题干

   Driverless technology will soon enter another major global industry: shipping. Several companies recently announced plans to launch self-sailing ships to improve safety and efficiency.

One of them is the Norwegian chemical company Yara International. Yara has teamed up with another Norwegian company, Kongsberg, to build an autonomous goods ship expected to be launched next year.

Kongsberg developed the ship's electrical technology and autonomous control systems. The ship is fully electric to reduce air pollution. It is designed to carry goods containers normally transported by truck. This means the ship will also improve road safety by replacing about 40, 000 truck trips a year. The company plans to operate the ships by far-away control beginning sometime next year. By 2020, the ships should be loading and sailing themselves. While Yara's ships will be limited to Norway at first, the company plans to greatly expand its autonomous shipping operations in the coming years.

Another company putting a high priority(优先)to self-sailing ships is the world's largest mining company, Australia's BHP Billiton. The company's Vice President of Freight, Rashpal Bhai, recently spoke about the technology in a website post. Bhatti believes automation will be one of the biggest changes for shipping in the future. He said, "Autonomous ships offer important opportunities to improve safety and provide more effective results to the supply chain of the sea. "He added that self-sailing ships could become a reality within the next decade.

Rolls-Royce, the British automobile and engine manufacturer(制造商), is also developing unmanned(无人驾驶的)shipping technologies. Oskar Levander is the company's head of operations at sea. He said in a conference last year, "This is happening. It's not if, it's when. "

Levander said these autonomous ships could be controlled by far-away operators from anywhere. He added, "Because these ships will be designed to be unmanned, they can be built smaller, more efficient and environmentally friendly. "

【小题1】Why have several countries announced plans to produce self-sailing ships?
A.To save money.
B.To develop electrical technology in ships.
C.To compete in autonomous control systems.
D.To make shipping more effective and less risky.
【小题2】What do Oskar Levander's words suggest in Paragraph 4?
A.It is too early to make autonomous ships.
B.The supply chain of the sea will be busier.
C.People are more concerned about autonomous ships.
D.Unmanned shipping technologies are becoming more mature.
【小题3】What would be the best title for the text?
A.Automation in Sail
B.Self-sailing Ships in Use
C.Automation in Some Fields
D.Automation in Imagination
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同类题2

   There's a good chance that something you've bought online has been in the hands of a " picker". These are the workers in warehouses (仓库) who pick, pack and ship all those things we ordered.

At Amazon and other companies, they're working side by side with robots. Experts say while the robots are replacing some human workers, the machines aren't quite ready to take over completely.

When a robot finds its storage unit,' it slides underneath, lifts it up and then delivers it to a worker they're called pickers. On a recent day, the computer told a picker to grab what looked like a fantasy board (#t 3#)game. The picker found it, packed it and placed it on the conveyer belt.

"In a traditional fulfillment center where the workers would walk to the different items, it can take hours to fulfill a customer order," Robinson says.

Now, with the help of robots, that task takes minutes and fewer humans.

So is this a sign that we're entering a new industrial revolution?

" It's definitely going to take over a lot of jobs ", says Karen Myers, a scientist at SRI, one of Silicon V alley's oldest research centers.

At the same time, she says, " We're running against the limits of technology. " Take the picker at the Amazon fulfillment center for example. Myers says those skills prove to be uniquely human.

"Our fingers are incredibly flexible and the current generation of robotic operators are getting much, much better," she says. "But they're just not quite there yet."

There's also the robot's brain.

Remember that board game the Amazon worker was looking for? She could barely see the box when it was filled into the storage bin——but she could tell it was a board game. Robots can't do that.

Technologists say that, increasingly, humans will work side by side with robots——instead of robots working alone.

Amazon says robots and humans enabled the Tracy warehouse to fulfill customer orders faster. That means more customers and more human workers.

【小题1】What does a picker do according to the text?
A.Selling goods.B.Storing goods.
C.Delivering goods.D.Producing goods.
【小题2】With the help. of robots, the tasks involved will become .
A.more difficultB.less straight
C.more efficientD.less profitable
【小题3】Compared with robots, which of the following is the advantage of human beings?
A.Flexible.B.Artificial.
C.Powerful.D.Energetic.
【小题4】What would be the best title for the text?
A.Robots replacing humans completely
B.Robots and humans working side by side
C.The future of robots .
D.The advantages of shopping online

同类题3

   Technological innovation(创新)may not give you a warm feeling. 【小题1】 Messaging apps are examples of technology that is helping bring people together. It’s ready to continue improving our lives as innovation allows technology to really understand how we live.

【小题2】

Some of the most popular and widely adopted innovations make things we’re already doing easier. A well-designed piece of technology can transform something that consumes time into a worry-free touch of your finger, giving you more time to spend with friends and family.

Proving that you really are you

Developers keep finding new and brilliant ways to prove our identities online. With fingerprints and voice recognition, technology keeps getting better at proving we are who we say we are. 【小题3】 .The more trust we have, the easier it will be to fully welcome the aspects of fintech(金融科技)and have control of our financial data.

Helping make good ideas a reality

Crowdfunding(众筹)technology keeps breaking down walls that may have previously kept good ideas from being realized. Here’s how it works: You throw your project to people through an online platform. 【小题4】 . By connecting dreamers and inventors to a new type of capital, technology is giving more creative ideas the opportunity to become a reality.

Adding even more quality to quality time

As technology continues improving, it becomes easier to build and keep a connection with someone who isn’t in the same location as you. 【小题5】 . And think about how great it will be when you can communicate with your friends and relatives in virtual reality. It will be the next best thing to be together in person.

A.Sparing some time to make friends
B.Freeing up more time for friends and family
C.However, when at its best, it opens our eyes to many things
D.Actually, it can do wonders to deepen our interpersonal connections
E.Think about how much easier it is to have a video meeting than before
F.This can make it easier to trust the connections we make online
G.If they are interested in your project, they donate money to fund your project

同类题4

   Scientists are debating how to limit their newly-discovered power to change genetic structure. Scientists have already changed the genes of farm animals and agricultural plants to make them more productive or stronger. But now they can also change genes in wild animals and plants. These genes would continue into later generations. For example,it may be possible for scientists' to remove from existence the kind of mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus. They might also be able to permanently remove species of plants and animals that are destructive to other species.

In a report published last week,the U.S. National Academies of Sciences,Engineering and Medicine said it supports continuing research on this kind of gene control. But it warned that it is not possible to know what will happen when these changed plants and animals are released into the wild.

Sixteen biologists,ethicists(伦理学家)and policymakers are on a National Academy of Sciences(NAS)committee that is examining the issue. They say that there is value to the new technology. But,they say,there is not enough evidence to support the release of changed organisms(生物)from the laboratory into nature.

Many people would support stopping mosquitoes and rats from carrying diseases. But scientists say we must understand the possible scientific,ethical,legal and social results of such action before we decide whether to take it. Gene modification is spread through reproduction(繁殖).Changed genes will continue to spread as long as an animal or plant continues to reproduce. They cannot be limited to a farm or kept within a country's borders. Scientists are wondering what may happen if a changed organism mates with another species. They are not yet sure how the changed genes would affect the other species. It is possible that those genes could harm those creatures or even lead to their disappearance from our planet.

【小题1】What possible advantage does gene control in wild animals and plants have?
A.Changing the Zika virus permanently.
B.Removing the destructive species forever.
C.Having changed genes in their next generations.
D.Making all the species more productive and stronger.
【小题2】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Scientists are not sure what exact results gene modification leads to.
B.Scientists won't change any genes before they make the final decision.
C.Gene modification has benefited some farm animals and agricultural plants.
D.Scientists have not applied gene modification to wild animals and plants in case of possible danger.
【小题3】As for genetically changed wild animals and plants, what are scientists worried about?
A.They may become weaker or die out.
B.They may be more productive.
C.They may cause damage to their living habitat.
D.Their genes may spread to later generations.
【小题4】What can be the best title for the passage?
A.Stop research on gene control
B.How to change genetic structure
C.Power and danger of gene control
D.Advantages of gene control in wild animals and plants

同类题5

   New technology rules the whole world now. But I still remember when I was a child, I did not have a cell phone or a computer because it was not necessary at all in those days. The Internet was not popular and the touch screen technology was unknown.

At this time here in the US smartphones are really a need, especially for young and business people. There are many applications (应用软件) really useful like maps, dictionaries, e-mails and games.

For me, I use my smartphone to check the weather and to look for something on the Internet and of course to keep communicating through calls and texts. Besides, I like music applications, GPS and Facebook.

Many tests have discovered that cell phones cause damage to us because they send out radioactive (具有放射性的) waves to our bodies and this could cause cancer.

Psychologists say that these devices can affect behavior and I believe everyone knows it is harmful to the eyes if we are sitting for a long time in front of the computer. However, it seems to be difficult for us to give up, even if we know how bad it is for our health. The use of technology becomes more and more important in our lives.

I think the use of technology has brought us unimaginable things. If we use technology correctly, I am sure it would be possible to decrease the damage to our bodies.

Keep in mind that it is important not to focus only on technology, but to spend time with our families and people close to us.

【小题1】What can we know from the passage?
A.The author is a businessman working for a cell phone company.
B.The author has suffered a lot from the use of electrical devices.
C.The author knows little about the functions of modern cell phones.
D.The author is quite pleased with the various functions of cell phones.
【小题2】Which of the following does the author agree with?
A.It’s not necessary to add more applications to cell phones.
B.Cell phones have made our world a boring place to live in.
C.New technology has done people more harm than good.
D.New technology makes people separated from each other.
【小题3】What does the underlined word “decrease” in Paragraph 6 mean?
A.Keep.B.Cause.
C.Reduce.D.Add.
【小题4】What does the author mainly discuss in the passage?
A.The importance of the Internet.B.The applications of cell phones.
C.The role of new technology in our lives.D.The health problems brought by cell phones.