I got married just after I graduated from college and found a job to support our family at the nearby Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT). It was in the laboratory of Prof. Edward Lorenz that I learned what a computer was and how to develop software.
One day my husband saw a newspaper advertisement. The MIT Instrumentation Laboratory was looking for people to develop software to “send man to the moon”. Deeply attracted both by the idea and the fact that it had never been done before, I became the first programmer to join and the first woman the lab hired.
At the beginning, nobody thought software was such a big deal. But then they began to realize how much they were relying on it. Our software needed to be very reliable and able to detect an error and recover from it at any time during the mission.
My daughter, Lauren, liked to intimate me—playing astronaut. One day, she was with me when I was doing a simulation (模拟) of a mission to the moon. She started hitting keys and all of a sudden, she selected a program which was supposed to be run before launch. The computer had so little space that it wiped the navigation data taking her to the moon. I thought: my God—this could happen by accident in a real mission. I suggested a program change to prevent a prelaunch program being selected during flight. But the higher-ups at MIT and NASA said the astronauts were too well trained to make such a mistake.
On the very next mission , Apollo 8, one of the astronauts on board accidentally did exactly what Lauren had done. The Lauren bug! It created destruction and required the mission to be rearranged. After that, they let me put the program change in. It was the program change that had a crucial influence on the success of the mission of Apollo 11.
During the early days of Apollo, software was not taken as seriously as other engineering disciplines (学科).It was out of desperation I came up with the term “software engineering”. Then one day in a meeting, one of the most respected hardware experts explained to everyone that he agreed with me that the process of building software should also be considered an engineering discipline, just like with hardware. It was a memorable moment.
1.What do we know about the author?
A.She taught Lauren to write software.
B.She got her master's degree from MIT.
C.She is the first woman ever hired by MIT.
D.She created the term “software engineering”.
2.“The Lauren bug” in Para.5 refers to ______.
A.a pet to accompany Lauren B.a mission to land on the moon
C.a mistake causing data loss D.a software ending prelaunch
3.What greatly contributed to Apollo 11's success according to the passage?
A.The in-time upload of data. B.The program change.
C.Astronauts' rich experience. D.Experts' new attitude.
4.What can we learn from Margaret's story?
A.Honesty is the best policy. B.A good beginning is half done.
C.Two heads are better than one. D.Chances favor the prepared mind.
This Tiny Box Will Help You Relax In Terrible Summer Heat!
Traditional Air Conditioners (AC) are outdated.They cost a lot to install and even more to run. They are huge, noisy, and dangerous to clean.You can't move them around the house with you or take them outside! Thousands of people are now using a much cheaper alternative to cool themselves in the heat and clean their personal air. With over million units sold worldwide, this device is becoming one of the most successful gadgets of 2019. EVERYONE wants this awesome looking box for summer!
What Are We Talking About?
Meet the new AirFreez, an innovative alternative to AC that cools you just the same! lt's a perfect solution for those very hot days and nights! The AirFreez was designed by two Swiss engineers who were fed up suffering the hot summers.They realized that AC units are super inefficient and cost a lot of money to use.The engineers also discovered that none of the traditional AC units were made to travel with.
So, they designed this light-weight, portable Air Cooling box. It uses a very small amount of electricity and all without sacrificing any of the main benefits of a top AC model! It's tiny, easy to use and it can cool you in seconds!
What Is So Special About This Little Box?
The main benefits of AirFreez are its portability and price.
It is no larger than a lunchbox. Besides, it can be powered by a pocket solar panel or battery pack and you probably have the world's most portable AC unit.
And There Is One More Thing. The price is just amazing. Most AC units cost at least $300+ AND you have to pay for installation PLUS cover the expensive electricity bills each month.
AirFreez costs lens than $100 (Actually $53 for each if you buy more than one here). No messy installation, no expensive electricity bills. Far a Cooling unit of this quality, this must be the single best price-quality AC unit there is!
How Can You Get An AirFreez?
Now that you are aware of this amazing new invention, here is how to get one — order it from the Official Website for BEST PRICE.
1.Which of the following words can best describe AirFreez?
A.Smart but fragile.
B.Costly but multi-functional.
C.Foldable and durable.
D.Handy and energy-saving.
2.What can we learn about AirFreez?
A.lt costs less than $53.
B.It requires no complex installation.
C.It doesn't consume electricity.
D.It is a little larger than a lunch box.
3.What is the purpose of this passage?
A.To advertise Airfreez.
B.To explain the functions of AirFreez.
C.To introduce the inventors of AirFreez.
D.To compare AirFreez with traditional AC.
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.我下定决心将来去爬那座大桥。 (determine)
2.互联网技术越先进，人们的人际关系就会越疏远。(the more… the more)
3.泰国（Thailand）被认为是“微笑之国”的原因是那里的人们友善而有礼貌。 (The reason why…)
Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
We often focus on building relationships with others that we forget the essential first step: being friends of ourselves. 1. How can we have good relationships with others if we don’t even have good relationships with ourselves?
The problem might be worse than we expect. Maybe we don’t like ourselves without realizing it. Here is a simple checklist: Is there anything you don’t like about yourself from these lists? Your past: Maybe you have made mistakes in the past which you feel bad about. 2. Even if that happened in distant past, your subconscious(潜意识的) mind still has a reason not to like yourself.
Your background: You might wish that you were born in a different family, or that you have a different background. Maybe you could not accept the fact that you are not as lucky as others. They seem to get whatever they want effortlessly because of their background.
Your personal features: You might have some personality features that you don’t like. For example, you may be an introvert(内向的) and you don’t like it; you wish you were an extrovert. Others might have better achievements than you, and no matter how hard you tried, it might seem impossible for you to match them. 3. Is there anything that resonate (共鸣) with you? All these give reasons to you not to like yourself. That in turn makes it difficult for you to be a good friend to yourself. 4. Here are some tips:
Forgive yourself;
Accept things you can’t change;
Focus on your strengths;
Write your success stories;
Stop comparing yourself with others;
Always be true to yourself.
A.That is the first step if we are to have good relationships with others.
B.You might think that it’s because you are not smart enough or don’t have enough talents.
C.You can do something to improve the relationships with others.
D.Fortunately, there are always things you can do to fix the situation.
E.You might be disappointed with yourself on why you make such mistakes.
F.Sometimes you might not believe yourself.
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1.The intended readers of this passage are __________ .
A.Book dealers B.University students
C.Publishers D.Campus staff
2.The underlined word “defective” can best be replaced by __________ .
A.faulty B.adapted C.new D.latest
3.Bookie’s will not buy back your used textbook if __________ .
A.you have lost the sales receipt
B.there are markings and notes on the pages
C.the cover of the book is missing
D.you miss the last day for return
4.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage ?
A.Bookie’s is a place for students to buy their course textbooks .
B.Student cards are needed to get a discount for the textbooks .
C.Books bought in bookie’s can be returned within ten working days .
D.Books bought back are processed by the staff and sold to students .
Chinese Ministry of Education (教育部) is changing its traditional policy of encouraging schools to give special admission (入学) opportunities to those students with special talents in sports, music and art, even though their grades didn’t reach the standard.
The policy was flawed because some parents expose their not-so-talented child to plenty of expensive and demanding training courses in order to improve their child’s slim chances of approaching a good school. And then there was the problem of corruption (贪污腐败), which means some local officials selling the talent certificates (证书) and medals to those ambitious parents. According to a press conference held by the Ministry of Education in March, 2018, the “special talent” policy is expected to be completely called off by 2020.
Although the policy is ending, it should not imply that students should give up developing their talents and interests. These extracurricular (课外的) activities may not have a direct effect on academic performance, but they are ways for students to begin building a “talent stack” that will help them in their future careers.
The idea of a “talent stack” comes from the American cartoonist Scott Adams. According to Adams, people shouldn’t focus on the goal of becoming the best at something because very few people are actually the best. There are not many Michael Jordans or Albert Einsteins. Instead, people should cultivate a variety of skills that work well together.
Jack Ma (马云) is a typical example of what Adams is talking about. Ma liked English and became an English teacher. He learned some business skills by operating an English language training school. He also had an interest in computers. On a visit to the United States, he discovered the internet and the way it was being used to buy and sell things. Although Ma wasn’t the best English speaker or a computer expert, he was able to “stack” them —to put them together—to learn about internet trading and then start Alibaba, the world’s largest online trading website.
Although you may not realize it, you have already begun building your talent stack by learning English. If you have other interests like art and sports, you should continue to develop them. They will add to your talent stack and give you an advantage in the job market. Your unique set of skills, even if you may not be the best at any of them, may also lead you into new careers you may not have previously considered. Having a talent may no longer give students a shortcut in getting into a good school, but developing that talent will have long-term benefits as part of your “talent stack.”
1.What does the word “flawed” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A.perfect. B.complicated. C.imperfect. D.pointless.
2.Which of the following statements about the “talent stack” is NOT true?
A.It was carried out by an American cartoonist.
B.Michael Jordan and Albert Einstein has one of the best talent stacks in the world.
C.Studying a foreign language is an effective way to build one’s “talent stack”.
D.The power of talent stacks may be beyond your imagination.
3.Why does the author take Jack Ma’s personal experience as an example?
A.To prove that Jack Ma is good at running a business.
B.To show that one’s “talent stack” has nothing to do with his academic performance.
C.To tell the readers that mastering English is the most efficient means to build one’s “talent stack”.
D.To point out that “talent stack” can helps a person take advantage of benefits from different professional fields.
4.What can we infer(推断) from the article?
A.Students with special talents will have fewer opportunities to study in good schools in two years.
B.Having talents and interests doesn’t help a student’s academic performance at all.
C.Developing a talent in sports, music or art is certain to cost a lot of money.
D.The author holds a negative attitude towards the newly-launched policy.
