Each year on February 2nd, there is special festival called Groundhog Day (土拨鼠日) forecasting event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. When it comes, people from around the world, including 5,000 in the small town today, watch this tongue-twisting(发音饶舌的) small town for a sign from one groundhog that supposedly predicts when that years' spring will arrive.
If it's a cloudy day outside when the groundhog pops from its cave, then spring will arrive early that year. However, if it is sunny outside, the groundhog will supposedly be scared by its own shadow, hiding underground for six more weeks of cold weather.
Of course, Punxsutawney Phil's prediction is no more able to guarantee the extended forecast than your local weatherman. ABC News reports that an analysis by the National Climate Data Center found that Phil's predictions are more often wrong than right.
Philis is also found to have made some unpleasant predictions. Ever since 1887, he has predicted 99 extended winters and just 16 early springs .Nine of the years' predictions were unavailable, according to ABC.
The holiday began as a German tradition in 18th century and became even more of a cultural phenomenon after the 1993 film Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Punxsutawney Phil has become a celebrity in his own right. Each year, the fatter animal with long teeth is watched by millions as he emerges from a cave in the town he is named after. Phil has become so beloved by the town that he actually lives in the local library with his “wife" Phyllis.
Taking inspiration from the hard state of Bill Murray’s character in the classic film, Yahoo contributor Owen Rust says Groundhog Day is a good time to reflect on one’s routines.
1.The underlined word “pops” means “ ”.
A.escapes B.appears C.increases D.hides
2.The reason why Phil's predictions aren't pleasing is that_____________.
A.some of the predictions were unavailable B.Phil wants to do that for fun
C.Phil likes to make unpleasant predictions D.he has predicted more late springs
3.How does Punxsutawney Phil become a celebrity?
A.By an accident. B.From people's life improving.
C.By his own attractive force D.From much money raised by the town.
4.Which does this passage mainly talk about?
A.The National Climate Data Center B.A German tradition
C.A tongue-twisting small town D.Groundhog Day weather forecasting
Computer scientists have hoped to give robots technical skills to help them recognize, process and react to humor. But these attempts have mostly failed. AI (人工智能) experts say that in many cases, attempts to make robots understand humor end up producing funny results, but not in the way they were supposed to.
Tristan Miller studied more than 10,000 puns (双关语) in one research project. The pun is a kind of joke that uses a word with two meanings. For example, you could say, “Balloons do not like pop music.” The word “pop” can be a way of saying popular music; or can mean the sound a balloon makes when it explodes. But a robot might not get the joke. Tristan Miller says that is because humor is a kind of creative language that is extremely difficult for computer intelligence to understand.
Allison Bishop is a computer scientist and she also performs stand-up comedy. She explained that machines are trained to look for patterns. Comedy, on the other hand, relies on things that stay dose to a pattern, kit not completely within it. To be funny, humor should also not be predictable, Bishop said. This sets a great obstacle for a machine to recognize and understand what is funny.
Bishop says since robots have great difficulty understanding humor, she feels like it gives her better job security as a comedy performer. It even made her parents happy when her brother decided to become a full-time comedy writer because it meant he wouldn’t be replaced by a machine, she added.
Despite the difficulties, Darmstadt University’s Miller says there are good reasons to keep trying to teach humor to robots. It could make machines more relatable, especially if they can learn to understand sarcasm (讽刺), he noted. Humans use sarcasm to say one thing but mean another. But Kiki Hempelmann thinks differently. “Teaching AI systems humor may make them find it where it isn’t, and they may use it where it’s inappropriate,” he said. “Maybe bad AI will start killing people because it thinks something is funny,” he added.
1.What does the author most probably want to show in Paragraph 1?
A.Robots’ influence on the scientific development.
B.Robots’ challenges of making sense of humor.
C.Computer scientists’ devotion to technical skills.
D.Computer scientists’ concern about AI’s development.
2.Examples mentioned in Paragraphs 2 and 3 are intended to ___________-.
A.prove robots do poorly in funny work
B.explain robots aren’t as intelligent as humans
C.describe language is complex and changeable
D.show language can’t be taught in a set pattern
3.What does the underlined word “obstacle” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Barrier. B.Record.
C.Message. D.Possibility.
4.What can we infer about teaching AI system humor from the last paragraph?
A.It will end up in vain.
B.It may be a double-edged sword.
C.It may help improve humans’ humor.
D.It will attract more computer scientists.
One of the questions surrounding climate change is how it might affect the food supply for a growing global population. A new study suggests that researchers have been overlooking how two key human responses to climate—how much land people choose to farm, and the number of crops they plant—will affect food production in the future. The new study focused on the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, an emerging（新兴的）global breadbasket（产粮地区）that as of 2013 supplied 10 percent of the world’s soybeans. The researchers used variations in temperature and precipitation（降水）across the state over an eight-year period to estimate the sensitivity of the region’s agricultural production to climate change. Those historical comparisons can help in making predictions about the sensitivity of agriculture to future climate change.
The study found that, if the patterns from 2002 to 2008 hold in the future, an increase in average temperature in Mato Grosso of just 1 degree will lead to a 9 to 13 percent reduction in overall production of soy and corn. “This is worrisome given that the temperature in the study region is predicted to rise by 2 degrees by 2050,” said Avery Cohn, who led the study.
Most studies of this kind look only at the extent to which climate shocks affect crop output. But researchers can miss critical dynamics（动力）that can affect overall output, says Leah VanWey, one of the study’s senior authors. “If you look at output alone, you’re not looking at all of the information because there are economic and social changes going on as well,” said VanWey.
If output decreases, farmers may put less land area into production because it’s not profitable. Farmers may also vary the number of crops they plant in a growing season. Double cropping is common in Mato Grosso. But if the weather is bad, farmers may change their decision to plant a second crop.
1.The value of the new study lies in _________.
A.increasing the number of crops people plant
B.focusing on an emerging global breadbasket
C.making predictions about human responses to climate change
D.controlling people’s choice of their farming area and crop numbers
2.According to Avery Cohn, by 2050, the overall production of soy and corn will _________.
A.remain almost unchanged B.decrease by more than 9%
C.increase by from 9% to 13% D.decrease by more than 18%
3.What can we know about the similar studies mentioned in paragraph 3?
A.They can’t provide exact information to farmers.
B.They don’t take into consideration some key factors.
C.Their discouraging results largely affect overall crop output.
D.They pay too much attention to economic and social changes.
4.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.Farmers’ possible reactions to climate shocks.
B.Possible climate change in Mato Grosso.
C.The benefits of double cropping in Mato Grosso.
D.Farmers’ decision on planting crops in the future.
Public Gardens
From rich rainforests to dryland gardens, the Hawaiian Islands feature gardens that display plants from nearly every climatic zone. The gardens featured in this leaflet represent a sampling of the botanical wonders you will find throughout the islands.
Kaua'
McBryde Garden
4425 Lawa'i Road
Koloa, Hawaii 96756
(808)742-2623
http://ntbg.org/
Formerly a sugar plantation, McBryde Garden is a green 252-acre valley garden with extensive plantings of palms, native plants, and early Polynesian introductions. McBryde serves as a research and conservation garden and is next door to Allerton Garden. Open daily. Call for hours and admission fees.
Big Island
Akaka Falls State Park
Highway 220
Hilo, Hawaii
Located at the end of Highway 220, just eleven miles west of Hilo, the park's star attraction is its namesake waterfall, plunging more than four hundred feet to a pool below. Green, jungle-like paths snake through the garden, requiring visitors to climb down several steep staircases. An excellent location for an afternoon picnic. Open from dawn to dusk. No entrance fee.
O'ahu
Ho'omaluhia Botanical Garden
45-680 Luluku Road
Kane'ohe, Hawaii 96744
(808)233-7323
http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/parks/hbg/hmbg.htm
Ho'omaluhia displays plantings from the major tropical regions with a special emphasis on native Hawaiian plants. More than 400 acres of gardens with a jaw-dropping view of the Ko'olau Mountains. Open daily from 9 a. m. to 4 p. m., except some holidays. No entrance fee. Campgrounds with bathroom facilities are provided free of charge. Guided nature hikes are offered.
1.What was McBryde Garden used to be?
A.A popular campsite. B.A sugar plantation.
C.A research facility. D.An ideal place for picnic.
2.Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the underlined word “jaw-dropping”?
A.Shocking. B.Enormous. C.Interesting. D.Extraordinary.
3.What do the gardens listed in the leaflet have in common?
A.All of the gardens open daily throughout the year.
B.None of the gardens charges admission fees.
C.All of the gardens can serve other purposes than a garden for visitors.
D.Visitors can find all the three gardens on the same island.
假设你的朋友Tom写信向你询问你最近的学习生活状况，请你以Li Hua的身份给Tom回信，内容应包括以下要点：
注意：字数120词左右；可适当发挥，使上下文连贯；
1. 目前的学习生活状况。
2. 高中的苦与乐,对未来的打算。
3. 英语学习方面有困难，希望得到一些帮助。
4. 邀请对方来中国游玩，期盼早日收到回信。
Dear Tom,
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
Yours’
Li Hua
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：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Today I'd like to shares my personal experience in improving our English writing skills. The ability to write in English is becoming increasing important in English communication as well as in examinations. Thus, it was worth focusing our attention on.
In order to write a good essay, we should have a excellent command of over 2,000 frequently-used English word. It's necessary and useful for them to read or even recite beautiful English articles. Beside, as the saying goes, that practice makes perfect, so we should take every possible chance to write in English. According my personal experience, keep a diary every day is a good means to achieve the aim
