A team of researchers from Oxford University has demonstrated a self-driving car that is different from such cars being tested by Audi, Ford, etc. It’ s much cheaper because it’s based on off-the-shelf(现成的) technology and controlled by an ordinary iPad. Instead of using GPS to understand the location, the car learns routes when a person is driving, and then asks after it’s got it down, if the driver would like the computer to take over.
As time passes, it’s becoming very clear that people believe computers would be better drivers than humans. This has been proven by extensive research that indicates that computers are able to react more quickly to driving conditions, make smarter decisions, don’t take risks, and don’t make mistakes in concentration. They don’t drink either, of course, which means accidents due to drunk driving could be reduced dramatically if the computer could take over when someone needs to get home from the bar. And the team says drivers don’t need their cars to know everything about every road, condition or possible danger. Instead, they just need to know how to get from one point to another, and to do a good job of it when asked.
To that end, the researchers have added cameras, lasers, a central computer to process information and a regular iPad. In practice, the car would learn how to get to and from places that the driver frequents, such as their work place, the local pub or grocery store. Once it has it down, the computer asks the driver if they’ d like a rest. If so, they simply tap the iPad, and the car takes over.
It’ s very simple and doesn’t require nearly the same number of devices as those being tested by other car companies. The researchers say people might be able to get the total price of the system below a hundred dollars. And of course, the iPad can be lifted out and carried away for other purposes when not being used as a driver assistant.The car tested by Oxford University are different from others in that they ________.
| A．use available low-cost technology |
| B．depend on GPS to understand the location |
| C．can choose the places for their owners to visit |
| D．can develop a good relationship with their owners |
Computers are believed to be better drivers than humans mainly because they ________.
| A．are more likely to take risks |
| B．are more familiar with every road |
| C．become more skilful at avoiding dangers |
| D．can respond to new situations more quickly |
We can infer from the passage that the iPad __________.
| A．cannot be removed from cars when it’s not used |
| B．has replaced cameras, lasers and a central computer |
| C．needs to be specially designed for a self-driving car |
| D．acts as a tool for drivers to control their self-driving cars |
What best describes the author’s tone in this passage?
| A．Objective. | B．Worried. |
| C．Serious | D．Subjective. |
In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?
| A．Opinion | B．Fashion | C．Technology | D．Education |
Trees are useful to man in three important ways: they give him wood and other useful things, they give him cool places, and they help to stop drought and flood.
Unluckily, in many parts of the world, man has not found that the third of these points is the most important. Man wants to make money from trees, so he has cut them down in large numbers, only to find that without them he has lost the best friends he had. And also, he is usually too careless to plant and look after new trees. So the forests slowly disappear.
This does not only mean that man will have fewer trees. The results are even worse: for where there are trees, their roots break up soil---make the rain in ---and also bind（凝固） the soil, thus stopping it from being washed away easily; but where there are no trees, the rain falls on hard ground and flows away, causing floods and carrying away the rich top-soil. When all the topsoil is gone, nothing is left but useless desert.The most important points of trees to man is ________.
| A．they help him to make money |
| B．they give him cool |
| C．they give him wood and other things |
| D．they help him to stop drought and floods |
In many places forests slowly disappear because ________ .
| A．many trees have been cut down by man |
| B．new trees are not well looked after |
| C．man has not paid enough attention to planting trees |
| D．all the above |
Land becomes desert after all trees are cut down because ________ .
| A．roots of trees break up the soil |
| B．there are too many rainfalls |
| C．strong winds bring a lot of sand |
| D．there are no longer trees to keep the rain and protect the top-soil. |
Which title best fits the passage?
| A．Trees and Man |
| B．The Function of Tree Wood |
| C．How do People do with Trees? |
| D．The Usage of Tree Roots |
What can we learn from the passage ?
| A．Almost all forests are destroyed. |
| B．Most of the land on the earth has become desert . |
| C．We should take measures to stop the forests from being cut down in large numbers. |
| D．Trees can bring fresh air . |
Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire. When the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the "Grand Tour" was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The "Grand Tour" was an important part of young people's education-but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to "take the waters". They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s, it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays at the seaside. Some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to faraway countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything-plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food-and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour (包办旅行) and modern tourism industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949. But tourism did not take off until 1978. In 2002, the industry was worth 500 billion yuan and became an important part of China's social development.In the early times, the travelers _______ .
| A．all came from China |
| B．were very young and strong |
| C．had lots of money |
| D．traveled by boat |
_______ played the most important role in the tourism development.
| A．Education | B．Money |
| C．Transportation | D．People's ideas |
According to the passage , which of the following is right ?
| A．Money played the most important role in the tourism development . |
| B．In the 20 th century, people preferred traveling by sea to traveling by air. |
| C．China’s tourism did not take off until 1949. |
| D．In 2002 , the tourism industry became an important part of China’s social development. |
Modern tourism industry was born _______
| A．in 1949 |
| B．in Roman times |
| C．in the early 17th century |
| D．in the 19th century |
The underlined phrase "take off" means _______ .
| A．rise into the air | B．develop very fast |
| C．remove hats and clothes | D．bring down the prices |
Do you want to get home from work knowing you have made a real difference in someone's life? If yes. don't care about sex or age! Come and join us, then you'll make it!
Position: Volunteer Social Care Assistant
(No Pay with Free Meals)
Place: Manchester
Hours: Part Time
We are now looking for volunteers to support people with learning disabilities to live active lives! Only 4 days left. Don't miss the chance of lending your warm hands to help others!
Role:
You will provide people with learning disabilities with all aspects of their daily lives. You will help them to develop new skills. You will help them to protect their rights and their safety. But your primary concern is to let them know they are valued.
Skills and Experience Required:
You will have the right values and great listening skills. You will be honest and patient. You will have the ability to drive a car and to communicate in fluent written and spoken English since you'll have to help those people with different learning disabilities. Previous care-related experience will be a great advantage for you.The text is meant to ______ .
| A．leave a note | B．send an invitation |
| C．present a document | D．carry an advertisement |
What does the underlined part mean?
| A．You'll make others' lives more meaningful with this job. |
| B．You'll arrive home just in time from this job. |
| C．You'll earn a good salary from this job. |
| D．You'll succeed in getting this job. |
The volunteers' primary responsibility is to help people with learning disabilities ______ .
| A．to get some financial support |
| B．to properly protect themselves |
| C．to learn some new living skills |
| D．to realize their own importance |
As a volunteer social care Assistant ,he will play many roles in helping people with learning disabilities EXCEPT__________
| A．He will help people with learning disabilities to develop new skills . |
| B．He will protect their rights and safety . |
| C．He will make them know their value. |
| D．He can take care of children and family . |
Which of the following can first be chosen as a volunteer?
| A．The one who can drive a car. |
| B．The one who has done similar work before. |
| C．The one who has patience to listen to others. |
| D．The one who can use English to communicate. |
A 8.2-magnitude（震级）earthquake struck off the coast of northern Chile late on Tuesday, cutting power and leading to small landslides and a tsunami (海啸). Four men and one woman died —two who suffered heart attacks and three who were crushed（压死). About 300 prisoners escaped from the northern port city of Iquique in the immediate aftershock (余震).
The quake struck at about 8:46 p.m. local time, some 60 miles northwest of Iquique. It had a depth of 12.5 miles. Chile’s National Emergency Office asked coastal residents to leave for safe places. “The fact is, we will know the extent of the damage as time goes by and when we inspect the areas in the light of day,” Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet said early on Wednesday. “The country has faced these first emergency hours very well.”
Residents in the port city of Antofagasta walked calmly through the streets to higher ground as traffic became heavy in some places. “Many people are fearful after experiencing the powerful earthquake in 2010, so they immediately rushed to higher ground when they heard the tsunami warning,” said a government official.”There have been lots of aftershocks and communications have been cut off in many of the affected areas. So people are waiting in the dark hills, not knowing what is to come, and hoping they will be able to return to their homes safely.”
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center sent our several tsunami warnings, but called off all of them by early Wednesday.
Tsunami waves of more than six feet caused by the earthquake washed ashore on the coast of Pisagua. Iquique, with a population of more than 200,000, saw seven-foot waves.The earthquake resulted in _____.
| A．300 prisoners being trapped |
| B．five people being crushed |
| C．many cars being damaged |
| D．some other natural disasters happening |
How did the whole country respond to the earthquake when it happened?
| A．They were so fearful that they were in a panic. |
| B．They went into the streets immediately. |
| C．They acted very calmly. |
| D．They drove to higher ground after hearing the warning. |
What difficulty did people in the hills face?
| A．The weather was terrible. |
| B．The communications were cut off. |
| C．They got lost in the hills. |
| D．Their houses were destroyed. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true, according to the passage?
| A．The government had estimated（估计）the damage of the earthquake by early Wednesday. |
| B．The tsunami waves in Pisagua were more than six feet high. |
| C．Several tsunami warnings had been called off by early Wednesday. |
| D．The earthquake happened in the evening and it had a depth of 12.5 miles. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Chile Deals with Emergency Well. |
| B．Tsunamis Caused by Aftershocks in Chile. |
| C．A Powerful Earthquake Strikes off the Coast of Chile. |
| D．Tsunami Warnings Work Well in Chile.. |
Where can you find a nice place to relax on holiday for both you and your children? Well, I suggest you try the beautiful and green Isle of Wight (IOW). The Isle of Wight is one of the main tourist attractions. Here is some information on a few of the attractions on the IOW.
Dinosaur Isle
It is located in Sandown, a seaside town on the southeast coast. It's a large, lovely museum, both fun and educational. Here you can see a large fossil collection of all kinds of dinosaurs, as well as a gift shop. You can walk into the past and then the future, learning about the history and the development of the civilization of dinosaurs that lived 120 million years ago.
Robin Hill Country Park
The park is in the beautiful countryside, and is suitable for children's parties and games. It has five new gardens, and offers great opportunities to see and take pictures of the rare red squirrels.
The West of the Wight
Here we have the Marine Aquarium, the Archaeology Exhibition and the Model Railway. They offer another opportunity to combine entertainment (娱乐) with learning. This is a great place to see ancient boats crossing the narrow strait between the island and the mainland.
The Wight Bus Museum
This museum is run completely by unpaid volunteers. It has a bus collection stored in what was once a warehouse (仓库) . Most of the buses in the museum date back to around the 1910's.
With all of these choices, what are you waiting for? IOW Tourism welcomes you!Where can you visit the dinosaur museum?
| A．In the west of the isle. |
| B．In a seaside town. |
| C．In the beautiful countryside. |
| D．On the northeast coast. |
Where can you learn something as well as have a good time?
| A．Dinosaur Isle and Robin Hill Country Park. |
| B．The Wight Bus Museum and Robin Hill Country Park. |
| C．The Wight Bus Museum and the West of the Wight. |
| D．Dinosaur Isle and the West of the Wight. |
We can learn from the passage that ____.
| A．those running the Wight Bus Museum work for free |
| B．on Dinosaur Isle we can learn about all kinds of animals |
| C．there are five new gardens on Dinosaur Isle |
| D．the Wight Bus Museum can be visited free of charge |
The purpose of this passage is to ____.
| A．attract readers to come to the IOW |
| B．tell readers what is worth visiting |
| C．show the development of tourism on the IOW |
| D．advise readers how to relax on holidays |
You can read this article in a ______.
| A．science journal | B．book review |
| C．travel magazine | D．film advertisement |