1 . In 2015, a man named Nigel Richards memorized 386, 000 words in the entire French Scrabble Dictionary in just nine weeks. However, he does not speak French. Richards’ impressive feat is a useful example to show how artificial intelligence works — real AI. Both of Richard and AI take in massive amounts of data to achieve goals with unlimited memory and superman accuracy in a certain field.
The potential applications for AI are extremely exciting. Because AI can outperform humans at routine tasks — provided the task is in one field with a lot of data — it is technically capable of replacing hundreds of millions of white and blue collar jobs in the next 15 years or so.
But not every job will be replaced by AI. In fact, four types of jobs are not at risk at all. First, there are creative jobs. AI needs to be given a goal to optimize. It cannot invent, like scientists, novelists and artists can. Second, the complex, strategic jobs — executives, diplomats, economists — go well beyond the AI limitation of single-field and Big Data. Then there are the as-yet-unknown jobs that will be created by AI.
Are you worried that these three types of jobs won’t employ as many people as AI will replace? Not to worry, as the fourth type is much larger: jobs where emotions are needed, such as teachers, nannies and doctors. These jobs require compassion, trust and sympathy — which AI does not have. And even if AI tried to fake it, nobody would want a robot telling them they have cancer, or a robot to babysit their children.
So there will still be jobs in the age of AI. The key then must be retraining the workforce so people can do them. This must be the responsibility not just of the government, which can provide funds, but also of corporations and those who benefit most.
1. What is the main purpose of paragraph 1?| A．To introduce the topic. |
| B．To mention Nigel’s feat. |
| C．To stress the importance of good memory. |
| D．To suggest humans go beyond AI in memory. |
| A．Be superior to | B．Be equal to |
| C．Be similar to | D．Be related to |
| A．The writer. | B．The shop assistant. |
| C．The babysitter. | D．The psychologist. |
| A．Limit the application of AI to a certain degree. |
| B．Get more support from the government. |
| C．Apply for the donation from companies. |
| D．Upgrade themselves all the time. |
2 . Your options for an ego - friendly home may seem somewhat limited now—solar panels, rain barrels, and maybe a small garden—but as the world of green technology advanced, there is a rise in the number of smart, ego-friendly home improvements. Some of them are available now.
A home thermos tat (恒温器) can automatically adjust the temperature for you, making sure your house is warm when you get home and reducing energy waste during the day. For example, a thermos tat called Nest Learning Thermos tat learns your heating and cooling preference and automatically adjusts itself.
Years ago, recycling paper and plastic was the most you could do to save resource.
In 2009, The Wall Street Journal asked four architectural firms to imagine the future of green homes.
| A．There are quite a lot of benefits of green homes. |
| B．Others, like walls made of gardens, are a bit more futuristic |
| C．Traditional energy sources are still the norm in most houses |
| D．Nest users have saved 29 million in energy in less than two years |
| E．It will depend on the type of heating and cooling system in your home |
| F．Now, recycling factories have gone way beyond the traditional materials |
| G．And one of the groups, Rios Clementi Hale Studios, undertook the project |
3 . Cloud computing will be in use by about 80 percent of about 600 companies. The trend suggests that data management and storage are moving to cloud computing sellers on a large scale.
Touting(兜售)cloud computing as a way to get rid of the costs of buying and maintain in on-site information-technology equipment, sellers offer it in the form of Software AsA. Service(SAAS), a delivery model in which software applications are delivered to customers over a web-based network. SAAS can serve the needs of entire companies through huge, web-based platforms. As cloud computing rapidly bccomes the delivery channel for software developers of all shapes and sizes to get their products to market, offering applications in a cloud is now the rule not the exception. A. relatively small number of sellers are able to offer SAAS to big companies that want company-wide cloud computing, and only the sellers need apply. Although market-share data are hard to come by, the list of company’s large enough to offer cloud-computing on this scale is short: Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Salesforce, Rackspace and not many others.
The concentration of data and virtual (虚拟)computing in the hands of relatively few sellers raises an important risk for their customers if the Internet-based systems of any one seller are hacked, the result could be security problems across entire industries in which their customers do
Can this small group of cloud-computing sellers effectively respond to the needs of their customers to quickly fix such a problem and, most importantly, cut off the damage to these companies' own customers? Don't think such things can't happen. If hackers can penetrate the Department of Defense, the risk that they will penetrate Microsoft or google cannot be ruled out Compromise of just one of these sellers---even one with a modest market share---possibly could shut down, at least temporarily, a sizable part of the U. S. economy.
1. What can cloud computing do？| A．Reduce the cost of computers. |
| B．Provide software service. |
| C．Market various products. |
| D．Help companies design websites. |
| A．It works under SAAS. |
| B．It covers a large part of market-share. |
| C．Most companies can provide it. |
| D．Most sellers apply for it. |
| A．To warn people of the hackers' power. |
| B．To show relationship between it and microsoft. |
| C．To give an example of the country's loss. |
| D．To present the real picture of the U.S.economy. |
| A．The Unthinkable risks of the cloud. |
| B．Cloud Computing and Smart Sellers. |
| C．SAAS and changing Companies. |
| D．The Cloud Computing Age. |
4 . Future City Competition
Future City starts with a question—how can we make the world a better place? To answer it, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students imagine, research, design, and build cities of the future that showcase their solution to a citywide sustainability issue. Past topics include Urban Agriculture, Public spaces, and Green energy while the topic of this year is Living on the Moon. Teams will design a futuristic lunar city and provide examples of how the city uses Moon resources to keep its residents safe and healthy.
Participants complete five deliverables: a 1,500-word city essay: a scale model; a project plan; a presentation video; and a virtual/online Q&A session with /judges. Regional winners represent their region at the international Finals. After completing Future City, student participants are not only prepared to be citizens of today’s complex and technical world, but also ready to become the drivers of tomorrow.
What you can learn
This flexible, cross-curricular(跨课程的) educational program gives students an opportunity to do the things that engineers do-identify problems: brainstorm ideas; design solutions; test, retest and build; and share their results. With this at its center, Future City is an engaging way to build students’ 21st century skills. Students participating in Future City also learn how their communities work and become better citizens and develop strong time management and project management skills.
What you need
Future City costs just $25 per organization—and you can register I team or 100. The price always stays the same.
We keep the price affordable so everyone can participate. Not only that, we limit the budget for materials for the City Model and City Presentation to $100 and encourage teams to use recycled materials. You don’t need expensive equipment to excel. Creativity, hard work, and commitment are all you need to get ahead.
Please note: Some regions limit the number of teams an organization can bring to the Regional Competition. Please check with your Regional Coordinator to find out the guidelines in your region.
1. In Future City Competition 2021, students need to ________.| A．complete more than five taskes |
| B．design a city with green energy |
| C．address problems on the moon |
| D．make use of lunar resources |
| A．Designing cities. |
| B．Identifying problems. |
| C．Training better citizens |
| D．Engineering design process |
| A．to be creative and devoted. |
| B．to use the recycled materials. |
| C．to buy some expensive equipment. |
| D．to ask more people to join in your team. |
5 . 2050 seems a long way away, but it is not impossible to predict the future though. With the speed we are moving now so many amazing things are going to happen in the future. So where is technology going in the future?
◇The Internet will be free for everyone.
The Internet is really a key driver these days. But it is not free for everyone yet. There have already been attempts like Facebook’s Free Basics.
◇Personal airplanes will be used widely for short journeys.
With the increasing population, it is not very hard to predict that common methods of transportation will not be enough.
◇Most cancers will be treated successfully.
◇
There will be great achievements in space research. In the year 2050, humans will be able to live on Mars. We will receive more intelligent signals from space. Chances are we will be able to find the next Earth — like planet.
| A．Though it hasn’t happened yet |
| B．Let’s start our predictions |
| C．The world’s population will cross 9. 6 billion |
| D．What do you think of my predictions of 2050 |
| E．Humans will live on other planets |
| F．There will be much heavier traffic on the road |
| G．The number of deaths caused by cancers will be greatly reduced |
6 . Dr. Donald Sadoway at MIT started his own battery company with the hope of changing the world's energy future．It's a dramatic endorsement（支持）for a technology most people think about only when their smartphone goes dark．But Sadoway isn't alone in boasting about energy storage as a missing link to a cleaner, more efficient, and more equitable energy future．
Scientists and engineers have long believed in the promise of batteries to change the world．Advanced batteries are moving out of specialized markets and creeping into the mainstream, signaling a tipping point for forward-looking technologies such as electric cars and rooftop solar propels．
The ubiquitous（无所不在的）battery has already come a long way, of course．For better or worse, batteries make possible our mobile-first．lifestyles, our screen culture, our increasingly globalized world．Still, as impressive as all this is, it may be trivial compared with what comes next．Having already enabled a communications revolution, the battery is now poised to transform just about everything else．
The wireless age is expanding to include not just our phones, tablets, and laptops, but also our cars, homes, and even whole communities．In emerging economies, rural communities are bypassing the wires and wooden poles that spread power．Instead, some in Africa and Asia are seeing their first light bulbs illuminated by the power of sunlight stored in batteries．
Today, energy storage is a $33 billion global industry that generates nearly 100 gigawatt-hours of electricity per year．By the end of the decade, it's expected to be worth over 50 billion dollars and generate 160 gigawatt-hours, enough to attract the attention of major companies that might not otherwise be interested in a decidedly pedestrian technology．Even utility companies, which have long viewed batteries and alternative forms of energy as a threat, are learning to embrace the technologies as enabling rather than disrupting．
Today's battery breakthroughs come as the world looks to expand modern energy access to the billion or so people without it, while also cutting back on fuels that warm the planet．Those simultaneous challenges appear less overwhelming with increasingly better answers to a centuries-old question: how to make power portable．
To be sure, the battery still has a long way to go before the nightly recharge completely replaces the weekly trip to the gas station．A battery-powered world comes with its own risks, too．What happens to the centralized electric grid, which took decades and billions of dollars to build, as more and more people become "prosumers," who produce and consume their own energy on site?
No one knows which——if any——battery technology will ultimately dominate, but one thing remains clear．The future of energy is in how we store it．
1. What does Dr. Sadoway think of energy storage?| A．It involves the application of sophisticated technology． |
| B．It is the direction energy development should follow． |
| C．It will prove to be a profitable business． |
| D．It is a technology benefiting everyone． |
| A．Mobile-first lifestyles will become popular． |
| B．The globalization process will speed up． |
| C．Communications will take more diverse forms． |
| D．The world will undergo revolutionary changes． |
| A．find digital devices simply indispensable |
| B．communicate primarily by mobile phone |
| C．light their homes with stored solar energy |
| D．distribute power with wires and wooden poles |
| A．It might become a thing of the past． |
| B．It might turn out to be a "prosumer"． |
| C．It will be easier to operate and maintain． |
| D．It will have to be completely transformed． |
7 . European researchers say they have created a process that can produce oxygen from moon dust. The process could provide a major source of oxygen for humans taking part in moon exploration activities in the future. Researchers from the European Space Agency，or ESA，carried out the experiments at a laboratory in the Netherlands.
The team says ESA’s experimental“plant”was able to successfully produce oxygen from simulated moon dust. The dust is part of a material known as regolith，a top layer of dirt and rock pieces that sit on the surface of the moon. Samples of regolith returned from the moon have confirmed that the material contains about 45 percent oxygen by weight. However，the oxygen is chemically locked in the form of minerals or glass，so it is not easily available for use. Having real samples of regolith from the moon made it possible for the researchers to create the simulated moon dust material used during testing.
The oxygen extraction(提取)process is carried out using a method called molten salt electrolysis(熔盐电解). This includes first placing the regolith in a metal container. Calcium chloride salt is added to the mixture，which is then heated to 950 degrees Celsius. At this temperature，the regolith remains solid. Next，an electrical current is passed through the material. The researchers say it is this step that results in oxygen being extracted from the regolith. The study reported that up to 96 percent of oxygen in the simulated moon dust was extracted during the experiments.
ESA’s long-term goal is to design an oxygen-producing“pilot plant”to operate full-time on the moon. The first technology demonstration of the system is expected to take place in the middle 2020s. Beth Lomax，a lead researcher on the project，said，“Being able to acquire oxygen from resources found on the moon would obviously be hugely useful for future lunar settlers，both for breathing and the local production of rocket fuel. ”The researchers reported that“as a bonus，”the process also results in the production of usable metallic materials.
ESA and the US space agency NASA are both working on plans to return human beings to the moon. NASA has set a goal for 2024 with the aim to keep humans on the moon for long periods.
1. Why is oxygen from moon dust difficult to use?| A．It is tough for human beings to get moon dust. |
| B．It is chemically fixed in materials or glass. |
| C．The conditions of moon dust are terrible. |
| D．There exits only a little of it. |
| A．What molten salt electrolysis is. |
| B．Where the value of the study lies. |
| C．How oxygen is extracted from moon dust. |
| D．What is necessary in the oxygen extraction process. |
| A．Positive. | B．Skeptical. |
| C．Cautious. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．Recent Studies of Moon Dust by Researchers |
| B．How Researchers Extracted Oxygen from Moon Dust |
| C．Potential Significance of Oxygen Extracted from Moon Dust |
| D．Researchers Report Extracting Oxygen from Moon Dust Successfully |
8 . In the future, when robots can be used both in homes and in other areas, they could improve the living standards of people.
Experts believe robots can be used on certain jobs to avoid accidents caused by careless behavior of some people. When robots are used on such work, it does not risk any human life due to accidents at the workplace. Human resources can be efficiently used by performing tasks which demand human skills like critical thinking and problem solving.
While some people talk about how robots can be useful to humans, others voice their concerns. When robots become cheaper to produce, employers may prefer to use more robots than humans. As the technology constantly improves the abilities of robots, it could weaken the value of humans.
| A．Robots have been widely used in Japan. |
| B．Many people may rely on robots heavily. |
| C．They can free people from such tasks as cooking. |
| D．Most people believe robots have changed their life. |
| E．Japan sees it as a must to build robots to take care of the elderly. |
| F．Robots can be also used on low-end jobs like moving heavy things. |
| G．However, many elderly people would prefer human helpers to robots. |
9 . Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Some experts say that scientific advances will one day enable humans to last tens of years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life span.
“I think we are knocking at the door of immortality(永生),” said Michael Zey, a Montclair State University business professor and author of two books on the future. “I think by 2075 we will see it and that’s a conservative estimate(保守的估计).”
At the conference in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School in Newark said advances in using genes as well as nanotechnology(纳米技术) make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what was possible in the past. “There is a great effort so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 200 or 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists who specialize in aging are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last past about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failure of the brain and organs will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also differ on what kind of life the super aged might live. “It remains to be seen if you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life?” said Leonard Poon, director of the University of Georgia Gerontology Centre. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
1. By saying“we are knocking at the door of immortality”,Michael Zey means_________.| A．they have got some ideas about living forever |
| B．they believe that there is no limit of living |
| C．they are able to make people live past the present life span |
| D．they are sure to find the truth about long living |
| A．the human body is designed to last past about 120 years |
| B．it is possible for humans to live longer in the future |
| C．it is still doubtful how long humans can live |
| D．people can live from 120 to 180 |
| A．a great effort |
| B．the conservative estimate |
| C．the idea of living from 200 to 300 years |
| D．the idea of living beyond the present life span |
| A．No Limit for Human Life |
| B．Living Longer or not |
| C．Science,Technology and Long Living |
| D．Healthy Lifestyle and Long Living |
10 . 
News anchors(主播) must have been reluctant to read out the following news: Xin Xiaomeng began working as the world’s first female artificial(人工的) intelligence news anchor at Xinhua News Agency on Sunday, three months after a male robot joined the profession.
Unlike previous news robots though, Xin does not read news like a cold machine; she reads it almost like a human being. The muscles on her face stretch and relax-and her reactions change-as she continues reading. That’s why many news anchors were worried: Will AI replace us in the near future?
To find the answer, we have to analyse the technologies that support Xin at her job. Three key technologies are used to support Xin. First, samples of human voices are collected and synthesized (合成). This is followed by the collection and synthesis of human muscle movement samples. And third the voices and movements are married in a way that when the Al news anchor reads, the micro -electric motors behind her face move to make her expressions seem more human.
Yet we need a thorough knowledge of deep leaning technology to make a robot imitate a person’s voice. The developer needs to collect tens of thousands of pieces of pronunciations, input them Into the machine and match them with the text or the Al to lean and read. The process for imitating facial movements is similar. The developer has to analyse the movements of the 53 muscles in the human face, make a model set from the collected data for the AI news anchor to lean, and imitate the movements of facial muscles via programs
Both the technologies used to make Xin’s performance impressive are mature. The real difficulty lies in the third -the technology to match the pronunciations with facial movements so that Xin expressions vary according to the content of the news report. In fact, Xins expressions don' t always change according to the content. As a result, her expressions look anything but human. Actually. AI is still no match for human qualities.
1. What does the underlined word "reluctant "in the first paragraph mean?| A．Delighted. | B．Unwilling. | C．Confused. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．They read news without expressions. | B．They looked like a human being |
| C．They could interview sports stars | D．They could interact with audience. |
| A．This technology is very perfect so far |
| B．This technology is quite popular now |
| C．This technology remains at the theoretical stage |
| D．This technology is far from mature. |
| A．human news anchors should learn from AT anchors to save their jobs |
| B．Al anchors perform much better than human news anchors at present |
| C．Al news anchors won 't replace human news anchors in the near future |
| D．Xin Xiaomeng s expressions vary so naturally that they are true to life |
