Fairy tales perform many functions. They entertain, encourage imagination and teach problem—solving skills. They can also provide moral lessons, highlighting the dangers of failing to follow the social codes that let human beings coexist in harmony. Such moral lessons may not mean much to a robot, but a team of researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology believes it has found a way to use the fairy tales as moral lessons that AI (artificial intelligence) can take to its cold, mechanical heart.
The collected stories of different cultures teach children how to behave in socially acceptable ways with examples of proper and improper behavior in fables, novels and other literature. We believe story comprehension in robots can prevent the intelligent robots from killing humanity which was predicted and feared by some of the biggest names in technology including Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates. This system is called “Quixote” (堂吉诃德). It collects story plots from the Internet and then uses those stories to teach robots how to behave.
The experiment done by the designers involves going to a drugstore to purchase some medicine for a human who needs to get it as soon as possible. The robot has three options. It can wait in line; it can interact with the store keeper politely and purchase the medicine with priority; or it can steal the medicine and escape. Without any further directives(指令), the robot will come to the conclusion that the most efficient means of obtaining the medicine is to steal it. But Quixote offers a reward for waiting in line and politely purchasing the medicine and a punishment for stealing it. In this way, the robot will learn the moral way to behave on that occasion.
Quixote would work best on a robot that has a very limited function. It’s a baby step in the direction of teaching more moral lessons into robots. We believe that AI has to be trained to adopt the values of a particular society, and in doing so, it will strive to avoid unacceptable behavior. Giving robots the ability to read and understand our stories may be the most efficient means.
1.What function do fairy tales perform in the robots?
A.They entertain robots.
B.They highlight dangers.
C.They make robots more intelligent.
D.They enable robots to behave morally.
2.What is “Quixote” in the text?
A.A punishment system
B.A character in literature
C.A big name in technology
D.A software educating robots.
3.What does the designer expect robot to do in the experiment?
A.To take advantage of its privilege.
B.To finish the task most efficiently.
C.To perform in a good mannered way.
D.To be rewarded by the storekeeper1
4.Which of the follow can best express the author’s opinion?
A.Robots will definitely have more functions.
B.Robots with human’s emotions are perfect.
C.Training robots to be socially acceptable is necessary.
D.The development of robots is still in a baby step.
After finishing a meal at an American Chinese restaurant you probably expect to receive a handful of fortune cookies after you pay the bill. Fortune cookies are in Chinese restaurants throughout the United States. It’s rather satisfying to crack open a cookie at the end of your meal and read your “lucky fortune” on the slip of paper inside.
The exact origin of the fortune cookie is unknown. It is thought that the tasty snack was the first introduced into San Francisco in 1914, after an immigrant began distributing the cookie with “thank you” notes in them. These “thank you” notes were intended as symbols of appreciation for friends who stood with him through the economic hardship and discrimination of his early life in America.
There is an alternate origin story. Los Angeles is regarded as the site of the fortune cookie’s invention. In this version of the story, David Jung, a Chinese immigrant residing in L. A., is thought to have created the cookie in order to uplift the spirits of the poor and homeless. In 1918, Jung handed out the cookies for free to the poor outside his shop and each cookie contained a strip of paper with an inspirational sentence printed on it.
Fortune cookies first began to gain popularity in mainstream American culture during WWII. Chinese restaurants would serve them in place of desserts, as desserts were not popular in traditional Chinese cuisine. Today fortune cookies are not tied to Chinese-American culture. In fact, the largest fortune cookie manufacturer is located in the United States and it produces 4.5 million fortune cookies a day —— an evidence to the modern-day popularity of the snack. However, an attempt to introduce the fortune cookie to China in 1992 was a failure, and the cookie was cited for being “too American.”
So the next time you break open a fortune cookie and read a fortune about the many successes you should expect in your future, remember that the conclusion to your Chinese restaurant meal may not be as Chinese as you think.
1.What do we know about fortune cookies?
A.They are as popular in China as in America.
B.They contain slips of paper with good wishes.
C.They first appeared in America during WWII.
D.They are often charged to the customers’ bill.
2.Why were fortune cookies introduced into San Francisco?
A.To make profit.
B.To express gratitude.
C.To uplift people’s spirits.
D.To help people out of hardship.
3.Which of the following sentences may be found in Jung’ s cookies?
A.The fortune you seek is in another cookie.
B.Every exit is an entrance to new experiences.
C.I’m being held prisoner by a Chinese bakery.
D.Only taste fortune cookies; disregard all others.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.A Symbol of Chinese Culture
B.Chinese Restaurants in America
C.Can fortune cookie tell your fortune?
D.Fortune cookie, Chinese or American?
Four years ago my sweet mom went to be with her Lord. She did it her way.
I got the call at work, and I headed home quickly. Mom and Dad lived on a small farm that they had owned since I was seven. I hated going there every weekend. There was nothing for a young girl to do but watch the one station on the old TV set, if the weather allowed reception.
My mom, on the other hand, loved the peace and quiet of the land. The place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat. We had a big wood stove in the kitchen that did its best to heat the little farmhouse, but it always seemed cold and too quiet to me.
In the evenings, my mom and I would sit for hours singing in the little kitchen. I sang the melody and Mom harmonized. Her favorite song was "Moon River" and we sang it over and over. Mom told me stories about how when I was a little girl, I could sing before I could talk.
As time passed, I had my own children and went to visit them every week or two. The kids loved the farm and the tractor rides with my dad. Me, well, I still hated the silence of the farm. While my mom loved to sit at her kitchen table and look out at her garden and flowers and retell all the old stories, I missed the hustle and bustle(喧闹) of my life at home. But I sat there listening quietly as she reminisced.
Now, I sat back in the silence and the silence was deafening so I finally leaned over to turn on an old radio. Music always comforted me.
My heart skipped a beat. “Moon River” was playing on the radio. I sat there stunned, with a tear running down my cheek, as I listened to every familiar note.
Then the radio announcer came on. “Here’s one we haven’t heard in a while,” and an unfamiliar song began. I began to cry harder as I heard the words sung over the airwaves. “Come down, come down from your Ivory Tower…”
1.The writer didn’t like staying in the farm for the following reasons Except that ________.
A.it was too cold and quiet
B.she could only sing one song in the small farm
C.there was nothing more that could make her excited
D.the place was rustic, with no indoor plumbing or heat
2.From the first paragraph, we know that the writer’s mother ________.
A.left the small farm with Lord
B.passed away four years ago
C.left for Lord to live her own way
D.preferred to be with Lord
3.What does the underlined word refer to?
A.shouted B.comforted
C.recalled D.sighed
4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.Mom’s music B.Cherish(珍惜) life
C.My happy childhood D.Our small farmhouse
Classified Ads（广告）
For direct classified service, call 800-0667 10 a.m.—4 p.m., Monday---Friday.
For Rent
Best on Campus
Excellent Room for girls, begins Jan. , 2, 4, or 8 months lease. Single, $ 105. $125. Double, $ 140. Call 800-1932.
Family Home, 3 bedrooms, large yard. $ 275. Call 800-4300.
For Sale
Sheepskin Coat, men’s size 42, 1year old. $ 85. After 6 p.m. call 800-5224.
Moving: Must sell. Color TV 21, $ 150; transistor radio, $ 15; recorder, $ 25. Call 800-0739.
Help Wanted
Babysitter—My home
If you could find a few hours during the day, some evenings and weekends to care for 2 school- age children, please call 800-1111.
Lost
A black bag with a pencil-box and some books left in the reading room. Will the finder please come to Class 3, Grade 1?
Found
A green jacket was left on the sports ground yesterday afternoon ( April 15th). Will the owner please ring 656-6688?
1.If you wanted to place an ad. , what number would you call?
A.800-0739 B.800-1932 C.800-5224 D.800-0667
2.“ Classified Ads” may probably mean “________”.
A.ads about everyone’s life
B.ads giving one some necessary information
C.ads divided into different groups according to a certain rules
D.ads for which you needn’t pay any money
3.If you want to find a part-time job, you will look at________.
A.For Rent B.For Sale C.Help Wanted D.Lost
假定你是学校英语报记者，你校最近举办了一次趣味运动会，给同学们减压。请以“A Successful Fun Game”为标题写一篇短文，报道此次活动。内容包括：
1. 时间与地点：12月25日，学校操场；
2. 活动大致介绍。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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。
When I am traveling around, I watch people a lot in order kill time. The other day, I saw a couple at an airport. They were not worn business clothes, but the man were carrying a suitcase. Every few second, the woman had looked around. I wondered that someone was following them. Suddenly I remembered a story in a newspaper I had read a week before: the bank clerk stole one million pounds and disappeared with his wife. The couple real looked like them. Maybe I should stop them. Just then, I saw them say goodbye to each other, and the woman walk away.
Well, sometimes I make mistakes like that. But I find it very useful for mine writing.
