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This course is intended for anyone interested in entry-level coaching. Expect the material included in the course to cover safety, ethics（道德） in coaching, coach-athlete communication, basic dragon boat technique, basic physiological requirements of dragon boat racing, race and practice planning, plus more. (1)According to the passage, in this camp. A.you will enjoy a BBQ at the opening B.you need to be over 18 C.you should have some dragon boat skills D.you can have fun on land (2)How much does the camp with Option 1 cost if you pay at the end of 2017? A.$370. B.$395. C.$445. D.$470.
(3)We can learn from the passage that . A.Option 1 includes a three-hour session B.add-ons can be bought during registration
C.Option 2 is for those fond of advanced coaching D.video analysis is covered in the coaching course (4)The purpose of the passage is to . A.recommend an upcoming training camp B.introduce the options in a training camp
C.provide ideas about how to spend a vacation D.offer advice on how to win in dragon boat races 19
C
As the world's population grows, farmers will need to produce more and more food. And large farms are increasingly using precision farming to increase yields （产量）, reduce waste, and reduce the economic and security risks that inevitably accompany agricultural uncertainty.
Traditional farming relies on managing entire field—making decisions related to planting, harvesting, irrigating, and applying pesticides and fertilizer（农药和化肥）—based on regional conditions and historical data. Precision farming, by contrast, combines sensors robots, GPS, mapping tools and data—analytics software to customize the care that plants receive without increasing labor. Robot—mounted sensors and camera-equipped drones (无人机）wirelessly send images and data on individual plants to a computer, which looks for signs of health and stress. Farmers receive the feedback in real time and then deliver water, pesticide or fertilizer in adjusted doses (剂量）to only the areas that need it. The technology can also help farmers decide when to plant and harvest crops.
As a result, precision farming can improve time management, reduce water and chemical use, and produce healthier crops and higher yields—all of which benefit farmers' bottom lines and conserve resources while reducing chemical runoff.
Many small businesses are developing new software, sensors, and other tools for precision farming, as are large companies such as Monsanto, John Deere, Bayer, Dow and DuPont. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration all support precision farming, and many colleges now offer course work on the topic.
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In a related development, seed producers are applying technology to improve plant characteristics.By following individual plants over time and analyzing which ones flourish in different conditions, companies can relate the plants' response to their environments with their genomics（基因组学）.That information, in turn, allows the companies to produce seed varieties that will grow well in specific soil and weather conditions. This advanced technology may also help to improve crop nutrition.
Farmers do not universally welcome precision agriculture for various reasons, such as high equipment costs and lack of access to the Internet. The technology may bring great challenges to experienced farmers who are not good at computers. And large systems will also be beyond the reach of many small farming operations in developing nations. But less expensive, simpler systems could potentially be applied. For others, though, cost savings in the long run may reduce the financial concerns. And however reticent some farmers may be to adopt new technology, the next generation of farmers are likely to warm to the approach.
(1)Precision farming differs from traditional farming partly because it . A.provides real time information about target crops B.relies on regional conditions and historical data C.offers plenty of water, pesticides and fertilizer D.guarantees high yields with more labor
(2)About precision farming, we can learn that . A.the government holds a cautious attitude B.it draws positive responses from businesses C.seed producers have already made huge profits
D.large systems will soon be built in developing nations
(3)The underlined word \A.disappointed B.confused C.shocked D.unwilling (4)What is the best title for the passage? A.Precision Farming Increases Crop Yields. B.More Challenges Faced by Modern Farmers. C.Development of Farming Systems in the U.S. D.Traditional Farming is Gradually Disappearing. 20
D
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.
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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)Supporters of technology self-acceleration hold the view that . 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? ? A.
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B.
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C.
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D.
七选五
21
A kiln（窑） is a type of oven or furnace used to cure, harden, or burn certain materials. Depending on which materials are heated in it, a kiln may be square, tunnel shaped, or beehive shaped, and usually made of brick or stone. 1 It may be set as low as sixty-five degrees to cure grain or as high as 3,200degrees to transform limestone to quicklime （熟石灰）.
2 They have a variety of purposes. The cement （水泥）industry uses revolving kilns to heat and separate raw materials. Bricks, pottery, and china
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