"One thing I enjoy about my job is that I can work on something that is actually active," says Game McGimsey, an American volcanologist . Part of his job includes keeping an eye on Alaska's many active volcanoes and giving people a heads-up when a volcano might erupt . Like most jobs in the science, volcanology requires a lot of education. McGimsey received an undergraduate degree in geology at the University of North Carolina, then landed an internship with a geologist at the USGS whose work field was about volcanoes. After earning a graduate degree at the University of Colorado, McGimsey accepted a job with the USGS and has been with the Alaska Volcano Observatory for 25 years. Volcanoes can influence the world in ways we might not think about. For example, on Dec.15 1989, a 747 jetliner (a large airplane) flew through a thick ash cloud produced by Mount Redoubt, an Alaskan volcano that hadn't erupted in 25 years. The ash caused all four engines to die, and the plane's electronics went dead. "The plane was within several thousand feet of flying into the mountains below when the pilots got a couple of engines restarted and landed safely in Anchorage," McGimsey says. It cost nearly $80 million to repair the damage to the plane. Such situations show just how dangerous volcanoes can be. However, volcanologists know the risks and are prepared to protect themselves. McGimsey admits, "There is certainly a higher danger level in volcanology than some other jobs. We understand how serious the danger is, and we don't like taking unnecessary chances. We avoid getting too close to an erupting volcano, because it is not worth injury or death simply to get a rock or a photograph." What would be the best title for the text? A) Game McGimsey: a man of his word B) Game McGimsey: a volcano watcher C) The eruption of Mt Redoubt D) Lost land of the volcano
B
A star usually is someone who has become famous in sports, film, or pop music, someone like singer Michael Jackson. In the middle nineteen eighties, Michael Jackson successfully made a famous record, which quickly became the most popular recording in the history of music. This made Michael Jackson a bright star. One of the famous sports bright stars in the United States is Mohammed Ali. When he was a young man, he won a gold medal in the Olympic Games as a boxer. Then, he won first place in the world heavy weight boxing match. Before long, he was known as one of the greatest and most famous boxers in sports history. Everyone knows his name. Like the stars in the sky, a bright star will lose his brightness as time passes. He is loved by millions of people today, but will be forgotten tomorrow. What does this passage mainly talk about? A) Michael Jackson B) Mohammed Ali C) pop music and boxing D) bright stars
D
Q: Writing one or two articles a day is a fair goal for a human writer. By contrast, the Wordsmith platform can produce up to 2,000 articles a second! Wordsmith is one example of natural language-generation software, often referred to as a robot journalist. To be fair, the software doesn't start from the beginning, like a human writer might. Instead, the software takes a set of structured data and transforms it into readable text. Natural language-generation software, such as Wordsmith and Quill, does its work by identifying trends and highlights in sets of data. The software then searches its own dictionary for the words to express its findings.[:] Why keep human writers around Although this type of software writes faster than any human, it requires sets of structured data to work. That's why it's especially useful for writing earnings reports and other types of "dry" writing. Humans, on the other hand, are good at turning their unstructured thoughts directly into prose. The reports produced by Wordsmith and Quill read naturally, and they can match the tone of human writers. But for now, the robot journalists probably won't steal many jobs or win any Pulitzer Prizes! Current applications of natural language-generation software Financial reports: The software is commonly used by banks or traders to analyze large amounts of financial data and then produce reports in plain English. Health and fitness: The software can turn data gathered from wearable devices or fitness trackers into personalized reports. The writing tone can even be adjusted to sound more encouraging! Sports reporting: The software is often used to turn real baseball, basketball and football statistics into exciting stories. What does natural Language-generation software refer to? A) The Wordsmith platform. B) A robot journalist. C) A special dictionary. D) Articles written by computer.
A: B
Every day, 340 million people speak it. One billion people are learning it and it is said that by 2050, half of the world's population will be using it. What are we talking about? That is the global language--English. The English language started in Britain in the 5th century. It is a mixed language. It was built up when German. Scandinavian and French invaders settled in England and created a common language for communication. Today it is the official language of the UK, the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Africa and Ireland as well as many islands in the Caribbean. Many other countries and regions use it for politics and business, for example, India. Pakistan, Nigeria and the Philippines. English is also one of the official languages of Hong Kong. But global advertising and pop music mean that in most countries, you will see or hear some English. Thanks to McDonalds, we all know about "burgers". "fries" and "milkshakes". Songs by Madonna, Britney Spears and Celine Dion are in English. We can sing along, even if we do not understand what we are singing! English is a messy language. Every year, dictionaries include new words that talk about popular culture, for example, computer-related words such as "blogging", "download" and "chartroom". Also included are words that teenagers use. Who does not know "cool", "OK" and "hello"? Other languages also influence English. Many English words come from French. Words like "cafe" and expressions like "c'est la vie" (that is life) are all part of the English language. On the other hand, the French language includes English words like "le weekend" and "le camping". German words are also part of English. Words like "kindergarten" come from the German language. Recently, British people have become interested in "yoga". But the word comes from an ancient Hindu language in India. The English language has a history of _ . A) over 2000 years B) over 1500 years C) over 500 years D) over 1000 years
B