There may be no job more reactive than firefighting.You wait for the alarm to sound；when it does，you go and fight fires.However，what if there is an algorithm （计算程序） that can take the guesswork out of fire prevention？For more than a year，the Fire Department of New York（FDNY） has been doing just that.Using a data tool called FireCast 2.0，it has been prioritizing（排序）which ones of the hundreds of thousands of buildings in the city are at the highest risk of having a fire.The software applies an algorithm from five city agencies，taking into account as many as 20 different risk factors.
It wasn't that long ago，in fact，that even a fire department as sophisticated（配备精良）as FDNY was keeping track of buildings in card catalogues in local fire houses.Each structure would have its own card with basic information on it-when it was built，construction materials-and from that，company commanders were expected to determine which buildings were to be inspected.Building inspections were a key part of fire prevention in cities like New York，and that，as you might suspect，wasn't a very efficient way to handle them.Usually，the FDNY struggled to meet its annual goal of inspecting 10 percent of the 330，000 buildings in the city for which it was responsible.But FireCast 2.0 has already simplified that process，allowing the department to more accurately target the most fireprone buildings，many of which haven't been inspected for years.
The FDNY is pleased with the big advance it has made in what's known as "smart firefighting"，but it's only a first step.Later this year，the department is expected to upgrade to FireCast 3.0，an even more powerful tool that will analyze three years' data from 17 different city agencies for every one of the 330，000 buildings.Each will be given a fire risk score.But that list will be updated daily - if a building receives a trash violation，for instance，its score may rise on the next day's list.Compiling（汇集）the data from all those buildings will take only 90 minutes，according to a report from the National Fire Protection Association.
A very different approach to the future of firefighting was unveiled（揭露）recently by the U.S.Office of Naval Research.It's an 18-pound robot named SAFFIR，and it was designed by engineers at Virginia Tech to put out fires where they're most dangerous.During a recent test，SAFFIR was able to find fire through thick smoke and extinguish the flames.Maybe more impressively，it displayed its sea legs，able to stay upright on a rolling ship.That，according to SAFFIR's designers，may have been their biggest challenge.
SAFFIR still struggles to navigate doorways and stairwells.In the test，in fact，its movements were controlled by a human.While it will likely be paired with a human for some time，SAFFIR may eventually be able to move and make decisions on its own.
（1）According to the passage，what's the main function of FireCast 2.0？ DD
A．To make the alarm sound for a longer time.
B．To reduce firefighters' chances of being injured.
C．To prevent the fire from spreading further.
D．To predict places that are more likely to catch fire.
（2）What can we learn from Paragraph 2？ DD
A．The FDNY doesn't keep track of buildings in card catalogues.
B．The FDNY is only responsible for inspecting buildings in New York.
C．The FDNY has failed to meet its annual goal of building inspections.
D．The FDNY gets its staff's workload reduced by using FireCast 2.0.
（3）According to the passage，FireCast 3.0 AA.
A．can analyze more data than FireCast 2.0 does
B．has already been used by each fire department
C．will update the fire risk scores every 90 minutes
D．will keep a record of information on buildings in 13 cities
（4）According to the passage，SAFFIR BB.
A．is able to make decisions on its own
B．is not ready to be brought into use
C．was originally designed to be used on ships
D．is mainly used to lead the way for firefighters
【答案】D；D；A；B
【解答】
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发布：2024/4/20 14:35:0组卷：7引用：1难度：0.5
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1．British children's writer Roald Dahl ate chocolates and sweets "pretty much every mealtime"，remembers daughter Ophelia Dahl．
After dinner，whether dining alone or entertaining guests，Dahl would pass around a little red plastic box full of Mars Bars，Milky Ways，Maltesers，Kit Kats and much more．
He knew the history of all the sweets and could tell you exactly when they were invented．1937 was a big year when Kit Kats （his favorite），Rolos and Smarties （his dog，chopper's favorite） were invented．He wrote a history of chocolate，lecturing schoolchildren to commit such dates to memory（熟记），such as 1928 when "Cadbury's Fruit and Nut Bar popped up on the scene"，saying． "Don't bother with the Kings and Queens of England．All of you should learn these dates instead．Perhaps the Headmistress（女校长）will see from now on that it becomes part of the major teaching in this school．"
According to Dahl，the Golden Years of Chocolate were 1930-1937．In 1930，Roald Dahl was 14 years old．He was a student at Repton，a famous boys' boarding school in England．It was a tough environment：those in authority were more interested in controlling than educating the students．
Ironically（讽刺地），it was at this difficult period that chocolate became Dahl's passion．Near Repton was a Cadbury chocolate factory．Every so often，Cadbury would send each schoolboy a sampler（样品）box of new chocolates to taste and grade．They were using the students---"the greatest chocolate bar experts in the world to test out their new inventions．
This was when Dahl's imagination took flight．He pictured factories with inventing rooms with pots of chocolate and fudge（软糖）and "all sorts of other delicious fillings bubbling away on the stoves"．
"It was lovely dreaming those dreams…when I was looking for a plot for my second book for children．I remembered those little cardboard boxes（纸盒）and the newly invented chocolates inside them，and I began to write a book called Charlie and the Chocolate Factory．"
For the record，Roald Dahl did not like chocolate cake or chocolate ice cream．He said， "I prefer my chocolate straight．"
（1）What's the purpose of the first paragraph？
A．To introduce the main topic---Roald Dahl．
B．To introduce Dahl's love for chocolate．
C．To introduce main character's daily life．
D．To introduce some important characters．
（2）What can we infer from the passage about Roald Dahl？
A．He treated himself with various chocolate after dinner secretly．
B．He has a good knowledge of chocolate，especially its history．
C．He used to lecture schoolchildren of a boys' boarding school．
D．He only wrote some books related to the history of chocolate．
（3）What happened during the Golden Years of Chocolate？
A．It was a great time for children to get educated．
B．Those years stopped Dahl's interest in chocolate．
C．Students could become chocolate experts then．
D．Roald Dahl's passion for chocolate was lit up then．
（4）gave Roald Dahl inspiration to write Charlie and Chocolate Factory．
A．the dream about chocolates．
B．Factories with chocolate and fudge．
C．Those boxes with chocolate．
D．Chocolate cakes and ice cream发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：0引用：1难度：0.5 -
2．Recently，a film star has been giving away free books on the London Underground．If you're a bookworm，a Harry Potter fan and a London Underground user，then it's been an exciting month for you．
Emma Watson，who starred in films based on the novels about a fictional schoolboy wizard，has been hiding books on the Tube for passengers to read through．
It's part of he Book On The Underground movement，which has a simple aim：to get more people burying themselves in literature．Books are left on trains for passengers to pick up，dip into and then leave for another lucky reader to skim．
The movement started in 2012 and drops off about 150 books a week in stations across London．Talking about Watson's participation in the project，the manager of Books On The Under ground，Cornelia Oxley，said， "The reaction has been great．It must be a mixture of how much everyone admires Emma，and how exciting it is to find something as wonderful as a new book on your journey．"
The 100 or so books Watson left for passengers to read were even more special because she left a hand-written inscription（题词）．The books were Kaya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom．
One person who discovered a copy of the book on the Tube said she felt like the character Charlie Bucket - a boy who finds a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory - in the Roald Dahl's classic，Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Watson became a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador in the summer of 2014 and has since started reading as many books and essays on equality and feminism（饥荒） as possible．She has also started her own book club．
So．Why not take a leaf out of Emma Watson's book and leave a copy of your favorite book on a train？It could make a stranger's life richer．
（1）What does Books On The Underground aim to do？
A．To get more readers to buy their books．
B．To leave books on trains．
C．To find lucky readers．
D．To get more people to read．
（2）Which of the following statements is NOT true？
A．People's admiration for Emma Watson contributes to the success of the movement．
B．There is a golden ticket to the world's greatest chocolate factory in the book．
C．To find something wonderful on a journey is exciting．
D．Emma Watson left hand-written inscriptions on the books．
（3）What's the author's attitude towards Emma Watson's leaving books on the train？
A．critical
B．indifferent
C．supportive
D．pessimistic发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：0引用：1难度：0.5 -
3．It can be really hard to learn a new language．I had always enjoyed learning languages in school，but only recently did I start learning German．I found that I could understand and learn individual words easily，but when it came to literature，I really struggled．That was when my tutor at university suggested reading some children's books printed in the target language．
At first，I felt a bit silly going on a hunt for a book designed for someone half my age，but then I realised that everyone has to start somewhere．As children，we are given these basic texts to familiarise our brains with certain vocabulary and writing structures，and from there，we can learn and develop．I started with books which are taught to us as children in the UK．I managed to find Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl．
The beauty of reading books that were introduced to you as a child is that you are already familiar with the plot．Therefore you can work out some words with your knowledge of the story．At first，I used to read with the book in one hand and a dictionary in the other，but this did not work well．The method I would recommend is to read a chapter first and at the end of that chapter，highlight the new words and then look up the definitions．If you can wait a bit before using a dictionary，you may be surprised what you can understand merely from the context．Additionally，a lot of children's books have pictures which may give you a clue as to what or to whom the passage is referring．
If you can find a translation of the books you have read as a child，I would strongly advise reading those if you are a complete beginner．However，if you feel a bit more confident reading in English，I would personally recommend the series of 'Harry Potter' books by J．K．Rowling or any of the Roald Dahl children's books．
（1）What makes it hard for the author to learn German？
A．The author had a poor memory．
B．The author had no interest in it．
C．The author had no one to ask for help．
D．The author couldn't read books fluently．
（2）What did the author think of reading children's books in the target language at first？
A．Interesting．
B．Stupid．
C．Helpful．
D．Boring．
（3）What does the author try to express mainly in Paragraph 3？
A．How to deal with new words while reading．
B．Why it is helpful to read children's book at first．
C．How to choose a proper book to match your level．
D．How to form the habit of reading in the target language．
（4）Why does the author write this text？
A．To give tips on how to learn a new language．
B．To persuade the readers to learn a new language．
C．To stress the importance of reading in language learning．
D．To share the author's stories of learning a new language．发布：2025/1/30 8:0:1组卷：5引用：1难度：0.5
