A firm from New Zealand has revealed a set of...

A firm from New Zealand has revealed a set of robotic legs which they claim will soon allow ________ wheelchair-bound people to walk again.

A. extremely         B. previously           C. actually             D. eventually

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Scientists in New Zealand have found fossilized (化石的) leg bones from a penguin believed to have been about the size of an adult human. The previously undiscovered giant penguin species likely stood about 1.6 meters tall and weighed up to 80 kilograms.

The penguin existed about 60 million years ago. The bones are believed to be from the oldest of several species of giant penguins that lived after dinosaurs died out. A fossil hunter found the bones last year in the Waipara River bed near the city of Christchurch. The bones are from the animal’s legs and feet. Scientists confirmed that the bones came from a newly discovered species.

Paul Scofield is senior curator (馆长) at New Zealand’s Canterbury Museum. He co-wrote a paper on the discovery. He said that the bones are an important find. They show that the species is similar to another giant penguin found in Antarctica in 2000. The latest discovery, he said, helps show a clear connection between the two areas during the Paleocene period. This period lasted from 66 million to 56 million years ago.

Scofield said the penguins were able to grow larger after entering a new development period following the extinction of dinosaurs, sea reptiles and huge fish. Scofield added that the giant penguins became extinct within 30 million years, as large mammals began to rule the waters.

John Cockrem is a penguin expert at the country’s Massey University who was also not involved in the research. He said the discovery helps add to what we know about giant penguins. He said it also confirmed New Zealand as the penguin center of the world.

New Zealand is believed to have been home to many giant bird species that later disappeared. These included the world’s largest parrot, a giant eagle and an emu-like bird called the moa. Recently, Canterbury Museum announced the discovery of an unusually large parrot believed to have lived about 19 million years ago. Scientists say the bird stood about one meter tall.

1.What is special about the penguin found in New Zealand?

A.The place it lived in. B.The age of its existence.

C.Its species and size. D.Its shape and habits.

2.Why did the giant penguins die out?

A.Large mammals controlled the sea.

B.They were killed out by huge fish.

C.Climate changes were not fit for them.

D.They grew too large to feed themselves.

3.What do we know from the last paragraph?

A.All kinds of penguins live in New Zealand.

B.Many giant birds used to exist in New Zealand.

C.The world’s largest parrot lives in New Zealand.

D.New Zealand owns the most bird species in the world.

4.What can be a suitable title for the text?

A.Similar Penguin Fossils Have Been Found Again

B.An Ancient Creature Has Been Found in New Zealand

C.Some Giant Penguins Appeared after Dinosaurs Died Out

D.Scientists Found Bones from Giant Penguin in New Zealand

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

阅读理解。

Robots performing tasks according to a predetermined set of instructions are nothing new.But robots able to learn how to cook by watching videos are a completely different approach, which is conducted by a group of researchers at the University of Maryland.

If you have posted a video of your favorite recipe on the popular website YouTube, chances are that it will be used by a robot.University of Maryland's professor Yiannis Aloimonos, leader of the group, said “There exists a large amount of video information on the Internet that our robots can capitalize_on.”

“At present, the videos are fed electronically，”said research scientist Cornelia Fermuller.“Originally, we took our own videos, our cameras looking at us doing the cooking，”she explained.“And, as the robot advances, it reacts to good quality videos.And it will react to even lower quality homemade videos.”

So far, the robot named Julia can make a simple salad by breaking each task into basic parts, such as grasping a spoon, bringing it to the bowl, stirring the salad and observing the results.

But why teach a robot how to understand a video when it can easily follow a fixed program？Aloimonos believes predetermined instructions lack flexibility.He thinks one of the problems is how to make the robot understand and use what it learns during a certain task, the so­called feedback (反馈意见); another is the introduction of language.

“I believe it will take quite some time before the robots are able to understand metaphorical (比喻性的) language，”he added.“But，” he said，“we don't need that to create a new world where the robots will be working for us.”

1.The underlined phrase “capitalize on” in Paragraph 2 probably can be replaced by ________.

A．take hold of　　　　 　 B．make use of

C．keep track of 　　　 D．catch sight of

2.Aloimonos probably agrees that at present the robot ________.

A．can not fully digest what it learns

B．can not make a simple salad

C．can follow home­made videos

D．can understand metaphorical language

3.Robots are taught to understand a video mainly because ________.

A．they can easily follow fixed programs

B．they are smart enough to learn cooking

C．cooking videos are more interesting to watch

D．predetermined instructions are not flexible

4.Which of the following might best serve as the title of the passage?

A．Robots Creating a New World

B．Robots Making Cooking Videos

C．Robots Learning to Cook by Watching Videos

D．Robots Performing Tasks by Following Instructions

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

_________ some 3 500 kilometers from Polynesia to New Zealand.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

Although New Zealand has a huge variety of scenery, some of the best can only be ______ on foot, as it ranges from glaciers to subtropical forests.

A．accelerated B．progressed

C．accessed D．Processed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The Chinese Embassy in New Zealand has _____that 23 Chinese students in South Island city of Christchurch still went missing in the 6.3 magnitude earthquake.

A committed     B conveyed       C confirmed       D concerned

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

About 6% of the population in New Zealand _________ Asians.

高三英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析

One of the firms I applied to has offered me a job but I _____ my options open until I hear from the others.

A. have kept　　　　　　 B. will have kept

C. am keeping　　　　　　 D. keep

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the firms I applied to has offered me a job but I _____ my options open until I hear from the others.

A.have kept B.will have kept

C.am keeping D.keep

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream, years away from materializing 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 vehicles 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 has the potential to change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.

While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars (and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles 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 individual self-driving vehicles. They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages urban spread. They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle 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 (叫车)services.

A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80% and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure and operations 40% by 2050. Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues (责任与维护问题). But driverless car ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable with the technology.

Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement 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.As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern?

A.Safety. B.Side effects. C.Management. D.Affordability.

2.What does the underlined word “fielded” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?

A.Shared. B.Replaced. C.Reduced. D.Employed.

3.What is the author’s attitude to the future of self-driving cars?

A.Positive. B.Doubtful. C.Disapproving. D.Sympathetic.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析