Driving Offence Point System is a computer-co...

Driving Offence Point System is a computer-controlled system _____ to reduce accident rates and make roads much safer.

A. designing　　　 B. to design

C. to be designed　　　 D. designed

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Driving Offence Points System

What is Driving Offence Points System?

After the introduction of this system, certain traffic offences will earn the driver points besides other punishment. If a driver makes any of these offences, the points will be recorded. When the driver gets a certain number of points, he will be forbidden to drive for a certain amount of time.

What are the purposes of this system?

This is a system designed to make road much safer. It can improve standards of driving and reduce the accident rates.

Which traffic offences will result in Driving Offence points?

Of course, not all traffic offences are covered by this system. Only those that have direct effect on road safety are included. There are altogether fourteen items.

What will happen if you have got up to 10 points?

If you have got 10 points or above, but still less 15 points, you will receive a warning letter from the Transport Department. This letter will tell your record of Driving Offence Points and remind you of the result of getting more points. It is hoped that this warning will change your driving behavior for the better.

What will happen if you have got 15 points?

If you have got 15 points or more within two years, a court will take away your driving license. The first time you are found guilty you will not be able to drive for three months, but if you are caught a second time you will not be able to drive for six months.

1.The underlined word “Offence”（paragraph 1）refers to ________.

2.The Driving Offence Points __________.

3.What will happen to you if you have got 13 points?

4.What will happen to you if you are caught driving dangerously and two months later you are caught driving after drinking?

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You have to log on to your school's online system to check your grades, but you find the system is kind of inconvenient．What do you do?

When Daniel Brooks was a senior at Pioneer High School in the US, he came up with a Silicon Valley-style solution; he developed an iPhone app（application, 应用程序）I C Connector．

When he tried out his school's new Web-based student information system earlier this year, he immediately noticed some shortcomings．He could no longer view his current grades for all his classes at once．Checking several classes required several clicks-which for a teenager is so much work．To save himself all this trouble, Brooks developed the app and sold it on the Apple app store．Now it has 2,300 users who have downloaded it across the US．

"It ended up on every iPhone and iPad and portable device that any student and teacher had on campus," said Scott Peterson, the campus tech support worker at Pioneer High．

Brooks said he didn't create the app to get rich - it is free．"A student is not going to want to pay 99 cents," Brooks said．"They just want to see their grades more easily．"

However, in the months that followed, Brooks experienced highs and lows．His app is now so successful that users want more, in particular, his teachers have started pushing him to develop a version for them．However, the company Infinite Campus, which developed the information system, has been less positive．

The company said in an e-mail that he was confusing users and violating the company's copyright by using Infinite Campus' name and logo in the app’s name．Brooks' father, Michael Brooks, has offered to change the name, but says he needs time to get Apple's approval．Daniel also e-mailed and called Infinite Campus．They got no response．

Daniel Brooks starts at a California university this autumn．Despite Infinite Campus' attitude, he continues to try to improve the app and hopes to put out an Android version soon．

1.Why did Daniel Brooks develop an iPhone app IC Connector? （No more than 8 words）

_______________________________________________________

2.What is Brooks' teachers' attitude towards the app he developed? （No more than 14 words）

________________________________________________________

3.What does Paragraph 7 talk about between Infinite Campus and Brooks? （No more than 7 words）

________________________________________________________

4.What does Brooks’ aim to do now? （No more than 10 words）

________________________________________________________

5.Use one word to describe Brooks.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Language as a System of Symbols

Of all systems of symbols(符号), language is the most highly developed. It has been pointed out that human beings, by agreement, can make anything stand for anything. Human beings have agreed, in the course of centuries of mutual(相互的)dependency, to let the various noises that they can produce with their lungs, throats, tongues, teeth, and lips systematically stand for certain happenings in their nervous systems. We call that system of agreements language.

There is no necessary connection between the symbol and that which it stands for. Just as social positions can be symbolized by feathers worn on the head, by gold on the watch chain, or by a thousand other things according to the culture we live in, so the fact of being hungry can be symbolized by a thousand different noises according to the culture we live in.

However obvious these facts may appear at first glance, they are actually not so obvious as they seem except when we take special pains to think about the subject. Symbols and the things they stand for are independent of each other, yet we all have a way of feeling as if, and sometimes acting as if, there were necessary connections. For example, there are people who feel that foreign languages are unreasonable by nature; foreigners have such funny names for things, and why can’t they call things by their right names? This feeling exhibits itself most strongly in those English and American tourists who seem to believe that they can make the natives of any country understand English if they shout loud enough. Like the little boy who is reported to have said: “Pigs are called pigs because they are such dirty animals,” they feel that the symbol is inherently(内在地) connected in some way with the things symbolized.

1.Language is a highly developed system of symbols because human beings ______.

A. have made use of language for centuries

B. use our nervous systems to support language

C. have made various noises stand for any events

D. can make anything stand for anything by agreement

2.What can we conclude from Paragraph 2?

A. Different noises may mean different things.

B. Our culture determines what a symbol stands for.

C. The language we use symbolizes our social positions.

D. Our social positions determine the way we are dressed.

3.In Paragraph 3, “take special pains” probably means “_____”.

A. try very hard

B. take our time

C. are very unhappy

D. feel especially painful

4.The example of the little boy is used to show that _____.

A. adults often learn from their young

B. “pig” is a dirty word because pigs are dirty

C. words are not connected with the things they stand for

D. people sometimes have wrong ideas about how language works

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

A rapidly advancing contemporary science that is highly dependent on new tools is Earth system science. Earth system science involves observation and measurements on the Earth at all scales from the largest to the smallest. The huge amounts of data that are gathered come from many different locations and require special techniques for handling data. Important new tools that facilitate Earth system science include satellite remote sensing, small deep-sea submarines, and geographic information systems.

More than any other way of gathering evidence, satellite observations continually remind us that each part of the Earth interacts with and is dependent on all other parts.

Earth system science was born from the realization of that interdependence. Satellite remote sensing makes possible observations at large scales, and in many cases, measurements of factors that could not otherwise be measured. For example, the ozone hole over Antarctica--the decrease in the concentration of ozone high in the atmosphere--is measured by remote sensing, as are changes in deserts, forests, and farmlands around the world. Such measurements can be used in many areas of specialization besides Earth system science. Archaeology, for example, has benefited from satellite observations that reveal the traces of ancient trade routes across the Arabian Desert.

New tools for exploring previously inaccessible areas of the Earth have also added greatly to our knowledge of the Earth system. Small deep-sea submarines allow scientists to travel to the depths of the ocean. There they have discovered new species and ecosystems thriving near deep-sea vents that emit heat, sasses, and mineral-rich water.

Just as important as new methods of measurement and exploration are new ways to store and analyze data about the Earth system. Computer-based software programs known as geographic information systems, or GIS, allow a large number of data points to be stored along with their locations. These can be used to produce maps and to compare different sets of information gathered at different times. For example, satellite remote sensing images of a forest can be converted to represent stages in the forest's growth. Two such images, made at different times can be overlaid and compared, and the changes that have taken place can be represented in a new image.

1.The word "facilitate" in Paragraph I is closest in meaning to ________.

A. enable　　 B. require　　 C. organize　　 D. examine

2.The author of the passage mentions that satellite observations are especially effective in ________.

A. conducting scientific studies of life on the ocean floor

B. predicting future climate changes

C. providing data to determine Earth's age

D. demonstrating interactions among all of Earth's parts

3.According to the passage, satellite observations of the Arabian Desert allow archaeologists to know ________.

A). indications of ancient routes

B. evidence of former lakes

C. traces of early farms

D. remains of ancient forests

4.What is the main idea of the passage?

A. special techniques are needed to classify the huge amounts of data about Earth.

B. New tools provide information about Earth that was once impossible to obtain.

C. Advances in Earth system science have resolved many environmental problems.

D. Satellite remote sensing can show changes between two images taken years apart.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

One of the biggest ideas in computer technology is cloud computing. The system is changing the way information is kept. It uses a group of computers or servers to store information instead of one. The data floats around like clouds instead of being saved on any computer. It means computers can be smaller than ever and store practically unlimited amounts of information. No longer are bulky computers needed because all the information is in the clouds.

So when will cloud computing start affecting the way you use computers? You may not have noticed, but it already has. Facebook, Amazon, Twitter and many other sites all run on cloud computing. Cloud computing is really useful. You can use it to access the same file at work at home or in other countries on different computers. There may even be environmental benefits, too. Gmail, which uses cloud computing, says that the system saves a lot of energy.

However, potential problems do exist such as losing information and not being able to access certain files when the internet is down. Also, some companies charge fees for their cloud computing services. Another major problem is security. If all your Information is out there in the cloud and not safely stored on your own computer or laptop, it may be possible for other people to access it. More and more of our personal information is in danger of being stolen. Therefore, it is important to be careful and to find ways of making the information secure.

More and more companies are starting up and offering cloud computing. Will the company be reliable? What will happen to your data if the company goes out of business? There are real worries. Even so, for those interested in computing technology, one thing is for certain ---the future in the clouds is going to be very exciting.

1.How does the author describe the data?

A.It needs only a single server.

B.It is a cloud floating around computers.

C.It makes computers become smaller.

D.It improves the computer’s function.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Cloud computing will come into use soon.

B.Files will be entered when the Internet is down.

C.Personal information may be lost if not kept properly.

D.Companies will enjoy free cloud computing services.

3.What’s the author’s attitude towards cloud computing?

A.Worried. B.Positive.

C.Unclear. D.Cautious.

4.The purpose of the passage is 　　　　　　　　　　 .

A.to introduce cloud computing to us

B.to talk about the way computers change

C.to warn us to be careful to use computers

D.to tell us how to access information on other computers

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

The author of the article believes that it is the test system, ______ teachers, that is responsible for the heavy burden of the middle school students nowadays.

A. other than     B. or rather   C. rather than      D. more than

高三英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析

Tsunami warning system is tested

If he, the founder of the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, were alive, Thomas Jaggar would be proud of the U.S. tsunami warning system after Friday’s devastating earthquake in Japan sent a surge (大浪，汹涌) of ocean water dashing toward the West Coast.

● WASHINGTON — So many people surged to the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center website that it slowed to a crawl early Friday, unable to provide critical information to the public about the coastal impact in the U.S. of a massive earthquake in Japan.

McClatchy Washington Bureau — Mar 11 06:09 p.m.

● CHICAGO — A tsunami warning has been issued for the central and northern California coast and Oregon, the National Weather Service announced early Friday.

Chicago Tribune— Mar 11 06:07 a.m.

● HONOLULU — A tsunami warning was issued late on Thursday for Hawaii after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific near Japan, prompting state civil defense officials to order all coastal areas evacuated（把…撤出…）by 2 a.m. local time. Tsunami sirens (警报) began sounding at 9:59 p.m. on Thursday. They have sounded every hour since 11:15 p.m.

Alaska Tsunami Warning Center also issued a warning for much of the coasts of Alaska, Washington, Oregon and California.

Reuters via Yahoo! News — Mar 11 01:22 a.m.

● LOMPOC — Tsunami warning ‘a wake-up call’

A tsunami warning that led to evacuations for coastal communities and campgrounds in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties Friday served as a successful trial for a more serious emergency, officials said after the danger passed.

The Lompoc Record — Mar 11 11:29 p.m.

● WELLINGTON — The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre issued a warning after an 8.9 magnitude earthquake struck in the Pacific near Japan, and it said the sea level readings confirm that a tsunami has been generated and was in effect for some Pacific islands — Hawaii, China’s Taiwan, the Philippines and Indonesia etc.

New Straits Times — Mar 11 07:48 a.m.

— Reproduced by Yahoo Greenwich Meantime

1..

. A tsunami warning was issued for all the following states in the U.S. except for _____.

A. Ohio         B. California           C. Oregon          D. Alaska

2..

The underlined word “prompting” (in the fourth paragraph) most probably means _____.

A. promoting      B. advocating     C. urging         D. appealing

3..

According to the passage, the Pacific Tsunami warning was first reported by _____.

A. New Straits Times                    B. Reuters via Yahoo! News

C. McClatchy Washington Bureau          D. Chicago Tribune

4..

In which city did the news agency issue a tsunami affecting for some other places apart from Japan and Hawaii?

A. LOMPOC.        B. WASHINGTON.      C. HONOLULU.    D. WELLINGTON.

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Microsoft announced this week that its facial-recognition system is now more accurate in identifying people of color, touting （吹嘘）its progress at tacking one of the technology’s biggest biases （偏见）.But critics, citing Microsoft's work with immigration and Customs Enforcement ,quickly seized on how that improved technology might be used. The agency contracts with Microsoft for cloud-computing tools that the tech giant says is largely limited to office work but can also face recognition.

Columbia University professor Alondra Nelson tweeted. “We must stop confusing 'inclusion5 in more 'diverse' surveillance （监管）systems with justice and equality.”

Facial-recognition systems more often misidentify people of color because of a long-running data problem: The massive sets of facial images they train on skew heavily toward white men. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology study this year of the face-recognition systems designed by Microsoft, IBM and the China-based Face found facial-recognition systems consistently giving the wrong gender for famous women of color including Oprah Winfrey, Serena Williams, Michelle Obama and Shirley Chisholm, the first black female member of Congress.

The companies have responded in recent months by pouring many more photos into the mix, hoping to train the systems to better tell the differences among more than just white faces. IBM said Wednesday it used 1 million facial images, taken from the photo-sharing site Flickr, to build the "world's largest facial data-set" which it will release publicly for other companies to use.

IBM and Microsoft say that allowed its systems to recognize gender and skin tone with much more precision. Microsoft said its improved system reduced the error rates for darker-skinned men and women by "up to 20 times,n and reduced error rates for all women by nine times.

Those- improvements were heralded （宣布）by some for taking aim at the prejudices in a rapidly spreading technology, including potentially reducing the kinds of false positives that could lead police officers misidentify a criminal suspect.

But others suggested that the technology's increasing accuracy could also make it more marketable. The system should be accurate, "but that’s just the beginning, not the end, of their ethical obligation,” said David Robinson, managing director of the think tank Upturn.

At the center of that debate is Microsoft, whose multimillion-dollar contracts with ICE came under fire amid the agency's separation of migrant parents and children at the Mexican border.

In an open letter to Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella urging the company to cancel that contract, Microsoft workers pointed to a company blog post in January that said Azure Government would help ICE “accelerate recognition and identification.” “We believe that Microsoft must take an ethical stand, and put children and families above profits,”the letter said.

A Microsoft spokesman, pointing to a statement last week from Nadella, said the company's "current cloud engagement” with ICE supports relatively anodyne （温和的）office work such as calendar, massaging and document management workloads.” The company said in a statement that its facial-recognition improvements are “part of our going work to address the industry-wide issues on bias.”

Criticism of face recognition will probably expand as the technology finds its way into more arenas, including airport. stores and schools. The Orlando police department said this week that it Would not renew its use of Amazon. Com's Rekognition system.

“Companies have to acknowledge their moral involvement in the downstream use of their technology,” Robinson said : “The impulse is that they're going to put a product out there and wash their hands of the consequences. That’s unacceptable”.

1.What is “one of the technology's biggest biases ”in Paragraph 1?

A.Class bias. B.Racial discrimination.

C.Professional prejudice. D.Regional difference.

2.What can we know about the improvement of facial-recognition technology?

A.It is due to the expansion of the photo database.

B.Justice and equality have been truly achieved.

C.It has already solved all the social issues on biases.

D.Migrant parents and their children can be reunited.

3.What is the focus of the face-recognition debate?

A.Data problems. B.The market value.

C.The application field. D.A moral issue

4.What is David Robinson's attitude towards facial-recognition technology?

A.optimistic. B.Approval.

C.Skeptical. D.Neutral.

5.We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.

A.companies had better hide from responsibilities

B.companies should not launch new products on impulse

C.companies deny problems with the technical process of facial-recognition system

D.companies should be responsible for the new product and the consequences

6.Which can be the suitable title for the passage?

A.Fears of facial-recognition technology B.The wide use of Microsoft system

C.The improvement of Microsoft system D.Failure of recognizing black women

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Culture is one of the most challenging elements of the international marketplace. This system of learned behavior patterns characteristic of the members of a given society is constantly shaped by set of dynamic variables: language, religion, values and attitudes, manners and customs, aesthetics, technology, education, and social institutions. To cope with this system, an international manager needs both factual and interpretive knowledge of culture. To some extent, the factual knowledge can be learned; its interpretation comes only through experience.

The most complicated problems in dealing with the cultural environment stem from the fact that one cannot learn culture—one has to live it. Two schools of thought exist in the business world on how to deal with cultural diversity. One is that business is business the world around, following the model of Pepsi and McDonald’s. In some cases, globalization is a fact of life; however, cultural differences are still far from converging.

The other school proposes that companies must tailor business approaches to individual cultures. Setting up policies and procedures in each country has been compared to an organ transplant; the critical question centers around acceptance or rejection. The major challenge to the international manager is to make sure that rejection is not a result of cultural myopia or even blindness.

Fortune examined the international performance of a dozen large companies that earn 20 percent or more of their revenue(税收) overseas. The internationally successful companies all share an important quality: patience. They have not rushed into situations but rather built their operations carefully by following the most basic business principles. These principles are to know your adversary, know your audience, and know your customer.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is true?

A. All international managers can learn culture.

B. Business diversity is not necessary.

C. Views differ on how to treat culture in business world.

D. Most people do not know foreign culture well.

2.What does the underlined word “myopia” (in para. 3) mean?

A. difference　　　　　　　　 B. similarity

C. foresight　　　　　　　　 D. shortsightedness

3. We can infer from the passage that this article is supposed to be most useful for those_______

A. who are interested in researching the topic of cultural diversity

B. who have connections to more than one type of culture.

C. who want to travel abroad.

D. who want to run business on International Sale

4. According to Fortune, successful international companies___________ .

A. earn 20 percent or more of their revenue overseas

B. all have the quality of patience

C. will follow the overseas local cultures

D. adopt the policy of internationalization

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析