China is recognized as a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence and facial recognition systems. A Chinese company says it has created a new facial recognition system that can identify people even if they are wearing masks. Engineers at the Beijing-based company say their system is the first to be created to effectively identify people wearing face masks.
The company told a news agency that a team of 20 people built the system in about a month. The system is based on existing technologies developed over the past 10 years. The process involved adding a collection of about 6 million unmasked faces and a much smaller collection of masked faces, the company said.
The company is now selling two main kinds of products that use the new technology. One performs "single channel" recognition, which is designed to be used at the entrances to buildings.
The other product is a "multi-channel" recognition system that uses groups of surveillance cameras. It can identify individuals in a crowd of up to 30 people "within a second.
"When people are wearing a mask that covers the mouth and the nose, the recognition rate can reach about 95%, which can ensure that most people can be identified," said Huang, vice president of the company. He added that the system's success rate for people not wearing a mask is about 99.5%.
However, the new system struggles to identify people wearing both a mask and sunglasses. "In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough," Huang said.
People were reacting differently to the new technology. While some citizens have been against using such tools, the majority have accepted the technology as an effective way to decrease crime and catch criminals.
1.What did the company do to build the system?
A.They gathered many face images.
B.They employed hundreds of people.
C.They used the latest technology.
D.They spent about a decade building it.
2.According to the passage, which of the following can be true?
A.The new system has already been used by the police.
B.The recognition rate of masked faces is about 99.5%.
C.It's hard to recognize people with masks and sunglasses.
D.The single channel product is as powerful as the multi-channel.
3.Which of the key facial information might have the biggest impact on recognition rate?
A.One's eyes. B.One's nose.
C.One's mouth. D.One's hair.
4.What is the main purpose of the text?
A.To show conflicting attitudes toward the system.
B.To introduce a new facial recognition system.
C.To advertise two products of facial recognition.
D.To show the advantages of facial recognition.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, yes, and drink all of them. Then you're ready for an adventure.
Researchers from the University of Sussex in England say they have found for the first time experimental evidence that sour tastes lead to more risk-taking behaviour in a paper published on 7 June, 2019.
In the study, 168 volunteers from the UK and Vietnam were given a 20ml solution representing one of the five main taste groups: bitter, salty, sour, sweet and umami. The tasters then took part in a computerized test that measures risk-taking: they got paid to blow up a digital balloon. The more air in the balloon, the more money they could get; they could cash out whenever they wanted. But if the balloon popped or exploded? Bye bye , potential winnings.
When the researchers studied the performance of the volunteers, they found the people who'd tasted sour were much more likely to keep pumping up the balloon compared with people who'd gotten a taste of the other solutions. On average, sour tasters were 39% more likely to push the balloon to its limits than sweet tasters, 20.50% more than bitter, 16.03% more than salty and 40.29% more than umami.
This finding makes a degree of sense—without taking risks, we don't learn anything new. And it is obvious that people with disorders such as anxiety and depression are unwilling to take risks. So, the researchers argue, if you have these disorders, maybe adding more sour foods into your diet could help keep that aversion in check. Then you'd be more likely to take chances, like talking to a stranger, and that will lead to self-improvement.
1.Where does this passage most probably come from?
A.A travel guide. B.A novel.
C.A magazine. D.A poster.
2.What can we learn about the volunteers?
A.They came from the University of Sussex in England.
B.They got one taste drink after they filled up a balloon.
C.Those who blew up a digital balloon got more money.
D.Sour tasters were likely to push the balloon to its limits.
3.This finding may be more helpful to the people who .
A.are in a negative mood
B.like to drink lemonade
C.joined in the experiment
D.like talking to strangers
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.Good Tastes Encourage Adventures.
B.Sour Tastes Make You Risk-taking.
C.Lemonade Does Good to Health.
D.Sour Foods Keep You Happy.
In 2009, I rescued a skittish donkey. Bo came from a nearby cattle ranch and now lives peacefully on my ranch in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana. But the key to Bo's successful recovery from nervous rescue to happy ranch animal wasn't anything I did. It was my grandson, Dylan.
Dylan came with his parents to spend some days with me on their way to Canada for a vacation. Bo kept his distance from the grown-ups, but he showed an unusual fascination with Dylan. So we decided to introduce them.
“Move slowly, be quiet, and stoop down sometimes,” I told my grandson. Dylan carefully approached Bo, step by step, holding a soft rubber currycomb. Bo held his ground, but he seemed interested by this little visitor. Dylan rubbed Bo's shoulders and neck with the comb, softly and gently.
It's hard for an almost four-year-old to stay still for long. Dylan made one quick move, and Bo was terrified running off. But Bo and Dylan were not ready to give up. Dylan approached again. It was amazing to witness a preschooler learn to control himself in such a short time.
As we watched, true love developed between this once distrustful donkey and a gentle boy. Over the next few days, Dylan felt free to sit at Bo's feet while Bo carefully nibbled his shirt collar and hair and rubbed Dylan's back with his bristly chin. Just as Dylan had earned Bo's trust, Bo came up to and hugged him --- yes, a donkey can hug — without knocking him off balance.
They met again one week later as the family passed through on their return trip. It was almost dark, but Dylan and his dad travelled far to reach the ranch. Bo came to meet them cheerfully. He is now a changed and trusting donkey.
1.What can we learn about Bo according to paragraph 1?
A.He lived peacefully on a cattle ranch. B.He was rescued from the ranch by Dylan.
C.He was from Bitterroot Valley of Montana. D.He no longer suffers from nervousness.
2.What does the underlined word “fascination” in the second paragraph probably mean?
A.Amusement. B.Interest. C.Patience. D.Respect.
3.What happened after Bo was introduced to Dylan?
A.They became friends immediately. B.They were afraid of each other.
C.Dylan's sudden move frightened Bo. D.Bo refused the combing from Dylan.
4.What can we infer from the story?
A.Dylan and Bo meet once a week. B.Dylan will stay on the ranch for Bo.
C.Dylan was knocked down by Bo. D.Dylan's gentleness has changed Bo.
Some libraries use specially-designed buildings to encourage visitors to explore the shelves and settle down with a new book, or use movable libraries to bring books to hard-to-reach populations. No matter how they achieve it, these novel libraries are keeping the magic of reading alive.
The Camel Library Service
To improve education in the desert of Kenya, the government created a travelling library made up of nine camels bringing books to villages. The library travels four days a week serving the region's nomadic （游牧的）people. Currently the service focuses on children, but with more funding they plan to increase their reach both in distance and the titles they carry.
Beach Library
Reading a book on the beach is a classic, and in Bulgaria, one library encourages tourists to do just that. The white, weather-resistant shelves lined up not far from the waves feature 6,000 books in 15 languages, so every visitor can find the perfect beach read to enjoy while sunbathing.
Macquarie University Library
Being environmentally friendly and technologically advanced, this building in Australia was made from recycled materials, features a green roof and was modelled after the look of a tree. It is also state-of -the-art, using robots to bring requested books to the front desk.
Seikei University Library
Libraries are usually known for their quiet atmosphere, but this one encourages conversation. Hayao designed the library in Japan with rooms preventing all sound from getting in and out. In this way, it shows respect for those who need undisturbed study, while also supporting other methods of learning; the rooms are perfect for study groups and lively discussions.
1.What is special about the Camel Library Service?
A.The library serves camels. B.The library is not a fixed one.
C.It improves tourism in deserts. D.It combines education with travelling.
2.The tree-like library may probably attract those who .
A.prefer sunshine B.want to be models
C.are friendly D.care about nature
3.Which library welcomes group discussion?
A.Beach Library. B.The Camel Library Service.
C.Seikei University Library. D.Macquarie University Library.
— How is your recent trip to the Great Wall?
—I've never had ______ one before.
A.the most pleasant B.a pleasant
C.a most pleasant D.a more pleasant
The storm lasted nearly a week, ______ in the garden.
A.left something eatable B.leaving nothing eatable
C.leaving eatable something D.left eatable nothing
