Many of you may have used Siri, a voice assis...

Many of you may have used Siri, a voice assistant of US tech company Apple. You only have to say “hey Siri” and it will answer to your command. However, we may be sacrificing our privacy to enjoy this convenience.

According to a recent report by the Guardian, Siri can be accidentally triggered and start recording private conversations, such as discussions between doctors and patients. Some of these recordings are then given to workers outside the company to review.

Apple claimed the data was used to help Siri improve, but users were not informed of this measure in the first place.

Apple’s Siri is not the only voice assistant to come under fire.

In 2018, Alexa, a voice assistant developed by US tech company Amazon, recorded a private conversation between a couple and sent it to a stranger without their permission.

These issues deepened concerns that tech companies are infringing users’ rights of privacy.

Many people have long feared that tech companies are listening and collecting data from private conversations, reported Forbes. Using this data, third party companies could then paint an accurate picture of users’ habits and preferences in order to serve them more targeted advertisements, or even worse, sell this private data.

Despite this risk, the popularity of voice assistant seems to be unstoppable.

“In the near future, everything from your lighting to your air-conditioning to your refrigerator, your coffee maker, and even your toilet could be wired to a system controlled by voice,” commented The Atlantic.

Colin Horgan wrote on the blog site Medium that he believed people’s daily lives will soon become a source of data.

“The sounds of our homes, the symphony of life — laughing, crying, talking, shouting, sitting in silence — will no longer be considered memories, but data,” he wrote.

To deal with the issue, Blake Morgan, reporter for The Atlantic, believed that the answer is transparency.

“All companies need to have messaging ready to explain to customers what they do with private data,” she wrote on The Atlantic.

1.What does the underlined sentence mean?

A.There are other fire-proof voice assistants.

B.Other voice assistants are also being developed.

C.There are other voice assistants being criticized.

D.Other voice assistants also need improvements.

2.What seems to be people’s biggest concern about voice assistants?

A.Invading their privacy. B.Sending their message.

C.Making no improvements. D.Serving them targeted advertisements.

3.What should companies do to solve the problem, according to Blake Morgan?

A.To stop collecting data through voice assistant.

B.To explain their use of the data to customers.

C.To make their data more transparent.

D.To slow down the pace of technology advancement.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To show visions of a data world in the future.

B.To inform people of what tech companies are really up to.

C.To draw attention to the privacy issue voice assistants bring about.

D.To criticize companies’ invading customers’ privacy by collecting data.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.

If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.

When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward　 in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the　 Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

C. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually ___

A. turn around and greet one another

B. look around or examine their phone

C. make eye contact with those in the elevator

D. try to keep a distance from other people

3.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

4.The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. judge　　　　 　　 B. ignore

C. put up with　　　 D. make the best of

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A．remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B．tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

C．share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D．analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.

A．turn around and greet one another

B．look around or examine their phone

C．make eye contact with those in the elevator

D．try to keep a distance from other people

3.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

4.The writer wrote the passage in a tone of ___________.

A．disapproved　　　　　 B．objective

C．negative　　　 　　 　 D．supportive

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They [elevators] are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.

If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.

When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward ( adj. 尴尬的) in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the　 Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

C. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually ______.

A. turn around and greet one another　　　　　　

B. look around or examine their phone

C. make eye contact with those in the elevator　

D. try to keep a distance from other people elevator?

3.The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. judge　　　　　 B. ignore　　　　 C. put up with　　　 D. make the best of

4.According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.

A. someone’s odd behaviors

B. the lack of space

C. their unfamiliarity with one another

D. their eye contact with one another

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during a day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes an interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of strange,” Gray told the BBC. “They are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift-users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want — it’s your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.

Newcomers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act quickly. Once in, for most people the rule is simple — look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts? “You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people, we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be considered to be threatening or strange, “The easiest way do this is avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.What is people’s response to the lift etiquette according to Gray?

A.Thinking much of it. B.Avoiding it on purpose.

C.Researching it continuously. D.Ignoring it unconsciously.

2.What does Gray think of riding a lift?

A.It’s funny and quick. B.It’s strange and dangerous.

C.It’s interesting but awkward. D.It’s convenient but boring.

3.What may most people do if they stay in the lift?

A.Talk loudly to each other. B.Keep still and silence.

C.Use mobile phones. D.Keep a close distance.

4.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A.To show how to ride each elevators.

B.To introduce some rules of elevator etiquette.

C.To show how to break awkwardness of riding lifts，

D.To analyze the reasons for keeping elevator etiquette.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box. If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance. When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

B. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

C. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

D. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.

A. turn around and greet one another

B. try to keep a distance from other people

C. look around or examine their phone

D. make eye contact with those in the elevator

3.The writer wrote the passage in a tone of ___________.

A. disapproved　　　　 B. supportive

C. negative　　　　 　　 D. objective

4.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this overlooked form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where etiquette (礼仪) is sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, lift users unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.

If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.

When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

New entrants to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be construed (理解) as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator etiquette

C. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

2.According to Gray, when people enter an elevator, they usually _____.

A. turn around and greet one another

B. look around or examine their phone

C. make eye contact with those in the elevator

D. try to keep a distance from other people

3.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

4.The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. judge　　 B. ignore　　 C. put up with　　 D. make the best of

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

You may not pay much attention to your daily elevator ride. Many of us use a lift several times during the day without really thinking about it. But Lee Gray, PhD, of the University of North Carolina, US, has made it his business to examine this unnoticed form of public transport. He is known as the “Elevator Guy”.

“The lift becomes this interesting social space where behaviors are sort of odd (奇怪的),” Gray told the BBC. “They (elevators) are socially very interesting but often very awkward places.”

We walk in and usually turn around to face the door. If someone else comes in, we may have to move. And here, according to Gray, liftusers unthinkingly go through a set pattern of movements. He told the BBC what he had observed.

He explained that when you are the only one inside a lift, you can do whatever you want – it’s your own little box.

If there are two of you, you go into different corners, standing diagonally (对角线地) across from each other to create distance.

When a third person enters, you will unconsciously form a triangle. And when there is a fourth person it becomes a square, with someone in every corner. A fifth person is probably going to have to stand in the middle.

Newcomers to the lift will need to size up the situation when the doors slide open and then act decisively. Once in, for most people the rule is simple – look down, or look at your phone.

Why are we so awkward in lifts?

“You don’t have enough space,” Professor Babette Renneberg, a clinical psychologist at the Free University of Berlin, told the BBC. “Usually when we meet other people we have about an arm’s length of distance between us. And that’s not possible in most elevators.”

In such a small, enclosed space it becomes very important to act in a way that cannot be understood as threatening or odd. “The easiest way to do this is to avoid eye contact,” she said.

1.The main purpose of the article is to _____.

A. remind us to enjoy ourselves in the elevator

B. analyze what makes people feel awkward in an elevator

C. share an interesting but awkward elevator ride

D. tell us some unwritten rules of elevator behaviors

2.Which of the following describes how people usually stand when there are at least two people in an elevator?

3.The underlined phrase “size up” in Paragraph 7 is closest in meaning to _____.

A. ignore　　　　　　　　 B. judge　　　　　　 C. put up with　　　　　　 D. make use of

4.According to the article, people feel awkward in lifts because of _____.

A. the lack of space

B. someone’s strange behaviors

C. their unfamiliarity with one another

D. their eye contact with one another

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Many of us mistakenly believe that it’s wrong to think we have many good qualities. We may spend a lot of time blaming ourselves for our negative qualities, thinking that self-criticism is the key to improving our performance. However, a constant focus on our supposed shortcomings can stop our efforts to make friends with other people. How can we believe that others could like us if we believe our inner being is flawed(有缺点的)?

If someone seems to dislike you, the reason for that dislike might have little or nothing to do with you. The person who doesn’t like you might be fearful, shallow, busy or shy. Perhaps you and that person are simply a mismatch for each other at this particular time.

Don’t take yourself out of the game by deciding that your flaws are bigger than your good qualities. In fact, some of the very qualities you consider to be flaws may be irresistible to someone else. For all the factors that might cause one person to reject you, there are at least as many factors that will work in your favor with someone else.

You might be thirty pounds over your ideal weight, but you may have a wonderful laugh and a real enthusiasm for life. There are many people who don’t mind your extra pounds. You may drive a shabby car, but you might be a great dancer and a loyal friend. There are people looking for loyalty, fun, sweetness, or wisdom, and the package it comes in is not important. If you are worried that you are not beautiful enough to attract friends, keep in mind that not everyone is looking for physical beauty in their friends. You can decide to feel inferior because you don’t have much money or you don’t drive a nice car. You can believe that this is the reason that you don’t have many friends in your life. On the other hand, if you are very wealthy you may be suspicious that everyone is after your money and that nobody really likes you as a person.

The point is that you can focus on anything and believe it’s the reason you do not have friends and cannot make any.

1.According to the author, plays an important role in making friends.

A.admitting your shortcomings B.self-criticism

C.modesty 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D.confidence

2.If you are not liked by a person,　　　 .

A.you should find the reason in yourself

B.you’d better talk with the person face to face

C.you may not be the one to be blamed

D.you and that person misunderstand each other

3.We can learn from the third paragraph that 　　　 .

A.your good qualities may turn out to be your flaws

B.your weaknesses may also be your strengths in some way

C.your negative qualities cause a person to reject you

D.you’ll have few friends if your flaws are more than your good qualities

4.Which of the following is true according to the author?

A.It is important to lose weight.

B.It is easier for a wealthy person to make friends.

C.Inner qualities are more important than physical appearance.

D.If you are not beautiful enough, try to improve your physical beauty.

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

So many of us hold on to little resentments (怨恨) that may have come from an argument, a misunderstanding, or some other painful event. Stubbornly, we wait for someone else to reach out to us—believing this is the only way we can forgive or rekindle a friendship or family relationship.

An acquaintance of mine, whose health isn’t very good, recently told me that she hadn’t spoken to her son in almost three years. She said that she and her son had had a disagreement about his wife and that she wouldn’t speak to him again unless he called first. When I suggested that she be the one to reach out, she resisted initially and said, “I can’t do that. He’s the one who should apologize.” She was literally willing to die before reaching out to her only son. After a little gentle encouragement, however, she did decide to be the first one to reach out. To her amazement, her son was grateful for her willingness to call and offered an apology of his own. As is usually the case when someone takes the chance and reaches out, everyone wins.

Whenever we hold on to our anger, we turn “small stuff” into really “big stuff” in our minds. We start to believe that our positions are more important than our happiness. They are not. If you want to be a more peaceful person, you must understand that being right is almost never more important than allowing yourself to be happy. The way to be happy is to let go, and reach out. Let other people be right. This doesn’t mean that you’re wrong. Everything will be fine. You’ll experience the peace of letting go, as well as the joy of letting others be right.

You’ll also notice that, as you reach out and let others be “right,” they will become less defensive and more loving toward you. They might even reach back. But if for some reason they don’t, that’s okay too. You’ll have the inner satisfaction of knowing that you have done your part to create a more loving world, and certainly you’ll be more peaceful yourself.

1.The underlined word “rekindle” in Paragraph 1 probably means “________”.

A. develop　　 B. recover

C. accept　　 D. replace

2.According to the passage, the author’s friend never spoke to her son for three years because ________.

A. she had got an argument with her husband

B. she had disagreed about her son’s marriage

C. she had got an argument about her daughter-in-law

D. she had disliked her son’s wife for many years

3.Which of the following is NOT the reason for people to be unwilling to apologize first?

A. People believe that they are right.

B. People always wait for others to offer an apology first.

C. People consider the position more important than happiness.

D. People want to get an inner satisfaction.

4.The purpose of the passage is to ________.

A. instruct the readers how to apologize

B. teach the readers how to gain inner peace

C. tell the readers to reach out first when there are painful events

D. inform the readers the importance of being forgiving

高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析