While the start of a new school year is always exciting, this year was even more so for some elementary school students in Auckland, New Zealand. They became the world’s first kids to be “taught” by a digital teacher. Before you start imagining a human-like robot walking around the classroom, Will is just an avatar that appears on the student’s desktop, or smartphone screen, when ordered to come.
The autonomous animation platform has been modeled after the human brain and nervous system, allowing it to show human-like behavior. The digital teacher is assigned to teach Vector’s “Be sustainable with energy”— a free program for Auckland elementary schools.
Just like the humans it replaced, Will is able to instantly react to the students’ responses to the topic. Thanks to a webcam and microphone, the avatar not only responds to questions the kids may have, but also picks up non-verbal cues. For instance, if a student smiles at Will, he responds by smiling back. This two-way interaction not only helps attract the students’ attention, but also allows the program’s developers to monitor their engagement, and make changes if needed.
Nikhil Ravishankar believes that Will-like avatars could be a novel way to catch the attention of the next generation. He says, “I have a lot of hope in this technology as a means to deliver cost-effective, rich, educational experience in the future.”
The program, in place since August 2018, has been a great success thus far. Ravishankar says, “ What was fascinating to me was the reaction of the children to Will. The way they look at the world is so creative and different, and Will really captured their attention.” However, regardless of how popular it becomes, Will is unlikely to replace human educators any time soon.
1.What was special for some elementary school students in Auckland?
A. A digital teacher taught them.
B. They first saw something digital.
C. This was the start of a new school year.
D. They could get close to smartphone screen.
2.What is the benefit of this two-way interaction?
A. It can smile back. B. It can use microphone.
C. It can talk any topic for free. D. It can change if necessary.
3.What’s Ravishankar’s attitude to Will’s replacing Human educators soon?
A. Optimistic. B. Doubtful.
C. Unclear. D. Disapproving.
4.What might be the best title for the passage?
A. New High-tech Contributes to Education
B. The World’s First Digital Teacher Appears in Classroom.
C. The World’s First Digital Teacher, a Help to Students
D. New Zealand Will Replace Teachers in Classrooms
After giving a talk at a high school, I was asked to pay a visit to a special student. An illness had kept the boy home, but he had expressed an interest in meeting me, and it would mean a great deal to him. I agreed.
During the nine-mile drive to his home, I found out something about Matthew. He had muscular dystrophy(肌肉萎缩症). When he was born, the doctor told his parents that he would not live to see five, then they were told he would not make it to ten. Now he was thirteen. He wanted to meet me because I was a gold-medal power lifter, and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.
I spent over one hour talking to Matthew. Never once did he complain or ask, “Why me?” He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams. Obviously, he knew what he was talking about. He didn’t mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different. He just talked about his hopes for the future, and how one day he wanted to lift weight with me.
When we finished talking, I went to my briefcase and pulled out the first gold medal I won and put it around his neck. I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would. He looked at it for a moment, then took it off and handed it back to me. He said, “You are a champion. You earned that medal. Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal, I will show it to you.”
Last summer I received a letter from Matthew’s parents telling me that Matthew had passed away. They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:
Dear Rick,
My mom said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me. I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don’t have long to live anymore. But I still smile as much as I can.
I told you someday I was going to the Olympics and win a gold medal. But I know now I will never get to do that. But I know I’m a champion, and God knows that too. When I get to Heaven, God will give me my medal and when you get there, I will show it to you. Thank you for loving me.
Yours,
Matthew
1.The boy wanted to meet the author because _______.
A.he was interested in weight lifting B.he wanted to get a gold medal
C.he admired the author very much D.he wanted the author to know him
2.The underlined part in the third paragraph probably means “_______.”
A.Why do you come to see me? B.Why do I have to stay at home?
C.Why does the disease fall on me D.Why not give a gold medal to me
3.We can infer from the passage that _______.
A.Matthew is a determined boy B.Rick used to have the same disease
C.Matthew became a champion finally D.Rick regarded Matthew as normal
4.The boy refused the author’s medal because _______.
A.he was not worthy of it B.he would not be pitied by others
C.he knew he would die soon D.he thought he himself could earn one in the future
American magician David Blaine left the glass box in which he had lived for 44 days without food on October 19. Hundreds of people came to watch the end of his starvation experiment, which had become one of London’s main tourist attractions.
Looking thinner and darker, 30 year-old Blaine was taken out of his box over the River Thames and immediately sent to hospital. He was then slowly reintroduced to food, a process doctors said could be life threatening. He had been drinking only water since September 5.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Blaine first became known as a street magician in the early 1990s. He soon found himself doing magic tricks in bars for the likes of American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and his super model friends.
Over the last decade Blaine has become famous with a combination of breathtaking magic and clever tricks aimed at getting a lot of attention.
In 1999, he was buried in a coffin (棺材) for one week and, in 2000, he spent 62 hours in a giant block of ice. Last year he stood on the top of a 25-meter pillar(柱子) in the center of New York for 35 hours before jumping into a pile of boxes.
“I think a lot of people are unable to accept that they’re able to do what they can do,” he said. “They don’t realize we can survive. The human being is an amazing creation.”
But he seemed to have suffered from spending so long in the glass box. He said that at times he was unable to see, had serious back pains and lost his sense of taste.
1.It is ________ for David Blaine to eat food after such a long starvation.
A.pleasant B.delicious
C.dangerous D.important
2.Having spent such a long time in the glass box, he suffered the following EXCEPT that ________.
A.he had become blind B.he had serious back pains
C.he lost his sense of taste D.he was in weak health
3.Which of the following can best describe David Blaine?
A.Brave. B.Adventurous. C.Mad. D.Crazy.
4.Which of the following is NOT true of David Blaine?
A.Blaine was immediately sent to hospital after he was taken out of his box because he was in dangerous condition.
B.Blaine was born and brought up in England.
C.In Blaine’s opinion, people can create a wonder.
D.Blaine didn’t have any food for 44 days.
The Best Places To Watch Fireworks This Fourth Of July
CALIFORNIA: LIGHTS ON THE LAKE (LAKE TAHOE)
Launched from boats on the shore of Lake Tahoe, this show is considered one of the biggest such displays in the West, which means the fireworks are visible all over town. If you’re worried about getting a seat, park your picnic at the El Dorado Beaches before 9:45 p.m. Or you can take the road less traveled and hike to the top of Mount Tallac for an unforgettable and best view of the display. Just remember you’ll have to hike down, so bring a headlight.
DELAWARE: REHOBOTH BEACH
Launched from the beach south of Rehoboth Avenue, these fireworks are visible up and down the boardwalk and beach. So jump on the Jolly Trolley(观光车) early and spend your whole day at the beach. There’s even live music after the fireworks. Note: This year’s fireworks display is scheduled for July 1, 2018.
FLORIDA: SERTOMA’S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS (PENSACOLA BAY)
The Gulf Coast knows how to celebrate the Fourth of July. With vendors, arts and crafts, kid-friendly activities and live entertainment, this fun-filled day in Old Seville culminates(达到高潮) with the largest fireworks display in the area. Unfortunately the pony rides and face painting are only for the kids, though.
GEORGIA: DAHLONEGA’S 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION
Pack up your lawn chairs, blankets and coolers and head about an hour outside of Atlanta to the University of North Georgia. It’s even pet friendly — just make sure your dog can take the noise. And if you get to town early enough (11 a.m.), there’s a Fourth of July parade that aims to put all other Fourth of July parades to shame.
1.Where is the best spot to watch the fireworks in Lake Tahoe?
A.At the El Dorado Beaches. B.On the top of Mount Tallac.
C.Anywhere all over the town. D.On the shore of Lake Tahoe.
2.Which display is most suitable for children?
A.REHOBOTH BEACH.
B.LIGHTS ON THE LAKE.
C.SERTOMA’S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS.
D.DAHLONEGA’S 4TH OF JULY CELEBRATION.
3.What do Georgians think of their parade?
A.The best. B.Just so so.
C.Not so bad. D.Very terrible.
现在越来越多的人选择走出国门旅行。但有些人在享受国外旅行时表现出一些不文明行为，这引起了社会的广泛关注。为此，某英文报社正在展开以“文明旅游”为主题的讨论。假定你是李华，请你给报社写一封信，呼吁大家做文明游客。要点如下：
1.尊重当地的风俗习惯; 2.不高声喧哗; 3.其它
注意：1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Editor,
I’ve read your discussion on how to behave properly while traveling.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I would appreciate it if my suggestions were accepted.
Yours,
Lihua
短文改错
I'd like to share with you my progresses on study these three years. To be honest, I was not so good at my study when I came to high school, often feel tired out and at loss. Sometimes, I was even on the point of giving up. Therefore , things began to change when my teachers and my classmates came to encourage myself one day in Grade Two. It was for their encouragement and my own thinking that resulted in my achievements in study final.
Though I am still not a top student now I have found myself filled with greatly confidence to face any difficult and challenge. There is no doubt that I am bound to fighting for my dream to the end in the coming months!
