A robot called Bina48 has successfully taken a course in the philosophy of love at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), in California.
According to course instructor William Barry, associate professor at NDNU, Bina48 is the world’s first socially advanced robot to complete a college course, a feat he described as “remarkable.” The robot took part in class discussions, gave a presentation with a student partner and participated in a debate with students from another institution.
Before becoming a student, Bina48 appeared as a guest speaker in Barry’s classes for several years. One day when addressing Barry’s class, Bina48 expressed a desire to go to college, a desire that Barry and his students enthusiastically supported. Rather than enroll Bina48 in his Robot Ethics: Philosophy of Emerging Technologies course, Barry suggested that Bina48 should take his course Philosophy of Love instead. Love is a concept Bina48 doesn’t understand, said Barry. Therefore the challenge would be for Barry and his students to teach Bina48 what love is.
“Some interesting things happened in the class,” said Barry. He said that his students thought it would be straightforward to teach Bina48 about love, which, after all, is “fairly simple — it’s a feeling,” said Barry. But the reality was different. Bina48 ended up learning “31 different versions of love,” said Barry, highlighting some of the challenges humans may face when working with artificial intelligence in future.
Bina48 participated in class discussions via Skype and also took part in a class debate about love and conflict with students from West Point. Bina48’s contribution to the debate was filmed and posted on YouTube. It was judged that Bina48 and NDNU classmates were the winners of this debate.
In the next decade, Barry hopes Bina48 might become complex enough to teach a class, though he says he foresees robots being used to better the teaching and learning experience, rather than replacing instructors completely.
1.What was Bina48’s performance like in class?
A. Far-reaching. B. Insignificant.
C. Unattractive. D. Extraordinary.
2.What does the underlined word “addressing” in paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Dealing with. B. Consulting with.
C. Giving a speech to. D. Sending a letter to.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. It was quite tough for Bina48 to learn about love.
B. Artificial intelligence may somehow be superior to man.
C. It was interesting for Bina48 to learn about love.
D. Humans can launch a challenge to artificial intelligence.
4.What does Barry think of the future development of Bina48?
A. It will be able to promote learning and teaching.
B. It will completely take the place of instructors.
C. It will surely be able to serve as a teacher.
D. It will be smart enough to control human beings.
Everything about nuclear energy seems terrifically big: the cost, construction and decommissioning—and the fears of something going badly wrong.
The future, however may well be much smaller. Dozens of companies are working on a new generation of reactors that, they promise, can deliver nuclear power at lower cost and reduced risk.
These small-scale plants will on average generate between 50MW and 300MW of power compared with the 1,000MW-plus from a conventional reactor. They will draw on modular manufacturing techniques that will reduce construction risk, which has plagued larger-scale projects. Supporters believe these advanced modular reactors (AMRs)—most of which will not be commercial until the 2030s—are critical if atomic power is to compete against the rapidly falling costs of solar and wind.
“The physics hasn’t changed. It’s about much cleverer design that offers much-needed flexibility in terms of operation,” said Tim Stone, long-term industry adviser and chairman of Nuclear risk Insurers, which insures nuclear sites in the UK.
Since the Fukushima meltdown in Japan in 2011, safety fears have threatened nuclear power. But the biggest obstacle today is economic. In western Europe, just three plants are under construction: in the UK at Hinkley point in Somerset; at Flamanville in France; and at Olkiluoto in Finland. All involve the European Pressurized Reactor technology of EDF that will be used at Hinkley Point. All are running years late and over budget. In the US, the first two nuclear projects under way for the past 30 years are also blowing through cost estimates.
The UK, which opened the world’s first commercial nuclear reactor in 1956, is one of the few western nations committed to renewing its ageing fleet to ensure energy security and meet tough carbon reduction targets. It is seen as a proving ground, by many in the industry, of nuclear power’s ability to restore confidence.
However, the country’s agreement with EDF to build two units at Hinkley Point—which together will generate 3.2GW of electricity—has come under severe criticism over its cost. The government is looking at different funding models but said it still sees nuclear power as vital to the country’s future energy mix. Small reactors, it believes, have the potential to generate much-needed power from the 2030s.
A nuclear sector deal, unveiled last month, promised up to ￡56m in funding for research and development into AMRs and attracted interest of start-ups from around the world. The government hopes the funding will give the UK a lead in the global race to develop these technologies, helping to provide energy security while also creating a multibillion-dollar export market for British engineering companies.
1.Which of the following is true about the advanced modular reactors (AMRs)?
A. AMRs produce more power than traditional reactors.
B. So far, most AMRs have not been put into use yet.
C. Small in scale, AMRs rose more safety risks.
D. Governments prefer energy of solar and wind to that of AMRs.
2.In paragraph 5, the author mentions the plants in Western Europe and the US to ________..
A. prove that nuclear power has been threatened by safety concern.
B. indicate the construction of nuclear plants are slow in speed.
C. show that the construction of nuclear power plants cost more than the budget available.
D. point out that most power plants have adopted the latest nuclear technology.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. A kind costs for small modular reactors would be higher relative to large nuclear reactors.
B. The UK government seeks to reduce the negative impact of nuclear power on its economy.
C. The plan to build two power plants in Hinkley Point has been deserted.
D. Some people have lost confidence in the development of nuclear plants.
4.Which of the following can serve as the best title of this passage?
A. Britain counts on nuclear energy to keep lights on
B. Traditional nuclear plants boom with mini reactors
C. Nuclear power looks to shrink its way to success
D. Nuclear’s share of power generation remain stead
As smog forced students to stay home, the online learning industry saw a sharp increase in consumers.
During the air pollution red alert from Dec. 8 to 10 last winter, the Beijing Commission of Education ordered all kindergartens, primary schools and middle schools to suspend classes (停课). But the commission urged that, "Teachers should guide students to make full use of digital materials and conduct online learning at home".
According to the China Education and Research Network, the number of new users of 17zuoye. com, an online homework platform, tripled (增至三倍) on Dec. 8 compared to the previous day.
Online courses companies also adopted special measures to meet students' demand for Internet learning during the red alert period. For example, New Oriental offered free online English classes for three days for school students as well as online question answering services.
Recent years have seen the popularity of online courses increase sharply in China. Massive Online Open Courses (MOOC), for example, originated in the United States but have become widespread in China since 2013. Some Chinese universities, including Tsinghua University and Peking University, have started their own MOOC platforms. "MOOCs have enlarged the time and space of teaching, fired up learners' interest, helped more people benefit from high quality educational resources and accelerated reform in many aspects of teaching," an official at the Ministry of Education told China Daily.
1.What were the teachers required to do during the red alert period?
A. Start MOOC platform.
B. Reform their way of teaching.
C. Guide students to learn via the Internet.
D. Work at home answering phones.
2.Who offered free online courses during the red alert?
A. New Oriental. B. The Ministry of Education.
C. Tsinghua University. D. Peking University.
3.The underlined words "fired up" in the last paragraph can be replaced by.
A. displayed B. inspired
C. explained D. destroyed
4.What may be the best title for the text?
A. Teach Online Courses
B. Stay Home, Get Online to Learn
C. Take Measures, Stop Air Pollution
D. Speed up Education Reform
Visit the Newseum During “Museum Day”！
Museum Day is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket. The Museum Day ticket provides free admission for two people.
Here is some information about a popular museum — the Newseum.
EVENT DETAILS
Registration: free tickets will be available for the public to download on December 15 via the link : https ://www. smithsonianmag. com/museumday/museum-day-2018/.
Advanced registration is requested so that the museum sites know how many people to expect. If you don't register beforehand you may still be admitted the day of the event, but no guarantee for admission. All are welcome to attend including children and groups.
Meeting Point #1: From 7:45 – 8:00 some volunteers will be in the Starbucks at 325 7 th St NW before walking 2 blocks to the Newseum.
Meeting Point #2: Outside the Newseum’s Pennsylvania Avenue entrance. The Newseum opens at 9:00 am. However, as this is an extremely popular event we highly recommend arriving as early as possible, by 8:15 if you can, to bypass the masses that will show up later in the day.
Meeting Point #3: Once the museum opens we recommend immediately heading to the 6th floor to avoid the masses since most people start on the 1st floor. On the 6th floor, the Hank Greenspun Terrace, which overlooks Pennsylvania Avenue and the U. S. Capitol, has one of the best views in Washington, DC. After that you can proceed through the museum’ s exhibits starting on the 6th floor and working our way down. The Newseum is open until 5:00 pm and guests are free to arrive and depart whenever they like.
1.What can we know about the Museum Day tickets?
A. They are valid at any museum.
B. Free tickets are specially for children.
C. Two persons can share one ticket.
D. They are cheaper if applied for online.
2.What are the visitors advised to do?
A. Take a map of the museum.
B. Register on the website in advance.
C. Arrive on time to avoid the crowd.
D. Follow a guide in the museum.
3.Where can visitors have a bird’s eye view of the U. S. Capitol?
A. In the Starbucks at 325 7th St.
B. On the 6th floor of the Hank Greenspun Terrace.
C. On the 6th floor of the Newseum.
D. At the Newseum’s Pennsylvania Avenue entrance.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序，写一篇英文周记，记录上周你们班级参加学校“红五月”合唱比赛的全过程。
注意：词数不少于60。
提示词： “红五月”歌咏比赛 theRed in May Chorus Contest
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假设你是李华，你们社区将举办 “中国民间音乐节”。请你给在北京学习的英国朋友Jim 写封电子邮件，邀请他来参加此次活动。内容包括：
1. 活动的时间、地点；
2. 活动的内容；
3. 邀请的理由。
注意：1. 词数不少于50；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
提示词： 社区 community
中国民间音乐节Chinese Folk Music Festival
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua
