February, 2015, a South Korean woman was sleeping on the floor when her robot vacuum (吸尘器) ate her hair, forcing her to call for emergency help. It surely isn’t what Stephen Hawking warned us that intelligent devices “mean the end of the human race”. But it does highlight one of the unexpected dangers of inviting robots into our home.
There are many examples of intelligent technology going bad, but more often than not, they involve cheating rather than physical danger.
Meanwhile, increasing evidence suggests that we, especially children, tend to tell our deepest, darkest secrets to human robots. So how do we protect ourselves from giving-away code?
Once you’ve invited a robot into your home, you need to manage your expectations. Movies and marketing may have told us to expect deep interaction with robots friends but we’ve still got a long way to go before they are as socially aware as described. Given the gulf between expectation and reality, it’s important to avoid being tricked.
The message is clear: as robots became increasingly connected to the internet, and able to respond to natural language, you need to especially cautious about figuring out who or what you are talking about.
We also need to think about how information is being stored and shared when it comes to robots that can record our every move. Some recording devices may have been designed for entertainment but can easily be adapted for more dangerous purposes. Take Nixie, the wearable camera that can fly off your wrist at a moment’s notice and take shots around you in the air. It doesn’t take much imagination to see how such technology could be taken advantage of.
Most people protect their secrets in the presence of a recording device. But what happens once we get used to a robot around the house, answering every instruction and call? We may be at risk of letting our guard down, treating them as extended member of our family. If the technology around us is able to record and process speech, images and movement, or listen secretly to us, what will happen to that information? Where will it be stored？Who will have access? If our internet history can be a mirror, these details could be worth their gold weight to advertisement company. If we grow accustomed to having trustworthy robots getting into our daily lives, our words and deeds could easily become over-exposed.
So, what is the safest way to welcome robots into our homes, public spaces, and social lives? We should be cautiously optimistic that intelligent machines could become enriching companions, while acknowledging that we need to determine strict boundaries for robots.
We might think of expanding the reach of consumer protection agencies or creating new robot-centered policies. Advances in robots may call for a body responsible for the combination of robots with society. There should be someone to turn to should your robot commit a crime, steal your car… or try to eat your hair.
1.The hair-eating story in Paragraph 1 is intended to_________..
A.show the poor quality of the product B.warn us to keep far away from vacuum
C.introduce the topic of the discussion D.appeal to us to take pity on the victim
2.According to the writer, it is wise to_________..
A.tell our deepest, darkest secrets to human robots straightly
B.have deep interaction with robots friends eagerly
C.make robots more socially aware than they are described
D.manage our expectations and adjust our trust towards robots
3.The last two paragraphs are mainly about_________..
A.some reasons why we should be careful with robots
B.some background information of the writer ’s conclusion
C.some measures to be taken to deal with the problem
D.some conclusion drawn from a series of experiments
4.The writer’s attitude to our over-trusting robots can best be described as_________..
A.positive B.objective
C.optimistic D.critical
UK physicist Isaac Newton once said, “Nature is pleased with simplicity and nature is no dummy (傻子).” Indeed, Mother Nature can provide almost everything human beings need if we follow her rules. But if we break the rules, she is likely to be cruel and lash out at (抨击) us.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (新型冠状病毒肺炎, NCP) in China and some other countries at the beginning of this year is an example. According to Xinhua News Agency, the new coronavirus is similar to a virus found in a bat in 2017 and probably has an intermediate host (中间宿主).
It’s once believed that the virus originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei province, where live wild animals were sold.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Dr Peter Daszak, president of the US-based health organization EcoHealth Alliance, said, “This outbreak is a lesson for us. On a global scale (规模), human population density (密度), wildlife diversity, and land use change are what drive new pandemics (流行病).”
In ancient times, people needed to rely on nature to survive so they held it in awe (敬畏). For example, the American Indians believed that humans are a part of nature and nature is a part of humans. Chinese ancients always pursued the harmony between nature and human beings.
However, as human beings master more knowledge and make more advanced tools, people try to change and even conquer nature. They use more land to make buildings, genetically modify (改变) plants, capture some wild and rare animals to suit their own needs. In this process, humans gradually lose contact with nature and even throw it out of balance. For example, cutting a large number of forests means carbon dioxide must build up in the atmosphere and it contributes to global warming.
Although we don’t know for sure what first caused the NCP outbreak, Brian Lamacraft at Medium said it’s time for people to “reflect on our relationship with our planet” and “reconnect with this world and everything that we’ve been given”. After all, according to US poet Gary Snyder, “Nature is not the place to visit. It’s our home.”
1.What lesson did Daszak think human beings should learn from the NCP outbreak?
A.Bats are one of the most dangerous wild animals.
B.It’s impossible to prevent new pandemics globally.
C.We should stop the wildlife trade around the world.
D.Humans should live peacefully with nature.
2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 5?
A.How human beings become their own masters.
B.How human activities cause global warming.
C.How human beings break the balance of nature.
D.How humans use technology to improve their lives.
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing this article?
A.To reflect on the NCP outbreak.
B.To explain what led to the NCP outbreak.
C.To describe experts’ predictions on new pandemics.
D.To compare ancient and modern attitudes toward nature.
Eat healthier. Exercise twice a week. Read more books. Lose weight. We make the same resolutions (决心) every year, but most of us fail, dying out after only a few days or, at best, weeks. Even the most successful among us crash and burn when it comes to personal change. President Barack Obama struggles to get out of his cigarette habit.
Professionals who help people make changes in their lives suggest the change is decided not by one’s surroundings, but one’s mind. Beginning with small goals or steps usually leads to a better result later, they say. But they notice that the experience is different for everyone.
“People are more likely to make positive changes in their lives not only when their friends do, but when their friends of friends do, and when their friends of friends of friends do,” said Nicholas Christakis, a professor of medical sociology at Harvard University. “People are better able to make changes in their lives—lose weight, quit smoking, become happy—when they do this with a large number of other people, and so taking advantage of your social network ties can contribute to your own efforts.”
Johnny Augustin understands that well. His resolution for 2008 was to reduce 30 pounds from his 237-pound frame. But the change didn’t come easily. He said, “I’m a huge procrastinator, I kept putting it off until tomorrow. I didn’t get to do it until the summer.” However, Augustin got encouraged when he saw his older brother working out. Today, Augustin weighs 190 pounds.
“Of course, change can happen only if people don’t set their expectations too high or try to deal with too many changes at once; one of the biggest mistakes we make is setting unrealistic goals,” said Dalia Liera, a psychologist at Lesley University. “You can’t accomplish in a few weeks what you haven’t accomplished in a few years,” said Liera.
1.From the first paragraph we can infer that _________.
A.change for a person is challenging
B.famous people have great resolutions
C.most people don’t want to change themselves
D.personal change is beyond belief
2.The word “procrastinator” in Paragraph 4 refers to those who_________.
A.have great determination to make a change
B.put off work especially because of laziness
C.have habitual carelessness and laziness
D.have no desire to do something great
3.According to the passage, Dalia Liera suggested that __________.
A.people should understand their goals well
B.people should try their best to change themselves
C.people should have confidence and positive habits
D.people should start with setting small goals to meet
阅读下面材料,根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段,使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写的词数应为150左右。
Growing up on a small farm, I lived a life that I took for granted. My father worked in the city as a plumber(水暖工).He was not highly educated, but he was smart, looking at problems in an engineer’s way. He was a man made of leather, brass and chewing tobacco who tried to teach my brother and me useful things, including respect. He also had a temper and was strict with us for he would scold us when we made some careless mistakes. Sometimes, my father seemed like a distant enemy to me and I didn’t like him very much.
One day I came home from primary school and his car was already there. Once inside, I was told by my mother that he didn’t feel well. His back hurt. My father never missed work; in fact, when he came home, he went to the barn to work even more. I remember looking at him secretly around the corner as he lay on his bed in the middle of the day.
Later, my mother told me he got multiple myeloma(多发性骨髓瘤),a type of cancer. As the cancer grows, the person will shrink because the disease destroys the body’s energy and the abnormal antibodies cause problems for other cells and tissue. Bones eventually look like Swiss cheese, and when they break, they may never heal. But I didn’t realize that my father’s time was rather limited and just treated him the same way I used to.
For the last year of my fathers life, his entire day consisted df rising from his hospital bed in the living room and walking to his chair to sit and think. He was predictably in that chair when I came home one day during the ninth grade. I do not remember where my mother and brother were, but the two of us were alone.
Paragraph 1 :
He asked me to sit down and what he told me still moves me these decades Later.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2 :
At that moment, I realized that he was doing more than telling.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友 Max 给你写了一封信，针对美国疫情严重的情况，征求你的建议。请你给他回封信，要点如下：
1. 合理安排居家学习生活；
2.做好个人防护措施；
3.调整好心态。
参考词汇：novel coronavirus 新冠状病毒
注意：1. 词数 100 左右，格式已给出；
2. 适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Max,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
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。
A 90-year-old has been awarded “Woman Of The Year” for 1.(be) Britain’s oldest full-time employee—still working 40 hours a week. Now Irene Astbury works from 9am to 5pm daily at the pet shop in Macclesfield, 2. she opened with her late husband Les. Her years of hard work have 3.(final) been acknowledged after a customer nominated(提名) her to be Cheshire’s Woman Of The Year.
Picking up her “Lifetime Achievement” award, proud Irene 4.(declare) she had no plans 5.(retire) from her 36-year-old business. Irene said, “I don’t see any reason to give up work. I love coming here and seeing my family and all the friends I 6.(make) over the years. I work not because I have to, 7. because I want to.”
Granddaughter Gayle Parks, 31—who works alongside her in the family business—said it remained unknown as to who nominated Irene for the award. She said, “We don’t have any idea who put grandma forward. When we got a call 8.(say) she was short-listed, we thought it was 9. joke. But then we got an official letter and we were blown away. We are so proud of her. It’s 10.(wonder).”
