【推荐1】Artificial Intelligence (AI) advice is as influential as human’s, but positive crowd views still overpower.

In a study, researchers found that machines that make recommendations—or AI experts—were as influential as human experts when the AI experts recommended which photo users should add to their online business profiles. However, both AI and human experts failed to budge them if their feedback was negative and went against popular views among other users, said S. Shyam Sundar, a professor of Media Effects.

Because people are increasingly using social media to look for feedback, studies suggest that expert opinions and the bandwagon（从众效应）effect may be important factors in influencing decisions, according to Jinping Wang, a doctoral candidate in mass communication and first author of the study. “Nowadays, we often turn to online platforms for opinions from other people—like our peers and experts—before making a decision,” said Wang. AI experts are often less expensive than human experts and they can also work 24 hours a day, which, Wang suggests, might make them appealing to online business.

The researchers also found that the AI’s group status—in this case, national origin was pointed out—did not seem to affect a person’s acceptance of its recommendation. Among human experts, however, an expert from a similar national origin who offered a negative opinion of a photograph tended to be more influential than a human expert from an unknown country who offered a similar negative rating of a photograph.

While findings that suggest group status may not affect whether a person values the view of AI experts sound like good news, Sundar suggests that the same cultural prejudice might still be at work in AI experts for they could be hidden in the programming and training data.

“It can be both good—and bad—because it all depends on what you feed the AI,” said Sundar. “While it is good to believe in AI’s ability to transcend（超越）cultural prejudice, we have to keep in mind that if you train the AI on pictures from one culture, they could give misleading recommendations on pictures meant for use in other cultural contexts.”

1. What do the underlined words “budge them” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Change users’ ideas.	B．Satisfy users’ needs.
C．Raise users’ spirits.	D．Fire users’ imagination.

2. Why do users often turn to AI experts?

A．Because AI experts are more knowledgeable.

B．Because AI experts are less influenced by feelings.

C．Because AI experts are always available and cost less.

D．Because AI experts are so new as to be more attractive.

3. Which expert’s negative assessments is a person more likely to believe?

A．An expert who has great achievements in arts.

B．An expert from countries with similar cultures.

C．An expert with better personality and attitude.

D．A foreign expert who is very popular worldwide.

4. What did Sundar mean by the last paragraph?

A．People should have a mind of their own.

B．People should be able to tell good from bad.

C．People should be trained how to use AI properly.

D．People should know AI’s hidden cultural prejudice.

【推荐2】Many on the Mountain

We often see people waiting in lines at supermarkets, theatres and amusement parks. Surprisingly, some people even have to wait in line at the summit (顶峰)of Qomolangma in the Himalayas.

The best time to climb the Himalayas is during the months of April and May, as well as some days in September and October. "In these periods of recent years, the path contains rocks and deep crack from melting ice due to the warm weather, which make expeditions up the mountain more dangerous,said Apa, an experienced Nepalese guide. During this year's climbing season, crowds of climbers became stuck in a long line near the summit. The line is above the mountain's highest campsite — about 8,000 meters above sea level.

However, most people can only spend a few minutes at the summit without extra oxygen supplies. Twenty-one mountaineers have died in the Himalayan mountains so far this year, according to Gripped, a magazine dedicated to mountain climbing. Eleven of these climbers died on Qomolangma.

This death count marks a four-year high. Overcrowding, inexperience and poor weather have been the most common causes of death, USA Today reported.

After these tragedies, one question remains: Why do so many people risk their lives to climb the mountain? The answer differs from climber to climber. Studies suggest that people who take risks tend to perceive themselves differently than people who avoid risky activities. But for adventurers who are drawn to the Himalayas, reaching the summit of Qomolangma is a lifelong dream, according to Discovery News.

''Qomolangma is like a light to bugs that attracts people once they hear about it. It represents the ultimate for many people, '' US mountaineer Alan Arnette said. Technological advances have also encouraged more people to climb the mountain. People can get high-tech safety equipment more easily than before. And with the internet, climbers know better than ever about how to reach the summit safely, Yahoo Travel noted.

1. What happened during this year's climbing season on Qomolangma?

A．Many climbers got stuck due to a snowstorm.

B．Climbers had to wait in line near the summit.

C．The highest campsite was closed for safety reasons.

D．There were not enough oxygen supplies for climbers.

2. What do we know from the USA Today report?

A．21 climbers have lost their lives on Qomolangma this year.

B．This year's climber death count is four times more than last year's.

C．Climbers who have less experience may have a higher risk of death.

D．Climbers can only spend a few minutes at the summit of Qomolangma.

3. What does the underlined word "perceive” in paragraphs mean?

A．Think.

B．Change.

C．Pretend.

D．Promise.

4. What are the last two paragraphs mainly about?

A．The risks on Qomolangma.

B．Mountaineers lifelong dream.

C．Causes of mountaineers, deaths.

D．Reasons for climbing Qomolangma.

【推荐3】In 1926, US automaker Henry Ford shortened its employees’ workweek from six eight-hour days to five, with no pay cuts. It was something workers and labor unions had been calling for. Ford wasn’t responding to worker demands; he was being a businessman. He expected increased productivity and knew workers with more time and money would buy and use the products they were making. It was a way of encouraging consumerism and productivity to increase profits, and it succeeded.

Since standardization of the 40-hour workweek in the mid-20th century, everything has changed except the hours. If anything, many people are working even longer hours, especially in North America. This has a severe influence on human health and wellbeing, as well as the environment. Until the Second World War, it was common for one person in a family, usually the oldest male, to work-full-time. Now, women make up 42% of the world’s full-time workforce. Technology has made a lot of work unnecessary, with computers and robots doing many tasks previously performed by humans.

Well into the 2lst century, we continue to work the same long hours as 20th century laborers, using up ever more of Earth’s supply to produce more goods that we must keep working to buy, use and replace in a seemingly endless cycle of hard work and consumption. It’s time to pause and consider better ways to live like shifting from fossil-fueled lifestyles with which our consumer-based workweeks are connected.

The UK think tank, New Economics Foundation, argues that a standard 21-hour workweek would address a number of interconnected problems: “overwork, unemployment, over-consumption, high carbon emissions, low well-being, and the lack of time to live sustainably, to care for each other, and simply to enjoy life”.

Economic systems that require constant growth on a finite (有限的) planet don’t make sense. It’s time for a change in our economic thinking.

1. Why did Ford decide to shorten the workweek?

A．To cut workers’ pay.	B．To meet labor unions’ requirements.
C．Tu respond to worker demands.	D．To make more profits.

2. What change in the workforce happened after World War Ⅱ?

A．More women worked full-time.

B．The number of laborers decreased.

C．Technology enabled people to work shorter hours.

D．It was unnecessary for a family’s oldest male to work.

3. What can we infer from the third paragraph?

A．Longer working hours means better consumption ability.

B．The 21st century sees the longest working hours in history.

C．The cycle of hard work and consumption should be changed.

D．Pausing our way of living can change the present workweek.

4. New Economics Foundation thinks a 21-hour workweek will______.

A．increase unemployment	B．cause various problems
C．challenge the economic growth	D．encourage people to enjoy life

【推荐1】My grandfather died more than twenty-five years ago. I was fifteen then. He was kind, strong, fair, and very funny. When I was a young musician, he was my biggest fan. I played my violin for him when he visited, and he loved everything, but each time he had one request. “Could you play Amazing Grace?” he asked, full of hope and with a twinkle in his eye, because he knew my answer was always, “I don’t know that one!” We went through this routine at every major holiday, and I always figured I’d have time to learn it for him later.

About the time I entered high school and started guitar, Grandpa got cancer. The last time I saw him alive was Thanksgiving weekend in 1985. My mom warned us that Grandpa didn’t look the same anymore and that we should prepare ourselves. For a moment I didn’t recognize him. He looked so small among all the white sheets. We had all gathered in Ohio for the holiday, and I’m sure we all knew we were there to say good-bye. I can see now that Grandpa held on long enough to see us each one more time. I remember how we ate in the dining room and laughed and talked while Grandpa rested in his hospital bed. I wonder if it was sad for him to be alone with our voices and laughter. Knowing Grandpa, he was probably content.

The next morning, I found my moment alone with him. I pulled out my guitar, tuned to his appreciative gaze, and finally played for him Amazing Grace. I had worked on it for weeks, knowing it never mattered whether I actually played it well and choosing not to believe as I played that it was my last concert for my biggest fan. The cancer had stolen his smile, but I saw joy in his eyes. He held my hand afterward, and I knew I had done something important.

I argued with people all through college about my music major. I was told by strangers that music wouldn’t make me any money and it wasn’t useful like being a doctor. But I know first-hand that with music I was able to give my grandpa something at a point when no one else could.

1. At first the author didn’t play Amazing Grace for Grandpa because_______.

A．she hadn’t learned it yet	B．she found it difficult to play
C．she disliked playing it	D．her grandfather was just joking

2. From the last sentence in Paragraph 2 we can infer that Grandpa______.

A．treasured love from family	B．was used to living alone
C．was too weak to feel anything	D．was optimistic about his health

3. When the author finally played Amazing Grace for Grandpa, she ______.

A．made him smile joyfully

B．knew she must play it well

C．brought him love and comfort

D．believed she could play it many times for him

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The author was 15 when she wrote the article.

B．The author has a great affection for her grandfather.

C．The author prefers to be a doctor rather than a musician.

D．The author is confident that music will make her much money.

【推荐2】When I turned 10, I made up my mind to take up swimming. There was a pool at the Y.M.C.A. offering exactly the opportunity. Mother continually warned against it and kept fresh in my mind the details of drowning in the river. But the Y.M.C A. pool was safe.

I had a childhood fear of water. This started when I was three years old and father took me to the beach. The huge waves knocked me down and swept over me.

The pool was quiet. I was afraid of going in all alone, so I sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. Then came a big boy. He shouted, “Hi, skinny! How’d you like to be ducked?” With that he picked me up and threw me into the deep end. I landed in a sitting position, and swallowed water. But I was not frightened out of my wits（机智）—when my feet hit the bottom, I would make a big jump, coming out of the surface. It seemed a long way down. I gathered all my strength when I landed and made what I thought was a great spring upwards. Then I opened my eyes and saw nothing but water. I tried to shout but no sound came out. I went down, down, endlessly.

When I came to consciousness（意识）, I found myself lying on the bed in the hospital.

I never went back to the pool. I avoided water whenever I could. This misfortune stayed with me as the years rolled by. It deprived（剥夺）me of the joy of boating and swimming. Finally, I decided to get an instructor. Piece by piece, he built a swimmer. Several months later, the instructor was finished, but I was not. Sometimes the terror（恐惧）would return.

This went on until July. I swam across the Lake Went Worth. Only once did the terror return. When I was in the middle of the lake, I put my face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. I laughed and said, “Well, Mr. Terror, what do you think you can do to me?”

I had defeated my fear of water.

1. What caused the author’s original（最初的）fear of water?

A．His lack of swimming skills.

B．His mother’s continual warning of drowning.

C．His misfortune to the beach with his father.

D．A terrible dream of getting drowned.

2. By “but I was not” in paragraph 5, the author probably means ________.

A．he didn’t finish swimming training

B．he was not satisfied with the swimming training

C．he was not afraid of drowning any more

D．he had not got rid of the fear of water yet

3. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．The author’s father was against taking up swimming.

B．The author showed little interest in boating and swimming.

C．The author was a man of great courage and determination.

D．The author defeated his fear of water before July.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Hello, Childhood Fear	B．Goodbye, Mr. Terror
C．A Swimming Adventure	D．My Passion for Swimming

【推荐3】Jiang Mengnan received the award of Person Touching China for 2021, chosen as one of the 10 models nationwide who spread positive energy and promote social integrity (诚信).

Born in 1992 into ail ethnic Yao family in Yizhaiig County, Hunan province, Jiang’s world has been silent since she was 6 months old, when medicine she was given irreparably damaged her hearing.

When she started to learn walking, her parents began teaching her to read lips. They also taught her vocalization by putting her hands on their throats, so she could feel the vibration (震动) of their vocal cords. It was a process that consumed (消耗) time and energy, but her parents never gave up and Jiang learned to speak.

When she was old enough, Jiang became a student of a standard primary school, not a special school, as was common for most children with disabilities. It was difficult at first. During lessons, teachers would often write on the blackboard with their back to the students, so Jiang missed much of the content. She had to copy down everything on the blackboard and study alone after class to keep up with her classmates.

Her perseverance made her a top student. In 2011, she achieved an impressive score on the national college entrance exam and was admitted to Jilin University in Changchun, Jilin province. After graduating in 2015, she began pursuing an advanced degree at the university, studying computer-aided drug design. In 2018, she was accepted as a PhD candidate at Tsinghua University’s School of Life Sciences and received her doctorate at the end of 2021.

“I’m always grateful for the respect I received from my parents, teachers and friends,” she said. “They never give me special attention for my imperfection, which means I’ve never seen myself as different from anyone else.”

In the future, she wants to continue scientific research in pharmacology and contribute her values to solving problems of life and health.

1. What can we learn from the models according to paragraph 1?

A．Living with disability.	B．Staying positive.
C．Spreading touching stories.	D．Fighting for the reward.

2. What happened to Jiang at the age of six months?

A．Her hearing became irrecoverable.	B．She took some medicine by mistake.
C．Her parents decided to desert her.	D．She almost died of a disease.

3. Which of the following can best describe Jiang’s education?

A．Painful but satisfying.	B．Special but meaningless.
C．Challenging but successful.	D．Expensive but fruitful.

4. What would be the best title for this text?

A．Models touching the whole nation

B．Woman Suffering from Imperfection

C．Parents Encouraging Kids Against Disability

D．Woman Aiming For PHD Despite Hearing Loss