The American city of Detroit was like Paris, some people said. It had a big river, beautiful wide streets and important buildings. Then, in the 20th century, it was called Motor City because of the number of car factories there. Workers in the car factories had good jobs and they earned good money. 1. Life was good. But at the beginning of the 21st century, Detroit became America’s poorest big city.2.
The city’s population fell for several reasons. One reason is that people moved to the suburbs (郊区) in the 1950s because new highways were built. Another reason is that in 1967 some violent events happened there and it became dangerous. 3. Also, the big car companies like General Motors and Chrysler had huge problems. And in 2008, the world financial crisis had a big effect on many cities, especially Detroit. Now, a lot of people in Detroit are poor. Half of the city’s families have less than 25,000 dollars a year. In 2013, it became the biggest bankrupt city in American history.
4. It had some money to improve small things like lights in the streets and so people felt safe. The police came quickly when there were problems. Old, empty buildings were pulled down. 5. And there are new businesses too. The city gave 10,000 dollars to 30 new small businesses. Now there are grocery stores, juice bars, coffee shops and even bicycle makers. Finally, the city is working again.
A. It was a new beginning for the city.
B. But then something began to change.
C. There is now space for new buildings.
D. A lot of people were scared of coming to the city.
E. In a period of fifty years, more than half the people left Detroit.
F. It wasn’t unusual to own a home, a boat and even a holiday home.
G. Detroit was famous for the cars General Motors and Chrysler produced.
The regular world presented to us by our five senses—you could call it reality 1.0—is not always the most user-friendly of places. We get lost in unfamiliar cities; we meet people whose language we don’t understand. So why not try the improved version: augmented reality (AR) or reality 2.0? AR technology adds computer-produced images (图像) on the real world via a mobile phone camera or special video glasses.
Early forms of AR are already here. With the right downloads, smart phones can deliver information about nearby ATMs and restaurants and other points of interest. But that’s just the beginning. A few years from now the quantity of information available will have increased hugely. You will not only see that there’s a Chinese restaurant on the next block, but you will be able to see the menu and read reviews of it.
This is where the next revolution in computing will take place: in the interface (界面) between the real world and the information brought to us via the Internet. Imagine bubbles floating before your eyes, filled with cool information about anything and everything that you see in front of you.
Let’s jump ahead to ten years from now. A person trying to fix their car won’t be reading a book with pictures; they will be wearing a device that projects animated 3-D computer graphics onto the equipment under repair, labelling parts and giving step-by-step guidance.
The window onto the AR world can be a smart phone or special video glasses. But in ten years’ time these will have been replaced by contact lenses (隐形眼镜) with tiny LEDs, which present something at a readable distance in front of the eye. So a deaf person wearing these lenses will be able to see what people are saying.
The question is, while we are all absorbed in our new augmented reality worlds, how will we be communicating with each other?
1.What does the text mainly talk about?
A. The next information technology revolution.
B. Early forms of augmented reality technology.
C. The differences between reality 1.0 and reality 2.0.
D. The relationship between people living in reality 2.0.
2.What does the underlined word “it” refer to in Paragraph 2?
A. The menu. B. The block.
C. The revolution. D. The restaurant.
3.What are tiny LEDs used to do?
A. Protect people’s eyes. B. Show text and images.
C. Warn users of dangers. D. Replace video glasses.
4.What’s the author’s attitude towards AR technology?
A. Doubtful. B. Disapproving.
C. Favourable. D. Ambiguous.
Professor Sun Jun, aged 93 in 2018, has devoted his life to working on China’s giant construction projects, including the Qinghai-Tibet highway, Three Gorges Dam, and the Yangtze River Tunnel. In his latest project, the Tongji University academic served as a senior adviser on the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge.
Under the guidance of Sun, Xu Wei, a professor in Tonji and Sun’s student, took over technical assistance for the construction of the bridge. “Every time I saw Sun and other professors working on the bridge,I felt at ease,” said Lin Ming, the general project manager. Lin initially invited an experienced Dutch company to serve as the technical assistant for the project. The company wanted to charge US $171million. He then asked for help from Xu along with experts in Tongji University.
The methods developed by Tongji University reduced the impact of the bridge on the Chinese white dolphin, which is under first class state protection. The key challenge during the construction of the bridge was the 6.7-km underwater tunnel, the world’s longest and deepest undersea tunnel. Ding Wenqi, who was nicknamed the “ tunnel expert” , was asked to ensure the tubes be connected perfectly—even under the influences of land subsidence (下沉), water pressure and tide movement. Hu Xiangdong, another professor with Tongji, developed a method to freeze the earth around the tunnel to prevent water leakage and land subsidence during the digging of the most challenging 2-km section of the tunnel.
The tunnel section of the project was completed in May 2017. Sun was invited to visit the near-completed bridge again in February 2018. The expert said he felt the most relaxed this time since most of the challenges have been conquered. “In the next step, we should focus on how to make the two artificial islands more beautiful and attract travelers,” Sun said.
Xu said all the staff in my office took a great pride in watching the TV news of the bridge’s official opening on Wednesday.
1.What is Professor Sun’s contribution to the bridge?
A. He worked in Tongji University.
B. He was the general project manager.
C. He gave much advice on the project.
D. He took over the technical assistance.
2.Why did Lin Ming ask for help from experts in Tongji University?
A. The Dutch company charged too much.
B. The technical assistant had too much trouble.
C. Tongji University did best in the giant projects.
D. He felt relaxed to see professors working on the bridge.
3.What’s the greatest trouble in building the bridge?
A. Protecting the Chinese white dolphin.
B. Constructing the longest & deepest undersea tunnel.
C. Controlling the water pressure.
D. Preventing the tide.
4.How did the expert stop water leaking in building the undersea tunnel?
A. By keeping the tide moving.
B. By digging deep into the sea.
C. By increasing the water pressure.
D. By freezing the nearby earth around the tunnel.
Friday would be Samia and Salem’s wedding day! Everyone in the village was excited and was busy preparing for the happy event. The villagers were very proud of Salem as he worked long hours and cared about the people in his village. While others were enjoying the prewedding celebrations, together with the nurses, the groom was busy delivering a baby in his clinic.
The bride was in her room happily arranging her hair and make-up, getting ready for the arrival of her guests. Her family and friends had excitedly prepared the henna (涂指甲花) party. Grandma and Mum were busy in the kitchen with the food they had made for the henna feast for the day before Friday. Samia’s friend Mariam was making the wedding cake. Her friend Shaikha was collecting the bride’s dress from the tailor. At 12 noon the henna maker arrived. Following the tradition, she started decorating the bride’s hands. There was an air of excitement in the room. Grandma started singing a traditional folk song.
Suddenly, the bride felt a strange tingling (麻刺感) in her hand. It grew worse and worse. Her hand became red and swollen soon. Grandma said, “Oh dear, I think it best that you wash your hands immediately.” As an emergency first aider, Mariam suggested applying some cold cream on Samia’s hand and ran off and returned with some in her hand. Neither of these worked. Mum took control and phoned Salem but in vain. Without hesitation, she took Samia to the hospital urgently with Dad and other friends. Dr Ahmed looked at her hand and said, “ You’ve had an allergic reaction to the henna. Tomorrow is your wedding. What about drawing the henna using body colors?” Everyone smiled.
1.What was Salem doing the day before the wedding?
A. Working with the nurses. B. Decorating the bride’s hands.
C. Preparing for the wedding cake. D. Visiting the tailor for the wedding suit.
2.What event took place in the village on Thursday?
A. Celebrating a wedding ceremony. B. Holding a baby’s birthday party.
C. Having a feast party. D. Ordering the wedding dress.
3.Why did Mariam run away when she saw what happened to Samia?
A. To get some water. B. To call a first aider.
C. To inform Samia’s mother. D. To fetch some cream.
4.How did Samia’s mother feel facing the emergency?
A. Regretful. B. Calm. C. Powerful. D. Nervous.
Khotyn Fortress
Built in the 13th — 14th century, it lies on the right bank of the Dniester River in Khotyn, of western Ukraine. It is also in the historical northern Bessarabia region which was split in 1940 between Ukraine and Moldova. And it is near to the Old Kam’ yanets Castle of Kamianets-Podilskyi, which was also used as a famous defensive structure. It is convenient to book the hotels nearby it at low prices, such as Premier Club, Reikartz Kamianets-Podilsky and so on. Kamenets-Podolsk Castle
It lies in the Khmelntsky Region, Ukraine. This architectural treasure is over a thousand years old and it can be found in the catalogue of the British National Museum. Its architecture which unites best western and eastern traditions fits into the nature perfectly. The castle consists of minaret buildings, a town hall, an Orthodox church and a Polish Catholic church. Its beauty has been attracting tourists from all over the world for many years.
Vorontsov Palace
It is an historic palace lying at the foot of the Crimean Mountains near the town of Alupka in Crimea, Ukraine. It is one of the oldest and largest palaces in Crimea, and one of the most popular tourist attractions on Crimea’s southern coast. The construction of the palace began in 1830, according to a project by English architect Edward Blore (1789 — 1879) and it was supposed to be the palace for Prince Mikhail Vorontsov to spend summer.
Metropolitan Palace
It was built between the years 1864 -1882 according to the designs of the Czech architect Josef Hlávka. The Palace, whose buildings are now part of Chernivtsi University, Ukraine, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011.
1.What can we know about Khotyn Fortress?
A. It served as defence work. B. It is open to the public for free.
C. It is the oldest buiding in Ukraine. D. It was divided into two parts in 1940.
2.Which has the shortest history?
A. The Kamenets-Podolsk Castle. B. The Khotyn Fortress .
C. The Vorontsov Palace. D. Metropolitan Palace.
3.From which is the text probably taken?
A. A travel magazine. B. A architecture brochure .
C. A research paper on history. D. A geography textbook .
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Who need the same amount of sleep per day?
A. Primary school children and teenagers.
B. Primary school children and adults.
C. Adults and teenagers.
2.When should adults sleep more according to the speaker?
A. After drinking alcohol.
B. When faced with pressure.
C. After taking social activities.
3.How many more hours do people with normal weights sleep than fatter ones?
A. 0.5 hours. B. 1.8 hours. C. 2 hours.
4.What is the speaker mainly talking about?
A. Fatness and sleep. B. Sleep and accidents. C. Sleep requirements.
