Instant Expert: Artificial Intelligence
Like it or not, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is starting to influence your life. Machines that have learned how to perform a task-or a huge range of tasks-better than humans are proving to be an invaluable resource. Join our speakers on a journey through the fascinating world of AI and give your own intelligence and instant upgrade.
Speakers:
Michael Veale, Lecturer in digital rights and regulation at University College London
Nello Cristianini, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Bristol
Lydia Nicholls, Researcher and writer
Helmut Hauser, Senior Lecturer in Robotics at the University of Bristol
Aleksandra Berditchevskaia, Nesta Senior Researcher at the Center for Collective Intelligence
Benefits of attending:
Become an expert one day
Open your mind, be inspired
What's included in your ticket:
In depth talks from leading AI researchers
Ask-an-expert Question Time session
Sandwich lunch, plus morning and afternoon refreshments
Exclusive Instant Expert certificate
Exclusive New Scientist subscription deal
Book information:
The event will be held in the Knowledge Center Auditorium, the British Library
Doors will be open at 9:15 am, with talks starting at 10 am as sharp. The event will finish at 5pm.
The schedule/exact running order for the day will be confirmed closed to the event, and will
be emailed to all ticket holders.
Should you require details about disabled access, please contact us at: live@newscientist.com.
Tickets:
Early bird: Save ￡ 20
Standard ticket:￡ 149
Student ticket:￡ 99-Limited Availability
1.The attraction of the event lies in the fact that it_
A.Provides three hot meals
B.gifts one copy of Lydia Nicholls' book
C.gives magazine subscribers free services
D.arranges particular interaction with experts
2.How much should a farther pay if he buys tickets for himself and his 15-year-old daughter?
A.￡ 119 B.￡ 169
C.￡ 288 D.￡ 248
3.The purpose of the passage is to
A.try to persuade us to enjoy AI
B.tell us about the influence of Al
C.attract us to join in an event of AI
D.inform us of the information about AI
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Imagine turning on the GPS and seeing an image of your car from above. As the car drives, the map follows along in real time, informing you of any traffic, pedestrians, animals or other things nearby. Routes and names of road appear over the live stream. It's like the map has come to life.
This type of map isn't available yet. But it could be very soon. In 2014, the WorldView-3 satellite was sent into space. Even though it orbits Earth at more than 370 miles (600km) away, it can take images of objects on Earth that are just 10 inches (25cm) across. Looking all the way from outer space, it can make out a smart phone held in your hand. It can tell what types of cars are travelling down a road. But it can't identify your face or read the cars' license plate numbers.
According to some reports, this satellite and other US satellites have the technology to take even sharper images, with a resolution of up to around 4 inches (10cm). But US law forbids making these super-sharp pictures public. But the idea that anybody might be able to spy on the entire Earth in such detail may seem scary. Live, high-detail satellite mapping could be used to keep tabs on anybody at any time, without the person's knowledge. Ray Purdy of University College London told CNN that he couldn't imagine what this could mean for privacy. "Most satellites are commercially owned, so if you have money, you can have that imagery. It means anyone can spy on anyone." he said.
At the same time, live, detailed maps of the Earth's surface could aid humanity in amazing ways. Satellite images can help experts track storms as they form and chart their paths. At high detail, live maps of a disaster area could quickly reveal people in need of rescue as well as the safest routes in or out. Satellites images are already helping the police catch illegal fishing operations. Higher detail may make it possible to catch other criminals in the act. The images could also make it easier for farmers to watch over their crops or for scientists to find minerals. Also, these images play a very important role in monitoring the health of forests and other landscapes.
What do you think? Would you like to see everyone accessing high-detail live maps of the Earth's surface? Please share your idea with us on the website.
1.How does the author introduce the topic of the passage?
A.By telling a story.
B.By supposing a situation.
C.By making a comparison.
D.By using a research finding.
2.What can the WorldView-3 satellite do?
A.Tell how a person looks.
B.Identify what a pedestrian is holding.
C.Help farmers sow seeds for their crops.
D.Read a running car's license plate number.
3.What kind of feeling was expressed in Ray Purdy's words?
A.Regret.
B.Excitement.
C.Concern.
D.Sympathy.
4.What's the best title of the passage?
A.Anyone can spy on anyone
B.Criminals have nowhere to hide
C.More satellites into space: good or bad?
D.A live map of everywhere on Earth:scary or cool?
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
In my senior year of high school, Mike and I were lined up in front of a small group of students made up mainly of the leaders of the senior classes. Our teacher said to us," The two of you will never amount to anything."
There was some snickering (窃笑)from some of the seniors as the teacher continued,"From now on,I am not going to waste any more time on either of you. I am only going to spend my time with these class leaders. You two are the class downs with bad grades, and you will never amount to anything. Now get out of here. "
That teacher did Mike and me the biggest favor of all. While what she said was true in many ways and her words hurt us deeply, her words also inspired both of us to work even harder. They carried us through college and into our own businesses.
A few years ago, Mike and I attended our high school reunion.It was nice to visit with people with whom we had spent three years during a period of time when none of us really knew who we were. It was also interesting to see that most of the so-called senior leaders had not become successful in the years after high school.
I tell this story because Mike and I were not academic whiz kids. We were neither financial experts nor athletic stars. For the most part, we were slow-to-average learners and students. In my opinion,we were not as naturally gifted as our fathers. Yet it was our teacher's stinging words and the snickering from our classmates that gave us the strength to move forward, to learn from our mistakes and to keep doing in both good times and bad times.
Just because you didn't do well in school, were not popular, bad in math, or have other reasons to underestimate yourself-none of them count in the long run. They only count if you think they count.
For those who're considering beginning your own financial fast track, you may have some doubts about your abilities. Trust that you have everything you need right now to be successful financially. All it takes to bring out your natural God-given gifts is your desire, determination and a deep faith that you have a genius and a gift that is unique.
1.What did Mike and I think of the teacher's words?
A.Her stinging words inspired them.
B.Her inspiring words hurt them deeply.
C.Her encouraging words helped them through bad times.
D.Her bitter words discouraged them from working harder.
2.At the school union,the author found _______
A.their former classmates didn't recognize him
B.it was boring to see their formers classmates
C.most of the class clowns turned out successful
D.most of the senior leaders didn't become successful
3.The underlined word "whiz" in Paragraph 5 means"
A.know-nothing B.slow
C.stupid D.genius
4.According to the author,which of the following people can achieve financial success?
A.Those who have faith in themselves
B.Those who did not do well in school
C.Those who have natural God-given gifts
D.Those who are doubtful about their abilities
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Sit still. It's the rule of every classroom. But that is changing as evidence builds that taking brief activity breaks during the day helps children learn and be more attentive in class, and a growing number of programs designed to promote movement are being adopted in schools. "We need to recognize that children are movement-based," said Brian Gatens, the superintendent of schools in Emerson, N.J." In schools, we sometimes are pushing against human nature in asking them to sit still and be quiet all the time.We fall into this trap that if kids are at their desks with their heads down and are silent and writing, we think they are learning," Mr. Gatens added. "But what we have found is that the active time used to energize your brain makes all those still moments better, or more productive."
A 2013 report from the Institute of Medicine concluded that children who are more active show greater attention, have faster cognitive processing speed and perform better on standardized academic tests than children who are less active. And a study released in January by Lund University in Sweden shows that students, especially boys, who had daily physical education, did better in school.
＂Daily physical activity is an opportunity for the average school to become a high-performing school," said Jesper Fritz, a doctoral student at Lund University and physician at the Skane University Hospital in Malmo who was the study's lead author.
＂Activity helps the brain in so many ways," said James F.Sallis, a professor of family medicine and public health at the University of California, San Diego, who has done research on the association between activity breaks and classroom behavior."Activity stimulates more blood vessels in the brain to support more brain cells.And there is evidence that active kids do better on standardized tests and pay attention more in school." "Plus," he added," it makes kids want to come to school more-it's fun to do these activities."
But not all districts are embracing the trend of movement breaks. "The bottom line is that with only six and a half hours during the day, our priority is academics," said Tom Hernandez, the director of community relations for the Plainfield School District in Illinois, about 40 miles southwest of Chicago. He said that under state law, the schools provide daily physical education classes and that teachers in the district find ways to give students time during the day to refresh and recharge.
＂Kids aren't meant to sit still all day and take in information," said Steve Boyle, one of the co-founders of the National Association of Physical Literacy, which aims to bring movement into schools." Adults aren't either."
1.Brain Gatens is likely to agree that
A.all of the students should sit still
B.sitting still often means studying well
C.being quite is actually human nature
D.always sitting doesn't have good effects
2.According to Jesper Fritz, we can infer that _____
A.activity helps the brain in only one way
B.activities can make children physically and mentally healthy
C.activities have nothing to do with children's academic performances
D.Daily activity is a chance for the average school to become a high one
3.According to James F. Sallis, the reasons why activities make students clever is that _____
A.they stimulate more blood vessels in the body
B.they activate all the brain cells but are tough on bodies
C.they give children fun and motivate all the brains to work
D.they give students time during the day to refresh and recharge
4.Which column are you likely to read the passage in the newspaper?
A.Discovery
B.Sports
C.Education
D.Science
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Don't judge a book by its cover. We have heard that advice over and over again. And it makes sense. Why should we judge someone who is overweight simply by how they look? It has nothing to do with them as a person, and it says nothing about all they have achieved in life.
1.We should not judge them as healthy simply because they are thin.
We care so much about weight that we think those who succeed in keeping a "healthy weight" must be healthy.
Many studies have shown that being overweight increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and even death. 2. Some studies just look at pounds. Some use body mass index(BMI) which includes both height and weight measurements. But neither one says anything about overall health for sure.
In some studies, a person's fitness has been shown to be more important than overall weight.
That means those at "normal" weight, but below average fitness could be at higher risk than fitter and heavier people.3.
If you are thin and want to know if your health may be at risk, whole body MRIs (磁共振成像）can tell you if you are a TOFI (thin on the outside, fat on the inside). This is thought to increase your health risk even if you have a perfect body weight. 4. Rather, creating and keeping healthy lifestyle habits should be the goal.
Start now and you will be on your way to improving your overall health. 5.But even if it doesn't, rest assured you are still improving your health and your life.
A.The same holds true for thin people.
B.Weight loss will usually naturally follow.
C.The article mainly talks about people in Australia.
D.So weight loss should not be what we always dream of.
E.How many times do you say, "She looks great! Nice and thin!"?
F.But the problem lies with how we can know we are overweight.
G.So there is no such thing as healthy weight, only healthy lifestyles.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
In our backyard there is a big pond with lots of trees and bushes. Both my grandparents were fond of our so-called garden.
One morning our new neighbor, an aggressively ambitious businessman, saw my grandfather _______two rare deodar tree saplings on both sides of our gate._______he said he had planted the same tree saplings in his garden. My grandfather gave his plants _______ adequate amount of water and didn't give them full _______, while our neighbor interested in better _______looked after them too well. His plants were much_______and greener.
Normally in summer, we have fierce thunderstorms. _______ the extreme damage, these storms also bring a welcome sudden_______ from the terribly hot climate. After a thunderstorm, we came out to _______ the damage to our garden and saw the neighbor in his garden, too, but looked__________as his plants had been uprooted. Ours were standing__________ on the ground. Surprised to see this, he came up to us and said with embarrassment," My trees __________ from the roots while yours didn't. Why?”
My grandfather said, "You gave your plants more attention, water and manure(肥料），__________ they didn't need to work for anything. I gave mine just an adequate amount, letting their roots do the__________; thus their roots went deeper and became stronger. "Our neighbor nodded in__________ Hearing the words, I realized that anything easily given can be taken away much more easily and we will not understand the hard work it takes to earn those things.
1.A.moving B.purchasing C.delivering D.planting
2.A.By the way B.By coincidence C.On the contrary D.In contrast
3.A.extremely B.instantly C.barely D.negatively
4.A.force B.amount C.review D.attention
5.A.requirements B.returns C.education D.access
6.A.drier B.rarer C.fuller D.wilder
7.A.Instead of B.Regardless of C.But for D.Apart from
8.A.addition B.relief C.protection D.awareness
9.A.infer B.control C.prevent D.inspect
10.A.tired B.upset C.bored D.ashamed
11.A.firmly B.widely C.fairly D.flexibly
12.A.came off B.put off C.took off D.showed off
13.A.So B.if C.though D.unless
14.A.majority B.opposite C.sort D.rest
15.A.total B.detail C.approval D.turn
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
Four years after graduation from college, Luo Jiajia, 1.works at China Green Foundation (CGF) answered an inner calling to lead a more2.(mean)life. At that time, Luo noticed that environmental issues were becoming more serious, but little action was being taken3.(address)the situation.She decided to join environmental protection efforts,so that future generations may also enjoy nature.
Luo's main work focuses4.the Million Forest project, aiming to plant 1 million trees to help manage the problem of desertification around China's fourth-largest desert.
So far the project5. (bring) about many benefits to the local communities. Without the efforts of CGF and the Million Forest project, many locals6. (force) to leave their homes as eco-refugees(生态难民).Luo's project has also provided jobs to local residents. In addition to being paid to help plant the trees,locals can also profit from selling fruit 7. (produce)by the trees. Eco-tourism has also flourished (蓬勃发展)because of these green spaces.
Reflecting on Million Forest, Luo had a lot to say. She says she learned a lot from8.project. "Nature has its own rhythm and wisdom," she said." We should respect 9.”
Although her project helps with reforestation efforts, the team discovered that it was just as important to change people's attitudes. Million Forest changed its slogan to, "Plant a tree in your heart." Luo said, "It's not possible for you to plant a tree every day, but10. you have a tree in your heart, you can take care of the whole environment...If we make the effort to change the inside, we can change the outside world."
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
单词拼写
1.The president is________(敏锐)conscious of the need for more doctors and nurses to save the infected people.
2.Rubbish pictures may sound_______(恶心)to some,but it is really quite clean and great fun.
3.Everybody told me the food served in the new restaurant was delicious.Actually it was a big _______(失望)。
4.Many of the decorations are made from a_________(芳香的)type of wood native to China.
5.After leaving school,people do not often read classical novels,________(联想)them with hard work rather than pleasure.
6.Those who can't answer all three riddles will be c__________to death.
7.There is a growing t__________among people to drink too much coffee at work,which makes them very nervous.
8.We made no r_________on the kinds of films we show-as long as a film's quality meets our standards.
9.Toronto,the largest city in Canada,r___________among the most multicultural cities in the world.
10.They e___________themselves with a pair of sharp axes and set off for the forest.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，你即将结束加拿大的旅程。离别之际，请你给在旅程中为你提供帮助的加拿大朋友Peter写一封感谢信。
内容包括：1. 表达感谢；2. 分享旅途收获；3.邀请他来中国做客。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.信的开头和结尾已 为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Peter,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
When learning how to train your cat, you'll start with very basic first steps. But can you train a cat the same way you might train a dog? Yes and no. Because they're highly independent animals, cats might appear uninterested in following your commands. That doesn't mean you can't influence their behavior, though. If you're patient, your new cat or old cat can be trained in no time.
First, decide what you want your cat to learn, and then move towards your goals in small steps each day. Before you start training your cat, however, consider what commands you'll use and what types of behavioral actions you want her to learn. Think about what you may have wondered in the past: how to train your cat to use a litter box, bow to keep her calm during trips, and so on. How can you teach her to stop scratching your rugs or furniture?
Having determined which lessons you and your cat will master, it's time to get down to business. If you're excited about training, you may want to jump right in and teach your cat everything at once. However, your cat's attention span is shorter than yours; you can't expect her to stay interested every time you're ready to be the trainer. To be successful, though, it's a good idea to stick to one lesson at a time. Once your cat has mastered whatever you're working on, you can move on to the next training exercise.
When only you and your cat are at home, you don't have to worry too much about involving others in the training. Yet you still want your cat to learn to be social. Shortly after bringing your cat home, invite friends or family members over to socialize with your new pet. Just remind them not to be too forward with their introduction. If you're bringing a car into a larger family, it's even more important to involve everyone in the training. After all, she'll see these familiar faces every day!
难度: 中等查看答案及解析