The biggest safety threat facing airlines today may not be a terrorist with a gun, but the man with the portable computer in business class. In the last 15 years, pilots have reported well over 100 incidents that could have been caused by electromagnetic interference. The source of this interference remains unconfirmed, but increasingly, experts are pointing the blame at portable electronic device such as portable computers, radio and cassette players and mobile telephones.
RTCA, an organization which advises the aviation (航空) industry, has recommended that all airlines ban such devices from being used during “critical” stages of flight, particularly take-off and landing. Some experts have gone further, calling for a total ban during all flights. Currently, rules on using these devices are left up to individual airlines. And although some airlines prohibit passengers from using such equipment during take-off and landing, most are reluctant to enforce a total ban, given that many passengers want to work during flights.
The difficulty is predicting how electromagnetic fields might affect an aircraft’s computers. Experts know that portable device emit radiation which affects those wavelengths which aircraft use for navigation and communication. But, because they have not been able to reproduce these effects in a laboratory, they have no way of knowing whether the interference might be dangerous or not.
The fact that aircraft may be vulnerable to interference raises the risk that terrorists may use radio systems in order to damage navigation equipment. As worrying, though, is the passenger who can’t hear the instructions to turn off his radio because the music’s too loud.
1. The passage is mainly about _____.| A．a new regulation for an airlines |
| B．the drawbacks of electronic devices |
| C．a possible cause of aircraft incidents |
| D．effective safety measures for air flight |
| A．They may have been caused by the damage to the radio systems. |
| B．They may have taken place during take-off and landing. |
| C．They were proved to have been caused by the passengers’ portable computers. |
| D．They were suspected to have resulted from electromagnetic interference. |
| A．they don’t believe there is such a danger as radio interference |
| B．the harmful effect of electromagnetic interference is yet to be proved |
| C．most passengers refuse to take a plane which bans the use of radio and cassette players |
| D．they have other effective safety measures to fall back on |
| A．hasn’t expressed his own opinion on this problem |
| B．has overestimated the danger of electromagnetic interference |
| C．is in favor of prohibiting passengers’ use of electronic devices completely |
| D．regards it as unreasonable to exercise a total ban during flight |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】You improve your robot’s software by improving its software. Agrim Gupta of Stanford University, however, begs to differ. He thinks you can also improve a robot’s software by improving its hardware. He and his colleagues have invented a way of testing this idea.
They brought to their robots, unimals, the principles of evolution (进化) by natural selection. Unimals, with globes for heads and sticks for arms and legs, are software beings interacting with a virtual environment. The environments where they wandered were in three varieties: flat grounds, grounds with hills and steps, and ones that had the complexities of the second sort, but with added objects.
To begin with, the unimals were randomly assigned various shapes, but with identical software— derl. Newly created unimals learned to face the challenges in a virtual bootcamp. They were then entered into tournaments in groups. Each group winner was awarded one mutation (变异) —one extra arm or leg, or one extra turning in a joint. The new replaced the oldest unimal and then was assigned to a new group, and the process repeated. About 4,000 varieties of them underwent training.
The team were surprised by the diversity of shapes that evolved. Crucially, though, the researchers found the most successful unimals learned tasks in half the time their oldest ancestors had taken, and that those evolving in the toughest grounds were the most successful.
In this evolution of unimals’ morphology (形态) to promote the ability to learn, Dr Gupta sees a version of something called the Baldwin effect. In 1896 James Baldwin, a psychologist, argued that minds evolve to make the best use of the morphologies of the bodies. What Dr Gupta has shown, though in software, is that the opposite can also be true — changes in body morphology can improve the way minds work. Even though he held the software constant, it became more efficient at learning as the unimals’ bodies evolved.
Whether that discovery can be turned to account in the way robots are developed remains to be seen. But the way of testing is certainly an out-of-the-box idea.
1. How was the test conducted?| A．By promoting Unimals’ learning. | B．By adjusting the environments. |
| C．By proving the evolution theory. | D．By stimulating unimals’ mutation. |
| A．The number of trained unimals. | B．The decline in time for learning tasks. |
| C．The variety of evolved shapes. | D．The replacement of old unimals. |
| A．Mind evolution affects body shaping. |
| B．Body changes better mind work. |
| C．Hardware changes do not impact software. |
| D．The discovery is useful in robot development. |
| A．Negative. | B．Objective. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Approving. |
【推荐2】What Is Fear?
Fear is a basic feeling arising when we feel threatened, and can have physical symptoms such as sweaty hands and an increased heart rate.
Fear means growth.
Fear tells us we are moving towards the edge of our comfort zone. We are doing something unfamiliar and learning new skills. This means we are growing, and growth means that once we go beyond the uncomfortable bit, we will be stronger, better and brighter than before!
Things are never as bad as they seem.
In most cases, the thing we fear is never as bad as we think it will be. When we are trying to make a decision to do something new, we lack the perspective to see further than the familiar range.
We are always stronger than we think!
Fear can teach us so much about our personal powers. There is no other feeling like the victory you feel that makes you realize you won.
Fear is part of lift, and doesn’t need to be eliminated.
| A．Face the feeling of fear bravely. |
| B．And everything unfamiliar is scary? |
| C．Catch every opportunity to be successful. |
| D．We don’t need to remove fear from our lives. |
| E．So when you fed fear approaching, say thank you! |
| F．You succeeded, even though not every try is perfect. |
| G．But it can be a useful feeling when it comes to keeping us safe. |
【推荐3】Why Mars (火星) is New Settlement
Is it possible to live on other planets? The United States government is taking a serious look at the moon and Mars as potential places for future human settlement. The moon could serve as a training ground for later journeys to Mars. Currently, with Mars becoming the eventual long-term goal, serious questions exist as to whether the dangers of the settlement on the moon are too extreme and unnecessary.
One major reason the settlement on the moon is too dangerous is the difference between the atmosphere environment of the moon and Mars. Atmosphere is important because it protects humans and all other life from a continuous attack of radiation (辐射) caused by sources such as the sun. This radiation is especially dangerous to humans because it increases the risk of cancer and can negatively change DNA. The fact that the moon has no atmosphere can cause great harm to human beings. Although Mars’ atmosphere is significantly thinner than Earth’s, at least it has one and would create some sort of protective barrier for humans.
Another important characteristic necessary for human settlement is natural resources like water, of which the moon is believed to have none. Mars, however, contains vast quantities of water ice, dry ice, and also snow. There is also sufficient evidence that water once existed at the surface of Mars and might return in the future if the planet warms. With increased technologies, the potential for settlers to remain on Mars by being increasingly self-sufficient makes Mars a much more attractive goal as the space settlement than the moon.
Future settlers will not only benefit from potential water on Mars; the planet is also rich in other natural resources such as oxygen, hydrogen, and minerals, which can be well used in productive ways. For example, hydrogen can be used as fuel, and it can be combined with nitrogen (氮气) to form new materials necessary for human settlement. Due to these advantages,
Mars would be a more successful planet for exploration and settlement because it contains the basic resources necessary for humans to survive.
Since the environment of Mars is more similar to that of Earth and it contains resources necessary to help life exist, it should be the only option for any kind of long-term human settlement. The settlement on Mars would not only be a milestone in space but also an excellent chance for mankind to improve itself from past adventures on Earth and preserve and make the best use of the natural resources Mars has to offer.
1. According to Paragraph 2, the atmosphere on Mars would .| A．change the DNA structure of humans |
| B．measure the harmful radiation from space |
| C．provide protection against dangerous effects |
| D．cause humans to be exposed to serious illnesses |
| A．It is not present in a liquid state. |
| B．It doesn’t exist in large quantities. |
| C．It will bring potential dangers to settlers. |
| D．It can be easily changed into liquid forms. |
| A．exploration of Mars takes great risk |
| B．natural resources on Mars last forever |
| C．settlement on Mars is perfectly acceptable |
| D．Mars is more suitable for settlement than Earth |
CP: Central Point P: Point Sp: Sub-point (次要点) C: Conclusion
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
【推荐1】It’s often said that the rise of social media has revolutionized (彻底改变) communication. With smartphones and social networking apps, we can write to our family and friends whenever we like. But while social media has brought us convenience, it also has its problems, such as misunderstandings in communication.
Quite often, people misunderstand what’s written on social media. According to a story published on The Conversation on March 8, sarcasm (讽刺), in particular, can be very difficult to notice in a written message.
Sarcasm is a kind of irony (反语): It’s when we say something, but really mean the opposite. For example, a message from a friend the day before a math exam that says “I’m so looking forward to tomorrow!” is obviously sarcasm.
Sarcasm before the rise of social media and mobile phones was mostly used in speech and face to face. That made sarcasm easier, because you could accompany your words with a facial gesture and a tone (语气) of voice that would help others get your message. You had a good chance of being understood and receiving a laugh or an understanding glance.
And yet when we text or write something online, a lot of that information goes missing. “There are no facial hints, no tones or maybe even a delayed response if a person can’t text you back immediately,” wrote The Conversation. “And if you don’t know the person all that well, there goes your last possible hint: history.”
To help avoid misunderstandings, people who use platforms such as Twitter often include the hashtag ﹟sarcasm – although this is like having to explain a joke when people don’t laugh at it, which destroys the point of sarcasm in the first place.
And it isn’t only sarcasm that can get lost in electronic communications. It’s also hard to notice things such as indifference (冷漠).
“One of the problems with digital communication, when it relies purely on text, is that this sucks (抽离) the empathy (情感共鸣) out of the communication. So it can lead to miscommunication,” linguist Vyv Evans, author of The Emoji Code, told USA Today. “This is where emojis come into their own. They put the body language back, so people can better read emotional intent (目的).”
However, even though there are hundreds of different emojis(表情符号) to choose from, there’s still no replacement for good old-fashioned face-to-face communication.
1. What does the underlined sentence in the third paragraph mean according to the context?| A．They can’t wait to take the exam. |
| B．They are well-prepared for the exam. |
| C．They’re not looking forward to taking the exam at all. |
| D．The exam might be too difficult for them. |
| A．The use of new internet words and phrases. |
| B．The complicated relationship between people. |
| C．The absence of facial expressions and tones. |
| D．Responding to other people too quickly. |
| A．Using emojis, as they can display body language. |
| B．Expressing fewer personal feelings. |
| C．Sending voice messages instead of text messages. |
| D．Using a hashtag before making jokes. |
| A．The convenience of online communication. |
| B．Some misunderstandings that come with digital communication. |
| C．A good replacement for face-to-face communication. |
| D．Some reasons for the popularity of emojis. |
【推荐2】The recent world chess championship saw Magnus Carlsen defend his title against Fabiano Caruana. But it was not a contest between the two strongest chess players on the planet, only the strongest humans. Soon after Garry Kasparov, the former world chess champion, lost his re-match against IBM’s Deep Blue in 1997, the short window of human-machine chess competition was shut forever. Unlike humans, machines keep getting faster, and today a smartphone chess app can be stronger than Deep Blue.
In the late 19th century, Alfred Binet hoped that understanding why certain people stood out at chess would unlock secrets of human thought. Sixty years later, Alan Turing wondered whether this sort of ability represents an essential difference between the potentialities of the machine and the mind. Much as airplanes don’t flap their wings like birds, machines don’t generate chess moves like humans do. Early programs that attempted it were weak.
But now things are different. Based on a common game-playing algorithm(算法), AlphaZero incorporates deep learning and other AI techniques to play against itself to generate its own chess knowledge. AlphaZerostarts out knowing only the rules of chess, with no inserted human strategies(策略). In just a few hours, it plays more games against itself than have been recorded in human chess history. It teaches itself the best way to play, reevaluating such fundamental concepts as the relative values of the pieces.It quickly becomes strong enough to defeat the best chess-players in the world, winning 28, drawing 72, and losing none in a victory over Stockfish, one of the strongest chess engines.
The conventional wisdom is that machines would approach perfection with endlessstrategies, usually leading to drawn games. But AlphaZero prefers positions that look risky and aggressive, and it programs itself, which allows it to outclass the world’s top traditional program despite calculating far fewer positions per second. It’s the example of the cliché, “work smarter, not harder.”
AlphaZero shows us that machines can be the experts, not merely expert tools. It’s not going to put chess coaches out of business just yet. But the knowledge it generates is information we can all learn from. AlphaZero is surpassing us in a profound and useful way.
Machine learning systems aren’t perfect, even at a closed system like chess. There will be cases where an AI will fail to detect exceptions to their rules. Therefore, we must work together, to combine our strengths. Instead of being angry against them, it’s better if we’re all on the same side.
1. According to the passage, Alan Turing might agree that .| A．airplanes can be as good as birds. |
| B．the unlocked secrets of human thought are powerful. |
| C．machines are better than human in generating chess moves. |
| D．the potentialities of the human mind are better than that of the machine. |
| A．AlphaZero have AI techniques. |
| B．AlphaZero can defeat the best chess players. |
| C．AlphaZero can play more games more quickly. |
| D．AlphaZero can generate its own chess knowledge. |
| A．Become | B．Beat | C．Leave | D．Distinguish |
| A．machine learning in chess is perfect. |
| B．human chess coaches are not needed yet. |
| C．AI will be learning to challenge their rules. |
| D．humans and AI can work together to advance. |
【推荐3】The next time a giant Big Mac or Coke flashes into your mind when you’re walking home from the pub, you may not simply have the snacks.
A British hi-tech company has created a new advertising system that uses lasers (激光) to project images up to 200 metres tall from the sides of tall buildings, enabling advertisers to reach people from virtual billboards in the sky. Passers-by will see each image for only between one tenth and quarter of a second, as their eyes catch the light from certain angles.
Advertising agencies and big businesses have already signalled their interest, but Skyline campaigners have branded the technology “greedy” and said that it could fill our skies with showy and tasteless brands.
The Echo system uses a high laser projector to bounce light off a narrow reflective strip fixed to the side of a building, visible up to 1km away. This creates large-scale images that are captured briefly in the viewer’s eye as a result of the “persistence of vision” effect: the same effect that leaves an imprint (印记) of a light source on your vision after you’ve turned away.
Daniel Siden, the technology’s inventor, explained: People often think this could be subversive, but it’s actually less invasive and more fun than traditional advertising. Mr.Siden said that the system was safe because of the distance between the projector and passers-by. And images would be above the line of sight of drivers and cyclists and below the field of vision of airline pilot. The images have been tested and shown not to cause epileptic seizures (癫痫发作).
Because it uses only one strip of reflected light, the system needs a small amount of the power, about one-twentieth of a standard 96-sheet digital outdoor display for an image of the same height.
Still, some Skyline campaigners dislike the technology and believe it delivers subliminal advertising (隐形广告). Barbara Weiss of the Skyline Campaign, said: “It’s actually offensive. London’s latest tall buildings are not particularly well-built or well designed, but unfortunately people are forced to look at them. Adding stupid advertising that’s invasive in its nature will only make it worse.”
1. Why does the writer use the example of Big Mac, Coke in paragraph 1?| A．Because he attempts to promote these products to potential consumers. |
| B．Because he wants to introduce a new advertising technology to readers. |
| C．Because he studies the association between products and images in advertising. |
| D．Because he tries to illustrate the effectiveness of flashing images of advertised goods. |
| A．Pedestrians can see the flashing images from specific angles. |
| B．It’s a new system developed by an advertising agency. |
| C．The image will no longer exist in vision after you’ve turned away. |
| D．The system consists of a laser projector, a reflective strip and a physical billboard. |
| A．subconscious | B．damaging | C．harmless | D．imaginative |
| A．Environmentalists worried about energy consumption. |
| B．Drivers, cyclists and pilots whose sight might be affected. |
| C．The Skyline Campaign regarding the technology as flashy. |
| D．The patients who suffer from epileptic seizures. |
【推荐1】Elizabeth wouldn’t walk or talk as an infant. Angela’s left leg was so enlarged that it hurt to stand. Emma needed a breathing machine just to sleep. Their suffering may take different forms, but their stories share a common thread: Neither they nor their families knew what was actually causing these issues.
Those cases are precisely where the Undiagnosed Diseases Network (UDN) steps in. Established in 2008, the UDN’s mission is to provide answers for patients with discases that doctors are unable to diagnose. Anyone can apply to the program and the UDN works hard to screen every application it receives.
Today, the UDN covers 12 clinical sites around the country, and has evaluated over 1,400 patients. More than 400 of those patients have received a diagnosis thanks to the UDN. In some of these cases, the network is able to match a patient with an already known condition. In others, UDN researchers must work to describe an entirely new disease and enter it into the medical dictionary. The program has added at least 25 entirely new diseases in this way. Additionally, the UDN covers the cost of the tests, meaning patients aren’t burdened with crushing medical debt.
“I think they’ve really advanced and changed the whole model for how we approach many of these illnesses,” says Anne Pariser, director of the Office of Rare Diseases Research. She says the UDN’s multidisciplinary approach—bringing different specialists together to talk about challenging cases—has helped advance the field of rare disease research, especially when it comes to genetic diseases.
Living with a disease without a name can be its own kind of suffering. “You grow up feeling like, I’m in this, crazy, all by myself, and no one really understands me,” says Angela Moon, a UDN participant. For patients like her, the UDN offers hope for treatment, but also for finally being seen.
1. The purpose of the first paragraph is to ________.| A．arouse the readers’ interest in the UDN |
| B．give a vivid description of rare diseases |
| C．introduce the background for the UDN’s founding |
| D．raise a complicated problem that will be solved later |
| A．the way the UDN is operated nationwide |
| B．the progress the UDN has made so far |
| C．the reasons why the UDN is so popular |
| D．the development stages the UDN has gone through |
| A．She used to live in despair. |
| B．She failed to identify with others. |
| C．She is receiving treatment now. |
| D．There will be a cure for her condition. |
| A．It has helped spread the knowledge of undiagnosed diseases. |
| B．It prioritizes participants’ privacy over solving medical mysteries. |
| C．It is specifically designed to deal with challenging genetic diseases. |
| D．It emphasizes close cooperation between specialists in separate fields. |
【推荐2】Recently, a new study suggests that staying positive through the cold season could be the best defense(抵御) against getting sick.
In an experiment that exposed（暴露）healthy volunteers to a cold of flu virus, researchers found that people with a generally sunny emotion were less likely to fall ill. The findings, published in the journal “Psychosomatic Medicine”, build on evidence that a “positive emotional style” can help defend the common cold and other illnesses.
“People with a positive emotional style may have different immune responses to the virus,” explained Dr Sheldom Cohen of Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. And when they do get a cold, they may experience their illness as less serious.
Cohen and his colleagues had found in a previous study that happier people seemed less susceptible(易受影响的) to catching a cold, but some questions remained as to whether the emotional quality itself had the effect.
For the new study, the researchers had 193 healthy adults complete standard measures of personality qualities, physical health and “emotional style”.
Those who tended to be happy, energetic and easy-going were judged as having a positive emotional style, while those who were often unhappy and tense had a negative style.
Afterwards, the researchers gave them nose drops containing either a cold virus or a particular flu virus that causes flu-like symptoms. Over the next six days the volunteers reported on any aches, pains, sneeze they had. Cohen and his colleagues found that positive emotions really have the big effect of fighting virus.
1. The results of the experiments by researchers suggest that _______.| A．people in excellent spirits are less likely to fall ill. |
| B．the emotional quality itself has the greatest effect of fighting virus |
| C．people with a positive emotional style seemed more likely to get ill |
| D．positive emotional people and negative people response similarly to the virus |
| A．comparing the experimental results of different groups |
| B．looking into the forms completed by the volunteers |
| C．collecting data among people with a cold |
| D．observing the volunteers’ symptoms |
| A．Clever. | B．Hard-working. |
| C．Optimistic. | D．Friendly. |
| A．positive life can lead to success in one’s career |
| B．physical health is more important than mental health |
| C．the happier we are, the less likely we will be to fall ill |
| D．the more we are together, the happier we will be |
【推荐3】Suppose you become a leader in an organization. It’s very likely that you’ll want to have volunteers to help with the organization’s activities. To do so, it should help to understand why people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work.
Let’s begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to create various experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. Therefore, to select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.
A few people also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people’s wish of participation from an internal factor (e.g., “I volunteer because it’s important to me”) to an external factor (e.g., “I volunteer because I’m required to do so”). When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future.
Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them to remain in their positions over time? After following 238 volunteers in Florida over a year, one study found that one of the most important factors influencing their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. The result leads to important practical advice – attention should be given to “training that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problems they do experience”.
Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. The assumption was supported by the result, which once again leads to concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity...Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity.”
1. People volunteer mainly out of ________.| A．academic requirements | B．social expectations |
| C．financial rewards | D．internal needs |
| A．Follow-up studies should last for one year. |
| B．Strategy training is a must in research. |
| C．Training to get volunteers prepared is necessary. |
| D．Volunteers are provided with concrete advice. |
| A．Individual differences in role identity. |
| B．Publicly identifiable volunteer T-shirts. |
| C．Role identity as a volunteer. |
| D．Practical advice from researchers. |
| A．How to Get People to Volunteer |
| B．How to Study Volunteer Behaviors |
| C．How to Keep Volunteers’ Interest |
| D．How to Organize Volunteer Activities |
