1 . Luo Xinlin, 22, experienced her first ride in a self-driving taxi in Changsha, the capital of China's Hunan Province “I made an appointment soon after setting the starting and ending points in the app,” said Liu. “A safety supervisor contacted me and the taxi arrived in about 10 minutes.”
“The taxi drove very smoothly by itself. and the safety supervisor and technician sitting in the front basically didn't have any manual control of it,” said Liu after a 10-minute-long test ride. “The taxi passed through three or four intersections and it was a safe ride without any unexpected situations.”
The self-driving taxi, named Robotaxi, is operated by Hunan Apollo Intelligent Transportation Co., Ltd. based in Xiangjiang New Area in the city. On April 21, the company announced that a group of 30 self-driving taxis had entered public use in the city and users can hail one for a free ride.
“The in-car touch screen can display barriers and dynamic predictions within the 360-degree field of vision and clearly present the conditions of passing vehicles, intersections and traffic lights,” said Cheng Li, director of the test and vehicle operation department of the company. Cheng added users can learn information such as the vehicle's sped and remaining distance through the screen in real time.
In September 2019, the company launched a trial service for a group of citizens, who had to first complete training and other procedures. The technical personnel have started testing self-driving taxis and accumulated a lot of test data since the second half of last year.
China allowed local governments to arrange road tests for intelligent connected vehicles (ICVs), which cover different degrees of autonomous driving, in April 2018. An increasing number of cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing, have issued license plates for road tests of ICVs.
1. What is Liu's attitude to self-driving taxis?| A．Mixed. | B．Cautious. | C．Uncertain. | D．Supportive. |
| A．It had unchanging routes | B．No one but the passenger was in it. |
| C．It allowed passengers to have free use. | D．A safety supervisor controlled it. |
| A．Vehicle operation. | B．The vehicle's speed. |
| C．Road conditions | D．Remaining distance. |
| A．Fashion. | B．Technology | C．Society. | D．Business. |
2 . Jobs Week: Find Your Next Job Here
▲ A Registered Nurse
Average salary: $ 65,470 per year
Top cities for hiring: San Antonio, Texas；Chicago, Illinois；Dallas, Texas
In the United States, registered nurses （RNs）are clinicians who have completed at least an associated degree in nursing. The Bureau of Labor Statistics（BLS）has identified it as one of the top ten occupations for career growth. RNs can either practice independently or as part of a healthcare team.
▲ A Retail Associate
Average salary：$ 21,410 per year
Top cities for hiring：Atlanta, Georgia；Houston, Texas；Chicago, Illinois
Retail workers sell products and help customers find the products they want. According to the BLS, nearly 14. 8 million people were employed as retail workers in 2014. Top places to find retail positions include Walmart, Target and Macy’s.
▲ A Truck Driver
Average salary：$ 46,000 per year
Top cities for hiring：Atlanta, Georgia；Houston, Texas；Indianapolis, Indiana
Truck driving doesn’t require a college degree and can pay well even at the entry-level stage. It takes a certain kind of person to work the long weeks away from home— but with a high level of demand, it can be a great career choice for someone who wants job security without the cubicle（工作间）.
▲ A Web Developer
Average salary：$ 62,500 per year
Top cities for hiring：Chicago, Illinois；New York；Atlanta, Georgia
Tech jobs like Web Developer frequently top lists of the best jobs for pay, worklife balance, and career welfare. The wide use of the Internet means that web developers are in continuous demand, and there are no education barriers preventing job seekers from learning programming languages like Java or Python.
1. According to the text, a registered nurse| A．can be paid at least US$ 70,000 every year. |
| B．must have an associate's degree in nursing. |
| C．is considered one of the top ten occupations with the most employees. |
| D．is a popular position in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| A．a registered nurse. | B．a retail associate. |
| C．a truck driver. | D．a web developer. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a health magazine. |
| C．In a travel leaflet. | D．In a science report. |
3 . As an old saying in China goes, “The days of the Sanjiu period are the coldest days.” “Sanjiu period”, which is in Minor Cold (小寒), refers to the third nine-day period (the 19th to the 27th day) after the day of the Winter Solstice (冬至). There are many different customs related to Minor Cold in China.
Eating hotpot
During Minor Cold people should eat some hot food to benefit the body and defend against the cold weather. Winter is the best time to have hotpot and braised mutton with soy sauce. But it is important to notice that too much spicy food may cause health problems.
Eating huangyacai
In Tianjin, there is a custom to have huangyacai, a kind of Chinese cabbage, during Minor Cold. There are large amounts of vitamins A and B in huangyacai. As huangyacai is fresh and tender, it is fit for frying, roasting and braising.
Eating glutinous rice (糯米饭)
According to tradition, the Cantonese eat glutinous rice in the morning during Minor Cold. Cantonese people add some fried preserved pork, sausages and peanuts and mix them into the rice.
Eating vegetable rice
In ancient times, people in Nanjing took Minor Cold quite seriously, but as time went by, the celebration of Minor Cold gradually disappeared. However, the custom of eating vegetable rice is still followed today. The rice is steamed and is incredibly delicious. Among the ingredients (原料), aijiaohuang (a kind of green vegetable), sausages and salted duck are the specialties in Nanjing.
1. What do we know about Minor Cold?| A．It lasts twenty-seven days. |
| B．The Sanjiu period is in this period. |
| C．It refers to the Winter Solstice. |
| D．It marks the first day of winter. |
| A．They fry and toast it. |
| B．They eat it for dinner. |
| C．They steam it with soy sauce. |
| D．They mix it with many other things. |
| A．travel | B．culture |
| C．fashion | D．science |
4 . After the cure of pneumonia, Wuhan Dad reread the letter his daughter left at the bedside, tears filled his eyes. In the second vlog series, make a video call to a friend in Wuhan, China Daily reporter Xiao Peng interviewed three Wuhan residents by video and phone, among whom three have just been released from isolation. Their lives have been transformed by pneumonia (肺炎) caused by the new coronavirus (冠状病毒).
The first interviewee was Tian Fuxin from Wuhan. He was admitted to hospital on January 20 and discharged from hospital on January 30 after 10 days of isolation treatment.
“When I was admitted to hospital, I was very anxious. But after a few days I was OK. And if you’re infected by the novel coronavirus, the government covers your medical expenses. Our meals are the same as the doctors’ and nurses’”.
“Every time I saw them in their protective gear, I felt moved because I know that stuff must be awful to wear, with goggles fogged up and so on. I can’t thank them enough. Those patients who were discharged early like us are very grateful to the people who helped us, because without them, it’s hard to say how we could have survived.”
Worried about his daughter’s safety, the family had her back to the university in Shanghai before the closure. She was quarantined in Shanghai on the first day of the lunar New Year and was recently confirmed to be well enough to end the quarantine. The daughter left her father a letter in which she read between the lines her guilt not being able to accompany him and her love for him.
“I can’t look after you every time you are in hospital. I was right with you, though I didn’t realize how ill you were. Nothing could be done except get away.” “Dad, I love you. After growing up, I think I’ve never said that. You must hold on. I can’t live without you, Dad.” “Don’t be pessimistic. Little psychological tricks are helpful. You have to tell yourself I am feeling better.”
Because of infectious virus as well as its outbreak Tian Fuxin fell ill, experiencing a period of fighting the disease. However, he received the words his daughter had not long been able to speak out “Dad, I love you.”
1. Whom does the underlined word “them” in the fourth paragraph refer to?| A．Wuhan residents | B．medical staff |
| C．the three interviewees | D．the government |
| A．The daughter couldn’t care for her father when he was in hospital. |
| B．The meals of the pneumonia patients are quite different from those of doctors. |
| C．daughter was also isolated in Shanghai on the first day of the lunar New Year. |
| D．Tian Fuxin has been cured and has recovered from pneumonia. |
| A．show little psychological tricks are helpful |
| B．inform him her being quarantined in Shanghai |
| C．encourage him to fight disease and she loved him all the way. |
| D．to say goodbye to the father. |
| A．a magazine | B．a fiction | C．a brochure | D．a newspaper |
5 . Welcome to the Cherry Blossom Gift Shop in Washington, D.C. Live Yoshino Cherry Blossom Trees
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2019 Festival Holiday Ornament
$25.00
PRODUCT ID: 2271405
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, the nation’s greatest springtime celebration, entertains more than one million people each year, commemorating the gift of trees and the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan.
2019 National Cherry Blossom Festival Glass Ornament design was created by famous Hawaiian artist, Jing Jing Tsong. Hand painted, comes in a very pretty box.
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Cherry Blossom Glass Balls
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The hand-made ornament is simply beautiful and no two balls are alike. It comes in a set of three. These ornamental glass balls are suitable for any occasion as a gift, and can be displayed indoors or outdoors, on a desk or shelf.
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2019 National Cherry Blossom Festival Lapel Pin
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1. If a customer is interested in gardening, which product ID will he choose?| A．9813108 | B．2271405 |
| C．1218138 | D．9813020 |
| A．Each glass ball is unique. |
| B．They are presented on a car. |
| C．They come in a set of four. |
| D．They are simply designed. |
| A．In a newspaper. | B．Over the radio. |
| C．On the television. | D．On the Internet. |
6 . When I was a child growing up in Ohio, the butterflies would sometimes pass through on their way to Mexico. And it was awesome to see football fields full of them — and I wanted to revisit that on a larger scale. I knew I had to go to see the migration in Mexico.
But I was on a budget. I didn’t want to rent a car in Mexico or take a bus to Valle de Bravo, the starting point for most butterfly adventures, so I called the guys at the Muddy Boot, travel experts in Mexico who can make almost anything happen at a reasonable rate.
And so, on January 2, I found myself in the Muddy Boot van (货车), being driven two hours from Mexico City to Valle de Bravo, a lovely town on a volcanic lake which is a central point for the butterfly journeys. I booked a two-night stay at the Hotel Rodavento, an all eco-friendly hotel with individual wooden houses spread throughout the forest and around a lake.
The first sanctuary (保护区) I visited was Piedra Herrada, a popular destination, as it is only 40 minutes away from Valle de Bravo. The climb up is tiring. It is advisable to hire a horse. But the horse cannot take you all the way, and there is some hiking in thin air, so you must be patient, drink a lot of water, and be in reasonably good shape.
The walk is more than worth it, though. As I struggled to catch my breath, I looked up and lost my breath again. At first glance, the trees had turned into different shapes, but on closer inspection, every inch of them was covered with butterflies.
A few flew through the air (Most of them were not warm enough). As the sun rose, they began to come alive. Soon the air was filled with flying butterflies, transforming the forest into something magical and straight out of a fairy tale.
1. Why did the author choose to take the Muddy Boot van?| A．She couldn’t afford to rent a car. |
| B．She preferred to travel alone. |
| C．She wanted to save some money. |
| D．She hoped to reach the destination earlier. |
| A．It is at a high altitude. | B．It is far from Valle de Bravo. |
| C．It is full of wild animals. | D．It is only accessible by riding a horse. |
| A．Becoming healthier. | B．Breathing in fresh air. |
| C．Finding trees of different shapes. | D．Seeing the butterfly migration. |
| A．A news report. | B．A scientific paper. | C．A travel diary. | D．A commercial ad. |
7 . From the tropical paradise of United States' Miami to South China's innovative(创新的)city Shenzhen, The Lonely Planet released a list of top 10 cities which are worth visiting in 2019. It covers a mix of well-known and less-known destinations. Those places include second place Shenzhen, China； Novi Sad, Serbia in third place; Miami, Florida in fourth place, and Kathmandu, Nepal munding out the top five. Let's have a brief look at some of these attractive places.
Copenhagen, Denmark
With its modern design, 15 Michelin-starred restaurants and highly bike-friendly culture, it is not surprising that Denmark's capital has topped Lonely Plane’s top 10 cities list.
Copenhagen's street food scene is developing fast in Refshaleoen, a former industrial area with a food and craft market, Reffen.
Novi Sad, Serbia
While Novi Sad is not as noted as the capital of Belgrade, it's much more fashionable. It's home to the country's annual EXIT! Festival, which is held each July at the 18th century-era Petrovaradin Fortress.
The festival contributes to a vibrant music and arts scene and a youthful atmosphere. Next year, 2019*8 European Youth Capital will be held in Novi Sad. It may be a practice run for 2021, when the city will observe the important title of European Capital of Culture.
Kathmandu, Nepal
Three years after it was struck by a destructive earthquake, Kathmandu is welcoming visitors to a city which is much quieter, by design.
"With cars banned from the historic center and motor horns banned across the Kathmandu Valley, it's much quieter than it used to be in the past. Hall figures out.
It will also host the South Asian Games in 2019.
1. In which city can you enjoy highly bike-friendly culture?| A．Shenzhen, China | B．Kathmandu, Nepal |
| C．Novi Sad, Serbia | D．Copenhagen, Denmark |
| A．experience a quieter life style |
| B．visit the food and craft market, Reffen |
| C．try delicious food in Michelin-starred restaurants |
| D．enjoy a vibrant music and arts scene and a youthful atmosphere |
| A．A science report. | B．A book review. |
| C．A magazine. | D．A realistic novel. |
8 . With the arrival of the ABC(AI, big data, and cloud computing) era, AI is seemingly leading innovation(创新) trends. It’s believed that with the increasing application of deep learning algorithms(计算程序), AI will play a growing role in assisting human beings to complete various tasks in a range of fields.
Domestic internet giant Baidu recently announced that its public welfare Baidu Artificial Intelligence People Searching program successfully reunited more than 10, 000 lost people with their families over the past three years, which is a good example of how technology benefits people. Baidu launched this project using its artificial intelligence(AI) face-recognition technology.
Zhu Guang, senior vice president of Baidu, said, “Baidu has opened up a lot of data processing capabilities in such aspects as voice, picture, video, and natural language processing, which are all beneficial.”
And in cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs(民政部) and nongovernmental organizations, Baidu’s system matches the photographs provided by seekers with those in the population database to achieve highly efficient search results.
After going through 200 million face-training sample photos, Baidu’s AI-based face-recognition technology has achieved a recognition accuracy rate of as high as 99.7 percent. It also supports across-age image comparisons, thus helping parents find their lost children after several years on the basis of their childhood photos.
Many parents whose children were lost at a young age have only their childhood photographs, making the search difficult as features change once a child grows up. But many such lost people have been reunited with their families as AI’s face-recognition technology can match an adult with his/her childhood photograph.
Baidu said it will further improve its program by deepening cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs to cover all the 2,068 grassroots rescue centers, and expand the program to help more people.
This innovative new technology realizes the true goal of technological progress: to make people’s lives better. Applying AI technology for public welfare not only helps people in need, but also improves efficiency and saves costs. It is also a good way for enterprises to demonstrate their corporate social responsibility and contribute to society. It is hoped that more high-tech companies will innovatively apply their technologies to help the public.
1. The first paragraph is mainly to tell us ________.| A．the influence of ABC |
| B．the importance of AI technology |
| C．the trend of technology innovation |
| D．the wide use of Al face-recognition |
| A．Its efficiency of search results is not satisfactory. |
| B．Its accuracy rate greatly needs improving. |
| C．It has trouble finding lost families only using childhood photos. |
| D．It’ll help find more children with the support from government. |
| A．help people accomplish complicated tasks |
| B．prove the companies’ devotion to society |
| C．get people to lead a better life |
| D．offer assistance to the disabled |
| A．Science | B．Health |
| C．People | D．Lifestyle |
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On Friday, a truck loaded with over 500 dogs were stopped by volunteers from animal protection organization on Jingha expressway Beijing section. Beijing Times reported these dogs were being delivered to slaughter houses in the city of Changchun, northeast Jilin province and would be eventually served on dinner tables.
After negotiations with the truck driver, pet service provider Leepet Holding Corp. and a philanthropic foundation, Shangshan Foundation, purchased these dogs, each paying 50,000 yuan. Dogs were then delivered to the headquarter of China Small Animal Protection Association (CS APA), being taken care of and waiting for adoption.
After the “dog saving mission” was reported, Chinese net users debate over whether saving dogs worth so much efforts and money while there are still many poor and needy people in China lacking assistance.
Some net users argue the dog saving mission is placing over attention to animals while lots of needy people are still left unattended.
A microblogger “Xiaowulaitajie” said on China’s twitter-like website, weibo.com, “Dogs are saved, adopted and they attracted media spotlight. We'd better spend such money and take such efforts in helping the needy people.”
Another microblogger, Liluping, said "We poured such huge sum of money into saving dogs. I would rather the money be spent on disaster relief."
Some applaud volunteers’ actions and show eagerness of offering their helping hands to those saved dogs.
Still many disapprove those "saving dogs" critics, but they argue that such act nonetheless embodies social progress.
A microblogger named "broken bridge" said, saving dogs does not run counter to taking care of people. Such enthusiasm in public affairs will help raise social awareness in helping the needy.
I think people and animals are created equal .Attention should be paid to people as well as animals.
1. Where did the article come from ___________?
| A．newspaper | B．Internet |
| C．a TV programme | D．a magazine |
| A．Some net users' | B．Xiaowulaitajie's |
| C．Liluping's | D．Broken bridge's |
| A．All the people think it right to save these dogs with so much money. |
| B．These dogs were finally saved and sent back to their owners. |
| C．Some volunteers support the actions to save these dogs and the people who offered their helping hands to those saved dogs. |
| D．100,000 yuan was given to the truck driver to purchase these dogs. |
