Here is a record of the discussion about AI (artificial intelligence) conducted by several scientists:
Scientist A: I would say that we are quite a long way off developing the AI, though I do think it will happen within the next thirty or forty years. We will probably remain in control of technology and it will help us solve many of the world’s problems. However, no one really knows what will happen if machines become more intelligent than humans. They may help us, ignore us or destroy us. I tend to believe AI will have a positive influence on our future lives, but whether that is true will be partly up to us.
Scientist B: I have to admit that the potential consequences of creating something that can match or go beyond human intelligence frighten me. Even now, scientists are teaching computers how to learn on their own. At some point in the near future, their intelligence may well take off and develop at an ever-increasing speed. Human beings evolve biologically very slowly and we would be quickly substituted. In the short term, there is the danger that robots will take over millions of human jobs, creating a large underclass of unemployed people. This could mean large-scale poverty and social unrest. In the lone term machines might decide the world would be better without humans.
Scientist C: I’m a member of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. Forget the movie image of a terrifying Terminator stamping on human skulls (头骨) and think of what s happening right now: military machines like drones, gun turrets and sentry robots are already being used to kill with very little human input. The next step will be autonomous “murderbots” following orders but finally deciding who to kill on their own. It seems clear to me that this would be completely unethical and dangerous for humans. We need to be very cautious indeed about what we ask machines to do.
1.What is Scientist B worried about?
A. AI technology will destroy the earth.
B. Computers can’t think by themselves.
C. Robots will take the place of humans.
D. Humans will be unhappy without machines.
2.What does the underlined word “this” in the last paragraph refer to?
A. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots.
B. The movie image of a terrifying Terminator.
C. “Murderbots” can’t decide by themselves.
D. “Murderbots” will be against humans’ orders.
3.Which statement is CORRECT according to the record?
A. Scientist A thinks AI technology will never develop.
B. The employment will be affected by AI technology in the future.
C. “Murderbots” will follow the orders of their manufacturers in the wars.
D. All the three scientists agree that AI technology will benefit human beings.
4.Who agree(s) AI has more negative aspects than positive aspects?
A. Scientist A. B. Scientist B.
C. Scientists B & C. D. Scientists B & A.
Dodder is an unusual and unwanted plant that attacks other plants. Except for its flowers, the plant looks like spaghetti, a kind of noodles in the shape of long thin pieces that look like string when they are cooked. Its almost leafless, thread-like stems (茎) hang down on top of other plants that dodder needs to stay alive. Dodder does not produce its own food. Instead, it steals food from other plants. It feeds by sucking juices from the plant which is wrapped around, often making its host very weak or even killing it.
Dodder can find other plants by their smell. When a young dodder plant starts growing, it follows the smell of plants it prefers, like tomato plants, potato plants, or other farm crops. Unlike most plants that usually grow in the direction of light or warmth, a dodder plant will grow in the direction of, for example, tomato smell—if a tomato happens to be growing nearby.
However, a young dodder plant must find a host plant quickly. It no longer needs its root once it is attached to the host and wrapped around it. If it cannot catch a smell of a potential host within a few days, it will dry up and disappear—even if there is plenty of water around. Once it finds a host, the young dodder plant will attach itself to it and start growing faster. At that point the dodder plant will drop its root.
Dodder is thus a difficult weed to manage and a real headache for farmers. When it does get out of hand, dodder can greatly reduce a farmer’s harvest or even destroy crops completely. Before sowing their produce, especially farmers in warm parts of the world often check to make sure no unwanted dodder seeds have mixed with their crop seeds. This is a good way to stop dodder plants from making their way to a crop field secretly.
1.Why does the author mention spaghetti in the first paragraph?
A. To analyze the content of some food.
B. To describe the shape of dodder plants.
C. To explain where the dodder plants come from.
D. To argue that dodder plants can be used.
2.What will happen if a dodder plant starts growing where there are no other plants around?
A. It will die sooner or later.
B. It will grow deep roots.
C. It will attract other plants.
D. It will cover the entire area of soil.
3.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Dodder does not produce its own food.
B. Dodder can affect farmers’ income.
C. Dodder can only survive in the shade.
D. Dodder only grows in the warm areas.
4.What is the main topic of the passage?
A. A new variety of farm crops.
B. Plants that are harmful to humans.
C. The special abilities of a dangerous plant.
D. Recent improvements in farming methods.
In my very first job with some archaeologists, I wasn’t digging objects out of the ground, instead I was employed as an artist, drawing what they found. However, I was soon more interested in the stories behind the objects than in drawing them and that’s how my career in archaeology started. I still draw what I find in my work as a specialist on the Silk Road, the old trade route running from Egypt to Mongolia, and I also work on some underwater projects too.
In archaeology, my all-time hero is an American called Raphael Pumpelly. I first heard about him when I was a student on a trip to Turkmenistan, a country right in the heart of Asia. To get around the country, I had to learn Russian so that I could speak to the local people. When I got there I thought, “Wow! I’m one of the first Americans here!” Then an old man told me about an American archaeologist, Raphael Pumpelly, who was there doing the same thing over 100 years ago.
Archaeology’s in my family. My wife’s in the same profession, and, although our two boys aren’t interested in the future in archaeology themselves, we’ve been on some great digs together and they love what we do because they get to travel with us. Last summer, we took them to Lake Titicaca in South America, in the high areas of the Andes mountain range. My best experience was when I was digging on the Egyptian Red Sea coast. There’s very little rain and it’s so dry that everything is kept as it was. In an old house, where the owner used to store goods from the ships that came in, I picked up a 700-year-old mat in front of the house and there, under it, after all that time, was the house key with the owner’s name carved on it. It felt like he could be on his way home any minute! And I thought, “Hey, I do just that. This man’s not much different to me!”
1.While working in Egypt, what did the writer find so interesting?
A. That people from different centuries can be so similar.
B. The fact that the doormat was in such good condition.
C. The way the people managed to live in such a dry place.
D. That there had been so much trade in that area.
2.Which entry will the writer probably make in his diary?
A. Turkmenistan is interesting. I’m the first American to come here but I’m glad this is my last trip away.
B. I have been diving today and found some objects for an exhibition. I’ve just finished drawing them for my records.
C. I wish my children weren’t more interested in archaeology and would not work hard in the open like their parents.
D. It’s nearly dark but Raphael’s still busy digging in that old house. He can be very annoying. He thinks he’s the most important person here.
3.What is the writer’s main purpose in writing the text?
A. To describe the life of an archaeologist he admires.
B. To persuade people to take up archaeology as a career.
C. To explain what he enjoys about being an archaeologist.
D. To show how archaeologists work.
假定你是李华，你的美国朋友John对茶感兴趣。请你结合下面图示，用英语给他写一封邮件，诚邀他参加即将在宁波举办的茶文化节，并简要介绍茶文化节活动及我国茶的历史，茶的益处等。
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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No one is sure how many Americans belong to reading groups called book clubs. Yet1. (publisher) and bookstores report that more and more people throughout the United States are joining2. (they).\
Most of the clubs work the same way. Members read the same book at the same time. Then they meet to talk about the book. Members may be friends or people3. live near each other. Some Americans belong to reading groups on4.Internet. These groups include people around the world who communicate about books they read. They send electronic mails instead of gathering5. (discuss) books.
Most reading groups study books by6. (variety) writers. However, some groups read the work of a single writer, 7. (usual) one that has been famous for a while. Other groups may8. (name) for an important person in the work of the writer, 9. a Sherlock Holmes Club. Members of these book clubs often are experts about their10. (choose) reading materials. One member of a Holmes reading group, for example, can identify almost every person in every Sherlock Holmes story.
Growing up, I always hid my thumbs（拇指）in my fists because of their unusual shape. _______ they do look more like a big toe（脚趾）_______ a thumb. And from an early age, my thumbs_______ another name “toe thumbs” .
In high school, I served as a cashier in a grocery store. One day, I was_______ a sweet little old lady and as I _______ her change back to her, she suddenly took my hands and said in a thick Polish _______ , “You are Polish! Look at those_______ Polish thumbs! They match mine!” She raised her hands and_______ her thumbs to me that_______ weathered and wrinkled, looked exactly like mine! She_______ my hands again and said, “Be_______ of those thumbs!”
I’ll never forget that 30-second_______ with a stranger that forever_______ my view of a part of me I once was_______ by and now accept. As I was eating dinner with my Samuel tonight, he looked down at my hand_______ on the table next to his and said, “Mommy! Our thumbs _______ !” I smiled and answered, “Yes, they do, buddy! Those are strong Polish _______ you have! Take pride in them! Maybe someday you’ll have a little boy or girl who will have the same thumbs!” I _______ my son never hides his thumbs like I did. I hope he’ll be proud of their “unusualness” and the _______ behind them. He carries on a(n) _______ part of me and that for me will always be beautiful!
1.A. Fortunately B. Admittedly C. Normally D. Basically
2.A. other than B. due to C. instead of D. along with
3.A. earned B. cloned C. found D. deserved
4.A. checking out B. waiting for C. talking with D. watching over
5.A. paid B. charged C. donated D. counted
6.A. tune B. voice C. language D. accent
7.A. beautiful B. strange C. long D. clumsy
8.A. passed B. showed C. recommended D. offered
9.A. till B. unless C. although D. once
10.A. raised B. inspected C. examined D. held
11.A. proud B. skeptical C. afraid D. sure
12.A. appointment B. bargain C. conversation D. deal
13.A. supported B. changed C. proved D. hurt
14.A. amazed B. frightened C. delighted D. embarrassed
15.A. scratching B. resting C. knocking D. drawing
16.A. differ B. suit C. fight D. match
17.A. fists B. thumbs C. toes D. hands
18.A. guarantee B. figure C. pray D. insist
19.A. scene B. lesson C. history D. moment
20.A. unique B. elegant C. authentic D. sensitive
