相关试卷

By using personalized voice models, its AI-powered speech recognition system helps people with speech impairments (损伤) caused by conditions like Parkinson's disease, Down syndrome, or stroke communicate better with others.

For Voiceitt co-founder Sara Smolley, developing speech recognition for non-standard speech patterns is a personal mission. "My grandmother was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease," she said. "By the time I was born, she had lost most of her motor capabilities, and her speech was affected." Smolley wanted to solve communication problems for people with speech difficulties.

Voiceitt was launched as an app in 2023 and operated as a vocal translator, converting non-standard speech into audio. Users train the AI by recording themselves saying about 200 simple phrases. Voiceitt cooperates with tools like WebEx and ChatGPT, providing captions (字幕) for non-standard speech. The company is also partnering with Zoom and Microsoft Teams.

Colin Hughes, who has a muscle disorder, uses voice typing for his digital interactions. He's impressed with how accurately Voiceitt's app understands his unique way of speaking. But he points out that many people with upper-limb disabilities need more than just speech-to-text. They need something like better voice typing for longer writing. He sees a future where technology plays a bigger role in accessibility, adding, "This entire field needs a shake-up. Voiceitt, with better access to major platforms, could be the one to lead this change."

With technology that captures and stores personal data such as voice recordings, privacy can be a concern for users. Smolley says her company has "the highest standards in the world in terms of data privacy". She believes Voiceitt's technology can be life-changing. "We want to allow people not just to be more independent in their lives and work," says Smolley, "but also to enjoy technology and have fun."

The study, led by Dr. Gregory Marcus from the University of California, San Francisco, involved 100 healthy adults. Participants wore devices to track steps, sleep, blood sugar levels and heart rhythms. They spent two days drinking as much coffee as they liked, followed by two days without coffee, repeating this cycle for two weeks.

Findings revealed that on coffee-drinking days, participants took an average of 1,058 more steps but slept 36 fewer minutes. While coffee didn't impact early heartbeats from the top chambers (心房) of the heart, it increased early heartbeats from the bottom chambers by 50%. These bottom chamber beats, called PVCs, can cause rapid heartbeats and, in some cases, lead to heart failure.

Dr. Peter Kistler from Alfred Hospital in Melbourne, emphasized that this was a short-term study in healthy volunteers. "This provides no information on the benefits or potential harms to long-term coffee drinking," said Kistler. "This does not provide information on the impact of coffee in people with other health conditions, and generally the study participants consumed limited amounts of coffee."

The study noted that genetic differences in caffeine metabolism (代谢) might influence individuals' reactions to coffee. While coffee can motivate physical activity and enhance performance, it can also lead to reduced sleep and increased heart beats in some people. The effects of coffee should be considered in the context of personal health goals and tolerance levels. Marcus suggested that a personalized approach to coffee consumption could be most effective for determining its health effects.

My way of travelling is different. I just pick a destination and then go there, leaving things to chance. This may not be for everybody, but leaping into the unknown, for me, has been great.

Take Greenland, for example: 1 found myself in a tiny village of just 40 people, with no place to stay. The locals welcomed me warmly, and I enjoyed a delightful supper with an Inuit family, completed with fantastic stories never found in guidebooks.

A few years back, driving through Iceland, I noticed an older woman sitting at a picnic table by a waterfall. I approached her, and asked if I could sit with her. She turned out to be a source of knowledge about the area, which we had all to ourselves, without a tourist in sight.

Wandering in Trinidad, I got on a coastal ship. On the way, a young woman talked to me and gave me a tip for a visit to a hidden local restaurant with delicious and affordable food. There, I enjoyed the meal surrounded by the relaxing local music.

As a teacher, I encourage my students to travel．Most of them have never gone outside; others even never left their hometown. In many cases, they express a sense of fear, of going someplace where they won't know anybody. I try to remove their anxieties by sharing my own travel experiences, and the message that there are good people everywhere, and friendships are waiting to be started.

I once read a piece about regrets that people expressed later in their lives. One that struck me was, "I wish I had taken more chances." Setting off little planning does mean taking a risk, but for me, it is rewarding.

Aerobics — 1970s

Aerobics took off to improve the cardiovascular (心血管) system in a fun way and dance moves were combined with fitness movements, such as leg raises and marching in place. Aerobics inspired many different spin-offs from dance and step aerobics, to even water-based classes, all set to music.

Spinning — 1990s

Spinning launched cycling revolution in the 1990s which continues to this day, thanks to big-name gyms which have made cycling on fixed bikes a party for participants. Color changing lights, high-energy music and enthusiastic instructors have turned spin classes into a lively group activity which has attracted fans around the world.

CrossFit—2000s

CrossFit has been a team favorite in the fitness scene since the 2000s. The activity is competitive yet shared, with scores being tracked on a board. Classes typically last an hour or less, making each session an intense (强度的) and time-efficient workout which many are able to fit into their busy schedules.

HIIT — 2020s

HIIT, which stands for High Intensity Interval Training, has gained popularity recently, along with the rise of home workouts. Exercises, done in short, intense bursts, aim to build strength and endurance. It can be done through free online classes without any equipment, making it an affordable workout at home.

Chito Shedden was a simple fisherman and tour guide from Siquirres, Limon Province, Costa Rica. He had a broad range of interesting facts about nature, which helped his business quite a bit.

The year was 1989 and Chito was walking along the banks of the Reventazón River when he happened upon something very strange. There was a dying male crocodile (鳄鱼). When he stepped up to carefully examine the skinny reptile, he realized it had been shot through the head and then left eyes.

He knew, dangerous as it was, he couldn't leave the poor animal there, alone and helpless. Chito acted quickly, calling for the help of several brave friends to load the heavy reptile into his boat. He knew if he could heal it, he would then send it back into the wild. He named the huge reptile "Pocho", which means strength and began to care for him in his own backyard.

The kind and helpful fisherman started to heal Pocho with medicine, food, and more importantly, lots of care and attention. Chito fed the crocodile a steady diet of chicken and fish. He bought medicine to prevent infection (感染) and even slept by his side at night.

Affection was one of the most important factors. Chito gave him kisses and hugs. He talked to him and petted him. "The crocodile needed my love to regain the will to live," he said. In time, Pocho improved enough to returned to normal health. It was time for him to return to his own river in the wild. Chito and his friends loaded the crocodile back into his boat and set him free in a nearby river. The two parted ways and Chito returned home alone.

注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150左右；

2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；

Chito awoke the next morning, and walked outside.

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A closer relationship was formed between Pocho and Chito.

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1. 表示祝贺；2. 提供建议(就餐礼仪、见面礼等)

参考词汇：table manners (餐桌礼仪)

注意：

1. 词数80左右；2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

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Each time I take the underground I find myself (surround) by dozens of passengers playing smart phones. They almost won't even give a glance at the outside world. You may think it is normal to play smart phones (kill) time. What's worse, when I talk with some of my friends, they even talk while playing their phones, is really annoying.

I really miss the old days when I (chat) with some passengers on the train. Now things are different. Everyone just concentrates their smart phones. When taking with them, seems that you are disturbing their playing smart phones. I could not just blame them for I am moving to be one like them. Sometimes I just feel we (large) ignore our neighbors and want to keep in touch with (distance) strangers though he Internet. We care about the things far away pay no attention to the needs nearby. How awkward the situation is! In a way we (control) by smart phones now.

The following Sunday, he told me, "Let's put away some money into a3 each week, and maybe we can go to Yankee Stadium this summer." I immediately washed out a jar and4a label: YANKEE STADIUM FUND, 1960.

Each of us5 to the jar weekly.6, we still hadn't gone to a game because my father had to work every Saturday. So one day, I7 him of the remaining time, and then he8 me, "Don't worry and we'll have a free Saturday."

On the morning of the last game, I sat waiting hopelessly with no reply of my father who had been to work suddenly appeared and yelled, "I got two tickets!"

I could hardly9 when we finally sat together, father and son,10 my New York Yankees. I sat cheering but for my father, all I could see is a face11 tiredness from working all week.

In 1963, my father died suddenly while working. In his bedroom, I noticed a12 ticket in his yellowed book, which13, October 1, 1960, General Admission. My father, who14nothing for emotional reasons, had decided to keep this, a(an)15 of our afternoon together.

The teenage years can be tough, and it's normal to feel sad every now and then. But if these feelings don't go away or become so intense that you can't handle them, you may be suffering from depression.

Try not to isolate yourself

When you're depressed, you may not feel like seeing anybody or doing anything. If you just stay in bed all day and isolate yourself, you will feel more depressed. . Thus, please spend more time with friends, especially those who are active.

Keep your body healthy

Making healthy lifestyle choices can do wonders for your mood. Ever heard of a "runnershigh"? Physical activity can be as effective as medications for depression, so get involved in sports, ride your bike, or take a dance class. Any activity helps! . As for food, make sure you're feeding your mind with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Avoid alcohol and drugs

You maybe try drinking or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a "mood boost", even if just for a short time. However substance use can not only make depression worse, but can cause you to become more depressed. . You will need special treatment for your substance problem.

Stress and worry can lead to depression. Talk to a teacher if exams or classes seem overwhelming. In addition, if you have a health concern you feel you can't talk to your parents about, see a doctor. A health professional can help you approach your parents and guide you toward appropriate treatment. If you're dealing with relationship, friendship, or family problems, talk to an adult you trust.

A. Ask for help if you are stressed.

B. Even a short walk can be beneficial.

C. Turn to your parents for help.

D. But as you get out into the world, you may find yourself feeling better.

E. In short, drinking and taking drugs will make you feel worse-not better-in the long run.

F. The more exercise you do, the healthier you will be.

G. Help is available and you have more power than you think.

Southern Resident orcas are a different population of orcas that live in the Pacific Northwest. The lives of these orcas are closely tied to those of the salmon. So if the salmon disappear, so too will the orca. But despite their preference for the salmon, these whales are known to attack and kill other smaller marine mammals (海洋哺乳 动物) without eating them.

To better understand this unusual behavior, an international team of researchers did a research and examined more than 60 years of recorded interactions between Southern Resident orcas and porpoises in the Salish Sea.

"Why don't the Southern Residents just eat porpoises instead?" Deborah Giles of Wild Orca said. "It's because fish-eating killer whales have a completely different ecology and culture from orcas that eat marine mammals. So we must conclude that their interactions with porpoises serve a different purpose, but this purpose has only been a guess until now. "

According to Giles and her colleagues' work, the orca may be attacking the porpoise as a form of social play. It is possible these large animals may be attacking the smaller mammals as a way to build up social cohesion (凝聚力). Similarly, the behavior could represent hunting practice, by which the orcas are practising their teamwork and cooperation skills for hunting salmons. Finally, the behavior could be a way of "mismothering" where the orca see the smaller porpoises as weaker or ill and so in need of care.

This work highlights the need for the protection of salmon populations in the area as well as the orcas' entire hunting range. The threat to the salmon's future is not just a threat to a single species, but an entire ecosystem.

Two new tools put machine learning and front-facing cameras on smartphones to work, identifying face and eye movements. Users can look at their phone screens and select a task by smiling, raising eyebrows, opening their mouths, or looking to the left, right or up.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that 61 million adults in the United States live with disabilities, which has pushed Google, Apple and Microsoft to make products and services more accessible to them. "Every day, people use voice instructions, like ‘Hey Google', or their hands to operate their phones," the tech giant Google said in a blog post. "However, that's not always possible for people with serious physical or speech disabilities."

The changes are the result of two new features: One is called "Camera Switches", which lets people use their faces instead of taps to interact with smartphones. The other is Project Activate, a new Android application which allows people to use those gestures to start an action, like having a phone play a recorded phrase, send text, or make a call. The free Activate app is available in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States at the Google Play Store.

Apple, Google and Microsoft have kept rolling out inventions that make Internet technology more accessible to people with disabilities or who find that age has made some tasks, such as reading, more difficult. Voice-instructed digital assistants built into speakers and smartphones can enable people with sight or movement challenges to tell computers what to do. There is software that identifies text on web pages or in images and then reads it aloud, as well as automatic generation of captions that display what is said in videos. Apple built "AssistiveTouch" into the software powering its smartwatches. It lets touchscreen displays be controlled by sensing movements such as finger pinches or hand clenches.

"I hated to see all the books in the dustbins of wealthier neighborhoods. So I started to rescue them," said Gutierrez. The first book he found was a copy of the classic novel Anna Karenina written by Leo Tolstoy (托尔斯泰). The Tolstoy book was later joined by The Little Prince, Sophie's World, The lliad and a number of novels. Today, he has collected around 25,000 books.

His growing collection didn't go unnoticed. Gutierrez's neighbors were soon borrowing the books to help with their children's homework. "There was a lack of them in our neighborhood, so we started to help." said Gutierrez.

The ground floor of Gutierrez's home is now filled with books, from floor to ceiling. He opened it up as a free library, with the help of his wife Luz Gutierrez and their three children.

Word finally spread around about Gutierrez and his books. Most of the books now come from donations. He now travels around the country delivering free books to poor and remote areas. The library named"The Strength of Words", has donated books to some 235 schools, institutions and community libraries across Colombia.

Every July and September, the University of Cambridge opens its doors to welcome potential applicants and their parents and supporters to find out what it's really like to live and study here.

July Open Days-6 and 7July 2023

Our next Open Days will take place on 6 and 7 July 2023 and will include both online and in-person elements. You can get to know our courses, the colleges and departments, university facilities, the application procedure, student life and finance via:

·Information stands

·Course presentations and sample lectures

·College and department tours

·Q&A sessions with current students and staff

The program will run from 9:30-16:30(UK time)and is similar on both days so you should only need to attend one of the days. Further details will be announced in due course.

September Open Day-15 September 2023

With a focus on choosing your College, our September Open Day provides another opportunity for you to visit the Cambridge Colleges and ask current students and staff any questions you may have.

Booking information

To attend our Open Days, you must register in advance.

·Bookings for our July Open Days will open in May 2023.

·Bookings for our September Open Day will open in summer 2023, after the July Open Days.

Sign up on our website to stay updated when bookings open and for details of other opportunities, advice and resources.

Sweat dripped from Callie's face as she helped her big brother Briggs load ha y bales (捆) onto the machine. The machine made loud noise while it carried the bales up to the hay loft (干草棚), where Callie's dad piled them up.

All was quiet when Callie went inside to feed the horses. But as she filled the water bucket, she thought she heard a faint meow (猫叫声) from the hayloft. She climbed the steps to the loft and listened. The sound seemed to be coming from behind the bales. She ran to get her dad and Briggs. Briggs cocked his head, "It's coming from outside", he determined. "Just a bird in a tree." Callie's dad agreed. "Probably a mockingbird or a catbird," he said. "How do you know for sure?" Callie said.

"I guess we've just got better ears than you," Briggs joked. But Callie wasn't convinced.

She checked the hayloft again after supper. "Are you stuck in there, kitty?" she said, pressing an ear to the bales. "Meow!" came a sad cry. Callie raced back to the house. "I heard it again, Dad! Will you please listen once more?" "It's okay, Callie," her dad said, comforting her. "I'll go and take a look."

A few minutes later, he poked his head into Callie's room. "The only thing I heard out there was a mockingbird," he said. "So you can stop worrying." "OK, Dad," Callie said. But she woke in the night thinking about what she'd heard. What if a kitten was trapped behind the bales? She lay on her back, wondering what to do.

Finally, she changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, and then walked quietly into Briggs's room. "I need your flashlight (手电筒)." she whispered. "Huh?" Briggs was confused. "I need it to find the kitten," Callie explained. "I'll be careful" Briggs huffed. "You are so stubborn!" "You're the best," Callie said.

注意：

1. 所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；

2. 续写部分分为两段，每段的开头已为你写好。

Paragraph 1:

She grabbed the flashlight and rushed to the hayloft

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Paragraph 2:

Thanks to Briggs's help, the last heavy bale was moved, revealing a tiny, frightened kitten.

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1. 获奖感受；

2. 写作建议。

参考词汇：读后续写 continuation writing

注意：

1. 词数 80 左右；

2. 请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

Dear Fellow Students,

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Thank you!

The Chinese idiomatic term tieqiubiao, or "putting on autumn fat", means gaining a little weight in early autumn by eating meals rich protein and fat, including stewed meats, dumplings and nuts.

Since ancient times, people(measure) their weight at lixia, one of the 24 solar terms that marks the beginning of summer, and compared it to their weight at liqiu, the beginning of autumn. This(compare) helps them figure out how much weight they've lost during the hot months, hoping to gain sufficient weight(weather) the upcoming cold season.

This autumn, however, many are choosing to depart from tradition and instead shaking off the extra weight by eating what(refer) to as qingshi, or literally, "light food."

"I think it's post-Olympic phenomenon. After you spent the summer(watch) those well-shaped athletes on TV, you tend to reflect on your diet at midnight," Li Xinwei, a college student in Beijing, told Beijing Review.

Li's words reflect a broader trend(influence) by the recent Paris Olympic Games, has encouraged interest in athletes' light food diets on social media platforms. This shift highlights a growing awareness of nutrition and body image among younger generations in China. As young people(active) favor lighter foods, they are also contributing to the growth of the healthy food economy.

Everyone on the boat, except me, was with a group of friends. Rather than risk being3 as a strange guy, I started taking photos4.

I walked to the back of the boat to take a5. If only there was something to lean on, I thought. Suddenly I6 a metal box with a cover perfect for placing my forearms on. Only the metal box was not a container: it was a barbecue that had been7 all morning. Screaming in pain, I8 my arms immediately.

No9 marks appeared, and no one took me seriously when I said I was in huge10. The captain of the ship was unwilling to use the11 water supply to relieve the damage, and I didn't have any friends even just to12 with me. Then, one girl, learning of my wounds, offered me a special13 for burns. It turned out she was from London that just happens to be where I was born!

I'm not sure what I was14 with — the medical treatment or just the fact that I now had a shoulder to cry on! After a bit of treatment and a few beers, I felt much better. The pain15 and I was able to enjoy the seascapes and have fun with all the cool people. In that moment, I realized I was never truly alone on my journey.

Origami is the art of folding paper into three-dimensional figures. They can be people, animals, and objects. The word origami is Japanese. Some historians believe that it was first practiced in China while others think it was begun in Japan.

One of the most fascinating aspects of origami is how a simple sheet of paper can be transformed into something beautiful and complex. Origami begins with sheets of special paper, usually six inches on each side. The paper is generally white on one side and colored on the other side.

Beginners are often taught several folds and bases which are the starting shapes for other more complicated figures. Some basic folds are the valley fold, mountain fold, petal fold, and reverse fold. Once a folder has learned these basic elements, he or she can progress to more complex figures.

It is not uncommon for people to spend a great deal of time creating original pieces of origami in designs they have invented themselves. For example, one man created an origami model of the Starship Enterprise from the popular television show Star Trek. It took him a month to design the piece.

A. Origami can be both a hobby and an art form.

B. The origin of origami itself, however, is unclear.

C. It is thin, which allows it to be folded many times.

D. You could write a note, type a story, or wrap a small gift.

E. Modern-day folders have experimented with other materials.

F. What we do know is that origami was clearly developed in Japan.

G. These folds are used to create bases, such as the kite, bird, and frog.

Having noticed the problem, the local community set up colorful slides, double swings, a new basketball court and a grassy play area. Kids also gained access to a variety of loose equipment, such as balls and Hula-Hoops.

The makeover not only improved the playground's appearance but also had a significant impact on children's activity levels. To assess the impact, Elena Kuo, a senior consultant at Washington Health Research Institute, and her team conducted pre-and post-intervention observations and follow-up assessments one year later. They found that the share of children engaging in energetic physical activity doubled following the makeover. Remarkably, this increased activity level lasted even a year later.

"A lot of things, when they're new and shiny, lead to increased physical activity, which sometimes lasts long," says Elena Kuo, "That's why it's a pretty exciting finding."

Being physically active has many benefits for kids: It reduces obesity (肥胖) risk and improves overall physical and mental health, promotes social and emotional development and boosts academic performance. The WHO (World Health Organization) recommends that schoolchildren get 60 minutes of mild to energetic activity every day. Most kids fall far short of that goal. Globally, 81 percent of 11-to 17-year-olds fail to reach that level, according to an analysis reported in the Lancet.

Scientists across the globe are studying how to make full use of the opportunity that playgrounds provide. Research teams are using digital cameras, GPS tags and other wearable technology to study how kids behave on playgrounds and are conducting random controlled trials to assess whether certain playground features, programs and designs can encourage kids to move more.

Honey is the only food product that humans cat that is made by an insect. Even with all our technical abilities, no one has figured out how to make artificial honey. There's really no substitute (替代品).

A single pound of honey may require a beehive of up to 60,000 bees to visit two million flowers. No wonder some people call it liquid gold! Although amber-colored clover honey tends to be most common, honey comes in a variety of shades and flavors, depending on the flowers that the bees gather nectar (花蜜) from.

Honey has been used throughout history in a number of ways. One of the most remarkable things about it is that it never goes bad. It may crystallize, meaning that it becomes solid in parts, but simply warming it slightly will melt the crystals and return the honey to its liquid form.

No one knows exactly how long honey has been used by humans, but Spanish cave paintings dated at 7,000BC show early evidence of beckeeping. Honey was also used by the ancient Egyptians as a sweetener, as a gift to the gods, and even as an element used to create mummies. Honey has been found inside the Egyptian pyramids, and although that honey was more than 3,000 years old, it would still taste like honey and be safe to eat. No other food has such lasting power!

Besides its many uses as a sweetener, honey has long been used as a medicinal remedy (疗法). Because it's difficult for any kind of bacteria (细菌) to survive in honey, it makes a perfect barrier on cuts and can prevent infection. Honey is also an effective remedy to relieve a painful throat. It has even been found to be as effective in easing coughs in children.

The next time a bee flies through your garden or you spread some honey on a piece of toast, think about the miracle of honey.