A new report says sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected. American scientists say the ice is melting even faster than computer programs had estimated.
Scientists know that climate change has a major effect on the Arctic Ocean partly because sea ice is disappearing. They also know that areas of open seawater are expanding. Such areas are known to take in sunlight and increase temperatures. Scientists say this has helped to cause the loss of the Arctic’s ice cover.
For the study, the American scientists compared eighteen computer programs with observations made by satellites and other instruments. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change used the computer programs to prepare its 2007 estimates of climate change.
The computer programs gave estimates of the amount of ice in the Arctic Ocean in the month of September. September is when the Arctic has the least ice, after the warm, summer months. The computer estimates suggested an ice loss of two and a half percent for every ten-year period between 1953 and 2006.
Newer studies of the Arctic have used information gathered by aircraft, satellites and ships. This information showed a loss of September ice cover of almost eight percent for every ten-year period between 1953 and last year. This means the ice is disappearing about thirty years faster than the computer programs estimated.
The scientists say the programs might not have recognized the full effect of increased carbon dioxide and other gases in Earth’s atmosphere. They say their study suggests the gases may have more of an effect than had been thought.It is reported that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected mainly because _________.
| A．climate change | B．sea ice’s disappearance |
| C．seawater’s expansion | D．the loss of the Arctic’s ice cover |
How did the scientists draw the conclusion that sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is melting more quickly than expected?
| A．The scientists have been observing the Arctic Ocean for many years. |
| B．The scientists have compared the computer programs with observation made by satellites and other instruments. |
| C．The scientists have figured out many numbers with the help of computer. |
| D．The scientists have found that the seawater take in sunlight and increase temperatures. |
If the ice melts at the present speed, by the end of this century the ice loss in the Arctic Ocean will be _________ according to newer studies.
| A．22.5% | B．35% | C．72% | D．100% |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The figures of the computer estimates are wrong. |
| B．Scientists study climate change through studying sea level. |
| C．Newer studies show gases may have more effect on sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. |
| D．The ice is melting even faster than satellites have estimated. |
This report mainly warns human to _________.
| A．prevent the sea ice in the Arctic Ocean from melting any more |
| B．pay more attention to the loss of the Arctic’s ice cover |
| C．take necessary steps to protect the environment of our earth |
| D．stop summer sea ice in the Arctic from disappearing so fast |
Do you suffer from cybersickness？
The rise of mobile phones has been blamed for a number of social ills, but your smart phone may also be making you physically sick as well. Scientists have identified a condition called “cybersickness”, which they say is the digital version of motion sickness. The phenomenon, which affects up to 80 percent of the population who own smart phones or tablets, leads to feelings of sickness and unsteadiness. It is caused by seeing fast motion on a screen, which covers anything from a car chase in a film to scrolling through web pages on your phone.
The more realistic the visual content appears to you, the higher your chances of getting cybersickness are . The condition was identified in a piece in the New York Times in which British and US experts said that it needed solving. Motion sickness leaves sufferers feeling ill because they feel movement in your muscles and your inner ear but do not see it. The mismatch in digital sickness is the opposite—you see movement on the screen but do not feel it. The effect is the same and the symptoms include a headache, wanting to throw up, confusion and the need to sit down. Often cybersickness shows itself in a subtle way and sufferers put it down to stress or eyestrain.
Steven Rauch, a professor of otolaryngology（耳鼻喉科学） at Harvard Medical School, said: “Your sense of balance is different from other senses in that it has lots of inputs. When those inputs don’t agree, that’s when you feel dizziness and sickness. ”
Some studies that have been carried out into cybersickness found that women are more susceptible than men, the New York Times reported. Those who have Type A’ personalities—meaning they are confident and determined—are more likely to suffer from cybersickness as well. Among those who have reported experiencing the condition have been video gamers who spend hours playing fast paced games. Engineers at Oculus VR, the virtual headset manufacturer, have admitted that digital motion sickness is one of their biggest problems.From the text, we know that cybersickness ______.
| A．is completely equal to motion sickness |
| B．affects up to 80% of the population. |
| C．leads to people’s feelings of sickness and unsteadiness |
| D．is caused by seeing fast moving objects around |
What’s the difference between motion sickness and digital sickness?
| A．Digital sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it. |
| B．Digital sickness means sufferers feel movement but do not see it. |
| C．Motion sickness means sufferers see movement but do not feel it. |
| D．Motion sickness means sufferers don’t see or feel movement |
What does the underlined word “susceptible” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．likely to accept | B．likely to be affected |
| C．likely to suspect | D．likely to be cured |
This passage is most probably ____________.
| A．a science fiction | B．a newspaper ad |
| C．a book review | D．a science news report |
In 1959, when Jean Harper was in the third grade, her teacher gave the class an assignment to write a report on what they wanted to be when they grew up. She poured her heart into her report and expressed her dream of becoming an airline pilot. Her paper came back with an "F" on it. The teacher told her it was a "fairy tale". Jean was heartbroken and ashamed. As the years went by, Jean was beaten down by the discouragement and negativity she encountered whenever she talked about her dream. "Girls can't become airline pilots; never have, never will. You're crazy. That's impossible. "Finally Jean gave up.
In her senior year of high school, her English teacher was a Mrs. Dorothy Slaton, a demanding teacher with high standards. One day Mrs. Slaton asked this question: "If you had unlimited finances, unlimited access to the finest schools, unlimited talents and abilities, what would you do?" Jean felt a rush of the old enthusiasm, and with excitement she wrote down the very old dream.
The next thing that Mrs. Slaton said changed the course of Jean's life. The teacher leaned forward over her desk and said, "I have a little secret for you. You do have unlimited abilities and talents. When you leave school, if you don't go for your dreams, no one will do it for you. You can have what you want if you want it enough."
The hurt and fear of years of discouragement disappeared all of a sudden. Jean felt thrilled and told her about her dream of becoming a pilot. Mrs. Slaton slapped the desk top. "Then do it!" she said.
So Jean did. It didn't happen overnight. In her l0 years of hard work, even facing varieties of laugh, frustration and opposition, she never gave up her dream. Instead, she went on doing everything her third-grade teacher said was fairy-tale.
Eventually, Jean Harper became a Boeing 737 captain for the United Airline Company.Jean’s third-grade teacher thought her dream to be ____________.
| A．great | B．impossible |
| C．challenging | D．reasonable |
Mrs. Slaton may hold the view that _____________.
| A．only some of her students have great potential |
| B．her students are good enough to be admitted to the best schools |
| C．belief contributes to realizing a dream |
| D．Jean was to have her dream realized |
According to the passage, we can infer that___________.
| A．Jean’s dream was always in her deep heart |
| B．Jean owed her success to all her teachers |
| C．most people around Jean approved of her dream |
| D．Jean achieved her dream with ease |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．A Respectable Teacher | B．How to Realize a Dream |
| C．Hard Work Pays off | D．Reach for the Sky |
Writing one or two articles a day is a fair goal for a human writer. By contrast, the Wordsmith platform can produce up to 2,000 articles a second! Wordsmith is one example of natural language-generation software, often referred to as a robot journalist. To be fair, the software doesn’t start from the beginning, like a human writer might. Instead, the software takes a set of structured data and transforms it into readable text.
Natural language-generation software, such as Wordsmith and Quill, does its work by identifying trends and highlights in sets of data. The software then searches its own dictionary for the words to express its findings.
Why keep human writers around
Although this type of software writes faster than any human, it requires sets of structured data to work. That’s why it’s especially useful for writing earnings reports and other types of “dry” writing. Humans, on the other hand, are good at turning their unstructured thoughts directly into prose. The reports produced by Wordsmith and Quill read naturally, and they can match the tone of human writers. But for now, the robot journalists probably won’t steal many jobs or win any Pulitzer Prizes!（普利策奖）
Current applications of natural language-generation software
Financial reports: The software is commonly used by banks or traders to analyze large amounts of financial data and then produce reports in plain English.
Health and fitness: The software can turn data gathered from wearable devices or fitness trackers into personalized reports. The writing tone can even be adjusted to sound more encouraging!
Sports reporting: The software is often used to turn real baseball, basketball and football statistics into exciting stories.What does natural Language-generation software refer to?
| A．The Wordsmith platform. |
| B．A robot journalist. |
| C．A special dictionary. |
| D．Articles written by computer. |
Natural language-generation software can_________.
| A．discover the world’s focuses through the Internet |
| B．write well enough to win Pulitzer Prizes |
| C．produce articles in a tone similar to human’s |
| D．write such beautiful prose as human writers |
We can learn from the passage that natural Language-generation software ________.
| A．has taken the place of human writers currently |
| B．is only able to turn structured data into dry reports |
| C．is widely used in all the fields |
| D．works properly only with the help of sets of structured data |
Nowadays Natural language-generation software is seldom used by_________.
| A．schools | B．banks |
| C．hospitals | D．newspapers |
In New York City public schools, 176 different languages are spoken among the more than 1 million students. For 160,000 children, English is not their first language. New York's Department of Education makes learning better for these students by providing dual-language programs, in which students are taught in two languages, English and another one, like Russian or Chinese. Math, social studies, science and all other regular courses are taught in both languages. And they learn about the culture of the other country.
Milady Baez, Deputy Chancellor of English Language Learners and Student Support, says these dual-language programs will help children succeed in the future. "The jobs of the future require that our students know more than one language. They are going to be traveling abroad; they are going to be communicating with people from all over the world. This will open doors for them."
Middle-schoolers might not have jobs on their minds yet. For Kequing Jaing, she likes keeping up her first language, Mandarin."It makes me feel that I am home because I can speak in Chinese, learn in Chinese, while learning in English. So it makes me feel better and makes me understand more about the task I'm learning."
Anastasia Hudikova came to the United States when she was 2 years old. She says the Russian-English program keeps her connected to her heritage and her parents happy."They're really happy about the program. They are really happy that I can preserve my culture and my language, and that I can speak it fluently in school."
The New York schools also offer dual-language programs in seven other languages: Arabic, French, Haitian Creole, Hebrew, Korean, Polish and Spanish. There are plans to add even more languages in the future.
While these dual-language programs are popular, some organizations in the U.S. say teaching English comes first. U.S. Studies show that children who learn English early will be more successful later.Dual-language programs in New York aim to __________.
| A．help the students learn better |
| B．rid the students of homesickness |
| C．attract more international students |
| D．prevent the students forgetting their culture |
Who may not quite agree with dual-language programs?
| A．Milady Baez |
| B．Kequing Jaing |
| C．Anastasia Hudikova’s parents |
| D．some organizations in the U.S |
The author writes the passage in order to_________.
| A．encourage us to learn more languages |
| B．introduce dual-language programs in New York schools |
| C．advertise the dual-language programs |
| D．inspire more students to study in New York |
The 115-year-old famous Oxford Dictionary will now include popular new Chinese terms like “shanzhai” “youtiao” and “fangnu”, as part of the modern Chinese language.
As China plays a more and more important role in the world economy, the Chinese language is forever developing, attracting more attention from people who want to understand this ancient yet powerful language．
For instance, the word “shanzhai” is used to describe the countless knockoffs（名牌仿制品）.Another new term in the new edition is the word “fangnu”, a term used to describe the phenomenon in large cities where well-educated youth complain of a miserable existence due to the heavy burden of a home mortgage(按揭贷款).All these new or often fashionable terms can be found in the new Oxford English –Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary. that was unveiled(公布于众的)in the recently concluded Beijing International Book Fair last week．
This dictionary is the largest single volume English-Chinese, Chinese-English dictionary and contains 670,000 words and phrases after five years of preparation. Sixty editors from the Oxford University Press and its partner in China—the Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press worked together on the project. According to Julie Kleeman, the dictionary’s chief editor, most of the firm’s editors were Chinese, while about one fourth were native-English speakers．
“We don’t want to make it florid（绚丽的）, we want it to be modern and conversational. Many of the words in the present dictionary are no longer in use.” said Kleeman. “The need for studying Chinese by foreigners today is totally different from decades ago. Precise, native and practical—that is our main advantage,” she said. She added the dictionary also has a sidebar section that explains words which contain too much cultural information, like “hutong”, a traditional architecture style of Beijing. Another would be “youtian” the popular Chinese breakfast choice usually eaten with soybean milk.
Kleeman said in the future newer updated versions will be only available online as language often changes too quickly for book versions to keep up with. The online version will also offer a Chinese pronunciation guide．
The online version, allowing access via different platforms from the PC to the iPhones, will be ready “as soon as possible”, Kleeman said.Why will Oxford Dictionary include popular new Chinese terms?
| A．To attract those who want to get a better understanding of Chinese. |
| B．To develop the international working language, English. |
| C．To keep up with the development of the world economy. |
| D．To interest people and sell at a higher price. |
We can use the following words to describe this new dictionary EXCEPT__________.
| A．accurate | B．flowery |
| C．practical | D．native |
The newer updated versions will be only available online because______.
| A．book versions are too expensive to buy |
| B．book versions can’t offer a Chinese pronunciation guide |
| C．they can keep up with the quickly changing language |
| D．they will allow access in different languages |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Oxford Dictionary has a history of more than 100 decades. |
| B．the word “shanzhai” can be only found in online versions. |
| C．Most of the dictionary’s editors are native English speakers. |
| D．Oxford Dictionary will be modern, practical and multifunctional |