It may seem clear to you that the image in which Barack Obama and David Cameron are kissing their spouses has been doctored (篡改) and cut together. But out on the Internet, not everyone will see it that way.
After the 2016 election, Facebook created a program to fact — check posts. They started paying organizations like Reuters and Politifact to mark content like this. Another agency looked through thousands of marked posts and saw all sorts of misinformation. Much of it was manipulated (操纵的) content—something that started off real but was later changed in some way to convey incorrect information. Some of those were doctored photos that were presented as real.
But many more were photos that weren't doctored. They were just not what the poster claimed. Like this photo: Dr. Anthony Fauci and Obama supposedly visiting “the Wuhan lab” in 2015 with Melinda Cates. The photo is “real”—it comes from the NIH. But that' s not Wuhan, it's Maryland. And that's not even Melinda Gates. We saw a lot of examples like this. And don' t think a post isn't manipulated just because it has numbers in it. The person who posted this map said it showed the number of missing children by county in Ohio last year. This is real data that really comes from the Ohio Attorney General' s office. Although it actually shows missing children reports, that's misleading. There were 20 ,000 reports in 2018, but less than 2% of those children were still missing when the report was published. Nearly all of them were safely recovered that year.
Unfortunately, we can't rely on just Facebook's fact—checking partners to prevent misinformation. Only a small part of the millions of posts circulating every day on the platform can be checked. According to the News Literacy Project, consumers should keep an eye on where a piece of information is coming from. Is it a reliable news agency? Are other news organizations reporting similar information? Where did an image or video first appear?
Misinformation often plays upon emotional responses. So if a questionable bit of information leaves you in anger, it may be manipulated content trying to manipulate you.
1. Why did Facebook create the program?| A．To delete misleading posts. | B．To correct misinformation. |
| C．To analyze misinformation. | D．To check misleading posts. |
| A．Misinformation is originally unreal. |
| B．A post containing real data is reliable. |
| C．A post having numbers is easily believed. |
| D．Ohio is not a safe place for children. |
| A．manipulate readers. | B．avoid checking. |
| C．earn more money. | D．amuse readers. |
| A．All Sorts of Misinformation |
| B．Unavoidable Misinformation |
| C．Doctored Photos on Facebook |
| D．Manipulated Misinformation on the Internet |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】The Internet has revolutionized our lives to such an extent(程度) that for most people, the global network has become more than just a tool rather an important aid in everyday life. More and more people go online as wireless networks have brought the Internet closer and closer it's on our mobile phones, in out cars and TV sets, in hospital surgery rooms and in fishing boats that battle the waves of the Atlantic.
And this revolution has brought along with it a new way of shopping. Both big and small, e-business websites have flooded the Internet by the hundreds of thousands. Anything you can buy from a brick and mortar store(实体店) you can also buy online: from food and clothes to toys. no matter what you're looking for, you're bound to find the right online store with just a few clicks of the mouse. You can use the Internet to find new suppliers, post buying requests or search for products and services.
This revolution has affected brick and mortar business owners greatly. And what was their reaction? They've opened online stores to go hand in hand with their conventional businesses.
But do the big players have reasons to be afraid? Are we going to start seeing ghostly, deserted Walmarts(沃尔玛) across the country? Probably not in the near future but the day will come when most people will just stop shopping offline anymore. A trip to Walmarts wastes time and burns gas.
The recent advancements in mobile technology and the introduction of mobile phones with improved web capabilities have even made some people order their groceries when they get out from work and have them delivered at their doorstep by the time they get home. And as "Time is money", this practice is lifesaving for people who work two jobs.
Technology will continue to advance and e-business will follow closely in its footsteps. Everything will become easier and less time consuming, leaving us more time to enjoy the things that really matter in life: the ones we love, our friends and hobbies.
1. What is Paragraph 1 mainly about?| A．The popularity of mobile phones. | B．The great influence of the internet. |
| C．The importance of the Internet. | D．The function of the global network. |
| A．to save time | B．to follow the fashion |
| C．to release pressure | D．to protect environment |
| A．A New Way of Shopping. |
| B．The Internet Revolution. |
| C．What is the Reaction to Online Shopping? |
| D．Is Online Shopping the Future of E-business? |
【推荐2】Centuries ago, influencing people on a large scale (规模) wasn’t easy for ordinary people. Word of mouth was really the only way to pass on information. Books had to be hand-copied, which took a lot of time and was expensive. When the printing press arrived, many more people could get reading materials. Go back to the present age of the, Internet and social media, anyone’s voice can be heard, and anyone’s face can be seen within seconds worldwide.
If you want to expand your incidence, online videos might be the answer. The online videos are very popular nowadays. Here are the facts: 432, 000 hours of videos are uploaded daily to YouTube. Sitting through all of them would take you 50 years! Also, the number of people watching YouTube has increased by 40 percent every year since 2014. It is said that by 2019, video traffic will be 80 percent of all Internet traffic.
In short, if you’re the kind of person that likes leaving your mark, consider becoming a YouTuber. YouTubers are people who often produce and appear in online videos. Perhaps you have thought that creating and posting videos online isn’t real work. Think again. Weng-ie, a Chinese-born Australian vlogger (博主) has more than 9 million followers. She struggles to be a success. It’s bridging that gap between making videos in your bedroom and actually building a media business.
Companies have offered her paid vacations so she could post photos online. She has to refuse several offers because she is too busy making videos.
Don’t feel like you have to be the next YouTube star in order to get started. Start small. Be patient. Have fun. A lot can be done with just your smart phone, your good idea and, most importantly you. What’s stopping you from using videos to influence the online world?
1. What does the underlined word “incidence” in paragraph 2 mean?| A．The number of videos. | B．The extent of effect. |
| C．The business done online. | D．The desire to be a vlogger. |
| A．Giving a definition. | B．Asking questions. |
| C．Giving examples. | D．Listing figures. |
| A．They are hard-working. | B．They are stars at the start. |
| C．They tend to do unreal work. | D．They make money more easily than others. |
| A．You and Your Smart phone | B．Update Your Own Videos |
| C．YouTube for You | D．The New Social Media App |
【推荐3】While physical bookshops had to close their doors during the lockdowns, sales rose strongly.
Barbara White is the buyer and children’s book manager at Wimbledon Books, an independent store in southwest London. “Obviously we had to close, but we did click-and-collect, which, in the run-up to the 2020 Christmas, was crazily busy,” she says. “People were rediscovering books and wanting to be supportive.”
After the Christmas period, sales did begin to falter, but Ms. White says a website called Bookshop.org appeared. An online retailer (零售商) of new books that first started in the US in January 2020, it shares its profits (利润) with independent physical bookstores.
Customers order from Bookshop.org, and the books are sent out from a wholesaler. Independent shops registered with (在……登记) Bookshop.org are not involved in this process; however they still get to share about a third of its profits every six months.
In addition, independent stores get all the profits from the sale of books on Bookshop. org from orders that originate through links (链接) from their own websites, social media posts, or email newsletters.
“Our goal is to help independent bookshops get a bigger share of online sales,”says Nicole Vanderbilt, managing director of Bookshop.org’s UK arm.
However, some people are arguing that it would still be better if customers buy direct from an independent bookstore.
One author who is focused on independent shops is Robin Ince, who is also a comedian, actor, and co-presenter of BBC podcast The Infinite Monkey Cage. He has just published his latest book,The Importance Of Being Interested, and is now on a tour of more than 100 such UK bookshops to sell the book.
He says that while many bookshops suffer heavy losses because of COVID-19, they still show their true worth.“Independent bookshops have kept going, and their relationship with their customers has improved,” he says.“Some got on their bikes and sent their books to people’ s front doors.” Mr Ince hopes that independent physical bookstores are here to stay despite (尽管) the advantages of buying online.
1. What kept Wimbledon Books busy before the 2020 Christmas?| A．The rising sales of books. |
| B．The new books from Bookshop.org. |
| C．Preparing gifts for readers. |
| D．Rediscovering wonderful books for readers. |
| A．Quicken. | B．Double. | C．Drop. | D．. Remain. |
| A．They must be American bookstores. |
| B．They must draw in new customers continuously. |
| C．They can get all the profits related to themselves. |
| D．They should pay the online retailer one third of their income. |
| A．They will disappear soon. |
| B．They have upgraded their services. |
| C．They need to change their sales model. |
| D．They have improved their shopping environment. |
【推荐1】Many people try to make society change for the better. The real challenge is how to get good solutions to scale up(按比例放大)for major change. New research suggests that social change may depend on the relationship between beneficial behaviors and policies.
The research, conducted by the University of Maine, University of Vermont and Université Laval in Quebec, Canada, attempted to understand how society can accomplish major, transformative social change, particularly the kind of social change necessary to solve the growing problem of climate change.
The researchers studied a behavior that benefits groups, but does not spread without pol- icy support, such as a costly measure to relieve the effects of climate change. They created a mathematical model, which simulates (模拟) a society where agents live in groups and adopt the beneficial behavior of peers. That behavior, given the right conditions, can spread like viral, but not if the institutional costs are too high.
“Large-scale social change is not just policy or behavior, but the emergence of a new self- reinforcing (自我强化)system that combines both. This allows us to ask new questions, such as “how would a new pattern of behavior and policy spread?’” says Laurent Hébert-Dufresne, lead author on the study.
The results showed that both behavioral change and policy change are required to achieve large-scale social change-and that they need to happen together. Though neither can get the job done on its own, policy change is especially critical. They found that sometimes the beneficial behavior can spread too far. In some cases, the spread of behavior beyond groups with supporting policy can reduce its perceived success and slow the spread of the policy, thereby limiting beneficial social change overall.
In future research, the team aims to apply these types of models to all sorts of beneficial social change, particularly the challenge of tackling climate change.
1. What factor may determine social change according to the research?| A．Beneficial behavior. |
| B．Good policies. |
| C．Public awareness. |
| D．Rules and beneficial action. |
| A．To understand what social change is. |
| B．To figure out the way society changes. |
| C．To accomplish trans-formative social changes. |
| D．To tackle the growing problem of climate change. |
| A．Put theory into practice. |
| B．Write essays about their study. |
| C．Take challenges of climate change. |
| D．Do surveys on their research subject. |
| A．Travel. |
| B．Amusement. |
| C．Society. |
| D．Economy. |
【推荐2】Christmas 2020 was shaping up to be a heartbreaker for Melanie Lee. A few weeks earlier, her 33-year-old son had lost his battle with a long illness. Then the transmission (变速器) on her 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe failed to work. She had no means of paying for it to be fixed.
“When it broke down, I broke down,” Lee told CNN. “Now I don’t have my baby, and I don’t have transportation. How am I supposed to stay active in my grandchildren’s lives?”
Eliot Middleton, 38, who is the owner of a barbecue restaurant and former auto mechanic, in his free time, repairs and gives away used cars. He’d heard about Lee’s difficult situation from her nephew Frank McClary, the mayor of Andrews, South Carolina. On Christmas morning, Middleton showed up unannounced at Lee’s home with a gift: a white 1993 Oldsmobile.
“I had no idea what was going on,” said Lee. “He handed me the keys and didn’t ask for anything.” Once again, she’s able to pick up her granddaughters from school and take them to dance class. “I got my freedom back.”
The idea for the used-car giveaway came to Middleton a year earlier during a food drive he’d organized. Many of those who’d lined up for a meal walked up to four miles to get there because they didn’t have cars. “Cars are a lifeline in this part of South Carolina,” Middleton told CBS. “There’s no public transportation, no Ubers, no taxis to take people to job interviews, doctor appointments, even food shopping.” So he posted on Facebook an offer to trade his restaurant’s specialty, barbecued ribs, for broken-down vehicles. Since then, friends and strangers have dropped off more than 100 cars in various states of disrepair. Many sit in Middleton’s yard waiting to be patched up and donated, usually to those he’s heard about through word of mouth. It’s a list of names that grows daily.
“People think Eliot is an angel,” Mayor McClary told the Washington Post. “And I do too.”
1. What can we learn about Melaine Lee from the text?| A．She lost her son in a car accident. |
| B．She was deeply depressed when her car broke down. |
| C．She refused to look after her grandchildren without a car. |
| D．She got a brand-new car from Middleton for free. |
| A．Some money. | B．Another car. |
| C．Some food. | D．A Christmas gift. |
| A．Fixed up. | B．Given away. |
| C．Taken apart. | D．Thrown about. |
| A．Outgoing and organized. | B．Modest and optimistic. |
| C．Generous and cautious. | D．Caring and skillful. |
【推荐3】Parenting styles have changed over the years in response to the rapid changes in the world. Whether it is tapping technology or applying the best parenting practices to meet a parenting need, parents nowadays generally invest more time in finding out how best to raise their children.
Modern parents often look to the Internet and social media for parenting advice. A parent can post questions from how to manage the constant cries of an infant to how to talk to a moody teenager, and chances are, the parent will be flooded instantly with advice and relevant articles. The availability of resources has helped modern parents engage more in their children’s development, both academically and emotionally.
A modern parenting style that has emerged is helicopter parenting, where parents are much too focused on their children. They help children with tasks they’re capable of doing on their own, like selecting activities and friends for them. Such a parenting style can hold back the development of the children’s ability to handle responsibilities independently. Children might be ill-equipped with life skills such as doing laundry, clearing their plates or coping with their schoolwork. Always protecting children from failures may also prevent them developing adaptability and acquiring skills like problem-solving.
On the other hand, parents in the past tended to monitor less. Children weren’t given more control over how to manage their schoolwork and choose their friends. They were often expected to shoulder the responsibilities of caring for younger brothers and sisters and managing housework. Living in the pre-Internet age, parents were less informed about different parenting methods and personalities.
There is no one right way to raise a child. Each child is unique and should be raised differently by parents who are present but not wandering, who are supportive but not controlling, and who protect but not care too much.
1. What does the author explain by mentioning “an infant” and “a moody teenager” in Paragraph 2?| A．Devotion to kids. |
| B．Tricky parenting problems. |
| C．Effective parenting. |
| D．Easy access to guidance. |
| A．Flexible. | B．Efficient. |
| C．Overinvolved. | D．Conventional. |
| A．They educated kids in a rigid way. |
| B．They afforded kids more space for self-growth. |
| C．They overestimated their kids’ independence. |
| D．They tended to stay away from social activities. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Indifferent. |
| C．Favorable. | D．Objective. |
【推荐1】Top Tips to Succeed in Your First Year of University
This autumn, thousands of students from around the country will be starting their first year at university.
●Find support services.
All universities offer students guidance, mental health, disability services, career centers, accommodation and financial support. The best way to get information is to talk to other students. So, take every opportunity to join groups run by senior students.
●Manage your time well.
Learning how to balance social and academic commitments is the most difficult for new students.
●
A good research is one where arguments have been debated and claims are supported by evidence. In order to do this well, you need to do the weekly readings assigned in your courses. You also need to read beyond the required list because lecturers are interested in students’ opinions that are informed by evidence. That is, they are supported by the readings and research the student has done.
●Enjoy university life!
| A．Keep up-to-date with readings. |
| B．Form good study habits from the beginning. |
| C．You can also look for information on your university’s website. |
| D．Start by dealing with the activities and exams on your semester plan. |
| E．They can offer freshmen tips on how to handle their assignments and exams. |
| F．For some students, going to university is an exciting but stressful experience. |
| G．Finally, university is not just about studying hard to achieve one’s career goals. |
【推荐2】Whenever anyone asks me what tech I’d like to see invented, I always say the universal translator, which lets you understand and speak any language.
Meta AI recently announced the start of the universal speech translator (UST) project, which aims to create AI systems that enable real-time speech-to-speech translation across all languages, even those that are spoken but not commonly written. Meta says that today’s AI translation models are focused on widely-used written languages, and that more than 40% of primarily spoken languages are not covered by such translation technologies.
According to Meta, the model is the first AI-powered speech translation system for the unwritten language Hokkien (闽南语), a Chinese language spoken in southeastern China. The system allows Hokkien speakers to hold conversations with English speakers, a significant step toward bringing people together wherever they are located.
To build UST, Meta AI focused on overcoming three important translation system challenges. It addressed data scarcity by getting more training data in more languages and finding new ways to use the data it had found. It solved the modeling problems that arise as models grow to serve many more languages. And it sought new ways to improve on its results.
Meta AI claims that the techniques it pioneered with Hokkien can be extended to many other unwritten languages — and eventually work in real time. For this purpose, Meta has released the Speech Matrix, a large collection of speech-to-speech translations, which enables other research teams to create translation models for other languages.
Artificial (人工的) speech translation could play a significant role in our world. For interactions, it will enable people from around the world to communicate with each other more smoothly, making the social net more interconnected. For content, using artificial speech translation allows you to easily localize content.
Yashar Behzadi, CEO and founder of Synthesis AI, believes that technology needs to enable more natural experiences if the digital world is to succeed. He says that one of the current challenges for UST models is the computationally expensive training that’s needed because of the wide range and very slight differences in meaning or sound of languages. Also, to train strong AI models requires vast amounts of typical data. A significant bottleneck to building these AI models in the near future will be to ensure training data collect the privacy in agreement with rules and law.
1. What text type is this passage?| A．Exposition. | B．Argumentation. | C．Narration. | D．Prose. |
| A．It changes spoken languages to written forms. |
| B．It attracts wider attention to written languages in translation. |
| C．It adds 40% of spoken languages into translation technology. |
| D．It enables real-time speech-to-speech translation across all languages. |
| A．It is expensive to collect typical data. |
| B．It increases the use of a certain language. |
| C．Its techniques are finally developed for Hokkien. |
| D．It helps inspire interactions and content localization. |
| A．AI Translation: Make Translation Faster | B．AI Translation: Meet You in All Languages |
| C．Unwritten Language: Bring People Together | D．Unwritten Language: Translation Challenge |
Humans are the only animals clearly known to shed emotional tears. Since evolution has given rise to few purposeless physiological responses, it is logical to assume that crying has one or more functions that increase survival.
Although some observers have suggested that crying is a way to ask for assistance form others (as a crying baby might from its mother), the shedding of tears is hardly necessary to get help. Vo-cal (出声的) cries would have been quite enough, more likely than tears to gain attention. So, it appears that there must be something special about tears themselves.
Indeed, the new studies suggest that emotional tears may play a direct role in easing stress. University of Minnesota researchers who are studying the chemical composition of tears have recently separated two important chemicals from emotional tears. Both chemicals are found only in tears that are shed in response to emotion. Tears shed because of exposure to cut onion would contain no such substance.
Other researchers are looking into the usefulness of tears as a means of diagnosing human ills and monitoring drugs. At Tulane University’s Teat Analysis Laboratory Dr. Peter Kastl and his colleagues report that they can use tears to detect drug abuse, to study the causes of "dry eye" syndrome(综合症) and the effects of eye surgery, and perhaps even to measure exposure to environmental pollutants.
1. What does the phrase "both those responses" in Paragraph 1 refer to?
| A．Crying out of sorrow and shedding tears for happiness. |
| B．The embarrassment and unpleasant feelings of the observers. |
| C．Linking illness with crying and finding the chemical composition of tears. |
| D．The tear shedder’s apology and the observer’s effort to stop the crying. |
| A．shedding tears gives unpleasant feelings to Americans |
| B．crying may often result in tragedy |
| C．crying usually wins sympathy from other people |
| D．one who sheds tears in public will be blamed |
| A．It is a pointless physiological response to the environment. |
| B．It must have a role to play in man' s survival. |
| C．It is meant to get attention and assistance. |
| D．It usually produces the desired effect. |
| A．it is unnatural for people to shed tears |
| B．we can reduce our stress by shedding tears |
| C．shedders of tears can' t get help by crying loudly |
| D．unlike animals, humans can shed tears for survival |
