1.阅读短文,回答问题

Since 1964, colleges and universities in the U. S. have used Test of English as a Foreign Language, or TOEFL, to measure an international applicant's(申请人的)level of English. Universities in English-speaking European countries began using the International English Language Testing System, or IELTS, in 1989. These two tests have been the main choices for English ability testing in higher education admissions for international students until now.

In recent years, several companies have developed new English language tests that are low-cost and easy to use. And they aim to do more than just offer greater choices in the admissions process.

Founded in 2012, Duolingo creates software that teaches users many different languages, including English. In 2014, the company launched its own test of English language ability.

Jennifer Dewar works with Duolingo, helping to develop the test. She formerly worked as an admissions official at Washington University in St. Louis, Misouri. The school is one of hundreds of colleges, universities and other organizations in and outside the U. S. that now accept the test results for international admissions into their study programs.

Dewar says Duolingo created the test to lower the barriers to higher education for people worldwide, especially those in developing countries.

TOEFL and the IELTS cost about $ 300. They are given in a limited number of centers around the world. Some test-takers have to travel to take the tests, adding to the costs. Duolingo offers its test entirely over the Internet for $ 49. All test-takers need is access to a computer with a microphone,listening device and self-facing camera.

TOEFL, the IELTS and Duolingo measure a person's English reading,listening,speaking and writing abilities. But it takes about 45 minutes to complete a Duolingo test,compared to three or four hours for TOEFL or the IELTS. It is possible because Duolingo uses artificial intelligence(人工智能)to adapt to test-takers' abilities,using fewer questions to measure their skills.

(1) Why were TOEFL and the IELTS set up? A. To make people understand English-speaking countries. B. To help teachers to teach in colleges and universities in Europe. C. To test an international applicant's level of English. D. To help international applicants to improve their sEnglish.
(2) When did Duolingo begin to use its own test of English language ability? A. In 1964. B. In 1989. C. In 2012. D. In 2014.
(3) Compared to TOEFL and the IELTS, Duolingo _____________. A. widely used in English tests B. a less difficult test C. affordable and convenient D. a face-to-face test
(4) What is the author's purpose in writing the text? A. To introduce Duolingo. B. To instruct us how to pass English tests. C. To introduce overseas studying. D. To promote English teaching.
【考点】
主旨大意; 推理判断题; 细节理解题; 科普环保类; 说明文;
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阅读理解 常考题 普通
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1.阅读理解

A few hours after my first mission, returning to Earth on the space shuttle Endeavour, I completed all of my medical tests after flight, met with NASA officials, and reunited with my family. Finally, I was alone in my office room in astronaut crew quarters at the Kennedy Space Centre, exhausted and ready for bed. And I did what anyone does when they return to their hotel room on a business trip: I turned on the TV. The television news started up: Such and such had happened, people were shocked, blah blah blah. Sports scores. Silly commercials.

It didn't take more than a minute before I had to turn it off. It felt like my body was rejecting all this input, just as it would reject an organ donation that had the wrong blood type. All of this noise was just completely foreign to who I was—or, more appropriately, who I had become. A few hours before, I had been orbiting Earth, seeing our planet from space, flying the most amazing machine ever built by human hands, working with a team that was the absolute success of human. And now here in my room watching what was being sold as news, and with my new-found perspective, I just could not stomach it. My world view was changed forever in a profound(深刻的) way.

The biggest change by far and the one for which I will always be most grateful is this big-picture perspective. That will stick with me for the rest of my life.

Whenever I feel the pressure of modern life, the stress about work, or worry about the future, I remember my time in the space station. Back to seeing the sun set. Or watching our galaxy rise on the horizon. Or seeing a sea of lightning flash a hundred times a second. Or simply back to floating weightlessly.

When I'm there in my mind and realise how many billions of these beautiful sunsets there have been and will be in the future, the cares of the world just don't seem that pressing. It goes that, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself." Living daily life down here on the planet is so much better with this attitude!

(1) Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word "stomach" in Paragraph 2? A. Access. B. Attend. C. Accept. D. Afford.
(2) What is the most important change to the writer? A. He has a broader view of the world. B. He doesn't like watching TV any more. C. He will always be most grateful for everything. D. He can fly the most amazing machine by hands.
(3) What attitude to life does the writer tend to have? A. A caged bird longs for clouds. B. Live in the present moment. C. Let bygones be bygones. D. Time works great changes.
阅读理解 常考题 普通
2. 阅读理解

We all know cameras. But have you heard of Google's new camera? It is a small, smart device, called Clips. It comes with a case that has a clip (夹子), but it's not designed to be worn on your clothing. Most interestingly, it uses artificial intelligence to take photographs out of your hands so it can capture moments on its own. 

This roughly 2-inch by 2-inch camera ,with a three-hour battery life and Gorilla Glass for toughness, is intended for candid moments, like when a child does something cute that may happen too quickly for you to pull out your smart phone. 

Onboard the Clips device, it uses machine learning algorithms (计算程序)to help capture scenes. Those algorithms include face recognition. "Once it learns that there's a face you see frequently, it'll try to get nice photos of those faces. " said JustonPayne, the device's product manager. And they also want it to recognize facial expressions, which involved training it to know what happiness looks like. The Google team also trained it to recognize what not to shoot-like when a child's hand is over the camera, or if it is thrown in a dark purse. 

The only way to see the images is by connecting the camera with your phone, as it has no screen for viewing or editing. 

Did people think it was strange? Yes, but Payne said nobody need worry about safety. A green light on the front shows that the device is on. Besides, it is not connected to the Internet. 

"This product is only possible because technology has advanced. " Payne said. It was only in the past year that they could squeeze the technology down into a device this size. "Going forward, we're likely to get more assistance from the artificial intelligence packed into our apps. " He added. 

(1) Which is the most striking feature of Clips? A. It is pretty small and cute. B. It takes photos on its own. C. It has a longer battery life. D. It can be worn on your clothes.
(2) Why does the author mention "child" in Para 2? A. To clarify a concept. B. To present a fact C. To explain a feeling. D. To make a comparison.
(3) How can one see the photos taken by Clips? A. By connecting Clips to the Internet. B. By learning the machine algorithms. C. By linking Clips with your mobile phone. D. By advancing science technology further.
(4) What is Payne's attitude towards the application of AI into apps? A. Critical. B. Positive. C. Indifferent. D. Doubtful.
阅读理解 未知 普通
3.阅读短文,回答问题

COVID-19 has brought a great deal of trouble for all of us since March 2020. During this time, mobile phones have been the solution for the boredom and restlessness caused from staying indoors. The most downloaded apps on the play store 2020 are:

TikTok

TikTok was the most downloaded app. With over 111. 9 million downloads, TikTok has seen a huge growth in 2020, twice more than what it got in 2019. 20% of its total downloads were from India and around 9. 3% of the total downloads were in the US.

Zoom

Zoom was the second most installed app in overall downloads. With nearly 94. 6 million installs, Zoom is the most used app for online meetings and virtual classrooms. 17% of its downloads were in the US and India. Offices and educational institutes were shut down and to continue working and studying from home, people relied heavily on Zoom for video conferencing and calling.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp ranked third in overall downloads with more than 100 million downloads. It is one of the most popular and widely used chat applications; WhatsApp also supports communication between international phone networks.

Meta

It ranked fourth on the overall downloaded list. Meta is the world's most popular social networking application. Meta builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities and grow businesses.

(1) What do we know about TikTok? A. It is an India-based app. B. It has most users in America. C. It is used for growing business. D. It has doubled its download than in 2019.
(2) Which app is the best to turn to for online education? A. TikTok. B. Zoom. C. WhatsApp. D. Meta.
(3) What function does Meta probably serve? A. Communication. B. Training. C. Teaching. D. Payment
阅读理解 常考题 普通