The ride-sharing company Uber has removed its self-driving cars from the streets of San Francisco,California. The action came after a dispute between Uber and state officials over whether the vehicles needed special permits to operate.
Uber recently launched testing of its self-driving service in San Francisco.But shortly after the launch, California's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) told the company to stop the self-driving vehicles.State officials said the Uber cars needed the same special permit given to about 20 other companies testing self-driving technology in California.Uber argued that its technology does not make vehicles fully autonomous,and so the special permit was not needed.It added that all of Uber's "self-driving" cars have a driver sitting in the passenger seat to take over if needed.
The head of Uber's self-driving technology,Anthony Levandowski,explained the company's position in a blog post.He said the self-driving Uber vehicles do use high-technology tools to assist drivers.But they are not fully autonomous and require a driver to be at the controls at all times..He compared the technology to solar carmaker Tesla's advanced driver assist tools.Telsa's Autopilot system allows its cars to steer in a lane,change lanes,and speed up or slow down based on nearby traffic.The company tells drivers that,when using Autopilot,they should still always be ready to take control of the vehicle.Vehicles equipped with these high-tech driver assist tools do not need a special permit to operate in California.
It's hard to understand why the DMV would seek to require self-driving Ubers to get permits when it accepts that Tesla's autopilot technology does not need them,"Levandowski wrote.San Francisco's mayor,Ed Lee,praised the DMV for stopping Uber's self-driving vehicles.He said he supports self-driving development and testing.But only under conditions that put human bicyclists' and pedestrian safety first."
1.What does the underlined word "dispute" in Paragraph 1 mean?
A. Discussion. B. Disagreement.
C. Fighting. D. Meeting.
2.Why does Uber say that the special permit was not needed?
A. Because Uber's "self driving" cars are fully autonomous.
B. Because there are passenger seats in Uber's "self-driving" cars.
C. Because no drivers are needed in some Uber's "self-driving" cars.
D. Because Uber's "self-driving" cars can be operated by humans when necessary.
3.What can we know from the passage?
A. Uber's self-driving cars need human drivers.
B. Telsa's Autopilot needs special permits too.
C. Uber's self-driving cars are completely autonomous.
D. Telsa's Autopilot system is better than Uber's self-driving technology.
4.What can we infer from Ed Lee's words?
A. He doesn't think DMV is right.
B. Uber's self-driving cars should he supported.
C. Uber's serf-driving cars are not safe enough.
D. One should be careful while walking or cycling in streets.
Small and round transparent water bottles filled with natural water could help provide a solution to London's plastic waste problem,according to Skipping Rocks Lab,the company in the British capital that produces them.They added that the balls have been made of plant and seaweed extracts and will decompose（分解）after four to six weeks if not consumed.
With many cities struggling to get rid of vast numbers of used plastic water bottles,the 'Ooho' has begun to meet the thirst of consumers in San Francisco and London.A report published last Thursday said more than 4,000 plastic bottles had been removed from the River Thames in a month last year,proving the scale of the waste problem.
"We think Ooho may not be the solution for all the applications that plastic bottles have,but definitely for short term consumption it could be a solution,"said Rodrigo,the founder of Skipping Rocks Lab.In a trial near London Bridge last Wednesday,Ooho drew a mixture of surprise,amusement and delight among those who sampled them. London's city assembly said Ooho was a step forward."It could be part of the solution but not the only solution.You also need to be able to refill bottles at railway stations for example,"said Leonie Cooper,the Chair of the assembly's environment committee.
The company aims to target,among other consumers,marathon runners,who will be able to eat the Oohos mid-race without concerns about the environment.It is also considering sealing alcohol for a whole new market. "People see these small round bubbles and they just think 'shots'.So that's definitely something we're looking at,"said Skipping Rocks Lab Chief Operating Officer Lise."We have sealed alcohol,we want to perfect it,and hopefully this will be the great change of the future."
1.'Ooho' can help solve the plastic waste problem because .
A. it is small and transparent B. it is filled with natural water
C. it is made of plant and seaweed D. it can disappear some time later
2.How is Rodrigo's comment on 'Ooho'?
A. Subjective. B. Unreal.
C. Objective. D. Ridiculous.
3.In which column can we find the text?
A. Technology and Invention. B. Health and Medicine.
C. Industry and Economy. D. Tourism and Development.
At a supermarket,two women arc shopping.One is a stay-at-home housewife who loves to create delicious masterpieces.The other is a supervisor at an advertising agency.The two ladies stop in the frozen foods section."I'm so tired,"sighs the professional woman."I don't know what to do about supper."Her friend suggests,"What about a microwave dinner?"The weary professional sighs,"I don't feel like cooking tonight."
It is true that Americans have cakes for breakfast,sandwiches for lunch and instant dinners.Most Americans enjoy the convenience of prepackaged meals that can be served in 10 minutes or less.However,if you think American cooking means throwing the packaged contents into the microwave,think again.Many Americans recognize the value of cooking skills,admitting that there's nothing better than a good home-cooked meal.
For those who need guidance in their cooking,recipes are lifesavers.Recipes list all the ingredients for a dish,the amount of each to use,and a description of how to put them together.Most good cooks have a shelf full of cookbooks ranging from locally published recipe collections to national bestsellers.Magazines devoted to home management,are full of tasty selections.Friends often increase their recipe collection by passing around their favorites cards.
For experienced cooks,recipes are merely references.They often make adjustments,depending on the people they need to serve,the available ingredients and their personal taste.Some cooks prefer instead to depend on their feelings to cook the right flavors.
Of course,as a "land of immigrants,"America has imported all varieties of cooking.Most good cooks in America are "fluent" in several cooking "dialects": Mexican,Italian,Chinese and traditional American style,just to name a few. But whatever the dialect,cooking is a language everyone understands.
1.The conversation in Paragraph 1 aims .
A. to criticize the lazy supervisor
B. to lead to the topic of the text
C. to stress the importance of dinner
D. to compare two women's hobbies
2.What kind of food do many Americans think is the best?
A. Frozen foods. B. Sandwiches.
C. Prepackaged meals. D. Home-cooked meals.
3.What can we learn about recipes in America?
A. Recipes can save people's lives in danger.
B. It is clear how to put the recipes together.
C. Finding recipes in America is very easy.
D. Good cooks like reading bestsellers.
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A. Recipes in America B. American Cooks
C. Two American Ladies D. American Cooking
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Andy即将到你所在的中学做一年交换生（exchange student），想提前了解一些情况，故写信向你求助。请你给他写一封回信，提供有关天气、当地饮食习惯、学校生活等方面的信息。
注意：
1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾己给出，但不计入总词数。
Dear Andy,
I'm glad to hear that you are coming to study with us for a year as an exchange student.__________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to meeting you.
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌的作文。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。
When I was young, my mother owned a store, in that she also sold magazines and books. I love to stay in the store, reading everything I found. It failed to help develop my ability to judge a good book, and it helped improve my reading skills. Then my mother began to focus on quality instead quantity. She bought books I wouldn’t find them in her store. Later, as my interest at theater began, I spent most of time read Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, to name the few. Anyway, good storytelling opened the window to different worlds I otherwise would have never entered. In additions, when I lived through a difficultly period books became advisers.
Last October, while tending her garden in Mora, Sweden, Lena Pahlsson pulled out a handful of small 1.(carrot) and was about to throw them away .But something made her look closer ,and she noticed a 2.(shine) object .Yes ,there beneath the leafy top of one tiny carrot was her long-lost wedding ring.
Pahlsson screamed 3. loudly that her daughter came running from the house .“she thought I had hurt 4.(I),” says Pahlsson.
Sixteen years 5.(early), Pahlsson had removed the diamond ring 6.(cook) a meal. When she wanted to put the ring back on later, it was gone. She suspected that one of her three daughters-then ten. eight, and six-had picked it up, but the girls said they hadn’t. Pahlsson and her husband 7.(search) the kitchen, checking every corner, but turned up nothing. “I gave up hope of finding my ring again," she says. She never replaced it.
Pahlsson and her husband now think the ring probably got 8.(sweep) into a pile of kitchen rubbish and was spread over the garden, 9. it remained until the carrot’s leafy top accidentally sprouted (生长) through it. For Pahlsson, its return was 10. wonder.
