People in several American states may be surprised to see cars on city streets without a driver. Experimental driverless vehicles now are legal in Florida, Nevada and California. They are pointing the way to a future that is not far down the road. The high-tech company Google has a number of self-driving cars, which had covered 480,000 kilometers by August. Volvo is among the companies doing road tests and says it plans to sell driverless cars by 2020.
In September, California Governor Jerry Brown signed an act to allow autonomous vehicles on the roads of his state. “Today we’re looking at science fiction becoming tomorrow's reality-the driverless car. ” The technology for these cars includes cameras, radar and motion sensors. The systems have been improved through competitions sponsored by the U. S. government agency DARPA. Engineer Richard Mason of the Rand Corporation helped design driverless vehicles for DARPA challenge races.
Cars have become much more fuel-efficient, and new electronic features are' making Hondas safer, said Angie Nucci of Honda America. “A camera on the passenger-side mirror actually engaged on your guiding screen so you can safely change lanes. ” Other safety features include warning systems on the front and the sides of the cars. These systems help drivers , but don’t replace them. Curator Leslie Kendall of the Petersen Automotive Museum said autonomous cars will make the high ways safer．
“By taking out drivers, you also remove most risks of an accident, ”Kendall said. He said , “Consumers, however, may be unwilling to lose control. It may take them time to come to realize that the technology is indeed reliable, but it will have to prove itself first. ”
Mason said the technology already works and the biggest challenge now is getting down the cost for driverless vehicles from hundreds of thousands of dollars to something more affordable. He said this will happen as the technology is improved.According to the passage, California Governor Jerry Brown ______________.
| A．is for the idea of having driverless cars |
| B．sponsored the DARPA competition to improve the driverless system |
| C．has already bought a new autonomous car |
| D．thinks that driving safety is the most important issue in his state |
What is the role of the systems mentioned in Paragraph 3?
| A．They can help cars run much faster. |
| B．They can take the place of drivers now. |
| C．They can make cars run without fuel. |
| D．They can help people drive more safely. |
In Kendall’s opinion, who probably don’t rely on the driverless cars at first?
| A．managers in the high-tech company Google |
| B．officers from the U. S. government agency DARPA |
| C．car consumers |
| D．vehicle designers |
According to Richard Mason, what is the biggest challenge for driverless cars?
| A．They need to have more comfortable seats . |
| B．They are now too expensive for consumers. |
| C．They are travelling at a low speed. |
| D．They are not favored by car racers |
Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan sees an epidemic (流行病) sweeping across America’s farmland. It has little to do with the usual challenges, such as flood, rising fuel prices and crop-eating insects. The country’s farmers are getting older, and there are fewer people standing in line to take their place. National agricultural census (普查) figures show that the fastest-growing group of farmers is the part over 65. Merrigan is afraid the average age will be even higher when the 2012 statistics are completed.
Merrigan, a former college professor, is making stops at universities across the country in hopes of encouraging more students to think about careers in agriculture. Aside from trying to stop the graying of America’s farmers, her work is made tougher by a recent blog posting that put agriculture at No. 1 on a list of “useless” college degrees. Top federal agriculture officials are talking about the posting, and it has the attention of agricultural organizations across the country.
“There couldn’t be anything that’s more incorrect,” Merrigan said. “We know that there aren’t enough qualified graduates to fill the jobs that are out there in American agriculture.”
In addition, a growing world population that some experts predict will require 70% more food production by 2050, she said.
“I truly believe we’re at a golden age of agriculture. Global demand is at an all-time record high, and global supplies are at all-time record lows,” said Matt Rush, director of the Texas Farm Bureau. “Production costs are going to be valuable enough that younger people are going to have the opportunity to be involved in agriculture.”
The Department of Agriculture has programs aimed at developing more farmers and at increasing interest in locally grown food. The National Young Farmers’ Coalition has also been pushing for state and federal policy changes to make it easier for new farmers.
Ryan Best, president of Future Farmers of America, has been living out of a suitcase, traveling the country and visiting with high school students about careers in agriculture. The 21-year-old Best hopes his message—that this is a new time in agriculture—will motivate the next generation to turn around the statistics. “Never before have we had the innovations (创新) in technology which have led to agriculture in this country being the most efficient it has ever been,” he said. “There’s really a place for everybody to fit in.”What is the new challenge to American agriculture?
| A．Fewer and older farmers. | B．Higher fuel prices. |
| C．More natural disasters. | D．Lower agricultural output. |
Why is Merrigan visiting universities across the country?
| A．To draw federal agriculture officials’ attention. |
| B．To select qualified agriculture graduates. |
| C．To clarify a recent blog posting. |
| D．To talk more students into farming careers. |
According to Matt Rush, American agriculture will provide opportunities for younger people
because__________..
| A．the government will cover production costs |
| B．global food supplies will be even lower |
| C．investment in agriculture will be profitable |
| D．America will increase its food export |
What do the underlined words “to turn around the statistics” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．To re-analyze the result of the national census. |
| B．To increase agricultural production. |
| C．To bring down the average age of farmers. |
| D．To invest more in agriculture. |
According to the survey, people left alone on a desert island would most want their ________.
| A．MP3 player | B．dog | C．spouse/ partner | D．celebrity |
Which of the following is true about George Clooney?
| A．He has been trained in wilderness survival. |
| B．He may not be able to help you survive. |
| C．He does not think Roseane is beautiful. |
| D．He is the choice of most South African women. |
The survey results are analyzed in terms of the respondents’ __________.
| A．sex, age and nationality | B．race, nationality and sex |
| C．marriage, age and race | D．age, sex and marriage |
Oh, the things that I should see if I had the power of sight for just three days!
The first day would be a busy one. I should call to me all my dear friends and look long into their faces, imprinting(铭记) upon my mind the outward evidences of the beauty that is within them, I should let my eyes rest, too, on the face of a baby, so that I could catch a vision of the eager, innocent beauty which precedes the individual's consciousness of the conflicts which life develops.
And I should like to look into the loyal, trusting eyes of my dogs--the serious, clever little Scottie, Darkie, and the strong, understanding Great Dane, Helga, whose warm, tender, and playful friendships are so comforting to me.
On that busy first day I should also view the small simple things of my home. I want to see the warm colors in the carpets under my feet, the pictures on the walls, the lovely small furniture that transforms a house into home. My eyes would rest respectfully on the books in dot-raised type which I have read, but they would be more eagerly interested in the printed books which seeing people can read, for during the long night of my life the books I have read and those which have been read to me have built themselves into a great shining lighthouse, showing me the deepest channels of human life and the human spirit.
In the afternoon of that first seeing day, I should take a long walk in the woods and intoxicate (使陶醉) my eyes on the beauties of the world of Nature trying desperately to absorb in a few hours the vast brilliance which is presenting itself to those who can see. On the way home from my woodland trip, my path would lie close to a farm so that I might see the patient horses ploughing in the field and the peaceful content of men living close to the soil. And I should pray for the glory of a colorful sunset.
When dusk had fallen, I should experience the double delight of being able to see by artificial light which the genius of man has created to extend the power of his sight when Nature brings darkness.
In the night of that first day of sight, I should not be able to sleep, so full would be my mind of the memories of the day!
(by Helen Keller)
| What Helen Keller would do on the first day (1) _________ given three days to see |
|
| In the morning |
● Look long into the faces of all her dear friends so that she would never (2) _______ the evidences of their beauty. ● Catch a vision of the eager, innocent beauty of a baby by resting her eyes on his face. ● Look into the loyal, trusting eyes of her (3) _________ ● View the small simple things of her home such as warm colors, pictures, trifles. ● Fix her eyes with (4)_____ on the books in raised type she has read and the printed books for seeing people with interest. |
| In the afternoon |
● (5) _________ in the woods; intoxicate her eyes on the beauties of the world of Nature and absorb in a few hours the vast brilliance of the world. ● Walk (6) ________ a farm, see the patient horses ploughing in tile field and the peaceful content of men living close to the soil. ● Pray for the glory of a colorful sunset. |
| In the (7)_______ |
Experience the double delight of being able to see, (8)___________ by man-made light. |
| At night |
(9) _________ to sleep, so full would be her mind of the memories of the day! |
| From the passage we know in spite of her (10)____________ Helen Keller was still full of love for life. |
A good brand agency (代理) can create for you a brand identity (身份) of your products. Having the best agency to help with your business, no matter how small, can be one of the biggest steps you can take in letting the world know and get familiar with your products and brands.
Brand agencies work hand in hand with the company in advertising the brand and its products. The company has to tell the agency how they would like the public to see their products. The agency then talks with the company about the progress of the brand in the market.
Working with brand agencies is a two-way street. When the company is happy and satisfied with how the agency has advertised the brand, the trust the company has in the agency grows. Similarly, when the agency does well in its work, the company’s brand and products get good ideas from buyers and the market.
Regarding the identity of the brand, agencies can help a lot in this aspect. For a brand to have a lasting influence on the buyers, an identity of the brand needs to be formed. If the brand is good, then buyers will feel at ease (轻松自在) buying the products of this brand. We can learn from the text that the best agency is necessary for business EXCEPT for ______.
| A．letting customers know about the products |
| B．earning money directly from the products |
| C．helping create brand identities for the products |
| D．helping the brand have a lasting influence on customers |
The text is mainly written for ______.
| A．customers | B．salesmen | C．researchers | D．managers |
What’s the writer’s purpose of writing this text?
| A．To explain the meaning of teamwork. |
| B．To introduce the importance of a brand agency. |
| C．To tell the roles of the salesmen. |
| D．To describe how to run the company. |
What’s the writer’s attitude towards the brand agency?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Worried. | D．Disapproving. |
What’s the most important thing for you to have in your life? Somebody mentions hard-work, others suggest knowledge, love and luck.
If you arrange the 26 English letters alphabetically(按字母表的顺序)and use numbers to represent each of them, for example, 1 for a, 2 for b, 3 for c…, you can change an English word into a number. So hard-work becomes 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11="98," meaning 98 is its mark; knowledge: 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5="96," while love :12+15+22+5="54," and luck : 12+21+3+11="47," a small mark. None of these words can give one a full mark. What about money or prayer(祈祷)? They can’t , either.
Then what else? Don’t be worried. You can always find an answer to a problem in your life, when you change your way of looking at things or doing things, or your attitude(态度).Yes, attitude is the word. See for yourself: attitude:1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5=100，a full mark.
Different attitudes lead to different courses of life. Most times people hope for a better life. It is possible that one will have a change for the better after one has changed one’s attitude.
When you change your manner and became friendly towards others, you’ll meet more smiling faces towards you. In the same way, if you take a positive(积极地)attitude towards failure(失败),you’ll find it’s also rewarding though it has caused you losses.In the writer’s opinion , what is the most important things in a person’s life?
| A．Hard-work. | B．Knowledge. | C．Money. | D．Attitude. |
According to the passage, if you meet with problems, the best way out is to _________.
| A．ask for help from others | B．say your prayers to God |
| C．change your attitude | D．try maths-solving methods |
From the passage we can learn that ______________.
| A．diffrent attitudes come from different courses of life. |
| B．mathematics can solve every problem easily in our daily life |
| C．failure sometimes can bring you good if you take a positive attitude |
| D．none of the English words except “attitude” equals to 100 or more |