Unit 4 Pygmalion
Ⅰ.阅读理解(2018北京海淀区期末)
Is Technology Moving Too Fast?
Differing fundamentally from the prior technologies such as telephone, television and automobile, which are better known as lock-in, the new technologies—computers,biotechnology and nanotech(纳米技术)—are self-accelerating. This means that the products of their own processes enable them to develop even more rapidly.Since they drive almost whole sectors of society, creating unstable,unpredictable and unreliable conditions, there is a growing public concern that perhaps what civilization needs is a NOT-SO-FAST button.
Supporters of technological determinism make a strong case for letting self-accelerating technologies follow their own life cycle. Rapid development in computer technology, they point out, has separated robotics and the Internet—to the great benefit of industry and human communications.Besides, it isn’t so easy for a free society to put the brakes on technology.Even if one country decided to abandon the next technological revolution, another country, would gladly take it up.
However, there are comforting situations in which technology may brake itself. In the aging population of the developed world, many people are already tired of trying to keep up with the latest cool new tech. Youth-driven tech acceleration could be interpreted as simple youthful stupidity—short-sighted and short-lived. The market for change could dry up, and lock-in might again become the norm. Stress and great tiredness make powerful decelerators.
Change that is too rapid can be deeply divisive. If only elite (精英) can keep up, the rest of us will grow increasingly puzzled about how the world works. We can understand natural biology,complex as it is, because it holds still. But how will we ever be able to understand quantum computing (量子计算) or nanotechnology if its complexity keeps accelerating away from us?
Constant technological revolution makes planning difficult, and a society that stops planning for the future is likely to become a fragile society. It could experience violent economic unrest. It could slip into wars fought with cruel new weapons. Its widespread new
technologies could fail in massive or horrible ways. All these constant, worrying small failures could weaken the whole social progress.
With so many powerful forces in play, technology could hyper-accelerate to the stars with astonishing rapidity, or it could stop completely. My expectation is that it will do both,with various technologies proceeding at various rates. The new technologies may be self-accelerating, but they are not self-determining. They are the result of ever renegotiated agreement with society. Because they are so powerful, their paths may undergo wild swings, but I think the trend will be toward the dynamic middle:much slower than the optimists expect, much faster than the pessimists think humanity can bear. 1.Which of the following views do supporters of technology self-acceleration hold? A.The society is free to make the technology go more slowly. B.The high rate of computer tech is of great benefit to human. C.Robotics has developed less rapidly than computer technology. D.Self-accelerating technologies promote international cooperation. 2.According to the passage, what may slow down the accelerating technology? A.A carefully planned society. B.The simple youthful stupidity. C.People’s stress and exhaustion. D.The rapid change of the market. 3.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the passage? A.To guide the new technologies for a safe acceleration. B.To confirm the public concern about new technologies. C.To explain the threats in technological self-acceleration. D.To relieve the public fear for technology acceleration.
4.Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?
CP:Central point P:Point Sp:Sub-point(次要点) C:Conclusion
语篇解读:技术飞速进步到底是好事还是坏事?不同的人有不同的看法。技术决定论者认为应该顺其自
然,但也有人认为技术会自我刹车。 答案及剖析:
1.B 细节理解题。从第二段中的Rapid development in computer technology...has separated robotics and the Internet—to the great benefit of industry and human communications.可知,计算机技术的快速发展将机器人技术和互联网分离,二者对工业和人类通信有巨大益处。 2.C 细节理解题。根据第四段可知,在发达世界的老年人口中,许多人厌倦了去追求新技术。不断追求新技术会给人带来压力。压力和疲惫会成为强大的减速器。
3.D 推理判断题。从第三段的转折起,作者开始陈述技术会自动刹车的理由。这正好可以缓解第一段中所说的公众普遍的担心,即技术过快发展会给社会带来不安、不可预测性、不可靠性等种种不利状况。
4.D 细节理解题。第一段大意为:公众普遍担心技术过快发展会给社会带来不安、不可预测性、不可靠性等种种不利状况。第二段大意为:技术决定论者提出有力证据,证明可以让技术按照自我生命周期发展。第三段是转折段——作者认为技术可以自我刹车。下面三段解释原因。第四段大意为:压力和疲惫形成强大的减速器,可以减缓技术的快速发展。第五段大意为:技术变化过快会使公众分化,精英们理解并拥抱新技术,余下的公众处于茫然之中。第六段大意为:持续不断的技术革命会让做计划变得困难,停止计划的社会是一个脆弱的社会,最终会减缓社会的进步。第七段是总结段——技术的发展速度最后会比乐观者认为的慢,会比悲观者认为的快。因此D项清晰展现了文章整体结构。 Ⅱ.七选五(2018广东肇庆第二次统一检测)
Tips on Impressing an Audience
1.Read aloud to kids
Volunteer to read books to children at a library or daycare center.1. You might speak like a favorite movie star for one or imitate a cartoon character for another.“Performing” books can help you learn to describe different characters and to speak with energy and enthusiasm.
2.2.
Play “Freeze” with friends. Two players start acting out a scene from a movie, TV show or story. When something in the scene reminds another player of a scene from a different story or show, that person says “Freeze!”and replaces one of the actors.3. The other actor tries to follow along until someone else in the group thinks of another scene and says “Freeze!” Continue playing as long as you can keep up the creativity.
3.Project your voice
An important skill for speaking in front of an audience is speaking loudly and clearly so that your voice will be heard.4.
Lie on the floor with a small paper plate balanced on your stomach. Take a few deep breaths. Watch the plate rise when you inhale (吸气) and sink when you exhale(呼气).Breathe again, exhaling longer and trying to make the plate sink lower. As you do this, feel your muscles tightening up.5. Try to make the plate sink fast as you shout. Do this a few times daily to build up those muscles and help you push out sound. A.Play an acting game.
B.Take another deep breath and shout “ha”. C.The new player begins acting out the new scene. D.Gain confidence by practicing as much as possible.
E.To do this, you need to develop and use the correct muscles. F.This fast-paced game improves your ability to think on your feet. G.Practice before you read, giving each character a different personality. 答案:1-5 GACEB
Ⅲ.完形填空(2018江西南昌二模)
“I have a letter for you ,”my friend Kirsten told me on the phone.“I think it’s from your mother.” I was 1 ,since my mother had been 2 for seven years.
A few weeks later Kirsten handed me the 3 dated Aug.30, 2002. Around then I was preparing for my pilot course’s final exam at the 4 school. The students finished the training on 5 days.
I was the first to 6 .My mother’s letter 7 after I left. Kirsten picked it up from my mail-box, to keep 8 she next saw me. 9 , a few days later, when it was her turn to leave, she 10 the letter among the piles of papers she 11 packed into boxes. It 12 there for a decade, during which my mother died. In 2013, when Kirsten 13 some dusty belongings from her flying school days,she 14 the letter.
It’s been two years since Kirsten gave me the letter which I’ve carried on my long flights. But I haven’t 15 it yet. When I told some friends this, they 16 their heads. They said they wouldn’t have been able to wait a second. Of course, I 17 —How could
I not?—about her 18 in the envelope. Surely, I think, she had written to wish me luck, ask about my life and tell me the news from 19 to make me at ease. However, for now it’s 20 to look at her handwriting on the envelope, and to remember that until I open it, I know I’ll hear from her once more.
1.A.delighted B.confused C.terrified D.moved 2.A.back
B.lost C.dead D.sick
B.package C.ticket
D.stamp
3.A.envelope
4.A.art B.sports C.flight D.military 5.A.blessed 6.A.flee
B.hard C.particular
D.different
B.leave C.abandon D.escape
7.A.landed B.returned C.disappeared D.delivered 8.A.until B.when C.unless D.after 9.A.Surely B.Thankfully C.Doubtfully 10.A.removed 11.A.slowly
B.misplaced B.seriously
D.Unfortunately
C.hid D.unfolded C.hurriedly
D.carefully
12.A.appeared B.stood 13.A.sorted through
C.settled D.remained
D.got through
B.set down C.put down
D.addressed
14.A.posted B.recalled C.found 15.A.received B.opened 16.A.nodded
B.lifted
C.touched D.replied C.shook
D.lowered D.wonder D.secret D.home
17.A.complain B.inquire C.worry 18.A.words B.interests 19.A.network
B.abroad
C.puzzle C.papers
20.A.appropriate B.enough C.foolish D.polite
语篇解读:在作者即将从飞行学校毕业的时候,母亲给她寄了一封信。信到的时候,作者已经离校。作者的朋友替她收了这封信。但是,由于意外,这封信在朋友那儿放了10年之后才到了作者手里。后来,作者一直随身携带这封信,但一直没有打开。作者感觉现在只要看到信封上母亲的字迹就足够了。 答案及剖析:
1.B 根据后文的for seven years及for a decade,during which my mother died可知,作者的母亲去世七年之后,朋友打电话告诉作者有一封来自作者母亲的信,作者应该是感到很困惑。confused
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