Nearly every week, we hear news about the latest successes and failures in driverless vehicles. But we hear little about how other industries are developing this same kind of technology. One industry heavily involved in researching and developing artificial intelligence, or AI, is agriculture. Companies are experimenting with high-tech tools that can help farmers save time and money, while reducing environment-harming chemicals.
One of the companies is ecoRobotix of SwitzerLand, It created a robot equipped with AI and cameras to identify all plants on a farm The robot has four wheels to carry it through the fields in search of weeds. Computercontrolled arms then lower and spray the weeds with small amounts of herbicide(除草剂). Company officials say the robot can fully operate on its own for up to 12 hours a day while being powered by the sun It uses the same kind of sensor and positioning technology used to guide driverless vehicles. A farmer can also control the equipment through a smart-phone.
The co-founder of ecoRobotix, Aurelien Demaurex, says the farm robot can kill weeds with 20 times 1ess herbicide than traditional methods. This is because the system uses exactly the right amount of chemical in the exact place required to kill the weeds. Currently, farmers spread weed killers over massive areas to destroy unwanted plants.
Another company developing farm robotics is California-based Blue River Technology. The company has a system called "See & Spray", which it claims was the world's first smart sprayer. The system-which connects to the back of a tractor-is also equipped with AI to identify and chemically kill only the weeds. It can also spray chemicals on wanted plants to help them grow. Ben Chostner, vice-president of business development for Blue River Technology, explains in a company video that See & Spray technology uses the same deep Learning methods used in facial recognition. "The first time the machine saw a pigweed, it didn't know what kind of plant it was. But we taught it-by giving it tens of thousands of examples of that pigweed-and now it's an expert in pigweed. "
1.How will AI benefit agriculture?
A. It will fund agriculture research.
B. It contributes to low-cost farming.
C. It can avoid harmful chemicals.
D. It frees all farmers from field work.
2.What do the products of the two companies have in common?
A. They use recognition technology.
B. They are powered by solar energy.
C. They are connected with smart phones.
D. They can help wanted plants grow rapidly.
3.What do Ben Chostner's words suggest about the robot?
A. It is environmentally-friendly.
B. It is good at self-improving.
C. It has the learning ability.
D. It can track various plants.
4.What is mainly talked about in the text？
A. The experiment in farming robots.
B. New trend in artificial intelligence.
C. Modern See & Spray technology.
D. Artificial intelligence in agriculture.
There are only a few truly pleasant smells to wake up to in the morning. For me, it's the smell of freshly brewed coffee. Just a sniff of it makes me jump out of bed and rush to the kitchen for a gulp of the hot black liquid.
If you're a big fan of coffee, you'll understand that opening a new packet of coffee releases an amazing smell-fresh, roasted coffee beans. And you'll be able to identify the beans' origin-Colombia, Vietnam or Brazil. Tim Hayward is a food writer and coffee shop owner; he believes the smell "is absolutely vital. When you walk into the coffee shop in the morning and that smell hits you, you're getting physiological(生理上的) responses. "
I know from experience when I walk into a cafe, my mouth begins to water and it's the smell that makes me feel good. However, this feeling sometimes turns to disappointment. This is particularly the case when I order a coffee to go in a tall paper cup and sip the liquid through a hole in the lid. Yes, it's convenient, but is it really the right way to appreciate it?
You walk into the coffee shop, you get the smell, but when you actually take the drink out, you are drinking it from something that is designed to deliver the hot liquid directly past your tongue, but prevent any smell coming up to your nose. As well as eliminating the smell, takeaway coffee cups create a lot of waste and a vast majority of them still don't get recycled. So maybe now is the time to really wake up and smell the coffee by drinking from a cup in a cafe, chatting with friends and saving the planet!
1.In which aspect does the author agree with Tim Hayward?
A. People drink coffee first thing in the morning.
B. Coffee beans' origin makes all the differences.
C. Some people are addicted to drinking coffee
D. It's the smell of coffee that really matters.
2.What does the author complain about?
A. The process of making coffee.
B. The high temperature of coffee
C. The design of the paper coffee cup.
D. The inconvenience of buying coffee.
3.What can replace the word "eliminating" underlined in Paragraph 4?
A. Creating. B. Removing. C. Increasing. D. Changing.
4.What can be the best title of the text?
A. Wake up and smell the coffee
B. Try to be a real lover of coffee
C. Drink coffee to save the planet
D. Choose takeaway coffee for convenience
Barcelona's famous Segrada Familia is finally set to get a building licence, 137 years after work on the still uncompleted church began.
Construction on the UNESCO World Heritage basilica(长方形基督教堂), which is Barcelona's most visited tourist attraction, began in 1882 based on a design by architect Francisco Lozano. However, when he stepped down, architect Antoni Gaudi took over the design in 1883. The building won't be finished until 2026-one hundred years after the architect was killed by a streetcar in the city. His body was buried in a room under the floor of the Sagrada Familia.
To get its paperwork rubber stamped, the church authorities have agreed to finally pay the government a∈36 million fee for a building permit. Gaudi was told to get the paperwork processed, but the architect failed to do so-proceeding with construction regardless. The money from the church's permit will be used to upgrade transport links and beautify the area. Gaudi and his works have become symbols of Barcelona, the capital city of Catalonia, northeast Spain
Gaudi played an active role in directing the construction of the Sagrada Familia until his death in 1926. He would often request that work be modified and adjusted until it was exactly what he had in mind. However, interpretation of the designs by present day architects is particularly challenging because of the nature of the existing designs.
The unfinished building is called a masterpiece of Gothic architecture and it is perhaps the most unique and mysterious building in the style ever constructed. The popularity of the site with tourists has helped fund the push to complete the church and pay for the paperwork.
1.What do we know about the Segrada Familia?
A. It has been completely constructed.
B. It was first designed by Antoni Gaudi.
C. It will get a building permit in 2026.
D. It began to be built 137 years ago.
2.What can we infer about Antoni Gaudi?
A. He wished to be buried in the church
B. He is remembered as a great architect.
C. He didn't know a permit was necessary.
D. He is to blame for the unfinished church.
3.What makes the Segrada Familia so popular?
A. Its unusual design style
B. Its two famous architects.
C. Its special building materials.
D. Its illegal construction paperwork
4.The church managed to pay for the licence .
A. in the support of the government
B. by reducing construction costs
C. with the aid of tourist income
D. through donations from architects
An Arizona mom says none of her son's kindergarten friends showed up to his birthday party after she sent 32 invitations to his classmates.
The boy, Teddy, held a birthday party on Sunday at Peter Piper Pizza in Tucson, where he and his mother, Sil Mazzini, had been expecting dozens of little girls and boys-as well as the children's parents-to join them at the restaurant. Mazzini said a few people told her in advance that they couldn't make it, but she wasn't prepared for everyone to be no-shows.
Mazzini shared a photo of her son sitting alone in front of several pizzas on her Facebook page. That brought dozens and dozens of birthday wishes from around the country, as well as other gifts and offers.
"I live near Tampa, Florida, and heard about you via my local news," one woman wrote on Facebook. "I hope you have a wonderful year and I'm sending you a big hug." The biggest unexpected birthday present for Teddy came from the Phoenix Suns, who invited him to watch Wednesday night's game at the Talking Stick Resort Arena against the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James. The city's professional soccer club, the Phoenix Rising, also invited Teddy to "join 7,000 of his closest friends" at a playoff game on Friday.
But some on social media questioned Mazzini's decision to broadcast her son's humiliating day. "Quick! Someone call the news. Don't embarrass this kid even more than he already is," one woman wrote on Facebook. "Good lord. This is so wrong. "
1.How may Teddy feel about his birthday party?
A. Relaxed B. Disturbed C. Disappointed. D. Bored.
2.What did the Phoenix Suns invite Teddy to do?
A. Play a playoff game on Friday.
B. Watch Wednesday night's game.
C. Join the professional soccer club.
D. Spend a weekend with them
3.What can we infer about Sil Mazzini from the last paragraph?
A. She is not supported by all the people.
B. She cares little about her son's feelings.
C. She regrets having posted her son's images.
D. She has removed the comments on Faceloook.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does the father think of the speaker?
A. Unlucky. B. Lazy. C. Slow.
2.When did the speaker fail his math test because of a game?
A. In the 8th grade B. In the 9th grade. C. In the 10th grade.
3.Who made the speaker more determined to change?
A. His brother. B. His parents. C. His tutor.
4.What happened to the speaker at the end of high school?
A. He became a private tutor.
B. He got a job in programming.
C. He was admitted to MIT.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What are the speakers mainly talking about?
A. An organization. B. A kind of disease. C. A time-traveling doctor.
2.What is the function of WHO?
A. Curing the sick people. B. Making the hospitals work. C. Setting rules to handle illness.
3.What is special about the mentioned disease?
A. It makes people feel sad all day long.
B. It affects old people and kids easily.
C. It just gives body aches and a fever.
4.How does the man feel about the disease?
A. Puzzled. B. Amazed C. Scared
