Since I was young, I’ve noticed ______ in people’s hairstyles, clothes, facial expressions, behaviors. I like noticing the world around me and I ______ the power of paying attention.
I grew up on our family farm. My grandpa always had an eye on the sky, ______ the clouds and their various colors. He knew when the soybeans got the ______ of brown paper bags it was time to ______. Farming is about noticing and paying attention.
My mother and grandmother ______ everything from curtains to clothes. My mother made quite a few of my ______ and her pattern work was so ______. My Aunt Becky knit socks and sweaters. The patterns looked like a foreign language to me, but they were road maps she followed ______. If she noticed a ______ stitch (针), she would follow seriously ______. The women in my family practiced demanding crafts, requiring precision and an eye for ______, attention to color combinations, a love of a ______world.
Noticing was all ______ me. It was the clothes on my body, the ______ in the fields, and the clouds in the sky.
I’m teaching how to write and seeing details is my job. Nothing is too small to ______. Paying attention is my occupation. Through paying attention to my ______ carefully, I can get to know more about them than before. So if I notice that their eyes look ______ instead of bright, I will know ______. The world is made up of one detail after another, and by opening my eyes to each of them, I can see the world much more ______, much more broadly.
1.A.decorations B.inventions C.figures D.changes
2.A.believe in B.think of C.talk about D.laugh at
3.A.introducing B.complaining C.interpreting D.painting
4.A.shape B.color C.weight D.size
5.A.grow B.water C.weed D.harvest
6.A.sewed B.bought C.showed D.designed
7.A.bags B.beds C.clothes D.books
8.A.quiet B.precise C.simple D.patient
9.A.badly B.carelessly C.rudely D.seriously
10.A.dropped B.broken C.sharpened D.shortened
11.A.yet B.too C.again D.though
12.A.news B.sky C.detail D.money
13.A.patterned B.wandering C.rough D.simple
14.A.for B.around C.like D.over
15.A.farmers B.workers C.fruits D.crops
16.A.hear B.ignore C.concern D.share
17.A.parents B.colleagues C.neighbors D.students
18.A.big B.dull C.open D.clever
19.A.what B.how C.why D.which
20.A.clearly B.bravely C.hopefully D.easily
Telecommuting (also known as working from home, or e-commuting) is a work arrangement in which the employee works outside the office, often working from home or a location close to home. 1.
Doctors, dentists, and countless other healthcare workers of the world will always need to be hands-on with patients, just as：
► 2.
► Scientists need to be in labs.
The existence of telecommuting must have its benefits and appropriate population.
More freedom.
Telecommuting allows a worker greater freedom regarding her or his work hours and work location. It gives the employee more flexibility to balance work and personal obligations.
Productivity.
Working from home can make you more productive, because you do not have the distractions (分心) of office space. 3. Sometimes you might be easily distracted by home appliances such as washing machines, or you actually need supervision from your boss to concentrate on your work.
Employees’ welfare.
Allowing workers to telecommute often makes them more productive. 4. Tele- commuters are also likely to be happier in their jobs and are therefore more likely to stay with the company. Telecommuting even saves companies money in office expenses (such as rent and stationery).
5.
Some people also find working from home to be a bit isolating, because you are not around your coworkers. Those who enjoy teamwork may lose their opportunity to bond with colleagues by teleconferencing alone. You should come up with a strategic plan if you want to ask your employer if you can telecommute.
A.Mental health issues.
B.Cooperation with workers.
C.That can benefit the company.
D.Of course, this is not necessarily true.
E.You need to find a productive place to do work.
F.Construction workers need to be on building sites.
G.However, many jobs are not suited to remote work.
For two centuries, the famous University of Cambridge debating society has hosted many prominent figures, from world leaders to scientists to comedians.
On Nov 21, the Cambridge Union hosted its first-ever non-human guest. Designed by IBM, Project Debater is a machine that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to form a spoken argument. It can even listen and answer to opposing statements, much like a real person.
Speaking with a voice similar to Siri, Project Debater uses AI to search journals, newspapers and other information sources. It then filters out(过滤) useless information, picks the strongest arguments, and arranges them into a persuasive argument.
“In the Cambridge test debate, it argued the topic: AI will ultimately do more harm than good. According to IBM, it is the first machine that can debate complicated topics with humans.
Before the debate, more than 1,100 arguments for the positives and negatives of AI were submitted to the IBM website. The machine then analyzed these sources and formed the basis of its arguments in minutes. Project Debater then showed off its AI by arguing for both sides of the debate.
Over a four-minute speech, it argued first that, “AI can only make decisions that it has been programmed to solve, while humans can be programmed for all plots, possible events.”
In support of AI, it then argued that AI would create new jobs and “bring a lot more efficiency” to the workplace.
This isn’t the first test for Project Debater. In June 2018, the machine went back-and-forth for 20 minutes against champion debater Harish Natarajan.
According to New Scientist, on both occasions, Project Debater repeated points and didn’t always sufficiently support them.
Speaking to Cambridge Independent, Noam Slonim, the project’s lead engineer, said, “The AI is not perfect, but it’s going in the right direction.” The team hopes to improve the AI by researching why humans find certain arguments more persuasive than others.
1.In which way does Project Debater behave like a real person?
A.It can listen and answer to opposing statements.
B.It can speak with a voice similar to Siri.
C.It can create various useful sources.
D.It can deal with any situation.
2.What were prepared for the machine before the Cambridge test debate?
A.Analyzed sources.
B.Useless messages.
C.Materials for arguments.
D.Items about human debaters.
3.We can infer from the text that _________.
A.AI did better than humans in arguments
B.the machine had rich ideas to support its points
C.the machine beat Harish Natarajan in the first test
D.AI needs more persuasive arguments in debates
4.What is Noam Slonim’s attitude to the AI ?
A.Supportive. B.Unconfident.
C.Negative. D.Indifferent.
The slogan for the Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development Fund is"In Love With China"-and this special message has bcen shown in its own logo.The logo uses the characters for"wind"and"phoenix"(风凰）in ancient oracle bone script(甲骨文）on a circular Chinese fan.
Madam Kang Jiaqi,the executive director of CHSDF, IN LOVE WITH CHINA explains the many layers of meaning behind the logo:“The logo adopts the writing style of oracle bone script-dating back over 3,000 years-carved onto either turtle shell or ox bones.
＂The Chinese character for*wind' and the character for"phoenix' are almost the same,with just one stroke difference.In China's ancient past,the character for＂phoenix' was widely considered to bring peace and happiness and represents good fortune.The character"wind' has a long history and is also known as a name representing culture and spiritual power."
＂Both the characters"wind' and 'phoenix 'share the same component in their characters,which is also used in the slogan 'In Love With China'.This extraordinary combination represents how experts lead fashion,which in tum leads culture-and that culture is the basis of creativity.Therefore,it represents the importance of traditional Chinese culture in global creativity.
＂Taking the Chinese oracle bone character of"wind 'and' phoenix' as our logo represents the beginning of Chinese civilization,which suggests that it can pass on Chinese culture through the cooperation between the CHSDF and the cooperative platform of global designers,"explains Jiaqi.
Logo artist Sam Chung similarly explains her design process,"The decision of the oracle bone script of' wind' comes from the root of the character itself.Originated from the character shape of 'phoenix,''wind's 'oracle bone script still presents wonder, despite its more circular shape.The three tassels(流苏）at the end of the moon-shaped fan further give a feeling of lightness while hinting at both Eastern and Western flavors."
1.What do we know about the logo?
A.It's carved on turtle shells.
B.It's drawn on circular Chinese fans.
C.It's designed in a new writing style.
D.It's a combination of two similar characters.
2.Why are' wind' and 'phoenix' chosen?
A.They are easily written.
B.They symbolize good fortune.
C.They represent Chinese cultural and spiritual power.
D.They promote global creativity based on Chinese culture.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A.Sam Chung is the actual designer of the logo.
B.The idea for the logo comes from abroad.
C.The director has little say in the decision.
D.Tassels are symbol of western culture.
4.What's the passage mainly about?
A.Chinese influence on the world.
B.The making of the logo for CHSDF.
C.Chinese culture and civilization.
D.Chinese characters 'wind' and' phoenix'.
With bushfires continuing to swallow different parts of Australia, a local zoo in New South Wales - the state which is the easiest to catch fire - has hit the headlines with a heartwarming story.
Right in the line of a bushfire, the keepers of Mogo Wildlife Park managed to protect all 200 animals from harm after they received evacuation orders, according to reports.
Netizens were quick to react on social media and praised the bravery of the zoo keeper and staffs, as they stayed and managed to protect animals from uncontrolled fires and even sheltered some at their own house.
The 40-year-old zoo keeper, Chad Staples, described the situation as the worst catastrophe, which felt like Armageddon (大决战) here. Luckily, his team had made a precise plan ahead of time by moving everything flammable from the area and the larger animals to safe places.
What’s remarkable is that as the smaller ones needed extra shelter, Staples decided to take them to his own house.
“Right now in my house there are animals of all descriptions in all the different rooms. They are safe and protected … not a single animal lost,” he said.
BBC news also mentioned that “there’s a tiger to the back of the house.”
Some media outlets highlighted the “heroic job” in their headlines. Online users also reacted with thumbs-up and were glad to see all the staff and animals coming through the horrific fire.
Located in the southern coast of New South Wales, Mogo Wildlife Park houses Australia’s largest collection of primates, also including different and unique animals such as zebras, giraffes, rhinos and red pandas.
1.New South Wales hits the headlines because of ________.
A.its famous zoo
B.its endangered animals
C.the heartwarming event
D.being easy to catch fire
2.Which of the following is true about Mogo Wildlife Park?
A.It belongs to Chad Staples.
B.None of the animals is missing.
C.It merely holds rare animal species.
D.Extra shelters were built for emergencies.
3.Which word can probably describe Chad Staples?
A.Irresponsible. B.Considerate.
C.Selfish. D.Energetic.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.The Heroic Job.
B.The Horrific Fire.
C.The Extinct Animals.
D.The Brave Zoo Keeper.
Some of the best museums across China are putting their exhibitions online in VR format for free. While stuck at home due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, why not take a detailed online tour at museums that you would not otherwise have time for?
The Palace Museum
The Palace Museum is known as the Forbidden City. Although the museum is now closed due to the current epidemic prevention, it's possible for visitors to take a virtual tour of parts of the museum without actually setting foot on the majestic grounds.
Visitors can browse all the buildings of the Palace Museums. More than 400,000 imperial artifacts have been digitized online, which can definitely help you gain knowledge and immerse yourself in a cultural atmosphere.
The websites: https://pano.dpm.org.cn/gugong_app_pc/index.html
https://www.dpm.org.cn/shuziduobaoge/html
Shanghai Museum
Shanghai Museum is a large and famous museum, which collects over 120,000 precious artistic relics from more than 5,000 years ago to the Qing Dynasty. The marvelous bronze, ceramics, paintings and calligraphies offer a visual feast for the eyes, and also provide a good chance for people to learn the profound Chinese history and culture.
If you are into ancient Chinese arts and crafts, then the online Shanghai Museum is definitely worth your time.
The website: https://www.shanghaimuseum.net/treasure/show/show
Mogao Caves
The Mogao Caves, also known as Thousand Buddha Grottoes, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located near Dunhuang in northwest China's Gansu Province.
Now visitors can directly browse dozens of classic caves and appreciate the murals(壁画) by cave rooms through the “Digital Dunhuang”, the website of the Mogao Caves. The development of “Digital Dunhuang” not only shocks visitors in a visual sense but also “moves” the Mogan Grottoes outside.
The website: https://www.e-dunhuang.com/index.html
1.The people interested in ancient Chinese arts and crafts should visit ________.
A.https://www.e-dunhuang.com/index.html
B.https://www.dpm.org.cn/shuziduobaoge/html
C.https://pano.dpm.org.cn/gugong_app_pc/index.html
D.https://www.shanghaimuseum.net/treasure/show/show
2.What can the visitors see through “Digital Dunhuang”?
A.Precious imperial artifacts.
B.Classic caves and the murals.
C.Ancient people living in the caves.
D.All the artistic relics of Dunhuang.
3.What is the purpose of writing the passage?
A.To guide what to do at home.
B.To recommend an online tour.
C.To support the sickness prevention.
D.To invite visitors to real scenic spots.
