In 1999, Rebecca Constantino began doing a study at schools across Los Angeles. She had just completed a Ph. D. in language and learning, and she was analyzing children’s access to ________ in rich and low-income communities.
One day, she ________ something that stopped her in her tracks. “I was at a ________ in a wealthy community, and they were ________ almost brand-new books because they didn’t have ________ in the library,” Constantino said. She put the books in her car and drove them to a school in a(n) ________ community.
Shocked by the ________ she saw in public school libraries, Constantino became ________ to bridge the gap. “Some school libraries are not funded well, and sometimes not funded at all,” Constantino said. “If you’re a(n) ________ in an underserved community, ________ you’re left with boring, outdated and uninteresting books.”
Word spread about Constantino’s work, and books began ________. Donors buy new hardcover books. Kids ________ what they think are the most interesting books. Today, her nonprofit, Access Books, has ________ more than 1.5 million books for public-school and community libraries across California. The group has also ________ close to 350 libraries, making sure the reading environment is relaxing and comforting.
“________ we provide high-interest books and a(n) ________ library space, they do come and they do read. We found that in the schools that we serve, ________ doubles and triples (增值三倍) after we’ve come. So, we know that kids come to the ________ and read the books we give. They are ________ to keep on the shelf because we re giving books that really ________ kids. My goal is to see that kids can always have a friend in a book and they can always turn to a book to find comfort,” said Constantino.
1.A.phones B.books C.food D.water
2.A.spotted B.established C.heard D.resembled
3.A.hospital B.bookshop C.school D.structure
4.A.selling B.setting off C.getting rid of D.taking up
5.A.room B.money C.readers D.volunteers
6.A.temporary B.local C.circular D.underserved
7.A.combination B.difference C.buildings D.mission
8.A.qualified B.excited C.confident D.determined
9.A.intellectual B.teacher C.child D.settler
10.A.gradually B.usually C.rapidly D.steadily
11.A.functioning B.disappearing C.coming out D.piling up
12.A.give B.discuss C.understand D.display
13.A.provided B.bought C.encountered D.translated
14.A.visited B.redecorated C.built D.simplified
15.A.Though B.Until C.Unless D.If
16.A.beautiful B.quiet C.standard D.individual
17.A.satisfaction B.reference C.circulation D.transportation
18.A.classroom B.library C.market D.playground
19.A.necessary B.organizational C.difficult D.essential
20.A.surprise B.calm C.encourage D.attract
About 43 years ago, spotted an advertisement in the paper for the YMCA wilderness program. 1. My first experience was a boat trip. I still have the images of sunrises and sunsets with all the beautiful colours on Lake of the Woods.
2. Even now I can feel the cold water dripping down my arm as we sat in the boat pulling the paddles awkwardly through running water. It was my first experience in a boat and my arms became tired after many hours of paddling.
We stopped for lunch in the boat by gathering all the boats together. 3.
At night it was time to camp at our site picked out by our guide. There we learned to start campfires and cook some of our meals. This is where fell in love with noodles. 4. We cleaned up our mess and put up our tents and slept on the ground. We learned to carry the heavy packs to our next destination. I developed a sense of accomplishment and had arm muscles after that trip.
There were no phones, makeup, hair dryers... just us and the bush. We came from different backgrounds with different personalities and we all had to work together as a group.
5.. I kept a journal from that second trip and often go back to it.
A. They dropped us off in the bush.
B. I had to experience more of the wilderness.
C. I was 15 and wanted to do something different.
D. Our guide handed out chocolate, cheese, and dried meat.
E. I liked the boat trip so much that I joined the survival trip the next year.
F. It was wonderful sharing simple meals over the fire and talking with new friends.
G. As a teenager, didn’t know that I was having the best adventure a teenager could have.
Many leading AI researchers think that in a matter of decades, artificial intelligence will be able to do not merely some of our jobs, but all of our jobs, forever transforming life on Earth.
The reason why many regard this as science fiction is that we've traditionally thought of intelligence as something mysterious that can only exist in biological organisms, especially humans. But such an idea is unscientific.
From my point of view as a physicist and AI researcher, intelligence is simply a certain kind of information-processing performed by elementary particles (基本粒子) moving around, and there is no law of physics that says one can't build machines more intelligent than us in all ways. This suggests that we've only seen the tip of the intelligence iceberg and that there is an amazing potential to unlock the full intelligence that is potential in nature and use it to help humanity.
If we get it right, the upside is huge. Since everything we love about civilization is the product of intelligence, amplifying (扩大) our own intelligence with AI has the potential to solve tomorrow's toughest problems. For example, why risk our loved ones dying in traffic accidents that self-driving cars could prevent or dying of cancers that AI might help us find cures for? Why not increase productivity through automation (自动化) and use AI to accelerate our research and development of affordable sustainable (可持续的) energy?
I'm optimistic that we can develop rapidly with advanced AI as long as we win the race between the growing power of our technology and the knowledge with which we manage it. But this requires giving up our outdated concept of learning form mistakes. That helped us win the race with less powerful technology: We messed up with fire and then invented fire extinguishers (灭火器), and we messed up with cars and then invented seat belts. However, it's an awful idea for more powerful technologies, such as nuclear weapons or superintelligent AI—where even a single mistake is unacceptable and we need to get things right the first time.
1.How do many people feel about leading AI researchers' predictions?
A.Worried. B.Curious. C.Doubtful. D.Disappointed.
2.What does the author think of intelligence?
A.We know little about it. B.It belongs to human beings.
C.It is too difficult to understand. D.We have nothing more to discover.
3.What does the underlined word “upside” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Cost. B.Risk. C.Quantity. D.Advantage.
4.What's important for us in the race between people and technology?
A.Learning from failure. B.Increasing our intelligence.
C.Avoiding making mistakes. D.Being more optimistic.
I didn’t understand the irony (讽刺) immediately. Only on the way home. The book I had just returned to our local library was called “Unquiet Landscape” by Christopher Neve. He widened my view.
But the ironic word for me in his books title. Irealized, was “unquiet”. It applied not to the landscape but to our local library. I have thus visited it again since then, and my conclusion is much the same: This is no longer a quiet place.
On both of my visits the library was packed with small children, and they were doing rather a lot of small-children things, such as dancing in circles, singing, jumping up and down, and so on. Various adults sitting around were clearly not discouraging them, rather the opposite.
I wasn’t exactly shocked. But I have to say that my understanding of library behavior and purpose changed somewhat. All my upbringing (教养) about libraries was what they were sanctums(圣地), places of escape in a noisy world. If one clearedone’s throat in a library, one was likely to be stared at by the librarians not to mention tolerating the disapproval of fellow library users enjoying their post-lunch nap. The first school I attended had a library that was entirely conventional infunction. In it, we boys did (or were expected to do) one thing only: read. The second school i attended allowed one to write as well as read in the library.
Since those days, my attitude, I hope, has changed a little. I’ve come across some very pleasant librarians eager to help with my projects. Some of them are surprisingly generous with providing access to their books, which are as dear to them as their own children. And the silence rule has, over the years, become much less strict. Even quite loud laughter, I find, is not always opposed to.
1.What did the author do after finishing the book?
A.He visited the lands mentioned in the book.
B.He expressed his admiration to the book winter.
C.He kept his habit of staying quiet in the library.
D.He made a close observation of the local library.
2.What did the author find out about the adults in the library?
A.They made lots of noise.
B.They were soft with the kids.
C.They didn’t listen to the librarians.
D.They couldn’t stop their kids bad behavior.
3.What’s the author’s attitude to librarians nowadays?
A.Positive. B.Disappointed.
C.Unconcerned. D.Worried.
Choosing a university
Kazumi
Mymain reason for coming here was the Human Rights course. When I was at school I couldn’t decide whether I wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer, but having decided to be a lawyer, I then had to choose which first degree I should take before starting, law school in another city, I’ve always wanted to help people and I figured that taking Human Rights would allow me to learn about how I can make a real difference in the world.
Vladimir
I love maths. I was tom between two possibilities: I could become an engineer and apply maths at a practical level. Or I could become a maths teacher, I needn’t have worried because in the end I didn’t have to choose! I got everything I wanted thanks to my university, which will qualify me to be a high school teacher while gaining a general engineering degree at the same time.
Osvaldo
One of the reasons I chose this university was because of the effort that they put into organizing the open day. The lecturers and current students provide an enthusiastic overview of their courses and of life in the city. This was in contrast to other universities I visited, which just let their reputation do the talking. Although I chose not to live on campus, the rooms there seemed comfortable and very reasonably priced.
Maria
When the time came to select the university, I had three possibilities, but I still could not decide. So it was time to schedule campus tours. They all had their advantages, but this place instantly appealed to me. As soon as I arrived, I was struck by the smiles everyone gave me. What I value most here is the feeling that I am part of a supportive community.
1.Who can obtain a double qualification from his or her university?
A.Kazumi. B.Vladimir.
C.Osvaldo. D.Maria.
2.Why did Osvaldo choose his university?
A.He found the courses affordable.
B.His university sold itself more convincingly.
C.He was won over by the university s reputation.
D.His university offered excellent accommodation.
3.What do we know about Maria?
A.She takes great interest in community service.
B.She made her choice from the very beginning.
C.She feels a sense of belonging at her university.
D.She was hoping to pass on knowledge to others.
假定你是李华，你校将举办中文书法展(Chinese Calligraphy Exhibition).请写封邮件邀请你的外教John参加，内容包括：
1. 时间及地点；
2. 展览内容；
3. 邀请他学书法。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
How is everything going with you?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
