Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part －drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner,” if there was any; reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,” says Reinhold Behringer, who helped design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics. “Even ants can do all these tasks effortlessly . It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately, Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because .
| A．they did not have any human guidance |
| B．the road was not familiar to the drivers |
| C．the distance was too long for the vehicles |
| D．the prize money was unattractive to the drivers |
DARPA organized the race in order to .
| A．raise money for producing more robotic vehicles |
| B．push the development of vehicle industry |
| C．train more people to drive in the desert |
| D．improve the vehicles for future wars |
From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that .
| A．can do effortlessly whatever tasks living thing can |
| B．can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit |
| C．can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down |
| D．can move from place to place without being driven by human beings |
In the race, the greatest distance one robotic vehicle covered was .
| A．about eight miles | B．six miles |
| C．almost two miles | D．about one mile |
In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is a long way to go .
| A．for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties |
| B．for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table |
| C．for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve |
| D．for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face |
Adult Basic Education （ABE） and GED Preparation
Task:
The Adult Basic Education Department serves a huge population of learners．Our task is to teach basic skills and help learners to get more knowledge to function effectively as a family member, citizen, worker, and lifelong learner in a changing world．
Description:
ABE is a non-credit program of self-improvement designed to improve basic skills for students who are of different educational level．Development of reading, writing, and math skills are paid special attention to, as well as life skills, employability, and technology．Students without a high school diploma（文凭）also have the opportunity to prepare for the GED exams in the five subject areas writing, social studies, science, literature, and math．
Prerequisites （条件）:
ABE classes are open to anyone 18 or over who desires to improve basic reading, writing, and math skills at the pre-college level．Students who are 16 or 17 must first obtain an official release（ 证书） from high school before attending class．
To be accepted, students must attend an Educational Planning Session．During the Educational Planning Session students will be given an overview of the ABE programs as well as PCC policies, fees, etc．Students will also have their reading, writing, and math abilities assessed （评估） during the Educational Planning Session The results of their assessment will help the teachers develop individual programs of study for students to guide them toward their personal goals．Students needing special help must get in touch with the Office for Students with Disabilities （503-977-4341） at least two weeks before the session is held．
Courses:
The ABE Department serves an aim to___________．
| A．provide learners with basic knowledge and skills to fit in with society |
| B．help learners successfully get a job in a changing world |
| C．offer diplomas to those who fail to finish secondary education |
| D．provide students with opportunities to prepare for the GED exams |
A 17-year-old is not accepted to ABE classes only because he_____________．
| A．is below 18 |
| B．can't offer a high school diploma |
| C．has left school without official permission |
| D．is assessed as poor in learning performances |
What is the Educational Planning Session intended for?
| A．Providing special help to disabled students． |
| B．Helping students be better at the four basic skills． |
| C．Finding out whether they can be accepted to ABE classes． |
| D．An assessment of students' basic skill levels． |
Different courses are offered to different students according to ___________．
| A．their own choices |
| B．the assessments during the Educational Planning Session |
| C．their performances in school |
| D．how much they pay for the courses |
Born in America in 1898, William was an extraordinary boy, gifted with an amazing IQ between 250 and 300．The genius went to a grammar school when he was only 6 years old and graduated just within 7 months．At the age of 11, he became the youngest student of the Harvard University．He graduated with high scores at the age of 16 and entered Harvard Law School at 18．
Gifted with an amazing IQ between 220 and 230, Terence Tao makes it to this list of the people with the highest IQ in the world．Born in Adelaide, Australia in 1975, this genius first displayed his incredible intelligence at a mere age of 2, when he managed to solve basic arithmetic questions on his own．At the age of 16, he graduated with both Master's and Bachelor's degrees at the Flinders University．He has been considered as ''Mr．Fix it " by Charles Fefferman, who is a professor of Mathematics at Princeton University, and many other mathematicians want to interest him in their problems．
This 31-year-old Japanese-American astrophysicist lands him third in this list．At the age of 12, Christopher Hirata already worked on college-level courses, around the time most of us were just in the 7th grade．At the age of 13, this gifted kid became the youngest American to have ever won the gold medal in the International physics Olympiad．
At the age of 16, he was already working with NASA on its project to conquer planet Mars．After he was awarded the Ph．D．at Princeton University, he went back to California Institute of Technology．
The next person with very high IQ is Albert Einstein．With an IQ between 160 and 190, Albert Einstein is the genius behind the theory of relativity, which has had great impact on the world of science．He possessed such an amazing ability that after his death, researchers were eager to preserve and make research on his brain in search for clues to his exceptional brilliance, which to this day, has remained a mystery．About William, which of the following is true?
| A．His IQ reached between 220 and 230． |
| B．At the age of 16, he graduated from a grammar school． |
| C．At the age of 6, he graduated with both Master's and Bachelor's degrees． |
| D．At the age of 11, he became the youngest student at the Harvard University． |
How many people with remarkable IQ are mentioned in the passage?
| A．3 | B．4 | C．5 | D．6 |
Who once worked on the project to conquer planet Mars?
| A．William | B．Terence Tao |
| C．Christopher Hirata | D．Albert Einstein |
From the passage we can know that______．
| A．when William graduated from the Harvard University, he got the highest scores |
| B．at the age of 2, Terence solved basic arithmetic questions on his own |
| C．Christopher Hirata is a Japanese |
| D．researchers have found out why Albert Einstein was so brilliant |
Endless playing of songs like All I want for Christmas in shops during the festive season doesn’t just drive us mad —the songs also make us more careless with our money, research has warned．
While repeated performance of Jingle Bells may seem like an innocent attempt to raise customers’ spirits during the nightmare of Christmas shopping, the songs also have a more delicate impact．
“Background music, or “Muzak”, can be used by marketers to impose cultures ---such as the commercialization of Christmas--- onto consumers and influence their behaviour,” experts said．
Dr．Alan Bradshaw of Royal Holloway, University of London, said, “Festive jingles are force-fed to Christmas shoppers in a bid to change their mood, influence their sense of time and what sort of products they buy．In other words, this is an attempt to control your shopping habits in a way that you might hardly be aware of．”
“Often we are told that we have the freedom to choose where we want to shop, but during Christmas the use of music in this way is so common that our freedom to choose disappears．”
Dr．Bradshaw and Prof Morris Holbrook of Columbia University examined the phenomenon and found that retailers often “dumb down” the music played in shops to relax customers, meaning it is easier to control their behaviour．
It is thought that slowing down the rhythm of music in shops can trick customers into thinking less time has passed, and therefore spend more time examining the shelves, for example．
Some providers of background music have been known to promote their services by claiming they can boost profits by controlling the behaviour of customers．
“A common trick is to take a popular current song and record an instrumental version which can be slowed down or sped up at different time of the day to influence behaviour in different ways,” Dr．Bradshaw said．
Background music is often classed as “Muzak” in honor of the Seattle-based company which began producing its soft-sounding melodies in the 1930s．According to Dr．Bradshaw, in what ways does Christmas music influence customers?
①their mood
②their income
③their sense of time
④ the sort of products they buy
| A．①②③ | B．①③④ | C．②③④ | D．①②④ |
Shopkeepers slow down the rhythm of music in shops to ___________．
| A．let customers spend more time shopping |
| B．make customers and sales assistants relaxed |
| C．let customers enjoy the beautiful music |
| D．help customers find what they really want |
What kind of music is now often adapted to influence customers in shops?
| A．Classical music | B．Popular modern songs． |
| C．Folk songs． | D．Jazz music． |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Music makes happy Christmas |
| B．Christmas “Muzak” |
| C．How to make Christmas music? |
| D．Christmas music makes us spend more |
When policy experts debate climate change solutions, they often talk about "a price on carbon." They are arguing about whether companies should pay when they put carbon pollution in the air. Proponents say that it's simple economics -- if it's free to pollute, you'll get a lot of pollution. Opponents claim it will raise the cost of energy that's produced from high carbon sources, like coal. But here's the secret that most people seem to be missing: There already is a price on carbon, and it's paid by the taxpayers.
Carbon pollution, like every other form of pollution, has an impact on the environment. Throwing waste into a river will cause the fish to die and the people who drink the water to get sick. And when you produce carbon pollution, you get climate change -- sea level rise, stronger storms, severe droughts, damage to agriculture, and more.
All of those impacts cost money. Insurance rates go up when storms get more destructive. Taxes increase when cities have to rebuild bridges and roads. Military budgets go up when droughts and population changes cause conflicts. Not to mention impacts on agriculture and health care costs.
In other words, the price on carbon is what we all pay when there is no market force to limit the pollution that causes climate change. So the debate is really about who will pay that price -- the companies who are making a profit from the fossil fuels, or the taxpayers who pick up the cost now?
Right now, we have private profit and public cost. It's just like if we allowed every business to throw its garbage in the street because it's too expensive to have it moved away properly. Does it add a little bit to your dinner check to require that restaurants dispose of their trash properly? Sure. But it would be more expensive for you if the city had to clean the streets of their garbage every day. So just like we put a "price on garbage" we need a "price on carbon pollution."
Now, a "price on carbon pollution" can mean a lot of things. You could tax companies based on the amount of carbon pollution they produce, and return the money to taxpayers. You could put a limit on how much they can produce, thereby requiring them to invest in ways to conduct business in a less polluting way.What do the policy experts argue about carbon pollution?
| A．Whether the companies should pay for it. |
| B．Whether taxpayers could get profit from it. |
| C．Who have the ability to change it. |
| D．How much should be paid for it. |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2 ?
| A．Some other forms of pollution |
| B．The effects of carbon pollution |
| C．The signs of carbon pollution |
| D．The way to reduce carbon pollution |
The author referred to restaurants in the passage mainly to________.
| A．prove every business doesn’t perform its duty. |
| B．warn readers to protect the environment around. |
| C．explain the damage of no policy on carbon pollution. |
| D．show some restaurants throw away their trash randomly. |
According to the passage, what does the “price on carbon pollution” means?
| A．Telling the taxpayers to refuse to pay taxes on carbon pollution |
| B．Making the government invest to reduce carbon pollution |
| C．Increasing prices of the products from companies. |
| D．Taxing companies on carbon pollution they produce. |
New research has shown that loneliness may affect ants to a greater extent than many other living creatures.
It has long been known that loneliness can lead to a shorter life. In humans, it has even been found to be a driver of high blood pressure, sleep disorder, and depression that’s independent of factors like age, race, gender, weight and economic status.
However, loneliness has never been identified as a factor that can cut human lifespan by more than a small part of the average. Ants, on the other hand, appear to be far more sensitive to this stress, with loneliness leading to a surprising 91 percent reduction in lifespan.
That’s at least according to a study that details how “lonely” ants only live up to six days on average. Ants living in a community, on the other hand, were found to live up to about 66 days.
In a series of experiments where ants were picked from their colonies (群体) and separated, they were found to continuously walk without rest,consuming far more energy than they could ever.
The reason for the behavior is that an isolated ant is simple trying to get back to its colony at all costs, and doesn’t know what to do without its nest mates. After all, many entomologists (昆虫学家) would argue that an ant colony is far more a single living entity (实体) than its members.
If you were to take a single part from a clock, it would simply move aimlessly as well, running without a purpose. However, while there is a difference between aimlessness and loneliness, the researchers found that the latter affects lonely ants more directly.
The study indicated that ants can’t even eat alone, as they normally collect some of the food they gather in the field in a specialized organ called a crop.This crop is normally shared with other ants back at a nest,but as for a single ant, it simply just sits there, undigested and useless.How does loneliness influence a person?
| A．It can make him very tired of himself. |
| B．It can leave him in conflict with others. |
| C．It can lead to him being very independent. |
| D．It can cause him to suffer from poor health |
What can be learned from the experiments?
| A．Most ants can live about 6 days on average. |
| B．Lonely ants can become very restless. |
| C．Human beings are similar to ants in some way. |
| D．Lonely ants seem to be violent and impatient. |
Why does an isolated ant walk non-stop?
| A．It attempts to return to its colony. |
| B．It wants to attract other ants to form a colony. |
| C．It hopes to make signals to its mates. |
| D．It has to find more food to survive. |
The author mentioned a clock in the passage_________.
| A．to show ants have a biological clock in the head. |
| B．to prove ants are a well-regulated community. |
| C．to stress ants are really highly social animals. |
| D．to compare aimlessness with loneliness. |
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