发布时间 : 星期六 文章东城区2019-2020第二学期高三综合练习(一)英语含答案更新完毕开始阅读
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B. Communication skills. C. Working experience.
D. Knowledge on traditional arts. 37. Once employed, one will _________. A. work full time B. travel every week C. start the job in May D. learn database design
C
We Are Cyborgs
RoboCop, the Bionic Woman, Darth Vader—what do these characters have in common? They are all cyborgs—humans who are made more powerful by advanced technology. You might think that cyborgs exist only in fiction, or are a possibility only in the distant future. But cyborg technology already exists.
The word “cyborg” was first used in 1960 and defined as an organism “to which external components have been added for the purpose of adapting to new environments”. According to this definition, an astronaut in a spacesuit is an example of cyborg, as the spacesuit helps the astronaut adapt to a new environment—space. More recently, the word has evolved to refer to human beings who have mechanical body parts that make them more than human.
Although super-humans like RoboCop are not yet a reality, advances in real-life cyborg technology allow some people to compensate for abilities they have lost, and give other people new and unusual abilities. An example is filmmaker Rob Spence and his bionic eye. Spence injured one of his eyes in an accident. A camera was implanted in his prosthetic eye（假眼）. The eye is not connected to his brain or optic nerve（视神经）, but it can record what he sees. Spence has used his camera eye to record interviews for a documentary about people with bionic body parts.
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Some types of cyborg technology replace a lost ability by connecting directly to a person’s nerves. Michael Chorost completely and suddenly lost his ability to hear in July of 2001. Two months later, doctors placed a cochlear implant, a kind of computer, inside his skull. This type of implant connects to auditory nerves and allows a deaf person to hear again. Around the world, over 300,000 people have now been fitted with cochlear implants.
These examples of cyborg technology have enabled people to enhance or change their abilities and improve their lives. But does everyone want to use cyborg technology? It might be too late to decide. Cyborg scientist Amber Case argues that most of us are already cyborgs. Anyone who uses a computer or a smartphone, Case claims, is a cyborg. Consider the data that you have in your smartphone. It keeps information for you so you don’t have to remember it: notes, phone numbers, email addresses, messages. It also allows you to communicate with friends and family via telephone, text messages, email, and social networks.
The potential benefits of cyborg technology are evident, but can this new technology be harmful, too? Could we become too dependent on cyborg technology—and become less than human? These still remain questions.
38. According to the passage, the cyborg _______. A. is similar to human beings B. took root in fiction characters C. first appeared in space industry D. has some device attached to the body
39. With the help of cyborg technology, _______. A. eyesight can be restored B. the nerve injury can be repaired C. lost abilities can be replaced by a new skill D. hearing loss can be prevented by cochlear implants
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40. Amber Case probably thinks that ______. A. technology makes cyborgs become common B. cyborg technology is crucial to modern society C. the use of mobiles improves cyborg technology D. cyborg technology helps improve human memory 41. What is the author’s attitude toward cyborg technology? A. Critical.
D
Picture this: It’s 2003 and your family has just finished arguing over which Netflix movies to rent that week. Movies come in the mail and the family watch them throughout the week before sending them back and ordering new ones. Then, fast forward to 2008, and you have started to watch TV shows on Netflix’s new platform.
Now, let’s come to the present. You sit down and open up Netflix on your TV and scroll for a while. Then you flip over to Hulu to see if they have anything more interesting to offer. Then you check HBO GO. Finally, you check Disney+. Then you realize that you’re paying for four different streaming services, maybe more.
Let’s return to Netflix. More generally, streaming. There are over 100 video streaming services available, as well as quite a few music streaming, including Apple Music, YouTube Music, Google Play, and etc. The streaming world, at least to some, is on its way to getting out of control, with each service requiring its own monthly subscription. And that is just entertainment subscriptions. We haven’t even taken into account subscriptions like Microsoft Office, magazine subscriptions, and email newsletters. Subscriptions started out as a service of convenience, but now, the oversaturation may have become burdensome. The services believe customers will pay more to get the content they want. However, statistics show a growing frustration（失望） among consumers. With so many options, they find it harder than ever to make a decision on what to pick.
B. Skeptical.
C. Optimistic.
D. Objective.
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Not only does the oversaturation of streaming result in confusing navigation, it also creates a financial burden for the consumers. Let’s say if you want to watch Stranger Things , The Handmaid’s Tale , and Game of Thrones , which belong to three different services, you would have to pay nearly $50 a month to access all three of those services, meaning it’s not cheaper, and potentially more expensive, than cable.
People cut their cords and went the streaming route because it was simpler and cheaper. Now, it’s just as inconvenient and difficult as cable was, if not more so, and unless you’re limiting yourself to one service, it’s not cheaper. Streaming will survive because we’re in a Golden Age of Media and because each service is able to create high-quality originals. But Golden Ages don’t last, and bubbles tend to burst. Until the inevitable（不可避免的） day when some product or service proves streaming out of date, we must suffer the choices in front of us. The next time you are scrolling through Netflix, Hulu, or whatever, and the overchoice is killing you, maybe you should just go pick up a book instead.
42. What is mainly talked about in the first two paragraphs?
A. Social progress has promoted the quality of life in the past decade. B. Changes in home entertainment have brought us more options. C. Technology innovation results in different ways of relaxation. D. Netflix has been developing its service patterns.
43. What does the underlined word “oversaturation” in Paragraph 3 probably refer to? A. The large number of subscriptions. B. The frustration caused by poor service. C. The rapidly developing entertainment market. D. The confusing navigation resulting from streaming. 44. According to the passage, streaming services may____.