In the space of just two years, the app Douyin, created by Beijing-based company ByteDance, has gathered more than half a billion users—around 40%of them outside China—who share short videos of themselves lip-syncing( 假唱), cooking, dancing or just being silly. What sets ByteDance apart is its success in the social media category, which is controlled by Facebook, Twitter and Snap—all Western companies.
ByteDance calls itself an artificial intelligence company. It uses machine learning and algorithms ( 算法) to figure out what people like most and give them more of what they want to see. On Douyin, people can edit and beautify 15-second videos before posting them online. The app has even made a phrase to describe people glued to their customized feeds: “shua Douyin” or “scrolling through Douyin”. Last year, the company released TikTok, the overseas version of Douyin. ByteDance’s growing video empire has made it the world’s fifth biggest app maker. ByteDance says TikTok and Douyin together have more than 500 million monthly active users.
Investors like ByteDance because its hundreds of millions of users attract a lot of advertising money. The video apps are lucrative because they attract a lot of users in their teens and 20s, who are more generous with the money. ByteDance also makes money through income sharing deals. People on TikTok, for example, can buy digital coins to give to other people on the app—like throwing money in a performer’s tip jar. ByteDance takes a cut of those earnings.
ByteDance’s founder and CEO is Zhang Yiming, a 35-year-old former Microsoft employee. People who have worked with Zhang describe him as someone who thinks deeply about technology and spends much of his free time writing code.
Like Facebook and Twitter, ByteDance is also battling fake news and inappropriate content. ByteDance promises to add thousands more employees to review content on Douyin.
1.What makes ByteDance so special?
A.It is the biggest artificial intelligence company on the earth.
B.Its app challenges similar companies’ rule in Western world.
C.It invented the social media app initially in the world.
D.It has controlled Facebook, Twitter and Snap.
2.Why is Douyin so popular?
A.It is a new generation hi-tech product.
B.It has both home and overseas version.
C.It meets the demand of people individually.
D.It is easy and totally free to operate online.
3.How does Byte Dance make a profit?
A.By charging the users.
B.By selling its artificial intelligence.
C.By forcing the users to donate.
D.By charging the advertisement.
4.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “lucrative” in Paragraph 3?
A.expensive B.profitable
C.popular D.creative
If you live in Shanghai, you might have to take a "lesson" in sorting garbage, as the city recently introduced new garbage-sorting regulations. It’s now required that people should sort garbage into four categories, namely recyclable, harmful, dry and wet waste. However, if people fail to sort their garbage properly, they can be fined up to 200 yuan. More cities are introducing similar regulations, following the practice in Shanghai. By the end of 2020, garbage-sorting systems will have been built in 46 major Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shenzhen, reported People’s Daily.
According to a study by the Policy Research Center for Environment and Economy, under the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, over 90 percent of the public believe that garbage sorting is important for the protection of the environment. However, garbage sorting is still a big problem in China. Only 30 percent of participants said they think they are adequately sorting their trash, the study noted.
According to Xinhua News Agency, it’s partly because many people lack the willingness to sort their own waste. In the past, some previous garbage regulations didn’t give clear fines for people who failed to sort garbage. "It’s a must to have a legal guarantee to promote garbage sorting." Liu Jianguo, a professor from Tsinghua University, told China Daily. He also added "the importance of the new regulations in Shanghai is to change the past voluntary action into compulsory action for everyone"
Aside from China, many other foreign countries have also introduced garbage-sorting regulations. In Japan, waste sorting has become a basic survival skill, reported Xinhua. There is a fixed time for disposal of each kind of garbage and littering can result in high fines and even jail time. In Germany too, people are asked to sort waste into specific categories, reported HuffPost. For example, in Berlin, people have yellow bins for plastic and metals and blue bins for paper and cardboard.
1.What can we learn from paragraph 1?
A.Poisonous waste belongs to four categories in sorting.
B.People will be fined not less than 200 yuan.
C.All the cities use the same regulations as Shanghai.
D.Shanghai works as a pioneer in garbage sorting.
2.Which statement is true according to the passage?
A.Garbage-sorting system have been built in 46 major cities.
B.Not all the public attach importance to garbage sorting.
C.People aren’t fined clearly if they fail to sort garbage now.
D.People may be put in prison because of littering in Germany.
3.What can be inferred from Liu Jianguo’s words?
A.He thinks highly of the legal regulations in garbage sorting.
B.The sorting action should be changed from compulsory to voluntary.
C.Legal guarantee is a must to promote garbage sorting.
D.There is a growing concern over garbage sorting worldwide.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A.Shanghai Puts Garbage-sorting Into Practice
B.Regulations Are of Great Importance
C.Garbage Is Hard to Recycle Appropriately
D.Cities Get Serious About Waste
In March, days before her 15th birthday, Ashima Shiraishi successfully climbed Horizon on Mt. Hiei in Japan. She became the first woman and youngest person ever to solve the “V15” boulder( 攀岩) problem, considered the most difficult type of problem in the sport.
Shiraishi is also the world’s youngest person to solve the V10,V13,and V14 boulder problem, which she did at ages 8, 10, and 13.
“Once I have a project in mind, I don’t really give up,” she said. “And even if my skin is looking really bad from bouldering, I’ll just get back on it.”
The New York City native first got to know the sport at age 6 when she saw park-goers climbing Rat Rock in a city park in New York City. Attracted, she started climbing it every day after school and began training at an indoor climbing gym soon after.
She won her first competition at age 7, competing against grown women climbers.
“It was mostly the movement that really attracted me because it was almost like dancing. It felt like I was dancing on the rock,” she said.
Watching Shiraishi climb is like watching a dance of mental and physical courage. At 5-foot-1 and 100 pounds, she could be considered at a physical disadvantage compared to taller climbers who can reach holds more readily. But she makes up for it with smooth movements that only a climber of small size could make.
“The most important part of climbing is not really thinking at all. Once you start thinking, you doubt yourself, and that’s the worst that could happen to you,” she said.
Shiraishi hopes to compete on the most important stage for sports, the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, where climbing will make its first official appearance.
1.When did Shiraishi start climbing?
A.After visiting an indoor climbing gym.
B.After seeing people climbing in a city park.
C.After watching a climbing competition.
D.After reading a news report about climbing.
2.What is key to successful climbing according to Shiraishi?
A.Thinking about nothing. B.Encouraging yourself.
C.Receiving a lot of training. D.Entering a lot of competitions.
3.Which of the following is Shiraishi’s wish?
A.She can solve the “V15” boulder problem.
B.Climbing will become an Olympic event.
C.She can take part in the Olympic Games.
D.Bouldering will attract more young people.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.A difficult boulder problem. B.The personal life of a teenager.
C.The popularity of bouldering. D.A successful young climber.
Living in cities is wonderful, but the cost in some of the big U.S. cities, such as New York and Los Angeles, is a big problem for living there. Fortunately, this country has many good cities where the cost of living is more affordable.
Pittsburgh,PA
Pittsburgh is a great city to have busy and noisy activities without feeling overwhelmed(不堪重负的). One of the best advantages here is the low cost of housing and other fees. Even when you live there, the view of the city from Mount Washington doesn’t get old. Three major sports teams have stadiums there, and the energy in Pittsburgh on game days is something that’s hard to find anywhere else.
Grand Rapids, MI
While the transportation costs are a bit above average, Grand Rapids makes up for that with low housing and health care costs. If you love public art and craft beer, Grand Rapids is a great choice. The city gives people a small-town feeling, with people always waving hello as you walk by. There are 1200 acres of parks within the city. If you’re looking for more water than the river offers, Lake Michigan is less than an hour away.
Knoxville,TN
Knoxville’s housing costs are below the national average. It is known as the most dog-friendly city, which is probably the best selling point a city could have. The Knoxville Museum of Art has fun classes so you can continue to learn and improve skills throughout your lifetime.
Buffalo, NY
New York City may not be affordable, but Buffalo certainly is. It’s also one of the most beautiful cities to live in with all the views next to rivers.You’ll also have one of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders, Niagara Falls, a short drive away. There are great skiing and ice-skating areas in Buffalo.
1.What is special about Pittsburgh, PA?
A.It always hosts many sporting activities.
B.It offers the lowest cost of housing.
C.It becomes active on game days.
D.It allows people to climb Mount Washington.
2.What do we know about Grand Rapids, MI?
A.It is full of warmness.
B.It is a small city.
C.Its transport network is developed.
D.Its health care is good for old people.
3.Which city is good for winter sports lover?
A.Pittsburgh, PA. B.Grand Rapids, MI. C.Knoxville, TN. D.Buffalo, NY.
假定你是李华，你收到外国朋友Peter的邮件，他想了解你校在新冠疫情（COVID-19epidemic）期间线上教学的情况。请你给他回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 课程与时间；
2. 你的学习状态；
3. 你的期待。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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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。每句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（Ʌ），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：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Millions of people traveled to Italy every year. It's the third mostly popular country in Europe for foreign visitors. Why do people travel to Italy? They love its fashion, food, art, buildings or history. There are a lot things to see in Italy and Rome is a must during you visit. First, you can see the treasures in its wonderful museums. Before that, plan to visit the Trevi Fountain. Remembering to throw a coin in the fountain and make two wishes. The first one can be anything. The second is to return back to the city one day. Then buy an ice cream make in a special way from one of the nearby shop. It s delicious!
