Preparing Cities for Robot Cars
The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream, years away from materializing in the real world. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars, and for companies to operate driverless taxi services. California, it should be noted, isn’t leading the way here. Companies have been testing their vehicles in cities across the country. It’s hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems and our cities, for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars(and rightfully so), policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions(排放) and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy — or even worsen — the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles. They tolerate long, slow journeys to and from work on packed highways because they can work, entertain themselves or sleep on the ride, which encourages urban spread. They take their driverless car to an appointment and set the empty vehicle to circle the building to avoid paying for parking. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport — an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing(叫车) services.
A study from the University of California at Davis suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could reduce carbon emissions from transportation 80% and cut the cost of transportation infrastructure(基础设施) and operations 40% by 2050. Fewer emissions and cheaper travel sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as liability and maintenance issues(责任与维护问题). But driverless car ownership could increase as the prices drop and more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
1.According to the author, attention should be paid to how driverless cars can __________.
A. help deal with transportation-related problems
B. provide better services to customers
C. cause damage to our environment
D. make some people lose jobs
2.As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern?
A. Safety. B. Side effects.
C. Affordability. D. Management.
3.What is the author’s attitude to the future of self-driving cars?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive.
C. Disapproving. D. Sympathetic.
The China Daily newspaper group is looking for English-language senior business editors，senior copy editors，copy editors and graphic designers to strengthen its international team．We offer a competitive salary package，free accommodation with utilities paid for，90 percent medical reimbursement，a seven-day paid leave，eleven-day public holidays and a return ticket to the country of residence．
Senior Business Editor
You must：
·assist the business editor in setting goals and working on achieving them；
·be an excellent team person who can generate ideas and think creatively and be able to rewrite totally if needed and mentor junior staff；
·ideally have been working or have worked in a position of responsibility and understand what leadership entails；
·have had at least five years’ editing experience working on editing the Business Desk and be familiar with industry software．
Senior Copy Editor
You must：
·work on shifts in the Business Desk and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
·edit or rewrite copy and give smart headlines and captions；
·have had at least two years’ editing experience working on editing desks and be familiar with industry software．
Copy Editor
You must：
·be good at editing or rewriting copy and writing smart headlines and captions；
·be able to work on shifts for different pages，and usually have the last word before the page is sent to print；
·have two years of editing experience working on copy desks，and be familiar with industry software．
Graphic Designer
You must：
·have excellent skills in information graphics；
·be good at illustrations and freehand drawings；
·be experienced in newspaper or magazine layouts；
·have a good sense of typography；
·have good news judgment；
·be skilled in Macintosh software，including in Design，Illustrator and Photoshop；
·be fluent in English．
For enquiries or to apply，write to job @ chinadaily.com.cn．
1.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To describe the positions of the China Daily newspaper group．
B. To describe the working conditions of the China Daily newspaper group．
C. To advertise for hiring some good employees．
D. To tell you how to become good editors and designers．
2.What is not required about Graphic Designer?
A. Being good at Photoshop．
B. Having excellent skills in information graphics．
C. Having a good sense of typography．
D. Writing smart headlines and captions．
3.How many positions need editing experience?
A. Two． B. One．
C. Three． D. Four．
Stephen Hawking, a world famous British physicist, also wrote a children’s book with his daughter. Hawking said the book would be “a bit like Harry Potter” but without the magic. “It explains the wonders of the universe,” said Hawking, while he was on a visit to Hong Kong over 10 years ago.
Hawking, is probably the world’s most famous scientist after Albert Einstein. He is an expert on black holes. He has put his whole life into digging into the beginning (and the end) of the universe. “My goal is simple,” Hawking once said. “It is to completely understand the universe, why it is as it is and why it is there at all.”
Hawking has a bad illness that stops him from moving or talking. For a period of time, he had no way to communicate except by blinking.
Now he sits on a wheelchair with a computer by his side. To communicate, he moves two fingers to control the computer’s mouse. He selects his words from the screen, which are then spoken by a voice synthesizer.
“I have had the disease for most of my life,” Hawking once said. “Yet it has not stopped me from being successful at my work.”
Although Hawking is such a disabled man, he made great achievements. He has received many awards and prizes for his work over the years. This includes winning the Albert Einstein Award. It is the highest achievement in theoretical physics.
1.In the first paragraph, the book that Stephen Hawking wrote is_____.
A. the same as Harry Potter B. is quite different from Harry Potter.
C. about the magic D. about science
2.From the text we can learn _____.
A. Hawking is more famous than Einstein
B. Hawking is less famous than Einstein
C. Both Hawking and Einstein are very famous
D. Neither Hawking nor Einstein is famous
3.What does the underlined pronoun “It” in the second paragraph stand for?
A. The goal. B. The magic.
C. The universe. D. The book.
4.According to the text, which of the following statements is the fact?
A. Hawking has received many awards and prices except the Albert Einstein Award.
B. The illness keeps him from moving and talking.
C. He communicates with others by speaking.
D. The illness stopped him from being successful.
假定你是李华，你的美国笔友Smith 来信说对中医感兴趣，想来中国学习。请你给他写回信，内容如下：
1. 支持他的决定；
2. 简单介绍中医及其优点。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Smith,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有l0处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从笫11处起)不计分。
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen,
Welcome to this year English speech competition. As an annual activity, it is popular with students, the purpose of the English speech competition is to help us improve our ability of communicating in English. In addition, it can also help to develop the good habit of reading. I'm surely we can make progresses in our listening, speaking, reading and writing through the competition.
A topic of the speech of this year is The English Novel I Like Best. Anyone who will take part in the competition can chose any novel you consider it the best. Then you can introduce it to the others. In the speech you should also explain the reason why you like the novel best in fluent English within five minutes. Remembering that correct pronunciation required in the competition too.
We sincerely hope the competition will be a success.
Thank you!
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
I was the middle child of three, but there was a gap of five years on either side, and I hardly saw my father before I was eight. For this1. other reasons I was somewhat lonely. I had the lonely child’s habit of making up stories and 2.（hold）conversations with imaginary persons, and I think 3. the very start my literary ambitions 4.(mix) up with the feeling of being isolated and undervalued. I knew that I had a 5.(nature) ability with words and a power of facing unpleasant facts, and I felt that this6. (create)a sort of private world 7. I could get my own back for my failure in everyday life.
However, 8. quantity of serious writing which I produced all through my childhood would not add up to half a dozen pages. I wrote my first poem at the age of four or five, my mother taking it down to dictation. I cannot remember anything about 9. except that it was about a tiger and the tiger had “chair-like teeth”--- a good enough 10.(express).
