The Power of a Smile

I had an interesting experience at my children's school this week. About six months ago, a crazy father was driving his car half on the sidewalk at a fast speed along the road into the school. I was frightened and had a conflict (冲突) with him, telling him his driving was dangerous.

Two days ago, I was walking along the road into the school, actually a foot or so on to the road because the sidewalk was full of kids, and I saw this same man sitting at the wheel of his car about 10 metres in front of me. He looked at me angrily, started up the engine and speeded past me. So close to me that the car almost brushed my coat. It was obvious he did it purposely, to try to frighten me. I hit his car with my son's school bag hard as it went by. I called the police and they told me I should get his licence (执照) plate number and they would go round and talk to him.

This morning I was walking up to the school gate with my kids and the guy got out of his car and walked up to me. I knew he was going to confront (对质) me. "Next time I'm going to run you over," he said to me.

And for some reason I smiled. "You nearly ran me over two mornings ago." I said.

Then his manner suddenly changed, became less confrontational, "I'm not going to be dirty, because you smiled."

Did I? I didn't even realize that I had.

"I shouldn't have done it." he said. "I shouldn't have tried to make fun of you, by pulling my foot down so hard. I won't do it again. "

"Okay. Let's just stop it there then." I said.

He put his hand on my shoulder, and for some reason without thinking about it. I put an arm around him.

How strange! It shows how powerful a smile can be and how quickly conflict can turn to empathy (同理心), if you deal with it with a non-confrontational attitude.

1.The writer told the crazy father his driving was ________ about six months ago.

A.careful B.slow C.dangerous D.funny

2.The crazy father wanted to ________ by speeding past the writer two days ago.

A.save the time B.pick up his son C.get his son's bag D.frighten the writer

3.The crazy father changed his manner because ________.

A.the writer smiled to him B.the writer was powerful

C.the police talked to him D.the kids stopped him

Who do you admire most?

Jackie, 14 Sofia Marconi, my friend Bia’s mum, is probably the most amazing person I know. She is also very brave. She is a wildlife photographer and she travels to some of the most dangerous places on Earth to take photos of the world’s most endangered animals.

Jacob, 16 One of my heroes is Mr. Donaldson, our great music teacher. He is so creative and finds different ways to get us interested in his lessons. He is also a really amazing guitar player. He is in a band. I’m sure they are going to be famous one day. But I hope it doesn’t happen soon. I don’t want to lose my teacher!

Alex, 15 The person I admire more than anyone is my grandmother Gwen. She is 78 and looks just amazing. Many people think she is my mother when they see us together. She is one of the nicest people I know. She always sees the good in other people. She still does volunteer work for a children’s charity (慈善机构) in India!

Oliver, 17 The greatest person I know is my uncle Jack. I admire him not only because he is a brave policeman but also because he tries his best to look after my aunt who is in a wheelchair and their kids. Life is hard. But I have never heard him complain. He’s always so cheerful with a huge smile on his face.

1.Who does Jackie admire most? ( )

A.His music teacher. B.His mother.

C.His friend’s mother. D.His uncle.

2.What does Mr. Donaldson do? ( )

A.He is a charity worker. B.He is a teacher.

C.He is a wildlife photographer. D.He is a policeman.

3.Alex admires Gwen because ______. ( )

A.she protects wild animals B.she never complains

C.she is a nice person D.she is very creative

Artificial intelligence(AI)(人工智能)is the ability of a computer program or a machine. The computer or the machine with AI can think and learn. It is also a field of study that tries to make computers "smart". John McCarthy, a scientist, came up with(提出)the name "artificial intelligence" over 60 years ago. Many things such as learning and problem solving can be done by computers, though not in the same way as people do.

An unusual goal of AI research is to create computer programs. They can learn, solve problems, and think logically(逻辑地). At present, we use the term AI for successfully understanding human speech, recognizing(识别)human faces, operating self-driving cars and competing in some game systems like playing Chess. However, some people also consider AI a danger to humans if it develops too quickly. Professor Stephen Hawking(霍金), a famous British scientist was not for this kind of technology.

Math is the basic language of AI. If students are good at math, they will be more likely to become successful AI designers(设计者)in the future. We need not only bright students, but also average(普通的)students. As for(对于)average students, if they get enough math skills, they can also become successful AI designers. Besides, a good knowledge of computer science is also necessary for AI designing.

Scientists hope to create creative and emotional(有感情的)AI. The AI can possibly understand human feelings or create art. Many ways and tools have been tried to discover this wide and exciting field.

1.From Paragraph 1, we know that___________.

A.all problems can be solved by computers

B.machines with AI can think and learn

C.AI has been around for only 60 years

D.AI works in the same way as people

2.According to the passage, what can't AI do at present?

A.Understand human speech. B.Operate self-driving cars.

C.Compete in some game systems. D.Understand human feelings.

3.The underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2 refers to __________.

A.chess B.a scientist C.the danger D.AI

4.According to the passage, if students want to become successful AI designers, they should learn ____________well.

A.math and art B.art and technology

C.math and computer science D.art and computer science

5.Paragraph 4 mainly tells us the scientists'_____________ about AI.

A.wishes B.worries C.feelings D.discoveries

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网