【推荐2】Artificial intelligence (AI) still can’t see the future, but a new algorithm (算法) may come close: using nothing but written movie summaries, the AI can consistently tell which films will play well—or awfully—to critics and audiences. If the model can be further improved, it could one day help producers predict whether a movie will be a failure at the box office, before it’s even made.

To test several AI models, researchers used plot summaries of 42,306 movies from all over the world, many collected from Wikipedia. The models broke the summaries by sentence and used something called sentiment (情感) analysis to analyze each one. Sentences considered “positive”, such as “Thor loves his hammer”, would receive a rating closer to positive one. And sentences that were considered “negative”, like “Thor gets in a fight” would be rated closer to negative one.

Generally, successful movies such as 1951’s Alice in Wonderland—which scored 80% on the movie-rating website Rotten Tomatoes—have frequent waves in sentiment; unsuccessful ones, such as 2009’s The Limits of Control, vary less. It’s not important whether the films begin or end happily, the researchers say. What’s important is that the sentiments change frequently.

The sentiment ratings in each summary were then simplified into a single score to reflect how often the sentiment changed. The researchers tested three different methods of arriving at a final score. All three could predict fairly accurately whether a movie would be unpopular, and one method worked especially well for guessing which thrillers and comedies reviewers would hate.

The methods were not as efficient at guessing which movies would succeed, but they still predicted the results more accurately than random chance. In the future, the researchers say their methods could be bettered to predict the amount a movie could earn at the box office and help producers decide which movies to invest in. The system’s fair judgment might give an advantage to less well-known writers the researchers add. It could also potentially save the public from having to sit through films like Jaws: The Revenge, which online critics and audience alike rate as terrible.

1. How can AI help foresee the future of movies?

A．By testing plot models.	B．By using sentiment analysis.
C．By writing summaries.	D．By consulting critics and audiences.

2. What is the key to a successful movie according to the researchers?

A．A happy ending.	B．Famous movie stars.
C．A well-known producer.	D．Frequent sentiment changes.

3. What benefit will the methods possibly bring?

A．Increasing box office earnings.

B．Assessing a movie’s quality accurately.

C．Providing written summaries for critics.

D．Helping producers make sensible decisions.

4. What’s the researchers’ attitude to the model?

A．Doubtful.

B．Cautious.

C．Optimistic.

D．Unclear.

【推荐3】My daughter went to see The Wild One recently and she commented that Marlon Brando was wearing jeans so long ago. Of course he helped set the trend, so that got me thinking about the link between films and trends in fashion. Fashion and films have gone hand in hand for long. The Wild One is a good example: it appeared in 1954, starring Brando. Dressed in a black leather motorcycle jacket, leather cap and jeans, he created a look which is still considered “cool” today. Everyone from Madonna to middle-aged men is seen wearing the classic leather motorcycle jacket.
Another strong influence on fashion trends was Breakfast at Tiffany’s, starring Audrey Hepburn. She made famous the simple black dress that looks perfect at either a cocktail party or just standing around an expensive department store like Tiffany’s with a pastry and coffee in your hand, as Audrey Hepburn does in the film. She looks so elegant, wearing simple but beautiful dresses, big dark glasses and a string of pearls around her neck. Audrey Hepburn still influences women’s fashion with her “Tiffany’s look”.
In more modern times, the film star Uma Thurman created a major fashion trend when she appeared in the film Pulp Fiction, made in 1994. Her style was very simple. Her black trousers, crisp white shirt and hair style was copied by women in the world.
Influencing fashion trends can often be about timing. The movie Memoirs of a Geisha came just in time to start a trend in Japanese fashion. It starred the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, who wore beautiful silk kimonos (和服), and it won an Oscar for Costume Design. Many travel companies picked up on the trend and ran “geisha trips” to Japan. The film has also led to a regained interest in kimonos. It is now quite common to see young Japanese women wearing kimonos not just on traditional occasions, but at various social events. The fashion is also beginning to spread to Western countries.
1. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Films and fashion.	B．Stars’ fashion.
C．Influential films.	D．Film cultures.

2. Who will people associate Madonna wearing the leather motorcycle jacket with?

A．Zhang Ziyi.	B．Audrey Hepburn.
C．Uma Thurman.	D．Marlon Brando.

3. What is implied in the film Breakfast at Tiffany’s according to the passage?

A．One can be active by wearing black.

B．One can be elegant by dressing simply.

C．One can be famous by looking perfect.

D．One can be stylish by eating at Tiffany’s.

4. What does the film Memoirs of a Geisha lead to?

A．The popularity of the Chinese actress.

B．The worldwide reading of Geisha stories.

C．The recovery of interest in kimonos.

D．The “geisha trips” to social events.

【推荐2】Wheat is a main source of food for people across the planet, accounting for a fifth of the calories consumed globally. But, as a result of climate change, scientists believe most parts of the world where the crop is grown will be hit by water shortages by the end of the century. And the U.S. could be among the countries worst affected, the authors of the research published in the journal Science Advances told Newsweek.

If climate change isn’t dealt with, by the year 2100, 60 percent of areas that grow wheat will be hit by water scarcity—up from the current level of 15 percent, according to the international team of scientists.

Co-authors Miroslav Tmka and Song Feng told Newsweek that in their previous research, they had shown climate change may cause soil to become less moist across most mainland U.S. states, including those where wheat is grown. As a result, the U.S. could be “one of the top most affected wheat producers” in terms of the increase in areas affected by severe droughts, they said in a joint statement.

Worryingly, existing research has predicted a 4.0 to 6.5 percent drop in global wheat production per 1 degree Celsius of warming if climate change isn’t eased. And it’s unlikely that wheat can be replaced if water becomes scarce, as it’s not as thirsty as other crops and can do without water for a relatively long period of time.

“If multiple regions are affected by drought at the same time, “it might be difficult to meet the demand even if the trade routes stay open and are not restricted by governmental measures,” warned Fengand Trnka. However, he said: “Studies show that if we continuously improve the sustainability and technologies in the coming decades and allow for international trade, we may overcome the negative impacts of climate change.”

1. How will climate change hurt wheat production?

A．By raising ground temperature.	B．By reducing water supply.
C．By polluting the soil.	D．By flooding the field.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 3?

A．Wheat production caused droughts in most mainland U.S. states.

B．The United States is the biggest wheat producer in the world.

C．Climate change is closely watched by American scientists.

D．The United States will suffer most from climate change.

3. Why is wheat unlikely to be replaced by other crops in a drought?

A．It is the primary food for most countries.

B．It is not influenced by global warming.

C．It is widely grown in most countries.

D．It needs less water than other crops.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Health.	B．Science.
C．Education.	D．Entertainment.

【推荐3】The "cloud war" is taking place as the dispute between the United States and China about data hacking and computer network security grows stronger. Chinese companies such as Alibaba, Baidu and Huawei are expanding within their country and gaining customers in other countries. They are creating data centers in multiple countries and trying to sell data management services throughout the world.

The increasing competition in cloud computing and storage incurs the new challenge and worries some experts. They are concerned about the safety of data. After all, companies often use the cloud to store important, confidential information and to operate such activities as data-driven machinery, telecommunications, banking and transport systems — including plans for driverless vehicles.

Lee Branstetter is an associate professor of economics at the Heinz School of Policy and Management of the Carnegie Mellon University. He told many multi-national companies "have serious concerns about the protection of their intellectual property （知识产权）."Branstetter said some of these large companies already believe they have lost valuable information.

Sheila Jasanoff is the director of the program on science, technology and society at Harvard's Kennedy School. She called the cloud computing industry "unruly". In other words, the industry is not strictly governed.

"People （in the business） are making rules as they go along or taking advantage of the lack of rules," Jasanoff said. She said cloud computing companies are not clear about what security measures they are promising customers. She is worried that a major accident may happen before governments realize the need for stronger rules in the cloud computing industry. She believes there should be internationally-accepted rules to meet the new challenge. But she does not believe an international agreement will be reached anytime soon.

1. What does the "cloud war" refer to?

A．The war up in the sky.

B．Some kind of cold war.

C．The China-US relationship.

D．The competition on the "cloud".

2. What concerns some experts according to Paragraph 2?

A．Information security.

B．Wars among countries.

C．The storage of “cloud”.

D．The lack of technology.

3. Which of the following may be consistent with Jasanoff's opinion?

A．A major accident is bound to take place soon.

B．An agreement is to be reached in the near future.

C．The cloud industry needs guiding and monitoring.

D．Governments have kept an eye on cloud industry.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．China's Rise or Not

B．New War, New Challenge

C．Chances on Cloud Information

D．Growth of Cloud Computing Industry

【推荐1】Runners need to move 15 per cent faster on a treadmill(跑步机) to burn the same number of calories as jogging outdoors, research reveals.

Researchers from Milan University analyzed the difference between running outdoors and on a treadmill in 15 physically fit males with an average age of 21. The participants completed a sprint(短距离快速跑) for 30 seconds followed by 30 seconds of recovery for a total of 15 minutes both outdoors and on a treadmill. Oxygen use and exercise intensity were measured after both types of running.

The findings were published in the journal of Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. Results revealed that when on a treadmill, runners use significantly lower amounts of oxygen, suggesting less effort is required. Therefore runners must move 15 percent faster on a treadmill to burn the same amount of calories as exercising outdoors, the study stated. The study authors wrote, "A 15 per cent increase in running speed during a period of stopping and starting often in high intensity treadmill training session is the best possible solution to reaching the same physiological responses as an outdoor training session.

Although the study did not speculate why treadmill running appears to be needing less effort and energy, previous research suggests the moving belt of a treadmill moves joggers forward, causing them to move faster. Exercising indoors also means gym-goers do not have to fight with steep hills or wind resistance.

Michael Silverman, director of rehabilitation and wellness(康复科) at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York, said, “Outdoors, you are changing surfaces constantly, fighting the wind, and making quick and sudden starts and stops, which will lead to increased caloric burn.” Shake magazine reported. "And while we don't recommend running in extreme temperatures, it is worth noting that your body burns extra calories to regulate your body temperature," he says.

1. Where can you find the specific findings of the study?

A．In Paragraph 2

B．In Paragraph 3

C．In Paragraph 4

D．In Paragraph 5

2. What can we know about the study?

A．Its participants were all 21 years old .

B．Michael is one of the researchers.

C．It revealed why treadmill running consumes less calories .

D．It took oxygen use and exercise intensity into consideration .

3. Why does running on a treadmill seem easier according to the study ?

A．The runners need less energy.

B．The runners can usually get enough oxygen .

C．The moving belt pushes joggers forward .

D．The intensity of running on the treadmill is more stable .

4. What does the underlined word “speculate” mean ?

A．conclude

B．research

C．oppose

D．doubt

【推荐2】We often hear "Honesty is the best policy, and no one likes to be called a liar. But is dishonesty always wrong? Not necessarily.

According to psychologists, there are two types of lies: lies that help your relationships and the people around you are called pro-social lies; and lies that hurt them are called antisocial lies.

How often have you clicked "Like" on Moment Wechat, not because you actually like what your friends posted, but because you want to show your support? This white lie is an example of a pro-social lie. But when people tell lies on social networks to make their own lives seem more exciting, or to make others jealous, this is antisocial lying.

Workplace lies range from harmless lies to destructive untruthful statement. An example of a pro-social workplace lie is complimenting someone on their presentation—even though it was only average—because you know they were nervous beforehand. In this case your intention is simply to protect your colleague’s feelings. However, people sometimes tell bigger lies at work for the purpose of avoiding blame or to stay on the boss’s good side. These are antisocial lies. It's antisocial because your boss is likely to discover the truth and as a result, will probably stop trusting you.

Lying is also a significant part of the natural world. So it’s little wonder we resort to it almost reflexively. Human babies sometimes pretend to cry, check to see if anyone is listening, and then start crying again. By the age of five, children learn to say things that are completely untrue, and most nine-year-olds have mastered keeping secrets to protect themselves.

Lying can be incredibly harmful to our relationships and to the people around us. But that’s only true for antisocial lies. Pro-social lies have the opposite effect — they can actually help us.

1. What may help us tell a pro-social lie from an antisocial lie?

A．The purpose it serves.	B．The way it is told.
C．The occasion where it is told.	D．The people it is told to.

2. Why do we praise a colleague’s ordinary presentation?

A．To keep a positive relationship.	B．To make our boss feel better.
C．To ease his/her nervousness.	D．To avoid hurting his/her feelings.

3. What does “resort to” in Paragraph 5 mean?

A．Admit to.

B．Turn to.

C．Show respect to.

D．Look forward to.

4. Which statement is supported by the passage?

A．We usually tell pro-social lies to protect our own feelings.

B．Lying always hurts both the liar and the person being lied to.

C．Lying on social media is pro-social, but face-to-face lying isn’t.

D．Sometimes, making people feel good outweighs telling the absolute truth.

5. Which might be the best title of the text?

A．Lies that harm us.	B．Lying is a second nature.
C．Lies that we need to tell.	D．Honesty is the best policy.

【推荐3】Singapore researchers say they have developed a form of electronic skin that can create a sense of touch. They hope their invention will give people with prosthetic hands (假肢手) the ability to identify different objects.

The skin device measures 1 square centimeter. The system contains 100 small sensors that attempt to recreate things like texture (质地), temperature and even pain. The researchers call the device Asynchronous Coded Electronic Skin, or ACES, which can process information faster than humans' nervous system. Machine learning methods trained the device to recognize 20 to 30 different textures. It can even correctly read Braille letters most of the time, the researchers say.

The system does not require the users' movement to work. Humans need to slide to feel texture. But in this case the skin, with just a single touch, is able to detect textures of different roughness.

A demonstration showed that the device could identify the difference between a soft ball and a solid plastic one. “When you lose your sense of touch, you essentially become numb and prosthetic users face that problem,” said Benjamin Tee, leader of the research team. “So by recreating an artificial version of the skin, for their prosthetic devices, they can hold a hand and feel the warmth and feel that it is soft.”

Tee said his idea for the device came from the movie Star Wars, when character Luke Skywalker loses his right hand and it is replaced with a robotic one. In the film, the new hand is able to experience touch sensations just like the real one.

The artificial skin technology is still going through experiments and development. But Tee said there had already been a lot of interest in the system, especially from the medical community. Tee said similar inventions that his team has developed include see-through skin that can repair itself when torn and a material for wearable electronic devices that gives off light.

1. Which of the following can best describe ACES?

A．Tiny and smart.	B．Simple and fashionable.
C．Rough and ready.	D．See-through and short-lived.

2. What do Benjamin Tee's words mean?

A．The artificial skin feels warm when touched.

B．The prosthetic devices should be made softer.

C．The device can recreate the feeling of real touch.

D．The sense of touch is often overlooked by people.

3. What inspired Benjamin Tee to develop ACES?

A．The financial needs.	B．A scene of a famous movie.
C．The interest in Braille letters.	D．A desire to help those in need.

4. What does Benjamin Tee think of the artificial skin technology?

A．Mature

B．Unreliable

C．Promising

D．Debatable

【推荐1】Albert Einstein had a great effect on science and history, and his achievement was even greater than only a few other great scientists have achieved. An American university president once said that Einstein had made a new outlook, a new view of the universe. It may be some time before the average mind understands fully the identity of time and space and so on—but even ordinary men now understand that the universe is something larger than ever thought before.

By 1914 young Einstein had been world-famous. He accepted the offer to become a professor at the Prussian Academy of Science in Berlin. He had few duties, little teaching and unlimited chances for study, but soon his peace and quietness were broken by World War I.

Einstein hated fighting and killing. The great suffering of war affected him deeply, and he sat unhappily in his office doing little. He lost interest in his research. Only when peace came in 1918 was he able to get back to work.

In the year following World War I, honors were increasingly put on him. He became head of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics. But he himself refused the effort to put him in a position far above other people. He was well known for his humble manner. He often said that his success would certainly have been achieved by others if he had never lived.

In 1921 he won the Nobel Prize, and he was honored in Germany until the rise of Nazism (纳粹主义) when he was driven from Germany because he was a Jew.

1. The main idea of the first paragraph is         .

A．the difficulty of Einstein’s thought to others

B．the feeling of an American university president towards Einstein

C．the difference between science and history

D．the change in human thought produced by Einstein

2. It seems to the American university president that         .

A．Einstein achieved more than any other scientist in history

B．everybody understands Einstein’s scientific ideas

C．the new view of the universe can be quickly learned by everyone

D．our ideas about the universe are different today because of Einstein

3. From the passage we can infer that          .

A．Germans usually have a high respect for science

B．Einstein had other interests besides science

C．Einstein was forced to work again in 1918

D．Einstein led a quiet life during World War I

【推荐2】Cancer is a leading cause of death around the world. When it comes to cancer, the sooner you know you have it, the better your chances of surviving will be. A new blood test could change the way doctors and researchers find cancer in patients.

Scientists at the University of Swansea in Wales came up with the idea. Gareth Jenkins is a professor at the university. He says he and his team did not look for cancer. They instead looked for the collateral damage, the damage left by the disease. In this case, it was mutated（突变的）red blood cells（细胞）-a by-product of the cancer developing.

The researchers used normal laboratory tools to perform the tests. The tools look for changes in millions of red blood cells. Those mutated cells don’t have a surface protein that healthy cells normally have. “The number of mutated red blood cells in a healthy person is around 5 or so per million. The number increases in cancer patients-they go up to 40 or 50 on average,” says Jenkins.

The researchers tested blood from about 300 people, all of whom have cancer of the esophagus （食道）, Patients with this kind of cancer have high levels of mutated red blood cells. Jenkins says that at this point he is not sure if other cancers would produce similar results.

The hope is that the new test could one day become part of commonly used medical methods. The professor says that using a series of tests will be the best way to find out if a person has cancer. “A series of tests, based on different principles looking at blood, breath and etc. will be the best way of getting a good view of whether someone might or might not have cancer.” These new methods could save millions of lives.

1. What does the author want to say in Paragraph 1?

A．Cancer won’t be a big health problem soon.

B．Blood test will be the best way to find cancer.

C．Most cancers cannot be treated successfully now.

D．Time plays an important role in the treatment of cancer.

2. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “collateral” in Paragraph 2?

A．extra

B．serious

C．main

D．lasting

3. What does the new test require the researchers to do?

A．Do a series of tests on breath.	B．Look at millions of red blood cells.
C．Find how many cells have mutated.	D．Record the by-products of the tests.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．Changes caused by cancer.	B．A new method to find cancer.
C．A new kind of medicine to treat cancer.	D．Mutated red blood cells in cancer patients.

【推荐3】The plant chemicals in chocolate can help blood flow, explained scientists.

Lead author Dr. Chayakrit Krittanawong said, “Our study suggests chocolate helps keep the heart’s blood vessels (血管) healthy.” People who ate chocolate more than once a week reduced their risk of coronary artery disease (冠状动脉疾病) by eight percent. This was compared to peers who ate it less than once a week.

When LDL (low-density lipoprotein) collects, it causes vessels and arteries to become blocked up. LDL can prevent blood flow to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or a stroke. Dr Krittanawong said, “In the past, clinical studies have shown chocolate is beneficial to blood pressure.”

Dark chocolate has long been known to be good for our health. However, recent research has suggested milk chocolate may also provide valuable nutrients for the heart. Dr. Krittanawong pointed out his study did not investigate whether any particular type of chocolate is more beneficial. He said, “Chocolate is of great help to prevent coronary artery disease. But more research is needed to show how much and what kind of chocolate could be recommended.”

While it’s not clear how much is perfect, Dr. Krittanawong warned against overeating. He said, “Moderate amounts of chocolate seem to protect the coronary arteries, but it’s likely that large quantities do not.”

1. What does paragraph 2 mainly talk about？

A．The result of the study.	B．The process of the study.
C．The goal of the study.	D．The means of the study.

2. Which of the following can probably stop blood flow？

A．A heart attack.	B．A stroke.
C．High-density lipoprotein.	D．Low-density lipoprotein.

3. What does the recent research in Paragraph 4 tell us？

A．Chocolate is good for blood pressure.	B．Dark chocolate is beneficial to health.
C．Milk chocolate may also benefit the heart.	D．Chocolate contains special plant chemicals.

4. What’s Dr. Kittanawong’s attitude toward chocolate’s preventing coronary artery disease？

A．Doubtful.

B．Positive.

C．Negative.

D．Unconcerned.