IMAGINE if there was a device that could do everything for you – wake you up every morning, chat with you and type your e-mails.
The piece of technology in question would be smart, able to tell you about the weather and where the nearest restaurants are.
The good thing is you no longer need to wonder, because something like this already exists. And its name is Siri.
Siri is a voice recognition application designed for Apple products and the concept has been around for almost a year.
When Siri first came out it could only speak English, but now it has “l(fā)earned” lots of new languages, including Chinese, Cantonese and Taiwanese, reported The Wall Street Journal. So, you can give it orders in your mother tongue.
But how could a cell phone or a computer “hear” what you are saying and understand it? This is all because of voice recognition technology.
When you speak, your voice creates vibrations (振動) in the air – a bit like waves in the water when you throw a rock into the lake. The microphone receives the vibrations and the computer changes them into digital data that is then divided into many parts. They are analyzed one by one to see what pronunciations each part stands for. The computer then puts these pronunciations together into possible words according to its built-in dictionary.
But figuring out the words is far from enough; building words into meaningful sentences is the most difficult part. The computer has to compare what it hears to a large library of known phrases and sentences to determine what the user is saying.
However, people don’t always talk in the most standard way and sometimes make grammatical mistakes. This is why traditional voice recognition software always requires you to remember keywords and to speak in a certain way.
Fortunately, Siri isn’t like that. It’s not just “voice recognition”; it’s “natural language understanding (NLU)”. You can ask it things like “Do I need an umbrella today?” and it will know that you are asking about the weather, according to ABC News.
“The key thing is NLU – understanding what you mean and what you want,” Neil Grant from Nuance, a software company in the US, told The Guardian. “Historically, you had to learn a huge long list of commands . As NLU progresses, you can say what you want in a way that’s natural to you.”
小題1:What is the function of the first two paragraphs?

A．To show that invention usually results from need.

B．To clear doubts about voice recognition technology.

C．To introduce something that offers these helpful services.

D．To show how the voice recognition works.

小題2:Which step is the most complicated in the process of voice recognition according to the article?

A．Changing the received vibrations into digital data.

B．Analyzing the digital data to see what pronunciations it represents.

C．Putting the pronunciations together into possible words.

D．Figuring out meaningful sentences based on the words.

小題3:How can you get Siri to respond according to the article?

A．You can speak in a natural way as you would to a person.

B．You can only speak English and Chinese.

C．You have to say things in a certain way.

D．You have to remember keywords and speak specific commands.

小題4:What can be concluded from the article?

A．Siri can record and save what you say frequently into a computer dictionary.

B．Siri will fail to understand what you say if you make grammatical mistakes.

C．The biggest advantage of Siri is that it’s NLU is rather than just voice recognition.

D．Since first applied to Apple products a year ago, Siri has made great improvements.

小題5:The text is mainly about ________.

A．the convenience of future life.

B．a(chǎn)n introduction to the Apple products.

C．the working system of voice recognition

D．the introduction to Siri

After a long day at school, I walked home with my heavy schoolbag. Sleepy and  1 , I threw my things on the sofa and picked something from the  2 to eat. I passed by the living room and wished I could watch TV, but I knew my  3 would take me the whole night. I took my schoolbag and went  4 to my room. I tried to understand chemistry and  5 sleepiness at the same time. I tried to keep my eyes  6 and I wanted something to cheer me up.
Later, I  7 the sound of the front door opening. And I waited for it—the sound of my mom singing. Though she sang off-key(跑調(diào)),   8  made me excited that she was here. I ran down to  9 my mom. We hugged each other and talked for a while. I like it when my mom was happy. Her  10 seemed to flow down to me and I got the strength to  11 the stress (壓力) again.
Sometimes, I wonder how my mom can still be  12 after coming back from work. Every weekday, she wakes up  13 in the morning to go to work and spends all hour on the bus before getting downtown. At a  14 factory, she works standing for the whole day and draws patterns(圖案) for clothes over and over. After work, my mom at times gets stuck(被困) in  15 for two hours on her way back home. When I 16 my school life with her work life, I should not be the one to  17 . At least I have some interesting things to do at school, but one mistake at work can cost my mom her job. I  18 that my mom has a positive (積極的) attitude and lives her life with a joyous heart, which encourages me to do my work well,  19 there may be difficulties. Seeing her happy makes me feel  20 , too.

小題1:	A．heavy B．busy C．hungry D．unlucky

小題2:	A．classroom B．kitchen C．bedroom D．a(chǎn)partment

小題3:	A．dream B．supper C．homework D．experience

小題4:	A．downstairs B．outside C．upstairs D．inside

小題5:	A．break B．put C．get D．fight

小題6:	A．opening B．opened C．open D．closing

小題7:	A．felt B．listened C．raised D．heard

小題8:	A．which B．that C．it D．but

小題9:	A．look B．greet C．said to D．help

小題10:

A．need B．idea C．faith D．energy

小題11:

A．face B．change C．a(chǎn)ccept D．1eave

小題12:

A．creative B．sensitive C．competitive D．positive

小題13:

A．early B．soon C．fast D．1ate

小題14:

A．furniture B．shoe C．car D．clothing

小題15:

A．chat B．traffic C．duty D．task

小題16:

A．replace B．exchange C．decorate D．compare

小題17:

A．complain B．decide C．study D．play

小題18:

A．a(chǎn)chieve B．notice C．a(chǎn)dmire D．improve

小題19:

A．however B．though C．despite D．a(chǎn)t least

小題20:

A．good B．skillful C．successful D．important

The common cold is the world's most widespread illness, which is a serious infection that man receives.
The most widespread mistake of all is that colds are caused by cold. They are not. They are caused by viruses passing on from person to person. You catch a cold by touching directly or indirectly, with someone who already has one. If cold causes colds, it would be reasonable to expect the Eskimos to suffer from them forever. But they do not. And in separate Arctic (北極的)areas, explorers have reported being free from colds until touching again with infected people from the outside world by way of packages and mail dropped from airplanes.
During the First World War, soldiers who spent long periods in the trenches, cold and wet, seldom caught colds.
In the Second World War, prisoners at Auschwitz concentration camp, bare and starved, were astonished to find that they seldom had colds.
At the Common Cold Research Unit in England, volunteers took part in experiments in which they gave themselves to the discomforts of being cold and wet for a long time. After taking hot baths, they put on bathing suits, allowed themselves to be with cold water, and then stood about dripping wet in a room. Some wore wet socks all day while others exercised in the rain until close to exhaustion. Not one of the volunteers came down with a cold unless a cold virus was actually dropped in his nose.
If then, cold and wet have nothing to do with catching colds, why are they more frequent in winter? Despite the most hard research, no one has yet found out the answer. One explanation offered by scientists is that people tend to stay together indoors more in cold weather than at other times, and that makes it easier for cold viruses to be passed on.
No one has yet found a cure for the cold. There are drugs and pain-killers such as aspirin, but all that they do is to reduce the symptoms.
小題1:The writer thinks the cause of catching cold is due to_______.

A．touching anyone directly

B．touching anyone indirectly

C．cold weather

D．getting viruses from person to person

小題2:Arctic explorers may catch colds when___.

A．they are working in the separate Arctic areas

B．they are writing reports in terribly cold weather

C．they are free from work in the isolated Arctic regions

D．they are coming into touch again with the outside world

小題3:Volunteers taking part in the experiments in the Common Cold Research Unit___.

A．suffered a lot	B．never caught colds
C．often caught colds	D．became very strong

小題4:The passage mainly discusses___.

A．the experiments on the common cold

B．the mistake about the common cold

C．the reason and the way people catch colds

D．the continued spread of common colds

Scientists are trying to make the deserts into good land again．They want to bring water to the deserts，so people can live and grow food．They are learning a lot about the deserts．But more and more of the earth is becoming desert all the time．Scientists may not be able to change the desert in time．
Why is more and more land becoming desert？Scientists think that people make deserts．People are doing bad things to the earth．
Some places on the earth don’t get much rain． But they still don’t become deserts． This is because some green plants are growing there． Small green plants and grass are very important to dry places． Plants don’t let the sun make the earth even drier． Plants do not let the wind blow the dirt away． When a bit of rain falls， the plants hold the water． Without plants， the land can become desert more easily．
小題1:Deserts ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

A．never have any plants or animals in them

B．can all be turned into good land before long

C．a(chǎn)re becoming smaller and smaller

D．get very little rain

小題2:Small green plants are very important to dry places because ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．

A．they don’t let the sun make the earth even drier

B．they don’t let the wind blow the soil away

C．they hold water

D．All of the above．

小題3:Land is becoming desert little by little because ＿＿＿＿＿＿．

A．plants can’t grow there

B．there is not enough rain

C．people haven’t done what scientists wish them to do

D．scientists know little about the deserts

小題4:Why is more and more land becoming desert according to this passage？

A．Earthquakes make deserts.	B．Wind makes deserts.
C． Lack of water makes deserts.	D．People make deserts．

For thousands of years, man has enjoyed the taste of apples. Apples, which are about 85 percent water, grow almost everywhere in the world but the hottest and coldest areas. Among the leading countries in apple production are China, France and the United States.
There are various kinds of apples, but a very few make up the majority of those grown for sale. The three most common kinds grown in the United States are Delicious, Golden Delicious, and McIntosh..
Apples are different in color, size and taste. The color of the skin may be red, green or yellow. They have various sizes, with Delicious apples being among the largest. The taste may be sweet or tart(酸的). Generally, sweet apples are tasted fresh while tart apples are used to make applesauce(果醬).
Apple trees may grow as tall as twelve meters. They do best in areas that have very cold winters. Although no fruit is yielded during the winter, this cold period is good for the tree.
小題1:It can be learned from the text that Delicious apples are_______.

A．grown in France

B．sold everywhere

C．very big

D．quite sweet

小題2:Cold winter weather is good for________.

A．the growth of apple trees	B．producing large apples
C．improving the taste of apples	D．the increase of water in apples

小題3:China, France and the United States are considered to_______.

A．be small producers of apples

B．be large producers of applesauce

C．have the longest history in apple production

D．have the coldest winter among apple production

小題4:The word yielded in the last sentence means________.

A．improved

B．increased

C．produced

D．sold

If cars had wings, they could fly and that just might happen, beginning in 2012．The company Terrafugia, based in Woburn, Massachusetts, says it plans to deliver its carplane, the Transition, to customers by the end of 2012．
“ It's the next ’wow’ vehicle,” said Terrafugia vice president Richard Gersh．“Anybody can buy a Ferrari, but as we say, Ferraris don't fly．”
The car plane has wings that unfold for flying－a process the company says takes one minute-and fold back up for driving． A runway is still required to take off and land．
The Transition is being marketed more as a plane that drives than a car that flies, although it is  both．The company has been working with FAA to meet aircraft regulations, and with the National High way Traffic Safety Administration to meet vehicle safety regulations．
The company is aiming to sell the Transition to private pilots as a more convenient and cheaper way to fly．They say it saves you the trouble of trying to find another mode of transportation to get to and from airports: You drive the car to the airport and then you're good to go．When you land, you fold up the wings and hit the road．There are no expensive parking fees because you don't have to store it at an air port-you park it in the garage at home．
The carplane is designed to fly primarily under 10,000 feet．It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1,430 pounds, including fuel and passengers．Terrafugia says the Transition reduces the potential for an accident by allowing pilots to drive under bad weather instead of flying into marginal（臨界） conditions．
The Transition's price tag: $ 194,000．But there may be additional charges for options like a radio, transponder or GPS．Another option is a fullplane parachute．
“If you get into a very awful situation, it is the necessary safety option,”Gersh said．
So far, the company has more than 70 0rders with deposits． “We're working very closely with them,
but there are still some remaining steps, ” Brown said．
小題1:We can learn from the first paragraph that         ．

A．carplanes will be popular in 2012

B．people might drive a carplane in 2012

C．both Transition and Ferrari can take off and land

D．Richard Cersh is the vice president of Massachusetts

小題2:It takes the carplane one minute to          ．

A．fold and- unfold its wings	B．unfold wings for flying
C．land in the airport	D．meet flying safety regulations

小題3:According to the passage,  which of the following is NOT true?
A．The carplane needs a runway to take off and land．
B．To meet aircraft regulations, the company has been working with FAA．
C．The carplane may fly as high as normal planes．
D．People can park the carplane in the garage at their home．
小題4:The underlined word "it" in the last but one paragraph refers to          ．

A．the radio	B．the transponder
C．the GPS	D．the fullplane parachute

小題5:What's the best title for the passage?

A．Cars With Wings May Be Just Around The Comer

B．Which To Choose: A Ferrari Or A CarPlane?

C．A More Convenient And Cheaper Way To Fly

D．Cars With Wings Can Fly As Fast As Plane

Since the 1990s, education has been required for all South Africans from age seven to fifteen. Last December, the government announced that 70% of students passed their final examination to finish high school. In 2008, the pass rate was about 63%. There have been increases each year since then.
Professor Shireen Motala says basic education is no longer a problem in South Africa. Most children stay in school until they are about sixteen. The problem is that large numbers of them leave without completing high school.
Students take an examination known as the “matric”(高考) in Grade Twelve. Professor Motala says, “Less than half of the children who started school in 2000 sat for the matric last year. Many dropped out of school, so only around 45% took the matric. And the worry is where those students actually go.” Those who drop out have to compete with better educated people for jobs.
Educational researchers also point to another problem. South African schools do not produce enough students with the skills for higher education in maths and science. Many schools are not well-equipped. Children do not see laboratories, and, as a result, their science marks are not very good. They do not have libraries at school. Also, many teachers do not have the skills or training to do their jobs.
In South Africa, a number of teachers were poorly trained before. Secondly, teachers have been confused by the many educational reform efforts in the last fifteen years. Finally, language differences in the classroom have not got as much attention as they should, which is a huge problem. Subjects such as maths and science are taught in English starting at about the age of ten. But South Africa has eleven official languages.
South Africa’s minister of basic education promises a number of improvements. Angie Motshega says teacher development efforts will focus on subject and content knowledge, making sure that the correct teachers are in the correct jobs.
小題1:From the first paragraph we can learn that ______.

A．South Africans are badly in need of education

B．South African teenagers do very well at school

C．the South African government takes education seriously

D．South African teenagers have become more clever

小題2:What is the real concern of Shireen Motala?

A．Something is wrong with the country’s basic education system.

B．Most children have to find a job at an early age.

C．The final exam is too difficult for most children.

D．Most children cannot complete high school until they are 16.

小題3:South African students perform poorly in science for all of the following reasons, EXCEPT ______.

A．they don’t work hard enough

B．their schools do not have laboratories

C．they cannot get help from libraries

D．there are not enough skilled teachers

小題4:With which of the following would Shireen Motala most probably agree?

A．Schools should focus more on maths and science than any other subject.

B．More educational reforms should be carried out in South African schools.

C．The more teachers teach maths and science, the better marks students may get.

D．More attention should be paid to language differences in maths and science classes.

What would you think if someone suggested knocking down St Paul’s Cathedral to widen the road? Or pulling down Big Ben to make way for a car park? It would be ridiculous, right? But when it comes to devastation (毀滅) of the natural world, we aren’t so easily shocked. But we should be…or we’ll be in a lot of trouble.
Nature is shrinking by the day. Ancient forests are destroyed. Wetlands are becoming dry. Woodland is disappearing, and all in the name of progress. This is bad in itself, but it’s devastating for biodiversity.
Biodiversity refers to the variety of plants, animals and other living things that are all interconnected. The ecological services provided by biodiversity are vital to everyday life. The air we breathe is a product of photosynthesis (光合作用) by green plants. Insects, worms and bacteria break down waste and make soils rich. And tiny organisms clean the water in rivers and sea. In fact, all life on the earth exists thanks to the benefits of biodiversity. More than 90 percent of the calories consumed by people worldwide are produced from 80 plant species. And 30 percent of medicines are developed from plants and animals. Maintaining a wide diversity of species in each ecosystem is necessary to preserve all living things.
The loss of biodiversity could be devastating. “It is wrong to think that biodiversity can be reduced indefinitely without threatening humans,” said Harvard University biologist Edward O. Wilson, known as the “father of biodiversity”. He warned, “We are about to reach a critical point beyond which biodiversity loss will become irreversible (不可挽回的).”
But what can we do? The present problem is that the concept of biodiversity is so vague (含糊的). People might care about giant pandas, but it is much harder to excite them about the fate of tiny sea creatures which are being boiled to death in the cooling systems of power stations along coastlines. The Guardian newspaper is trying to help. It has launched the Biodiversity 100 campaign to try to convince governments around the world to take action to deal with the widespread concerns about biodiversity. This includes persuading the UK government to create a series of marine reserves to reserve the decrease in the sea-life caused by industrial fishing, stopping fishing sharks by the Japanese fishermen and banning the killing of dingoes (wild dogs) in Australia, among many other things.
There is a lot to do. And we’d better act quickly if we don’t want to end up with a planet that can’t sustain life!
小題1:The writer thinks it ________ to pull down Big Ben to make way for a car park.

A．unreasonable

B．necessary

C．difficult

D．reasonable

小題2:The underlined sentence “Nature is shrinking by the day.” means that ________.

A．nature is badly polluted by humans

B．species are becoming fewer and fewer day by day

C．rainforests are being cut down every day

D．nature is full of mysteries

小題3:Edward O. Wilson thinks that ________.

A．it doesn’t matter to reduce biodiversity

B．people have done enough to preserve biodiversity

C．the situation of biodiversity is very serious

D．biodiversity loss has become irreversible

小題4:When it comes to biodiversity, the present problem is that ________.

A．people might not clearly know what is biodiversity and what should be protected

B．people are not aware that giant pandas are endangered

C．people don’t realize that biodiversity is vital to everyday life

D．people hunt sea creatures for food

小題5:What does the underlined word “It” in paragraph 5 refer to?

A．The UK government.	B．The concept of biodiversity.
C．The action to deal with the problem.	D．The Guardian newspaper.

“Get your hands off me, I have been stolen,” the laptop, a portable computer, shouted. That is a new solution to laptop computer theft (the crime of stealing): a program that lets owners give their property a voice when it has been taken.
The program allows users to display alerts (warning) on the missing computer’s screen and even to set a spoken message. Tracking software for stolen laptops has been on the market for some time, but this is thought to be the first that allows owners to give the thief a piece of their mind.
Owners must report their laptop missing by visiting a website, which sends a message to the model: a red and yellow “l(fā)ost or stolen” sign appears on its screen when it is started. Under the latest version of the software, users can also send a spoken message.
The message can be set to reappear every 30 seconds, no matter how many times the thief closes it. “One customer sent a message saying, ‘You are being tracked. I am right at your door’,” said Carrie Hafeman, chief executive of the company which produces the program, Retriever.
In the latest version, people can add a spoken message. For example, the laptop’s speakers will say: “Help, this laptop is reported lost or stolen. If you are not my owner, report me now.”
The Retriever software package, which costs $29.95 but has a free trial period, has the functions of many security software programs. Owners can remotely (遠程地) switch to an alternative (可替換的) password immediately if they fear that the thief has also got hold of the access (進入, 使用) details.
If a thief accesses the Internet with the stolen laptop, Retriever will collect information on the Internet service provider in use, so that the police can be alerted to its location.
Thousands of laptops are stolen every year from homes and offices, but with the use of laptops increasing, the number stolen while their owners are out and about has been rising sharply.
Other security software allows users to erase data remotely or lock down the computer.
小題1:The underlined expression “to give the thief a piece of their mind” in Paragraph 2 can be understood as “_______”.        

A．to give the thief an alert mind

B．to express the owners’ anger to the thief

C．to remind the thief of his conscience (良心)

D．to make the thief give up his mind

小題2:Different from other security software, Retriever can _______.

A．record the stealing process

B．help recognize the lost laptop

C．lock down the computer remotely

D．send a spoken message

小題3:One function of the program is that it allows the owner to _______ at a distance.                         

A．change some access details for switching on the laptop

B．turn on the laptop by using the original password

C．operate the laptop by means of an alternative password

D．erase the information kept in the stolen laptop

小題4:Which of the following can best sum up the main idea of the passage?

A．With no Retriever, thousands of laptops are stolen every year.

B．A new software provides a means to reduce laptop theft.

C．Retriever has helped to find thieves and lost computers.

D．A new program offers a communication platform with the thief.

小題5:What does the word “it” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．the alert message	B．the computer
C．the program	D．the laptop

Nothing succeeds like confidence. When you are truly confident, it radiates (輻射) from you like sunlight, and attracts success to you like a magnet (磁鐵). Besides, those who are self-confident can in turn inspire (encourage) confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.
So how can we build a sense of self-confidence and prepare ourselves on the way to success?
First, do what you believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize you for it. Believe in yourself and believe that you can do it in any situations, because if you believe you can, then you really will. The belief keeps you searching for answers, which means that pretty soon you will get them.
Second, govern your behavior based on what other people think. What’s more important, be willing to take risks and go the extra miles to achieve better results, in which case mistakes can not be avoided. Always be ready to admit your mistakes, and learn from them. Next, work hard to settle the problems in order to cover up your mistakes before anyone notices. Building self-confidence is readily achievable, as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build self-confidence will also build success -- after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No one can take this away from you!
As you sow, so will you reap. With your perseverance (毅力) and improvement, you are getting closer to success. At this stage, wait for others to give congratulations and compliments on your achievements. “Thanks, I really worked hard on it. I’m pleased you recognize my efforts.” The congratulations and compliments from others will promote you to gain further success.
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, and it is no wonder that so many people struggle to find it. Self-confidence really can be learned and built on. Besides, whether you’re working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it’s well worth the effort!
小題1:Those who are truly confident _______.

A．succeed without effort and hard work

B．encourage people around to become confident

C．a(chǎn)ppear more attractive and thus become successful

D．gain the confidence of others and feel successful

小題2:The underlined word “mock” (Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to _______.

A．praise

B．imitate (模仿)

C．punish

D．laugh at

小題3:When others congratulate us on our achievements, we are supposed to _______.

A．praise them in return

B．gain further improvement

C．politely accept the compliments

D．expect them to congratulate you again

小題4:Which of the following proverbs (sayings) best goes with Paragraph 4?

A．Look before your leap.

B．It is no use crying over spilt milk.

C．Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

D．Learn from past mistakes and avoid future ones.

小題5:The purpose of the text is to _______.

A．tell people how to become successful

B．convince people to do what they believe to be right

C．encourage people to build confidence and achieve success

D．criticize people who lack confidence and thus fail in their career