1 . Facebook has developed a kind of AI (人工智能) translating between any pair of 100 languages without depending on first translating to English.
Facebook’s system was trained on a data set of 7.5 billion sentence pairs collected from the web across 100 languages, though not all the languages had an equal number of sentence pairs. “What I was really interested in was cutting out English as a middle man. Globally there are plenty of countries where they speak two languages that aren’t English,” says Angela Fan of Facebook AI, who led the work.
For some language pairs, the new system shows prominent improvements in translation quality. For example, translating from Spanish to Portuguese is extremely strong because Spanish is the second-most spoken first language worldwide, meaning the researchers can get a lot of data. Translation between English and Belarusian (白俄罗斯语) also is improved because the AI can translate Russian into English, which shares similarities with Belarusian.
While the system isn’t in use on the social network site, Facebook plans to put it to work soon to manage the 20 billion translations made every day when people click “Translate” on posts (帖子) written in more than 160 languages. “Future work will be done on other languages,” says Fan, “especially for languages where we don’t have a lot of data, like South-East Asian and African languages.”
The work “breaks away from the English-centric models and tries to build more different models,” says Shelia Castilho of the ADAPT Centre at Dublin City University, Ireland. “That’s pretty new and different. But it’s hard to know if the AI does a right translation work,” says Castilho. “The users may not know the other language, so they cannot judge the correctness of the translation.”
1. What’s Angela Fan’s purpose of doing the research?| A．To collect data of all kinds of people. |
| B．To make learning different languages easier. |
| C．To achieve her dream of becoming a translator. |
| D．To avoid using English as a middle man in translation. |
| A．There is much data on Spanish. |
| B．Portuguese is similar to Spanish. |
| C．Researchers have a good knowledge of the two languages. |
| D．Spanish is spoken by the largest number of people. |
| A．The safety of AI translation. | B．The correctness of AI translation. |
| C．The way of using Facebook. | D．The number of posts on the website. |
| A．Facebook AI Can Talk with the Users |
| B．Facebook Wants to Buy a New System |
| C．Facebook AI Can Translate Any Pair of 100 Languages |
| D．Facebook Has Lost Many Users |
2 . After a long day at school, I walked home with my heavy schoolbag. Sleepy and
Later, I
Sometimes, I wonder how my mom can still be
| A．hungry | B．busy | C．heavy | D．unlucky |
| A．classroom | B．kitchen | C．bedroom | D．apartment |
| A．dream | B．supper | C．homework | D．experience |
| A．upstairs | B．outside | C．downstairs | D．inside |
| A．set off | B．put off | C．get off | D．fight off |
| A．calm | B．bright | C．open | D．close |
| A．felt | B．listened | C．raised | D．heard |
| A．it | B．that | C．which | D．but |
| A．look | B．greet | C．walk | D．help |
| A．need | B．idea | C．faith | D．energy |
| A．face | B．change | C．accept | D．leave |
| A．creative | B．sensitive | C．competitive | D．positive |
| A．fast | B．soon | C．early | D．late |
| A．furniture | B．shoe | C．car | D．clothing |
| A．chat | B．traffic | C．duty | D．task |
| A．replace | B．exchange | C．connect | D．compare |
| A．complain | B．decide | C．study | D．play |
| A．achieve | B．notice | C．appreciate | D．improve |
| A．so | B．though | C．if | D．because |
| A．good | B．skillful | C．successful | D．important |
3 . Suppose you want to go abroad and learn about the foreign exchange in culture in different countries. Here is some information you may need.
| Name: Susan Lane Age: 22 Place: Reykjavik, Iceland, 2005 Cost: $7,000 Organization: AFS Experience: “I think it was a turning point in my life. I began to understand more about my own culture by experiencing another culture and seeing how other people live.” |
| Name: Sara Small Age: 23 Place: Crivitz, Germany, 2011 Cost: $8,000 Organization: EF Foundation Experience: “I love the traveling and I made a lot of friends. I found the European schools to be hard but I am good at German now so it was worth it. I did miss my family and friends in Australia but I would love to do it again.” |
| Name: David Links Age: 16 Place: Stuttgart, Germany, 2011 Cost: $6,000 Organization: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange (SCCE) Experience: “I wanted to try something that was very different in culture. In Germany everything was different but I soon got settled. The family I was with was great and I really feel as though I have a second family.” |
| Name: Tom Jennings Age: 21 Place: Conflans, France, 2010 Cost: $7,000 Organization: Southern Cross Cultural Exchange (SCCE) Experience: “There were times when it was difficult but I liked it, experiencing a different culture. You just have to deal with each situation as it comes. If there is one thing you learn when you are on a student-exchange program it is how to take care of yourself.” |
| Name: Linda Marks Age: 19 Place: Chonburi Province, Thailand, 2009 Cost: $3,500 Organization: Rotary International Experience: “There are lots of ups and downs, but you always come back for more. I have a few problems but there was always someone to turn to and that was great.” |
| A．EF Foundation | B．SCCE | C．AFS | D．Rotary International |
| A．Susan Lane and Sara Small |
| B．Linda Marks and David Links |
| C．Tom Jennings and Linda Marks |
| D．Susan Lane and Tom Jennings |
| A．protect himself and others |
| B．depend on himself and fit in |
| C．keep himself away from others |
| D．accept advice and depend on himself |
| A．Iceland | B．France | C．Germany | D．Thailand |
4 . Night after night, she came into my bedroom: she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way, then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me — her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me, for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin. Finally, one night, I shouted at her: "Don't do that anymore — your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply. But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
Time after time, with the passing years, my thoughts returned to that night. I missed my mother's hands, missed her goodnight kiss upon my forehead. Sometimes it seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always it appeared in the back of my mind.
Well, the years have passed, and I'm not a little girl any more. Mom is in her mid-seventies, and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family. Through the years, my mother's hands have put in countless hours of hard work.
Now, my own children have grown up. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special occasions, I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her. So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand stole across my face to brush the hair from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so gently, touched my brow.
In my memory, for the thousandth time, I remembered the night my young voice complained: “Don't do that any more —your hands are too rough!” Catching Mom's hand in hand, I couldn’t help saying how sorry I was for that night. I thought she'd remember, as I did. But Mom didn't know what I was talking about. She had forgotten —and forgiven(原谅) —long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands. And the guilt I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
1. Why did the author hate her mother’s touching?| A．She didn’t love her mother. |
| B．Her mother had another way to express love. |
| C．The relationship between her and her mother was not good. |
| D．Her mother’s touching made her skin uncomfortable. |
| A．Thoughtful but stubborn. |
| B．Caring and intelligent. |
| C．Devoted and hardworking. |
| D．Active but careless. |
| A．the author lived separately from her mother |
| B．the author’s father has passed away |
| C．the author alone took care of her children |
| D．the author’s mother never kissed her again since that night |
| A．To appreciate her mother’s love. |
| B．To express her regret. |
| C．To thank her mother’s help. |
| D．To call up memories of her childhood. |
5 . Little Monty was son of a poor farmer. When he was in high school, he was asked to write a passage about what he wanted to be and do when he grew up. That night he wrote a seven-page passage describing his dream of owning a big farm. He wrote about his dream in great detail and he even drew a picture of his farm, showing the design of all the buildings, the animals and the track. He put a great deal of his heart into the homework and the next day he handed it in to his teacher. Two days later he received his paper back. On the front page was a large red F with a note that read, “See me after class.”
The boy with the dream went to see the teacher after class and asked, “Why did I receive an F?” The teacher said, “For a young boy like you the dream is impossible. You have no money. You come from a poor family. You have no support from your friends. Owning a big farm needs a lot of money. You have to buy the land. You have to pay for the buying of your animals and later you’ll have to pay more to hire people to feed them. There’s no way you could ever do it.”
The boy went home and thought about it long and hard. He asked his father what he should do. His father said, “Look, son, you have to make up your own mind on this. However, I think it is a very important decision for you.” Finally, after a week, the boy turned in the same paper, making no changes at all. He stated, “You can keep the F and I’ll keep my dream.”
Twenty years later, a teacher led his 30 students to visit a beautiful and big farm. When meeting the owner of the farm, the teacher said, “Look, Monty, I can tell you this now. When I was your teacher, I was something of a dream stealer. During those years I stole a lot of kids’ dreams. Fortunately you had enough determination not to give up on yours.”
“Don’t let anyone steal your dreams. Follow your heart, no matter what,” Monty at last concluded.
1. What was the score Monty received for his paper?| A．F. | B．A. | C．D. | D．G |
| A．Because he was angry about his teacher’s words. |
| B．Because his father stopped him from rewriting it. |
| C．Because he had put too much of his heart into it. |
| D．Because he made up his mind to follow his dream. |
| A．warn people against dream stealers |
| B．tell people how to describe their goals |
| C．encourage people to keep their dreams |
| D．teach people how to write their papers |
6 . It began a year ago, around Christmas.
While driving around the corner of our townhouse sports center, I always noticed an old man sitting by his front yard. He was usually smoking or drinking and looked unhappy.
One day, while I was driving past him with my daughter, I decided to
“
I told her that it was just an act of kindness that didn’t
Lucky for us, we lived close to the old man, so we
One day, my daughter’s friend came to visit and she told my daughter that she saw this
Upon hearing this, my daughter told her friend the story of how all the waving
Her friend said, “Tell your mom that’s really
Other friends made
Moved by all these good effects, we’re planning to give our elder waving neighbor a thank-you card, to express our
| A．look | B．laugh | C．shout | D．wave |
| A．leg | B．hand | C．foot | D．head |
| A．When | B．How | C．Why | D．Where |
| A．son | B．daughter | C．neighbor | D．friend |
| A．cost | B．bring | C．break | D．hide |
| A．anger | B．sadness | C．joy | D．pride |
| A．or | B．but | C．so | D．for |
| A．saw | B．asked | C．thanked | D．visited |
| A．might | B．could | C．would | D．should |
| A．anything | B．something | C．someone | D．everyone |
| A．strange | B．boring | C．relaxing | D．peaceful |
| A．now that | B．so long as | C．as if | D．even though |
| A．important | B．dangerous | C．good | D．safe |
| A．began | B．succeeded | C．remained | D．lasted |
| A．different | B．cool | C．easy | D．true |
| A．no | B．bad | C．similar | D．different |
| A．do | B．get | C．follow | D．keep |
| A．made | B．controlled | C．reminded | D．showed |
| A．opinions | B．thanks | C．stresses | D．willingness |
| A．to | B．in | C．upon | D．with |
7 . When I see my children avoiding the food on dirty plates in the sink or cringing at the wet sand sticking to her hands, I’m reminded of a time when I was unwilling to get my hands a little dirty.
My parents owned a 500-acre ranch (牧场) in Montana when I was young. We had the usual group of animals to care for: cows, sheep, horses, chickens, dogs and barn cats. There were always fences to fix and things to plow or burn. I probably didn’t help as much as I should have, could have or would have if I’d been a little older.
One cold day, I was checking on the sheep with my mother when she spied a sheep in trouble. The poor thing was trying to deliver her lamb and needed our help. My mother calmly held the sheep’s head and instructed me to grab hold of two tender legs.
I hesitated, and must have had quite a look of panic on my young face. The little things were definitely not something I wanted to touch. But I worked up my courage and put my fingers around them. My heart beat in fear and excitement as I pulled with all my strength. I can still remember the feel of the unexpectedly soft legs and their sharp little hooves (蹄) as if it happened yesterday. I remember feeling happy to see “my lamb” being licked (舔) clean by her mother.
Looking back, I’m so glad that I didn’t refuse to get my hands a little dirty. If I had, a wonderful memory would have been lost. Sometimes you need to get your hands a little dirty to experience something amazing and pure.
1. What does the underlined phrase “cringing at” in Paragraph 1 mean?| A．Paying attention to. | B．Feeling uneasy about. |
| C．Breaking away from. | D．Getting curious about. |
| A．The author owned a big ranch. |
| B．There were many ranches in Montana. |
| C．The author had to fix a lot of fences. |
| D．The author was too young to help much. |
| A．By pulling the sheep baby out. |
| B．By touching the little hooves. |
| C．By holding the sheep’s head. |
| D．By cleaning the baby. |
| A．It is better for kids to help parents earlier. |
| B．Keeping your hands clean is a good habit. |
| C．It is certain to get dirty working on the ranch. |
| D．Getting hands dirty is to explore something unusual. |
8 . Two years ago, Holmes participated in Back to School Bash. He was holding down two jobs at the time — one with the city’s public works department, the other as a barber. Saturday was his busiest hair-cutting day, but he chose to donate his time and give free haircuts to unfortunate kids so they’d look neat on that first day of classes. But then he had a light bulb moment: “The kids should earn their free haircut by having to read a book to me,” Holmes said.
The idea was so popular that he continued it the first Tuesday of every month for the next two years. Boys from five to ten years old would grab a favorite book, settle into the barber chair, and read aloud while Holmes was doing their hair. If they were puzzled over a word, Holmes was there to help. After the haircut, they’d review he book, from the characters and vocabulary to the themes — just like in school, only more fun. Holmes, who is married and has two sons, ages three and four, recognizes that not every parent has the time to read with their kids.
Holmes admits he, too, benefits from the process. “There was this seven-year-old who struggled through his book, stuttering over words even though he didn’t have a stutter (口吃),” said Holmes. He had the boy take the book home and practice. When the child came back a few days later, “He read it with no problems. That inspires me.”
Holmes and his family have recently moved to a Chicago suburb. When they get settled, he plans to take up his role as the Story-book Barber. “The way the world is today with guns and violence,” he says, “it’s a safe heaven for the kids, to come to the barbershop and read books.”
1. What do we know about Holmes two years ago?| A．He had only one job. |
| B．He earned a lot as a barber. |
| C．He offered free haircuts to the poor kids. |
| D．He was the organizer of Back to School Bash. |
| A．Holmes is very strict with the kids |
| B．Holmes also learns a lot from the kids |
| C．being a fluent reader needs plenty of practice |
| D．many kids have trouble in reading a storybook |
| A．Holmes is dissatisfied with the world today. |
| B．Holmes’ barbershop will have some changes. |
| C．Holmes’ barbershop has won great popularity. |
| D．Holmes will continue to be a storybook barber. |
| A．The Storybook Barber |
| B．Back to School Bash |
| C．Reading Counts A Lot |
| D．Care About the Kids |
9 . King’s College Summer School
King’s College Summer School is an annual(一年一度的)training program for high school students at all levels who want to improve their English. Courses are given by the teachers of King’s College and other colleges in New York. Trips to museums and culture centers are also organized. This year’s summer school will be from July 25 to August 15.
More information is as follows:
| Application date Students in New York should send their applications before July 18, 2015. Students of other cities should send their applications before July 16, 2015. Foreign students should send their applications before July 10, 2015. | Courses English Language Spoken English: 22 hours Reading and Writing: 10 hours American History: 16 hours American Culture: 16 hours |
| Steps A letter of self-introduction A letter of recommendation The letters should be written in English with all the necessary information. | Cost Daily lessons: $200 Sports and activities: $100 Travels: $200 Hotel service: $400 You may choose to live with your friends or relatives in the same city. |
| Please write to: Thompson, Sanders 1026 King’s Street New York, NY 10016, USA E-mail: KC-Summer-School@ yahoo.com | |
| A．a travel guide | B．a textbook |
| C．a telephone book | D．a newspaper |
| A．Only top students can take part in the program. |
| B．King’s College Summer School is run every other year. |
| C．Visits to museums and culture centers are part of the program. |
| D．Only the teachers of King’s College give courses. |
| A．$200 | B．$400 |
| C．$500 | D．$900 |
10 . As today’s high schoolers are facing too much homework, sports teams and clubs and high-rising college costs, many people are rethinking the idea of high schoolers working. Are there still benefits (益处) of having a job in high school? The answer is yes.
When I was 14 years old, my mother suggested that I get a job in order to pay for college. Happy with my sporadic (零星的) babysitting work, I told my mother that, no matter what job I got, I’d never be able to cover college costs on a high school worker’s pay.
My mother smiled and told me that there were plenty of other reasons why I should get a job beyond (除了) just the paycheck (工资支票). So I found myself applying for and finally accepting a job as a swim instructor and lifeguard at my town’s public pool. I ended up working part-time at the pool through all four years of high school.
Not everything about the job was marvelous, and there were times I hated jumping in the pool on cold mornings and trying to talk kids into following my instructions, but overall, like my mother said, I got many benefits from the job beyond just the paycheck.
At my job, I made lots of new friends, more than I had made in high school. I also learnt lots of skills including CPR (心肺复苏法) training and office experience. I was also able to use my work experience to standout from other job applicants in college and get a paid research job as a freshman in college.
For many high school students, there are many benefits of having a job. Not only will high school jobs give you a way to make some money, meet new people, and develop some skills, you can also use your teenage jobs to get yourself a better job in college.
1. What was the author’s attitude when his mother asked him to get a job?| A．He was surprised at it. | B．He didn’t want to do it. |
| C．He was excited about it. | D．He wasn’t interested in it. |
| A．Easy. | B．Moving. | C．Relaxing. | D．Enjoyable. |
| A．It developed his team spirit. |
| B．It helped him land a good job in college. |
| C．It led him to meet the best friend of his life. |
| D．It provided him with enough money to pay for college. |
| A．More than just a paycheck | B．My first job in high school |
| C．What I learnt from part-time jobs | D．High schoolers are having hard times |
