1 . A robot navigates through the strawberries, detecting ripe ones, picking without bruising and placing them in its basket. It sounds futuristic but it is possible now thanks to Rubion, the picking robot for strawberries. This piece of Belgian innovation is not only an answer to the labor shortage in the agricultural industry, but also allows growers to increase the quality of its produce – which in the end benefits the consumer.
Demographic (人口结构的) and socio-economic numbers show that the labor shortage in the agricultural industry is a fact. But for Octinion the focus is clearly on adding quality. “Thanks to robotics, we have so many possibilities, much more than a human could ever do. Harvest prediction, picking according to market needs, simply picking when the berries are ripe instead of when workers are available – these are just a few examples of what is possible now for a grower,” says Tom Coen, CEO of the Octinion Technology Group. “The consumer will also notice the difference, as strawberries will be fresher and show less bruising.”
Introducing robots in an industry where almost everything gets done by hand is more of a revolution than an evolution. It calls for close cooperation with all stakeholders (利益相关者). Tom Coen: “not only have we been working together with growers and test centers across the world for the past couple of years, breeders have also been keen on being part of the technological developments. ”
In 2014 a team of Belgian engineers started the development of the robot. In the meanwhile, Octinion wasn’t the only company presenting a concept. Product Manager Laura Guillaume says it’s not a surprise that the company from Leuven is the first to actually present a commercial product: “by developing the robot from the beginning, we are able to make it practical in greenhouses or tunnels.” Octinion plans on launching harvesting robots for other crops in the upcoming years.
1. What can we know about the robot?| A．It can help solve the problem of labor shortage. |
| B．It makes little difference to the quality of the fruits. |
| C．It is developed by a group of Belgian engineers independently. |
| D．It has been put into use around the globe. |
| A．The good news of the robotic picking. |
| B．The advantages of the robotic picking. |
| C．How the robotic picking works. |
| D．Different attitudes to the robotic picking. |
| A．The robot was introduced to the market in 2014. |
| B．Octinion is the only company to put forward the idea of the robot. |
| C．The robot can be used in any situation. |
| D．Various harvesting robots are on the way. |
| A．How robots pick strawberries. |
| B．Fruits will be picked by Robots. |
| C．Strawberry-picking robots are presented. |
| D．A new robot was invented. |
2 . For Stevens Point locals in the US, the city is flooded with delicious fried fish. Here are four top choices for the community to have a try.
Hilltop Pub&Grill
Hilltop Pub&Grill first opened in the 1980s and took the Stevens Point community by storm with its delicious food and unique decoration style. Its fried fish are beloved due to the use of “high-quality North Atlantic fish, with a light beer batter (面糊)”.
The Final Score Bar&Grill
The Final Score Bar&Grill aimed to become a local hot spot in 2001 when Jim Billings, the owner, took charge of the business. Billings feels that their five batter choices set them apart from their neighboring bars. Besides, various wines are available.
Point After Pub&Grill
Point After Pub&Grill started serving delicious food and cold beers in a welcoming environment in 2009. But its history runs much longer. “Before it was Point After Pub&Grill, it had been Northside Bar for 30 plus years,” explained Molski, the owner. Molski feels that the pub’s four special batter choices and other fish specials are what help make it an area landmark.
Two Harps Pub
This Irish pub opened its doors to the public in 2017 and has been drawing fans and locals ever since. “I had done my career for a long time and was kind of bored with it,” said Nick Moore, the owner. “And this opportunity fell into my lap, so I went with it. It really made sense to open up an Irish bar.” The growing pub advises guests to try a cold beer with their Friday fried fish.
1. What makes Hilltop Pub&Grill popular with customers?| A．The convenient location. | B．The special food. |
| C．The high-quality service. | D．The unique wine. |
| A．They are both run by the same company. | B．They are both famous for great wines. |
| C．They both feature some particular batter. | D．They were both founded ten years ago. |
| A．It is the newest among the four pubs. | B．It offers free cold beers to customers. |
| C．It only provides fried fish on Fridays. | D．It has a unique decoration style. |
3 . The year 2114 will be an eventful one for art.In May of that year in Berlin,the philosopher-artist Jonathon Keats’“century cameras”-cameras with a 100-year-long exposure time-will be retrieved from hiding places around the city to have their results developed and exhibited.Six months after that,the Future Library in Oslo,Norway,will open its doors for the first time,presenting 100 books printed on the wood of trees in the distant past of 2014.
As Katie Paterson,the creator of the Future Library,puts it:“Future Library is an artwork for future generations.”These projects,more than a century in the making,are part of a new way of“slow art”intended to push viewers and participants to think beyond their own lifetimes.They aim to challenge today’s short-term thinking and the brief attention spans of modern consumers,forcing people into considering works more deliberately.In their way,too,they are fighting against modern culture-not just regarding money but also the way in which artistic worth is measured by attention.
In a similar fashion,every April on Slow Art Day,visitors are encouraged to stare at five works of art for 10 minutes at a time-a tough ask for the average museum visitor,who typically spends less than 30 seconds on each piece of art.
Like the Future Library,the century cameras are very much a project for cities,since it’s in cities that time runs fastest and the pace of life is fastest.“Since I started living in a city,I’ve somehow been quite disconnected,”Anne Beate Hovind,the Future Library project manager,who described how working on the library drew her back to the pace of life she knew when she was growing up on a farm in her youth,told The Atlantic magazine.
Works like Future Library and the century cameras raise all sorts of questions.Will any of the cameras survive?Will any of Future Library works be any good?What will future generations make of century art,and will they see it as the gift that it’s intended to be?More specifically,for those of us struggling with“a crisis of attention”,the question seems to be:How can we adopt this attitude now,in everyday life?When we struggle to look up from our mobile phones,how can we look beyond the present moment and think broadly and generously across time?
1. What will happen in May 2114 in Berlin according to the article?| A．A camera produced 100 years ago will be exhibited. |
| B．The Future Library will open its doors for the first time. |
| C．Photos with a 100-year exposure time will be developed and exhibited. |
| D．Books printed on the wood of trees planted in 2014 will be displayed in the city. |
| A．brought back | B．put away |
| C．replaced | D．repaired |
| A．started in the late 20th century in Germany |
| B．is pushing people to spend more money on works of art |
| C．aims to promote modern culture |
| D．encourages people to pay more attention to works of art |
| A．People living in urban areas are likely to feel more connected to the outside world. |
| B．Katie Paterson is very optimistic about the survival of the century cameras. |
| C．Anne Beate Hovind believes the Future Library will be a perfect solution to the current crisis of people paying attention. |
| D．There remain a lot of doubts about works like the Future Library and the century cameras. |
4 . Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate(保守的估计).”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what was possible in the past. “There is a great effort so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last past about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
1. By saying“we are knocking at the door of immortality”,Michael Zey means_________.| A．they have got some ideas about living forever |
| B．they believe that there is no limit of living |
| C．they are able to make people live past the present life span |
| D．they are sure to find the truth about long living |
| A．the human body is designed to last past about 120 years |
| B．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future |
| C．it is still doubtful how long humans can live |
| D．people can live from 120 to 180 |
| A．a great effort |
| B．the conservative estimate |
| C．the idea of living from 200 to 300 years |
| D．the idea of living beyond the present life span |
| A．No Limit for Human Life |
| B．Living Longer or not |
| C．Science,Technology and Long Living |
| D．Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living |
5 . Occasions like anniversaries, weddings and reunions call for special event venues (场地). The following places may have a way out. There’s no need to spend money creating atmosphere at special event venues. It’s built right in!
Hard Rock Cafe Anchorage
415 E. STREET, ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99501
Events, like great music are born of inspiration. Featuring a 13,600-square-foot facility that will seat 275 guests with private event space, we pride ourselves on delivering an exceptional experience with a rock and twist for each of our guests.
Business Expo Center
1960 S. ANAHEIM WAY, ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA 92805
The Business Expo Center is Orange County's important event venue in Anaheim, California. Our flexible 36,000-square-foot expo center is home to space for conferences, trade shows and celebrations. We pride ourselves on providing a memorable experience with excellent flexibility, services, and cost savings. We won’t charge customers for on-site parking and provide high-speed Wi-Fi.
Automobile Driving Museum
610 LAIRPORT STREET, EL SEGUNDO, CALIFORNIA 90245
Centrally located in the South Bay beach community of EI Segundo, California, the ADM offers a wonderful venue for private parties and corporate events. Conveniently located 5 minutes south of LAX, right off the 405 and 105 Freeways, the 610 Lairport space has a special feel surrounded by our primary automobile collection. We offer several different venues inside and outside our facility for diverse events. To better our service, reservations are needed.
Yamashiro Hollywood
1999 N. SYCAMORE AVE., LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA 90068
Yamashiro Hollywood is a restaurant and therefore, all food and wine must be handled in house. However, guests are allowed to bring in outside wine and champagne for a corkage fee (开瓶费).
1. What can we learn about Business Expo Center?| A．You can enjoy free parking. |
| B．It’s home to space for music shows. |
| C．It’s located in Los Angeles, California 92805 |
| D．You can experience high-speed Wi-Fi free of change. |
| A．Business Expo Center. | B．Yamashiro Hollywood. |
| C．Hard Rock Cafe Anchorage. | D．Automobile Driving Museum. |
| A．They are located in the same state. |
| B．They are open to special events. |
| C．They enjoy convenient transportation. |
| D．They offer an exceptional experience and free services. |
6 . An extreme sport is a popular term for certain activities regarded as having a high level of danger. These activities often involve sped, height, and a high level of physical effort. In the past, young athletes would play baseball. Today，they want risk and excitement--the closer to the edge, the better. They snowboard over cliffs and mountains, or bike down steep mountains.
Extreme sports started as an alternative to more expensive sports such as golf. A city kid who couldn’t afford expensive sports equipment could get a skateboard and have fun, but now it has become a whole new area of sports, with specialized equipment and high levels of skill. There is even an Olympics for extreme sports, called the winter X-game, which includes snow. Mountain biking and ice climbing.
What makes extreme sports so popular? People love the risk. City people want to be outdoors on the weekend and do something challenging. The new equipment is so much better that people can take more risks without getting hurt. Sure there's a risk. Once you go mountain biking or snowboarding, it’s impossible to go back to bike riding or skiing. It's just too boring.
Now even the older crowd is staring to join in. Every weekend, groups of friends in their early
30s get together. On weekdays they work as computer programmers in the same office. On weekends they rent mountains together.
Extreme sports are certainly no for everyone. Most people still prefer to play basketball or watch sports on TV. But it has been a fact that, extreme sports are gaining in popularity.
Nowadays more and more young athletes are taking part in the risky activities.
1. All the following sports are X-sports EXCEPT| A．ice climbing |
| B．snow boarding |
| C．skiing |
| D．mountain-biking |
| A．Risky. |
| B．Challenging. |
| C．Exciting. |
| D．Unskilled. |
| A．replacement |
| B．activity |
| C．equipment |
| D．competition |
| A．people can get better equipment to make sure they will not get hurt |
| B．people are not interested in the traditional sports any more |
| C．people want to do something risky after doing the same thing on weekdays |
| D．extreme sports are easy to learn and less expensive. |
| A．all young people like extreme sports |
| B．playing basketball is still a popular game |
| C．people prefer extreme sports to traditional sports |
| D．bike riding and skiing are boring sports. |
7 . In a cold winter,a couple had to move out from the expensive house because of bankruptcy. The husband worked day and night to support the family but with no care of his wife. So she thought“he doesn't love me anymore,he just cares his business.. not me.”
One day she began to take a bath, he stopped her at the door. "Let me take it first, OK?" “Why not let me shower first," she asked. “I was tired, sweetie, you take it later, OK?” She was totally depressed.
On a morose(郁闷的) day , she found nothing to do and turned on his computer,a few words blurred her eyes. It was his diary.
Today,I was quite sad,she asked me why I was always taking the bath first,and I said to her,I was exhausted. She was unhappy ,in her mind,I treated her not as well as usual,but how can I do? I wasn't as rich as before! We moved to the small apartment, there was only a shower in such a freezing winter. But I found that if one person took the shower first,the room could get a little warmer,so every time I rushed to the bathroom first. I was thinking that, when she took the shower, the room would get warmer,at least1℃,2℃ or 3℃.
Now I can't give her comfortable life,bring her the luxury restaurant, buy expensive dresses for her,but at least,I can give her 1℃ love.
1. Why was the husband always taking the bath first?| A．Because he was tired from work. |
| B．Because he didn't love her anymore. |
| C．Because he treated his wife not as well as usual. |
| D．Because he wanted to get the bathroom warmer. |
| A．Her husband didn't love her. |
| B．She thought her husband didn't love her any longer. |
| C．They had no money. |
| D．She couldn't have a bath first. |
| A．Crash. |
| B．Moving. |
| C．Disease. |
| D．Failure. |
| A．Surprised. |
| B．Angry. |
| C．Moved. |
| D．Disappointed. |
| A．A Trouble |
| B．1℃Love |
| C．Husband and Wife |
| D．A Romantic Story |
8 . Self-driving cars have been backed by the hope that they will save lives by getting involved in fewer crashes with fewer injuries and deaths than human-driven cars. But so far, most comparisons between human drivers and automated vehicles have been unfair.
Crash statistics for human-driven cars are gathered from all sorts of driving situations, and on all types of roads. However, most of the data on self-driving cars' safety have been recorded often in good weather and on highways, where the most important tasks are staying in the car's own lane and not getting too close to the vehicle-ahead. Automated cars are good at those tasks, but so are humans.
It is true that self-driving cars don't get tired, angry, frustrated or drunk .But neither can they yet react to uncertain situations with the same skill or anticipation of an attentive human driver, nor do they possess the foresight to avoid potential perils. They largely drive from moment to moment, rather than think ahead to possible events literally down the road.
To a self-driving car, a bus full of people might appear quite similar to an uninhabited corn field. Indeed, deciding what action to take in an emergency is difficult for humans, but drivers have sacrificed themselves for the greater good of others. An automated system's limited understanding of the world means it will almost never evaluate ( 评估) a situation the same way a human would. And machines can't be programmed in advance to handle every imaginable set of events.
Some people may argue that the promise of simply reducing the number of injuries and deaths is enough to support driverless cars. But experience from aviation (航空) shows that as new automated systems are introduced, there is often an increase in the rate of disasters.
Therefore, comparisons between humans and automated vehicles have to be performed carefully. To fairly evaluate driverless cars on how well they fulfill their promise of improved safety, it's important to ensure the data being presented actually provide a true comparison. After all, choosing to replace humans with automation has more effects than simply a one-for-one exchange.
1. What makes the comparison between self-driving cars and human-driven cars unfair?| A．Self-driving cars never get tired. | B．Statistics are collected differently. |
| C．Machines can make decisions faster. | D．Self-driving cars know the world better. |
| A．Dangers. | B．Self-driving cars. | C．Pedestrians. | D．Human-driven cars. |
| A．Driving steadily. | B．Climbing steep slopes. |
| C．Evaluating the cost of loss. | D．Making complex decisions. |
| A．A poster. | B．A novel. | C．A brochure. | D．A magazine. |
9 . A new study recently found that elephants in central African forests can encourage the growth of slow-growing trees and increase the ability of the forest to store carbon.
“As a tree, there’s a trade-off you can’t have it all,” explained Fabio Berzaghi, who led the study. “You either invest in growing fast, or in building a lot of structure with carbon to be more resistant.” Elephants prefer to eat fast-growing trees in more open spaces. As they feed and walk, they cause damage to these species, knocking over trees or breaking off branches, which results in an ecosystem that favors large, slow-growing hardwood trees. “As the elephants thin the forest, they increase the number of slow-growing trees and the forest is capable of storing more carbon, ” said Stephen Blake, one of the paper’s authors.
Scientists collected field measurements in the Congo Basin and used a computer model to predict how elephants would affect forest structure, and carbon storage potential in the long term. The data confirmed that when elephants are present, the forest contains larger trees and higher abundances of species with high wood density. Conversely (相反地)，should forest elephants go extinct, leaving those slow-growing trees struggling to compete with fast-growing species, it would result in a 7 percent loss of above-ground biomass (生物总量). As a result, central African forests could lose up to three billion tons of carbon, potentially accelerating climate change.
The sad reality is that humans are doing their best to rid the planet of elephants. “This study comes at a time when forest elephants are threatened as never before,” said Iain Douglas Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants. “It is shocking that just as we are beginning to understand how elephants might have a key role in Africa in storing carbon, they are under real threat of extinction.” One limitation of the study, Mr. Berzaghi said, is that we do not know how much carbon has already been lost because of the elephants’ decline. But it does seem certain, he added, that putting a stop to illegal hunting and restoring forest elephant populations would bring climate benefits.
1. What can we infer about slow-growing trees in Paragraph 2?| A．They are elephants’ favorite food. | B．They are easily hurt by elephants. |
| C．They can help forests store carbon. | D．They may reduce elephant populations. |
| A．Climate change would possibly be sped up. |
| B．The forest structure would remain unchanged. |
| C．The forests would lose more fast-growing trees. |
| D．Larger trees would defeat fast-growing species. |
| A．Lead a low-carbon life. | B．Evaluate the carbon loss. |
| C．Stop destroying forests. | D．Protect forest elephants. |
| A．Humans and Nature Live in Harmony |
| B．Elephants Disappear in Parts of Africa |
| C．Climate Change Affects Forest Structure |
| D．Elephants Defend Against Climate Change |
10 . We know that reading is good for children. Now, a new study suggests that just being around books has its benefits. A team of researchers in Australia finds that growing up with a large library at home improves literacy( 读写能力) ,number-sense , and even technological skills in later life. It appeared in the journal Social Science Research.
The researchers were exploring the advantages of scholarly culture. They were interested in a curious observation that some call the “radiation effect".“Radiation effect is a situation where children grow up around books , but they don't read books. But somehow books benefit them, even though they don't read them as much as their parents wish them to,” said Joanna Sikora , a sociologist in Australia. Joanna and her colleagues analyzed data collected between 2011 and 2015 by the Organization for Economic Development. The survey assessed the literacy，numeracy(计算能力) , and technological competency of more than 160 , 000 adults from 31 countries. And it included a question about how many books participants had in their homes during adolescence.“What we were able to make clear was that people growing up around books had better literacy , numeracy and digital problem-solving skills than people who had fewer books growing up but had similar education levels , similar jobs ，and even similar adult habits in terms of reading or working at various numeracy-improving activities," she said.
In fact , teens who only made it through high school but were raised in a bookish environment did as well in adulthood as college graduates who grew up in a house without books. Now , how might mere exposure lead to intellectual improvement?“If we grow up in a house , in a home where parents enjoy books , where books are given as birthday presents and valued , this is something that becomes a part of our identity and gives us this lifelong urge to always come close to books and read more than we would.”
So keep shelves piled with books. Your kids will not only be grateful, they'll be more likely to be able to spell “grateful" correctly as well.
1. What's “radiation effect" according to the text?| A．The terrible effect of radiation on the persons and things. |
| B．The good influence of the bookish environment on adolescents. |
| C．The beneficial effect of reading books on adolescents. |
| D．The bad effect of the environment without books on adolescents. |
| A．Books bring a sense of identity and eagerness to read more. |
| B．Books help to provide a chance to come close to society, |
| C．Books are always given to adolescents as valuable presents. |
| D．Books will offer the teens an urge to make great achievements. |
| A．Opposed. | B．Neutral. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Supportive. |
| A．Reading More Helps Improve Children's Abilities |
| B．Reading at Home Brings Children Many Advantages |
| C．Growing Up Around Books Benefits Children a Lot |
| D．Creating a Bookish Environment for Children Is of Much Importance |
