1 . Artificial intelligence (AD) technology may soon be a useful tool for doctors. It may help them better understand and treat diseases like breast cancer in ways that were never before possible.
Rishi Rawat, who teaches AI at the University of Southern California's (USC) Clinical Science Center in Los Angeles, is part of a team of scientists who are researching how AI and machine learning can more easily recognize cancerous growths in the breast.
Rawat provides information about cancer cells to a computer. He says this data helps the machine learn. “... You can put the data into them and they will learn the patterns and the pattern recognition that's important to making decisions"" David Agus, another USC researcher, believes that machines are not going to take the place of doctors, but they will help make certain decisions and look for things that the human brain can't recognize.
Once a confirmed cancerous growth is removed, doctors still have to treat the patient to reduce the risk of cancer returning. The form of treatment depends on the kind of cancer. Currently, researchers take a thin piece of tissue, put it on a small piece of glass and add color to better see the cells. The process could take days or even longer. Scientists say artificial intelligence can do something better than just count cells. Through machine learning, it can recognize complex patterns or structures, and learn how the cells are organized. They hope that machines will soon be able to make a quick identification of cancer that is free of human mistakes.
"All of a sudden, we have the computing power to really do it in real time...We couldn't have done this, but now it's all changed."" Agus adds that the process could be done for almost no cost in the developing world." He says that having a large amount of information about patients is important for a machine to effectively do its job in medicine.
The USC researchers are now only studying breast cancer. But doctors predict artificial intelligence will one day make a difference in all forms of cancer.
1. What does the author intend to tell us?| A．AI technology will aid to predict some cancers. |
| B．Doctors will be replaced by AI machines. |
| C．AI technology will help cancer treatment. |
| D．Doctors will get improved with AI technology. |
| A．Cell counting machines. | B．Well designed process. |
| C．Patterns of cancer. | D．Enough information of patients. |
| A．When is the best time to remove cancer. | B．Why USC researchers argue about AI. |
| C．What treatment AI technology provides. | D．How AI technology helps in medicine. |
| A．Entertainment & Arts. | B．Science & Technology. |
| C．World News. | D．Health Report. |
2 . Have you ever wondered how many cigarettes you're passively smoking while walking through the streets of a polluted, smog-infused((烟雾笼罩的)city?No?Well, a pair of digital developers just invented an app that will definitely and accurately answer that question.
Shit, I Smoke! was created by Brazilian-born designer Marcelo Coelho and Paris-born app developer Amaury Martiny in just a week, after they read a study that analyzed air pollution and its equivalent(等量)to cigarette smoking. The article, co-written by Richard Mueller, a MacArthur fellow and physics professor at the University of California, Berkeley, explains a mathematical model that compares smoking and tobacco-related deaths to levels of PM2.5, a microscopic particle(微粒)that is a dangerous, cancerous pollutant after burning.
The app shows that Parisians can effectively inhale(吸入) between three and six cigarettes per day, while a person in Delhi could be smoking up to 20 cigarettes-without even touching one--on a bad day. Other cities have worrying numbers, too (6. 5 cigarettes daily in Mexico City ).
“I was surprised to see that Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo have the best air quality in all Latin America,despite the fact that these are heavily populated cities,”said Coelho, who's originally from the latter, Brazil's largest city.
For both Coelho and Martiny, the app isn't only a useful tool to inform users about their city's air quality;it also makes this information more accessible and easier to understand. “These air-quality monitoring stations are just numbers, numbers that are very specific to professionals who work in environmental issues,” Martiny said. “So when you make this conversion(转换)to cigarettes, it makes it easier to understand what people are dealing with and the consequences air quality has in the daily lives.”
The developers' plan now is to keep working on and enriching the app's features. This will most likely include monthly average cigarette rates, and enabling users to get data from cities other than the one they're in.
1. What does the underlined part “that question” mean?| A．How severely a city's air is polluted. |
| B．How harmful it is to smoke in urban areas. |
| C．How many cigarettes one usually smokes daily. |
| D．How much harmful air you're taking in in urban areas. |
| A．Paris | B．Delhi. |
| C．Mexico City. | D．Sao Paulo. |
| A．Brazil might have good air |
| B．his hometown was a badly polluted city. |
| C．air pollution wasn't a problem in Latin America. |
| D．Buenos Aires had the best air quality in Latin America |
| A．Encouraging people to abandon the habit of smoking. |
| B．Recommending some best places for people to live in. |
| C．Helping people better know their everyday air quality. |
| D．Reminding people to do something good for the environment. |
3 . Like most people, you have probably lost count of the number of perfect-looking shoes you have thrown away simply because the rubber soles (橡胶鞋底) are broken. In addition to the expense, it is also harmful to our environment. Now, thanks to a revolutionary self-healing 3-D printed rubber material, broken shoe soles may be a thing of the past.
The magical polymer (聚合物) is developed by the researchers at the University of Southern California’s (USC) and the University of Connecticut (UConn) . The team, led by USC Assistant Professor Qiming Wang, created it through a process called photopolymerization, which uses light to solidify the liquid used to create 3-D printed plastic. The researchers found that adding the right amount of oxidant (氧化剂) to the liquid allowed the 3-D polymer to heal (愈合) without slowing down the hardening process.
“When we gradually increase the oxidant, the self - healing behavior becomes stronger, but the photopolymerization behavior becomes weaker,” explained Wang. “There is competition between these two behaviors.”
The team, who published the findings in the journal NPG Asia Materials on February 1st,2019, state that the repair time can be reduced by increasing the room temperature. “If you just put a broken shoe on a bench at room temperature, the rubber will heal itself in six to eight hours,” Wang said. “If you apply heat at maybe 60℃, that expedites the healing process to about two hours.”
Given the material s huge potential, it is not surprising to hear that Wang and his team have been approached by several shoe-making companies eager to be the first to use the technology, which is still in the early stages. Once perfected, the scientists also hope to apply the technique to hard plastics that can be used to create self-healing toys, electronics, vehicle parts, and, if Wang has his way, even tires.
1. How do the researchers make 3-D printed plastic self- heal?| A．By changing the amount of light used. |
| B．By raising the temperature at which it is used. |
| C．By increasing the hardening speed of the liquid. |
| D．By adding the proper amount of oxidant to the liquid. |
| A．The creation of 3-D printed plastic doesn’t need light. |
| B．The surrounding temperature determines the speed of healing. |
| C．Many shoe making companies got the right to use the technology. |
| D．Throwing away broken shoe soles has been a thing of the past. |
| A．Strengthens. | B．Delays. | C．Accelerates. | D．Worsens. |
| A．Self - healing shoes may be in our future. |
| B．3-D printing technology makes a difference. |
| C．Self - healing technology will serve many fields. |
| D．A revolution of rubber soles has changed our life. |
4 . In a recent study of 19-month-olds, University of Chicago doctoral student Lauren Howard found that children who heard various languages in their neighborhoods were more receptive to people who spoke languages other than their parents ‘language.
“We measured imitation. At this age, that’s how they show us their willingness to learn, ”explained Howard. The lead author of the report titled Neighborhood Linguistic Diversity Predicts Infants' Social Learning. The experiments tested how well the babies could learn new tasks from a non- English speaker.
The study, which included 82 children from the Chicago and Washington areas, was in the November issue of Cognition.
“Babies are not only affected by parents and caregivers--- previous studies proved that --but also by people they hear at the store or on the bus, "Howard said. “Incidental exposure matters.”
The study indicates that kids in diverse communities may grow up to have open minds. Good news for families living in such neighborhoods--- but can other families do something to increase children's cultural exposure？
Cultural diversity can be within reach, even in unlikely areas. Although she grew up in not very diverse"， Julie, 23， said she picked up much knowledge about other languages and cultures from the many students her family hosted through the AFS-USA international student exchange program.
“It’s the little differences that make you more understanding and less judgmental, ”Julie said “Yuilya from Kazakhstan, for example, was very disciplined because she couldn't go to college unless her grades were good. Matias from Paraguay wasn't used to being on time because his culture is more laid-back. ”
For families unable to host a student for a whole year, AFS-USA offers other volunteer opportunities, such as being “welcome families ”to ease students ’ transitions（过渡）.
But there are countless ways to expose kids to other countries, said Lucas, author of “Growing Up Global: Raising Children to Be at Home in the World.”
Just a few of her tips: Take the kids to foreign films. Try exotic restaurants. Put a world map on the wall. Help your children’s teachers make global classrooms. Encourage the kids to invite friends of other cultures for dinner. “They’ll thank you later, "Lucas said.
1. What does Howard stress by saying "Incidental exposure matters"？| A．Babies are also influenced by people outside their home |
| B．Parents fail to realize the importance of incidental learning |
| C．Parents and caregivers have more influence on babies |
| D．Babies learn little knowledge at the store or on the bus. |
| A．She frequently volunteered in some welcome families |
| B．She lived in neighborhoods with various language learn |
| C．She was a member of the AFS-USA program |
| D．She learned from the foreign students living in her home |
| A．Curious | B．Happy |
| C．Tolerant | D．anger |
| A．How to improve children’s behavior |
| B．How to teach children foreign languages |
| C．How to better communicate with children. |
| D．How to help children seek diversity |
5 . A newly discovered lizard (蜥蜴) found in the Philippines has made scientists think there might be other never-before-seen creatures on that country’s islands. But scientists say those creatures might never be found because the islands’ rain forests are in danger.
The latest lizard was first spotted in 2001 when scientists saw local people of the island catch it for food. Scientists took some pictures of the lizard. Finally scientists caught a lizard themselves to study. They named the new lizard the Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor because it was discovered in the islands’ Sierra Madre Mountains. The 6.6-foot-long lizard has bright yellow markings that distinguish (区分) it from more boring-looking monitors. Its legs are mainly yellow, and its tail is black and yellow.
So how could scientists work in the Philippines’ rain forests for years without finding the new lizard? They say the Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor is unlike other lizards and their larger cousin, the Komodo dragon. All of those lizards are meat-eaters. But the new-found lizard eats fruit. That means it never has to come down out of the trees. Its uniquely colored skin, quiet manner, and treetop home helped it remain hidden from scientists’ view for many years.
The discovery of the Northern Sierra Madre forest monitor is making scientists realize that Philippines’ rain forests may hold many undiscovered species. But those species will not be found if the rain forests keep disappearing. Twenty years ago, forests covered about 35 percent of the Philippines’ land. But people have been encroaching on that land and building on it. Today, forests cover less than 25 percent of the country’s land.
The rain forests are a “conservation (保护) hot spot” that need to be protected, scientists say. “I hope we can make the new lizard a ‘poster child’ for conservation of the land,” said one scientist.
1. What is the scientists’ attitude to finding more new creatures in Philippines’ rain forests?| A．Interested. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Excited. | D．Supportive. |
| A．They caught one with the help of locals. |
| B．The locals gave one to scientists as a gift. |
| C．They found it from pictures taken by locals. |
| D．They noticed it when locals hunted the lizard. |
| A．It is a cruel meat-eater. | B．It is the largest lizard in Asia. |
| C．It spends most time in trees. | D．It looks like Komodo dragon. |
| A．Invading.(侵略) | B．Protecting. |
| C．Maintaining. | D．Deserting. |
6 . Every year, thousands of teenagers participate in programs at their local art museums. But do any of them remember their time at museum events later in life? A new report suggests that the answer is yes – and finds that alumni (毕业生) of arts-based museum programs credit them with changing the course of their lives, even years after the experience.
The Whitney Museum of American Art, the Walker Art Center and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles recently asked researchers to conduct a study to find out how effective their long-standing teen art programs really are. They involved over 300 former participants of four programs for teens that have been in existence since the 1990s. Alumni, whose current ages range from 18 to 36, were invited to find out how they viewed their participation years after the fact.
Among the alumni surveyed, 75 percent of alumni rated the teen program experience as the most favorable influence on their own lives, beating family, school and their neighborhoods. Nearly 55 percent thought that it was one of the most important experiences they’d ever had, regardless of age. And two-thirds said that they were often in situations where their experience in museums affected their actions or thoughts.
It turns out that participating in art programs also helps keep teens enthusiastic about arts even after they reach adulthood: 96 percent of participants had visited an art museum within the last two years, and 68 percent had visited an art museum five or more times within the last two years. Thirty-two percent of program alumni work in the arts as adults.
Though the study is the first of its kind to explore the influence of teen-specific art programs in museums, it reflects other research on the important benefits of engaging with the arts. A decade of surveys by the National Endowment for the Arts found that childhood experience with the arts is significantly associated with their income and educational attainment as adults. Other studies have linked arts education to everything from lower drop-out rates to improvement in critical (批判性的)thinking skills.
1. What does the underlined phrase “the experience” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Joining in childhood art programs. |
| B．Shifting the course of children’s life. |
| C．Memorizing the time at museum events. |
| D．Conducting arts-based museum programs. |
| A．The aim of the study. |
| B．The result of the study. |
| C．The method of the study. |
| D．The process of the study. |
| A．No other studies about the benefits of arts exist. |
| B．Love for arts may keep long in kids’ whole life. |
| C．Age matters in how people view their art experiences. |
| D．Most kids participating in art programs will work in arts. |
| A．How can Art be Connected to Our Life? |
| B．Can Art Education Affect Our Income? |
| C．Should Kids Walk into Art Museums? |
| D．What Should Art Museums do for Kids? |
7 . Even a small increase in light activity such as washing dishes, or walking around the house might help prevent an early death among older adults, researchers say.
“It is important for elderly people, who might not be able to do much moderate intensity（强度）activity, that just moving around and doing light intensity activity will have strong effects and is beneficial,” said Ulf Ekelund, who led the research.
Published in the BMJ, the latest research was based on a review of eight studies involving a total of more than 36,000 people with an average age of almost 63 years. Participants were followed for five to six years; 2,149 deaths were recorded. All of the studies involved monitoring the physical activity of individuals who had activity trackers, and the studies did not rely on self-reporting, which, the experts noted, could be unreliable.
For each study participants were split into four equal-sized groups, based on the total amount of time spent actively, and the risk of death assessed, taking into account factors such as age, sex, body mass index, and socioeconomic status. This was then repeated for an amount of activity at different levels of intensity. The results were analyzed together to give an overview. The team found a greater amount of activity was linked to a lower risk of death. The results held for different intensities of activity. The team said the study supported the message “sit less and move more and more often”.
However, the study had limitations. It only looked at the situation for middle age and older adults, most of whom lived in the US or Europe, and some of the effect could be due to those people with a higher risk of death being less likely to be related to physical activity. Physical activity levels also were only measured over one period of time.
Dr Gavin Sandercock, from the University of Essex, said the results suggested moving more brought bigger benefits than simply reducing the time of sitting, another factor measured in the study.
“This study reinforces the important message that getting the least active people to do even just a little bit more physical activity can have important public health benefits,” he said.
1. Which of the following may Ulf Ekelund suggest elderly people do?| A．Lying on the sofa reading. |
| B．Doing a little gentle gardening. |
| C．Going out to hike with friends. |
| D．Playing basketball sometimes. |
| A．It lasted about 8 years. |
| B．The researchers admitted they used fake data. |
| C．The participants didn't include younger people. |
| D．Some participants died because of doing too much physical activity |
| A．Doubtful | B．Critical |
| C．Supportive | D．Neutral |
| A．Highlights | B．Conveys |
| C．Excludes | D．Denies |
8 . In the trailer (拖车式房屋)，Sischo was refreshing the snails ‘(蜗牛）accommodations--an ongoing routine that takes days of careful work. He had found a dozen of Achatinella bulimoides--a third of the world's population of the species. Once every individual was accounted for, he cleaned the cage and packed in new leaves. The work took much trouble, but the responsibility, he said, was like “a heavy weight sitting on you.”
The trailer is very vulnerable. It’s designed to keep away would-be thieved, and to resist hurricanes. But a fire could easily destroy it, or a disease could sweep through it. Last September , a mystery pathogon（病原体）appeared to have entered the trailer on leaves fed to the snails, killing almost an entire species. As sad as the event was, there’s no good way to insure against future catastrophe. The snails can’t simply be spread among zoos or other facilities: they need special equipment, experienced handlers, and a diet of native Hawaiian plants.
Consequently, it can be hard for the snails' minders to relax, even when they are outside the trailer. “How do you switch off when your decisions mean existence or extinction?" Sischo said. While action lightens the burden, yet with animals whose natural history is largely unknown, that action can be dangerous. "If you do it wrong, the snails die.”
Snails are neither intelligent nor beloved. Sischo's friends sometimes tease him about being "the strange snail guy' ; strangers ask why he cares. It's hard to convince people, but he insists that if he can just get them in the trailer, they will understand why the Achatinella bulimoides are worth saving. "People melt," he said“When you show them that the entire population is in this chamber, it hits them."
1. What is the trailer used for?| A．Accommodating guests | B．Sheltering snails |
| C．Planting vegetables. | D．Alarming thieves. |
| A．Quite. | B．Safe. |
| C．Easily affected. | D．Well protected. |
| A．Relaxed. | B．Confident. |
| C．Cautious | D．Disapproving |
| A．The Last of Its Kind | B．The Worst of Times |
| C．Mourn Its Loss | D．Resist Possible Dangerous |
9 . Advertisements can be seen everywhere in this modern world. It is estimated that Americans view an average of 1,500 ads every day! With the rapid economic growth in China, you can expect a number doubling that in the near future.
If you think you know all the ad tricks in the book and will never be talked into buying something you don't really want, wait till you finish reading this article.
While "hard-sell" ads are easy to detect — such as those with cheerful Olympic champions or film stars holding products and feeding you reasons why they are bargains — we are less clever when faced with "soft-sell" methods. The most common technique of this kind is to make customers think there is an immediate need to buy the product. So next time you see words like hurry, act now, last chance, now or never etc., think twice. Most of the chances aren't as short lived as they seem to be.
Is that the only type of soft-sell advertising? Of course not. Soft-sell advertising includes give away samples and concert sponsorships. Different types of advertising work in different places and for different products. "There's never a one-size-fits-all technique. It has to be tailor made for each situation," says Gillian Greene, Creative Director of Cheesy Bee, an advertising company in London.
Other than speaking directly to customers, some ads are also made for investors and shop owners. Why? Because when the investors see the expensive, well-made ads, they believe that the company is running a good business. Then they're happy to invest more money in it, even though the ad itself does not appeal to anyone in the street. In the same way, shop owners prefer to stock well-advertised goods because they know that customers are more likely to buy them.
Therefore, advertising can help sell goods even when it's not directed at the customers.
Ads work in every stage of a business, and that perhaps is the best ad for the industry itself.
1. What is this article mainly about?| A．It is hard not to be influenced by ads. |
| B．It is easy to run a good advertising business. |
| C．Advertising helps make money. |
| D．Advertising helps industries grow. |
| A．Products that are real bargains | B．Short-lived ads |
| C．Misleading words that appear ads | D．Images of Olympic champions |
| A．“Sofy-selling”methods are easy to detect. |
| B．Not all ads are speaking directly to customers. |
| C．Tailors are needed in making ads. |
| D．Customers should always think of buying goods in a hurry. |
| A．the advertisement | B．the customer |
| C．the company | D．the “soft-sell”method |
| A．If we are careful, we can avoid ads |
| B．Expensive ads are more attractive. |
| C．Customers will buy goods that are well-advertised |
| D．Ads are powerful |
10 . Last year in Arizona，19 firefighters died in an unpredictably fast wildfire. It was the highest firefighter deaths for a single fire since 1933.The same year，Sierra Nevada saw its largest fire ever，which destroyed 402 square miles，and Colorado suffered its most destructive wildfire in state history-nearly 500 homes were destroyed.
Why do there seem to be more fires in more places in recent years？The simple answer is us. First，until the 1980s，we didn't know that fire can be good for ecosystems，so firefighters operated under a policy of fire suppression（抑制）. By preventing fires，though，they let underbrush build up in forests，fueling bigger fires later on. Then，the increasing average temperatures are responsible for drier，longer，and more extreme fire seasons. Finally，our cities are spreading into fire-prone（易于着火的）areas.
To avoid greater losses，experts first need to fully understand wildfires. Starting this year，a team of engineers，including the National Institute of Standards and Technology（NIST）and the U.S. Forest Service，has been carrying out controlled burns and using the data to build computer models to improve fire predictions. They are also testing new building materials that can withstand wildfire conditions and make for safer homes.
We need a system that warns people against danger even before a fire starts. Scientists at NIST recently developed a hazard scale（危险等级）for marking areas most at risk of wildfires. It would predict the severity and destructiveness of a fire in a particular area. It could also inform building criteria for new construction in fire zones-and insurance costs. You pay insurance for deciding to live in the path of quakes and hurricanes，after all，so why not fires？
The method is tried and true. When general warnings won't do the job，why not use the market to discourage people from doing stupid things like building in fire zones? Without a hazard scale in place, we' re just moving into areas that are more and more likely to burn.
1. Why does the author mention the data in paragraph 1?| A．To describe a disastrous scene. |
| B．To stress the serious situation. |
| C．To prove the scientificity of the method. |
| D．To show the complexity of ecosystems. |
| A．The spreading of cities reduces chances of fires. |
| B．The policy of fire suppression proves to be effective. |
| C．Extreme fires are the main result of global warming. |
| D．Wildfires can be necessary part of ecosystems. |
| A．To monitor the forest fires. |
| B．To predict wildfires more accurately. |
| C．To develop new building materials. |
| D．To assess insurance costs. |
| A．A computer testing model. |
| B．A set of building criteria. |
| C．A fire warning system. |
| D．A fire loss assessment. |
