【推荐2】From self-driving cars to carebots(护理机器人)for elderly people, rapid development in technology has long represented a possible threat to many jobs normally performed by people.But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to change businesses.

“The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a revolution will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.

A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence, social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.

The report is based on interviews with 200 experts, business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already ravages more job opportunities than it creates.

But the report states: “Losing occupations does not change what people do.” Growth in new jobs could occur as much, according to the research.

“The growth of 20 to 40 person companies that have the speed and technological know-how will directly challenge big companies,“ it states.

A 2014 report by Pew Research found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years. The optimists pictured “a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create,” according to Aaron Smith, the report’s co-author.

“Technology will continue to affect jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although here have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” Microsoft’s Jonathan Grudin told researchers.

1. Why does the author mention self-driving cars and carebots in the first paragraph?

A．To support his argument.	B．To provide examples.
C．To introduce the topic.	D．To make comparisons.

2. What does the underlined word “ravages” mean in paragraph 4?

A．Loses

B．provides

C．develops

D．destroys

3. What can be inferred from the report?

A．Big companies will face fewer challenges.

B．Small companies will surely defeat big companies.

C．Work efficiency and technological operation will be of vital importance for companies.

D．In the future, everyone will be equipped with great social skills and the ability to use AI.

4. In which column will the passage be found most probably?

A．Science	B．Education
C．Economy	D．Fashion

【推荐3】Why can’t we stop longing for the good old days?

People in many countries are longing for the good old days. But when exactly were the good old days? Podcaster Jason Feifer devoted an episode of his program to this question. The most popular answer seemed to be the 1950s, so Mr. Feifer asked historians whether Americans in that decade thought it was particularly pleasant. Definitely not. In the 1950s, American sociologists worried that rampant individualism was tearing the family apart. There were serious racial and class tensions, and everyone lived under the nuclear threat.

In fact, many in the 1950s thought that the good old days were to be found a generation earlier, in the 1920s. But in the 1920s, child psychologist John Watson warned that because of increasing divorce races, the American family would soon cease to exist. Many people at the time idealized the Victor inn era, when families are strong and children respected their elders.

Why are human beings always so nostalgia for past eras that seemed difficult and dangerous to those who lived through them? One possibility is that we know we survived past dangers, so they seem smaller now. But we can never be certain we will solve the problems we are facing today. Radio didn’t ruin the younger generation, but maybe the smart phone will.

Another reason is that historical nostalgia is often colored by personal nostalgia. When were the good old days? Was it, by chance, the incredibly short period when you happened to be young? A U.S. Poll found that people born in the 1930s and 1940s thought the 1950s was America’s best decade, while those born in the 1960s and 1970s preferred the 1980s.

This kind of nostalgia has neurological roots. Researchers have found that we encode more memories during adolescence and early adult hood than any other period of our lives, and when we think about the past, this is the period we most often return to. Moreover, as we grow more distant from past events, we tend to remember them more positively.

Obviously, some things readily were better in the past. But our instinctive nostalgia for the good old days can easily deceive us, with dangerous consequences. Longing for the past and fear of the future inhibit the experiments and innovations that drive progress.

Vaccination, steam engines, railroads and electricity all met with strong resistance when they were first introduced. The point isn’t to show how silly previous generations were. The same kinds of anxieties have been expressed in our own time about innovations like the internet, video games and stem-cell research.

And not all fears about the future are unbounded. New technologies do result in accidents, they disturb traditional cultures and habits, and they destroy old jobs while creating new ones. But the only way to learn how to make the best use of new technologies and reduce risks is by trial and error. The future won’t be perfect, but neither were the good old days.

1. The word “rampant” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ________.

A．limited	B．reasonable
C．uncontrolled	D．traditional

2. According to the passage, the 1950s was a period of time ________.

A．when American families still remained strong and children respected their elders

B．that saw a sharp increase in individualism and divorce rate in American society

C．that was believed by Americans born in the 1930s and the 1940s to be the best decade

D．when radical and class tensions became more serious but people no longer lived under the nuclear threat

3. What can be inferred from the last three paragraphs?

A．The current generation is not as silly as the previous generations.

B．It is unwise to be simply opposed to any new inventions and technologies.

C．People are constantly deceived by their instinctive nostalgia for the good old days.

D．The internet, video games and stem-cell research pose great threats to humanity.

【推荐1】Churchill, Manitoba is a small town. The northern winds roll through it from Canada's Hudson Bay. It might be just another point on the map if not for its seasonal settlers.

It happens like clockwork every fall that hundreds of polar bears make their way through the town to the freezing bay where they hunt for seals after the ice packs enough to support their weight. The animals have been connected with Churchill since at least 1619. That's when Norwegian explorer Jens Munk and his sailors recorded making a meal of one bear while they wintered in the area. “It was of good taste and did not disagree with us. ”That's what Munk wrote in his journal.

Over the years, the animals' coming has earned the town the name of“Polar Bear Capital of the World. ”Today, Churchill's bear population goes beyond its human population. There used to be about 7, 000 residents but now only 813 living there. There was no such thing as an organized tour group to see the bears until 1980. The town might have been in terrible financial hardships. But the growing bear tourism industry helped.

Today, some 10, 000 tourists come to the town to see polar bears for six weeks in autumn every year. But the reasons why they come are different from before. Everyone was happier and they had such a good time seeing polar bears. Now things have changed because the word is out that this Western Hudson Bay population of bears, Churchill Bears, are going to be the first population of polar bears to die out. So when the tourists come up, they all have a little bit of a lump in their throats（如鲠在喉）because they're looking at a beautiful bear, but they're also looking at a dying-out bear, which makes the whole attitude toward the bears different. Unfortunately, that's becoming the major part of the whole attraction of the tours as well. Come and see the bears before it's too late.

1. What can we learn about Churchill polar bears from the text？

A．They have eaten up the seals in the Hudson Bay.

B．They come to Churchill at the same time every year.

C．They move to Churchill to escape the northern winds.

D．They are so dangerous that most natives left their home.

2. What did Munk report in his journal？

A．They fed many polar bears.	B．Polar bears were dangerous.
C．They hunted a bear for food.	D．They found some seals in the bay.

3. How do polar bears benefit Churchill？

A．They make many people settle down.	B．They attract many hunters to come here.
C．They bring much tourist income.	D．They supply food to locals.

4. What is the main reason why tourists go to Churchill now？

A．To say good-bye to Churchill Bears.	B．To help polar bears become happier.
C．To take photos with Churchill Bears.	D．To stop polar bears going to the town.

【推荐2】China is regarded as a miracle economy, and is well on its way to affecting the world in its own way. Apart from the four ancient inventions and the four new technical inventions, which have been making people's lives more and more convenient, 'the Belt and Road Initiative （倡议）is changing the world. If we fail to swim with the tide of history, we will be left behind. "This is the central idea of the "Belt and Road" section in a Japan's documentary China: the Great Dragon.

The documentary shows the vast farmlands of Kazakhstan, the classic small goods markets in Poland and an advanced robotics production center in Germany. They are now linked within a huge economic circle by "the B&R" Initiative .The cameras captured images of tall buildings and large skyscrapers in the Astana-the capital of Kazakhstan that were constructed with building materials produced in China-funded, brickyards. They also captured scenes of merchants from Eastern European countries who drove thousands of miles to buy goods at the China Mall in Warsaw, Poland. Annually, more than 1, 000 trains from China arrive at Durisburg, Germany. In 2016, China became Germany's biggest trade partner, and bilateral （双边的）economic and trade relations are only expected to grow from there.

The documentary featured the Eurasian continental railway, which relies on China's investment and operation. Shipping between China and European countries on the railway takes one-third the time of sea transportation, and goods can be delivered at only one-fifth the cost of air transportation.

It also shows many ordinary Chinese farmers cultivating farmland in Central Asia as well as Chinese merchants involved in the Eastern European markets and those who find opportunities in the mass e-commerce （电子商务）world. By getting involved in "B & R" construction, they enriched themselves and realized their dreams.

This Japanese documentary gives a vivid description that China's steady advance and contribution to the development of the world has made it the second largest economy in the world.

1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?

A．Japan is falling behind China in economy.

B．The documentary is meant to introduce the "B & R" Initiative.

C．The -Belt and Road” Initiative is bringing benefits to the whole world.

D．Goods at the China Mall in Warsaw, Poland are more practical.

2. What do we know about the Eurasian continental railway from the passage?

A．It is what “B&R" is.	B．It was completely financed and built by China.
C．It travels even faster than airplanes.	D．It ensures a fast but cheap transportation.

3. Which of the following best explains the underlined word "cultivating"?

A．Working on.

B．Populating.

C．Planting on.

D．Fertilizing

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The Japanese envies China's economic development.

B．China's “Belt and Road” Initiative is a win-win program.

C．China is playing the most significant role in the development of the world.

D．Chinese farmers and merchants will become richer.

5. Which is the best title of the passage?

A．China: the Great Dragon	B．The “Belt and Road” Initiative and its Impact on the World.
C．China's Modem Inventions	D．The Japanese Documentary of China

【推荐3】It may not come as a surprise but the world as a whole is getting richer. Some people have more disposable income to spend on luxuries such as holidays, cars, TVs and smartphones. Recent data has shown that the number of people living in extreme poverty has halved in recent decades. So should we celebrate the fact that more of us now have a better standard of living?

Maybe not. While the gap between rich and poor in some countries is narrowing, there is still a lot of inequality in other places-some people have a lot of money and opportunities and others don’t. A recent report by Oxfam and Credit Suisse revealed how divided many of us are when it comes to wealth. A lot of the money in the world is in the hands of very few people. In fact, 48% of global wealth is owned by the richest 1% of the population.

But some countries are attempting to reduce this inequality and make the poor less poor. According to David Bryer from Oxfam, Brazil has been taking “some really sensible measures-measures around having more progressive tax, around investing in a higher minimum wage and investing in central public services.” Having a higher minimum wage(提高最低工资标准), can help people eat better and seek a better education. And more people with more money buy more things-and factories can produce more. In turn, a factory which produces more will need more workers. So, more jobs are created.

Other wealthy individuals are doing their bit to help reduce inequality. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, earned a lot of money from his company but when he retired, he and his wife Melinda, created a foundation to help the poor. He thinks that rich people should, of course, pay their taxes but he also advises that they should all “look at taking their wealth and being philanthropic, both in their own country and to help the global poorest.”

Bill Gates feels that giving money to help poor people is “fulfilling”. But if other super-rich people don’t want to experience this fulfilment then, according to Oxfam, very soon the wealthiest 1% will soon own more money than the rest of the world’s population. Do you think that is fair?

1. According to a recent report by Oxfam and Credit Suisse,      .

A．the gap between the rich and poor is widening gradually

B．increased wealth helps people to reduce the inequality

C．people should be happy about the world’s getting richer

D．a small number of people possess the major world wealth

2. What’s the author’s attitude towards Brazil’s measures?

A．Cautious	B．Approving
C．Doubtful	D．Critical

3. What is the meaning of the underlined word “philanthropic” in Paragraph 4?

A．Broadminded	B．Responsible
C．Realistic	D．Merciful

4. The author develops the article mainly by      .

A．comparing opinions from different fields

B．listing detailed numbers and analyzing them

C．presenting research findings and giving some examples

D．presenting a trend and analyzing its cause and effect

【推荐1】Earthquakes are something that people fear. There are some places that have few or no earthquakes. Most places in the world, however, have them regularly (有规律的). Countries that have a lot of earthquakes are usually quite mountainous (多山的).

The earthquake which was talked about most in the United States was in San Francisco in 1906. Over 700 people died in it. The strongest one in North America was in 1964. It happened in Alaska.

Strong earthquakes are not always the ones that kill the most people. In 1755, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded was felt in Portugal. Around 2,000 people died.

In 1923, a very strong earthquake hit the Tokyo, Yokohama area of Japan. A hundred and forty thousand people died. Most of them died in fires which followed the earthquake.

One of the worst earthquakes ever was in China in 2008. It killed a large number of people. The worst earthquake ever reported was also in China, in which 400,000 people were killed or injured. This earthquake happened in 1556.

Earthquakes worry people a lot. The reason is that we often do not know when they are coming. People can not prepare for earthquakes.

1. Earthquakes happen ________.

A．in all the places in the world

B．only in the countries that have a lot of mountains

C．regularly in most places in the world

D．only in a few places along the coast

2. When and where was the worst earthquake ever reported?

A．In 1964 in Alaska.

B．In 1556 in China.

C．In 1923 in Japan.

D．In 1976 in China.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The stronger the earthquake is, the more people are killed.

B．Earthquakes often come unexpectedly (出乎意料地).

C．Earthquakes can cause fires.

D．People still don’t know how to tell when an earthquake will come.

4. What may be talked about in the seventh paragraph?

A．How do earthquakes worry people?

B．What will people do to prepare for earthquakes?

C．How can we save people when earthquakes happen?

D．How do earthquakes happen?

【推荐2】The gray-haired lady can’t wait to leave the building to search for her dad. Unless watched, she will walk in the streets in an effort to find her father, who died 30 years ago.
Not all cases of Alzheimer’s disease look like this, but Alzheimer’s is a serious disease that is said to be the fourth or fifth leading cause of death for people over age 75.
It is said that about three percent of the U.S. population over age 65 have Alzheimer’s. In the early stages, people may exhibit short term memory loss. Some may experience changes in personality, easy to be angry. As the disease progresses, patients might lose the ability to move and may be unable to speak or move at all. This progressive disease generally lasts 8 to 10 years before death occurs.
While no one is certain what causes these changes in the brain's nerve fibers (神经纤维), their effect is certain. Alzheimer’s destroys not only the patients, but also spouses (配偶), friends and families.
What should you do if you notice progressive memory loss in yourself or a loved one? Have the person examined by a doctor who is a specialist in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Though many reasons other than Alzheimer’s disease may cause memory loss, its early diagnosis (诊断) and treatment may delay some of the most serious effects.
What feeling will you likely experience should a loved one suffer from Alzheimer’s disease? A person will often go through the various stages of sadness, shock, anger, and so on. If the spouse develops the disease, you may experience hurt and disappointment when he or she doesn't remember you are married.
Life for the Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones will never be the same as the disease progresses, bringing a deep sorrow, loss and even anger towards God. No matter what feelings are present, facing them honestly will serve one better than burying them.
1. What can be inferred from the passage about the gray-haired lady?

A．She has been living with her father.

B．She was sad about the death of her father.

C．She can’t search for her father without being watched.

D．She suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

2. When people suffer from Alzheimer’s disease, ________.

A．their families and friends will suffer from the same disease

B．their families and friends will experience mental sufferings

C．they will certainly die in 8 to 10 years

D．they will forget everybody but their spouses

3. Memory loss occurs ________.

A．from Alzheimer’s disease and nothing else

B．from sadness, shock, anger, and so on

C．for a number of reasons

D．with changes in personality

4. From the passage we know that ________.

A．early treatment may stop Alzheimer’s disease occurring

B．it is still unknown what causes the changes in the brain’s nerve fibers

C．nerve fibers in the brain will cause Alzheimer’s disease

D．when one suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, he will be buried

【推荐3】Professor Ashok Goel of Georgia Tech developed an artificially intelligent teaching assistant to help handle the enormous number of student questions in the online class, Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence. This online course is a core requirement of Georgia Tech’s online Master of Science in Computer Science program. Professor Goel already had eight teaching assistants, but that wasn’t enough to deal with the overwhelming number of daily questions from students.

Many students drop out of online courses because of the lack of teaching support. When students feel isolated or confused and reach out with questions that go unanswered, their motivation to continue begins to fade. Professor Goel decided to do something to remedy (改进) his situation and his solution was to create a virtual assistant named Jill Watson, which is based on the IBM Watson platform.

Goel and his team developed several versions of Jill Watson before releasing her to the online forums. At first, the virtual assistant wasn’t too great. But Goel and his team sourced the online discussion forum to find all the 40,000 questions that had ever been asked since the class was launched. Then they began to feed Jill with the questions and answers. After some adjustments and sufficient time, Jill was able to answer the students’ questions correctly 97% of the time. The virtual assistant became so advanced and realistic that the students didn’t know she was a computer. The students, who were studying artificial intelligence, were interacting with the virtual assistant and couldn’t tell it apart from a real human being. Goel didn’t inform them about Jill’s true identity until April 26. The students were actually very positive about the experience.

The goal of Professor Goel’s virtual assistant next year is to take over answering 40% of all the questions posed by students on the online forum. The name Jill Watson will, of course, change to something else next semester. Professor Goel has a much rosier outlook on the future of artificial intelligence than, say, Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak.

1. What do we learn about Knowledge-Based Artificial Intelligence?

A．It is a robot that can answer students’ questions.

B．It is a course designed for students to learn online.

C．It is a high-tech device that revolutionizes teaching.

D．It is a computer program that aids student learning.

2. What problem did Professor Goel meet with?

A．His students were unsatisfied with the assistants.

B．His course was too difficult for the students.

C．Students’ questions were too many to handle.

D．Too many students dropped out of his course.

3. What do we learn about Jill Watson?

A．She turned out to be a great success.

B．She got along pretty well with students.

C．She was unwelcome to students at first.

D．She was released online as an experiment.

4. How did the students feel about Jill Watson?

A．They thought she was a bit too artificial.

B．They found her not as capable as expected.

C．They could not but admire her knowledge.

D．They could not tell her from a real person.

5. What does Professor Goel plan to do next with Jill Watson?

A．Launch different versions of her online.

B．Feed her with new questions and answers.

C．Assign her to answer more of students’ questions.

D．Encourage students to interact with her more freely.

6. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．A robot gives an online course.

B．Virtual assistant is getting popular in school.

C．Robots will replace humans in online classes.

D．One Georgia Tech’s teaching assistant isn’t human.