The AlphaGo program’s victory is an example of how smart computers have become. But can artificial intelligence (AI) machines act ethically(合乎道德地), meaning can they be honest and fair?
One example of AI is driverless cars. They are already on California roads, so it is not too soon to ask whether we can program a machine to act ethically. As driverless cars improve, they will save lives. They will make fewer mistakes than human drivers do. Sometimes, however, they will face a choice between lives. Should the cars be programmed to make a sudden turn to avoid hitting a child? What if the only risk is damage to the car itself not to the passengers?
Perhaps there will be lessons to learn from driverless cars, but they are not super-intelligent beings. Teaching ethics to a machine even more intelligent than we are will be the bigger challenge.
About the same time as AlphaGo’s victory, Microsoft’s ‘chatbot’ took a bad turn. The software, named Taylor, was designed to answer messages from people aged 18-24. Taylor was supposed to be able to learn from the messages she received. She was designed to slowly improve her ability to handle conversations, but some people were teaching Taylor racist ideas. When she started saying nice things about Hitler, Microsoft turned her off and deleted her ugliest messages.
AlphaGo’s victory and Taylor’s defeat happened at about the same time. This should be a warning to us. It is one thing to use AI within a game with clear rules and clear goals. It is something very different to use AI in the real world.
Eric Schmidt is one of the bosses of Google, which owns AlphoGo. He thinks AI will be positive for humans. He said people will be the winner, whatever the outcome. Advances in AI will make human beings smarter, more able and “just better human beings.”
1. What’s the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Whether AI machines are capable to predict possible risks. |
| B．What AI machines will do to save human lives. |
| C．Whether AI machines can make ethical decisions. |
| D．What AI machines will do to avoid damages to themselves. |
| A．How to prevent AI machines doing harm to humans. |
| B．How to avoid being over-dependent on AI machines. |
| C．How to ensure that super-intelligent AI machines act ethically. |
| D．How to make super-intelligent AI machines share human feelings. |
| A．She could not tell good from bad. |
| B．She could turn herself off when necessary. |
| C．She was not made to handle new situations. |
| D．She was good at performing routine tasks. |
| A．negative | B．unconcerned |
| C．positive | D．doubtful |
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【推荐1】When we buy something new, we get rid of what’s old. That cycle of consumption (消费) has made electronics waste the world’s fastest-growing solid-waste stream, which is expected to grow as the world upgrades (升级) to 5G.
While promising faster speeds and other benefits, 5G will result in a sharp increase in e-waste. That’s good business for ERI, which charges customers to collect their electronics and to securely wipe their data. But less than a quarter of U.S. electronic waste is recycled, the rest ending up as rubbish, causing environmental risks.
Part of the problem concerns laws. In states without laws banning electronics from the regular trash, electronics often end up in garbage and recycling bins. Even when e-waste rules exist, it’s left to consumers to handle their old devices properly. But recycling them can be a pain. Rather than drop a used phone in a bin, lots of people have to take their electronics to a store, which may pay them for it or charge them to get rid of it. Many consumers simply throw their devices into the trash or throw them in a drawer.
One solution is to make electronics last as long as they once did. Yet, technology companies are speeding the pace of being deserted. “It’s a strategy by producers to force us into shorter upgrade cycles,” said Kyle Wiens, the founder of iFixit, which publishes do-it-yourself repair guides.
Some environmental groups say big companies like Apple and Samsung should pick up the cost of recycling the devices they sell. Lawmakers have passed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws, which require producers to establish and fund systems to recycle or collect abandoned (抛弃) products.
Some companies are increasing their recycling efforts on their own, For example, Apple in 2018 introduced Daisy, a smartphone-recycling robot that can take apart 200 iPhones every hour. But that’s a drop in the bucket (桶) compared with the 50 million tons of e-waste generated globally last year.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．Increasing e-waste caused by 5G. | B．Expenses paid for network services. |
| C．E-waste recycling capacity in the U. S. | D．Promising benefits of new electronics. |
| A．Businesses charge consumers too much. | B．It’s easy for a store to handle used devices. |
| C．Each state must make laws to ban e-waste. | D．Recycling e-waste is a painful task. |
| A．It will be applied to more recycling centers. |
| B．It needs to be upgraded to work more efficiently. |
| C．It may reduce a large amount of e-waste. |
| D．It could bring great profit to big companies. |
| A．A Sharp Increase in 5G Charges | B．5G Technology’s Bright Future |
| C．Apple, a Globally Well know Brand | D．E-waste, Challenging the World |
【推荐2】There are three of us in the laboratory: Jules, me and Dr. Leonards. Leonards asks me to sit in front of Jules. As I do, he looks me in the eye and starts to move his face through a series of emotions-happy, confused, surprised, glaring. I'm attracted by his display, feeling delight when he grins and feeling serious when his eyes narrow angrily. None of this would be a surprise, of course, if Jules were a human. But he's a robot head on a table.
The most special thing is that, consciously(有意识地), there's no mistaking Jules for a real person. Although he has surprisingly realistic skin, his eyes don't fit firmly against his lids, and he has a terrible hairpiece. Yet, as I walk into the room, I experience a complex worry of feeling in his direction. It's not at all like entering an empty space. It's a bit awkward for Jules’ shining false hair. Some unconscious part of me is responding to him as if he's real. This matters, because if we're to one day live comfortably along with robots , an understanding of how we instinctively(本能地) react to them is significant. The study of these issues is the frontier of a new scientific research; human-robot interaction.
Jules was built as part of an attempt to understand the emotions that can be communicated by a human. “All the robots we've built so far don't have that rich emotions. We wanted to build a robotic face, with small motors that mimic(模仿) all the muscles you have, so we could discover what it could express. "Such research is becoming increasingly important, says Dr. Leonards, partly because our rapidly ageing population will soon need the help of robots with which they can effortlessly interact.
1. What does the author think of Jules?| A．He ignored him in his place. | B．He didn't treat him as only a robot. |
| C．He was afraid of his being there. | D．He mistook him for a real person. |
| A．To help humans of old ages. | B．To carry out a scientific research. |
| C．To take the place of human labour. | D．To make an interaction with human. |
| A．Smiles. | B．Shakes. |
| C．Worries. | D．Cries. |
| A．Human And Robot | B．Success Of Making A Robot |
| C．Robot Will Replace Man | D．Difference Between Man And Robot |
【推荐3】Working robots, like the KASRO, are typically big, simple, and strong. They are large preprogrammed units working in dangerous and dull jobs. But the growing trend towards collaborative(合作的) robots, or cobots, is transforming robotic use worldwide.
What big companies such as Germany’s Mercedes-Benz discovered was that robots alone were not enough to keep pace with the demand for customized products. Human-robot collaboration was identified as the most suitable strategy. By shrinking robots down to desktop size and equipping them with sensors and AI, the next generation of cobots will feel our presence, learn from us, and cooperate with us better.
“When we have people and machines cooperate, we’re much more flexible and can produce many more products on one production line,” said head of production planning, Markus Schaefer. “The variety is too much to take on for the machines.”
The future of cobot working is likely to change as new ways of interacting are developed. Voice commands are bound to be a feature as natural language processing systems become more widespread. Closer integration( 融 合 ) with machine learning and AI is sure to help realize the benefits of elements such as voice control and machine vision. Unplanned changes to production and safer interaction with humans will then require a step-change in robot learning.
Cobots will learn directly from human interaction or even from simulations( 模拟) that will help them to adapt to real-world situations. Open robotics platforms, such as Carnegie Mellon University’s LoCoBot or Elephant Robotics’ Catbot, mean that programmers can share the skills they have developed via the cloud.
Importantly, for household robots to become popular, robot learning—where environmental data is gathered to make more ideal decisions— will be needed. Cobot carers, such as ElliQ the companion robot and IKEA’s robotic furniture, promise a bright future of cooperation.
Like any achievable technological dream, such as self-driving cars, their realization is coming soon. Cobots will become standard in the same way that a car’s GPS or the smartphone did. Their integration into society will gradually become normal.
1. What inspired Mercedes-Benz to recognize the need for human-robot collaboration?| A．The fast pace of modern life. |
| B．The decreasing size of robots. |
| C．The diversity of customer demands. |
| D．The great demand for personal robots. |
| A．People are much smarter than machines. |
| B．Cobots contribute a lot to effective production. |
| C．It’s difficult for people to cooperate with machines. |
| D．Robots are playing a steady role on the production line. |
| A．Share and improve their skills. |
| B．Make improvements on Catbot. |
| C．Interact with robots more efficiently. |
| D．Examine robots’ machine learning feature. |
| A．To prove the wide use of high-tech machines. |
| B．To explain the popularity of cobots in the future. |
| C．To introduce another direction in robot development. |
| D．To predict possible difficulties in cobot development. |
【推荐1】Bridge of Hope School is a private school． It was set up in Kalangala about two years ago． Unlike government schools， which have very large classes of 90children， many of whom do not want to learn， Bridge has small classes， so pupils get a great deal of attention． Small classes are good for teaching， but the school is always having difficulty with money since private schools are dependent on parents paying on time．
The school has five primary classes and three nursery classes． As the children progress through the school they will add another class next year． The total number of children in the primary classes is about 50． The parents of Bridge children are often higher earners than those that attend government schools． They want their children to have the best education available．
The school is not yet finished． The classrooms have no windows or doors． But it is very formal and insists on children wearing uniforms （制服）． Discipline is strict and the children are well￢behaved． Only English can be spoken and not the local language． Although English is the national language and the language of education， government schools teach in their own language for the first three years．
School starts at 7 a．m． and the children have to be on time． Classes are formal， but children have to copy lots of things from the blackboard， because there are few textbooks， sometimes only one for the teacher to use． Class work is heavy and the children have tests every week． They also study during the holiday．
1. What can we learn about government schools？ ______| A．The classes consist of a large number of students． |
| B．Teachers don't speak English in class． |
| C．Children always work very hard． |
| D．It is free for children to attend them． |
| A．think the school environment is better there |
| B．hope their children can get the best education |
| C．want their children to be different |
| D．have no time to take care of their children |
| A．Children can wear what they like there． |
| B．Life there is easy for children |
| C．Lessons are given in the local language there． |
| D．There are few textbooks there． |
| A．list differences between a private and a government school |
| B．introduce a private school - Bridge of Hope School in Kalangala |
| C．tell the history of the private schools in Kalangala |
| D．show education development in Kalangala |
【推荐2】Before uploading a photo of ourselves to social media, chances are that we’ll use an app to smooth our skin, make our eyes look bigger, and lips fuller. With a couple of taps on our mobile phone, we can get a quick fix and present the “best” version of ourselves to the world. However, the problem is, when we simply edit our imperfections away, we’re also changing the way we look at ourselves.
Last month, researchers published the article Selfies—Living in the Era of Filtered (过滤的) Photographs. The article analysed photo editing apps’ bad influences on people’s self-respect and their possibility to cause appearance anxieties. The researchers also warned that such apps make it difficult to tell the difference between reality and fantasy. “These apps allow one to change his or her appearance in minutes and follow an unrealistic standard of beauty,” the article reads.
In the past, people may have compared their looks to those of famous people. But for today’s young people, beauty standards are most likely set by what they see on social media. “From birth, they are born into an age of social platforms where their feelings of self-worth can be based purely on the number of likes and followers that they have, which is linked to how good they look,” British cosmetic doctor Tijion Esho told The Independent. This is why many young people suffer an identity trouble when it comes to appearance.
“Now you’ve got this daily comparison of your real self to this fake self that you present on social media,” Renee Engeln, a professor of psychology, told the HuffPost website. Engeln further pointed out that when people spend too much time making such comparisons, they may become “beauty sick” and find it difficult to accept what they actually look like. “Because between you and the world is a mirror. It’s a mirror that travels with you everywhere. You can’t seem to put it down,” she told The Washington Post. So when we look in a real mirror, we shouldn’t think to ourselves, “Do I look as good as myself in the filtered photos?” Instead, we should think, “I feel good; I have my health.”
1. Before uploading a photo to social media, we will probably _________.| A．have an operating to make our eyes look bigger |
| B．use some cream to smooth our skin |
| C．use an app to fix our photo |
| D．edit our perfections away |
| A．In many ways, photo editing apps are beneficial to people. |
| B．Photo editing apps are likely to cause people’s anxieties about their appearance. |
| C．Photo editing apps can make people more beautiful. |
| D．Photo editing apps help people judge realistic beauty. |
| A．Because they compare their looks to those of famous people. |
| B．Because beauty standards are set by social media. |
| C．Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their own likes and dislikes. |
| D．Because their feelings of self-worth depend on their appearance. |
| A．We should feel good about what we actually look like. |
| B．We should spend more time making comparison of our real self to fake self. |
| C．We should take a mirror with us everywhere. |
| D．We should try to look as good as ourselves in the filtered photos. |
【推荐3】The Boundary Waters area of northeastern Minnesota is the ancestral homeland of the Ojibwe people. With no electricity or Wi-Fi, and offering only the slimmest chance of getting a cell signal, the million- plus acres of wild land and water that parents and kids can explore there today is little changed from the 1400s, when the Ojibwe first traveled these waterways in canoes.
For kids addicted to smartphones and other electronic devices(设备), such a trip may mark the first time they've really experienced true quiet. Although adventure seekers treasure it for its scores of tracks, primitive camping sites, and more than 1,500 miles of canoe routes, it's the peace of nature and hearing their own breathing and heartbeats, maybe for the first time, that can make this place so magical and meaningful for children.
"This place changes people," says local shop owner Steve Nelson. "It's a phenomenal experience to share. The wilderness calls you. It really does." When Nelson takes families into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness(BWCAW), he tells the kids to get up early and silently, take a cup of hot chocolate, and then sit on the shore to watch the plants and animals of the Boundary Waters wake up.
"When the parents and children sit there, they are going to hear birds making long high sounds in the distance and singing nearby," he says. "They might see fish come up and catch insects sitting on the surface, and turtles resting on the rocks. They are watching, listening, hearing, and appreciating their surroundings in a way that isn't possible in a city."
"There was a family with three boys who would go out into the wilderness for 20 days at a time," Nelson says. "When I asked the dad why he took the trip year after year, he said, "Number one, it is one of the most inexpensive vacations. Number two, and more important, is who my kids are going to talk to out here? It's just my wife and me, so they have to talk to us."
1. What can we learn about the Boundary Waters area from Paragraph 1?| A．It provides tourists with a cultural life. |
| B．It has long remained in its natural state. |
| C．It offers tours guided by the Ojibwe people. |
| D．It is a popular theme park for parents and kids. |
| A．Its true peace. | B．Its camping sites. |
| C．Its scores of tracks. | D．Its long canoe routes. |
| A．How animals adapt themselves to the surroundings. |
| B．Some unique species of animals in the BWCAW. |
| C．Differences between city life and country life. |
| D．What tourists can experience in the BWCAW. |
| A．It costs him a lot of money. |
| B．It is a great chance to relax. |
| C．It is filled with sports-related experiences. |
| D．It will improve parent-child communication. |
【推荐1】I recently came in contact with fashion magazines. My family isn't one to give money for pictures of skinny, drunk famous person with paragraphs about their relationships and shopping cart times. Thus, I was excited to finally get a chance to read about other people's attractive yet troubled lives.
Right away I noticed how each magazine seemed to be a copy of the other. They had headlines and pictures that were almost the same. Still, the pictures of perfect faces with cute designs going on with their daily lives made me read on.
Wait, celebrities taking their dogs for a walk? Spending an afternoon at a park? All of these things seemed so ordinary-things my own family and I do together often. I suddenly realized how ordinary the people in these magazines were. They are simply normal people who happen to have a cool job and much money. For some reason, pictures of them doing things like buying milk at the store appeal to millions of readers. Then, when these regular people mess up, their mistakes are painted onto hundreds of newspapers and Internet sites.
What if every time we made a mistake, it was made public? Have you ever failed a test? Imagine seeing pictures of you on the front of a newspaper with headlines like,"Regular Schooling Isn't Enough".You'd be embarrassed. Now, I'm not necessarily taking the celebrity's side. I’m more realizing the fact that these people we are crazy about are just ordinary human beings with many photographs following them around. Role models? I'd think not. Personally, I'd rather favor people in any community who have done a lot instead of an ordinary person walking his dog in Berverly Hills.
1. What do we know about the author's family?| A．They often buy celebrity magazines. |
| B．They admire celebrities very much. |
| C．They are not interested in celebrities. |
| D．They are curious about the life of celebrities. |
| A．They live a happy life. |
| B．They deserve people's admiration. |
| C．They seldom do usual things. |
| D．They are just ordinary people like us. |
| A．Common people who do great things. |
| B．Extraordinary people who walk dogs. |
| C．People who contribute money to communities. |
| D．Celebrities who live an ordinary life. |
| A．To describe the actual life of celebrities. |
| B．To ask us to be realistic about others' mistakes. |
| C．To show people's different attitudes towards celebrities. |
| D．To advise us to have a right attitude towards celebrities. |
【推荐2】The Internet has completely changed the workplace over the past three decades. Artificial Intelligence is now all set to do the same, and businesses that don't take advantage of the technology risk being left behind.
Global tech giants (巨头) like Amazon have been leading the change, and businesses of all sizes are now using the technology for employing and managing their staff.
Among them is L'Oreal. With about a million applicants for roughly 15,000 new positions each year, the company is using AI to hire.
“We really wanted to save time and focus more on quality, diversity and candidate experience. And AI solutions were the best way to go faster on these challenges, said Eva Azoulay, global vice-president of L'Oreal's Human Resources Department.
The company uses Mya, a chatbot, to save employers' time during the first stage of the process. It handles routine questions from candidates, and checks details such as availability and visa requirements. Should candidates make it to the next round, they’ll run into Seedlink, an AI software that scores applicants based on their answers to open-ended interview questions. These scores don't replace human judgment, said Azoulay, but they do pick out candidates who might not seem like obvious choices.
Early results have been promising. For one internship program, where 12,000 people apply for about 80 spots, employers claim they saved 200 hours of time while hiring the most diverse group to date.
Other businesses have gone beyond employment and are using AI to help manage employees. Some UK firms have started using Isaak, a system designed by the London-based company StatusToday, to track how many hours staff spend online and the number of emails they receive. London real estate agent JBrown has been using this system since March. CEO James Brown said it helps the firm understand employees' habits and prevent them from overworking. “It enables us to solve bottleneck problems and relieve overburdened employees,” he said.
Despite these examples of good practice, there is still a long way for AI to reach its full potential (潜力), and the technology comes with risks. Another AI danger could be its impact on jobs through automation (自动化). McKinsey predicts AI could add $13 trillion to the global economy by 2030, with early adopters doubling their cash flow over that period. But the demand for repetitive (重复的) or digitally-unskilled jobs could drop by around 10%, the consulting firm said in a 2018 report.
1. What can we learn about AI technology from Paragraph 1?| A．It causes a great problem in workplace. |
| B．It will replace the Internet in the future. |
| C．It requires businesses to invest much money. |
| D．It will become a necessary part of business. |
| A．pick out the most suitable candidates directly |
| B．come up with more questions unlimitedly |
| C．improve the company's hiring efficiency |
| D．save money by replacing human judgment |
| A．prevent their employees from surfing the Internet |
| B．force their employees to form good working habits |
| C．monitor the contents of all their employees' emails |
| D．help their employees avoid being overstressed at work |
| A．setting examples |
| B．making comparisons |
| C．examining differences |
| D．following the time order |
【推荐3】Although Paris is often considered the city of romance, close to a million adults who call it home are single. Many single people say that France’s capital is one of the most difficult places to meet people. The complaints of this lonely group have inspired a new phenomenon known as “supermarket dating”. At Galerie Lafayette Gourmet, singles can shop for more than just the items on their grocery list. They can look for someone who has blue eyes, brown hair, and is 1.8 meters tall, or whatever may be on their romantic shopping list.
At this Paris location, single people of all ages can schedule their shopping for Thursday nights between 6:30 and 9:00 p.m. When they walk through the door, they pick up a purple basket to advise that they are looking for love. They try to arrive early because the baskets disappear quickly, and then they have to wait in line for their turn to wander the store aisles. With purple baskets in hand, shoppers can consider their romantic options while they pick out their groceries. When they are ready to pay, they can go to the checkout line for singles who want to chat.
Most of the people who look for love in the supermarket are skeptical of Internet dating. They know that it is easy to embellish (美化) one’s appearance or to lie about one’s age over the Internet. The supermarket, on the other hand, is considered a safe and casual environment in which to meet a potential match. In addition, what one finds in another’s grocery basket can say a thing or two about that person’s character or intentions. Buying pet food can be a man’s way of showing a potential match that he has a sensitive side. Women who fill their baskets with low-fat food show their healthy style of living. These days it’s possible to find much more than food at a grocery store.
1. What do many single people in Pairs complain about?| A．The difficulty in finding a match. |
| B．The idea of supermarket dating. |
| C．The items on their grocery list. |
| D．The inconvenience in shopping. |
| A．The dating supermarket is located in Paris. |
| B．The dating supermarket is open only on Thursday evenings. |
| C．Only single people can shop in the supermarket. |
| D．The dating supermarket has very good business. |
| A．They schedule their meeting in advance. |
| B．They go through a special checkout. |
| C．They pick out their groceries with great care. |
| D．They dial the phone numbers on their shopping items. |
| A．The supermarket dating is more convenient. |
| B．The supermarket dating is more fun. |
| C．The supermarket dating is more trustworthy. |
| D．The supermarket dating is more economical. |
Shanghai began as a fishing village in the 11th century, but by the mid-18th century it was an important area for growing cotton. After 1842 when China lost the Opium War with Great Britain, the British realized that Shanghai was in an excellent location to serve as a seaport for the densely populated Yangtze River Plain. They forced the Chinese government to allow English traders to settle on the wastelands outside the city walls.Later, French, American, and Japanese traders also came to Shanghai and were allowed to live in certain territorial zones without being under the Chinese laws. The foreigners built whole new sections of Shanghai, including homes, stores, factories, and office buildings. Thousands of Chinese poured into Shanghai in search of jobs, most of whom settled in the old part of the city. As a result of all the foreigners, Shanghai became greatly influenced by Western culture.
During the 1900s, opium sales along with the gambling brought in big profits. After the Anti-Japanese War in 1945, the Nationalist Chinese government took over the city. In 1949, Shanghai was liberated and administrated under the Communist Chinese government. Since the 1990s, Shanghai has developed quickly and has become a new international metropolis in China and will host the World Expo in 2010.
1. The British first wanted to settle Shanghai because ______.| A．they wanted to build stores and factories here |
| B．they thought the place was beautiful and fit for living |
| C．they realized that it was a very good location for a seaport |
| D．they wanted to take control of the Yangtze River Plain |
| A．It was an important centre for growing cotton. |
| B．Shanghai was important only, because it was a big seaport city. |
| C．Opium and cotton sales brought in huge profits. |
| D．Foreign settlers in Shanghai were free from Chinese laws. |
| A．Shanghai' development into an international city. |
| B．Certain territorial zones for foreigners in Shanghai. |
| C．Brief history of Shanghai from the 11th century to the early 20th. |
| D．The influence of western culture on Shanghai. |
| A．seaport city | B．big city |
| C．capital city | D．developing city |
【推荐2】Samsung has given the public a first look at its new foldable (可折叠的) smartphone. The South Korea-based technology company first announced plans to build a fully foldable phone five years ago. The phone is designed to fold open to be as big as a small tablet. It can also perform some operations of a tablet. When folded closed, the phone looks and works like a normal smartphone.
Justin Denison is Samsung’s vice president of mobile product marketing. He showed the phone, which he said marked a major breakthrough in future smartphone technology. He said Samsung had to invent new materials and methods and “completely re-imagine the display.” And one of the biggest difficulties was finding a material that was flexible(灵活的), but also strong enough to support repeated folding and unfolding of the phone.
Denison said the phone will permit users to keep up to three apps open at one time. With normal-size smartphones, users have to keep changing between apps.“We have been living in a world where the size of a screen could only be as large as the phone itself,” Denison said.
Technology experts see the new foldable design as a way to get users to buy a new smartphone seen as a revolutionary(革命者). More people are deciding to hold onto smartphones longer because the latest phones do not offer major improvements and can be very costly. This behavior is one reason for a steady decrease in worldwide smartphone sales over the past year.
Research company IDC reported smartphone sales fell by 4 percent during the 12-month period ending in September 2018. Samsung, the world’s leading seller of smartphones, suffered a 7 percent drop during the period, IDC said. It remains to be seen whether foldable phones will become popular quickly. The phones are expected to cost more than US$1,000.
1. Which of the following descriptions is true about the foldable phone?| A．It was designed by Justin Denison five years ago. |
| B．It looks like a normal-size smartphone when folded open. |
| C．It allows users to keep up to three apps open at one time. |
| D．It is expected to cost at most US$1,000. |
| A．To find new methods to reduce costs. | B．To display the phone to the public. |
| C．To find skills to keep changing between apps. | D．To invent new materials to make it. |
| A．The quality of smartphones is getting better and better. |
| B．New smartphones don’t have major improvements and can be expensive. |
| C．The new designs of smartphones are not popular with the public. |
| D．The foldable phone is not for sale yet. |
| A．Samsung Shows Off New Foldable Phone |
| B．Foldable Phone Has Been a Huge Success |
| C．Samsung Announces Plans to Make Foldable Phone |
| D．Foldable Phone Will Become Popular Quickly |
【推荐3】To improve road safety and raise awareness among Russia’s notoriously (臭名昭著地) careless drivers, Russian police have tried to get drivers to slow down at zebra (斑马) crossings by having painted horses as zebras walk across on the busiest streets in some of the big cities.
The light grey horses, painted with black stripes (条纹), carried signs on their backs reading: “Careful, children are on their way to school.” The police sent the “zebras” to several different locations in the Russian capital, where officials in orange vests walked them over zebra crossings and handed out leaflets (传单) to passing drivers.
Some held up rainbow-coloured umbrellas over the painted animals to protect them from the rain. Russian roads are notoriously dangerous and drivers still rarely take steps to avoid pedestrians (行人). Nearly half of all traffic accidents in the country’s big cities are caused by cars hitting pedestrians, and a third of those occur on crossings, according to traffic police figures published last month.
In the first six months of this year, 378 people were killed and more than 6, 600 injured on pedestrian crossings in Russia, according to police. In Moscow alone, 43 people were killed, including two children.
Though police officials said that only safe paint would be used on the animals, animal rights activists still disagreed with the idea, accusing the police of “treating animals like garbage”.
“Children understand that paints are bad for animals,” the Interfax news agency quoted president of Vita animal rights group Irina Novozhilova as saying.
Let’s hope this part of the campaign is over and animals are left out of future attempts to raise pedestrians’ awareness.
1. Why do Moscow police have “zebras” walk across on the busiest streets?| A．To make a call on protecting animals. |
| B．To raise drivers’ awareness of road safety. |
| C．To tell people it is dangerous to cross streets. |
| D．To remind people zebras are in danger of extinction. |
| A．The zebras. | B．The policemen. | C．The horses. | D．The drivers. |
| A．Russian drivers seldom give way to pedestrians. |
| B．Russian drivers often ignore traffic lights. |
| C．most Russian drivers have realized the seriousness of the problem. |
| D．the driving skills of Russian drivers are bad. |
| A．Drivers must slow down at pedestrian crossings. |
| B．Road safety should be improved. |
| C．The paints used on the horses are safe. |
| D．These animals are ill-treated by the police. |
| A．Critical. | B．Confident. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
