1 . 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 |
The problem of robocalls has become so bad that we refuse to pick up calls from numbers we don’t know. Nearly half of the calls we receive are scams (欺诈). We’ve realized the severity of the problem by supporting and developing a group of tools, apps and approaches intended to prevent scammers from getting through. Unfortunately, it’s too little. By the time these “solutions” become widely available, scammers will have moved onto cleverer means. In the near future, it’s not just going to be the number you see on your screen that will be in doubt. Soon you will also question whether the voice you’re hearing is actually real.
That’s because there are many powerful voice manipulation (处理) technologies to be available. A company showed a new voice technology able to produce a convincing human-sounding voice able to speak to a receptionist and book a reservation without detection.
These developments are likely to make our current problems with robocalls much worse. The reason that robocalls are a headache has less to do with amount than precision. A decade of data disclosure of personal information has led to a situation where scammers can easily learn your mother’s name, and far more. Armed with this knowledge, they’re able to cheat the targeted people. This means, for example, that a scammer could call you from what looks to be a familiar number and talk to you with a voice sounding exactly like your bank teller’s, misleading you to “confirm” your address and card number. Scammers follow money, so companies will be the worst hit. A lot of business is still done over the phone, and much of it is based on trust and existing relationships. Voice manipulation technologies may weaken that gradually.
We need to deal with the insecure nature of our telecom networks. Phone carriers and consumers need to work together to find ways of determining and communicating what is real. That might mean either developing a uniform way to mark videos and images, showing when and who they were made by or abandoning phone calls altogether and moving towards data-based communications — using apps like WeChat and Alipay, which can be tied to your identity.
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Museum Craze Involves More Teenagers
More museums are here waiting for you! China’s capital, Beijing, is going to open another batch (一批) of museums this year. The building of a new branch of the Palace Museum, one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions, kicked off as well.
As the museum craze has grown stronger in the past few years, teenagers in China have become more involved in exploring museums, where they can immerse (沉浸) themselves in modern technology as well as culture from the past. According to Educator magazine, visits by teenagers to museums each year increased from 220 million to 290 million in the past 5 years. Among the increasing numbers of museum visitors, many of them were teenagers accompanied by their families, reported Guangming Daily earlier this month.
To draw younger visitors, many museums are creating more offline activities for the purpose of spreading Chinese culture. They include artifact making, night visits, secret adventures, treasure evaluation, and some interesting courses. At the China Hangzhou Arts & Crafts Museum, for example, teenagers gathered around to make paper umbrellas during the Spring Festival holiday. With white gloves on and little spades in their hands, visitors in Henan province got to experience the daily work of archaeologists (考古学家). Apart from the activities, some museums even open branches especially designed for teenagers. A hall called Popular Agricultural Science for Young Visitors is a special branch launched by China Agricultural Museum. It is an exhibition hall that combines both visual and audio technology to involve teenagers in agriculture. Besides these offline approaches, a number of museums have also created official websites for teenagers, the Palace Museum in particular. Online visitors may go on an exciting adventure on the website in the style of a comic book.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Artificial intelligence (AI) has amazing potential to change the world, and we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface. As AI matures and people move further away from distinct programming and monitoring of systems, unidentified bias (偏见) might make decisions continue for a long time that cause
All too often, data sets are incomplete and the sample represented in the data set does not
Bias resulting from AI algorithms themselves, or algorithmic bias, is equally
To create ethical AI, companies need to put the
Having
None of this will be easy, but true innovation never is. By coming together and working on the problem of bias now, before it becomes a(n)
A.theoretical | B.psychological | C.disproportionate | D.unintended |
A.arise from | B.contribute to | C.take over | D.make up |
A.inspire | B.match | C.protect | D.restrict |
A.quit | B.administer | C.compare | D.analyze |
A.distinct | B.predictable | C.original | D.widespread |
A.restore | B.imply | C.miss | D.favor |
A.embarrassing | B.dangerous | C.relevant | D.ridiculous |
A.intentionally | B.temporarily | C.automatically | D.appropriately |
A.influence | B.help | C.attract | D.predict |
A.admit | B.define | C.address | D.publicize |
A.belongings | B.expressions | C.characteristics | D.needs |
A.civil | B.digital | C.legal | D.natural |
A.frequent | B.responsible | C.peculiar | D.graceful |
A.fair | B.quick | C.appealing | D.adequate |
A.leading | B.innovative | C.cultural | D.destructive |
5 . Looking on the Bright Side with Moon Worship
According to Cheshire psychic Claire Stone, a growing number of women are looking to the moon to increase their health, power and wealth. Daily Mail reporter Samantha Brick recently
“There is drumming and chanting,” wrote Ms. Brick, “then
Ms. Stone said that wishing on the moon helped her move into her
Ms. Stone was initially attracted to complementary sources of
They have been a(n)
The report ended with veterinary nurse Victoria Twist, who
A.witnessed | B.covered | C.attended | D.broadcast |
A.discussion | B.silence | C.dance | D.ceremony |
A.convince | B.share | C.visualize | D.pray |
A.imagination | B.intention | C.impression | D.illustration |
A.country | B.holiday | C.family | D.dream |
A.researching | B.studying | C.disturbing | D.healing |
A.call up | B.build up | C.meet up | D.line up |
A.normal | B.pleasant | C.magical | D.attractive |
A.obsessed | B.inspired | C.fascinated | D.affected |
A.astonishing | B.progressive | C.immediate | D.puzzling |
A.appeal | B.attempt | C.call | D.cater |
A.host | B.participate | C.favor | D.attend |
A.winds | B.nights | C.tides | D.temperatures |
A.celebrates | B.claims | C.concerns | D.credits |
A.apart from | B.regardless of | C.thanks to | D.instead of |
6 . Eventually, the changes that will strengthen stepfamilies will likely come from shifts in cultural prejudices. Such change is slow, but there are signs that some movement along this line is beginning to take place. For instance, Roger Coleman, a clergyman in Kansas City, Mo., performs marriage ceremonies specifically designed to include children when a parent remarries. In years of officiating second marriages, he says, he became keenly aware of the confusion and insecurities of the children, and the ceremony — which includes a special medal worn by the child — aims to celebrate the “new family” and move the church beyond mere criticism of divorce. This year, Coleman says, over 10,000 families across the country will use the medal in their remarriage ceremony.
Similar changes are occurring in public schools around the country. One of the difficulties for stepfamilies is that schools and other public institutions have typically not recognized the stepparent as a valid parent; school registration forms, field trip permission slips, health emergency information — none of these required or acknowledged the stepparent. The message, whether intended or not, has been that only biological parents count. It’s a message that the stepparent and stepchild internalize, worsening what’s often an already difficult relationship, and one which the larger community takes as another sign that stepfamilies are not legally recognized in American society. Through the efforts of the Step-family Association of America and other advocates, schools around the country have begun changing their policies to acknowledge the increasingly important role of stepparents.
Change is also evident in a marketplace eager to exploit this wide social trend. In a particularly American sign of the times, the Hallmark greeting card company, is about to launch a line of cards devoted entirely to non- traditional families. The cards never use the word “step”, but most of the “Ties That Bind” line is clearly aimed at people who have come together by remarriage rather than biology — or, as one card puts it, “Thrown together without being asked, no chance of escape.” Some are straightforward (“There are so many different types and ways to be a family today”), while others are more indirect (“It’s like at a puzzle where the pieces aren’t where they used to be”). But all are aimed at the vast and growing market of people who don’t identify with the old definitions of family, and who are finding ways to make their new families work. Who knows — soon there may even be a card Tori La Londe can send to her former husband’s former mother-in-law.
1. The marriage ceremonies performed by Roger Coleman _________.A.always make children feel confused and insecure |
B.are more romantic than any other marriage ceremony |
C.are designed to include some children to create an exciting atmosphere |
D.are arranged to let children attend their parent’s remarriage ceremonies |
A.biological parents are irreplaceable in the growth of a child |
B.stepparents are no substitute for the biological ones |
C.traditional views on the family structure still persist |
D.efforts are made to facilitate the present situation |
A.Businesses can benefit more from new patterns of families |
B.People begin to be open to different new definitions of family |
C.Sending cards is a good way to tie the bond of the family |
D.Ex-husband’s ex-mother-in-law plays an important role in the family |
A.The increasingly important role of stepparents. |
B.The practical ways to strengthen the stepfamilies. |
C.The difficulties that are facing the stepfamilies. |
D.People’s gradual recognition towards stepfamilies. |
7 . A leaked IPCC draft reports, “Widespread use across millions of square kilometers globally of tree-planting and bioenergy crops could have potentially serious consequences for food security and land degradation (退化).” In other words, more massive monocultures (单种栽培) and more bioenergy crops, fueled by more fertilizers, could damage the structure of the environmental soil and its capacity to absorb carbon.
Everyone knows that to help ease the increasing climate crisis, we need to plant new trees. It’s said that the earth could support an additional 9,000,000 square kilometers of forest, potentially hosting 500 billion trees capable of capturing more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide at maturity. It would be a serious help to the environment.
Bioenergy now holds a 50 percent share of the world’s renewables consumption—as much as hydro, wind, solar and all others combined. It’s good news, but not entirely. If we consider that increasing desertification and rising ocean levels will take away more arable (可耕种的) land, we arrive at a crucial “trilemma”(三难困境). Should we use our spare soil for agriculture, reforestation or bioenergy?
Such a question would make sense in a multilateral, harmonious world, not on a planet where the richest country cancels an environment-saving agreement, thus encouraging the most tropically-forested nation to set about cutting trees.
Last year, 36,000 square kilometers of forest was cut down. Wouldn’t it be better to start by stopping deforestation altogether? Animal farming takes up 77 percent of the world’s arable land and provides us with 18 percent of the calories. Shouldn’t we cut back on global meat consumption? Modern bioenergy is already available. Shouldn’t we get rid of first-generation biofuels, which are produced from food crops?
1. What’s the IPCC’s attitude to the widespread planting?A.Ambiguous | B.Positive | C.Disapproving | D.Uncaring |
A.Add some background information. | B.Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
C.Provide some advice for the readers. | D.Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
A.There is less sustainable energy for use. |
B.No more land is available for bioenergy. |
C.More trees are cut in the richest country. |
D.Bioenergy can cause more climate problems. |
A.Developing farmland as much as possible. |
B.Planting trees to prevent global warming. |
C.Using bioenergy to reduce environmental pollution. |
D.Protecting present resources instead of developing new ones. |
8 . Lia Thomas, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, is an excellent swimmer. She often beats her rivals by tens of seconds, breaking records. Her success is based on three things. One is natural talent. Another is persistent training. And the third is biology.
For although she identifies as a woman,Ms Thomas was born male.Since humans cannot change their sex (unlike their self-identified gender),she remains that way.On the eve of her biggest competition, Ms Thomas finds herself at the centre of the bad-tempered debate about whether trans women-males who identify as women-should compete in women’s sports.That,in turn,is part of a broader argument: should brute (纯粹的) biological facts sometimes override people’s deeply held feelings about their identities?
This newspaper believes it is almost always unfair to allow transgender women to compete in women’s sports.The advantages bestowed by male puberty (青春期) are so big that no amount of training or talent can enable female athletes to overcome them.Florence Griffith Joyner’s 100-metres world sprinting record has stood for three decades.A male matching it would not even make it to the Olympics, let alone the final.In 2016,at an American event for high-schoolers, four of the eight boys in the 100-metres final ran faster.
Much of the male advantage is granted by testosterone (睾丸素), a potent anabolic steroid whose levels rise sharply in male puberty.For many years,many sporting bodies, following the lead of the International Olympic Committee, hoped to deal with the issue by allowing trans women to compete in women’s events provided they took testosterone-suppressing drugs.But the science suggests this does not level the playing field.Suppressing testosterone in adults, it seems, does little to undo the advantages granted by a male adolescence.
Sports must therefore choose between inclusion and fairness; and they should choose fair play. That does not mean, as is sometimes claimed, that trans women would be barred from all sport.One way to make that clear would be to replace the “men’s” and “women’s” categories with “open” and “female” ones.The first would be open to all comers.The second would be restricted on the basis of biology.
Sport is public, and results can be measured objectively. That means the argument that the material facts of biology should sometimes outrank a person’s subjective sense of identity is easier to make. But bias exists, as a Republican bill in Florida to restrict “instruction” in schools about gender identity or sexual orientation makes plain.
That should be resisted. Most of the time,it costs little or nothing to respect people’s choices about how they wish to present themselves.In the rare cases where rights clash (不相容), society must weigh the balance sensitively and with open eyes.
1. The author mentions Joyner’s 100-metres world sprinting record to show that ________.A.most female athletes can’t rival trans women athletes |
B.male puberty is the best time for sports competition |
C.it is unfair for Ms Thomas to compete in women’s sports |
D.this record can’t make a male reach the threshold of the Olympics |
A.bill | B.bias | C.instruction | D.identity |
A.disagreeable | B.open-minded | C.sympathetic | D.conservative |
A.Inclusion and Fairness | B.Respect People’s Choices |
C.“Open” and “Female” in Sports | D.Biology Matters A Great Deal |
1. 分析在计算机、手机等电子产品极大普及的当代书写的现状;
2. 书写的重要性
Dear Frank,
Nice to hear from you!
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Yours,
Li Hua
10 . The question of whether our government should promote science and technology or the liberal arts in higher education isn't an either/or proposition(命题) , although the current
The latest congressional report acknowledges the critical importance of
Parents and students who have invested heavily in higher education
In May 1780, John Adams wrote to his wife Abigail expressing his hopes for the progress of the American experiment. “I must study Politics and War so that my sons may have
A.drain on | B.objection to | C.advantage over | D.emphasis on |
A.extensive | B.intensive | C.literate | D.technical |
A.education | B.workforce | C.economic | D.political |
A.compete with | B.benefit from | C.equal to | D.delight in |
A.think | B.talk | C.worry | D.inquire |
A.natural | B.ridiculous | C.amazing | D.disturbing |
A.skill | B.job | C.title | D.advantage |
A.in the long run | B.in the right position | C.in practical terms | D.in great need |
A.hard-won | B.broadly-based | C.science-oriented | D.well-chosen |
A.Rather | B.Still | C.Therefore | D.Moreover |
A.active | B.precise | C.flexible | D.critical |
A.picked up | B.referred to | C.put up | D.passed on |
A.liberty | B.qualification | C.vision | D.vigor |
A.knowledge | B.insight | C.wealth | D.commitment |
A.more logical | B.less instrumental | C.broader | D.easier |