At 10 years old, Flynn Mc Garry became sick of the meals his mother cooked for him. So the Los Angeles native took matters into his own hands and started making his own dinners. One of his specialties? Trout with braised leeks(韭蔥燉鮭魚).
Now 13, the young chef is being praised as a “food prodigy(神童)”. He will spend his summer apprenticing with some of the best chefs at LA’s famous restaurants, MSNBC Nightly New reports.
Mc Garry began making a name for himself in the culinary(烹飪) world when John Sedlar, owner of the trendy Playa Restaurant, let Mc Garry take over the kitchen for a special nine-course meal. The meal sold out almost instantly.
“Flynn is a very unusual young man, and he’s very, very passionate,” owner John Sedlar told MSNBC.
By usual teenage boy standards, it’s true. So strong is his passion for cooking that the young man has turned his bedroom into an experimental kitchen laboratory.
Instead of video game consoles, baseball trophies and movie posters, Mc Garry’s room is lined with mixers, pots and pans, cutting boards and a stainless steel worktable. It’s where Mc Garry cooks his monthly pop-up dinners, which are served from his family’s dining room, a monthly supper club he calls Eureka.
Mc Garry is deft(靈巧的) and confident in the kitchen, with skills he’s been practicing since he was a child. What started out as a means of self-preservation from his mom’s unsatisfactory cooking has turned into a passion that the teen hopes to develop into a career.
“My goal? Michelin three stars, a restaurant in the top 50 list,” he told MSNBC. “Hopefully the top five.” Meanwhile, Mc Garry’s 13-year-old resume is already richer and more impressive than most cooks many times his age.
Mc Garry isn’t the only talented young prodigy to surprise experts in his field in recent years. At just 17 years old, physicist Taylor Wilson is already teaching graduate-level courses in physics and has built a functioning nuclear reactor.
【小題1】Mc Garry first started cooking ___________.

A．for himself	B．a(chǎn)s an experiment
C．in his own bedroom	D．with a teacher’s guidance

【小題2】Compared with many adult chefs, Mc Garry ________.

A．has the best cooking equipment in his kitchen

B．is inventive and has many new specialties to his name

C．has much and impressive cooking experience for his young age

D．wants to open his own Michelin three-star restaurant

【小題3】The author mentions Taylor Wilson in the last paragraph to ______.

A．prove that Flynn’s success is not a rare case

B．compare his talent to that of Flynn Mc Garry

C．introduce a young talent in a different field

D．suggest experts should be trained at a young age

【小題4】Where does this text probably come from?

A．A recipe book	B．A restaurant introduction
C．A career guide	D．A news report

A robot is a computer-controlled machine that is programmed to move and handle objects. Robots are able to perform repetitive tasks more quickly, cheaply, and accurately (精確的) than humans. In 1995, about 700,000 robots were used－including over 500,000 in Japan, about 120,000 in Western Europe, and about 60,000 in the United States－all in the industrialized world. Many robots applications are designed for tasks that are either dangerous or unpleasant for human beings. Now, robotic technology can be used in more and more fields. Experts say in the future robots will be able to make new highways, construct steel frameworks of buildings, clean sewage (污水系統(tǒng)), and such physical work. Besides, another possibility is the development of robotic technology in medical surgery operations.

Perhaps the greatest changes in future robots will improve from their increasing ability to reason. The field of artificial intelligence is moving rapidly from university labs to practical application in industry, and machines of a new kind of robots are being developed, which can perform something involved in the process of understanding and planning, such as the management of a battlefield. Even the control of a large factory will be performed by intelligent computers. And there might be a possibility that these computers can design and make robots of their own.

Is there anything dangerous involved in this artificial intelligence progress then? Robot technology has been making people nervous ever since it was invented. Is it unreasonable to worry that robots will someday become too clever? Is it impossible that these human-like robots will start to think and plan for themselves? Will robots take over the world and force humans to give them energy to survive?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1995, about 700,000 robots were working in _____________.

A. Japan      B. the United States     C. Western Europe     D. the industrialized world

Which of the following do experts say robots won’t be able to do in the future?  

A. Take care of roads.                    B. Be used as medicine.

C. Used as underground pipeline cleaner.     D. Take up jobs of building construction.

What does the underlined word “which” in Paragraph 2 refer to? 

A. Greatest changes in future robots.        B. The field of artificial intelligence.     

C. Machines of a new kind of robots.        D. Practical application in industry.

What can we know from the 2nd paragraph？

A. It is possible that robots will be able to think like human beings.

B. It is sure that robots might be able to manage battlefields.

C. There is no doubt that computers can design and make robots of their own.

D. It is proved that computers can’t reason like human beings.

Which of the following makes people worried most?

A. Future robotic technology might cause dangers.

B. Future robotic technology might make people too clever.

C. Future robotic technology might help to do all dangerous jobs.

D. Future robotic technology might not survive because of its shortage of energy.

If you haven’t heard or seen anything about Road Rage in the last few months, you’ve probably been avoiding the media. There have been countless stories about this new and scary phenomenon, considered a type of aggressive driving. You have most likely encountered aggressive driving or Road Rage recently if you drive at all.

    While drunk driving remains a critical problem, the facts about aggressive driving are surely as disturbing. For instance, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association, 41,907 people died on the highway last year. Of those deaths, the agency estimates that about two-thirds were caused at least in part by aggressive driving behavior.

    Why is this phenomenon occurring more than ever now, and why is it something that seemed almost nonexistent a few short years ago? Experts have several theories, and all are probably partially correct. One suggestion is sheer overcrowding. In the last decade, the number of cars on the roads has increased by more than 11 percent, and the number of miles driven has increased by 35 percent. However, the number of new road miles has only increased by 1 percent. That means more cars in the same amount of space; and the problem is magnified（增強(qiáng)） in urban areas. Also, people have less time and more things to do. With people working and trying to fit extra chores and activities into the day, stress levels have never been higher. Stress creates anxiety, which leads to short tempers. These factors, when combined in certain situations, can spell Road Rage.

    You may think you are the last person who would drive aggressively, but you might be surprised. For instance, have you ever yelled out loud at a slower driver, sounded the horn long and hard at another car, or sped up to keep another driver from passing? If you recognize yourself in any of these situations, watch out!

    Whether you are getting angry at other drivers, or another driver is visibly upset with you, there are things you can do to avoid any major conflict. If you are easily influenced by Road Rage, the key is to discharge your emotion in a healthy way. If you are the target of another driver’s rage, do everything possible to get away from the other driver safely, including avoiding eye contact and getting out of their way.

1.The first sentence in Para. 1 implies that ______. A. one may be angered by media reports and wants to avoid them

B. the media invented the term “Road Rage” only a few months ago C. Road Rage has received much media coverage in the last few months D. people not interested in the media know little about recent happenings

2.The underlined word “spell” in Para. 3 means ________.

A. relieve                B. cause             C. spread             D. prevent

3.Which of the following characterizes aggressive driving?

   A. Talking while driving.               B. Driving at high speed.

   C. Sounding the horn when passing.      D. Shouting at another driver.

4.The last paragraph is intended to _________.

A. tell people how to deal with Road Rage

   B. inform people how aggressive drivers could be

   C. show people how to control themselves when angry

   D. warn people against eye contact with another driver

 

Television, which made its first serious appearance in 1939, did not become common until the early 1950s．Since then, millions of children have grown up in front of the set, and many people now worry about the effect that TV has on the young, and on society in general．Educators, psychologists, and crime experts wonder if television should be abolished（取消）．Many ordinary parents wish it had never been invented．Why are they so afraid? Is television as harmful as they think it is?
Like almost anything else, television has its good and its bad sides．One should surely thank its inventors for the joy and interest that they have brought into the lives of the old, the sick, and the lonely -- all those who, without it, would have no pleasure and no window on the world.
In truth, television has opened windows in everybody's life．No newspaper has ever reached so many people and shown so clearly what was happening right now in their own country and everywhere else．TV not only gives the news instantly, it also shows it in pictures more powerful than words．It can be said that TV has brought reality to the public．Millions of people now have seen the effects of a battle, a flood, a fire, a crime, disasters of every sort on the screen.
Unfortunately, television's influence has been extremely harmful to the young．Children do not have enough experience to realize that TV shows present an unreal world．They want to imitate what they see．They do believe that the violence they see is normal and acceptable．By the time they are out of high school, most young people have watched about 15,000 hours of television, and have seen about 18,000 killings or other acts of violence．All educators and psychologists agree that the "television generations" are more violent than their parents and grandparents,
According to the same experts, the young are also less patient．Used to TV shows, where everything is quick and entertaining, they do not have the patience to read an article without pictures; to read a book that requires thinking; to listen to a teacher who doesn't do funny things like the people on children's programs．And they expect all problems to be solved happily in ten, fifteen or thirty minutes．That's the time it takes on the screen.
It is certain that television has deeply changed our lives and our society．It is certain that, along with its benefits, it has brought many serious problems．To these problems we must soon find a solution because, whether we like it or not, television is here to stay.
【小題1】First TV set was made ______.

A．in 1939

B．in 1950s

C．in 1940s

D．in 1919

【小題2】Which of the following people have a view on TV different from the others?

A．Educators．	B．TV producers．
C．Crime experts．	D．Psychologists.

【小題3】According to the author, who need TV most?

A．Educators.	B．Crime experts.
C．The old and the lonely.	D．The children and their parents.

【小題4】We can conclude that ‘television generations’ are_______.

A．lonely

B．more patient

C．more violent

D．more gentle

 

Sports shoes that workout whether their owner has enough exercise to warrant(許可) time in front of the television have been invented in the UK.

The shoes — named Square Eyes — contain an electronic pressure sensor and a tiny computer chip to record how many steps the wearer has taken in a day. A wireless transmitter passes the information to a receiver connected to a television, and this decides how much evening viewing time the wearer deserves, based on the day’s efforts.

The design was inspired by a desire to fight against the rapidly ballooning waistlines among British teenagers, says Gillian Swan, who developed Square Eyes as a final year design project at Brunel University to London, UK. “We looked at current issues and childhood overweight really stood out,” she says. “And wanted to solve that with my design.”

Once a child has used up their daily allowance gained through exercise, the television automatically switches off. And further time in front of the TV can only be earned through more steps.

Swan calculated how exercise should translate to television time using the recommended daily amounts of both. Health experts suggest that a child take 12,000 steps each day and watch no more than two hours of television. So, every 100 steps recorded by the Square Eyes shoes equals precisely one minute of TV time.

Existing pedometers (計(jì)步器) normally clip onto a belt or slip into a pocket and keep count of steps by measuring sudden movement. Swan says these can be easily tricked into (誘騙,欺騙)recording steps through shaking. But her shoe has been built to be harder for lazy teenagers to cheat. “It is possible, but it would be a lot of effort,” she says. “That was one of my main design considerations.”

1．According to Swan, the purpose of her design project is to ________.

A．keep a record of the steps of the wearer 

B．deal with overweight among teenagers

C．enable children to resist the temptation of TV

D．prevent children from being tricked by TV programs

2．Which of the following is true of Square Eyes shoes?

A．They regulate(控制) a child’s evening TV viewing time.

B．They determine a child’s daily pocket money.

C．They have raised the hot issue of overweight.

D．They contain information of the receiver.

3．What is stressed by health experts in their suggestion?

A．The exact number of steps to be taken.

B．The precise number of hours spent on TV.

C．The proper amount of daily exercise and TV time.

D．The way of changing steps into TV watching time.

4．Compared with other similar products, the new design ________.

A．makes it difficult for lazy teenagers to cheat

B．counts the wearer’s steps through shaking

C．records the sudden movement of the wearer

D．sends teenagers’ health data to the receiver

5．Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A．Smart Shoes Decide on Television Time

B．Smart Shoes Guarantee (擔(dān)保,保證)More Exercise

C．Smart Shoes Measure Time of Exercise

D．Smart Shoes Stop Childhood Overweight