1 . From self-driving cars to carebots (care+robots) for elderly people, rapid development in technology has long represented a potential threat to many jobs normally performed by people. But experts now believe that almost 50 percent of occupations existing today will be completely unnecessary by 2025 as artificial intelligence continues to change businesses.
“The next fifteen years will see a revolution in how we work, and a revolution will necessarily take place in how we plan and think about workplaces,” said Peter Andrew, Director of Workplace Strategy for CBRE Asia Pacific.
A growing number of jobs in the future will require creative intelligence, social skills and the ability to use artificial intelligence.
The report is based on interviews with 200 experts, business leaders and young people from Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. It shows that in the US technology already destroys more jobs than it creates.
But the report states: “Losing occupations does not necessarily mean losing jobs — just changing what people do.” Growth in new jobs could occur as much, according to the research.
“The growth of 20 to 40 person companies that have the speed and technological know-how will directly challenge big companies,” it states.
A report by Pew Research found 52 percent of experts in artificial intelligence and robotics were optimistic about the future and believed there would still be enough jobs in the next few years. The optimists pictured “a future in which robots do not take the place of more jobs than they create,” according to Aaron Smith, the report's co-author.
“Technology will continue to affect jobs, but more jobs seem likely to be created. Although there have always been unemployed people, when we reached a few billion people there were billions of jobs. There is no shortage of things that need to be done and that will not change,” Microsoft's Jonathan Grudin told researchers.
1. We can infer from the text that in the future ________.A.people will face many difficulties |
B.people will take up more creative jobs |
C.artificial intelligence will threaten people's lives |
D.most jobs will be done in traditional workplaces |
A.people won't necessarily lose jobs |
B.big companies will face fewer challenges |
C.small companies will win against big companies |
D.most people will become interested in technology |
A.Mixed. | B.Worried. |
C.Doubtful. | D.Optimistic. |
A.there will be enough jobs for people |
B.things will change a lot in a few years |
C.many people will become unemployed |
D.technology will totally change future jobs |
2 . Becoming famous is the dream of many, and Tian is getting closer to that dream.
Tian, 30, is a white - collar worker in Beijing. On short video application Douyin, Tian has more than 2, 000 fans, So far, she has received more than 50, 000 likes on the Dubsmash - like app. On her page on Douyin, Tian shares everything, from her son's daily activities, to her pet dogs, to little skits (段子) made up by her and her husband. “Making funny videos, and combining them with music is really interesting, ” Tian said. “Of course, I make the videos for fun because it is quite relaxing.”
China's short video market has seen great growth, according to a report. The report said that China's short video market was valued at 5. 73 billion yuan ($ 900 million) in 2017, an increase of 184 percent. The industry value is expected to go up to the 30 billion mark in 2020. Companies like Tencent, Sohu and Iqiyi have all started providing short video content.
“Short videos are popular because they are an addition to traditional audio and video content on the internet, ” said Sun Jiashan with the Chinese National Academy of Arts.
Fans say that the short videos help them “chill out” from a stressed - out lifestyle. “My favorite videos are all about pets, ” said Zhou Na, a nurse in Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui province. “After a whole day's work, watching the 15 - second videos makes me laugh, which reduces my pressure.”
1. Why does Tian make short videos in Douyin?A.To get fun | B.To become a well - known person |
C.To attract fans | D.To record her family's routine |
A.They have a huge amount of value |
B.They make people s star dreams come true |
C.They enrich internet audio and video content |
D.They greatly reduce people's pressure |
A.Feel cold | B.Calm down |
C.Catch a cold | D.Become concerned |
A.China's short video market is open |
B.Douyin brings the Chinese great happiness |
C.Every Chinese is using Douyin to make short video |
D.China's short video market has developed rapidly |
3 . Like many couples, Sheila and David Hoffman enjoy travelling. Since 2000, they’ve often visited relatives in Australia and enjoyed holidays in many European countries including France, Germany, Italy, and Greece. And they’ve toured around America, but they haven’t once stayed in a hotel. The Hoffmans are part of a growing number of people who use their home as a way to have inexpensive holidays. So far, they’ve swapped their three-bedroom London home with people who want to stay there for anything from a week to two months.
In a home swap, you offer your house as a place to stay and anyone who’s interested gets in touch. If your dates and requirements fit, then you make a deal to exchange houses for an agreed time. The exchange can involve more than just a place to stay — some homeowners also exchange cars and others will arrange for a friend or neighbour to be on call in case of emergencies. Some exchangers will even organise restaurant bookings and trips.
Home swaps have existed in Britain on an organised basis for decades but they really took off with the arrival of the Internet. Previously, the process was long and drawn-out, involving letter exchange and expensive international calls to complete arrangements. Now, it can all be done with a few clicks. Most home-exchangers register (注册) with a specialist home-exchange company that deals with the organisation.
More people are using their homes as a way to enjoy holidays at home as well as abroad. Most of them choose to follow the trend because they are interested in how natives lead their lives. When you live in a typical home rather than a hotel, it’s almost like an exchange of lifestyles. It’s also a cheap way to travel making sure you won’t run short of money on your journey.
1. Where do Sheila and David Hoffman live?A.In Australia. | B.In the US. | C.In the UK. | D.In France. |
A.Smart. | B.Strict. | C.Humorous. | D.Thoughtful. |
A.It caused many problems. | B.It saved a lot of time. |
C.It was well-organised. | D.It was complicated. |
A.They hope to experience life as the locals. |
B.They are not used to staying in hotels. |
C.They do not want to leave their houses unused. |
D.They need to earn money from exchanging their homes. |
4 . When you're feeling low or even a little depressed, what do you want to do? The answer for most of us is not very much. Our natural response to a bad mood is to rest with our comfort of choice and hibernate (蛰伏) a bit.
But according to new science, the best way to fight off the depression is to force yourself to get out there and do something new. You might have to drag yourself off the sofa, but this research shows you'll be happier for the effort.
For the study, the research followed the daily movements of 122 study subjects, using the location-tracking features of their phones for three to four months. They also sent subjects regular text messages asking them to report on their mood.
The scientists discovered the more people visited new and different locations, the happier they felt both that day and the next. Variety and novelty seem to lift our mood. “We also find that if we feel better today, we're likely to move around and have more novel experiences and have more experiential diversity the following day," study coauthor and NYU psychology professor Catherine Hartley said.
"These results suggest a reciprocal link between the novel and diverse experiences we have during our daily exploration of our physical environments and our subjective sense of well-being." Hartley commented.
This isn't the first time science has linked new experiences with positive brain benefits. Previous studies have shown that new and challenging experiences light up learning centers in the brain. Just as experience has probably taught you, you learn a lot faster when you get outside your comfort zone. If you've been stuck at home a lot lately, it's no shock that you feel lazy. Your brain is missing out on the novelty and exploration it desires. The good news is, if you can force yourself to do something new, you'll feel you can grow smarter.
1. According to new science, what should we do to lift our spirits?A.Explore the outside world | B.Have a complete rest |
C.Choose to enjoy our hobbies | D.Stay in the comfort zone |
A.By phoning the subjects. |
B.By analyzing the subjects' locations. |
C.By referring to previous relevant studies. |
D.By tracking the subjects' movements and moods. |
A.strong but temporary | B.weak and indirect |
C.beneficial to each other | D.suitable for each other |
A.Novelty improves learning effectiveness. |
B.It's harmful to get stuck at home too long. |
C.Your brain desires novelty and exploration. |
D.Exploration is linked with positive emotions. |
5 . Future football stars
Football academies were set up by leading football clubs so their coaches could run trials to discover and train talented boys from as young as eight as potential players for their first team.
This means that in Britain there are at least 9,000 boys at any one time attending academies after school who think they are going to be a famous footballer.
This doesn’t put off all the boys who are spotted by the big football clubs and are desperate to join the academies.
A.Unfortunately, for most this isn’t the case. |
B.The benefits are still there for them of course. |
C.All the big football clubs have a football academy. |
D.But, luckily for him, he was still young enough to get over it. |
E.But football is not alone when it comes to this kind of thing. |
F.Most of these won’t get into a team and most won’t become professionals. |
G.And footballers are much more likely to get injured when they play games. |
6 . How to Keep a Relationship Healthy and Strong
Are you new to experiencing relationships? Well, let me give you advice on having a healthy and possibly longterm relationship.
Make sure you give them respect. Now respect isn’t just simply treating her or him nicely. There’s a lot more to it. You have to learn to adjust to their liking.
Make sure you have a good sense of humor with them. Laughter is the key to happiness. Laugh a lot with them, joke with them. Laughter may seem silly, but it’s the secret to a lot in life. It will keep the sparks alive.
Make sure the communication is good. This goes along with trust, but always communicate how you feel, even if it’s something that upsets you. Instead of screaming, talk to them.
A.Show them your personality. |
B.Be an honest person with them. |
C.Make sure you are encouraging to your partners. |
D.Laughter keeps the relationship strong and lasting. |
E.Don’t start to neglect them and make them feel unwanted. |
F.Basically, learn to study your partners’ moods, wants and needs. |
G.If they did something that made you unhappy, tell them about it in a respectful manner. |
7 . We have heard some interesting ways that 5G wireless(无线的) technology might change our lives in the future.
5G technology promises the internet speeds between 50 to 100 times faster than 4G systems. While 5G is set to be used in some limited areas of America this year, much of the world is not expected to receive widely used service until 2023.
One project in Britain, however, is already testing this super fast technology on an unlikely group Internet users—cows. The project was developed by American technology company Cisco Systems, Inc. It also receives money from the British government. Cisco says the program seeks to explore the future of 5G in countryside areas around the world.
Testing areas were set up at farms in 3 countryside areas of England. The cows are equipped with 5G devices(装置)that connect to a robotic milking(挤奶) system,which uses sensors(传感器) and machine learning to fully automate the process. System designers say technology takes over after a cow feels ready to be milked and walks towards an automatic gate. During the milking, machines give food for the cow as a reward.
Other 5G technology tools include automated brushes that turn on when the cow rubs up(蹭) against them. Sensors also control the amount of light to the cows living areas depending on the weather. And, an automatic feeding system makes sure the animals always have enough to eat.
Duncan Forbes, head of a government-funded agricultural engineering organization, told Reauters that the project shows the farm’s cow operation can be greatly improved with 5G technology and that the experiment provided strong evidence that 5G technology can be widely used in the future, not just on farms in Britain,but in countryside across the world.
1. What is the aim of Cisco Systems Inc’s project?A.To win financial support from the British government |
B.To test the effects of 5G technology on animals |
C.To promote its technological development in Britain |
D.To expand the future use of 5G in countryside |
A.The project | B.The company |
C.The technology | D.The group |
A.It is no worse than 4G in terms of speed |
B.It is already widely used all over the world |
C.It has made improvements in operating the cows |
D.It is based on sensors and machine learning |
A.Entertainment | B.Lifestyle |
C.Education | D.Technology |
8 . The national outpouring of grief(悲痛) at the death of two legendary academicians(院士)over the weekend, as if people had lost beloved members of their own families, offers much food for thought.
At 1:02 pm on May 22nd, 2021, liver surgeon Wu Mengchao, 99, died in Shanghai. He is known as the founder of hepatobiliary surgery(肝胆外科) in the country and was the teacher of roughly 80 percent of the nation's experts and doctors specializing in liver surgery today. Wu operated on thousands of patients, and saved at least 16,000 lives. Five minutes later in Changsha, Hunan province, agricultural scientist Yuan Longping died at the age of 91. He was known as the father of hybrid rice who helped lift the nation out of hunger.
With their dedication to science and commitment to the people, the two devoted their lives to saving lives and improving people's livelihoods. Together with generations of their students, they not only made a big difference to the lives of the Chinese people, but also many living in other developing and least-developed countries.
Wu insisted that medical science is humanity while Yuan's lifelong dream was always to enable the Chinese people to fill their own bowls with rice. What makes Wu and Yuan great is not only their achievements, but also their shared attachment to the people. The public's spontaneous(自发的) outpouring of grief at their deaths, which has been rare in the country for decades, shows how much their down-to-earth dedication to improving people's lives touched hearts throughout the country.
Yuan and Wu are just two representatives of the large numbers of scientific workers that have devoted their lives to their research, giving the country's people-centered development principle with more practical meaning. The country needs more scientists to inherit and carry forward their spirit. Even those in other walks of life can draw inspiration from the two academicians' commitment to their dreams, care for the people, and unconcern about material enjoyment, so as to make the best of what life grants for themselves and others.
1. Which two fields do the Wu Mengchao and Yuan Longping specialize in?A.Education and agriculture. | B.Medicine and social science. |
C.Education and social science. | D.Hepatobiliary surgery and agriculture. |
A.devotion | B.influence | C.exploration | D.respect |
A.Because the modern Internet helped to spread the news. |
B.Because Wu and Yuan are well known over the country. |
C.Because people think it necessary to follow the sorrowful trend. |
D.Because they made great contributions and shared selfless love to the people. |
A.A sorrowful weekend |
B.Let their scientific spirit live on |
C.Two great academicians passed away |
D.The great contributions of two great scientists |
9 . Rome can be pricey for travelers, which is why many choose to stay in a hostel (旅社). The hostels in Rome offer a bed in a dorm room for around $25 a night, and for that, you’ll often get to stay in a central location (位置) with security and comfort.
Yellow HostelIf I had to make just one recommendation for where to stay in Rome, it would be Yellow Hostel. It’s one of the best-rated hostels in the city, and for good reason. It’s affordable, and it’s got a fun atmosphere without being too noisy. As an added bonus, it’s close to the main train station.
Hostel Alessandro PalaceIf you love social hostels, this is the best hostel for you in Rome. Hostel Alessandro Palace is fun. Staff members hold plenty of bar events for guests like free shots, bar crawls and karaoke. There’s also an area on the rooftop for hanging out with other travelers during the summer.
Youth Station HostelIf you’re looking for cleanliness and a modern hostel, look no further than Youth Station. It offers beautiful furnishings and beds. There are plenty of other benefits, too; it doesn’t charge city tax; it has both air conditioning and a heater for the rooms; it also has free Wi-Fi in every room.
Hotel and Hostel Des ArtistesHotel and Hostel Des Artistes is located just a 10-minute walk from the central city station and it’s close to all of the city’s main attractions. The staff is friendly and helpful, providing you with a map of the city when you arrive, and offering advice if you require some. However, you need to pay 2 euros a day for Wi-Fi.
1. What is probably the major concern of travelers who choose to stay in a hostel?A.Comfort. | B.Security. |
C.Price. | D.Location. |
A.Yellow Hostel. | B.Hostel Alessandro Palace. |
C.Youth Station Hostel. | D.Hotel and Hostel Des Artistes. |
A.It gets noisy at night. | B.Its staff is too talkative. |
C.It charges for Wi-Fi. | D.It’s inconveniently located. |
10 . For riders of the Lopifit, getting from A to B is as easy as putting one foot in front of the other, with its unusual design helping users to ride around by walking.
Designed by Dutchman Bruin Bergmeester, the electric walking bike called Lopifit is a mixture between a scooter (踏板车), an electric bike and a treadmill (跑步机).
According to Lopifit’s website, bike lover Bergmeester came up with the idea while training in the gym, wondering: “How can I use the treadmill outdoors? What about a treadmill on wheels?”
Four years ago the first Lopifit was created in the Netherlands, now the Lopifit firm is selling the bikes to several countries, including the United States, Mexico and the Caribbean.
The bikes use a motor to support the treadmill, so using the bikes takes “no more effort…than a walk in the park”. As the rider walks, sensors (传感器) record the turning treadmill and kick the motor into gear (齿轮) to support the movement and set the wheels in action.
Lopifit’s bikes come with a heavy pricetag (价格标签), at $2,495 (£1,980) per bike. But bikers can choose their walking bike with a series of colours.
At present, the company is struggling to keep up with the orders from all over the world. Bruin Bergmeester, CEo of the company, says smiling : “Our goal is to make the electric walking bike available for as many people as possible. We want to change the way people move. We wish that everyone can benefit from a greener and cleaner way of transportation that naturally improves your health.”
1. When did Bruin Bergmeester come up with the idea of the Lopifit bike?A.While he was training on a treadmill in the gym. |
B.While he was putting one foot in front of the other. |
C.While he was mixing a scooter and an electric bike. |
D.While he was using unusual design to help users. |
A.How to use a motor to support the treadmill. |
B.How to use the electric walking bike in the park. |
C.How the electric walking bike really works. |
D.How sensors kick the motor into gear on the treadmill. |
A.The Lopifit bikes are getting more and more popular. |
B.The Lopifit bikes can be available to many people naturally. |
C.The Lopifit company hopes to help many more people walk. |
D.The Lopifit company is struggling with Bruin Bergmeester. |
A.A TV interview. | B.A newspaper. |
C.A science textbook. | D.A novel. |