When my 8-month-old cries, I ask him if he’s hungry, or wet or just needs a hug.

“Babububuu,” he says.

What I need is a baby cry translator. That’s just what a team of researchers say they’ve developed.

“Experienced nurses or pediatricians (儿科医师) can identify why baby is crying because they have experience, says Lichuan Liu, a professor of electrical engineering at Northern Illinois University, who conducted the research.” We talked to them, and they mentioned that based on the cry’s’ sound there’re’ some clues (线索).”

So Liu set out to identify the features of cries that can help mark them as expressions of pain or discomfort. These features include differences in pitch (音高) and frequency. The team then developed an algorithm (算法) based on automatic speech recognition to detect and identify these features. This “cry language recognition algorithm” was trained on recordings of baby cries taken from a hospital. It uses compressed sensing, a process that reconstructs a signal based on incomplete data. It can identify a baby cry against a background of, say, adult speech or loud television sounds. By classifying different cry features, like pitch, the algorithm can suggest whether the cry is due to sickness or pain, and identify the degree of urgency.

The team had experienced pediatric care providers assess forty-eight baby cry recordings for probable cause of crying hunger, tiredness, etc. They then compared these to the algorithm’s assessments. The algorithm agreed with the humans 70% of the time. Generally, so-called “uncommon cry signals”—signs of pain or sickness—are high-pitched and very loud compared to ordinary crying.

Liu and her team continue to train the technology for greater accuracy. They also plan to add more features, like the ability to identify and classify movement and facial expressions. This could help give more detailed reading of baby’s emotional (情感的) and physical state. They also hope to begin human trials in the near future.

1.The author mentions the 8-month-old child to ________.

A.draw attention to baby cries B.prove baby cries are common

C.lead in a translator for baby cries D.show the use of cry translators

2.What inspired Lichuan Liu’s idea of doing the study?

A.Pediatric care workers’ words. B.The pediatricians’ strong requests.

C.Her own nursing experiences. D.Her doubts about the previous research.

3.What did the researchers do in the study?

A.They collected baby cries from big hospitals.

B.They got 48 baby cry recordings evaluated.

C.They created an automatic speech recognition.

D.They analyzed cry features with compressed sensing.

4.What can we know about Liu’s cry language recognition algorithm?

A.It has been widely used in daily life.

B.It’s mainly meant for hungry cry signals.

C.It has been proved effective on babies.

D.It’s only been tested on recorded cries now.

    After a Blockbuster store in Australia closes on March 31, the American city of Bend, Oregon will have the only one left on Earth.

For years, Blockbuster was a big name in the video rental business. The company had thousands of stores in the United States and around the world. But Blockbuster began to lose money during the 2000s. By 2014, all company-owned stores had closed. Since then, locally owned Blockbusters have closed, one by one.

Operating the last Blockbuster Video on Earth is not easy. The computer system uses old disks that only the store’s general manager knows how to use. The video rentals are recorded on a kind of aging tape. The tape cannot be replaced because Radio Shack, another once famous store, went out of business.

Sandi Harding has worked at the Blockbuster in Bend for over 15 years and is the store’s general manager. She says “stubbornness” is part of the reason the store is still open. “We did everything we could to cut costs and keep ourselves relevant,” she said.

Zeke Kamm lives in Bend. He is making a documentary about the store with his friend. He notes that many people who rented videos over the years want to share memories of their experiences Kamm explained how Blockbuste were once an important part of small town in America. The Blockbuster was the only place that was open past nine at night, and a lot of them stayed open much later.

Recently, Harding has noticed that more children are coming to the store, brought in by their parents who like remembering the past. Jerry Gilless and his wife, Elizabeth, on a trip to Oregon, recently brought their two children, aged 3 and 5, to the store in Bend. They watched with a smile as their children walked from row to row, looking at movies. “How could we not stop? It’s the last one,” said Gilless. “They need to see that not everything’s on the iPad.”

1.What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A.The popularity of the video rental business. B.The special computer system of the last store.

C.The value of the last Blockbuster on Earth. D.The difficulties of running the last Blockbuster.

2.Why is the Blockbuster store in Bend still open?

A.It has a long history in all Blockbuster stores. B.Its employees try their best to keep it running

C.Its general manager is very stubborn woman. D.It is a place where people can watch old movies.

3.What is the documentary of Zeke Kamm probably about?

A.People’s experiences of sharing their own memories.

B.Zeke Kamm’s work with his friend in the Blockbuster.

C.People’s memories of renting videos in the Blockbuster.

D.Blockbusters’important role in a small town of America.

4.What’s the best title for the text?

A.Oregon Will Have the Last Blockbuster on Earth B.Different Opinions About the Last Blockbuster

C.People Are Interested in the Last Blockbuster D.A Documentary About the Last Blockbuster

    The Berkshire Riding Centre Ltd is a highly recommended riding school. Everyone is welcome. Whether you are an absolute beginner or have dreams of becoming an Olympic champion, we can design the right riding lesson program for you.

Riding lessons for beginners

We help kids from the age of 4 and adults learn to ride. We start beginners with half-hour private lessons while they learn the basics. Once you ride independently (usually after 4—6 lessons), your instructor will recommend a suitable group.

Private lessons

We offer 1-to-1 private tuition (讲授) for riders of all levels. We start beginners with half-hour private lessons while they learn the basics and build their confidence. The more experienced riders will benefit from personal tuition too. Whether you want to improve specific aspects of your riding, or just enjoy riding, private lessons are tailored to your specific requirements.

Group riding lessons

We offer broad range of group riding lessons, from child or adult beginner to advanced dressage (花样骑术) lessons and jumping lessons. Call the office to discuss the weekly Group Lesson Schedule on 01344 884992.

Riding lessons on your own horse

We also welcome horse owners who would like to bring their own for either one-off lessons or a concentrated course of lessons to improve their riding. Your horse is going or to prepare you both for competitions. Pricing is the same.

How to book your riding lesson

Call the office on 01344 884992 or email us on info@brc. co. uk.

We are open 7 days a week and have evening riding lessons on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Our three all-weather schools, two outside and one inside, make us have good all-year-round riding.

Note: All new riders, regardless of their abilities, must have a 30-minute assessment lesson so that we can design the most appropriate plan for them.

1.When are beginners likely to ride on their own?

A.Before having three private lessons. B.Before building up their confidence.

C.After meeting with their instructors. D.After taking about five riding lessons.

2.How can learners discuss their schedules of group riding lessons?

A.By making calls to the office. B.By visiting the riding school in person.

C.By writing to group members. D.By writing emails to their instructors.

3.What are all new riders required to do?

A.Take four evening riding lessons. B.Get assessed for proper programs.

C.Spend half an hour riding horses. D.Offer plans on how to ride horses.

阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。

While 1 was sitting in the living room, the days that I spent with my mom crowded in on me. We had a very Tom and Jerry relationship. She was a strict trainer; I was naughty. She would ask me to buy groceries, and I wouldn't come right home because I'd be using the change from the milk and bread to play video games at the supermarket. I loved video games. I was a master at Street Fighter. I could go forever on a single play. I'd drop a coin in, time would fly, and the next thing 1 knew there'd be a woman standing behind me with a belt. It was a race. I'd take off out the door and through the dusty streets of Eden Park, climbing over walls. It was a normal thing in our neighborhood:

Everyone knew: The child would come through like a bat out of hell, and his mom would be right there behind him. She could go fast in high heels, but if she really wanted to come after me, she'd kick her shoes off while still going at top speed. She'd do this strange move with her ankles and the heels would go flying and she wouldn't even miss a step. When 1 was little she always caught me, but as I got older I got faster. So it was not easy for her to catch me.

Paragraph 1: When speed failed her, she used her wisdom.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2: If given a chance, I would let my mom run in front of me.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

假定你是李华，在网上看到美国学生Kate的发帖：

请你给Kate回帖，内容包括：

1.读贴后的感受；

2.给出两点建议。

注意：

1.词数80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，不计入总词数。

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    People have been told to stay separated at least six feet apart and to practice what state and local officials call “social distancing". As people try to slow the _______ of the COVID-19, the resulting chaos and fear are bringing both large and small communities_________ even though cases mount across the nation and the world.

Simple acts of kindness are _________ online and in public, as neighbors, students, teachers, and others begin to connect those who can pass this long and ___________ time smoothly, with those who may not have the means to_________ .

For Jesse Farren-James, ___________out has taken the form of organizing trips to the supermarkets for___________use of her membership card if anyone needs to buy large quantities. She_________the offer in a Facebook group for the community residents, and some people came and_________her. “I just feel so lucky that I have so many people in my life to rely on and so __________ that not everyone has that,” she wrote in the group. In another interview, Farren- James said the “community is coming together” and “there are so many good and amazing people________ to help where they can.”

Also,____________ in Dorchester have gathered together online. In a Facebook group called DotParents, parents have been____________money to buy food and supplies for students and families in the community. As the leader, Lisa Graustein has been____________ this activity. On Thursday, she used the more than $2,000 raised by neighbors to purchase food in a restaurant supply company. A group of volunteers packed the food and planned to __________it to schools for those who may need it.

“Food____________ is real in our city and this crisis is going to be severe.” Graustein said. “But here's something we can do that deals better with the hard ____________“. This idea is spreading. She said friends in four other states had been running similar _________ . Next, she wants to find a way to get landlords to __________ abandon rent for residents in financial difficulties because of the__________ .

1.A.influence B.spread C.control D.procedure

2.A.shorter B.kinder C.closer D.nicer

3.A.praised B.recognized C.growing D.connecting

4.A.exhausting B.flexible. C.relaxing D.isolating

5.A.get through B.fit in C.cheer up D.break through

6.A.giving B.turning C.sending D.helping

7.A.supplies B.snacks C.drinks D.vegetables

8.A.delivered B.posted C.accepted D.ignored

9.A.looked after B.turned to C.cooperated with D.learned from

10.A.fortunate B.considerate C.heartbroken D.excited

11.A.agreeing B.hesitating C.refusing D.offering

12.A.neighbors B.teachers C.students D.parents

13.A.paying B.making C.raising D.saving

14.A.organizing B.supporting C.opposing D.sponsoring

15.A.collect B.distribute C.sell D.move

16.A.shortage B.waste C.consumption D.security

17.A.time B.task C.choice D.work

18.A.companies B.campaigns C.institutes D.communities

19.A.instantly B.gradually C.temporarily D.permanently

20.A.donation B.project C.activity D.outbreak

    When a fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral (巴黎圣母院) in April 2019, people across the globe watched in despair as smoke rose from one of the world's most famous buildings. 1.Several museums, palaces and other cathedrals have been damaged or destroyed by fire. Without proper protection measures, fires will continue to destroy them.2.

Recognize the challenge of protecting cultural buildings.

Often built decades or centuries ago, many cultural buildings are constructed with flammable (易燃的) materials and the articles within them are also composed of such materials. 3. Thus many modern fire protection measures are viewed as damage. The absence of these measures planted seeds of ruin.

Find out proper protection methods.

These buildings and their contents are very sensitive to smoke, humidity and dust. They require specialized methods that could cause little damage. Meanwhile, some stone structures, which trap heat and smoke, make it difficult for firefighters to get to the source of the flame.4.One of them is fire compartmentation (防火分区). It uses fire wall barriers to help limit the spread of fire, which will protect the buildings from burning without damaging them.

5.

Some countries have installed fire protection equipment but can't take action soon enough. Given this, the Brazilian government completed a project to adopt advanced electrical waning system and to inform firefighters of fires in no time, which would urge them to take immediate action to stop the fire spreading.

A.Take action quickly.

B.Improve the protection equipment

C.Sadly, it was not a specific example through the years.

D.Fortunately, firefighters came just in time to put out the fire.

E.So here are some suggestions to help save them from burning.

F.Besides, many buildings are under repairs and need to keep their original features.

G.However, some traditional strategies of fire protection for such buildings are effective.

    Fairy tales perform many functions. They entertain, encourage imagination, and teach problem -solving skills. They can also provide moral lessons, highlighting the dangers of failing to follow the social rules that let human beings coexist in harmony. Such moral lessons may not mean much to a robot, but a team of researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) believes it has found a way to turn the instructive fable (寓言) into a moral lesson that artificial intelligence (AI) can take to its cold, mechanical heart.

This, the researchers hope, will help prevent the intelligent robots from harming or even killing humanity, which is predicted and feared by some of the biggest names in technology, including Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk and Bill Cates.

Mark Riedl, an associate professor of interactive computing at Georgia Tech believes that the collected stories of different cultures not only teach children how to behave well but also teach robots how to get rid of violent or dangerous behaviour and help them make choices that won't harm humans and still achieve the intended purpose.

The system is called “Quixote”. The experiment involves going to a chemist to buy some medicine for a human who needs it as soon as possible. The robot has three choices. It can wait in line; it can communicate with the chemist politely and buy the medicine; it can steal the medicine. Without any further instructions, the robot will come to the conclusion that the most efficient means of getting the medicine is to steal it. Quixote offers a reward signal for waiting in line and politely buying the medicine and a punishment signal for taking it without permission. In this way, it learns the “moral” way to behave in that situation.

Quixote would work best on a robot that has a very limited function. It's a baby step in the direction of teaching more moral lessons into robots. We believe that AI has to be trained to adopt the values of a particular society, and in doing so, it will strive to avoid unacceptable behavior. Giving robots the ability to read and understand our stories may be the most efficient means.

1.What is the main idea of the passage?

A.The moral lessons learned by a robot. B.The coexistence of human beings and AI.

C.The new function of the fairy tales on AI. D.The different applications of the fairy tales.

2.What are the three technology experts mentioned in Paragraph 2 concerned about?

A.The potential threat from robots. B.The problems with moral lessons.

C.The high costs of AI development. D.The difficulties of the GIT scientists.

3.How does Quixote help the robot behave morally in the experiment?

A.By offering the robot rewards. B.By sending the robot different signals.

C.By helping the robot make right choice. D.By giving the robot specific instructions.

4.Which of the following may the author agree with?

A.The development of robots is still in a baby step.

B.Robots should have the ability to understand the fairy tales.

C.The more functions the robot has, the better Quixote works.

D.It is necessary to train robots to follow the social values.

    For a long time, hikers in Japan have considered a bear bell essential. Its tinny ring is said to scare off the huge creatures. Nowadays, however, bear bells are increasingly useful on the way to the shops as well as in the wild. “The number of animals whether bears, boars or monkeys- is expanding, and they are going into villages and towns,” says Hiroto Enari of Yamagata University.

Japan is home to many species of wild animals, including both black and brown bears. It's estimated that the number of bears has been rising since 2000. In 2018, the number was close to 13,000. The reappearance has its roots in human demography (人口统计学): the reduction of Japan's population is especially obvious in rural areas, where it is deeply influenced by ongoing urbanization. Usually, the bears are afraid of entering a village with people around. The appearance of bears is more seen in villages where the population is falling fastest.

Hunting is declining in Japan, too. Government data suggest that the average hunter is now 68 years old. The country's many forests and mountains provide an expansive habitat for wild animals. Indeed, wild areas are growing as foresters and farmers die off. Bears become particularly bold, running into villages for persimmon.

While some welcome the reappearance of bears, others suffer from it. Every year bears injure scores of people, and kill several. Besides, deer can cause damage to farmland. Simple solutions, such as changing the layout around villages or putting up fences, are rarely used. Instead, many bears are caught or killed. In 2013 the government resolved to reduce half the number of certain types of deer, boars and monkeys by 2023. “Japan is struggling to adapt to the changing power balance between animals and people," says Mr. Enari.

1.Why is a bear bell necessary for Japanese hikers?

A.Because it is tinny and convenient.

B.Because it can be used in the wild.

C.Because it can make special noises.

D.Because it can frighten wild animals away.

2.What makes the number of bears increasing so rapidly in Japan?

①Hunting is not as popular as it used to be.

②Bears can enter villages without people's permission.

③Japan' s population in the countryside is falling fast.

④Foresters and farmers are not allowed to kill bears.

A.①④ B.②④ C.①③ D.②③

3.The underlined word “resolved" is closest in meaning to “_________________”.

A.chose B.determined C.managed D.refused

4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A.Japan is trying to balance animals with humans.

B.People are in favour of the reappearance of bears.

C.Changing the layout or putting up fences is useless.

D.The reappearance of bears is harmful to human beings.

    It seemed like a typical November day two years ago, as I walked out of Walgreens, a store near my house. It was just a month after my grandmother had passed away and I spent my days running useless errands (杂事) hoping to fill the emptiness in my heart and distract me from the pain.

As I attempted to walk out of the store, I felt exhausted and hopeless and began walking to my car. Suddenly, a woman driving right by my side rolled down her window. “Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,” she said loudly. Thinking she was going to ask for my parking spot, I simply pointed to my car. “No, excuse me,” she said again. At this point, 1 felt I had no choice but to see what this annoying lady wanted. Under a clutter of makeup, money, pens, and other belongings, she finally reached to the very bottom of her bag and handed me a three -page booklet. “It looks like you need this,” she said calmly with a warm smile on her face. I looked down at the mysterious and obviously used pamphlet and on the front cover in big bold letters read “What Hope for Dead Loved Ones?” It took me only a few seconds to understand the exchange with this woman, but by the time I looked up, she was gone. I felt a sense of relaxation as I opened the first page. It explained how people pass away, but their spirit remains with us. This was the first time since my grandma had passed that I felt her with me, just like I had wanted. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but I did know that I finally felt happiness from the surprising change in events.

I couldn't, and still can't, believe what had happened to me on that day. It was a random day in November when my life turned back around and I began to feel hope again. It was real. It was a miracle. And, I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

1.Why did the author spend days doing useless things?

A.To kill her spare time. B.To relieve the suffering.

C.To reflect on herself. D.To make herself fulfilled.

2.Why did the woman say “Excuse me” so loudly?

A.To catch the author's attention. B.To get the author's parking space.

C.To share her experience with the author. D.To complain about the author's improper behavior.

3.What can be learned about the three- page booklet?

A.It included some mysterious stories.

B.It was a gift from her grandmother.

C.It gave people some advice on how to find happiness.

D.It showed that people's spirit would stay after death.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A.Love from My Grandma B.A Random Day in November

C.A Miracle at the Parking Lot D.Comfort from a Woman Stranger