Computers are very important to modern life. Many people think that in the future computers will be used in lots of everyday life. It is thought that we won’t have to go shopping because we will be able to get most things which are sold in shops on the Internet. There will be no more books because we will be able to get all texts from computers. The Internet will be used to play games, see films and buy food. Most telephone calls will be made by computers, too.
Some people are glad about these new ways of shopping and communicating. Others do not think that computers will replace our old ways.
Let’s look at books, for example. Some people think that one day we will not read books made of paper. Instead, we will buy and read books using computers. We will read texts on small pocket computers. The computers will keep many different books in them at the same time. We won’t need to turn lots of pages and paper will be saved. Computerized(计算机化) books will be used more and more.
Is Internet shopping such a pleasure as going to the shop? Many people say it is not. It is a pleasure to go into shops and look at things you want to buy. It is also unlikely that many people will want to read large texts on our computers. Because paper books will perhaps be more friendly. Maybe computers won’t change these two habits.In paragraph 1 it is thought people will use computers for ___.
| A．playing games, shopping and making telephone calls |
| B．making telephone calls, having meals and seeing films |
| C．seeing films, buying food, and going for holidays |
| D．playing games, making telephone calls and seeing the doctor |
Which reason for using computerizes books is NOT said in the passage?
| A．Computerized books won’t be very expensive. |
| B．Computers can keep many different books in them. |
| C．We won’t have lots of pages. |
| D．We won’t need any paper. |
Paragraph 4 tells ___.
| A．about the old and new ways of shopping and communicating |
| B．if the Internet will change our habits |
| C．about computerized books |
| D．about future uses of computers |
The title for this passage is ___ .
| A．Computers will replace shops and books |
| B．Computers are the future |
| C．Computers will do everything for man |
| D．How computers change our habits |
The end of the school year was in sight and spirits were high. I was back teaching after an absence of 15 years， dealing with the various kinds of "forbidden fruit" that come out of book bags. Now was the spring of the water pistol （手枪）.
I decided to think up a method of dealing with forbidden fruit.
"Please bring that pistol to me，" I said."I'm going to put it in my Grandma's Box."
"What's that？" they asked.
"It's a large wooden chest full of toys for my grandchildren，" I replied.
"You don't have grandchildren，" someone said.
"I don't now，" I replied. "But someday I will. When I do，my box will be full of wonderful things for them."
My imaginary Grandma's Box worked like magic that spring， and later. Sometimes students would ask me to describe all the things I had in it. Then I would try to remember the different possessions I supposedly had taken away ﹣ since I seldom actually kept them. Usually the offenderwould appear at the end of the day，and I would return the belonging.
The years went by， and my first grandchild Gordon was born. I shared my joy with that year's class. Then someone said， "Now you can use your Grandma's Box." From then on，instead of coming to ask their possessions back， the students would say，"That's okay. Put it in your Grandma's Box for Gordon."
I loved talking about the imaginary box， not only with my students but also with my own children. They enjoyed hearing about all the forbidden fruit I had collected. Then one Christmas I received a surprise gift ﹣ a large， beautifully made wooden chest. My son Bruce had made my Grandma's Box a reality.
（1）What was the author's purpose in having the conversation with the students？
| A． |
To collect the water pistol. |
| B． |
To talk about her grandchildren. |
| C． |
To recommend some toys. |
| D． |
To explain her teaching method. |
（2）What do the underlined words"the offender" in paragraph 8 refer to？
| A． |
The student's parent. |
| B． |
The maker of the Grandma's Box. |
| C． |
The author's grandchild. |
| D． |
The owner of the forbidden fruit. |
（3）What did the students do after they learned about the birth of Gordon？
| A． |
They went to play with the baby. |
| B． |
They asked to see the Grandma's Box. |
| C． |
They made a present for Gordon. |
| D． |
They stopped asking their toys back. |
（4）What can we infer about the author？
| A． |
She enjoys telling jokes. |
| B． |
She is a strict and smart teacher. |
| C． |
She loves doing woodwork. |
| D． |
She is a responsible grandmother. |
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. |
