1 . In various restaurants worldwide, there’s a new sight-child-sized robots. These robots can welcome guests, show them to their tables, deliver food and drinks, and even transport dirty dishes back to the kitchen. Some believe these robot waiters could be a solution to today’s worker shortages in the restaurant industry, with tens of thousands of them now in use.
But other people think that robots can’t replace human workers. Robot waiters can’t take orders, and they struggle with steps, limiting their abilities.
Despite these disadvantages, their use is growing. For example, in Madison Heights, Michigan, Li Zhai faced difficulty finding enough workers for his restaurant, Noodle Topia. To address this, he purchased robots from Pudu Robotics. These robots have been a success, with one leading diners to their seats, another delivering food, and a third transporting dirty dishes.
Zhai found that using these robots reduced his need for employees. Three robots now do the work of what used to require five or six people. In terms of cost, a robot costs around $15 000, while a human can cost $5,000 to $6,000 per month. These robots also have a surprising benefit-they free up human servers to spend more time with customers, resulting in increased tips, Additionally, diners often share videos of the robots on social media, attracting more visitors to the restaurant.
However, not all restaurants have had the same success. For instance, Chili’s (奇利斯餐厅)introduced robot servers in 2020, expanding the test to 61U.S. restaurants before suddenly stopping the program. The robots were criticized (批评) for their slow movement and getting in the way of human servers. A survey showed that 58% of guests believed the robots didn’t improve their overall dining experience.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?A.To introduce a survey about robot waiters. |
B.To show the success of robot waiters in restaurants. |
C.To describe the appearance of child-sized robots in restaurants. |
D.To discuss the challenges of hiring human workers in restaurants. |
A.Solve. | B.Narrow. | C.Ignore. | D.Control. |
A.The history of robot waiters in the U.S. |
B.The challenges of introducing robot servers. |
C.The effect of social media on the restaurant industry. |
D.The advantages of using robots in the restaurant industry. |
A.All restaurants with robot servers are successful. |
B.The use of robot waiters still has a long way to go. |
C.Robot waiters are cheaper to employ than human workers. |
D.The restaurant industry is not affected by worker shortages. |
1. Who is the woman speaking to?
A.Her husband. |
B.A policeman. |
C.A fire fighter. |
A.It’s been burnt down. |
B.It’s been broken into. |
C.It’s been damaged. |
A recent survey has found that many people suffer from sleep problems. Some are
So, if you have trouble getting a good night’s sleep, it might be time
4 . Some in the Western media are sensationalizing the tepid response of Chinese consumers to new iPhone products, and some previously went so far as to suggest that China was imposing a ban on iPhones.
This doesn’t make sense. As a market economy, Chinese consumers have the right to choose from a competitive phone market.
At an event held on Wednesday, Apple Inc introduced its new series of iPhones, which come with new chips and new titanium shells and a USB-C charging cable. The iPhone 15 series comes after Huawei started selling its Mate 60 series and the Mate X5.
The launch of the two brands’ new phones generated different reactions from Chinese netizens. For example, the iPhone 15’s launch event was not on the most-searched lists of many popular Chinese online platforms such as Sina Weibo. In contrast, Huawei’s Mate 60 series was trending on Chinese social media platforms during its launch in late August.
Some researchers point out that there is absence of groundbreaking technological features in the new iPhone series; instead, they have been relying on brand loyalty to sell its smartphones. They also say that Huawei’s strong comeback gives users more choice, and will force Apple out of its comfort zone to improve its technology, although it has been the most purchased smartphone in China for years. According to market research company Counterpoint, Apple dominated the Chinese smartphone market with a share of 19.9 percent in the first quarter of 2023, followed by Chinese phone brands such as Oppo (18.3 percent), Vivo (17.7 percent), Honor (14.6 percent), Xiaomi(13.6 percent) and Huawei (9.2 percent).
This shows that the market share of Chinese brands is growing quickly. Among China’s more than 1 billion smartphone users, more than half are using middle-range handsets. They already have reasonable expectations for the money they will invest in electronic devices. They also attach great importance to innovative functions of smart phones that can cater to their individual needs. So the fact that a number of Chinese smartphone makers are rapidly catching up and even surpassing iPhone in certain features is really a good news for them. Plus most domestic-brand smartphones are within their reach.
The market share of smartphone brands in China clearly shows that smartphone sales are decided by market factors and not political factors. A spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry told a news conference on Wednesday that there are no laws, regulations or policy documents prohibiting the purchase and use of mobile phones of foreign brands such as Apple.
China is now the third-largest market for Apple, and has also been a growth engine and manufacturing hub for Apple for years now. It brings in roughly 20 percent of the US tech giant’s total revenue and is a key part of the supply chain for iPhones, MacBooks and other devices.
It’s time the Western media stopped churning out these “ban” stories.
1. Which of the following words is closest in meaning with the underlined word in paragraph 1?A.tense | B.unenthusiastic | C.passionate | D.indifferent |
A.China is a major competitor to Apple in the smartphone market, affecting its global operations. |
B.Huawei’s performance in smartphone market will prompt Apple to focus on expanding its market presence in China. |
C.Apple may have to prioritize technological innovation in its future smartphone release. |
D.The Chinese government discourages but does not prohibit the purchase and use of mobile phones of foreign brands. |
A.Chinese government subsidies (补贴) and support for local smartphone brands. |
B.The aggressive marketing strategies employed by Chinese smartphone companies. |
C.The innovative functions and superior technology of Chinese smartphone brands. |
D.The affordability and tailored features of Chinese smartphone brands. |
A.Chinese ban on iPhones? Think twice. |
B.Apple’s iPhone 15 series: facing a ban in China. |
C.Huawei’s Mate 60 series: outcompeting Apple’s iPhone 15. |
D.Chinese smartphone market: growing rapidly. |
5 . To improve road safety and raise awareness among Russia’s notoriously (臭名昭著地) careless drivers, Russian police have tried to get drivers to slow down at zebra (斑马) crossings by having painted horses as zebras walk across on the busiest streets in some of the big cities.
The light grey horses, painted with black stripes (条纹), carried signs on their backs reading: “Careful, children are on their way to school.” The police sent the “zebras” to several different locations in the Russian capital, where officials in orange vests walked them over zebra crossings and handed out leaflets (传单) to passing drivers.
Some held up rainbow-coloured umbrellas over the painted animals to protect them from the rain. Russian roads are notoriously dangerous and drivers still rarely take steps to avoid pedestrians. Nearly half of all traffic accidents in the country’s big cities are caused by cars hitting pedestrians, and a third of those occur on crossings, according to traffic police figures published last month.
In the first six months of this year, 378 people were killed and more than 6, 600 injured on pedestrian crossings in Russia, according to police. In Moscow alone, 43 people were killed, including two children.
Though police officials said that only safe paint would be used on the animals, animal rights activists still disagreed with the idea, accusing the police of “treating animals like garbage”.
“Children understand that paints are bad for animals,” the Interfax news agency quoted president of Vita animal rights group Irina Novozhilova as saying.
Let’s hope this part of the campaign is over and animals are left out of future attempts to raise pedestrians’ awareness.
1. Why do Moscow police have “zebras” walk across on the busiest streets?A.To make a call on protecting animals. |
B.To raise drivers’ awareness of road safety. |
C.To tell people it is dangerous to cross streets. |
D.To remind people zebras are in danger of extinction. |
A.The zebras. | B.The policemen. | C.The horses. | D.The drivers. |
A.Russian drivers seldom give way to pedestrians. |
B.Russian drivers often ignore traffic lights. |
C.most Russian drivers have realized the seriousness of the problem. |
D.the driving skills of Russian drivers are bad. |
A.Drivers must slow down at pedestrian crossings. |
B.Road safety should be improved. |
C.The paints used on the horses are safe. |
D.These animals are ill-treated by the police. |
Live streaming (直播) has gone popular in China. Many have turned
Chinese authorities have introduced a set of updated regulations (管理) on live streaming industry
The document also calls for cooperation to carry
7 . In recent years, traditional Chinese culture and art has gained a foothold on short video platforms and attracted a large number of young followers thanks to the explosive growth of the short video industry. Relaxing, emotional and fragmented, these video contents perfectly match the demands of the users. With the application of new technologies such as social communication and immersive experiencing, short video platforms are seeing more users, becoming a shining spot of new Internet media.
Recently, Huangmei Opera Female Consort Prince became a hit on short video platforms as a lot of young users covered the aria (咏叹调) in their own way and showed great artistic talents. The interactive platforms are expanding the charm of the traditional opera among young people.
Peking Opera was also well-received on short video platforms thanks to a series of AR effects. Users love to film clips with a set of virtual facial makeup, headwear and costumes. Statistics indicate that these effects were applied by more than 18 million users, most of whom were young people.
In addition to Chinese operas, intangible cultural heritage items, such as embroidery, paper-cutting, printing and dyeing, shadow play works, oiled paper umbrella making, and bamboo weaving are also actively promoted on short video platforms. In a word, short video platforms are becoming an important channel to display China’s intangible cultural heritage.
Short video platforms, offering a fun, popular and easy way to explore the traditional art forms, are receiving a lot of positive feedbacks from China’s young generations. The seconds, or minutes long videos have produced remarkable achievements in promoting traditional Chinese culture.
1. What mainly made the inheritance of traditional drama difficult?A.The slow growth of industry. | B.The insufficient coverage of drama. |
C.The poorly-met demands of the users. | D.The severe shortage of the drama actors. |
A.The social communication. | B.The set of virtual facial makeup. |
C.The positive feedbacks from users. | D.The application of new technologies. |
A.To expand the charm of Chinese culture. |
B.To offer new channels to display China’s arts. |
C.To show the current situation of cultural heritage. |
D.To prove traditional art forms are actively promoted. |
A.The Bright Future of Huangmei Opera |
B.The Explosive Growth of the Short Video Industry |
C.The Simple Way to Explore the Traditional Art Form |
D.The Creative Combination of Culture and Technologies |
China is a big old country,
注意:
1. 词数80左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
支持的观点 | 提升自己,学会独立;开阔眼界,了解不同文化。 |
反对的观点 | 出国费用高,带来经济压力;独自在外可能会感到孤独、思乡。 |
你的看法 | …… |
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Yours,
Li Hua
10 . TikTok has pushed a new safety update to its app that allows parents to take more control of their teenager’s accounts, as social media companies come under increasing pressure to make their platforms safer for children.
The company said that its Family Pairing now enables parents to turn off comments on their children’s videos entirely or limit them to friends only. Parents whose accounts are linked to their kids will also be able to set their accounts to private ones, turn off the search function for content or users, and limit who can see which videos their children have liked.
The Family Pairing lets parents see how long their children are spending on TikTok each day and limit the content they can see.
TikTok allows children to register (注册) and create an account if they’re over the age of 13. All they need to do is provide their date of birth. However, because TikTok doesn’t require registrants (注册人) to prove their identities, some children under 13 have registered by lying about their age, according to U.K. regulator Ofcom (英国通信管理局)
Alexandra Evans, head of child safety public policy for TikTok in Europe, told CNBC that Family Pairing has “put itself in parents’ shoes”since it was launched. “If we’re thinking of it as a toolbox, we want to offer more tools,” she said on a video call ahead of the announcement.
1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?A.The safety tips from TikTok. |
B.The limits on Family Pairing. |
C.New apps explored by TikTok. |
D.The functions of Family Pairing. |
A.The low age limit of users. |
B.The demand for users’ birth dates. |
C.TikTok’s failure to check identities. |
D.The difficulty in opening an account. |
A.Uninterested. | B.Objective. | C.Disappointed. | D.Favorable. |
A.TikTok’s Safety Update |
B.New Guidelines for Safety |
C.Family Pairing under Debate |
D.Controlling Your Kids Online |