Enough “meaningless drivel”. That’s the message from a group of members of the UK government who have been examining how social media firms like LinkedIn gather and use social media data.
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee’s report, released last week, has blamed firms for making people sign up to long incomprehensible legal contracts and calls for an international standard or kitemark (认证标记) to identify sites that have clear terms and conditions.
“The term and conditions statement that we all carelessly agree to is meaningless drivel to anyone,” says Andrew Miller, the chair of the committee. Instead, he says, firms should provide a plain-English version of their terms. The simplified version would be checked by a third party and awarded a kitemark if it is an accurate reflection of the original.
It is not yet clear who would administer the scheme, but the UK government is looking at introducing it on a voluntary basis. “we need to think through how we make that work in practice,” says Miller. Would we pay any more attention to a kitemark? “I think if you went and did the survey, people would like to think they would,” says Nigel Shadbolt at the University of Southampton, UK, who studies open data. “We do know people worry a lot about the inappropriate use of their information. But what would happen in practice is another matter,” he says.
Other organisations such as banks ask customers to sign long contracts they may not read or understand, but Miller believes social media requires special attention because it is so new. “We still don’t know how significant the long-term impact is going to be of unwise things that kids put on social media that come back and bite them in 20 years’ time,” he says.
Shadbolt, who gave evidence to the committee, says the problem is that we don’t know how companies will use our data because their business models and uses of data are still evolving. Large collections of personal information have become valuable only recently, he says.
The shock and anger when a social media firm does something with data that people don’t expect, even if users have apparently permission, show that the current situation isn’t working. If properly administered, a kitemark on terms and conditions could help people know what exactly they are signing up to. Although they would still have to actually read them.
1.What does the phrase “meaningless drivel” in paragraphs 1 and 3 refer to?
A.Legal contracts that social media firms make people sign up to.
B.Warnings from the UK government against unsafe websites.
C.Guidelines on how to use social media websites properly.
D.Insignificant data collected by social media firms.
2.It can be inferred from the passage that Nigel Shadbolt doubts whether_______.
A.social media firms would conduct a survey on the kitemark scheme
B.people would pay as much attention to a kitemark as they think
C.a kitemark scheme would be workable on a nationwide scale
D.the kitemark would help companies develop their business models
3.Andrew Miller thinks social media needs more attention than banks mainly because_______.
A.their users consist largely of kids under 20 years old
B.the language in their contracts is usually harder to understand
C.the information they collected could become more valuable in future
D.it remains unknown how users’data will be taken advantage of
4.The writer advises users of social media to_______.
A.think carefully before posting anything onto such websites
B.read the terms and conditions even if there is a kitemark
C.take no further action if they can find a kitemark
D.avoid providing too much personal information
Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid is used to grilling guests on the sofa every morning, but she is cooking up a storm in her latest role — showing families how to prepare delicious and nutritious meals on a tight budget.
In Save Money: Good Food, she visits a different home each week and with the help of chef Matt Tebbutt offers top tips on how to reduce food waste, while preparing recipes for under £5 per family a day. And the Good Morning Britain presenter says she’s been able to put a lot of what she’s leant into practice in her own home, preparing meals for sons, Sam,14, Finn,13, and Jack, 11.
"We love Mexican churros, so I buy them on my phone from my local Mexican takeaway restaurant," she explains. "I pay £5 for a portion(一份), but Matt makes them for 26p a portion, because they are flour, water, sugar and oil. Everybody can buy takeaway food, but sometimes we’re not aware how cheaply we can make this food ourselves. "
The eight-part series(系列节自), Save Money: Good Food, follows in the footsteps of ITV’s Save Money: Good Health, which gave viewers advice on how to get value from the vast range of health products on the market.
With food our biggest weekly household expense, Susanna and Matt spend time with a different family each week. In tonight’s Easter special they come to the aid of a family in need of some delicious inspiration on a budget. The team transforms the family’s long weekend of celebration with less expensive but still tasty recipes.
1.What do we know about Susanna Reid? 学-科网
A.She enjoys embarrassing her guests. B.She has started a new programme.
C.She dislikes working early in the morning. D.She has had a light budget for her family.
2.How does Matt Tebbutt help Susanna?
A.He buys cooking materials for her. B.He prepares food for her kids.
C.He assists her in cooking matters. D.He invites guest families for her.
3.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 4?
A.Summarize the previous paragraphs. B.Provide some advice for the readers.
C.Add some background information. D.Introduce a new topic for discussion.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.Keeping Fit by Eating Smart B.Balancing Our Daily Diet
C.Making yourself a Perfect Chef D.Cooking Well for Less
Fire Prevention Information
The University of Adelaide employs a full-time staff of fire prevention professionals. They inspect all campus buildings and test and maintain all sprinkler(喷水灭火装置)systems fire alarms and fire extinguishers (灭火器). They also provide educational programs or fire safety in the residence hall. Whenever you move to a new area, you should locate the fire alarm pull stations and the two exits nearest your room.
Fire Alarms
The floors of all campus buildings are equipped with manual(手动的)fire alarm systems which include fire alarm pull stations and pipes. Most are also equipped with automatic fire alarm systems consisting of heat detectors, smoke detectors and sprinklers. For your safety, never tamper with(胡乱摆弄)these systems. False fire alarms are illegal and may lead to imprisonment.
Fire Drills
A fire drill will be conducted in your residence hall every semester. During a fire drill, please do the following:
·Take your room key and ID[Failed to download image : http://192.168.0.10:8086/QBM/2020/8/3/2519867658747904/2522076407029760/STEM/27096eaa2417471aa51c358ccc1823c6.png] close and lock the door to your room.
·Exit immediately from the nearest emergency exit do not use a lift.
·Meet outside of your residence hall and wait for further instructions.
Fire Extinguishers
Fire extinguishers are located on each floor and in each apartment. Use a fire extinguisher only if you have been trained to do so. Irresponsible use of a fire extinguisher can create a dangerous situation for other residents and could result in damage to personal property.
Misuse of a fire extinguisher will result in fines.
Smoke Detector
A smoke detector is on the ceiling in your room. Some buildings also have heat detectors on the ceilings. Do the following to ensure the safe operation of your smoke detector:
·If your smoke detector is working properly, the red light should be on. If the red light is not blinking(闪动)，contact residence hall staff immediately.
·Do not cover or block your smoke detector in any way.
·If a smoke detector sets off an alarm and there is no fire or smoke, inform your hall staff.
1.What do the automatic fire alarm systems include?
A.Pipes and smoke detectors. B.Smoke detectors and sprinklers.
C.Fire alarm pull stations and pipes. D.Sprinklers and fire alarm pull stations
2.What do we know about the use of fire extinguishers?
A.Using them wrongly results in punishment.
B.Irresponsible use of them can damage them.
C.Improper use of them can destroy the apartment.
D.Using them without a trainer present is forbidden.
3.To ensure the safe operation of the smoke detector, one should_________.
A.contact the hall staff regularly B.cover the things that burn easily
C.start the smoke detector in a fire D.make certain the red light is working
For a long time Gabriel didn’t want to be involved in music at all. In his first years of high school, Gabriel would look pityingly at the music students,_______across the campus with their heavy instrument cases,_______at school for practice hours before anyone else had to be there. He swore to himself to_______music, as he hated getting to school extra early.
_______, one day, in the music class that was _______of his school’s standard curriculum, he was playing idly(随意地) on the piano and found it easy to pick out tunes. With a sinking feeling, he realized that he actually_______doing it. He tried to hide his_______pleasure from the music teacher, who had wandered over to listen. He might not have done this particularly well, _______the teacher told Gabriel that he had a good _______and suggested that Gabriel go into the music store-room to see if any of the instruments there ________him. There he decided to give the cello(大提琴) a ________. When he began practicing, he took it very casually. But he quickly found that he loved playing this instrument, and was committed to practicing it so that within a couple of months he was playing reasonably well.
This ________, of course, that he arrived at school early in the morning, ________his heavy instrument case across the campus to the ________looks of the non-musicians he had left________.
1.A.travelling B.marching C.pacing D.struggling
2.A.rising up B.coming up C.driving up D.turning up
3.A.betray B.accept C.avoid D.appreciate
4.A.Therefore B.However C.Thus D.Moreover
5.A.part B.nature C.basis D.spirit
6.A.missed B.disliked C.enjoyed D.denied
7.A.transparent B.obvious C.false D.similar
8.A.because B.but C.though D.so
9.A.ear B.taste C.heart D.voice
10.A.occurred to B.took to C.appealed to D.held to
11.A.change B.chance C.mission D.function
12.A.proved B.showed C.stressed D.meant
13.A.pushing B.dragging C.lifting D.rushing
14.A.admiring B.pitying C.annoying D.teasing
15.A.over B.aside C.behind D.out
假定你是李华，你的英国网友Mick 向你咨询如何预防新冠肺炎。请你用英语写一封e-mail，要点如下：
1.不要去人群聚集处，外出时要佩戴口罩；2.注意个人卫生（勤洗手；保持居所清洁……)；3.提高免疫力（多休息、适度运动、均衡饮食…….)。
注意：1.词数100左右；2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；3.开头和结尾已给出，不计人总词数。
参考词汇：sanitizer洗手液 immunity 免疫力
Dear Mick,
Now, I will give you some tips for preventing COVID-19.______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Good luck.
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：在错的词下划一横线，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。
My mother was driving alone to a city 192 kilometer away. At first, she feels pretty good about the trip. But her joy was disappeared when she saw smoke coming from the car. She had to pull over immediate. She was at loss what to do when a truck stopped behind her car. A gentleman got off but came over to help. She checked the car, heading to his truck and came back with two fire beaters. He said that he sold fire beaters, so his truck was full off them. And he said jokingly that it was my mother lucky day.
