Cars produced today are essentially smartphones with wheels. For drivers, this has meant many new features: automatic braking (刹车), turn-by-turn directions, infotainment systems. But carmakers are getting much, much more; They’re constantly collecting data from our vehicles, like how much we weigh, how fast we drive, how many children we have-even financial information.
Debates around privacy often focus on companies like Facebook. But today’s connected cars-and tomorrow’s autonomous vehicles show how the commercial opportunities in collecting personal data are limitless. Your location data will allow companies to advertise to you based on where you live, work or frequently travel. Data gathered from voice-command technology could also be useful to advertisers. Data on your driving habits could be valuable to insurance companies. You may or may not choose to share your data with these services. But while you can turn off location data on your cellphone, there’s no such feature for your car.
Because of the increasing complexity of cars and the Internet of Things, data is critical to repair and service. When carmakers control the data, they can choose which service centers receive our information. They’re more likely to share our data only with their branded dealerships than with independent repair shops, which could have the edge in price and convenience.
It’s clear, because of its value-as high as $ 750 billion by 2030-carmakers are unlikely to release control of the data collected from our vehicles. Policymakers, however, have the opportunity to give drivers control-not just so that they can keep their data private but also so that they can share it with the people they want to see it. This will let car owners maintain what they’ve had for a century: the right to decide who fixes their car.
1.What can we learn about the vehicle data?
A.It is available and free to all.
B.It tends to put drivers at risk.
C.It brings drivers limitless profits.
D.It offers whatever the carmakers want.
2.What does the underlined phrase “have the edge” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A.Be weaker. B.Be worse.
C.Be better. D.Be safer.
3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.Car owners already have direct access to their vehicle data.
B.Drivers trade personal information for convenience.
C.Carmakers will share the vehicle data with drivers soon.
D.Laws are expected to bring the data back to drivers.
4.In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?
A.Entertainment. B.Health.
C.Education. D.Science.
We pick the upbeat tunes for parties and workouts, and save the low-key songs for romantic or sad moments. It’s hardly a new idea that music is mixed with our emotions. But how have our favorites changed over the decades, and what do these changes say about America’s shifting emotional landscape (景象)?
Researcher E. Glenn Schellenberg set out to examine songs popular in America during the last five decades, using a selection from Billboard Magazine’s Hot 100 charts, hoping to learn how emotional cues (提示) in music, such as tempo (slow to fast) and mode (major or minor key), have changed since 1960.
The most striking finding is the change in key. Songs written in a major key tend to sound warm and high-spirited, while songs in a minor key can sound darker and more melancholic (忧郁的). Over the last few decades, popular songs have switched from major to minor keys. Broadly speaking, the sound has shifted from bright and happy to something more complex. The study also finds America’s popular songs have become slower and longer. Even more interesting, is that our current favorites are more likely to be emotionally ambiguous, such as sad-sounding songs being fast or happy-sounding songs being slow.
A possible explanation for the changes is that the more contemporary music reflects the hardships that our society has gone through. However, Schellenberg believes that the steady increase in length and decrease in tempo doesn’t support the idea of growing difficulties fully because it would mean our problems have increased steadily over the last fifty years. He suggests that popular songs have become more complex over time because Americans are becoming more diverse and individualized in their musical tastes.
Though we can only guess about the specific causes of this evolution in music, Schellenberg’s initial observations have helped to open the door to research on the link between emotion and music consumption. Perhaps someday we’ll learn more of the secrets behind the music we love and the times we live in.
1.Why did Schellenberg start the study?
A.To change music styles. B.To explore changes in music.
C.To select America’s favorite music. D.To examine the creation of music.
2.What can we learn from the findings?
A.Older songs were often more sad-sounding.
B.Popular songs have become warmer and shorter.
C.Recent hits are likely to be longer and more complex.
D.Current favorites tend to be composed in a major key.
3.What is the fourth paragraph mainly about?
A.The influences of the study. B.The diversity of musical tastes.
C.The causes of the music changes. D.The features of America’s society.
4.What is the author’s attitude to the study?
A.Positive. B.Doubtful.
C.Disapproving. D.Ambiguous.
Robert Vallieres hikes for miles, often three times a week, climbing the high mountains, just to get a glimpse of his beloved birds.
Many years ago, as a young engineer in the army, Vallieres was struck in the head in a task in Gulf War, which ended his military career and left him fighting for his life. He was 28 years old and battled stress, survivor’s guilt and PTSD (创伤后应激障碍). “When you’re disabled and you really can’t move too much, you’re wondering if death is nearby.” he said.
Despite his condition, Vallieres still had to be a father to his little boy-a curious child who helped jump start his love for birds.
One day, his three-year-old son noticed a bird and asked his father what kind it was. Vallieres bought a bird identification book and started learning along with his son. He bought some small telescopes and the two began observing birds together near their home in New Hampshire.
Then came another turning point. Vallieres saw an ad in the newspaper for a birding trip in New Hampshire’s White Mountains and signed up.
Now it’s his joy and renewed purpose to track and save the peregrine falcon and the bald eagle-two species nearly wiped out by the chemicals used for killing pests. It’s hard physical work for anyone, which needs patience, keen observation skills and time. But Vallieres is a natural at it, because his military training made him a perfect match, especially in reading maps and navigating.
Vallieres says not only does his volunteering help with physical fitness, but also his mental state. “To find rhythm or purpose in life besides myself,” says Vallieres, “I shouldn’t get stuck on myself but have a way out.”
1.What led to Vallieres leaving the army?
A.Life failure. B.Severe injury.
C.His son. D.Love for birds.
2.How did Vallieres start his new rhythm in life?
A.By climbing mountains often.
B.By buying some small telescopes.
C.By strengthening the military training.
D.By signing up for protecting birds.
3.Why is Vallieres suitable for the volunteer work?
A.For his habit of reading. B.For his experience in army.
C.For his devotion to career. D.For his talent in drawing maps.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A.A Volunteer’s Story of Saving Birds
B.An Inspiring Story of Self-motivation
C.A Soldier’s Story of Healing through Birds
D.A Moving Story Between a Father and His Son
Auckland University Online Education-What to Expect
Most Auckland University (AU) online programs are 100 percent online so that students do not come to the school campus. Instead, AU has designed a media-rich, easy-to-use learning environment through a Learning Management System (LMS)
Discipline (纪律)
With disciplined work habits, you are likely to succeed as an online student. It is up to you to log on to your course and meet your own deadlines.
Time Management
In order to earn competitive grades, plan on spending a minimum of 20-25 hours a week on each course. AU courses operate on a seven-week schedule, with start dates in January, March, May, July, September and November. Students are able to complete two courses per semester by taking one seven-week course at a time
Professional Connections
Many of the AU faculty (教员) who teach online have connections to industry, so the online learning environment ensures access to diverse expertise and practice. It includes an extensive network of professionals in a variety of industries.
“I work as an IT manager: And right from the very beginning, every class I took was relevant to what I was doing at work. The wide range of courses gave me a strong foundation for my career development.”
——Jim Heilman, Computer Information System graduate
Technology
It goes without saying that technology plays a vital role in online learning. You will need a high-speed Internet connection and basic computer skills. For specifics, please click here to visit our Technology page.
1.How long does it take to complete one course?
A.One semester. B.Seven weeks.
C.Several mouth. D.At least 20-25 hours.
2.Why is Jim Heilman mentioned?
A.To set a good example.
B.To recognize an excellent graduate.
C.To prove benefits of professional connections.
D.To show effective methods of online learning.
3.Where is the text probably taken from?
A.A college website. B.An academic magazine.
C.A course brochure. D.An online advertisement.
假定你是李华，你所在的班明天英语课前有一个简短的演讲。请你写一篇关于倡议养成健康生活习惯的演讲稿，内容包括：
1. 演讲的主题；
2. 健康生活习惯的重要性；
3. 2—3条健康生活习惯的建议。
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：在错的词下画一横线，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只限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Recently, a foreign student studying in China gives a wonderful graduation speech, who received great praise from people of all circles. The young man shared lots of his story during the four years. Faced different cultures, he chose to accept the difference and learned those good sides. He felt so luck to have the chance to study abroad and learn the difference. Nowadays, the world gets small with the development of globalization, and there are still big misunderstandings due to the different cultures. Therefore, the communication is matters much and it helps to reduce misunderstandings. The world is beautiful because diversity. Let’s welcome the difference and enjoy a diversity of the world.
