[單選題]

　　We often hear about threats to American democracy， but this one is plausible.Layoffs at the New York Daily News， the Denver Post and many other local and regional newspapers have raised an alarm about “news deserts.”

　　The concern over the local-news vacuum has prompted at least one state to take action， but the plan doesn't much resemble independent journalism or a real newsroom.New Jersey's Legislature has allocated $ 5 million for a “civic information consortium.” A board， made up of political appointees and representatives of universities， would give grants to groups to “show demonstrable usefulness to a local community”-no substitute for a newspaper staff.

　　Yet there already exists a nationwide network of independent local nonprofits charged with providing news and information to communities.It is the system of 1 ，400 public broadcasting radio and television licensees.Established through the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act， the system was intended originally to provide a better alternative to what was then described as broadcasting's “vast wasteland.”Today， though-in an era when HBO， Netflix and Amazon have created a new golden age of television-the market failure is in local journalism.

　　Reforms of public broadcasting could address the problem.The $ 445 million federal subsidy for “public media” needs to be redirected-away from national programming and toward current and future local newsrooms across the country.Doing so would require changes in the Public Broadcasting Act.If public broadcasting is to demonstrate to the White House-which has called for an end to its federal funding-that it still has a reason to exist， reviving local journalism is the best argument.

　　Here's how the system works now： Some $ 313 million in public broadcasting's federal appropriation goes to local stations in the form of “community service grants.” But most of this money is used for purposes other than local journalism， and much of it heads back to Washington.Local stations are required to spend some of the funds on acquiring national programs-mainly from National Public Radio (NPR) and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).

　　National programs will increasingly be delivered directly to your smartphone or tablet， bypassing the cable box or FM dial.PBS Kids is already an app.So is NPR programming.Why would local stations want to send their federal funds to NPR and PBS， given this new distribution technology? Letting local stations keep their federal funds would help local citizens understand local issues.It would lead to more culturally and politically diverse offerings， some of which would make their way on to national outlets such as NPR and PBS.

　　Fifty years after its establishment， public broadcasting must demonstrate it still has a purpose and deserves its subsidy.With an emphasis on local journalism， its appropriation would not be a blank check.Stations would still face a market test， having to rely on local citizens and businesses for the majority of their funding.But a shift toward local journalism could be public broadcasting's way to keep American democracy vital.

　　According to the last two paragraphs， local stations ______.

　　Afail to keep pace with the technology

　　Brely too much on federal funding

　　Cshould focus more on local issues

　　Dare outperforming national stations

　　參考答案：C

　　[單選題]

　　In a big decision， the Supreme Court overturned a 1992 federal law that had effectively banned all states except Nevada from legalizing sports betting.The court had no opinion about sports gambling itself.It merely reasserted a constitutional restraint on federal power over the states.

　　So before states rush to permit， regulate， and tax sports betting， they may want to first weigh the original reasons behind the now-defunct ban.The big reason given back then by Congress was to maintain sports as a public display of talent， effort， and teamwork - the very opposite of a belief in chance.The integrity of athletes lies in their ability to master the circumstances of a game.

　　In sports， unforeseen circumstances are not considered luck but rather a challenge to test the skills of athletes.Sports should not be sullied by the false hopes of quick riches by gamblers pining for a “l(fā)ucky break.” Like society itself， sports rely on each person's desire to understand the causality of events and make the best of them.Athletes know they cannot put faith in so-called fortune.Nor should governments.If states now boost sports betting by legalizing it， what message are they sending about athletics - in fact， about any physical or mental endeavor?

　　According to Bill Bradley， a former NBA star and the then-senator who sponsored the 1992 law， placing bets on players makes them no better than roulette chips.Sports have a dignity that defies those who want to see games turning on a twist of fate.

　　Mr.Bradley also gives a second reason for governments not to push betting on sports.Should gambling be allowed on Little League games or middle-school athletics? Even New Jersey， which led the case against the 1992 act， did not want betting on its local teams.

　　Up to now， most major professional sports leagues were opposed to lifting the federal- ban.They feared athletes might throw a game or simply rig a play at the request of gambling agencies， as is often the case in many parts of the world.If games were seen as gamed， fans might flee.Now after this ruling， however， leagues might be tempted by the possibility they could get what is misnamed an “integrity fee，” or a percentage of gambling revenues from each game.States， too， appear tempted to gain tax revenue from sports gambling - although they should first look at how little Nevada has actually gained from sports betting in comparison to other types of gambling.

　　The uncertainties of legalized， regulated sports gambling in the United States are very high.But one certainty remains： Sports must remain pure in their purpose as a contest of what athletes give in a game， not what betting can take from them.

　　Which of the following best represents the major idea underlying the 1992 law?

　　AAthletes are vulnerable to false hopes of quick riches.

　　BUnforeseen situations bring out the best in athletes.

　　CSports betting is a threat to the integrity of sports.

　　DAlmost all sports contain a certain amount of luck.

　　參考答案：C

　　[單選題]

　　Some physicists believe the cosmos is home to an infinite number of bubble-shaped， parallel universes.The same theory could describe today’s American society.

　　Somewhere between the rise of cable news and social media， our shared sense of reality shattered.We live in an era of endless narratives， in which the phrase “my truth” is supposed to be taken seriously.Algorithms built to confirm pre-existing biases shape our social media feeds and opinions.Living in our own tailored information bubbles ， Americans today cannot agree on the existence of facts，let alone what the facts are.

　　We are living through an information revolution arguably more disruptive than Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press， which took Europe from the Middle Ages to the modern era and sparked off the Reformation， the Renaissance and the American Founding.The internet gives nearly everyone his own virtual printing press.A single social-media post can reach millions in seconds.With so many competing sources of information，it’s no wonder a shared reality has fractured.

　　Just as Gutenberg’s invention threatened to undermine the religious authority of the time， the internet threatens to undermine our secular clerisy—the journalists， academics and policy makers who make up the expert class in America and elsewhere in the West.For decades， they have served an important gate-keeping role， wielding tremendous power over public opinion.But the internet makes it possible to circumvent the gate keepers.The gate keepers’ desperate attempts to slow the unfolding revolution and keep control are proving extremely harsh.

　　The spirit of the Inquisition is alive and well in today’s cancel culture.In 2020 any journalist or scholar who strays from progressive orthodoxy is ripe for cancellation.Plenty are being fired from their jobs.Through such strong-arm tactics， newsrooms and universities silence opposition within their own ranks—and in the process expose their own ideological corruption.According to a recent Gallup poll， only 41% of adults trust the media to report the news “fully， accurately， and fairly，”and only 48% have confidence in higher education.

　　The press and the university are the institutions that are supposed to keep us tethered to an objective reality—to help identify truth and differentiate fact from fiction.But many of these institutions have abandoned their mission.Growing blurrier by the day is the line between news and propaganda， education and indoctrination.No longer trusting traditional information sources—with good reason—an alarming number of Americans turn to fake news and conspiracy theories，accelerating the breakdown of shared reality.

　　To address this，we need a complete reformation of the system that feeds it—the universities.Restoring intellectual honesty to our universities is key to rebuilding the credibility of the expert class and a semblance of a shared reality.We can debate the facts only when we can trust the institutions tasked to explain them.Until then， the multiverse is here to stay.

　　How does the expert class feel about the information revolution?______.

　　AThreatened.

　　BEncouraged.

　　CPuzzled.

　　DRelieved.

　　參考答案：A

　　[單選題]In the movies and on television, artificial intelligence(AI)is typically depicted as something sinister that will upend our way of life. When it comes to AI in business, we often hear about it in relation to automation and the impending loss of jobs, but in what ways is AI changing companies and the larger economy that don’t involve doom-and-gloom mass unemployment predictions?

　　A recent survey of manufacturing and service industries from Tata Consultancy Services found that companies currently use AI more often in computer-to-computer activities than in automating human activities. One common application? Preventing electronic security breaches, which, rather than eliminating IT jobs, actually makes those personnel more valuable to employers, because they help firms prevent hacking attempt.

　　Here are a few other ways Al is aiding companies without replacing employees.

　　Better Hiring Practices

　　Companies are using artificial intelligence to remove some of the unconscious bias from hiring decisions. There are experiments that show that, naturally, the results of interviews are much more biased than what AI does, says Domingos. In addition,(41)______One company that’s doing this is called Blendoor. It uses analytics to help identify where there may be bias in the hiring process.

　　More Effective Marketing

　　Some AI software can analyze and optimize marketing email subject lines to increase open rates. One company in the UK, Phrasee, claims their software can outperform humans by up to 10 percent when it comes to email open rates. This can mean millions more in revenue.(42)______These are"tools that help people use data, not a replacement for people,"says Patrick H. Winston, a professor of artificial intelligence and computer science at MIT.

　　Saving Customers Money

　　Energy companies can use AI to help customers reduce their electricity bills, saving them money while helping the environment. Companies can also optimize their own energy use and cut down on the cost of electricity. Insurance companies meanwhile, can base their premiums on AI models that more accurately access risk.(43)______.

　　Improved Accuracy

　　“Machine learning often provides a more reliable form of statistics, which makes data more valuable,” says Winston. It“helps people make smarter decisions.”(44)______.

　　Protecting and Maintaining Infrastructure

　　A number of companies, particularly in energy and transportation, use AI image processing technology to inspect infrastructure and prevent equipment failure or leaks before they happen.

　　“If they fail first and then you fix them, it’s very expensive,” says Domingos.“(45)______.”

　　44應(yīng)選()。

　　AI replace the boring parts of your job. If you’re doing research, you can have AI go out and look for relevant sources and information that otherwise you just wouldn’t have time for.

　　BOne accounting firm, EY, uses an AI system that helps review contracts during an audit. This process, along with employees reviewing the contracts, is faster and more accurate.

　　CThere are also companies like Acquisio, which analyzes advertising performance across multiple channels like Adwords, Bing and social media and makes adjustments or suggestions about where advertising funds will be most effective.

　　DYou want to predict if something needs attention now and point to where it’s useful for [employees] to go to.

　　E“Before, they might not insure the ones who felt like a high risk or charge them too much,” says

　　Domingos, “or they would charge them too little and then it would cost [the company] money.”

　　FWe’re also giving our customers better channels versus picking up the phone…to accomplish something beyond human scale.

　　GAI looks at resumes in greater numbers than humans would be able to, and selects the more promising candidates.

　　參考答案：B

　　[單選題]In the movies and on television, artificial intelligence(AI)is typically depicted as something sinister that will upend our way of life. When it comes to AI in business, we often hear about it in relation to automation and the impending loss of jobs, but in what ways is AI changing companies and the larger economy that don’t involve doom-and-gloom mass unemployment predictions?

　　A recent survey of manufacturing and service industries from Tata Consultancy Services found that companies currently use AI more often in computer-to-computer activities than in automating human activities. One common application? Preventing electronic security breaches, which, rather than eliminating IT jobs, actually makes those personnel more valuable to employers, because they help firms prevent hacking attempt.

　　Here are a few other ways Al is aiding companies without replacing employees.

　　Better Hiring Practices

　　Companies are using artificial intelligence to remove some of the unconscious bias from hiring decisions. There are experiments that show that, naturally, the results of interviews are much more biased than what AI does, says Domingos. In addition,(41)______One company that’s doing this is called Blendoor. It uses analytics to help identify where there may be bias in the hiring process.

　　More Effective Marketing

　　Some AI software can analyze and optimize marketing email subject lines to increase open rates. One company in the UK, Phrasee, claims their software can outperform humans by up to 10 percent when it comes to email open rates. This can mean millions more in revenue.(42)______These are"tools that help people use data, not a replacement for people,"says Patrick H. Winston, a professor of artificial intelligence and computer science at MIT.

　　Saving Customers Money

　　Energy companies can use AI to help customers reduce their electricity bills, saving them money while helping the environment. Companies can also optimize their own energy use and cut down on the cost of electricity. Insurance companies meanwhile, can base their premiums on AI models that more accurately access risk.(43)______.

　　Improved Accuracy

　　“Machine learning often provides a more reliable form of statistics, which makes data more valuable,” says Winston. It“helps people make smarter decisions.”(44)______.

　　Protecting and Maintaining Infrastructure

　　A number of companies, particularly in energy and transportation, use AI image processing technology to inspect infrastructure and prevent equipment failure or leaks before they happen.

　　“If they fail first and then you fix them, it’s very expensive,” says Domingos.“(45)______.”

　　43應(yīng)選()。

　　AI replace the boring parts of your job. If you’re doing research, you can have AI go out and look for relevant sources and information that otherwise you just wouldn’t have time for.

　　BOne accounting firm, EY, uses an AI system that helps review contracts during an audit. This process, along with employees reviewing the contracts, is faster and more accurate.

　　CThere are also companies like Acquisio, which analyzes advertising performance across multiple channels like Adwords, Bing and social media and makes adjustments or suggestions about where advertising funds will be most effective.

　　DYou want to predict if something needs attention now and point to where it’s useful for [employees] to go to.

　　E“Before, they might not insure the ones who felt like a high risk or charge them too much,” says

　　Domingos, “or they would charge them too little and then it would cost [the company] money.”

　　FWe’re also giving our customers better channels versus picking up the phone…to accomplish something beyond human scale.

　　GAI looks at resumes in greater numbers than humans would be able to, and selects the more promising candidates.

　　參考答案：E

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