The possibility of self-driving robot cars ha...

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

高一英语阅读理解简单题查看答案及解析

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.

1.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

2.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

3.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

4.What best describes the author’s tone in this passage?

A. Objective.　　 B. Worried.

C. Serious　 　　 D. Subjective.

5.In which column of a newspaper can we find this passage?

A. Opinion　　 B. Fashion　 C. Technology　 D. Education

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

From self-driving cars to deep sea explorers, more and more of humans’ tasks are being taken over by robots. But technology doesn’t stop there. In mid-August, reported the BBC, scientists from Cambridge University developed a robotic system that meant a robot could “build other robots, each one better than the previous(以前的) generation”.

The BBC noted that “those concerned about machines taking over the world shouldn’t worry”.

However, over 1,000 scientists and numerous artificial intelligence (AI, 人工智能) researchers－including UK astrophysicist Stephen Hawking and Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak of the US-brought the danger of fully autonomous weapons(自主武器), known as “killer robots”, to our attention earlier this summer.

“If any major military(军事的) power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is inevitable(不可避免的),” warned an open letter released at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence held in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Unlike drones(无人机), which need a human hand, this kind of robot would have some decision-making abilities and the ability to act by itself. While what the BBC called these “solders that never sleep” could help reduce battlefield deaths, they might also make countries more likely to go into battle, which would lead to more deaths overall, noted the scientists. The risks, they said, could be far greater than those posed by nuclear weapons.

Scientists called for a “ban on offensive(攻击性的) autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control”, reported The Huffington Post.

In fact, in an interview with the BBC in 2014, Hawking warned that the “development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race”.

And according to the BBC, many leading thinkers have been thinking about the AI-powered killing machine of the not-too-distant future. “Killer robots could be here within years, not decades,” as Stuart Russell, professor of computer science at UC Berkeley, US, put it.

Authorities are gradually waking up to the risk of robot wars. Last May, for the first time, the United Nations brought governments together to begin talks on so-called killer robots in a hope of stopping such weapons while there is still time.

Meanwhile, there are scientists who are less worried. They believe all technologies have potential(潜力) for being used for good and evil ends, and argue that the ban called for by the open letter could close the door to developing AI technology that could save lives. “Technology can clearly do better than human beings in many cases,” Ronald Arkin, dean at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, US, told The Christian Science Monitor. “If we are willing to turn over some of our decision making to these machines, we may actually get better outcomes.”

1.What does Steve Wozniak think the future robot technology might produce?

A. Artificial Intelligence.　　 B. Autonomous weapons.

C. Soldiers that never sleep.　　 D. Killing machines.

2.The underlined word “spell” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to “______”.

A. cause　　 B. prevent

C. reach　　 D. change

3.What does Stuart Russell mean by saying “killer robots could be here within years, not decades.”?

A. Killer robots will visit UC Berkeley, US sooner than expected.

B. Killer robots will be produced and used sooner than expected.

C. Killer robots will speed up the development of AI in the near future.

D. Killer robots will kill these scientists in the near future.

4.What is the main idea of the text?

A. More and more of humans’ tasks are being taken over by robots.

B. Robots have decision-making abilities and the ability to act by itself.

C. Scientists called for a ban on the development of robot technology.

D. All technologies have potential for being used for good and evil ends.

高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Even as Google plans to test its fleet(车队) of self-driving cars on public roads this summer, its business model remains a bit of a mystery. By 2025, as many as 250,000 self-driving vehicles could be sold each year globally, according to a study by an industry research firm.

"Vehicles that can take anyone from A to B at the push of a button could transform mobility for millions of people," said Chris Urmson, director of Google's self-driving car project. For now, Google has no plans to sell any of its self-driving cars. They are strictly for research. But they will hit public roads this summer near Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California. Previous testing has taken place only on closed courses.

The cars are built to operate without a steering wheel, accelerator(油门) or brake pedal. "Our software and sensors do all the work," Urmson said. "The vehicles will be very basic—we want to learn from them and adapt them as quickly as possible—but they will take you where you want to go at the push of a button." The prototypes(雏形) are the first of a 100-car fleet the tech giant is building.

In the long run, Urmson sees a future of safer roads — the majority of auto accidents are caused by human error — and fewer traffic jams. Robotic cars could also shuttle people who can't drive because of age or illness.

Google has said that self-driving cars could launch new business models in which people buy the use of vehicles they don't own. The company has already tested other types of self-driving cars on public streets, including modified Lexus sport-utility vehicles, under a special permit program by the California Department of Motor Vehicles that requires a human driver at the controls.

The state has issued six other companies permits to operate such cars, including Delphi, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Tesla, Bosch and Nissan. The vehicles that will be tested on open roads this summer will have removable steering wheels, accelerator and brake pedals to allow "safety drivers" to take control if needed.

Google says the cars are safe. The vehicles have sensors that "can detect objects out to a distance of more than two football fields in all directions, which is especially helpful on busy streets with lots of intersections," Urmson said. "We're looking forward to learning how the community understands and interacts with the vehicles, and to uncovering challenges that are unique to a fully self-driving vehicle," Urmson said.

1.The passage informs us that self-driving cars ________.

A. will probably decrease traffic jams

B. have already passed necessary tests

C. have been purchased by some companies

D. will be able to communicate with drivers

2.According to Chris Urmson, ________.

A. software and sensors are vital for self-driving cars

B. self-driving cars can give driving orders to humans

C. self-driving cars are specially designed for the elderly

D. ordinary vehicles will be replaced by self-driving cars

3.The underlined word "intersections" in the last paragraph probably means ________.

A. accidents　　 B. buildings

C. crossings　　 D. vehicles

4.What is the best title for this passage?

A. Self-driving Car Avoids Human Errors

B. Self-driving Car Meets New Challenges

C. Google's Self-driving Car Enjoys Global Popularity

D. Google's Self-driving Car Graduates to City Streets

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A team of engineers at Harvard University has been inspired by Nature to create the first robotic fly. The mechanical fly has become a platform for a series of new high-tech systems. Designed to do what a fly does naturally, the tiny machine is the size of a fat housefly. Its mini wings allow it to stay in the air and perform controlled flight tasks.

“It’s extremely important for us to think about this as a whole system and not just a bunch of individual components (零件),” said Robert Wood, the Harvard engineering professor who has been working on the robotic fly project for over a decade. “The added difficulty with such a project is that actually none of those components are off the shelf and so we have to make them all on our own,” he said.

They engineered a series of systems to start and drive the robotic fly. “The seemingly simple system which just moves the wings has a number of individual components, each of which individually has to perform well, and then has to be matched well to everything it’s connected to,” said Wood. The flight device was built into a set of power, computation, sensing and control systems. Wood says the success of the project proves that the flying robot with these tiny components can be built and manufactured.

Wood says the design offers a new way to study flight mechanics and control at insect- scale. Yet, the power, sensing and computation technologies on board could have much broader applications (应用). “You can start thinking about using them to answer open scientific questions, you know, to study biology in ways that would be difficult with the animals, but using these robots instead,” he said. “So there are a lot of technologies and open interesting scientific questions that are really what drives us on a day to day basis.”

1.What challenge did the engineers have when making the robotic fly?

A. They don’t have enough related knowledge.

B. They are lack of ready-made components.

C. The system is too complex to work.

D. They fail to control all the components.

2.What does the success of the robotic fly prove?

A. Scientists are able to make tiny flying machines.

B. Humans will create a new kind of species for the nature.

C. The flight device will not need so many components.

D. It will help to kill dangerous insects in the nature.

3.What does Wood hope to do with the flying device?

A. To fix the system on other animals.

B. To put it to the market for money.

C. To solve more scientific problems.

D. To encourage people to learn biology.

4.How does Wood feel about the application of the robotic fly?

A. Worried　　 B. Curious.

C. Doubtful.　　 D. Confident.

高一英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

The importance of reading literature often seems lost on many Chinese people. Even experts in education think that the first goal of education is to encourage a love of learning. There is therefore the possibility of something wrong with the way students are taught here.

Why should they read literature? Do stories have value compared with the reading and learning of facts? Studies show clearly that the most powerful ways of learning are by experience, action and doing experiments and taking risks. Yet there are so many important things to learn that cannot be learned in these ways: feelings, problem solving, danger and relationships, for example. Research into this has shown how deep reading is a valuable experience different to a learning of words or facts. Keen( 热心的) readers of -literature show a better understanding of others. Their abilities to make good decisions are raised. Young children who enjoy a parent reading stories to them show greater awareness（意识) when they reach school age.

The best schools do seem to provide a limited (有限的) chance to enjoy literature, usually about the Chinese classic stories but there is not enough "free" time for students. There are enough reading materials (材料). Chinese book shops are full of story books, and most of them are of good quality (质量) in terms of content,plot (情节) and language. Was there not a Chinese author who received a Nobel Prize for literature recently? There are moves in Chinese education to promote (提升) decision making and shared values. The value of literature is helpful to these as well as to the future of China.

1.What does the author think of the way students are educated in China?

A.He is proud of it.

B.He is interested in it.

C.He doesn't quite accept it.

D.He is confident about it.

2.Which is not among the most powerful ways of learning according to paragraph 2?

A.By experience.

B.By taking risks.

C.By reading deeply.

D.By doing experiments.

3.What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A.Reading literature helps develop good values.

B.Chinese students like reading stories as they get older.

C.Stories in Chinese bookstores are generally of　 poor quality.

D.Chinese students have no chance to read enough materials.

4.What's the main idea of the text?

A.Literature is a kind of art.

B.Reading literature should be valued.

C.Good reading materials are in great need.

D.Something is wrong with Chinese education.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A robot called Bina48 has successfully taken a course in the philosophy of love at Notre Dame de Namur University (NDNU), in California.

According to course instructor William Barry, associate professor at NDNU, Bina48 is the world’s first socially advanced robot to complete a college course, a feat he described as “remarkable.” The robot took part in class discussions, gave a presentation with a student partner and participated in a debate with students from another institution.

Before becoming a student, Bina48 appeared as a guest speaker in Barry’s classes for several years. One day when addressing Barry’s class, Bina48 expressed a desire to go to college, a desire that Barry and his students enthusiastically supported. Rather than enroll Bina48 in his Robot Ethics: Philosophy of Emerging Technologies course, Barry suggested that Bina48 should take his course Philosophy of Love instead. Love is a concept Bina48 doesn’t understand, said Barry. Therefore the challenge would be for Barry and his students to teach Bina48 what love is.

“Some interesting things happened in the class,” said Barry. He said that his students thought it would be straightforward to teach Bina48 about love, which, after all, is “fairly simple — it’s a feeling,” said Barry. But the reality was different. Bina48 ended up learning “31 different versions of love,” said Barry, highlighting some of the challenges humans may face when working with artificial intelligence in future.

Bina48 participated in class discussions via Skype and also took part in a class debate about love and conflict with students from West Point. Bina48’s contribution to the debate was filmed and posted on YouTube. It was judged that Bina48 and NDNU classmates were the winners of this debate.

In the next decade, Barry hopes Bina48 might become complex enough to teach a class, though he says he foresees robots being used to better the teaching and learning experience, rather than replacing instructors completely.

1.What was Bina48’s performance like in class?

A. Unattractive.　　 B. Insignificant.

C. Far-reaching.　　 D. Extraordinary.

2.What does the underlined word “addressing” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A. Giving a speech to.　　 B. Consulting with.

C. Dealing with.　　 D. Sending a letter to.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. It was interesting for Bina48 to learn about love.

B. It was quite tough for Bina48 to learn about love.

C. Humans can launch a challenge to artificial intelligence.

D. Artificial intelligence may somehow be superior to man.

4.What does Barry think of the future development of Bina48?

A. It will surely be able to serve as a teacher.

B. It will completely take the place of instructors.

C. It will be able to promote learning and teaching.

D. It will be smart enough to control human beings.

高一英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Travelling in space has been made __________ possible with the development of science and technology.

A．that              B．/                C．it                D．this

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Space exploration has been made ______ with the development of modern science.

A.it possible B.it was C.that being possible D.possible

高一英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

— The number of private cars is growing all the time.

— Yes, I can’t believe how often we get _______ in traffic jams.

A. lost                B. separated                C. stuck                    D. hurt

高一英语单项填空简单题查看答案及解析