1 . Hollywood’s theory that machines with evil(邪恶) minds will drive armies of killer robots is just silly. The real problem relates to the possibility that artificial intelligence(AI) may become extremely good at achieving something other than what we really want. In 1960 a well-known mathematician Norbert Wiener, who founded the field of cybernetics（控制论）, put it this way: “If we use, to achieve our purposes, a mechanical agency with whose operation we cannot effectively interfere(干预), we had better be quite sure that the purpose put into the machine is the purpose which we really desire.”
A machine with a specific purpose has another quality, one that we usually associate with living things: a wish to preserve its own existence. For the machine, this quality is not in-born, nor is it something introduced by humans; it is a logical consequence of the simple fact that the machine cannot achieve its original purpose if it is dead. So if we send out a robot with the single instruction of fetching coffee, it will have a strong desire to secure success by disabling its own off switch or even killing anyone who might interfere with its task. If we are not careful, then, we could face a kind of global chess match against very determined, super intelligent machines whose objectives conflict with our own, with the real world as the chessboard.
The possibility of entering into and losing such a match should concentrate the minds of computer scientists. Some researchers argue that we can seal the machines inside a kind of firewall, using them to answer difficult questions but never allowing them to affect the real world. Unfortunately, that plan seems unlikely to work: we have yet to invent a firewall that is secure against ordinary humans, let alone super intelligent machines.
Solving the safety problem well enough to move forward in AI seems to be possible but not easy. There are probably decades in which to plan for the arrival of super intelligent machines. But the problem should not be dismissed out of hand, as it has been by some AI researchers. Some argue that humans and machines can coexist as long as they work in teams—yet that is not possible unless machines share the goals of humans. Others say we can just “switch them off” as if super intelligent machines are too stupid to think of that possibility. Still others think that super intelligent AI will never happen. On September 11, 1933, famous physicist Ernest Rutherford stated, with confidence, “Anyone who expects a source of power in the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.” However, on September 12, 1933, physicist Leo Szilard invented the neutron-induced(中子诱导) nuclear chain reaction.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that artificial intelligence may .| A．run out of human control |
| B．satisfy human’s real desires |
| C．command armies of killer robots |
| D．work faster than a mathematician |
| A．prevent themselves from being destroyed |
| B．achieve their original goals independently |
| C．do anything successfully with given orders |
| D．beat humans in international chess matches |
| A．help super intelligent machines work better |
| B．be secure against evil human beings |
| C．keep machines from being harmed |
| D．avoid robots’ affecting the world |
| A．It will disappear with the development of AI. |
| B．It will get worse with human interference. |
| C．It will be solved but with difficulty. |
| D．It will stay for a decade. |
2 . Do you know sand has been used to draw pictures since ancient times? Today, sandpainting, an interesting art, will be produced to you.
Sandpainting is an art of using the sand to make a fixed or unfixed painting. Maybe we all played fixed sandpainting as we were young. We first painted a simple picture, then we brushed glue(胶水)to the section, and at last we poured colored sand onto the glue in order to make it fixed.
Unfixed sandpaintings have a long cultural history around the world. People poured sand on a surface to make paintings or use some tools to draw pictures in the sand directly. They are often temporary(临时的). Different people draw sandpaintings to express different meanings: love of nature, admiration for God or love of beauty.
Nowadays, sandpainting becomes a performance art and its popularity has risen. On the stages, sandpainting performers make a series of images(图像)by drawing lines and figures in the sand with their fingers and hands. The series of images are used to tell a story.
Kseniya Simonova, who is from Ukraine, is one of the greatest sandpainting performers in the world. People call her “The Lady of the Sand”.
Simonova said that she never dreamed she’d become a sand artist, and when she began practicing, she nearly gave it up. But she persevered, caring for a household and her baby by day and training every night. You Are Always Nearby is one of the most famous performances of Simonoova. It is a story about a young couple separated by a war in which the solider is tragically killed, but returns in spirit to watch over his wife and child. This performance makes all audience cry.
Art is everywhere and is not far away from common people. Art of painting is in our life, even in the sand.
1. Which of the following is necessary to make a fixed sandpainting?| A．Glue | B．A printed picture |
| C．Colored paper | D．Water |
| A．She is the best painter in the world |
| B．Being a sand artist is her biggest dream |
| C．She once gave up performing for her family |
| D．Her performances are popular with people |
| A．How sandpainting is becoming popular |
| B．Why sandpainting is becoming popular |
| C．How an image is created in the sand |
| D．What sandpainting tries to express |
| A．set off | B．gave out |
| C．held on | D．ended up |
3 . Nothing could stop Dad. After he was put on disability for a bad back, he bought a small farm in the country, just enough to grow food for the family. He planted vegetables, fruit trees and even kept bees for honey.
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure(肥料). The smell really burned the inside of your nose. When we complained about the terrible smell, Dad said the stronger the manure, the healthier the crops, and he was right. For example, just one of his cantaloupes filled the entire house with its sweet smell, and the taste was even sweeter.
As the vegetables started coming in, Dad threw himself into cooking. One day, armed with a basket of vegetables, he announced he was going to make stew(炖菜).Dad pulled out a pressure cooker and filled it up with cabbages, eggplants, potatoes, corns, onions and carrots. For about half an hour, the pressure built and the vegetables cooked. Finally, Dad turned off the stove, the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam. If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad, this was 10 times worse. When Dad took off the lid, the smell nearly knocked us out.
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house. Just how bad was it? The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined, Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around. It didn’t look that bad, and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell, it didn’t offend the nose so much, either. I took a taste. It would never win a prize in a cooking competition, but it was surprisingly edible, and we drank up every last drop of soup!
1. Why did Dad clean Old Man Mocolgin’s chicken house regularly?| A．To earn some money for the family. | B．To collect manure for his crops. |
| C．To get rid of the terrible smell. | D．To set a good example to us. |
| A．It is popular among the neighbors. | B．It contains honey and vegetables. |
| C．It looks very wonderful. | D．It tastes quite delicious. |
| A．To attract. | B．To upset. | C．To air. | D．To shut. |
| A．He is an experienced cook. | B．He is a troublesome father. |
| C．He has a positive attitude to life. | D．He suffers a lot from his disability. |
The key to their success: 20 tablet computers(平板电脑) dropped off in their Ethiopian village in February by a U.S. group called One Laptop Per Child.
The goal is to find out whether kids using today’s new technology can teach themselves to read in places where no schools or teachers exist. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers analyzing the project data say they’re already amazed. “What I think has already happened is that the kids have already learned more than they would have in one year of kindergarten,” said Matt Keller, who runs the Ethiopia program.
The fastest learner—and the first to turn on one of the tablets—is 8-year-old Kelbesa Negusse. The device’s camera was disabled to save memory, yet within weeks Kelbesa had figured out its workings and made the camera work. He called himself a lion, a marker of accompli
shment in Ethiopia.With his tablet, Kelbasa rearranged the letters HSROE into one of the many English animal names he knows. Then he spelled words on his own. “Seven months ago he didn’t know any English. That’s unbelievable,” said Keller.
The project aims to get kids to a stage called “deep reading,” where they can read to learn. It won’t be in Amharic, Ethiopia’s first language, but in English, which is widely seen as the ticket to higher paying jobs.
1. How does the Ethiopia program benefit the kids in the village?
| A．It trains teachers for them. |
| B．It contributes to their self-study. |
| C．It helps raise their living standards. |
| D．It provides funds for building schools. |
| A．They need more time to analyze data. |
| B．More children are needed for the research. |
| C．He is confident about the future of the project. |
| D．The research should be carried out in kindergartens. |
| A．learn English words quickly. |
| B．draw pictures of animals. |
| C．write letters to researchers. |
| D．make phone calls to his friends. |
| A．To offer Ethiopians higher paying jobs. |
| B．To make Amharic widely used in the world. |
| C．To help Ethiopian kids read to learn in English. |
| D．To assist Ethiopians in learning their first language. |
To: All Staff
From: Jakie Mok , Secretary;Sports Development Committee
Date: May 20, 2010
A week ago , “Sports for Life” pregramme was sent to the parents, requiring them to select a sport they wanted their child to play. Since then , our staff have received lots of calls from parents asking for more information about it . Here is a memo (备忘录) for your reference when you answer the phones.
Sports 1:Basketball.
We expect that this will be the most popular of the four sports.Therefore, students should be advised to sign up as soon as possible . Students will take a prevate bus to and from Kwun Tong Sports Park .To cover the cost of hiring a bus ,each student will have to pay ＄10 each time. There will be four basketball courts available for our use with one teacher watching over each game .
Sports 2:Gym
We will be using St.Peter’s Memorial Park. There are two reasons for choosing theis park. First , it is not very busy and crowded before 6:00 pm. Second , it has lot of trees with plenty of shade. Students must bring along two bottles of water to prevent thirst.Three activities, skipping , jogging , outdoor aerobics (有氧运动),all of which are free of charge, will be arranged. And there will be a teacher on duty for each of the activities.
Sports 3: Hiking
Hiking(远足)will take place at Kowloon Peak.The activitiy will start at 2:30 pm and finish 90 minutes later . Three teachers will accompany the students , and a hiking instructor will accompany each group of 15 hikers . Each instructor will cost ＄75/hr.
Sports 4:Swimming
The Kowloon City Aqueatic Centre is a 10-minute walk from our school. Four teachers will go to the pool and conduct the goings-on from the poolside . We will only be able to reserve the pool for one hour(i.e. 2:45pm to 3:45pm).Only students skilful at swimming can take up this activity . The pool will have two lifuguards present. Girls must wear a swimming suit.The cost is ＄10 per visit.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Students selecting basketball had better register early. |
| B．Students participating in gym should arrive at 6:00 pm. |
| C．Hiking usually begins at 2:30 pm and lasts 2 hours. |
| D．Students having swimming suits can take up swimming. |
| A．students taking part in basket ball will walk to the courts. |
| B．every student can gain admission to one of the four sports |
| C．hiking students can have a regular rest in the shade of trees |
| D．students taking up the four sports should bring bottles of water |
| A．each sport will take only on hour |
| B．students will be chaarged for the four sports |
| C．all the sports will take place at Kowloon Peak |
| D．teachers will accompany students on each sport |
| A．attract students’interest in the programme |
| B．require the parents to select a sport for their chinld |
| C．help the staff explain the programme to the parents |
| D．remind teachers and lifeguards to be present on time |
