1 . Imagine the situation. You are driving along a desert or on a mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car breaks down. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phone. What do you do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is a device (装置) which uses satellites (卫星) to find the user's position (位置). It can find your position to within 20 metres. A GPS cannot start your car, but at least you will know where you are.
GPS, which means Global Positioning System, is a small radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. You can hold it in your hand, or put in your pocket. It is sometimes put into a watch or a telephone. We also find GPS devices in cars, planes, or boats. Some of these devices have electronic maps, so you know where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to the Global Positioning System. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites orbiting the Earth. The receiver contacts at least four of the satellites and calculates (计算) its position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations. They are all over the world. They control the satellites and make sure they are working well.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile. They are becoming cheaper and more and more accurate (精确的). There are also new uses for the GPS. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost again.
1. According to the passage, with the help of the GPS, people ________.| A．can't be lost in a new city |
| B．can't find their way in different countries |
| C．can learn about the culture of an unknown place |
| D．can spend the least time getting to another place |
| A．there are three parts to the GPS | B．a GPS can't be put into a watch |
| C．a GPS can help you start your car | D．the GPS are becoming more and more expensive |
| A．Receivers | B．GPS devices | C．Satellites | D．Ground stations |
| A．the history of the GPS | B．the introduction of the GPS |
| C．the shape of the GPS | D．the three parts of the GPS |
| A．All GPS devices have electronic maps. |
| B．People in many countries will use the GPS for free. |
| C．The receiver of the GPS contacts at least five of the satellites. |
| D．The GPS will become more and more common in everyday life. |
2 . The first AI-driven (人工智能驾驶的) bus went on a road test in Shenzhen on December 2nd last year. So the unmanned (无人驾驶的) car is no longer a far dream.
Most people are excited about AI-driven cars. AI could be a “better driver” than humans as its reaction (反应) time is much shorter than humans’. Also, AI never gets tired and there is no fear of it driving under the influence (影响). Besides, when two humans drive too close on a road and one has to slow down to avoid (避免) an accident, both would expect the other to do so, and the problem could be serious because they cannot talk to each other. However, that problem will not happen to two AI-driven cars because they could “talk” through the cloud and decide which one should slow down.
But some people are worried. The test in Shenzhen was done on a special road. There are more uncertain things on real roads, such as being driven fast by some bad people. And the biggest problem for AI is not about learning to remember road signs, but about whether it can take instinctive (本能的) action in sudden and unexpected situations (情况). Also many cases of people taking control of the computers which are fixed in unmanned cars have been reported. This could be very dangerous.
All in all, AI-driven cars will keep improving and all the possible problems will be solved (解决) before they are widely used. We will meet them soon in the future.
1. Did the first AI-driven bus go on a road test in Shanghai on December 2nd?2. Why could AI be a “better driver” than humans according to the passage? (Just list one reason)
3. What can we know about the AI-driven car from the passage?
4. What is the biggest problem for AI-driven cars?
5. What is the writer’s opinion towards AI-driven cars?
6. What does the passage mainly talk about?
3 . “I’m Sunny. I have a robot friend. Its
“Come on, Robbi! Fetch (取)
“OK, Sunny, I
“Do you
“Yes, some biscuits, please.”
Then Robbi goes back to the
Robbi can also sing songs. But it can only sing
Every weekend, all my good friends come to my
| A．family | B．name | C．address | D．number |
| A．you | B．it | C．him | D．me |
| A．did | B．have | C．will | D．am |
| A．want | B．drink | C．buy | D．eat |
| A．shop | B．kitchen | C．bedroom | D．living room |
| A．happy | B．funny | C．angry | D．sorry |
| A．housework | B．homework | C．meals | D．school things |
| A．different | B．new | C．old | D．the same |
| A．body | B．memory | C．brain | D．head |
| A．school | B．family | C．home | D．room |
4 . What might the future be like? Here
The Spring Festival is one of
Newspapers
Schools will go electronic. Computers will be important
| A．is | B．are | C．was | D．were |
| A．important | B．more important | C．most important | D．the most important |
| A．million | B．millions | C．million of | D．millions of |
| A．went | B．going | C．gone | D．goes |
| A．a | B．an | C．the | D．/ |
| A．building | B．to build | C．to be built | D．build |
| A．though | B．when | C．because | D．although |
| A．other | B．the other | C．others | D．another |
| A．come | B．will come | C．came | D．comes |
| A．send | B．sent | C．be sending | D．be sent |
| A．discuss | B．discussed | C．discussing | D．to discuss |
| A．fast | B．faster | C．fastest | D．fastly |
| A．over | B．without | C．among | D．after |
| A．theirs | B．them | C．they | D．their |
| A．student | B．students | C．student’s | D．students’ |
3-D VR glasses This is a new arrival 3-D VR Shinecon Helmet Virtual(虚拟的) reality glasses. It supports many smart phone models with Android or IOS system. Put your phone into the VR glasses and enter the virtual reality world. You can enjoy the super big screen effect and 3-D videos. No need to go to cinemas. You can also play 3-D games with it. Specification(规格说明) Brand Name: Gtek Size: 190 mm×135 mm×85 mm Weight: 500 g Lens(镜头): HD Optical Resin Augmented Lens Lens Diameter(直径): 30 mm Phone Supported: Screen size from 3.5 to 6.0 inches, phone width less than 85 mm, length less than 160 mm |
| A．Only those with Android system. | B．Only those with IOS system. |
| C．Those with Android or IOS system. | D．Any kind of smart phones. |
| A．By putting your phone into them. | B．By putting them into your phone. |
| C．By connecting them with your computer. | D．By touching the screen of your phone. |
| A．Brand name. | B．Weight. |
| C．Phone supported. | D．Packing size. |
| A．You must go to cinemas if you want to use the 3-D VR glasses. |
| B．You can use the 3-D VR glasses to play 3-D games. |
| C．The 3-D VR glasses is about 190 grams in weight. |
| D．If your smart phone is 200 millimetres in length, you can use the 3-D VR glasses. |
| A．A shopping website. | B．An introduction of 3-D VR games. |
| C．An introduction of a movie. | D．A poster of new smart phones. |
6 . Artificial intelligence(人工智能), or AI in short, is the science of giving computers and machines ability to think and work like humans.
AI scientists and engineers have made a lot of cool technologies.AI is rapidly catching up
AI is also used in self-driving cars
Service Robots also show you how
AI is so powerful that it can help human beings and even replace us in many jobs.
1.| A．with | B．to | C．of | D．from |
| A．uses | B．used | C．is used | D．is using |
| A．a | B．an | C．the | D．/ |
| A．He | B．She | C．I | D．It |
| A．what | B．whom | C．which | D．who |
| A．able | B．ability | C．unable | D．ably |
| A．which | B．what | C．how | D．when |
| A．great | B．greatly | C．greater | D．greatest |
| A．play | B．playing | C．played | D．to play |
| A．many and many | B．much and much | C．more and more | D．most |
7 . What will the world of the future be like? There are plenty of people who are happy to give their opinion of what we will be doing in 2050. Here are two predictions about the world of tomorrow.
When we dream about the future, many like to think of owning a personal flying car. The advantages are obvious. This technology would allow total freedom of movement. We could fly at 480 km per hour, avoiding traffic lights and busy roads.However, some people believe there will be problems with traffic control. If the cars become popular, there is likely to beair traffic jam. Another big problem is mechanical failure. What will happen if the cars stop working? These are problems we must expect if flying cars become a reality.
Three-dimensional printing is another new technology with excitingpossibilities. 3D printers are used to build an object with liquid plasticThey build the object layer by layer until it is complete. Car companiesalready use 3D printers to make life-size models of car parts, and medicalcompanies use the technology to make man-made body parts. As we move into the future, 3D printing will revolutionize the way we shop, the way we manufacture and the way we treat sick people. The disadvantage is that such equipment will be extremely expensive.
So in the future, we might be able to fly to work or print out new shoes.Although there are some problems to solve before this will be possible, we can certainly dream of a world where technology makes life easier and safer for millions of people.
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．Environmental protection. |
| B．The world of tomorrow. |
| C．Advantages of technology. |
| A．Some people think technology development may bring new problems |
| B．3D printing can bring great changes to our life and its equipment is cheap. |
| C．The flying cars won't bring air traffic jam even when they become popular. |
A． | B． | C． |
| A．Car companies. |
| B．3D print. |
| C．Body parts. |
| A．doesn't care | B．feels hopeful | C．feels disappointed |
Thousands of years ago, Chinese poet Qu Yuan (about 340-278 BC) wrote the poem Tianwen, meaning Quest for Heavenly Truth. He came up with a series of questions about the sky, stars, nature, myths and the world around us. The poem showed his doubts about traditional ideas and the spirit of finding the truth.
Inspired by the great poet, China has named its upcoming series of planetary exploration missions (行星探测任务) after the poem. The first one in the series-a Mars exploration mission-has been named Tianwen 1, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on April 24, China’s Space Day. This shows China’s desire (渴望) to explore the universe and discover its secrets.
China has been making great progress in space exploration. As early as 1970, China launched its first man-made Earth satellite (卫星), becoming the fifth country in the world to launch a man-made satellite independently. Since 2003, China has carried out six Shenzhou manned missions and launched two space labs into Earth’s orbit (轨道). China’s moon exploration missions-the Chang’e series-started in 2007. In December 2018, China became the first country to send the probe (探测器) Chang’e 4 to the moon’s far side, which always faces away from Earth.
The Tianwen series will follow the Shenzhou and Chang’e series and move further into space. The first step is to launch a Mars probe this year, which will mark the start of China’s exploration of the Red Planet. The probe is expected to orbit (绕……轨道运行), land on and explore Mars in one mission. If it succeeds, it will be the first to complete all of these tasks in one mission. The Long March 5 rocket will send the probe to Mars. It will take seven months to reach the planet and land.
After this mission, China plans to visit Mars again in 2028, aiming to collect soil from the surface of the planet and bring it to Earth. Around 2030, China will explore Jupiter and several asteroids (小行星), according to CNSA.
1. How does the passage lead to the topic?| A．By telling a story. | B．By giving an opinion. |
| C．By answering a question. | D．By offering a suggestion. |
| A．China will launch a Mars probe named Long March 5. |
| B．It will be the first mission of the Tianwen series. |
| C．China will launch the probe on Space Day. |
| D．The probe will be launched on a rocket built by another country. |
| A．how China explored the moon | B．how many missions China has completed |
| C．the progress China has made in exploring space | D．the meaning of the name Tianwen |
| A．taking a clear picture of Mars | B．designing a probe |
| C．naming the mission | D．sending a probe to Mars |
| A．It will visit Venus and several asteroids. |
| B．It will collect soil from the surface of the moon. |
| C．It will launch other missions to Mars. |
| D．It will visit all of the planets in the solar system. |
9 . Common Sense Media did a study about kids and technology(科技). It was about many different kinds of activities, from reading and listening to the radio, to new favorites like using social media users (社会媒体用户) and video chatting(视频聊天). More than 2,600 kids took part in the study. Here are some truths:
Truth 1: Some children spend too much time looking at screens(屏幕).
One in five children uses more than six hours of computers each day, and 18% of children are looking at their screens for more than 10 hours a day. But children spend only 30 minutes reading every day.
Truth 2: Boys prefer video games; girls prefer social media.
Among boys, 71% enjoy playing video games, twice as many as girls. Girls spend about 40 minutes more each day on their screens than boys do.
Truth3: Music is their favorite.
For children, while 57% have TV sets in their rooms, music is their favorite. However, only about a third listen to music on the radio. Most children listen to it on their smartphones(智能手机).
Truth 4: Gamers get out less and less.
For gamers, their play time is the least, only 47 minutes every day. Social media users are the most active, spending one hour and 13 minutes every day doing sports.
1. How long do children spend reading every day?| A．40 minutes. | B．30 minutes. | C．47 minutes. | D．13 minutes. |
| A．理想 | B．方案 | C．计划 | D．事实 |
| A．on the computer . | B．on TV | C．on their smartphones | D．on the radio |
| A．A gamer. | B．A student. | C．A girl. | D．A boy. |
| A．Boys Prefer Video Games | B．Music is Their Favorite |
| C．Gamers Get Out Less and Less | D．Truths About Kids and Technology |
The Japanese love robots. There are more than 250,000 robot workers in Japan, more than any other country in the world. Now Japanese scientists make new robots. These robots look and act like humans
The team of robots includes(包括) two beautiful young women called Otonaroid and Kodomoroid, and one baby called Telenoid. They all have their duties(任务) . Otonaroid is the museum’s robot guide. She has one-to one talks with visitors. Kodomoroid is a news reporter. She can get the latest news on the Internet. Then she reports it in several languages. As for Telenoid, people can pick him for a hug(拥抱)and have a short talk with him.
Otonaroid and Kodomoroid can move their lips, blink(眨) their eyes and move heads from side toside. And their hands can move too. It takes the scientists lots of time and work to make them out.
1. Which country has the most robots in the world?
2. Who is the museum’s robot guide?
3. What do you think of the scientists and the robots?
4. 给短文拟一个恰当的英文标题
5. 把短文第一段中划线的句子译成汉语。
