We live surrounded by advanced technology.
Actually, all of our modern things are based on older technologies. Ancient people didn't necessarily have steel or wheels or, electronic communication. Yet, they built monument (纪念碑) even bigger than Stonehenge.
At first, scientists long believed that the ancients who lived 80,000 years ago were the first to throw spears with stone tips. Then came the discovery of 279,000-year-old stone spear tips in Ethiopia These pushed the date back.
Scientists have been trying to figure out how ancient people developed their tools and build their cities and monuments.
| A．Ancient people were really clever |
| B．Not all of these technologies are useful |
| C．For example, there are skyscrapers and spaceships |
| D．They also raised huge stone heads on Easter Island |
| E．They use modern technologies to explore the ancient places |
| F．Not all of advanced technologies were limited to modern people |
| G．And it has been suggested that even prehuman species hunted with spears |
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【推荐1】Beethoven, one of the world’s most-loved musicians, is famous for his nine symphonies (交响乐). His melodies (旋律) are often used in movies, TV shows, and even cartoons. When Beethoven died in 1827, he had some ideas for a 10th symphony. But all that he left behind were some notes about the piece and a few “sketches” (草稿) — short bits of written music. Computer scientists and musicians have now used artificial intelligence to finish his 10th symphony.
In 2019, a special team of musicians, computer scientists, and historians was formed. Their goal was to try to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony to celebrate his 250th birthday. The team didn’t just want to complete the symphony, but they wanted to come as close as possible to producing the symphony that Beethoven meant to write. That’s where deep learning came in.
To train an AI to help with the symphony, the team turned every piece of music that Beethoven ever wrote into a form the computer could understand. By feeding the program all of Beethoven’s music, the AI could look for patterns in the way Beethoven wrote. Other members of the team studied Beethoven’s notes and sketches, and worked to figure out what Beethoven was planning to do.
One early test told the team they were on the right track. They took a few minutes of music created by the AI based on Beethoven’s sketches, and played it for Beethoven experts, musicians, and reporters. No one could tell which parts had been written by Beethoven and which parts the AI made up. Finally, the AI had the challenge of trying to connect the little musical bits into a symphony.
It took over two years, but the team was able to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony. It is not simply a melody, but 40 minutes of music for a full orchestra — a large group of musicians playing everything from string instruments, like violins, to trumpets, drums, and pianos. Last Saturday night, the piece was performed for the first time ever by the Beethoven Orchestra in Bonn, Germany.
1. What can be inferred about Beethoven from paragraph 1?| A．The 10th Symphony is his last work. |
| B．He wanted artificial intelligence to work for him. |
| C．His works are widely used in films and TV programs. |
| D．His 10th Symphony is the best known among his works. |
| A．To study deep learning with the Beethoven’s music patterns. |
| B．To play Beethoven’s symphonies to make them world-famous. |
| C．To learn the different styles of Beethoven’s symphonies. |
| D．To finish Beethoven’s 10th Symphony in celebration of his 250th birthday. |
| A．To add different notes to the symphony. |
| B．To find the missing Beethoven’s notes and sketches. |
| C．To combine pieces of written music into a symphony. |
| D．To tell the difference between Beethoven’s works and others’. |
| A．Imagine AI Writes and Sings Songs |
| B．Beethoven’s Symphonies Hit Germany Again |
| C．Language Models Help Beethoven Sing |
| D．Musicians Use AI to Help Finish Beethoven’s 10th Symphony |
【推荐2】Google’s self-driving car is designed to work without a gas pedal(踏板)or steering wheel(方向盘). Now, the company has confirmed that the car doesn’t have any windscreen wipers either, because there’s no need for passengers to see where they are being driven.
The car requires no input from a driver, other than telling it the destination. There is no driving in the way we know it and all people inside the cars will be passengers who can spend their time paying no attention to the road. While the car may not need windscreen wipers, the lack of them may make passengers feel helpless if they are unable to see where they are going clearly.
Google’s two-seater “bubble” cars have buttons to begin and end the drive, but no other controls. An on-board computer uses data from sensors, including radar(雷达)and cameras, to make turns and navigate its way around pedestrians and other vehicles. Under the vision made public by Google, passengers might set their destination by typing it into a map or using commands. The new car can’t go faster than 25 miles per hour(40 km/h). It is electric and has to be recharged after 80 miles(129 km). They can only be used in areas that have been thoroughly mapped by Google.
Google has been testing its self-driving cars since 2009 and its steering wheel-less sample since early this summer. It intends on making its driverless cars available to consumers in the next five years. The ultimate goal of the project is computer-controlled cars that can get rid of human error, which results in about 90 percent of the 1.2 million road deaths that occur worldwide each year and it was also inspiring to start with a blank sheet of paper.
1. Why may people feel helpless riding in Google’s self-driving car?| A．They have no idea of the destination. | B．There are no other controls. |
| C．They are unable to see the road clearly. | D．The car is traveling too fast. |
| A．The tests the car needs to pass. |
| B．What the drivers need to drive the car. |
| C．The development of the new car. |
| D．How Google’s self-driving car works. |
| A．25 miles. | B．40 miles. | C．80 miles. | D．129 miles. |
| A．Google began to test self-driving cars this summer. |
| B．The majority of the road deaths are caused by drivers. |
| C．Driver less cars will be available to consumers next year. |
| D．Google’s computer controlled cars fire the drivers’ inspiration. |
【推荐3】Today just as technology changed the face of industry, farms have undergone an "agricultural revolution". On the farm of today, machines provide almost all the power.
One of the most important benefits will be the farm computer. The computers help them keep more accurate records so they can make better decisions on what crops to plant, how much livestock (家畜) to buy, when to sell their products, and how much profit they can expect. Many computer companies have been developing special computer programs just for farmers. In the future, farmers will be able to purchase computer programs made to their needs. Because of the growing importance of computers on the farm, students at agricultural colleges are required to take computer classes in addition to their normal agricultural courses. There can be no doubt that farmers will rely on computers even more in the future. While the old-time farm depended on horse power, and modern farms depend on machine power, farms of the future will depend on computer power.
Another technological advance which is still in the experimental stage is the robot, a real "mechanized hired hand" that will be able to move and, in some ways, think like a human being. Agricultural engineers believe that computer-aided robots will make big changes in farming before the end of the century. Unlike farmers of the present, farmers of the future will find that many day-to-day tasks will be done for them. Scientists are now developing robots that will be able to drive tractors, and harvest fruit. Even complex jobs will be done by robots. For example, in order to milk their cows, farmers must first drive them into the barn, then connect them to the milking machines, watch the machines, and disconnect them when they are finished. In the future, this will all be done by robots. The complete mobilization (活动) of the farm is far in the future, but engineers expect that some robots will be used before long.
1. According to the passage, computers cannot help farmers decide _______.| A．how much money they can earn from their products |
| B．whether to plant a certain kind of crop |
| C．what livestock to raise |
| D．when to sell their products |
| A．Farmers in the future will depend totally on computers. |
| B．Both computers and robots have been in use on today's farms. |
| C．Farmers mainly use machines on their farms at present. |
| D．Students at agricultural colleges must take computer classes because they can do nothing without them. |
| A．All farm work. |
| B．Milking cows. |
| C．Some farm work. |
| D．Most of the farm work. |
| A．Computer, Farmers' Best Friend |
| B．Farmers in The Future |
| C．Computers and Robots |
| D．The Agricultural Revolution |
【推荐1】Pirates: Romance and Reality
In the movies, pirates (海盗) have exciting and adventurous lives.
A Pirate’s Life
While movie pirates are men in search of adventure, the average pirate was usually trying to escape from a different life. Some were ex-sailors who were treated poorly on their ships.
In movies, pirates have chests full of gold and piles of money stolen from other people. However it as far more common for pirates to steal things like cloth, spices, and even medicine. They often sold these things.
Pirate Style
Movie pirates often wear eye patches and have wooden legs. Many real pirates also looked like this. Why?
| A．Pirate Heaven |
| B．Pirate Treasure |
| C．One reason was the poor living conditions. |
| D．Others were escaped slaves who wanted their freedom. |
| E．But what was life actually like for an 18th –century pirate? |
| F．The men also divided the income from stolen goods fairly. |
| G．Also, unlike movie pirates, real pirates didn't bury their money. |
【推荐2】“The Lion King” is one of Disney’s highest earners. But behind “The Lion King”, a true story of Sundiata Keita is still largely invisible outside his own country.
Known as the Lion of Mali, Sundiata was the founder of the Malian Empire, the largest kingdom in West Africa. His empire expanded more than 1,000 miles from the Atlantic coast all the way to the Niger River. Sundiata ruled from 1235 to 1255.
Sundiata’s father, King Naré Maghann Konaté, was told by fortune tellers that if he married an ugly woman she would give birth to a son who would become a mighty and magnificent king. He already had a wife named Sassouma Bereté and a son named Dankaran Tourman. However, Konate took Sogolon Kedjou as his second wife. She gave birth to Sundiata, who was born disabled. Though the king favored him, both Sogolon and Sundiata were unfairly teased for his disability.
Sundiata became a great leader among his people, sparking resentment from his half-brother Tourman who wanted the throne for himself. When Konaté died, many suspected that he had been murdered. Fearful of an attack on their lives. Sogolon took Sundiata and the rest of her children and fled. The Mandinka people were taken over by the cruel and unfair King Soumaoro Kante of the Sosso people.
In need of their true leader, the people sent word for Sundiata to return and take his rightful place as the king. Outside of the country, Sundiata built alliances with the king of Mema and other local rulers. He gathered an army to free the Mandinka people and defeat the Sosso king. Upon his victorious return, he adopted a new title for himself. “Mansa,” which means king or emperor in Mandinka. Sundiata’s kingdom became one of the most wealthy and powerful empires in history.
1. Why is the movie “The Lion King” mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To show us one of Disney’s achievements. |
| B．To encourage a view of the movie. |
| C．To introduce a true story. |
| D．To tell us its popularity among the public. |
| A．Because she was a recognized beauty. |
| B．Because he expected her to produce a great successor. |
| C．Because she adored him for his immense power. |
| D．Because he was not content with his first wife. |
| A．Inspiration. | B．Anger. |
| C．Admiration. | D．Guilt. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A diary. |
| C．A guidebook. | D．A novel. |
【推荐3】Henderson Island is a coral island raised above the South Pacific Ocean. No people live on it. The island is 9.6 kilometers long and 5.1 kilometers wide. It has an area of 37.3 km2. Henderson Island became a World Heritage Site in 1988 because of its bird life.
All the four kinds of special land birds (Henderson Crake, Henderson Fruit Dove, Henderson Lorikeet and Henderson Reed-warbler) can only be seen on Henderson Island. There are also fifteen non-local seabirds. Other local things include nine kinds of plants (of the sixty-three kinds on the island), four kinds of land snails (蜗牛) (of the sixteen kinds), and one butterfly (the only kind on the island).
Although no people live on Henderson Island, archaeological evidence suggests that a small Polynesian (波利尼西亚) group lived here between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries until it disappeared. The reasons for its disappearance are unknown, but are probably related to the similar disappearance of the Polynesians on Pitcairn Island. The Hendersonians would have depended on them for many of the basics of life.
On January 29, 1606, Henderson Island was discovered by Portuguese sailor Pedro Fernandes de Queiros, who named it San Joao Baptista. On January 17, 1819, the island was rediscovered by British Captain Henderson of the British Fast India Company, and named Henderson Island. On March 2, 1819, Captain Henry King, sailing on the Elizabeth, landed on the island to find the Union flag already flying. His crew scratched the name of their ship on a tree, and for some years the name of the island was Elizabeth or Henderson.
In the early 1980’s, American businessman Arthur M. Ratliff expressed interest in buying Hendersons Island, and establishing a small settlement with an airstrip, farm and large houses. But the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office refused it at last, after environmentalist groups persuaded them to protect the natural ecology and environment of the island.
1. What contributes to Henderson Island becoming a World Heritage Site?| A．Its unique land birds. |
| B．Its special wildlife. |
| C．Its beautiful coral. |
| D．No living people on it. |
| A．British Captain Henderson. |
| B．British Captain Henny King. |
| C．A small Polynesian group. |
| D．Portuguese sailor Pedro Fernandes de Queiros. |
| A．after it was first discovered on January 29, 1606 |
| B．after it was rediscovered on January 17, 1819 |
| C．until Henry King sailed on Elizabeth and landed on it |
| D．until in 1988 it became a World Heritage Site |
| A．the British Commonwenlth office disagreed |
| B．his small settlement caused damage to it |
| C．he wanted to buy it at a lower price |
| D．environmentalists convinced officers to take it as reserve |
