主題語境15：現代科技

本刊試題研究中心

I. 閱讀理解

A robot navigates through strawberries, detecting ripe ones, picking them without bruising(擦傷) them and placing them into its basket. It sounds futuristic but it is possible now thanks to Rubion, the picking robot for strawberries. This piece of Belgian innovation is not only an answer to the labor shortage in the agricultural industry, but it also allows growers to increase the quality of its produce, which in the end benefits the consumer.

Demographic (人口的) and socio-economic numbers show that the labor shortage in the agricultural industry is a fact. But for Octinion,the focus is clearly on adding quality. “Thanks to robotics, we have so many possibilities, much more than a human could ever do. Harvest prediction, picking according to market needs, simply picking when the berries are ripe instead of when workers are available—these are just a few examples of what is possible now for a grower,”says Tom Coen, CEO of the Octinion Technology Group. “The consumer will also notice the difference, as strawberries will be fresher and show less bruising.”

Introducing robots into an industry where almost everything gets done by hand is more of a revolution than evolution. It calls for close cooperation with all stakeholders (參與者). Tom Coen says, “Not only have we been working together with growers and test centers across the world for the past couple of years, but breeders have been keen on being part of the technological developments.”

In 2014, a team of Belgian engineers started the development of the robot. In the meanwhile,Octinion wasn't the only company presenting a concept. Product Manager Laura Guillaume says it's not a surprise that the company from Leuven is the first to actually present a commercial product. “By developing the robot from the beginning, we are able to make it practical in greenhouses or tunnels.” Octinion plans to launch harvesting robots for other crops in the upcoming years.

1. What can we know about the robot?

A. It can help solve the problem of labor shortage in the agricultural industry.

B. It makes little difference to the quality of the fruit.

C. It was developed by a group of Belgian engineers independently.

D. It has been put into use around the globe.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A. The good news of robotic picking.

B. The advantages of robotic picking.

C. How robotic picking works.

D. Different attitudes to robotic picking.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A. The robot was introduced to the market in 2014.

B. Octinion is the only company to put forward the idea of the robot.

C. The robot can be used in any situation.

D. Various harvesting robots are on the way.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A. How robots pick strawberries

B. Fruits will be picked by robots

C. The world's first strawberry-picking robot

D. A new robot was invented

Ⅱ. 補全信息

Leading intelligence

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence has changed our life, and it continues to do so.Earlier this month, many cutting-edge AI technologies were unveiled at Baidu World 2020,the leading tech company's annual technology conference. 1

Virtual people

Xiao Li and Xiao Kang are virtual versions of Li Yanhong, chairman and CEO of Baidu, and Kang Hui, a CCTV host. The latest Baidu Brain 6.0, a global leading AI platform, is the driving force behind the virtual people.

Xiao Li and Xiao Kang are modeled after the two men in appearance,voice and movement.

2“The virtual people combine various modes of Baidu Brain AI technology, including vision, voice, language and knowledge,” said Wang Haifeng, the CTO of Baidu, at the conference.

AI-powered mobile services

Baidu also launched the Duxiaoxiao virtual assistant app and search product. Duxiaoxiao provides users with a range of information services and helps to solve questions in everyday life.3For example, Duxiaoxiao will give different feedback to a question by taking users'personalities and hobbies into consideration.

4

Baidu has trained an “experienced AI driver”.5The company claimed that its autonomous vehicles have undergone six million kilometers of road tests, carried 100,000 passengers across 27 cities in the world, and had zero accident. A 5G remote driving service,which was also showcased at the event, allows human operators to remotely control vehicles in case of emergency.

A. A 5G remote service

B. Fully autonomous driving

C. Let's get a glimpse of some of them.

D. They are also performed with the two men's knowledge and memories.

E. It's a driving system that can operate independently without a human driver.

F. It's a driving service that can operate the car according to a man's voice and habits.

G. Over time, the app will change to suit each user's needs based on his or her habits.

Ⅲ. 完形填空

Trent Johnson just celebrated his graduation from medical school in Ohio with a ceremony at his parents' home in Florida.

He 1 a couple weeks before his actual ceremony that the college was canceling it on account of the deadly coronavirus. He was absolutely 2 .

His friends 3 him to create a website so that all of his family flying into Columbus originally still could celebrate 4 . They made the living room look as special as possible to give the 5 of the ceremony. There's nothing that could have substituted that special 6 .

His twitter where the video immediately went 7 has almost half a million views. He was on the news and was8in The New York Times.

“I remember seeing my face on the newspaper and thinking that I not only became a doctor, but I motivated people all over the world to9their dreams. That was truly a(n)10 moment”.

Johnson was brought up in an underdeveloped area where people would be in 11 socioeconomic class and it was the type of the community that he wanted to 12 . Now as a 13 at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore,he 14 has an opportunity to do that.

As Johnson settles into his new surroundings, he will continue to spread his message of hope and 15 .

1. A. recognizedB. learned C. anticipatedD. recalled

2. A. sorrowfulB. pitiful

C. awkwardD. guilty

3. A. permittedB. begged

C. appointedD. helped

4. A. consistentlyB. virtually

C. casuallyD. formally

5. A. standardB. origin

C. popularityD. atmosphere

6. A. memoryB. option

C. momentD. design

7. A. viralB. mad

C. wildD. blank

8. A. evaluatedB. featured

C. engagedD. promoted

9. A. changeB. start

C. sacrificeD. follow

10. A. scaryB. awful

C. incredibleD. specific

11. A. lowB. powerful

C. rareD. noble

12. A. healB. escape

C. reformD. serve

13. A. pioneerB. chemist

C. physicianD. professor

14. A. seldomB. just

C. stillD. yet

15. A. admirationB. innovation

C. cooperationD. inspiration

Ⅳ. 讀后續寫

閱讀下面材料，根據其內容和所給段落開頭語續寫兩段，使之構成一篇完整的短文。

“Are you ready for our walk?” Grandma asked the usual question every Friday evening.

“Of course,we are! ”we shouted excitedly,and were ready to talk about the end of the week.

Growing up, my sisters and I always knew Grandma had heart problems and couldn't do anything hard, but we did know she would do anything to spend more time with us. Whether it was wanders around the block or walks to the library, Grandma was there by our side.

When I was going into the sixth grade, we were told that Grandma only had 2% heart function. Her heart wasn't benefiting her anymore,but she found out that there was a way to live longer: an IVAD. It is a heart pump （起搏器）that replaces the heart, basically, a battery instead of a heart and it's connected to a battery pack by a tube that comes out of the side.Grandma would become a robot with no heart!The Toledo Hospital, the only hospital near us that could do this surgery, offered to do it for Grandma. She, obviously, agreed.

The grey morning of the surgery was rough for our family, as we woke up bright and early to drive to the hospital. That car ride left me with worried thoughts racing through my mind: Will Grandma be okay? Will we ever take another walk around the block?

When we arrived at the hospital, we knew exactly where to go, as we'd been there many times before. After going through those familiar doors and up the stairs, my mom and I walked up to the nurses' desk and asked for Grandma.

“Oh, Mary?” a nurse answered. “She's one of the nicest patients we've had.” Then she directed us to the waiting room and told us that only two of us were permitted to go into the ward （病房）at a time to say goodbye to Grandma before she went in for surgery.

注意：續寫詞數應為150左右。

Paragraph 1:

The last two people were Grandpa and me.

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Paragraph 2:

Finally, after the longest morning of my life,the doctor entered the waiting room,smiling.

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