In 1941, science fiction writer Isaac Asimov stated the Three Laws of Robotics. These laws come from the world of science fiction, but the real world is catching up. A law firm gave Pittsburgh’s Carnegie Mellon University $10 million to explore artificial intelligence. Peter Kalis, chairman of the law firm, K&L Gates, said the development of technology had led to questions that were never taken seriously before. What will happen when you make robots that are smart, independent thinkers and then try to limit their freedom?
Researcher Kalis said, “One expert said we’ll be at a point when we give an instruction to our robot to go to work in the morning and it turns around and says, ‘I’d rather go to the beach.’” He said that one day we would want laws to keep our free-thinking robots from running wild.
With the law firm’s gift, the university will be able to explore problems now appearing within automated industries. “Take driverless cars for example,” Kalis said. “If there’s an accident concerned with a driverless car, what policies do we have in place? What kind of insurance policies do they have?” In fact, people can take a ride in a driverless car in Pittsburgh where an American online transportation network company uses the city as a testing ground for the company’s driverless cars.
The problems go beyond self-driving cars and robots. Think about the next generation of smartphones, those chips fixed in televisions, computers, fridges, etc., and the ever-expanding collection of personal data being stored in the “cloud”. So can Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics be used in reality? Is it necessary to have a moral guideline that everyone can understand? Whatever it is, doing no harm should be the very first one.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A.Robot should have more freedom.
B.Technology is running ahead of laws.
C.The Three Laws of Robotics are practical.
D.Peter wants to explore artificial intelligence.
2.What makes humans worry about robots?
A.Robots may be out of control.
B.Robots can do something illegal.
C.Robots can become angry easily.
D.Robots may have many requests.
3.What is the third paragraph intended to tell us?
A.It’s hard for robots to obey rules.
B.A law on robotics is really a must.
C.Driverless cars can cause accidents.
D.Driverless cars are being tested out now.
4.What should the basic law on robotics be according to the text?
A.Robots should be cautiously used in life.
B.Robots should obey Asimov’s Three Laws.
C.Robots should be easy for people to operate.
D.Robots should help with people’s life and work.
By the end of the century，if not sooner，the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate，according to a new study.
At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms，these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue，depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas，while reducing it in other spots，leading to changes in the ocean's appearance.
Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface，where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die，they bury carbon in the deep ocean，an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean's warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth，since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow，but also nutrients.
Stephanie Dutkiewicz，a scientist in MIT's Center for Global Change Science，built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃，it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters，such as those of the Arctic，a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton，and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ”she said，“but the type of phytoplankton is changing. ”
1.What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?
A. The various patterns at the ocean surface.
B. The cause of the changes in ocean colour.
C. The way light reflects off marine organisms.
D. The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.
2.What does the underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
A. Sensitive. B. Beneficial
C. Significant D. Unnoticeable
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.
B. Dutkiewicz's model aims to project phytoplankton changes
C. Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate
D. Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.
4.What is the main purpose of the passage？
A. To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes
B. To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain
C. To explain the effects of climate change on oceans
D. To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton
Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer who helped shape the course of American literature. His life was full of tragedies, but he had the great influence on the 19th-century American literature and continues to influence writers to this day.
The early life of Edgar Allan Poe was quite unhappy. Born in 1809, Poe was not yet three years old when his parents died. Adopted by a wealthy family, he got into trouble at school. He entered the United States Military Academy at West Point, but he dropped out without graduating. His misery (不幸) continued to his adult life. Later, because of a failed marriage, he suffered from mental illness. He was so upset about real life that he turned to writing. Expressing himself in an unreal and imaginary world was his only comfort.
The tragedies in Poe’s life influenced the tone, style and contents of his writing. His stories usually include death, which help build his reputation as a master of “dark” literature. In his The Tell-Tale Heart, the main character goes crazy and kills his roommate while in The Black Cat, the main character kills his cat in a fit of madness.
Poe died at the age of 40 in 1849. His life is short, but his influence is very great. Poe is credited with (被誉为) creating crime fiction, and many say he contributed greatly to the appearance of science fiction. Fascinated (着迷) by the scientific theories and new inventions of his time, he wrote about imaginary societies in the future. Writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of Sherlock Holmes, regarded Poe as the father of detective fiction. Jules Verne, a French writer who helped popularize science fiction, said Poe’s work had a direct influence on the stories he wrote.
1.Poe began to write to _________.
A.earn his living B.find comfort in writing
C.build a good reputation D.create a beautiful world
2.It can be learnt that Poe’s works often reflect ________.
A.soldiers’ life B.his own life stories
C.a sense of peace D.some political problems
3.Which can best show Poe’s influence on literature according to the last paragraph?
A.His creation of crime fiction. B.His unique writing experience.
C.His creation of scientific theories. D.His contribution to new inventions.
4.What’s the best title of the text?
A.American literature and writers B.Escape from real life and find comfort
C.Edgar Allan Poe: a misunderstood poet D.Edgar Allan Poe：a tragic yet talented writer
Welcome to the Mercedes-Benz Museum!
Discover at first hand what has been moving the world for over 125 years. Take a fascinating stroll (闲逛) of automotive history.
Carried by lift to a height of 34 meters, you will travel back in time to the year 1886. This is when the Mercedes-Benz legend was born with the pioneering invention by Gottlieb Daimler and Carl Benz — the automobile.
Be fascinated by the history, present and future of mobility — on 9 levels and 16,500 square meters. Experience the automotive legends in the Legend rooms on level 4 and cross-epochal (划时代的) topics in the Collection rooms on level 3.
Both tours will finally take you to the innovations for the future in the “Fascination of Technology”.
Enjoy with all your senses: take the Mercedes-Benz legend home. The museum shop in the passage on Level 10 offers more than 1,000 products and gifts.
Try our own home-made museum cake or satisfy yourself with regional dishes at the restaurant — before or after your tour through the museum.
Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m. — ticket desk closes at 5 p. m. Closed on Mondays.
Contact and reservations
Mercedes-Benz Classic Customer Center
Phone: +49(0)711-17 30 000
Fax: +49(0)711-17 30 400
E-mail: classic@daimler. com
Address
Mercedes-Benz Museum, Mercedesstraße 100 70372 Stuttgart, Germany
Restaurant
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a. m. to 7 p. m. Closed on Mondays.
Cafébar
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a. m. to 6 p. m. Closed on Mondays.
Museum Shop
Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a. m. to 6 p. m. Closed on Mondays.
Online shopping
You can shop online in comfort 24 hours a day at www. mercedes-benz-classic. com/store
1.What can tourists do in the Mercedes-Benz Museum?
A.Experience the history on Mondays. B.Have dinner after 7 o’clock p. m.
C.Watch museum cake making. D.Enjoy an automotive collection.
2.On which level can you buy gifts?
A.Level 9. B.Level 10.
C.Level 3. D.Level 4.
3.Where does this passage most probably come from?
A.A museum guide. B.A tourist map.
C.A science textbook. D.A news report.
假如你是李华，你的美国朋友Alice用中文给你写信表示对中文和中国的喜爱。请写一封回信，内容包括：
1. 对来信的感谢。
2. 学中文的优势
3. 对未来的希望。
注意：
1.词数：100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Alice,
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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。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（∧），并在该词下面写出该加的词。
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。
One day, my English friend Tom and I had planned to make a dragon kite. First we find two straight stick of the same length. We tied them with a piece for string into the shape of a cross. Then we tied the four ends of the sticks together. After that, we drew a beautifully dragon on a piece of cloth, spread it, glued it around the string. At last, we stuck a tail making of paper to one of the corners and tied a long string to a centre. On the next wind day we took the kite to a hill near their house and flew it.
