Computers have beaten human world champions at chess and, earlier this year, the board game Go. So far, though, they have struggled at the card table. So we challenged one AI to a game.
Why is poker(扑克) so difficult? Chess and Go are “information complete” games where all players can see all the relevant information. In poker, other players’ cards are hidden, making it an “information incomplete” game. Players have to guess opponents’ hands from their actions—tricky for computers. Poker has become a new benchmark for AI research. Solving poker could lead to many breakthroughs, from cyber security to driverless cars.
Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before AI once again vanquishes humans, hence our human-machine match comes up in a game of Texas Hold’s Em Limit Poker. The AI was developed by Johannes Heinrich, researcher studying machine learning at UCL. It combines two techniques: neural(神经的) networks and reinforcement learning(强化学习).
Neural networks, to some degree, copy the structure of human brains: their processors are highly interconnected and work at the same time to solve problems. They are good at spotting patterns in huge amounts of data. Reinforcement learning is when a machine, given a task, carries it out, learning from mistakes it makes. In this case, it means playing poker against itself billions of times to get better.
Mr Heinrich told Sky News: “Today we are presenting a new procedure that has learned in a different way, more similar to how humans learn. In particular, it is able to learn abstract patterns, represented by its neural network, which allow it to deal with new and unseen situations.”
After two hours of quite defensive play, from the computer at least, we called it a draw.
1.Why can’t the computer beat humans at the poker game?
A. Because humans are cleverer than the computer.
B. Because humans practice playing the poker game every day.
C. Because the computer can’t learn the regular rules of the poker game.
D. Because the computer can’t know the other players’ cards completely.
2.What does the underlined word “vanquishes” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Leaves.B. Defeats.C. Cheats.D. Serves.
3.What do we know about the reinforcement learning of AI?
A. It solves problems correctly every time.
B. It is the same as the learning of humans.
C. It learns from the mistakes appearing in a task.
D. It is more developed than the studying ways of humans.
4.What can be inferred from the text?
A. The new procedure of AI has some features of humans.
B. Computers are stronger than humans in every aspect.
C. Humans will beat computers at playing poker forever.
D. Scientists feel unhappy about the result of the poker game.
Off the coast of Hawaii’s Big Island swim masses of colorful tropical fish. Some of these fish will be caught and sold, ending up in aquariums around the world. Is the industry putting populations of the fish at risk?
Scientists who have studied the Big Island fishery say it is well managed. Rules put in place more than 15 years ago have helped to protect the fish. Along 35% of the coastline, for example, fish collecting is banned. Two years ago, the state cut the number of fish species for the aquarium trade from hundreds to just 40.
Conservationist Robert Wintner objects to the findings. Wintner, who owns snorkel shops across Hawaii, started the Snorkel Bob Foundation to protect the island’s coral reefs(珊瑚礁). He says he simply doesn’t see yellow tang(刺尾鱼) in the protected areas. “There should be millions of them,” he says. “Where are they?”
Wintner says people believe the numbers in reports. But few people have actually dived into the coral reefs to see for themselves how many fish can be found there. According to Wintner, the coral reefs along the coast should be filled with yellow tang, but they are “virtually empty”. Empty reefs are not good for tourism, Wintner points out, which brings out $800 million yearly. By contrast, the aquarium-fish trade brings out just $2 million yearly.
1.According to Robert Wintner, ________.
A. what the recent report says is wrong
B. there are millions of yellow tang off Hawaii’s Big Island
C. the yellow tang’s population off Hawaii coast is large
D. the yellow tang is sold merely for both food and the aquarium industry
2.Which of the following is caused by the empty reefs?
A. Worse tourism.
B. More fish death.
C. More hungry people.
D. Less swimming events.
3.What can be the best title for the text?
A. Who will Win the Debate?
B. Is the Tropical Fish Healthy?
C. How Should We Protect Tropical Fish?
D. Should the Sale of Tropical Fish be Banned?
I’m part of the Roots & Shoots program founded by Dr. Jane Goodall. The program is intended to make and promote positive changes in the world. As Dr. Goodall says, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
In Bulgaria, where I live, homeless dogs are everywhere. Many people here turn a blind eye to them. But I cannot ignore the life of a street dog whenever I see one wandering in the street, looking for something to eat. That’s why I’m no longer a food waster. When I see wasted food, I always think of a hungry dog climbing to garbage bins, searching for food that people have thrown there. When eating in a restaurant, I’m not afraid to take leftover food to feed stray cats or dogs.
A week ago, I saw a homeless dog around the garbage bins. Immediately I knelt down, spoke to her softly and ran my hands over her. I could see that she had had puppies. I couldn’t imagine how she could have been able to care for them. Hours earlier, I’d bagged up a plate of leftover fish. As I unwrapped it, she wagged her tail and sniffed at it. She ate all the fish in no time.
It’s sad, isn’t it? I can’t understand why many of us waste so much and think little of it. These homeless animals have taught me that food is precious. Even when I don’t have leftovers with me, I’ll take the time to get something from the grocery store to feed them.
I know my power is small, so I hope that next time you see wasted food, do turn it into worthy food. You have the power to save a life!
1.The author uses what Dr. Goodall says to show ________.
A. how we can develop our business
B. why it is important to be great
C. why the program is popular globally
D. how we can change the world positively
2.What can be concluded from the text?
A. There are few homeless dogs where the author lives.
B. The author takes homeless dogs home and raises them.
C. Seeing homeless dogs makes the author never waste food.
D. People throw food into garbage bins to feed homeless dogs.
3.The author took the leftover fish with him to ________.
A. eat it when he was hungry
B. feed a homeless dog he met
C. look for more homeless animals
D. set an example to those who throw away food
4.The author wrote the text to ask us to ________.
A. value our food
B. treat dogs as our friends
C. save wasted food for homeless dogs
D. raise homeless dogs and cats
The booking notes of the play “Sherlock”
Price: $10
BOOKING
There are four easy ways to book seats for the performance:
—in person
The Box Office is open from Monday to Saturday, 10 am—8pm
—by telephone
Ring 01324976 to reserve your tickets or to pay by credit card (Visa and MasterCard).
—by post
Simply complete the booking form and return it to Box Office.
—online
Complete the online booking form at www.Satanfiedtheatre.com.
DISCOUNTS:
Saver: $2 off any seat booked any time in advance for performances from Monday to Thursday. Savers are available for children up to 16 years old, over 60s and full-time students.
Supersavers: half-price seats are available for people with disabilities and one companion. It is advisable to book in advance. There is a maximum of eight wheelchair spaces available and one wheelchair space will be held until an hour before the show.
Standby: best available seats are on sale for $6 from one hour before the performance for people eligible for Saver and Supersaver discounts and thirty minutes before for all other customers.
Group Booking: there is a ten percent discount for parties of twelve or more.
School: school parties of ten or more can book $6 standby tickets and will get every tenth ticket free.
Please note: we are unable to exchange tickets or refund money unless a performance is cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.
1.If you want to book a ticket of the play, you can ________.
A. go to the Box Office on Sundays
B. scan the website www.Boxoffice.com
C. complete a booking form and post it to the Box Office
D. ring the booking number and pay for the tickets by cash
2.According to the text, who can get $2 off?
A. A 50-year-old father.
B. A 55-year-old woman.
C. An 18-year-old full-time college student.
D. The people who book the tickets on Fridays.
3.If you make a group booking for a group of 20 adults, how much should you pay?
A. $200.B. $180.C. $160.D. $150.
4.What do we know from the text?
A. A group of 10 persons can get 10 percent discount.
B. School parties of twelve can book $6 standby tickets.
C. There are only seven wheelchair spaces in the theatre.
D. The audience can refund money if the performance is on show.
每年都有许多人外出旅游，一些人的不文明行为引起了社会的广泛关注。某英文报社正在举行以“文明旅游”为主题的讨论。假定你是李华，请你给报社写一封信，呼吁大家做文明游客。要点如下：
1. 尊重习俗；2. 不高声喧哗；3. 其他
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾语已为你写好，不计入词总数。
Dear Editor,
I’ve read your discussions on how to behave properly while traveling. _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Yours truly,
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。
With the growing popularity of the Internet, more and more children are addicted to play online games day and night. It does harm not only to their health, especial their eyes, but also to their studies.
Comparing with online games, many traditional games, like hide-and-seek, benefits kids mentally and physically. They were ever popular with several generations, which not only learned anything valuable but also enjoyed playing the games. Therefore, the games are dying away now.
Personally, I think teachers and parents should take measure to limit their children’s Internet time. Let children to know the harm of online games and the benefits of traditional games. Help children judge healthy and unhealthy games. What’s more, we should often organize events for children in which traditional games played.
