The Amazon Echo，a voice-driven computer that sits on a table top and answers to the name Alexa，can call up music tracks and radio stations，tell jokes，answer simple questions and control smart appliances．Even before Christmas it was already resident in about 4% of American households．Voice assistants are being widely used in smart phones，too：Apple's Siri handles over 2 billion commands a week，and 20% of Google searches on Android-powered handsets in America are input by voice．Dictating e-mails and text messages now works reliably enough to be useful．Why type when you can talk？
Simple though it may seem，voice has the power to transform computing，by providing a natural means of interaction．Windows，icons and menus，and then touch screens，were welcomed as much easier ways to deal with computers than entering complex keyboard commands．But being able to talk to computers abolishes the need for a "user interface （界面）" at all．Just as mobile phones were more than existing phones without wires，and cars were more than carriages without horses，so computers without screens and keyboards have the potential to be more useful，more powerful than people can imagine today．
Voice will not wholly replace other forms of input and output．Sometimes it will remain more convenient to converse with a machine by typing rather than talking （Amazon is said to be working on an Echo device with a built-in screen）．But voice is sure to account for a growing share of people's interactions with the technology around them，from washing machines that tell you how much of the cycle they have left to virtual assistants in corporate call centres．However，to reach its full potential，the technology requires further breakthroughs and a resolution of the tricky questions it raises around the trade-off between convenience and privacy．
Computer-dictation systems have been around for years．But they were unreliable and required lengthy training to learn a specific user's voice．Computer's new ability to recognise almost anyone's speech dependably without training is the latest manifestation （證明） of the power of "deep learning"，an artificial intelligence technique in which a software system is trained to use millions of examples，usually selected from the Internet．Thanks to deep learning，machines now nearly equal humans in transcription accuracy，computerized translation systems are improving rapidly and text-to-speech systems are becoming less robotic and more natural-sounding．Computers are，in short，getting much better at handling natural language in all its forms．
Although deep learning means that machines can recognize speech more reliably and talk in a more natural manner，they still don't understand the meaning of language．That is the most difficult aspect of the problem and，if voice-driven computing is truly to flourish，one that must be overcome．Computers must be able to understand context in order to maintain a coherent conversation about something，rather than just responding to simple，one-off （一次性的） voice commands，as they mostly do today （"Hey，Siri，set a timer for ten minutes"）．Researchers in universities and at companies are working on this problem，building "bots" that can hold more detailed conversations about more complex tasks，from searching information to making travel arrangements．
Many voice-driven devices are always listening，waiting to be activated（激活）．Some people are already concerned about the implications of internet-connected microphones listening in every room and from every smart phone．Not all audio is sent to the cloud - devices wait for a trigger phrase （"Alexa"， "OK，Google"， "Hey，Cortana"，or "Hey，Siri"） before they start passing the user's voice to the servers that actually handle the requests - but when it comes to storing audio，it is unclear who keeps what and when．
（1）According to Paragraph l，the Amazon EchoCC．
A．has been sold out before Christmas
B．has been used by most American families
C．came on the market later than Apple's Siri
D．is more useful than smart phones in dictating e-mails
（2）What can we learn about computers' deep learning from the passage？AA
A．It is vital to accurate identification of human voices．
B．It is almost the same as the computer-dictation system．
C．It has helped machines understand the meaning of language．
D．It has helped machines beat humans in accuracy and reliability．
（3）What are some users of voice-driven devices concerned about？CC
A．The devices will be in charge of their life．
B．The devices need to be activated before working．
C．They are in the dark about their data's ownership．
D．Their voices can be recognized by every smart phone．
（4）What's the author's attitude towards voice-driven technology？DD
A．Worried．
B．Doubtful．
C．Supportive．
D．Objective．
【答案】C；A；C；D
【解答】
【點評】
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發(fā)布：2024/5/27 14:0:0組卷：3引用：2難度：0.5
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1．British children's writer Roald Dahl ate chocolates and sweets "pretty much every mealtime"，remembers daughter Ophelia Dahl．
After dinner，whether dining alone or entertaining guests，Dahl would pass around a little red plastic box full of Mars Bars，Milky Ways，Maltesers，Kit Kats and much more．
He knew the history of all the sweets and could tell you exactly when they were invented．1937 was a big year when Kit Kats （his favorite），Rolos and Smarties （his dog，chopper's favorite） were invented．He wrote a history of chocolate，lecturing schoolchildren to commit such dates to memory（熟記），such as 1928 when "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bar popped up on the scene"，saying． "Don't bother with the Kings and Queens of England．All of you should learn these dates instead．Perhaps the Headmistress（女校長）will see from now on that it becomes part of the major teaching in this school．"
According to Dahl，the Golden Years of Chocolate were 1930-1937．In 1930，Roald Dahl was 14 years old．He was a student at Repton，a famous boys' boarding school in England．It was a tough environment：those in authority were more interested in controlling than educating the students．
Ironically（諷刺地），it was at this difficult period that chocolate became Dahl's passion．Near Repton was a Cadbury chocolate factory．Every so often，Cadbury would send each schoolboy a sampler（樣品）box of new chocolates to taste and grade．They were using the students---"the greatest chocolate bar experts in the world to test out their new inventions．
This was when Dahl's imagination took flight．He pictured factories with inventing rooms with pots of chocolate and fudge（軟糖）and "all sorts of other delicious fillings bubbling away on the stoves"．
"It was lovely dreaming those dreams…when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children．I remembered those little cardboard boxes（紙盒）and the newly invented chocolates inside them，and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory．"
For the record，Roald Dahl did not like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream．He said， "I prefer my chocolate straight．"
（1）What's the purpose of the first paragraph？
A．To introduce the main topic---Roald Dahl．
B．To introduce Dahl's love for chocolate．
C．To introduce main character's daily life．
D．To introduce some important characters．
（2）What can we infer from the passage about Roald Dahl？
A．He treated himself with various chocolate after dinner secretly．
B．He has a good knowledge of chocolate，especially its history．
C．He used to lecture schoolchildren of a boys' boarding school．
D．He only wrote some books related to the history of chocolate．
（3）What happened during the Golden Years of Chocolate？
A．It was a great time for children to get educated．
B．Those years stopped Dahl's interest in chocolate．
C．Students could become chocolate experts then．
D．Roald Dahl's passion for chocolate was lit up then．
（4）gave Roald Dahl inspiration to write Charlie and Chocolate Factory．
A．the dream about chocolates．
B．Factories with chocolate and fudge．
C．Those boxes with chocolate．
D．Chocolate cakes and ice cream發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5 -
2．Recently，a film star has been giving away free books on the London Underground．If you're a bookworm，a Harry Potter fan and a London Underground user，then it's been an exciting month for you．
Emma Watson，who starred in films based on the novels about a fictional schoolboy wizard，has been hiding books on the Tube for passengers to read through．
It's part of he Book On The Underground movement，which has a simple aim：to get more people burying themselves in literature．Books are left on trains for passengers to pick up，dip into and then leave for another lucky reader to skim．
The movement started in 2012 and drops off about 150 books a week in stations across London．Talking about Watson's participation in the project，the manager of Books On The Under ground，Cornelia Oxley，said， "The reaction has been great．It must be a mixture of how much everyone admires Emma，and how exciting it is to find something as wonderful as a new book on your journey．"
The 100 or so books Watson left for passengers to read were even more special because she left a hand-written inscription（題詞）．The books were Kaya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom．
One person who discovered a copy of the book on the Tube said she felt like the character Charlie Bucket - a boy who finds a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory - in the Roald Dahl's classic，Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Watson became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in the summer of 2014 and has since started reading as many books and essays on equality and feminism（饑荒） as possible．She has also started her own book club．
So．Why not take a leaf out of Emma Watson's book and leave a copy of your favorite book on a train？It could make a stranger's life richer．
（1）What does Books On The Underground aim to do？
A．To get more readers to buy their books．
B．To leave books on trains．
C．To find lucky readers．
D．To get more people to read．
（2）Which of the following statements is NOT true？
A．People's admiration for Emma Watson contributes to the success of the movement．
B．There is a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory in the book．
C．To find something wonderful on a journey is exciting．
D．Emma Watson left hand-written inscriptions on the books．
（3）What's the author's attitude towards Emma Watson's leaving books on the train？
A．critical
B．indifferent
C．supportive
D．pessimistic發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：0引用：1難度：0.5 -
3．It can be really hard to learn a new language．I had always enjoyed learning languages in school，but only recently did I start learning German．I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily，but when it came to literature，I really struggled．That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language．
At first，I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age，but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere．As children，we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures，and from there，we can learn and develop．I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK．I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl．
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot．Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story．At first，I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other，but this did not work well．The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter，highlight the new words and then look up the definitions．If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary，you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context．Additionally，a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring．
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child，I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner．However，if you feel a bit more confident reading in English，I would personally recommend the series of 'Harry Potter' books by J．K．Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books．
（1）What makes it hard for the author to learn German？
A．The author had a poor memory．
B．The author had no interest in it．
C．The author had no one to ask for help．
D．The author couldn't read books fluently．
（2）What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first？
A．Interesting．
B．Stupid．
C．Helpful．
D．Boring．
（3）What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3？
A．How to deal with new words while reading．
B．Why it is helpful to read children's book at first．
C．How to choose a proper book to match your level．
D．How to form the habit of reading in the target language．
（4）Why does the author write this text？
A．To give tips on how to learn a new language．
B．To persuade the readers to learn a new language．
C．To stress the importance of reading in language learning．
D．To share the author's stories of learning a new language．發(fā)布：2025/1/30 8:0:1組卷：5引用：1難度：0.5