A.I. (人工智能) is just starting to become part of our lives, and books and movies have been talking about A.I. and robots for years. Mostly, in these books and movies,  the computers and robots turn out to be the enemies of  the human race. Here is a selection of some famous A.I.  movies..

     2001: A Space Odyssey

     In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one of the first computers to talk like a human.  HAL is very frightening because it speaks in a calm voice as it goes on a killing spree (疯狂杀戮). When the astronauts attempt to hide in a smaller spaceship and switch off the microphones,  HAL uses a camera to read their lips and understand what the astronauts are saying.

     The Terminator

     In The Terminator, a computer thinks that its deadly enemies are human beings.  As a result,  the computer launches missiles (导弹) to start international wars and then builds killer robots to destroy the human race.

     The Matr/x

     In The Matrix,  a computer takes over the world and uses human beings for energy.   The computer keeps people alive by making them think that they are still living normal lives. A few brave rebels (叛逆者) decide to fight against the computer.

     Star War movies

     In the Star War movies,  computerised robots are used as servants and soldiers. R2-D2, a small cylindrical (圆柱形的) robot, and C-3PO, a tall talking robot, help some humans defeat the evil ruler,  Darth Vader,  in a dangerous battle between the forces of good and evil.

1, In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronauts switch off the microphones to

    A. prevent HAL hearing whom they axe calling

    B. prevent HAL hearing what they are saying

    C. force HAL to use a camera

    D. force HAL to speak loudly

2. If you want to know how an intelligent computer uses human beings for energy, you should watch __

    A. The Terminator.

    B. 2001: A Space Odyssey'

    C. Star War movies

    D. The Matrix

3. R2-D2 and C-3PO stand for

    A. the scientific forces

    B. the natural forces

    C. the good forces

    D. the evil forces

4. What do the four movies have in common?

    A. They all have the same ending.

    B. They are about a similar theme.

C. They are all based on science fiction books.

D. They started heated discussions about A.I.

A.I. (人工智能) is just starting to become part of our lives, and books and movies have been talking about A.I. and robots for years. Mostly, in these books and movies,  the computers and robots turn out to be the enemies of  the human race. Here is a selection of some famous A.I.  movies..
2001: A Space Odyssey
In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one of the first computers to talk like a human.  HAL is very frightening because it speaks in a calm voice as it goes on a killing spree (疯狂杀戮). When the astronauts attempt to hide in a smaller spaceship and switch off the microphones,  HAL uses a camera to read their lips and understand what the astronauts are saying.
The Terminator
In The Terminator, a computer thinks that its deadly enemies are human beings.  As a result,  the computer launches missiles (导弹) to start international wars and then builds killer robots to destroy the human race.
The Matr/x
In The Matrix,  a computer takes over the world and uses human beings for energy.   The computer keeps people alive by making them think that they are still living normal lives. A few brave rebels (叛逆者) decide to fight against the computer.
Star War movies
In the Star War movies,  computerised robots are used as servants and soldiers. R2-D2, a small cylindrical (圆柱形的) robot, and C-3PO, a tall talking robot, help some humans defeat the evil ruler,  Darth Vader,  in a dangerous battle between the forces of good and evil.
1, In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronauts switch off the microphones to
A. prevent HAL hearing whom they axe calling
B. prevent HAL hearing what they are saying
C. force HAL to use a camera
D. force HAL to speak loudly
2. If you want to know how an intelligent computer uses human beings for energy, you should watch __
A. The Terminator.
B. 2001: A Space Odyssey'
C. Star War movies
D. The Matrix
3. R2-D2 and C-3PO stand for
A. the scientific forces
B. the natural forces
C. the good forces
D. the evil forces
4. What do the four movies have in common?
A. They all have the same ending.
B. They are about a similar theme.
C. They are all based on science fiction books.
D. They started heated discussions about A.I.

Car alarms are a public nuisance. Their persistent and disruptive noise has been shown to boost stress hormones that are linked to physiological illness and psychological distress. Studies also show that children regularly exposed to car alarm noise have difficulty concentrating on quiet tasks like reading. Because car alarm noise makes people irritable, it also increases the tendency to be impatient and rude. In short, noisy car alarms are helping erode public civility. And for what? For nothing. According to police, criminologists, insurance companies, auto manufacturers, and even car thieves themselves, car alarms are next to useless. A 1997 analysis of insurance claims from 73 million vehicles concluded that alarms did not deter car theft. No one pays any attention to car alarms any more because 95 to 99 percent of the alarms are false. According to the Progressive Insurance Company, fewer than 1 percent of people surveyed say that they would call the police if they heard a car alarm. Plus, today's car thieves are professionals undeterred by the presence of alarms, which they can readily disable when necessary. Consequently, GM, Ford, and other manufacturers have begun to stop putting alarms in their cars. This is their way of acknowledging that the alarms are nothing but "noisemakers." It's outrageous that audible car alarms continue to needlessly reduce our quality of life. They should be made illegal immediately.

60. What can we learn from the passage?

A. People report it to the police whenever they hear car alarms.

B. Thieves can easily disable all alarms.

C. Since car alarms are nothing but “noisemakers”, people no loner use them.

D. Car alarms don’t reduce auto theft.

61. What does the underlined part mean? ______________________.

A. learning    B.   saying     C. admitting                  D. denying

62. The author’s purpose is ________________.

A. to inform    B. to persuade     C. to criticize     D. to entertain

63. The author’s tone is_________________.

A. emotionally neutral (中立的)   B.  amused   C. sad  D. annoyed

     A.I. (人工智能) is just starting to become part of our lives, and books and movies have been talking about A.I. and robots for years. Mostly, in these books and movies,  the computers and robots turn out to be the enemies of  the human race. Here is a selection of some famous A.I.  movies..

     2001: A Space Odyssey

     In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one of the first computers to talk like a human.  HAL is very frightening because it speaks in a calm voice as it goes on a killing spree (疯狂杀戮). When the astronauts attempt to hide in a smaller spaceship and switch off the microphones,  HAL uses a camera to read their lips and understand what the astronauts are saying.

     The Terminator

     In The Terminator, a computer thinks that its deadly enemies are human beings.  As a result,  the computer launches missiles (导弹) to start international wars and then builds killer robots to destroy the human race.

     The Matr/x

     In The Matrix,  a computer takes over the world and uses human beings for energy.   The computer keeps people alive by making them think that they are still living normal lives. A few brave rebels (叛逆者) decide to fight against the computer.

     Star War movies

     In the Star War movies,  computerised robots are used as servants and soldiers. R2-D2, a small cylindrical (圆柱形的) robot, and C-3PO, a tall talking robot, help some humans defeat the evil ruler,  Darth Vader,  in a dangerous battle between the forces of good and evil.

1, In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronauts switch off the microphones to

    A. prevent HAL hearing whom they axe calling

    B. prevent HAL hearing what they are saying

    C. force HAL to use a camera

    D. force HAL to speak loudly

2. If you want to know how an intelligent computer uses human beings for energy, you should watch __

    A. The Terminator.

    B. 2001: A Space Odyssey'

    C. Star War movies

    D. The Matrix

3. R2-D2 and C-3PO stand for

    A. the scientific forces

    B. the natural forces

    C. the good forces

    D. the evil forces

4. What do the four movies have in common?

    A. They all have the same ending.

    B. They are about a similar theme.

C. They are all based on science fiction books.

D. They started heated discussions about A.I.

     A.I. (人工智能) is just starting to become part of our lives, and books and movies have been talking about A.I. and robots for years. Mostly, in these books and movies,  the computers and robots turn out to be the enemies of  the human race. Here is a selection of some famous A.I.  movies..

     2001: A Space Odyssey  

     In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one of the first computers to talk like a human.  HAL is very frightening because it speaks in a calm voice as it goes on a killing spree (疯狂杀戮). When the astronauts attempt to hide in a smaller spaceship and switch off the microphones,  HAL uses a camera to read their lips and understand what the astronauts are saying.

     The Terminator

     In The Terminator, a computer thinks that its deadly enemies are human beings.  As a result,  the computer launches missiles (导弹) to start international wars and then builds killer robots to destroy the human race.

     The Matr/x

     In The Matrix,  a computer takes over the world and uses human beings for energy.   The computer keeps people alive by making them think that they are still living normal lives. A few brave rebels (叛逆者) decide to fight against the computer.    

     Star War movies

     In the Star War movies,  computerised robots are used as servants and soldiers. R2-D2, a small cylindrical (圆柱形的) robot, and C-3PO, a tall talking robot, help some humans defeat the evil ruler,  Darth Vader,  in a dangerous battle between the forces of good and evil.

1.In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronauts switch off the microphones to

    A. prevent HAL hearing whom they axe calling

    B. prevent HAL hearing what they are saying

    C. force HAL to use a camera

    D. force HAL to speak loudly

2.If you want to know how an intelligent computer uses human beings for energy, you should watch __

    A. The Terminator.    

    B. 2001: A Space Odyssey'   

    C. Star War movies

    D. The Matrix

3.R2-D2 and C-3PO stand for

    A. the scientific forces

    B. the natural forces

    C. the good forces

    D. the evil forces

4.What do the four movies have in common?

    A. They all have the same ending.

    B. They are about a similar theme.

C. They are all based on science fiction books.

D. They started heated discussions about A.I.