1 . As data and identity theft becomes more and more common, the market is growing for biometric(生物测量) technologies—like fingerprint scans—to keep others out of private e-spaces. At present, these technologies are still expensive, though.
Researchers from Georgia Tech say that they have come up with a low-cost device(装置) that gets around this problem: a smart keyboard. This smart keyboard precisely measures the cadence(节奏) with which one types and the pressure fingers apply to each key. The keyboard could offer a strong layer of security by analyzing things like the force of a user’s typing and the time between key presses. These patterns are unique to each person. Thus, the keyboard can determine people’s identities, and by extension, whether they should be given access to the computer it’s connected to—regardless of whether someone gets the password right.
It also doesn’t require a new type of technology that people aren’t already familiar with. Everybody uses a keyboard and everybody types differently.
In a study describing the technology, the researchers had 100 volunteers type the word “touch” four times using the smart keyboard. Data collected from the device could be used to recognize different participants based on how they typed, with very low error rates. The researchers say that the keyboard should be pretty straightforward to commercialize and is mostly made of inexpensive, plastic-like parts. The team hopes to make it to market in the near future.
1. Why do the researchers develop the smart keyboard?A.To reduce pressure on keys. | B.To improve accuracy in typing. |
C.To replace the password system. | D.To cut the cost of e-space protection. |
A.Computers are much easier to operate. |
B.Fingerprint scanning techniques develop fast. |
C.Typing patterns vary from person to person. |
D.Data security measures are guaranteed. |
A.It’ll be environment-friendly. | B.It’ll reach consumers soon. |
C.It’ll be made of plastics. | D.It’ll help speed up typing. |
A.A diary. | B.A guidebook | C.A novel. | D.A magazine. |
2 . We live in a town with three beaches. There are two parts less than 10 minutes’ walk from home where neighborhood children gather to play. However, what my children want to do after school is pick up a screen — any screen — and stare at it for hours. They are not alone. Today’s children spend an average of four and a half hours a day looking at screens, split between watching television and using the Internet.
In the past few years, an increasing number of people and organisations have begun coming up with plans to counter this trend. A couple of years ago film-maker David Bond realised that his children, then aged five and three, were attached to screens to the point where he was able to say “chocolate” into his three-year-old son’s ear without getting a response. He realised that something needed to change, and, being a London media type, appointed himself “marketing director from Nature”. He documented his journey as he set about treating nature as a brand to be marketed to young people. The result was Project Wild Thing, a film which charts the birth of the World Network, a group of organisations with the common goal of getting children out into nature.
“Just five more minutes outdoors can make a difference,” David Bond says. “There is a lot of really interesting evidence which seems to be suggesting that if children are inspired up to the age of seven, then being outdoors will be on habit for life.” His own children have got into the habit of playing outside now: “We just send them out into the garden and tell them not to come back in for a while.”
Summer is upon us. There is an amazing world out there, and it needs our children as much as they need it. Let us get them out and let them play.
1. What is the problem with the author’s children?A.They often annoy their neighbours. | B.They are tired of doing their homework. |
C.They have no friends to play with | D.They stay in front of screens for too long. |
A.By making a documentary film. | B.By organizing outdoor activities. |
C.By advertising in London media. | D.By creating a network of friends. |
A.records | B.predicts | C.delays | D.confirms |
A.Let Children Have Fun | B.Young Children Need More Free Time |
C.Market Nature to Children | D.David Bond: A Role Model for Children |
3 . Preamble of《China: Democracy that works》
Published by the State Council on December 4, 2021
Democracy is a common value of humanity and an ideal that has always been cherished by the Communist Party of China and the Chinese people.
This year marks the centenary of the CPC. Since its founding in 1921, the Party has taken wellbeing for the Chinese people and the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation as its abiding goals, and has made continuous efforts to ensure the people’s status as masters of the country. China is a country with a feudal (封建的) history dating back several thousand years that descended into a semi-feudal and semi-colonial society after the Opium War of 1840. Over the past hundred years, the Party has led the people in realizing people’s democracy in China. The Chinese people now truly hold in their hands their own future and that of society and the country.
The people’s status as masters of the country is the essence of people’s democracy. Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, with a deeper understanding of China’s path to democracy and the political system, the Party has developed whole-process people’s democracy as a key concept and striven to translate it and relevant democratic values into effective institutions and concrete actions.
Whole-process people’s democracy integrates process-oriented democracy with results-oriented democracy, procedural democracy with substantive (本质上的) democracy, direct democracy with indirect democracy, and people’s democracy with the will of the state. It is a model of socialist democracy that covers all aspects of the democratic process and all sectors of society. It is a true democracy that works.
Democracy is a concrete phenomenon that is constantly evolving. Rooted in history, culture and tradition, it takes diverse forms and develops along the paths chosen by different peoples based on their exploration and innovation.
The best way to evaluate whether a country’s political system is democratic and efficient is to observe whether the succession of its leaders is orderly and in line with the law, whether all the people can manage state and social affairs and economic and cultural undertakings in conformity with legal provisions, whether the public can express their requirements without hindrance, whether all sectors can efficiently participate in the country’s political affairs, whether national decision-making can be conducted in a rational and democratic way, whether people of high caliber in all fields can be part of the national leadership and administrative systems through fair competition, whether the governing party is in charge of state affairs in accordance with the Constitution and the law, and whether the exercise of power can be kept under effective restraint and supervision.
Democracy is not a decorative ornament, but an instrument for addressing the issues that concern the people. Whether a country is democratic depends on whether its people are truly the masters of the country; whether the people have the right to vote, and more importantly, the right to participate extensively; whether they have been given verbal promises in elections, and more importantly, how many of these promises are fulfilled after elections; whether there are set political procedures and rules in state systems and laws, and more importantly, whether these systems and laws are truly enforced; whether the rules and procedures for the exercise of power are democratic, and more importantly, whether the exercise of power is genuinely subject to public scrutiny and checks.
Democracy is the right of the people in every country, rather than the prerogative of a few nations. Whether a country is democratic should be judged by its people, not dictated by a handful of outsiders. Whether a country is democratic should be acknowledged by the international community, not arbitrarily decided by a few self-appointed judges. There is no fixed model of democracy; it manifests itself in many forms. Assessing the myriad political systems in the world against a single yardstick and examining diverse political structures in monochrome are in themselves undemocratic.
In the richly diverse world, democracy comes in many forms. China’s democracy is thriving alongside those of other countries in the garden of civilizations. China stands ready to contribute its experience and strength to global political progress through cooperation and mutual learning.
1. Which of the following is the foundation of people’s democracy in China?A.Fighting against the feudal power which held the nation backwards. |
B.Striving to translate Whole-process democracy and relevant democratic values into effective institutions and concrete actions. |
C.Asserting their power to rule the country effectively. |
D.Ensuring that the public can express their requirements without hindrance and all sectors can efficiently participate in the country’s political affairs. |
A.Its democracy being rooted in history, culture and tradition as well as taking diverse forms based on exploration and innovation. |
B.Even a little bit of shade from the feudal history has been swept away while continuously revoluting its democracy for the better. |
C.Teenagers willing to take an active part in political activities such as the Simulated CPPCC. |
D.People are able to exercise their rights within the scope of the law unhinderedly (不受阻地). |
A.Observing whether the succession of its leaders is orderly and in line with the law. |
B.Raising our status as masters of the country with concrete actions. |
C.Always innovating for a better future, not only for ourselves but also for our democracy. |
D.Persisting in the Party’s strong leadership. |
A.A full and accurate foreword introducing existing circumstances of democracy. |
B.An informative official document giving people knowledge on democracy in China. |
C.An introduction of how democracy works in China. |
D.Telling people what are thus how to distinguish various kinds of democracy. |
4 . Television has transformed politics in the United States by changing the way in which information is spread, by altering political campaigns, and by changing citizen’s patterns of response to politics. By giving citizens independent access to the candidates, television reduced the role of the political party in the selection of the major party candidates. By centering politics on the person of the candidate, television accelerated the citizen’s focus on character rather than issues.
Television has altered the forms of political communication as well. The messages on which most of us rely are briefer than they once were. The stump speech, a political speech given by traveling politicians and lasting 1 to 2 hours, which was popular in the nineteenth-century, has given way to the 30-second advertisement and the 10 second “sound bite” in broadcast news. Increasingly the audience for speeches is not that standing in front of the politician but rather the viewing audience who will hear and see a short video of the speech on the news.
In these simplified forms, much of what comprised the traditional political speech of earlier ages has been lost. In 15 or 30 seconds, a speaker cannot establish the historical context that shaped the issue in question, cannot detail the probable causes of the problem, and cannot examine alternative proposals to argue that one is preferable to others. In short videos, politicians assert (断言) but do not argue.
Because television is an intimate (亲密的) medium, speaking through it requires a changed political style that is more conversational, personal, and visual than that of the old-style stump speech. Reliance on television means that increasingly our political world contains memorable pictures rather than memorable words. Schools teach us to analyze words and print. However, in a world in which politics is increasingly visual, informed citizenship requires a new set of skills.
Recognizing the power of television’s pictures, politicians craft televisual, staged events designed to attract media coverage. Much of the political activity we see on television news has been crafted by politicians, their speechwriters, and their public relations advisers for televised consumption. Sound bites in news and answers to questions in debates increasingly sound like advertisements.
1. What do we know about “stump speech” in paragraph 2?A.It’s an event created by politicians to attract media attention. |
B.It’s an interactive discussion between two politicians. |
C.It’s a kind of political presentation typical of the nineteenth century. |
D.It’s a style of speech common to televised political events. |
A.politicians need to learn to become more personal |
B.attractive politicians are favored by citizens |
C.citizens tend to favor a politician who analyzed issues |
D.citizens need to learn how to evaluate visual political images |
A.Political presentations today are more like advertisements than in the past. |
B.Politicians today tend to be more familiar with the views of citizens than in the past. |
C.Citizens today are less informed about a politician’s character than in the past. |
D.Political speeches today focus more on details about issues than in the past. |
A.Television: an Agent of Change in Politics | B.Television: a Platform for Political Debate |
C.Television: an Alternative to Stump Speech | D.Television: a New Medium for Communication |
5 . Many cities around the world today are heavily polluted. Careless methods of production and
A recent study showed that two
Only a few years ago, it was impossible to find green products in supermarkets, but now there are hundreds. Some supermarket products
The
A.part | B.lack | C.lots | D.varieties |
A.applied to | B.contributed to | C.exposed to | D.devoted to |
A.possibility | B.chance | C.result | D.effect |
A.Therefore | B.Furthermore | C.Similarly | D.However |
A.After | B.Though | C.Before | D.Unless |
A.reused | B.safe | C.friendly | D.returned |
A.of | B.on | C.from | D.out of |
A.rhyme | B.way | C.section | D.branch |
A.carry | B.take | C.include | D.make |
A.advantage | B.technique | C.point | D.attraction |
A.concern | B.hope | C.care | D.plan |
A.what | B.how | C.whether | D.when |
A.saying | B.trust | C.attitude | D.fashion |
A.pressure | B.pleasure | C.discussion | D.interest |
A.enlarging | B.sharing | C.cleaning | D.improving |
6 . Technology seems to discourage slow, immersive reading. Reading on a screen, particularly a phone screen, tires your eyes and makes it harder for you to keep your place. So online writing tends to be more skimmable and list-like than print. The cognitive neuroscientist Mary Walt argued recently that this “new norm” of skim reading is producing “an invisible, game-changing transformation” in how readers process words. The neuronal circuit that sustains the brain’s capacity to read now favors the rapid absorption of information, rather than skills developed by deeper reading, like critical analysis.
We shouldn’t overplay this danger. All readers skim. Skimming is the skill we acquire as children as we learn to read more skillfully. From about the age of nine, our eyes start to bounce around the page, reading only about a quarter of the words properly, and filling in the gaps by inference. Nor is there anything new in these fears about declining attention spans. So far, the anxieties have proved to be false alarms. “Quite a few critics have been worried about attention span lately and see very short stories as signs of cultural decline,” the American author Selvin Brown wrote. “No one ever said that poems were evidence of short attention spans.”
And yet the Internet has certainly changed the way we read. For a start, it means that there is more to read, because more people than ever are writing. If you time travelled just a few decades into the past, you would wonder at how little writing was happening outside a classroom. And digital writing is meant for rapid release and response. An online article starts forming a comment string underneath as soon as it is published. This mode of writing and reading can be interactive and fun. But often it treats other people’s words as something to be quickly harvested as fodder to say something else. Everyone talks over the top of everyone else, desperate to be heard.
Perhaps we should slow down. Reading is constantly promoted as a social good and source of personal achievement. But this advocacy often emphasizes “enthusiastic”, “passionate” or “eager” reading, none of which adjectives suggest slow, quiet absorption.
To a slow reader, a piece of writing can only be fully understood by immersing oneself in the words and their slow comprehension of a line of thought. The slow reader is like a swimmer who stops counting the number of pool laps he has done and just enjoys how his body feels and moves in water.
The human need for this kind of deep reading is too tenacious for any new technology to destroy. We often assume that technological change can’t be stopped and happens in one direction, so that older media like “dead-tree” books are kicked out by newer, more virtual forms. In practice, older technologies can coexist with new ones. The Kindle has not killed off the printed book any more than the car killed off the bicycle. We still want to enjoy slowly-formed ideas and carefully-chosen words. Even in a fast-moving age, there is time for slow reading.
1. What is the author’s attitude towards Selvin Brown’s opinion?A.Favorable. | B.Critical. | C.Doubtful. | D.Objective. |
A.advocacy of passionate reading helps promote slow reading |
B.digital writing leads to too much speaking and not enough reflection |
C.the public should be aware of the impact skimming has on neuronal circuits |
D.the number of Internet readers is declining due to the advances of technology |
A.Comprehensive. | B.Complicated. | C.Determined. | D.Apparent. |
A.Slow Reading Is Here to Stay |
B.Digital Technology Prevents Slow Reading |
C.Screen vs. Print: Which Requires Deep Reading? |
D.Reading Is Not a Race: The Wonder of Deep Reading |
7 . Chinese people may not be that familiar with sports tourism, but it is one of the fastest growing parts of tourism, because an increasing number of people are expressing their curiosity in sports events during their trips even if sports are not the key reason of their travel.
Sports tourism refers to tourism involving participation in or watching sports events and staying in an environment different from the usual tourist hotels or resorts.
Rural tourism, one kind of sports tourism, which consists of fishing, hiking, horse riding and other outdoor activities, is expanding quickly. This form of tourism has been attracting many tourists.
Sports tourism is a booming industry today, with an annual growth rate of about 15 percent globally.
A.It plays a vital role in rural construction. |
B.People are paying more attention to safety in travel. |
C.But sports tourism is still an emerging area in China. |
D.However, this area has long drawn people’s attention in China. |
E.The origin of sports tourism can be traced back to Ancient Greece. |
F.In China, however, the growth rate is 30 — 40 percent despite a slow start. |
G.Marathons, hiking, cycling and camping fall in the area of sports tourism. |
In recent years, China has been working hard to improve living conditions in rural areas through a program called the New Rural Development Initiative.
One important aspect of the initiative is the improvement of rural infrastructure
Another key focus is the promotion of modern agricultural
machinery, farmers are able to increase their productivity and income
Furthermore, the initiative emphasizes the importance of preserving traditional culture and heritage in rural communities. Efforts
Through the initiative, China is working hard to create a more prosperous (繁荣的) and
Few people I know seem to have much desire or time to cook. Making Chinese
While regularly eating out seems to
If you are not going to suffer this problem, then I suggest that the next time you go to your mum’s home
10 . History has not yet
Whatever we
Historian Neil Howe sees
A.remarked | B.convinced | C.guaranteed | D.revealed |
A.numbers | B.houses | C.accommodates | D.contains |
A.peers | B.adolescents | C.folks | D.guys |
A.over | B.without | C.besides | D.beyond |
A.diagnosed | B.dismissed | C.labeled | D.coined |
A.end up | B.consider about | C.appeal for | D.approve of |
A.distribution force | B.purchasing power | C.global view | D.unique outlooks |
A.vivid | B.instructive | C.instant | D.profitable |
A.feed up with | B.put up with | C.make up for | D.identify with |
A.faking | B.revising | C.illustrating | D.maintaining |
A.supervising | B.forming | C.representing | D.promoting |
A.parallels | B.contrasts | C.comparisons | D.reservations |
A.because | B.although | C.while | D.when |
A.emphasis | B.generation | C.intensity | D.cultivation |
A.routes | B.schemes | C.names | D.definitions |