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a) Look at the four figures [1-4] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the second paragraph of the passage. Choose one mostly suitable place.
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a) Look at the four figures [1-4] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the second paragraph of the passage. Choose one mostly suitable place.
They enjoyed the comfort of performing in underwear rather than costumes.
b) Look at the four squares [5-8] that indicate where the following sentence can be added to the third paragraph of the passage.
It was a taste sensation that stayed on his mind.
Exercise 11. Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.
Human or robot? Google’s speech generator makes it hard to tell
| When machines speak, they sound stilted, …(1) and mechanical – but they’re getting…(2). Google’s latest text-to-speech system, called Tacotron 2, generates sounds entirely from scratch, and the search giant claims the results are as good as those built using …(3) voice artists. Previous systems normally produce speech by …(4) human-recorded vocal sounds into words and sentences. In comparison, Tacotron 2 was trained on over 24 hours of human speech and corresponding transcripts, and could then generate … (5) new audio of phrases from a given text even if it had never seen some of the words before. You can listen to the results here. Stephen Cox at the University of East Anglia in the UK says the Google system is … (6) because it learns all aspects of speech – … (7) punctuation, prosody (the “tune” of the voice) and intonation – without expert intervention. (By Nicole Kobie New Scientist, 28 December 2017) | ROBOT GOOD PROFESSION ASSEMBLE COMPLETE IMPRESS INCLUDE |
Exercise 12. Complete the sentences in the text with a suitable word from the table above. Use each word once only.
| crew electronics onboard speakers launch crash cellular risk communication phone |
“MOBILE PHONES CAN BRING A PLANE DOWN”
Have you ever noticed that sometimes, usually just before your phone rings, your …(1) start emitting a static sound? That’s …(2 interference, and it’s quite annoying. It’s even more annoying if it’s being blasted through your headset when you’re a member of the flight …(3) trying to organise irritated passengers while simultaneously preparing to … (4) an 80-ton plane 12, 000 metres into the air.
Not being allowed to use your phone …(5) actually has nothing to do with potentially causing a …(6): it’s more due to the risk of this cellular interference sound distracting flight crew. There is almost no risk of causing a plane crash because you were using your …(7), but aviation authorities understandably choose to err on the side of caution.
Modern aircraft have …(8) that are designed to shield them from interference from cellular…(9). It’s estimated that at least half of all phones are not switched onto flight mode, and there remains no known flight that was adversely affected by this kind of interference. So while you could send those last few Snapchat selfies as your flight takes off, for the sake of the crew, it’s probably best not to… (10) it.
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(www. Howitworksdaily. com)
Exercise 13. Complete the sentences in the text with a suitable word from the table above. Use each word once only.
| devices pedestrian fridge traffic tech smart-home repairs |
SMART EVERYTHING
Cars, lights, washing machines and other everyday items are getting internet connections. That could mean checking what’s left in your … (1) from the grocery store, for instance. Expect more appliances and tasks for them to do online.
As more …(2) get connected, there’s greater concern for security. We’ll likely see more products and services designed to protect these … (3) devices from hacking.
Beyond that, companies will showcase the potential of smartening up entire cities so that maintenance crews can remotely detect roads needing…(4), and motorists can view and reserve parking spaces ahead of time. Better yet, how about … (5) lights that aren’t set with timers, but reflect actual traffic and …(6) flows?
For the first time, CES has an area devoted to smart cities, with more than 40 companies set to exhibit. The smart-cities concept has been making the rounds at several …(7) shows, but what remains unanswered is when it will actually begin happening — and who will pay for it.
( Techlife news, January 13, 2018, p. 85)
Exercise 14. Translate the article with the help of a dictionary.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Computers that learn your preferences and anticipate your needs are no longer the stuff of science fiction. Consumers are seeing practical applications in voice-assisted speakers such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home. These systems will get more useful as manufacturers design new ways to control their products with voice commands. You might also see hints of where AI is heading. Steve Koenig, senior director of market research at CES organizer Consumer Technology Association, says that as more people use these AI systems, companies have more data to better train the machines. Auto makers will also demonstrate self-driving vehicles propelled by AI. CES is increasing the space for self-driving technologies by more than a third this year. Startups are expected to unveil earphones that promise real-time translations of conversations in different languages, much as Google’s Pixel Buds now do, but only for Google’s Pixel phones. There are also conference sessions devoted to high-tech retailing, including the importance of collecting and analyzing data on customers.
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