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This photograph taken and released on Sep 28, 2018 by Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Management shows a house destroyed by a 7.5 magnitude (级) earthquake in the small town Donggala on Sulawesi Island. The quake brought down many buildings while tsunami waves hit into its beachfront. “All the things in my house were shaking and it left a small crack on my wall. Anyway, I survived!” one of the local people Mohammad Fikri said by telephone.
But the biggest killer was probably soil liquefaction (地基液化), which happens when a powerful quake turns the dry ground into a liquid mire (泥沼) and this totally destroyed several neighborhoods.
The official death reports rose to 1,948, and most of them were in Palu, the center of the Sulawesi Island. Bodies are still being dug out and the numbers from less populated areas are increasing but they seem to have suffered fewer deaths than the city. No one knows how many people are missing, especially in the areas hit by liquefaction, but it could be as high as 5,000, the National Disaster Agency said.
At a Palu middle school, fewer than 50 of its 697 students came. School principal Abdul Rashid said at least four students were killed in the quake. “Classes haven’t started. We’re only collecting data to find out how many students are safe,” he said. One boy chatting in the school with friends said he was disappointed that so few of his classmates had shown up. “I’m still waiting for the Ministry of Education to give us instructions on when to begin classes. For now, I don’t think we’re ready. Many children are so frightened that they need time to calm down.”
The government has collected $37 million to help victims of the earthquake. With the efforts of rescue workers and volunteers, the supply of gas and electricity has been recovered. Ruins would be cleared and areas hit by liquefaction would be turned into parks, gymnasiums and other public spaces, a spokesman said.
1.It can be learned from paragraph 1 that ________.
A.the photo is released by Mohammad Fikri
B.no death was reported in the small town
C.the quake damaged many local buildings
D.Donggala is a town located off the Sulawesi island
2.What caused the most damage in the quake?
A.A power failure. B.The cutoff of gas supply.
C.Soil liquefaction. D.The cracks of houses.
3.Which of the following statements about the earthquake is TRUE?
A.Few people in Palu were killed in the quake.
B.People in the countryside suffered more from the hit.
C.Few students showed up because of their disappointment over the school.
D.The government is taking active measures against the disaster.
4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the passage?
A.To make a brief introduction of the damage caused by the tsunami.
B.To give a detailed news report of the Donggala quake.
C.To stress the importance of the rescue work after the quake.
D.To describe the students’ concern for safety at school.
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As soon as ______ concert film This Is It was released on October 28th, it became ______ great success in all big cinemas across the planet.
A．a; the B．the; a C．the; / D．a; a
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We all like the photographs _____ by our teachers.
A. were taken B. taken C. taking D. to take
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With the good care taken by doctors and nurses, most patients injured in this traffic accident are beginning to ________.
A. make up B. turn up C. take up D. pick up
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From driving to landing on moon, more and more human tasks are being taken over by artificial intelligence(AI-人工智能). It will make everyday tasks easier and bring benefits to different industries.
And yet, like any other technology, AI will also bring risks and dangers. When people mention that AI could be dangerous, they think of the situation in films where an AI program decides to kill or enslave all humans. While this possibility is unlikely for now, there are many other dangers that AI could bring to mankind.
In February 2018, a group of AI experts got together to discuss the possible misuse of AI. What they found was that “Every AI advance by the good guys is an advance for the bad guys, too”. Their main worry was that criminals could use AI for many bad purposes, including using AI to create websites that could steal people’s personal information. Another possible risk was faster hacking(黑客)—AI programs could be taught to find weaknesses in software and break into computer systems. Some other risks were as dramatic as the ones we see in books and movies. For example, long-distant attacks could be made easier through the use of AI. And, finally, there were some worries on imitating voices as well. It is possible that AI could be used to make false photos and videos. In china, tech giant Baidu has developed a program called Deep Voice that can “clone” anyone’s voice by studying a 3.7-second audio sample (声音样本).
Many people in the tech world have expressed worry about AI. People like US businessmen Bill Gates and Elon Musk have called for the industry to be more strictly controlled, as there are few laws currently governing the use of AI. Famous British Physicist Stephen Hawking even thought AI could finally cause the end of mankind. “Once humans develop artificial intelligence, it will take off and redesign itself at an alarming rate. Humans…couldn’t compete and would be replaced.”
1.What cannot possibly be done by AI right now?
A.Driving cars. B.Landing on moon.
C.Playing games. D.Ruling all humans.
2.Which saying has a similar meaning with the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3?
A.Every coin has two sides. B.Prevention is better than cure.
C.Risk nothing, gain nothing. D.One’s meat is another’s poison.
3.How many misuses of AI are mentioned in Paragraph 3?
A.One. B.Two.
C.Three. D.Four.
4.Why does the author mention Stephen Hawking’s words?
A.To show Hawking’s perfect prediction.
B.To strengthen the high position of Hawking.
C.To help readers understand the serious situation.
D.To introduce the famous scientist--Stephen Hawking.
5.What does the whole passage mainly talk about?
A.Risks and dangers of AI. B.Guidance of AI usage.
C.Advantages and disadvantages of AI. D.Development of AI industry.
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"A photograph that one has taken of oneself,typically with a smart phone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website."This is the definition（定义）of the word "selfie" in the Oxford English Dictionary.In fact,it wasn't even in the dictionary until August,2013.It earned its place there because people are now so obsessed（着迷）with selfies—we take them when we try on a new hat,play with our pets or when we meet a friend whom we haven't seen in a while.
But does this obsession actually make sense?Is there any scientific explanation for it?Well,you should probably ask James Kilner,a neuroscientist at University College London.
Through our lifetime we become experts at recognizing and interpreting other people's faces and facial expressions.In contrast,according to Kilner,we have a very poor understanding of our own faces since we have little experience of looking at them—we just feel them most of the time.
This has been proved in previous studies in which participants were shown images of themselves and asked to match their facial expressions in the pictures.In most cases,they failed to accurately produce the same facial expressions without being able to see themselves in the mirror,according to BBC.
To further test how we actually sense our own faces,Kilner carried out another study.He showed people different versions（版本）of their own image—the original which had been edited to look less attractive and one that was made more attractive—and asked them to pick the version which they thought looked most like them.Kilner found that most people chose the more attractive picture.This suggests that we tend to think of ourselves as better-looking than we actually are.
But what does it say about selfies?Well,isn't that obvious?Selfies give us the power to create a photograph—by taking it from various angles,with different poses,using filters（滤镜）and so on—that better matches our expectations with our actual faces.
"You suddenly have control in a way that you don't have in non-virtual（非虚拟的）interactions,"Kilner told the Canada-based CTA News.Selfies allow you "to keep taking pictures until you manage to take one you're happy with", he explained.
1.According to Kilner's studies,it can be learned that we .
A. know about our own faces well
B. tend to recognize our own faces easily
C. become poor at reading others' facial expressions
D. believe we have better images than we actually do
2.What does the underlined word "it" in paragraph 2 refer to?
A. Selfie. B. This obsession.
C. The history of selfie. D. The rise of selfie.
3.According to Kilner,why do people like taking selfies?
A. It enables them to improve their skill of taking a photograph.
B. It meets their needs to know their own faces better.
C. It makes them possible to reach their expectation.
D. It offers them a way to control the virtual world.
4.What might be the best title of the passage?
A. What Is Selfie
B. Selfie Beautify Yourself
C. How Do People Take Selfies
D. Selfies Improve Your Confidence
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—Take this medicine, and you will from your illness soon.
—Thanks, doctor!
A. recover B. escape C. separate D. suffer
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The demands of the modern world are growing day by day and this is putting more pressure on scientists to do research. However, as stated by Griffiths, “There is no hope of doing perfect research”. Naturally, there have been a lot of criticisms (批评), as many scientists immediately announce that their research methods are very safe and that they have the perfect research theory (理论).
However, scientific history is filled with examples, in which a perfect scientific solution that was based on decades of scientific research has been overturned (推翻) with new theories. Naturally the first example that comes to mind is the fact that Newton’s Theories were thought to be very safe and they were used in all fields of science. For centuries, thousands of scientists around the world used Newton’s Theories to formulate (规划) other theories.
However, after nearly two centuries of use, Newton’s Theories were found to be not as perfect as they were thought. Through Einstein’s publication on the General Theory of Relativity, it was found that Newton’s laws were imperfect in explaining all motions (运动) that were taking place in our universe. It was found to be imperfect under some conditions, even though, Newton’s laws are still used today to predict motion at low speeds.
Thus, perfect research is only a myth (神话). Of course, this does not mean that a scientist should simply give up and accept imperfection in his or her research efforts. Improvements and changes in research techniques and methods are a natural part of evolution (进化) and it is each scientist’s responsibility to take it forward as much as possible.
While the final answer to the universe’s questions may never exist, a time will come when there will be fewer questions as new answers are found and more improved research is carried out by scientists around the world.
1.Why have there been a lot of criticisms?
A. The modern world demands mor e and more.
B. Scientists have a negative attitude.
C. Many scientists arrive at their conclusions (结论) too fast.
D. Griffiths does not believe what scientists say.
2.Through the publication of the General Theory of Relativity, Newton’s Theories turned out to be ______.
A. not so perfect B. completely wrong C. very safe D. very exact
3.What will scientists do to deal with the “imperfectness” problem?
A. Accept the fact and give up.
B. Improve and change their methods and techniques.
C. Try their best to carry out the perfect study.
D. Ignore it and do as they please.
4.We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.
A. the universe’s questions are sure to have a final answer
B. the number of questions is sure to increase with the passing of time
C. scientists are carrying out improved studies
D. there will be more scientists in the world in the future
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This recently-released documentary(纪录片)had some fantastic footage(镜头) in it, and a very personal look at many of the astronauts who went to the moon. Overall, that is a very exclusive(独特的) club; only about a dozen men ever did it in the history of the world and just eight or nine ever stepped foot on it. Most of them are still alive and they discuss their adventures, insights and personal feelings here.
One gets the feeling that the rest of us will never know exactly how beautiful the moon is except to take the astronauts’s words about it, because even the pictures on this DVD can’t convey that.
Since this documentary is about 100 minutes long, you get a lot of information. You also get reminded how close two of the three men who went up on that historic first walk on the moon almost didn’t get home alive.
An absence in this documentary is the most famous astronaut of them all: Neil Armstrong, the first man to step foot on the moon! Apparently, he did not want to be part of this film. One of the astronauts mentions something briefly about Armstrong being somewhat of a “recluse(隐居者)” now and it “being understandable with what he’s gone through”. From what I’ve read, a lot of people have tried to make money off him in shady ways and so now he’s withdrawn(退出) from the public spotlight.
This film, a legacy to the Apollo program and the brave men who ran it, should be in every schoolroom. It would make history more interesting to students.
1.What can we know from the passage?
A．One of the astronauts talks about how beautiful the moon is.
B．Two of the three men who went to the moon lost their lives.
C．The documentary would make more students interested in history.
D．The astronauts talk about their adventures, insights and excitement.
2.How many astronauts first flew to the moon?
A．1 B．2 C．3. D．4
3.Why was Armstrong absent from the film?
A．Because he didn’t like to show in public.
B．Because he has been tired of astronaut’s life.
C．Because someone wanted to make money off him.
D．Because he thought what he did was nothing to mention.
4.What made Armstrong famous around the world?
A．That he came back safely to the earth alive.
B．That he became an astronaut.
C．That he first stepped on the moon.
D．That he walked on the moon for 100 minutes.
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In this day and age taking a photograph is easier than ever. There are cameras built into our phones, computers, iPods…The way we share photos has also changed. There was a time when you’d print your photos and put them into photo albums, but because of the advance in technology, all in technology, all this has changed.
Not only do we have what seems like an endless amount of space to store photos on our devices, but we also have the Internet, especially social media. Social networks such as Facebook allow us to post our pictures and albums to share friends and family.
While you could argue this easy ability to store, share and enjoy photos is fantastic, it could also be said that photographs have lost some of their meaning. I have over 1000 pictures on my smart phone and several thousand stored on my computer. I love posting my pictures on Facebook. Sometimes, however, I try to ask myself, will I really want to look back at this picture of a coffee or a selfie taken in a bathroom by myself? Probably not.
Even though I’m guilty about sometimes taking meaningless and boring pictures like this, a couple of years ago, I decided to find a way to make my photographs more meaningful. How did I do this? Disposable （一次性）cameras! When I go on a trip, I always try to take a disposable camera. With only 27 pictures you can take, you really think about the photograph straight away. And finally, it’s so much fun to get the pictures developed and look through them again.
I admit that I couldn’t live without social media or taking photographs with my smart phone, but I do think taking photographs has become less meaningful. That’s why I’ll continue using disposable cameras. It’s a great way to make your photographs more meaningful.
1.What’s the purpose of posting pictures on the Internet according to the author?
A. To become famous.
B. To make a living.
C. To show them off.
D. To share with others.
2.How does the author feel about taking so many pictures?
A. Meaningless. B. Fantastic
C. Valuable. D. Helpful.
3.What can we learn about disposable cameras?
A. They are built into our phones.
B. They are cheap and very easy to use.
C. They allow us to take limited pictures.
D. They can help us see photographs immediately.
4.How should we make photographs more meaningful according to the author?
A. By putting pictures into photo albums.
B. By posting pictures on social networks.
C. By looking back at our pictures often.
D. By using disposable cameras to take pictures.