Risks of killer robots (P1)

I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
 Arnold Schwarzenegger, 68, is an Austrian-American actor, model, producer, director, activist, former professional bodybuilder, and politician. He is returning to the big screen this August in Terminator Genisys.
Are you a fan of him? Which of his roles has impressed you the most? Why did you like it?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?
A. To analyze why the T-800 model appeals to moviegoers.
B. To promote Schwarzenegger’s new movie Terminator Genisys.
C. To explore the development and impact of autonomous machines.
D. To show that the technology shown in science fiction can become a reality.

2. What is the unique characteristic of autonomous weapons?
A. They are able to select targets very quickly and accurately. 
B. They are driven by artificial intelligence instead of humans.
C. They are killing machines more powerful than tanks and battleships.
D. They are red-eyed robots able to carry out all kinds of strike missions.

3. The underlined word “inevitable” in Paragraph 5 probably means ____.
A. to be expected  B. to be improved C. to be prevented D. to be controlled

4. What is scientists’ attitude toward autonomous weapons?
A. They could be used to fight against terrorists in the future.
B. Their decision-making abilities should be further developed.
C. They could bring a huge disaster to the human race if they are not banned.
D. They should replace gunpowder and nuclear arms in future wars.

Key:
1. C。本文由电影《终结者：创世纪》谈到了人工智能武器的发展以及科学家们预测它们对未来世纪可能带来的影响，故选C。
2. B。由第二段的“Autonomous weapons (武器) use artificial intelligence (AI， 人工智能) to select targets without human help.”以及第四段“But unlike these machines, which require a human hand in their action, so-called “killer robots” would have some decision-making abilities and the ability to act on their own.”可知答案为B。
3. A。句意为：“如果有军事力量开始推动人工智能武器发展，全球军备竞赛将____”，根据语境可推知inevitable在此表示“不可避免的，必然的”，故答案为A。
4. C。由第二段的“They asked governments around the world to ban autonomous weapons, warning that killer robots could start ethnic cleansings (种族灭绝) and an arms race.”以及最后四段可知科学家们担心人工智能武器的发展如果不予以制止的话，将给人类带来毁灭性的损害，故选C。

III. Language study
1. While the T-800 model – even if it can be evil – has a fond place in moviegoers’ hearts, the reality of autonomous (自动的) machines is no joke, according to scientists.
句中while引导让步状语从句，表示“虽然，尽管”；词组have a fond place in sb’s heart 意为“深得某人喜爱”。

2. They were described as “the third revolution in warfare (战争), after gunpowder (火药) and nuclear arms” in an open letter signed by over 1,000 important technology figures in July.
Be described as 意为“被描述为……”；过去分词短语signed …修饰前面的名词an open letter。

3. They asked governments around the world to ban autonomous weapons, warning that killer robots could start ethnic cleansings (种族灭绝) and an arms race.
本句中动词-ing短语warning…用作伴随状语，表示与谓语动词asked同时发生的动作。

4. Authorities are gradually waking up to the risk of robot wars.
wake up to sth：觉察到，（使）认识到。又如：People should wake up to the fact that people with disabilities have a vote as well. 人们应该认识到残疾人同样也享有投票权。

IV. Post-reading
Further thinking:
While some scientists worry about the risks of autonomous weapons, claiming that killer robots could start ethnic cleansings and an arms race, others believe all technologies have the potential for being used for good and evil ends, and argue that the ban called for by the open letter could close the door to developing AI technology that could save lives. What is your opinion of developing autonomous weapons?

Ireland’s great works (P4)
I. Pre-reading
Discuss the following questions with your partner.
Do you know of any great Irish writers?
What do you think of W.B. Yeats, Samuel Beckett, Jonathan Swift and James Joyce? Who are you most familiar with?
Have you ever read any of their works?
What are the characteristics of their works?

II. Reading
Read the article and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To inform the reader of Ireland’s colonial history.
B. To analyze the characteristics of Irish literature.
C. To describe the cultural renaissance in Ireland.
D. To recommend works by some famous Irish writers.

2. According to the article, Irish works of literature ____.
A. have much in common with English literature
B. are well-known for their frequent use of satire
C. were greatly inspired by Ireland’s struggle for independence
D. have always reflected Irish people’s anger toward the English

3. “Bloomsday” is celebrated in Dublin to honor ____ and his masterpiece.
A. Samuel Beckett
B. Jonathan Swift
C. WB Yeats
D. James Joyce

4. How is the article mainly developed?
A. Through examples.
B. With comparisons.
C. Through cause and effect analysis.
D. By following the order of time.

Key:
1. B。本文主要分析了爱尔兰文学作品的特点，故选B。
2. C。由第三段的“Like many colonial countries, Ireland’s literature gained great inspiration from the political movement for independence.”可知答案为C。
3. D。由倒数第二段可知Bloomsday是为了纪念James Joyce和他的作品Ulysses的，故答案为D。
4. A。文中通过列举爱尔兰著名的作家来介绍爱尔兰文学作品的主要特点，所以答案为A。

III. Post-reading
Answer the following questions.
1. Why did Samuel Beckett answer, “On the contrary” when asked whether he was an English author?
Because he believed that an Irish writer is the opposite of an English one and Irish works of literature are often produced as a response to English literature, English culture and English politics, since Ireland was once a colony of England.

2. What kind of literature is Jonathan Swift’s essay, A Modest Proposal?
It is a satire.

3. What were the major contributions W.B. Yeats made to Irish literature?
He started a cultural renaissance in Ireland and tried to bring back Ireland’s traditional folk literature and encourage the spread of knowledge of Gaelic, the Irish language.

4. How has Irish literature changed up to now?
In some ways “Irish literature” is now just a label for writers who come from Ireland. They are their own men and women.

Look into hunters’ eyes (P5)
I. Skimming
Read the article fast and answer the following questions.
What did scientists from the Universities of California Berkeley and Durham in Britain find from their research?
Key: They found that pupils’ shapes could tell whether an animal is a hunter or gets hunted. Species with pupils that are vertical slits are more likely to be small ambush predators. In contrast, those with horizontal pupils are more likely to be plant-eating prey species.

II. Scanning
Read the article again and choose the best answer for each of the following questions.
1. What is the article mainly about?
A. How animals keep track of moving objects.
B. Why animals have evolved with different shaped pupils.
C. How animals change their pupils’ shape when hunting for food.
D. How the pupils’ shape influences an animal’s ability to detect a predator.

2. According to the study, slit pupils ____. 
A. help to provide a wider field of vision
B. are more likely to belong to big predators
C. are more likely to belong to those to get hunted
D. provide the sharpest way to judge hunting distance

3. What can we conclude from the article about plant-eating prey animals?
A. Their pupils allow more light to be received from both above and below.
B. Their pupils are able to help them scan their surroundings for threats.
C. Once they detect a predator, their eyes rotate to help them find where to run.
D. When they lower their heads to eat, they narrow their eyes to vertical slits.

Key:
1. B。本文主要分析了动物们为什么会有不同形状的瞳孔，故答案为B。
2. D。由第五段的“Species with pupils that are vertical slits are more likely to be small ambush predators”可知B、C不对；由第六段的“For hunters such as household cats, it appears that vertical pupils not only improve their ability to keep track of moving objects like mice, but also maximize their ability to judge the distances of the animals they hunt.”可知D为正确答案。由第八段的“On the other hand, for plant-eating prey animals, horizontal pupils give them a wider field of vision.”可知A不对。　
3. B。由倒数第三段的“Once they do detect a predator, they need to see where they are running”可知B为正确答案，C项的“their eyes rotate”不对。由该段的“When stretched horizontally, the pupils allow for more light to enter from the front, back, and sides.”可知A选项的“from both above and below”不对；由倒数第二段的“They confirmed that when goats lower their heads to eat, their eyes rotate to keep their pupils horizontal.”可知D不对。

III. Language study
Learn how to compare:
 If you have, you probably noticed that cats narrow their eyes to vertical slits, while sheep have horizontal pupils.
Species with pupils that are vertical slits are more likely to be small ambush predators ... In contrast, those with horizontal pupils are more likely to be plant-eating prey species. 
On the other hand, for plant-eating prey animals, horizontal pupils give them a wider field of vision.
如果要对两个事物进行对比，该如何来表达呢？一起来看看上述三句话是如何描写的。第一句用连词while表示对比，while意为“然而，但是”；第二、三句中用介词短语in contrast（相比之下）、on the other hand（另一方面）来描写对照，前后句分别描述要对照的事物的不同特点。

Translate the following sentences into English.
1. 汤姆开朗自信，而杰克却害羞文静。
Tom is very outgoing and confident while Jack is shy and quiet.
2. 我们的制度与他们的相比，显得过于守旧了。
In contrast with their system, ours seems very old-fashioned.
3. 一方面我想要一份薪水更高的工作，但另一方面我也喜欢现在的工作。
On one hand I’d like a job that pays more, but on the other hand I enjoy the work I’m doing at the moment.