1、Either side seems to have a(n) _________ position; there are still many uncertainties on this issue.
A.ambiguous
B.delicate
C.explicit
D.confidential
2、 ---Did you go to the fashion show last week?
---I_________,but I was fully occupied the whole week.
A. must go B. must have gone
C. would go D. would have gone
3、Property crimes, such as motor vehicle theft, are the most common crimes _____ in the US.
A. committed B. committing
C. having committed D. to commit
4、Everyone faces challenges in life. It’s a matter of __________ you learn to overcome them and use them to your advantage.
A.that B.what C.which D.how
5、____________ China has made advances in 5G technology, there is still a long way to go for its popularity.
A.If
B.Because
C.Since
D.While
6、The woman ______ I am sending an email is my business partner.
A.to whom
B.whom
C.who
D.whose
7、That is the only place ____ we can visit next month .
A.where B.that C.which D.to which
8、Why didn’t you tell me there was no meeting today? I__________all the way here________the heavy snow.
A.needn’t have driven; through B.didn’t need to drive; through
C.mustn’t have driven; through D.couldn’t have driven; through
9、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
10、Mr Black announced ________ his friends his engagement ________ Miss White.
A./; to B.to; to C./; with D.to; with
11、I feel most angry about the way ______ I’ve been treated.
A. which B. where
C. that D. how
12、He wasn’t begging for a handout but surely appreciated the help in a situation.
A.deliberate B.desperate C.stable D.shallow
13、 ______ the heart attack, Monica brought her doctor a bunch of flowers to express her thanks.
A.Surviving
B.To survive
C.Survived
D.Having survived
14、The food ______ at the moment is for the dinner party.
A.cooked
B.to be cooked
C.is being cooked
D.being cooked
15、______ to give his mother a surprise , Tom arrived home ahead of time.
A. Determined B. Determining
C. Having determined D. To determine
16、Is it the driver or the passerby ________is________for the accident?
A.whom; to blame
B.who; to be blamed
C.that; to be blamed
D.that; to blame
17、—How is the result, doctor?
—Well, your health is ________ good, but you do have a few minor problems.
A.normally B.frequently C.generally D.regularly
18、___ regular exercise is very important, it’s never a good idea to exercise too close to bedtime.
A. It B. As C. Although D. Unless
19、In the wake of terrorist attack in New Zealand, we _______ our deepest sympathies to the families who have to live each day with the loss of loved ones.
A.expanded
B.extended
C.explored
D.exposed
20、Professor Smith is very kind. You can turn to him for help as long as he is_________.
A.active B.confused C.available D.busy
21、After the dinner party, most guests left, with only two of them _______ in the host family, ______ him clear up.
A. remaining; helped B. remaining; helping
C. remained; helped D. remained; helping
22、She showed the visitors around the museum, the construction ________ had taken more than 5 years.
A.with it B.with which C.of it D.of which
23、I am “one in a million” ______, there are not many people like me.
A.In other words B.In a word C.On the other hand D.For example
24、It won’t be easy to defeat the novel coronavirus (新冠病毒), but if we ______, we will succeed in the end.
A.hang up B.hang about C.hang on D.hang out
25、After a long discussion, we finally ______ a plan that sounded practical.
A. came across B. came about
C. put up with D. came up with
26、Scientists in Australia have discovered that they can use the world’s smelliest fruits to make devices that could power electric cars. A durian is a fruit that looks like a pineapple. It is a delicacy in some Asian countries, but its smell is so unpleasant that some of those countries have banned it from public places. Its smell has been compared to rotting eggs and even smelly old gym socks.
Vincent Gomes and his colleagues at the University of Sydney, in Australia, used a durian and a jackfruit — another fruit known for its terrible smell — to make energy storing devices called supercapacitors.
Supercapacitors are an alternative to batteries. They can’t store as much energy as a normal battery does, but they are much quicker to recharge. Durians and jackfruits contain some of the chemicals used in supercapacitors, which gave Gomes the idea. To make the fruit-based devices, the team heated and then freeze-dried the uneatable cores of the durian and jackfruit to make a special kind of material called an aerogel.
Aerogels are one of the world’s lightest solid materials. Often called “frozen smoke”, they are made by removing the liquid from a gel and replacing it with air. They have many scientific uses, but one of their special properties is the ability to conduct electric currents, which makes them an important part of supercapacitors. The aerogels made from durian and jackfruit both worked well when placed inside a supereapacitor, although the durian aerogel was found to be the better of the two.
The discovery is important because the materials currently used to make supercapacitors are expensive. Using natural foods like durians and jackfruits, Gomes says, could reduce environmental pollution, as well as costs.
【1】What makes some countries have different attitudes toward the durian?
A.Its smell.
B.Its appearance.
C.Its value.
D.Its popularity.
【2】Which paragraph mentions Gomes’s inspiration of innovation?
A.Paragraph 1.
B.Paragraph 2.
C.Paragraph 3.
D.Paragraph 4.
【3】What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A.Aerogels.
B.Scientific uses.
C.Properties.
D.Electric currents.
【4】What can we learn about fruit-based supercapacitors?
A.They are devices for producing electricity.
B.They are chemicals from durians.
C.They are green and economical.
D.They are light and liquid.
27、In June, 11-year-old Nigerian ballet dancer Anthony Mmesoma Madu was filmed barefoot, spinning and leaping gracefully in the air and landing in concrete, rain puddles (水坑). Just a few short months later, he has become an Internet star and gained a famous scholarship in America.
Madu thought he was being recorded for a study session by his ballet instructor, instead, the short video of him practicing his moves was posted on social media and has been shared widely across the world, with some of his fans including Hollywood actors Cynthia Erivo and Viola Davis.
His dancing also caught the attention of Cynthia Harvey, the artistic director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Dance in New York. Harvey was so impressed by his talent that she tracked him down and offered him a scholarship with the American Ballet Theatre where he will attend a summer school in 2021.
Madu says his interest in ballet developed after watching Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses, a 2006 cartoon about 12 princesses who share a passion for the dance. "When I was watching the cartoon, I told my mum that I want to do ballet." he said.
He eventually got the chance to learn the dance after relocating to Ojo, a suburb (郊区) of Lagos with his mother, where they met Daniel Owoseni Ajala, founder of the Leap of Dance Academy. Ajala founded the dance academy in 2017 and has been teaching ballet for free to children who are unable to pay for a dance education since then.
When the self-taught instructor learned of Madu's desire to dance, he said he encouraged Madu's mother to let him sign up. It was during one of their sessions that he recorded Madu's dance video, but he never imagined that it would circulate rapidly.
"The video wasn't something we imagined to come out the way it did. It was just something that was supposed to show corrections of movements. It was bigger than I imagined, and I started getting calls. Celebrities were posting us," he said.
【1】What can we know about Anthony Mmesoma Madu?
A.He decided to apply for a scholarship.
B.He became one of Viola Davis' big fans.
C.He posted his short video on social media.
D.He impressed many people by his dancing.
【2】When did Madu show interest in ballet?
A.After attending a dance academy.
B.After moving to a suburb of Lagos.
C.After watching a lively cartoon.
D.After meeting Daniel Owoseni Ajala.
【3】How can we describe Daniel Owoseni Ajala?
A.Demanding but sympathetic.
B.Warm-hearted and respectable.
C.Stubborn but generous.
D.Creative and outstanding.
【4】Which can be a suitable title for the text?
A.A Non-profit Dance Academy
B.A Wonderful Dance Performance
C.A Self-taught Ballet Instructor
D.An 11-year-old Nigerian Ballet Boy
28、If you want your life to stand for peace and kindness, it’s helpful to do kind, peaceful things. One of my favorite ways to do this is by developing my own helping actions. These little acts of kindness are opportunities to be of service and reminders of how good it feels to be kind and helpful.
We live in a rural area of the San Francisco Bay Area. Most of what we see is beauty of nature. One of the exceptions to the beauty is the litter that some people throw out of their windows as they are driving on the rural roads. One of the few shortcomings to live in the mountainous area is that public services, such as litter collection, are less available than those are closer to the city.
A helping action that I practice regularly with my two children is picking up litter in our surrounding area. We’ve become so used to doing this that my daughters will often say to me in exciting voices, “There’s some litter, Daddy, stop the car!” And if we have time, we will often pull over and pick it up. It may seem strange, but we actually enjoy it. We pick up litter in parks, on sidewalks, practically anywhere. Once I even saw a complete stranger picking up litter close to where we live. He smiled at me and said, “I saw you doing it, and it seemed like a good idea.”
Picking up litter is only one of endless supplies of possible helping actions. You might like holding a door open for people, visiting lonely elderly people in nursing homes, or removing snow off someone else’s driveway. Think of something that seems effortless yet helpful .It’s fun, personally rewarding, and sets a good example. Everyone wins.
【1】What does the author think of developing helping actions?
A.It helps us to be winners.
B.It is very difficult.
C.It requires lots of effort.
D.It makes us feel good about ourselves.
【2】What do we know about the area where the author lives?
A.It’s in the center of San Francisco.
B.People can see beautiful sceneries here.
C.It’s very easy to find litter collection.
D.Few people drive on the rural roads.
【3】How does the author support his own opinion?
A.By sharing his own experience.
B.By listing reasons for giving help.
C.By explaining different methods to be helpful.
D.By making a comparison with others.
【4】What does the author mainly want to tell us?
A.Parents are the best teachers to their children.
B.Everyone should set good examples to others.
C.Small kind acts make the world a better place.
D.Protecting the environment will benefit all of us.
29、 I use maps. Not the tiny, annoyingly limited ones on smartphones. I use real paper maps that you open from a rectangle and rarely refold properly. Maps you can take out to rapidly scan on the road in unfamiliar places. Paper maps are there for you every time you need them and need no recharging. They simply and dependably orient(指方向) and inform.
I’ve traveled in and out of the state with my grandson Connor often enough to have long since introduced him to this way of getting from place to place. His first response as an 8-year-old was “Grandma, just use the GPS.” But that was no help since the one in my old Honda Fit was hopelessly out of date. As for a smartphone, I didn’t own one. And so Connor is learning to use paper maps too. Opening one myself is akin to texting while driving, perhaps even more distracting(分散注意力的)for me. I’ve done it, but I’ve reformed.
Our next trip will be to visit friends in Connecticut, and I’ve just picked up new copies of the state’s road maps. I’ve yellow-highlighted our route from Providence, Rhode Island, to Old Saybrook and Durham in Connecticut, then back to Providence. It is a pretty familiar route for me, as I’ve spent multiple summers doing geologic fieldwork in the forests and the Connecticut River Valley. Still, I wouldn’t think of driving without paper maps. It would be too out of character. It would be like traveling without a good book or a moral compass.
Going over the route with now 13-year-old Connor so that he can follow along and occasionally answer a routing question while I’m driving may take some perseverance(毅力) on my part. He looks at road maps the same way he looks at my old college typewriter or my mom’s Nokia phone. However, his next tutorial on navigating(导航)with paper is around the corner, and I’m determined that he should learn the ropes. By the time he’s driving himself, I’ll put new maps of India surrounding states in his car. Who knows when a cellphone might quit or a GPS system might stop working?
I could really annoy Connor by informing him of directional signs from the sun, moon, and stars. But enough is enough for a teenager. For this next trip at least, we’ll stay grounded in maps.
【1】What does the author like about paper maps?
A.They can be neatly refolded. B.They can be easily carried.
C.They are quite reliable. D.They are very cheap.
【2】What does the underlined word “akin” in Paragraph 2 mean?
A.Difficult. B.Similar.
C.Suitable. D.Dangerous.
【3】Why does the author need road maps during her next trip to Connecticut?
A.She is unfamiliar with this place.
B.She is used to driving with maps.
C.Her grandson insists on bringing maps.
D.Her geologic fieldwork requires maps.
【4】What will the author teach Connor during their next trip?
A.How to drive a car. B.How to draw a map.
C.How to use paper maps. D.How to navigate by the sun.
30、When I was young, my understanding of life was simple. This made it _______ for me to deal with the world around me. As I grew up, things seemed more _______, which made life more challenging. Now, middle-aged, I find my_______ of the world is returning to the simple.
When I try to teach my daughter important _______ about life, I will break complicated things _______ into small pieces. One of those basics is ______, for yourself, and for others. I teach my daughter to _______. To fail feels bad, _______, but not to have tried feels worse, because you can't respect yourself for it. And as the saying _______, if you don't respect yourself, no one else will.
When I was seven or eight, I played at my cousin's house with his toys. His family was better off than mine, and he had many more toys. There was one ________ that I'd always wanted, and I ________ it into my pocket. But a moment later, I ________, even at that age, that I would never enjoy playing with the toy. I would always know I had ________, and my opinion of myself would ________. When his mother dropped me off later that day, I shamefacedly ________ out the toy and gave it back. She knew, I'm sure, what had happened, ________ she thanked me and never spoke of it again.
I hope to help my daughter avoid similar ________. She first has to gain self-respect ________ she can start respecting others. I believe in respect, because ________ it we're all enemies. I'm not ________ in this regard, far from it. But I try my best, and I respect others for trying their best in this changing world.
【1】
A.funnier
B.easier
C.safer
D.deeper
【2】
A.important
B.awkward
C.fragile
D.complex
【3】
A.view
B.experience
C.aim
D.expectation
【4】
A.basics
B.facts
C.subjects
D.choices
【5】
A.away
B.off
C.down
D.out
【6】
A.passion
B.love
C.respect
D.desire
【7】
A.forgive
B.accept
C.share
D.try
【8】
A.certainly
B.eventually
C.personally
D.willingly
【9】
A.runs
B.goes
C.writes
D.follows
【10】
A.for fun
B.in particular
C.with care
D.at random
【11】
A.fetched
B.arranged
C.slipped
D.fitted
【12】
A.doubted
B.promised
C.questioned
D.sensed
【13】
A.lied
B.stolen
C.changed
D.cheated
【14】
A.suffer
B.improve
C.fade
D.spread
【15】
A.gave
B.left
C.pulled
D.handed
【16】
A.so
B.or
C.for
D.but
【17】
A.accidents
B.mistakes
C.results
D.habits
【18】
A.before
B.until
C.in case
D.now that
【19】
A.upon
B.beyond
C.without
D.despite
【20】
A.honest
B.casual
C.curious
D.perfect
31、Usually, there is a teacher-parent meeting in every school year. Some students enjoy it, some don’t. Tom, a little boy invited his mother to attend his school's first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy's ______, she said she would go. This ______ be the first time that his classmates and teacher ______ his mother and he felt ______ of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar (疤痕) that _____nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to_______why or how she got the scar.
At the meeting, the people were ______ by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother ______ the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and ______ himself from everyone. He did, however, get within ______of a conversation between his mother and his teacher.
The teacher asked ______, "How did you get the scar on your face?"
The mother replied, "______ my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was ______ afraid to go in because the fire was ______,so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a long piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked ______ but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She ______ the burned side of her face. "This scar will be ______, but to this day, I have never ______ what I did."
At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great ______ of the sacrifice (牺牲) that his mother had made for him. He held her hand ______ for the rest of the day.
【1】
A.enjoyment
B.excitement
C.disappointment
D.surprise
【2】
A.would
B.could
C.should
D.must
【3】
A.noticed
B.greeted
C.met
D.accepted
【4】
A.sick
B.ashamed
C.afraid
D.tired
【5】
A.included
B.passed
C.covered
D.shaded
【6】
A.hear about
B.think about
C.care about
D.talk about
【7】
A.surprised
B.impressed
C.excited
D.comforted
【8】
A.in sight of
B.by means of
C.by way of
D.in spite of
【9】
A.separated
B.protected
C.hid
D.escaped
【10】
A.hearing
B.reminding
C.understanding
D.learning
【11】
A.nervously
B.carefully
C.seriously
D.anxiously
【12】
A.As
B.Now that
C.Since
D.When
【13】
A.so
B.much
C.quite
D.too
【14】
A.under control
B.out of control
C.in control
D.over control
【15】
A.helpless
B.hopeless
C.useless
D.senseless
【16】
A.pointed
B.showed
C.touched
D.wiped
【17】
A.beautiful
B.lasting
C.serious
D.frightening
【18】
A.forgot
B.recognized
C.considered
D.regretted
【19】
A.honor
B.happiness
C.sense
D.pride
【20】
A.quietly
B.tightly
C.slightly
D.suddenly
32、 Scott and his four companions were terribly disappointed. When they got to the South Pole, they found the Norwegians had________them in the race to be the first ever to reach it. After________ the British flag at the Pole, they took a photograph of themselves _______ they started the 950-mile journey back.
The journey was unexpectedly ________ , and the joy and excitement about the Pole had gone out of them. The sun hardly _______ . The snow storms always made it impossible to sight the stones they had ________ to mark their way home. To make things ________ , Evans, whom they had all thought of ________ the strongest of the five, fell badly into a deep hole in the ice. Having ________ along for several days, he suddenly fell down and died.
The four who were ________ pushed on at the best speed they could ________. Captain Oates had been suffering for some time from his ________ feet; at night his feet swelled(肿胀) so large that he could ________ put his boots on the next morning, and he walked bravely although he was in great _______ . He knew his slowness was making it less likely that ________ could save themselves. He asked them to leave him behind in his sleeping-bag, but they refused, and helped him ________ a few more miles, until it was time to put up the _______ for another night.
The following morning, ________ the other three were still in their sleeping-bags, he said, “I am just going outside and may be ________ some time.” He was never seen again. He had walked out ________ into the snow storm, hoping that his death would help his companions.
【1】A. hit B. fought C. won D. beaten
【2】A. growing B. putting C. planting D. laying
【3】A. after B. until C. while D. before
【4】A. safe B. fast C. short D. slow
【5】A. rose B. set C. appeared D. disappeared
【6】A. taken up B. cut up C. set up D. picked up
【7】A. easier B. better C. bitter D. worse
【8】A. to B. upon C. as D. in
【9】A. battled B. struggled C. speeded D. waited
【10】A. left B. lost C. defeated D. saved
【11】A. manage B. try C. employ D. find
【12】A. ached B. frozen C. harden D. harmed
【13】A. hardly B. never C. seldom D. nearly
【14】A. pain B. fear C. trouble D. danger
【15】A. all others B. some others C. others D. the others
【16】A. away B. with C. off D. on
【17】A. bed B. tent C. blanket D. sleeping-bag
【18】A. while B. since C. for D. once
【19】A. missed B. separated C. passed D. gone
【20】A. patiently B. lonely C. alone D. worriedly
33、Have you seen people who take pictures of food for more than 10 minutes before eating? How about those who beautify their selfie (自拍) so much that they can't be_______? There must be one or more who_______ in your social media. No matter_______they choose to share, they share the best but the most unreal.
Take my friend Chen. Every time we went to a restaurant, she would not take a_______ until all the dishes we _______were on the table.Then, she would spend five minutes on_______the dishes in a seemingly random but in fact _______order.Then the most important part: taking pictures.After that, she would choose one of the_______and click in the filter(滤镜) app.The food eventually looked 10 times more delicious than it really was,but we had no _______to really enjoy it— it all went cold.Actually Chen's real life is much less elegant. For example, she hates to wash the dishes,so she leaves them in the sink for________.
Many people care too much about others' opinions and try too hard to ________ others. They find it hard to be ________ and to accept themselves, and thus they are afraid to show their ________ life on social media.What they are trying to prove is________what they lack in reality.But this will not bring any________ to reality,as they still________ the same old pattern of life.
If they really want an elegant life,they should put more________ into achieving it________fabricating(伪造) it. Being more confident,________themselves and trying their best to be better is much more meaningful than________ their life on social media.
【1】
A.envied
B.admired
C.recognized
D.defeated
【2】
A.exist
B.survive
C.flood
D.spot
【3】
A.how
B.what
C.where
D.whom
【4】
A.bow
B.break
C.breath
D.bite
【5】
A.ordered
B.served
C.offered
D.prepared
【6】
A.cooking
B.washing
C.setting
D.collecting
【7】
A.messy
B.arranged
C.casual
D.correct
【8】
A.dishes
B.restaurants
C.pictures
D.tables
【9】
A.chance
B.choice
C.excuse
D.reason
【10】
A.months
B.years
C.hours
D.days
【11】
A.comfort
B.please
C.inspire
D.discourage
【12】
A.independent
B.generous
C.responsible
D.confident
【13】
A.secret
B.real
C.peaceful
D.healthy
【14】
A.rarely
B.hardly
C.exactly
D.nearly
【15】
A.difficulty
B.change
C.guidance
D.harm
【16】
A.question
B.dislike
C.doubt
D.follow
【17】
A.effort
B.ambitions
C.feelings
D.money
【18】
A.other than
B.more than
C.rather than
D.less than
【19】
A.identifying
B.accepting
C.persuading
D.amusing
【20】
A.simplifying
B.ruining
C.beautifying
D.worsening
34、Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.
My daughter
(A story told by a father, a famous actor)
My wife and I only had the one child. We had Amy.
I see her as my best friend. I think she’d always come to me first if she had a problem. We have the same sense of humor, and share interests. 【1】 I don’t mind animals, she’s completely fascinated with them, and she has always had dogs, cats, horses, and goldfish in her life.
We were 【2】 (close) when she was about four, which I think is a lovely age for a child. They know the parents best, and don’t have outside contacts. She must have grown up suddenly when she went to school, because I remember her growing away from her family slightly. Any father who has a teenager daughter comes across an extraordinary collection of people, and there seemed to be an endless stream of strange young men 【3】 (come) through our house. By the time I learned their names they 【4】 (go) away and I had to start learning a new lot.
I wanted more than anything else for her to be happy in 【5】 she was doing, and I was prepared to pull strings to help her on her way. When she left a good school she decided she wanted to become an actress so I got her into drama school. It wasn’t to her liking so she joined a theatre group and began doing bits and pieces in films. She was doing well, but then gave it up. She probably found it boring. Then she took up social work, and finally went to work 【6】a designer and he became her husband. And that’s really the story of her life. She must be happy with him—they’re always together.
We have such similar tastes in books and music 【7】 I used to take her to see an opera, which is my big passion. However, I don’t think she likes it very much. She doesn’t come with me anymore.
I don’t think she’s a big television watcher. She knows when I’m on the television, and she 【8】 watch, but I don’t know. It’s not the kind of thing she tells me.
We’re very grateful for Amy. She’s a good daughter as daughters go. We’re looking forward to being grandparents.
35、
Rapidly advancing technology and its impact on education has been a subject of debate. How can schools equip students with the skills they need to succeed in a challenging job market?
Since technology is driving these changes, there is a theory that governments should keep focusing on STEM subjects. These are often referred to as “hard skills,” which are 【1】 in primary school and right through to university level. In the meantime, ‘soft skills’ are being 【2】.
This is a mistake. Much evidence suggests that soft skills are far more 【3】 to graduates in the long term. Research from Harvard University on the global job market has shown that STEM- related careers grew strongly between 1989 and 2000 but have slowed down since. In contrast, jobs in the creative industries----the sector probably most 【4】 with the need for soft skills---are growing rapidly. Soft skills are, in fact, increasingly in demand in the workplace: Google cites creativity, leadership 【5】 and communication skills as top requirements for both potential and current employees.
So why are soft skills so highly 【6】 for?
With the rapid evolution of technology, a focus on hard skills leaves students 【7】 to change, as these often have a short shelf life. According to research by World Economic Forum, more than one in four adults reports a mismatch between their skills and those needed for their job role. If soft skills are taught well, these skills should enable students to adapt to change more easily and progress further in their 【8】 career.
Of course, technical skills are important. But without the curriculum placing equal--- if not greater --- 【9】 on soft skills, our education systems are missing a huge trick. Hard skills may help a student get a job in a particular industry, but soft skills will help them disrupt it, achieving a wider 【10】 in their chosen field.
36、阅读短文,根据短文内容及首字母提示,在空白处填入一个适当的单词。
Wearing face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic p【1】 the spread of the deadly virus. But it is also i【2】. For one, we can no longer unlock our phones using facial recognition since a good part of our face is c【3】.
F【4】, tech companies are working to solve the problem. Apple, for example, offered a new way to unlock your iPhone and iPad with its l【5】 software update, iOS13.5, w【6】 was released on May 20.
Even though the update still won’t recognize your masked face, it makes the whole process f【7】. While the old system wouldn’t allow access t【8】 the passcode screen before three failed face scan attempts, iOS13.5 will send you straight to the passcode screen when you swipe up.
It might only s【9】 you a few seconds, but those few seconds “benefit public health by eliminating the temptation for people to r【10】 their masks in order to unlock their device”.
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,你的英国朋友 Peter发来邮件,提到他们学校将开展与中国文化有关的兴趣活动,目前有中国国画和中华烹饪两门课程,但是他无法决定学习哪门课程,希望能听听你的建议。请你用英语给他回一封邮件,内容包括:
1.推荐一门课程
2.说明理由。
注意:1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯。
39、假定你是李华,九月末将去伦敦交流学习,得知当地博物馆要举办中国传统服装展,正在招募志愿者。请写一封申请信,要点如下:
1. 写作目的;
2. 个人优势;
3. 你的承诺。
注意:1.词数 100 左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
Dear Sir/Madam,
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Yours,
Li Hua
40、Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main points of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.
Imagine living on the edge of a vast desert, which is moving quietly closer to your village every day and covering your fields. The desert is on the move. This is called desertification.
Desertification occurs in regions close to an already existing desert. It generally arises from two related causes. The first is over-use of water in the area. There is not enough water in any case, and if it is not carefully used, disaster can follow. As time goes on, water shortages make farming more and more difficult. In some places, locals can remember local lakes and marshes which were once the homes for all kinds of fish and birds. They have been completely buried by the sand now. Farmers leave the land, and fields are replaced by deserts.
The second cause is misuse or over-use of the land. This means that the wrong crops are planted and need more water than is available. Ploughing large fields and removing bushes and trees means that the wind will blow away the soil. Once the soil is lost, it is hard to replace, and if there is rain, it has nowhere to go, and brings no benefit.
It is not only the farmers and villagers who suffer. Every spring, the skies over some of eastern cities, thousands of kilometers away from the deserts, can be darkened by sandstorms. Dust from deserts can have a great effect on weather systems. While desertification is perhaps being partly caused by global warming, these sandstorms can make global warming worse by adding to what is known as the greenhouse effect.
What can be done to slow down or stop the process of desertification? A great deal of work is already under way. Obviously first steps are to find new water sources. Tree planting can help, by providing barriers between desert and rich field. Some types of grass also hold the soil together, and stop the wind taking it. Without these efforts, it will be harder and harder to stop the world’s deserts in their tracks, and more and more farmers will give up and head for cities. The lesson to be learnt lies beneath the sand.
41、孩子在家里是否应该做家务是一个有争议的问题。请以“Should Children Do House-work?”为题写一篇短文投给校英语报,内容包括:
1.表明自己的观点;
2.阐述理由。
注意:
1.写作词数应为80左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Should Children Do Housework?
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