They have beaten us at chess, and now computers are taking a step into a very human territory: the reading comprehension test.
Alibaba said its artificial research outperformed human beings in a global reading comprehension test that seeks answers to such pressing questions as “what was Nikola Tesla’s ethnicity (种族划分)?” and “how big is the Amazon rainforest?”
Luo Si described the machines’ victory as “a milestone”. He said the technology has many uses, from customer service to museum tutorial (教程) to medical inquires — some of which are already being handled by chatbots globally.
In the test, companies subjected their artificial intelligence systems to questions from the Stanford Question Answering Dataset, which assessed reading comprehension. The computers’ answers were compared against average human responses and ranked.
Tying (打平) in top place were Microsoft, the US software giant, and Alibaba, and — like its peers at home and abroad - is putting more funds into AI, much of it via its research arm.
While Microsoft and Alibaba won by the slimmest of margins (幅度) — at accuracy levels a few basis points (基点) above humans’ 82.3 per cent in providing exact matches to questions- the tie provided a symbol of the AI arms race (军备竞赛) launched by the US and China.
China aims to use its vast data, collected from its 1.4 billion population including 730 million who are online, and financial resources to overtake the US in creating a $150 billion industry that is seen as the next industrial revolution.
Baidu made an early bet on AI, and is leading its rivals in autonomous driving. Tencent, which boasts 1 billion monthly active users on its social media WeChat app, and Alibaba have adopted AI in operations such as customizing news and ads, and are investing in new fields.
1.What does Luo Si think of AI’s performance in reading comprehension?
A.He feels frightened at it. B.He has some doubts about it.
C.He thinks highly of it. D.He considers it worth a try.
2.What does China depend on to lead in AI?
A.The new industrial revolution.
B.The huge market of $150 billion industry investment.
C.The vast amount of data from its 1.4 billion population.
D.The cooperation between Chinese government and Microsoft.
3.In which field does Baidu do better than its rivals?
A.The medical enquiries. B.The customer service.
C.Customer news feeds. D.The driverless cars.
I've enjoyed countless gatherings of Thanksgiving, from traditional family gatherings to feasts with many new faces. Yet at age 65, I have never spent the holiday with a husband or children of my own.
If you feel pity for me, please don’t — I am proud of the decision I made decades ago to change from life’s conventional road map, and I have no regrets about it. I enjoy being alone.
I found my life deeply rewarding. At the same time, I was fascinated with the question of why my adult life as a single person was not as valued by the people around me or by society. When people learned I was single with no children, they assumed my life had a hole that needed filling.
I wondered: Was it just me, or were other single people viewed the same way? I teamed up with my colleague, Wendy Morris, and she and I began a series of studies investigating how people characterize single and married people. The research shows that single people typically have more friends than married people do. They also do more to help, support, and stay in touch with their parents, friends, and neighbors.
I’ve lived my life in cheerful, unapologetic refusal of the “get married, have kids” road map. But getting married is deeply ingrained in our society, and it can be difficult to break completely free of the marriage-plus-children ideal.
The research and the books, though, are not enough. We all need to think about life more open-mindedly. Instead of asking whether you do or don't want to marry or have kids, ask: What will make your life meaningful and fulfilling? When you think about it that way, the possibilities are limitless.
1.What do we know about the author?
A.She enjoys living in a lonely house. B.She seldom stays with her husband.
C.She feels regretful about her life. D.She prefers to live her life alone.
2.How do the people think about the author’s single life?
A.rewarding B.empty
C.valuable D.fascinating
3.What did the author find in her research?
A.Single people are more helpful. B.Single people are not respected.
C.Married people have few friends. D.Married people are careless in life.
4.What's the meaning of the underlined word “ingrained” in the fifth paragraph?
A.influenced B.disturbed
C.rooted D.hurt
Popularly known as the “Oriental Hawaii,” Sanya in South China’s Hainan province is considered as one of the best diving resorts in the South Pacific Ocean. The followings are the top four places for diving in the city.
Wuzhizhou Island
Wuzhizhou Island is regarded as the best place in Hainan province for underwater diving. It is one of the few islands in the world without rocks. The island covers an area of 1.48 square kilometers and is in an irregular butterfly shape. The sea around the island is clear, providing a visibility of 6 to 27 meters.
Xidao Island
Xidao Island is shaped like a turtle living in the tropical area. It is also the largest of a series of islands in Sanya. Located 8 nautical miles off the coast, the island enjoys surroundings of sandy beaches and rocky caves. It also has clear waters with a wide variety of underwater animals to explore.
Dadonghai Bay
Dadonghai Bay, surrounded by hills on three sides, is a moon-shaped bay. The area enjoys agreeable weather all year round, with the water temperature keeping about 20℃ even in winter. Though the water here is not as clear as that in Yalong Bay and Wuzhizhou Island, this diving spot is easier to get to.
Fenjiezhou Island
Fenjiezhou Island is also called the Sleeping Beauty Island for what it looks like from afar. It is a national 5A scenic area in Lingshui Li autonomous county. It is the only site in the country that allows visitors to dive with dolphins. In addition to possessing a range of marine recreational programs, the island has the only sightseeing submarine in China, which is 18.6 meters long and can accommodate 46 people.
Regulations for underwater diving:
1. Applicants who are in good health and over 7 years old are allowed to dive.
2. People who are drunk or have heart disease or high blood pressure are not allowed to dive.
3. Be sure to travel with your diving instructor.
4. Several gestural languages must be mastered before diving: OK, going up, going down, uncomfortable, poisonous living creatures, and no touching.
Click here to enjoy the breath-taking scenery of these beautiful resorts.
1.Which is the largest among these four places?
A.Wuzhizhou Island B.Xidao Island
C.Dadonghai Bay D.Fenjiezhou Island
2.Which is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Wuzhizhou Island is the only island in the world without rocks.
B.The four places are all animal-shaped.
C.People are not permitted to dive alone without an instructor.
D.People can feel free to touch underwater animals when diving.
3.Which of the following people can get a chance of diving?
A.a drunk man B.a child aged 6
C.a man with heart disease D.a graduate in good health
4.You may find this passage from .
A.a website B.a travel brochure
C.a geography book D.a newspaper
假定你是学生会主席李华,你校将举办主题为“祖国颂”的庆祝建国70周年文艺演出,你将邀请你的英国朋友Joe观看这场演出。请你写封邮件向他介绍有关情况,内容包括：
1．举办的时间和地点;
2．活动的目的;
3．活动的内容。
注意：
1．词数100左右;
2．可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3．参考词汇：祖国颂Ode to Our Motherland;周年纪念日anniversary.
Dear Joe,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误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.
My friend Lilly and I were on the way back to home from school when we saw a boy fall off his bicycles. The boy lay on the ground， screamed in pain. We rushed to help and found if the boy's left leg was bleeding. It happened that we have learned some knowledge about first aid before， so we knew how we should do. We dialed "120" and called an ambulance. While waiting it， I took out my handkerchief and pressed them onto the bleeding point. Then we rolled the boy onto one side but put him in the recovery position. We stayed with him until the ambulance arrived 5 minutes late.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（仅限1词）或括号内单词的正确形式（不多于3个词）。
Jiuzhaigou Valley lies in Aba, north of Sichuan Province in China. There 1. (be) snow-capped mountain peaks, forest, lakes, and 2. (vary) birds and animals, all contributing 3. the unique view of Jiuzhaigou Valley. Upon 4. (enter) the popular holiday center, you will find 5. (you) walking in a fairyland, leaving behind nothing but earthly troubles and worries. Jiuzhaigou Valley is a world of water. Water brings Jiuzhaigou Valley its most delightful views, 6. is the soul of the place. 7. (attract) by the charming sights so much, you will certainly stay here for a long time with no thoughts for home.
The lakes 8. (call) “Haizi” by the local people of Jiuzhaigou Valley, meaning “little sea” in Chinese. Jiuzhaigou Valley has 9. total of 108 “Haizis” of different sizes and shapes. Some of the lakes ate hidden in the valleys, and others lie in the virgin(原始的) forests.
With a 10. (high) of 2,000 to 3,000 meters above the sea level, the sea enjoys a favorable climate that is cool in summer while not affected by the cold wind of the winter season, presenting the beautiful scenery all year around.
