1 . SHOULD WE FIGHT NEW TECHNOLOGY?
This morning, I saw the shocking headline: “Passenger Dies When Car Crashes in Driverless Mode”. In the article, a lot of people said that the public should oppose the idea of developing driverless cars. They said that some advances in technology were unnecessary and could even be dangerous. Therefore, we should stop accepting technology just because it is new. The newspaper reported that the car company had already apologized for the accident, but the families of the deceased (死者) said it was not enough. Nevertheless, the company still claimed that most people would be travelling in driverless cars one day soon.
On the one hand, there are many different groups of people around the world who live happily in the absence of technology. Probably the most well-known are the Amish, a group of Christians living in rural America. They do not own or drive cars, watch TV, or use the Internet. They have lived mainly as farmers since the 18th century, and they will probably be living the same way in the distant future. They advocate a simple life with a focus on hard work, family, and community. They think that is better than caring about luxuries or following the lives of the rich and famous. It could even be argued that the Amish’s quality of life is better since they live in and appreciate the natural environment rather than living in large, polluted cities.
On the other hand, new technology has provided people everywhere with many benefits over the years. For example the latest weather-tracking computer programs give people lots of warnings about potential natural disasters, which saves many lives. Moreover, the Internet has made it possible for friends and family to keep in touch easily even if they are on opposite sides of the world. It has also made finding opportunities in life much easier, as it allows people to make larger networks of friends through using social media.
Personally, I have benefited quite a lot from technological advances. I found my career as an Al designer through a social media network. My health monitor, which I wear all the time, has also helped me get into the best shape of my life. Of course, when new technology changes the way we live, it can be a scary prospect. Nevertheless, I will always look on the positive side of change and accept it rather than resist it.
1. What can we learn from the first paragraph?A.The relatives of the victim would never accept the apology. |
B.Many people took a negative attitude to this new technology |
C.A person died in an accident while driving his brand-new car. |
D.The company was very concerned about the future of this new technology. |
A.To persuade us to follow their natural living style. |
B.To tell us the Amish prefer a harmonious and peaceful life. |
C.To prove people can still live better without new technology. |
D.To advocate a simple life with family and community by hard work. |
A.future | B.advance | C.resistance | D.positivity |
A.The author wanted to praise the advantages of new technology. |
B.The author wanted to show his supportive idea of new technology. |
C.The author wanted to criticize the disadvantages of new technology. |
D.The author wanted to arouse people’s concern about new technology. |
2 . Are we getting more stupid? According to Gerald Crabtree, a scientist at Stanford University in the US, we are.
You may not want to hear this, but Crabtree believes that human intelligence reached its peak more than 2,000 years ago and ever since then has been going downhill. “If an average Greek from 1,000 BC were transported to modern times, he or she would be one of the brightest among us,” Crabtree told The Guardian.
At the heart of Crabtree’s thinking is a simple idea. In the past, intelligence was critical for survival when our ancestors had to avoid dangerous animals and hunt for food. The difference of being smart or stupid is often life or death. However, after the spread of agriculture when our ancestors began to live in dense farming communities, the need to keep their intelligence in peak condition gradually reduced.
This is not hard to understand. Most of the time, pressure is what keeps us going — you need the pressure from your teachers to finish your homework; the pressure of looking pretty encourages you to lose weight when summer comes. And the same is true of our intelligence — if we think less, we become less smart.
These mutations (变异) are harmful to our intelligence and they were all developed in the past 3,000 years. The other evidence that Crabtree holds is in our genes. He found that among the 2,000 to 5,000 genes that we have that determine human intelligence, there are two or more mutations in each of us.
However, Crabtree’s theory has been criticized by some who say that earl humans may have better hunting and surviving abilities, but people today have developed more diverse intelligence. For example, spearing (用矛刺) a tiger doesn’t necessarily require more brainpower than playing chess or writing a poem. Moreover, the power of modern education means a lot more people have the opportunity to learn nowadays.
“You wouldn’t get Stephen Hawking 2, 000 years ago. He just wouldn’t exist,” now Thomas Hills of the University of Warwick, UK, told Live Science. “But now we have people of his intellectual capacity doing things and making insights (洞察力) that we would never have achieved in our environment of evolutionary adaptation (进化适应).”
1. What is Crabtree’s recent finding according to the article?
A.The Greeks from 1,000 BC could have been the smartest in human history. |
B.Our ancient ancestors had no better surviving abilities than we do nowadays. |
C.Humans have been getting steadily more intelligent since the invention of farfing. |
D.Mutations in genes that decide human intelligence have affected the development of intelligence. |
A.were forced to be smart due to natural selection pressures |
B.had much more genes that determine human Intelligence |
C.relied more on group intelligence than individual intelligence |
D.developed diverse intelligence to adapt to the hard realities |
A.people today are under much more pressure than early humans |
B.it’s unreasonable to compare hunter’s and a poet’s intelligence |
C.modern education is far more advanced than ancient education |
D.human intelligence nowadays is different from that of the distant past |
A.He is for Crabtree’s theory. |
B.He is against Crabtree’s theory |
C.He is worried about Crabtree’s theory. |
D.He is confused about Crabtree’s theory. |
3 . “Yes, he must be a poor artist,” thought Miss Martha, a middle-aged single lady who had a bakery. A regular customer attracted her attention. He spoke English witha strong German accent. His clothes were worn and wrinkled in places. But he looked neat, and had very good manners. Once Miss Martha saw a red and brown stain on his fingers.
Every time he bought two loaves of stale(陈旧的) bread. Fresh bread was five cents a loaf. Stale ones were two for five. Never did he call for anything but stale bread.
Genius often has to struggle before it is recognized Her heart ached to add something good to eat to his purchase, but she did not dare offend him. She knew the pride of artists.
One day the customer came in as usual. While Miss Martha was reaching for loaves, there was a fire engine with great noise outside. The customer hurried to the door to look, as any one will. Suddenly inspired, Miss Martha seized the opportunity and quickly inserted a generous quantity of butter into the loaves to do a pleasant favor for him.
Had she been too bold? Would he take offense? She imagined the scene when he should discover her little secret. Would he think of the hand that put the butter? Would he invite her to look at his artwork?
The other day in his friend’s company, the man came, with his face red and hair terribly messy. He clinched his two fists and shook them angrily at Miss Martha,“ Stupid!” he shouted with extreme loudness “You had spoiled it . You are poking your nose into other's business!”
The other man said, “That’s Blumberger, an architectural draftsman. He’s been working hard for three months drawing a plan for a new city hall. He always makes his drawing in pencil first. When it’s done he rubs out the pencil lines with handfuls of stale bread. That’s better than India rubber. Well, until today! That butter isn’t well. Blumberger’s plan isn’t good for anything now.”
1. Miss Martha assumes that the man is .A.a genius painter who cannot afford fresh bread. |
B.a talented artist who shows interest in her. |
C.hardworking architect who is yet to be recognized |
D.a proud customer who has very good manners. |
A.pity | B.curiosity | C.love | D.guilt |
A.Because his friend let out his secret. |
B.Because the butter interrupted his plan. |
C.Because the loaves ruined his reputation. |
D.Because Miss Martha destroyed his draft. |
A.One Good Act Being Well Awarded |
B.A Good Deed Coming to No Good |
C.The Talented Receiving Nothing |
D.Love Leading to Misunderstanding |
A.the depth of it | B.whose depth | C.its depth | D.the depth |
5 . Friends always ask why I, a middle-aged woman with no athletic (运动) talent (天赋), travel to perilous places — the jungles (丛林) of Thailand or Borneo, for example, where the water is often unsafe and the food risky; places with infectious diseases, poisonous snakes and the wildest animals.
I never know how to answer. Nine years ago I suffered a stroke (中风). To prevent another stroke, my doctors told me, I’d have to take dangerously high levels of blood thinner (血液稀释剂) for the rest of my life and any travel would be risky (冒险的).
I had to think about what was important to me: family, of course, and friends. But then what? No matter how many times I thought about it, I could not be happy without travel. Then I had to decide how I might manage the risk.
The first real test of my travel courage came nine months after my stroke when I joined my husband, Jack, on a business trip to China. After we’d toured the remains of a Tang dynasty temple on a high mountain, Jack wanted to ride down on a toboggan (长雪橇).
Before the stroke it would’ve seemed like fun. But now? I hesitated. My mental klaxon (高音喇叭) screamed warnings about the consequences of a cut, a fall, and a crash. Then, gaining confidence from who knew where, I lowered myself carefully into the toboggan, which marked my adventure (冒险) travel come back.
In the years since then, I’ve traveled about twenty-five percent of the time. Through it all, my lucks held out — no deadly falls, no car accidents or serious infections. For me, adventure travel is a risk worth taking. Travel broadens my world and keeps me connected to nature. What’s more, saying “yes” to travel keeps me connected to myself.
1. What does the underlined word “perilous” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?A.Energetic. | B.Dangerous. | C.Romantic | D.Famous. |
A.Do proper exercise. | B.Enjoy the rest of her life. |
C.Spend more time with her family | D.Keep away (远离) from traveling |
A.It was her last adventure. | B.She recovered (恢复) her courage (勇气) through it. |
C.She liked the beautiful scenery in China. | D.It was the most dangerous experience in her life. |
A.A business trip to China | B.Stroke, a dangerous disease |
C.How I overcame the fear of disease | D.Why I still travel to the wild |
6 . What makes people so special? Tool use, self-consciousness, language, and culture are high on the list, but in fact all of these characteristics can be found elsewhere in the animal kingdom. Humans and apes are close relatives, so it is perhaps not surprising that chimpanzees use tools or that gorillas (大猩猩) have a sense of fair play, even rejecting carrots (which they normally accept) when they see their neighbors getting grapes. But the qualities that we often think of as uniquely human exist not just on land, but in the ocean as well.
Among the invertebrates, octopuses (八爪鱼) are known for their intelligence, even exhibiting evidence of playfulness, tool use, and personality. But these skilled predators live alone and consequently lack culture. Dolphins, on the other hand, are large-brained, long-living, social- group-based predators, and it is here that we find the greatest similarity to human-like culture and awareness.
Culture depends on the ability of animals to pass on things they have learned to others. Many animals have culture in this sense, but what sets dolphins apart is what they pass on. Some bottlenose dolphins hold sponges in their mouths that they use as tools to sweep for fish hiding on the ocean floor. This ability is handed down through generations (especially in females), with some families — grandmother, mother, and daughter — all feeding in this highly specialized way.
Another characteristic that dolphins share with humans is their ability to recognize themselves in a mirror. When facing a mirror, most animals behave as though they are interacting with another individual. Even in humans, the ability to recognize that the image in a mirror is oneself does not occur before the age of 18 months. Dolphins not only recognize themselves, but if a black mark is put on the body of a dolphin, it will spend extra time at the mirror to look at the mark.
1. The example of gorillas rejecting carrots shows they ________.A.are not easy to fool | B.prefer fruit to vegetables |
C.have a special taste for food | D.have an awareness of equality |
A.Cooperation. | B.Intelligence. |
C.Tool using ability. | D.Fun-loving spirits. |
A.They tend to hunt in groups. |
B.Their hunting skills are passed down. |
C.Their learning environment is favourable. |
D.Their families are typically female-controlled. |
A.Dolphins enjoy looking at their own reflection in the mirror. |
B.Dolphins are as intelligent as a typical 18-month-old human baby. |
C.Dolphins are generally regarded as the most advanced non-human species. |
D.Dolphins’ ability to recognize their own reflection is a higher-order mental skill. |
If you live in Shanghai, you might have to take a lesson in sorting garbage.
More cities are introducing similar regulations,
Apart from China, many other foreign countries also
A funny thing happened to Arthur when he was on the way to work one day. As he walked along Park Avenue near the First National Bank, he heard the sound of someone trying to start a car. He tried again and again but couldn’t get the car moving. Arthur turned and looked inside at the face of a young man who looked worried.
Arthur stopped and said, “It looks like you’ve got a problem.”
“I’m afraid so. I’m in a big hurry but I can’t start my car.”
“Is there something I can do to help?” Arthur asked. The young man looked at the two suitcases in the back seat and then said, “Thanks. If you’re sure it wouldn’t be too much trouble, you could help me get these suitcases into a taxi.”
“No trouble at all. I’d be glad to help.”
The young man got out and took one of the suitcases from the back seat. After placing it on the ground, he turned to get the other one. Just as Arthur picked up the first suitcase and started walking, he heard the long loud noise of an alarm.
It was from the bank. There had been a robbery (抢劫)!
Park Avenue had been quiet a moment before. Now the air was filled with the sound of the alarm and the shouts of people running from all directions. Cars stopped and the passengers joined the crowd in front of the bank. People asked each other, “What happened?” But everyone had a different answer.
Arthur still carrying the suitcase, turned to look at the bank and walked right into a young woman in front of him.
She looked at the suitcase and then at him. Arthur was surprised. “Why is she looking at me like that?” he thought. “The suitcase! She thinks I’m the bank thief!”
Arthur looked around at the crowd of people. He became frightened, and without another thought, he started to run.
注意:续写的词数应为150左右。Paragraph 1:
As he was running, Arthur heard the young man shouting behind, “Stop! Stop!” _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:The taxi stopped in front of the police station. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________