Three Ways to Protect Yourself From Today’s Unreal News
Nowadays with so much news available, many people consume media in an automatic, unconscious state-similar to knowing you drove home but not being able to recall the trip. 1.. These strategies can help you become wiser news consumers in three simple steps.
Seek out your own news
Like most people, you probably get a fair amount of your news from social media. You should change that. Their goal is to maximize the time you spend on their sites and apps, getting advertising income. That means instead of presenting you with the most important news of the day, social media feed you what will hold your attention. 2.. These organizations actually produce news, usually in the spirit of serving the public interest.
Use basic mathematics
Untrustworthy news often use some data to make unreal claims. 3.. For example, a widely spread rumour (谣言) falsely claimed 10,150 Americans were killed by illegal immigrants in 2019. On the surface, it’s hard to know whether it is true, but one way to start is to think about finding out how many total murders there were in the US in 2019.
4.
Humans are biased (倾向性的) to believe what’s in front of their eyes. Video content is considered more trustworthy-even though some videos can be very misleading. 5.. Seeing and hearing should not necessarily be believing. Treat video content with just as much doubt as news text, checking any facts with news from a trusted source.
A.Watch out for biases
B.Believe video content
C.You’ll see a more complete range of information
D.Think carefully about how you determine something is true
E.Instead, regularly visit trusted news apps and news websites directly
F.Simple mathematical calculations can help you better spot false data
G.However, you can develop habits to control your news intake more consciously
One Australian state government has become the first in the world to carry out a statewide camera program to automatically detect (探测) drivers using their cell phones while driving.
The program came into effect in the state of New South Wales on December 1 following a six-month trial earlier this year, which the government claims caught over 100,000 drivers. Similar technology has been tested in England and Saudi Arabia, but the NSW program marks the first time it has been widely carried out.
There won’t be any signs signalling the cameras’ presence, either. “We have to unfortunately use the element of surprise to get people to think ‘well, I could get caught at any time,’” said NSW Roads Minister Andrew Constance. “I want behaviour to change and I want it changed immediately.”
The cell phone detection camera can’t actually discover people using their phones in time. Instead, it takes photographs of every single vehicle that passes by it, using artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse them later. If the software detects a likely offender (违法者), the image is then checked by an employee before a punishment notice is sent out.
Drivers will only receive warnings for the first three months the cell phone detection cameras are in operation. After that, drivers who are caught will be fined 344 dollars, as well as losing five points from their driver’s license.
According to the NSW government, if the AI doesn’t detect any phone use in a photo it will be deleted without any human seeing it, usually within an hour.
1.Why does the NSW government carry out the camera program?
A.To detect the number of drivers using cell phones.
B.To help drivers avoid being caught in surprise.
C.To change drivers’ behavior of using cell phones while driving.
D.To test similar technology like some European countries.
2.What does the underlined word “them” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Cameras. B.Drivers. C.Photos. D.Passers-by.
3.What may happen to the offenders detected by the camera?
A.Some regular written warnings. B.No punishment in the limited time.
C.A heavy fine without point loss. D.A make-up test of the driver’s license.
4.What is the text mainly about?
A.A road Al camera system in Australia.
B.A test of world-first AI camera system.
C.The behaviors of Australian drivers.
D.The development of AI camera system.
In times of crisis (危机), people can be truly amazing. Age, wealth, race, religion, politics and all the other things that make us who we are as individuals seem to matter a little less, and the fact that we are all humans in this world together comes to matter more.
Seni Felic owns a restaurant in San Francisco called Bistro SF Grill, and he is feeling optimistic despite the crisis caused by COVID-19 “We’re going to pool our resources and people will pull together, and it will have a strong effect on solving any problems,” he told Reader’s Digest. With this in mind, he decided to offer nonprofit lunches and dinners in his restaurant.
“We are inviting all to stop by Bistro SF Grill to take a lunch or dinner box with food prepared in advance. The price is only $5.50 and it covers our expenses. We’d like to give for free, but we can’t afford it. Our idea was: Let’s try to help.” he said.
Despite San Francisco’s “shelter-in-place” order, Felic said they still plan to offer meals. The move deals with three problems in the community: offering various high-quality food to people who may not be able to cook or who can’t afford Whole Foods prices; helping the business continue operating during the crisis; and paying some of the hourly workers who make the food so that they can earn enough money to get through the hard times.
He believes that working together and helping others will be the key to helping all to get through this. “This problem will be controlled, and I just feel optimistic,” he added. “When people come together and cooperate, I think we can overcome almost anything.”
1.What made Seni Felic optimistic during the time of COVID-19?
A.His religious belief. B.His decision to offer meals.
C.People’s working together. D.The government’s order.
2.What can we learn about the restaurant’s move to offer nonprofit meals?
A.People should take a box to pack the food.
B.The meals will be given for free.
C.Only poor people can get the food.
D.It can help its workers survive the crisis.
3.Which of the following best describes Seni Felic?
A.Kind and optimistic. B.Brave and energetic.
C.Caring and humorous. D.Helpful and patient.
The Greatest Olympic Stadiums of All Time
The following are some buildings that have stood the test of time and continue to be as amazing and groundbreaking as the games themselves.
Montreal Olympic Stadium, Montreal, Canada
The 1976 Summer Games were a perfect excuse for then-mayor Jean Drapeau to green light a stadium that could be used for the city’s Major League Baseball team. The building is an extraordinary achievement of engineering and its 45-degree angled tower is the world’s tallest inclined (倾斜的) tower.
Aquatics Centre, London, the United Kingdom
This roof that bends both inside and outside is one of the most recognizable structures by the famous architect Zaha Hadid. Built for the 2012 Summer Olympics, this building is meant to copy the movement of not only the water inside the structure, but also of the neighboring Waterworks River.
Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece
The two bent poles running over the open roof of this stadium from the 2004 Summer Olympics look more like a bridge than a stadium. The stadium itself was built in 1982, but its most recognizable aspects were added during the 2004 refurbishment (翻新).
Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China
Built for the 2008 Summer Games, the Beijing National Stadium stands apart for its unique appearance like a bird’s nest and the plans for it to be reused at the 2022 Winter Games. Designed to allow the audience a clear view from anywhere in the stands, the stadium is especially eye-catching when lit up at nigh.
1.What is special about Montreal Olympic Stadium?
A.It copies the movement of water.
B.It is shaped like a bridge.
C.It looks like a birds nest.
D.It is recognizable for its inclined tower.
2.Where is the stadium that relatively has the shortest history?
A.In Montreal. B.In London. C.In Athens. D.In Beijing.
3.Which of the stadiums will be reused for the Winter Olympics?
A.Montreal Olympic Stadium. B.Aquatics Centre.
C.Spyros Louis Olympic Stadium. D.Beijing National Stadium.
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。
Radio Station Contest
Alexis and Zoe were sitting at the kitchen table doing homework. They were having a hard time concentrating on their assignment because the radio station was playing music from their favourite band, the Shape Shifters.
“I can’t believe the Shifters are going to be playing here and we can’t go!” Alexis mopped.
“I know,” pouted Zoe. “Tickets were sold out in five minutes, and even if we could get some, they are so-o-o expensive!”
Zoe turned the radio up a little louder. Their favourite song was on, and the girls had an impromptu (即兴的) dance party right there in the kitchen. Using a pencil and a banana as microphones, they belted out the lyrics they knew so well.
As it ended, they collapsed into their seats again. The radio disc jockey started talking about the concert. “They are playing in town this weekend, and we’re giving away two tickets to Saturday’s sold-out show, right now! We’re looking for the 5th caller who can correctly answer this question: Who is the oldest member of the Shape Shifters?”
Alexis and Zoe looked at each other. They couldn’t believe how easy the question was. “It’s Georgie!” said Alexis.
“No, it’s Natasha,” answered Zoe. “What do you mean?” asked Alexis. “Everyone knows Georgie is 29, he’s much older than the rest of the band.”
“Yeah, I know he’s the oldest person, but the question was who’s the oldest member of the band. Natasha started the band when she was just 15. The others joined the group after her.”
As they listened, they heard the D.J. taking calls from excited fans. “Caller Number Three, you’re up! Who is the oldest member of the Shape Shifters?” “It’s Georgie,” said the nervous voice through the radio speakers. “Wrong again,” boomed the D.J.. “Nobody seems to know the answer! Next caller!”
Para 1:
Alexis turned to Zoe. “You’re right! It is about who has been in the band the longest! CALL THE STATION NOW!”
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Para 2:
The girls waited, unable to move. The kitchen clocked ticked, stretching out each slow second.
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假如你是李华，你的英国笔友Peter对于中国粉丝给国外明星取昵称的行为非常感兴趣，比如说“卷福”、“霉霉”、“小李子”、“寡姐”等。请你给他写一封邮件，介绍一个你认为最喜欢的中文昵称。内容包括:1. 中文昵称的含义；2. 中英文名字在含义或发音等方面的关联；3. 粉丝起该昵称的原因。
注意:1. 该昵称可用中文或拼音表示；2. 邮件词数在80词左右。
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Benedict Cumberbatch | Taylor Swift | Leonardo DiCaprio | Scarlett Johansson |
卷福 | 霉霉 | 小李子 | 寡姐 |
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