【推荐1】In 2008, the US Department of Homeland Security asked Scot Borg at the United States Cyber Consequences Unit, a non-profit organization to look into what might happen if the Internet went down. Borg and his colleagues analyzed the economic_________of computer and Internet outages (中断) in the US from 2000 onwards. Looking at quarterly financial reports from the 20 companies that claimed to be most affected in each case, as well as more general economic statistics, they discovered that the financial impact of the an outage was surprisingly_________—at least for outages that lasted no more than four days, which is all they studied.

“These were instances where_________losses were being claimed — in the hundreds of millions and even billions of dollars.” Borg says. “But while some industries like hotels, and airlines firms suffered a bit, even they didn’t_________very big losses.”

It turned out that losing Internet_________for a few days just made people_________their work. “People carried out all the same activities they would have done had the internet been up, but they just did it two or three days later.” Borg says.

In some cases, shutting down the Internet for a short time might even_________productivity. In another study, Borg and his colleagues analyzed what happened when a company suffered an Internet outage that lasted four hours or more. Rather than use their thumbs, employees did things that they would_________put off, such as dealing with paperwork. The result was a boost for_________. “We jokingly suggested that if every company__________their computers for a few hours each month and make people do the tasks they__________, there’s be an overall productivity benefit,” Borg says. “I see no reason why that wouldn’t also__________to basically the whole economy.”

Travel probably would not be affected too much__________, either — so long as the blackout lasted no more than a day or so. Planes can fly without the Internet, and trains and buses would continue to run. Longer outages would start to have an effect on logistics (物流), however. Without the Internet it would be__________for businesses to operate. “I’ve suggested that people and businesses should have a plan__________Internet loss, but I haven’t heard of anyone doing that yet.” Eagle-man says.

【推荐3】Faster, cheaper, better — technology is one field many people rely upon to offer a vision of a brighter future. But as the 2020s dawn, _______ is in short supply. The new technologies _______ the past decade seem to mess up the things. Social media are better known for invading privacy, spreading fake news. E-commerce is   _______ with underpaying workers and exacerbating inequality. Parents worry that smartphones have turned their children into screen-addicted zombies.

_______ the technologies expected to dominate the new decade also seem to cast a dark shadow. Artificial intelligence (AI) may well threaten your job. Autonomous cars still do not work, but manage to kill people all the same. Internet giants have changed from talent _______ to outcasts (被排斥者). The New York Times sums up the gloom. “A mood of pessimsim”, it writes, has _______” the idea of inevitable progress born in the scientific and industrial revolutions.”

_______ that particular technologies might be doing more harm than good, have arisen before. In the 1970s the gloom was prompted by concerns about overpopulation, environmental damage and the prospect of nuclear immolation. The 1920s witnessed a backlash against cars, which had earlier been seen as a _______ answer to the affliction of horse-drawn vehicles — which filled the streets with noise and dung, and caused congestion and accidents. Similarly, in the 19^th century industrialization was greeted with _______ from socialists, who worried (with good reason) about the displacement of skilled artisans.

However, that pessimism can be ________ .Too often people focus on the drawbacks of a new technology while taking its benefits for granted. Worries about screen time should be ________ the much more substantial benefits of instant communication and the easy access to information and entertainment that smartphones make possible. A further danger is something Carl Benedikt Frey, an Oxford academic, calls a “technology trap”. Fears that robots will ________ people’s jobs may motivate politicians to tax them, for example, to discourage their use. ________ in the long run countries that wish to maintain their standard of living as their workforce ages and shrinks will need more robots, not fewer.

Any powerful technology can be used for good or ill. Technology itself has no agency: it is the ________ people make about it that shape the world. Thus the tech-lash is a necessary step in the adoption of important new technologies. At its best, it helps frame how society ________ innovations and imposes rules and policies that limit their destructive potential. Healthy skepticism means that these questions are settled by a broad debate, not by a small group of technologists.

【推荐2】Recently I was very busy and I needed a timeout. So I decided to drive to the supermarket and pick up dinner instead of doing my usual ______.

In the supermarket, I took fat and juicy chicken and some warm cornbread. As the cashier began processing my items, I______my bag for my credit card. However, I realized my wallet was not there. In______, I told the cashier I had left my money at home and apologized sincerely, offering to______my items to where I______them. Just at that moment the supermarket owner appeared, saying “Please, take everything home and______the dinner. It’s on the house tonight!” I tried to______the lovely offer but he______a dark chocolate bar near the counter and said, “Here! Take this, too!” His act of______lifted everybody present. I thanked him______for making my day.

When I approached home, as I______into my driveway, I saw my next-door neighbor had just mowed my lawn (草坪). He was putting on the finishing touches, clearing the cut grass. Feeling______, I jumped out of my car and asked him how much he wanted for his ______, to which he replied,“Nothing at all. The lawn needed doing.” He______me off summarily as he returned to his home. A second scoop of good______had landed in my lap, which again reminded me kindness is everywhere in the world.

【推荐3】It all began when I moved to Dallas in the fourth grade. I ______ that I was behind in my reading at Saint Michael's School. Reading out loud, I had difficulty with half the ______ . My teacher, Mrs. Agnew, said my reading comprehension and ability to ______ words was at a lower level than other fourth graders. She suggested that I be tested for dyslexia(阅读障碍). The test made me feel uncomfortable,and I was ______ to answer the questions, in fear of facing the ______

The test results showed that I had developmental dyslexia. At first I felt discouraged by this diagnosis(诊断) ______ eventually, I became determined to ______ my disability. I got tutors and speech therapy. I would read difficult books, hoping to ______ the confidence I had in myself.

I had finally overcome my learning disability. But even though I had conquered(征服)one of the biggest ______ in my life, I still felt like something was missing.

The missing link was ______ when I walked down the hall of the hospital as a ______ , the same hospital where I had once sat, nervous and confused. Because I felt so lucky to have got so much help from this facility, I wanted to ______ by helping patients here.

One day a little girl in a wheelchair asked me to read a book to her. I read the book very ______ so that she could understand the story. When I left, the girl thanked me for reading to her. Eight years ago I would have ______ to read a book to this little girl, but now I was ______ . I had overcome my disability and was helping others to overcome theirs.