The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream, years away from coming into reality in the real world. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless taxi services. California, it should be noted, isn't leading the way here. Companies have been testing their cars in cities across the country. It's hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology may change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is managed.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars, policymakers should be talking more about how self-driving cars can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions(排放)and offer more convenient and affordable choices to move around. The arrival of driverless cars is a chance to make sure that those cars are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy or even worsen the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own their self-driving cars. They accept long, slow journeys to and from work on crowded highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride. They take their driverless car to a date and set the empty car to circle the building to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport — an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing(网约车)services. Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless cars doesn't worsen the transportation system we have today. The coming technological development presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A. Self-driving cars are not allowed in the real world.
B. Driverless taxies will be seen everywhere on the road in a short term.
C. California is not alone in testing driverless cars.
D. Self-driving technology will definitely benefit transportation system.
2.According to the author, policymakers should pay more attention to __________.
A. how driverless cars can help deal with transportation-related problems
B. how driverless cars can travel safely
C. how driverless cars can travel faster
D. how driverless cars can move more people
3.What is a possible side effect of self-driving cars?
A. Journeys to and from work become longer.
B. More and more people abandon public transportation.
C. There is no place to park them.
D. They may result in traffic jams.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Preparing Cities for Robot Cars B. Future Technology Underway
C. Transportation System in the Future D. Robot Cars on the Road
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Around this time a few years ago, it was common to see videos of friends on social media having a bucket of icy water thrown on them. Known as the “ice bucket challenge”, it was created as a way to raise money for the medical condition ALS. But now, there’s a new challenge and this time, no water is involved.
What is it? Well, think of a fruit that you’d never normally sink your teeth into. Perhaps you’ve got it: a lemon. While we enjoy using lemons to add flavor to dishes, very few of us would actually eat one as we’d eat an apple or an orange.
But the horrible taste is the precise reason why the “lemon face challenge” is taking off. Participants bite into a lemon, taking a selfie as they do it before posting the photo online. The fun is all about expression people make as all that citric acid (柠檬酸) hits their taste buds (味蕾). Every expression seems to say, “This is worse than freezing water.”
The serious side to this trend is the good cause it’s all in aid of. The challenge aims to raise awareness of a rare brain cancer that affects young children. It was started by Aubregh Nicholas, an 11-year-old US kid. She was diagnosed with this rare brain cancer herself in September 2017, but has since raised almost $50000 to cover her medical expenses thanks to the challenge.
If a challenge is going to raise publicity and contributions from people, it has to be something interesting and original. That way the ice bucket challenge took off in 2014 and it explains why so many people are now sharing their lemon faces. There are a lot of stories about the downside of social media these days. The charity challenges, however, show how online culture can unite the world and bring help to the people who most need it.
1.Why is the icy bucket challenge mentioned in the article?
A. To show how charity gained its popularity online.
B. To introduce a similar challenge that raises money for charity.
C. To attract people’s attention to a rare disease.
D. To prove its popularity around the world.
2.Compared with the pre-Internet charity, what is the advantage of online charity?
A. It raises more money than ever before.
B. It is started by the people who suffer rare diseases.
C. It brings people together easily and quickly.
D. It causes little doubt among people.
3.What does the underlined phrase “take off’ in the last paragraph mean?
A. Go away suddenly. B. Become successful and popular.
C. Remove your clothes. D. Take a break.
4.What is the author’s attitude towards online charity?
A. Positive. B. Indifferent.
C. Negative. D. Ambiguous.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
The Healthy Habits Survey shows that only about one third of American seniors have correct habits. Here are some findings and expert advice.
1. How many times did you brush your teeth yesterday?
Finding: A full 33% of seniors brush their teeth only once a day.
Step: Remove the 300 types of bacteria in your mouth each morning with a battery-operated toothbrush. Brush gently for 2 minutes, at least twice a day.
2. How many times did you wash your hands or bathe yesterday?
Finding: Seniors, on average, bathe fewer than 3 days a week. And nearly 30% wash their hands only 4 times a day---half of the number which doctors recommend.
Step: We touch our faces around 3,000 times a day-often inviting germs（病菌）to enter our mouth, nose, and eyes. Use toilet paper to avoid touching the door handle. And, most important, wash your hands often with hot running water and soap for 20 seconds.
3. How often do you think about fighting germs?
Finding: Seniors are not fighting germs as well as they should.
Step: Do you know it is not your toilet but your kitchen sponge（海绵）that can carry more germs than anything else? To kill these germs, keep your sponge in the microwave for 10 seconds.
1.What is found out about American seniors?
A. About one third of them brush their teeth only once a day.
B. Most of them have good habits.
C. Nearly 30% of them bathe three days a week.
D. All of them are fighting germs better than expected.
2.Doctors suggest that people should wash their hands .
A. eight times a day B. three times a day
C. four times a day D. twice a day
3.Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. We should keep from touching our faces.
B. There are less than 300 types of bacteria in the mouth.
C. We should wash our hands before touching a door handle.
D. A kitchen sponge can carry more germs than a toilet.
4.The text probably comes from .
A. a guide book B. a book review
C. a popular magazine D. an official document （文件）
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
As technology develops, school students who are off class may have no fear of too much absence from class. A small robot may help those children recovering from a long-term illnesses in the hospital or at home. These children may feel isolated from their friends and classmates. The robot takes their place at school. Through the robot, the children can hear their teachers and friends. They also can take part in class from wherever they are recovering.
Anyone who has had a long term illness knows that recovering at home can be lonely. This can be especially true of children. They may feel left out. Now these children may have a high-tech friend to feel less alone. And that friend is a robot. The robot is called AV1. AV1 goes to school for a child who is at home while recovering from a long-term illness. And the child’s school friends must help. They carry the robot between classes and place the robot on the child’s desk.
A Norwegian company called No isolation created the robot. The co-founders of No Isolation are Karen Dolva and Marius Aabel. Dolva explains how the robot AV1 works. She says, from home, the child uses a tablet or phone to start the robot. Then they use the same device（设备）to control the robot’s movements. At school, the robot becomes the eyes, ears and voice of the child. The child can take part in classroom activities from wherever she/he is recovering-whether at home or from a hospital bed. The robot is equipped with speakers, microphones and cameras make communicating easy.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “isolated”?
A. to be difficult to deal with B. to be away from
C. to be unhappy or feel sorrow D. to be hopeful
2.What can we know about AV1?
A. It can go to school on its own. B. It is small and looks like a kid.
C. It can replace children to attend classes. D. It was created by Dolva and Aabel.
3.How are the movements of AV1 controlled?
A. By using a tablet or phone. B. By joining in classroom activities.
C. Through a small speaker. D. Through a small camera.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Recently I understood the true meaning of love. The ______ was Kane, my neighbor Joline’s two-year-old son.
Kane was born with a physical problem on his ______ . And I witnessed（目睹）the______ that Kane’s physical shortcomings had on his family. I also witnessed much more than that. I saw a ______ family that embraced（拥抱）this special child. A family that wouldn’t allow Kane to know he was______ . Joline had constructed a small cart手推车just a few inches off the floor for his son to ______ . Kane used his hands to move about, and the cart______ him to “go to” any place just as everyone else was able to do. Kane was not just a member of the family, but the______ of the family.
With a wide smile, it was easy to see that even at the age of two, Kane liked to ______ with people very much. With wisdom of an individual, this boy even _____ the most complex of human emotions. Later I came to _______ that this child was sent to help some of us who weren’t just getting what love was all about.
Kane demanded attention, _____ not because of his mobility（移动能力）challenges or other apparent shortcomings. In his mind, he had no_____ or shortcomings. The_____ was that he received attention because he was alive and real and had so much to offer.
Kane _____ me in a deep way. His ability to refuse to be different has _____ me. Kane was and is _____ lots of warm and powerful energy to me. From him and his family I learnt the _____: love surpasses（超越）all things. I can only imagine that as the parent of a child like Kane one might be filled with____. But I believe that having a child like Kane is actually a(n) _____. The parents of such special babies are angels too, just as the babies are.
1.A. problem B. reason C. matter D. pressure
2.A. hands B. eyes C. legs D. arms
3.A. effect B. comment C. demand D. look
4.A. similar B. wonderful C. practical D. fair
5.A. irregular B. difficult C. different D. terrible
6.A. go ahead B. speed up C. turn out D. get around
7.A. invited B. allowed C. advised D. caused
8.A. symbol B. signal C. center D. mark
9.A. communicate B. compare C. agree D. compete
10.A. reminded B. understood C. discovered D. trusted
11.A. recognize B. experience C. imagine D. realize
12.A. and B. or C. but D. as
13.A. challenges B. expectations C. promises D. chances
14.A. goal B. result C. possibility D. truth
15.A. touched B. stopped C. caught D. kept
16.A. puzzled B. shocked C. amused D. inspired
17.A. even B. yet C. still D. almost
18.A. lesson B. subject C. notice D. skill
19.A. excitement B. determination C. anger D. anxiety
20.A. ability B. advantage C. problem D. exception
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My summer travel started terribly. I was at the Shanghai Railway Station buy a Ticket to Hangzhou. I was going to visit a friend here and after that I would go to Xiamen for long holiday. I bought my ticket but turned around to pick up my bag from the floor and then I realized that someone had stolen it. Luckily I had all my money on my pocket, but the only clothes I had was those I had on. It felt very strange to travel without any luggages. When I finally arrived at my friend, he lent to me lots of clothes. I feel very happy that I could change my clothes at last.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
假定你是李华，你的美国网友Tim向你询问中国高中生寒假的有关情况。请发一封电子邮件向他简单加以介绍。
内容主要包括：
1．假期的具体时间(1月15日至2月24日)；
2．丰富的假期活动(运动、娱乐、学习、参加社会活动等)；
3．你的寒假计划。
注意：1．词数100个左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．邮件的开头和结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
参考词汇：social activities社交活动
Dear Tim，
I’m glad to receive your letter．
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Best regards．
Li Hua
难度: 简单查看答案及解析