Along the Ring of Fire
Off the coast of Alaska, the lava rises through cracks (裂缝) at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. It flows like toothpaste pressed from a tube. Spreading and erupting, the earth slowly builds a new island.
Along the Pacific coast of South America, one part of the earth’s surface gradually moves toward another. Although difficult to believe, the rocky outer surface of Earth is not solid; rather, it is broken up into huge pieces called plates(板块). 1., the action can sometimes lead to volcanic activity.
These things take place thousands of miles apart, yet they are connected. Surrounding the Pacific Ocean is a circle of volcanoes that includes more than half of the world’s active volcanoes.2..
The Ring of Fire spreads from the west coast of South America northward to Alaska. It goes left at the Aleutian Islands and crosses the Pacific Ocean. Then it heads down the east coast of Asia toward New Zealand.
3.. In 1883 Krakatoa erupted four times. The third eruption was so loud that it could be clearly heard 3,000 miles away. Krakatoa threw a large dust cloud nearly 50 miles into the air. 4.. During four days in June, Pinatubo threw out more than 20 million tons of broken pieces into the air, destroying many homes.
Some volcanoes erupt more quietly, with lava flowing through the cracks in Earth’s surface. This type of volcano is found in Hawaii. 5..
A.This area is called the Ring of Fire
B.Although the plates are connected
C.As the plates move past one another
D.The Ring of Fire is also where most earthquakes happen
E.Major volcanic eruptions along the Ring of Fire make history
F.In 1991 Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines erupted after 600 quiet years
G.Lava from a volcano tends to advance slowly but still causes great damage
From driving to landing on moon, more and more human tasks are being taken over by artificial intelligence(AI-人工智能). It will make everyday tasks easier and bring benefits to different industries.
And yet, like any other technology, AI will also bring risks and dangers. When people mention that AI could be dangerous, they think of the situation in films where an AI program decides to kill or enslave all humans. While this possibility is unlikely for now, there are many other dangers that AI could bring to mankind.
In February 2018, a group of AI experts got together to discuss the possible misuse of AI. What they found was that “Every AI advance by the good guys is an advance for the bad guys, too”. Their main worry was that criminals could use AI for many bad purposes, including using AI to create websites that could steal people’s personal information. Another possible risk was faster hacking(黑客)—AI programs could be taught to find weaknesses in software and break into computer systems. Some other risks were as dramatic as the ones we see in books and movies. For example, long-distant attacks could be made easier through the use of AI. And, finally, there were some worries on imitating voices as well. It is possible that AI could be used to make false photos and videos. In china, tech giant Baidu has developed a program called Deep Voice that can “clone” anyone’s voice by studying a 3.7-second audio sample (声音样本).
Many people in the tech world have expressed worry about AI. People like US businessmen Bill Gates and Elon Musk have called for the industry to be more strictly controlled, as there are few laws currently governing the use of AI. Famous British Physicist Stephen Hawking even thought AI could finally cause the end of mankind. “Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it will take off and redesign itself at an alarming rate. Humans…couldn’t compete and would be replaced.”
1.What cannot possibly be done by AI right now?
A.Driving cars. B.Landing on moon.
C.Playing games. D.Ruling all humans.
2.Which saying has a similar meaning with the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?
A.Every coin has two sides. B.Prevention is better than cure.
C.Risk nothing, gain nothing. D.One’s meat is another’s poison.
3.How many misuses of AI are mentioned in Paragraph 3?
A.One. B.Two.
C.Three. D.Four.
4.Why does the author mention Stephen Hawking’s words?
A.To show Hawking’s perfect prediction.
B.To strengthen the high position of Hawking.
C.To help readers understand the serious situation.
D.To introduce the famous scientist--Stephen Hawking.
5.What does the whole passage mainly talk about?
A.Risks and dangers of AI. B.Guidance of AI usage.
C.Advantages and disadvantages of AI. D.Development of AI industry.
Over the last two decades (十年), the Earth has seen an increase in vegetation (植被) and China and India are leading the increase in greening on land. The result comes mostly from tree planting programs in China and intensive agriculture(集约农业) in both countries.
Researchers from Boston University found that global green area has increased by 5% since the early 2000s, an area equal to the size of Amazon rainforest. Among the increased area, China and India contribute to about 33%, especially China, with 25% itself. China’s great contribution came mostly from its programs to protect and expand forests, which is about 42%. These programs were developed in an effort to reduce the effect of desertification, air pollution and climate change.
Another 32% of the greening change in China, and 82% in India, resulted from intensive agriculture of food crops. The land area used to grow crops in China and India has not changed much since the early 2000s. Yet both countries have greatly increased the total green area and food production in order to feed large populations. The lead author Chi Chen of Boston University said,
“That is a surprising finding, since it is generally believed that land degradation(退化) in populous countries is usually more serious.”
Rama Nemani, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, saw a positive message in the new findings. “Once people realize there is a problem, they tend to fix it,” However, the researchers rang bells as well. They pointed out that the gain did not necessarily fill up the loss of natural vegetation in tropical regions like Brazil and Indonesia.
1.What’s the first paragraph mainly about?
A.The earth is becoming a green land.
B.China and India are forest countries.
C.China and India matter in greening the Earth.
D.China and India develop intensive agriculture well.
2.Why is Amazon rainforest mentioned in Paragraph 2?
A.To show its importance to the planet.
B.To call on people to protect rainforests.
C.To clearly show the increased green area.
D.To be evidence of the lost natural vegetation.
3.What benefits can China’s tree planting programs bring?
① Reducing air pollution.
② Increasing rich land for crops.
③ Helping with climate control.
④ Controlling the desertification.
A.①②③ B.①③④
C.①②④ D.②③④
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Brazil and Indonesia do not protect their forests.
B.The findings discouraged belief of a green world.
C.Humans are creative enough to solve all problems.
D.More efforts are needed to protect natural vegetation.
5.Where does the text probably come from?
A.A newspaper. B.A travel brochure.
C.An interview. D.A geography textbook.
Being home to the largest secondhand bookstore in the world, Hay-on-Wye is more than just a small town in Wales--it’s a book heaven on earth.
The history of Hay-on-Wye as the “town of books” began on the April Fool’s Day of 1977. A man called Richard Booth announced the independence of Hay-on-Wye as a kingdom of books, with him as the king. Since then, he has managed to build a healthy tourism industry based on books. Today thousands of visitors come to Hay-on-Wye every year to look for whatever books they need.
Before Booth’s great idea, Hay-on-Wye was a slowly dying town having less than 2,000 people, with no real economy or notable local businesses. The king of Hay-on-Wye opened his first bookstore in 1961, and later encouraged his friends in the trade to come to Hay. After a few years, he filled almost every building with books. Hay-on-Wye now has over thirty bookshops, many selling second-hand books, which has made the town attractive for book collectors.
Hay-on-Wye has its special honor with over one million books traded here every year. Unlike other book dealers, Richard Booth doesn’t center on any one topic. He buys any type of books believing that every book is valuable and someone in the world wants it. Book lovers from all over the world come to Hay-on-Wye because a large number of books found here are at low prices.
Since 1988, Hay-on-Wye has also been the place for a famous literary(文学) festival, now supported by The Guardian, which draws about 80,000 visitors over ten days at the beginning of June to see and hear big literary names from all over the world.
Once a dying small town, Hay-on-Wye is now an attractive tourist town, with ten percent of its population working in the book business, and local businesses benefiting from the waves of tourists coming here in search of books.
1.What can we infer from Paragraph 2?
A.Hay-on-Wye became independent in 1977.
B.Hay-on-Wye used to be a tourist attraction.
C.Richard Booth got fooled on the April Fool’s Day of 1977.
D.Richard Booth was to make Hay-on-Wye a book heaven.
2.What is mainly talked about Hay-on-Wye in Paragraph 3?
A.Its bookshops. B.Its unusual feature.
C.Its development. D.Its local businesses.
3.What is special about Richard Booth as a book dealer?
A.He sells only valuable books. B.He collects books of any type.
C.He himself is knowledgeable. D.He is supplied by The Guardian.
4.The reasons why visitors come to Hay-on-Wye include ______.
① low prices of books
② a large range of books
③ famous book dealers
④ a famous literary festival
A.①②③ B.①②④
C.①③④ D.②③④
5.Which may be the best title for the passage?
A.Hay-on-Wye, World of Books B.Hay-on-Wye, Birthplace of Literature
C.Hay-on-Wye, Source of Knowledge D.Hay-on-Wye, Famous Literary Festival
When Brooks Dame was in high school, a friend, Jessica had a serious disease. Thanks to specialized treatment which was made possible by bone marrow donors(骨髓捐赠者), Jessica _____ .
The experience of watching Jessica go through the _____ finally encouraged Brooks to _____ his fear of needles and sign up to be a bone marrow donor.
A year later, Brooks received a phone call about a possible _____. A man in his 30s was fighting a hard battle with a cancer. “I was _____, but I thought a lot about that man,” Brooks remembers. “This was his last chance of survival.”
After a series of tests (including needles), Brooks flew to a _____ in Denver for the donation. “It is dangerous and very _____, but I knew it was the right thing to do,” Brooks says.
“The more I thought about that man and his family, the more I hoped that my small sacrifice(牺牲), in some way, made a _____.”
Afterwards, Brooks was still afraid of _____. But what he’d gained was much greater than fear. He had _____ that it was worth any sacrifice to help another person survive.
1.A.survived B.failed C.suffered D.won
2.A.tests B.treatment C.examination D.tasks
3.A.hide B.fight C.admit D.express
4.A.match B.danger C.partner D.visit
5.A.eager B.anxious C.nervous D.excited
6.A.college B.meeting C.hospital D.charity
7.A.harmful B.meaningful C.hopeful D.painful
8.A.living B.difference C.decision D.mistake
9.A.needles B.stress C.death D.blood
10.A.planned B.heard C.wondered D.learned
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