Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1904. He was famous because of the books he wrote for children. They combine funny words, pictures, and social opinion.
Dr Seuss wrote his first book for children in 1937. It is called And to Think I Saw It on Mulberry Street. A number of publishers refused to publish it. They said it was too different , and it’s not worth publishing. A friend finally published it. Soon other successful books followed. Over the years, he wrote more than forty children’s books. They were fun to read. Yet his books sometimes dealt with serious subjects.
By the middle 1940s, Dr Seuss had become one of the best-loved and most successful writers of children’s books. He had a strong desire to help children. In 1954, Life magazine published a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children’s books weren’t interesting. Dr Seuss decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read.
In 1957, Dr Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 225 words to write the book. This was about the number of words a six-year-old should be able to read.
The story is about a cat who tries to entertain two children on a rainy day while their mother is away from home. The cat is not like normal cats. It talks. The book was an immediate success. It was an interesting story and was easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today many adults say it is still one of the stories they like best.What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．Some of Dr Seuss’ books for children. |
| B．What are Dr Seuss’s books mainly about? |
| C．Dr Seuss — a famous writer of children’s books. |
| D．Why are Dr Seuss’ books different? |
What do we know about Dr Seuss’s first book for children?
| A．It was Dr Seuss’ worst book. |
| B．It dealt with a very serious subject. |
| C．Neither children nor adults like it. |
| D．Many publishers didn’t take it seriously at first. |
How old was Dr Seuss when he wrote his first book ?
| A．30 | B．31 | C．32 | D．33 |
How did Dr Seuss help children according to Paragraph 3?
| A．By asking others to help them in magazines. |
| B．By writing interesting and simple books. |
| C．By changing his old books into simpler ones. |
| D．By giving them books for free. |
Adults most probably think that Dr Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat is _________
| A．interesting | B．serious | C．difficult | D．boring |
Pali Overnight Adventures offers children and teens exciting experiences this summer. From broadcasting to street art， these are just 4 of the 17 highly unique camps being offered.
Broadcasting Camp
Become the next star reporter， news writer， director or producer. While running every aspect of our own news station， kids and their follow campers will create and host a broadcast airing each night at dinner for the entire camp. Every night it goes on the web， keeping parents and the world informed of the happenings at Pali.
Secret Agent Camp
In the movie Mission Impossible， Tom Cruise made being a secret agent seem like the coolest job ever. Campers who sign up for the 2﹣week secret agent camp can get to know about the life of real secret agents by learning strategies and military skills on the paintball field.
Culinary Camp
If your child enjoys being in the kitchen，then the culinary camp is definitely the right fit. Campers learn technical skills of roasting， frying and cutting， as well as some recipes that they can take home and share with their families.
Street Art Camp
This camp takes creative license to an entirely new level. Campers will share their colorful ideas and imagination with each other and work together to visualize， sketch and paint with non﹣traditional techniques to create the coolest mural（壁画）which will be displayed in public for all to see.
（1）How many camps does Pali Overnight Adventures offer this summer？
| A． |
2. |
| B． |
4. |
| C． |
17. |
| D． |
21. |
（2）What will campers do at the Broadcasting Camp？
| A． |
Create a website. |
| B． |
Run a news station. |
| C． |
Meet a star reporter. |
| D． |
Hold a dinner party. |
（3）Which camp will attract children who are interested in cooking？
| A． |
Broadcasting Camp. |
| B． |
Secret Agent Camp. |
| C． |
Culinary Camp. |
| D． |
Street Art Camp. |
Certain forms of AI are indeed becoming ubiquitous. For example， algorithms （算法） carry out huge volumes of trading on our financial markets， self﹣driving cars are appearing on city streets， and our smartphones are translating from one language into another. These systems are sometimes faster and more perceptive than we humans are. But so far that is only true for the specific tasks for which the systems have been designed. That is something that some AI developers are now eager to change.
Some of today's AI pioneers want to move on from today's world of "weak" or "narrow" AI， to create "strong" or "full" AI， or what is often called artificial general intelligence （AGI）. In some respects， today's powerful computing machines already make our brains look weak. AGI could， its advocates say， work for us around the clock， and drawing on all available data， could suggest solutions to many problems. DM， a company focused on the development of AGI， has an ambition to "solve intelligence". "If we're successful，" their mission statement reads， "we believe this will be one of the most important and widely beneficial scientific advances ever made."
Since the early days of AI， imagination has outpaced what is possible or even probable. In 1965， an imaginative mathematician called Irving Good predicted the eventual creation of an "ultra﹣intelligent machine …that can far surpass all the intellectual （智力的） activities of any man， however clever." Good went on to suggest that "the first ultra﹣intelligent machine" could be "the last invention that man need ever make."
Fears about the appearance of bad， powerful， man﹣made intelligent machines have been reinforced （强化） by many works of fiction﹣Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and the Terminator film series， for example. But if A I does eventually prove to be our downfall， it is unlikely to be at the hands of human﹣shaped forms like these， with recognisably human motivations such as aggression （敌对行为）. Instead， I agree with Oxford University philosopher Nick Bostrom， who believes that the heaviest risks from AGI do not come from a decision to turn against mankind but rather from a dogged pursuit of set objectives at the expense of everything else.
The promise and danger of true AGI are great. But all of today's excited discussion about these possibilities presupposes the fact that we will be able to build these systems. And， having spoken to many of the world's foremost A I researchers， I believe there is good reason to doubt that we will see AGI any time soon， if ever.
（1）What does the underlined word "ubiquitous" in Paragraph 1 probably mean？
| A． |
Enormous in quantity. |
| B． |
Changeable daily. |
| C． |
Stable in quality. |
| D． |
Present everywhere. |
（2）What could AGI do for us， according to its supporters？
| A． |
Help to tackle problems. |
| B． |
Make brains more active. |
| C． |
Benefit ambitious people. |
| D． |
Set up powerful databases. |
（3）As for Irving Good's opinion on ultra﹣intelligent machines， the author is .
| A． |
supportive |
| B． |
disapproving |
| C． |
fearful |
| D． |
uncertain |
（4）What can be inferred about AGI from the passage？
| A． |
It may be only a dream. |
| B． |
It will come into being soon. |
| C． |
It will be controlled by humans. |
| D． |
It may be more dangerous than ever. |
For the past five years， Paula Smith， a historian of science， has devoted herself to re﹣creating long﹣forgotten techniques. While doing research for her new book， she came across a 16th﹣century French manuscript （手稿） consisting of nearly 1，000 sets of instructions， covering subjects from tool making to finding the best sand.
The author's intention remains as mysterious （神秘） as his name； he may have been simply taking notes for his own records. But Smith was struck mainly by the fact that she didn't truly grasp any of the skills the author described. "You simply can't get an understanding of that handwork by reading about it，" she says.
Though Smith did get her hands on the best sand， doing things the old﹣fashioned way isn't just about playing around with French mud. Reconstructing the work of the craftsmen （工匠） who lived centuries ago can reveal how they viewed the world， what objects filled their homes， and what went on in the workshops that produced them. It can even help solve present﹣day problems： In 2015， scientists discovered that a 10th﹣century English medicine for eye problems could kill a drug﹣resistant virus.
The work has also brought insights for museums， Smith says. One must know how an object was made in order to preserve it. What's more， reconstructions might be the only way to know what treasures looked like before time wore them down. Scholars have seen this idea in practice with ancient Greek and Roman statues. These sculptures were painted a rainbow of striking colours. We can't appreciate these kinds of details without seeing works of art as they originally appeared﹣ something Smith believes you can do only when you have a road map.
Smith has put the manuscript's ideas into practice. Her final goal is to link the worlds of art and science back together. She believes that bringing the old recipes to life can help develop a kind of learning that highlights experimentation， teamwork， and problem solving.
Back when science﹣then called "the new philosophy"﹣took shape， academics looked to craftsmen for help in understanding the natural world. Microscopes and telescopes were invented by way of artistic tinkering （修补）， as craftsmen experimented with glass to better bend light.
If we can rediscover the values of hands﹣on experience and craftwork， Smith says， we can marry the best of our modern insights with the handiness of our ancestors.
（1）How did Smith feel after reading the French manuscript？
| A． |
Confused about the technical terms. |
| B． |
Impressed with its detailed instructions. |
| C． |
Discouraged by its complex structure. |
| D． |
Shocked for her own lack of hand skills. |
（2）According to Smith， the reconstruction work is done mainly to .
| A． |
restore old workshops |
| B． |
understand the craftsmen |
| C． |
improve visual effects |
| D． |
inspire the philosophers |
（3）Why does the author mention museums？
| A． |
To reveal the beauty of ancient objects. |
| B． |
To present the findings of old science. |
| C． |
To highlight the importance of antiques. |
| D． |
To emphasise the values of hand skills. |
（4）Which would be the best title for this passage？
| A． |
Craftsmen Set the Trends for Artists |
| B． |
Craftsmanship Leads to New Theories |
| C． |
Craftsmanship Makes Better Scientists |
| D． |
Craftsmen Reshape the Future of Science |
Baggy has become the first dog in the UK﹣and potentially the world﹣to join the fight against air pollution by recording pollutant levels near the ground.
Baggy wears a pollution monitor on her collar so she can take data measurements close to the ground. Her monitor has shown that air pollution levels are higher closer to ground level， which has helped highlight concerns that babies and young kids may be at higher risk of developing lung problems.
Conventional air pollution monitors are normally fixed on lampposts at about nine feet in the air. However， since Baggy stands at about the same height as a child in a pushchair （婴儿车）， she frequently records pollution levels which are much higher than the data gathered by the Environment Agency.
The doggy data research was the idea of Baggy's 13﹣year﹣old owner Tom Hunt and his dad Matt. The English youngster noticed that pollution levels are around two﹣thirds higher close to the ground than they are in the air at the height where they are recorded by the agency. Tom has since reported the shocking findings to the government in an attempt to emphasise that babies are at higher risk of developing asthma （哮喘）.
Matt Hunt said he was "very proud" of his son because "when the boy gets an idea， he keeps his head down and gets on with it， and he really does want to do some good and stop young kids from getting asthma."
"Tom built up a passion for environmental protection at a very early age，" Matt added. "He became very interested in gadgets （小装置）. About one year ago， he got this new piece of tech which is like a test tube. One Sunday afternoon， we went out to do some monitoring， and he said， 'why don't we put it on Baggy's collar and let her monitor the pollution？' So we did it." Tom said， "Most of the time， Baggy is just like any other dog. But for the rest of the time she is a super dog， and we are all really proud of her."
（1）With a monitor on her collar， Baggy can .
| A． |
take pollutant readings |
| B． |
record pollutant levels |
| C． |
process collected data |
| D． |
reduce air pollution |
（2）What can we learn from the Baggy data？
| A． |
High places are free of air pollution. |
| B． |
Higher pushchairs are more risky for kids. |
| C． |
Conventional monitors are more reliable. |
| D． |
Air is more polluted closer to the ground. |
（3）What is Tom's purpose of doing the research？
| A． |
To warn of a health risk. |
| B． |
To find out pollution sources. |
| C． |
To test his new monitor. |
| D． |
To prove Baggy's abilities. |
（4）According to the passage， which word can best describe Tom Hunt？
| A． |
Modest. |
| B． |
Generous. |
| C． |
Creative. |
| D． |
Outgoing. |
Lancom is a worldwide language learning app and a leader in the online language learning industry with millions of active subscribers. We house a broad range of experts united by the common goal of creating the best language learning tools possible. With advice from AI specialists， art designers and culture researchers， our multi﹣language experts endow （赋予） Lancom with an enormous potential for innovation within the world of language learning. Our courses， totalling 20，000 hours of content in 20 different languages， guarantee you language skills you can use right away.
At the core of Lancom is a world﹣class effective method that enhances language learning with advanced technology. Examples and dialogues are recorded with real native speakers instead of automatic computers. Lancom trains your brain to learn efficiently， so you absorb more information while in the app and continue learning outside of it. The app makes our practical language lessons available wherever and whenever. We work directly for our learners， not for any third party. And it's all supported by an efficient customer service team， available through telephone， email and online chat.
Millions of learners have their own stories and their own reasons for learning a new language. Lancom cares about you and addresses your individual learning type. Lancom is the only product to offer courses tailored to your native language， building on grammar and words you already know. Our content is about real﹣life topics that are relevant because we know what matters to you is what sticks best. You will find it very rewarding to learn with Lancom.
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（1）Who can provide Lancom with a huge potential for innovation in learning？
| A． |
Culture researchers. |
| B． |
AI specialists. |
| C． |
Language experts. |
| D． |
Art designers. |
（2）What lies at the core of the Lancom app？
| A． |
A flexible system. |
| B． |
An effective method. |
| C． |
The brain﹣training technique. |
| D． |
The informative content. |
（3）Lancom claims that it is unique in its .
| A． |
personalised courses |
| B． |
multiple languages |
| C． |
pricing policy |
| D． |
service team |