The start of a new school year is always exciting. This year was even more so for some students at White Cloud Primary School. They became the world’s first kids to be “taught” by an electronic teacher. This electronic teacher is not a human-like robot walking around the classroom. Instead, he is a computer-created head that appears, when needed, on students’ computer or phone screens. His name is Bill.
Created by technology company Smart Machines, Bill is able to show human-like behavior. He is designed to teach a special program about environmental-friendly power created by the sun and wind. This program, started in 2005, used to be taught by human teachers.
Just like human teachers, Bill is able to immediately respond to the students’ questions and opinions about the topic quickly. Thanks to computer cameras, he is also able to see and react (反应) to students’ physical actions. For example, if a student smiles at Bill, he responds by smiling back. This two-way exchange helps get the students’ attention. More importantly, it allows the program developers to improve Bill’s behavior and knowledge base (库).
The program has been a great success, according to Smart Machines Spokesman Robert Frost. Frost says, “What is interesting to me is the children’s reaction to Bill. He really captures their attention.” Frost thinks kids don’t find the experience of being taught by smart machines as strange as older people because they have grown up in a time of computers and smart phones.
Maybe human educators will lose their jobs soon because of Bill. But his talking head’s knowledge base is not large. More importantly, even the smartest computer programs can’t guess and react to all the unexpected situations that educators face daily. Bill’s future might be providing kids with one on-one help for different subjects and topics.
1. Bill is ________.| A．a student | B．a kind of computer game |
| C．a human-like robot | D．a computer-created head |
| A．It lets them correct students’ mistakes. |
| B．It helps Bill to reply more quickly. |
| C．It helps them know how to improve Bill. |
| D．It helps them study students’ body language. |
| A．getting students’ attention | B．understanding body language |
| C．replying to students’ questions | D．dealing with unexpected situations |
| A．work as human classroom teachers |
| B．encourage students’ interest in computers |
| C．give students personal help with different subjects |
| D．watch over the behavior of the students in the class room |
| A．Bill can show human-like behavior. |
| B．The experience of being taught by smart machines isn’t strange to kids. |
| C．Bill’s knowledge base is large enough. |
| D．If you smile at Bill, he will smile back. |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】
| Penguin Robot Toy Penbo Blue •Price: $59 •Penbo Blue is a real robot for girls. •Penbo Blue loves to talk and sing. •You can play 5 kinds of games with Penbo Blue. •There are four different colors, purple, green, pink and blue. •For children aged 4 years old and up. |
| Robot Dog •Price: $1, 657 •It can take pictures. •You can move it to the left, right, front and back by the remote control(遥控器). •It does not like you to touch its sides. •It will fall asleep if you don’t pay attention to(注意) it for five minutes. |
| Solar Charged Light •Price: $19.86 •YOU can put it in your pocket. But if it’s inflated(充气), it turns into a light! This is LuminAID, a solar light that can be on for 16 hours after recharging(充电) with just seven hours of sunlight. Two US students designed it. |
1. What does Penbo Blue love to do?
| A．Dance. | B．Talk and sing. | C．Sleep. |
| A．Take pictures. | B．Sing English songs. | C．Change into a light. |
| A．Penbo Blue. | B．A four-year-old child. | C．Two US students. |
| A．Penbo Blue. | B．Robot Dog. | C．LuminAID. |
A man-made a nice talking machine(机器). It could weigh people’s weight(量体重). The man wanted to test the machine before he could make a lot of them for sale.
The first one using the machine is a Japanese woman. She stands on the machine. “Good morning, Madam,” it said in Japanese, “Your weight is 72 kilograms. That’s three kilograms more. If you eat more fruit and vegetables, you’ll soon be all right. Please have a nice day.”
The second one to use the machine is a Chinese girl. She stands on the machine. “Good morning, Miss,” the machine said in Chinese, “Your weight is 45 kilograms. It’s all right for your age and height(身高). Keep eating what you eat every day. Please have a nice day.”
The third one to use the machine is an American woman. She thinks for a long time to stand on the machine. The machine speaks quickly in English, “One of you get off?”
阅读下列短文，做出正误判断或选出最佳选项。判断正(A) 误(B)题,1. The machine can weigh people’s weight and speak to them in different languages (语言)
2. The machine tells the Japanese woman she is thin and she should eat more meat.
3. From the passage, we know the American woman is very healthy, not fat or thin.
4. In the passage, the machine speaks three languages.
5. The underlined word “test” in the first paragraph means (意思是) making a new thing.
【推荐3】Do you know about bioplastic (生物塑料)? It is a kind of plastic. But it is different. Normal plastic is made from chemical materials and takes a very long time to degrade. But bioplastic is good for the environment. It is made by using bacteria (细菌) to process natural sources like vegetable oils, corn or sugar. It can degrade more easily.
But there is a problem with bioplastic. The “food” that bacteria eat is also what we eat. This means that bacteria are competing against humans for the same resources.
Now scientists have found a new way to make bioplastic using two kinds of bacteria and sunlight, according to Newsweek.
One of the bacteria is called synthetic cyanobacteria (合成蓝藻), which can use sunlight to produce sugar. The other kind is Halomonas boliviensis (玻利维亚盐单胞菌), which lives in the salty waters of Bolivia. It eats the sugar that the first bacteria produce and then it can produce polymers (聚合物). Polymers are used to create bioplastics. The way the bacteria store polymers is similar to how humans store fats.
Producing bioplastic with these two bacteria has many advantages. It is 20 times faster than the normal way we produce bioplastic. Also, using these two bacteria saves resources.
First, producing large amounts of bioplastic requires corn and sugar, which are used to feed normal bacteria. And growing corn and sugar needs farmland. But these two special bacteria can just use sunlight. The land that is saved can be used to grow food for humans.
Besides, this process doesn’t need rich land or clean water at all, scientists said to Newsweek. The next challenge scientists face is that they want to put their lab research into real-world practice. By doing this, bioplastic made with these two bacteria can be widely produced in the future.
1. Compared to normal plastic, bioplastic ________.| A．is easier to process | B．is easier to degrade |
| C．produces no waste | D．uses more materials |
| A．Humans might have less food to eat. | B．It helps spread harmful bacteria. |
| C．People are afraid to use bioplastic. | D．It leads to the overuse of chemical materials. |
| A．It only requires farmland. | B．It saves time and resources. |
| C．It helps kill harmful bacteria. | D．Its process produces lots of fats. |
| A．Bacteria can be environmentally friendly. |
| B．Bacteria are competing with humans for resources. |
| C．Scientists invented a better way of producing bioplastic. |
| D．Scientists introduced a new way to fight bacteria. |
【推荐1】China has just opened its FAST radio telescope (射电望远镜) to international scientists. It means scientists across the world can apply for using the telescope to do astronomical observations.
FAST is short for Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope. It was completed in September 2016 and it officially began operating in January 2020. Measuring 500 meters in diameter. FAST is the world’s largest single-dish radio telescope, and is 10 times more sensitive than the 100-meter Radio Telescope Effelsberg in Germany.
The major scientific task of the telescope is the observation of pulsars (脉冲星). The study of pulsars can help to confirm the existence of gravitational radiation (引力辐射) and black holes, and help solve many other major questions in physics. Another major scientific goal of FAST is to search for life outside the Earth.
The telescope is located in a naturally deep and round karst depression (喀斯特洼地) in southwest China’s Guizhou Province. The first advantage of the selected site is the altitude (海拔). The average altitude of Guizhou is about 1,100 meters. Generally, the higher the altitude, the more the telescope can observe. Secondly, the radio telescope needs to have a “big pan” to receive better signals. The huge natural depression could reduce the difficulty of construction. Moreover, the selected site in Guizhou is far away from cities, and has a low population density, which reduces the interference (干扰) caused by wireless devices such as TVs, mobile phones and radios from human activities.
So far, FAST has found over 300 pulsars. Experts predict that the number could reach 1,000 in five years and that the telescope could find and locate the first pulsar outside the Galaxy.
1. When did FAST start working officially?| A．In 2015. | B．In 2016. | C．In 2020. | D．In 2021. |
| A．To study black holes. | B．To explore the sun. |
| C．To observe pulsars in the universe. | D．To send signals into space. |
| A．The advantages of the selected site for FAST. |
| B．Guizhou Province has the highest altitude in China. |
| C．The reasons for using mobile phones less. |
| D．FAST is built in a pan-shape place to keep people out. |
（①=Part 1,②=Part 2,…）
A． | B． | C． | D．① ② ③ ④ |
【推荐2】
The Chinese cheongsam, also known as qipao, is a traditional dress that first appeared in the early 20th century in Shanghai. It has become a symbol of Chinese culture and is worn by women around the world.
The cheongsam hugs the curves (曲线) of the body and is mostly made of silk or cotton. It’s typical with a high collar (领), short sleeves (袖) and a short cut on the side of the skirt to make movement easy.
The cheongsam was first worn by wealthy women in Shanghai as a way to show their social positions and wealth. But it quickly became popular among all classes of women as daily clothes. During the 1920s and 1930s, the cheongsam experienced changes and became fitter and better designed with fashionable elements (元素). Nowadays, designers are creating new styles to follow modern fashion.
Today, the cheongsam is often worn for formal situations such as ceremonies, celebrations and cultural events in China. One of the most popular looks of the cheongsam is Ann Wong, a Chinese famous movie star. She often wears cheongsams on and off screen. Her look helps to make the dress win popularity in Hollywood and around the world.
The cheongsam is not just a symbol of fashion, but also of Chinese culture and history. It brings out that Chinese people can always keep up with changing fashion over years. The cheongsam has stood the test of time. It will continue to catch eyes of the public and give ideas to people for years to come.
1. When did the Chinese cheongsam first appear?| A．During the 1900s and 1910s. | B．During the 1920s and 1930s. |
| C．During the 2000s and 2010s. | D．During the 2020s and 2030s. |
| A．A high collar. | B．Short sleeves. |
| C．A short cut on the side. | D．Fashionable elements. |
| A．The styles of the cheongsam. | B．The meaning of the cheongsam. |
| C．The popularity of the cheongsam. | D．The development of the cheongsam. |
| A．At a sports meeting. | B．At a Chinese marriage ceremony. |
| C．At a Thanksgiving celebration. | D．At a university graduation ceremony. |
| A．The Chinese Cheongsam—A New Art |
| B．The Chinese Cheongsam—A Timeless Classic |
| C．The Chinese Cheongsam—A Modern Fashion |
| D．The Chinese Cheongsam—A Typical Tradition |
【推荐3】When you are learning a language, listening, speaking and writing are important, you can not only learn some new words, but also learn how to use them.When you read a passage, it gives you a good example for writing. Here are some good reading tips.
Firstly, try to read at the right level (水平). Read something that you can understand. If it is too hard for you, it is not interesting.
Secondly, try to understand the new words. If there are four or five new words on a page, don’t use a dictionary. Instead, try to guess their meaning as you read. Mark(作标记) them with a pencil. Then look them up in a dictionary when you finish reading, and write them in your own vocabulary book. Try to remember them.
Thirdly, try to read for a short time once a day. Fifteen minutes or half an hour every day is better than two hours every Sunday. For example, you can read before you go to bed, or after you get up or at lunchtime.
Lastly, read something that interests you. Choose a newspaper, a book or a magazine about a subject that you like. It will be easy enough for you to understand.
1. How many reading tips does the writer give us?
| A．Six. | B．Five. | C．Four. |
| A．write them down at once |
| B．guess the meanings at first |
| C．stop reading |
| A．you should read something that you like for a short time once a day at least |
| B．only read a magazine about a subject that you like |
| C．reading English for two hours every Sunday is much better |
| A．How to Look up a New Word |
| B．How to Make Reading Better |
| C．How to Remember New Words |
