1. 阐明写信事由;
2. 征求建议;
3. 表达感谢。
注意:
1·字数80左右;2. 可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
Dear Chris,
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
I've always loved the ocean. In the
I decided to do something
One day, I saw a commercial for a health-care company. People in the ad were using plastic straws (吸管). I found the contact information of the company
I kept going. Whenever I heard of businesses using plastic, I'd send an email. One of the biggest companies I wrote to
3 . An Australian professor is developing a robot to monitor the health of grazing cattle, a development that could bring big changes to a profession that's relied largely on a low-tech approach for decades but is facing a labor shortage.
Salah Sukkarieh, a professor at the University of Sydney, sees robots as necessary given how cattlemen are aging. He is building a four-wheeled robot that will run on solar and electric power. It will use cameras and sensors to monitor the animals. A computer system will analyze the video to determine whether a cow is sick. Radio tags (标签) on the animals will measure temperature changes. The quality of grassland will be tracked by monitoring the shape, color and texture (质地) of grass. That way, cattlemen will know whether they need to move their cattle to another field for nutrition purposes.
Machines have largely taken over planting, watering and harvesting crops such as com and wheat, but the monitoring of cattle has gone through fewer changes.
For Texas cattleman Pete Bonds, it's increasingly difficult to find workers interested in watching cattle. But Bonds doesn't believe a robot is right for the job. Years of experience in the industry - and failed attempts to use technology - have convinced him that the best way to check cattle is with a man on a horse. Bonds, who bought his first cattle almost 50 years ago, still has each of his cowboys inspect 300 or 400 cattle daily and look for signs that an animal is getting sick.
Other cattlemen see more promise in robots. Michael Kelsey Paris, vice president of the Oklahoma Cattlemen's Association, said a robot could be extremely useful given rising concerns about cattle theft. Cattle tend to be kept in remote places and their value has risen, making them appealing targets.
1. What is a problem with the cattle-raising industry?A.Soil pollution. | B.Lack of workers. |
C.Aging machines. | D.Low profitability. |
A.Monitor the quality of grass. | B.Cure the diseased cattle. |
C.Move cattle to another field. | D.Predict weather changes. |
A.He wants to help them earn a living. | B.He thinks men can do the job better. |
C.He is inexperienced in using robots. | D.He enjoys the traditional way of life. |
A.Increase the value of cattle. | B.Bring down the cost of labor. |
C.Make the job more appealing. | D.Keep cattle from being stolen. |
4 . A British woman who won a S1 million prize after she was named the World's Best Teacher will use the cash to bring inspirational figures into UK schools.
Andria Zafirakou,a north London secondary school teacher, said she wanted to bring about a classroom revolution (变革). “We are going to make a change, ”she said.“I’ve started a project to promote the teaching of the arts in our schools.”
The project results from the difficulties many schools have in getting artists of any sort - whether an up-and-coming local musician or a major movie star - into schools to work with and inspire children.
Zafirakou began the project at Alperton Community School, her place of work for the past twelve years. “I've seen those magic moments when children are talking to someone they are inspired by - their eyes are shining and their faces light up,” she said. “We need artists . more than ever in our schools."
Artist Michael Craig-Martin said: “Andria's brilliant project to bring artists from all fields into direct contact with children is particularly welcome at a time when the arts are being downgraded in schools." It was a mistake to see the arts as unnecessary, he added.
Historian Sir Simon Schama is also a supporter of the project. He said that arts education in schools was not just an add-on. “It is absolutely necessary. The future depends on creativity and creativity depends on the young. What will remain of us when artificial intelligence takes over will be our creativity, and it is our creative spirit, our visionary sense of freshness,that has been our strength for centuries."
1. What will Zafirakou do with her prize money?A.Make a movie. | B.Build new schools. |
C.Run a project. | D.Help local musicians. |
A.It is particularly difficult. | B.It increases artists' income. |
C.It opens children's mind. | D.It deserves greater attention. |
A.Moral principles. | B.Interpersonal skills. |
C.Creative abilities. | D.Positive worldviews. |
A.Bring Artists to Schools | B.When Historians Meet Artists |
C.Arts Education in Britain | D.The World's Best Arts Teacher |
5 . Things to Do in Yorkshire This Summer
Harrogate Music Festival
Since its birth, Harrogate Music Festival has gone from strength to strength. This year, we are celebrating our 50th anniversary. We begin on 1st June with Manchester Camerata and Nicola Benedetti, presenting an amazing programme of Mozart pieces.
Dates:1 June-31 July
Tickets:£12-£96
Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes
As the summer months roll in, our Georgian country estate makes the perfect setting for an outdoor fitness session. Come and work out with our qualified personal trainer, Jodie McGregor, on the grounds of the Middleton Lodge estate.
We will be holding a free taster session on 23rd May, at 10 am, to demonstrate the variety of effective and active exercises. There are eight spaces available for the taster session. Advance bookings are required (info@middletonlodge.co.uk)
Dates:23 May-11 July
Tickets: £7.50 per session
Felt Picture Making
Working from an inspirational picture, this workshop at Helmsley Arts Centre will teach you the techniques you will need to recreate your picture in wool.
We will also discuss the origins of felt, what enables wool fibres to become felt and how the processes we use work.
Dates: 12 June-12 July
Tickets: £40 including materials
Figure It Out!-Playing with Math
A new exhibition in Halifax uses everyday activities to explain the hidden math principles we all use on a regular basis. Pack a bag, cut a cake, guess which juice container holds the most liquid, and much more. Discover how architects, product designers and scientists use similar skills in their work.
Dates:7 May-10 June
Tickets: Free
1. What should you do if you want to attend the taster session of Jodie's fitness classes?A.Join a fitness club. | B.Pay a registration fee. |
C.Make a booking. | D.Hire a personal trainer. |
A.£7.50. | B.£12. | C.£40. | D.£96. |
A.Harrogate Music Festival. | B.Jodie's Fitness Summer Classes. |
C.Felt Picture Making. | D.Figure It Out!-Playing with Math. |
Most of us associate learning with younger people—kids in school and college or recent graduates early in their careers. But at Udemy, an open university offering online courses, Artist Anneke Camstra is engaged in the pursuit of lifelong learning and displays her potential for teaching. She loves the experience of gaining new knowledge and also loves sharing it with others. “I’m retired, but an artist never retires,” Anneke said. “The last few years on the internet have been a great joy for me. I’ve taken so many Udemy courses, and ifs such a great feeling to get my brain working again. I find just as much satisfaction in teaching animation(动画制作)too.”
She reaches countless people with her online courses and exposes them to what they can accomplish on their own using animation software, such as GoAnimate and PowToon. Her motivation for teaching on Udemy is “to get the tools to the people.”“You can go such a long way to make things that look professional but still have your own voice,” she explained.
Most of Anneke’s students start out thinking they’re not creative and can’t draw. Anneke understands how fear can get in the way of so many things people dream of doing. With her five-day challenge courses, she helps them get over the fear. Anneke loves the impact she has on her students. What makes her more proud of them is that they have gone from their first animation to creating their own works.
She encourages people of all ages, especially older people, to cultivate their curiosity for life. Grandparents, for example, can learn to use GoAnimate and make animations together with their grandkids.
“Tm an older woman, teaching and having fun learning again,” Anneke said, and she wants others later in their lives to catch up with her on this journey.
1. What does Anneke enjoy doing after her retirement? (no more than 10 words)2. According to Para. 2, what does Anneke expect her students to do with animation software? (no more than 10 words)
3. What is the main idea of Para. 3? (no more than 15 words)
4. Please explain the meaning of the underlined word in Para. 4(1 word)
5. What do you suggest old people learn to do? Please give your reason(s). (no more than 20 words)
7 . Art is everywhere. Any public space has been carefully designed by an artistic mind to be both functional and beautiful. Why, then, is art still so widely considered to be "the easy subject" at school, insignificant to wider society, a waste of time and effort?
Art can connect culture with commercial products in a way that not many other things can; art generates money and holds significant emotional and cultural value within communities. When people attend a concert, they are paying for music, sure, maybe even hotel rooms, meals, and transport, but they also gain an incredible experience, a unique atmosphere and a memory that will go through the rest of their lives. People don't just want material things anymore, they want to experience life一the arts are a perfect crossover(交迭)between culture and commerce.
Furthermore, the arts can bring communities together, reducing loneliness and making people feel safer. Social bonds are created among individuals when they share their arts experiences through reflection and discussion, and their expression of common values through artworks in honour of events significant to a nation's experience.
The arts clearly have a pretty positive impact on physical and psychological health. It is found that people who frequent cultural places or participate in artistic events are more likely to gain good health compared to those who do not; more engagement with the arts is linked to a higher level of people's wellbeing. The Royal Society of Public Health discovered that music and art, when used in hospitals, help to improve the conditions of patients by reducing stress, anxiety and blood pressure.
Children who are involved with the arts make greater achievements in their education: those engaged with drama have greater literary ability while others taking part in musical practice exhibit greater skills in math and languages. Kids with preference for the arts have a greater chance of finding employment in the future. Participating in the arts is essential for child development; encouraging children to express themselves in constructive ways could help to form healthy emotional responses in later life.
Vital to human life, art is celebrated and used by nations across the world for various purposes. Life without art would be boring and dead still, for art is a part of what makes us human.
1. Art products differ from most other commercial products because .A.most people purchase them for collection |
B.they are more expensive and less accessible |
C.they have both commercial and cultural values |
D.their prices may climb up as time passes |
A.keep the community safe from illnesses |
B.develop a stronger tie between them |
C.learn to appreciate their own works of art |
D.offer honourable solutions to their problems |
A.They enjoy better living conditions. |
B.They like to compare themselves with others. |
C.They are particularly good at both music and art. |
D.They tend to be healthier physically and mentally. |
A.It promotes their academic performance and emotional growth. |
B.It gives them more confidence in exhibiting their learning skills. |
C.It inspires their creativity in designing their future career. |
D.It helps to make responsible people out of them. |
A.How Art Cures Our Hearts |
B.Art: A Blessing to Humankind |
C.How Art Benefits Communities |
D.Art: A Bridge Between Cultures |
8 . In the fictional worlds of film and TV, artificial intelligence (AI) has been described as so advanced that it is indistinguishable from humans. But what if we're actually getting closer to a world where Al is capable of thinking and feeling?
Tech company UneeQ is heading for its "digital humans", which appear life like on the screen not only in terms of language, but also because of facial movements: raised eyebrows, a smile, even a nod. They look close to a human, but not quite.
What lies beneath UneeQ9 s digital humans? Their 3D faces are modeled on actual human features. Speech recognition enables them to understand what a person is saying, and natural language processing is used to work out a response. Meanwhile, another Al company, Soul Machines, is taking a more biological approach, with a "digital brain", that imitates aspects of the human brain to adjust the emotions "felt" and "expressed" by its "digital people".
Shiwali Mohan, an Al scientist at the Palo Research Center, is skeptical of these digital beings. "They're humanlike in their looks and the way they sound, but that in itself is not being human," she says. "Human qualities also involve how you think, how you approach problems, and how you break them down; and that takes a lot of algorithmic (算 法)design. Designing for human-level intelligence is a different attempt than designing images that behave like humans." She then continues, “If something looks like a human, we have high expectations of them, but they might behave differently in ways that humans just instinctively (直觉地)know how other humans react.
Yet the demand is there, with UneeQ seeing high adoption of its digital employees across the financial, health care, and commercial sectors (行业). "Unless these sectors make their business models much more efficient digitally, they might be left behind," says Chetan Dube, UneeQ9s CEO.
Some other companies are taking their digital beings a step further, enabling organizations and individuals to create digital humans themselves using free-access platforms they provide. "The biggest motivation for such platforms is to popularize Al," Dube says.
Mohan is cautious about this approach, yet she supports the purpose behind these digital beings and is optimistic about where they are headed. "As we develop more advanced Al technology, we would then have to use new ways of communicating with that technology,she says. "'Hopefully, all of that is designed to support humans in their goals."
1. According to Para. 2, in what respect(s) do UneeQ9s "digital humans" resemble human beings?A.In the way they move around. |
B.In the way they act and react. |
C.In observation and analysis. |
D.In speech and facial expressions. |
A.leams to make proper emotional responses |
B.tends to imitate human beings' tone vividly |
C.recognizes the speech sounds it receives |
D.processes the natural language it hears |
A.Calculating brain. |
B.Language skills. |
C.Instinctive judgements. |
D.Problem-solving ability. |
A.The fear of falling behind in efficiency. |
B.The urgency to promote e-commerce. |
C.The wish to spread digital technology. |
D.The need to upgrade the health care system. |
A.It's well planned. |
B.It is promising. |
C.It is uncertain. |
D.It's quite hopeless. |
Recent research suggests that if an argument gets resolved,the emotional response tied to it is significantly reduced or almost completely erased.Thus,it may be worth bringing up issues with your friends, family members,or classmates rather than holding them back.
There is a difference between arguing and fighting.Arguing is that you and your opponent present your concerns and discuss the feelings and issues related to those concerns.You can engage in an argument respectfully without stirring up(激起) anger.Fighting,however,usually involves personal attacks,raising of voices, and storming out.Discussing your issues and resolving them instead of stuffing them down can improve your emotional health.In a study,2.000 people were asked to record their feelings and experiences for eight days in a row.When people had an argument that they considered resolved, they had half the reactivity (情绪反应) of those who avoided an argument.Reactivity is an increase in negative emotions or a decrease in positive emotions.In other words,resolving an argument cuts your negative feelings by half.One day later, people who had a resolved argument reported no increase of negative emotions compared with those who avoided an argument. This means that resolving an argument can feel like you have reached a state of resolution——and you are less likely to be annoyed.
Moreover,the older you are,the more likely you will come to a resolution after an argument.This may be because more life experience usually leads to more defined priorities.You are more likely to distinguish between what matters and what does not.
It is easier to avoid a discussion,but risking talking about it may eventually lead to a better outcome.
1. According to this passage,what is arguing?2. Why is it that“the older you are, the more likely you will come to a resolution after an argument”?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement,then underline it and explain why.
Resolving arguments can improve your emotional health,because it increases your reactivity and reduces the chance of you getting angry.
4. In addition to improving emotional health,what do you think are some other benefits of resolving an argument? (In about 40 words)
10 . Music has long been considered to be an enjoyable pastime for many people.
Many people enjoy relaxing music in the evening prior to going to bed.
When it comes to heart health,there is speculation (推测) that it's not the style of music, but rather the tempo that makes it so good for your heart health.In one European study,participants listened to music as the researchers monitored their heart rates and blood pressure.
A.This feeling can also result in many other health problems. |
B.Some experts say that music can be harmful if it is too loud. |
C.This idea is a little off-the-wall but still has scientific backing. |
D.They say it can play a big role in calming the brain enough to sleep. |
E.The implications of music on overall well-being are really impressive. |
F.It is also highly popular due to the individualized effects on stress and anxiety. |
G.Interestingly,the more cheerful the music was,the faster their heart rates were. |