1 . As data and identity theft becomes more and more common, the market is growing for biometric(生物测量) technologies—like fingerprint scans—to keep others out of private e-spaces. At present, these technologies are still expensive, though.
Researchers from Georgia Tech say that they have come up with a low-cost device(装置) that gets around this problem: a smart keyboard. This smart keyboard precisely measures the cadence(节奏) with which one types and the pressure fingers apply to each key. The keyboard could offer a strong layer of security by analyzing things like the force of a user’s typing and the time between key presses. These patterns are unique to each person. Thus, the keyboard can determine people’s identities, and by extension, whether they should be given access to the computer it’s connected to—regardless of whether someone gets the password right.
It also doesn’t require a new type of technology that people aren’t already familiar with. Everybody uses a keyboard and everybody types differently.
In a study describing the technology, the researchers had 100 volunteers type the word “touch” four times using the smart keyboard. Data collected from the device could be used to recognize different participants based on how they typed, with very low error rates. The researchers say that the keyboard should be pretty straightforward to commercialize and is mostly made of inexpensive, plastic-like parts. The team hopes to make it to market in the near future.
1. Why do the researchers develop the smart keyboard?| A．To reduce pressure on keys. | B．To improve accuracy in typing. |
| C．To replace the password system. | D．To cut the cost of e-space protection. |
| A．Computers are much easier to operate. |
| B．Fingerprint scanning techniques develop fast. |
| C．Typing patterns vary from person to person. |
| D．Data security measures are guaranteed. |
| A．It’ll be environment-friendly. | B．It’ll reach consumers soon. |
| C．It’ll be made of plastics. | D．It’ll help speed up typing. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook | C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
2 . Nearly every week, we hear news about the latest successes and failures in driverless vehicles. But we hear little about how other industries are developing this same kind of technology. One industry heavily involved in researching and developing artificial intelligence, or AI, is agriculture. Companies are experimenting with high-tech tools that can help farmers save time and money, while reducing environment-harming chemicals.
One of the companies is ecoRobotix of SwitzerLand. It created a robot equipped with AI and cameras to identify all plants on a farm. The robot has four wheels to carry it through the fields in search of weeds. Computer-controlled arms then lower and spray the weeds with small amounts of herbicide(除草剂). Company officials say the robot can fully operate on its own for up to 12 hours a day while being powered by the sun. It uses the same kind of sensor and positioning technology used to guide driverless vehicles. A farmer can also control the equipment through a smart-phone.
The co-founder of ecoRobotix, Aurelien Demaurex, says the farm robot can kill weeds with 20 times 1ess herbicide than traditional methods. This is because the system uses exactly the right amount of chemical in the exact place required to kill the weeds. Currently, farmers spread weed killers over massive areas to destroy unwanted plants.
Another company developing farm robotics is California-based Blue River Technology. The company has a system called "See & Spray", which it claims was the world's first smart sprayer. The system-which connects to the back of a tractor-is also equipped with AI to identify and chemically kill only the weeds. It can also spray chemicals on wanted plants to help them grow. Ben Chostner, vice-president of business development for Blue River Technology, explains in a company video that See & Spray technology uses the same deep learning methods used in facial recognition. "The first time the machine saw a pigweed, it didn't know what kind of plant it was. But we taught it-by giving it tens of thousands of examples of that pigweed-and now it's an expert in pigweed. "
1. How will AI benefit agriculture?| A．It will fund agriculture research. |
| B．It contributes to low-cost farming. |
| C．It can avoid harmful chemicals. |
| D．It frees all farmers from field work. |
| A．They use recognition technology. |
| B．They are powered by solar energy. |
| C．They are connected with smart phones. |
| D．They can help wanted plants grow rapidly. |
| A．It is environmentally-friendly. |
| B．It is good at self-improving. |
| C．It has the learning ability. |
| D．It can track various plants. |
| A．The experiment in farming robots. |
| B．New trend in artificial intelligence. |
| C．Modern See & Spray technology. |
| D．Artificial intelligence in agriculture. |
3 . Did you make financial decisions last New Year’s Eve? Did they fall by the wayside? If so, you are not alone.
▲Make a smart budget
Did you plan to make a budget and fail to do so? This is a perfect time to start, as you are heading into the new year. You may be able to stop yourself from overspending if you realize how overextended you are. If you’ve taken no other financial steps this year, start by setting a realistic budget.
▲Control your spending
Even if you had a budget, were you able to stick to it?
▲
You had a savings goal, didn’t you? If you didn’t have a specific goal, it may be why your savings effort failed. Set a smaller savings goal now, and use that to build a larger savings goal for the upcoming year. Make sure that you equate（使等同）your savings with a specific goal.
▲Reduce your debt
Debt reduction is an important goal, especially in the case of high-interest debt such as credit cards. It’s easy to get into an unrecoverable increase of debt if you have no plan to keep debt in check. It is a longer-term goal, but one you need to start right away.
| A．Increase your savings |
| B．Have a clear goal for your debt |
| C．You will go on with your new decisions |
| D．Most other financial improvements will follow |
| E．Start small by setting a spending budget for your shopping |
| F．But this year, you can make some progress on your financial goals |
| G．Attack the debt with the highest interest rate, and control your spending |
4 . Dutch officials toasted on Tuesday the opening of what is being called the world’s first 3D-printed concrete bridge, which is meant to be used by cyclists. There was applause as officials wearing hard hats and workmen’s jackets rode over the bridge on their bikes at the opening ceremony in the southeastern town of Gemert.
“The bridge is not very big, but it was rolled out by a printer which makes it unique,” Theo Salet, from the Eindhoven University of Technology, told Dutch broadcaster NOS. Work on printing the bridge, which has some 800 layers, took about three months after starting in June and it is made of pre-stressed concrete, according to the university. “One of the advantages of printing a bridge is that much less concrete is needed than in the conventional technique in which a mould (泥浆) is filled,” it said on its website, adding “a printer deposits the concrete only where it is needed.”
The eight-metre (26-foot) bridge crosses a water-filled channel to connect two roads, and it was tested for safety to bear loads of up to two metric tons in cooperation with the BAM Infra Construction company. Although designed for bikes, it could take up to 40 trucks, the designers said “We are looking to the future,” said the head of BAM, Marinus Schimmel. “3D printing meant fewer rare resources were needed and there was significantly less waste,” he added.
The Netherlands is among countries, with the United States and China, taking a lead in the cutting-edge technology of 3D printing, using computers and robotics to construct objects and structures from scratch without using much traditional manpower. Last year a Dutch architect unveiled (提示) a unique 3D printer with which he hopes to construct an “endless loop” building. And a Dutch start-up called MX3D has begun printing a stainless-steel bridge, of which a third is already completed. The aim is to finish printing by March and lay the bridge over an Amsterdam canal in the future.
1. According to the text what makes the bridge unique?| A．It adopts 3D printing |
| B．It opens only to cyclists. |
| C．It is made of new material. |
| D．It uses much less concrete. |
| A．fails to bear heavy loads more safely |
| B．needs no concrete and mould |
| C．is designed for bikes and trucks |
| D．is cost-efficient and eco-friendly |
| A．The 3D-printed bridges are all designed for bikes. |
| B．3D-printed construction saves much human labor. |
| C．United States and China develop slowly in 3D printing. |
| D．The stainless-steel bridge by MX3D has been put into use. |
| A．The Value of the 3D Printing Technology |
| B．The Netherlands Leads the Way in 3D Printing |
| C．World’s First 3D-printed Bridge Opens to Cyclists |
| D．3D Printing is Widely Used in Building Bridges |
5 . I had the meanest mother in the world. While other kids ate candy for breakfast, I had to have cereal (麦片粥), eggs and toast. Others had cokes and candy for lunch, while we had to eat a sandwich. As you can guess, my supper was different from the other kids’. But at least I was not alone in my suffering. My sister and two brothers had the same mean mother as I did.
My mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times. She had to know who our friends were and what we were doing. We had to wear clean clothes every day. Other kids always wore their clothes for days. We reached the height of disgrace (丢脸) because she made our clothes herself, just to save money.
The worst is yet to come. We had to be in bed by 9:00 each night and up at 7:45 the next morning. So while my friends slept, my mother actually had the courage to break Child Labor Law. She made us work. I believed she lay awake all night thinking up mean things to do to us. Through the years, our friends’ report cards had beautiful colors on them, black for passing, red for failing. My mother, however, would merely be content with black marks. None of us was allowed the pleasure of being a dropout (辍学者).
She forced us to grow up into educated and honest adults. Using this as a background, I’m now trying to bring up my three children. I’m filled with pride when my children think I am mean because now I thank God every day for giving me the meanest mother in the world.
1. From the passage we can learn that the writer’s mother was .| A．not generous at all | B．very strict with her children |
| C．very mean with money matters | D．very cruel to her children |
| A．Eating differently from other kids. |
| B．Wearing clean clothes which were made by mother. |
| C．Going to bed early and getting up early. |
| D．Letting mother know where they were. |
| A．the writer worked hard and usually got good grades in studies |
| B．mother was punished for breaking the Labor Law |
| C．all the other kids studied better than the writer |
| D．the writer’s family lived a painful life |
| A．Mother practised economy in running her home. |
| B．The writer is very thankful to her mother. |
| C．The writer is strict with her children when bringing them up. |
| D．The writer doesn’t love her mother for the past painful life. |
6 . A survey said the average Asian dad spent one minute a day with his children. I was shocked. I mean, a whole minute? Every day? Get real. Once a week maybe. The fact is, many Asian males are terrible at kid—related things. In fact, I am one of them.
Child—rearing (养育) doesn’t come naturally to guys. My mother knew the names of our teachers, best friends and crushes. My dad was only vaguely aware there were short people sharing the apartment. My mother bought healthy fresh food at the market every day. My dad would only go shopping when there was nothing in the fridge except a jar of capers and a bay leaf. Then he’d buy beer. My mother always knew the right questions to ask our teachers. My dad would ask my English teacher if she could get us a discount on school fees. My mother served kid food to kids. My dad added chili sauce to everything, including our baby food.
The truth is, mothers have superpowers. My son fell off a wall once and hurt himself all over. I demanded someone bring me a computer so I could google what to do. My wife ignored me and did some sort of chanting phrase such as “Mummy kiss it better,” and cured l7 separate injuries in less than 15 seconds.
Yes, mothers are incredible people, but they are not always right. Yet honesty forces me to record the fact that mothers only know best 99.99 percent of the time.Here are some famous slip-ups.
The mother of Bill Gates: “If you’re going to drop out of college and hang out with your nerdy friends, don’t come running to me when you find yourself penniless.” The mother of Albert Einstein: “When you grow up, you’ll find that sitting around thinking about the nature of time and space won’t pay the grocery bills.” The mother of George W. Bush: “You’ll never be like your dad, who became President of the United States and started his own war.”
1. The tone for the writer to write the passage is ___.| A．cruel | B．humorous | C．disapproving | D．critical(批评的) |
| A．females love kids more than males | B．males are not good at child—rearing |
| C．Males are not interested in child-rearing | D．child-rearing is difficult both for females and males |
| A．stories | B．shortcomings | C．mistakes | D．advantages |
| A．providing different examples | B．following the order of space |
| C．making comparisons | D．analyzing causes |
7 . The city of San Francisco is a wonderful tourist attraction that offers many different things to see and do. The best way for a traveler to get a good look at the city is to take one of the many different tours there
Walk to Tour the City
When touring the city by walking, you aren't going to walk much. What's more, there are far more benefits. This kind of tour allows you to see as many buildings of the city as possible. A tour of the city on foot usually focuses on a more localized neighborhood level, which can be very interesting in a number of different ways.
Hit the Waters of San Francisco Bay
The waters of San Francisco Bay have played an important role in the city's development over the last century. Touring San Francisco from the water is completely unique way for you to see this wonderful city.
Take a Bus Tour
If you want to see a wide variety of attractions from all over the city, one of the best things you could do is to book a tour through our company that offers services here. A bus tour of San Francisco is one of the most complete ways to experience the city
Tour San Francisco From the Air
While it is one of the most expensive ways to see San Francisco, touring the city from the air is one of the most unique and exciting ways to see the city. Seeing the city from high above allows you to get a full view of the city as tour guides point out attractions from high above. If you do decide to tour San Francisco by air, you'll be creating memories that you won't forget forever.
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1. How should you tour San Francisco in order to appreciate its buildings?| A．By air. | B．By bus. | C．On foot. | D．By boat |
| A．They have high-quality sea water. |
| B．They are explored on a localized level. |
| C．They were not in use until the last century. |
| D．They have helped the city to develop. |
| A．In a magazine. | B．In a newspaper. | C．On a website. | D．On TV. |
8 . Each year on Halloween,children look forward to trick-or-treating(不请客就捣乱)for candies. But for some kids, eating Halloween candies can be dangerous.
That's because one out of every 13 kids in the Us have a food allergy（过敏症）. They are allergic to ingredients（成分） in many Halloween candies, such as peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, and beans. If they eat these foods, they will get sick or even die.
“I had to throw away all my candies with tears,” eight-year-old Conlen said. Conlen is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, and dairy.Twelve-year-old Kylie is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. She has been trick-or-treating only twice. “I brought my candies home and gave them to the neighbors," Kylie said. "It felt terrible."
But this year, Conlen, Kylie and other kids with food allergies will have a chance for a happy Halloween .That's because nearly100,000 households across the US have promised to take part in the Teal Pumpkin Project (TPP), which was started last year by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE). FARE is an organization that works to improve the lives of people with food allergies. Through the project, the households agree to have nonfood items for trick-or-treaters,including trinkets(小饰品) and toys.
To take part in the project, people buy a teal (蓝绿色) pumpkin or paint a pumpkin teal and place it in front of their house. The painted pumpkins let trick-or-treaters know that nonfood items are available there. The households also add their home addresses to an online map, making it easier for trick-or-treaters to find them.
Kylie loves the idea.“The TPP makes Halloween fun and safe,”she said.“It makes me feel like a normal kid, and it makes everyone feel included.”
1. To Conlen and Kylie, the past Halloween were________________.| A．upsetting and dangerous |
| B．interesting and special |
| C．sick and terrible |
| D．important and exciting |
| A．helps people with food allergies recover |
| B．helps the households take part in the TPP |
| C．takes action to change kids’ bad eating habits |
| D．helps kids with food allergies have a happy Halloween |
| A．giving them teal pumpkins as gifts |
| B．offering them all kinds of food except candies |
| C．providing them with trinkets and toys as treats |
| D．asking them for home addresses and sending them gifts |
| A．A magazine about the history of festivals. |
| B．A news report on cultures and customs. |
| C．An advertisement for an organization. |
| D．A research paper on kid’s health. |
9 . Young people can have problems with their minds．Some students become worried because they have to study very hard．Others have trouble getting on well with people like their parents and classmates．
Li Wen,a junior 2student from No.2Middle School ,could not understand his teacher and was doing badly in his lessons.He became so worried about it that he started to cut his finger with a knife. Another student16yearold Yang Fang from No.1Middle School,was afraid of exams.She got very worried in one and when she looked at the exam paper，she couldn't think of anything to write．
A recent report from Jiefang Daily says about 18% of Shanghai teenagers have mental problems．Their troubles include being worried and very unhappy and having problems in learning and getting on with people．Many students who have problems won't go for advice or help．Some think they will look stupid if they go to see a doctor．Others don't want to talk about their secrets Liang Yuezhu ,an expert on teenagers from Beijing Anding Hospital has the following advice for teenagers：
•Talk to your parents or teachers often．
•Take part in group activities and play sports．
•Go to see a doctor if you feel unhappy or unwell．
1. The students who often become worried or have trouble getting on with others may have .| A．no parents | B．a headache |
| C．knife with them | D．mental problems |
| A．he was afraid of his teacher |
| B．he was so worried about his studies |
| C．he wanted to frighten his parents |
| D．his finger was badly hurt |
| A．she had exams |
| B．she studied very hard |
| C．she talked with her parents |
| D．she thought of something |
| A．it's unnecessary for them to be with others |
| B．only group activities and sports can help them |
| C．it's better for the students who have mental problems to join others |
| D．teachers and parents can't do anything about mental problems． |
内容包括：
1. 学生们不参加体育活动的原因；
2. 进行体育活动的好处。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 文章开头和结尾语已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear schoolmates,
Nowadays, most students don’t do sports for kinds of reasons.
Yours sincerely,
Zhang Hua
