On my fourth day in a self-driving car, I finally felt comfortable enough to let it stop itself. Before then, I'd allowed the car-a Volvo S90 sedan-to control the direction, with my hands still on the wheel, and to adjust speed in traffic. By Day 4, I was ready to make a jump into the future.
With the car traveling on a busy road, I activated the driverless mode. Soon, a traffic light turned red. For a split second, I prepared to get on the brakes. There was no need. The cameras and computers in the Volvo recognized the traffic conditions and smoothly began applying the brake.
If you're anything like most people, you're familiar with this anxiety. Almost 80 percent of Americans fear traveling in a self-driving car, a recent survey found.
Researchers at the University of Chicago have conducted some clever experiments studying the phenomenon. They asked participants to complete tasks and compare their performance with a computer system's. After the computer made a mistake, people were unwilling to use it again. After the people made mistakes, their self-confidence wouldn't change. It didn't matter that the human beings made more mistakes than the computer. So it is with driving. More than 37,000 Americans died in crashes last year, most from human error. The death count from cars goes beyond that from guns. So if you are shocked and angry by guns and want things to change, you should feel the same about car crashes.
Technology creates an opportunity to save lives. Computers don't get drunk or distracted by text messages, and they don't have blind spots. Just look at commercial airlines: Automation has helped all but get rid of deadly crashes among American air carriers. The last one happened in 2009.
The technology for self-driving cars still isn't good enough. But it is improving rapidly. Within a few years, many cars will have advanced crash-avoidance systems and driving will be revolutionized sooner than many people now understand.
1.How does the author introduce the topic?
A.By offering a piece of news. B.By giving background information.
C.By describing an experience. D.By introducing a latest car.
2.What can be learnt about the participants of the experiments?
A.They tended to accept the computer's faults.
B.They seemed to care little about their own mistakes.
C.They felt less confident after making mistakes.
D.They performed better than computer systems.
3.The author mentioned commercial airlines___________.
A.to prove the advantage of technology B.to assess the security of driverless cars
C.to find fault with computers D.to advertise for the commercial airlines
4.What does the author expect of the self-driving car?
A.I'll avoid deadly crashes entirely. B.It'll occupy the market in a short time.
C.It'll be bettered in every possible way. D.It'll be popularized sooner than expected.
When I sent my daughter, Emma, off for her freshman year of college a few years ago, I found myself affected by an unbelievable feeling of melancholy. Clearly, I'm not alone. Just last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that more than 90 percent of colleges offer to help moms and dads who are “struggling with the change.”
Between Thanksgiving, winter holiday, spring break and summer break, the first one out of my nest has come fluttering back home nearly every month of the year since she has been away. Good friends like to joke that they see more of her now than they did when she was a senior in high school. In the meantime, Emma calls, texts or e-mails me almost every day.
Given all this, missing Emma seems kind of silly；I've never really gotten the chance. So why, then, have I still felt on some level that I've experienced a great loss?
All summer long before Emma left that first year, I took Emma out for countless mother-daughter breakfasts, lunches, coffees and walks. At the same time, I seemed to find fault with Emma all the time. In my eyes, Emma had spent the weeks leading up to school going out with her friends too much, staying out way too late, making too big a mess, not working enough and, for goodness sake, certainly not spending enough time with me!
Although it's taken quite a while to realize what was happening, I now understand that my unhappiness and anxiety are not a reflection of how much time Emma and I spend together. Regardless of how often she comes home, or how many times a day we chat or text, Emma is now gone in a far grander sense. She is well on the road to adulthood, and from this, she will never return.
1.What does the underlined word “melancholy” in paragraph 1 refer to?
A.Fierce anger. B.Deep sadness.
C.Extreme excitement. D.Great satisfaction.
2.Why does it seem silly for the author to miss her daughter?
A.They keep in touch frequently. B.Friends like to make fun of her.
C.Emma has grown up to an adult. D.Other parents don't behave like this.
3.What actually made the author overly worried?
A.The untidiness of Emma's room. B.The passing of Emma's childhood.
C.Taking Emma out all too often. D.Spending little time with Emma.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Changes in the Parent-Child Relationship B.The Most Concerned Parents of All Time
C.Growing Pains for College Students D.Struggling to Let Go of My Daughter
Large rainforests are extremely important ecosystems on our planet. They are home to a large number of animal and plant species, and they absorb vast amounts of carbon dioxide, which helps reduce global warming. These biggest ones in the world are a sight to observe.
Daintree Rainforest
The main river of the rainforest is the Daintree River, and it also includes the Daintree National Park. If you are wondering why everything seems to share the name, the reason is simple-Richard Daintree was a famous Australian geologist and photographer. Plenty of options will take you there, including a ferry.
Valdivian Temperate Rainforest
This rainforest is known to be extremely foggy and humid, but some interesting species live there. Since it is on the coast, you can witness ice sheets and glaciers as well. Getting to the rainforest is most accessible from Santiago, the capital of Chile, and a train ride or a bus is a preferred option.
Congo Rainforest
This rainforest also features a large number of different plant and animal species, including gorillas, forest elephants, and lions. Visiting this rainforest is also recommended by using a tour company, preferably by finding one in the Republic of Congo.
Amazon Rainforest
It is estimated that we can find 16,000 different tree species in the Amazon rainforest.
When it comes to other plants, animals, and insects, the numbers are even more impressive. The especially interesting thing is that there is still a large number of undiscovered species. A tour guide is advised since going through the rainforest can be dangerous, with predatory creatures(食肉动物)running around.
1.Which of the following is named after a person?
A.Daintree Rainforest. B.The capital of Chile.
C.The Republic of Congo. D.Amazon Rainforest.
2.What is recommended to visit Valdivian Temperate Rainforest?
A.By ferry. B.By train.
C.By plane. D.By bike.
3.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A diary. B.A brochure.
C.A novel. D.A report.
假定你是李华，你居住的社区将举办包粽子（wrapping zongzi）活动。请给你的外教Smith写封信。邀请他参加，内容包括：
1. 活动的时间和地点；
2. 活动的目的和意义；
3. 表达你的期待。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，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。
Sometimes 1 feel that living in a city makes people lonely than before. People always feel strangers cannot trusted. They think this is not normal to start talking to anyone or even smile at anyone. I desire to change that. Last week, while I was skate, a man ran by, smiling at me. He said something to me about doing sports or he hoped to be able to finishing his run. I smiled back and said that he certain would. And then a family cycles by when I was in the park. One of the girl waved at me with a big smile, and I waved back enthusiastically. I do believe such small gestures can change into the world we live in.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Since the beginning of the year, a mystery donor in the German city of Braunschweig 1. (give) away several “miracle (奇迹) bags” containing over 200,000 euros in cash to 2. (differ) charities.
The bags, each 3. (fill) with banknotes worth between 20,000 and 100,000 euros, started appearing at the Braunschweiger Zeitung newspaper headquarters earlier this year, with specific instructions of which local charities the money should go to. The recent one, a bag which contained 100,000 euro bills, 4. (receive) last Monday along with instructions that it should be donated to a local hospice (收容所), but other “miracle bags” have gone to 5. (church), organizations and several other causes.
“To make it easier for seriously sick people is a sign of human warmth and earns respect and recognition,” a letter attached to 6. latest “miracle bag” read. Employees at the local hospice are 7. (obvious) delighted to have received their largest donation ever, 8. will help them look after even more patients.
What’s even more special about this mystery donor 9. (be) that he seems to have been donating since 2011. That’s when local newspapers started receiving “miracle bags” along with instructions of where the money should go, but no one can say for sure 10. it’s the same person or not.
