Could you imagine being in a car driven by a computer, not a human? Recently, China has made a big step towards self-driving technology. Since August, 2022, driverless taxis can run on roads in Wuhan, Chongqing and Shenzhen.
Why do we develop self-driving cars (自动驾驶汽车)? Self-driving cars bring us many benefits. They use computers to sense the things around them and make better use of space. This means fewer traffic jams and better parking of cars. For disabled people, self-driving cars can also help them get around more easily.
According to an official report, each year, more than 1.35 million people are killed on roads around the world, and more are injured. It’s reported that self-driving cars could reduce road accidents by 90 percent and save governments a lot of money. The main cause of car accidents is human error (错误). By using computers, self-driving cars make better decisions than humans.
But self-driving cars aren’t perfect. If something unexpected on the road happens, self-driving cars can’t react (反应) as fast as a human driver could. What’s more, during weather events like heavy snow, self-driving cars wouldn’t see the lines on the road easily. It might lead to an accident. The car’s computer system would be broken by someone, causing it to crash or change its direction.
We still need to make self-driving cars safe enough. And China is taking the lead in making this happen, said China Daily.
(1、2 题完成句子；3、4题简略回答问题；5题将文中画线句子译成汉语。）
1. Self-driving cars can help
2. Every year
3. How do self-driving cars sense the things around them?
4. Why aren’t self-driving cars perfect? （任意一点）
5.
相似题推荐
In some science fiction movies, people in the future have their own robots. These robots are just like humans. They help with the housework and do the most unpleasant jobs.
Some scientists believe that there will be such robots in the future. However, they agree it may take hundreds of years. Scientists are now trying to make robots. The robots look like people and can do the same things as us. Japanese companies have already made robots walk and dance. This kind of robots will also be fun to watch.
But robot scientist James White disagrees. He thinks that it will be hard for a robot to do the same things as a person. For example, it’s easy for a child to wake up and know where he or she is. Mr. White thinks that robots won’t be able to do this. But other scientists disagree. They think that robots will be able to talk to people in 25 to 50 years.
Robot scientists are not just trying to make robots look like people. For example, there are already robots working in factories. These robots look more like huge arms: They do simple jobs over and over again. People would not like to do such jobs and would get bored. But robots will never get bored.
In the future, there will be more robots everywhere, and humans will have less work to do. Now robots will have many different shapes. Some will look like humans, and others might look like snakes. After an earthquake, a snake robot could help to look for people under buildings. That may not seem possible now, but computers, space rockets and even electric toothbrushes seemed impossible a hundred years ago. We never know what will happen in the future.
1. According to some scientists, when will robots be able to talk to people?________________________________________________________
2. Why are people unwilling to do simple jobs over and over again?
________________________________________________________
3. Do you think robots will do everything in the future? Why or why not?
________________________________________________________
【推荐2】The Beijing Winter Games will try to offer the best game-watching experience to viewers around the world.
“Because 5G and cloud technologies will support the broadcast, viewers can enjoy the world’s clearest images, an 8K broadcast in ultra-high definition,” said Yu Hong, head of the technical department of the Beijing 2022 Organizing Committee.
“For example, supported by 360-degree replay and ‘free visual angle (自由视角)’, viewers can have an ‘immersive (沉浸式的)’ experience,” said Yu. In Wukesong Sports Center, lots of cameras are set around the place to shoot competitions from different angles at the same time. Using a phone app, viewers can choose different viewing angles to watch the events.
What’s more, viewers can watch high-definition broadcasts on VR devices to “attend” the event online.
5G technology will also be widely used at the Games. More than 100 5G base stations have been set up. They give 5G signals in and around all the places of events.
The highways and railways connecting the Beijing and Zhangjiakou competition zones also have full 5G coverage. The 5G network can stand high winds and extreme (极端的) temperatures, down to -45℃.
According to China News Service, 5G networks will even bring the Olympics to Qomolangma. With 5G towers for Olympic broadcasts being set up on the mountain, for the first time, explorers will be able to watch live broadcasts of the Games from the highest point of the world.
根据上面的短文内容填空。
1. According to Yu Hong, viewers will be
2. People set
3. 5G technology will also
4. The 5G network can
5. The Beijing Winter Games will try to
Researchers from two universities in Britain recently carried out a very interesting project．They aimed to find out what modern family needs from their home．The lucky family chosen to take part in the project was the Joneses：parents Paul and Eve and their two sons，Jimmy （16）and Harry （13）．They have just spent two months living in a specially designed hi﹣tech future house，where cameras recorded everything they did．
TV while you bathe
So what's in this modern house？It boasts （夸耀） five bedrooms and five bathrooms．The sitting area has a huge TV and a digital picture frame﹣﹣﹣you can decide which photos you want to appear and change the picture as often as you like．The baths all have waterproof TV screens and DVD players．There is a remote control（遥控器） in every room which controls everything in the house from the lights to the cooker．The floors are all made of glass and all have underfloor heating．The windows clean themselves and there is even a robot called"Iron Man"to do the ironing．Dirty washing goes into a lift which takes the clothes automatically to the washing machine．The"Iron Man"then does all the ironing．
So how did it go？
The Jones family were over the moon to be chosen to spend some time in the house．Here's what they said：
Paul：It was great．The house was so comfortable．One day our friends called round with their dog．The dog felt so warm and comfortable； he even slept on the floor!Oh，but there was one problem．One night we were all in bed and all the lights switched themselves on for no reason．It was a bit frightening!
Jimmy：I loved it，but I wish there had been a robot to help me with my homework．
Harry：Staying in was as much fun as going out!
Eve：I loved the TV in the bath but I never watched it before going to work in the morning．If I did，I don't think I'd ever get out!
The Jones family are now back in their very ordinary home，but planning some hi﹣tech additions as soon as they can afford them!
The experts hope that results from their project will help developers meet the needs of a 21st﹣century family．One of the experts wrote a few sentences about his findings on this project：
After watching what the Jones family did in the house and listening to how they felt about their life there，we learn that
After watching what the Jones family did in the house and listening to how they felt about their life there，we learn that
1. Who carried out this interesting project？2. Why was the project carried out in a specially designed hi﹣tech future house？
3. What does the remote control in every room enable people to do？
4. Which does the washing in this future house，the robot or the washing machine？
5. How did the Jones family feel about their experience in the house？
6. What will the expert possible write about his findings？Please help him complete his note．
Boredom (无聊) is something that we all have experienced. Its basic meaning is “the state of being bored”. We experience boredom when we have nothing to do like standing at a bus stop and waiting for a bus. And when we do the same task over and over again, we also get bored.
Boredom isn’t good or bad. What matters are the choices that we make. How can boredom be good for us? Just consider boredom as a “time-out” to clear your mind. This time can be used to create reflect, and discover new thoughts and possibilities.
1. It helps inspire creativity (激发创造力).
When you let yourself to be bored, you make your mind wander (游荡) and rest at the same time. Giving your mind a break can inspire creativity.
2. It helps increase self-reflection (自我反思).
Being bored gives your mind a quiet space to think and reflect on your emotions and thoughts. Self-reflection can help you understand yourself better and make improvements.
Chart I
Did you know? |
Albert Einstein took a boring desk job to give his brain time and space to come up with new ideas. He called this activity “Creative Boredom”. This let his brain to think over new inventions. |
3. ________
Boredom gives us time and energy to pay attention to something different and new. You may discover a new hobby that you’ll enjoy learning. So it can make your boredom interesting!
Learning how to make use of boredom is one way to make sure you never get bored. Boredom can be good for you. When boredom appears, it lets your mind to break for a while. Let it reflect on what it is and what is needed.
Chart II
2. To make boredom good for us, what can we consider it as?
3. Why does the writer mention Einstein’s desk job?
4. What can be the subtitle (小标题) of the third advantage?
5. According to Chart II, what can we do when we are bored? (One example is OK.)
6. Do you think boredom is good or bad? Why?
【推荐2】It is important to have good learning habits if you want to study well, and this is especially true when it comes to online learning.
Online learning is a process different from what you can find in a traditional school. The learning environment and methods are different.
When studying in a classroom, there is a lot of communication between the students and the teacher, but little interaction(互动) among the students, while online learning helps one student and another to interact very seriously and closely. So one of an online professor’s roles is to encourage(鼓励) students to interact. Another is to guide the discussion but not to take total control(控制) of students’ thoughts as teachers do in a classroom.
So what are the good learning habits you should have in online learning? Here are some good suggestions. First, it is a good idea to prepare well for online learning. You can write down daily tasks and even weekly tasks that you want to finish. By doing so, you will have a good plan for achieving your goals. Second, you should spend as much time online as if you were going to regular courses. Also, always try to set aside extra time to communicate with other students.
Besides these, any post you put up online shows who you are. So make sure that your homework is finished on time so that you don’t fall behind.
1. What is important if you want to study online?2. What is the advantage(优势) of online learning?
3. What is the other role of an online professor besides guiding the discussion?
4. How many good suggestions(建议) about good learning habits are there in the passage?
5. How do you like online learning?(请自拟一句话作答)
Do you know that many teenagers around us like to do volunteer work in their free time? They think that it’s a great way to spend time.
Jerry’s busy weekend (in Grade Eight) | |
| Saturday | 9:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m. worked at an old people’s home (read stories,sang songs) |
| Sunday | 3:00 p.m.—5:00 p.m. worked at a science museum (worked as a guide) |
If you have an interest in volunteering, or if you would like to do something to help others, you will find that volunteering is a good choice (选择).
● Volunteering makes you feel good.
It gives you a chance (机会) to meet with new people. And when you volunteer with a willing and open heart, you will receive many thanks from others. That helps you to grow and be happy at the same time.
● ▲
When you volunteer, you get to learn not only from other volunteers, but also from the people you are helping. After all, everyone can learn something from the life experiences of others.
● Volunteering can make a great difference to others.
For example, when you volunteer to help disabled people, they feel happy. When you help at an animal hospital, animals there get care and love.
● When you volunteer, you can find what you might be interested in when you grow up.
For example, if you have an interest in becoming a vet (兽医), working at an animal hospital helps you learn what it is like to work with animals.
As you can see, volunteering is good. It can make the world a better place.
1. How long did Jerry volunteer during the weekend?2. Where did Jerry do volunteer work on Saturday? What did he do?
3. Why does the writer think volunteering can help us feel good?
4. Please finish filling in the “ ▲ ”
5. Please translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
6. What’s your dream job? What do you think you can learn from it?
