Choosing the Right Path to Be a“Better”Person
Life is a constant exercise in self-improvement．In the rush to achieve，the idea of being“better”can become lost sometimes．You may always wonder how to improve yourself and fulfill your dreams in an easier way． 1.
Explore your talents．
Everybody has some outstanding skills or interests．So it’s often necessary to be patient and try many things before you find one that suits you．
2. For example，people loving adventure may not be interested in the quiet chess club，but someone who enjoys other quiet activities might be．Determining who you enjoy being around may help you know what you’11 enjoy．
3.
No matter how much money you make．you will not be happy if you spend your entire life doing something you hate．It’s important to at least devote some of your time to what makes you happy．
If you’re particularly unhappy at your job，consider why．4. If you feel your job isn’t meaningful，or isn’t in line with your values，consider finding another job．
Experience something new．
Research has shown that when we’re in our comfort zone，we aren’t as productive as we are when we step just beyond it．5. Because of that，we may react slowly to our own positive experiences and interactions with others，even when those are little scary．Doing so can help you achieve more．
A.Do what you love．
B.Here are some tips for you．
C.Register in a class you’re interested in．
D.Humans adapt very quickly to positive events．
E.It’s possible that some changes may change your feeling．
F.Similar types of people may be attracted to the same activities．
G.Try not to allow yourself to focus so much on a certain aspect of your life．
China's largest search engine Baidu has said it will make its latest artificial intelligence (AI) technology accessible to developers and businesses as part of the company's latest move into AI, big data and cloud computing.
AI solution "Tianzhi" was launched at a cloud-computing summit held in Beijing Wednesday. It includes services in three fields: sensing technology, such as image and voice processing, machine learning, and deep learning, an advanced form of machine learning, said Zhang Yaqin, CEO of the Nasdaq-listed company, at the summit.
Developers can access facial or voice recognition, algorithms（演算法） for data analysis and projections, and deep learning applications, Zhang said, adding that the technology could help users innovate in their sectors.
"With more devices connected to the cloud, enterprises will use cloud computing and AI more frequently," said Wu Hequan, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, "Open AI technology can play a bigger role."
The company also revealed a plan to invest 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion U.S. dollars) in cloud computing in the next five years and establish an innovation center, which will serve 10 million enterprises.
1.What is the main idea of paragraph one?
A. Baidu will further develop its latest AI technology.
B. Baidu has attracted developers’ and businesses’ attention.
C. Users will be able to access Baidu’s latest AI technology.
D. A company will move to AI, big data and cloud computing.
2.“Tianzhi” includes services in the following fields EXCEPT _____.
A. sensing technology
B. voice processing
C. machine learning
D. deep learning
3.What does the underlined sentence in paragraph four probably mean?
A. It’s important for AI technology to be open.
B. AI technology is more important than the cloud.
C. People aren’t aware of the importance of AI technology.
D. Enterprises will hardly benefit from open AI technology.
4.What is Baidu’s next move according to the last paragraph?
A. Reveal a plan to invest in cloud computing.
B. Invest 10 billion yuan to serve enterprises.
C. Get invested from enterprises in the next five years.
D. Invest in computing and build an innovation center.
In the past two decades，the Chinese economy has undergone many reforms in an effort to compete more effectively on the international market.These reforms included allowing foreign banks to offer credit cards to Chinese citizens.Now，researchers at the University of Missouri (MU) have found about 30 percent of Chinese urban households now own at least one credit card and the growth rate of credit card adoption has been an average of 40 percent per year between 2004 and 2009.
Rui Yao，an assistant professor of personal financial planning at MU，says that this large growth in such a small amount of time has positive and negative implications for the Chinese economy.
''With more and more people taking advantage of credit cards in China，it certainly increases potential consumer buying power，''Yao said.'' However，we found that more than 90 percent of credit card users were unaware of safety issues existing in credit card use and more than 60 percent had little knowledge of the consequences of credit card debt.This lack of knowledge could create problems as credit card ownership is expected to grow at a rate of 11 percent a year. ''
Yao found that while 72 percent of Chinese credit card holders were never late on their payment，only 55 percent were able to pay the full balance.She also found that 70 percent of Chinese credit card holders said that credit cards contributed to overspending.
Yao believes the Chinese could benefit from financial education designed to help them plan for their financial future and encouraging the Chinese to take advantage of debt in a responsible fashion is important for the Chinese economy. ''Appropriate use of debt can help households improve their quality of life as well as spur economic growth through an increase in market purchases'' Yao said.
1.Why did China allow foreign banks to offer credit cards to Chinese citizens?
A.To increase Chinese citizens’ confidence in economy.
B.To respond to the urgent demand for financial reforms.
C.To improve competitiveness in the international market.
D.To persuade more Chinese citizens to accept credit cards.
2.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3?
A.The potential market purchases in the future.
B.Weaknesses caused by lack of knowledge of credit cards.
C.The rapid growth in credit card ownership.
D.Advantages and disadvantages of using credit cards.
3.A lot of figures are used in the text in order to________.
A.record the valuable data B.provide concrete evidence
C.introduce a research method D.give a detailed description
4.The underlined word ''spur'' in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ''________''.
A.control B.delay
C.promote D.discourage
I always believed that my parents had a good marriage, but just before I, the youngest of four children, turned sixteen, my belief was painfully tested. My father, who used to share in the chores around the house, gradually started becoming downhearted. From the time he came home from his job to the time he went to bed, he hardly spoke a word to my mom or us kids. The strain on my mom and dad’s relationship was very evident. However, I was not prepared for the day that Mom told us that Dad had decided to leave. All that I could think of was that I was going to become a product of a divorced family. It was something I never thought possible, and it grieved me greatly. I kept telling myself that it wasn’t going to happen, and I went totally numb when I knew my dad was really leaving. The night before he left, I stayed up in my room for a long time. I prayed and I cried and I wrote a long letter to my dad. I told him how much I loved him and how much I would miss him. I told him that I was praying for him and wanted him to know that, no matter what, Jesus and I loved him. I told him that I would always and forever be his Krissie...his Noodles. As I folded my note, I stuck in a picture of me with a saying I had always heard: “Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a daddy.”
Early the next morning, as my dad left our house, I sneaked out to the car and slipped my letter into one of his bags.
Two weeks went by with hardly a word from my father. Then, one afternoon, I came home from school to find my mom sitting at the dining room table waiting to talk to me. I could see in her eyes that she had been crying. She told me that Dad had been there and that they had talked for a long time. They decided that there were things that the both of them could and would change and that their marriage was worth saving. Mom then turned her focus to my eyes.
“Kristi, Dad told me that you wrote him a letter. Can I ask what you wrote to him?”
I found it hard to share with my mom what I had written from my heart to my dad. I mumbled a few words and shrugged.
A few days later my dad was back. We never talked about the letter, my dad and I. I guess I always figured that it was something that was a secret between us.
1.What happened to the author’s parents when she was sixteen?
A.They left her alone. B.They got divorced.
C.They shared in the chores together. D.They had a good marriage.
2.What is the meaning of the underlined word “grieved” in Para.1?
A.made sb. Angry B.made sb. delighted
C.made sb. sad D.made sb. greedy
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A.The author handed the letter directly to her father.
B.Her father wrote back to the author when he finished reading the letter.
C.The author’s letter made a difference to her father.
D.The author shared what she wrote with her mother.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A.A Promise Kept B.A Letter
C.A Broken Family D.A Great Daddy
Have you ever noticed advertisements which say “Learn a foreign language in 6 weeks, or your money back! From the first day your pronunciation will be excellent. Just send…” and so on? Of course, it never happens quite like that. The only language that is easy to learn is one’s mother tongue. And think how much practice that gets! Before the Second World War people usually learnt a foreign language in order to read the literature of the country.
Now speaking a foreign language is what most people want. Every year millions of people start learning one. How do they do it? Some people try at home, with books and records of tapes; some use radio or television programs; some use computers and network; others go to evening classes. If they use the language only 2 or 3 times a week, learning it will take a long time, like learning a foreign language at school. A few people try to learn a language fast by studying for 6 or more hours a day. It is clearly easier to learn the language in the country where it is spoken.
However, most people cannot afford this, and for many it is not necessary. They need the language in order to do their work better. For example, scientists and doctors chiefly need to be able to read books and reports in the foreign language. Whether the language is learnt quickly or slowly, it is hard work. Machines and good books will help, but they cannot do the student’s work for him.
1.According to some advertisements, you ______.
A. have to pay your money if you cannot master a foreign language in 6 weeks
B. needn’t pay your money if you cannot learn a foreign language in 6 weeks
C. must pay your money if you cannot master a foreign language in 6 weeks
D. will be paid much money if you cannot learn a foreign language in 6 weeks
2.Now most people try to learn a foreign language in order to ______.
A. read the literature of the country
B. read books and reports
C. do their work better
D. go to foreign countries
3.Learning a foreign language is a hard job ______.
A. only for scientists and doctors
B. only for the students at school
C. for those people at home
D. for most people
假定你是李华，你校要举办“中华诗词大赛”，你写封邮件请在你市学习汉语的加拿大朋友Jeck参加比赛，内容包括：
1.写信目的；
2.活动的时间、地点和内容；
3.你的建议。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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