1 . Those of us who shop online may scan customer reviews to get a better sense of products we can't judge for ourselves at a physical store. We may check out online testimonials before booking a haircut or visiting a new restaurant. But what happens if some of those reviews can't be trusted?
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently announced that it was proposing new measures to crack down on fake reviews and other practices used to mislead consumers. The commission published a proposed rule that would prohibit companies from writing or selling fake reviews, buying positive reviews, suppressing negative reviews and more.
“Our proposed rule on fake reviews shows that we're using all available means to attack deceptive advertising in the digital age,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.
Research shows people overwhelmingly consult online reviews, but humans are also bad at telling which consumer reviews hold water and which are nonsense.
That's potentially worrisome given that nearly one in every three reviews is fake, according to one estimate.
In arguing for the proposal, the FTC cited enforcement actions it had taken against companies that manipulated reviews of their products.In 2022, for example, the commission forced the online retailer Fashion Nova to pay $4.2 million to settle allegations (指控) that it blocked negative reviews from being posted on its website — the first FTC action involving a company's effort to hide negative reviews. For its part, Fashion Nova said in a statement to The New York Times that the FTC's allegations were “inaccurate” and that it only settled the charges to avoid “the distraction and legal fees”.
Comments on the proposed rule have to be received within 60 days of its publication in the Federal Register, after which the FTC will decide whether to issue a revised final version.
1. What is the main purpose of the FTC's proposed rule?A.To improve the quality of products and services. |
B.To protect the interests of physical stores. |
C.To ban negative reviews from online platforms. |
D.To ensure true reviews are presented to customers. |
A.Be credible. | B.Be prejudiced. | C.Be official. | D.Be misleading. |
A.To delete negative reviews of its products. |
B.To post customer reviews on its website. |
C.To resolve allegations of deceptive advertising. |
D.To prevent it from facing further criticism and legal fees. |
A.It is well-received. | B.It is still under review. |
C.It has proven to be effective. | D.It has encountered opposition. |
2 . Four Top Family Camping Trips
Camp Clearwater: White Lake, North CarolinaCamp Clearwater in White Lake, North Carolina, features its own 1, 100-acre lake complete with 1, 300 feet of shorefront. On-site facilities here include a mini-golf area, sports fields and a park that allows pets. Further, the family campground hosts various activities, including games, cornhole tournaments and golf cart parades. Overnight campsites run from $40 to $60 per night.
A Tiny House Resort: Cairo, New YorkThose cager to try tiny living in a natural setting should check out this tiny location in the heart of the Catskills Mountains region. There are on-site facilities including a pool, a dog park, kayaks, massage services and even goat yoga. You can spend your time walking on the waterfront trails or relaxing on a boat. Rates start at $295 per night for tiny homes that sleep two, but some tiny homes with more space for additional guests or amenities(便利设施) cost more.
Meeman-Shelby Forest: Memphis, TennesseeThe Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park features 12, 539 acres of outdoor space along the Mississippi River. This area is known for its magnificent trees as well as the many endangered and protected plants that call it home. You can camp here in a two-bedroom cabin(小木屋) or on one of the 49 campsites. Cabin rentals start around $110 per night, and you can rent a camping spot for as little as $25 per night.
Flamingo Adventures at the Everglades: Florida KeysFamilies within close driving distance to the Florida Everglades have plenty of outdoor options to consider, including houseboat and eco-tent rentals through Flamingo Adventures. Houseboat rentals sleep four adults and two kids maximum and prices start at $350 per night. Eco-tents, which sit on platforms and feature bed linens, electricity, sitting areas and plenty of storage, start at $50 per night.
1. What activities are available at Camp Clearwater?A.Swimming and kayaks. | B.Mini-golf and goat yoga. |
C.Sports and golf cart parades. | D.Games and massage services. |
A.A Tiny House Resort: Cairo, New York. |
B.Meeman-Shelby Forest: Memphis, Tennessee. |
C.Camp Clearwater: White Lake, North Carolina. |
D.Flamingo Adventures at the Everglades: Florida Keys. |
A.$300. | B.$350. | C.$700. | D.$800. |
3 . When running through an airport, your luggage becomes a burden for you. A new ride-on suitcase called the Airwheel, currently seeking funding on Kickstarter, can let your luggage carry you around for a change.
Companies like Trunki have been making ride-on suitcases for kids for years, and later involved in adapting them for adults too. And the appeal of the idea is hard to deny—who wouldn’t want to slide to their terminal (航站楼) on top of their luggage, rather than trying to carry it while you’re running?
The Airwheel is designed to make it come true, equipping an electric motor, rechargable battery and a steering (操控) device just like the motorbike handlebars. The accelerator and brake take the form of buttons on the handle, and the 4-in(10-cm) wheels are apparently tough enough to run over rocky roads and cracks. The outer frame is strong enough to support riders weighing up to 130 kg.
At max speed the case can get up to 10 km/h, and the battery will last one hour at that speed. The company says that not only is this faster than other ride-on suitcases, but the more upright sitting position is more comfortable and natural than the bent-over posture of others, which is the riders’ big hit.
For a touch of customization (定制), the Airwheel connects to an app which lets users set up colors and patterns of lights. There’s also a search mode to help you find it on a luggage transfer-belt. That said, making the suitcase transparent is a bit of a unique design choice. Your customized suitcase will draw your attention easily.
The Airwheel has already passed its goal on Kickstarter, with 44 days remaining on the campaign. If all goes to plan, shipping should begin in February 2024.
1. Why does Trunki company try to produce the Airwheel?A.It is popular with kids. | B.It meets the demands of customers. |
C.It can raise fund for the local airport. | D.It can help travellers keep their luggage. |
A.The equipment of the Airwheel. | B.The methods to use the Airwheel. |
C.The applications of the Airwheel. | D.The process of making the Airwheel. |
A.Its longer duration of transport. | B.Its popular bent-over posture. |
C.Its increasing running speed. | D.Its natural sitting position. |
A.Widely available. | B.Completely controlled. |
C.Easily recognized. | D.Environmentally friendly. |
4 . Emest Owusu was 13 in 1980 when he was given the opportunity to appear in the audience of a BBC show, and ask Thatcher how she felt about being called the Iron Lady. This encounter re-emerged in a BBC’s programme recently.
At the time of their meeting, Owusu was on free school meals, living on a public estate in Brixton, south London, where he and his sister were being raised by their mother Rose, a struggling hairdresser.
Now 57, Owusu looks remarkably similar even with a greying beard. But his life has been transformed. The father of three is a human resources director, and the first black captain of the Addington golf club in its 110-year history. As a black guy, it is about breaking the glass ceiling. Speaking in its clubhouse, Owusu describes his rise in social status (地位) as a “Thatcherite Journey”. And he says it began by asking the woman herself. “To this day it still has an impact. My confidence changed from that sliding-door moment. Something about her connected with me.”
Thatcher told Owusu she enjoyed being called the Iron Lady. “I think it’s rather a praise, don’t you?” she said, “Because so often people have said to me if you’re in your job you’ve got to be soft and warm and human, but you’ve got to have a touch of steel.” Owusu recalls the moment, “I just remember her eye contact. She was answering me, not the camera. She welcomed the question saying you’ve got to be firm in this world. And that stuck with me.”
After the show was broadcast, Owusu said he became “a little hero in Brixton for a good three months”. Owusu added, “It all gave me extra confidence. Doors might not have opened so quickly. It was one of those key moments to make you do things maybe you wouldn’t otherwise have done.”
1. What do we know about Owusu when he was 13?A.He met with Thatcher twice. |
B.He joined a famous golf club. |
C.He hosted a BBC’s programme. |
D.He lived at the bottom of society. |
A.Turning point. | B.Important decision. |
C.Social status. | D.Remarkable achievement. |
A.Others’ treating him equally at work. |
B.Others’ voting him a hero in Brixton. |
C.Thatcher’s efforts to preserve his dignity. |
D.Thatcher’s faith in the necessity of toughness. |
A.The Art of Dialogue | B.The Power of Confidence |
C.A Life-changing Meeting | D.A Status-improving Tale |
5 . Even if you haven’t held a conversation with Siri or Alexa, you’ve likely encountered a chatbot online. They often appear in a chat window that pops up with a friendly greeting: Thank you for visiting our site.How can I help you today? Depending on the site, the chatbot is programmed to respond accordingly and even ask follow-up questions.
Chatbots are a form of conversational AI designed to simplify human interaction with computers. They are programmed to simulate human conversation and exhibit intelligent behavior that is equivalent to that of a human.
Chatbots communicate through speech or text. Both rely on artificial intelligence technologies like machine learning and natural language processing (NLP), which is a branch of artificial intelligence that teaches machines to read, analyze and interpret human language. This technology gives chatbots a baseline for understanding language structure and meaning. NLP, in essence, allows the computer to understand what you are asking and how to appropriately respond.
With developments in deep learning and reinforcement learning, chatbots can interpret more complexities in language and improve the dynamic nature of conversation between human and machine. Essentially, a chatbot tries to match what you’ve asked to an intent that it understands. The more a chatbot communicates with you, the more it understands and the more it learns to communicate like you and others with similar questions. Your positive responses reinforce its answers, and then it uses those answers again.
From customer service chatbots online to personal assistants in our homes,chatbots have started to enter our lives. In almost every industry, companies are using chatbots to help customers easily navigate their websites, answer simple questions and direct people to the relevant points of contact. Personal assistants like Siri and Alexa are designed to respond to a wide range of scenarios and queries, from current weather and news updates to personal calendars, music selections and random questions.
1. Why does the author mention Siri and Alexa in Paragraph 1?A.To explain how a chatbot works. | B.To show where to find a chatbot. |
C.To give examples of chatbots. | D.To compare different chatbots. |
A.Language study. | B.Data transmission. |
C.Social interaction. | D.Natural language processing. |
A.Inspire. | B.Strengthen. | C.Organize. | D.Match. |
A.The future trend of chatbots. | B.The author’s predictions. |
C.The effects of chatbots. | D.The applications of chatbots. |
6 . About 12% of the total global energy demand comes from heating and cooling homes and businesses. A new study suggests that using underground water to maintain comfortable temperatures could reduce consumption of natural gas and electricity in this section by 40% in the US. The approach is called ATES, short for aquifer thermal energy storage (含水层热能储存).
“We need storage to absorb energy from the sun and wind. It’s crucial to creating affordable, reliable, and deeply environmental-friendly electricity systems. Most people are interested in batteries and other kinds of electrical storage. But we were wondering whether there was any opportunity to use geothermal (地热的) energy storage,” said first author A.T.D Perera. “With ATES, energy can be stored for a long period of time, without adding an additional burden to the grid (输电网).”
ATES is a pleasantly simple concept that takes advantage of the heat-absorbing property of water and the natural geological features of the planet. You simply pull existing underground water up and heat it at the surface in the summer with environmental heat or energy. Then you send it back down. It stays fairly hot because the Earth is a good insulator (绝热体).
“Unlike above-ground tank-based water or ice storage systems, ATES will not need space. It’s also more efficient and can support larger communities in cooling or heating than traditional geothermal heat pump systems that rely on heat moving with the underground soil,” added co-author Hong Tianzhen.
A major beneft of ATES is that it will become more efficient as weather becomes more extreme in the coming years due to climate change. The hotter summers and severer winters could increase the amount of free thermal energy that can be stored with ATES. “It’s very much a realistic thing to do and this work is really about showing its value,” said Perera. “This technology is ready to go, so to speak. We just need to do it.”
1. What do we know about ATES?A.It is technologically demanding. |
B.It is aimed at replacing natural energy. |
C.It mainly relies on batteries to function. |
D.It helps achieve an environmentally friendly society |
A.By giving examples. | B.By discussing results. |
C.By making comparisons. | D.By analyzing principles. |
A.Temperature variations. | B.Insulated materials. |
C.The duration of storage. | D.The category of energy. |
A.A Turning Point in Energy Usage |
B.A Solution to Green Cooling and Heating |
C.A Transformation in the US Electricity System |
D.A Discovery About Geothermal Energy Storage |
7 . Nanako Hama was holding a light envelop. When she tore it open with care, locks of hair emerged. Many strangers send Hama locks of their hair, hoping to recycle it.
People generate a huge amount of hair waste. Nearly all of that waste ends up in landfill, where it can release harmful greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change. But hair possesses useful qualities that it’s a shame to simply throw it away. That’s why people all around the world, like Hama, have been collecting hair and finding innovative ways to recycle it, including making mats (垫子) out of it for removing oil leaks in the ocean.
Hama is part of the nonprofit Matter of Trust (MoT) members working at more than 60 centers dotted across 17 countries, using machines to make hair donated from local salons and individuals into square mat, which are then used to clean up the floating oil. “Hair is particularly well-suited for this,” says MoT co-founder Lisa Gautier. “That’s because its rough sort of outer layer lets oil stick to it.” MoT’s mats have been used in major oil leaks, including the 2010 Deepwater Horizon and 2007 Cosco Busan incidents.
In a 2018 study, Murray, an environmental scientist at the University of Technology Sydney, in Australia found that mats made of recycled human hair could absorb 0.84 grams of oil onto its surface for every gram of hair—significantly more than polypropylene (聚丙烯),a type of plastic that’s typically used to clean up floating oil. Besides, hair is also useful as fertilizer (化肥). Hair contains a relatively high nitrogen (氮), a chemical element crucial for plant growth, and each lock of hair is made of roughly 16 percent of this essential nutrient. Last year, more than 560 gallons of liquid fertilizer made from human hair was sold to farmers in northern Tanzania and the feedback from the farmers has been very encouraging.
“It’s just a great way to use hair in a productive way. Hair is an answer literally hanging in front of our eyes—for oil and soil,” Hama says.
1. How does the author introduce the topic?A.By presenting a scene. | B.By detailing the background. |
C.By describing the usage of hair. | D.By praising an environmentalist. |
A.Improve soil. | B.Prevent oil leaks. | C.Take in harmful gas. | D.Clear the sea of oil. |
A.Its color and strength. | B.Its length and amount. |
C.Its weight and flexibility. | D.Its structure and component. |
A.Uncertain. | B.Promising. | C.Doubtful. | D.Worrying. |
8 . The Best School Camps in Victoria
Burnside Camp
Located on the Surf Coast near Anglesea, Burnside Camp is set over 4-hectare beautiful bushland (灌木丛) close to opollution-free peaches, Running throughout the year, Burnside Camp serves as a fantastic base for groups of up to 88 students. Camp programs centre on outdoor adventure activities. These include biking, canoeing, and exciting bush night hikes.
Mill Valley Ranch
Mill Valley Ranch is one of the best school camps in Victoria for large groups of students. It can accommodate up to 100 students. At Mill Valley Ranch, activity programs typically centre on confidence and character building. When outdoors, this sees young people given the opportunity to experience everything from horse riding to archery (射箭). However, it is also possible to organize a wide range of other team games and activities.
Camp Wilkin
Set in Anglesea, Camp Wilkin covers a 15-acre area home to resident kangaroos, which is in easy reach of quiet bushwalks and fantastic beaches. It offers the best school camp accommodation in Victoria for large groups, accommodating up to 163 students. And it also offers a variety of outdoor activity programs. Camp facilities include large meeting rooms suitable for everything from presentations to group learning activities.
Halls Gap
Halls Gap can hold up to 56 students. One of the best school camps in Victoria for natural sightseeing, it features reserved activities taking the form of short journeys to experience some of the largest waterfalls in Victoria. Halls Gap Camp students can also join in rock climbing. Such activities are in the company of local tour guides.
1. What can students do at Burnside Camp?A.Learn to repair bikes. | B.Run their own startups. |
C.Attend archery lessons. | D.Go on bush night hikes. |
A.Halls Gap. | B.Burnside Camp. | C.Camp Wilkin. | D.Mill Valley Ranch. |
A.It is the best camp in Victoria. | B.It requires advance booking. |
C.It features outdoor activities. | D.It centres on character building. |
9 . The world is full of fascinating destinations. We are here for you, providing a private tour to suit your particular needs and help you enjoy a great travel around Austria.
Time
June to August is the busiest time of the year with crowds of tourists and lower room availability. If you want to avoid the crowded tourists, the best time to visit Austria lasts from April to May and from September to October. During these months, the weather is pleasant, better for enjoying outdoor activities such as sightseeing, biking, hiking and adventures. Winter is also a great time to visit since the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations are held everywhere, attracting tourists from all over the world.
Cities
Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck are three must-see cities that shouldn’t be missed in your Austria tour packages. Vienna, the capital city of Austria, is famous for its lively art. Salzburg is also a great region where you can enjoy amazing views of the Eastern Alps. It’s also the birthplace of the famous composer Mozart and the film setting for the Sound of Music. Innsbruck, another significant place for sightseeing in Austria, is known for its mountainous backdrop and lots of natural beauty. There are also some. worthy medieval(中世纪的)towns to visit, such as Bad Ischl, Durnstein, Hallstatt, etc.
Transportation
Austria has a wide rail network, connecting all its domestic cities and neighboring countries. Riding on comfortable trains is the best way to travel through the green valleys, the historic towns and the scenic villages.
1. When is Austria the most crowded with tourists?A.From April to May. | B.From June to August. |
C.From September to October. | D.From November to December. |
A.Its art. | B.Its mountains. |
C.Its filming. | D.Its medieval towns. |
A.Taking a bus. | B.Taking a bike. |
C.Taking a train. | D.Taking a boat. |
10 . No matter how successful—or lately, unsuccessful—Manchester United has been on the court, which has always prided itself on an incredible ability to generate the game’s brightest young stars. The latest breakthrough talent, it seems, is 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.
The teenager’s emergence from the youth academy (学院) has been one of the few satisfying points in an otherwise difficult season for the team, and the highlight of his fledgling (刚刚起步的) career came during United’s 4—3 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Thursday.
After the host had seemingly got a draw in the 95th minute of the match, Mainoo showed his considerable potential by scoring a winner in the dying moment. The English youngster received the ball under pressure outside of the opposition’s box before rushing his way towards the goal, hitting against a Wolves defender on the way. Then, when other players might have panicked, Mainoo was composed and guided a perfect shot into the far corner of the net.
While his teammates celebrated wildly, Mainoo knelt down and slid towards the crowd after scoring his first Premier League goal. It was a sensational moment and a goal which might change the teenager’s life forever.
“I’ve still not come down from it. I still feel like I’m dreaming, to be honest,” Mainoo told TNT Sports after the match. “To start playing in the Premier League for my boyhood club has been amazing. Now I am just trying to play more games and win more games.”
There have been moments this season, though, where his inexperience has shown, but the future looks bright for the young midfielder who seems to have his feet firmly on the ground. “He is making incredible progress. He has great abilities as a modern midfield player,” Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag told reporters after the game. “He can defend and attack but also he has the physicality to do both ways.”
Manchester United is currently ranked seventh in the Premier League and they are working hard to secure the top four, which will ensure qualification for next season’s Champions League.
1. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us about Kobbie Mainoo?A.His goals. | B.His education. |
C.His teammates. | D.His performance. |
A.Boring. | B.Dramatic. | C.Suitable. | D.Possible. |
A.Ambitious. | B.Humorous. | C.Experienced. | D.Shy. |
A.To bring out more young stars. |
B.To qualify for the next Premier League. |
C.To play in the Champions League next season. |
D.To finish in the top seven of the Premier League. |