1 . The Google Brain team has been working on computing systems called “neural networks”—systems that were designed based on how neurons work in the human brain.
This time, they gave a mission to three of the neural networks, which they named Alice, Bob and Eve. Each of the networks had its own job—Alice sent messages to Bob, Eve tried to “eavesdrop”(偷听) and find out the messages, and Alice and Bob had to figure out a way to hide the messages from Eve. All the help that Alice and Bob got from the researchers before the mission began was made up of a set of numbers, which Eve didn’t have access to.
At first, Alice was not very good at sending secret messages. But slowly it worked on a way to encrypt(加密) them—putting information into a special code so that others could not understand it if they got the information—using he numbers given by researchers. And after practice, Bob also came to be able to decrypt(解密) Alice’s messages. Without the numbers or keys, Eve failed to understand Alice’s “speech” most of the time.
This test is considered a big step in the development of computers’ learning skills. “Computing with neural networks on this scale has only become possible in the last few years, so we truly are at the beginning of what’s possible, ” Joe Sturonas of US encryption company PKWARE told New Scientist magazine.
Unfortunately, the test happened only one week after UK physicist Stephen Hawking, While speaking at Cambridge University, warned how AI(artificial intelligence)could develop a will of its own. This could be “either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to human being”, he said.
But just as Sturonas pointed out, no matter what the possibilities of computers are in the future, they are just starting out. We still have plenty of time to work out a solution before they get anywhere near becoming a threat to humanity.
1. For what purpose was the test conducted?| A．To study how neurons work in the human brain. |
| B．To study how computing systems work and learn. |
| C．To find out a more effective way to keep secrets. |
| D．To find out a more powerful way to break the codes. |
| A．encrypting—messages—code—messages—decrypting |
| B．messages—encrypting—code—decrypting—messages |
| C．code—messages—encrypt—decrypting—messages |
| D．messages—code—decrypting—encrypting—messages |
| A．AI must be a blessing. | B．AI should be forbidden. |
| C．AI is sure to be a failure. | D．AI is a double-edged sword. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Puzzled. | D．Panicked. |
2 . "Changing the world" might seem like an unrealistic goal. When faced with huge problems such as air pollution or energy shortages, where do you start? Taoyuan-based Gogoro believes you start with a scooter.
Proof of concept In 2015, Gogoro broke onto the scene by releasing an electric scooter called the Smartscooter. Unlike most electric scooters, this one wouldn't need to be plugged in to recharge. Instead, users would stop by GoStations to exchange drained batteries for fully charged ones. Gogoro was taking a risk. If people were not happy with the system of changing batteries the whole project could fail. They didn't need to worry, though. Only one year later Gogoro sold their 10,000th Smartscooter! |
Setting the bar Fast forward to 2019 and the release of the Series 3 Smartscooter. Gogoro scooters are as popular and revolutionary as ever. Their bright colors are chosen by Beatrice Santiccioli, a famous color designer who helped shape major brands like Apple, Nike and Swatch. In addition to the scooters' bright colors, plenty of cool accessories (配件) are available so you can make your scooter your own. But most important of all, Gogoro continues to pave the way toward a future of responsible energy consumption. |
Looking forward Multiple cities and countries have committed to making their transportation all-electric in the coming years, and Gogoro is helping make that possible. Ordered a package? Companies like DHL and Taiwan Post now have fleets of Smartscooters to make deliveries. Need a ride? Unlock a Gogoro in Berlin, Paris or Madrid, thanks to scooter sharing services. The Smartscooter is definitely ingenious, but there's more "At Gogoro, I think the essential thing is that we want to change how people use energy. And the Smartscooter is only the beginning," says Horace Luke, Gogoro co-founder and CEO. This is where the GoStation comes in. |
Tomorrow's energy Gostations are Al-equipped. They track battery health to maximize each battery's life. They recharge batteries during off-peak hours to reduce strain on the city's power grid (输电网). But they also learn when users usually visit and prioritize supplying charged batteries at those times. The fact of the matter is, cities are only getting bigger. There are already dozens of megacities (特大城市) in the world, and there will only be more in the future. Gogoro's dream is the transformation of megacities into smart cities, where power is plentiful and responsible. They hope to be a big part of that transformation. |
1. Compared with other electric scooters, the Smartscooter ______.
| A．can recharge itself in Gostations in megacities |
| B．only needs to change batteries in Gostations |
| C．wouldn't need to be recharged at all in life |
| D．can be recharged by its users in Gostations |
| A．their colors are chosen by a famous color designer |
| B．their colors are different from those of others |
| C．it is a good way for people to consume energy |
| D．it can help us solve the problem of energy shortage |
| A．The more megacities there are, the more GoStations may appear. |
| B．GoStations will soon entirely take the place of traditional stations. |
| C．People need not go to GoStations especially during peak hours. |
| D．More megacities will appear throughout the world in the future. |
3 . 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 |
4 . People have speculated (思索) for centuries about a future without work. Some imagine that the coming work-free world will be defined by inequality: A few wealthy people will own all the capital, and the masses will struggle in a wasteland. A different prediction holds that without jobs to give their lives meaning, future people will simply become lazy and depressed.
But it doesn’t necessarily follow from findings like these that a world without work would be filled with dissatisfaction. Such visions are based on the downsides of being unemployed in a society built on the concept of employment. In the absence of work, a society designed with other ends in mind could provide strikingly different circumstances for the future of labor and leisure.
These days, spare time is relatively rare for most workers. “When I come home from a hard day's work, I often feel tired,” says John Danaher, a lecturer at the National University of Ireland, adding, “In a world in which I don’t have to work, I might feel rather different — perhaps different enough to throw himself into a hobby with the enthusiasm usually reserved for professional matters.”
Daniel Everett, an anthropologist (人类学家) at Bentley University studied a group of hunter-gathers in the Amazon called the Piraha for years. According to Everett, while some might consider hunting and gathering work, hunter-gatherers don’t. “They think of it as fun,” he says. “They don’t have a concept of work the way we do.”
Everett described a typical clay for the Piraha: A man might get up, spend a few hours fishing, have a barbecue, and play until the evening. Does this relaxing life lead to the depression and purposelessness seen among so many of today’s unemployed? “I’ve never seen anything like depression there, except people who are physically ill,” Everett says. While many may consider work necessary for human life, work as it exists today is a relatively new invention in the course of human culture. “We think it’s bad to just sit around with nothing to do,” says Everett. “For the Piraha, it’s quite a desirable state.”
1. What might be some people’s attitude towards the work-free world?| A．Objective. | B．Negative. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Cautious. |
| A．Risks. | B．Losses. |
| C．Challenges. | D．Disadvantages. |
| A．work plays an important role in our future life |
| B．people don’t know how to balance work and life |
| C．people’s work-free future life will be full of charm |
| D．higher unemployment makes life tougher for workers |
| A．To justify John Danaher’s opinion. | B．To show a future life without work. |
| C．To compare different views on work. | D．To introduce the Piraha in the Amazon. |
5 . I never seen the night nor seen a star; I’ve seen neither spring nor fall nor winter. I was born at the end of the Reining Age(刹车时代), just as the Earth’s rotation(旋转) was coming to a final stop.
The Reining lasted for 42 years, three years longer than the Unity Government had planned. My mother once told me about the time our family witnessed the last sunset. The Sun had ever so slowly crept toward the horizon, almost as if it had stopped moving altogether. In the end, it took three days and three nights to finally set. Naturally, that was the end of all “days” and all “nights”. The Eastern Hemisphere(半球) was covered in weak light for a long time then, perhaps for a dozen years or so — with the Sun hiding just beyond the horizon — its rays reflected by half of the sky. It was during that long sunset that I was born.
Dusk did not mean darkness. The Northern Hemisphere was lit up by the Earth Engines. These giant engines had been raised all across Asia and North America; only the solid plates beneath those two continents could resist the great pushing forces they exerted. There were about 12,000 Earth Engines built and distributed across the Asian and American plains.
From my home I could see the bright plasma plumes(等离子气柱) of several hundred Earth Engines. Just imagine a titanic palace, one as large as the Parthenon on the Acropolis. Now imagine countless titanic pillars rising from that palace, reaching to the heavens, each releasing brilliant, bluish-white light like a titanic shining tube. And then there is you; you are a microbe on the palace’s floor. This only begins to paint the picture of the world we lived in.
This picture, however, is not yet complete. In order to survive the melting temperature of the expanding sun, we have to push the Earth away from it. First, the Earth must be stopped from rotating. Only the forces acting tangentially(正切地) to the Earth’s rotation could slow it, so the Earth Engines had to be built to a specific angle. Those gigantic pillars of light were leaning to that angle. Now imagine what that meant for our palace, with its pillars all leaning on the point of falling down! Many who came from the Southern Hemisphere went mad when suddenly seeing this awesome view.
Worse than the view was the burning heat released by the Earth Engines. Outdoors the temperature was stuck at around 160 to 180 degrees, forcing us to wear special suits just to leave the house. The extremely high temperatures often brought pouring rains. It was always a terrifying scene when the beam of an Earth Engine cut through dark clouds. The clouds scattered the brilliant, bluish-white light of the beam, erupting it into endless rainbow light that covered the entire sky like white-hot magma(岩浆).
To my generation, born in the Northern Hemisphere, all of this was perfectly normal and natural, just like the Sun, stars and Moon had been to generations before the Reining Age. We called the entire history of the human race that had come before us the Pre-Solar Age; what a fascinating and golden era that had truly been!
The Reining Age left the earth with a horrifying result. The sea tides, quickened by the Earth Engines, had swallowed two out of every three cities in the Northern Hemisphere; then the global increase in temperatures melted the polar icecap, resulting in floods that spread to the Southern Hemisphere. Thirty years earlier my grandfather had witnessed giant 300-foot waves that had engulfed Shanghai. Even now, he could never tell us about it without his gaze slipping into a thousand-mile stare.
Our planet had already changed beyond recognition before it even set out on its journey. Who knew what hardships were waiting for us on our long travels through outer space?
1. What happened when the author was born?| A．The earth had stopped turning for forty-two years. |
| B．The sun was making its last fall towards the horizon. |
| C．All the Earth Engines had not been finished. |
| D．His family were suffering from the summer hotness. |
| A．They were built in Asia and North America due to their huge number and weight. |
| B．Their light and heat provided necessary energy for people to survive. |
| C．They were all built to point straight upward to the sky to stop the earth rotating. |
| D．Their existence brought both opportunities and inconvenience to people on the earth. |
| A．People born in the Southern Hemisphere could enjoy four different seasons. |
| B．The author missed his Pre-Solar Age lifestyle very much. |
| C．Grandfather would never forget the scene of Shanghai being swallowed. |
| D．The author was discouraged but optimistic about the future of the earth. |
| A．describing mental activities | B．visualizing vivid scenes |
| C．doing experimental analysis | D．expressing personal belief |
| A．a documentary novel | B．an academic essay |
| C．a scientific research report | D．a science fiction |
| A．The Last Sunset | B．The Earth Engines | C．The Reining Age | D．The Post-Solar Life |
6 . If you could travel back in time five centuries, you’d encounter a freshly painted “Mona Lisa” in Renaissance Europe and cooler temperatures across the Northern Hemisphere. This was a world in the midst of the Little Ice Age and a period of vast European exploration now known as the Age of Discovery.
But what if we could look 500 years into the future and glimpse the Earth of the 26th century? Would the world seem as different to us as the 21st century would have seemed to residents of the 16 century? For starters, what will the weather be like?
Depending on whom you ask, the 26th century will either be a little chilly or extremely hot. Some solar output models suggest that by the 2500s, Earth’s climate will have cooled back down to near Little Ice Age conditions. Other studies predict that ongoing climate change and fossil fuel use will leave much of the planet too hot for human life by 2300. Some experts date the beginning of human climate change back to the Industrial Revolution in the1800s, others to slash-and-burn agricultural practices in prehistoric times. Either way, tool-wielding humans alter their environment — and our 26th century tools might be quite impressive indeed.
Theoretical physicist and futurist Michio Kaku predicts that in a mere 100 years, humanity will make the leap from a type zero civilization to a type I civilization on the Kardashev Scale. In other words, we’ll become a species that can use the entire sum of a planet’s energy, mastering clean energy technologies such as fusion and solar power. Furthermore, they’ll be able to handle planetary energy in order to control global climate.
Technology has improved significantly since the 1500s, and this pace will likely continue in the centuries to come. Physicist Stephen Hawking proposes that by the year 2600, this growth would see 10 new theoretical physics papers published every 10 seconds. If Moore’s Law holds true and both computer speed and complexity double every 18 months, then some of these studies may be the work of highly intelligent machines.
What other technologies will shape the world of the 26th century? Futurist and author Adrian Berry believes the average human life span will reach 140 years and that the digital storage of human personalities will enable a computerized state of living forever. Humans will farm the oceans, travel in starships and reside in both lunar and Martian colonies while robots explore the outer cosmos.
1. Why does the author mention the Little Ice Age in the first paragraph?| A．To show the severity of the current global warming. |
| B．To stress the close connection with the current climate. |
| C．To provide contrast to the prediction of future climate. |
| D．To illustrate the importance of protecting the environment. |
| A．changes in solar activity | B．ongoing climate change |
| C．previous general assumptions | D．current consumption of fossil fuel |
| A．Humans will suffer from severe global warming. |
| B．Cyber technology helps human personalities survive. |
| C．Humans needn’t work with the application of robots. |
| D．Highly intelligent machines will replace humans. |
7 . “Whatever your job is, the chances are that one of these machines can do it faster or better than you can.”
As innovation accelerates, thousands of jobs will disappear, just as it has happened in the previous cycles of industrial revolutions. Machines powered by narrow AI algorithms can already perform certain 3-D tasks (“dull, dirty and dangerous”) much better than humans. This may create enormous pain for those who are losing their jobs over the next few years, particularly if they don't acquire the computer-related skills that would enable them to find more creative opportunities. We must learn from the previous waves of creative destruction if we are to lessen human suffering and increasing inequality.
For example, some statistics indicate that as much as 3% of the population in developed countries work as drivers. When automated cars become a reality in the next 15 to 25 years, we must offer people who will be “structurally unemployed” some sort of compensation income, training and re-positioning opportunities.
Fortunately, the Schumpeterian waves of destructive innovation also create jobs. History has shown disruptive innovations are not always a zero-sum game. In the long run, the loss of low-added-value jobs to machines can have a positive impact in the overall quality of life of most workers.
The ATM paradox is a good example of this. As the use of automatic teller machines spread in the 1980s and '90s, many predicted massive unemployment in the banking sector. Instead, ATMs created more jobs as the cost of opening new agencies decreased. The number of agencies multiplied, as did the portfolio of banking products. Thanks to automation, going to the bank offers a much better customer experience than in previous decades. And the jobs in the industry became better paid and were of better quality.
This optimist scenario assumes, however, that education systems will do a better job of preparing our children to become good at what humans do best: creative and critical thinking. Less learning-by-heart and more learning-by-doing. Fewer clerical skills and more philosophical insights about human nature and how to cater to its infinite needs for art and culture.
To become creative and critical thinkers, our children will need knowledge and wisdom more than raw data points. They need to ask “why?”, “how?” and “what if?” more often than “what?”, “who?” and “when?” And they must construct this knowledge by relying on databases as cognitive partners as soon as they learn how to read and write.
Thus, the future of human-machine cooperation looks less like the scenario in the Terminator movies and more like a Minority Report-style of “augmented intelligence”. There will be jobs if we adapt the education system to equip our children to do what humans are good at: to think critically and creatively, to develop knowledge and wisdom, to appreciate and create beautiful works of art. That does not mean it will be a painless transition. Machines and automation will likely take away millions of low-quality jobs as it has happened in the past. But better-quality jobs will likely replace them, requiring less physical effort and shorter hours to deliver better results.
| No, artificial intelligence won’t | |
| Passage outline | Supporting details |
| A | With the rise of AI, machines |
| An objective analysis | Those not skilled in computer using need to plan Drivers, faced with the increasing popularity of automated cars, need to be compensated, ATMs, though, create well-paid jobs as well as increase customers’ |
| A practical solution | Adjustments need to be made to education systems by |
| A safe conclusion | AI won’t cost your children their jobs. Instead, it will make them more creative and |
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rushing into business. Firms of all types are using AI to forecast demand, hire workers and deal with customers. The McKinsey Global Institute, a think-tank within a consultancy, forecasts that just applying AI to marketing, sales and supply chains could create economic value of $2.7trn over the next 20 years.
Such grand forecasts fuel anxiety as well as hope. Less familiar, but just as important, is how AI will transform the workplace.
Start with the benefits.AI ought to improve productivity. Humanyze, a people analytics software provider, combines data from its badges（工牌）with employees’ calendars and e-mails to work out, say, whether office layouts favour teamwork .Slack, a workplace messaging app, helps managers assess how quickly employees accomplish tasks. Companies will see when workers are not just dozing off but also misbehaving.
Employees will gain, too. Thanks to advance in computer vision, AI can check that workers are wearing safety equipment and that no one has been harmed on the factory floor. Some will appreciate more feedback on their work and welcome a sense of how to do better.
Machines can help ensure that pay rises and promotions go to those who deserve them. That starts with hiring. People often have biases but algorithms（算法）, if designed correctly, can be more unprejudiced. Software can flag patterns that people might miss.
Yet AI’s benefits will come with many potential drawbacks. Algorithms may not be free of the biases of their programmers, which can have unintended consequences. The length of a travel may predict whether an employee will quit a job, but this focus may harm poorer applicants. Older staff might work more slowly than younger ones and could risk losing their positions if all AI looks for is productivity. And surveillance（监控）may feel Orwellian—a sensitive matter now that people have begun to question how much Facebook and other tech giants know about their private lives.
As regulators and employers weigh the pros and cons of AI in the workplace, three principles ought to guide its spread. First, data should be anonymized where possible. Microsoft, for example, has a product that shows individuals how they manage their time in the office, but gives managers information only in aggregated（整合）form. Second, the use of AI ought to be transparent. Employees should be told what technologies are being used in their workplaces and which data are being gathered. As a matter of routine, algorithms used by firms to hire, fire and promote should be tested for bias and unintended consequences. Last, countries should let individuals request their own data, whether they are ex-workers wishing to contest a dismissal or jobseekers hoping to demonstrate their ability to prospective employers.
The march of Al into the workplace calls for trade-offs between privacy and performance. A fairer, more productive workforce is a prize worth having, but not if it chains employees. Striking a balance will require thought, a willingness for both employers and employees to adapt and a strong dose of humanity.
AI Spy | |
Passage outline | Supporting details |
Introduction | While its future in business is full of |
Advantages of AI | ·AI makes business more productive by analyzing the office layout, assessing the employees’ working efficiency and ·AI can ·AI helps businesses hire more suitable employees and develop a better |
Potential drawbacks of AI | ·Undesirable results may arise due to the biases of the programmers. ·Poorer applicants and older staff are at a ·Employees’ privacy is |
Principles | ·Keep the data anonymous when they are gathered and used. · |
Summary | Only when employees and employers are |
1.随着医学的发展，人类的平均寿命将会达到120岁。
2.由于新能源的出现，污染问题将得到控制。
3.人们的日常生活也将有很大的变化。如机器人可以为你做家务；椅子的颜色能够随着你所穿的衣服而改变；人们可以到月球上去度假。
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10 . People have always wanted to know what the future will look like. Then, how can we?
But why do we need to predict the future? Predicting the future is important for two reasons: First, we need to start to think about what kind of future we would like for ourselves and to pass on to the next generation.
How about the virtual worlds? It might be in the future to experience the sand between your toes, and hear the waves, just lying in your bed at home.
| A．So what will the future look like then? |
| B．Will this change in the next 150 years? |
| C．Predicting the future can help us in many ways. |
| D．However, you’ll never get the feeling of being there. |
| E．Well, to understand the future, you must know the past. |
| F．However, no matter how real the experience will feel, it doesn’t happen for real. |
| G．Then we need to know what decisions we need to make today that will give the best result in the future. |
