1 . What is the ideal physique(体形)? The answer is ever-changing. But it is to a large extent work of a single company that dominated the past 60 years of body image standards.
Since its creation in 1959, Barbie has been in the leading position of promoting hardly attainable body image standards, for which it was often heavily criticized. Scientific research shows that the probability of achieving a Barbie-like body shape is less than 1 in 100,000!
Mattel, the company behind the Barbie doll, has recognized that the 60s’ idea of good body image is long gone. In an effort to keep up with social change, Mattel is adjusting the dolls' body type and skin color, introducing special editions.
There is now a Barbie in a wheelchair. There is a Barbie Astronaut, Rescuer, or Engineer. In their latest Barbie special edition, Mattel honors the women fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, including Dame Sarah Gilbert. In the hope that Mattel is adapting to modern corporate standards just as well as it is to social change, we’re attracted by what the company's sustainability data may tell us.
What does the data tell us? To answer this question, we’ve launched a sustainability-focused beauty contest-with Mattel as one of the contestants. The company scores relatively well on environmental and social metrics(衡量标准).However, in terms of diversity, Mattel is well below its competitor, Hasbro. This being said, the judges advise that beauty should be equally defined by the inside and the outside.
What does this mean? Be body-positive! As we’re approaching the second quarter of the 21st century, the importance of a healthy relationship between mind and body is being recognized. And with this, body image standards are changing, allowing for more freedom of expression and identity.
Mattel’s efforts in product diversity are a welcome step in the right direction, as the doll has its very own influence. We believe that Barbie’s future lies in the empowerment(赋予力量)of today’s youth, contributing toward a generation of confident individuals.
1. How does scientific research evaluate a Barbie-like body shape?| A．It needs much luck to achieve it. |
| B．It's almost impossible to achieve it. |
| C．There is increasing probability of achieving it. |
| D．It's a breakthrough in attainable body image standards. |
| A．To score well on social metrics. |
| B．To launch a beauty contest. |
| C．To keep pace with the times. |
| D．To define what is real beauty. |
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. | C．Uncertain. | D．Uninterested. |
| A．The Future of Barb |
| B．New Metrics for Body Image |
| C．A Deep Dive into Barbie’s World |
| D．A Great Change in Body Image Standards |
2 . Whenever humans consider the future of AI, they have one big question in mind: will robots take my job? While it’s true that some jobs will disappear, new ones that involve working specifically with AI will arise.
AI has already changed almost every industry, but the future of AI promises to revolutionize even more businesses.
Health care:
Service industry: In the future, robots and machines run by AI could replace customer service representatives and cashiers.
Law enforcement: Some day soon, intelligent robots could even replace police officers to catch potential criminals.
Transportation: Say goodbye to taxi and drivers. In the future, cars will be able to drive themselves (some already do).
Marketing: AI already targets you with customized ads on social media sites, but soon it may even be able to create the ads you see or articles you read.
| A．We can also have AI-equipped robot cooks. |
| B．We may also see automated trains and airplanes. |
| C．The biggest change may be in what we get from work. |
| D．With AI, doctors will be able to better diagnose illnesses. |
| E．AI-run robots are already used as security officers in some businesses. |
| F．There are already articles that are almost as good as what a human creates. |
| G．You use AI when you use Google Maps to find your way to an off-site meeting. |
3 . By 2050 we’ll be able to send memories, emotions and feelings across the Internet.
I’m talking about telepathy (心灵感应), really. We’ll still communicate the traditional way.
Medicine will develop fast, too. We will have cured certain forms of cancer, and we will have begun to treat the disease like the common cold. We’ll live with it. It will no longer be deadly.
| A．We will do a few tests. |
| B．People will live an easy life. |
| C．We won’t fear it like we used to. |
| D．Brain science will have changed communication. |
| E．We can already use human cells to grow skin, noses, ears, etc. |
| F．But communicating telepathically will avoid misunderstandings between people. |
| G．Our clothes will discover the beginnings of a heart disease, and advise us to get treatment. |
4 . Don’t you want to talk less and smile more? That seems to be Amazon’s vision for the future of the smart home. According to the company, talking to their devices is just a temporary stage. Next, their gadgets (小玩意) will just know what we want and do it for us without a single command. To plot this route, the consumer tech giant showed off a series of new gadgets at its annual hardware event in September, 2020.
This vision of a smart home has been the road map for home automation for decades. A true smart home doesn’t just react to commands, it can foresee what will happen and take action accordingly. This could include lights switching on when you arrive home, heating turning off when the house is empty, or security drones (无人机) activating when somebody breaks in. Amazon says it’s ready for this domestic revolution, even if it’s still a few decades off.
Connectivity is the guarantee of a true smart home. The updated Echo smart speaker line that was recently displayed doesn’t just have a showy new look, it comes with a suite of tech to keep everything connected. This extended network, which will be launched in the US in later 2021, is designed to support expanding the smart home out to the smart garden and the smart driveway and beyond to the smart neighbourhood.
At the event, Amazon also showed off an actual robot. The Ring Always Home Cam ($ 250, coming in 2021) was perhaps the most fancy offering from the event, and certainly raised a fair number of eyebrows. At roughly 13cm high, the Always Home Cam is a drone with a camera. It rises up from its docking station and flies on pre-set paths. If a security event is detected, it will send warnings to your phone.
Ultimately, a true smart home won’t just rely on voice commands or drones. The less aggressive tech such as sensors, computer vision, and AI will work together to respond to our needs without violating our privacy. But, as Limp says, the true smart home “is a long-term vision, and there’s still lots to be done to make that a reality”.
1. According to Amazon’s vision, a true smart home ______.| A．is already available to the consumers last September |
| B．will be active and predictive |
| C．will be limited to indoor activities |
| D．can only act at its owner’s request |
| A．it only connects things in one’s own home | B．it is necessity for a true smart home |
| C．it has an attractive new look | D．it enjoys great popularity |
| A．Call the police. | B．Detect invaders. | C．Send messages | D．Take photos. |
| A．Introducing the company of Amazon. |
| B．Advertising the benefits of the smart home. |
| C．Talking about how Echo smart speaker line works. |
| D．What the true smart home is like and some related gadgets. |
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.
·The Internet will be free for everyone.
The Internet is really a key driver these days.
·
With the increasing population, it is not very hard to predict that common methods of transportation will not be enough. There will be much heavier traffic on the road. So in this case personal airplanes will be a handy method of transportation for common people.
Of course, there will be proper air traffic control for these personal airplanes.
·Most cancers will be treated successfully.
·Humans will live on other planets.
There will be great achievements in space research.
We will receive more intelligent signals from space. Chances are we will be able to find the next Earth-like planet.
| A．But it is not free for everyone yet. |
| B．So where is technology going in the future? |
| C．The world's population will cross 9.6 billion. |
| D．What do you think of my predictions of 2050? |
| E．In the year 2050, humans will be able to live on Mars. |
| F．Personal airplanes will be used widely for short journeys. |
| G．The number of deaths caused by cancers will be greatly reduced. |
