As the novel coronavirus outbreak interrupts businesses and everyday life for billions around the globe, massive conferences have moved online. The new form creates numerous technical and organizational challenges, but it also offers opportunities--for reaching wider audiences, reducing the carbon footprint of meeting travel and improving diversity. For some meetings, the switch may be lasting.
The scientific community is “making lemonade out of lemons,” an expert says. “Scientists are making use of a situation that’s really quite horrible and providing people a way to connect.”
In many ways, virtual conferences offer a better experience, says Altman, associate director of the Stanford Institute for AI. Altman’s institute had planned an inperson conference in April, but COVID-19 forced organizers to change it. They threw together a virtual conference to discuss how AI can help scientists fight the ongoing pandemic (流行病). The event was a great success. The original conference would have drawn a few hundred attendees, but 30,000 people watched the online version.
Altman says the virtual environment allowed hosts to better control the flow of discussion and questions from the audience. By privately messaging one another behind the scenes, they were able to make adjustments (调整). During the audience question period, the hosts didn’t open up the virtual floor for anyone to speak. Instead, they asked the audience to type their questions and screen the most insightful (有深刻见解的)ones.
Scientists acknowledge that virtual conferences can’t completely replace the conference experience. Virtual meetings might lose some of their appeal once stay-at-home requirements loosen. Even so, the success of some scientists further strengthens the society’s march toward virtual meetings.
1. What does the underlined phrase “making lemonade out of lemons” refer to?| A．Working tirelessly to fight the pandemic. |
| B．Taking advantage of the difficult situation. |
| C．Doing research on how to make lemonade. |
| D．Committing themselves to their conferences. |
| A．A larger audience. | B．Better arrangement. |
| C．Environmental friendliness. | D．Beating the ongoing pandemic. |
| A．Provide some advice for the hosts. | B．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| C．Introduce a new topic for the audience. | D．List some advantages of virtual conferences. |
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【推荐1】On April 18—the International Day for Monuments and Sites, China Daily’s digital employee Yuanxi and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes’ official virtual cartoon figure Jiayao together introduced an interactive digital platform (平台) that hosts a virtual copy of the Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave (藏经洞) to the world.
The platform was developed jointly by the Dunhuang Academy and the Chinese tech firm Tencent. It uses gaming technologies to show the historical scenes of the Library Cave in the digital world.
The Library Cave in Mogao Grottoes was discovered in 1900, with more than 60,000 cultural relics dating from the 4th century to the 11th century unearthed. It was one of the most important archaeological discoveries in the 20th century.
On the platform, visitors can role-play and “time travel” to ancient dynasties and talk with eight historical figures: The public can enter the platform through the Digital Dunhuang website and its WeChat mini program.
In the digital age, the model of “culture+ technology” has been introduced to facilitate the development of Chinese culture. The digitalization rate of China’s precious cultural relics is now over 70 percent, according to the 2022 China Digital Collection Industry Research Report released by iResearch.
Institutions such as the Palace Museum have also started online digital services of their own. Artificial intelligence (AI) technology allows the public to view the interior of the buildings through the Palace Museum’s WeChat mini program.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also encouraged the development and transformation of cultural intellectual property (知识产权) by digital means. China Central Television has created a series of digital collections with different Dunhuang themes, such as the Dunhuang divine deer (神鹿) Youyou. It was created based on the image of the nine-colored deer from Dunhuang murals (壁画). The public can see the divine deer on CCTV’s own digital platform.
1. Which of the following statements about the virtual copy of the Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave is true?| A．It was developed by the Dunhuang Academy alone. |
| B．The public can have access to it through Wechat mini program. |
| C．It has applied the latest time-traveling and gaming technology. |
| D．It was unearthed in 1900 with more than 60,000 cultural relics. |
| A．To show the latest gaming technologies. |
| B．To help cultural institutions make a profit. |
| C．To promote the development of Chinese culture. |
| D．To encourage people to explore Chinese cultural relics. |
| A．By listing figures. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By giving a definition. | D．By giving an example. |
| A．China’s new way in rebuilding Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave. |
| B．China’s success in promoting the digitization rate of cultural relics. |
| C．China’s interactive digital platform in developing Dunhuang culture. |
| D．China’s latest advances in the development of cultural intellectual property. |
【推荐2】We expect the technology in our life to work every time we turn a machine on. It's terrible when they don't work, especially when we don't know how to solve the problem. You turn the machine on, but see the black screen.
A computer screen that doesn't turn on may be a sign of a broken screen or a bad connection between the computer and the monitor （显示器）.Trying another monitor or connecting line is a simple way to see if one or the other is broken-down.
For windows users， they could face a system files corruption （损坏）. Turning on your computer， you might see the black screen and words on the screen remind you the corruption. In that case， you may need to restart your computer and enter the recovery mode （恢复模式）。
If the problem keeps occurring, you'd better have a professional （专业人员）take a look at it.
| A．A choice is to use a DVD. |
| B．Phone users also face the black screen. |
| C．What should you do when it happens? |
| D．If it is useless? you need to do a further check. |
| E．Another cause might be a problem with the cooling fan. |
| F．You'd better not deal with it yourself in case your machine is broken. |
| G．Android users should hold down the power button for about five seconds. |
纽约时报科技专栏作家Li Yuan在谈到她的工作状态时撰文称：
It’s not an exaggeration to say I live in and work on WeChat.
说我工作和生活都在微信上，一点也不为过。
More than 60% of people think they look uglier through the face swiping (刷脸) payments method. Soon, Alipay (支付宝) announced on social media platform Weibo that it has added beauty filters (滤镜) to its facescanning system inside the app.
60%以上的用户表示刷脸支付时觉得自己更丑。很快，支付宝在社交媒体平台微博上回应称，支付宝刷脸系统已加入美颜功能。
Have your kids started kicking random bottles recently? If not, they may start soon, thanks to the latest viral Internet challenge: the bottle cap challenge.
你的孩子最近开始看见瓶子就踢吗？如果没有，他们可能很快就开始了，这是由于最近风靡网络的挑战：瓶盖挑战。
1. What do these pictures mainly tell us?2. What does network bring to our life?
【推荐1】Online programs to fight depression are already commercially available. While they sound efficient and cost-saving, a recent study looked at computer-assisted cognitive (认知的) behavioral therapy (CBT) and found that it was not that helpful in handling depression.
Traditional CBT is considered as an effective form against depression, helping people challenge negative thoughts and change the way they think in order to change their mood and behaviors. However, online CBT programs have been gaining popularity, with the attraction of providing low-cost help wherever someone is able to use a computer.
A team of researchers from the University of York conducted a survey with 691 depressed patients from 83 physician practices across England. They were divided into three groups: one group received only usual care from a physician while the other two groups received usual care from a physician plus one of two computerized CBT programs. After four months, the patients using the computerized CBT programs had no improvement in depression level over those who were only getting usual care form their doctors, mainly because depressed patients are not likely to get involved in online programs and stick with them.
“It’s an important, warning note that we shouldn’t get too carried away with the idea that a computer system can replace doctors and therapists (治疗师),” says Christopher Dowrick, a professor of primary medical care at the University of Liverpool. “We do still need the human touch or the human talk, especially when people are depressed.”
Being depressed can mean feeling “lost in your own small, negative, dark world,” Dowrick says. Having a person, instead of a computer, reach out to you is particularly important in battling that sense of separation. “When your feeling is more easily hurt, you’re even more in need of a caring human being,” he says.
1. What has made online CBT programs increasingly popular?| A．Their good effects on fighting depression. |
| B．Their easy and cheap use by patients. |
| C．The low efficiency of traditional CBT. |
| D．The attraction of going online. |
| A．online CBT is more likely to cure depression |
| B．traditional CBT has no improvement in depression |
| C．depressed patients fail to keep up the online treatment |
| D．the combination of traditional and online CBT is most effective |
| A．It can take the place of doctors. |
| B．It should not be ignored in primary care. |
| C．Its effectiveness should not be over valued. |
| D．Its advantages should be encouraged by doctors. |
| A．Science and Technology | B．Culture and Society |
| C．Business and Advertisement | D．Health and Fitness |
【推荐2】About 10 million undocumented immigrants live in the U.S. They are not registered with authorities and therefore often hide from the government. They do not pay taxes, and they cannot apply for driver’s licenses, jobs that require a work permit, or loans to buy houses. If discovered, they can be sent back to their home countries.
But this week, the U.S. Supreme Court is considering whether to allow some undocumented immigrants to stay for a limited period and apply to work legally. The decision will affect only undocumented immigrants who meet three criteria: those who have not been found guilty of a crime; those who have been in the U.S. for the past five years or more; and those who have a child who was born here or lives here legally. About 4 million undocumented immigrants meet those criteria.
The case has much to do with a program called DAPA. It stands for “Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents.” The program was approved two years ago. One of the goals of the program was to keep families together. It also aimed to bring more people into legal work. People who support DAPA say the program can greatly reduce the fear undocumented immigrants feel.
A six-year-old girl named Sophie Cruz spoke outside the Supreme Court building. She was born in the U.S., but her parents are here without documents. That means the government can force her parents to leave the country – and their daughter—at any time. “I ask the judges to protect us children and all immigrants,” Sophie Cruz said.
If the Supreme Court decides the DAPA program is legal, the government will protect approved undocumented immigrants. They will receive a social security card, permission to work in the U.S., and a promise that they will not be forced to leave for three years.
1. At present, the undocumented immigrants' life in America is ________.| A．respectable | B．stylish | C．plain | D．insecure |
| A．All undocumented immigrants will benefit from the possible decision. |
| B．Undocumented immigrants meeting the criteria can live legally for ever. |
| C．Many a undocumented immigrant will get benefit from the decision. |
| D．There seems to be little chance to have the important decision made. |
| A．the increase of panic | B．the stability of society |
| C．more job opportunities | D．academic performance |
| A．She is sure to feel relieved. | B．She will decide a permanent stay. |
| C．She will join the program. | D．She is to obtain a security card. |
【推荐3】China is recognized as a world leader in the development of artificial intelligence and facial recognition systems. A Chinese company, the Beijing-based Hanwang Technology Ltd. , says it has created a new facial recognition system that can identify people even if they are wearing masks. Engineers at the 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 (监视) 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 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 merely used the latest technology. |
| B．They gathered many face images. |
| C．They employed hundreds of people. |
| D．They spent about a decade building it. |
| A．It is still in the experimental stage. |
| B．It has already been used by the police. |
| C．Its recognition rate of masked faces is about 99.5%. |
| D．It is hard to recognize people with both masks and glasses. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Optimistic. | C．Objective. | D．Critical. |
| A．Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition. |
| B．China—the First to Create Facial Recognition. |
| C．An Effective way To Decrease Crimes and Catch Criminals. |
| D．A New Recognition System to Identify People with Masks. |
