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 distu
rbing 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 (电极) 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 (植入) in a person' s face, according to research
ers.
During a demonstration (演示) held last Thursday in CMU' s Pittsburgh campus, a Chinese student named Stan Jou 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. What kind of prototype did the Chinese student named Stan Jou try?
| A．Lecture Translation. | B．Translation Glasses. |
| C．Muscle Translator. | D．We don' t know. |
What is the purpose of inventing the translators?
| A．To help students to learn English. |
| B．To help people to watch foreign TV programs. |
| C．To help people travel in foreign countries. |
| D．To promote cultural exchanges between countries. |
What is the best title of this text?
| A．Speak different languages at the same time? |
| B．Flow to learn to speak foreign languages? |
| C．New ways to learn foreign languages |
D．You' r e welcome to learn foreign languages |
An American educational expert, Frederick M. Hess, says that a long summer vacation doesn’t make sense in today’s world.
This summer, 50 million kids will spend much time talking online, watching TV, playing video games and asking older brothers or sisters to take them to the supermarket. They will also be putting their academic futures at risk.
During much of the 20th century, many Americans worked in factories that did not need a college degree but still offered a high salary. Also, in the 19th century, there was no air condition. And poor hygiene (卫生) meant that crowded schools had health risks.
Things have changed. For today’s students, academic skills are key to future success. Many countries don’t give kids an American-style summer vacation. They offer no more than seven consecutive (连续的) weeks of vacation. Most American school districts offer up to 13 weeks. To compete in global marketplace, Americans must be prepared to go up against international competitors.
Summer vacation also causes challenges for today’s families. In the 1960s, more than 60% of families had a stay-at-home mum. Now, two-thirds of American children live families where every adult works. For these families, summer vacation can be more burden than break. Someone must watch the kids.
But the biggest problem may be how summer vacation hurts academic achievement. Scientist have found that disadvantaged students lose important ground in the summertime.
A school year can allow time-limited teachers to conduct richer and more imaginative lessons. Schools would have more time for sports, languages, music and the arts.Before the 20th century, a long summer vacation might ______.
| A．reduce income for Americans |
| B．reduce health risks for students |
| C．cause career failure for Americans |
| D．cause loss in global market for America |
How long does an American-style summer vacation last？
| A．No more than two months. |
| B．Less than three months. |
| C．As long as three months. |
| D．As long as four months. |
According to the text, who will benefit from a long school year?
| A．American students, teachers and parents. |
| B．American students, parents and shop owners. |
| C．American students, parents and international competitors. |
| D．American students, teachers and international competitors. |
How many reasons did the writer give to support his/her opinion?
| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
An alcohol breath test (ABT) is often used by the police to find out whether a person is drunk while driving. In the United States, the legal blood alcohol limit is 0.08% for people aged 21 years or older, while people under 21 are not allowed to drive a car with any level of alcohol in their body. A “positive” test result, a result over the legal limit, allows the police to arrest the driver. However, many people who tested positive on the test have claimed that they only drank a “non-alcoholic” energy drink. Can one of these energy drinks really cause someone to test positive on an ABT? Researchers in Missouri set up an experiment to find out.
First, the amount of alcohol in 27 different popular energy drinks was measured. All but one had an alcohol level greater than 0.005%. In nine of the 27 drinks, the alcohol level was at least 0.096%.The scientists then investigated the possibility that these small levels of alcohol could be discovered by an ABT. They asked test subjects to drink a full can or bottle of an energy drink and then gave each subject an ABT one minute and 15 minutes after the drink was finished.
For 11 of the 27energy drinks, the ABT did find the presence of alcohol if the test was given within one minute after the drink was taken. However, alcohol could not be discovered for any of the drinks if the test was given 15 minutes after the drink was consumed. This shows that when the test is taken plays an important role in the test result. The sooner the test is conducted after the consumption of these drinks, the more likely a positive alcohol reading will be obtained.What is the legal alcohol level for a 20-year-old driver in the US?
| A．0.000%. | B．0.005%. | C．0.080%. | D．0.096%. |
What is the purpose of the Missouri experiment?
| A．To warn people of the dangers of drinking energy drinks. |
| B．To introduce a new method of calculating blood alcohol levels. |
| C．To discover the relation between energy drinks and ABT test results. |
| D．To change the current legal alcohol limit for drivers in the United States. |
The underlined word “subjects” in Paragraph 2 refers to_____.
| A．the things that are being discussed |
| B．areas of knowledge studied in school |
| C．the person in an experiment |
| D．the people who belong to a country |
Which of the following affects the ABT test result most for energy drink consumers?
| A．The age of the person who takes the test. |
| B．The place where the test is given. |
| C．The equipment that the test uses. |
| D．The time when the test is taken. |
I’ve spent over a year in India, and in those 365 plus days, I’ve learned a lot about getting around Indian cities. My biggest lessons have been learned through being cheated, particularly by taxi and rickshaw (人力车) drivers, but that doesn’t mean those are bad ways to travel, as long as you know what you’re doing. Below are the best ways to get around the city of Delhi, India, and tips for how to keep from being the victim of scams (欺骗).
Taking taxis is a great way to get around the city of Delhi and chances are, if you arrive in Delhi by plane, as soon as you make it through customs, you’ll be swarmed by Indian taxi drivers. At the Delhi airport, be sure to arrange for a taxi to your hotel at one of the two Delhi Traffic Police Taxi Booths. One is inside the airport, and one is outside. The key is to make sure to go to a booth run by the police, rather than by independent taxi drivers.
Rickshaws are one of my favorite ways to get around Indian cities, partly because it’s how the locals often travel. Auto-rickshaws are more common, but bicycle rickshaws are still used in Old Delhi. If you do have a chance to take a bicycle rickshaw, you should do it at least once for a unique experience that should only set you back about 15 rupees. Auto-rickshaw rates around Delhi range between 30 and 80 rupees, depending on distance.
If you really want to travel around Delhi like the locals, take a public bus. Indian buses become very crowded and most do not have air conditioning. They are, however, very cheap. A bus trip won’t set you back any more than 15 rupees, as long as you stay within the city limits. Since Indian buses get so crowded, try to board the bus at the start of the route so you can get a seat.
The train is a great way to get around within the city of Delhi. Fares are reasonable, between six and 22 rupees. All departure announcements are in both Hindi and English, and tokens can be purchased for between six and 22 rupees. What is the author trying to do through this text?
| A．Expect us to travel around Delhi. |
| B．Show his/her experiences in Delhi. |
| C．Give some advice of traveling in Delhi. |
| D．Explain the difficulties of traveling in Delhi. |
What should you do to avoid being cheated when taking a taxi at the Delhi airport?
| A．Go to a police-run booth. |
| B．Go out of the airport. |
| C．Show your ticket to the driver. |
| D．Pay more to the drivers to keep safe. |
The author suggests taking a rickshaw in order to ______.
| A．save some money |
| B．gain some unique experience |
| C．enjoy the comfortable trip |
| D．help the local rickshaw drivers |
Which may be the topic that follows?
| A．Car rentals in Delhi |
| B．Food and drink in Delhi |
| C．Weather conditions in Delhi |
| D．Hotel recommendations in Delhi |
Galaxy saw a man and a woman who communicated with the sign language at the train station when she was on the way home one evening. She noticed that the woman asked the man for the direction. He told her that he did not know. Galaxy decided to help them. She had learned the sign language when she served as a volunteer in the deaf and mute (聋哑) school. Then she showed the woman the direction and left her email address to them in case they needed her help later.
She received an email from that man the next day. Kazrim was his name. Galaxy replied his mail sincerely. They both started chatting online soon after and began seeing each other. Although they only communicated with the sign language, it never bothered her.
Galaxy was fond of him gradually. Obviously, Kazrim was the same too. He presented Galaxy with a bunch of sunflowers and asked her sincerely. “Are you willing to be my girlfriend?”
Galaxy was pleasantly surprised. She requested him to give her some time to persuade her parents.
As she had expected, her parents were very angry after they had learned of their love story.
Galaxy explained, “Kazrim is an excellent and a very optimistic person. He has a very positive attitude towards life and work. He cares for others always. He is 100% better than the normal. Moreover, the mute is still a human. He should possess a perfect and wonderful love.”
Her parents asked to see him, then. The very worried Galaxy took Kazrim home a few days later. When they were on the train, Kazrim told her, “I’m going to tell your parents that I’ll be looking after you well with all my life!” Galaxy was deeply moved.
As soon as they had entered the house, Galaxy introduced him to her parents. She said, “This is Kazrim.” Just right after her speech, an unbelievable thing happened. Kazrim threw the gift away and held her in his arms tightly.
He said, “YOU CAN TALK?” It was the same question that Galaxy wanted to ask, too.
The four people were shocked all of a sudden. As a matter of fact, Kazrim always believed that Galaxy was a mute and he still fell in love with her deeply.How did Galaxy and Kazrim get to know each other?
| A．They met each other by chance. |
| B．They were introduced to each other. |
| C．They once studied at the same university. |
| D．They both served in a deaf and mute school. |
How did Galaxy probably communicate with Kazrim before she took him home?
| A．Writing words on paper. |
| B．Using the sign language. |
| C．Judging from his expression. |
| D．Speaking her native language. |
What did Galaxy expect her parents to do?
| A．To have a talk with Kazrim. |
| B．To prepare for her marriage. |
| C．To treat Kazrim as a normal man. |
| D．To accept Kazrim as her boyfriend. |
What can we learn about the two young people from the passage?
| A．They fell in love at the first sight. |
| B．They cheated each other to win love. |
| C．They mistook each other for being mutes. |
| D．They ignored the anger of Galaxy’s parents. |
Nearly a thousand people laugh heartily together for half an hour every morning in a park in Shenzhen. Guangzhou Daily took a closer look at those happy people.
They are members of a group named Laughing Club, and when they get together, all they do is laugh.
Zhang Lixin, the founder of the club and regarded as the ‘laugh leader’, told the paper that laughing does him a lot of good. He started after he read some advice in a book and tried giggling after quarrelling with his wife to relax.
After laughing for a few days, Zhang found himself more outgoing and relaxed. Soon his wife joined him, bringing the family more laughter and less bickering.
When he got to know a kind of “laughing yoga” is good for the health, Zhang went to Bombay to learn from the locals and developed what he learned into more than 30 ways of laughing.
The “lion bellow (吼)”is to shout with the fingers outstretched near the ears. There is the “open mouth laugh”, the “bow-pulling laugh”, the “welcoming laugh” and even the “quarrelling laugh”, with different arm movements of laugh style.
The “laugh movement” swept over Shenzhen in a few of months, attracting tens of thousands of people to join, and has been followed in nearby cities such as Guangzhou.
Every morning at the lake front and at 8 pm on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday at the mountain peak square in Lianhua Mountain Park, club members gather to laugh and shout loudly.From the first paragraph we know that _________________________.
| A．Guangzhou Daily is the source of the information |
| B．those happy people come from Guangzhou Daily |
| C．there is a Guangzhou Daily office near Laughing Club |
| D．Guangzhou Daily supported the laugh movement |
The people in Laughing Club laugh because they _____________________.
| A．live a happy life | B．always feel happy |
| C．just can’t help it | D．want to relax themselves |
Which of the underlined words has a meaning similar to “laughing”?
| A．Giggling. | B．Quarrelling. | C．Outgoing. | D．Bickering. |
According to the passage, when cannot you see club members practicing laughing in Lianhua Mountain Park?
| A．At 8 pm on Sunday. | B．At 8 pm on Monday. |
| C．At 8 pm on Friday. | D．At 8 pm on Wednesday. |
What’s the idea expressed by the last two paragraphs?
| A．The members of Laughing Club are increasing. |
| B．The laugh movement is becoming popular. |
| C．The laughing is done only in parks. |
| D．Laughing Club is practicing laughing hard. |
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