1 . Our Favourite Tech Gifts of 2019
When it comes time for the holiday shopping season, we’re extra choosy about the countless technology products that we will buy and give to friends and family. Here’s what impressed editors, reporters and producers the most in 2019.
Lumos Matrix helmet
I recently bought a Lumos Matrix helmet(头盔)(﹩229)with built-in lights to make riding my bike at night a lot safer and less stressful. It’s a regular pain point for bikers like me to make sure careless drivers see you, especially when it’s dark. This does help.
-Matt Mcfarland, Writer
Goodreads app
Although this isn’t a gift, the free Goodreads app is a game changer. At the beginning of 2019, I promised myself I’d read at least one new book every month. I set a goal of 12 books on Goodreads and use it to track my progress, keep a list of books I’m interested in and check out what friends and others on the app were recommending. I read 35 books this year! (That’s up from five books last year.) Goodreads feels like one of the rare feel-good social networks.
-Kaya Yurieff, Tech Reporter
Ember coffee cup
I drink my coffee slowly, so it has routinely cooled by the time I get halfway through it. For my birthday, my mum bought me a cup (﹩99), which keeps my coffee warm until I finish it without reheating. I can also set the temperature I want. It makes my mornings so much easier.
-Millie Dent, Intern
1. What is the main advantage of Lumos Matrix helmet?| A．Helping drivers concentrate. | B．Managing the bad weather. |
| C．Making night riding safer. | D．Making bikers less painful. |
| A．It changes some readers’ reading rules. |
| B．It inspires readers to read more through communication. |
| C．It limits the number of books a reader can read. |
| D．It provides readers with free Internet games. |
| A．Simple. | B．Expensive. | C．Eco-friendly. | D．Convenient |
2 . Many leading AI researchers think that in a matter of decades, artificial intelligence will be able to do not merely some of our jobs, but all of our jobs, forever transforming life on the earth.
The reason why many people reject this as science fiction is that we’ve traditionally thought of intelligence as something mysterious that can only exist in biological organisms,especially humans. But such an idea is unscientific.
From my point of view as a physicist and AI researcher, intelligence is simply a certain kind of information-processing performed by elementary particles (基本粒子) moving around,and there is no law of physics that says one can’t build machines more intelligent than us in all ways. This suggests that we’ve only seen the tip of the intelligence iceberg and that there is an amazing potential to unlock the full intelligence that is potential in nature and use it to help humanity.
If we get it right, the upside is huge. Since everything we love about civilization is the product of intelligence, amplifying our own intelligence with AI has the potential to solve tomorrow’s toughest problems. For example, why risk our loved ones dying in traffic accidents that self-driving cars could prevent or dying of cancers that AI might help us find cures for? Why not increase productivity through automation and use AI to accelerate our research and development of affordable sustainable (可持续的) energy?
I’m optimistic that we can develop rapidly with advanced AI as long as we win the race between the growing power of our technology and the knowledge with which we manage it. But this requires giving up our outdated concept of learning from mistakes. That helped us win the race with less powerful technology. We messed up with fire and then invented fire extinguishers (灭火器), and we messed up with cars and then invented seat belts. However, it’s an awful idea for more powerful technologies, such as nuclear weapons or super intelligent AI-where even a single mistake is unacceptable and we need to get things right the first time.
1. How do many people feel about leading AI researchers’ predictions?| A．Worried. | B．Curious. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．We know little about it. | B．It belongs to human beings. |
| C．It is too difficult to understand. | D．We have a good command of it. |
| A．Cost. | B．Potential. |
| C．Quantity. | D．Advantage. |
| A．Learning from failure. | B．Increasing our intelligence. |
| C．Avoiding making mistakes. | D．Making accurate predictions. |
3 . For centuries humans believed the ocean was so vast that it was impossible to do it measurable harm. But we now know human activities can destroy marine (海洋的) habitats, dangerously pollute seawater and make sea environments more acidic. Overharvesting has even directly pushed many ocean species into the especially endangered category. This past March, the smooth handfish (光滑手鱼) officially became the first modern-day marine fish to be declared extinct.
Handfish are a family of 14 unusual bottom-living species. Unlike most other fishes, they do not have a larval phase (幼虫期) and do not move around very much as adults; these features make them sensitive to environmental changes, according to Graham Edgar, a marine ecologist at the University of Tasmania. The smooth handfish was once common enough to be one of the first fish species described by European explorers in Australia. Now none has been reported in over a century. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List guidelines officially define “extinct” as meaning “there is no reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.” Edgar and the members of Australia’s National Handfish Recovery Team were forced to that conclusion earlier this year, and it was placed in the extinct category.
Scientists are unsure exactly what finished off the species, but others in the region are threatened by trawl fishing (拖网捕鱼), pollution and climate change. Edgar says additional marine fish species may already be extinct as well, and many more are endangered. “It might be hard to imagine why a little organism in a place that few humans ever visit might be important,” says Katie Matthews, chief scientist for the non-profit conservation group Oceana. “But biodiversity matters, even if you can’t see it with your own eyes.”
Ideally, this news will be a sad wakeup call: “Some remaining species of handfish are endangered,” Matthews says, “but with smart action we can lessen those threats.”
1. According to the text, which is NOT the problems caused by human activities to the ocean?| A．The habitats of marine creatures are damaged. |
| B．The seawater is heavily polluted. |
| C．The handfish are extinct completely. |
| D．The sea contains more acid than before. |
| A．National Handfish Recovery Team. |
| B．IUCN Red list. |
| C．The bottom-living species. |
| D．The smooth handfish. |
| A．Some species in rarely visited places are of little importance. |
| B．Measures should be taken to maintain the diversity of species. |
| C．It is too late to protect the endangered handfish. |
| D．Additional marine fish species may become extinct or endangered. |
| A．Human Activities. |
| B．A Marine Fish Extinction. |
| C．Species Diversity Conservation. |
| D．Marine Protection. |
4 . A Chinese company says it has created a new facial recognition system that can identify people even if they are wearing masks.
Engineers at the Beijing-based Hanwang Technology Ltd. say their system is the first to be created to effectively identify people wearing face masks. A team of 20 people built the system in about a month. The system is based on existing technologies developed over the past 10 years. The process involved adding a collection of about 6 million unmasked faces and a much smaller collection of masked faces.
Hanwang is now selling two main kinds of products that use the new technology. One performs “single channel” recognition, which is designed to be used at the entrances to buildings. The other product is a “multi-channel” recognition system that uses groups of surveillance cameras (监控摄像头).
“When wearing a mask, the recognition rate can reach about 95 percent, which can ensure that most people can be identified,” said Huang Lei, Hanwang’s vice president. He added that the system’s success rate for people not wearing a mask is about 99.5 percent.
Huang said Hanwang’s technology can be used to identify and track people as they move about. He added the system can identify crime suspects, terrorists or make reports or warnings.
However, the new system struggles to identify people wearing both a mask and sunglasses. “In this situation, all of the key facial information is lost. In such cases recognition is tough,” Huang said.
It was not immediately clear how people were reacting to the new technology. While some have expressed opposition to such tools, many others seem to have showed interest in the new system and accepted it as a way to deal with the current health emergency—the spread of the novel coronavirus (新型冠状病毒). Huang says he sees the interest likely expanding if the virus continues to spread and the use of face masks increases.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?| A．How the system is developed. | B．Where the company is located. |
| C．When the research work started. | D．What the collection stands for. |
| A．The poor storage of information. |
| B．The relatively low recognition rate. |
| C．Identifying people with both a mask and sunglasses. |
| D．Tracking the movement of crime suspects and terrorists. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Opposed. | C．Optimistic. | D．Worried. |
| A．A facial recognition system has been created to defeat the novel coronavirus.. |
| B．A company has developed a new facial recognition system which can meet different intentions. |
| C．The market is quite huge for the facial recognition system due to the spread of the disease and great need for security. |
| D．There are two kinds of the products using the new technology which sell well. |
5 . Russ Fee was asleep inside his tent last summer in Canada’s Banff National Park when a series of screams shocked him awake. Throwing on his shoes and grabbing a lantern his wife had handed him, he ran out to investigate. Despite the darkness, he could make out a neighboring tent. Backing out was a wolf, dragging something in his teeth—a man.
Moments earlier, Elisa and Matt, were asleep with their two young children when the wolf tore into their tent. “It was like something out of a horror movie,” Elisa recalled. For three minutes, Matt threw his body in front of Elisa and the boys and fought against the wolf. At one point, Matt got the upper hand, but the wolf turned the tables and dragged Matt outside while Elisa was pulling on his legs trying to get him back but in vain.
It was then that Russ Fee entered the picture. He ran at the beast, kicking it in the hip. The wolf dropped Matt and emerged from the tent. Fee felt like he had hit someone that was way out of his weight class.
Before the wolf could turn its anger on Fee, Matt, his arms bloodied, restarted the battle. The men threw at the wolf with rocks, forcing it back. Then the families fled to the shelter of the Fees, minivan and called an ambulance.
“Attacks are so rare that a person here has a greater chance of being killed by a dog, lightning, a bee sting, or a car collision with a deer than being injured by a wolf,” said Matt.
Fee did think about drawing back, if less heroic, during the heat of battle. The moment the wolf locked eyes with him, Fee said, “I immediately regretted kicking it.”
1. What were the two families doing in the park?| A．They were making a horror movie. | B．They were camping in the wild. |
| C．They were studying wolves. | D．They were investigating the park. |
| A．change the situation completely. | B．turn the table in another direction |
| C．tackle a problem wisely | D．compete violently with someone |
| A．Many deer are killed by vehicles. | B．There are many accidents in the park. |
| C．Wolves seldom attack people there. | D．People are often attacked by dogs. |
| A．Courageous and helpful. | B．Responsible and inspiring. |
| C．Indifferent and brave | D．Clever and determined. |
6 . Throughout history, human has existed side-by-side with viruses and bacteria. From the bubonic plague to smallpox, human has evolved to resist these bacteria and viruses. However, there are now new ways for them to infect us.
Climate change is melting permafrost areas that have been frozen for thousands of years. As the permafrost melts, so too the ancient bacteria and viruses that have been frozen. These ancient bacteria and viruses, which previously lay inactive in the ice, may spring back to life as the earth’s climate warms.
In August 2016, a 12-year-old boy in the Arctic Circle died and at least twenty people there were hospitalized after having been infected by anthrax (炭疽).
Experts studied and concluded that over 75 years ago, a reindeer infected with anthrax died and its body was frozen and trapped under a layer of permafrost. It stayed there, with the disease inactive, until a heatwave in the summer of 2016. The heatwave melted the permafrost and exposed the reindeer body, which then released the infectious pathogen (病原体) into the nearby water and soil, and then into the food supply. More than 2,000 reindeer feeding near the body became infected, which then led to a small number of human cases.
While you may think the incident is isolated to that area, the fact that long-inactive viruses and bacteria might wake up soon due to climate change will affect us all. Pathogenic viruses might be preserved in old permafrost layers, including some that have caused global epidemics in the past.
With climate change, who knows what deadly viruses and bacteria hidden beneath permafrost areas are threatening us. Perhaps it is time for everyone to do their part to stop global warming.
1. Which of the following is true according the first two paragraphs?| A．Ancient bacteria and viruses may came back to life because of frozen permafrost. |
| B．The rising temperature may lead to new ways for bacteria and viruses to infect human. |
| C．Human has evolved to overcome all the bacteria and viruses such as small pox. |
| D．Permafrost that have been frozen for thousands of years will melt quickly. |
① A 12-year-old boy died and many others were infected.
② Over 2,000 reindeer feeding near the body became infected.
③ The bacteria went into the nearby water, soil, and then food supply.
④ The permafrost melted and the bacteria in the dead reindeer woke up.
| A．① ② ④ ③ | B．④ ② ③ ① |
| C．④ ③ ② ① | D．① ③ ④ ② |
| A．To introduce an ancient virus, anthrax. |
| B．To call on people to stop global warming. |
| C．To encourage people to study ancient viruses. |
| D．To warn of the danger of melting permafrost. |
| A．Geography. | B．Environment. |
| C．Education. | D．Medicine. |
7 . When Emanuel received an email from Professor Richard English. Queen’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics, encouraging him to apply for a PhD in Politics in Belfast, it was a pinch-me moment Emanual never thought would be possible. After all, just a few short years ago, he was living on the streets, couch-surfing at friends’ houses and weeding gardens to make ends meet. Now, one of the world’s leading political academics was preparing to welcome him to Queen’s University over 4,000 miles away.
Emanuel never knew who his father was and his mom was mentally ill when she gave birth to him, so the hospital took him off her and he was unofficially adopted for the first few years of his life. What followed was a childhood with uncertainty as Emanuel was passed between the adoption system and family members.
Through his high school and community college years, he moved from house to house, living with friends at times and living on the streets at others.
Determined to change all that despite his rocky start in life, Emanuel involved himself in school-doing everything he could to earn extra tuition (学费) money in his spare time. But getting accepted into university was scarcely possible because a person like him couldn’t get a regular student loan.
Fortunately, the government backed him, having created a policy allowing disadvantaged persons to access funding for higher education. He graduated from the University of the West Indies with a 1st Class Honors degree and went on to do his Masters.
Emanuel knows that his story could have been very different.
“I discovered Professor Richard English online and sent him an email honestly, not thinking he would reply and to my surprise, he did. I applied for the highly competitive Commonwealth Shared Scholarship Scheme in order to fund my research at Queen’s. When I was told I was successful, my whole world changed.”
1. What does the underlined word “pinch-me” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Disturbing | B．Unexpected. |
| C．Awkward. | D．Anxious. |
| A．His father was mentally ill. |
| B．He was abandoned by his mother. |
| C．He was once adopted by his relatives. |
| D．He lived with his friends now and then. |
| A．By receiving a regular student loan. |
| B．By earning the tuition all by himself. |
| C．By borrowing the money from friends. |
| D．By getting support from the government. |
| A．Well begun is half done. |
| B．It’s never too old to learn. |
| C．You are the master of your life. |
| D．Lost time is never found again. |
8 . A serious problem for today’s society is who should be responsible for our elderly and how to improve their lives. It is not only a financial problem but also a question of the system we want for our society. I would like to suggest several possible solutions to this problem.
First, employers should take the responsibility for their retired employees. To make this possible, a percentage of profits should be set aside for this purpose. But when a company must take life-long responsibility for its employees, it may suffer from a commercial disadvantage due to higher employee costs. Another way of solving the problem is to return the responsibility to the individual. This means each person must save during his working years to pay for his years of retirement. This does not seem a very fair model since some people have enough trouble paying for their daily life without trying to earn extra to cover their retirement years. This means the government might have to step in to care for the poor.
In addition, the government could take responsibility for the care of the elderly. This could be financed through government taxes to increase the level of pensions. Furthermore, some institutions (慈善机构、福利院)should be created for senior citizens, which can help provide a comfortable life for them. Unfortunately, as the present situation in our country shows, this is not a truly viable answer. The government can seldom afford to care for the elderly, particularly when it is busy trying to care for the young .
One further solution is that the government or social organizations establish some working places especially for the elderly where they are independent.
To sum up, all these options have advantages and disadvantages. Therefore , it is reasonable to expect that some combinations of these options may be needed to provide the care we hope to give to our elderly generations.
1. What is the passage mainly about ?| A．The problem faced by the old in society |
| B．Why we should take responsibility for the old |
| C．How we can improve the lives of the old |
| D．Where the old can go to get their pensions |
| A．Set aside some profits to help people with problems after they retire. |
| B．Increase savings levels of people during their working years. |
| C．Increase the discounts(打折)for food and transport for the old. |
| D．Make available pensions for those who have retired. |
| A．impossible | B．practical | C．useful | D．successful |
| A．Taking care of the old is mainly an issue (问题) of the old. |
| B．Employers should allow their workers to retire at a later age. |
| C．Becoming independent should be the goal of most old people. |
| D．There is no single solution to the problems of the old. |
9 . In my town people like to give smile cards to those who have received help. And the receivers continue to help others. With those cards, people enjoy helping and being helped.
I got some smile cards and used three of them just yesterday!
I used the first smile card when I was getting my dogs some food in a pet store. A man walked up to look at collars (项圈), looking puzzled. He asked me if I knew anything about dogs and collars, which actually I was quite familiar with. I helped him choose one. I hope it would work for his dog. When he said thanks, I handed him a smile card. He smiled and said he would help someone as soon as possible.
That was amazing! Then in a supermarket, when I was paying the bill, a grandma was trying to get her granddaughter out of a basket. I offered to help her, and she said “Yes, please.” Later she told me that she had just had an operation and couldn’t lift things very well. After getting the baby girl out, I handed her my second smile card.
Then I paid for someone’s food in a small restaurant and left behind the third smile card.
I felt very happy yesterday. It was great to help others and leave behind smile cards. I believe that more and more people will get happiness from receiving and giving smile cards.
1. Who will get smile cards?| A．People who have received help | B．Any stores |
| C．People who have offered help | D．Any friends |
| A．dog food | B．dogs and collars | C．cards | D．giving smile cards |
| A．hard work | B．much talk | C．an operation | D．a long walk |
| A．People only like to receive help. | B．People like to give things to others. |
| C．People love to go around the town. | D．People live a happy life. |
10 . It is safe to say that on this week’s round-up of G．L Events This Weekend, we celebrate a legend and a major percentage of the events are organized for the annual Celebration Festival. Your weekend round-up starts here!!!
Electronic Soundscapes
Electronic Soundscapes returns this year with double music! If you enjoyed the 2015 concert at Printing Press, don’t miss the performances taking place during next week’s Celebration at the Freedom Park program. Enjoy the best of European and Nigerian electronic music on Friday, October 14 and Saturday, October 15.
Time: 7: 00 PM Fee: N 500
Just Listen
16/16 is excited to host a listening session of songs from South African artist Lindiwe Maxolo’s upcoming album on Friday, October 14th. Lindiwe Maxolo is an emerging powerful singer in the South African Jazz music industry. She has worked with South African legends such as Sibongile Khumalo, Concord Nkabinde.
Tickets can be bought in advance. Tickets are limited so get them early.
Time: 7: 00 PM Fee: N 7000
Jeun Soke (Supper Club)
Meaning “to eat up” in Yoruba, Jeun Soke is Lagos’ premier supper club. We host a dinner with drinks pairings. Jeun Soke features a taste of the Asian menu—7 courses of shared plates along with 3 cocktails. NGN 20，000 gets you food and drinks. The menu without drinks costs NGN 15, 000. You are welcome to bring your own bottle of wine but that will cost a corkage (开瓶费) fee of NGN 3, 000.
Time: 6: 30 PM Fee: N 20, 000 or N 15, 000
For reservations: 09098800995 or 08188325714.
Echoes (Closing Ceremony)
Echoes is an exhibition that includes, but is not limited to, over a hundred masks of Fela and the queen mother in diverse colors and moods and a study and display of his fashion sense and wardrobe, all of which were inspired by his struggle for freedom, human dignity, courage, to name but a few. The closing ceremony promises to be a grand affair with an artist’s talk and dance performance. The cocktail (鸡尾酒) will follow as the guests get to enjoy the rest of the exhibition before closing.
Time: 1:00 PM－7: 00 PM Fee: Open to All
1. In which event will people surely enjoy jazz music?| A．Electronic Soundscapes. | B．Just Listen. |
| C．Jeun Soke. | D．Echoes. |
| A．NGN 3, 000. | B．NGN 15, 000. |
| C．NGN 18, 000. | D．NGN 20, 000. |
| A．It offers a dinner with drinks pairings. |
| B．Tickets to Echoes are expensive and limited. |
| C．It provides the best of Nigerian electronic music. |
| D．Masks in various colors and moods are on display. |
