阅读理解Since the dawn of civilization, mankind has been obsessed by the possibility that it will one day be extinguished. The impact of an asteroid on earth and the spectre of nuclear holocaust are the most prevalent millennial fears. Now some scientists are increasingly leaning towards the view that a new nightmare must be added to the list. Their concern is that intelligent computers will eventually develop minds of their own and destroy the human race. The latest warning comes from Professor Stephen Hawking. He told an interviewer this week that artificial intelligence could “outsmart us all” and that a technological catastrophe is a “near certainty. “ Most non-experts will dismiss his claims as a fantasy rooted in science fiction. But the pace of progress in artificial intelligence, or AI, means policy makers should already be considering the social consequences. According to a recent survey, half the world’s AI experts believe human-level machine intelligence will be achieved by 2040 and 90 per cent say it will arrive by 2075. Several AI experts talk about the possibility that the human brain will eventually be “ reverse engineered. “ Some prominent tech leaders, meanwhile, warn that the consequences are unpredictable. Elon Musk, the pioneer of electric cars, has argued that advanced computer technology is “ potentially more dangerous than nuclear threats. “ That said, the risk that computers might one day pose a challenge to humanity should be put in perspective. Scientists may not be able to say with certainty when, or if, machines will match or outperform mankind. But before the world gets to that point, the drawing together of both human and computer intelligence will almost certainly help to tackle pressing problems that cannot otherwise be solved. The growing ability of computers to crunch enormous quantities of data, for example, will play a huge role in helping humanity tackle climate change and disease over the next few decades. It would be folly to arrest the development of computer technology now — and forgo those benefits — because of risks that lie much further in the future. There is every reason to be optimistic about AI research. There is no evidence that scientists will struggle to control computers, even at their most advanced stage. But this is a sector in which pioneers must tread carefully — and with their eyes open to the enduring ability of science to surprise us.

阅读理解Our culture has caused most Americans to assume not only that our language is universal but that the gestures we use are understood by everyone

阅读理解Passage H For office innovators, the unrealized dream of the paperless office is a classic example of high-tech hubris

阅读理解Questions 81 to 90 are based on the following passage

阅读理解According to environmentalists, what causes BP to oppose banning plastics?

阅读理解When a new movement in art attains a certain fashion, it is advisable to find out what its advocates are aiming at, for, however farfetched and unreasonable their principles may seem today, it is possible that in years to come they may be regarded as normal. With regard to Futurist poetry, however, the case is rather difficult, for whatever Futurist poetry may be--even admitting that the theory on which it is based may be right--it can hardly be classed as Literature. 　　This, in brief, is what the Futurist says: for a century, past conditions of life have been conditionally speeding up, till now we live in a world of noise and violence and speed. Consequently, our feelings, thoughts and emotions have undergone a corresponding change. This speeding up of life, says the Futurist, requires a new form of expression. We must speed up our literature too, if we want to interpret modern stress. We must pour out a large stream of essential words, unhampered by stops, or qualifying adjectives, or finite verbs. Instead of describing sounds we must make up words that imitate them ;we must use many sizes of type and different colored inks on the same page, and shorten or lengthen words at will. 　　Certainly their descriptions of battles are confused. But it is a little upsetting to read in the explanatory notes that a certain line describes a fight between a Turkish and a Bulgarian officer on a bridge off which they both fall into the river--and then to find that the line consists of the noise of their falling and the weights of the officers: "Pluff! Pluff! A hundred and eighty-five kilograms." 　　This, though it fulfills the laws and requirements of Futurist poetry, can hardly be classed as Literature. All the same, no thinking man can refuse to accept their first proposition: that a great change in our emotional life calls for a change of expression. The whole question is really this: have we essentially changed?

阅读理解Passage 5 The economy of the United States after 1952 was the economy of a wellfed, almost fully employed people

阅读理解Text 1 However important we may regard school life be, there is no gainsaying to the feet that children spend more time at home than in the classroom

阅读理解 The American Society of Clinical Oncology wrapped its annual conference this week, going through the usual motions of presenting a lot of drugs that offer some added quality or extension of life to those suffering from a variety of as-yet incurable diseases. But buried deep in an AP story are a couple of promising headlines that seems worthy of more thorough review, including one treatment study where 100 percent of patients saw their cancer diminish by half. First of all, it seems pharmaceutical companies are moving away from the main cost-effective one-size-fits-all approach to drug development and embracing the long cancer treatments, engineering drugs that only work for a small percentage of patients but work very effectively within that group. Pfizer announced that one such drug it's pushing into late-stage testing is target for 4% of lung cancer patients. But more than 90% of that tiny cohort responded to the drug initial tests, and 9 out of ten is getting pretty close to the ideal ten out of ten. By gearing toward more boutique treatments rather than broad umbrella pharmaceuticals that try to fit for everyone it seems cancer researchers are making some headway. But how can we close the gap on that remaining ten percent? Ask Takeda Pharmaceutical and Celgene, two drug makers who put aside competitive interests to test a novel combination of their treatments. In a test of 66 patients with the blood disease multiple myeloma, a full 100 percent of the subjects saw their cancer reduced by half. Needless to say, a 100 percent response to a cancer drug (or in this case a drug cocktail) is more or less unheard of. Moreover, this combination never would've been two competing companies hadn't sat down and put their heads together. Are there more potentially effective drug combos out there separated by competitive interest and proprietary information? Who's to say, but it seems like with the amount of money and research being pumped into cancer drug development, the outcome pretty good. And if researchers can start pushing more of their response numbers toward 100 percent, we can more easily start talking about oncology's favorite four-letter word: cure.

阅读理解Passage 3It was the summer of 1965. De Luca, then 17, visited Peter Buck, a family frienD、Buck asked De Luca about his plans for the future. “I’m going to college, but I need a way to pay for it,” De Luca recalls saying, Buck said, “You should open a sandwich shop.”That afternoon, they agreed to be partners. And they set a goal: to open 32 stores in ten years. After doing some research, Buck wrote a check for $1, 000. De Luca rented a storefront (店面) in Connecticut, and when they couldn’t cover their start-up costs, Buck gave another $1,000.But business didn't go smoothly as they expected De Luca says, “After six months, we were doing poorly, but we didn't know how badly, because we didn't have any financial controls”. All he and Buck knew was that their sales were lower than their costs.De Luca was managing the store and going to the University of Bridgeport at the same time. Buck was working at his day job as a nuclear physicist in New York. They ’ d meet Monday evenings and brainstorm ideas for keeping the business running. "We convinced ourselves to open a second store. We figured we could tell the public, “We are so successful: we are opening a second store.” And they did in the spring off 1966. Still, it was a lot of learning by trial and error.But the partners’ learn-as-you-go approach turned out to be their greatest strength. Every Friday,De Luca would drive around and hand-deliver the checks to pay their suppliers. "I drove probably two and a half hours and it wasn't necessary, but as a result, the suppliers got to know me very well, and the personal relationships established really helped out,” De Luca says.And having a goal was also important. “There are so many problems that can get you down.You just have to keep working toward your goal,” Deluca adds.Deluca ended up founding Subway Sandwich, the multimillion-dollar chain restaurant.Deluca opened the first sandwich shop in order to __________.

阅读理解Ill be in ________ next room, so give me ________ call if you need any help

阅读理解Passage 2 Around the world, people gather to explore their emotions through dance

阅读理解Which of the following statements can describe the author?

阅读理解Passage 4 Beware(提防) of those who use the truth to deceive

阅读理解Text 3 Imagine a world in which there was suddenly no emotiona world in which human beings could feel no love orhappiness, no terror or hate

阅读理解Sellers in the group buying benefit by_______  .

阅读理解Until Friday, Id never been to the Strong National Museum of Play, and Im a senior

阅读理解Which of the following is true about Schneider?

阅读理解Passage 2 If you look under the Self-Help heading on Amazon, youll find roughly 5,000 books listed under the subhead Self-Esteem

阅读理解Mental Illness Hits Small Business Owners Hard While there is a growing focus on mental health in the workplace, there are fewer resources and support available to those running small businesses