1 . Hollywood’s theory that machines with evil(邪恶) minds will drive armies of killer robots is just silly. The real problem relates to the possibility that artificial intelligence(AI) may become extremely good at achieving something other than what we really want. In 1960 a well-known mathematician Norbert Wiener, who founded the field of cybernetics（控制论）, put it this way: “If we use, to achieve our purposes, a mechanical agency with whose operation we cannot effectively interfere(干预), we had better be quite sure that the purpose put into the machine is the purpose which we really desire.”
A machine with a specific purpose has another quality, one that we usually associate with living things: a wish to preserve its own existence. For the machine, this quality is not in-born, nor is it something introduced by humans; it is a logical consequence of the simple fact that the machine cannot achieve its original purpose if it is dead. So if we send out a robot with the single instruction of fetching coffee, it will have a strong desire to secure success by disabling its own off switch or even killing anyone who might interfere with its task. If we are not careful, then, we could face a kind of global chess match against very determined, super intelligent machines whose objectives conflict with our own, with the real world as the chessboard.
The possibility of entering into and losing such a match should concentrate the minds of computer scientists. Some researchers argue that we can seal the machines inside a kind of firewall, using them to answer difficult questions but never allowing them to affect the real world. Unfortunately, that plan seems unlikely to work: we have yet to invent a firewall that is secure against ordinary humans, let alone super intelligent machines.
Solving the safety problem well enough to move forward in AI seems to be possible but not easy. There are probably decades in which to plan for the arrival of super intelligent machines. But the problem should not be dismissed out of hand, as it has been by some AI researchers. Some argue that humans and machines can coexist as long as they work in teams—yet that is not possible unless machines share the goals of humans. Others say we can just “switch them off” as if super intelligent machines are too stupid to think of that possibility. Still others think that super intelligent AI will never happen. On September 11, 1933, famous physicist Ernest Rutherford stated, with confidence, “Anyone who expects a source of power in the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine.” However, on September 12, 1933, physicist Leo Szilard invented the neutron-induced(中子诱导) nuclear chain reaction.
1. Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that artificial intelligence may .| A．run out of human control |
| B．satisfy human’s real desires |
| C．command armies of killer robots |
| D．work faster than a mathematician |
| A．prevent themselves from being destroyed |
| B．achieve their original goals independently |
| C．do anything successfully with given orders |
| D．beat humans in international chess matches |
| A．help super intelligent machines work better |
| B．be secure against evil human beings |
| C．keep machines from being harmed |
| D．avoid robots’ affecting the world |
| A．It will disappear with the development of AI. |
| B．It will get worse with human interference. |
| C．It will be solved but with difficulty. |
| D．It will stay for a decade. |
2 . In 2012, James Cameron, creator of Avatar and Titanic, became the first person to reach the Challenger Deep. When he arrived at the deepest spot on Earth at 7 miles below sea level, he spent hours mapping the region and taking photos and samples.
“As human beings, we’re drawn to absolutes—the deepest, the highest, the coldest, the farthest,” he says. “And as a storyteller and curious monkey, I just wanted to see what was there.” The answer is obvious—plastic and more. “Our so-called civilization is using the ocean as its toilet,” Cameron says. “Unless this changes, ocean ecosystems are going to continue their rapid collapse.”
Despite decades of environmental studies, the impact of plastic and other forms of pollution on oceans are not entirely understood. Initial studies appear to indicate that ingesting(摄取) them—either directly or indirectly—could cause disease. Plastics can also release poisonous substances into the water, which could potentially impact animal populations.
But plastic is just one of the problems facing oceans that have yet to be fully understood. “Plastic waste in the ocean is horrifying but is only the most obvious of our many deadly waste streams, which include carbon that’s heating the atmosphere and making the ocean acidic, and the run-off nutrients from all the world’s agriculture, which is causing anoxic(缺氧的) dead zones the size of countries,” Cameron says.
Oceans, like the rest of the world, are impacted by the burning of fossil fuels and the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide—about 30 percent of which is absorbed by the sea. This absorption causes ocean acidification, where the pH level is altered to become more acidic. As a result, it’s harder for some creatures to form shells and skeletons and countless species at the base of the food web can struggle to survive, which, scientists say, has the potential to cause huge disruptions to entire ecosystems. Indeed, ocean acidification is thought to have played an important role in Earth’s worst-ever mass extinction event 252 million years ago.
The effect of climate change on the world’s oceans will likely worsen in coming decades. Last June, scientists announced carbon dioxide levels had reached the highest levels since human records began. The last time carbon dioxide levels were this high was during the Pliocene era, between 3 and 5 million years ago, when global temperatures were about 4 degrees Celsius warmer than they are today. Current climate models suggest that if greenhouse gas emissions continue on their current trend, we may be on course to see 4 degrees of warming by 2100.
As a result, understanding the role oceans have on global systems is becoming more and more important.
1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?| A．The author’s feelings to the ocean. | B．Cameron’s movies and remarks. |
| C．The author’s discoveries under the sea. | D．Cameron’s observation and concern. |
| A．Several countries are suffering from anoxic dead zones. |
| B．More concern should have been given to the pollution on oceans. |
| C．Plastic is supposed to be the most serious environmental problem. |
| D．Ocean acidification removes the nutrients from agricultural products. |
| A．Decreases. | B．Destruction. |
| C．Diseases. | D．Discrimination. |
| A．To call on people to protect sea animals. |
| B．To compare current situations with the past. |
| C．To explain how serious the ocean problem is. |
| D．To prove pollution to be the cause of acidification. |
3 . Rome can be pricey for travelers, which is why many choose to stay in a hostel (旅社). The hostels in Rome offer a bed in a dorm room for around $25 a night, and for that, you’ll often get to stay in a central location (位置) with security and comfort.
What is probably the major concern of travelers who choose to stay in a hostel?
| A．Comfort. | B．Security. |
| C．Price. | D．Location. |
4 . Nothing succeeds like success, as every parent of a straight-A student knows, but trying to stress academic excellence by telling your child, “You’re so smart!” may be counterproductive. Why? According to a 2017 study, children who think their intelligence is fixed are less likely to pay attention to and bounce back（重新振作）from mistakes than children who think intelligence can grow and change.
In the study, researchers looked at 123 children. The team assessed the children to determine whether they had a “growth mindset”(believing that you can work harder to get smarter), or a “fixed mindset” (believing that your intelligence is unable to change). They then asked the children to complete a fast-paced computer accuracy task while their brain activity was recorded. During the recording, researchers noted that brain activity stopped within a half-second after making a mistake, as children became aware of their mistake and paid closer attention to what went wrong. The larger the brain response was, the more the child focused on the mistake. Based on the data, they concluded that children with a “growth mindset” were much more likely to have a larger brain response after making a mistake. While children with a “fixed mindset” were able to “bounce back”, only if they gave their full attention to the mistake.
For parents, the lessons are clear. Don’t pay your children compliments that suggest that intelligence is fixed. If your child hands you an A+ score, don’t say, “You’re so smart!” Instead, say, “Wow, that studying really paid off!” or “You clearly mastered this material-way to go!” Note the effort, not the intelligence.
Besides, many parent shy away from addressing a child’s mistakes, telling them “It’s OK. ”You’ll get it next time. ” without offering them the chances to figure out what goes wrong. Instead, it’s better to reassure your children that mistakes happen, and work to figure out where and how they make the mistake.
1. Which of the following best explains “counterproductive” underlined in paragraph 1?| A．Opposite | B．Competitive |
| C．Successful | D．Unknown |
| A．They made fewer mistakes. | B．They tried to avoid mistakes |
| C．They had smaller brain response | D．They focused more on the mistake. |
| A．You are so careless |
| B．Paying compliments to children |
| C．You’ll get it the next time |
| D．Let’s find out how you made it. |
| A．Overstressing the intelligence. |
| B．Pay compliment to children. |
| C．Addressing children’s mistakes. |
| D．Offering chances to find mistakes. |
5 . These days, nobody needs to cook. Families graze on high-cholesterol take-aways and microwaved ready-meals. Cooking is an occasional hobby and a vehicle for celebrity chefs.
Which makes it odd that the kitchen has become the heart of the modern house, what the great hall was to the medieval castle, the kitchen is to the 21st-century home.
The money spent on kitchens has risen with their status. In America the kitchen market is now worth $170 billion, five times the country's film industry. In the year to August 2007, IKEA, a Swedish furniture chain, sold over one million kitchens worldwide. The average budget for a "major" kitchen overhaul in 2006, calculates Remodeling magazine, was a staggering $54,000, even a "minor" improvement cost on average $18,000.
Exclusivity, more familiar in the world of high fashion, has reached the kitchen: Robinson &Cornish, a British manufacturer of custom-made kitchens, offers a Georgian-style. one which would cost £145,000-155,000—excluding building, plumbing and electrical work. Its big selling point is that nobody else will have it :"You won't see this kitchen anywhere else in the word."
The elevation of the room that once belonged only to the servants for the modem family tells the story of a century of social change. Right into the early 20th century, kitchens were smoky, noisy places, generally located underground, or to the back of the house, as far from living space as possible. That was as it should be: kitchens were for servants, and the aspiring middle classes wanted nothing to do with them.
But as the working classes prospered and the servant shortage set in, housekeeping became a natter of interest to the educated classes. One of the pioneers of a radical new way of thinking about the kitchen was Catharine Esther Beecher, sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe. In American human's Home、published in 1869, the Beecher sisters recommended a scientific approach to use hold management, designed to enhance the efficiency of a woman's work and promote order. Many contemporary ideas about kitchen design can be traced back to another American, Chris Frederick, who set about enhancing the efficiency of the housewife. Her 1919 work,
House-Engineering: Scientific Management in the Home, was based on detailed observation of a wife's daily routine. She borrowed the Principle of efficiency on the factory floor and applied mystic tasks on the kitchen floor.
Frederick's central idea, that "stove, sink and kitchen table must be placed in such a relation that useless steps are avoided entirely". Inspired the first fully fitted kitchen, designed in the 1920s by Mangarete Schutter. Libotsky. It was a modernist triumph, and many elements remain central features of today's kitchen.
1. What does the author say about the kitchen of today？| A．It is where housewives display their cooking skills. |
| B．It is where the family entertains important guests. |
| C．It has become something odd in a modern house. |
| D．It is regarded as the center of a modern home. |
| A．It is believed to have tremendous artistic value. |
| B．No duplicate is to be found in any other place. |
| C．It is manufactured by a famous British company. |
| D．No other manufacturer can produce anything like it. |
| A．Improved living conditions. |
| B．Technological progress. |
| C．Women's elevated status. |
| D．Social change. |
| A．A place where women could work more efficiently. |
| B．A place where high technology could be applied. |
| C．A place of interest to the educated people. |
| D．A place to experiment with new ideas. |
| A．It represents the rapid technological advance in people's daily life. |
| B．Many of its central features are no different from those of the 1920s. |
| C．It has been transformed beyond recognition. |
| D．Many of its functions have changed greatly. |
6 . A seismic（地震的；重大的）shift in climate science might be heating up.
New research shows that sound waves, produced by earthquakes can be used to measure temperatures in the ocean which traps 90% of the heat Earth absorbs from the sun，making long-term changes in ocean warmth, a major factor in how the world might respond to global warming.
For years the main approach of measuring ocean temperature has been Argo, an array（阵列）of 4000 automatic floats, which drifts the globe, sampling ocean water and measuring its temperature. Yet Argo measurements stop at 2000 meters.
The new technique called “Seismic Ocean Thermometry”, would be especially useful in detecting long-term changes in ocean temperatures deeper than Argo’s reach.
“Ocean Acoustic Tomography”, the basis for the current research, was first tested nearly 30 years ago. The initial studies created sound waves artificially, basically increasing the volume on giant underwater speakers. Scientists measured the sound’s travel time from the speakers to receivers thousands of kilometers away. Because ocean temperatures affect the speed of the waves, the researchers could calculate average temperatures along their paths. But some believed the noise was a threat to ocean life and the technique never took off.
The new study instead uses a natural sound source for investigation：earthquakes making a low, continuous noise beneath the seafloor off the coast of Sumatra that drum up sound waves in the ocean. On the shores of the Chagos Islands in the East Indian Ocean, between 2005 and 2016 Seismic Station Diego Garcia recorded seismic waves produced by those earthquakes. Some of those waves created physical changes in land and sea as they traveled. Others were sound waves or T waves that moved through the deep ocean, delivering valuable data about ocean temperature.
12 years of data coupled with mathematical models pointed to a temperature change of roughly 0.044 degrees per decade, a trend larger than those predicted by Argo. The findings suggest that Seismic Ocean Thermometry is a feasible method to measure changes in ocean temperature. Further data from other regions of the globe and other timeframes would help improve the warning models and predictions.
And in future studies the researchers plan to listen directly for sound waves, using a network of hydrophones, microphones which detect sound waves under water. Sound waves set the tone for a deep dive into our warming oceans even if they fail to reach 60000 miles under the sea?
1. What disadvantage does Argo have?| A．Its reach is limited. | B．It takes long to collect samples. |
| C．It doesn’t work globally. | D．Its prediction isn’t reliable at all. |
| A．was tested many times but never succeeded |
| B．remained unpopular for fear of potential harm |
| C．was assumed to be too complicated to be controllable |
| D．measured ocean temperature just as the new research does |
| A．some warming is working its way deeper into the ocean |
| B．ocean temperature is rising faster owing to earthquakes |
| C．sound travels faster in colder water than in hotter water |
| D．sound waves will slow down the warming of the ocean |
| A．Sound Waves First Applied to Climate Science. |
| B．New Factors Found to Be Heating up the Ocean. |
| C．A Natural Approach Holding Back Global Warming. |
| D．Ocean’s Hidden Heat Measured with Earthquake Sounds. |
7 . The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.
To raise money for the idea, he toured the City’s private companies which fund new businesses and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior(外部的) advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonhury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
1. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents .| A．economically desirable |
| B．favorable to the environment |
| C．for holding music performances |
| D．designed for disaster relief |
| A．independently with an interest-free loan from Mint |
| B．with the approval of the City’s administration |
| C．in partnership with a finance group |
| D．with the help of a Japanese architect |
| A．the weather in the UK. is changeable in summer |
| B．most performances at British festivals are given in the open air |
| C．the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored |
| D．cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users |
| A．an attempt at developing recyclable tents |
| B．some efforts at making full use of cardboards |
| C．an unusual success of a graduation project |
| D．the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals |
8 . Katie always wanted to be a performer. She, the youngest of, the three kids from Cleveland, was crazy about musicals and Disney movies from an early age and would often watch them singing with her mom, Karen. However, Katie’s happy childhood took a turn when her mother was diagnosed(诊断)with cancer. When the doctor informed the family that Karen’s disease was terminal, they decided to make a trip to Disney World.
The family spared no expense for their once-in-a-lifetime vacation and stayed at Disney’s hotel for eight nights. They spent their days in the parks, seeing the sights, greening characters, all the while pushing Karen in her wheelchair and watching her face light up with joy. They all shared in the merriment of experiencing the parks for the first time with Karen. The trip to Disney World at the height of Karen’s battle with cancer slowed them to escape into a world of magic and laughter. This was the day Katie decided she wanted to work for Disney.
Sadly, Karen lost the battle and died later, but the whole family remembered her every day and often thought of that Disney vacation Katie went on to go after her dream. After she received her degree in musical theater, she struggled for years, working as a waitress and trying to be a performer. Her hard work finally paid off when she was hired to work for Disney.
As a Disney performer, Katie is aware that many other families visit the parks and have similar stories to her own. She encourages everyone, especially children, who may be experiencing a hard time. “Every moment -is meant for you, even the painful ones.” she says. “It’s just like in your favorite Disney movie: There is always some kind of conflict or hardship or pressure. Remember to celebrate those moments, too, because they are taking you to whatever your version of a happy ending is.”
1. What made Katie decide to work for Disney?| A．The dream that she wanted to live a lire full magic. |
| B．The memory that she watched Disney movies as a kid. |
| C．The great joy the Disney vacation brought to her family. |
| D．The great courage her mother showed in fighting cancer. |
| A．Kind and curious. | B．Patient and helpful. |
| C．Strict and independent. | D．Tough and determined. |
| A．Sweet is pleasure after pain. | B．Experience must be bought. |
| C．Many drops make a shower. | D．Good medicine tastes bitter. |
9 . Our own experience working together on health, development, and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives.It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．The author believes the lives of the poorest will get better. |
| B．Much more progress will be made in the near future. |
| C．The work on health is the most valuable experience. |
| D．People’s efforts have been materially rewarded. |
10 . Years of unbalanced investment in public parks has left 100 million Americans without access to decent nearby green spaces during the coronavirus lockdown, a new report reveals.
Local parks have been a godsend to many people during the disease as schools, gyms and walking trails have closed to minimize physical contact and check the spread of the virus. But the annual parks score index by the Trust for Public Land (TPL) has revealed wide gap in access. For instance, 98% of residents in Washington and Minnesota are within a ten-minute walk of a park, compared to less than 50% of those in cities like Arizona and Oklahoma City.
Even within cities, access to green spaces – like access to healthy food, healthcare and good schools – is also unfair, with low-income households and people of colour least likely to live close to parks with basic facilities like toilets, playgrounds and basketball courts.
As summer edges closer, it’s clear that public parks will play a crucial role in providing safe, affordable leisure spaces for millions of people unable to work or travel. Yet, evidence detailed in the report suggests park services could face dramatic cutbacks as local governments face unprecedented economic challenges as a result of the shutdowns.
A survey of 300 park officials in mid-April by the National Recreation and Park Association found that about half had already been instructed to cut budgets by 10% to 20% for the current financial year. Nationwide, the parks system took years to recover from budget cuts after the Great Recession that upset planned improvements and expansions. The economic consequences of the coronavirus disease are expected to be both deeper and longer.
For environmental justice activists, there is some hope. The unprecedented crisis could enhance appreciation for parks – and encourage a wave of local activism to fight for fair access. Rue Mapp, the founder and CEO of Outdoor Afro, said, “This is an opportunity for us to rethink public lands and to get people out of the mindset that nature is somewhere that you have to drive to.”
1. Why are local parks described as a “godsend”?| A．Because they are a treat for the eyes. |
| B．Because they can limit the spread of the coronavirus. |
| C．Because residents in most cities in the US have access to a park. |
| D．Because schools, gyms and walking trails are not accessible during the lockdown. |
| A．they are unlikely to live close to parks |
| B．those green spaces often lack basic facilities |
| C．they are more likely to come down with the coronavirus |
| D．they have less access to healthy food, healthcare and good schools |
| A．Parks would be forced to charge visitors to enter. |
| B．People are discouraged from playing and exercising in the parks. |
| C．Parks became safe leisure places for people to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. |
| D．Their budget could be sharply reduced, and this will affect improvements and expansions. |
| A．It might encourage local activism. |
| B．It might encourage people to drive to parks. |
| C．It might make people recognize the worth of parks better. |
| D．It might increase the budget for improvements and expansions. |
