Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claw s ( 爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive （远古的) birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.
1.What is the text mainly about?
A. Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons.
B. The relatives and enemies of hoatzins.
C. Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon.
D. The appearance and living habits of hoatzins.
2.Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that .
A. they look like young cuckoos
B. they have claws on the wings
C. they eat a lot like a cow
D. they live on river banks
3.What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
A. They had claw s to help them climb.
B. They could fly long distances.
C. They had four wings like hoatzins.
D. They had a head with long feathers on the top.
4.Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
A. To find more food.
B. To protect themselves better.
C. To keep themselves w arm.
D. To produce their young.
Self-driving vehicles will rely on cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence （AI） to recognize and respond to road and traffic conditions, but sensing is the most effective for objects and movement in the neighborhood of the vehicle. Not everything important in a car’s environment will be caught by the vehicle’s camera. Another vehicle approaching at high speed on a collision (碰撞) track might not be visible until it’s too late. This is why vehicle-to-vehicle communication is undergoing rapid development. Our research show s that cars will need to be able to chat and cooperate on the road, although the technical challenges are considerable.
Applications for vehicle-to-vehicle communication range from vehicles driving together in a row, to safety messages about nearby emergency vehicles. Vehicles could alert each other to avoid collisions or share notices about passers-by and bicycles.
From as far as several hundred meters away, vehicles could exchange messages with one another or receive information from roadside unit’s （RSUs） about nearby incidents or dangerous road conditions through 4G network.
A high level of AI seems required for such vehicles, not only to self -drive from A to B, but also to react intelligently to messages received. Vehicles will need to plan, reason, strategize and adapt in the light of information received in real time and to carry out cooperative behaviors. For example, a group of autonomous vehicles might avoid a route together because of potential risks, or a vehicle could decide to drop someone off earlier due to messages received, a foreseen crow ding ahead.
Further applications of vehicle-to-vehicle communication are still being researched, including how to perform cooperative behavior.
1.What is the first paragraph mainly about?
A. The reasons for the accidents by self-driving vehicles.
B. The research about applications for self-driving vehicles.
C. The importance of artificial intelligence of self -driving vehicles.
D. The reasons for developing communication between self -driving vehicles.
2.What does the underlined word “alert” mean in Paragraph 2?
A. Alarm. B. Condemn. C. Ignore. D. Govern.
3.What can we learn about roadside units (RSUs)?
A. They classify the vehicles on the road.
B. They can improve bad road conditions.
C. They take over the passing vehicles.
D. They serve as efficient information stations.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A. When do vehicles communicate?
B. The reasons why a high level of AI is important.
C. Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is coming.
D. What do applications for vehicle-to-vehicle communication need?
One cold day last November, my wife and I came home from work to a sick young daughter and we decided to stay at home for the night. Problem was, we had two tickets to see Miranda July, the performance artist, being interviewed at the Herbst Theatre. We decided to sell them online for ＄50. One hour before the event, a guy named Peter called me and said he wanted to buy the tickets. Since the time was limited, I told Peter to pay me the next day. Peter seemed touched and we said a fond goodbye.
However, a month later, Peter still didn’t pay me back. A few more weeks passed. Another month. There’d been one e-mail promising to mail the check, then silence.
Maybe he was having a hard time, I thought. But truth was, Peter seemed to be having a pretty normal time. According to the pictures and messages on his Facebook, he had been playing golf, dancing happily with his friends, and traveling on a boat. But he just refused to answer my calls, or reply to my e-mails or messages. So I tried reaching him with my wife’s phone one night. And he didn’t pick up when I called,but texted right back, playfully wondering who might be calling him.
“You should go to his office,”my wife said, “He would have to give you the money if all his coworkers were watching.”
But I didn’t want to become a debt collector. My efforts to reach Peter over these months had been light and I wanted to keep it that way. My initial exchange with Peter had been just two regular people agreeing to handle things humanly. There was a rare niceness in that, and I still wanted to keep that balloon in the air, however disappointing it was starting to look. I wanted to believe we could still trust each other.
1.For what reason did the author and his wife decide to sell the ticket?
A. They thought it was too cold that night.
B. They needed to look after their daughter.
C. They wanted to save some money.
D. They were going to be interviewed.
2.On the night the author sold his tickets to Peter, he________.
A. knew he might not get the ＄50. B. felt a little hesitant.
C. thought he could trust Peter. D. was moved by Peter’s kindness.
3.Why didn’t Peter pay the author back?
A. Because he didn’t remember it. B. Because he was too busy to pay.
C. Because he didn’t want to pay. D. Because he was having a tough time.
4.What can we infer about the author?
A. He would never trust strangers.
B. He might call the police for help.
C. He would go to Peter’s office to talk to him.
D. He still hoped Peter would pay him back.
Pacific Science Center Guide
◆Visit Pacific Science Center’s Store
Don’t forget to stop by Pacific Science Center’s Store while you are here to pick up a wonderful science activity or souvenir to remember your visit. The store is located(位于) upstairs in Building 3 right next to the Laser Dome.
◆Hungry
Our exhibits will feed your mind, but what about your body? Our café offers a complete menu of lunch and snack options, in addition to seasonal specials. The café is located upstairs in Building 1 and is open daily until one hour before Pacific Science Center closes.
◆Rental Information
Lockers are available to store any belongings during your visit. The lockers are located in Building 1 near the Information Desk and in Building 3. Pushchairs and wheelchairs are available to rent at the Information Desk and Denny Way entrance. ID required.
◆Support Pacific Science Center
Since 1962, Pacific Science Center has been inspiring a passion(热情) for discovery and lifelong learning in science, math and technology. Today, Pacific Science Center serves more than 1.3 million people a year and brings inquiry-based science education to classrooms and community events all over Washington State. It’s an amazing accomplishment and one we cannot achieve without generous support from individuals, corporations, and other social organizations. Visit pacificsciencecenter.org to find various ways you can support Pacific Science Center.
1.Where can you buy a souvenir at Pacific Science Center?
A. In Building 1.
B. In Building 3.
C. At the last Dome.
D. At the Denny Way entrance.
2.What does Pacific Science Center do for schools?
A. Train Science teachers.
B. Distribute science books.
C. Distribute scientific research.
D. Take science to the classroom.
3.What is the purpose of the last part of the text?
A. To encourage donations.
B. To advertise coming events.
C. To introduce special exhibits.
D. To tell about the Center’s history.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What does the Golden Rule ask people to do?
A. Develop personal rules.
B. Respect their families and ancestors.
C. Treat others as they wish to be treated.
2.Which is a teaching of Confucius?
A. Governments should be moral.
B. Husbands should respect wives.
C. People should memorize rules of behavior.
3.How did Confucius teach lessons?
A. Through arguments. B. Through reasoning. C. Through personal examples.
4.What does the speaker say about Confucius’ influence?
A. He used to be even more important.
B. He has influenced many cultures.
C. He has little effect on people today.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Which decorations are on the sofa?
A. The Christmas ones. B. The Halloween ones. C. The Thanksgiving ones.
2.What did the man use to get the box out?
A. A pole. B. A chair. C. A ladder.
3.Where might the conversation take place?
A. In the basement. B. In the bedroom. C. In the living room.
