1、--What impresses you most when you visit the Acropolis?
-- ________ it is that has brought the grand palace into today’s terrible scene.
A. Where B. What
C. How D. When
2、Netflix acquired the rights to the masterpiece “One Hundred Years of Solitude”, which marks the first time that writer’s family _______ the piece to be adapted for the screen.
A.has allowed
B.will have allowed
C.had allowed
D.allowed
3、—Are you familiar with Chengdu?
—No, this is the first time my parents and I ______here.
A.was B.came
C.have been D.are coming
4、We have a ____ budget and every penny counts.
A. tight B. loose C. bad D. slight
5、----Is your father a teacher now?
----No, but he . He taught English for 10 years.
A. used to be B. used to
C. used to do D. was used to
6、It was his long absence from work without permission________ delayed his promotion.
A.which B.that C.why D.who
7、— what are you going to do with the flaw in the vase?
— I can either send a new one to you by express mail or ______ compensate you at a proper price.
A.artificially B.abundantly C.alternatively D.aggressively
8、Cancer has become the top killer ________ I think threatens the health of millions of people.
A.that B.of which C.不填 D.Both A and C
9、I remember ___ for the job , but I forgot the exact amount .
A.to pay B.paying C.to have paid D.being paid
10、At only $45 a night, the hotel is well ________ the money
A. value B. worthy
C. worth D. valuable
11、It was_____ he said______ disappointed me.
A. what; that B. that; that
C. what; what D. that; what
12、—In the last few months, Kenny _____ more than 1,000 dollars for breaking traffic rules.
—No surprise. He is always being careless.
A. would be fined B. had been fined C. has been fined D. will be fined
13、According to a review of 56 studies the more a person is________to classical music as a child,the better he can control his mood as a grown-up.
A.revealed B.exposed C.proposed D.reminded
14、The clever boy made a hole in the wall, _____he could see what was going on inside the house.
A.on which B.at which C.through which D.in which
15、 to a university in the UK, international students must display a strong ability in spoken and written English.
A.Admitted
B.To be admitted
C.Being admitted
D.Having been admitted
16、-It's so perfect to perform such an opera in the Forbidden City.
-You can say that again. There could not be a ___________setting.
A.less awesome B.most awesome C.least awesome D.more awesome
17、I ________ to make my plan for the final exam in advance, but I ________.
A.would decide; did
B.could have decided; can't
C.might decide; didn't
D.should have decided; didn't
18、Have you applied ___________ Mr Black _____________ the post? It’s worth a try.
A. for; to B. with; for
C. with; about D. to; for
19、He was ____ to know that all his personal information had been exposed to the public.
A.astonishing B.to astonished C.astonish D.astonished
20、Every minute was made full use of ________ for the performance at CCTV Spring Festival.
A.preparing
B.being prepared
C.to prepare
D.prepared
21、There is a new problem____the popularity of private cars that road conditions need ____.
A.involve at; to be improve B.involved in; to be improved
C.involving in; improving D.involving at; improving
22、When the teacher came in, the student ______ that he was reading a book..
A. pretended B. progressed
C. praised D. declined
23、______ to the gift was a note on which he expressed his appreciation for our reception during his stay here.
A.Being attached B.Attached C.Attaching D.Having attached
24、Tanya, be _______! Our baby is sleeping, and you may wake him up.
A. silent B. still
C. quiet D. noisy
25、It’s no use _________ without thinking.
A.learn B.to learn C.having learned D.learning
26、 True happiness lies in rewarding relationships, not material wealth, according to new research. Scientists have said that a close circle of friends and family is most important for happiness, and that owning things such as iPhones, computers, being wealthy and owning a sports car do not provide the same level of satisfaction.
The study was done by psychologists at the Sahlgrenska Academy and Lund University, in Sweden. The experts analyzed(分析) articles in Swedish newspapers published in 2010 and recorded which words most often occurred in the same articles as the Swedish word for happiness. In this way, they could know our common happiness.
Co-author Dr Danilo Garcia, a researcher at the Sahlgrenska Academy’s Centre for Ethics, Law and Mental Health, said, “It’s relationships that are most important, not material things that we possess, and this is in line with other findings in happiness research.”
The study, which contained more than 10 million words, showed that terms such as “grandmother” and personal pronouns such as “you”, “me”, “us” and “them” often emerge in the same article as the Swedish word for happiness. Researchers found that words such as “iPhone”, “millions” and “Google” almost never appear with the word “happiness”.
The study is a part of a larger research project on how people describe both positive and negative events in their lives. The researchers believe that the word analysis reflects a common perception among the members of our society as to what should make us happy.
Dr Danilo Garcia said, “Just as the Beatles sang, most people understand that money can’t buy you happiness or love. But even if we can understand the importance of close and warm relationships at a social level, it isn’t certain that everyone is aware that such relationships are actually necessary for our own personal happiness.”
【1】New research mainly shows that .
A.various things can lead to happiness in people
B.having some close friends is very important to us
C.owning expensive things can actually make us unhappy
D.rewarding relationships make us happy instead of material wealth
【2】What Dr Danilo Garcia said in Paragraph 3 shows that the new findings .
A.explain something new
B.are unbelievable to many people
C.prove material things are unimportant
D.confirm previous findings in happiness research
【3】Dr Danilo Garcia doubts whether .
A.money really buys us happiness or love
B.rewarding relationships really lead to personal happiness
C.close and warm relationships are important at a social level
D.all people know rewarding relationships lead to personal happiness
【4】How did the experts arrive at their findings?
A.By doing surveys.
B.By doing experiments.
C.By analyzing printed articles.
D.By referring to previous studies.
27、Welcome to Adventureland!
Everyone loves Adventureland! The Parks and Exhibitions were built for you to explore, enjoy, and admire their wonders. Every visit will be an unforgettable experience. You will go away enriched, longing to come back. What are you going to do this time?
The Travel Pavilion
Explore places you have never been to before, and experience different ways of life. Visit the Amazon jungle village, the Turkish market, the Tai floating market, the Berber mountain house and others. Talk to the people there who will tell you about their lives, and things they make. You can try making a carpet, making nets, fishing…
The Future Tower
This exhibition shows how progress will touch our lives. It allows us to look into the future and explore the cities of the next century and the way we’ll be living then. Spend some time in our space station and climb into our simulator (模拟装置) for the Journey to Mars!
The Nature Park
This is not really one park but several. In the Safari Park you can drive among African animals in one of our Range Cruisers: see lions, giraffes, elephants in the wild. Move on to the Ocean Park to watch the dolphins and whales. And then there is still the Aviary to see…
The Pyramid
This is the center of Adventureland. Run out of film, need some postcards and stamps? For all these things and many more, visit our underground shopping center. Come here for information and ideas too.
【1】The Travel Pavilion is built to help visitors ______.
A.realize the importance of travelling
B.become familiar with mountain countries
C.learn how to make things such as fishing nets
D.learn something about different places in the world
【2】When you visit The Future Tower, which of the following is NOT available for you to do?
A.Have a journey to Mars.
B.Enjoy your time in its space station.
C.Get to know about what people’s life will be.
D.Learn about the impact of progress on our lives.
【3】If you want to get a toy lion to take home, where will you most likely go?
A.The Travel Pavilion.
B.The Nature Park.
C.The Pyramid.
D.The Future Tower.
28、Most scientists are now certain that global warming is taking place. Gases such as carbon dioxide are creating a warm blanket around the earth. This blanket is trapping heat in the atmosphere, and so raising the temperature of the earth.
In Europe, eight of the last ten years have seen record high temperatures. On the other hand, the countries around the Mediterranean Sea are receiving even less rain than before. In Sub- Saharan Africa the crops are drying out in the fields and people are dying of starvation. In 1999, the southern United States was struck by a serious of destructive(毁灭性的) hurricanes. Scientists expect such trends to continue, and to worsen, if global warming cannot be stopped.
In addition to worrying about rising global temperatures and extreme weather conditions, scientists are closely monitoring sea levels around the world. They are slowly rising, as the northern and southern polar ice caps start to melt. This will have serious consequences for low-lying countries near the sea. Already parts of these places are disappearing under the rising sea water.
According to a new research, one contradictory feature(特征) of global warming is that it will probably lead to a period of much colder weather. Scientists base their theory on what happened the last time the world warmed up, 8,300 years ago. They have discovered that when the ice melted from the northern polar ice cap it became trapped in a lake in northern Canada. As more ice melted, this lake suddenly burst open, pouring millions of tons of freezing fresh water into the North Atlantic. This flood of water prevented the normal flow of water in the Atlantic, which takes warm water from the tropics(热带地区) north to Europe. When this flow of warm water was cut off, temperatures in Europe dropped by between three and eight degrees over the next 200 years. 'That's the concern here,' says Richard Alley, an American climate expert. 'The climate hasn't varied much in 8, 000 years. But big changes could come back!'
【1】What is the overall effect of global warming on Europe?
A.A warmer climate.
B.A decline in rainfall.
C.An increase of hurricanes.
D.A decrease of crop production.
【2】What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A.The rising sea level.
B.The melting of icebergs.
C.The increase in disasters.
D.The cause of global warming.
【3】How does the author describe the climate change in Europe 8 ,300 years ago?
A.By offering statistics.
B.By giving an example.
C.By making comparisons.
D.By analyzing the process.
【4】What can we infer from Richard Alley' s words?
A.Global climate change will bring more disasters.
B.Global warming will likely produce a colder climate.
C.Global warming will continue for the next two centuries.
D.Global climate will remain unchangeable in the next 8,000 years.
29、Last summer, two nineteenth-century cottages were rescued from remote farm fields in Montana, to be moved to an Art Deco building in San Francisco. The houses were made of wood. These cottages once housed early settlers as they worked the dry Montana soil; now they hold Twitter engineers.
The cottages could be an example of the industry’ s odd love affair with “low technology,” a concept associated with the natural world, and with old-school craftsmanship (手艺) that exists long before the Internet era. Low technology is not virtual (虚拟的) —so, to take advantage of it, Internet companies have had to get creative. The rescued wood cottages, fitted by hand in the late eighteen-hundreds, are an obvious example, but Twitter’s designs lie on the extreme end. Other companies are using a broader interpretation (阐释) of low technology that focuses on nature.
Amazon is building three glass spheres filled with trees, so that employees can “work and socialize in a more natural, park-like setting.” At Google’s office, an entire floor is carpeted in glass. Facebook’s second Menlo Park campus will have a rooftop park with a walking trail.
Olle Lundberg, the founder of Lundberg Design, has worked with many tech companies over the years. “We have lost the connection to the maker in our lives, and our tech engineers are the ones who feel impoverished (贫乏的) , because they’re surrounded by the digital world,” he says. “They’re looking for a way to regain their individual identity, and we’ve found that introducing real crafts is one way to do that.”
This craft based theory is rooted in history, William Morris, the English artist and writer, turned back to pre-industrial arts in the eighteen-sixties, just after the Industrial Revolution. The Arts and Crafts movement defined itself against machines. “Without creative human occupation, people became disconnected from life,” Morris said.
Research has shown that natural environments can restore(恢复) our mental capacities. In Japan, patients are encouraged to “forest-bathe,” taking walks through woods to lower their blood pressure.
These health benefits apply to the workplace as well. Rachel Kaplvin, a professor of environmental psychology, has spent years researching the restorative effects of natural environment. Her research found that workers with access to nature at the office—even simple views of trees and flowers—felt their jobs were less stressful and more satisfying. If low-tech offices can potentially nourish the brains and improve the mental health of employees then, fine, bring on the cottages.
【1】The writer mentions the two nineteenth-century cottages to show that ________.
A. Twitter is having a hard time
B. old cottages are in need of protection
C. early settlers once suffered from a dry climate in Montana
D. Internet companies have rediscovered the benefits of low technology
【2】Low technology is regarded as something that _______.
A. is related to nature B. is out of date today
C. consumes too much energy D. exists in the virtual world
【3】The main idea of Paragraph 5 is that human beings ________.
A. have destroyed many pre-industrial arts
B. have a tradition of valuing arts and crafts
C. can become intelligent by learning history
D. can regain their individual identity by using machines
【4】The writer’s attitude to “low technology” can best be described as ________.
A. positive B. defensive C. cautious D. doubtful
【5】What might be the best title for the passage?
A. Past Glories, Future Dreams
B. The Virtual World, the Real Challenge
C. High-tech Companies, Low-tech Offices
D. The More Craftsmanship, the Less Creativity
30、Jame’s New Bicycle
James shook his money box again.Nothing! He carefully _________ the coins that lay on the bed.
$24.52 was all that he had.The bicycle he wanted was at least $90! _________on earth was he going to get the _________ of the money?
He knew that his friends all had bicycle.It was _________ to hang around with people when you were the only one without wheels.He thought about what he could do.There was no _________ asking his parents, for he knew they had no money to _________.
There was only one way to get money, and that was to _________ it.He would have to find a job._________ who would hire him and what could he do? He decided to ask Mr.Clay for advice who usually had _________ on most things.
“Well, you can start right here,” said Mr.Clay.“My windows need cleaning and my car needs washing.”
That was the __________ of James’s odd-job(零工)business.For three months he worked every day after finishing his homework.He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards and mended books.He lost count of the __________ of jobs that people found for him to do.He took dogs and babies for walks, cleared out cupboards, and mended books.He lost count of the ___________of cars he washed and windows he cleaned, but the __________ increased and he knew that he would soon have __________ for the bicycle he longed for.
The day __________ came when James counted his money and found $94.32.He __________ no time and went down to the shop to pick up the bicycle he wanted.He rode __________ home, looking forward to showing his new bicycle to his friends.It had been hard __________ for the money, but James knew that he valued his bicycle far more __________ he had bought it with his own money.He had __________ what he thought was impossible, and that was worth even than the bicycle.
【1】A. cleaned B. covered C. counted D. checked
【2】A. How B. Why C. Who D. What
【3】A. amount B. part C. sum D. rest
【4】A. brave B. hard C. smart D. unfair
【5】A. point B. reason C. result D. right
【6】A. split B. spend C. spare D. save
【7】A. borrow B. earn C. raise D. collect
【8】A. Or B. So C. For D. But
【9】A. decisions B. experience C. opinions D. knowledge
【10】A. beginning B. introduction C. requirement D. opening
【11】A. similarity B. quality C. suitability D. variety
【12】A. brand B. number C. size D. type
【13】A. effort B. pressure C. money D. trouble
【14】A. all B. enough C. much D. some
【15】A. finally B. instantly C. normally D. regularly
【16】A. gave B. left C. took D. wasted
【17】A. patiently B. proudly C. silently D. tiredly
【18】A. applying B. asking C. looking D. working
【19】A. since B. if C. than D. though
【20】A. deserved B. benefited C. achieved D. learned
31、 When I first met my new parrot, Chico, his wings had been cut short and he was stuck on the earth just like us humans. When the weather turned nice, I would take Chico outside. I _______ him on a branch of a tree, hoping to make him happier. At first he seemed confused. He walked back and forth on the branch looking _______. He didn't even flap his wings in a(n) _______ to fly. Somehow he knew he was incapable.
One day Chico got especially excited. He paced back and forth and made a(n) _______ amount of noise. Then all of a sudden he stopped and let out an even louder scream. He started _______ flapping his wings for the first time ever — then he lifted off the _______ like a space shuttle! I was amazed and _______. Little did I know his feathers had been growing back, and Chico had been waiting until the moment was ripe for _______!
Two days later Chico returned. First I tried to _______ him back with food, but he would not come near me. Then I took his cage and __________ it away — still he would not come. Finally, I made him a firm promise that I would let him out every day if the weather was nice as long as he did come back. __________, he flew onto my shoulder.
From that day on, whenever the weather was good I would let him __________ early and he would fly around and be back before dark. The routine lasted for two months __________ suddenly Chico became __________. The __________ said that he had been infected with a disease from the pigeons in the neighborhood. Within a few days he died.
I was very sad. The __________ crossed my mind that if I had not set him free to fly, he would be still alive. But what __________ is there in being a bird if you can't fly?
Chico made his first __________ for freedom on a late Monday afternoon in April. When will you make yours? You too can take a __________ when the conditions are right, knowing you too, in your own way, were built to fly. If you don't set yourself free, what will be the __________ of your life.
【1】A.brought B.seated C.caught D.chased
【2】A.comfortable B.painful C.patient D.anxious
【3】A.attempt B.stage C.journey D.path
【4】A.serious B.first C.incredible D.accessible
【5】A.slowly B.gently C.madly D.gracefully
【6】A.ground B.branch C.window D.house
【7】A.moved B.shocked C.delighted D.excited
【8】A.patience B.exchange C.rescue D.escape
【9】A.trick B.fasten C.seize D.expect
【10】A.threw B.drove C.gave D.sent
【11】A.At last B.As usual C.Once in a while D.In the meantime
【12】A.out B.off C.away D.alone
【13】A.until B.while C.since D.although
【14】A.active B.weak C.annoying D.miserable
【15】A.teacher B.community C.passer-by D.vet
【16】A.fact B.thought C.concern D.detail
【17】A.problem B.meaning C.interest D.mistake
【18】A.relief B.willingness C.communication D.breakthrough
【19】A.breath B.look C.holiday D.chance
【20】A.success B.purpose C.contribution D.importance
32、 It takes a special person to see a life in danger and go out of his way to make a difference. But that’s exactly what Kole Devisscher did when he _________ the thin ice of a river to save 10-year-old Chartrand from _________ .
The young man was _________ for his bravery by MP Joy Smith. Smith _________ him with a certificate and said Devisscher would be nominated (提名) for the Governor General’s Medal of Bravery.
Describing the _________ , Devisscher said he thought it was something _________ when he saw a blue jacket in the river. _________ for Chartrand, the teenager decided to back up his truck and take another look.
When Devisscher realized somebody was _________ in the cold water, he leapt into _________ . “I got out of the truck and grabbed the tow strap from the backseat.” explained Devisscher.
“He couldn’t quite grab onto the rope because his hands were already turning blue. Then I made a loop on the hook and got him to put it around his shoulders.”
Devisscher’s dad, Gerry, says his son remembered some of the __________ he learned while snowmobiling over the years. “He was listening. He just couldn’t refuse to __________ it. He wanted to help, __________ at that time I was nervous he went out there.”
To honour Kole’s __________ and to thank him for saving her son, the mother of the boy gave Devisscher Nathaniel’s eagle feather.
“When he called, saying he __________ someone, it didn’t sink in at first. Today’s the first time I’ve heard the whole __________ .”
“It’s just __________ that a young man like Kole stopped... He got him out of the river and he calmed him,” MP Smith said at the presentation ceremony.
“I think he is an outstanding young man, and all of Canada should be __________ of what he’s done.”
Devisscher said he just __________ others would do the same. “It feels good, not everybody gets this __________ . It’s pretty awesome,” said Devisscher. “I hope someone else would do that for me if I was under the same __________ .”
【1】A.braved B.melted C.assessed D.transformed
【2】A.swelling B.drowning C.panicking D.trembling
【3】A.appreciated B.exchanged C.rewarded D.honored
【4】A.guaranteed B.congratulated C.presented D.appointed
【5】A.consequence B.dilemma C.risk D.incident
【6】A.floating by B.coming about C.going up D.trying out
【7】A.Steadily B.Fortunately C.Accurately D.Eventually
【8】A.waving B.screaming C.struggling D.appealing
【9】A.action B.judgment C.process D.commitment
【10】A.professions B.symptoms C.emotions D.lessons
【11】A.take notice of B.put up with C.subscribe to D.concentrate on
【12】A.since B.unless C.though D.until
【13】A.achievements B.efforts C.reputation D.encouragement
【14】A.informed B.ignored C.treated D.rescued
【15】A.story B.assistance C.experience D.state
【16】A.appropriate B.flexible C.amazing D.annoying
【17】A.guilty B.worthy C.conscious D.proud
【18】A.advocated B.expected C.approved D.demanded
【19】A.comment B.access C.award D.profit
【20】A.circumstance B.case C.trend D.phenomenon
33、A passenger told an air hostess that he needed a cup of water to take his medicine when the plane just took off. She told him that she would _______the water in ten minutes.
Thirty minutes later, when the passenger’s ring for _______ sounded, the air hostess realized it at once. She was kept so _______ that she forget to deliver him the _______ . As a result, the passenger was _______ to take his medicine. She hurried over to him _______ a cup of water, but to her surprise he _______ it.
In the following hours on the _______ , each time the air hostess passed by the _______ , she would ask him with a ________ whether he needed help or not. But the passenger ________ paid attention to her words.
When he was going to get ________ the plane, the passenger asked the air hostess to ________ him the passenger’s booklet(意见簿). She was very ________ . She knew that he would write down ________ words, which might result in the loss of her job. ________ with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane, she ________ the booklet and cracked a smile, ________ the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me whether I needed help or not for twelve times ________ . How can I refuse your twelve sincere smiles?”
That’s ________ ! Who can refuse twelve sincere smiles from a person?
【1】
A.take
B.bring
C.carry
D.hold
【2】
A.food
B.drink
C.service
D.medicine
【3】
A.tired
B.silent
C.calm
D.busy
【4】
A.water
B.help
C.milk
D.warning
【5】
A.held on
B.held up
C.held out
D.held down
【6】
A.for
B.about
C.with
D.in
【7】
A.refused
B.accepted
C.liked
D.hated
【8】
A.seat
B.air
C.floor
D.flight
【9】
A.customer
B.passenger
C.guest
D.visitor
【10】
A.glance
B.look
C.smile
D.cry
【11】
A.never
B.often
C.always
D.seldom
【12】
A.on
B.to
C.off
D.from
【13】
A.hand
B.take
C.throw
D.lend
【14】
A.glad
B.angry
C.curious
D.sad
【15】
A.important
B.sharp
C.polite
D.nice
【16】
A.So
B.Because
C.And
D.But
【17】
A.hid
B.tore
C.opened
D.closed
【18】
A.if
B.for
C.after
D.when
【19】
A.in all
B.above all
C.or else
D.or so
【20】
A.wrong
B.wonderful
C.impossible
D.right
34、课文填空
The Sundance Film Festival 【1】 boycotts all Hollywood films, and we don’t foresee ever including them. The initial idea for our festival was 【2】 back in l978. when it was known as the Utah/US Film Festival. However, it was not well known until 1981. It was then that Robert Redford became its 【3】 and changed the focus to independent films, often made on very modest 【4】 It was given its new name-the Sundance Film Festival-in 1991. Redford has acted in and directed many big Hollywood films, but wanted to 【5】 the public to films made outside of the Hollywood system
35、按照课文内容填空
At the time they were created, the Impressionist paintings were【1】, but today they are accepted as the beginning of【2】we call “modern art’. This is because the Impressionists 【3】artists to look at their environment in new ways. There are scores of modern art styles, but 【4】the Impressionists, many of these painting styles might not exist. On the one hand, some modern art is abstract; that is, the painter doesn’t 【5】to paint objects as we see them with our eyes, 【6】instead concentrates on certain qualities of the object, 【7】color, line and shape to represent them. On the【8】hand, some paintings of modern art are so 【9】 that they look photographs. These styles are so different. Who can【10】what painting styles there will be in the future?
36、Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
Knowledge is free on the Internet at a small but 【1】 number of colleges and universities. About 160 schools around the world now put free course materials on the web to the 【2】. Recent additions in the United States 【3】 projects at Yale, Johns Hopkins and the University of California, Berkeley.
Berkeley said it would offer videos of lectures on YouTube. Free videos from other schools are 【4】 at the Apple iTunes store.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) became an early 【5】 with its Open Course Ware project, first 【6】 in 2001. Free lecture notes, exams and other resources are published at ocw.mit.edu. Many exams even include the answers. Today, Open Course Ware offers materials from 1,800 undergraduate and graduate courses. These 【7】 from Physics to Political Science. Visitors can learn the same things as MIT students learn. But as the site points out, Open Course Ware is not an MIT education. Visitors receive no credit toward a degree. Some materials from a course may not be available, and the site does not provide 【8】 with teachers. Still, MIT says that the site has had forty million visits by thirty-one million visitors from almost every country. Sixty percent of the visitors are from outside the United States and Canada. Students and educators use the site, including students at MIT. But the largest number of visitors, about half, are self-learners.
Some professors have become well-known around the world as a result of 【9】 online. Walter Lewin, a physics professor at MIT, is 【10】 popular. Fans enjoy his entertaining lectures. MIT Open Course Ware now includes materials for high school. The aim is to improve education in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering.
37、Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
AI artwork sells for $432,500 — nearly 45 times its high【1】 — as Christie’s becomes the first auction house to offer a work of art created by an algorithm. This portrait, however, is not the product of a human mind. It was created by an【2】 intelligence, an algorithm defined by that algebraic formula with its many parentheses. And when it went under the【3】 in the Prints & Multiples sale at Christie’s on 23-25 October, Portrait of Edmond Belamy sold for an【4】 $432,500, signaling the arrival of AI art on the world auction stage.
From a distance, Portrait of Edmond de Belamy looks almost plausible. Up close, however, the paintwork becomes a grid of mechanical-looking dots, the man’s face a golden blur with black holes for eyes. Look into those eyes. They show no sign of feeling or life. Did a computer make this?
The answer is yes. The first artwork【5】 by AI to be sold at Christie’s, its【6】 price would seem to suggest that in future we will get computers to make art for us. Robot van Gogh will harmlessly cut its ear off and robot Picasso will be a genius.
Is this the future AI art visionaries such as the French collective Obvious, which programmed this “painter” by getting it to compare its own work with 15,000 pre-20th century portraits, have in mind? Or are they just, God forbid, making a fast buck from deceivable art collectors? Because believing the algorithm that knocked this up to be in any meaningful way an “artist” is like thinking your voice-interaction programme is out to get you. Dream on. Computers would need to replicate human consciousness before they could replicate the funny thing humans do called “art”.
Art is a way in which human 【7】 expresses itself, and is equally true of the earliest cave art, Rembrandt’s portraits and Duchamp’s urinal. And that is what is missing from Portrait of Edmond Bellamy. Art is a way humans communicate ideas, perceptions and feelings to each other. It has no 【8】 outside the human passion to communicate. So in what meaningful sense can an AI replica of certain【9】 traits of old master paintings be called art?
For a robot to really make art, it would need an autonomous mind that was emotional as well as【10】. No AI developer has yet claimed to be anywhere near achieving that and if they ever do, their creation will probably have better things to do than paint portraits — like destroy humanity.
Maybe afterwards robots will invent their own kind of art, but it won’t be some poor pastiche of human genius.
It will be beyond anything we organics could imagine.
38、假定你是李华,你的美国朋友Tom听说在中国通过扫描二维码就可以轻松实现移动支付,感到不可思议。请你写封邮件告知移动支付在中国的相关情况。内容包括:
1.在中国最流行,提供了便利;
2.快捷且强大的功能如买早餐买地铁票;
3.改变我们的生活,引领世界。
注意1.词数100左右;
2可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯(开头已给出,但不计入总数)。
参考词汇:二维码 QR code
Dear Tom,
How are you? Glad to tell you something about mobile payment in China
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Looking forward to hearing from you.
Yours,
Li Hua
39、请阅读下面短文,并按要求用英语写一篇150个词左右的英语短文。
Young Chinese parents embracing e-books for children
Chinese children are spending more time reading digital books as young parents are increasingly open to the idea, research shows.
The amount of time children under 9 spend reading e-books every day increased almost 20 percent to 24. 3 minutes between 2016 and 2017, according to a joint study by e-book company Kada Story and teaching consultancy TAL Education Group.
A three-year study of 6, 030 parents found that almost 70 percent said they are willing to let their children use mobile phones and tablets, while 25 percent of those born in the 1990s or later said they let their children spend more than 40 minutes a day on mobile devices.
Parents in first-tier cities are more likely to let their children use mobile devices, with children in Beijing spending almost 70 minutes a day using the gadgets.
“Digital reading is an important skill for children to master in this age of information explosion, ” said Wang Jing, chief editor of Kada Story.
However, not all parents want their children to read digitally.
“I fear e-books will negatively affect my son’s attention span or expose him to inappropriate content, ” said Xie Wenfeng, mother of a 7-year-old boy in Shanghai.
She said she believed books in print are better for the eyes and do not affect sleep. “I also worry about possible addiction to e-books.” she added.
(写作内容)
1.用约30个单词写出上文概要;
2.用约120个单词发表你的观点,内容包括:
(1)支持或反对家长让孩子读电子书籍;
(2)并用2-3个理由或论据支撑你的观点。
(写作要求)
1. 写作过程中不能直接引用原文中的句子;
2. 文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称;
3. 不必写标题。
(评分标准)
内容完整,语言规范,语篇连贯,词数适当。
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40、假定你是李华。你的加拿大网友Jim来信告诉你他最近染上了网瘾,导致成绩下降。请你 用英语给他写一封信,给予他帮助。内容包括:
1. 指出网瘾的危害(生活、学习、健康等方面);
2. 给出相应的建议。
注意:
1. 词数100左右;
2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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41、假定你是李华,你作为交换生在英国 Cambridge学习,在图书馆意外丢失书包,写一份寻物启事,以找回自己的书包。要点如下:
1. 丢失地点与时间;
2. 书包颜色与装的东西。
注意:1. 词数100左右;2. 可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
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