symbolic math, do we still have any use for our inborn math sense? Justin Halberda at Johns Hopkins University gave us an answer in his study. He challenged a group of 14-year-olds with an approximation test: The kids stared at a computer screen and saw groups of yellow and blue dots flash by, too quickly to count. Then they had to say whether there had been more blue dots or yellow dots. The researchers found that most were able to answer correctly when there were 25 yellow dots and 10 blue ones. When the groups were closer in size, 11 yellow dots and 10 blue ones, fewer kids answered correctly.
The big surprise in this study came when the researcher compared the kids’ approximation test scores to their scores on standardized math tests. He found that kids who did better on the flashing dot test had better standardized test scores, and vice versa (反之亦然). It seems that, far from being irrelevant, your math sense might predict your ability at formal math.
1.From the first two studies, we can learn that estimation center ________.
A. is divided into two separate mathematical areas
B. can help figure out numerals and symbols problems
C. functions independently in both kids’ and adults’ brains
D. works better when symbolic parts are injured or undergrown
2.What most surprised Justin in the study of 14-year-olds?
A. The variety of math abilities in different students.
B. The link between technology skills and estimation skills.
C. The difficulty of the task as the number of dots increased.
D. The connection between estimation skills and formal math ability.
3.What could be the best title for the passage?
A. Born with a Sense of Math
B. Go beyond What You Can Learn
C. Symbolic Math and Estimation Math
D. Our Brain一a Born Mathematician
The 14-year-old, Amit Dodani, a talented speaker and persuasive debater at school, suffered as a child from a speech disorder.
He began working with a speech therapist (理疗师) when he was 6 years old, but it was his decision to try out for debate team at the end of seventh grade that helped him most.
“That experience changed my life,” he wrote after his team went on to nationals. “It gave me hope, and helped me see my own true potential.”
Since he launched MynameMystory last year, the site has attracted national and even international attention. Amit’s mom said her son’s website is meant to send a message that no one is alone in their experience, showing how people overcame their challenges and how others can, too.
“The big thing that clicked in Amit was the belief that people are really needed (to help each other) in this country,” she said. “I wasn’t surprised he wanted to do this, because at such a young age he had this spirit in him.”
In addition to the website, Amit also wanted to expand the idea of sharing stories. So he asked his friends and classmates to donate books to distribute to local hospitals. He hoped to collect perhaps 1,000, but in just two weeks, he received more than 2,300 donations.
“There was an absolute connection between the website and books,” Amit said. “But books are something that can really make a difference to someone who is in the hospital and can’t go to school.”
Amit said he’s hoping to organize a large live event for MynameMystory at the end of this year at Chaminade High School in West Hills. Those who shared their stories on the website will be invited to speak and encourage others to share their stories of overcoming challenges.
“We’re hoping for big things,” Amit said. “We have a lot of events planned out for the future. The goal is basically to inspire people in a different way.”
1.What helped change Amit’s speaking ability most effectively?
A. His speech therapist. B. His mother’s care
C. His debating experience. D. His teacher’s efforts.
2.What’s the purpose of Amit’s setting up the website MynameMystory ?
A. To attract national and international attention.
B. To show others how he overcame his challenges.
C. To encourage people to take part in debating.
D. To deliver his idea that people can help each other.
3.Why did Amit decide to donate books to sick children?
A. They are not allowed to visit the website.
B. Website and books have no connection.
C. They shouldn’t be left out in studies.
D. Books have a special influence on them.
4.What’s the main idea of the text?
A. Amit never stops working for his dream.
B. A young boy is helping others in his own way.
C. Don’t neglect the small things in life.
D. MynameMy story helps build up self-confidence.
Climbing Without Ropes
The popular image of the mountain climber is of a person carefully climbing a steep cliff with a network of safety ropes, but it is not the only kind. Many climbers now enjoy bouldering. It's more accessible and better for the environment.
What is bouldering? Bouldering is a sport that involves climbing on, over, and around boulders up to approximately twenty feet above the ground. Participants employ no safety ropes. | ||
Why boulder? ● improve your climbing skills by focusing on basics ● places to climb, such as climbing walls at gyms and parks, easy to find ● less time commitment to bouldering than to mountain climbing ● intellectual and physical enjoyment as one solves problems |
| Bouldering Terms crimp: a very small handhold foothold: a place where one may place a foot to aid in climbing boulder jug: a very large handhold that is easy to use problem: The path up a boulder is referred to as the "problem" that one must solve. The "solution" is the sequence of moves one makes up and over a boulder. |
Here is an example of a climber addressing a bouldering problem.
Figure 1: The climber has two routes she could take, one to the left and one to the right. The left one appears easier because it has a jug within easy reach, but look what happens if she chooses that direction. She gets stuck on the rock and has to go back down. Sometimes that is even more difficult than going up.
Figure 2: The climber takes the one to the right this time. Using a foothold and placing her right hand in a crimp, she is able to lift herself up and locate other handholds. After only a few moves, she is able to throw her leg over the top of the boulder and pull herself up.
1.According to the passage, bouldering __________.
A. is an indoor sport B. needs maps and equipment
C. has no safety protection D. is a steep cliff climbing
2.Bouldering becomes popular because __________.
A. it challenges the limits B. it costs less
C. it builds minds and bodies D. it is a team game
3.According to the example, the right route is _________.
A. tough but to the top B. a dead end
C. a shortcut D. lined with jugs
4.The passage is likely to appear in _________.
A. a book review B. a science report
C. a newspaper advertisement D. a sports magazine
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does the Golden Rule ask people to do?
A. Develop personal rules.
B. Respect their families and ancestors.
C. Treat others as they wish to be treated.
2.Which is a teaching of Confucius?
A. Governments should be moral.
B. Husbands should respect wives.
C. People should memorize rules of behavior.
3.How did Confucius teach lessons?
A. Through arguments.
B. Through reasoning.
C. Through personal examples.
4.What does the speaker say about Confucius’ influence?
A. He used to be even more important.
B. He has influenced many cultures.
C. He has little effect on people today.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Which decorations are on the sofa?
A. The Christmas ones.
B. The Halloween ones.
C. The Thanksgiving ones.
2.What did the man use to get the box out?
A. A pole. B. A chair. C. A ladder.
3.Where might the conversation take place?
A. In the basement.
B. In the bedroom.
C. In the living room.
