How can we get rid of garbage? Do we have enough energy sources to meet our future energy needs?
These are two important questions that many people are asking today. Some people think that men might be able to solve both problems at the same time. They suggest using garbage as an energy source.
For a long time people buried garbage or dumped it on empty land. Now, empty land is scarce. But more and more garbage is produced each year. But garbage can be a good fuel to use. The things in garbage do not look like coal, petroleum, or natural gas; but they are chemically similar to these fossil fuels. As we use up our fossil-fuel supplies, we might be able to use garbage as an energy source.
Burning garbage is not a new idea. Some cities in Europe and the United States have been burning garbage for years. The heat that is produced by burning garbage is used to boil water. The steam that is produced is used to make electricity or to heat nearby buildings. In Paris, France, some power plants burn almost 2 million metric tons of the city's garbage each year. The amount of energy produced is about the same as the world produced by burning almost a half million barrels of oil!
But there are problems in using garbage as a fuel. Garbage that burns easily, such as food scraps and paper, must be separated from metals, glass, and other materials that do not burn easily. This separation process is normally costly. Another problem is that burning garbage can pollute the air.
Our fossil fuel supplies are limited. Burning garbage might be one kind of energy source that we can use to help meet our energy needs. This method could also reduce the amount of garbage piling up on the earth.
53. What two problems can be solved by burning garbage?
A. The shortage of energy; Air pollution.
B. The shortage of energy; the shortage of empty land for holding garbage.
C. Air pollution; the shortage of empty land for holding garbage.
D. Air pollution; the shortage of fossil fuel.
54.Which of the following is NOT a result of burning garbage?
A. The heat produced is used to boil water.
B. The steam produced is used to make electricity.
C. The garbage burned is turned into fossil fuels.
D. The steam produced is used to heat buildings.
55.According to the passage. Which of the following four groups of garbage is ready for burning?
A. food scraps and metals B. paper and glass
C. metals and glass D. food scraps and paper
56.What is the general tone of the passage?
A. optimistic B. indifferent C. advocating D. anxious
Hollywood's theory that machines with evil(邪恶) minds will drive armies of killer robots is just silly. The real problem relates to the possibility that artificial intelligence(AI) may become extremely good at achieving something other than what we really want. In 1960 a well-known mathematician Norbert Wiener, who founded the field of cybernetics（控制论）, put it this way "If we use, to achieve our purposes, a mechanical agency with whose operation we cannot effectively interfere(干预), we had better be quite sure that the purpose which we really desire."
A machine with a specific purpose has another quality, one that we usually associate with living things a wish to preserve its own existence. For the machine, this quality is not in-born, nor is it something introduced by humans; it is a logical consequence of the simple fact that the machine cannot achieve its original purpose if it is dead. So if we send out a robot with the single instruction of fetching coffee, it will have a strong desire to secure success by disabling its own off switch or even killing anyone who might interfere with its task. If we are not careful, then, we could face a kind of global chess match against very determined, super intelligent machines whose objectives conflict with our own, with the real world as the chessboard.
The possibility of entering into and losing such a match should concentrating the minds of computer scientists. Some researchers argue that we can seal the machines inside a kind of firewall, using them to answer difficult questions but never allowing them to affect the real world. Unfortunately, that plan seems unlikely to work we have yet to invent a firewall that is secure against ordinary humans, let alone super intelligent machines.
Solving the safety problem well enough to move forward in AI seems to be possible but not easy. There are probably decades in which to plan for the arrival of super intelligent machines. But the problem should not be dismissed out of hand, as it has been by some AI researchers. Some argue that humans and machines can coexist as long as they work in teams-yet that is not possible unless machines share the goals of humans. Others say we can just "switch them off" as if super intelligent machines are too stupid to think of that possibility. Still others think that super intelligent AI will never happen. On September 11, 1933, famous physicist Ernest Rutherford stated, with confidence, "Anyone who expects a source of power in the transformation of these atoms is talking moonshine." However, on September 12, 1933, physicist Leo Szilard invented the neutron-induced(中子诱导) nuclear chain reaction.
67.Paragraph 1 mainly tells us that artificial intelligence may .
| A． |
run out of human control |
| B． |
satisfy human's real desires |
| C． |
command armies of killer robots |
| D． |
work faster than a mathematician |
68.Machines with specific purposes are associated with living things partly because they might be able to .
| A． |
prevent themselves from being destroyed |
| B． |
B achieve their original goals independently |
| C． |
do anything successfully with given orders |
| D． |
beat humans in international chess matches |
69.According to some researchers, we can use firewalls to .
| A． |
help super intelligent machines work better |
| B． |
be secure against evil human beings |
| C． |
keep machines from being harmed |
| D． |
avoid robot's affecting the world |
70.What does the author think of the safety problem of super intelligent machines?
A．It will disappear with the development of AI．
B．It will get worse with human interference.
C．It will be solved but with difficulty.
Measles(麻疹), which once killed 450 children each year and disabled even more, was nearly wiped out in the United States 14 years ago by the universal use of the MMR vaccine(疫苗). But the disease is making a comeback, caused by a growing anti-vaccine movement and misinformation that is spreading quickly. Already this year, 115 measles cases have been reported in the USA, compared with 189 for all of last year.
The numbers might sound small, but they are the leading edge of a dangerous trend. When vaccination rates are very high, as they still are in the nation as a whole, everyone is protected. This is called "herd immunity", which protects the people who get hurt easily, including those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons, babies too young to get vaccinated and people on whom the vaccine doesn't work.
But herd immunity works only when nearly the whole herd joins in. When some refuse vaccination and seek a free ride, immunity breaks down and everyone is in even bigger danger.
That's exactly what is happening in small neighborhoods around the country from Orange County, California, where 22 measles cases were reported this month, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where a 17-year-old caused an outbreak last year.
The resistance to vaccine has continued for decades, and it is driven by a real but very small risk. Those who refuse to take that risk selfishly make others suffer.
Making things worse are state laws that make it too easy to opt out(决定不参加) of what are supposed to be required vaccines for all children entering kindergarten. Seventeen states allow parents to get an exemption（豁免), sometimes just by signing a paper saying they personally object to a vaccine.
Now, several states are moving to tighten laws by adding new regulations for opting out. But no one does enough to limit exemptions.
Parents ought to be able to opt out only for limited medical or religious reasons. But personal opinions? Not good enough. Everyone enjoys the life-saving benefits vaccines provide, but they'll exist only as long as everyone shares in the risks.
63．The first two paragraphs suggest that ____________.
| A． |
a small number of measles cases can start a dangerous trend |
| B． |
the outbreak of measles attracts the public attention |
| C． |
anti-vaccine movement has its medical reasons |
| D． |
information about measles spreads quickly |
64．Herd immunity works well when ____________.
| A． |
exemptions are allowed |
| B． |
several vaccines are used together |
| C． |
the whole neighborhood is involved in |
| D． |
new regulations are added to the state laws |
65．What is the main reason for the comeback of measles?
| A． |
The overuse of vaccine. |
| B． |
The lack of medical care. |
| C． |
The features of measles itself. |
| D． |
The vaccine opt-outs of some people. |
66．What is the purpose of the passage?
| A． |
To introduce the idea of exemption. |
| B． |
To discuss methods to cure measles. |
| C． |
To stress the importance of vaccination. |
| D． |
To appeal for equal rights in medical treatment. |
Inspiring young minds!
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59. Why is TOKNOW a special magazine?
| A． |
It entertains young parents. |
| B． |
It provides serious sdvertisements. |
| C． |
It publishes popular science fictions. |
| D． |
It combines fun with complex concepts. |
60. What does TOKNOW offer its readers?
| A． |
Online courses. |
| B． |
Articles on new topics. |
| C． |
Lectures on a balanced life. |
| D． |
Reports on scientific discoveries. |
61. How much should you pay if you make a 12-mouth subscription to TOKNOW with gift pack from China?
| A． |
£55. |
B． |
£60. |
C． |
£65. |
D． |
£70. |
62. Subscribers of TOKNOW would get .
| A． |
free birthday presents |
| B． |
full refund within 28 days |
| C． |
membership of the TOKNOW club |
| D． |
chances to meet the experts in person |
It was a cold March day in High Point, North Carolina. The girls on the Wesleyan Academy softball were waiting for their next turns at bat during practice, stamping their feet to stay warm, Eighth-grader Taylor Bisbee shivered(发抖) a little as she watched her teammate Paris White play. The two didn't know each other well -Taylor had just moved to town a month or so before.
Suddenly, Paris fell to the ground,"Paris's eye rolled back," Taylor says. "She started shaking . I knew it was an emergency."
It certainly was, Paris had suffered a sudden heart failure. Without immediate medical care, Paris would die. "Does anyone know CPR?"
CPR is a life-saving technique. To do CPR, you press on the sick person's chest so that blood moves through the body and takes oxygen to organs. Without oxygen the brain is damaging quickly.
Amazingly, Taylor had just taken a CPR course the day before. Still, she hesitated. She didn't think she knew it well enough. But when no one else came forward, Taylor ran to Paris and began doing CPR, "It was scary. I knew it was the difference between life and death," says Taylor.
Taylor's swift action helped her teammates calm down. One girl called 911. Two more ran to get the school nurse, who brought a defibrillator, an electronic devices(器械) that can shock the heart back into work. Luck stayed with them Paris' heartbeat returned.
"I know I was really lucky," Paris say now. "Most people don't survive this. My team saved my life"
Experts say Paris is right For a sudden heart failure, the single best chance for survival is having someone nearby step in and do CPR quickly.
Today, Paris is back on the softball team. Taylor will apply to college soon. She wants to be a nurse. "I feel more confident in my actions now," Taylor says."I know I can act under pressure in a scary situation."
56.What happened to Paris on a March day?
| A． |
She caught a bad cold. |
| B． |
She had a sudden heart problem. |
| C． |
She was knocked down by a ball. |
| D． |
She shivered terribly during practice |
57.Why does Paris say she was lucky?
| A． |
She made a worthy friend. |
| B． |
She recovered from shock. |
| C． |
She received immediate CPR. |
| D． |
She came back on the softball team. |
58.Which of the following words can best describe Taylor?
| A． |
Enthusiastic and kind. |
| B． |
Courageous and calm. |
| C． |
Cooperative and generous. |
| D． |
Ambitious and professional. |
I'm a 34-year-old man, married, lived in a nice house, and have a successful career as an educational consultant. But my life was not always so great. I had a learning disability from an early age. I went to a special school where I got plenty of extra help. Still, I suffered the rest of my school days in public schools.
My life improved remarkably when I discovered art. The art world gave me a chance to express myself without words. I went to a workshop and gradually got good at making things with clay(黏土). Here I learned my first important lesson: disabled as I was in language. I could still be smart and well express myself with clay. And my confidence came along.
I got my next lesson from rock climbing. It was a fun thing but I was scared from the start. I soon noticed it wasn't a talent thing; it was practice. So I did it more. After about five years of climbing, I found myself in Yosemite Valley on a big wall. I learned that if you fall in love with something and do it all the time, you will get better at it.
Later I decided to apply my previous experience to learning how to read and write. Every day I practiced reading and writing, which I used to avoid as much as possible. After two hard years, I was literate.
Having gone through the long process with art, rock climbing, and reading and writing, now I've got to a point in my life where I know I am smart enough to dive into an area that is totally unknown, hard, but interesting.
56. What made the author's school days difficult? (No more than 5 words)
57. Why did art give the author confidence? (No more than 10 words)
58. What lesson did the author learn from rock climbing? (No more than 15 words)
59. What is the meaning of the underlined part in Paragraph 4? (No more than 5 words)
60. How does the author's story inspire you to overcome difficulties in life? Put it in your own words. (No more than 20 words)
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