Perhaps it is time for farmers to put their feet up now because robots are used to inspect crops, dig up weeds, and even have become shepherds, too. Commercial growing fields are astronomically huge and take thousands of many hours to operate. One prime example is one of Australia’s most isolated cattle stations, Suplejack Downs in the Northern Territory, extending across 4,000 square kilometers, taking over 13 hours to reach by car from the nearest major town — Alice Springs.
The extreme isolation of these massive farms leaves them often unattended, and monitored only once or twice a year, which means if the livestock (家畜) falls ill or requires assistance, it can be a long time for farmers to discover.
However, robots are coming to the rescue. Robots are currently under a two-year trial in Wales which will train “farmbots” to herd, monitor the health of livestock, and make sure there is enough pasture (牧草地) for them to graze on. The robots are equipped with many sensors to identify conditions of the environment, cattle and food, using thermal and vision sensors that detect changes in body temperature.
During the trials, the robot algorithms and mechanics will be fine-tuned to make it better suited to ailing livestock and ensure it safely navigates around potential hazards including trees, mud, swamps, and hills.
“We want to improve the quality of animal health and make it easier for farmers to maintain large landscapes where animals roam free,” says Salah Sukkarieh of the University of Sydney, who will carry out trials on several farms in central New South Wales.
The robots are not limited to herding and monitoring livestock. They have been created to count individual fruit, inspect crops, and even pull weeds.
Many robots are equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms to avoid injuring humans as they work side by side. The robots also learn the most efficient and safest passages, and allow engineers and farmers to analyze and better optimize (优化) the performances and tasks of the robot, as well as provide a live stream giving real-time feedback on exactly what is happening on the farms.
Of course, some worry lies in replacing agricultural workers. However, it is farmers that are pushing for the advancements due to ever-increasing labor vacancies (空缺), making it difficult to maintain large-scale operations.
The robots have provided major benefits to farmers in various ways, from hunting and pulling weeds to monitoring the condition of every single fruit. Future farms will likely experience a greater deal of autonomy as robots take up more and more farm work efficiently.
1.What will “farmbots” be expected to do?
A.Take up many of the farmers’ routines. B.Provide medical treatments for livestock.
C.Lead the trend in farming the world over. D.Improve the quality of pastures for grazing.
2.What can robots do when equipped with high-tech sensors and complex learning algorithms?
A.Help farmers choose the most efficient and safest passages.
B.Help farmers simplify their farming tasks and management.
C.Allow farmers to learn instantly what is occurring on the farm.
D.Allow farmers to give them real-time instructions on what to do.
3.Why are farmers pressing for robotic farming?
A.Farming costs are fast increasing. B.Robotics technology is maturing.
C.Robotic fanning is the trend. D.Labor shortage is worsening.
4.What does the author think future farms will be like?
A.More and more automated. B.More and more productive.
C.Larger and larger in scale. D.Better and better in condition.
The year I turned fifty, I resolved to do something new every day. However, balancing 365 new things with work and family, while still managing to do the laundry and get dinner on the table every night, was not always easy. In the early weeks of the project, I found it difficult to find so many new things.
It wasn’t long before my friends learned that I was open to almost anything I could consider a new thing, and the invitations began pouring in not just from friends, but friends of friends. As a result, my life was new. I went dog sledding. I attended a fashion show. I went to numerous lectures on all kinds of topics that I never would have previously considered useful or interesting and found something to appreciate in every single one. I even signed up immediately when learning about a local group trying to get into the Guinness Book of World Records by doing something unusual.
As time went by, whenever I learned about something that seemed remarkable, I did what I could to pursue it. Instead of “Why”, I began to ask “Why not”. Now I find it is easier to just keep my eyes open to the possibilities that surrounded me. It turned out that there were new things everywhere, and all I had to do was make a little effort to enjoy them.
I looked back on the year. It doesn’t matter to me that many of my “new things” weren’t exactly meaningful. What matters is how to make full use of them when discovering there is an endless number of new things for me. It seemed to me an obvious sign that at fifty, my life was full of promise. I could continue to grow, stretch my wings, and learn more every day for the rest of my life. I enjoyed the idea of something new, and it gave me a reason to welcome each day as an opportunity to experience the world a little differently.
1.Which of the following can best describe the author’s feeling according to Paragraph 1?
A.Better late than never. B.Action speaks louder than words.
C.Saying is one thing but doing is another. D.Experience is the best teacher.
2.What’s the author’s attitude toward new things?
A.Skeptical. B.Appreciative. C.Cautious. D.Tolerant.
3.What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?
A.Make the most of new things. B.Wait for your life to start over.
C.Try to find more new things. D.Never say never when in trouble.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Dream for a New Life B.The Value of Friendship
C.Remarkable New Things D.A Year of New Things
72 Hours in Beijing
Traveling to China is no longer a luxury for many foreign passport holders. The Chinese government has permitted a 72-hour visa-free policy that offers access to visitors from 53 countries including the US, France and Austria. Let’s start with the capital of China, Beijing. Here’s a pick of the best in Beijing!
Mutianyu Great Wall
Your trip to Beijing isn’t really complete without seeing one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World”, the Great Wall of China. The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall is by far the most well-preserved of all. Taking a one-hour bus ride Mutianyu would be your ideal location for a half day of hiking away from the large crowds in the city. Also the authorities have allowed tourists to paint graffiti on a specific section of the Great Wall since 2014. The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
798 Art Zone
This would be on the top of my list! Named after the 798 factory that was built in the 1950s. The art zone is home to various galleries, design studios, art exhibition spaces, fashionable shops and bars. You could easily spend half your day wandering around the complex, feeling the contrast of the present and the past.
Summer Palace
Located in northwestern Beijing, the Summer Palace is by far the city’s most well-preserved royal park. With its huge lake and hilltop views, the palace offers you a pastoral escape into the landscape of traditional Chinese paintings. The Summer Palace was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1998.
Sichuan Provincial Restaurant
While in Beijing, apart from trying the city’s best-known Peking duck the Sichuan provincial restaurant is one of the places where you can enjoy regional delicious food. It offers one of China’s eight great cuisines, Sichuan, which ranges from Mapo tofu to spicy chicken.
1.Which of the following is true about the Mutianyu Great Wall?
A.You can paint graffiti anywhere.
B.You need a half day to get there.
C.It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2014.
D.It is the most well-preserved part of the Great Wall.
2.When was the Summer Palace added to the UNESCO World Heritage List?
A.In1950. B.In 1987. C.In 1998. D.In 2014.
3.Which place is the author’s first choice when visiting Beijing?
A.Mutianyu Great Wall. B.Summer Palace.
C.798 Art Zone. D.Sichuan Provincial Restaurant.
假定你是李华，你校近期要举行第一届校园艺术节，请你以组织者的身份邀请好友Steve来参加艺术节，内容包括:
1. 活动时间、地点；
2. 活动目的、主题、内容等；
3. 表达期待。
注意:1. 词数100左右； 2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改英语作文，请你修改你同桌的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每行中最多两处错误。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在此处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出增加的词;
删除:把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉;
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在其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(从十一处起)不计分。
Dear headmaster,
I’m writing to tell you some problems at the campus. It is common that students are accustomed to have snacks and drinks after having sports.
I’m worried that if students addicted to snacks and drinks, it will do great harm for their health. They need to take in all kind of nutrition. Therefore, snacks and drinks can’t meet his needs to grow up normally. On the other hand, it is easy that for students to get into the bad habit of spending money in buying such kind of things, which is the waste of money.
In my opinion, students should have regularly meals. Meanwhile, we can eat fruits or drink milk to make sure that we can develop healthily.
单词拼写，注意:每空一词。
1.The a___________________ date of his departure is next month. (大约)
2.I would a_______ it if you could take my application into consideration. (感激)
3.Both reading and travelling can broaden one’s h_______________(视野)
4.Family holidays are meant to be a break from r______________ (常规).
5.The college schedule contains optional courses as well as c____________ courses. (必修的)
6.I have made a r____________ for this Sunday. My name is Bobby. (预定)
7.The light was too dim for me to d _____________ anything clearly. (辨别)
8.It is c_______________ to take the subway in the district. (方便)
9.After some h______________ he agreed to allow me to write the article. (犹豫)
10.Your p_______________ in the debate would be welcome. ( 参加 )
