According to a recent study, a new genetically modified rice can prevent infections of HIV, the virus responsible for the disease AIDS.
The study reports the newly-developed rice produces proteins that attach directly to the HIV virus. This process prevents the virus from mixing with human cells. The scientists say it can remove the effect of the virus and block its spreading.
The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS reports that worldwide, nearly 37 million people were living with HIV in 2017. The organization says the largest number of those are in developing countries. Nearly two-thirds of HIV cases are in Africa. Now there is no cure for HIV/AIDS though there have been developments in oral drug treatments to slow the progression of the disease.
The new study predicts the rice-based method will lead to long-term use of the anti-HIV treatment across the developing world. Researchers said the “groundbreaking” discovery is “realistically the only way” that anti-HIV combination treatments can be produced at a cost low enough for the developing world.
They say the easiest and most cost-effective way to use the rice will be to make it into a cream to be put on the skin. The HIV-fighting proteins can then enter the body through the skin. People all over the world could grow the rice and make the cream themselves. This would prevent the cost and travel required for many patients to receive treatments and medicine.
The process of changing the genetic structure of food crops has been debated for some time. Critics of genetically engineered crops believe they can harm people. The scientific team says further testing is needed to ensure that the genetic engineering process does not produce any additional chemicals that could be dangerous to people.
1.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3?
A. Stress the urgency of HIV treatments.
B. Provide some data about HIV.
C. Remind readers of HIV prevention.
D. Introduce HIV to the public.
2.In which way will the rice be used at the lowest cost?
A. By transforming it into proteins. B. By adding it to an oral drug.
C. By attaching it to the HIV virus. D. By processing it into a cream.
3.What can we infer about the genetic engineering process?
A. It can prevent infections of HIV. B. It can produce dangerous chemicals.
C. It still requires perfecting. D. It applies to the developed world.
4.From which is the text probably taken?
A. A biology textbook. B. A health magazine.
C. A social webpage. D. A first aid brochure.
While the start of a new school year is always exciting, this year was even more so for some elementary school students in Auckland, New Zealand. They became the world’s first kids to be “taught” by a digital teacher. Before you start imagining a human-like robot walking around the classroom, Will is just an avatar that appears on the student’s desktop, or smartphone screen, when ordered to come.
The autonomous animation platform has been modeled after the human brain and nervous system, allowing it to show human-like behavior. The digital teacher is assigned to teach Vector’s “Be sustainable with energy”— a free program for Auckland elementary schools.
Just like the humans it replaced, Will is able to instantly react to the students’ responses to the topic. Thanks to a webcam and microphone, the avatar not only responds to questions the kids may have, but also picks up non-verbal cues. For instance, if a student smiles at Will, he responds by smiling back. This two-way interaction not only helps attract the students’ attention, but also allows the program’s developers to monitor their engagement, and make changes if needed.
Nikhil Ravishankar believes that Will-like avatars could be a novel way to catch the attention of the next generation. He says, “I have a lot of hope in this technology as a means to deliver cost-effective, rich, educational experience in the future.”
The program, in place since August 2018, has been a great success thus far. Ravishankar says, “ What was fascinating to me was the reaction of the children to Will. The way they look at the world is so creative and different, and Will really captured their attention.” However, regardless of how popular it becomes, Will is unlikely to replace human educators any time soon.
1.What was special for some elementary school students in Auckland?
A. A digital teacher taught them.
B. They first saw something digital.
C. This was the start of a new school year.
D. They could get close to smartphone screen.
2.What is the benefit of this two-way interaction?
A. It can smile back. B. It can use microphone.
C. It can talk any topic for free. D. It can change if necessary.
3.What’s Ravishankar’s attitude to Will’s replacing Human educators soon?
A. Optimistic. B. Doubtful.
C. Unclear. D. Disapproving.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A. New High-tech Contributes to Education
B. The World’s First Digital Teacher Appears in Classroom.
C. The World’s First Digital Teacher, a Help to Students
D. New Zealand Will Replace Teachers in Classrooms
For most of her life, Suanne Laqueur’s passion for storytelling was shown on the dance floor.
Although Laqueur began writing at a young age, dancing always took center stage. She majored in dance and theater at Alfred University and taught at her mother’s dance studio in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, for years. But when her mother was ready to retire and an opportunity opened for Laqueur to take over the studio, she realized she had no interest in taking on the business side of her art: “Owning a studio is a lot of work—financially, logistically. I love the teaching, the choreographing(编舞), the staging, but I didn’t want to own it.”
Yet Laqueur’s disinterest in running the studio changed when she became a self-published author. In the fall of 2013, she decided to pursue Self-publishing as a way of sharing her first completed novel with friends and family. During the process, she realized that following her true passion—telling stories through writing—made the business of the art worthwhile, and owning that business meant she could direct her writing career however she chose.
Starting with her second self-published novel, she began investing more time in marketing and building her audience. Her investment paid off. Since 2014, Laqueur, now 49, has self-published six novels, which collectively have hundreds of ratings and reviews on Goodreads. Her 2016 novel An Exaltation of Larks stole the show at the 25th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards, topping more than 2,300 entries to win the grand prize.
“You have to write the most truthful story to you, and I think self-publishing allows that freedom,’ she says. “If you work with traditional publishing, it’s more about what’s marketable, There are trade-offs, which everyone will tell you, but by self-publishing I have control of the book, I have control of the story, and I’m cool with that.”
1.From Paragraph 2，we can learn that Laqueur _______.
A. was a part-time writer when she was young
B. didn’t like teaching dancing in fact
C. wanted to own a publishing house
D. was interested in running her mother’s studio
2.What made Laqueur change her attitude to business?
A. Her mother’s persuasion. B. The desire to make money
C. Self-publishing her novels. D. Her own passion toward art.
3.Which of the following can best replace the phrase “stole the show” in Paragraph 4?
A. became a failure. B. was shown to people.
C. got all the attention. D. was accidentally stolen.
4.What can be inferred from what Laqueur’s said?
A. Self-publishing will replace traditional publishing.
B. She will never use traditional publishing.
C. Traditional publishing only focuses on the market.
D. She enjoys the way of self-publishing.
Resorts of every kind have sprung up to cater to the Englishman need to spend a part of the year, however briefly, by the seaside. No town in Britain is more than eighty miles from the sea and there are seaside resorts all round the coast. On a summer Sunday most of the roads that lead to the sea axe congested (拥挤) with cars full of people eager to get a breath of sea air. In the evening when everyone is full of food, ice-cream and lollypops, there is the long slow drive home on roads crowded with returning cars.
Brighton
Brighton is one of the best-known south coast resorts and is very popular for day trip excursions. It is only fifty miles from London and can be reached by fast train in an hour. At the weekend the pebbled beaches are thronged with people sunbathing or picking their way to the water’s edge for a dip.
Bournemouth
Located a hundred miles from London, the beaches are wide and sandy. White houses line the cliff tops and narrow valleys, densely wooded with pine trees, reach down to the shore. The area near to the town of Torquay on the Devon coast is sometimes called Britains Riviera and the climate is so mild that palm trees grow along the sea front.
Blackpool
On the north-west coast, a popular resort for the people in the industrial north, Blackpool is a gay, noisy town, famous for its amusement facilities and the magical lights. At night people travel from miles around to see the extravaganza of lights decorating the sea front.
Southend
On the east coast at the mouth of the Thames, Southend is, like Brighton, one of the favorite resorts of Londoners. The pier here is the longest in Britain and offers a great variety of differing entertainments.
1.Why do people often have a long slow drive home on roads in summer?
A. Because it is extremely far from the sea.
B. Because too many returning cars often make a traffic jam.
C. Because people are full of food, ice-cream and lollypops.
D. Because people are attracted in the resorts so they leave slowly.
2.Which resort is famous for its entertainments and grand lights?
A. Bournemouth. B. Blackpool.
C. Brighton. D. Southend.
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. There are palm trees growing near Bournemouth.
B. Southend has the longest pier in Britain.
C. Southend is a better preferred resort than Brighton by London locals.
D. People crowded into the water’s edge at Brighton for a quick swim.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120—150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
日前，一社会机构对“高中生认为最有用的手机app类型”进行调查，结果如下:
最有用的app类型 | 参与调查的高中生人数占比 |
社交类app | 45% |
游戏类app | 32% |
学习类app | 12% |
其他 | 11% |
请简单描述以上数据，并结合自身实际，谈谈你对这一调查结果的看法。
(文中不得出现考生姓名，学校等真实信息)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.暴饮暴食被一些人认为是缓解工作压力的手段。( regard)
_____________________
2.让我印象最深的是，单身女性已成购房新军。( impress)
_____________________
3.他对大家的警告充耳不闻，执意在如此恶劣的天气驾车上山。( insist)
_____________________
4.在春节期间，许多服务行业的企业都面临着用工荒的问题，大大阻碍了行业的发展。(face)
_____________________
