1 . Like bootcut jeans or farm fresh produce,television is proving its staying power regardless of trends. It seems to be just like a home cooked meal,never to be replaced,thanks to the wide application of big data.
Americans are still watching an average of five hours of TV each day and over 50%of homes have a television subscription service like Netflix or Hulu.This is due to the fact that television programming has undergone a renaissance(复兴),with cinema-quality programs on broadcast,new ways of delivery-Netflix or Hulu and other over-the-top(OTT)providers and now the promise of data-driven insights for advertisers. Data is the key to television's profitability.Advertisers have access to more audience information than ever,while networks and content providers use data,in addition to instinct(本能)to guide programming decisions.The abundance of data available to content providers,marketers and advertisers makes it possible to process,analyse and transform big data into profitable,useful insights.
For those 50% of homes with a subscription service,OTT TV is using data to make decisions not just about programming,but to guide viewers to the right content.The most famous example of data-driven content is Netflix's House of Cards,a popular TV series in America,designed to be a hit based on platform data like user viewing habits,ratings and preferences.But the content provider uses data to guide all of its decisions,ranging from title images to homepage layouts.
Netflix receives data from millions of set top boxes and online accounts,and then processes data using real time technology like Spark.These data have led to clearly-seen results,like a 20%-30%increase in programs'viewship numbers.
1. Why is"home cooked meal"mentioned in Paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To show TV can't be replaced. |
| C．To give background information. |
| D．To prove big data can be applied. |
| A．It keeps making a high profit. |
| B．It's losing its viewers to cinemas. |
| C．It's too dependent on advertising. |
| D．It is updated to meet the challenges. |
| A．content choice |
| B．subscription service |
| C．homepage layout |
| D．providers'preference |
| A．To show how television increases profits. |
| B．To explain how data benefit the TV industry. |
| C．To present how over-the-top television works. |
| D．To tell how the television industry goes digital. |
2 . Tired of dealing with those slow, dumb, and unfriendly hotel staff? How about a hotel that provides chance for minimal interaction with the" people" running the hotel? In the Henn Na Hotel in Japan, there aren’t any!
Being called “Weird Hotel” by locals, the Henn Na Hotel opened in 2016 in the town of Sasebo, is staffed almost by robots. The robots are not just for fun. They do a large amount of work, saving time and money as well. They can greet you when you enter. Also, they play music in the lounge, inform you of the breakfast menu, and control the lights in your hotel room, etc.
Thinking that the hotel should be unique and appealing, the owners made each robot different from each other with a variety of shapes and sizes. One of the robots behind the front desk is designed to look like a dinosaur, “If you want to check in, push one.” the dinosaur says. Then the guest can type the information on a touch panel screen. Inside the room, there’s a small robot called Tuly in the shape of a pink tulip (郁金香). Tuly can answer simple questions like "what time is it?" and "What will the weather be like tomorrow?" With no switches on the wall, Tuly can also turn the room lights on or off if it's told to.
But how do things like check-in and room access work? Well, the screen at the reception captures and registers a digital image of the guest's face during check-in which is used to get access 10 rooms instead of traditional keys. However. the reception shall also provide you card keys on request in case you wish to keep it subtle!
If you're wondering what happens in the case of an emergency, you need not worry. Humans do step in when it's of great importance. According to the hotels website, there are a few human staff members who are available on-call 24X7 and help guests in the case of an emergency.
1. The robots in the Henn Na Hotel can do the following things for the guests EXCEPT______.| A．tell the breakfast menu | B．control the lights in the room |
| C．play music in the lounge | D．respond to all the requirements |
| A．The Hern Na Hotel is managed all by robots. |
| B．A dinosaur-like robot will guide guests to check. |
| C．No human staff can be connected even in an emergency. |
| D．Guests can have access to rooms by using traditional keys. |
| A．entertain the guests all the time in person |
| B．are imaginative and have creative thinking |
| C．are knowledgeable and acquire advanced technology |
| D．attach great importance to the social image of the hotel |
| A．It advocates people to promote hotel equipment |
| B．It compares the robots with human staff in a hotel. |
| C．It introduces a new hotel staffed by intelligent robots |
| D．It describes how wonderful artificial intelligence is |
3 . Microsoft has developed a new smartphone app that interprets eye signals and translates them into letters, allowing people with motor neuron（运动神经元）disease to communicate with others from a phone.
The GazeSpeak app combines a smartphone’s camera with artificial intelligence to recognize eye movements in real time and change them into letters, words and sentences.
For people suffering from ALS（渐冻症）, also known as motor neuron disease, eye movement can be the only way they are able to communicate.
“Current eye-tracking input systems for people with ALS or other motor problems are expensive, not strong under sunlight, and require frequent re-calibration(校对) and abundant, relatively immobile setups,” said Xiaoyi Zhang, a researcher at Microsoft who developed the technology. “To change the situation…we created GazeSpeak, an eye-gesture communication system that runs on a smartphone.”
The app is used by the listener by pointing their smartphone at the speaker. A chart that can be stuck to the back of the smartphone is then used by the speaker to determine which eye movements to make in order to communicate.
The sticker shows four grids(格) of letters, which each match a different eye movement. By looking up, down, left or right, the speaker selects which grids the letters they want belong to. The artificial intelligence algorithm is then able to predict the word or sentence they are trying to say.
1. Which is necessary to install GazeSpeak for use according to the passage?| A．a smartphone with a camera. |
| B．a smartphone with re-calibration system. |
| C．a smartphone with a sticker on the back. |
| D．a smartphone connected with other setups. |
| A．low-cost, strong in system, easy to take with users |
| B．affordable, lightweight, environmentally friendly |
| C．easy to operate, movable, able to check itself |
| D．available under strong light, rich in resources, inexpensive |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．To advertise a new app. | B．To call for attention to ALS sufferers. |
| C．To share the information of an.app. | D．To show respect to the programmer of the app. |
4 . Find Your Adventure at the Space and Aviation(航空) Center
If you’re looking for a unique adventure, the Space and Aviation Center (SAC) is the place to be. The Center offers programs designed to challenge and inspire with hands-on tasks and lots of fun.
More than 750,000 have graduated from SAC, with many seeking employment in engineering, aviation, education, medicine and a wide variety of other professions. They come to camp, wanting to know what it is like to be an astronaut or a pilot, and they leave with real-world applications for what they’re studying in the classroom.
For the trainees, the programs also offer a great way to earn merit badges(荣誉徽章). At Space Camp, trainees can earn their Space Exploration badge as they build and fire model rockets, learn about space tasks and try simulated(模拟) flying to space with the crew from all over the world. The Aviation Challenge program gives trainees the chance to earn their Aviation badge. They learn the principles of flight and test their operating skills in the cockpit(驾驶舱) of a variety of flight simulators. Trainees also get a good start on their Wilderness Survival badge as they learn about water- and land-survival through designed tasks and their search and rescue of ＂downed＂ pilot.
With all the programs, teamwork is key as trainees learn the importance of leadership and being part of a bigger task.
All this fun is available for ages 9 to 18. Families can enjoy the experience together, too, with Family Camp programs for families with children as young as 7.
Stay an hour or stay a week — there is something here for everyone!
For more details, please visit us online at www.sac.com.
1. Why do people come to SAC?| A．To experience adventures. |
| B．To look for jobs in aviation. |
| C．To get a degree in engineering. |
| D．To learn more about medicine. |
| A．fly to space |
| B．get an Aviation badge first |
| C．study the principles of flight |
| D．build and fire model rockets |
| A．Leadership. | B．Team spirit. |
| C．Task planning. | D．Survival skills. |
