A. It was ruined by his pany. B. There was no press coverage.

C. It was well planned and organized. D. He actually reached the North Pole. 22. According to Ben Saunders, if you want to stretch your self-belief, you should______ . A. often test your confidence B. try something adventurous C. aim to reach the North Pole D. always stretch your muscles 23. Ben Saunders was excited about his Antarctic adventure because_______ . A. he liked running a marathon B. he wanted to exercise his body C. he knew it might be achievable D. he was sure he could do it easily 24. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A. We have to change our views about adventure. B. We can never know our possibilities and energies. C. We should have a reason for going on an adventure. D. We have to be especially talented to have an adventure.

B

puters have beaten human world champions at chess and, earlier this year, the board game Go(围棋). So far, though, they have struggled at the card table. So we challenged one AI(artificial intelligence) to a game.

Why is poker so difficult? Chess and Go are “information plete” games where all players can see all the relevant information. In poker, other players’ cards are hidden, making it an “information inplete” game. Players have to guess opponents’ hands from their

actions----tricky for puters. Solving poker could lead to many breakthroughs, from cyber security to driverless cars.

Scientists believe it is only a matter of time before AI once again vanquishes humans, so our human-machine match es up in a game of Texas Hold’s Em Limit Poker. The AI was developed by Johannes Heinrich, a researcher studying machine learning at UCL. It bines two techniques: neural(神经的)networks and reinforcement learning(强化学习).

Neural networks, to some degree, copy the structure of human brains: their processors are highly interconnected and work at the same time to solve problems. They are good at spotting patterns in huge amounts of data. Reinforcement learning is when a machine, given a task, carries it out, learning from mistakes it makes. In this case, it means playing poker against itself billions of times to get better.

Mr Heinrich told Sky News: “Today we are presenting a new procedure that has learned in a different way, more similar to how humans learn. In particular, it is able to learn abstract

patterns, represented by its neural network, which allow it to deal with new and unseen situations.”

After two hours of quite defensive play, from the puter at least, we called it a draw. 25. Why can’t the puter beat humans at the poker game? A. Because humans are cleverer than the puter

B. Because humans practice playing the poker game every day

C. Because the puter can’t learn the regular rules of the poker game D. Because the puter can’t know the other players’ cards pletely 26. What does the underlined word “vanquishes” in Paragraph 3mean?

A. Leaves B. Defeats C. Cheats D. Serves 27. What do we know about the reinforcement learning of AI? A. It solves problems correctly every time B. It is the same as the learning of humans C. It learns from the mistakes appearing in a task D. It is more developed than the studying ways of humans 28. What can be inferred from the text?

A. The new procedure of AI has some features of humans B. puters are stronger than humans in every aspect C. Humans will beat puters at playing poker forever

D. Scientists feel unhappy about the result of the poker game

C

The puter keyboard helped kill shorthand—a system of rapid handwriting, and now it’s threatening to finish off handwriting as a whole. When handwritten essays were introduced on the SAT exams for the class of 2018, just 15% of the most1.5 million students wrote their answers in cursive(手写体). The rest? Block letters.

And those college hopefuls are just the first edge of a wave of US students who no longer get much handwriting instructions in the primary grades, frequently 10 minutes a day or less. As a result, more and more students struggle to read and write cursive.

There are those who say the culture is at a crossing, turning from the written word to the typed one. If handwriting bees a lost form of munication, does it matter?

It was at University Virginia that researchers recently discovered a previously unknown poem by Robert, written in his unique script. Handwritten documents are more valuable to researchers,

historians say, because their authenticity can be confirmed. Students also find them more fascinating.

The loss of handwriting also may be a cognitive(认知的) opportunity missed. Several academic studies have found that good handwriting skills at a young age can help children express their thoughts better—a lifelong benefit.

It doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills. At some schools in Prince George’s County, elementary school students use a program called Handwriting Without Tears for 15 minutes a day. They learn the correct formation of manuscript (手写的)letters through second grade, and cursive letters in third grade.

29. A poem by Robert mentioned in the passage is used to ____________.

A. prove how valuable handwriting is B. explain what a famous poet he is

C. show how unique his poem is D. stress how fascinating the documents are 30. According to the author, when is a perfect time to learn handwriting?

A. Kindergarten. B. Primary school. C. High school. D. College. 31. The example of Handwriting Without Tears helps to argue that______. A. the school are responsible for the loss of handwriting B. the loss of handwriting is a cognitive opportunity missed C. the culture is turning from the written word to the typed one D. it doesn’t take much to teach better handwriting skills 32. What is the author’s attitude towards this debate?

A. Pessimistic B. Sceptical C. Critical. D. Supportive

D

Booking a trip on an online travel site is convenient, but es with its own set of problems. ◆They know who's going to spend more.

Last year, US travel research pany Orbitz tracked people's online activities to test out whether Mac users spend more on travel than PC users. It turns out that on average, Mac users lay out US $20-30 more per night on hotels. As a result, online travel sites show these users more expensive travel options first. To avoid paying more, sort results by price.

◆Their software doesn't always link to the hotel's system.

A guaranteed reservation is almost impossible to e by anywhere — but the risk of your flight or hotel being overbooked increases with third-party providers. The middleman's software isn't

immune(防护作用的) to system errors, so always call the hotel or airline to make sure your booking was processed.

◆Don't be fooled by packages: Often, they're low-end items grouped together.

Ever notice how travel sites remend a hotel, a rental car, and tour package all in one click? These deals usually feature travel that no one wants, like flights with multiple layovers(中途停留). Check the fine print.

◆Once your trip is purchased, you're on your own.

An online travel agency can't provide assistance the same way an agent can if a flight is cancelled or a room is substandard. Basically, when you arrive at the airport or hotel, you're just another customer who booked at the lowest rate. 33. What does the writer mainly intend to tell readers?

A. Steps of reserving a hotel on line B. Tips of how to reserve flights on line C. Problems about reserving a trip on line D. Traps in reserving hotels and flights on line

34. Why do people probably spend more on their online reservation for trips? A. They are shown less expensive travel options first B. Some of the travel expenses are earned by Mac users C. They book at prices remended first by travel sites. D. Their flights or hotels are overbooked by tourist agencies 35. What can we lean from the passage?

A. Booking online is better than booking in other ways

B. The third parties will provide good travel services on line C. Few people book trips on line because of possible troubles D. Travelers’ interests may not be guaranteed with booking on line. 第二节 （共5小题；每小题2分，满分10分）

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

Are Your Clothes Causing Pollution?

Very small pieces of plastic, called microfibers, are polluting rivers and oceans. 36 Clothes worn for outdoor activities and exercise are often made of artificial material, which is useful in keeping warm. But they contain very small plastic fibers, which may also be harming the environment when you wash them. When people wash these clothes, very small pieces go down the drain (下水道) with the wash water.