With self-driving vehicle technology rapidly advancing, many companies are turning to autonomous robots for the final leg of the delivery process, from the store or local distribution center to the customer. The latest to join the trend is e-commerce giant Amazon. Following a successful eight-month test run in Snohomish County, Washington, the company’s Scout robots have been making the rounds of Irvine, California, since August 6, 2019.
The six-wheeled Scout is about the size of a large cooler with the capacity to carry small or medium-sized packages. The battery-powered vehicle, which moves at a regular walking pace, has been programmed to avoid pedestrians, animals, and unexpected obstacles, such as garbage cans. Its powerful sensors can also detect the movement of a car backing out of a driveway.
To accelerate Scout’s development and bring it nationwide sooner, the company has created several detailed virtual maps of American suburbs and conducted trial deliveries to homes there.
Though Amazon has not shown how Scout ensures the delivery is picked up by the right person, it most likely requires the customers to apply a unique code, texted to them prior to the delivery, to unlock the store box. Also unclear is the number of deliveries Scout can complete before its battery needs to be recharged. Though the initial tests are being conducted with a human for company, the robot will be autonomous in the future. Its location, however, will be tracked at all times—if someone attempts to steal Scout, Amazon employees will be instantly sensed.
However, the eco-friendly robots are unable to climb stairs or open gates, which means that they can only reach consumers who live on the ground level. Additionally, the robots are unable to leave packages at the front door if the customers are not home. Whether these problems get resolved remains to be seen. For now, it appears that humans will still be needed to achieve the ever-growing demand for home and office deliveries.
1.Which of the following descriptions about Scout is right?
A.They can be powered themselves. B.They are strong enough to carry big things.
C.They can run with their six wheels. D.They can avoid obstacles ahead.
2.What about Scout is still confusing to common people?
A.How many deliveries it can do on a full charge. B.Whether it can climb stairs or open gates.
C.How it recognizes the right owner of the things. D.How long it will take to get it fully charged.
3.What does the underlined phrase “prior to” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.due to B.after C.in front of D.before
4.What is the author’s opinion about delivery robots according to the last paragraph?
A.They are not easily available. B.They have some limitations.
C.They will replace humans soon. D.They won’t be well accepted.
I remember the day when I first learned to ride a bike. It was a frightening, yet fun experience. My granddad was the one who taught me and he helped me when I got hurt. The first time I got on a bike, I had no idea what I was doing, and just about everything went wrong. My granddad told me to just put my feet on the pedals and start pedaling (骑自行车). He also told me he would hold onto the back of the bike the whole time, yet he didn’t.
As soon as I started trying to balance myself, he let go. I happened to look back just then. I was scared, to death that I was going to fall and hurt myself. When I was scared, my mind went blank from pedaling, and I just wanted off. I forgot how to use the brakes (车闸) and fell right off the bike. My granddad kept encouraging me to get up and try again, and after about 15 minutes, 1 finally stopped crying, got up and tried again.
As soon as I started pedaling again, my pants got caught in the chain, and I fell flat on my face and hit my nose. Since that happened t my granddad decided to call it a day and try again the next morning. The next morning I woke up bright and early, and was very eager to try to ride my bike. My nose felt better, so I wasn’t that afraid of falling anymore.
Though I knew there were a lot of difficulties on the way to mastering the skills in riding a bike, I believed I could do well with my granddad’s help. After all, riding a bike was what I wanted to do eagerly.
1.How was the author when he was on the bike first?
A.He didn’t know where he would be going.
B.He thought balancing himself was easy.
C.He was nervous and didn’t know what to do next.
D.He put his feet on the pedals and started pedaling.
2.What does the underlined part in the passage mean?
A.Remember what happened this day.
B.Make the author feel happy.
C.Stop practicing bicycling.
D.Go on to ride a bike.
3.What is the author’s attitude towards his granddad?
A.Supportive. B.Grateful.
C.Indifferent. D.Negative.
4.Which of the following could be the title for the passage?
A.The Experience of My First Riding a Bike
B.The Difficulty I Met with My Granddad
C.The First Time I Got My Own Bike
D.The Great Moment When I Stayed with My Granddad
Looking for somewhere to go during the months of December, January and February? From snow-capped ski resorts to sunny islands, these are the hottest travel destinations to visit this winter.
St. Lucia
Longing for a tropical （热带的）getaway? Set your sights on St. Lucia. With Kayak reporting a 197 percent surge （激增）in interest, this Eastern Caribbean island nation is on the verge of blowing up. Which shouldn't be a shock given that it delivers a mix of volcanic coastline, lush rainforests, dramatic mountains, coral reefs, and high-end resorts. Simply put： whether you're seeking romance or adventure, you'll find it in St. Lucia.
Mexico City, Mexico
With mouth-watering food, fashionable hotels, superb shopping, and tons of historic sites, Mexico City is definitely one to add to your list for the upcoming winter season. Since it's a major international airport, you can usually score flight deals.
New York City
While there's no bad month to experience the Big Apple, the frosty season is particularly magical. Guess that's why New York City ranks among the most searched winter travel destinations, according to Expedia. The most cherished attractions? The ice skating rink（溜冰场）at Rockefeller Center and sledding in Central Park.
Paris
“Many people frequent Paris in spring and summer,” reveals Hudson. “The trade-off for picture-perfect weather? Long lines at museums, plus a Metro chock-full of map-toting tourists. ” Based on Expedia data, the cheapest month to go to Paris is February. Our advice? Pack your most fashionable raincoat and let the winter sadness fade away in the City of Light.
1.Where will you go if you long for a risky trip?
A.St. Lucia. B.Mexico City, Mexico.
C.New York City. D.Paris.
2.What is special about Mexico City?
A.Its weather is always great.
B.It often offers discounted air tickets.
C.It provides magical experience in winter.
D.It is the most searched winter travel destination.
3.What can we learn about Paris?
A.It is a fashionable city.
B.Its climate is quite perfect.
C.Its winter sports are attractive.
D.It is a popular tourist destination in spring.
阅读下面短文, 根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
On Friday evening, Emmett and I went to a movie as scheduled. After purchasing the tickets and drinks, we entered the cinema with delight beforehand, waiting for the beginning of the movie.
When I got up in the middle of the movie, Emmett whispered, “ Carter, where are you going?” “I forgot to call my mom to tell her what time to pick us up.” I whispered back, leaving my jacket on the seat.
I squeezed past the people in my row, trying not to step on any feet while still watching the screen. I didn’t want to miss a thing. Balfour, the good guy in the movie, was trapped in an underground cave.
When I came back, Balfour’s flashlight almost went out. An enormous snake was moving toward him, twisting its body. Balfour struggled to loosen the chains around his hands and feet to reach his magic cape (魔法斗篷). With the cape around him, he could completely disappear.
I crawled (缓慢行进) back across eight people (I counted on the way out), never taking my eyes off the screen. I sat down in my seat slowly, then picked up my drink, and swallowed it quickly. But suddenly my brain said, “That’s not coke. That’s lemonade.” I looked down at the cup, just as the girl next to me shouted, “He drank my lemonade!”
“Shhhh!” the people around us said, making quiet complaints.
“Where’s Emmett?” I asked, as if the girl had hidden him under her seat.
“Carter, down here,” Emmett answered in a low voice. He was two rows ahead of me. I was in the wrong row! Everyone was turning around to look at me.
“Here,” I said, handing the girl her drink.
“Eww,” she said. “You have had a drink of it, so you owe me a lemonade.”
“Shhhh!” everyone said again.
“OK, OK,” I said, starting my crawl across eight sets of feet again. Everybody were complaining as I inched out.
“Don’t come back,” the boy on the end said.
注意:
1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2. 至少使用 5 个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1
But the problem was that I had to come back to bring this girl a new lemonade.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
I thought about crawling out of this row and back into Emmett’s row, but I couldn’t.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假如你是李华，你的笔友Eric 想了解你校学生毕业后如何处理旧书。请你给他写封回信，介绍你校学生会开展的”绿色离校(Be a Green school-leaver)”旧书回收项目。内容包括:
1. 写信目的；
2. 旧书处理做法及意义。
注意:1. 词数 80 左右
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
When I was eight, I wanted a toy and needed $10 to buy it. But, as usual, I was broken. I decided to ask my 11-year-old sister, Kathleen, for a loan. I went to her room, _______ her for the cash. Laughing, she agreed to lend me the money, but _______, “I will charge you 10 percent compound interest every _______ until you pay me back.”
“Compound interest-what’s that?” I asked.
“Well, interest is what you call the _______ money borrowers have to pay back on a loan,” she explained. “Compound interest means that the interest payments get bigger and bigger the _______ it takes you to pay back the loan. To repay the loan, you will need to give me $11 after one month. If you wait two months to pay me back, your _______ will grow from $10 to $11. So I’ll be charging you interest on $11. Then I will add that interest to the $11 you already owe me, for a _______ of $12.10. That’s what you’ll owe after two months. “
“Sure. I get it,” I said. Though truthfully, I was getting _______.
Kathleen lent me the money, and I bought the toy. My birthday came a month later, and my mom gave me $10. _______, that was just the amount I needed to buy another toy I wanted ________. I ________ paying my sister for a month. After another month, I forgot about the loan.
Several months later, on Christmas morning, my sister and I each found a $20 bill in our stockings. I was just putting it into my pocket ________ Kathleen tapped me on the shoulder.
“Sorry, kiddo. That’s mine. I’m ________ your debt.”
“Huh?” Then I ________ the loan. “Hey! How can it be that much? I only borrowed $10.”
“True,” she said, “but interest has been compounding for eight months. Now you owe me $21.43.” She paused, and then, smiling triumphantly, said, “You can pay me the $1.43.”
I ________ to believe that a $10 loan could more than double so quickly. Much to my ________, my sister got her pencil and tablet and showed me exactly how it all ________.
My head ________ as I tried to keep track of Kathleen’s calculations, but this time, I got the basic ________of compound interest. I learned from this ________experience that borrowing money could be “double trouble” in no time.
1.A.begging B.blaming C.searching D.preparing
2.A.suggested B.swore C.explained D.added
3.A.month B.year C.week D.day
4.A.little B.extra C.enough D.same
5.A.shorter B.more C.longer D.less
6.A.cash B.debt C.note D.saving
7.A.total B.cost C.number D.bill
8.A.encouraged B.shocked C.satisfied D.confused
9.A.Gradually B.Obviously C.Hopefully D.Unfortunately
10.A.seriously B.desperately C.secretly D.willingly
11.A.decided on B.put off C.gave away D.cared about
12.A.after B.until C.while D.when
13.A.carrying B.relying C.collecting D.focusing
14.A.neglected B.complained C.stated D.remembered
15.A.decided B.pretended C.refused D.managed
16.A.relief B.delight C.annoyance D.regret
17.A.added up B.showed up C.turned up D.sped up
18.A.turned B.hurt C.stuck D.nodded
19.A.idea B.lesson C.benefit D.discovery
20.A.unfair B.worthless C.painful D.decisive
