【推荐2】Some wonderfully creative uses of X-rays have been in the world of art. But the most impressive one is to uncover what has been covered up. Details unfolded by an X-ray of a painting can’ t be seen any other way. For example, in the past, paintings were often repaired if small pieces of paint fell off the canvas (帆布). These repairs cannot be seen just by looking at the painting. It takes an X-ray to discover where the repairs have been made.
An X-ray of a painting is one of the best ways to tell if it was created by a famous painter or if it is a forgery(赝品). If there is a question as to whether an old master has painted a certain painting or not, X-rays are made and compared to those of paintings that are known to be original. If the brushstrokes (笔迹), for example, are shown to be totally different than in other work done by a certain artist, then the painting is proved to be a fake copy.
Since modern paints are usually made from different materials than paints of hundreds of years ago, the image they leave on an X-ray film looks different. This is another way X-rays can be used to spot a forgery. A modem artist will try to make a forgery look hundreds of years old by painting dirty varnish on it or by using artificial means to get the varnish to look cracked. To the naked eye the forgery may look old, but when a careful study of the X-ray image is made, the deception is obvious.
It was common many years ago for an artist to finish a painting, decide it wasn't any good, and paint a completely different picture on top of it. Or artists would paint over others' work —it was their version of recycling. Taking an X-ray is the only way to find out if there is a picture underneath the picture you see with your eyes. Sometimes museums will be more interested in the painting beneath than the one on top, and will restore the older one by having the top layer painstakingly removed.
1. What is the main purpose of the article?

A．To provide information to police who are looking for stolen art.

B．To persuade art dealers to check for fake copies before selling art.

C．To explain how modern technology can be applied in unique ways.

D．To help artists restore damaged artwork to its original appearance.

2. According to the passage, X-rays are used to ______.

A．make repairs on paintings in the past

B．identify the authenticity of an artwork

C．change the materials of a forgery

D．remove the recyclable paints

3. In Paragraph 3, the word “deception” probably means ______.

A．comparison

B．drawback

C．trickery

D．judgement

4. Which is the best title for the passage?

A．X-ray Detectives

B．Creative Uses of Technology

C．Forgery Studies

D．X-ray Painting Techniques

【推荐1】Many black-footed ferrets(雪貂) once lived in the American West. They live mainly on the prairie dogs(土拨鼠). But when farmers began killing off prairie dogs, lots of them died, too. Additionally, the environment in which they lived was destroyed. By the 1970s, most experts believed that black-footed ferrets no longer existed. Then, in 1981, a group of them were found in Wyoming, but they were suddenly hit by an unknown disease in the mid-1980s, and their population decreased to just 18. The US Fish and Wildlife Service(USFWS) caught all of them and tried to protect them. All but seven died.

Currently, there’re between 400 and 500 ferrets remaining. But all of them are related to the seven animals rescued from Wyoming except Elizabeth Ann.

Normally, the DNA of the animals gets mixed up when different pairs of animals have babies. The small differences in their DNA can help protect the group as a whole. Because all living black-footed ferrets are closely related, they all have similar weaknesses. But Elizabeth Ann is cloned from an animal that died in the 1980s, so her DNA is very different. When this DNA is mixed back in, future black-footed ferrets will be healthier in general.

In the 1980s, the DNA from a ferret named Willa was stored in the “Frozen Zoo” run by San Diego Zoo Global. Hopefully, cloning would allow black-footed ferrets to return to the wild. The idea of cloning was understood, but it was hard to carry out for many animals. The matter was left hanging in the air. But in 1996, a scientist cloned a sheep, called “Dolly”. Since then, many other animals have also been cloned. The USFWS has been talking about cloning black-footed ferrets since 2013. In 2018, they finally gave a group called Revive & Restore permission to try it.

On December 10, 2020, Elizabeth Ann was born. Blood tests have proven her to be 100% black-footed ferret.

1. What was the main cause of black-footed ferrets’ almost dying out by the 1970s?

A．They were short of food.	B．They were killed by farmers.
C．They lost their living places.	D．They suffered from a bad disease.

2. What does Paragraph 3 focus on about cloning Elizabeth Ann?

A．The effective method.	B．The great significance.
C．The different types.	D．The potential risk.

3. What does the underlined phrase “hanging in the air” in Paragraph 4 mean?

A．Unexpected.	B．Unconcerned.
C．Unresolved.	D．Unexposed.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．A new cloning age is coming.

B．An endangered species survived by cloning.

C．The research of ferrets’ DNA was conducted.

D．The truth of the extinction of the ferrets was revealed.

【推荐2】This was a major week in AI (Artificial Intelligence), with some of the largest companies announced their most updated and leading models: GPT-4 from OpenAI’s made its first show to the public, while Google put out its Med-PaLM 2, a new-and-improved medical model etc. Meanwhile, Company Anthropic introduced its lighter and cheaper Claude API, which is a ChatGPT competitor. And in China, Tsinghua launched ChatGLM, a chat-based Chinese-English model, in somewhat as a reminder of ChatGPT. In this AI spring, much awaits for customers.

Designs are on the rise. November’s release ChatGPT turned AI a breaking news. Two months later, it increased to 100 million monthly active users, making it the fastest-growing consumer application in history. Earlier this month, OpenAI came to market for the first time—the ChatGPT, with its models still advancing. Finally, both Google and Microsoft put out AI plans as well.

Funds are flooding. Recent attention turns to a large amount of investment on Microsoft’s $10 billion OpenAI. The past few months have witnessed a “gold rush” for new AI model startups (新企业). Some outstanding ones: Adept raised $350 million, Google dropped another $300 million into Anthropic, Character AI raised $200 million from Andreesen Horowitz, Perplexity raised $25 million, and Salesforce Ventures launched a $250 million fund.

Demands for policy. As foundation models change rapidly, the demand for AI policy grows as well, which catches the attention of top policymakers across the world, attempting to ensure AI security. In the U.S., Congressman Ted Lieu presented a report calling for AI regulation that was written by ChatGPT, accompanied by a column (专栏) in the New York Times.

“AI is no longer a matter of science fiction, nor is it a technology confined or restricted to research labs. AI will dramatically change our lives. Jobs like journalists, lawyers and doctors are facing challenges. AI is a technology that is already being highly concerned.”

1. What do you know about AI according to paragraph 1?

A．AI develops fast in these weeks.	B．GPT-4 is failed in the first show.
C．Tsinghua released a medical model.	D．AI reminds people of the spring.

2. Which one is true about ChatGPT according to the passage?

A．Tsinghua developed one on medicine.

B．More competitors were beaten recently.

C．ChatGPT attracted 100 million users.

D．GPT-4 is a newly updated version of ChatGPT from OpenAI.

3. What can you infer from the passage?

A．It’s just in America that AI technology develops.	B．Better policies are demanded for AI security.
C．Google and Microsoft will make the best AI.	D．Funds are raised for a lot of new startups.

4. Why do you think AI will change our lives greatly?

A．Some professions are in face of challenge.	B．Models are lighter and cheaper.
C．Quite a few funds are invested lately.	D．It develops rapidly in the west.

【推荐3】Expanding (扩大) the world’s natural reserve to help protect animals and plants is less effective on its own because of rising levels of human activity. In general, recognizing spaces as protected is not decreasing human activity in atrisk areas.

The researchers found that a lack of money to pay for land protection is affecting protection efforts, but a lack of connection between people who live in protected natural areas and outsiders is also deleterious to protecting natural reserves.

The researchers found evidence of increased human activity in most protected areas in every area. However, they noted that human activity appeared to be more of a problem in nations with fewer roads and a lower place on the Human Development Index, which uses information about education and earnings to judge countries on human development.

Across the northern countries of the world and Australia, protected areas often proved effective at slowing human activity when compared with unprotected areas. In South America, Southeast Asia and African countries south of the Sahara Desert, unreasonable human activity inside protected areas was greatly higher.

The study also found agriculture is a major driving force behind human activity in protected areas. For example, African mangrove (红树林) forests listed as protected have experienced 13 percent greater loss because of agricultural activity than unprotected mangrove areas between 1995 and 2010.

Researchers say governments need to provide extra support to help protected areas. Simply setting aside a place as protected can’t be the beginning and the end of protection effort. Working with local communities and encouraging them to join the protection efforts is also important. If they’re not the partners of the protected areas, the wildlife protection will be much more difficult.

1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word “deleterious” in Paragraph 2?

A．beneficial

B．harmful

C．important

D．unnecessary

2. What’s the function of Paragraph 4?

A．To offer the evidence.

B．To introduce the topic.

C．To explain the reasons.

D．To explain the problem.

3. What should governments do for the protected areas?

A．Expand the protected areas.

B．Offer more useful suggestions.

C．Improve cooperation with local people.

D．Stop people from agricultural activity.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Reserves Are Managed at a High Cost

B．Reserves in the World Should Be Canceled

C．Reserves Should Be Ruled by Local People

D．Reserves Are Not Enough to Protect Wildlife

【推荐1】My 11-year-old daughter has been awarded an academic scholarship to a private schoo1. It’s only a small discount, but the scholarship means she’ll skip the waiting list provided my husband and I can cover$20, 000 a year.

Should we pay the private school fees, or choose free education instead?

I always assumed my children would go to a private school, like I did. Not because my family is wealthy, but because I believe that the best education is private.

It took years for me to make peace with the fact that my two children attended our local public primary schoo1.

They’ll go to a private high school, I told myself. Yet here we are. My eldest is now in her last year of primary school, and my husband and I will struggle to afford private schoo1.

If we’re to send our girl to private school, I could increase my work hours. My law degree was supposed to be my ticket to a good job and a solid income, but that’s not quite how it turned out.

The guilt and expectations are mine alone. I’m terrified that my daughter’s potential will be wasted at the public schoo1. And yet, I know that working more hours will make me break down.

During many sleepless nights, I felt troubled by the decision. Although I want the best for my daughter, I have my own dreams too. I can’t sacrifice everything for my precious girl. I explain that I want to be a positive role model for my daughter, and an unhappy parent is terrible strain on a family. I point out not even the privilege of private school will protect my children from disappointment or struggle.

And ultimately, it’s decided. My daughter is going to the public school behind our home. She couldn’t be more pleased.

It’s taken me a little longer, but now I’m content. More than my fancy private school education, it’s my family that shaped me. With high school now 25 years in the past, I can no longer remember the mathematical problems and Shakespearean quotes I once knew so perfectly. The lessons from my childhood home, however, have proved impossible to forget.

1. Why did the author want her daughter to go to a private school at first?

A．Her daughter earned an academic scholarship.

B．She wanted her daughter to receive the best education.

C．She wanted her daughter to skip the waiting list.

D．Her daughter’s potential was wasted at the public primary schoo1.

2. The author finally let her daughter go to a public school mainly because she realized that______________.

A．private school doesn’t guarantee a solid income

B．she didn’t want her daughter to struggle in private school

C．however hard she worked, she couldn’t afford private school

D．public school is the most balanced choice for her family

3. When the decision was made, ___________.

A．the author’s daughter was disappointed

B．the author felt sorry and guilty about it

C．both the author and her daughter were satisfied with the result

D．the author inspired her daughter to be a positive role model at school

4. What is the main message the author intends to convey in the last paragraph?

A．Family influences a child’s growth more than school education.

B．The lessons learned during our childhood will stay with us forever.

C．It always takes people a long time to make a fight decision.

D．Private school education is not as good as people expect.

【推荐2】If you're thinking about reaching for another biscuit to get you through the working day,think again.Eating unhealthy snacks at your desk makes you pile on almost half a stone a year,a survey has revealed.The waistlines of women suffer the most,with the average female putting on 61b 3oz—the equivalent of a whole dress size—while men see their weight increase by 51b 20z.

The report into our eating habits found that,on average,we eat at least two snacks a day,with 30 percent of us tucking into three or more.Women admit eating more than men,with a further 13 percent of ladies scoffing four or more snacks a day.The research,by The Village Bakery,found biscuits are the most common vice,with 42 percent regularly opening a pack,closely followed by chocolate (38 percent),crisps (32 percent) and cakes (13 percent).

And office workers are worse than most.Cakes and biscuits brought into work by colleagues are one of the main temptations office staff give in to.In addition,33 percent admit reaching for nibbles to cope with stress and 22 percent say they need a sugar rush to perk them up in the afternoon.

Simon Staddon,of The Village Bakery,said:"We were aware time-poor office workers can find it difficult to easily access a nutritional lunch.But we were really shocked by the extent to which 'quick fix' lunches are affecting weight gain and general well-being.Popular mid-afternoon pick-me-ups such as biscuits,chocolate and cakes are high in calories,fat and full of sugar,all of which affect your blood sugar levels and ultimately lead to weight gain."

The survey of 2,000 British men and women suggests we are often ashamed of our unhealthy eating. Twenty-four percent of Britons admit lying about how many snacks they eat with 33 percent of women lying, compared to 20 percent of men.Unfortunately,it's as if we are not likely to do anything positive to counteract the sweet treats.

1. According to the passage,women usually put weight on first______.

A．on the face	B．on the legs
C．on the feet	D．in the middle

2. What's the main reason of eating snacks in the office?

A．Colleagues eat them to save money.

B．Staff use them to cope with their lunches.

C．Colleagues often bring them to office.

D．Bosses invite staff to eat them.

3. Why do office workers eat a "quick fix" lunch?

A．Because it has much of nutrition.

B．Because it has little effect on weight gain.

C．Because it has little effect on general well-being.

D．Because they have a short time to have their lunches.

4. It can be inferred that British women are______.

A．less likely to lie on snacks than men

B．more likely to lie on snacks than men

C．more ashamed of eating snacks than men

D．less ashamed of eating snacks than men

【推荐3】If you believe that scientists and artists are most creative when they're young, you are missing an important part of the story. A new study published in De Economist looked at Nobel Prize winners in the field of economics. It found there are two different peaks of creativity. One comes early in a person's career, while another comes later.

The research supports previous work by the authors that found similar patterns in the arts and other sciences.

"We believe what we found in this study isn't limited to economics, but could apply to creativity more generally," said Bruce Weinberg, lead author of the study and professor of economics at The Ohio State University.

"Many people believe that creativity is exclusively associated with youth,but it really depends on what kind of creativity you're talking about."

In the study, those who did their most groundbreaking work early in their careers tended to be "conceptual" innovators(创新者).

These type of innovators "think outside the box", challenging conventional wisdom and suddenly coming up with new ideas. Conceptual innovators are not yet immersed(沉浸于)in the accepted theories of their field, Weinberg said.

But there is another kind of creativity, he said, which is found among "experimental" innovators. These innovators accumulate knowledge through their careers and find new ways to understand it.

The long periods of trial and error for important experimental innovations come later in a Nobel laureate's(荣誉获得者的)career.

"Whether you hit your creative peak early or late in your career depends on whether you have a conceptual or experimental approach," Weinberg said.

The researchers took a novel, empirical(经验主义的)approach to the study, which involved 31 laureates. They arranged the laureates on a list from the most experimental to most conceptual.

This ranking was based on the laureates' most important work, classifying them into "conceptual" or "experimental".

After classifying the laureates, the researchers determined the age at which each laureate made his most important contribution to economics and could be considered at his creative peak.

They found that conceptual laureates peaked between ages 25 and 29. Experimental laureates peaked when they were roughly twice as old, in their mid-50s.

"Our research suggests that when you're most creative is more about how you approach your work."

1. What did the study published in De Economist find?

A．Creativity comes at any age, young or old.

B．Creativity tends to decrease as people get older.

C．Economists, artists and other scientists have much in common.

D．Economists are more creative than artists and other scientists.

2. What does the underlined phrase "think outside the box" mean?

A．Follow rules strictly.

B．Experiment on boxes.

C．Break old thought patterns.

D．Figure out how to escape from a box.

3. What do we know about "experimental" innovators?

A．They usually come up with new ideas all of a sudden.

B．They make discoveries through constant trial and error.

C．The majority of them reach their creative peak in their twenties.

D．They make more contributions than "conceptual" innovators.

4. What do the researchers believe determines someone's creative peak?

A．One's personality type.

B．What kind of job one takes.

C．How one handles their work.

D．One's attitude toward their work.