1. What is the woman doing at the beginning of the conversation?
A.Throwing the glass away. | B.Reading a report. | C.Picking up rubbish. |
A.Sell bags. |
B.Recycle the bottles. |
C.Do research on pollution. |
A.Strangers. | B.Classmates. | C.Coworkers. |
1. What does the woman want to buy?
A.A cold drink. | B.A machine. | C.Snacks. |
A.At a store. | B.At a sports center. | C.At a train station |
A.A shopping experience. |
B.A part-time job. |
C.A trip plan. |
A.The Zhejiang team. |
B.The Liaoning team. |
C.The Guangdong team. |
A.Call him back. |
B.Work on time. |
C.Look for his wallet. |
A.She has no time for rest. |
B.Her team has been changed. |
C.Her work is difficult to complete. |
A.Park the car. | B.Pay for the tickets. | C.Go on a business trip. |
8 . While we might like to think we would rush to someone’s assistance, we know from studies that often people hang back and this can have tragic consequences.
One of the most famous examples of this is the tragic case of Kitty Genovese who was fatally stabbed (刺伤) in Kew Gardens, New York, in 1964. Subsequent investigations concluded that several people saw or heard what was happening, but did nothing to intervene. This has been termed the “bystander effect” — a well-known psychological phenomenon where individuals are less likely to offer help to someone when other people are present. The more people there are, the less likely they are to help.
There are various factors contributing to this effect — people think that others will get involved or intervene. Afterwards people often say they did not feel qualified or senior or important enough to be the one to intervene. It is also partly down to “pluralistic (多元化的) ignorance” — since everyone is not reacting to the emergency, they don’t need to either; it’s not serious because no one else is doing anything. After a serious incident where people have been affected by the bystander effect, they are often horrified that they didn’t do anything—they can’t believe they had not realized it was more serious or that they didn’t think to get involved.
The important thing to understand though is that other studies have shown that once people are aware of the bystander effect, they are less likely to be affected by it. Self-awareness is the best approach to it. When confronted with an emergency, think to yourself how you would behave if you were on your own. Ignore everyone else and how they are behaving and go with your courage — if you’d call an ambulance, do it. If you’d run for help, do it. If that’s how you would have behaved when you were on your own, then that’s probably the right course of action.
1. Why does the author mention “the tragic case of Kitty Genovese” in paragraph 2?A.To present a fact. | B.To confirm a finding. |
C.To predict a conclusion. | D.To illustrate an approach. |
A.feel confident to intervene. | B.tend to help people in need. |
C.be well aware of bad consequences. | D.feel shocked after a serious incident. |
A.Think twice. | B.Follow others. |
C.Step in at once. | D.Take action cautiously. |
A.Behave Yourself | B.Don’t Be A Bystander |
C.Action in An Emergency | D.Severity of Bystander Effect |
9 . 4 Poetry Collections to Read and Enjoy
In honor of National Poetry Month, celebrated every April, we’re sharing a roundup of poetry collections that have been published within the last year.
Black Girl You Are AtlasBy Renee Watson,
illustrated by Ekua Holmes
Renee Watson, the best-selling author of Ways to Make Sunshine, draws from her childhood for some of these poems, which include haiku and free verse. The subjects range from racial injustice to self-love. The artwork is spectacular.
Ages 12 and up
In and Out the Window
By Jane Volen,
illustrated by Cathrin Peterslund
In addition to being the author of more than 350 novels, Jane Yolen is an esteemed poet. This new collection includes more than 100 of her works on popular childhood topics including school, animals, and sports. One title: “On My Toes: A True Story. ”
Ages 8-12
Poetry Comics
By Grant Snider
illustrated by Leo Dawson
The dozens of short poems in this collection are written and illustrated in comic panels. The book contains four chapters—one for each season of the year. Titles for the spring poems include “Bubbles,” “Balloon Story,” and “Tadpole.” The subjects for the poems feel fresh and fun.
Ages 8-12
She’ll Be the Sky
By Ela Risbridger,
illustrated by Anna Shepeta
Dozens of female poets, including Amanda Gorman, contributed to this collection. Topics range from animals to activism. Most poems are accompanied by a full-page color illustration.
Ages 8 and up
1. Which book is tailored for readers who are over 12 years old?
A.Poetry Comics. | B.She’ll Be the Sky. |
C.In and Out the Window. | D.Black Girl You Are Atlas. |
A.Animals and activism. | B.Four seasons of the year. |
C.Popular childhood topics. | D.Racial injustice and self-love. |
A.To fascinate poetry-goers. | B.To advertise 4 poetry collections. |
C.To celebrate National Poetry Month. | D.To comment on 4 poetry collections. |
10 . Pindar Van Arman is a painter, but he’s also a software designer. He has built some machines and worked on a DARPA challenge team in California to build a self-driving car. His latest project? A robot painter, BitPaintr.
BitPaintr is Van Arman’s fifth robot in 10 years. Earlier versions included devices that produced simpler paintings with algorithms (算法). But the idea for BitPaintr is simple: A user just uploads a picture, and it can paint totally on its own and develop its own style.
Although his friends joke that he has invented a really expensive, slow, bad painter, Van Arman says teaching a machine how to be creative has helped him get to the bottom of what creativity is — and appreciate it.
“When you’re trying to teach a machine to do something that’s easy for humans, it really makes you sit back and see what humans are doing,” he says.
So what is creativity, then, if a robot with a paintbrush can be — or appear to be — just as creative as a human with a paintbrush?
Mark Riedl, a professor at the Georgia Tech School of Interactive Computing, says it depends on how you define creativity. “There is creativity and Creativity,” Riedl says. “Being ‘creative’ usually has something to do with the little things that we do hundreds of times in our daily lives. They could be creative, but usually aren’t. To be ‘Creative’ is to have an imagination that will have a huge impact on a social level — the Picassos and the Mozarts of the world; the people who have produced something that’s taken on this additional level of meaning.”
Riedl admits what robots create is far from human-level quality art, but he sees robots entering the creative process as a positive thing.
“We want the computers to keep up with us,” he says. “And thanks to researchers like Van Arman, it seems like they will, although they will not replace us, but to help us to be more creative.”
1. Which is a new quality of BitPaintr?A.Simplicity. | B.Creativity. | C.Speed. | D.Profitability. |
A.Favorable. | B.Doubtful. | C.Unclear. | D.Hopeful. |
A.They will defeat the greatest artists soon. |
B.They can produce “Creative” things by themselves. |
C.They will learn more from the Picassos and the Mozarts. |
D.They can help us to do daily things in more “creative” ways. |
A.Can BitPaintr-like Robots Replace Artists in the Future? |
B.Why Do People Have Sharply Different Views on AI Robots? |
C.What Is the Difference Between the Two Kinds of Creativity? |
D.Can BitPaintr Be Considered a “Creative” Painting Software? |