City Transformer,a four-year-old company based outside Tel Aviv,Israel,is ready to shake up the auto industry with their invention.
So what is it that they’ve created?A car that actually folds while you’re driving.It’s a neat trick,sure.Perhaps something you’d see in a superhero movie.But it actually serves a practical purpose.With more people choosing to live in urban environments,space can be tight.Picture yourself pulling up to a tiny parking space that’s only big enough for a motorcycle.No problem.Hit the button,and your car shrinks to fit into the space.
The car,which is available for pre-order now,is a case study in clean design.It contains only 1,000 parts,compared to the industry standard of about 20,000 in a regular car.It’s all electric,and doesn’t run on gas,causing no pollution.It’s autonomous-ready,which means that one day it will be able to drive itself.
City Transformer is considering a company of foldable cars positioned all across the globe.People who own membership of the car rental company can rent one of the cars wherever they are.What’s more,when you get into any of the cars,it will instantly recognize you and adjust the seats,temperature and music to your favorite settings.
Asaf Formoza,the company’s founder,believes it’s at the right place,at the right time.“It's very important for us to be in Israel,because we have more than 400 companies here just for the automotive departments,”he explained.“And we can take some of their proven technologies and adopt them to our car.”
“To bring something like that as a solution for cities when so many people around the world are stuck in traffic jams,this is going to be something that I think can really change the experience of drivers,”said project manager Itamar Meridor.
1.What is the advantage of the car?
A. It uses less gas. B. It is easier to control.
C. It takes up less space. D. It has a higher speed.
2.What can the car do when a person sits in it?
A. Drive itself. B. Obey any order.
C. Take his or her temperature. D. Provide personalized services.
3.Why does Asaf Formoza say the car is at the right place?
A. Israel is a large market for cars.
B. The car company pays no tax in Israel.
C. The road conditions in Israel are nice for cars.
D. The new technologies are available in Israel.
4.How does Itamar Meridor feel about the future of the car?
A. Uncertain. B. Hopeful.
C. Concerned. D. Doubtful.
Like toolmaking,teaching was once thought to be an exclusive（独有的）capacity of the human mind.It is not actually.
“Teaching”requires this:one individual must take time from their own task to demonstrate and instruct with effort and the student must learn a new skill.That’s a tall order.
When a young chimpanzee watches a skilled adult and then imitates（模仿）,that’s learning.But the adult has not taken time specifically to instruct,so it is not teaching.In the honeybees’ amazing dance,the dancer takes time to indicate information about a source of food,but observers learn no new skill.They do take time to show,but they do not pass on new skills to learners.
Dolphins teach.Atlantic spotted dolphin mothers sometimes free a caught fish in the presence of their youngsters and let their youngsters chase it,catching it again if it’s getting away.Dolphin youngsters also position themselves alongside mothers who are scanning sandy bottoms for hidden fish,and the mother spends extra time demonstrating.
Other teachers include:housecats who bring back live prey and let their young learn to catch it,and meerkats（猫鼬）who first bring to their growing young dead scorpions（蝎子）,then disabled ones,to demonstrate how to remove the poisonous part on their tails.
Like toolmaking and teaching,imitation is also considered to reflect high intelligence.In South Africa lived a baby dolphin named Dolly.One day while she was just six months old,Dolly was watching a trainer standing at the window smoking a cigarette,blowing puffs of smoke.Dolly swam to her mother,got a mouthful of milk,then returned to the window and released a cloud of milk that surrounded her head.The trainer was“absolutely astonished”.Somehow Dolly came up with the idea of using milk to represent smoke.Using one thing to represent something else isn’t just imitation.It is art.
1.What does the underlined phrase“a tall order”probably mean in paragraph 2?
A. A clear instruction. B. A high risk.
C. A difficult requirement. D. A useful purpose.
2.What do we know about honeybees’ dance?
A. Presenting. B. Learning.
C. Imitating. D. Teaching.
3.What can we infer about animals that can teach?
A. Bees show their dance to younger generations.
B. Housecats teach in a way similar to dolphins.
C. Young dolphins must learn how to free a fish.
D. Meerkats have poisonous parts on the tails.
4.Why does the author use Dolly’s example?
A. To prove smoking can affect other animals.
B. To explain dolphins are capable of making art.
C. To show animals can be surprisingly intelligent.
D. To stress milk is to dolphins what smoking is to men.
I go out of my way to say“thank you”to my partner frequently,and he’s the same way.We were both raised by parents who valued politeness,and more than that,I want to do all those little things that psychologists say help couples stay together.Expressing gratitude（感谢）is one of those things,so a quick“thanks”seems like an easy one.
But according to a recent study,we’re not at all typical.The study looked at over l,000 recordings of casual conversations among families and close friends.In only about one out of 20 times were expressions of thanks observed.Phrases that meant“thanks”but weren’t a direct translation of the word were counted,including physical gestures of thanks.
The researchers looked at a wide variety of people from different places,representing eight languages:Polish,Russian,Italy,English,Murrinh-patha (an Aboriginal language),Cha’palaa,Lao and Siwu.
The Brits thanked people close to them the most,about 14.5 percent of the time,and close behind them were the Italians at 13.5 percent.The Murrinh-patha came next at 4.5 percent and following them were the Russians,the Polish,the Laotians and the Siwu speakers.The lowest?Well,the Cha'palaa speakers of Ecuador don’t have a word for“thank you”at all.
As the linguists explained,“Expressing thanks,in some cultures,is more of a linguistic tradition than a true expression of feelings.In cultures where thanks are less often said,it’s because social cooperation is taken for granted,and‘thank you’ isn’t really needed or necessary.”
The idea that you don’t need to thank others because it’s assumed that you’re appreciative is beautiful.But it is a bit hard for me to accept.So I’ll keep saying“thanks”as frequently as I do.But as a frequent traveler,I’ll keep in mind to watch the local custom and follow suit.
1.What might be psychologists’ opinion about expressing thank?
A. It can show a person’s values.
B. It is passed down from parents.
C. It is a little and unnecessary thing.
D. It can contribute to close relationship.
2.What is typical among family members according to the study?
A. They say thanks at any time.
B. They seldom express thanks.
C. They often show thanks using gestures.
D. They often use indirect translation of thanks.
3.Who never say“thank you”?
A. The Cha’palaa. B. The Polish.
C. The Italians. D. The Russians.
4.What is mainly talked about in the text?
A. People thank close friends and family less.
B. Family members don’t need to thank each other.
C. Close friends have different ways to express thanks.
D. Different cultures have different ways to express thanks.
Old Falls Movies
June 28th—Beauty & the Beast
Disney’s classic takes on a new form,with a widened fairy tale and an all-star cast.A young prince,imprisoned in the form of a beast,can be freed only by true love.What may be his only opportunity arrives when he meets Belle,the only human girl to ever visit the castle since his being turned into a beast.
July 12th—The Emoji（表情）Movie
The Emoji Movie unlocks a secret world inside your smartphone.Hidden within the messaging app is Textopolis,a city where all your favorite emojis live with only one facial expression except Gene who has multiple expressions.Determined to become“normal” like the other emojis,Gene asks Hi-5 and Jailbreak to help through the apps on the phone to find the Code that will fix him.
July 19th—Jumanji:Welcome to the Jungle
In a new Jumanji adventure,four kids discover an old video game and are drawn into the game’s jungle setting,becoming the adult avatars（化身）.To beat the game and return to the real world alive,they’ll have to find a map and change the way they think about themselves—or they’ll be stuck in the game forever.
August 9th—Peter Rabbit
Peter Rabbit,his three sisters and their cousin Benjamin enjoy troubling Mr.McGregor in his vegetable garden until he dies.When one of Mr.McGregor’s relatives moves in,he finds much more than he bargained for.What follows is a battle of wills between the new Mr.McGregor and the rabbits.However,something happens and his feelings towards them begin to change.
1.When can the audience see a film about true love?
A. On July 19th. B. On June 28th.
C. On August 9th. D. On July 12th.
2.How is Gene special?
A. He lives in a secret world alone.
B. He can help others through an app.
C. He is the favorite emoji of the world.
D. He has more than one facial expressions.
3.What should adventurers do to win in the game?
A. Dress up as adults.
B. Discover an old video game.
C. Draw a map about the jungle.
D. Think about themselves differently.
假设你是李华，你的英国朋友Tom正在为即将到来的考试焦虑不已，严重影响了生活和学习，为此写信向你求助。请你根据以下要点，用英语给他回一封信。
要点：1. 制定复习计划，树立信心； 2. 坚持锻炼身体； 3. 保持良好睡眠。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
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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。作文中共有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。
As we all know, everyone has a dream. When I entered the primary school, it was the first time that I have dreamed of becoming a doctor. Nowadays with modern life developing rapid, many people suffer in different kinds of diseases, both mentally and physically. Therefore, my dream is to become a successful doctor, saved many people’s lives. Although to be a good doctor is very difficult, but I will do whatever I can to keep everyone health. To let my dream coming true, I have told myself over and over again that I'll get along well my study. After all, by working hardly, one can have no trouble make progress.
