1 . Artificial intelligence (AI) is showing promise in earthquake prediction, challenging the long-held belief that it is impossible. Researchers at the University of Texas, Austin, have developed an AI algorithm (算法) that correctly predicted 70% of earthquakes a week in advance during a trial in China and provided accurate calculations for the predicted earthquakes.

The research team believes their method succeeded because they stuck with a relatively simple machine learning approach. The AI was provided with a set of statistical (统计的) features based on the team’s knowledge of earthquake physics, and then instructed to train itself using a five-year database of earthquake recordings. Once trained, the AI provided its prediction of earthquake by listening for signs of incoming earthquakes within the background rumblings (隆隆声) in the Earth.

This work is clearly a milestone in research for AI-driven earthquake prediction. “You don’t see earthquakes coming,” explains Alexandros Savvaidis, a senior research scientist who leads the Texas Seismological Network Program (TexNet). “It’s a matter of milliseconds ( 毫秒), and the only thing you can control is how prepared you are. Even with the 70% accuracy, that’s a huge result and could help minimize economic and human losses and has the potential to remarkably improve earthquake preparation worldwide.”

While it is unknown whether the same approach will work at other places, the researchers are confident that their AI algorithm could produce more accurate predictions if used in areas with reliable earthquake tracking networks. So, their next step is to test artificial intelligence in different places in Texas, since UT’s Bureau TexNet has 300 earthquake stations there and over six years’ worth of continuous records, making it ideal for these purposes.

Eventually, the authors hope to combine the system with physics-based models. This strategy could prove especially important where data is poor or lacking. “That may be a long way off, but many advances such as this one, taken together, are what moves science forward,” concludes Scott Tinker, the bureau’s director.

1. How does the AI predict earthquakes?

A．By analyzing background sounds in the Earth.

B．By identifying data from remote sensing satellite.

C．By modeling data based on earthquake recordings.

D．By monitoring changes in the Earth’s magnetic field.

2. What does Alexandros Savvaidis intend to show in paragraph 3?

A．The ways to reduce losses in earthquakes.

B．The accuracy of AI in earthquake prediction.

C．The limitation of AI algorithms in earthquake prediction.

D．The significance of developing AI-driven earthquake prediction.

3. What does the follow-up research focus on?

A．Conducting tests in different locations.

B．Building more earthquake stations in Texas.

C．Improving the quality of earthquake tracking networks.

D．Applying AI approach to other fields besides earthquake.

4. Which words can best describe the earthquake-predicting technology?

A．Precise but outdated.	B．Effective but costly.
C．Advanced and promising.	D．Potential and economical.

2 . Technology is forever changing the way we get our news. Many people now get a lot of their news on electronic devices, instead of traditional media, such as newspapers, television or radio. Now, there is a new way we get the news: computer-created news readers.

Recently, China’s Xinhua launched(推出)the world’s first AI news presenters with the Chinese search engine Sogou. The news readers created by machine learning technology are based on two real-life newsmen. One is able to present newscasts in English; the other, in Mandarin Chinese.

Machine learning is used to examine video images and sounds of the two newsmen, which look and sound like real people. Some machine learning experts said the system showed off China’s latest progress in voice recognition, text-to-speech technology and data analysis. But several experts suggested that the term Al does not correctly describe abilities of the robotic news readers.

On social media, many Chinese noted that the AI presenters did not seem real. People blamed them for not being more lifelike. Others wondered about the effects robots might have on employment and workers. Some people argued that only low-level jobs requiring heavy labor will be easily replaced by robots. Others praised the technology as a way for companies to make money from low-cost labor machines.

Some businesses have experimented with similar technology for possible use in news operations. Britain’s BBC recently released a video that used machine learning to make it look like one of its news readers speaking different languages. The London-based company that developed the system says its goal is to “remove the language barrier” for many different kinds of video across the Internet.

1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 1?

A．Introduce the topic of the text.	B．Summarize the different opinions.
C．Add some data about the AI presenters.	D．Compare different ways of getting news.

2. What is the machine learning technology used to do?

A．To bring newscasts up to date every hour.

B．To help AI presenters speak more fluently.

C．To keep AI presenters from making any mistakes.

D．To ensure images and sounds are like those of real persons.

3. What are some people worried about when AI presenters were launched?

A．Robots will rule over the world in the end.

B．Robots will eventually replace human all over.

C．Robots may endanger most people’s health.

D．Robots may threaten some people’s employment.

4. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．BBC has done similar experiments as Xinhua does.

B．BBC has removed the language barrier in newscasts.

C．BBC shows interest in Xinhua’s AI news presenters.

D．BBC’s news readers can explore different technologies.

4 . There are many things to do in Macao. Macao is small, but that just means you can do and see a lot in a short amount of time.

Try the Macao Tower Bungee Jump

The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of entertainment activities.

One of the activities is the bungee jump, which is popular with extreme sports lovers. The bungee-jumping height is 233 meters, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial bungee jump in the world.

Enjoy the Egg Tart of Macao

One of the must-try local foods in Macao is the egg tart. This dessert is different from the Cantonese egg tart. One of the visible differences is the slightly burned caramel (焦糖) top. The creamy filling, tasty crust (酥皮) and the burned caramel top create an incredible mixture of flavor.

Gradually, the bakery has become a fixed tourist spot in Macao, where the queue outside will never be empty.

Grab a Selfie at the Ruins of St. Paul

The Ruins of St. Paul is one of the signature landmarks of Macao. The ruins consist of the St. Paul’s College and the Church of St. Paul, built in 1580. However, after three intense fires in 1595, 1601 and 1835, the church was seriously damaged.

Watch the Macao Grand Prix

Racing through the small streets and roads of this tiny city, the Macao Grand Prix circuit (巡回赛) is the only street circuit racing in the world for car and motorcycle races. The Macao Grand Prix is a major worldwide car-racing event held every year, featuring over 300 top drivers a year.

1. Where should you go if you are an extreme sports lover?

A．The Macao Tower.	B．The small streets in Macao.
C．The Ruins of St. Paul.	D．The St. Paul’s College.

2. What’s the visible difference between the egg tart of Macao and the Cantonese one?

A．The creamy filling.	B．The tasty crust.
C．The slightly burned caramel top.	D．The mixture of flavor.

3. What do we know about the Church of St. Paul?

A．It is the most famous site in Macao.	B．It was built in 1595.
C．It was rebuilt only once.	D．It was damaged badly.

5 . Much meaning can be conveyed clearly with our eyes, so it is often said that eyes can speak.

    1     In a bus you may look at a stranger but not far too long. And if he sensed that you are staring at him, he may feel uncomfortable.

The same is true in our daily life. If you are stared at for more than necessary, you will look at yourself up and down to see if there is anything wrong with you.     2     Eyes do speak, right?

Looking too long at someone may seem to be side and aggressive     3     If a man stares at a woman for more than 10 seconds and refuses to look away from her, his intentions are obvious. He wishes to attract her attention, and let her know that he is admiring her.

However, when two persons are engaged in a conversation, the speaker will only look into the listener’s eyes from time to time to make sure that the listener does pay attention to what the former is speaking.     4     If a speaker looks at you continuously when speaking as if trying to control you, you will feel awkward. A poor liar usually exposes himself by looking too long at the victim. He wrongly believes that looking straight in the eye is a sign of honest communication.     5     Actually, eye contact should be made based on specific relationship and situation.

A．On the contrary, it will give him away.

B．Do you have such a kind of experience?

C．That’s what normal eye contact is all about.

D．Actually, continuous eye contact is limited to lovers only.

E．After all, everybody likes to be stared at for quite a long time.

F．But things are different when it comes to staring at the opposite sex.

G．If nothing goes wrong, you will feel annoyed at being stared at that way.

7 . Each year, the world loses about 10 million hectares of forest—at area about the size of Iceland — because of cutting down trees. At that rate, some scientists predict the world’s forests could disappear in 100 to 200 years. To handle it, now researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have pioneered a technique to generate wood-like plant materials sin a lab. This makes it possible to “grow” a wooden product without cutting down trees.

In the lab, the researchers first take cells from the leaves of a young plant. These cells are cultured in liquid medium for two days, then moved to another medium which contains nutrients and two different hormones (激素). By adjusting the bormone levels, the researchers can tune the physical and mechanical qualities of the cells: New the researchers use a 3D printer to shape the cell-based material, and let the shaped material grow in the dark for three months. Finally, the researchers dehydrate (使脱水) the material, and then evaluate its qualities.

They found that lower bormone levels lead to plant materials with more rounded, open cells of lower density (密度), while higher hormone levels contribute to the growth of plant materials with smaller but denser cell structures. Lower or higher density of cell structures makes the plant materials softer or more rigid, helping the materials grow with different wood-like characteristics. What’s more, it’s to be noted that the research process is about 100 times faster than the time it takes for a tree to grow to maturity!

Research of this kind is ground-breaking. “This work demonstrates the great power of a technology,” says lead researcher, Jeffrey Berenstab. “The real opportunity here is to be at its best with what you use and how you use it. This technology can be tuned to meet the requirements you give about shapes, sizes, rigidity, and forms. It enables us to grow’ any wooden product in a way that traditional agricultural methods can’t achieve.”

1. Why do researchers at MIT perform the research?

A．To grow more trees.	B．To reduce tree losses.
C．To protect plant diversity.	D．To predict forest disappearance.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about the lab research?

A．Its scientific origins.	B．Its theoretical basis
C．Its usual difficulties.	D．Its main processes

3. What does the finding suggest about the plant materials?

A．They are better than naturally grown plants.

B．Their growth speed determines their characteristics.

C．The hormone levels affect their rigidity.

D．Their cells’ shapes mainly rely on their density.

4. Why is the research path-breaking according to Berenstain?

A．It uses new biological materials in lab experiments.

B．It has a significant impact on worldwide plant growth.

C．It revolutionizes the way to make wooden products.

D．It challenges traditional scientific theories in forestry.