1 . It’s a typical day at school. You’re playing soccer with your friends. One of them kicks you the ball and you run for it. You trip. You fly through the air. You land—hard, right on your face! The next moment, you’re in the nurse’s office. Your bleeding nose is being checked by laser sensors (激光传感器) that coming out of a...robot? Has the nurse’s office been taken over by sci-fi aliens (外星人) from outer space?
No. You’ve just been pushed forward 15 years into the future. And it’s a future that Susan Epstein, a computer science professor who teaches artificial intelligence, is really excited to think about. “I am crazy about this kind of thing! You could go up to the robot, put your nose in, and the machine would decide whether you needed to be treated, and how.”
Aside from being cool, an AI nurse has other advantages. It doesn’t need to take vacations. It doesn’t need to get paid a salary. And it might figure out what’s wrong with your nose faster than a human would. There are all kinds of ways that AI could be used to help make us healthier and researchers are studying how to use AI to diagnose (诊断) lung disease, cancer, and more.
Our robot nurse isn’t meant to completely take the place of humans, though. “It would work with real, live nurses and doctors,” says Epstein, “there are things humans are good at, like building trust among members of our own species or comforting someone who’s hurt or sick. A big part of medicine is the relationship between a doctor and a patient.”
Epstein points out that AI programs will never be perfect—no matter how much we might want them to be. But if AI can diagnose a deadly disease more precisely even 10 percent of the time, think of how many lives it could save. “Besides”, says Epstein, “I think there are probably patients who might prefer to have a machine for a doctor!” Would you?
1. What’s the function of para 1?| A．To introduce a scientific study. |
| B．To lead to the topic of the text. |
| C．To describe an experience of the writer. |
| D．To give an example to support an argument. |
| A．Humans are better at treating patients than AI doctors. |
| B．AI doctors alone can cure patients of most of the diseases. |
| C．Patients’ trust in doctors may affect their treatments positively. |
| D．Patients may receive as much comfort from AI doctors as from humans. |
| A．They are better at trust-building. |
| B．They will take over humans. |
| C．Their biggest strength is being cool. |
| D．They are life-saving if properly used. |
| A．Negative. | B．Favorable. | C．Doubtful. | D．Unclear. |
2 . Here is a page from a magazine called Future. Read the following information about things that may happen in twenty years.
Cars will run on solar power and will be much cleaner and safer. For example, if you are too close to another car or if you are driving dangerously, your car will slow down or stop by itself. It not only prevents the pollution of the environment but also decreases the rate road killers.
New cities will have to be built in the sea. Some cities on water will have two levels (层). People will live on the upper level; the lower level will be used for traffic, shops and factories, which will be a better way of solving the problem of increasing population and cities.
Biotechnology (生物技术) will make everything we eat better and healthier. Plants without insects or illnesses (病虫害) will be developed. The taste of fruit and vegetables will be better and food will be kept longer. At that time, people will have no need to worry about whether their diet is safe or not, because these foods have been tested again and again. They surely are safe.
Ways of curing illness
Many new ways to cure illnesses will be found. People will use products of genetic engineering (基因产品) to cure more illnesses. However, some new illnesses will appear.
A. New energy used on transportation
B. Green food
C. Ways of keeping healthy
D. Future living conditions
3 . Japanese automaker Toyota has announced its “Woven City” plan, which aims to create a “smart city of the future". It will be a “living laboratory” for technologies including self-driving systems, high-speed internet connectivity to link major information and communication systems.
The main streets in Woven City will be divided for different purposes. One part will be used for faster vehicle traffic. Another will be designed for people riding bicycles. The third part will be used for walking. To move people through the city, only fully-autonomous, zero emission Toyota vehicles will be allowed on the roads. In and throughout Woven City, Toyota e-Palettes will be used for transportation and deliveries.
The city will be fully sustainable(可持续的)，with buildings made mostly of wood to cut carbon footprint to the minimum. The rooftops will be covered with solar panels to produce power in addition to power produced by H2 fuel cells. Houses will be equipped with the latest AI technologies, such as in-home robotics to assist with daily work and to check people' s health, Both neighborhood parks and a large central park for recreation and social gatherings are designed to bring the people together.
Toyota plans to populate the city with Toyota Motor Corporation employees and their families, visiting scientists and industry partners. The plan is for 2, 000 people to start, adding more as the ;project develops.
“Building a complete city from scratch, even in a small size like this, is a unique chance to develop future technologies. With people, buildings and vehicles all connected and communicating with each other through sensors, we will be able to test connected AI technology in both the virtual(虚拟的) and the physical areas to maximize its potential,” said Akio Toyoda，president of Toyota Motor Corporation.
Experts say smart cities, like Toyota's“Woven City”，will greatly improve our living conditions.
1. What is the “e-Palette” in paragraph 2?| A．An intelligent robot, | B．A driverless car. |
| C．An autonomous bike. | D．A slow vehicle. |
| A．All the houses are built with wood only. | B．Only Toyota workers live there. |
| C．It is designed to hold 2,000 people, | D．Just green power is used in the city. |
| A．He is not satisfied with the small size of the city. |
| B．It is difficult to build a complete city of the future. |
| C．The city is a good platform to test future technologies. |
| D．Toyota is committed to improving the living conditions. |
| A．What Does a “City of the Future" Look Like? |
| B．Can Toyota's Woven City Become a Reality? |
| C．Toyota's Plan for a “City of the Future" |
| D．New Technologies for Future Cities |
