1 . The words “caring” and “empathetic” (共情的) aren’t ones normally associated with technology. Yearsley, an Australian enterpriser who is expert in artificial intelligence (AI), is trying to change that.
Yearsley is the founder of Akin, a robotics startup that currently uses a tablet-based system to help users manage the tasks related to home life, whether that’s planning meals or reminding you to pay your cell phone bill. Current home devices made by Google or Amazon or Apple use predictive AI to track patterns, strengthen behaviors and manipulate (操控) buying decisions, some of which, she assumes, are questionable or just unhealthy.
In contrast, the AI that she is developing will be designed to run the human home, encouraging healthful decisions such as taking a nightly walk, refilling the fridge and supporting social interactions like lunches or birthday celebrations with friends. “It’s the hardest AI I have ever built for it’s a complex system,” Yearsley says.
Yearsley began developing the Akin technology in 2017, when she realized the need to better manage the home is hugely ignored. Besides, she realized that women unequally bear the burden of household work. A United Nations’ report estimates that women do2.6 times the amount of unpaid care and domestic work that men do, or close to 30 hours per week in the U. S. alone.
While Yearsley pictures an army of robots someday helping with routine homemade tasks, the first display for Akin will take time and money. Akin has received some early seed money from a handful of investors, and was recently selected as a finalist for tech giant LG Nova’s Mission for the Future program, an annual challenge that seeks to identify businesses having potential to improve life and lead society into the future.
1. What might the Akin’s AI system suggest?| A．Consuming more drinks to enjoy yourself. | B．Staying up late working to make more money. |
| C．Spending more time staying with your family. | D．Purchasing products that may attract you. |
| A．The high cost of current home devices. | B．Akin’s becoming a finalist for a program. |
| C．Financial support from investors. | D．Heavy burden of housewives. |
| A．Questionable and unhealthy. | B．Unstable and insecure. |
| C．Thoughtful and innovative. | D．Mature and ideal. |
| A．To introduce a futuristic AI system. | B．To compare two companies’ AI systems. |
| C．To call on people to care about housewives. | D．To seek support for an AI expert. |
I am a proud mother of three children, my last little one being delivered in the middle of this pandemic (疫情). She was born in August and her name is Aida.
Shortly after having Aida, my mother-in-law Ann showed me something she learned from her friend’s mother in an art class she attended weekly, She had showed me how to knit (编织) a scarf.
I spent a lot of time breastfeeding my sweet little girl, so I had some extra time to do something with my hands throughout the day. I enjoyed making the scarf so I purchased tons of yarn (线) since it was winter. I wanted to make scarves for my three children as Christmas gifts.
There was a new family that moved in down the street. The only daughter of the family was Jane, a shy girl, aged 14, the same age of my oldest son David. It seemed that she came from a financially disadvantaged family, for she always wore old clothes. Worse still, in such cold days, she had no more clothes to wear and trembled with cold.
Due to the pandemic, society was thrown into crisis mode. Schools were closed, food supplies and deliveries were suspended and children were stuck at home. In such discouraging time, however, they became good companions, talking and playing at home or around the houses.
It was dreadfully cold this winter. Every time David came back from outside, with red face, he always cried, “Mum, it is freezing outside!” Then, he came over to see whether I finished the scarf. I could tell how impatient he was to wear my scarf sooner! I had to speed the project to satisfy his expectation. But David comforted me by saying he could wait a few days. What a kind and considerate boy he was! Then my great art project finally was accomplished on the morning ahead of Christmas.
注意：1.续写词数应为150词左右；
2.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语己为你写好。
Paragraph 1: I wrapped the scarf around David’s neck.
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Paragraph 2: Later that day David came back saying Jane also deserved a scarf.
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3 . Jason, a straight-A student from the University of Pennsylvania, uses the term “pseudo-working” to describe how many of us study. The pseudo-worker looks and feels like someone who is working hard — he or she spends a long time in the library and is not afraid to push on late into the night — but, because of a lack of focus and concentration, he or she’s doesn’t actually accomplish much.
This phenomenon can be seen on most college campuses. For example, at Dartmouth there was a section of the main library that was open twenty-four hours a day, and the students I used to see there late at night crowded in groups, drinking coffee, were definitely pseudo-working. The roommate who flips through her chemistry notes on the couch while watching TV is pseudo-working.
By placing themselves in distracting environments and insisting on working long hours, these students are damaging their brain’s ability to think clearly and efficiently accomplish the task at hand. In the end they get half the results with twice the effort.
The bigger problem here is that most students don’t even realize that they’re pseudo-working. To them pseudo-working is work—it’s how they’ve always done it, and it’s how all of their friends do it. It never crosses their mind that there might be a better way. Straight-A students, on the other hand, know all about pseudo-working. They fear it. It not only wastes time, but it’s also mentally tiring.
In fact, the most important skill in becoming a straight-A student is the ability to get work done quickly and with a minimum of wasted effort. Some cognitive science research concludes that about fifty minutes is the optimal learning period to maximize the material integrated per time unit. So how do these students achieve this goal? To understand their secret to success, consider the following simple formula(公式): work accomplished = time spent × intensity of focus.
Pseudo-working features a very low intensity of focus. Therefore, to accomplish something by pseudo-working, you need to spend a lot of time. The straight-A approach on the other hand, increases intensity in order to use less time.
1. Which of the following phenomenon is pseudo-working?| A．Tom is busy taking notes while attending a lecture. |
| B．Mike is sitting at a study lounge in preparation for a final exam quietly. |
| C．Jack spends a long time in the library on his essay while listening to music. |
| D．Alice and Sara are sitting on the couch reading their favorite books. |
| A．want to spend more time on study |
| B．are eager to follow their friends’ way |
| C．have got used to their study approach |
| D．are unaware of their pseudo-working |
| A．Possible. | B．Best. | C．Least. | D．Accurate. |
| A．The length of time on study counts. |
| B．Concentration plays a key role in study. |
| C．Getting work done quickly means everything. |
| D．Effective study approach is very important. |
4 . Tired of standing in line? Wait a bit longer, and you may never have to again.
Amazon has opened 24 of its Amazon Go stores, which use cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to see what you’ve taken off shelves and charge you as you walk out. Some companies are closely copying Amazon’s approach to using AI-powered cameras fixed in ceilings. But others are trying an entirely different way to skip the checkout: smart shopping carts. These companies have added cameras and sensors (传感器) to the carts, and are using AI to tell what you’ve put in them. Customers pay by entering a credit card, or through an online payment system. When a customer exits the store a green light on the shopping cart shows that their order is complete, and they’re charged.
The companies behind the smart carts, including Caper and Veeve, say it’s much easier to add technology to the shopping cart than to an entire store. Amazon’s Go stores rely on hundreds of cameras in the ceiling. The shelves also include sensors to tell when an item is removed. Ahmed Beshry, co-founder of Caper, believes the technology to run Go is too expensive to use in a large-format grocery store. Neither Caper nor Veeve has said how much their smart shopping carts will cost, making it difficult to compare the different formats. Shariq Siddiqui, CEO of Veeve, said, “We’re always happy when Amazon is doing something. They force retailers (零售店) to get out of their old school thinking.”
Each time a business uses AI and cameras, it raises questions about customers’ privacy and the effect on jobs. Beshry notes that the cameras in his shopping cart point down into the cart, so only a customer’s hand and part of their arm will be captured (拍摄) on camera.
1. What do we know about the smart shopping carts?| A．They are able to recognize goods put in them. |
| B．They are linked to the cameras fixed in the ceilings. |
| C．They flash the green light when the order is canceled. |
| D．They can tell customers where to find what they want. |
| A．It is likely to help retailers to think differently. |
| B．It has attracted many more retailers than before. |
| C．It is far more expensive than their shopping carts. |
| D．It may reduce the cost of running a store greatly. |
| A．That they can only buy goods online. |
| B．That goods in the stores may be more expensive. |
| C．That they have to wait in a line for a longer time. |
| D．That somebody may know their privacy. |
| A．The new technology improves retail sale. |
| B．AI-powered cameras are used in retail stores. |
| C．Artificial intelligence affects the future of job market. |
| D．Smart shopping carts will let you skip the line. |
Many years ago, at Christmas time, I parked my car in the town centre on my way to the post office to post my Christmas cards. It was the last posting day for Christmas cards if they were to be received before Christmas.
As I came out of the car park, I saw a young boy probably about 12 years of age on the other side of the road. He was alone and as he was walking, he was crying and holding his right hand side. I thought some bigger boys had perhaps bullied him and he was in pain. I had to go to his aid and see if I could help him.
He told me that his big sister who was a nurse had bought him a combined birthday/Christmas present. It was an Alpha Egg Dictionary. He had been allowed to use it and only had it days when he dropped it and broke the screen!
The little guy was upset, tears rolling down his face as he told all this to me. My heart ached for him. It was clear he valued his present and knew that this was a lot of money for his sister to spend on him. He’d been to an electronic dictionary repair shop and they’d told him it would be £80 to get a new screen.
I had to help. But it was very close to Christmas and I had no cash with me. I once made contact with guys in an e-dictionary repair shop so I took him there, I knew the guys would have helped me out and my intention was to get the screen on the dictionary fixed and I would pay for it the following week. I knew they would trust me on this. I brought him with me. However, the shop was closed! I had one of the guys mobile numbers but I couldn’t get in contact with him. What next? What could I do now?
注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
I brought him to an ATM machine (自动取款机).
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The next day, I received a call from the boy’s father.
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1. 活动时间、地点；
2. 活动内容；
3. 活动意义。
注意：1. 词数80左右；2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
提示词：登高On the height
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Scientists have found that even adding just an additional 500 steps each day brings significant health benefits in later life,
The new study analysed health data for 452 people
“We were surprised to find that every additional quarter of a mile, or 500 steps, of walking had such a strong benefit
More up-to-date research
8 . The first day of school our professor introduced himself and challenged us to get to know someone we didn’t already know. I stood up to look around when a gentle hand
I turned round to find a wrinkled, little old lady beaming up at me with a smile that
I was curious what may have
We became instant friends. Every day for the next three months we would leave class together and talk
At the end of the semester we invited Rose to speak at our football banquet. She was introduced and
At the year’s end Rose finished the college degree she had begun all those years ago. I’ll never forget what she
| A．crashed | B．touched | C．hit | D．caught |
| A．lit up | B．turned on | C．broke down | D．called on |
| A．speech | B．fight | C．smile | D．hug |
| A．continued | B．wondered | C．laughed | D．imagined |
| A．chosen | B．driven | C．recommended | D．permitted |
| A．challenge | B．stress | C．arrangement | D．experiment |
| A．always | B．hardly | C．occasionally | D．never |
| A．anyhow | B．somehow | C．nonstop | D．nowhere |
| A．fancied | B．disliked | C．stopped | D．complained |
| A．talked | B．shared | C．exchanged | D．carried |
| A．dressed | B．arrived | C．jumped | D．stepped |
| A．gathering | B．lacking | C．achieving | D．ignoring |
| A．job | B．college | C．degree | D．dream |
| A．occasion | B．dilemma | C．difference | D．similarity |
| A．congratulated | B．taught | C．greeted | D．assisted |
9 . To deal with a big environmental problem, chemists in the Czech Republic have been thinking small. They are making microrobots with special capabilities. Each new microrobot is no bigger than the tip of a sharpened pencil. When sunlight hits them, they produce chemical reactions that propel (推动) them through water in a specific direction. When they find a piece of plastic, they start to break it down. When the light goes out, they let go and are free to be used again.
Chemist Martin Pumera led the project. He studies ways to build microrobots. About a decade ago, scientists began developing tiny robots that could move in the water. Then they decided to make them do something useful. Pumera chose to focus on the problem posed by microplastics.
“We have a big plastic pollution problem now. Using less plastic is the most important step. After that, we should do some cleaning. This is where I see a role for Pumera’s robots. They’re a really interesting idea to help with cleanup efforts down the road,” says chemist Sherri Mason.
Pumera’s final goal is to make environmentally friendly robots that can be used anywhere in the world. He supposes that at first they might be the most useful in plants that treat wastewater. There they can remove the plastic before it reaches open water. His group is not there yet. But they are getting close. And they want to make the tiny garbage collectors reusable.
In fact, Pumera says they still have a long way to go. There are many types of plastics. And even these microrobots are unlikely to succeed in degrading (降解) them all. The researchers also have not yet shown how safe this system is for the environment. Blackiston, a biologist who did not work on the project, says, “They’ll need a lot of testing to show that they’re safe in open waterways.” But he thinks one day, microrobots can play a big role in a worldwide cleanup effort.
1. What is the microrobot used for?| A．Cleaning up plastic pollution in water. | B．Transforming solar energy into power. |
| C．Aiding chemists in carrying out experiments. | D．Recording the movements of underwater creatures. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Doubtful. | C．Worried. | D．Supportive. |
| A．They will replace other cleaning robots. | B．They will function normally without light. |
| C．They will be improved for wider use. | D．They will be highly praised for their operating systems. |
| A．Microrobots have reached an advanced level. |
| B．There are still many challenges concerning microrobots. |
| C．Microplastics are increasing in various environments. |
| D．It’s wise to use microrobots in open waterways now. |
10 . Researchers in Japan have created smart kitchenware that relies on electricity to make food saltier and tastier without adding any extra salt.
Salt makes food taste so much better, but it’s also a very dangerous ingredient that, consumed heavily, can cause serious health problems like high blood pressure, heart disease and other diseases. But what if we could make food taste salty without using any salt? That’s what scientists at Meiji University and developer Kirin Holdings have been working on for several years now. Back in April, they developed the first breakthrough creation: A pair of smart chopsticks, but now they have a couple of commercial products ready to hit the shelves.
The smart chopsticks did work well. They made sodium (钠) from the food to the mouth of the user to create a strong sense of saltiness, but they had a big problem as well. Because of their limited surface, the chopsticks needed to be connected to a power source on the user’s forearm. However, the newest inventions designed by the team behind the project suffer from no such limitations.
A smart spoon and bowl recently showcased by the brilliant minds behind the project features enough space for a built-in battery, so you no longer have to worry about connecting them up to a power supply every time you use them.
According to reports, the new smart spoon and bowl can make food taste 1.5 times saltier, which is welcome news to the many people who love salty food but need to watch their salt intake for health reasons. What’s better is that the new smart kitchenware is ready for commercialization and is expected to hit the Japanese market early next year. The new products will be called Erekisoruto and will have built-in batteries. The price is unknown at this time.
1. What can we learn from Paragraph 2?| A．The more salt, the better food. | B．Too much salt can be harmful to health. |
| C．Salt is beneficial to the sense of taste. | D．Salt is a very poisonous ingredient. |
| A．They are expensive. | B．They are too heavy. |
| C．They are inconvenient. | D．They are adjustable. |
| A．The businessmen who work in Japan. | B．The scientists who work on the smart field. |
| C．The researchers who like much saltier taste. | D．The patients who need to take in less salt. |
| A．Saltier Food with No Salt Added | B．Why Do People Like Salty Food |
| C．Magical Kitchenware Hit the Market | D．How Much Salt Do People Need Daily |
