题目内容

Wouldn't it be wonderful to travel to a foreign country without having to worry about the headache of communicating in a different language?

In a recent Wall Street journal article, technology policy expert Alec Ross argued that, within a decade or so. We’ll be able to communicate with one another via small earpieces with built-in microphones. That's because technological progress is extremely rapid. It’s only a matter of time. Indeed, some parents are so convinced that this technology is imminent that they're wondering if their kids should even learn a second language.

It's true that an increase in the quantity and accuracy of the data loaded into computers will make them cleverer at translating "No es bueno dormir mucho" as "It's not good to sleep too much. " Replacing a word with its equivalent (同义词) in the target language is actually the "easy part of a translator's job". But even this seems to be a discouraging task for computers.

It’s so difficult for computers because translation doesn't-or shouldn’t-involve simply translating words, sentences or paragraphs. Rather, it’s about translating meaning. And in order to infer meaning from a specific expression, humans have to interpret a mass of information at the same time.

Think about all the related clues that go into understanding an expression: volume, gesture, situation, and even your culture. All are likely to convey as much meaning as the words you use.

Therefore, we should be very skeptical of a machine that is unable to interpret the world around us. If people from different cultures can offend each other without realizing it, how can we expect a machine to do better? Unless engineers actually find a way to breathe a soul into a computer, undoubtedly when it comes to conveying and interpreting meaning using a natural language, a machine will never fully take our place.

1.What does the underlined word "imminent" in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A. Ready.B. Approaching.C. Helpful.D. Advanced.

2.Why is it hard for computers to replace a word with its equivalent?

A. Their data is not adequate enough.

B, The real meaning of words can vary.

C. Their accuracy needs big improvement.

D, A soul hasn't been breathed in them.

3.What view does the author hold about translation?

A. Proper translation can be tough for humans.

B. Slight distinctions matter little in translation.

C. Some machines will interpret our world properly.

D. Cultures deserve more attention than words used.

4.What is the best title for the text?

A. An Expert's Precise Prediction

B. The Complexity of Translation

C. Who Will Be a Better Translator

D. Will Language Barrier Actually Fall

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We know that hugs make us feel cosy inside. And this feeling could actually ward off stress and protect the immune (免疫) system, according to a new research from Carnegie Mellon University.

It’s a well-known fact that stress can weaken the immune system. In this study, the researchers sought to determine whether hugs could protect individuals from the increased sensitivity to illness brought on by the particular stress that comes with interpersonal conflict.

“We know that people experiencing ongoing conflicts with others are less able to fight off cold viruses. We also know that people who report having social support are partly protected from the effects of stress on psychological states, such as depression and anxiety, ” the study’s lead author, psychologist Dr. Sheldon Cohen , said in a statement. “We have tested whether awareness of social support is equally effective in protecting us from sensitivity to infection caused by stress and also whether receiving hugs might partially account for those feelings of support and thus protect a person against infection.”

In the experiment, over 400 healthy adults filled out a questionnaire about their perceived (感知到的) social support and also participated in a nightly phone interview for two weeks. They were asked about the frequency that they engaged in interpersonal conflict and received hugs that day.

Then, the researchers exposed the participants to a common cold virus, and monitored them to assess signs of infection. They found that both perceived social support and more frequent hugs reduced the risk of infection associated with experiencing interpersonal conflict. Regardless of whether or not they experienced social conflicts, infected participants with greater perceived social support and more frequent hugs had less severe illness symptoms.

“This suggests that being hugged by a trusted person may act as an effective means of conveying support and that increasing the frequency of hugs might be an effective means of reducing the effects of stress,” Cohen said. “The apparent protective effect of hugs may result from the physical contact itself or hugging being a behavioral indicator of support and closeness. Either way, those who receive more hugs are somewhat more protected from infection.”

If you need any more reason to wrap your arms around someone special, consider this: hugs also lower blood pressure, reduce fears, improve heart health and decrease feelings of loneliness.

1.Which of the following can replace the underlined words “ward off” in Paragraph 1?

A. produce B. increase C. prevent D. support

2.What does Dr. Sheldon Cohen’s experiment show?

A. Hugs can hide serious illness symptoms

B. Social conflicts can monitor sign s of infection

C. Social support can reduce the risk of having a cold

D. Depression and anxiety result from less social support

3.What does the passage aim to convey?

A. Hugs can have protective effects

B. Social support can cure diseases

C. Interpersonal conflicts cause infections

D. Stress can weaken our immune system

4.Where is the passage most likely to be found?

A. A social science magazine

B. A commercial brochure

C. A medical report

D. An academic essay

While engineers have made out fantastic products for sitting still—Munchery instead of walking to lunch, Uber instead of walking to the bus stop—services to make you move have been less appealing for consumers.

Fitbit’s stock price fell 18% after they announced their latest Apple Watch-like product named Fitbit Force. And new data suggests that, for the first time, death rates for large parts of the American population are rising, with signs pointing to inactivity and weight gain as the reasons. Our digital lifestyles and desk-based workplaces are contributing to serious health problems and could be shortening our lives, wellness firms want us to believe.

Northrup, president and co-founder of the connected exercise device TAO-Wellness, was in Las Vegas to promote TAO’s small device that encourages exercises. He lifts the device, about the size of an apple, and says workplaces should start encouraging on-site exercise.

Nick Mokey, the managing editor of Digital Trends, agrees. “I hate to break it to you, a room full of people sitting down, but sitting is killing you,” he says to the audience. They shift in their seats.

In the health section of the Sands Exposition Hall, people are selling devices made by LifeSpan Fitness. They say they’re the largest seller of treadmill(跑步机) desks in the US. At the center of their exhibition area is a Bike Desk, which looks like three gym bikes attached to a table. That’s for people who just want to sit and enjoy conversation.

Treadmill desk-related shame is their biggest obstacle, they say when LifeSpan installs two in opposite ends of the same building, neither tends to get used. If the company installs two next to each other, people will use them. “You don’t want to be so noticeable, especially at work,” company spokesman James Lowe says. What’s more, what if we get sweaty using a treadmill in the office?

1.According to new data, the rising death rates in America are caused by_____.

A. lack of exercise B. serious pollution

C. high work pressure D. poor indoor environment

2.What can we learn about the device TAO-Wellness?

A. It is a kind of treadmill desk.

B. It is comparatively small in size

C. It is created by LifeSpan Fitness.

D. It is designed for outdoor exercise.

3.Which of the following may cause more sitting?

A.TAO-Wellness. B. Fitbit Force. C. Bike Desk. D. Munchery

4.What is the biggest problem with the treadmill desk?

A. It takes up too much space.

B. It is not comfortable to use

C. It may cause awkwardness

D. It will make employees tired

根据短文内容,从短文后的七个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Depressed? Do What You Love

About 350 million people around the world suffer from depression. Therapists can use many different techniques to help, but none has more accurate scientific evidence behind it than cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). This “inside-out” technique focuses mainly on thought patterns, training patients to recognize and reframe their thinking. __1.__

BA is an outside-in technique in which therapists focus on adjusting actions rather than thoughts. “The idea is that what you do and how you feel are linked,” says David Richards, a health services researcher at the University of Exeter in England. If a patient values nature and family, for example, a therapist may encourage him to schedule a daily walk in the park with his family members. __2.__This could create an alternative to more negative pastimes such as thinking on loss. BA has existed for decades, yet until now it has never been tested with the scale and exactness needed to assess its relative strength as a stand-alone approach.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, Richards led a group of 18 researchers working at three mental health centers in the U.K. who put BA and CBT head-to-head. They assigned 440 people with depression to about 16 weeks of one of the two approaches, then followed the patients’ progress at six, twelve and eighteen months after treatment began. __3.__ A year on, about two thirds of the patients in both groups reported at least a 50 percent reduction in their symptoms.

_4.__ For instance, patients with depression could begin with simpler therapies such as BA, and then seek out more specialized care if they do not respond to that treatment. “We believe that BA is a good first step in treatment, and the report addresses that point,” says George Alexopoulos at Weill Cornell Medical College, a key member of the team.

In addition, Richards and his colleagues found that junior health workers could provide BA after a brief training period, which makes it significantly cheaper compared with CBT, for it requires highly specialized therapists. __5._

A. These findings could change treatment guidelines.

B. As shown in a report, the team found the treatments equally effective.

C. In doing so, it helps increase the rewards of engaging more with the outside world.

D. The disorder of depression is characterized by continuous sadness and also interference with day-to-day work.

E. Trained medical professionals should diagnose depression not only by a physical examination, but by asking the right questions.

F. This distinction could make the former a blessing to developing countries, where resources for mental health are especially in need.

G. Now, however, mental health professionals have another option: a technique called behavioral-activation (BA) therapy is just as effective.

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