题目内容
B. otherwise
C. meanwhile
D. though
Sometimes life gets a little dull. What used to be fun and different becomes boring. That is the time to look for something new. It is the time for a big idea to get your mind off everyday life. So why not search for extraterrestrial (地球外的) intelligence? Or even better, why not get your computer to do it for you?
Over two million people have joined the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence(SETI)project. Based in California, the SETI project analyzes information taken from a giant radio telescope based in South America. Its task is to look for signals from outer space that might prove that life exists on other planets.
Processing this information is far too big a job for one computer. So the SETI project workers divide the work among volunteers who visit their website. Each computer gets some information to work out from the SETI network through the Internet. This process is often known as “meta-computing”.
It is a wonderful thought. You are sleeping, eating a meal or going out with friends. All this time, your computer is searching the stars for signs that might show something is out there trying to get in touch. Volunteers are proud of being involved in the SETI project. It shows that they understand the potential (潜能) of computing. They know that it is more than just a way of working or playing games.
Meta-computing may also be creating intelligence as well as looking for it. This idea is based on the theory that human intelligence is created by the way in which different parts of the brain communicate with each other. As the saying goes, “The whole is more than the sum of its parts.” People who join the SETI project sometimes wonder whether their computer will become part of a huge network that has learned to think for itself.
1.According to the writer, meta-computing may be creating intelligence .
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A.because human beings are intelligent |
B.because a computer works as the brain does |
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C.because of a network of many computers |
D.because of the number of computers |
2. Which of the following shows the order in which the SETI network works?
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A.Radio telescope→SETI website→Volunteers’ computer→SETI base |
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B.Radio telescope→SETI base→SETI website→Volunteers’ computer |
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C.SETI base→SETI website→Volunteers’ computers→Radio telescope |
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D.SETI base→Radio telescope→SETI website→Volunteers’ computers |
3. The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to _____ .
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A.extra-terrestrial intelligence |
B.human intelligence |
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C.the SETI project |
D.meta-computing |
4.The passage mainly tells us about _____.
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A.a new way to work on the computer |
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B.a new way to work and play games |
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C.a new way to search for life outside the earth |
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D.a new way to make computers learn to think for itself |
Saturday 28 April, 2001: Dennis Tito was setting off on his holiday. Mr. Tito’s journey was certainly unusual! So was the transport he chose, and the price of his trip.
The 60-year-old multi-millionaire from New York was sitting on board a Russian spaceship. He was on a journey to the International Space Station. It might have been a routine trip for the two astronauts who were traveling with him, but for him it was certainly no ordinary journey. Dennis Tito was the first tourist ever in space, and he had paid the sum of $20 million to go there. As the spacecraft left the earth’s atmosphere, Tito drank a glass of fruit juice to celebrate and looked down at the earth’s blue-green surface. Two minutes later, he was sick. Luckily it was only a minor problem. He soon recovered, and from then on enjoyed a smooth journey. When he arrived at the space station, there was a big smile on his face. “A great trip!” he commented. “I love space.”
For a long time space travel was something for heroes. But all this is going to change. Companies like ProSpace are investing large amounts of money in space travel. They want space and space travel to belong to the public, not just governments. There are other plans, like voyages through space from one side of the world to the other. Maybe we will be able to depart from New York at nine o’clock in the morning, and arrive an hour later-- in Tokyo! Such a schedule would allow the business traveler to return to New York on the same day, and still have eight hours for a meeting!
1.Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
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A.Business Travelers |
B.Space Tourists |
C.A Space Exploration |
D.A Frightening Adventure |
2.According to the passage, Dennis Tito .
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A.enjoyed his trip very much |
B.was too sick to eat anything in space |
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C.suffered a lot during the trip |
D.didn’t think the trip was worthwhile |
3.Which of the following statements is tree according to the passage?
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A.Tito was the first American tourist in space. |
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B.Tito contributed all of his wealth to his space trip. |
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C.Tito visited the Russian Space Station during his trip. |
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D.Space travel has become a routine for Tito since then. |
4.It can be expected from the passage that .
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A.space travel will belong to the public instead of governments |
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B.airplanes will some day reach the speed of space vehicles |
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C.can will be able to circle the earth within less than an hour |
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D.travel between two places on earth will be made through space |
Dear Economist,
My newly-wedded wife and I are deeply in love.There is, however, one issue that threatens the happiness of our marriage.I absolutely insist on shopping at Walmart.My wife, meanwhile, would rather avoid Walmart at all costs.
I have recently tried to convince her that not only does Walmart offer the lowest prices known to man, but that the chain is also a force for good―lower prices mean better standards of living for all consumers, increased global trade means a tighter-knit(紧密团结的) international community, and efficient operations translate into higher productivity growth for the economy.My wife complains about poor labour policies, the “fact” that Walmart squeezes suppliers, and that it puts local shops out of business.
Who is right? Will our marriage survive?
Brian Gee
Dear Brian,
I have to agree with you about Walmart.Jason Furman, then an economist at New York University, now an adviser to President Obama, famously argued in 2005 that Walmart was unwittingly (不知不觉地) a progressive success story.The chain’s prices don’t much affect me (I prefer Whole Foods) but Furman estimated that they benefited low-and-middle-income Americans to the sum of around $250 billion a year.
Walmart does not pay much, so it may depress wages.Then again, it may increase wages by offering jobs to the otherwise-unemployed.Either way, the benefits of low prices to Walmart shoppers far outweigh any seemingly reasonable costs to Walmart employees.And while it is true that Walmart employees tend to be poor, the same is true of Walmart shoppers.
Armed with this information you can face your wife with confidence.You are sure to win the conversation.The divorce is likely to be more argued.
Economist
1.What concerns Brian Gee so much that he wrote the letter?
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A.His wife refuses to shop at Walmart. |
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B.They are faced with a divorce. |
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C.They can’t afford the costs of shopping at Walmart. |
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D.They are in conflict about shopping at Walmart. |
2.Brian Gee’s wife tends to hold the opinion that _________.
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A.it is wrong for Walmart to depress its employees’ wages |
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B.consumers’ lives have improved thanks to Walmart |
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C.Walmart’s business operation increases productivity in economy |
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D.Walmart’s business increases global trade |
3.What can be inferred from the reply letter?
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A.Some employees accept the low pay to keep the job. |
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B.Walmart appeals to only poor consumers and poor employees. |
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C.Employees suffer from Walmart’s low prices more than consumers. |
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D.Jason Furman, a New York University economist, spoke highly of Walmart. |