It used to be mostly the army that used small, unpiloted aircraft, called “drones”. The little planes were very costly. But as they have dropped in price more people have begun to use them.
The fast rate of development of computer technology, image sensing equipment, satellite navigation and smart phones has led to lower-priced drones. Researchers and developers have learned how to build smaller and less costly drones. Nowadays, moviemakers are using drones to film from the sky. Historians use them when they explore ancient buildings. Rescue workers use them to look for people. And now farmers are also using them to watch over their crops.
Romain Faroux is a French businessman, whose father was a farmer. He believed drones could help farmers. He has helped create a company which has developed a small drone that could be controlled by people on the ground. It’s called “Agridrone”. It uses a special sensor to examine crops. The technology used on the drone is similar to that used on a smartphone -- except it has wings. A computer program directs the drone to fly over the crops. The sensor on the drone records four different-colored “bands” of sunlight that are reflected off the crops.
Jean-Baptiste Bruggeman is another farmer in France who is using a drone. He says the drone flies over his crops at different times of the season and provides a lot of information about his crops. The pictures taken by the drone show him the exact amount of fertilizer the crops need. It also shows exactly where the fertilizer is needed.
Romain Faroux says farmers use information provided by the Agridrone to place fertilizer only in areas where it is needed. This saves money and reduces pollution. Before they used the drones, farmers would put the same amount of fertilizer everywhere. Drones also save time because farmers can examine up to three hectares (英亩) in about a minute.
1.Why do rescue workers and farmers begin to use drones?
A.Because they are affordable now.
B.Because their sizes have become smaller.
C.Because they can save people a lot of time.
D.Because the technology has been developed.
2.What is the sensor on the drone mainly used for?
A.Helping the sunlight shine on the crops.
B.Directing the wings to fly over the crops.
C.Examining the different colors of the crops.
D.Recording the sunlight “bands” reflected off the crops.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 3 probably refer to?
A.A smartphone. B.A sensor.
C.A drone. D.A band.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Crops will be harvested by drones soon.
B.Drones will be widely used in different fields.
C.French farmers use drones to examine their crops.
D.Farmers develop special drones for their crops.
Josh Katz works at the New York Times. His common job is to use information to tell interesting stories. In December 2013, Katz built a quiz on the Times website. It asked people about the words they used to describe things and events. It also asked how they pronounced common words. The quiz then used people’s answers to decide where in the United States they were from.
The quiz got more than 350, 000 results. Katz turned the results into a book. In Speaking American, he studies regional differences in how Americans talk.
“A lot of people’s language shows who they are and where they are from, in a very personal way”, Katz said.
Katz says people are often surprised to learn that the way they talk can show where they grew up. Most Americans don’t realize they use regionalisms --- or words and phrases specific to a particular part of the country. But just about everyone does. Almost every major U.S. city has a few unique terms. For example, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the night before Halloween is known as Mischief Night. Anyone who calls it that is likely to be connected to the city.
Katz himself was surprised by how many common words are regional. “There are a lot of words I use that I just thought were standard words,” he says. “Then I found out some of these words were actually a product of my upbringing.”
For example, he says, “I thought everyone said ‘sneakers’ (运动鞋) and not ‘tennis shoes’.” But it turns out “sneakers” is connected mostly to the Northeast. That’s where Katz is from.
Some scholars think that language in the U.S. is growing more homogeneous (同类的). But Katz disagrees. “These regional differences are here to stay.” he says.
Not only are people still using common regionalisms, but there are new ones appearing all the time, according to Katz. There’s no way to predict how language will change in the future. But Katz sees more changes coming. “The only sure thing about language is that it’s going to keep moving.” he says.
1.What’ s the purpose of the quiz?
A.To test people on common knowledge.
B.To find out what words are mostly used.
C.To help people learn about their hometown better.
D.To see whether people’s language shows their backgrounds.
2.How do most Americans look at their using regionalisms?
A.They are proud of it.
B.They do it unintentionally.
C.They find it quite interesting.
D.They have no idea why everybody does it.
3.Why does Katz mention “ sneakers” in the 6th paragraph?
A.Because it’s different from “tennis shoes”.
B.Because it’s an example of a standard word.
C.Because his hometown is possibly the birthplace of it.
D.Because many common words come from a specific area.
4.What is Katz’s opinion on regional differences?
A.They will finally disappear in the future.
B.They have a bad influence on people’s life.
C.They will remain a part of people’s everyday life.
D.They prevent language from being homogeneous.
I was in Walt Disney World with my son, Daniel, who is autistic (患自闭症的), and at that time he was 7 years old. My wife and our three other sons were with us too. He was having one of his melt down screaming tantrums (发怒), only God knows why. So my wife and I decided I would take the bus back to the hotel, and she would stay in the park with the other three children.
After we got on the bus, the screaming continued. My son looks “normal”. To the many people on the bus, he appeared to just be a kid screaming --- or a spoiled child who did not get his special toy that day. It did not take long --- less than a minute --- before the screaming brought about stares, then glares from the other passengers.
To my shame, I found myself losing my temper at my own son. I was embarrassed, angry, and frustrated, and felt cheated by God for not being able to enjoy a normal vacation with my family because of him. I started to wonder what life would be like without having to deal with this cross (痛苦).
And just as the reactions of the other passengers were becoming most intense, a man seated just in front of me turned around to face me. I cheered myself up for his advice on how to raise a well-behaved child.
He said calmly, “Is he alright?” I said, “He’s autistic.” Then the man said , “It's alright.” And he smiled. That’s all.
And suddenly, all the anger building up inside me was gone. I almost wept for shame at how I had felt a moment before. It no longer mattered what the other people thought. My son was my gift from God.
I will never forget that man, nor his small, simple act of kindness and understanding. I truly believe he was my son’s guardian angel that day maybe mine too.
1.Why did Daniel become angry?
A.Because he didn't get his special toy.
B.No one knew the reason for his anger.
C.Because something went wrong with him.
D.Because he quarreled with his brother or sister.
2.Hearing Daniel’s screaming, _______.
A.the passengers were not satisfied
B.the passengers felt sorry for the author
C.the author comforted him with patience
D.the driver asked the author and his son to get off
3.What does the third paragraph tell us?
A.How the author helped his son calm down.
B.How the author reacted to his son's screaming.
C.What made the author angry and embarrassed.
D.What the author’s life would be like without Daniel.
4.How did the author’s anger disappear?
A.The bus arrived at the stop near his hotel.
B.A stranger helped him realize his mistake.
C.His son stopped screaming and apologized to him.
D.He suddenly realized his son was an autistic child.
Bullgatortail 10 minutes ago
I particularly enjoy the works of Greenwich Village poet Edward Field, whose interest in cinema led to a number of poems based on old monster movies (including many about Frankenstein and my favorite, Curse of the Cat Woman).
Litteacher 8 29 minutes ago
There are so many to choose from! I love Robert Frost, especially “Mending Wall”, mostly because he is my dad’s favorite poet. However, personally I love Lnagston Hughes’s poem “Dreams” because it always brings happiness to me. I am also a big fan of the older poems, such as Spenser’s “One Day I Wrote Her Name Upon the Strand” because it is so simple, and “The Tyger” and “The Lamb” by William Blake because I love the language.
Michael Ugulini 51 minutes ago
My favorite poet is Suji Kwock Kim. Ever since I read her book of poetry “Notes from the Divided Country”, I have been a big fan of her clear and thoughtful writing. My favorite poem of hers is “Borderlands”, which she wrote in memory of her grandmother. It is a poem about her grandmother’s experiences during the war.
Loraaa 1 hour ago
Hard to decide! But if I have to, I’d say Emily Dickinson. Her life was so wonderful and her opinions about life are also interesting. Her understanding of nature speaks to the heart of anyone who loves the outdoors! Dickinson also understood human nature very well. Her poems speak of love, loneliness, ect. Finally, my favorite poem by her is “I Never Saw a Moor”. I love her thoughts!
1.Why does Litteacher 8 like the poem “Dreams”?
A.It always cheers him up.
B.He is a big fan of its author.
C.It is his father’s favorite poem.
D.He loves the language of it.
2.Whose favourite poet is Emily Dickinson?
A.Loraaa’s. B.Litteacher8’s.
C.Bullgatortail’s. D.Michael Ugulini’s.
3.Where is the text most probably taken from?
A.A newspaper. B.A notice board.
C.A webpage. D.A book review.
假定你是李华，最近你在一个国外的青少年网站上看到一个署名为 Maggie的寻求帮助的帖子，内容要点如下：
1.学校竞争激烈，学习压力大；
2.学习过于刻苦，导致疲倦心理；
3.逐渐失去兴趣，时常犯困。
请写一篇英语短文对上述问题进行回复。
要求：1.针对发帖人遇到的问题提出建议，并给予鼓励；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.词数100左右。
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短文改错
Emily turned on the TV. It was 6 o’clock and the news were on Channel 3. Therefore, she didn’t want to see the news, which was usual about traffic accidents. There was too many bad news on TV. Emily found talk show to watch. It was hosting by Jack, who was good-looking and smart, and he told good joke. And sometimes he gave expensive gifts to his fans. Perhaps this show was sometimes bored, but that didn’t matter to him. That was because of all she wanted to do was relax.
