If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping, I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insect bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me. 1.
The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer. 2. We slept in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor’s bill for my son’s food poisoning.
I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness. 3. Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.
4. We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.
5. It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.
A.This time there was no tent.
B.Things are going to be improved.
C.The trip they took me on was a rough one.
D.I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.
E.I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.
F.After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.
G.There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.
It's extremely rare to find characters that excited such enthusiasm in the British population as Margaret Thatcher once did. There was no middle ground, no sitting on the fence and that was just the way she like it.
Back in the 70s—thanks to a combination of incapable Conservative and Labour prime ministers (all male) and the unelected and militant union leaders who didn't always have their members' best interests at heart—the country was on its knees, virtually bankrupt and covered in uncollected rubbish due to a massive public sector strike.
It was no wonder the people saw hope in Margaret Thatcher and accordingly voted her into power when, depending on where you were standing at the time, she either saved Great Britain or ruined people's lives.
Personally, for me it was the former and I could see how she improved the prospects and desires of the working classes to better themselves. I was one of them. At the same time I can also understand why people in the North of England who suffered after the close of the last remaining pits, factories and manufacturing industries didn’t see it that way.
But what I don't understand is how some folk think it’s OK to be so openly disrespectful in her death just because it's her.
The so-called ''death parties'' are sickening, attended as they mostly are by people who probably don't quite know who she is let alone who lived under her rule.
The Brighton teacher Romany Blythe, who organized one of the parties, actually compared her to Hitler. But Margaret didn't devote herself to genocide—murder of a whole race, neither did she attempt to take over Europe and control its people. She only went to war once in order to protect a British outpost in the South Atlantic after it was threatened and invaded by the Argentineans. And there lies the real reason I think she inspires such unreasonable hatred—because she was a woman. She clearly had no choice but to get the country back on its feet. Not one of them has half the courage to get us out of the current mess we’re in. They're all too bothered about being popular, so they spend all their time trying to please all of the people all of the time. It's just not possible—as the lady herself proved.
1.What kind of person can we see Margaret Thatcher as in the passage?
A.Consistent(一致的) B.Conservative(保守的)
C.Controversial(有争议的) D.Considerate(体贴周到的)
2.Which group of people listed below is most likely to speak highly of Thatcher?
A.Most Argentineans B.Some of working classes
C.Former prime ministers D.Death party members
3.Some people hate Margaret Thatcher because ________.
A.she launched the war against Argentina
B.she started a massive public sector strike
C.they believe she devoted herself to genocide
D.they think she brought them a miserable life
4.In the eyes of the author, ________.
A.Margaret Thatcher was popular among workers throughout the country.
B.Margaret Thatcher did not succeed in getting the country back on its feet
C.none of those who hate Margaret Thatcher can rule Britain as well as she did
D.it is understandable why disrespect is shown to Margaret Thatcher on her death
5.What does the underlined word ''they'' in the last paragraph actually refer to?
A.Incapable politicians. B.Death party organizers.
C.Women of courage. D.Followers of Hitler.
6.The author wrote the passage mainly to ___________.
A.defend Margaret Thatcher against blames on her
B.honour Margaret Thatcher and her achievements
C.call on people to mourn for Margaret Thatcher
D.show different opinions about Margaret Thatcher
Anne sat with her feet up on the couch, drinking a soda. She heard footsteps by the front door. Brenda was right one time, as usual. Never a minute early or late—for her, everything was exact.
Anne placed her feet on the floor, reaching for the remote, and turned off the television. She knew Brenda would demand her complete attention. She knew Brenda would hand up her coat in the closet by the door (third hanger from the left) and then head to the kitchen for her daily inspection (exact seven steps). She knew this because they had been roommates for six months. Taking a deep breath, she thought about what she would say to Brenda. She waited and watched from her spot on the couch.
A moment later, Brenda stepped into the kitchen and surveyed the scene. Anne watched her expression, watched her eyes focus on the sink, and watched her face harden when she saw the dishes piled high. Pointing to the dishes, Brenda said disappointedly, ''I don't believe what I’m seeing. I thought we agreed to share the responsibilities. I thought it was your turn to clean the kitchen this week. ''
''I haven't got to them yet, '' Anne replied. ''I've been really busy. Relax. I've got all night. ''She walked into the kitchen and added her empty glass to the top of the pile.
Brenda fumed. ''You know I'm having company tonight! Somehow I thought you would have done your share in the kitchen. If we want to remain roommates, things have to change. ''
The phone rang, and Anne started to answer it.
Brenda said in the background, ''Tell them to call back; we need to settle this now. I told you I’m having company soon. ''
Anne ignored Brenda's comment and continued to engage in conversation with a good friend of hers. ''Did I ever tell you about the time when…''
1.Why did Brenda get angry?
A.Because Anne was unfriendly. B.Because she had a bad day at work.
C.Because Anne didn't do her share. D.Because Anne was very lazy.
2.Why didn't Anne do the dishes?
A.She had just arrived home. B.She wanted to start a fight.
C.She was too busy to do the dishes. D.She wanted Brenda to do the dishes.
3.Which of the following suggests that Anne doesn't intend to shoulder her share of the responsibilities?
A.She turns off the television. B.She watches Brenda coming.
C.She says she's been really busy. D.She talks on the phone with a good friend.
4.The writer implies in the passage that ___________
A.Anne purposely decided not to do the dishes in an act of rebellion.
B.Anne would sit down and settle the issue with Brenda after Brenda after the call.
C.Brenda would have to do the dishes herself.
D.Brenda would move out.
Program fools humans
Have you ever been so bored that you started a conversation with a “chatbot (聊天机器人)”? You probably discovered quickly that it wasn't much fun, because the things it says hardly ever make any sense and chatting with it doesn't provide the same kind of back-and-forth as a human conversation.
That might have made you wonder: will a computer ever be able to talk like a human?
That day is certainly getting closer now. A computer program named “Eugene Goostman” has successfully passed the Turing test – by fooling people into thinking it was a 13-year-old boy, reported AFP on June 9.
While you may have never heard of the Turing test, it means a lot in the world of artificial (人工的) intelligence.
According to USA Today, the test was first invented in 1950 by Alan Turing, a British computer expert best known for his code-breaking work during World War II. In his test, a group of human judges take turns having keyboard conversations for five minutes with two subjects – a human and a piece of computer software. If up to 30 percent of the judges fail to tell the two apart, the program is considered to have passed the test.
“If a machine is indistinguishable (无法区分的) from a human, then it could be said to be ‘thinking’,” wrote Turing in his paper Computing, Machinery & Intelligence back in 1950.
No computer had ever passed the Turing test before. But this time, Eugene Goostman, developed by two Russian scientists to simulate (模拟) a 13-year-old boy, managed to convince 33 percent of judges that it was human.
Machines are close to “reaching the milestone of communicating with us in a way that we are comfortable with”, Professor Kevin Warwick of the University of Reading, UK, told The Telegraph. “This brings closer the time in which robots start to play an active role in our daily lives.”
Some people feel a bit disturbed by the news. They worry that computers will outsmart humans in the near future and take over the world. But Warwick said that it is unlikely that this will happen any time soon. After all, computers have only just learned to have a five-minute conversation, while we humans can do so much more than that.
1.What is the main purpose of the article?
A. To inform us about the disadvantages of talking with a “chatbot”.
B. To introduce the background and significance of the Turing Test.
C. To explain how the computer program “Eugene Goostman” works.
D. To report on a recent breakthrough in the world of artificial intelligence.
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the Turing Test according to the article?
A. Several computer programs have successfully passed the test since it was introduced.
B. A program that is believed to have passed the test must fool at least half of the judges.
C. The Turing Test is used as a way to determine whether machines can think.
D. Machines that have passed the test can communicate with us freely.
3.What is Warwick's attitude toward the invention of Eugene Goostman?
A. He expects it to play a more active role in our daily lives.
B. He is optimistic about humans' control of computers in the coming years.
C. He is concerned that computers might one day get the better of humans.
D. He feels uncomfortable communicating with machines like Eugene Goostman.
Transport Guide
The Brisbane City Council (BCC) is responsible for bus and ferry services within the city limits and suburbs. Most buses will either arrive at the city or an interchange where connecting buses can be caught. BCC buses operate from 5:30 am to 11:00 pm Monday to Thursday and 5:30 am to 12:00 am on Fridays. On weekends and public holidays buses operate less frequently. Pre-paid bus tickets can be purchased from the QUT (Queensland University of Technology) bookshop, the campus news agency, most other news agencies and general stores, and any BCC Customer Service Centre. Short-term students at QUT cannot use their ID cards to gain a discount fare on BCC public transport. You will need to buy an adult ticket to travel. Bus fares are dependent on the number of zones you have to travel. There are several types of tickets:
Zone | Cost(AUD) | |||||
Single | Daily | Off-peak Daily | Ten-trip Saver | Weekly | Monthly | |
1 | 2.50 | 4.20 | 3.50 | 16.80 | 16.80 | 67.20 |
2 | 2.90 | 5.00 | 4.10 | 20.00 | 20.00 | 80.00 |
3 | 3.30 | 5.80 | 4.70 | 23.20 | 23.20 | 92.80 |
Single: one way ticket to reach your destination, including transfers within 2 hours.
Daily: unlimited travel within the zones.
Off-peak Daily: discounted unlimited travel between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm and after 7:00 pm Monday to Friday, and all day on weekends and public holidays.
Weekly: unlimited travel within the zones for one week from the date of issue.
Monthly: unlimited travel within the zones for one calendar month from the date of issue.
Ten-trip Saver: 10 trips at any time within the zones on buses and ferries only.
Transport routes, timetables and fare information are available from: Public Transport Information Centre, 69 Ann Street (corner of George St), Brisbane City.
Phone 131230 (Transport Information Service)
1.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.buses are scheduled as usual on weekends and public holidays
B.regular students at QUT need to buy adult tickets.
C.Pre-paid tickets can be bought from the Public Transport Information Centre
D.Ten-trip Savers can be used at off-peak time
2.An exchange student staying at QUT for five days has to travel between zones every day. What type of ticket would be probably buy?
A.Single. B.Weekly.
C.Off-peak Daily. D.Ten-trip Saver.
For thousands of years, people have known that the best way to understand a concept is to explain it to others. “While we teach, we _______, ”said Roman philosopher Seneca. Now scientists are bringing this ancient _______ up-to-date. They’re _______ why teaching is such a fruitful way to learn.
Researchers have found that students who teach others work harder to _______ the material, and apply it more _______. Student teachers score higher on tests than pupils who’re learning only for themselves. But how can children, _______ learning themselves, teach others? One answer: They can teach younger kids. Some studies have found that first-born children are more _______ than their later-born siblings(兄弟姐妹). This _______ their higher IQs result from the time they spend teaching their siblings.
Now educators are experimenting with ways to _______ this model to schoolwork. They engage college undergraduates to teach computer science to high school students, who then ________ instruct middle school students on the ________. But the most cutting-edge tool is the “teachable agent”—a computerized character who learns, tries, makes mistakes and asks questions just like a real-world ________. Computer scientists have ________ an animated(动画的) figure called Betty’s Brain, who has been “taught” about science by middle school student. Student teachers are motivated to help Betty ________ certain materials. While preparing to teach, they organize their knowledge and ________ their understanding. And as they explain the information to it, they identify problems in their own ________.
Feedback from the teachable agent ________ improves the teachers’ learning. The agents’ questions drive student teachers to think and explain the materials in different ________, and watching the agent solve problems allows them emotions one experiences into action. ________, it’s the emotions one experiences in teaching that help learning. Student teachers feel ________ when their teachable agents fail, but happy when these pupils succeed as they gain pride and satisfaction from someone else’s achievement.
1.A.learn B.doubt C.grow D.practice
2.A.tale B.lesson C.wisdom D.riddle
3.A.valuing B.proving C.questioning D.assuming
4.A.prepare B.preserve C.exchange D.understand
5.A.officially B.effectively C.fluently D.carefully
6.A.still B.even C.though D.once
7.A.curious B.energetic C.independent D.academic
8.A.approves B.witnesses C.suggests D.reviews
9.A.add B.apply C.offer D.show
10.A.as well B.at once C.in turn D.of course
11.A.topic B.event C.schedule D.experiment
12.A.teacher B.parent C.sibling D.pupil
13.A.created B.tended C.invited D.reserved
14.A.arrange B.mark C.master D.link
15.A.keep B.improve C.drop D.reach
16.A.thinking B.reading C.inspiration D.guidance
17.A.shortly B.hardly C.rather D.further
18.A.ways B.cases C.places D.orders
19.A.In all B.After all C.Above all D.For all
20.A.satisfied B.sick C.pleased D.upset
