1、We use the iTunes Music Store to _______ the shows that we want to watch.
A.subscribe to B.submit to C.cater to D.correspond to
2、Can you imagine yourself____on a deserted island?
A．staying
B．to stay
C．have stayed
D．being stayed
3、___ theory must be closely connected with practice is a basic rule we should always keep in mind.
A.Why B.What C.That D.How
4、But for the fact that he ______ the truth, he ______ for a week's imprisonment.
A.didn't know; would be punished B.hadn't known; might have punished
C.didn't know; would have been punished D.hadn't known; could be punished
5、____ I'm mistaken, I've seen that tall man at a party before.
A． If B． As
C． Unless D． When
6、Air travel is much more affordable and _______ to the masses than it was in the 1960 s.
A.portable B.elegant C.accessible D.beneficial
7、-So delicate a gift！Who on earth gave it to you？
-It's from my boy friend，if you___________ know.
A.should B.must C.would D.shall
8、It is well-known that crack cocaine is a powerfully _____ drug and the users become ____ to it much more easily if they smoke it.
A.addicted; addict B.addictive; addict C.addicted; addictive D.addictive; addicted
9、I’d appreciate ___ if you could come and help me once more and I always appreciate _____ me with my English in the past.
A. this; you to help B. it; your helping
C. it; you to help D. that; you helping
10、Chances created by the Belt and Road Initiative belong to the world, _______ a promising future shared by mankind.
A．ensured
B．ensuring
C．to ensure
D．having ensured
11、________ from his parents, and ________ that he has wasted too much time, the boy is determined to stop playing video games.
A．Pressing; realizing
B．Pressed; realized
C．Pressing; realized
D．Pressed; realizing
12、As it turned out to be a small house party, we ________so formally.
A．needn't dress up
B．shouldn't dress up
C．were not necessary to dress up
D．needn't have dressed up
13、She was so sad because she failed in the math test. Let’s ______ her _______.
A. leave … behind B. leave … alone
C. leave … aside D. leave … out
14、—Shall I check it now?
—_______. I’ll ask Vicky to check it when she leaves.
A．Don’t bother
B．Hurry up
C．Sounds good
D．It depends
15、Kathy _________ a lot of Spanish by playing with the native boys and girls.
A.picked up B.took up
C.made up D.turned up
16、When the boss came in, the workers pretended ______ hard on their machines.
A. to work B. to be working
C. to have worked D. working
17、His idea was in advance ________ the time.
A．for
B．ahead
C．of
D．before
18、—Late again this morning, and everything is in a complete mess!
—Be _______. Even a few minutes will give your day a head start.
A．a cold fish
B．a lucky dog
C．an early bird
D．a dark horse
19、Having finished her own painting, Mary went on others in the art class.
A. helping B. to help
C. with help D. having helped
20、Look at the timetable (时刻表). Hurry up! Flight 4026 _______ off at 18:20.
A．takes
B．took
C．will be taken
D．has taken
21、I can’t thank you more, Tony. But for your timely warning, I into great trouble yesterday.
A.had got B.got C.would have got D.would get
22、________is often the case, people stare at their phones while sitting on the bus.
A．That
B．It
C．That
D．As
23、—Why don’t you do some shopping in the second-hand store？
—Well，the goods there are ________，but ________.
A.more expensive；worse B.more expensive；not as bad
C.cheaper；good enough D.cheaper；not as good
24、Mum always ______ great ways to celebrate our birthday.
A. puts up with B. comes up with C. keeps up with D. catches up with
25、He________ the wall and just looked at everybody in the room.
A.loaded with B.lined up C.held back D.leaned against
26、There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving birds. 【1】 She cared them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt the great love from the birds.
【2】. The larger and the stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. As he flew close, she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. 【3】 . She opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.
She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to fly into the clear, blue sky. 【4】. The bird circled once, twice, three times.
The girl watched delightedly at the bird’s enjoyment. 【5】 . She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest songs that she had ever heard.
The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight, while the best way to keep love is to give it wings!
A．Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss.
B．She gave them some delicious food and left.
C．One day she left with the two birds at home alone.
D．She took them home and put them in a small cage.
E．She lifted him from the cage and threw him softly into the air.
F．One day the girl left the door of the cage open.
G．Suddenly she felt the bird go softly.
27、Journalists are the professionals(专业人士) that are responsible for bringing all up-to-date information to readers from every comer of the world. By delivering their voice, many famous journalists have earned worldwide fame.
Joseph Pulitzer
According to Joseph Pulitzer, if a nation can be seen as a large ship at sea, the journalists are its watchkeepers who report hidden dangers to make sure the safe journey of the ship.He worked for the St.Louis Post-Dispatch and The World. He is known to the world as the “Grandfather of Modern Journalism”.
Margaret Bourke White
Margaret Bourke-White is known as the first female war journalist and a skilled photo-journalist. She did some outstanding work by creating a photographic record of World War and the Great Depression.She was the only photo-journalist who was permitted to work in combat zone by the US army to report the war.
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is one of the most famous American investigative journalist, and he has proved the saying,“The pen is more powerful than sword”. Carl worked with another great journalist Bob Woodward at The Washington Post.They brought about a revolution in the US by working together on the Watergate scandal(丑闻),which led to President Richard Nixon's resignation.This let The Washington Post receive a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in1973.
Anna Quindlen
Anna Quindlen's love for journalism gave her a kick-start from her high school where she worked for her high school paper. Later, she went on to write interesting and in demand columns(专栏)like“Hers”,”Public and Private”and many more for The New York Times,which won her the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.This is the reason why she is known as the“Voice of the Baby Boomers”.
【1】Who has contributed most to modern journalism?
A．Joseph Pulitzer.
B．Margaret Bourke-White.
C．Carl Bernstein.
D．Anna Quindlen.
【2】How many female journalists does the text mention in all?
A．One.
B．Two.
C．Three.
D．Four.
【3】In which section of a newspaper may this passage appear?
A．Science.
B．Entertainment.
C．Figure.
D．Service.
28、 Stephen Hawking was regarded as one of the most brilliant physicists in history. His work on the origins and structure of the universe, from the Big Bang to black holes, changed the field greatly. His best-selling books also appealed to a number of readers.
Stephen Hawking had a challenging life. He was born in England on Jan. 8, 1942-300 years to the day after the death of the astronomer Galileo Galilei. He attended University College, Oxford, where he studied physics, despite his father’s urging to focus on medicine. Hawking went on to Cambridge to research cosmology.
In early 1963, just before his 2lst birthday, Hawking suffered from a serious disease, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was not expected to live more than two years. Completing his doctor’s degree did not appear likely. Yet, Hawking had overcome the great difficulties, not only attaining his Ph. D. but also building new roads into the understanding of the universe in the decades since.
Hawking continued at Cambridge after his graduation, serving as a research fellow and later as a professional fellow. In 1974，he was inducted（正式就职）into the Royal Society，a worldwide fellowship of scientists. In 1979, he was appointed Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, the most famous academic chair in the world.
As the disease spread, Hawking became less mobile and began using a wheelchair. Talking grew more challenging and, in 1985, an emergency tracheotomy（气管切开术）caused his total loss of speech. A speech-generating device was constructed at Cambridge, combined with a software program, serving as his electronic voice and allowing Hawking to select his words by moving the muscles in his cheek. Hawking died on March 14, 2018.
【1】What greatly influenced the field Stephen Hawking studied?
A.Stephen Hawking’s best-selling books.
B.His research on the Big Bang and black holes.
C.Stephen Hawking’s talent.
D.The origins and structure of the universe.
【2】What does the underlined word “cosmology” in paragraph 2 mean?
A.A study about universe.
B.A subject of medicine.
C.A research on time.
D.A project in Cambridge.
【3】What happened to Stephen Hawking in early 1963?
A.He became world famous.
B.He achieved his doctor’s degree.
C.He was badly affected by a serious disease.
D.He built new roads into the understanding of the universe.
【4】How did Stephen Hawking express himself finally?
A.By using body language.
B.With the help of an operation.
C.By using a speech-generating device.
D.With the help of some people.
29、 The bird dropped like a rock. Before lowering the gun, I realized what I’d done—I’d killed my first animal. I rushed into the brush, praying, “Oh God, please don’t let it be dead.” The pigeon lay there with blood out of its beak (喙), feathers scattered about and its head bent lifelessly to the side. After burying it, I hurried home and went to hide my gun in my room.
I was dead silent at dinner. I felt as though every time I lowered my head, Dad was looking at me, but whenever I stole a glance in his direction, he seemed simply to be paying attention to his food. Mom finally uncovered the main dish—chicken. The dead pigeon appeared in my mind so that I almost threw up on the plate. Pushing my chair back and I ran to my room. My head buried in my pillow, I felt Dad rubbing my back. My tears slowly disappeared and I cleared my throat. “I shot a pigeon today,” “Oh?” my father replied, his expression unchanging.” And how did it feel?” “It felt... awful,” I answered.
“I’m sure it did. That’s one of the reasons I said you shouldn’t shoot birds.” I glanced at him,” Are you going to punish me?”
“Well, you misused your BB gun, and you disobeyed me. What you need is to always remember how bad it felt to kill that poor bird. Somehow, I think you will. ”And, patting me on the shoulder, he said, “Now let’s go to get dinner.”
Little did I know that my father was right before this. I would remember killing that bird along with a lot of other things for the rest of my life.
【1】How did the author feel just after realizing having killed the bird?
A.Upset and despair. B.Delighted and proud.
C.Tired and sad. D.Scared and regretful.
【2】Why did the author run away when seeing the dish of chicken?
A.He had something urgent to do.
B.He didn’t like chicken at all.
C.He thought of the killed bird.
D.He was afraid to face his parents.
【3】What did the father do after being told the truth?
A.To take away the author’s gun.
B.To criticize the author seriously.
C.To require the author to obey him forever.
D.To ask the author to remember killing the bird.
【4】What do we know about the author’s father?
A.He was satisfied to see the author hide his gun.
B.He didn’t want the author to waste time playing.
C.He used his special way to teach the author a lesson.
D.He was tolerant of any of the author’s mistakes.
30、Minnie Blumfield believed that with age came a true appreciation of life — all life. That’s why, at the age of eighty-six, Minnie became the ________ of a flock of chickens deserted alongside a California freeway after a truck accident. The chickens ________ residence in the roadside bush, becoming ________ to locals as the Hollywood Freeway Chickens.
Like many seniors, Minnie lived alone and ________ on a pension (养老金). But to her, life was precious and not to be ________— not even the lives of little animals. Minnie simply saw creatures ________ and without hesitation, stepped into________. For nine years, while others sped past ________, Minnie provided food and water for the deserted chickens, using what little money she had ________. As the years passed, she worried about the day when she would ________ be able to care for her ________ chicken. Who would look after these poor ________ creatures if she couldn’t make her journey?
At ninety-five, just when the ________ of time began to ruin Minnie’s body, Jodie Mann, Minnie’s neighbour, ________. Jodie had noticed that the older woman also ________ many of the homeless cats in the neighborhood. A quick and lasting friendship ________. Learning of Minnie’s concern for the fate of her flock, Jodie ________ to find the chickens a new home.
Minnie is ________ now, but her concern for her fellow creatures lives on. Her courage and ________ continue to be a source of inspiration and ________ for me, for Jodie and for everyone else, as we continue our work of caring for all living creatures who share our planet, our homes and our hearts.
【1】
A．petkeeper
B．caretaker
C．receiver
D．playmate
【2】
A．took up
B．set up
C．put up
D．gave up
【3】
A．exposed
B．appealing
C．known
D．similar
【4】
A．carried
B．insisted
C．held
D．survived
【5】
A．punished
B．ignored
C．objected
D．restored
【6】
A．in despair
B．in ruins
C．in pain
D．in need
【7】
A．action
B．function
C．control
D．force
【8】
A．uncertain
B．unbearable
C．unconcerned
D．unkind
【9】
A．acceptable
B．available
C．applicable
D．affordable
【10】
A．no doubt
B．no wonder
C．no matter
D．no longer
【11】
A．adopted
B．identified
C．disturbed
D．confirmed
【12】
A．promising
B．restless
C．helpless
D．striking
【13】
A．credits
B．values
C．cruelties
D．shortcomings
【14】
A．turned up
B．showed off
C．moved out
D．broke in
【15】
A．caught
B．fed
C．possessed
D．donated
【16】
A．remained
B．insisted
C．accounted
D．resulted
【17】
A．promised
B．persuaded
C．prepared
D．pretended
【18】
A．passed
B．gone
C．lost
D．finished
【19】
A．carefulness
B．bravery
C．forgiveness
D．selflessness
【20】
A．unity
B．focus
C．strength
D．patience
31、 For many people today, reading is no longer relaxation. To keep up their work, they must read letters, reports, trade publications, interoffice communications, not to mention newspapers and magazines: a never-ending flood of words. In _______ a job or advancing in one, the ability to read and comprehend _______ can mean the difference between success and failure. Yet the unfortunate fact is that most of us are _______ readers. Most of us develop poor reading _______ at an early age, and never get over them. The main deficiency _______ in the actual stuff of language itself—words. Taken individually, words have _______ meaning until they are strung together into phrases, sentences and paragraphs. _______, however, the untrained reader does not read groups of words. He painfully reads one word at a time, often regressing to _______ words or passages. Regression, the tendency to look back over _______ you have just read, is a common bad habit in reading. Another habit which ________ down the speed of reading is vocalization—sounding each word either orally or mentally as ________reads.
To overcome these bad habits, some reading clinics used a(n) ________called an accelerator, which moves a bar (or curtain) down the page at a predetermined speed. The bar is set at a slightly faster rate ________ the reader finds comfortable, in order to “stretch” him. The accelerator forces the reader to read fast, ________ word-by-word reading, regression and sub vocalization, practically impossible. At first ________ is sacrificed for speed. But when you learn to read ideas and concepts, you will not only read faster, ________ your comprehension will improve. Many people have found ________ reading skill drastically improved after some training. ________ —Charles Au, a business manager, for instance, his reading rate was a reasonably good 172 words a minute ________ the training, now it is an excellent 1,378 words a minute. He is delighted that how he can ________ a lot more reading material in a short period of time.
【1】A.applying B.doing C.offering D.getting
【2】A.quickly B.easily C.roughly D.decidedly
【3】A.good B.curious C.poor D.urgent
【4】A.training B.habits C.situations D.custom
【5】A.lies B.combines C.touches D.involves
【6】A.some B.a lot C.little D.dull
【7】A.Fortunately B.Actually C.Logically D.Unfortunately
【8】A.reuse B.reread C.rewrite D.recite
【9】A.what B.which C.that D.if
【10】A.scales B.cuts C.slows D.measures
【11】A.someone B.one C.the one D.reader
【12】A.device B.screen C.obstacle D.equipment
【13】A.then B.as C.beyond D.than
【14】A.enabling B.leading C.making D.indicating
【15】A.meaning B.comprehension C.reading D.regression
【16】A.but B.nor C.or D.for
【17】A.our B.your C.their D.such a
【18】A.Set B.Take C.Make D.Consider
【19】A.for B.in C.after D.before
【20】A.come over B.go over C.get across D.get through
32、With his leg lame and his teeth uneven, the boy thought of himself as the most unfortunate child in the world. He _______ played with his classmates, and when asked to answer questions, he always _______ his head without a word.
One spring, his father brought home some saplings. Each of his children would plant a sapling and he promised, “Whoever _______ his sapling best shall get a gift.” The boy certainly wanted to get the gift. But seeing his brothers and sisters watering the tees, he _______ an idea: he hoped the tree he planted would die soon. So watering it once or twice, he never _______ it.
Several days later, he was surprised to find it not only didn't die, but also grew so many fresh _______. Compared with those of his brothers' and sisters', his appeared greener. His father kept his _______, bought the boy a gift and said he would become an outstanding _______ after growing up.
From then on, the boy slowly became _______ and confident. One evening, he suddenly remembered his biology teacher once said that plants ________ grow at night. Why not go to see the tree?
When he came to the courtyard, he found his father working near the tree! Immediately he ________ : Father had been secretly ________ his tree! He returned to his room, tears in his eyes.
Decades passed. The boy didn't become a botanist. ________, he became the U. S. president. His name was Franklin Roosevelt.
________ is the best nourishment of life. ________ it is just a bucket of water, it can make the tree of life grow well!
【1】
A．ever
B．seldom
C．still
D．often
【2】
A．held
B．lowered
C．raised
D．covered
【3】
A．likes
B．watches
C．protects
D．grows
【4】
A．came up with
B．got rid of
C．put forward
D．cared of
【5】
A．contributed to
B．turned to
C．got used to
D．attended to
【6】
A．roots
B．seeds
C．leaves
D．branches
【7】
A．balance
B．word
C．agreement
D．opinion
【8】
A．botanist
B．gardener
C．president
D．teacher
【9】
A．satisfied
B．optimistic
C．independent
D．upset
【10】
A．probably
B．hardly
C．recently
D．generally
【11】
A．understood
B．doubted
C．wondered
D．admitted
【12】
A．cutting
B．watering
C．decorating
D．fertilizing
【13】
A．Therefore
B．Besides
C．Instead
D．Moreover
【14】
A．Water
B．Love
C．Disability
D．Father
【15】
A．So long as
B．If only
C．Even though
D．Now that
33、 It was an extremely hot spring day. A thunderstorm had passed over and now the clouds were _______ and the sun had returned. Steam was coming off the _______ sidewalks as I parked my car. I _______ into the local store to buy my son a shirt. The air conditioning there was a good relief from the _______ outside.
Having made my _______, I walked back into the heat. I got into my car but had to wait to _______ because all the cars lined up at the _______ stop light. I looked out of my car _______ and saw something on the pavement. A single butterfly was desperately fluttering(拍打) its wings but not getting off the_______. It was right in front of a truck’s tire too. Without a second thought, I got out of my car, ________ my hands so the truck driver wouldn’t move ________, and then bent down to look at the butterfly. One of its legs was ________ in the mud. I reached down and ________ the butterfly in my hands ________. I lifted up its leg and suddenly it was ________. I opened my hands and up it ________ towards the shining sun. My own eyes shined brighter and my own heart felt ________ as I watched it.
Lots of people might ________ why I would step out into traffic like that to ________ a single butterfly. All I can say is that my heart was guiding me at that moment because no matter how tiny the various ________ are, they are our friends. We are all part of nature. And after I did it, I felt really happy that day.
【1】A.gathering B.staying C.spreading D.clearing
【2】A.dry B.narrow C.wet D.broad
【3】A.headed B.took C.drove D.broke
【4】A.thunderstorm B.heat C.rain D.cloud
【5】A.decision B.purchase C.mind D.promise
【6】A.pull out B.pull in C.check in D.check out
【7】A.yellow B.green C.red D.blue
【8】A.door B.tyre C.wheel D.window
【9】A.ground B.truck C.car D.field
【10】A.set up B.end up C.stand up D.held up
【11】A.backwards B.forwards C.upwards D.downwards
【12】A.fastened B.fixed C.placed D.stuck
【13】A.seized B.cupped C.pushed D.dropped
【14】A.tightly B.roughly C.gently D.cruelly
【15】A.free B.scared C.awake D.dizzy
【16】A.jogged B.stepped C.paced D.flew
【17】A.relaxed B.cleaned C.relaxing D.cleaning
【18】A.doubt B.wonder C.discover D.imagine
【19】A.appreciate B.content C.rescue D.care
【20】A.butterflies B.pests C.insects D.beasts
34、Directions: Complete the following passages by using the words in the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.
Why Cold weather Causes So many Flight Cancellation?
Each year, about 60,000 flights get canceled because of bad winter weather, which costs airlines and airports an estimated $3 billion. But it’s not the freezing cold temperatures that cause problems for planes. After all, 【1】 jets fly 10 kilometers up, where temperatures hover around -50 degrees Celsius.
In fact, planes 【2】 in cold weather, since cold air is denser and leads to better thrust. Clearly, the real problem isn’t what’s going on up there. It’s what’s happening on the ground.
When a 【3】 polar vortex (极地涡旋) struck the Midwestern US in January 2019, temperatures dropped to -40 degrees Celsius and airline canceled 3,000 flights nationwide. In these situations, when temperatures start 【4】, everything slows down. Cargo doors can freeze up, along with the nozzles that pump fuel into planes, which delays the 【5】 process.
Even the plane itself can freeze over. Just a quarter-inch - thick layer of ice on a plane can disrupt the way air flows over its wings.
Les Westbrooks: The number one reason, I would say, that the reason flights get delayed in cold weather is going to be because there’s some kind of frozen precipitation, from frost to snow to a sheet of ice, adhering to the aircraft, adhering to the wings of the aircraft 【6】.
That’s Les Westbrooks, a retired airline pilot and an associate professor of aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He says that 【7】, these planes are “de-iced” - but this also delays takeoff. The crew can spray the plane with a special hot water/ glycol mixture. It can take around 40 minutes to de-ice large passenger airplanes, so planes often have to wait “their turn” for the de-icing station, which, of course, can trigger more delays.
And ice on the runway, of course, creates another set of 【8】. In 2014, a plane at JFK skidded off an icy runway and into a mound of snow, leading to an hours-long shutdown at the airport. And even though crews can remove ice from the runway, scraping it off the pavement can lead to potholes (坑洞) and other 【9】, which makes takeoffs and landings more dangerous. And of course, snow and freezing rain on the ground can affect visibility to the point where officials have to decide it’s not safe to fly at all.
But if ice and snow aren’t the problem in these extremely cold temperatures, it’s usually another factor: people.
Les Westbrooks: The airplane flies at high altitudes, -60 degrees. It’s made to do that. Humans are not made to be outside in -60 degrees weather. And so the human factor becomes a big, big factor, when it becomes extremely cold.
Baggage handlers, aircraft fuelers, and mechanics all have to stay warm. Some airports, like O’Hare in Chicago, set up heated shelters for their employees. Of course, with everyone taking breaks to warm up, not as much gets done, which leads to even more delays and cancellations. Passengers start missing their 【10】 flights, and that, along with passengers who can’t make it to the airport due to bad road conditions, leads to half-empty planes.
In fact, many airlines might preemptively cancel flights before bad weather even hits. So, in the end, you can still blame cold weather for cancelling your flight.
35、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.
36、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.
37、
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.
38、假定你是李华。你正在计划一个充实而有意义的暑假，刚好在网上看到志愿组织Kululekus English Teaching Program的志愿者招募广告。请你写一封邮件申请参加该志愿项目，内容包括：
1.相关能力或经验介绍；
2.计划服务时长。
Kululekus English Teaching program in Mozambique(莫桑比克) aims to provide the local schools with support in a variety of ways, helping to teach children English, Maths and other subjects, at the same time transferring skills and sharing cultural perspectives. Our volunteers work together with the teachers of the respective school as well as the children between the ages of 6 and 15 years.
注意：1. 词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Sir/Madam,
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39、假定你是李华，看到英语校报上正招聘在暑假期间帮助引领外国游客的中学生导游。你对此十分感兴趣，请写一封申请邮件。要点如下：
1.写信目的；2.自我简介；3.你的竞聘优势；4.你对这份工作的认识。
Dear sir or madam,
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Yours,
Li Hua
40、假定你是李华，你的英国好友Josh想了解你校学生课外活动开展情况。请你给他回信，内容应包括：
1.课外活动的意义；
2.课外活动的内容；
3.你最喜欢的课外活动及原因。
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、《英语周报》针对一些学生在学习英语中存在的困难举行征文比赛。请根据所给提示写一篇短文，与大家分享一下你学习英语的方法。可适当发挥，不少于100个字数。
写作提示：
①众所周知，兴趣是最好的老师。因此，培养对英语的兴趣非常重要。
②记住尽可能多的单词和短语也是非常重要的。
③必须养成经常使用英语的好习惯。
④如果可能的话，与讲英语的当地人进行交流是非常好的。
⑤只有坚持以上几种方法，我们才能学习好英语。
My Ways of Learning English
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