One of the best uses of technology is to make life easier.
A new product from Microsoft Corporation can do just that for people who have trouble seeing. They may be blind or visually impaired. The product, an app, is currently available for free for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. The app is called Seeing AI. “AI” is short for artificial intelligence, a term for computers with an ability to think and learn like human beings.
Seeing AI uses both a camera and artificial intelligence to identify places, objects and people. The app then announces what the camera sees so users will know what is in front of them.
People can also use Seeing AI to learn words in English. With the app open, you can point your iPhone or iPad at any object and it will say what the object is. With Seeing AI, users can hear a description of not just objects, but other people. It can even tell you about their emotions. It will not just say that someone is smiling. The app will say that the person is happy. Or surprised. Or angry. People can use the app when going to a store or supermarket. It can read product bar codes so users will know whether a can is filled with fruit or dog food. Microsoft says Seeing AI will soon be able to identify banknotes so people know whether they are holding a bill that is worth $100 or $1.
At restaurants, diners can use the new app to hear a list of drinks and other menu offerings. It can recognize both food choices and prices. People can use the app to read signs and get directions, although Microsoft warns against using it for navigation（导航） purposes.
One of the more interesting tools of Seeing AI is its ability to read documents. The app can read documents aloud and even help a user position them on the center of the electronic device.
The app is currently available in just the US, Canada, India, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Singapore---however, Microsoft says that the app will be available in other countries and districts soon.
1.Who is Seeing AI intended for?
A.people working at the restaurant
B.people having visual disabilities
C.people buying goods in the supermarket
D.people having difficulty in learning languages
2.Microsoft warns users not to use Seeing AI for___________.
A.describing a person B.navigating
C.reading documents D.reading product bar codes
3.What can we infer about Seeing AI?
A.It was developed by Apple B.It can be used on computers.
C.It identifies things only by the camera. D.It makes blind people’s life easier.
4.What will happen to Seeing AI?
A.It will soon be available on Android.
B.It will replace people’s eyes.
C.It will have more new functions
D.It will only be used in European countries.
Zoos have traditionally been built in a certain way: Animals on the inside, humans on the outside, peering in. This separation is good in theory—humans and animals need to be protected from one another—but terrible in practice, as animals end up living in an environment far from a natural habitat. A new plan for a Zoo in Denmark wants to reverse those roles, giving animals more freedom in captivity while effectively placing humans inside protective barriers.
Called Zootopia, the conceptual design has the goal of turning the safari(野外观兽旅行)style zoo into a place where animals determine interaction—not humans. “Try to imagine if you asked the animals what they would like. What would they decide?” says the director of the project. “They want their nature back, so to speak, and we are going to try to create that”.
In Zootopia, animals will wander free around the perimeter while humans observe, hidden away from view in underground passageways and naturalistic architecture structures. Visitors can watch lions through an underground enclosure disguised as a hill. They'll peek out at giraffes through windowed houses built into the side of a hilly plains. Outside of the main circular entrance, there will be no traditional buildings. “We want to take away human influence,” said Zootopia's designers.
The main challenge, of course, is to design the zoo in a way that the enclosure is still there but it's not visible. The two-phase plan, which will cost around $200 million, is still in the improving and approval phase; it'll be at least five years until we see any work finished on the park, and it's likely to take upwards of 10 years before it opens. Can the animals wait that long?
1.Why does a zoo in Denmark plan to create Zootopia?
A.to protect animals from humans.
B.to provide animals with a natural habitat.
C.to provide humans with more freedom in the zoo.
D.to protect humans and give animals enough freedom.
2.Different from traditional zoos, in Zootopia .
A.animals enjoy full freedom. B.there will be no conventional buildings.
C.humans watch animals without being noticed. D.humans can interact with animals at their will.
3.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A.It’s tricky to design the enclosure.
B.Zootopia is now under construction.
C.There is a long way to go before Zootopia operates.
D.Zootopia arouses people’s concern about animals.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.the future of Zootopia B.the development of Zootopia
C.the fall of traditional zoos D.the concept of a cage-free zoo
I once met a well-known botanist at a dinner party. I had never talked with a botanist before, and I found him very interesting. I sat there absorbed and listened while he spoke of unusual plants and his experiments (he even told me astonishing facts about the simple potato). I had a small indoor garden of my own—and he was good enough to tell me how to solve some of my problems.
As I said, we were at a dinner party. There must have been a dozen other guests, but I broke an important rule of politeness. I ignored everyone else and talked for hours to the botanist.
Midnight came. I said good night to everyone and departed. The botanist then turned to our host and said many nice things about me, including that I was a “most interesting conversationalist”.
An interesting conversationalist? I had said hardly anything at all. I couldn’t have said anything if I had wanted to without changing the subject, for I didn’t know any more about plants than I knew about sharks.
But I had done this one thing; I had listened carefully. I listened because I was really interested. And he felt it. Naturally that pleased him. That kind of listening is one of the best ways to show respect to others, and it makes them feel great too. “Few human beings,” wrote Jack Woodford in Strangers in Love, “can resist the sweet effect of rapt attention.” I went even further than that. I was “sincere in my admiration and generous in my praise”. I told him that I had been hugely entertained and instructed. I told him I wished I had his knowledge. I told him that I should love to wander the fields with him. What’s more, it was all true.
And so I had him thinking of me as a good conversationalist when, in reality, I had only been a good listener and had encouraged him to talk.
1.From Paragraph 1, we can learn that the writer__________.
A.was deeply moved by the botanist’s talk
B.was amazed by what he was hearing
C.was not in a comfortable situation
D.behaved politely and properly
2.Which of the following does the writer describe as a rule of politeness at dinner parties?
A.Avoiding discussions about politics and religion.
B.Listening carefully to what another guest says.
C.Arriving and leaving at the appropriate time.
D.Giving attention to all those in attendance.
3.The underlined expression “rapt attention” in Paragraph 4 is closest in the meaning to__________.
A.full understanding B.strong interest
C.great uncertainty D.little curiosity
4.According to the writer, which of the following is an important characteristic of a good conversationalist?
A.Listening attentively and encouraging the other side to continue.
B.Encouraging the other side by sharing his/her own opinions.
C.Promising a future meeting for more communication.
D.Expressing respect by nodding his/her head.
The Costa Book Awards consistently pick winners that are both of the moment and subsequently endure. It's our pleasure to confirm this year’s Category Winners.
First Novel Award Winner
Book: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
Eleanor is 31 years old; work finishes on a Friday and begins again on a Monday. Between, her only company will be two bottles of vodka and her own solitary, unique wit (机智). It is contentment, of a kind, but an unexpected shared experience suddenly opens the door to possibility. Challenging reader expectations with a living, breathing character, Gail Honeyman’s debut (初次登台、开张)is a funny and moving diamond.
Biography Award Winner
Book: In the Days of Rain
Author: Rebecca Stott
The Exclusive Brethren were a closed community who believed the world is ruled by Satan. Into this is born Rebecca. Her father had been an influential Brethren Minister. As her father lay dying, he begged her to help him write the memoir. He wanted to tell the story of their family who for generations had all been members of a fundamentalist Christian sect.
Poetry Award Winner
Book: Inside the Wave
Author: Helen Dunmore
To be alive is to be inside the wave, always travelling until it breaks and is gone. These poems are concerned with the borderline between the living and the dead — the underworld and the human living world – and the acutely intense being of both.
Children's Award Winner
Book: The Explorer
Author: Katherine Rundell, Hannah Horn
Four children survive their aircraft plunging into the Amazon jungle, but for Fred and his friends it’s only the beginning of a cruel battle for survival. Brimming with adventure and a real command of character and incident, Rundell has few peers in superb children's fiction.
1.What kind of life does Eleanor lead?
A.boring and lonely. B.funny and touching.
C.exciting and complex. D.ordinary and happy.
2.Why did Rebecca Stott write In the Days of Rain?
A.To introduce beliefs of the Exclusive Brethren.
B.To help her father fulfill his last wish.
C.To share the life of fundamentalist Christians.
D.To pass on her family traditions.
3.For a young adventurous soul, which book seems more appealing?
A.Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine B.In the Days of Rain
C.Inside the Wave D.The Explorer
假设你是红星中学高一（1）班学生李华，你们班计划筹备主题为：Live green, Live better的绿色生活宣传月活动，请你根据以下提示写一封倡议信号召大家绿色生活。
1. save water and electricity；
2. travel green；
3. sort garbage。
注意：
1.不少于60词，开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear fellow students,
I am Li Hua from Class 1 Grade 1. As we all know, there are various types of environmental problems around us, which greatly affect our life and health. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________.
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
阅读下面短文和问题，根据短文内容和每小题后的具体要求，在答题卡和相应题号后的横线上写下相关信息。完成对该问题的回答，答语要意思清楚，结构正确，书写工整。
If you live in Shanghai, you might have taken a “lesson” in sorting (分类) garbage, as the city introduced new garbage-sorting regulations on July 1, 2019.
As China’s first city to carry out strict regulations(规则) on garbage sorting and recycling, Shanghai requires its residents to sort garbage into four categories, namely recyclable, harmful, dry and wet waste. If people fail to sort their garbage properly, they can be fined up to 200 yuan.
Since the regulation took effect, the amount of total daily waste in Shanghai has been reduced by an average of 15,500 tons, dropping 26 percent from the end of 2018, while the average daily weight of recyclables hits 4,500 tons, five times higher than the end of 2018, according to the Shanghai Landscaping and City Appearance Administrative Bureau.
The city also rebuilt 21,000 waste-sorting stations and more than 40,000 waste bins have been updated. The city’s waste collection and transportation system is complete, according to the bureau.
“Proper waste sorting is to protect the environment and save natural resources,” said Deng Jianping, director of the bureau. “Led by the central government, Shanghai is making efforts to develop long-term solutions to garbage management.”
However, there have also been some problems. Some people complained that it is difficult to deal with wet garbage, as they are asked to remove wet garbage from its bag when dumping (倾倒). According to the sorting rules, the wet garbage must go in the wet waste bin and the bag must go in the dry waste bin.
This separation is necessary, as it ensures that the wet garbage will decompose (分解) properly and become useful organic (有机的) waste, the bureau said.
Plastic bags can affect this process. Some people in Shanghai are instead using paper bags that can biodegrade（生物降解）or plastic containers that can be washed and reused, according to Xinhua.
1.When did the new garbage-sorting regulations come into effect in Shanghai?（不多于4个单词）
2.According to the passage, people in Shanghai are asked to sort their garbage into four categories, and what are they?（不多于8个单词）
3.Why should we sort garbage? （不多于11个单词）
4.How do people deal with wet garbage when dumping? （不多于7个单词）
