【推荐1】Artificial intelligence(人工智能)is about to take on one of the most important jobs in all of sports: the baseball umpire(裁判员).

This summer, teams in the AAA league will use modern technology to call balls and strikes on batters. Human umpires will still stand behind the plate, but a voice in their earpieces will tell them to shout out “ball” or “strike”—as determined by a system known as Automated Ball-Strike (ABS).

ABS will even calculate different-sized strike zones for tall or short players, just as human umpires must do. Human umpires will be able to override(推翻)the ABS if they feel it made a mistake. And they will continue to do other things umps do, like call an out made on the base paths, separate angry opposing players to prevent fights, and of course dust off home plate.

For well over a century, umpires have stood as one of the most human elements of baseball. How they make calls can affect the outcome of a game. They unavoidably have human failings. But how they see things, whether right or wrong in the view of any individual fan, is how it will go down. They are the boss. In the end, it’s a human being who is running a game being played by other humans.

More and more, technology is invading(入侵)sports. Data is being used more thoroughly to assess the value of individual players. Statistics advise managers on what decisions to make, such as which players to use and when. Yet sometimes a special joy can well up in a fan when a player defies the odds and succeeds when the data says it shouldn’t happen.

In cases where the use of technology can make a sports competition fairer to teams, players, and their fans, by reducing the number of “bad calls”, it can be a benefit to sports. Robot referees(裁判)could also help solve shortages of volunteer referees at the amateur level, in sports such as soccer. A game might be run by a single official aided by technology that does parts of the job such as calling balls in or out of bounds.

1. When will human umpires use their right to refuse the ABS?

A．When they think the ABS makes a wrong decision.

B．When they separate angry opposing players.

C．When they call balls in or out of bounds.

D．When they dust off home plate.

2. What’s the author’s attitude to human umpires according to paragraph 4?

A．Agreeable.

B．Respectful.

C．Worried.

D．Dissatisfied.

3. What do the underlined words “defies the odds” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Breaks the law.	B．Gets over the difficulties.
C．Teams up with his players.	D．Gets injured.

4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．The importance of fair play.

B．The shortages of volunteer referees.

C．The advantages of using robots as referees.

D．The application of modern technology in sports.

【推荐3】Yeva Klingbeil’s high school track career was cut suddenly when she was diagnosed (诊断) with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare type of cancer that affects muscle tissue. Klingbeil, 18, had to go through months of chemotherapy (化疗) and radiation treatments after her diagnosis, which left her too weak to compete.

The COVID-19 left Klingbeil away from her teammates as school went virtual and track meets were canceled. She faced another challenge recently when doctors discovered her cancer had returned, leading to more chemotherapy.

Despite the challenges, Klingbeil’s track coach, Rob Cloutier, reached out to her to see if she would like to join her teammates in a tradition in which seniors run the 4x100 race at the last home track meet of the season. “I told her to run the anchor leg, which is the final leg of the race,” said Cloutier. “I wanted her to be able to do it one last time.”

Hearing the news, Klingbeil was excited. Meanwhile, Klingbeil was just starting to walk again after using a wheelchair due to complications (并发症) from chemotherapy, but she was committed to running her high school track one last time with her teammates.

Klingbeil had a chemotherapy treatment on the day of the last track meet, May 24, and then put on her team uniform for the first time in over a year. When it was her turn, her three race teammates came to her side and walked the track with her. The entire Shen High School track team also walked along with Klingbeil from the field and then rushed and cheered for her when she crossed the finish line. “That was a great surprise,” Klingbeil said, “I feel accomplished because crossing the line was a perfect end of my high school track career.”

Cloutier said he had watched Klingbeil go through her cancer battle with that same level of determination, saying “She’s worked through this challenge in her life without a single complaint and with a smile on her face. Everyone who has witnessed her can learn a little bit from that.”

1. Why couldn’t Klingbeil continue her track career?

A．She hurt her muscle badly.	B．She must focus on her study.
C．She had little time for running.	D．She suffered from a severe disease.

2. What did Klingbeil’s coach do for her track career?

A．He made a wheelchair for her.	B．He asked her to join a special team.
C．He made her run her track one last time.	D．He organized her teammates to help her.

3. What can we know about Klingbeil’s last track meet?

A．She had a treatment after it.	B．She didn’t make it to the finish line.
C．She had a sense of achievement after it.	D．She walked the track with all her teammates.

4. Which of the following can best describe Klingbeil?

A．Caring and optimistic.	B．Determined and positive.
C．Responsible and sensitive.	D．Powerful and independent.

【推荐1】Dear Alexa,

The Irish poet Yeats said, “The intellect (才智出众者) of man is forced to choose: perfection of the life, or of the work.” He was wrong. You could have both.

You’re noticing that time spent on academic learning is time not spent with friends. That time cost will get worse as you get older, rounded with working, achievement-hunting or family responsibilities. Many achievers have woken up at age 50 or 70, only to wonder where all of their friends and soft memories were.

It is too easy to forget why we are trying to gain money and knowledge. It is for a life well-lived instead of money and knowledge themselves. Smart people make this stupid mistake all the time, in search for the means to an end so much that they forget the end altogether.

The trick is to see your day, not your life, as the place where you carry out your priorities. Every day there will be one more task you could do. Teach yourself to stop even though there’s more to do. Think of things you have missed out in your life and promise yourself you won’t do them again: “I won’t cancel on a friend’s birthday” or “I won’t speak to my family as though I’m the lead.”

Giving slightly less time to work doesn’t mean achieving less. I have been lucky to know some seriously achieving people in my life from Rhodes scholars to Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize winners. None of them are in their office at 11 p.m. flapping papers. If they were, they would not have such energy for their greatness.

You don’t have to choose between life and work since making time for one helps the other. But you have to make the time since how you plan your day is how you plan your life.

Eleanor Gordon-Smith

1. What problem is troubling Alexa?

A．How to adapt to her school life.

B．How to balance her studies and social life.

C．How to improve her test grades.

D．How to get along well with her classmates.

2. What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 2 mean?

A．It is too late to make friends at 50 or 70.

B．Many people lose their memory at 50 or 70.

C．The elderly are fond of thinking back the old days.

D．Regret on the time spending may be expressed by old achievers.

3. Why does Mr. Smith share the examples of award-winning people?

A．To encourage necessary rest among tasks.

B．To summarize useful methods in learning.

C．To praise their achievements in their fields.

D．To list common qualities of successful people.

4. Which of the following would the author most likely agree with?

A．Hard work is the key to success.

B．A friend is easier lost than found.

C．There are more important things than prizes.

D．It is significant to make the most of time in a day.

【推荐2】Let’s be frank. A CV (个人简历) is a highly professional business document and it is NO place to talk about your hobbies or your personal interests... right?

Well, not exactly.

Employers love knowing about the applicant’s hobbies and interests. Here is why:

Prospective employers invest in people; they hire and work with human beings, not robots. It is because of this that employers look for every clue in their prospective employees to find out about their true skills and competencies. What better way is there to achieve this than by looking at their hobbies and interests?

Benefits of including your hobbies and interests on your CV:

It will give the recruiter (招聘人员) a fuller and more complete picture of you.

Sporting interests indicate that you are fit and healthy.

Involvement in the community indicates good interpersonal skills.

Outside interests tell the employer that you can have a good time as well.

They form a great basis for discussion at the interview stage.

Examples of hobbies and what they say about YOU:

Computing: Good with technology.

Swimming: Keeps fit and healthy.

Puzzles: Excellent problem-solving skills.

Football/Soccer: Teamwork skills.

Chess: Intelligent, strategist.

Socializing with friends: Team player (rather than longer).

Possible pitfalls to avoid when writing your hobbies on your CV:

Avoid mentioning risky or time-consuming hobbies: It is in the employer's best interest to have you healthy, fit and able to work; therefore, we advise against writing regular rock climbing in the Himalayas as a hobby.

Irrelevant hobbies: How will “stamp and coin collecting” as a hobby help you to get a job as an Administrative Engineering Manager? On the other hand, stamp collecting would be a very valuable hobby to mention when applying for a job as a Stamp Appraiser (鉴定人).

Including too many hobbies: Usually, if you include more than just two or three hobbies on your CV, the employer is likely to wonder when this person will have any time to do some work?!

Lying: Having seen a TV program once (when you were twelve!) doesn't count as a hobby. You will be asked carefully about your hobbies and interests at the interview stage. Save yourself the embarrassment and do not lie about your hobbies.

1. The underlined word “pitfalls” in the subtitle is closest in meaning to _________.

A．traps	B．experience
C．limits	D．confusion

2. According to the author, which hobby is more valuable to getting a job as a diplomat?

A．Computing	B．Playing chess.
C．Reading comic books.	D．Making ship models

3. The passage is mainly intended for those who are ________.

A．preparing their resumes

B．studying people's hobbies

C．wondering what hobby to take up

D．working in the department of human resources

【推荐3】   
   

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Retrace (重走) the same paths of early British explorer Ernest Shackleton, and learn about one of the greatest known survival stories of polar exploration. Hear first-hand from broadcast presenter and producer, Saunders Carmichael-Brown, who was aboard the Endurance 22 expedition that discovered the remains of Shackleton’s ship on the Antarctic seabed in 2022.

Exclusive (独有的) to New Scientist, you will be accompanied by marine biologist and author Helen Scales along with a highly knowledgeable and supportive expedition team (experts in exploration, science and wildlife).

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Highlights

Learn all about the Antarctic’s unique ecosystems from marine biologist Helen Scales.

See a variety of wildlife that play and hunt in Antarctic Sound including whales, penguins and seals.

Uncover the fascinating history of Shackleton’s expedition, including the Endurance 22 expedition discovery of the Endurance shipwreck (沉船) from film producer Saunders Carmichael-Brown.

For more information and to book,

call UK+44(0) 2031961000 (UK office: Mon-Fri 9:00am to 5:30pm GMT)

or visit newscientist. com/tour

1. How can you learn about Emest Shackleton in the journey?

A．By following the same routes of Shackleton’s expedition.

B．By hearing first-hand from survivors of Shackleton’s team.

C．By stepping aboard the remains of Shackleton’s ship.

D．By seeing a documentary about the Endurance shipwreck.

2. Who can you learn Antarctic’s marine ecosystem from?

A．Ernest Shackleton.	B．Helen Scales.
C．Saunders Carmichael-Brown.	D．Sylvia Earle.

3. What is the purpose of the text?

A．To remember an explorer.	B．To report an expedition story.
C．To promote a tour product.	D．To explain the science of Antarctic.