New crime prediction software should reduce not only the murder rate, but the rate of other crimes. Developed by Richard Berk, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, the software has already used in Baltimore and Philadelphia to predict which individuals on probation(緩刑) or parole(假釋) are most likely to murder and to be murdered.
“When a person goes on probation or parole he is supervised(監(jiān)督) by an officer. The question is ‘what level of supervision is appropriate?’” said Berk. It used to be that parole officers used the person’s criminal record, and their judgment to make decisions.
“This research replaces those seat-of-the –pants calculations,” he said.
Technology helps determine level of supervision. On average there is one murder for every 100,000 people. Even among high-risk groups the murder rate is one in 100. Predicting such a rare event is very difficult, but advances in computer technology works.
Years ago, the researchers made a dataset of more than 60,000 various crimes. Using the software they developed, they found some much more likely to commit murder when paroled or probated. They could identify eight future murderers out of 100.
Berk’s software examines roughly two dozen variables(可變因素), from criminal record to geographic location. The type of crimes, and more importantly, the age at which that crime was committed, were two of the most predictive variables.
“People assume that if someone murdered then they will murder in the future,” said Berk. “ What really matters is what that person did as a young individual. Predicting future crimes sounds well. But we aren’t anywhere near being able to do that.”
“Berk’s scientific answer leaves policymakers with difficult questions. By labeling one group of people as high risk, and supervise them closely, there should be fewer murders, which the potential victims should be happy about. It also means that those high-risk individuals will be supervised more aggressively. For human rights advocates, that means punishing people who, most likely, will not commit a crime in the future,” said Bushway. “It comes down to a question of whether you would rather make these errors or those errors.”
小題1:The underlined words(in Para.3) probably mean___. 
A．calculations based on subjective opinions
B．calculations based on widespread voting
C．calculations made by advanced technology
D．calculations based on serious considering
小題2:For 650 people with crime records, how many potential murderers would the software find?
A．6.5.B．13.C．52.D．65.
小題3:From Para 7, we can infer that______.
A．the technology developed by Richard Berk will soon be widely used in the US
B．the technology would not be widely accepted in the short term
C．whether a person murders or not largely decided by his upbringing while young
D．if a person murdered when he was fifty, he is sure to murder again while on probation
小題4:Bushway’s attitude to the technology put forward by Richard Berk is ____.
A．positiveB．negativeC．objectiveD．indifferent
小題5:Which would be the best title for the passage?
A．Closely Supervise Potential Murders
B．Measures Taken to Prevent Criminal Behavior
C．Technology Revolutionizes Judges’ Way of Working
D．Software is Developed to Predict Criminal Behavior

小題1:A
小題2:C
小題3:B
小題4:C
小題5:D

試題分析：文章全篇介紹了預(yù)測(cè)犯罪行為軟件的開(kāi)發(fā)是把雙刃劍，雖然可以提高對(duì)高危人群發(fā)生犯罪行為預(yù)測(cè)的精準(zhǔn)度，預(yù)防犯罪行為發(fā)生，但也會(huì)給那些不會(huì)再發(fā)生犯罪行為的人帶來(lái)不必要的實(shí)時(shí)監(jiān)控，使他們的權(quán)益受到損害。
小題1:推理題：劃線(xiàn)部分“seat-of-the –pants calculations”可用上一段中“It used to be that parole officers used the person’s criminal record, and their judgment to make decisions”解釋?zhuān)傅氖沁^(guò)去假釋官根據(jù)一個(gè)人的犯罪記錄和自己的判斷來(lái)做決定，可知假釋官的主觀(guān)因素很大。A項(xiàng)符合原句意。故選A。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)題：根據(jù)文章第四段中“They could identify eight future murderers out of 100”他們將來(lái)可以確定100個(gè)人中有8個(gè)殺人犯，因此650個(gè)人中會(huì)有52個(gè)罪犯。故選C。
小題3:推理題： 根據(jù)第七段最后一句“ But we aren’t anywhere near being able to do that.”但我們現(xiàn)在還做不到，可知這項(xiàng)技術(shù)短時(shí)間內(nèi)還不能被廣泛接受。故選B。
小題4:推理題：根據(jù)最后一段內(nèi)容可知對(duì)高危人群的監(jiān)控雖然會(huì)讓潛在的受害者高興，但也會(huì)對(duì)那些將來(lái)不會(huì)在犯罪的人是一種不必要的懲罰。由此可知他的觀(guān)點(diǎn)比較客觀(guān)。故選C。
小題5:主旨題：閱讀全文可知是在討論預(yù)測(cè)犯罪行為軟件的開(kāi)發(fā)。故選D
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Here is an astonishing and significant fact：Mental work alone can’t make us tired.It sounds absurd.But a few years ago，scientists tried to find out how long the human brain could labor without reaching a stage of fatigue (疲勞)．To the amazement of these scientists，they discovered that blood passing through the brain，when it is active，shows no fatigue at all! If we took a drop of blood from a day laborer，we would find it full of fatigue toxins(毒素) and fatigue products.But if we took blood from the brain of an Albert Einstein，it would show no fatigue toxins at the end of the day.
So far as the brain is concerned，it can work as well and swiftly at the end of eight or even twelve hours of effort as at the beginning.The brain is totally tireless.So what makes us tired?
Some scientists declare that most of our fatigue comes from our mental and emotional(情感的) attitudes.One of England’s most outstanding scientists，J.A.Hadfield，says，“The greater part of the fatigue from which we suffer is of mental origin.In fact，fatigue of purely physical origin is rare.”Dr.Brill，a famous American scientist，goes even further.He declares，“One hundred percent of the fatigue of a sitting worker in good health is due to emotional problems.”
What kinds of emotions make sitting workers tired? Joy? Satisfaction? No! A feeling of being bored，anger，anxiety，tenseness，worry，a feeling of not being appreciated－those are the emotions that tire sitting workers.Hard work by itself seldom causes fatigue.We get tired because our emotions produce nervousness in the body.
小題1:What surprised the scientists a few years ago?
A．Fatigue toxins could hardly be found in a laborer’s blood.
B．Albert Einstein didn’t feel worn out after a day’s work.
C．The brain could work for many hours without fatigue.
D．A mental worker’s blood was filled with fatigue toxins.
小題2:According to the author，which of the following can make sitting workers tired?
A．Challenging mental work.
B．Unpleasant emotions.
C．Endless tasks.
D．Physical labor.
小題3:What’s the author’s attitude towards the scientists’ ideas?
A．He agrees with them.
B．He doubts them.
C．He argues against them.
D．He hesitates to accept them.
小題4:We can infer from the passage that in order to stay energetic，sitting workers need to ________.
A．have some good food
B．enjoy their work
C．exercise regularly
D．discover fatigue toxins

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Space is where our future is — trips to the Moon, Mars and beyond. Most people would think that aside from comets(彗星) and stars, there is little else out there. But, since our space journey started we have left so much trash（垃圾） there that scientists are now concerned that if we don't clean it up, we may all be in mortal （致命的）danger.
The first piece of space junk was created in 1964, when the American satellite Vanguard I stopped operating and lost its connection with the ground center. However, since it kept orbiting around the Earth without any consequences, scientists became increasingly comfortable abandoning（拋棄） things that no longer served any useful purpose in space.
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The major problem with the space trash is that it may hit working satellites and damage traveling spacecraft(飛船). Moreover, pieces of junk may collide（碰撞） with each other and break into pieces which fall back to the Earth. To avoid this, scientists have invented several ways for clearing the sky. Ground stations have been built to monitor larger pieces of space trash to prevent them from crashing into working satellites or space shuttles. Future plans include a cooperative effort among many nations to stop littering in space and to clean up the trash already there.
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C．A fuel tank.D．A broken satellite.
小題2:Why were scientists NOT concerned about space trash in the beginning?
A．It no longer served any useful purpose.
B．It was millions of miles away from the Earth.
C．It did not cause any problems.
D．It was regarded as similar to comets and stars.
小題3:Which of the following statements is true about space junk?­
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C．It floats slowly around the Earth.
D．It may cause problems for space shuttles.
小題4:What has been done about the space trash problem­?
A, Scientists have cleaned up most of the trash.
B. Large pieces of space trash are being closely watched.
C. Many nations have worked together to stop polluting space.
D. Ground stations are built to help store the trash properly in space.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Televisions were among the most talked about items at the 2013 International Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Some employed the most advanced technology ever.
Some of the TVs used a new technology called Organic Light Emitting Diodes, or OLED. They were thinner, lighter, offered better color and were brighter than traditional LEDs. Smart TVs this year were smarter. Many offered technology that let users have a more personalized experience. One such TV from the electronics company TCL uses sensors and voice recognition to determine who is watching. It then offers programming based on the specific user. Another TV from Panasonic offers a similar personalized user experience.
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The yearly Consumer Electronics Show is the biggest technology trade show in North America and one of the biggest in the world.
Gary Shapiro is president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association, the group that organizes CES. He gave one of the keynote speeches on opening day.
“Now you know that CES is more than a trade show. It’s a gathering of the brightest minds and the top leaders from many industries and those seeking a glimpse into the future.”
That glimpse into the future included a look at digital health and fitness devices, which were also big at CES 2013. There were devices that track your activity and others that measure blood pressure, heart rate and weight. There was even a fork that tells you when you are eating too fast.
Cars, smart-phones, tablet computers and PCs also made news. And a 27-inch table computer drew quite a bit of attention.
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小題1:At the 2013 CES, which item drew the most attention?
A．Cars.B．Smart-phones.C．Computers.D．Televisions.
小題2:From the text, we can know that the TV from Panasonic _________.
A．is bigger than the othersB．uses the technology of OLED
C．offers a personalized experience D．can track your activity
小題3:What can we know from Gary Shapiro?
A．CES is only a big trade show.
B．CES offers a glimpse into the future.
C．CES lasts only four days in all.
D．He thinks little of the new products’ quality.
小題4:At the CES, the biggest TV in size might be from ______.
A．HiSenseB．PanasonicC．TCLD．CEA
小題5:From the passage we can infer that__________.
A．the CES is held every 4 years
B．a(chǎn)t the 2013 CES, the TV section was crowded
C．if you watch TV every day, you needn’t see a doctor
D．tablet computers drew more attention at the 2013 CES

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In such cases the device gives out more regular and louder sounds, showing that the driver should open a window or stop for a rest. If the driver’s response continues to slow down, the sounds become more frequent until a nonstop alarm warns that the driver must stop as soon as possible.
The device has been delivered to the department’s laboratories for testing. If these tests, scheduled for six months’ time, are successful, the makers will bring the product to market within about a year.
小題1:How should a driver respond to the sounds from Driver Alert?
A．By sounding a warning.
B．By touching the wristband.
C．By checking the driving time.
D．By pressing the steering wheel.
小題2:We can learn from the text that the driver needs to stop for a break when his response time is ________
A．a(chǎn)bout 400 milliseconds B．below 500 milliseconds
C．over 500 milliseconds D．a(chǎn)bout 4 minutes
小題3:When the driver gets sleepy while driving, Driver Alert ______.
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B．stops working properly
C．opens the window for the driver
D．sounds more frequently and loudly
小題4:According to the text, Driver Alert ______.
A．a(chǎn)ims to reduce tiredness-related accidents
B．has gone through testing at laboratories
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Move Earth—It’s Not Science Fiction

LONDON—Scientists have found an unusual way to  prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is send a few comets(彗星)in the direction of Earth, and its orbit will be changed. Our world will then be sent spinning into a safer, colder part of the solar system.
This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet—effectively doubling its working life.
The plan put forward by Dr. Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams, needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy to Earth.
“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the Sun, ”Laughlin said.
Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter or Saturn. The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated.
In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to global warming, although the team was actually concerned with a much greater danger. The Sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so“seriously compromise” our biosphere(生物圈)—by cooking us.
That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.
The plan has one or two worrying aspects, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation(誤算)in orbit could fire it straight at Earth—with deadly consequences.
There is also the question of the Moon. As the current issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its current position, it is“most likely the Moon would be stripped away from Earth”. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.
小題1:What makes the scientists plan to move Earth?
A．A few comets are moving to the direction of Earth.
B．Earth’s working life is coming to an end soon.
C．Earth will become too hot for mankind to keep alive.
D．The moon is moving farther and farther away from Earth.
小題2:If the plan is successful, Earth will have a working life of　　　years.
A．12 billion　B．6 billion
C．18 billion　D．24 billion
小題3:What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage?
A．The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the Moon.
B．Earth might be moved too far away and man might be frozen to death.
C．The comet might hit Jupiter or Saturn and never return to Earth.
D．Earth’s working life might be greatly shortened.
小題4:What does the underlined word“compromise”mean?
A．Provide. B．Benefit.
C．Share. D．Endanger.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Our love of music and appreciation of musical harmony is learnt and not based on natural ability, a new study by University of Melbourne researchers has found. The researchers said previous theories about how we appreciate music were based on the physical functions of sound, the ear itself and a born ability to hear harmony.
The study shows that musical harmony can be learnt, and it is a matter of training the brain to hear the sounds. So if you thought that the music of some foreign culture (or Jazz) sounded like the crying of cats, it’s simply because you haven’t learnt to listen by their rules.
The researchers used 66 volunteers with a range of musical training and tested their ability to hear combinations of notes(音符) to determine if they found the combinations familiar or pleasing. They found that people needed to be familiar with combinations of notes. If they found the notes unfamiliar they also found the sound unpleasant. This finding put an end to centuries of theories claiming that physical functions of the ear determine what we find attractive.
The study found that trained musicians were much more sensitive to unpleasant notes than non-musicians. When they couldn’t find the note, the musicians reported that the sounds were unpleasant, while non-musicians were much less sensitive. This shows the importance of training or nurturing(培養(yǎng)) the brain to like particular sound of combinations of notes, like those found in jazz or rock.
Depending on their training, a strange chord(和弦) sound was pleasant to some musicians, but very unpleasant to others. This showed us that even the ability to hear a musical note is learnt.
To confirm this finding, they trained 19 non-musicians to find the notes of a random selection of western chords. Not only did the participants’ ability to hear notes improve rapidly, afterward they reported that the chords they had learnt sounded more pleasant -- regardless of how the chords were played.
The question of why some combinations of musical notes are heard as pleasant or unpleasant has long been debated. “We have shown in this study that for music, beauty is in the brain of the beholder(觀(guān)看者)”, a researcher said.
小題1:According to the study, people find foreign music quite unpleasant because_____.
A．they hear the music much too often
B．they don’t like the person playing it
C．they have no idea about how to listen
D．they have no born musical ability at all
小題2:Although non-musicians were less sensitive to music, they can still_____.
A．be trained to like particular music
B．make friends with real musicians
C．find the beauty of chords without training
D．enjoy the beauty of music when played by musicians
小題3:The 19 non-musicians were trained in order to show_____.
A．the brain likes particular combinations of notes
B．not a strange note was pleasant to all musicians
C．how the chords were played was very important
D．people’s ability to hear a musical note can be learnt
小題4:What is the main idea of the passage?
A．Love of musical harmony can’t be taught.
B．Love of music is not natural but nurtured.
C．Listening to music can improve your brain.
D．You can be a musician without being trained.

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解



Google has been collecting tons of data about smartphone usage around the world．  Here are some of the most surprising and interesting facts:
Android is most popular in Japan, with 55% of respondents（調(diào)查對(duì)象） using it, compared with 39% for iOS．Android is also number one in a few other countries, including New Zealand （41%）, the US（40%）, and China （38%）．
iOS is farthest ahead in Switzerland, with 52% usage vs 23% for Android．Other countries where iOS is far ahead include Australia （49% vs 25% Android）, Canada （45% vs 23% Android and 23% Blackberry）,  and France （43% vs 25% Android）．
In Egypt, Windows Mobile is far more popular than iOS．13% of survey respondents use the Microsoft smartphone platform, behind Symbian （19%） and Android （14%）． iOS is very far down at 4%．
Mobile social networking is biggest in Mexico and Argentina, where 74% and 73% of users visit a social network daily．But mobile-social is weak in Japan where 34% of users never visit a social network on their phone, and this figure rises to41% in Brazil．
Watching video is most popular in Saudi Arabia, with 59% of respondents doing it daily．Number two is Egypt, with 41%．
Chinese users shop from their phones．59% of Chinese users do this, compared with only 41% in second-place Egypt．Chinese users also love to write reviews．41% of them write a review of a local business after looking it up on their smartphone．Number two, Japan, is far behind, with only 24% of respondents doing this．
小題1:Which of the following best describes the usage of the smartphone operating systems in Egypt?
A．Windows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian＞Android
B．Android＞W(wǎng)indows Mobile＞iOS＞Symbian
C．iOS＞Android＞Symbian＞W(wǎng)indows Mobile
D．Symbian＞Android＞W(wǎng)indows Mobile＞iOS
小題2:In which of the following countries is mobile social networking least popular?
A．Brazil．B．Japan．C．Mexico．D．Argentina．
小題3:In which section of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?
A．Health．B．Environment．C．Technology．D．Entertainment．

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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

As they migrate (遷移), butterflies and moths choose the winds they want to fly with, and they change their body positions if they start floating in the wrong direction. This new finding suggests that insects may employ some of the same methods that birds use for traveling long distances. Scientists have long thought that insects were simply at the mercy of the wind.
Fascinating as their skills of flight are, migrating behavior has been difficult to study in   insects because many long distant trips happen thousands of feet above ground. Only recently have scientists developed technologies that can detect (測(cè)出) such little creatures at such great heights.
To their surprise, though, the insects weren’t passive travelers on the winds. In autumn, for example, most light winds blew from the east, but the insects somehow sought out ones that carried them south and they positioned themselves to navigate directly to their wintering homes.
Even in the spring, when most winds flowed northward, the insects didn’t always go with the flow. If breezes weren’t blowing in the exact direction they wanted to go, the insects changed their body positions to compensate (補(bǔ)償). Many migrating birds do the same thing.
The study also found, butterflies and moths actively flew within the air streams that pushed them along. By adding flight speeds to wind speeds, the scientists calculated that butterflies and moths can travel as fast as 100 kilometers an hour. The findings may have real-world applications. With climate warming, migrating insects are growing in number. Knowing how and when these pests move could help when farmers decide when to spray their crops.
小題1:What’s the main idea of the text?  
A．Insects migrate with the seasons．
B．Wind helps insects greatly in migrating．
C．Windsurfing insects have real direction．
D．Scientists have trouble in observing insects．
小題2:Scientists originally thought that ________．
A．insects always waited for their favorable winds
B．insects chose the winds they wanted to ride
C．insects were just blown about by the wind
D．insects positioned themselves in the winds
小題3:It is not easy to study the migrating behavior of the insects because ________．         
A．the little creatures can fly very fast
B．they have no regular migrating courses
C．the wind’s direction is hard to foresee
D．their flight is long and high above ground
小題4:We can learn from the text that _________．          
A．insects fly in the way birds do
B．insects travel more easily in autumn
C．insects never position themselves when flying low
D．insects rest a lot when the wind pushes them along
小題5:According to the passage, the findings can__________．             
A．increase insects in numberB．instruct farmers when to spray
C．prevent climate warmingD．help protect insects

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