1 . What exactly is technology? There aren't any easy answers. Despite the fact that technology has re-mained one of the most controversial areas of modern science, especially when linked to human life or so-cial morals, much progress has been made in recent years, which has made the experts and common peo-ple think again.
Technology is the application of knowledge to production. Thanks to modern technology, we have been able to increase greatly the efficiency of our work force. New machines and new methods have helped cut down time and expense while increasing overall output. This has meant more production and a higher standard of living. For most of the ordinary people, modern technology is thought of as the reason why we can have cars, television sets, cell phones, robots and so on. However, technology has also increased the a-mount of food available to us, by means of modern farming machinery and animal breeding techniques, and has extended our life span through medical technology.
Will mankind continue to live longer and have a higher quality of life? In large measure the answer depends on technology and our ability to use it widely. If we keep making progress as we have over the past fifty years, the answer may be yes. The advancement of technology depends upon research and devel-opment, and the latest statistics show that developed countries are continuing to pump billions of dollars every year into such efforts. So while we are running out of some scarce (稀少的) resources we may well find technological substitutes for many of them through our research programs．
Therefore, in the final analysis the three major factors of production（land, labor and capital）are all influenced by technology. When we need new skills or techniques in medicine, people will start developing new technology to meet those needs. As equipment proves to be slow or inefficient, new machines will be invented. Technology responds to our needs in helping us maintain our standard of living.
1. Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's main points？| A．Science is the most important part of modern technology． |
| B．Technology has nothing to do with the major factors of production． |
| C．Modern technology is the key to the improvement of standard of living． |
| D．Technology leads to more needs in production and human life． |
| A．Favorable． | B．Indifferent． | C．Negative． | D．Doubtful． |
| A．Technology has increased the amount of food． |
| B．Technology can definitely make people live long． |
| C．Technology can soon create non-renewable resources． |
| D．Technology progress depends on more expenses and efforts． |
| A．A report to the government． | B．A school textbook． |
| C．Latest news in a newspaper． | D．A scientific magazine． |
2 . Tokyo University laboratory has developed a robot that never loses at the game of Rock Paper Scissors. That is because its visual processing abilities and fingers work together faster than any human brain. A video of the robot has been watched by more than 3 million viewers on YouTube since going online at the end of June.
Tokyo University engineering professor Masatoshi Ishikawa has a good-natured response to frustrated human losers who accuse him of essentially creating a robot that cheats. “It is not cheating. Every one millisecond (千分之一秒) the image processor decides and recognizes the shape the human hand is going to make. And then the robot can make a winnable shape one millisecond later than a human being. Only one millisecond, but a human cannot see this difference because the human eye is very slow,” explained Ishikawa.
At the Ishikawa Oku Laboratory there has been amazing progress which shows the near perfect accuracy of robotics, such as a robot that can catch a falling egg without breaking it, another one that can tie a knot, and a robot that may not be quite ready for the NBA, but is able to dribble (运球) a ball.
In sports such as baseball and cricket, the misses outnumber (比......多) successes for even the most skilled athletes. That is not so in this award-winning school laboratory. For instance, an intelligent robot is the result of five years of research and a lot of trial and error. And the cost of just one finger on the robot is equal to that of a mini car.
The technology obviously has uses beyond fun and games. Corporations are eager to take advantage of the lab’s technology for industrial and other practical uses. And there is talk of applying it to assisting disabled people and improving human capabilities.
1. What brings the robot so much attention on the YouTube?| A．It plays online games much better than any human. |
| B．Its eyes and fingers can work at the same time. |
| C．It can do whatever people tell it to do. |
| D．It never loses in the game against humans. |
| A．proves to be dishonest | B．responds faster than humans |
| C．works slower sometimes | D．is lucky to win the game |
| A．performing an experiment | B．telling an interesting story |
| C．offering some practical examples | D．ordering it to do something hard |
| A．Science and technology. | B．Human and society. |
| C．Sports and games. | D．Relaxation and entertainment. |
In the summer of 1405, Zheng He set sail from Taicang on his first voyage. His ships
Columbus was born in a port city of Italy in 1451. As a teenager, he loved sailing, and he showed great interest in geography,
4 . Hell comes to Pearl Harbor
It was Sunday, December 7,1941. As usual, the wakeup call came at 5:45 a.m. The men aboard the warship USS Arizona stretched and rubbed their eyes. Seaman Russell Warriner was awakened by Quartermaster Louis Conter. Russell made his bed and helped clean the huge, shared room. The men went to the washroom, dressed in their uniforms and sat down to breakfast. It looked like it would be a normal day on board the ship.
But nobody ate their breakfast: at that moment, there was a huge crashing sound from above. The ship shook violently and the men looked at each other in horror. Above their heads, hundreds of Japanese planes circled like eagles. They were diving down to drop bombs on Pearl Harbor. The scream of their engines was deafening. As bombs thundered all around, clouds of black smoke rose into the sky and hung over the sea. Russell felt his blood freeze, but he quickly came to himself and rushed up to the deck. Moments later, a bomb hit the USS Arizona and Russell was thrown more than 100 meters across the ship. He suffered serious burns on his hands, arms and legs, and watched many of his friends die.
Louis, meanwhile, also standing on the deck, was lucky not to be thrown into the sea. With only minor injuries, he was able to help others who were severely burnt and in terrible pain. After receiving the order to abandon ship, Louis saved more men from the water, dragging them into the lifeboat. In the chaos and confusion after the attack, the US Navy sent a message to his family that Louis had been killed in the attack. Luckily, he was able to get in touch with them before the message arrived. Despite his remarkable actions, Louis did not think that he was a hero. “The heroes are the ones that gave their lives that day,” he said.
Russell was saved from the water, but he was badly burnt, bleeding heavily. Fortunately, he was taken to hospital and survived. For many years, Russell refused to talk about what happened that morning, describing it simply as “hell”. His wife Elsa said, “When he opened up later on, he always mentioned the horror of it.”
Louis and Russell would never forget the terrible scene of the attack, but they were fortunate enough to be among the few survivors from the Arizona. Nobody had expected the bombing. Japan had hatched a plot to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, so the attack began without warning and without declaring war on the United States. The attack destroyed nearly 20 American ships and over 180 airplanes. In total, more than 2,000 American people were killed and over 1,000 others were wounded that day. More than 1,000 people aboard the Arizona lost their lives. Out of 37 sets of brothers, Russell and his brother were the only full pair to survive the attack．
The surprise attack came as a great shock to the whole nation. The next day, President Roosevelt delivered his famous Pearl Harbor Speech, in which he described December 7 as “a date which will live in infamy” and asked that the US Congress declare war on Japan. In response to the attack and the president’s address, the United States joined the Second World War.
Today, the USS Arizona lies where it sank: in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Its location is marked with a memorial shaped like a bridge, which crosses the ship’s sunken remains . Each year, more than two million people visit the memorial. They come to see the shadow of the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor, to learn about the attack, to show respect for those who had lost their lives in the attack and to pray for world peace. Although about eight decades has passed, the attack on Pearl Harbor, one of the darkest episodes in American history, will never be forgotten.
1. When did Japanese planes attack Pearl Harbor?| A．In the morning. | B．At noon. |
| C．In the afternoon. | D．At midnight. |
| A．Russell lost his hands, arms and legs in the attack. |
| B．Russell was seriously burned in the attack. |
| C．Louis’s family were sad to hear that he was killed. |
| D．Louis was proud of his remarkable actions. |
| A．Kind and skilled. |
| B．Helpful and clever. |
| C．Brave and clever. |
| D．Brave and modest. |
| A．Many American ships and airplanes were destroyed in the attack. |
| B．More than 1,000 people aboard the Arizona were killed. |
| C．2,000 Americans were killed and 1,000 others were wounded in the war. |
| D．Both Russell and his brother survived the attack. |
5 . Many nursing homes all over the world are locked down to protect their residents from the COVID-19. Group-f is a
Bosch realized he could put the cranes to good use. Ever since, he has been
Eve Putseys came to see her 88-year-old aunt, who lives in La Cambre, a nursing home. Before she
Officials at La Cambre helped organize the crane-operated
| A．travel | B．design | C．building | D．cleaning |
| A．slowed down | B．broke out | C．fell back | D．knocked down |
| A．unpacked | B．unnoticed | C．unused | D．untouched |
| A．platform | B．ground | C．window | D．crane |
| A．secretly | B．proudly | C．cautiously | D．tearfully |
| A．chance | B．idea | C．dream | D．memory |
| A．hiring | B．sending | C．employing | D．accompanying |
| A．stand on | B．set up | C．return to | D．head for |
| A．got | B．selected | C．landed | D．exchanged |
| A．determined | B．willing | C．amused | D．able |
| A．smiling | B．moving | C．worrying | D．waiting |
| A．voyage | B．visit | C．tour | D．adventure |
| A．unnecessary | B．natural | C．practical | D．skeptical |
| A．anticipates | B．responds | C．acknowledges | D．realizes |
| A．anxieties | B．promises | C．excuses | D．regrets |
6 . A clever technologist took steamboat inventions and turned them into the first commercial steamboat service.
Although Robert Fulton did not invent the steamboat, as is commonly believed, he played an important role in making steamboat travel a reality. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1765. As a young man, he set out to make his name as a portrait painter. His career took him to Europe and into the orbit of people with the power to support him politically and financially.
Fulton entered London society after he painted Benjamin Franklin’s portrait. While abroad, Fulton left the arts for a career in shipbuilding. He was interested in the recently-invented steam engine, and thought it could be used to power ships. Fulton’s vision was not original; many others had entered the field, and the unfortunate inventor John Fitch had built a working steamship already. But like Henry Ford, Fulton’s talent lay not in the invention but in the product’s application in the marketplace.
Fulton didn’t focus entirely on the steamboat. In 1804, he tested the first submarine successfully, which he had built for the British Royal Navy. His invention would make him a celebrity upon his return to the United States two years later. Fulton’s partner Robert Livingston obtained an exclusive license for steamboat services on New York’s Hudson River. It was time for Fulton to deliver.
To build an efficient, reliable steamboat, Fulton used a special English steam engine. The ship’s bottom was flat and its stern was square. The steamboat Clermont made its debut(首次亮相)on August 17, 1807, steaming up the river from New York to Albany, and it soon entered commercial services. The hilly terrain of New York made water transport faster than land transport, and Fulton’s boat—formerly known as the “North River Steamboat”—was a hit. Within five years, Fulton would be running services on six major rivers plus the Chesapeake Bay, and bring in great profits.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 3?| A．Henry Ford was as unfortunate as John Fitch. |
| B．Henry Ford was talented in product application. |
| C．Fulton left the arts as he couldn’t support himself. |
| D．Fulton was the first to create a working steamship. |
| A．In 1804. | B．In 1806. | C．In 1807. | D．In 1802. |
| A．It operated for five years. | B．It earned Fulton much money. |
| C．It had an American steam engine. | D．It was not accepted by people at first. |
| A．Robert Fulton and His Steamboat |
| B．Robert Fulton: A Great Inventor |
| C．Steamboats Changing Water Transport |
| D．The History of Commercial Steamboats |
In 1989, fresh out of high school, I had the difficult task of choosing a career path before college started in three months. In those days in Pakistan, there were limited choices: becoming a doctor or an engineer, or entering the financial world after getting a business degree. I wasn’t interested in engineering, so that I was left with medicine or business. I couldn’t decide.
My uncle suggested that I do a work placement(实习) to experience it for a month in an international company followed by a month in a hospital. After that, I could make a decision. It seemed like a good idea.
I was accepted for a month’s placement at a foreign bank in Karachi. I got a feel of how the world of finance functioned, made new friends, and generally enjoyed the mostly easygoing work surroundings.
The month passed rapidly, and soon I began working at a leading hospital in Karachi. The experience couldn’t have been more different. The hospital had a stressful environment. The days started early (at 7 am, compared to 9 am at the bank), and were filled with endless duties. And the night calls! This was crazy, working all day, through the night, and again the next day.
I began thinking about my two experiences. The bank had offered a more relaxing atmosphere, better working hours and less stress. The hospital was full of excitement, but studying and training were difficult. It seemed that the business choice was going to win out.
Near the end of my month at the hospital, I was driving home after an especially busy night call. In front of me was a public bus, with college students sitting on the top. As the driver weaved through (穿梭) traffic, I could see the boys shaking from side to side.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2．至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
Suddenly, a boy fell off the back of the bus.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：
The next day, when I went to the hospital to see the boy, all his family got up, with grateful smiles on their faces.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
8 . The Best Things to Experience in River City
String Thing
Caroline Shaw, who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for music, has composed many famous contemporary songs. Her lively compositions will be performed in a concert by Richmond's dynamic Rosette String Quartet as part of its So Hot Right Now series. The concert takes place on Monday,（October 25, from 7: 00 pm to 10: 00 pm, at the Hofheimer Building's Dark Room. The Rosettes are Ellen Cockerham Riccio (violin), Treesa Gold (violin), Kimberly Ryan (viola) and Steph Barrett (cello).
Cooking and Comedy
After visiting the River City in 2014, Alton Brown, who is the Bill Nye of the culinary (烹饪的) world and longtime host of shows including Iron Chef America and Good Eats, will return on Thursday, October 28, during his fall tour, Beyond the Eats. The show at Dominion Energy Center's Carpenter Theatre promises a mixture of cooking, comedy and audience interaction.
Opera Man
The Metropolitan Opera's production of Fire Shut up in My Bones marked a historic first as the only opera performed by African American composer Terence Blanchard on that stage earlier this year. The star of that show, Will Liverman, comes to the University of Richmond's Modlin Center at 7: 30 pm on October 28. His performance will include songs by composers Shawn E. Okpebholo, H. Leslie Adams and Damien Sneed, as well as works by Schubert, Loewe, Rachmaninoff, Britten and Bolcolm. Tickets are $10 to $25.
Night of the Picture Show
George Romero's 1968 classic, Night of the Living Dead, will be played at the Byrd Theatre at 6: 00 pm on October 31. Make it a double feature and catch the Yes and Theatrical Co. performance and screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show at 10: 00 pm. This event features the theater company's cast accompanied by the Trunk Show Band performing the film's soundtrack live.
1. What is Caroline Shaw?| A．A comedian. | B．A host. | C．A chef. | D．A composer. |
| A．Enjoy classic comedies from Bill Nye. | B．Interact with a host good at cooking food. |
| C．Listen to the live soundtrack of Good Eats. | D．Watch the show named Iron Chef America. |
| A．At the Byrd Theatre. | B．At the Hofheimer Building's Dark Room. |
| C．At the University of Richmond's Modlin Center. | D．At Dominion Energy Center's Carpenter Theatre. |
9 . My favorite thing about autumn is that I have an excuse to make my mom apple cake again. So, I always thought, once my first child was in primary school, I would enjoy taking part in bake sale fundraisers.
Instead, I fear them. I do not imagine that funds for football uniforms appear out of thin air. So I dutifully show up to each bake sale with home-made cakes.
Still, bake sales trouble me. They feel like a holdover from a time when many moms didn’t work and it was supposed they had a lot of time to bake cookies for children. Women who don't have the time to bake at home and who bring packaged cookies are seen as breaking a great American tradition.
What are we selling at bake sales, anyway? Are we advertising our baking skills? Or is the goal to raise money? Children happily buy cupcakes from a store, so why do we care that nobody in a home kitchen worked late into the night to make them?
Actually, if you look closely at the economics, they just don’t add up. We might spend $10 on ingredients to make 18 cupcakes that sell for $2 each. Think of this $26 as profit supposing that the hours spent shopping and baking and packing things up and taking them to school, and possibly selling and cleaning up afterward, don’t have value. Volunteering your time and energy to something important is worth praising. But neither the ingredients nor the work is “free”, and many parents can't afford to give them away.
This is not an attack against people who love to make banana bread and have the time to do so. But most people do not. Most parents struggle to get even the most basic parenting tasks finished in the limited time between the end of the workday and children’s bedtimes. It feels crazy to take time away from helping with homework, or actually making dinner, to spend hours on a fundraiser.
1. What can we learn about the author?| A．She loves baking. | B．She is active at school. |
| C．She likes home-made food. | D．She is against fundraising. |
| A．She has to buy cakes in stores. | B．Home-made baking is a burden. |
| C．Some moms don’t attend bake sales. | D．Moms are showing off their baking skills. |
| A．Ingredients are too expensive. | B．It is uneconomical to bake at home. |
| C．It is hard to raise money at bake sales. | D．Ready-made cakes are popular at school. |
| A．It is increasing. | B．It is rewarding. |
| C．It is highly valued. | D．It is unavailable for many. |
Toby Mott was just an ordinary person working as an artist. But then, at the age of 36, he had an idea that made him famous. It started when he wanted
He took the Tshirts to a clothing store and they sold 40 in a week.
The 
Mott says, “I’m successful,
