Do you have a smart speaker to play your favorite song? Have you ever had a chat with Siri? I’m sure your answer must be yes. Voice assistants are programs on digital devices（数码设备）.They listen and respond to verbal（口头的）orders.
Today's voice assistants can help you with many things. They can do almost anything you can think of. They can answer questions, make calls as well as provide weather, traffic, sports and other real-time （实时的）information. They can even control smart devices in your home, such as washing machine and air conditioner.
So how do they understand us?
It all starts with a signal word. Users say the names of their voice assistants to get their attention . For example, they might say, “Hey, Siri!” The signal word wakes up the device and tells it to begin paying attention,
After it hears the signal word, the voice assistant starts recording. The device waits for a while to know you’ve finished your request. It then sends your recorded request over the Internet to its database （数据库）.
Once in the database, your request is compared to other requests It's divided into separate orders that your voice assistant can understand. The database then sends these separate orders back to the device. When it receives the orders, the voice assistant will carry out the task you asked for.
Voice assistants are improving all the time. If you say to a smart speaker, “Play rock music”, and it plays country music, you'll tell it to stop. This teaches the device that the orders it received from its database were wrong. It will tell the database about the mistake and try to do better next time. Sometimes a voice assistant might ask a question after it receives your request to make sure it understands what you want.
1. How do the voice assistants begin to work?| A．Users say their names. |
| B．They hear the users' voices. |
| C．Users have a chat with them. |
| D．They answer the questions. |
| A．The smart speaker can receive written words. |
| B．Any orders can be understood by the voice assistants. |
| C．We can use voice assistants to control the smart fridge. |
| D．As soon as the voice assistant hears the signal word, it sends requests |
| A．What Are Voice Assistants? |
| B．How Do Voice Assistants Work? |
| C．What Can Voice Assistants Do? |
| D．How Do Voice Assistants Understand? |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】On December 9,2021,three Shenzhou-13 astronauts（宇航员）in China’s space station began the first lesson of Tiangong Class,China’s first space lesson to popularize（推广）space science.
The three astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu, communicated with students on the earth. Tens of millions of primary and middle school students across China watched the one-hour-long televised class. The primary ground classroom was at the China Science and Technology Museum. Classrooms were also set up in Nanning of South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Wenchuan of Sichuan Province, Hong Kong and Macao.
The Astronauts introduced and showed their living and working environment in the Chinese space station. They explained the special clothes they were wearing. They also presented some other scientific projects. They had real-time communication with the ground classroom to spread the knowledge of space and encourage young people.
The Chinese astronauts went into space onboard（搭载）the Shenzhou-13 spaceship and entered the country’s space station on October 16. They were going on the country’s longest ever task for space station construction（建设）.
At 10:00, on June 20, 2013, Chinese woman astronaut Wang Yaping, helped by the other two members in the Shenzhou-10, gave the country’s first space lesson to over 60 million school children across China through live video.
1. When did the Chinese astronauts begin the first lesson of Tiangong class?| A．On June 20, 2013. | B．On October 15, 2013. |
| C．On December 16, 2021. | D．On December 9, 2021. |
| A．what were talked about in the first lesson of Tiangong Class |
| B．why the three astronauts gave the space lessons to the students |
| C．how the first lesson of Tiangong Class introduced space science |
| D．how the astronauts went into space and entered the space station |
| A．In the Shenzhou-13 spacecraft. | B．In the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft. |
| C．In the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft. | D．In the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft. |
| A．To give some advice on how to get into space. |
| B．To introduce the first lesson of Tiangong Class. |
| C．To call for action to help build the space station. |
| D．To describe the importance of Tiangong Class. |
【推荐2】It’s hard to say no to junk food. However, eating too much junk food can harm your brain, especially if you’re between the ages of 10 and 19.
“Junk food shapes teenagers’ brains in ways that are harmful to their ability to think, learn and remember. It can also make it harder to control impulsive（冲动的）behaviors,” said Amy Reichelt, a brain expert at Western University, Canada.
Reichelt and two other researchers reviewed more than 100 studies about how poor food choices can influence teen brains. They found teenagers are more sensitive（敏感的）to foods with a lot of fat and sugar, as their brains are not yet fully formed.
Teen brains are still developing the ability to control themselves. The prefrontal cortex（前额皮质）is the part of the brain that helps us do this. However, this part doesn’t fully develop until we are in our early 20s.
Besides, teen brains get more excited from junk food because it is regarded as a reward（奖励）. When we eat junk food, the parts of the brain will make us feel good, which are even more sensitive when we are young.
Reichelt and her team did their own study using mice, whose brains develop much like our own. They discovered that “teenage” mice that had a high-fat diet（饮食）performed worse on memory tests than those eating a normal diet.
So, what’s the best way to say no to junk food? Researchers suggest exercise. When we exercise, the brain’s reward system becomes less sensitive to food. Exercise also helps our brains grow and become better able to make smart decisions.
1. Whose brain is more likely to be harmed by junk food?| A．A middle-aged teacher’s. |
| B．An eleven- year-old child’s. |
| C．An old expert’s. |
| A．describe what junk food is |
| B．explain why teenagers like junk food |
| C．show how junk food can harm teen’s brains |
| A．Because they are more sensitive to the joy that junk food offers. |
| B．Because their brains are fully developed. |
| C．Because they need energy for their development. |
| A．To introduce a topic. | B．To show his own opinion. | C．To support the main idea. |
| A．It gets the brain’s reward system more sensitive. |
| B．It makes the brain have less strong wish for junk food. |
| C．It helps humans make quick decisions. |
Monarch butterflies from eastern Canada make the most amazing journey in the insect world. Each year, this butterfly travels about 3,000 miles to its winter home in central Mexico (墨西哥). How can it fly so far? And why does it make this long and dangerous trip? Scientists still don’t have an answer.
For many years, people in Mexico wondered where the orange and black butterflies came from every winter. Then, in 1937, a scientist started to follow and study the butterflies. For the next 20 years, he discovered that one butterfly started its journey in Canada. Four months later, it arrived in Mexico.
The length of the butterflies’ trip is only one part of the mystery. Another amazing thing is that the butterflies always return to the same area in central Mexico.
How do the butterflies find their way back to the same place? This is an interesting question because only every fourth generation (代) makes the trip south. In other words, the butterfly that travels to Mexico this year is the great great grandchild of the butterfly that traveled there last year.
Each year, four generations of a Monarch butterfly family are born. Each generation of the family has a very different life. The first generation is born in the south in late April. It slowly moves north, reproduces (繁衍), and then dies. Each of these generations of butterflies lives for generations are born, reproduces, and die. Each of these generations of butterflies lives for only two or five weeks. In the autumn, the fourth generation of butterflies is born. This generation has a much longer life. It lives for about eight months. This generation of butterflies makes the amazing journey back to the winter there, and in the spring they reproduce and then die. Theiroffspringwill be the first generation of the next circle of life.
Today, people are still studying the Monarch butterfly. But they are not clear about everything.
1. The best title of the passage can be ________.| A．Family of Monarch butterflies |
| B．Mystery of Monarch butterflies |
| C．Monarch butterflies’ birthplace |
| D．Monarch butterflies’ winter home |
| A．20 years | B．four months | C．five weeks | D．eight months |
| A．first | B．second | C．third | D．fourth |
| A．seasons | B．butterflies | C．children | D．parents |
| A．Monarch butterflies spend winter in eastern Canada. |
| B．The four generations have the same length of life. |
| C．Some generations die on the way north of Canada. |
| D．Scientists are clear about everything of the butterflies. |
【推荐1】David Bennett, a 57-year-old man from the US, received the world’s first pig heart transplant（移植）on January 7th, 2022. He died two months later on March 9th.
It may sound like a failure, but it actually is a big step forward for xenotransplantation（异种器官移植）.
Xenotransplantation has been a hot topic in medical research for many years.Doctors and scientists look for ways to solve the big problem of organ（器官）transplant waiting lists. In the US alone, over 100,000 patients are on a list waiting for new organs. Many of them will die before getting their chance to receive a heart, a kidney（肾）or other important organs. As a result, medical science has turned to animal organs.
Doctors have experimented with xenotransplantation since the early 20th century. There are few success stories. Usually, patients’ bodies reject（排斥）the animal organs. Bennet lived much longer than other xenotransplantation patients. That’s because scientists removed pig genes（基因）that would cause fast rejection. Then they added human genes to help the body accept the organ.
In fact, Bennett’s case was not the only success. Doctors at New York University attached（连接）gene-edited pig kidneys to a human patient’s blood vessels（血管）outside of the body in 2021. Doctors at University of Alabama put the gene-edited pig kidneys inside a patient’s body in the same year.
Though these successes were short-lived, they show that there may be a way forward for xenotransplantation. “A lot of new information will come out. The development of this field will benefit from it and move forward at faster speed.” Muhammad Mohiuddin, director of the transplant program, told The Guardian.
1. How long did David Bennett live after the pig heart transplant? ________
| A．9 months | B．3 months. | C．2 months. | D．1 month. |
| A．Human organs are expensive. |
| B．Many patients died because of the organ transplant. |
| C．Compared with human organs, animal organs are easier to get. |
| D．Patients cannot accept the animal organs in their bodies. |
| A．Patients’ ideas. | B．Bodies’ rejection. |
| C．The high price. | D．The number of organs. |
| A．得益 | B．赞扬 | C．传播 | D．涉及 |
| A．It should be stopped because of the death cases. |
| B．It has become more and more popular. |
| C．It is too difficult to carry on. |
| D．It is valuable and worth researching. |
Benefits of Personality Tests
Are you an “E” (extrovert) person or “I” (introvert) person? A personality test called MBTI(人格类型量表) is very popular these days. Can knowing one’s personality type by using the MBTI and other personality tests really help? They may.
Better understand others
After taking a personality test and seeing our results, we can gain a better understanding of all the different reactions in the same situation.
Know our likes and dislikes
Maybe we’ve always hated talking on the phone but never really understood why.
Learning more about our personality type can also help us discover new ways to face challenges. Knowing what might work best for our personality type can give us new ideas on how to solve problems, deal with stress, and manage our work habits.
| A．Hold on to ideas about who we are |
| B．Know which situations are ideal for us |
| C．Here are the benefits of personality tests |
| D．This is important because we all have different ways of seeing and interacting with the world |
| E．Or perhaps we’ve always needed much time to think about a problem before making a decision |
Can you understand this sentence? If you can’t, don’t feel too bad: neither could the middle school teacher in England who received this as homework. This is Netspeak: the language of computerized communication found on Internet or cellphones. To newcomers, it can look like a completely foreign language. So, what is the "translation of the sentence above? My summer holidays were a complete waste of time. Before, we used to go to New York to see my brother his girlfriend, and their three screaming kids face to face. I love New York, it’s great.
School teachers and parents say this new form of writing is harming the English language. Increasing spelling and grammatical mistakes can be seen in students' writing. They fear the language could become corrupted（面目全非的）.
Everyone should just relax, say linguists（语言学家）.They believe Netspeak is in fact more of a good thing. David Crystal, from the University of Wales, argues that Netspeak and Internet create a new language use and the almost lost art of diary writing has been picked up again. Geoffrey Nunberg, from Stanford University, agrees. " People get better at writing by writing, " he says. "Kids who are now doing text messaging, e-mail, and instant messages will write at least as well as, and possibly better than, their parents.”
Linguist James Milroy says, for centuries, it is believed without exception that young people are harming the language. And you can bet your bottom dollar that when today’s teenagers become tomorrows parents, they too will think this way. Milroy argues that languages do not and cannot become "corrupted", they simply change to meet the new needs
However, Netspeakers do agree that it is important to teach young people how to speak and write Standard(/E)English. Cynthia Me Vey says, I can understand Netspeak worries teachers and it's important that they get across to their pupils that text messaging is for fun, but that learning to write proper English is a must for their future.”
Perhaps, we should give teenagers a little more trust anyway. Erin, age 12, says, " I wouldn’t use text language in my homework. Text is just for fun.”
1. What is the main purpose of the first paragraph?
| A．To give an example of a foreign language. |
| B．To show an example of creative method |
| C．To express worries about using Netspeak. |
| D．To start the topic of Netspeak through an example. |
| A．Cynthia McVey points out teenagers can deal with Netspeak properly |
| B．Geoffrey Nunberg believes Netspeakers can write Standard English |
| C．David Crystal thinks Netspeak helps develop the habit of writing |
| D．James Milroy says that language is changing and improving |
| A．be quite sure | B．be greatly surprised | C．think it a pity | D．find it interesting |
| A．Netspeak: A Widely-used Language on Internet |
| B．Netspeak Harming the English Language? |
| C．Is Netspeak Helpful in Language Learning? |
| D．Netspeak: Advantages and Disadvantages |
Maggots (蛆) Ice Cream One ice cream shop in South Africa is making a special ice cream, which is made from maggots. First, people make juice from the maggots. They put in normal ice cream ingredients (配料) . Then they put all of it in an ice cream machine. Some people say that this is good for the planet. But not all people like this maggots ice cream. Cheese Popular in South Koreans  In Asia, Japan is the biggest consumer (消费者) of cheese. South Koreans are starting to like cheese, too. They buy more and more of it. They are starting to like Western dishes. They like pizza, for example. They also put cheese into traditional Korean dishes. Every South Korean eats around 2.4 kilograms of cheese. _________________  This year, some Americans may not have enough money for Thanksgiving meal. A pound of turkey costs 1.15 dollars last year. The price is 1.99 dollars this year. Potatoes cost more than last year. Other vegetables are more expensive, too. This situation is hard for young adults. They say that they will eat soup, salad, and pizza for Thanksgiving. |
| A．Food. | B．Family. | C．Festival. | D．Art. |
| A．It is a special ice cream. | B．It is good for the planet. |
| C．It is made from maggots. | D．It is mixed with other ingredients. |
| A．pizza is a kind of traditional Korean food |
| B．South Koreans take in a lot of cheese |
| C．Cheese is put into all traditional Korean dishes |
| D．South Korea is the biggest consumer of cheese now |
| A．Why so expensive | B．Traditions for Thanksgiving |
| C．What to Eat for Thanksgiving | D．No Enough Money for Thanksgiving |
| A．Young adults are too lazy to make money. |
| B．Ten pounds of turkey cost 11.5 dollars this year. |
| C．Americans won’t eat Thanksgiving meal this year. |
| D．Turkeys and potatoes may be the traditional food for Thanksgiving. |
【推荐2】When you take your kids outside, remember to use the sunscreen (防晒霜) for your kids. In order to make sunscreen work well it must be used correctly. Do you know how to use it?
Apply (涂) sunscreen whenever your kids will be in the sun. For the best results, apply sunscreen about 15 to 30 minutes before kids go outside.
Don’t forget about ears, hands, feet, shoulders, or the back of the neck. Some parents only apply it to the kid’s face. They never apply sunscreen to ears, hands or other parts of the body. That’s the wrong way to use the sunscreen.
You should often reapply sunscreen for your kids about every 2 hours. Reapply it after your kids sweat (出汗) or swim.
Choose the right sunscreen for your kids. Not all the sunscreen is suitable for young kids. If your kids use up their sunscreen, buy a new bottle for them. Don’t ask them to use yours.
Don’t expect a bottle of sunscreen last. Remember to throw away the sunscreen that is past its expiration date.
1. The passage is written to ______.| A．kids | B．teachers | C．parents | D．sisters |
| A．生产 | B．截止 | C．期望 | D．购买 |
| A．How to choose the best sunscreen |
| B．How to apply sunscreen for kids |
| C．How to protect your kids at home |
| D．How to protect yourself from the sun |
【推荐3】Flu（流感）season often arrives during the coldest month of the year and is never easy to kill. A few simple tips may help you keep the flu away.
Wash your hands.
Most people know that washing their hands regularly is an important part of staying healthy. During the cold and flu season, this is even more important because flu viruses can live long enough on surfaces for you to pick them up on your hands. Wash your hands using warm water and soap（肥皂）and make sure to scrub（擦洗）gently. When water and soap are not available（有效的）, you can always use sanitizers containing 60%-90% ethyl alcohol（包含60-90%酒精的消毒液）.
Get enough sleep and manage your stress.
Not having enough sleep and high levels of stress can reduce immune functions（免疫功能）, so the body’s ability to keep off colds and flu will also become lower.
Exercise 3-4 days a week.
Exercise helps strengthen the immune system and increases the body’s natural ability to fight infection（感染）.
Keep a healthy diet.
Remember to eat some fruit and vegetables daily to make sure to take in enough vitamin（维他命）.
Avoid contact with sick people.
Colds and the flu spread between people in different ways. Try to stay far enough from people who are already sick so they don’t cough or sneeze（打喷嚏）on you.
1. According to the text, when does flu often take place?| A．In spring. | B．In summer. | C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
| A．Exercise. | B．Flu viruses. | C．Not having enough sleep. | D．High levels of stress. |
| A．By washing hands regularly. | B．By avoiding contact with sick people. |
| C．By managing stress. | D．By eating some fruit and vegetables every day. |
| A．How to keep healthy. | B．How to keep away from flu. |
| C．Exercise is important. | D．The seasonal flu at the end of 2017. |
