A. applies B. casually C. considered D. customary E. empty F. fellow G. individual H. literally I. longevity J. regards K. related |
Whether you’re ringing in Chinese New Year with a bottle of champagne, making a toast at a wedding, or
Now that you know what to say, how do you actually give a toast? When giving a toast in Chinese, raise your glass as you give the toast. Depending on where you are, your
The host of the party or meeting will be the first to make the toast. It is
A delivered B management C overlooked D.products E.rural F. shifted G.strategies H.sufficient I. tremendous J.urbanisation K.worst |
National governments neglecting development needs of cities
National governments around the world are neglecting the needs of their major cities with non-existent or inadequate development policies, a new report has found. National governments are key to making cities more sustainable, because cities are limited distinctly in the policy measures they can take for themselves, the report points out. However, only a quarter of the world’s governments have urban development policies at all, and most of those that do exist are far from
The report looks at the key measures of energy production, transport, waste
The report, from the Stockholm Environment Institute and the Coalition for Urban Transitions and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, suggests national governments have
Cities around the world are facing rapid population growth, and are likely to be among the areas
3 . In “minority report”, a policeman played by Tom Cruise, gathers information from three psychics (通灵者) and arrests future criminals before they break the law. In the real world, prediction is more difficult. But it may no longer be science fiction, thanks to the growing predictive power of computers. That prospect scares some, but it could be a force for good-if it is done right.
Machine learning, a branch of artificial intelligence, can lead to remarkably accurate predictions. It works by chewing vast quantities of data in search of patterns. Take, for example, restaurant hygiene (卫生). The system learns which combinations of sometimes vague factors are most suggestive of a problem. Once trained, it can assess the risk that a restaurant is dirty. The Boston mayor’s office is testing just such an approach, using data from online reviews.This has led to a 25% rise in the number of spot inspections that uncover offences.
Governments are taking notice, A London district is developing an algorithm (运算法则) to predict who might become homeless. In India Microsoft is helping schools predict which students are at risk of dropping out. Machine-learning predictions can mean government services arrive earlier and are better targeted. Researchers behind an algorithm designed to help judges make bail (保释) decisions claim it can predict likelihood of committing crimes again so effectively that the same number of people could be bailed as are at present by judges, but with 20% less crime.To get a similar reduction in crime across America, they say, would require an extra 20,000 police officers at a cost of $2.6 billion.
But computer-based predictions are sometimes debatable. ProPublica, an investigative-journalism outfit, claims that a risk assessment in Bmoward County, Florida, wrongly labelled black people as future criminals nearly twice as often as it wrongly labelled whites. Citizens complain that decisions which affect them are taken on incomprehensible grounds.
These problems are real, but they should not spell the end for machine learning as a policy tool. Instead, the priority should be to establish some ground rules and to win public confidence.The first step is to focus machine learning on applications where people stand to gain extra help at school, say, rather than extra time in jail.
1. The example of restaurants is used in paragraph 2 in order to _________.A.illustrate how accurate the predictions are |
B.urge that the government should take action |
C.stress that vague factors can make a difference |
D.show how machine learning changes people’s lifestyle |
A.More money would be spent to uncover offences. |
B.More policemen would be required to reduce crime. |
C.Less crime has been reported since the algorithm was applied. |
D.Fewer people that are likely to commit crimes would be bailed. |
A.In which area machine learning is applied matters. |
B.Machine learning as a policy tool is coming to a dead end. |
C.Public confidence in computer-based predictions is increasing. |
D.The government should not rely on computer-based predictions. |
A.Clever computers | B.The power of learning |
C.The government that depends on AI | D.Decisions that contribute to better algorithm |
假设你是明启中学的学生王磊,你校计划引进一个机器人担任餐厅服务员或者图书馆管理员,并在英语贴吧征求学生意见,你很感兴趣,决定回帖响应,你所写的内容应包括:
1.你认为机器人适合担任的一个岗位,二选一
2.通过比较,阐述你选择的理由,可以从工作效率、服务范围等方面进行表述。
Why true happiness isn't about being happy all the time
Over the past two decades, the positive psychology movement has brightened up psychological rescarch with its science of happiness and human potential. It argues that psychologists should not only investigate mental illness but also what makes life worth living.
The founding father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, describes happiness as experiencing frequent positive emotions, such as joy, excitement and satisfaction, combined with deeper feelings of meaning and purpose. It implies a positive attitude in the present and an optimistic outlook for the future. Importantly, happiness experts have argued that happiness is not a stable ,unchangeable feature but something flexible that we can work on and eventually strive towards.
Recent research indicates that psychological flexibility is the key to greater happiness and well-being.For example,being open to emotional experiences and the ability to endure periods of discomfort can allow us to move towards a richer, more meaningful existence. Studies have also demonstrated that the way we respond to the circumstances of our lives has more influence on our happiness than the events themselves. Experiencing stress, sadness and anxiety in the short term doesn't mean we can't be happy in the long term. Putting up with sorrow can make us tougher and lead us to take action in our lives, such as changing jobs or overcoming hardship. Often when people have faced difficulty, illness or loss, they describe their lives as happier and more meaningful as a result.
Unlike feeling happy, which is a temporary state, leading a happier life is about individual growth through finding meaning. It is about accepting our humanity with all its ups and downs, enjoying the positive emotions, and making use of painful feelings in order to reach our full potential.
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One of the most important New Year's resolutions
Children between the ages of 8 and 11 who spend more than two hours a day looking at screens were associated with lower cognitive function than those who engaged in less screen time, according to researchers who published a study in The Lancet in September. While researchers noted there is no causal link, they wrote,“Emerging evidence suggests that mobile device and social media uses have an unfavorable relationship with attention, memory, impulse control, and academic performance”--- perhaps
The Times also reported many elite schools are moving towards eliminating or reducing screens, while many public schools are touting technology in classrooms.
And
New Year's celebrations are the perfect time to get the whole family to look up from their screens
Scrolling through your WeChat moments, you came across a post saying: “I just got accepted to Harvard AND Oxford! Are they sure they didn't mix my applications up with somebody else?!" This person is clearly humblebragging. The term“humblebrag'"was first coined to describe when someone makes a seemingly modest statement, but the actual purpose is to bring attention to something they are proud of.
Although those who humblebrag think it will make them more likable because they aren't loudly boasting about their triumphs,a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology showed that humblebragging actually has the opposite effect. "Humblebragging backfires because it seems very fake. That 'woe is me' attitude combined with self-promotion does not lead to a favorable impression,"said Ovul Sezer,the lead author of the study."Even simply bragging or complaining is better, because at least those messages are seen as more sincere."
Sezer's study also found that nearly 60 percent of humblebrags were complaint-based humblebragging, with most people humblebragging about their looks, followed by their money or wealth, and finally about their performance at work.“It's such a common phenomenon. All of us know some people in our lives, whether in social media or in the workplace, who do this annoying thing,"commented Sezer, adding that we all do it to some extent.
So, if you want to share your achievements with others, what's the best way to do it then? Sezer suggests that people“own their self-promotion and reap the rewards of being sincere". She also suggested finding a wingman:"If someone brags for you,that's the best thing that can happen to you, because then you don't seem like you're bragging.
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A. boost B.capabilities C.ceaseless D.effects E.evolve F. historic G.identify H.initiative I. interconnected J.miraculously K.seriously |
Currently, many of the brainy gadgets being developed for the Internet of Things will anticipate our needs and make choices for us--without being told what to do--marking a(n)
As we turn more of our decision-making over to the devices,they will
But social scientists and others worry these computerized devices might make decisions that are
Stanford University researchers believe society may be profoundly impacted by Internet-of-Things machines blessed with humanlike
Understanding such
9 . The Best Language for Math
What’s the best language for learning math? Hint: You’re not reading it.
Chinese, Japanese and Korean use simpler number words and express math concepts more clearly than English. The language gap is drawing growing attention as confusing English number words have been linked in several studies to weaker counting and arithmetic skill in children in English-speaking countries.
Chinese has just nine number words, while English has more than two dozen. The trouble starts at “11”. English has a unique word for the number, while Chinese (as well as Japanese and Korean, among other languages) have words that can be translated as “ten-one” – spoken with the “ten” first.
English number words over 10 don’t as clearly label place values. Number words for the teens reverse the order of the ones and “teens”, making it easy for children to confuse, say, 17 with 71. As a result, children working with English number words have a harder time doing multi-digit addition and subtraction (减法)
It also feels more natural for Chinese speakers than for English speakers to use the “make-a-ten” addition and subtraction strategy. When adding two numbers, students break down the numbers into parts and regroup them into tens and ones. For instance, 9 plus 5 becomes 9 plus 1 plus 4.
Now, you should feel lucky that you are learning math in China. Thanks to your mother tongue, all math problems just come less confusing and difficult to you!
A.So it’s not easy for English speakers to label place values clearly. |
B.The additional mental steps needed to solve problems cause more errors. |
C.Differences between Chinese and English, in particular, have been studied for decades. |
D.This method is a powerful tool for solving more advanced multi-digit addition and subtraction problems. |
E.Different languages indicate different ways of thinking, causing people to solve math problems differently. |
F.That makes it easier for children to understand the place value as well as making it clear that the number system is based on units of 10. |
10 . One of the roles of the Nobel Prize for literature is to shine a light on someone who has been less visible than they deserve. That role was
Unlike previous popular recipients living in Britain, he is not a
There is a(n)
He began and stuck to writing to
In this sense, Gurnah’s work, which
A.assumed | B.fulfilled | C.interpreted | D.handled |
A.household name | B.black horse | C.new face | D.walking dictionary |
A.demanded | B.tended | C.qualified | D.failed |
A.cast doubt on | B.shown sympathy for | C.taken any notice of | D.put trust in |
A.bridge | B.gulf | C.opposition | D.association |
A.illustration | B.definition | C.navigation | D.accusation |
A.prizing | B.initiating | C.fighting | D.escaping |
A.take care | B.take charge | C.make sense | D.make sure |
A.repeatedly | B.periodically | C.scarcely | D.accidentally |
A.bother with | B.contribute to | C.consist of | D.admit to |
A.spite | B.knowledge | C.empathy | D.necessity |
A.Obviously | B.Naturally | C.Consequently | D.Strikingly |
A.imposed | B.healed | C.received | D.examined |
A.psychological | B.geographical | C.ideological | D.demographical |
A.discounts | B.awards | C.spotlights | D.evaluates |