In a few years, you might be able to speak Chinese, Korean, Japanese, French,and English — and all at the same time. This sounds incredible, but Alex Waibel,a computer science professor at US's Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and Germany's University of Karlsruhe, announced last week that it may soon be reality. He and his team have invented software and hardware that could make it far easier for people who speak different languages to understand each other.
One application, called Lecture Translation, can easily translate a speech from one language into another. Current translation technologies typically limit speakers to certain topics or a limited vocabulary. Users also have to be trained how to use the programme.
Another prototype(雏形机) can send translations of a speech to different listeners depending on what language they speak. “It is like having a simultaneous translator right next to you but without disturbing the person next to you,” Waibel said.
Prefer to read? So-called Translation Glasses transcribe(转录) the translations on a tiny liquid-crystal(液晶) display(LCD) screen.
Then there's the Muscle Translator. Electrodes capture the electrical signals from facial muscle movements made naturally when a person is mouthing words. The signals are then translated into speech. The electrodes could be replaced with wireless chips implanted in a person's face, according to researchers.
During a demonstration held last Thursday in CMU's Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Sang Jun had 11 tiny electrodes attached to the muscles of his cheeks, neck and throat. Then he mouthed — without speaking aloud — a few words in Mandarin(普通话) to the audience. A few seconds later, the phrase was displayed on a computer screen and spoken out by the computer in English and Spanish: “Let me introduce our new prototype.”
This particular gadget(器械),when fully developed, might allow anyone to speak in any number of languages or, as Waibel put it, “to switch your mouth to a foreign language”. “The idea behind the university's prototypes is to create ‘good enough’ bridges for cross-cultural exchanges that are becoming more common in the world,” Waibel said.
With spontaneous(自发的) translators, foreign drivers in Germany could listen to traffic warnings on the radio, tourists in China could read all the signs and talk with local people, and leaders of different countries could have secret talks without any interpreters there.
51. Which of the following statements is not true ?
A. A lecture translation can translate what you said into other languages easily.
B. Muscle Translators can translate what you think into speech if you just move your mouth.
C. There is no Muscle Translator in the world now.
D. The spontaneous translators will help us a lot.
52. What kind of equipment is NOT mentioned in this passage?
A. Lecture Translation. B. Multiple Translator.
C. Muscle Translator. D. Translation Prototype.
53. What's the final destination of inventing the language translators?
A. To make cultural exchanges between different countries easier.
B. To help students learn foreign languages more easily.
C. To make people live in foreign countries more comfortably.
D. To help people learn more foreign languages in the future.
54. What can be inferred from the seventh paragraph?
A. The translator is so good that it can translate any language into the very language you need.
B. The translator is becoming more and more common in the world as a bridge. C. With the help of the translator, you only need to open your mouth when you want to say something without saying the exact words at all.
D. The translator needs to be improved before being put into market.
55. Where can this passage probably be excerpted from?
A. A newspaper. B. A magazine on science.
C. A fairy tale. D. A scientific fantasy book.
Betty Friedan, born in 1921 in Peoria, Illinois, attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She finished her studies in psychology in 1942. After college she attended the University of California at Berkeley to continue her studies. Later, she moved to New York City and worked as a reporter and editor for labor union newspapers.
In 1947, Betty married Carl Friedan. They had a child, the first of three. When Betty Friedan became pregnant for the second time, she was dismissed from her job at the newspaper. After that she worked as an independent reporter for magazines. But her editors often rejected her attempts to write about subjects outside the traditional interests of w omen.
In 1966, Betty Friedan helped found NOW, the National Organization for Women. She served as its first president. She led campaigns to end unfair treatment of women seeking jobs. She wanted women to take part in social and political change. Betty Friedan led a huge demonstration(游行) in New York City for women’s rights. Demonstrations were also held in other cities.
In 1981, Betty Friedan wrote a book called “The Second Stage” about the condition of the women’s movement. Friedan wrote that the time for huge demonstrations and other such events had passed. She urged the movement to try to increase its influence on American political life. Some younger members of the movement criticized her as too conservative.
Betty Friedan died on February 4, 2006. She was considered the mother of modern women’s liberation movement. Betty Friedan once told a television reporter how she wanted to be remembered: “She helps make women feel better about being women.”According to Paragraph 2, Betty lost her job because .
| A．she was pregnant | B．she got married |
| C．her editors didn’t like her | D．she was too independent |
Betty led a huge demonstration to .
| A．fight against the government |
| B．fight for women’s rights |
| C．take part in political life |
| D．get support from the government |
The book“The Second Stage” .
| A．was popular among young women readers |
| B．thought highly of those huge demonstrations |
| C．was about the condition of the women’s movement then |
| D．decreased the movement’s influence on American political life |
Fr om the last paragraph, we know that .
| A．Betty help ed women live better |
| B．Betty wanted to be remembered forever |
| C．Betty thought it better to be a woman |
| D．the television reporter knew Betty well |
When I was fifteen, I announced to my English class that I was going to write my own books. Half the students sneered（冷笑）, the 36 nearly fell out of their chairs laughing. “Don’t be silly, only 37 can become writers, ” the English teacher said, “And you are getting a D this term. ” I was so 38 that I burst into tears.
That night I wrote a short 39 poem about broken dreams and mailed it to the newspaper. To my 40 , they published it and sent me two dollars. I was a published and 41 writer. I showed my teacher and fellow students. They 42 . “Just plain dumb luck. ” the teacher said. I tasted 43 and I’d sold the first thing I’d ever written. That was more than any of them had done and if it was just dumb luck, that was 44 with me.
During the next two years I sold dozens of 45 , letters, jokes and recipes. By the time I 46 from high school, with a C minus average, I had scrapbooks（剪贴簿） filled with my published works. I 47 mentioned my writing to my teachers, friends or my family again. They were dream killers and 48 people must choose between their friends and their dreams, they must always choose their 49 .
I had four children at the time, and the oldest was only four. I wrote what I felt. It 50 nine months, just like a pregnant woman. I mailed it without a self addressed stamped 51 and without making a copy of the manu script.
A month later I received a（n） 52 , and a request to start working on another book. The worst year I earned two dollars. In my best year I earned 36, 000 dollars. 53 years I earned between five thousand and ten thousand. No, it isn’t enough to live 54 , but it’s still more than I’d make working part time. People ask what college I 55 , what degrees I had and what qualifications I have to be a writer. The answer is： “None. ” I just write. I’m not a genius.
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Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest hunger rate. But according to a new report, African farmers also have ideas that could help the world fight hunger and poverty. Danielle Nierenberg from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington spent a year visiting twenty-five countries south of the Sahara. In Nairobi, Kenya, for example, Ms Nierenberg found women farmers growing vegetables just outside their doorsteps in the Kibera settlement. She says they are finding ways to make their lives better. The women feed their families and sell their surplus. They use the money to send their children to school.
Last year, about 925,000,000 people worldwide did not get enough to eat. Half of all people in the world now live in and around cities. Researchers like Ms Nierenberg are looking increasingly at creative ideas to feed those who don’t have enough good food to eat. She says there are a lot of lessons that people in the Western world can learn from Africa. And what they are doing can certainly be done in other developing countries.
Farmers in the developing world lose between twenty and forty percent of their harvest before it ever reaches market. There are many reasons why food gets wasted. Farmers are without electricity and cold storage. They lack good seeds and fertilizer. They lack good roads. Conditions like these keep small farmers in poverty. Ms Nierenberg says more attention needs to be paid to protecting harvests. She says, “Given all that we invest in producing food in the first place, we need to devote the same amount of attention to making sure that it is not wasted.”
In Nigeria, village processing centers are helping farmers reduce their losses and earn more money. They centers process cassava, a root vegetable, into basic food products. In Uganda, the Worldwatch report says some schools are teaching children how to grow local kinds of crops. And in South Africa and Kenya the report praises the breeding(培育) of local kinds of livestock. These animals may produce less milk or meat than other breeds, but they can survive heat and drought conditions.We could learn from the new report in Para.1 that .
| A．sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest hunger rate |
| B．African farmers have ideas to help fighting hunger and poverty |
| C．women farmers grow vegetables in the Kibera settlement |
| D．women farmers grow vegetables to send their children to school. |
The underlined word “surplus” in Para.1 is closest in meaning to .
| A．private vegetables | B．side products |
| C．leftover vegetables | D．home-made products |
Ms Nierenberg suggests that .
| A．the women spend more money on education instead of farming |
| B．more and more African people should live in and around cities |
| C．researchers find creative ideas to feed the people suffering hunger |
| D．people in the Western world do the same as the Africans have done |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Farmers in developing world often lose some of their harvest |
| B．Small farmers in developing countries often suffer poverty. |
| C．Farmers should pay more attention to protecting their harvest |
| D．Attention should be paid to saving food instead of producing food |
The best title of this passage should be .
| A．A New Report About African Farmers Fighting Hunger |
| B．Creative Ideas to Feed Those Who Have No Enough Food |
| C．Looking to Africa for Ideas About How to Fight Hunger |
| D．Animals That Can Survive Heat and Drought Conditions |
I never thought I would have a life-changing experience at Wal-Mart.
Although my thoughts were only on speed, the checkout line I was standing in wasn't moving as quickly as I wanted, and I glanced toward the cashier.
There stood a man in his seventies, wearing glasses and a nice smile. I thought, well, he's an old guy!
For the next few minutes I watched him. He greeted every customer before scanning the items. Sure, his words were the usual, "How's it going?" But he did something different--he actually listened to people. Then he would respond to what they had said and engage them in brief conversation.
I thought it was odd. I has grown accustomed to people asking me how I was doing simply out of robotic conversational habit. After a while, you don't give any thought to the question and just mumble something back. I could say, "I just found out I have six months to live," and someone would reply, "Have a great day!"
But that wasn't the end.
He gave them the change, walked around the counter, and extended his right hand in an act of friendship. He looked the customers in the eyes. "I sure want to thank you for shopping here today," he told them. "You have a great day. Bye-bye."
The looks on the faces of the customers were priceless. There were smiles and some sheepish grins. All had been touched by his simple gesture--and in a place they never expected. They would gather their things and walk out, smiling.
Of course, he did the same to me and I got to know his name--Marty.
Who was that guy? It was as if Sam Walton had come back from the dead and invaded this old guy's body.
I had never walked away from that shop feeling like that.What was most customers' reaction to Marty's behavior?
| A．They thought it priceless. |
| B．They thought it awful and odd. |
| C．They felt somewhat offended. |
| D．They were in some way moved. |
The checkout line the writer was standing in moved slower than expected because______
| A．the cashier did more than scanning the items |
| B．the cashier couldn't work as fast as others |
| C．there were some big purchases |
| D．the writer was not patient enough |
What can we infer about Sam Walton?
| A．He might be Marty's father or grandfather. |
| B．He might have died while working in the market. |
| C．He might be friendly and devoted to Wal-Mart. |
| D．He might have come back from the dead once before. |
According to the writer, when common people ask you "How's it going?"
| A．they are just practicing their conversation ability |
| B．they are inquiring about your private information |
| C．they don't expect to hear any negative answers |
| D．they don't really care what you may answer |
What does the writer intend to express through the text?
| A．Our everyday life is always full of surprises. |
| B．Being different is a good way of doing business. |
| C．A little positive action can make a big difference. |
| D．Most customers enjoy being treated this way. |
Hospital emergency rooms treat injured fingers all the time. Without treatment, a bad cut can lead to permanent damage. But how should a person know when a bleeding cut is serious enough to require medical attention? We asked Dr Martin Brown, chairman of the department of emergency medicine at Inova Alexandria Hospital in Virginia.
First, the medical term for a cut or tear in the skin is a laceration(严重划破，撕裂伤). Dr Brown says the length is usually not as important as the depth. He says a long cut on a finger can likely be treated without a visit to a doctor if the wound is not very deep. “If you have a short but deep laceration where there’s been a structure underneath that’s been damaged － a tendon, a nerve, a blood vessel,” says Martin, “it may, in fact, need professional attention.”
Some injuries － like a fingertip that gets cut off － might even require surgery to repair. That requires a specialist to either file(锉平) down the bone or reattach the fingertip. More often, filing down the bone is what is done because reattaching a fingertip is often not successful.
How a wound bleeds can be a sign of how serious it is. Minor cuts usually produce what is known as venous (静脉) bleeding. This means the blood flows steadily from the injury. The bleeding will often stop when pressure is put on the wound. Dr Brown says in most cases holding direct pressure with clean gauze or a cloth for four to five minutes should stop the bleeding. With a cut finger, holding the hand above the heart can reduce the loss of blood. But if a cut appears to be pumping blood out with some force, this may be a sign of arterial(动脉) bleeding. This kind of injury should be treated by a medical professional as soon as possible.
Even a cut that does not require medical attention must be kept clean to prevent infection. Small cuts should be cleaned gently with clean water. Use a washcloth to clean the area if the wound is dirty. Dr Brown says cuts should be covered with a clean, dry bandage.What does the writer want to tell the readers in the first paragraph?
| A．Hospital emergency rooms always treat injured fingers. |
| B．A bleeding cut is serious enough to require medical attention |
| C．Dr Martin Brown is in charge of Inova Alexandria Hospital. |
| D．It is important for us to be able to tell how serious a finger cut is. |
According to the passage, .
| A．a finger cut without treatment can lead to permanent damage |
| B．the length of a cut on a finger is more important than the depth |
| C．a long but not very deep cut often doesn’t need professional attention |
| D．a short but deep laceration that has been damaged need professional attention. |
The underlined word “reattach” in Para.3 is closest in meaning to .
| A．repair | B．rebuild | C．reconstruct | D．reconnect |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A .How a wound bleeds can show us how serious the wound could be.
B Venous bleeding will often stop when we put pressure on the wound.
C. Holding up the hand with a finger cut can reduce the loss of blood.
D. Arterial bleeding should get professional treatment as soon as possible.The best title of this passage should be .
| A．Hospital Emergency Treatments For Injured Fingers |
| B．When a Cut Finger Is More Serious Than It Might Seem |
| C．Serious Finger Cut That Requires Medical Attention |
| D．Keep Finger Cuts Clean to Prevent Serious Infection |
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