1 . The era of intelligent home is on the way... A smart pet-flap based on lift door technology that lets pets in — but keeps foxes out —has been made public at the world’s largest tech conference. The MyQ Pet Portal is the latest tool to promise to revolutionise petkeeping.
For $2,999 owners get a new door featuring sliding doors that are unnoticeable when closed. The family pet is equipped with a Bluetooth collar that sends a signal to the sensor hidden in the door which then informs the owner.
A smart phone app allows the owner to choose whether to open the door, with a video and audio stream (音频流) enabling the owner to see and talk to their pet. “ It is a solution for homeowners who want to keep the security and the appearance of their home in good condition while providing their pets with the freedom to play on demand,” the company claims. MyQ is owned by Chamberlain Group, a US company specialising in garage doors.
The door comes with an “auto-close and lock system” that triggers after the dog goes through to ensure that no other pets or foxes can use it. There is also the option to let a dog open the door automatically when it approaches, without the need for the owners’ approval.
Samsung revealed a robot called Bot Handy that can, it is claimed, pick up laundry, load the dishwasher, set the table, pour wine, and fetch drinks. There was also an app or voice-controlled bathtub from Kohler, a US maker of bathroom products, which attempts to make the spa experience at home possible. The tub, costing up to $8,700, can connect to voice assistants such as Alexa that will tell it to run the water, adjust the temperature or release scents.
1. What is the MyQ Pet Portal based on?| A．The bluetooth technology. |
| B．The lift door technology. |
| C．The latest robot technology. |
| D．The voice-controlled technology. |
| A．By pushing the door itself. |
| B．With a sensor in the collar. |
| C．By sending a signal to its owner. |
| D．With the auto-close and lock system. |
| A．By comparing data. |
| B．By analyzing the reasons. |
| C．By giving typical examples. |
| D．By presenting various ideas. |
| A．The revolution of keeping pets. |
| B．The advertisement for sliding doors. |
| C．The application and promotion of a smart app. |
| D．The introduction to home intelligent products. |
2 . In recent years, Ethiopia has become a regional leader in solid waste management. Last year, the country transformed the landfill (垃圾填埋场) in Addis Ababa into a new waste-to-energy plant, the first such project on the continent. The plant incinerates up to 1, 400 tonnes of waste every day, about 80 percent of the city's rubbish, supplying the capital with 25 percent of its household electricity needs.
However, despite these important steps, challenges remain in Ethiopia. Although the country has permitted the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions, laws and policies for environmentally sound management of hazardous (有害的) wastes are still not effective in pre- venting littering waste illegally.
To help Ethiopia meet these challenges, the Chemicals and Waste Management Program is supporting the country with a three-year project to enhance its capacity for sound management of hazardous wastes.
In the initial stages, a project management unit will be formed, made up of many representatives from government departments and private organizations. This unit will be responsible for reviewing and assessing Ethiopia's current legal system, which, despite numerous advances in recent years, does not specifically target the recycling of hazardous waste. Once legal gaps are identified, the project will seek to update existing policies and strategies.
Many people in Ethiopia are not aware of the possible effect of environmental damage and the need to report such crimes to the police. To resolve this pressing issue, Ethiopia will be conducting a series of capacity-building activities, including creating awareness-raising programs, training trainers and providing equipment.
Ethiopia will also work to establish a national mechanism for chemicals and waste management by engaging government departments and civil society groups. Authorities will also make budgetary provisions (预算拨款) in national, regional and institutional planning to ensure funding for these activities is sustainable even after the project's completion.
1. Which can replace the underlined word “incinerates” in paragraph 1?| A．Produces. | B．Burns. | C．Gathers. | D．Absorbs. |
| A．The relevant laws are not sound. | B．The shortage of workers is severe. |
| C．The pollution level is too high. | D．The funds are not sufficient. |
| A．Restrict their environmental movement. | B．Call on them to start some programs. |
| C．Reward them with budgetary provisions. | D．Raise their environmental awareness. |
| A．Ethiopia is facing serious environmental problems. |
| B．Ethiopia has achieved success in waste management. |
| C．Ethiopia is putting efforts into waste management. |
| D．Ethiopia has reduced environmental pollution levels. |
3 . Humans have little difficulty recognizing one another. And we know that no two faces are exactly alike. Even identical twins have slightly different faces. Each human face is truly unique, and now we've invented machines that are able to recognize faces for numerous purposes.
Governments, employers and security and police services are increasingly using facial recognition technology. This allows them to quickly confirm an individual's identity. Systems are becoming so advanced that a wanted criminal can instantly be picked out of a crowd of thousands of people. All that's required is an image in a database to compare with the image of any number of people in a crowd. Ordinary people, too, are using facial recognition to unlock their phones, their computers and other devices.
Personal facial recognition protection has several benefits. It is instantaneous, and it relieves us of the need to memorize passwords. However, a device will require a password in the rare event that it doesn't, for whatever reason, recognize the user's face.
There are numerous concerns about the use of facial recognition. Primarily, the concern is that it threatens privacy. The installation of more and more cameras in public and private places is now part of everyday life. This means people can be observed and recognized wherever they go. Cameras may make public spaces safer, but keeping law-abiding(守法的) citizens under constant watch is disturbing to many.
In the age of the coronavirus and the widespread wearing of masks, facial recognition systems are having some difficulty. A mask covers many of the facial data points used by recognition software to confirm a person's identity. In response, facial recognition systems are being trained to use less facial data. That could affect how dependable it is as a method of identity detection.
1. What's the author's purpose of writing Paragraph 2?| A．To further explain the importance of facial recognition. |
| B．To describe the powerful functions of facial recognition. |
| C．To list in detail various advantages of facial recognition. |
| D．To state the unique advanced features of facial recognition. |
| A．The cameras may be occasionally out of order. |
| B．Too many cameras disturb people's daily life. |
| C．People's personal life might be exposed to others. |
| D．The cameras make law-abiding citizens feel stressful. |
| A．Getting more accurate with less information. |
| B．Becoming faster with more facial data. |
| C．Protecting personal information if necessary. |
| D．Responding more quickly to unexpected events. |
| A．The wide popularity of facial recognition. |
| B．The rapid development of facial recognition. |
| C．The benefits of facial recognition. |
| D．The introduction to facial recognition. |
4 . We've got to do a better job of stopping global warming, a new report says.
The report, released Wednesday by the United Nations, says the world isn't doing nearly enough to control fossil fuel production to the level that's needed to stop "catastrophic" levels of global warming, pointing fingers at both developed countries and developing countries.
However, developing countries currently cannot sustain (维持) themselves, let alone grow, without relying heavily on fossil fuels. To them, fossil fuels are still the cheapest, most reliable energy resources available. India, for example, is home to one-third of the world's 1. 2 billion citizens living in poverty. That's 400 million people in one country without sufficient food or shelter. India hopes to shift to renewable energy as its economy grows, but the investment needed to meet its renewable energy goals “is over ten times the country's annual spending on agriculture and infrastructure (基础设施).” Unless something changes, developing countries like India cannot fight climate change.
Yet the weather changes and consequences of global warming, like tons of droughts and poverty are already impacting economic growth in many countries. Is there a solution?
According to a World Bank report, “poor and middle-income countries account for just over half of total carbon emissions.” And this percentage will only rise as developing countries grow. In Sub-Sabaran Africa, the number of people living in poverty increased by 98% in the thirty years, while carbon dioxide on average decreased by 17%. Given the current energy situation, if sub-Saharan Africans are to escape extreme poverty, they will have to increase their carbon use unless developed countries step in to offer clean alternatives and financial aid.
After all, global warming is, by definition, a global crisis. Reducing this threat will require global cooperation and global solutions.
1. What does the writer want to convey in paragraph three?| A．India has difficulty in feeding itself. |
| B．India has the largest number of poverty. |
| C．India cannot afford to develop clean energy. |
| D．India relies heavier on fossil fuels than USA |
| A．They'll be rid of extreme poverty. | B．They'll stop developing economy. |
| C．They'll care much for carbon emissions. | D．They'll pursue economic growth at heavy cost. |
| A．Poverty is the root of global warming. |
| B．Huge gap does exist between countries. |
| C．Developing countries cannot afford global warming. |
| D．Global warming demands global effort and solutions. |
| A．Conflicts between countries. | B．Ways of global cooperation. |
| C．Potential crises on the earth. | D．The importance of clean alternatives. |
