1 . I first met Paul Newman in 1968, when George Roy Hill, the director of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, introduced us in New York City. When the studio didn’t want me for the film - it wanted somebody as well known as Paul — he stood up for me. I don’t know how many people would have done that; they would have listened to their agents or the studio powers.
The friendship that grew out of the experience of making that film and The Sting four years later had its root in the fact that although there was an age difference, we both came from a tradition of theater and live TV. We were respectful of craft(技艺) and focused on digging into the characters we were going to play. Both of us had the qualities and virtues that are typical of American actors: humorous, aggressive, and making fun of each other — but always with an underlying affection. Those were also at the core(核心) of our relationship off the screen.
We shared the belief that if you’re fortunate enough to have success, you should put something back — he with his Newman’s Own food and his Hole in the Wall camps for kids who are seriously ill, and me with Sundance and the institute and the festival. Paul and I didn’t see each other all that regularly, but sharing that brought us together. We supported each other financially and by showing up at events.
I last saw him a few months ago. He’d been in and out of the hospital. He and I both knew what the deal was, and we didn’t talk about it. Ours was a relationship that didn’t need a lot of words.
1. Why was the studio unwilling to give the role to author at first?A.Paul Newman wanted it. |
B.The studio powers didn’t like his agent. |
C.He wasn’t famous enough. |
D.The director recommended someone else. |
A.They were of the same age. |
B.They worked in the same theater. |
C.They were both good actors. |
D.They han similar charactertics. |
A.Their belief. |
B.Their care for children. |
C.Their success. |
D.Their support for each other. |
A.To show his love of films. |
B.To remember a friend. |
C.To introduce a new movie. |
D.To share his acting experience. |
2 . Would you take a trip if you couldn’t use your cellphone? A new tour company called Off the Grid is asking travellers to put their cellphones away and not even use them for photos. The company founder, Zach Beattie, is developing his business, using money he saved from a tech job at a mapping company. He’s hired guides for every trip but will help lead the first few himself.
The first trip is to Lisbon, Portugal, in July. It takes 7 to 10 days, with small groups of up to 16 people. Prices range from $1,500 to $1,650, including accommodations, meals and ground transportation. The plan includes at least three excursions (远足) and two social events, with an emphasis on unique experiences over bucket-list sightseeing. The tour also includes surfing lessons, yoga on the beach, a day of sailing and dinner with a local family.
“When you’re somewhere new, there’s a lot to see and a lot of cool and interesting people to meet,” Beattie said. “Your phone can distract (使分心) you.” The phone ban won’t be enforced quite as strictly as it seems at first glance. “We want it to be voluntary,” he said. “We’re not collecting phones and throwing them in a locked trunk. It’s held by you, but put in your pocket, and you state your intentions for the week, whether that’s checking your social media once or twice a day or a total blackout.”
Tour-goers also get a “dumbphone” without Internet access that’s loaded with numbers for group leaders and other participants, both for emergencies and to promote socializing. Participants may bring regular cameras, but Beattie is hiring a photographer for each tour so there will be plenty of photos to remember the trip. Once the trip is over, participants will have access to those photos for use in social media posts.
1. What can be learned about Zach Beattie?A.He set up his business at his own expense. |
B.He is always guiding every trip personally. |
C.He forbids tourists to take along cellphones. |
D.He used to earn his living in a tour company. |
A.The trip features sightseeing. |
B.Participants live in homestays. |
C.Air ticket is covered in the cost. |
D.Tourists experience water sports. |
A.Lock their phones in a trunk. |
B.Post their photos on social media. |
C.Free themselves from their phones. |
D.Shift their focus onto dumbphones. |
A.Take photos. | B.Access the Internet. |
C.Record the trip. | D.Contact group members. |
3 . When it came time to vote for the speaker at graduation in the class meeting, Ms. Lenihan asked who would like to be our class speaker. Being a (an)
After spending the whole week practicing a speech, I stood up in front of my classmates. There were eight to ten other participants, and I didn’t
Over the next month I worked on my graduation speech. When I stood up in front of the whole school, I was still nervous,
A.shy | B.honest | C.outgoing | D.lazy |
A.duty | B.shame | C.loss | D.relief |
A.stayed up | B.climbed up | C.marched up | D.pulled up |
A.disappointed | B.depressed | C.embarrassed | D.frightened |
A.faith | B.interest | C.pride | D.ambition |
A.win | B.expect | C.prove | D.share |
A.threat | B.anxiety | C.excitement | D.depression |
A.achievement | B.destination | C.failure | D.challenge |
A.till | B.then | C.but | D.so |
A.proceeded | B.promised | C.encouraged | D.changed |
4 . A 23-year-old woman has achieved an unbelievable feat that many of us dream of -visiting every country on Earth.
Lexie Alford was born into a family of travel agents, which gave her the opportunity to
I also loved visiting Northern Pakistan, for the natural beauty of the mountains and kindness of the locals were astonishing,” Lexie Alford said. “The most pleasant surprise about travelling to all these misunderstood areas of the world was that the countries that I had the
“My
A.remark | B.settle | C.tour | D.love |
A.fund | B.quit | C.switch | D.register |
A.powerful | B.ideal | C.developed | D.remaining |
A.ranked | B.modified | C.followed | D.criticized |
A.inspire | B.grill | C.understand | D.accompany |
A.occasionally | B.simply | C.completely | D.temporarily |
A.dream | B.button | C.family | D.observation |
A.platform | B.agency | C.process | D.country |
A.dull | B.official | C.natural | D.challenging |
A.adult | B.youth | C.bosses | D.agents |
A.most | B.least | C.greatest | D.worst |
A.started with | B.showed off | C.ended up | D.searched for |
A.advice | B.compromise | C.belief | D.information |
A.save | B.appreciate | C.worsen | D.make |
A.honor | B.career | C.time | D.assessment |
5 . Joao Carlos Martins is a famous pianist and conductor. However, his career has been
As a teenager Martins began to perform in concerts. But in his late twenties, he had to
Martins, in his forties, became a politician. However, he couldn’t stand this
A.smooth | B.tough | C.flexible | D.interesting |
A.cultures | B.forms | C.directions | D.levels |
A.give up | B.set out | C.turn up | D.hold out |
A.still | B.just | C.ever | D.even |
A.Generally | B.Ultimately | C.Occasionally | D.Naturally |
A.forced | B.promised | C.motivated | D.forbade |
A.realistic | B.emotiona1 | C.struggling | D.striking |
A.pain | B.cuts | C.tension | D.sensitivities |
A.conducting | B.playing | C.instruction | D.competition |
A.career | B.popularity | C.condition | D.behavior |
A.existed | B.remained | C.occurred | D.continued |
A.found | B.suffered | C.cured | D.nursed |
A.patience | B.care | C.pleasure | D.determination |
A.fancied | B.considered | C.made | D.chose |
A.measures | B.chances | C.courage | D.trouble |
6 . When it comes to my fathering lessons, few adventures compare to the motorcycle trips I’ve shared with my daughter, Ewa.
Our first
On our second day, we
Me: “We don’t know. ”
It
Since we almost
A.sail | B.flight | C.goal | D.journey |
A.avoided | B.chose | C.built | D.promoted |
A.straight | B.twisty | C.main | D.broad |
A.walking | B.running | C.riding | D.laughing |
A.settled | B.stopped | C.landed | D.moved |
A.population | B.rule | C.name | D.position |
A.occurred | B.happened | C.mattered | D.referred |
A.engineer | B.bicyclist | C.chemist | D.motorcyclist |
A.destination | B.reaction | C.exploration | D.explanation |
A.course | B.benefit | C.feature | D.present |
A.never | B.always | C.completely | D.absolutely |
A.satisfied | B.disappointed | C.surprised | D.frightened |
A.out | B.in | C.off | D.down |
A.grew | B.failed | C.waited | D.survived |
A.silent | B.smooth | C.careful | D.energetic |
7 . Given how valuable intelligence and automation are, we will continue to improve our technology if we are at all able to. At a certain point, we will build machines that are smarter than we are. Once we have machines that are smarter than we are, they will begin to improve themselves. The concern is really that we will build machines that are much more competent than we are. And the slightest divergence (分歧) between their goals and our own could destroy us.
Just think about how we relate to ants. We don’t hate them. We don’t go out of our way to harm them. In fact, sometimes we take pains not to harm them. We step over them on the sidewalk. But whenever their presence seriously conflicts with one of our goals, we will kill them without hesitation. The concern is that we will one day build machines that, whether they’re conscious or not, could treat us with similar disregard.
The bare fact is that we will continue to improve our intelligent machines. We have problems that we desperately need to solve. So we will do this, if we can. The train is already out of the station, and there’s no brake to pull. If we build machines that are more intelligent than we are, they will very likely develop in ways that we can’t imagine, and transcend us in ways that we can’t imagine.
So imagine we hit upon a design of super intelligent AI that has no safety concerns. This machine would be the perfect labor-saving device. It can design the machine that can build the machine which can do any physical work, powered by sunlight, more or less for the cost of raw materials. So we’re talking bout the end of human labour. We’re also talking about the end of most intellectual work. So what would apes like ourselves do in these circumstances?
But the moment we admit that information processing is the source of intelligence, we have to admit that we are in the process of building some sort of god. Now would be a good time to make sure it’s a god we can live with.
1. Why does the author mention ants in Paragraph 2?A.To compare intelligent machines to ants. |
B.To show improved machines will get away from us. |
C.To stress the presence of machines does conflict with our goals. |
D.To explain future intelligent machines could treat us without mercy |
A.Disable. | B.Inspire. | C.Disappoint. | D.Outpace. |
A.By making comparisons. |
B.By giving assumptions. |
C.By showing valid evidence. |
D.By analyzing statistics |
A.Human beings will no doubt be destroyed by AI in the future |
B.Super intelligent AI will put an end to human labour eventually. |
C.We should keep the development of AI within humans’ control. |
D.Human beings should stop the development of super intelligent AL. |
8 . This 3-mile stretch of sand and tide pools beneath a castle of 80-foot cliffs is a California tourism poster if there ever was one. Nothing disturbs the perfect, sunny view, except — once you’re aware of them — microplastic particles (颗粒). But you have to look close-on-your-hands-and-knees close-to see one. And once you do, you see another and another — so many that you may not think of this, or any beach, the same way again. These tiny preproduction plastic balls that manufacturers (生产商) melt down to form everything have been escaping factories, container ships, trains, trucks — and public notice — for decades.
The 2- to 3-millimeter, multicolored balls are a subset (子集) of microplastic-plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in size. Microplastic particles accumulate where water takes them, and they’ve been found on shorelines of every continent.
Dr McReynolds is an environmental scientist who’s now joined a global movement studying their trail into the environment. Establishing a baseline count of the presence of microplastic particles — and, more broadly, any microplastics — is the focus of Dr McReynolds’ scientific study here. Charting the count, noting tide, current, and weather conditions will show if amounts are increasing, and perhaps at what rate and why. That knowledge, he says, can inform solutions to plastic pollution such as regulation of their use.
“What are you doing? Picking up trash?” asks a steady stream of beach walkers whenever Dr McReynolds’ crew walks onto the beach and sets up equipment. These are teachable moments for Dr McReynolds.
One recent morning he told some beach walkers how microplastic particles are believed to absorb toxic chemicals, and — because they resemble fish eggs — are eaten by fish and birds and enter the food chain. Almost right on time, a seagull hopped up to a plastic-coated photo of microplastic particles and hungrily pecked (啄食) at it.
Will his work help save the world? Dr McReynolds waves a finger at that idea, “I won’t ever use that word — I won’t save the world from this pollution problem. Preserve it, yes. We want to take care of it.”
1. What do we know about microplastic particles from paragraph 1?A.They are too small to be seen. | B.They have been ignored for long. |
C.They are products of plastic balls. | D.They can be made into almost everything. |
A.Classifying plastic particles into subsets. | B.Finding solutions to plastic pollution. |
C.Charting the tides and currents of oceans. | D.Creating a data collection for microplastics. |
A.The interesting teachable moments. | B.The spread of poisonous chemicals. |
C.The harmful effect of microplastic particles. | D.The beauty of the photo of microplastic particles. |
A.To save the world. | B.To protect the earth. | C.To educate the public. | D.To provide solutions. |
9 . In today’s digital era, social media users are increasingly coming across fake news online. This leads to the pressing issue: What causes people to fall for misinformation on the Internet?
According to researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, users can easily fall into an echo chamber (回声室)—a sort of virtual space where users consume only one-sided news, eventually distrusting any opposing views. “We all tend to agree with the group opinion. Hence, people naturally get together with others who hold the same opinion,” said Dongwon Lee, one of the researchers. “But if you’re not cautious, there is a high risk of falling into an echo chamber.”
To prevent this phenomenon, the researchers have crafted a novel tool, a game named ChamberBreaker, to help players resist echo chambers and reduce the rate of fake news spread. The fundamental approach employed by ChamberBreaker centers around a decision-making procedure that mirrors the creation of echo chambers. In ChamberBreaker, a player is tasked with trying to have community members fall into an echo chamber. To begin, the player is randomly assigned a situation that focuses on a health, political or environmental issue, and is presented with six pieces of news on that topic. Then, the player selects news that could cause the other members to fall into an echo chamber while at the same time maintaining their trust. If successful, the community members will fall into an echo chamber and the player will witness the resulting negative effects on the community.
After developing ChamberBreaker, researchers tested it with over 800 subjects to see if it raised awareness of echo chambers and changed news consumption behaviors. The researchers found that those who played ChamberBreaker were significantly more likely to state their intention to observe online information from more diverse perspectives and showed an increased awareness of the echo chamber phenomenon.
Ultimately, the researchers hope that their methodology can excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study related to information consumption. The application of tools like ChamberBreaker, which focuses on fostering analytical reasoning, may lead us towards a more informed online community.
1. What can be learned about an online echo chamber?A.It encourages well-judged views. |
B.It gathers like-minded individuals. |
C.It functions as a virtual reality platform. |
D.It serves as a tool for identifying fake information. |
A.Assignment of situations. | B.Trust-building exercises. |
C.News selection strategy. | D.Community impact assessment. |
A.The results of scientific testing. |
B.The theoretical framework of the game. |
C.The description of the game procedures. |
D.The common challenges faced during gameplay. |
A.Reducing news inquiry. | B.Encouraging passive reading. |
C.Strengthening prejudiced views. | D.Enhancing critical thinking. |
10 . Metin Sitti at the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems in Stuttgart, Germany, and his colleagues have developed tiny robots called “microrollers” that can carry cancer drugs and selectively target human breast cancer cells. The team drew inspiration for the design of the robots from white blood cells in the human body, which can move along the walls of blood vessels (血管) against the direction of blood flow.
The microrollers are round and made from glass microparticles. One half of the robot was coated with a thin magnetic nanofilm (磁性纳米膜) made from nickel and gold. The other half was coated with the cancer drug doxorubicin as well as molecules that recognize cancer cells.
The team tested the robots using mouse blood and artificial channels lined with human endothelial cells—the kind of cells that line the inner walls of our blood vessels. The robots were exposed to a mixture of cancerous and healthy tissue. The microrollers selectively attached to the cancer cells and were activated using UV light to release the doxorubicin.
By applying magnetic fields, the team was able to control the movement of the microrollers, both with and against the flow of blood. The microrollers can reach a speed of up to 600 micrometers per second. “If you come to a spot where you need to take the right path and if you miss it, then you could go back and go to the right one,” says Setti.
In future, the researchers want to use other methods to start the drug release, such as heat or near-infrared light. They also plan to try making microrollers out of materials that would break down in the body over a few weeks or months.
The team hopes to test the microrollers in animals soon. “The rollers need to carry enough cancer drugs, which is why we need to have them in large numbers,” says Setti. “But since we can locally take drugs to the right target, we don’t need huge dosages (剂量).”
1. What can the microrollers be used for?A.Repairing blood cells. | B.Delivering drugs. | C.Improving blood flow. | D.Performing operations. |
A.Their shape. | B.Their advantage. | C.Their design. | D.Their application. |
A.Their direction can be adjusted. | B.They might miss the target cells. |
C.They might get stuck in the blood. | D.Their speed can change automatically. |
A.Put the microrollers to clinical use. | B.Sell the microrollers in large quantities. |
C.Tear the microrollers down in the body. | D.Experiment with the microrollers further. |