阅读理解

　　Canberra, the capital of Australia, lies in the southeast of the country. From this city, it is 240 kilometers to Sydney, and over twice to Melbourne. The former faces the Pacific Ocean, and the latter is close to the Bass Strait, through which ships from Sydney can enter the Indian Ocean.

　　When the Federal Government of August was founded in 1901, no one knew where Australia's capital would be. The two cities of Melbourne and Sydney both wanted the honor. Instead, the founding fathers chose a piece of land between the two cities for the new capital. The government would build a new city called Canberra as the country's capital.

　　In 1911, the government invited world leading architects (建筑家) to enter designs for Canberra in a contest. An architect from Chicago named Wallet Griffin won. The government decided to build Canberra according to his plan. Men started to work on Canberra in 1913. Twenty-four years later, the city was finished. But the government moved to this new city ten years before it was completed.

　　At one time, almost everyone in Canberra worked for the government. However, the city today has become a center of education and favorite place for tourists. Now people can hold a government job, or they can work in businesses. They also make a living by teaching or meeting the needs of tourists.

　　People find life in Canberra very relaxing and pleasant. The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains where people can ski. There is a large man-made lake lined with beaches and parks in the center of Canberra.

　　Canberra is now Australia's largest inland city. Many people living there have come from other cities in Australia and from other lands. They have come to Canberra to work. Some have come to escape the busier way of life found in many other cities.

1．According to the passage, it is ________ kilometers from Sydney to Melbourne.

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2．Canberra is now ________.

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A．a lovely city to which no visitors can go by sea

B．the largest city and an education center in Australia

C．a beautiful coastal city with beaches and parks

D．a pleasant place with mountains and big lakes surrounding it

3．Which of the following shows the correct order?

a．The founding fathers chose a piece of land between Melbourne and Sydney.

b．The Federal Government was founded in 1901.

c．Canberra was completed after twenty-four years.

d．Both Melbourne and Sydney wanted to be the capital.

e．The government had a contest to design the capital.

f．The people began to build Canberra in 1913.

g．The Federal Government moved to the new city.

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阅读下面短文，从每小题所给的四个选项中，选出一个最佳答案。

　　The more time scientists spend designing computers, the more they wonder at human brain． Tasks that puzzle the most advanced supercomputer-recognizing a face, reading a handwritten noteare child's play for the 3-pound organ． Most important, unlike any ordinary computer, the brain Can learn from its mistakes． Researchers have tried for years to program computers to imitate the brain’s abilities , but without success．

　　Now a growing number of designers believe they have the answer： if a computer is to work more like a person and less like an over-grown calculator, it must be built more like a brain, which distributes information across a vast interconnected web of nerve cells, or neurons．

　　Ordinary computers work by following a chainlike sequence of detailed instructions． Although very fast, their processors can perform only one task at a time． This approach works best in solving problems that can be broken down into simpler logical pieces． The processors in a neural-network computer, by contrast, form a network much like the nerve cells in the brain． Since these artificial (人造的) neurons are interconnected, they can share information and perform tasks at the same time． This two-dimensional approach works best at recognizing patterns．

　　Instead of programming a neural-network computer to make decisions, its maker trains it to recognize patterns in any solution to a problem by repeatedly feeding examples to the machine．

　　Neural networks come in all shapes and sizes． Until now most have existed as software simulations (模拟品) because redesigning computer chips took a lot of time and money． By experimenting with different approaches through software rather than hardware, scientists have been able to avoid costly mistakes．

1．It can be inferred from the first paragraph that the most advanced supercomputer ________．

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A．can recognize a face and read a handwritten note

B．can learn from its mistakes on its own

C．weighs only 3 pounds like a child’s brain

D．can not distribute information across the web of nerve cells

2．An ordinary computer can usually do the following except that________．

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A．it can be programmed before it works．

B．it can only solve one problem ~at a time

C．it can break down problems into simpler logical pieces

D．it can be trained to recognize patterns instead of making decisions

3．The main feature of a neural-network computer is that ________．

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A．its processors act as an interconnected web of neurons

B．it is programmed to make different decisions

C．its networks are of all shapes and sizes

D．its neurons are artificial

4．The expression “this two-dimensional approach” in the second paragraph refers to ________．

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A．the old computer and the neural computer

B．making decisions and recognizing patterns

C．sharing information and performing tasks

D．the computer and the human brain

5．Scientists use software rather than hardware in their experiments because ________．

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A．it can avoid redesigning computer chips

B．it can save a lot of time and money

C．it can avoid making any mistakes

D．it is more like human brain