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Among the annoying challenges facing the middleclass is one that will probably go unmentioned in the next presidentialcampaign: What happens when the robots come for their jobs? Don’t dismiss that possibility entirely. Abouthalf of U.S. jobs are at highrisk of being automated,according to a University of Oxford study, with the middle class disproportionately squeezed. Lower-incomejobs like gardening or day care don’t appeal to robots. But many middle-classoccupations—trucking, financial advice, software engineering—have aroused theirinterest, or soon will. The rich own the robots, so they will be fine. 21. Who will be most threatened by automation? [A] Leading politicians. [B] Low-wage laborers.（与下划线句矛盾） [C] Robot owners.（与加粗矛盾） [D] Middle-class workers.
This isn’t to be alarmist. Optimists point outthat technological upheaval has benefited workers in the past. The IndustrialRevolution didn’t go so well for Luddites whose jobs were displaced bymechanized looms, but it eventually raised living standards and created morejobs than it destroyed. Likewise, automation should eventually boostproductivity, stimulate demand by driving down prices, and free workers fromhard, boring work. But in themedium term, middle-class workers may need a lot of help adjusting. 22 . Which of the following best represents theauthor’s view? [A] Worries about automation are in factgroundless. [B] Optimists’ opinions on new tech find littlesupport. [C] Issues arising from automation need to be tackled. [D] Negative consequences of new tech can beavoided.
The first step, as Erik Brynjolfsson and AndrewMcAfee argue in The Second Machine Age, should be rethinking education and jobtraining. Curriculums—fromgrammar school to college— shouldevolve to focus less onmemorizing facts and more on creativity and complexcommunication. Vocational schools should do a better job of fosteringproblem-solving skills and helping students work alongside robots. Onlineeducation can supplement the traditional kind. It could make extra training andinstruction affordable. Professionals trying to acquire new skills will be ableto do so without going into debt. 23. Education in the age of automation should put more emphasis on _____. [A] creative potential [B] job-hunting skills [C] individual needs [D] cooperative spirit The challenge of coping with automationunderlines the need for the U.S. to revive its fading business dynamism:Starting new companies must be made easier. In previous eras of drastictechnological change, entrepreneurs smoothed the transition by dreaming up waysto combine labor and machines. The best uses of 3D printers and virtual realityhaven’t been invented yet. The U.S. needs the new companies that will inventthem.
Finally, because automation threatens to widenthe gap between capital income and labor income, taxes and the safety net willhave to be rethought. Taxeson low-wage labor need tobe cut, and wage subsidies such as the earned income tax credit should beexpanded: This would boost incomes, encourage work, reward companies for jobcreation, and reduceinequality. 24. The author suggests that tax policies be aimed at _____. [A] encouraging the development of automation [B] increasing the return on capital investment [C] easing the hostility between rich and poor [D] preventing the income gap from widening
Technology will improve society in ways big andsmall over the next few years, yet this will be little comfort to those who findtheir lives and careers upended by automation. Destroying the machines that are coming for ourjobs would be nuts. But policies to help workers adapt will be indispensable.
The first step… The challenge of coping with automationunder… Finally, because automation threat…
25. In this text, the author presents a problemwith _____. [A] opposing views on it [B] possible solutions to it [C] its alarming impacts [D] its major variations
Text 2 A new survey by Harvard University finds morethan two-thirds of young Americans disapprove of President Trump’s use ofTwitter. The implication is that Millennials prefer news from the White Houseto be filtered through other source, not a president’s social media platform. Most Americans rely on social media to checkdaily headlines. Yet as distrusthas risen toward all media, people may be starting to beef up their medialiteracy skills. Such a trend is badly needed. During the 2016 presidentialcampaign, nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in thepolitically critical state of Michigan was fake news, according to the University of Oxford.And a survey conducted by BuzzFeed News found 44 percent of Facebook users rarely or never trust newsfrom the media giant. 26. According to the Paragraphs 1 and 2, many young Americans cast doubtson _____. [A] the justification of the news-filteringpractice [B] people’s preference for social mediaplatforms [C] the administrations’ ability to handleinformation [D] social media was a reliable source of news
Most Americans rely on social media to checkdaily headlines. Yet as distrust has risen toward all media, people may be starting to beef up their media literacyskills. Such a trend is badly needed. During the 2016 presidential campaign,nearly a quarter of web content shared by Twitter users in the politicallycritical state of Michigan was fake news, according to the University ofOxford. And a survey conducted by BuzzFeed News found 44 percent of Facebookusers rarely or never trust news from the media giant. 27. The phrase “beef up” (Line 2, Para. 2) is closest in meaning to_____. [A] sharpen [B] define [C] boast [D] share
Young people who are digital natives are indeedbecoming more skillful at separating fact from fiction in cyberspace. A Knight Foundation focus-group surveyof young people between ages 14 and 24 found they use “distributed trust” toverify stories. They cross-checksources and prefer news from different perspectives—especially those that are open about anybias. “Many young people assume a great deal of personal responsibility foreducating themselves and actively seeking out opposing viewpoints,” the surveyconcluded. 28. According to the Knight Foundation survey, young people _____. [A] tend to voice their opinions in cyberspace [B] verify news by referring to diverse resources [C] have a strong sense of responsibility [D] like to exchange views on “distributedtrust”
Such active research can have another effect. A2014 survey conducted in Australia, Britain, and the United States by theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison found that young people’s reliance on socialmedia led to greater political engagement.
Social media allows users to experience newsevents more intimately and immediately while also permitting them to re-sharenews as a projection of their values and interests. This forces users to bemore conscious of their role in passing along information. A survey by Barna researchgroup found the top reasongiven by Americans for thefake news phenomenon is “readererror,” more so than made-up stories or factual mistakes in reporting.About a third say the problem of fake news lies in “misinterpretation or exaggeration of actualnews” via social media. In other words, the choice to share news on socialmedia may be the heart of the issue. “This indicates there is a real personalresponsibility in counteracting this problem,” says Roxanne Stone, editor inchief at Barna Group. 29. The Barna survey found that a main cause for the fake news problem is _____. [A] readers’ outdated values [B] journalists’ biased reporting [C] readers’ misinterpretation [D] journalists’ made-up stories
So when young people are critical of anover-tweeting president, they reveal a mental discipline in thinking skills—andin their choices on when to share on social media. 30. Which of the following would be the besttitle for the text? [A] A Risein Critical Skills for Sharing News Online [B] A Counteraction Against the Over-tweetingTrend [C] The Accumulation of Mutual Trust on SocialMedia [D] The Platforms for Projection of PersonalInterests
Text 3 Any fair-minded assessment of the dangers ofthe deal between Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) and DeepMind muststart by acknowledging that both sides mean well. DeepMind is one of theleading artificial intelligence (AI) companies in the world. The potential ofthis work applied to healthcare is very great, but it could also lead tofurther concentration of power in the tech giants. It is against thatbackground that the information commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has issued herdamning verdict against the Royal Free hospital trust under the NHS, whichhanded over to DeepMind the records of 1.6 million patients in 2015 on thebasis of a vague agreementwhich took far too littleaccount of the patients’ rights and their expectations of privacy. 31.What is true of the agreement between the NHS and DeepMind ? [A] It caused conflicts among tech giants. [B] It failed to pay due attention to patient’s rights. [C] It fell short of the latter’s expectations. [D] It put both sides into a dangeroussituation.
DeepMind has almost apologized. The NHS trust has mended its ways. Further arrangements—andthere may be many—between the NHS and DeepMind will be carefully scrutinised to ensure that allnecessary permissions have been asked of patients and all unnecessary data hasbeen cleaned. There are lessons about informed patient consent to learn. Butprivacy is not the only angle in this case and not even the most important. MsDenham chose to concentrate the blame on the NHS trust, since under existinglaw it “controlled” the data and DeepMind merely “processed” it. But thisdistinction misses the point that it is processing and aggregation, not themere possession of bits, that gives the data value. 32. The NHS trust responded to Denham’s verdict with _____. [A] empty promises [B] tough resistance [C] necessary adjustments [D] sincere apologies
DeepMind has almost apologized. The NHS trusthas mended its ways. Further arrangements—and there may be many—between the NHSand DeepMind will be carefully scrutinised to ensure that all necessarypermissions have been asked of patients and all unnecessary data has beencleaned. There are lessons about informed patient consent to learn. But privacyis not the only angle in this case and not even the most important. Ms Denhamchose to concentrate the blame on the NHS trust, since under existing law it“controlled” the data and DeepMind merely “processed” it. But this distinctionmisses the point that it isprocessing and aggregation, not the mere possession of bits, that gives the data value. 33.The author argues in Paragraph 2 that_____. [A] privacy protection must be secured at allcosts（无中生有） [B] leaking patients’ data is worse thanselling it（无中生有） [C] making profits from patients’ data isillegal（曲解原文） [D] the value of data comes from the processing of it
The great question is who should benefit fromthe analysis of all the data that our lives now generate. Privacy law builds onthe concept of damage to an individual from identifiable knowledge about them.That misses the way the surveillance economy works. The data of an individualthere gains its value only when it is compared with the data of countlessmillions more. The use of privacy law to curb the tech giantsin this instance feels slightly maladapted. This practice does not address thereal worry. It is not enough to say that the algorithms DeepMind develops willbenefit patients and save lives. What matters is that they will belong to a private monopoly which developed them usingpublic resources. If software promises to save lives on the scale that drugsnow can, big data may be expected to behave as a big pharm has done. We arestill at the beginning of this revolution and small choices now may turn out tohave gigantic consequences later. A long struggle will be needed to avoid afuture of digital feudalism. Ms Denham’s report is a welcome start. 34.According to the last paragraph, the real worry arising from this deal is_____. [A] the vicious rivalry among big pharmas [B] the ineffective enforcement of privacy law [C] the uncontrolled use of new software [D] the monopoly of big data by tech giants
The use of privacy law to curb the tech giantsin this instance feels slightly maladapted. This practice does not address thereal worry. It is not enough to say that the algorithms DeepMind develops willbenefit patients and save lives. What matters is that they will belong to a privatemonopoly which developed them using public resources. If software promises tosave lives on the scale that drugs now can, big data may be expected to behaveas a big pharm has done. We are still at the beginning of this revolution andsmall choices now may turn out to have gigantic consequences later. A long struggle will be needed toavoid a future of digital feudalism. Ms Denham’s report is a welcomestart. 35.The author’s attitude toward the applicationof AI to healthcare is _____. [A] ambiguous [B] cautious [C] appreciative [D] contemptuous Text 4 The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) continues to bleed red ink. It reported a net loss of $5.6 billion for fiscal2016, the 10th straight year its expenses have exceeded revenue. Meanwhile, it has more than $120 billion in unfunded liabilities,mostly for employee health and retirement costs. There are many bankruptcies.Fundamentally, the USPS is in a historic squeeze between technological changethat has permanently decreased demand for its bread-and-butter product,first-class mail, and a regulatory structure that denies management the flexibility to adjust itsoperations to the new reality. 36. The financial problem with the USPS is caused partly by _____. [A] its unbalanced budget [B] its rigid management [C] the cost for technical upgrading [D] the withdrawal of bank support
And interestgroups ranging from postal unionsto greeting-card makers exertself-interested pressureon the USPS’s ultimate overseer—Congress—insisting that whatever elsehappens to the Postal Service, aspects of the status quo they depend on getprotected. This is why repeated attempts at reformlegislation have failed in recent years, leaving the Postal Serviceunable to pay its bills except by deferring vital modernization. 37. According to Paragraph 2, the USPS fails to modernize itself due to _____. [A] the interference from interest groups [B] the inadequate funding from Congress [C] the shrinking demand for postal service [D] the incompetence of postal unions
Now comes word that everyoneinvolved—Democrats, Republicans, the Postal Service, the unions and the system’sheaviest users—has finally agreed on a plan to fix the system. Legislation ismoving through the House that would save USPS an estimated $28.6 billion overfive years, which could help pay for new vehicles, among other survivalmeasures. Most of the moneywould come from a penny-per-letter permanent rate increase and from shiftingpostal retirees into Medicare. The latter step would largely offset thefinancial burden of annually pre-funding retiree health care, thus addressing a long-standing complaint by the USPSand its union. 38. The long-standing complaint by the USPS and its unions can be addressed by _____. [A] removing its burden of retiree health care. [B] making more investment in new vehicles. [C] adopting a new rate-increase mechanism. [D] attracting more first-class mail users.
If it clears the House, this measure wouldstill have to get through the Senate—where someone is bound to point out thatit amounts to the bare, bare minimum necessary to keep the Postal Serviceafloat, not comprehensive reform. There’s no change to collective bargaining atthe USPS, a major omission considering that personnel accounts for 80 percentof the agency’s costs. Also missing is any discussion of eliminating Saturdayletter delivery. That common-sense change enjoys wide public support and wouldsave the USPS $2 billion per year. But postal special-interest groups seem tohave killed it, at least in the House. The emerging consensus around the billis a sign that legislatorsare getting frightenedabout a politically embarrassing short-term collapse at the USPS. It is not,however, a sign that they’re getting serious about transforming the postalsystem for the 21st century. 39. In the last paragraph, the author seems toview legislators with_____. [A] respect [B] tolerance [C] discontent [D] gratitude
40. Which of the following would be the besttitle for the text? [A] The USPS Starts to Miss Its Good Old Days [B] The Postal Service: Keep Away from MyCheese [C] The USPS: Chronic Illness Requires a QuickCure [D] The Postal Service Needs More than a Band-Aid |
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