Many of you may have used Siri, a voice assistant of US tech company Apple. You only have to say “hey Siri” and it will answer to your command. However, we may be sacrificing our privacy to enjoy this convenience.
According to a recent report by the Guardian, Siri can be accidentally triggered and start recording private conversations, such as discussions between doctors and patients. Some of these recordings are then given to workers outside the company to review.
Apple claimed the data was used to help Siri improve, but users were not informed of this measure in the first place.
Apple’s Siri is not the only voice assistant to come under fire.
In 2018, Alexa, a voice assistant developed by US tech company Amazon, recorded a private conversation between a couple and sent it to a stranger without their permission.
These issues deepened concerns that tech companies are infringing users’ rights of privacy.
Many people have long feared that tech companies are listening and collecting data from private conversations, reported Forbes. Using this data, third party companies could then paint an accurate picture of users’ habits and preferences in order to serve them more targeted advertisements, or even worse, sell this private data.
Despite this risk, the popularity of voice assistant seems to be unstoppable.
“In the near future, everything from your lighting to your air-conditioning to your refrigerator, your coffee maker, and even your toilet could be wired to a system controlled by voice,” commented The Atlantic.
Colin Horgan wrote on the blog site Medium that he believed people’s daily lives will soon become a source of data.
“The sounds of our homes, the symphony of life — laughing, crying, talking, shouting, sitting in silence — will no longer be considered memories, but data,” he wrote.
To deal with the issue, Blake Morgan, reporter for The Atlantic, believed that the answer is transparency.
“All companies need to have messaging ready to explain to customers what they do with private data,” she wrote on The Atlantic.
1.What does the underlined sentence mean?
A.There are other fire-proof voice assistants.
B.Other voice assistants are also being developed.
C.There are other voice assistants being criticized.
D.Other voice assistants also need improvements.
2.What seems to be people’s biggest concern about voice assistants?
A.Invading their privacy. B.Sending their message.
C.Making no improvements. D.Serving them targeted advertisements.
3.What should companies do to solve the problem, according to Blake Morgan?
A.To stop collecting data through voice assistant.
B.To explain their use of the data to customers.
C.To make their data more transparent.
D.To slow down the pace of technology advancement.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To show visions of a data world in the future.
B.To inform people of what tech companies are really up to.
C.To draw attention to the privacy issue voice assistants bring about.
D.To criticize companies’ invading customers’ privacy by collecting data.
“A bird with a broken wing will never fly as high. ” I’m sure T. J, Ware was made to feel this way almost every day in school.
By high school, T, J. was the most celebrated troublemaker in his town. Teachers literally cringed when they saw his name posted on their classroom lists.
I met T. J. for the first time when all the students at school were attending ACE training. At first, he showed no interest in the discussion. But slowly, the interactive games drew him in. T. J. had some brilliant thoughts on those situations, which were welcomed by his group. By the end of the activity, the other students on the team were impressed with his concern and ideas and elected T. J. co-chairman of the team.
When T. J. showed up at school on Monday morning, a group of teachers were expressing their disagreements to the school principal about his being elected co-chairman. The principal reminded them that the purpose of the program was to uncover any positive feeling and strengthen its practice until true change can take place. The teachers left the meeting, firmly convinced that failure was unavoidable.
Two weeks later, T. J. and his friends led a group of 70 students to collect food They collected a school record: 2,854 cans of food in just two hours. The local newspaper covered the event with a full-page article the next day. That newspaper story was posted on the main bulletin board at school, where everyone could see it.
T. J. ,s picture was up there for doing something great.
T. J. started showing up at school every day and answered questions from teachers for the first time. The event he started now yields 9,000 cans of food in one day, taking care of 70 percent of the need for food for one year.
T, J. reminds us that a bird with a broken wing only needs mending. But once it has healed, it can fly higher than the rest. T. J. got a job. He became productive. He is flying quite nicely these days.
1.What do we know about T.J. before he attended the training?
A. He was talkative in class.
B. He didn't have a good fame.
C. His ideas were quite impressive.
D. He showed up at school every day.
2.Why did the team members elect T.J. co-chairman?
A. He promised them a bright future.
B. They wanted to offer him a chance.
C. They thought the job was quite easy.
D. He was considered qualified for the job.
3.What do we know about people's attitude towards T. J. 's being elected?
A. Uncaring. B. Favorable.
C. Controversial. D. Doubtful.
4.What does the author try to convey with this story?
A. No pain, no gain. B. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
C. Don't judge a book by its cover. D. Treat others as you want to be treated.
Chester is one of the best cities in the UK. As soon as you arrive in Chester you will appreciate the city’s unique atmosphere and sense of history. Founded by the Romans over 2,000 years ago, much of the Roman influence remains and Chester’s city walls are the most complete in Britain. Combined with history and heritage(遗产), Chester is a dynamic city full of bars, pubs, clubs, hotels and restaurants for you to discover, tempting you to visit again and again.
Travelling to Chester?
Chester is easily accessible by many means of transport — whether you are travelling by rail, car, bus or plane. Please check our route planner below to help you plan your journey to Chester. Once you arrive in the city there are numerous car parks; however, during rush hours the easiest way to travel in Chester city centre is via park and ride facilities, which are parking lots with public transportation.
Hotels?
From bed & breakfasts to the luxury of Chester’s only five star hotel, Chester has all covered. Whether your trip is for business or pleasure your room is just a click away!
Sightseeing and Tours?
One of the best ways to see Chester is by a guided tour and you have a variety to choose from. Whether you choose the traditional guided walk, to be guided around Chester’s historical landmarks by bus or to take a boat down the River Dee, you will sure enjoy the delights of Chester.
1.What can we know about Chester from the first paragraph?
A. It is a newly built city.
B. It is the best city in the UK.
C. It is rich in the deep culture and modern touch.
D. Many of its city walls were completed by British people.
2.What is the most convenient way to get around Chester city centre during rush hours?
A. By bus. B. By bicycle.
C. By rail. D. By taxi.
3.What had you better do to have a better understanding of Chester?
A. Choose a bus tour. B. Join a guided tour.
C. Take a traditional walk. D. Swim down the river.
假如你是李华，想邀请你的朋友John在周六晚上去观看科幻电影 The Wandering Earth，请用英语给他写一封邮件，内容包括:
1.发出邀请；
2.介绍电影(主题:保护人类共同的地球家园；观众评价等)；
3.请求回复。
注意:
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply.
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线 ( \ ) 划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分.
Dear Bill,
I’m glad to receive your letter. Thank you for your caring for the weather or my health. Now I’d like to tell you anything about the smog.
Since last winter, the smog has been occurred a lot of times. It has done great harm to our daily life—a great number people got sick; many traffic accidents happened and quite lots of flights had to be put up. Luckily, people have realized the serious harm causing by the smog and the importance of protecting the environment. People all over the country are taking measure to reduce the smog. As for me, I will go to school by bike or on foot, and I would not throw the waste anywhere. Beside, I will tell people around to try their best to protect the environment. Would you like to tell me some other good ideas?
Looking forward to receive your reply.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Joanna Cole, born on August 11, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, has been credited to be one of the 1.(popular) children’s authors of all time. She 2.(write) over 250 books so far. Cole has owed a large part of her passion to one of her elementary school teachers.
Joanna Cole continued her education and 3.(final) earned a bachelor’s degree. In 1971 she decided to write her first book cockroaches. She did some research and discovered 4. had never been a book written for children about cockroaches. 5., she thought she would be the first. Cole wrote the first Magic School Bus in 1985. The book would go on to be published the 6.(follow) year and quickly became book series and cartoon series due to its 7.(succeed).
Cole writes in a way that will hopefully inspire children 8.(think) like a scientist. She does this by writing ideas instead of just facts. She also tries to ask questions in her books 9. require children to think and discover the answers as they read. This creates 10. engaging experience for children, so it is no wonder why younger readers are interested in her books.
