任务型阅读5.请认真阅读下面短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。The Cost of ThinkingDespite their many differences, all human beings share several defining characteristics. such as large brains and the ability to walk upright on two legs.The first unique human characteristic is that humans have extraordinarily large brains compared with other animals. It seems obvious that evolution should select for larger brains. Mammals(哺乳动物)weighing sixty kilograms have an average brain size of 200 cm2. Modern man has a brain averaging 1200-1400 cm2. We are so fond of our high intelligence that we assume that when it comes to brain power, more must be better. Unfortunately, that is not the case.The fact is that a huge brain is a huge drain—consumption of energy—on the body. I's not easy to carry around, especially when boxed inside a massive skull(倾骨). It's even harder to provides energy. In modern man, the brain accounts for about 2-3%of total body weight but it consumes 25% of the body's energy when the body is at rest. By comparison, the brains of apes(类人猿)require only 8%of rest-time energy. Early humans pad for their large brains in two ways. Firstly, they spent more time in search food. Secondly, their muscles grew smaller and weaker. It's hardly an obvious conclusion that this is a good way to survive. A chimpanzee(黑猩猩) can't win an argument with a modern man, but it can tear the man apart like a rag doll.Another unique human characteristic is that we walk upright. Standing up, it's easier to find food or enemies. In addition, their arms that are unnecessary for moving around are freed for other purposes, like throwing stones or signaling. As a result, humans can perform very complex tasks with their hands.Yet walking upright has its disadvantage. The bone structure of our ancestors developed for millions of years to support a creature that walked on all fours and has a relatively small head. Adjusting to an upright position was quite a challenge, especially when the bones had to support an extra-large skull. Humankind paid for its broad vision and skillful hands backaches and painful necks.We assume that a large brain makes huge advantages. It seems obvious that these have made humankind the most powerful animal on earth. But humans enjoyed all of these advantages for a full 2 million years during which they remained weak and marginal creature. Thus humans who lived a million years ago, despite their big brains and sharp stone tools, lived in constant fear of meat-eating animals.The Cost of ThinkingIntroduction• Large brains for their bodies and the ability to walk upright are two ①___________ of human beings.The ②___________ of large human brains• The larger brains may not be better because of the cost.• The big brains make it harder for the body to move around and consume more energy.• The animal brain requires less ③___________ when the body is at rest.• Large human brains consume more food, and weaken muscles.The ④___________ of walking upright• Walking upright makes it easy to find food or ⑤___________ against enemies.• Freed hands can serve some ⑥___________ purpose and perform complex tasks.• Walking upright challenges the human bone structure, and ⑦___________ the size of brains.• Walking upright results in ⑧___________ sufferings.Conclusion• With a large brain, human beings ⑨___________ other beings in terms of intelligence.• Weak and marginal, human beings remained ⑩___________ of meat-eating animals.6.“Whatever your job is, the chances are that one of these machines can do it faster or better than you can.”As innovation accelerates, thousands of jobs will disappear, just as it has happened in the previous cycles of industrial revolutions. Machines powered by narrow AI algorithms can already perform certain 3-D tasks (“dull, dirty and dangerous”) much better than humans. This may create enormous pain for those who are losing their jobs over the next few years, particularly if they don't acquire the computer-related skills that would enable them to find more creative opportunities. We must learn from the previous waves of creative destruction if we are to lessen human suffering and increasing inequality.For example, some statistics indicate that as much as 3% of the population in developed countries work as drivers. When automated cars become a reality in the next 15 to 25 years, we must offer people who will be “structurally unemployed” some sort of compensation income, training and re-positioning opportunities.Fortunately, the Schumpeterian waves of destructive innovation also create jobs. History has shown disruptive innovations are not always a zero-sum game. In the long run, the loss of low-added-value jobs to machines can have a positive impact in the overall quality of life of most workers.The ATM paradox is a good example of this. As the use of automatic teller machines spread in the 1980s and '90s, many predicted massive unemployment in the banking sector. Instead, ATMs created more jobs as the cost of opening new agencies decreased. The number of agencies multiplied, as did the portfolio of banking products. Thanks to automation, going to the bank offers a much better customer experience than in previous decades. And the jobs in the industry became better paid and were of better quality.This optimist scenario assumes, however, that education systems will do a better job of preparing our children to become good at what humans do best: creative and critical thinking. Less learning-by-heart and more learning-by-doing. Fewer clerical skills and more philosophical insights about human nature and how to cater to its infinite needs for art and culture.To become creative and critical thinkers, our children will need knowledge and wisdom more than raw data points. They need to ask “why?”, “how?” and “what if?” more often than “what?”, “who?” and “when?” And they must construct this knowledge by relying on databases as cognitive partners as soon as they learn how to read and write.Thus, the future of human-machine cooperation looks less like the scenario in the Terminator movies and more like a Minority Report-style of “augmented intelligence”. There will be jobs if we adapt the education system to equip our children to do what humans are good at: to think critically and creatively, to develop knowledge and wisdom, to appreciate and create beautiful works of art. That does not mean it will be a painless transition. Machines and automation will likely take away millions of low-quality jobs as it has happened in the past. But better-quality jobs will likely replace them, requiring less physical effort and shorter hours to deliver better results. No, artificial intelligence won’t ①__________ your children’s jobs Passage outline Supporting detailsA ②__________phenomenon With the rise of AI, machines ③__________ threaten the security of people’s current jobs, making the future of the workforce look rather dark and gloomy.An objective analysisl Those not skilled in computer using need to plan ④__________, for they are at a higher risk of losing their jobs to machines.l Drivers, faced with the increasing popularity of automated cars, need to be compensated, ⑤__________for re-employment.l ATMs, though, create well-paid jobs as well as increase customers’ ⑥__________A practical solutionl Adjustments need to be made to education systems by ⑦__________ our children for the jobs ⑧__________ creative and critical thinking.l ⑨__________of learning philosophy and change in the way of learning styles will be introduced for developing critical thinkers.A safe conclusionAI won’t cost your children their jobs. Instead, it will make them more creative and ⑩__________.7.请认真阅读下面短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意:每个空格只填1个单词。Anyone who's ever made room for a big milestone of adult life—a job, a marriage, a move—has likely shoved a friendship to the side. After all, there is no contract locking us to the other person, as in marriage, and there are no blood bonds, as in family. We choose our friends, and our friends choose us. That's a really distinctive attribute of friendships.But modern life can become so busy that people forget to keep choosing each other. That's when friendships fade, and there's reason to believe it's happening more than ever. Loneliness is on the rise, and feeling lonely has been found to increase a person's risk of dying early by 26%—and to be even worse for the body than obesity and air pollution. Loneliness damages health in many ways, particularly because it removes the safety net of social support. “When we perceive our world as threatening, that can be associated with an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.”The solution is simple: friendship. It helps protect the brain and body from stress, anxiety and depression. “Being around trusted others, in essence, signals safety and security,” says Holt-Lunstad. A study last year found that friendships are especially beneficial later in life. Having supportive friends in old age is a stronger predictor of well-being than family ties—suggesting that the friends you pick may be at least as important as the family you're born into.Easy as the fix may sound, it can be difficult to keep and make friends as an adult. But research suggests that you only need between four and five close pals. If you've ever had a good one, you know what you're looking for. “The expectations of friends, once you have a mature understanding of friendship, don't really change across the life course,” Rawlins says. “People want their close friends to be someone they can talk to and someone they can depend upon.”Application ProcessClick here to download your application formStudents must submit(提交)an application by email to confucius@carleton.ca or in person to Carleton International at 509 Tory BuildingContact Information613-520-260 ext 2628carleton.international@carleton.ca1.Who can take the program? .
任务型阅读
5.请认真阅读下面短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
The Cost of Thinking
Despite their many differences, all human beings share several defining characteristics. such as large brains and the ability to walk upright on two legs.
The first unique human characteristic is that humans have extraordinarily large brains compared with other animals. It seems obvious that evolution should select for larger brains. Mammals(哺乳动物)weighing sixty kilograms have an average brain size of 200 cm2. Modern man has a brain averaging 1200-1400 cm2. We are so fond of our high intelligence that we assume that when it comes to brain power, more must be better. Unfortunately, that is not the case.
The fact is that a huge brain is a huge drain—consumption of energy—on the body. I's not easy to carry around, especially when boxed inside a massive skull(倾骨). It's even harder to provides energy. In modern man, the brain accounts for about 2-3%of total body weight but it consumes 25% of the body's energy when the body is at rest. By comparison, the brains of apes(类人猿)require only 8%of rest-time energy. Early humans pad for their large brains in two ways. Firstly, they spent more time in search food. Secondly, their muscles grew smaller and weaker. It's hardly an obvious conclusion that this is a good way to survive. A chimpanzee(黑猩猩) can't win an argument with a modern man, but it can tear the man apart like a rag doll.
Another unique human characteristic is that we walk upright. Standing up, it's easier to find food or enemies. In addition, their arms that are unnecessary for moving around are freed for other purposes, like throwing stones or signaling. As a result, humans can perform very complex tasks with their hands.
Yet walking upright has its disadvantage. The bone structure of our ancestors developed for millions of years to support a creature that walked on all fours and has a relatively small head. Adjusting to an upright position was quite a challenge, especially when the bones had to support an extra-large skull. Humankind paid for its broad vision and skillful hands backaches and painful necks.
We assume that a large brain makes huge advantages. It seems obvious that these have made humankind the most powerful animal on earth. But humans enjoyed all of these advantages for a full 2 million years during which they remained weak and marginal creature. Thus humans who lived a million years ago, despite their big brains and sharp stone tools, lived in constant fear of meat-eating animals.
The Cost of Thinking
Introduction
• Large brains for their bodies and the ability to walk upright are two ①___________ of human beings.
The ②___________ of large human brains
• The larger brains may not be better because of the cost.
• The big brains make it harder for the body to move around and consume more energy.
• The animal brain requires less ③___________ when the body is at rest.
• Large human brains consume more food, and weaken muscles.
The ④___________ of walking upright
• Walking upright makes it easy to find food or ⑤___________ against enemies.
• Freed hands can serve some ⑥___________ purpose and perform complex tasks.
• Walking upright challenges the human bone structure, and ⑦___________ the size of brains.
• Walking upright results in ⑧___________ sufferings.
Conclusion
• With a large brain, human beings ⑨___________ other beings in terms of intelligence.
• Weak and marginal, human beings remained ⑩___________ of meat-eating animals.
6.“Whatever your job is, the chances are that one of these machines can do it faster or better than you can.”
As innovation accelerates, thousands of jobs will disappear, just as it has happened in the previous cycles of industrial revolutions. Machines powered by narrow AI algorithms can already perform certain 3-D tasks (“dull, dirty and dangerous”) much better than humans. This may create enormous pain for those who are losing their jobs over the next few years, particularly if they don't acquire the computer-related skills that would enable them to find more creative opportunities. We must learn from the previous waves of creative destruction if we are to lessen human suffering and increasing inequality.
For example, some statistics indicate that as much as 3% of the population in developed countries work as drivers. When automated cars become a reality in the next 15 to 25 years, we must offer people who will be “structurally unemployed” some sort of compensation income, training and re-positioning opportunities.
Fortunately, the Schumpeterian waves of destructive innovation also create jobs. History has shown disruptive innovations are not always a zero-sum game. In the long run, the loss of low-added-value jobs to machines can have a positive impact in the overall quality of life of most workers.
The ATM paradox is a good example of this. As the use of automatic teller machines spread in the 1980s and '90s, many predicted massive unemployment in the banking sector. Instead, ATMs created more jobs as the cost of opening new agencies decreased. The number of agencies multiplied, as did the portfolio of banking products. Thanks to automation, going to the bank offers a much better customer experience than in previous decades. And the jobs in the industry became better paid and were of better quality.
This optimist scenario assumes, however, that education systems will do a better job of preparing our children to become good at what humans do best: creative and critical thinking. Less learning-by-heart and more learning-by-doing. Fewer clerical skills and more philosophical insights about human nature and how to cater to its infinite needs for art and culture.
To become creative and critical thinkers, our children will need knowledge and wisdom more than raw data points. They need to ask “why?”, “how?” and “what if?” more often than “what?”, “who?” and “when?” And they must construct this knowledge by relying on databases as cognitive partners as soon as they learn how to read and write.
Thus, the future of human-machine cooperation looks less like the scenario in the Terminator movies and more like a Minority Report-style of “augmented intelligence”. There will be jobs if we adapt the education system to equip our children to do what humans are good at: to think critically and creatively, to develop knowledge and wisdom, to appreciate and create beautiful works of art. That does not mean it will be a painless transition. Machines and automation will likely take away millions of low-quality jobs as it has happened in the past. But better-quality jobs will likely replace them, requiring less physical effort and shorter hours to deliver better results.
No, artificial intelligence won’t ①__________ your children’s jobs
Passage outline
Supporting details
A ②__________phenomenon
With the rise of AI, machines ③__________ threaten the security of people’s current jobs, making the future of the workforce look rather dark and gloomy.
An objective analysis
l Those not skilled in computer using need to plan ④__________, for they are at a higher risk of losing their jobs to machines.
l Drivers, faced with the increasing popularity of automated cars, need to be compensated, ⑤__________for re-employment.
l ATMs, though, create well-paid jobs as well as increase customers’ ⑥__________
A practical solution
l Adjustments need to be made to education systems by ⑦__________ our children for the jobs ⑧__________ creative and critical thinking.
l ⑨__________of learning philosophy and change in the way of learning styles will be introduced for developing critical thinkers.
A safe conclusion
AI won’t cost your children their jobs. Instead, it will make them more creative and ⑩__________.
7.请认真阅读下面短文,并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意:每个空格只填1个单词。
Anyone who's ever made room for a big milestone of adult life—a job, a marriage, a move—has likely shoved a friendship to the side. After all, there is no contract locking us to the other person, as in marriage, and there are no blood bonds, as in family. We choose our friends, and our friends choose us. That's a really distinctive attribute of friendships.
But modern life can become so busy that people forget to keep choosing each other. That's when friendships fade, and there's reason to believe it's happening more than ever. Loneliness is on the rise, and feeling lonely has been found to increase a person's risk of dying early by 26%—and to be even worse for the body than obesity and air pollution. Loneliness damages health in many ways, particularly because it removes the safety net of social support. “When we perceive our world as threatening, that can be associated with an increase in heart rate and blood pressure.”
The solution is simple: friendship. It helps protect the brain and body from stress, anxiety and depression. “Being around trusted others, in essence, signals safety and security,” says Holt-Lunstad. A study last year found that friendships are especially beneficial later in life. Having supportive friends in old age is a stronger predictor of well-being than family ties—suggesting that the friends you pick may be at least as important as the family you're born into.
Easy as the fix may sound, it can be difficult to keep and make friends as an adult. But research suggests that you only need between four and five close pals. If you've ever had a good one, you know what you're looking for. “The expectations of friends, once you have a mature understanding of friendship, don't really change across the life course,” Rawlins says. “People want their close friends to be someone they can talk to and someone they can depend upon.”
Application Process
Click here to download your application form
Students must submit(提交)an application by email to confucius@carleton.ca or in person to Carleton International at 509 Tory Building
Contact Information
613-520-260 ext 2628
carleton.international@carleton.ca
1.Who can take the program? .
题目解答
答案
5.答案: 1. characteristics 2. disadvantages 3. energy 4. impact(s) 5. guard 6. other 7. limits 8. physical 9. beat 10. fearful/afraid .