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A major development to self-driving cars may change the way we will drive in the future. Google, the leading company in self-driving technology, has changed its develop plan. It had driverless cars built by car factories, but now it will start building its own cars.
Google has started to build some kinds of experimental electric self- driving cars that look like a Smart car or Fiat 500. There is no steering wheel(方向盘)，gas pedal or brake. The only things a human passenger controls are a red “e-stop” button(按钮) for fear stops and a start button. The car’s only “friendly” face is designed to make it help people accept self-driving technology.
Google workers took part in a long experiment, in which they used self-driving cars for their usual travel to work. No accident happened, but Google’s heads realized that depending on a human passenger to drive in an emergency(紧急情况) wouldn’t work because they may be reading, working , or sleeping. Now the self-driving car drives by itself if the driver takes his hands off the wheel for over ten seconds.
Google’s self-driving cars are now limited(限定) to a speed of 25 miles per hour for safety reasons. The cars aren’t allowed to drive on highways. However, a Google engineer said that once the cars are solved to run safely, we can drive at the speed of 50, even 80 miles an hour.
Google recently announced that its cars had covered 700,000 miles of public roads, and they were now running in busy city streets. People who love self-driving cars say this will improve transport by making roads safer, cutting down accident, and making less pollution.
Of course, there’s no need to look for parking at a crowded shopping mall. Instead, users could let their self-driving cars drop them off to park itself. A mother who took a test ride said that having the car would allow her more time to catch up with her son. The cars could also allow people who might not be able to drive to enjoy the hand-free driving. And drunk driving? Not a problem. It is very likely that by 2020, driverless cars will be common. Do you believe so?
1.What equipment do the self-driving cars have?
A. A gas pedal. B. A brake.
C. A steering wheel. D. An “e-stop” button and a start button
2.How fast can people drive a self-driving car now?
A. 25 miles an hour. B. 50 miles an hour.
C. 80 miles an hour. D. 100 miles an hour.
3.What has Google company already done?
A.Google has changed its development plan and helped other factories make cars.
B.Google has already had car-testing experiments in all the states in the US.
C.Google has realized some problems and tried to solve them.
D.Google has asked its own workers to buy the cars and travel to work.
4. Which advantage of self-driving cars is not mentioned ?
A.They can start the engine by itself and make people’s hands completely free.
B.They can help to solve air pollution and reduce car accident.
C.They can park by themselves and make mothers look after young kids easily.
D.They can help those disabled people to enjoy the driving.
5.What will happen if emergency happens when someone is driving a driverless car?
A.If the driver presses the “e-stop” button, the car will drive by itself at once to keep safe.
B.If the driver is reading, working or sleeping, he can’t handle the situation in time.
C.The car’s friendly face will work and help the driver accept the situation and stay calm.
D.The self-driving car will break the speed limit and run at a speed that the driver tells it.
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---It’s reported that self-driving cars are expected to change the way we move around.
---That sounds__________.
A.bad B.badly C.great D.greatly
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---It’s reported that self-driving cars are expected to change the way we move around.
---That sounds__________.
A. bad B. badly C. great D. greatly
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— In the near future, a self-driving car may bring food to your door instead of a human driver.
—It ________ amazing.
A.tastes B.smells C.sounds
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You'd better ask someone else to repair your car, _________ it may break down on the way.
A. or B. but C. and D. so
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In modern times, the development of electronic books has changed the ways of reading. It is very convenient for readers to download（下载） electronic books on the Internet.
However, experts say that readers will not be able to absorb( 吸收) efficiently what they have read, because the information is shown in such a simple form.“Some e-readers（电子阅览器）, such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, show texts clearly to readers. This encourages the brain to be ‘lazy’ and make readers easily forget what they have just read, ”experts say.
A. student by Princeton University finds that many readers can recall more information after reading if they read paper books. Compared with electronic books, paper books are less convenient for readers to read. Such difficulty in reading makes readers cherish（珍惜） the information they are reading and encourage their brain to think. As a result, the efficiency of reading will be improved greatly. Experts say if readers get information actively, that is to say, if they read paper books, they will be able to remember the information longer than those who passively read electronic books.
Others experts say that e-readers and computers may stop us from absorbing information, because the screens may make you feel that the words on the screen are not important. Mr. Lehrer, an expert, said, “E-readers have changed the reading habits of people, but they make people’s ability of reading degenerate（退化）”
1.Now a lot of electronic books have changed .
A.people’s ways of eating
B.people’s ways of speaking
C.p people’s ways of reading
D.people’s ways of learning
2.The Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader .
A.are new kinds of computers
B.can make readers’ brain to be “lazy”
C.are two electronic texts
D.can be used to learn English
3.According to the study, if readers read paper books, they .
A.will forget the information they have just read easily
B.will not think more about what they are reading
C.will fall asleep easily
D.can recall more information after reading
4.The underline word “passively” mean “ ”in Chinese.
A.被动地
B.主动地
C.快捷地
D.茫然地
5.From the passage, we can know .
A.electronic books are less convenient for readers to read
B.the efficiency of reading is higher if people read paper books
C.e-readers don’t change people’s reading habits at all
D.people easily forget what they have read because they read too much
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Pizza: the World's Favorite Food
Food, and the way we eat it, is always changing. As society develops, we learn new ways of growing, processing and cooking food. What we ate 200 years ago was very different from what we eat today. Also, when people travel to live in other countries, they take their knowledge of cooking with them. And food must fit modern lifestyles and local tastes, too. One food that has done this successfully is pizza.
The pizza we recognize today first appeared in Italy in 1889. A famous baker from Naples made a special Pizza for the Italian royal (皇室的) family. He was very worried they wouldn't like it, but they did. Queen Margherita loved the dish so much, and the baker named it after her. Since then, this simple meal of bread, cheese and tomato has traveled the world, and it has adapted (适应) to local cultures. The pizza began its journey in the 1890s, when many Indians moved to New York in search of a better life. There they continued to make pizzas, and the first pizzeria opened in 1905.
At first it was only popular with Indians, but by the late 1940s, Americans discovered a taste for it. Today they spend $37 billion a year on pizzas. That's more than $100 per American.
The Pizza continued its travels around the world, adapting all the time. In Sweden, for example, it is usual to have bananas on pizzas. In Belgium, people eat chocolate pizzas with marshmallows on top. Japan is a nation of seafood lovers, so not surprisingly, they love octopus and squid, as well as roasted seaweed, toppings. Australians sometimes choose kangaroo or crocodile on their pizza.
The popularity of the pizza is also related to our changing lifestyles. In today's super-fast society, people often don't have the time or energy to cook. So, they order take-out and very often, it's a pizza. Sometimes you don't even have to pick it up, it's delivered (递送) to your home. If you don't even have time to sit down, buy a single slice and eat it standing up.
The Pizza has come a long way. From its beginnings in an Italian city, it has grown to become one of the world's favorite foods.
1.What do people like taking when they travel to live in other countries?
_____________________
2.Did the Italian royal family like the pizza?
_____________________
3.When did the pizza move to New York?
_____________________
4.In which country do people love pizzas with bananas?
_____________________
5.What does the passage mainly talk about?
_____________________
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In modern times, the development of electronic books has changed the ways of reading. It is very convenient for readers to download（下载） electronic books on the Internet.
However, experts say that readers will not be able to absorb( 吸收) efficiently what they have read, because the information is shown in such a simple form.“Some e-readers（电子阅览器）, such as the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader, show texts clearly to readers. This encourages the brain to be ‘lazy’ and make readers easily forget what they have just read, ”experts say.
A. student by Princeton University finds that many readers can recall more information after reading if they read paper books. Compared with electronic books, paper books are less convenient for readers to read. Such difficulty in reading makes readers cherish（珍惜） the information they are reading and encourage their brain to think. As a result, the efficiency of reading will be improved greatly. Experts say if readers get information actively, that is to say, if they read paper books, they will be able to remember the information longer than those who passively read electronic books.
Others experts say that e-readers and computers may stop us from absorbing information, because the screens may make you feel that the words on the screen are not important. Mr. Lehrer, an expert, said, “E-readers have changed the reading habits of people, but they make people’s ability of reading degenerate（退化）”
1.Now a lot of electronic books have changed .
A. people’s ways of eating
B. people’s ways of speaking
C. p people’s ways of reading
D. people’s ways of learning
2.The Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader .
A. are new kinds of computers
B. can make readers’ brain to be “lazy”
C. are two electronic texts
D. can be used to learn English
3.According to the study, if readers read paper books, they .
A. will forget the information they have just read easily
B. will not think more about what they are reading
C. will fall asleep easily
D. can recall more information after reading
4.The underline word “passively” mean “ ”in Chinese.
A. 被动地
B. 主动地
C. 快捷地
D. 茫然地
5.From the passage, we can know .
A. electronic books are less convenient for readers to read
B. the efficiency of reading is higher if people read paper books
C. e-readers don’t change people’s reading habits at all
D. people easily forget what they have read because they read too much
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Would you like to live in a city where buildings turn the lights off for you, and self-driving cars will find the nearest parking space themselves? Although it might sound a lttle far from you, living in a "smart" city like this could happen sooner than you think.
Great changes have taken place in towns that we have lived in for centuries, while completely new cities are being built. One such place is the city of Songdo. Every home there will have a "telepresence system(远程遥控系统)-- allowing users to control the heating and locks, take part in video meetings, and receive education, health care and government services. Around the city, escalators ( 自动扶梯 ) will only move when someone is on them, and offices and schools will all be connected to the system.
The great mind behind Songdo is from the company Cisco. In fact, technology companies around the world such as IBM, Siemens and Microsoft are already in the business.
About 75% of the world's population will live in cities by 2050, so cities will need to be more modern to deal with the coming problems. Making cities smarter is one way out, and I think this will in turn make cities greener, said Dan Hill, head of a research company.
1.According to the text, living in a "smart" city ______
A. is not a green way B. will be far from you
C. will soon become true D. is completely impossible
2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. A city of the future. B. A meeting in Songdo.
C. A plan to build a house. D. A report on public health.
3.Which company offers the great mind to build Songdo?
A. Cisco. B. IBM. C. Siemens.yagnoOLED D. Microsoft.
4.Dan Hill thinks that making cities smarter is one way to______.
A. drive people out of cities B. control the world's population C. develop his own company D. solve the cities' coming problems
5.Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
A. Future Education B. Smart Cities C. Government Services D. Famous Companies
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Would you like to live in a city where buildings turn the lights off for you, and self-driving cars will find the nearest parking space themselves? Although it might sound a little far from you, living in a “smart” city like this could happen sooner than you think.
Great changes have taken place in towns that we have lived in for centuries, while completely new cities are being built. One such place is the city of Songdo. Every home there will have a “telepresence”system(远程遥控系统)--- allowing users to control the heating and looks, take part in video meetings, and receive education, healthcare and government services. Around the city, escalators(自动扶梯) will only move when someone is on them, and offices and schools will all be connected to the system.
The great mind behind Songdo is from the company Cisco. In fact, technology companies round the world such as IBM, Siemens and Microsoft are already in the business.
About 75% of the world’s population will live in cities by 2050, so cities will need to be more modern to deal with the coming problems. “Making cities smarter is one way out, and I think this will in turn make cities greener.” Said Dan Hill, head of a research company.
1.According to the text, living in a “smart” city _______________.
A.is not a green way B.will be far from you
C.will soon become true D.is completely impossible
2.What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A.A meeting in Songdo. B.A city of the future
C.A plan to build a house, D.A report on public health
3.Which company offers the great mind to build Songdo?
A.Cisco B.IBM C.Siements D.Microsoft
4.Dan Hill thinks that making cities smarter is one way to __________________.
A.drive people out of cities B.control the world’s population
C.develop his own company D.solve the cities’ coming problems
5.Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
A.Future Education B.Smart Cities
C.Government Services D.Famous Companies