1 . Put “crottin de chevre” into Google Translate, and you’ll be told it means “goat dung (粪) So if it appeared on a menu, you might feel sick of it. Actually, you have missed a delicious cheese made of goat’s milk that is often served as a starter in France.
Such misunderstandings are why Google admits that its free tool, used by about 500 million people, is not intended to replace human translators. Tourists might accept a few misunderstandings because the technology is cheap and convenient. But perhaps in business, law or medicine, these services often fall short. “Using Google Translate can lead to some serious errors, especially when words have multiple meanings, which is often the case in fields such as law or engineering, says Samantha Langley, a translator in France.
That is not to say professional translators do not use Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools. Some applications can help them take the dull work out of repetitive translations. CATs are even used as part of modern language degree courses these days. So how good are they?
One of the most popular new tools is the so-called translation earphone. Usually paired with a smartphone app, they pick up spoken foreign languages and translate them for the user. “It has taken decades of research to combine that with speech recognition technology, which has allowed us to make a huge leap forward in terms of accuracy,” says Andrew Ochoa, chief executive of Waverly Labs, which produces translation earphones. “For meetings and conferences, wearable translators like Waverly’s are undoubtedly popular. But even this new generation tech has limitations. Users must wait at least a few seconds for a phrase to be translated, or more if the internet connection is poor.”
And computers still lack the subtlety (微妙) of human communication. “I find it’s actually harder to desert part of the sentence and rebuild it than to just create something from scratch.” says Antonio, a translator. But he thinks this problem could be resolved within the next 10 years.
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 1?| A．Add some more related information. |
| B．Provide some advice for the readers. |
| C．Introduce the topic of the text. |
| D．Summarize the following paragraphs. |
| A．By changing Google Translate. | B．By surfing online. |
| C．By working with engineers. | D．By using CAT tools. |
| A．It is more accurate. | B．It is more attractive. |
| C．It is cheaper. | D．It is smaller. |
| A．Are Computer Translators Good? |
| B．Why do Human Translators Need Help? |
| C．What Is the Problem of Human Translators? |
| D．Can Computer Translators Replace Human Translators? |
2 . When I was six, I was so desperate to be out in nature. I’d be transported through David’s documentaries (纪录片) to all these amazing places. I did a PhD studying ants and butterflies, before getting a call from the BBC asking about my work for a show called Life in the Undergrowth. I was so excited and immediately begged, “Please let me help!”
Sir David himself came to film with me, so I got to meet him early on, and he is the loveliest person. Something was wrong with the car. He dived straight under it to try to fix it. His enthusiasm and passion was so real. The first trip I did with him was to Israel as an assistant producer, then in Madagascar. My dream came true.
Usually, we spend six weeks filming for about three minutes of TV. What usually happens is that we’re going to film one thing but the animal ends up doing something else. We stay in whatever basic accommodation is the closest, because we can’t waste time on the way. So it’s rare that we stay in a hotel. Patience is the key, then learning and listening.
Of course you encounter animals that could hurt you. There was a moment on Planet Earth where a wolf approached me and we had to push it off with a camera. During filming for Seven Worlds we came across a beautiful but deadly snake, which casually came into our room. I took it up in a hat and put it back into the jungle. I still remember the chimps in Senegal jumped on a tree next to me and pushed it to the ground. He was like saying, “You can stay here, but if I wanted to crash you, I could.”
When we film certain animals, like lions for example, we must be vigilant. We know they will attack other creatures for their territories, but there’s something fascinating in the small creatures. I’ve always cared about these beautiful lives and the planet. I desperately want to preserve the creatures in the natural world.
1. Why did the author agree to work for BBC?| A．He could work with David. | B．He would travel abroad. |
| C．He could study more animals. | D．He would become famous. |
| A．Enthusiasm. | B．Listening. | C．Patience. | D．Observation. |
| A．Clever avoidance keeps animals away. | B．Filming in nature has potential danger. |
| C．The author prefers strange experiences. | D．Violent behaviors are common in the wild. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Strict. | C．Energetic. | D．Powerful. |
3 . I read with interest a recent article on Galactocorp’s planned Shuttlejet flight later this year. I cannot imagine more stupid thing than this, so-called space tourism, and can’t help wondering what on earth humanity is coming to if this can be successful business.
Many may think that space travel is the highest human achievement, which may be the condition when scientific endeavor (努力) is the aim. However, when it comes to space tourism, think we may have found the top of human stupidity. Consider the high cost of getting into space, the billions of dollars wasted on building the Shuttlejet, and the many thousands spent by the passengers—and for what? So that forty fat cats can have a first-class meal along with six minutes of weightlessness, before returning to earth? Never before has so much money been spent for so little benefit (利益). I invite all space tourists to come around to my house. I can treat them to a big dinner and they can have jump on the trampoline (蹦床), and they’ll only need to pay me half the price of Galactocorp.
Further, the money can be used in a smarter way. Think of the many worthy causes that would benefit from the money that has been thrown away on this project already. There are many medical programs in those poor countries. A few hundred thousand dollars could make a big difference to the lives of thousands of people. The benefits would last far longer than six minutes.
Not only is the Shuttlejet a terrible waste of money, it’s also a terrible waste of resources (资源). Think about the materials required to build and the things required to drive the Shuttlejet. Do we really want to pollute the environment for such a pointless exercise and waste so much money for such a pointless exercise?
In a word, we all need to come back down to earth and forget this stupid dream of space tourism.
1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this text?| A．To ask for advice. | B．To stop project. |
| C．To share his idea. | D．To express his interest. |
| A．Helping the fat cats lose weight. |
| B．Asking people to have fun in his house. |
| C．Providing a trampoline for space tourists. |
| D．Preparing first-class-meal for the forty cats. |
| A．It costs space tourists a lot of money. |
| B．It is just a scientific aim. |
| C．It is bad for the environment. |
| D．It causes a lot of waste in money and resources. |
| A．The project is unrealistic. | B．The project is unscientific. |
| C．The money should be spent on earth. | D．Space is nothing compared with earth. |
4 . Marielle Bacason was 22 when she experienced the storm that would change her life. On November 8, 2013, she held onto whatever she could as the wind of up to 315 kilometers per hour destroyed everything in its path. When the wind finally died down and the storm became less violent, this is what she saw:
“You could not distinguish the roads and dead bodies of people and animals everywhere. We feared for our safety every day, especially during the night. We just wanted to leave Tacloban... I was traumatised,” she says.
In her hometown of Tacloban, in the Eastern Visayas region of the Philippines, southeast from the capital of Manila, her home and everything she owned was damaged Super Typhoon Haiyan was the strongest storm to hit the country reportedly killing over 6,300 people, though the locals said the toll (伤亡人数) was much higher.
Recovering from an event like this is no easy task. Marielle and others asked: Why me? Why did this happen? Who is responsible? For the past five years, Marielle has been trying to find the answers. That’s why she along with other amazing women, are taking on some of the world’s largest coal, oil and gas companies, including ExxonMobil, bp, Chevron and Shell, for contributing to the human harm resulting from the impacts of climate change.
Caused by a petition (请愿书) filed in 2015 by representatives of communities and organizations across the Philippines, this investigation (调查) by the Commission on Human Rights (人权委员会) of the Philippines is the first of its kind to be launched by an independent constitutional office. The result, which won’t be known until early 2019, could be game changer for the fossil fuel industry.
Marielle, who is now working as research nurse in London, puts it simply:
“All I ask of these big companies is to allow our children, grandchildren, and the future generations to be able to enjoy an undamaged planet I just ask that they consider the long-term effects of their actions.”
1. How did Marielle feel after the storm?| A．Puzzled. | B．Shocked. | C．Embarrassed. | D．Disappointed. |
| A．To push them to help her hometown recover. |
| B．To completely drive them out of her country. |
| C．To get back all her possessions lost in the storm. |
| D．To ask them to be environmentally responsible. |
| A．It might greatly influence the fossil fuel industry. |
| B．It’s being carried out by Marielle and her colleagues. |
| C．It’ll have long-term-effect on Tacloban’s economy. |
| D．It’ll measure the damage caused by Super Typhoon Haiyan. |
| A．She’s an easy-going woman. | B．She cares little about climate change. |
| C．She holds strong social responsibility. | D．She used to be a research nurse in London. |
5 . “Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” An old tale tells seemingly unbelievable story of a magic mirror, but now the magic is no longer unachievable.
In August 2018, news went viral (广为传播的) that the police had caught criminal suspects who attended Chinese singer Jacky Cheung’s concerts. How did the police pick out the suspects among thousands of screaming fans? The helping hand is Al facial recognition technology. The low-key yet powerful tool is no longer far-fetched, but entering the world of China’s top investors and companies.
Facial recognition is a technology able to identify a person from digital image or a frame from a video source. Tang Wenbin, CTO of Face++, an Al computer vision technology company in China, vividly explained the workflow. According to him, facial recognition is the identification of our appearance, including knowing the sex, age and identity of a person. You may think it is like a brain or a neural network. You use data to train it, and then, it learns the pattern.
Facial recognition technology has been traditionally allied with the security work but today there is active expansion into other industries including mobile phones, marketing and finance.
Chinese start-ups have seen the potential of AI facial recognition for simplifying and speeding up tasks in multiple industries. And the market is now crowded and competitive.
China is starting the Al revolution and has made breakthroughs in facial recognition. “If applying AI to different industries is a marathon, the companies there probably have just got off the blocks.” said Tian Feng, director of Alibaba Cloud Research Center. He also thinks that in the future, everybody will be able to use AI as it will soon become a basic tool for work and life.
1. Why does the author mention mirrors in Paragraph 1?| A．To imply that such magical mirror is achievable. |
| B．To lead to the topic that such magic has become reality. |
| C．To prove that old tales are based on true stories. |
| D．To describe the background of facial recognition. |
| A．Content with. | B．Compared with. | C．Burdened with. | D．Associated with. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Pessimistic. | C．Indifferent. | D．Objective. |
| A．Breakthroughs of Chinese Technology | B．Effects of AI Technology |
| C．The Eye of AI in China | D．Facial Recognition in Security |
6 . For many parents, raising a teenager is like fighting a long war, but years go by without any clear winner. Like a border conflict between neighboring countries, the parent-teen war is about boundaries: Where is the line between what I control and what you do?
Both sides want peace, but neither feels it has any power to stop the conflict. In part, this is because neither is willing to admit any responsibility for starting it. From the parents’ point of view, the only cause of their fight is their adolescents’ complete unreasonableness. And of course, the teens see it in exactly the same way, except oppositely. Both feel trapped.
In this article, I’ll describe three no-win situations that commonly arise between teens and parents and then suggest some ways out of the trap. The first no-win situation is quarrels over unimportant things. Examples include the color of the teen’s hair, the cleanliness of the bedroom, the preferred style of clothing, the child’s failure to eat a good breakfast before school, or his tendency to sleep until noon on the weekends. Second, blaming. The goal of a blaming battle is to make the other admit that his bad attitude is the reason why everything goes wrong. Third, needing to be right. It doesn’t matter what the topic is—politics, the laws of physics, or the proper way to break an egg—the point of these arguments is to prove that you are right and the other person is wrong, for both wish to be considered an authority—someone who actually knows something—and therefore to command respect. Unfortunately, as long as parents and teens continue to assume that they know more than the other, they’ll continue to fight these battles forever and never make any real progress.
1. Why does the author compare the parent-teen war to a border conflict?| A．Both are about where to draw the line. |
| B．Both can continue for generations. |
| C．Neither has any clear winner. |
| D．Neither can be put to an end. |
| A．The teens tend to have a full understanding of their parents. |
| B．The teens agree with their parents on the cause of the conflict. |
| C．The teens cause their parents of misleading them. |
| D．The teens blame their parents for starting the conflict. |
| A．give orders to the other |
| B．know more than the other |
| C．gain respect from the other |
| D．get the other to behave properly |
| A．Solutions for the parent-teen problems. |
| B．Examples of the parent-teen war. |
| C．Causes for the parent-teen conflicts. |
| D．Future of the parent-teen relationship. |
7 . Journey Back in Time with Scholars
Classical Provence(13days)Journey through the beautiful countryside of Provence，France，with Prof. Ori Z. Soltes. We will visit some of the best-preserved Roman monuments in the world. Our tour also includes a chance to walk in the footsteps of Van Gogh and Gauguin. Fields of flowers, tile-roofed(瓦屋顶)villages and tasty meals enrich this wonderful experience.
Southern Spain(15days)
Spain has lovely white towns and the scent(芳香)of oranges，but it is also a treasury of ancient remains including the cities left by the Greeks，Romans and Arabs. As we travel south from Madrid with Prof. Ronald Messier to historic Toledo，Roman Merida and into Andalucia, we explore historical monuments and architecture.
China’s Sacred Landscapes(21days)
Discover the China of “past ages,” its walled cities，temples and mountain scenery with Prof. Robert Thorp. Highlights(精彩之处)include China’s most sacred peaks at Mount Tai and Hangzbou’s rolling hills，waterways and peaceful temples. We will wander in traditional small towns and end our tour with an exceptional museum in Shanghai.
Tunisia(17days)
Join Prof. Pedar Foss on our in-depth Tunisian tour. Tour highlights include the Roman city of Dougga，the underground Numidian capital at Bulla Regia, Roman Sbeitla and the remote areas around Tataouine and Matmata，uique for underground cities. Our journey takes us to picturesque Berber villages and lovely beaches.
1. What can visitors see in both Classical Provence and Southern Spain？
| A．Historical monuments. | B．Fields of flowers. |
| C．Van Gogh’s paintings. | D．Greek buildings. |
| A．France. | B．Spain. | C．China. | D．Tunisia. |
| A．White towns. | B．Underground cities. | C．Tile-roofed villages. | D．Rolling hills. |
8 . I have a special place in my heart for libraries. I have for as long as I can remember. I was always an enthusiastic reader, sometimes reading up to three books a day as a child. Stories were like air to me and while other kids played ball or went to parties, I lived out adventures through the books I checked out from the library.
My first job was working at the Ukiah Library when I was 16 years old .It was a dream job and I did everything from shelving books to reading to the children for story time.
As I grew older and became a mother, the library took on a new place and an added meaning in my life. I had several children and books were our main source(来源) of entertainment. It was a big deal for us to load up and go to the local library, where my kids could pick out books to read or books they wanted me to read to them.
I always read ,using different voices ,as though I were acting out the stories with my voice and they loved it !It was a special time to bond with my children and it filled them with the wonderment of books .
Now, I see my children taking their children to the library and I love that the excitement of going to the library lives on form generation to generation.
As a novelist, I’ve found a new relationship with libraries. I encourage readers to go to their local library when they can’t afford to purchase a book. I see libraries as a safe haven(避风港) for readers and writers, a bridge that helps put together a reader with a book. Libraries, in their own way, help fight book piracy(盗版行为) and 1 think all writers should support libraries in a significant way when they can. Encourage readers to use the library. Share library announcements on your social media. Frequent them and talk about them when you can.
1. Which word best describes the author’s relationship with books as a child?| A．Cooperative. | B．Uneasy. | C．Inseparable. | D．Casual. |
| A．Pleasure from working in the library. |
| B．Joy of reading passed on in the family. |
| C．Wonderment from acting out the stories. |
| D．A closer bond developed with the readers. |
| A．Sponsor book fairs. | B．Write for social media. |
| C．Support libraries. | D．Purchase her novels. |
| A．Reading: A Source of Knowledge |
| B．My Idea about writing |
| C．Library: A Haven for the Young |
| D．My Love of the Library |
9 . While many people dream of mermaids, few people actually try to become one. How can someone become a mermaid if they don't exist? Just ask Dana Richardson, who is a professional mermaid in Hawaii!
“As a child, I always felt very connected to the ocean and played mermaids in the water,” says Dana. “My love of the ocean took me to different types of work such as a lifeguard, swim instructor, boat crew member, underwater photographer, boat captain and surfer. I just decided to take it to the next level and grow a tail.”
Dana doesn't mean literally. In 2008 she began making mermaid tails from materials including shiny fabric that she wears while free-diving in the waters around Kona, Hawaii. Free-diving means diving without any protective equipment. It requires you to hold your breath while swimming deep underwater. As she dives in, Dana not only like a mermaid; she experiences what it is like to swim like one too.
The waters around Dana's home in Kona are filled with wildlife, including dolphins and whales. Kona is by a sheltered sea where the waters are calm for swimming. For ten years Dana has been swimming with the creatures of Kona. Some of them have even learned to recognize her.
Dana knows how to swim with sea life because she is a trained marine naturalist She understands the behavior of sea life and knows how to safely interact with it. Every morning when she swims with sea life she gets to experience her other “home”. The ocean beneath the depths really is another world. Watching how the world works so gracefully in the circle of life underwater is a beautiful thing?
For Dana Richardson being a mermaid just makes sense. “I always felt more comfortable underwater than on land,” she says. Would you like to follow your dream, even if it seems impossible? Dana Richardson reminds everyone, “One person can truly make a difference. By following your heart and offering the world your unique gifts, you will inspire others to do so. The world needs you!”
1. When the author was a child, she .| A．always played with mermaids | B．felt very linked to the ocean |
| C．grew a beautiful mermaid tail | D．tried different types of work |
| A．She wears mermaid tails while free-diving. |
| B．She makes mermaid tails mostly from shiny fabric. |
| C．She has to hold her breath while wearing tails. |
| D．She is a mermaid with a tail as she dives in. |
| A．Aggressive. | B．Embarrassing. |
| C．Harmonious. | D．Unfamiliar, |
| A．The Protection of the Ocean | B．The Description of Sea Life |
| C．The Characteristics of Mermaids | D．The Story of Realizing a Dream |
10 . When I was in my first year of high school, I had a terrible time when every area of my life was a disaster. I felt so hopeless and alone that I thought everything was impossible.
On one such day, I was walking from class across the school to catch the school bus home, with my head down, fighting tears of total hopelessness, when a young man came down the sidewalk toward me. Though I had never seen him before, I did not want him to see that I was in such low spirits, so I turned my head away and hoped to hurry past. I thought he'd walk on by, but he moved until he was directly in front of me, waited until I looked up, and then smiled.
Looking into my eyes, this stranger spoke in a quiet voice："Whatever is wrong will pass. You're going to be OK, just hang on." He then smiled again and walked away.
I can't explain the effect of that man's unexpected kindness and caring! He gave me the one thing that I'd lost completely—hope. I looked for him in our school to thank him, but never saw him again.
That was thirty years ago. And I've never forgotten that moment. Over the years, whenever I see someone who is in trouble, I will always think of that young man and try to give a flash of hope in the dark wherever I can. I carry things for people when they are too heavy for them, sit with naughty babies in the waiting room while their mothers are busy, or talk to tired couples at the checkout line or it could be anything.
If you keep your head up, your heart will show you the place that needs hope.
1. Where did the writer meet with the young man？
| A．In the school. | B．In the school bus. | C．In the classroom. | D．In the library. |
| A．had known the young man for a long time |
| B．made friends with the young man afterwards |
| C．was grateful to that young man very much |
| D．avoided meeting the young man since then |
| A．show his sympathy to those who are badly ill |
| B．give others hope of life when they are in trouble |
| C．realize his promise made to the young man |
| D．get respect from those who were helped by him |
| A．the young man always tried his best to help those who were in trouble |
| B．it was the young man's smile and words that made the author feel hopeful |
| C．the author had never been praised by others before he met with the young man |
| D．the author traveled to a lot of places to look for the young man but failed |
