【推荐2】The hens look up at me from their nesting boxes. They seem slightly annoyed but unsurprised. A child runs up, pushes one of the chickens aside, and snatches two eggs. Around me, a half-dozen more children and adults collect eggs while a half-dozen others hand-feed dried mealworms to birds flocking around our ankles. I reach for an egg from an empty nest. There is something perfect about the way it fits warmly in the palm of my hand before I transfer it into a pretty wire basket provided to me by my hosts.

The egg harvest is a brief, carefully designed agritourism experience offering an experience of the labor rather than just having a bite of food. Snatching a few eggs and uprooting a few vegetables on the farm tour don’t constitute a full day’s work, but it is also a useful reminder that food doesn’t just magically appear on restaurant plates and grocery store shelves. Of course, visitors can take those eggs home or bring them to the on-farm restaurant, Clay, where a chef will use them to prepare breakfast.

A few centuries of industrialization, urbanization, and globalization have collected people into cities, but the attraction of the countryside has always remained. In the new urban-centered world, enterprising farmers have found plenty of opportunities to sell their rural lifestyle along with their crops. Italy promoted the modern model for combining agriculture and tourism in the wake of World War II, when the national government encouraged rural populations to continue producing food rather than move to urban areas in search of more profitable jobs.

Agritourism acts as an umbrella term for a wide variety of activities that take place on farms, including farmstays, where guests sleep on-site. For varying investments of time, energy, and money, anyone can engage in our farming system, giving consumers a peek behind the farm-to-table world.

1. Why does the author describe children and adults collecting eggs in the beginning?

A．To introduce agritourism.

B．To describe the use of eggs.

C．To show the innocence of the children.

D．To emphasize the happiness of the children and adults.

2. What is accessible to consumers in agritourism activities?

A．Engaging in planting vegetables in person.

B．Doing some simple but meaningful farm-work.

C．Enjoying some self-made egg products on the farm.

D．Clarifying the farm-to-table concept through practice.

3. What can you learn from the last two paragraphs?

A．The appeal of rural life gradually fade away due to industrialization.

B．The desire to search for more well-paid jobs accelerated the speed of agritourism.

C．Italian government’s calls contributed a lot to the trend of moving from villages to cities.

D．Promising farmers were dedicated to promoting their lifestyle along with agricultural products.

4. What is the author’s attitude toward agritourism?

A．Doubtful.

B．Dismissive.

C．Supportive.

D．Sympathetic.

【推荐2】The Beatles will release what is said to be their last ever song this week, pieced together from recordings spanning more than four decades and it would not have been possible without AI.

Now and Then has been edited together from a recording of the late John Lennon playing the piano and singing at his home in New York in 1979. Now, artificial intelligence has been used to extract usable sections from that noisy tape. These have been combined with guitar tracks from the late George Harrison, recorded in 1995 when efforts were made to finish the song. The endeavour was called off due to poor sound quality, which AI has now been able to solve.

Finally, new recordings made earlier this year from Paul McCartney and Ringo Start were added. McCartney has teased the existence of the song in interview s and said in a statement: “There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”

When creating Now and Then, AI is used to separate the dialogue from other noises to help editor s create a workable documentary. Ultimately, the engineers were able to develop bespoke AI powerful enough to remove all background noise and isolate not only speech but even the sound of each instrument played in a band.

Jess Aslan at University of London, says The Beatles’ track is an interesting experiment because it was done transparently with the blessing of the living members of the band, but adds that AI is a double-edged sword that also presents risks to artists. “One significant issue is that generative AI is squeezing the already extremely narrow creative job market,” she says. “Another is that of ownership, as these large-scale models are in fact bypassing copyright laws and using artists’ data without permission.”

1. Why did George Harrison stop finishing the song?

A．He was unable to play the piano.

B．The sound quality was not satisfying.

C．The surroundings were too noisy for recording.

D．He was not able to solve the problem of combination.

2. What is the feature of the new recording?

A．It was quite easy to conduct.

B．It depended on AI completely.

C．John’s voice was specially decorated.

D．Efforts from many aspects were paid.

3. What is Jess Aslan’s attitude to the new record?

A．Objective.

B．Favorable.

C．Indifferent.

D．Critical.

4. What is mainly talked about in the text?

A．The Beatles is a long-lasting memory.

B．John Lennon’s voice is hard to be recorded.

C．AI contributed to the new release of the Beatles.

D．Various ways are tried to finish John Lennon’s work.

【推荐3】Work at Mcity 2.0, an NSF-powered facility, could bring autonomous vehicles (AVs) safely into mainstream use.

Advances in autonomous vehicles, are bringing driver-less cars closer to public use. But the number of drivers in the U. S. that have concerns about the safety of those vehicles jumped from 55% in 2022 to 68% in 2023, according to a survey. The high costs and time required to test vehicles in a natural setting are a major challenge. Previous approaches usually test AVs through a combination of software simulation (模拟器), closed-track tests and on-road testing. Proving the safety performance of AVs at the level of human drivers will take hundreds of millions of miles of testing and the number of miles needed in a real driving environment can reach the hundreds of billions.

First-of-its-kind research at Mcity 2.0, a University of Michigan vehicle testing facility offers insight about solving this problem by using artificial intelligence (AI) to train vehicles.

Mcity 2.0

This approach was made possible with new testing abilities at Mcity 2.0. A $5 million fund was used to expand the facility’s original proving ground by combining the physical test track with a software simulation environment, creating the first cloud-based expanded reality facility for testing AVs. This enables broader participation by providing easier access to first-class groundwork for the research community, especially those with less resources from under served communities.

The Mcity 2.0 expanded reality test-bed combines three components: a physical test facility, a flexibility data center that collects and shares near-real-time traffic information from twenty-one crossroads and an expanded naturalistic driving simulator that mixes real and virtual (虚拟的) vehicles. Researchers can remotely construct and control the test facility groundwork with traffic lights, crosswalk buttons, rail-crossing arms and more, and build testing circumstances using a web-based life-like user interface (界面).

The findings also open the door to testing and training with other safety-critical systems, such as medical robots and aerospace systems, researchers said.

1. What can be inferred from the 2nd paragraph?

A．The number of driver-less cars is on an increase.

B．The real driving environment isn’t safe enough.

C．It takes too much to get driver-less cars to use.

D．It costs higher to train a driver-less car driver.

2. What does the Mcity 2.0 test-bed include?

A．An expanded real driving simulator.	B．A web-based life-like user interface.
C．The first-class research communities.	D．The ideas from University of Michigan.

3. In which part on a website can you most probably read this passage?

A．Funding and Awarding.	B．News and events.
C．Engineering and Computing.	D．Science Matters.

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

A．Mcity 2.0, an NSF-powered Facility

B．AI Applied to Increase the AVs Testing

C．An Approach to Testing Safety Systems

D．The Challenges of the Autonomous Vehicles

【推荐1】In July, Australian artist Matthew Griffin had his work Pickle(《酸黄瓜》)exhibited at a New Zealand gallery. The work is merely a pickle taken from a McDonald’s burger, stuck onto the gallery’s ceiling with ketchup(番茄酱)on it. With a price tag of NZ$10,000 (about 42,200 yuan), it started an ongoing debate: Is this art?

In fact, this is not the only strange artwork people have seen in recent years. In 2019, Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan’s work Comedian featured a store-bought banana with duct tape(强力胶). Far before that, Artist Rogier van der Zwang used 3D animation instead of painting materials to make visual rainbow. These trends bring us back to the classic discussion on how to understand art.

As British art historian Ernst Gombrich famously put it, “There really is no such thing as art. There are only artists.” Art is a personal expression; ultimately its agency is created by the artist. As each era cultivates its unique artists, the private message an artwork conveys can connect with every individual across time. Great artists from the past to the present all enjoy both fame and criticism. The way they appeal to certain audiences and encourage a wide range of debates and interpretations is exactly the charm of art.

Opponents may hold that despite the artist’s right to create, it is not up to the artist to determine if a piece of work is considered art. It is true that we see only the leftover of a cheeseburger. There is no real technique in Griffin’s Pickle. However, this is also where it is open to interpretation: For some, the pickle seems meaningless and artificial; for some, the pickle can be a commercial and cultural symbol. There is undoubtedly an innovation of “form”. It shows the artist’s exploration of the vehicle of art. The slice of pickle can be seen as a symbol. The ketchup plays an influence on the colors, with the surrounding white wall being another vehicle for expression.

After all, art welcomes various responses, which explains why viewing art is such an engaging experience.

In a word, we should always keep an open mind toward any embodiment(化身)of art.

1. What do we know about the work Pickle?

A．It’s made on the gallery’s ceiling.

B．It is as simple as the banana work.

C．People’s opinions vary on the work.

D．People think it’s not worth the money.

2. Which of the following is true according to paragraph 3?

A．Art can connect with people easily.

B．Artists are always admired by people.

C．The interpretation of art is critical.

D．The understanding of art is subjective.

3. What’s the author’s attitude to the work Pickle?

A．Objective

B．Opposed

C．Favorable

D．Indifferent

4. According to this passage , art can be best described as ______.

A．connective but unreal	B．charming but untouchable
C．abstract but engaging	D．appealing but controversial

【推荐2】Insha Shabir has been interested in art since her childhood. Later, she obtained her bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts and wanted to achieve something in the art field. She noticed that while many artists in her homeland were involved in traditional art forms such as portraiture, sketching, painting, and handwriting, resin (树脂) art was relatively unexplored “I didn’t have any specific role model or inspiration for this form of art. I learned it through YouTube and from foreign artists on Instagram. I was hoping I could contribute to making up for its relative absence,” Insha called.

“Then I just fell for it. The art is created when a runny chemical called epoxy resin is combined with various colour pigments (颜料) and other materials, which produces a combination of unique patterns,” Insha said. She also mentioned that resin art is a unique painting style where one does not need typical brushes, water colour, or oil paints. “When mixed with a hardener, the resin mixture gradually hardens to a solid plastic because a chemical reaction takes place between the materials,” Insha said, adding that the art form is a perfect way for her to make use of recycled waste to express herself.

Insha’s resin artworks have earned praise from art enthusiasts and customers alike, leading her to sell her creations online through various social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, where she operates her account under the username “Insha artworks”. The response has been amazing, enabling her to transform her passion into a sustainable (可持续的) profession.

Insha also set up several workshops in her homeland to share her skills, encouraging others to explore resin art’s potential and providing them with a means of livelihood. One of her most cheerful moments is when she sees her students making progress, which strengthens her devotion to teaching. Insha’s message to ambitious artists is to never give up anything that they are passionate about, even if they are going through ups and downs.

1. Why did Insha decide to work in the field of resin art?

A．To realize her dream since childhood.

B．To create a platform for online artists.

C．To advertise traditional local art forms.

D．To fill the gap in her homeland’s art scene.

2. What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?

A．Insha’s passionate interest in chemistry.

B．Insha’s preparation of tools for resin art.

C．Insha’s explanation of resin art principles.

D．Insha’s view on environmental protection.

3. What can we say about Insha’s selling experience?

A．It motivated her to build a career.

B．It showed her the importance of talent.

C．It deepened her understanding of social media.

D．It made her a recognized figure in the local art field.

4. What about her work in resin art brings Insha great joy?

A．Supporting herself independently.	B．Gaining popularity on social media.
C．Instructing others in the art form.	D．Having the ability to design products.

【推荐3】Growing up in Wolverhampton, I loved observing insects. When I was five, my dog destroyed an ants’ nest. Trying to make it up to them, I started making little houses, using wood pieces and leaves. When my mother saw my work, she told me that the smaller I made things, the bigger my name would become. Her words were some lost on me, but when I saw ants in their new houses, curiosity about making small things was seeded.

As a teenager, I began working with new materials, and my designs became more complicated and distinctive. I used many materials, including gold, to create my sculptures and processed them with tools I made. I sometimes worked for 16 hours a day, and it took me up to three months to finish a sculpture. I had to hold my breath during the process, and slowed my heartbeat to control my fingers. It wasn’t actually an enjoyable process — I could only enjoy it when I’d finished.

My sculptures have taken me to incredible places. However, I find it hard to celebrate these milestones, as there’s always room for improvement. One time, a fly landed on an Alice in Wonderland sculpture I was working on based on the tale. Its wings blew my Alice away when it left. I sought for it for hours, yet it was tiny. The Alice is now in Wonderland forever. But it did give me the chance to make an even better one.

I was found to have autism (自闭症) as an adult. Back in the 1960s, when I was at school, there wasn’t much awareness of the condition. Some pointed me out as an example of failure; I shared the view then. Now I treasure my autism. It’s made me focused and pushed me to be the best I can be. I hold workshops in schools for neurodiverse children, telling them my life story and helping them create their own figures.

The microscopic world has always been my happy place. I’ve tried to make big sculptures, but small ones are best for me. I appreciate the little things in life. They can be overlooked, but can also be mighty.

1. What inspired the author to start making small sculptures?

A．His observation of insects.	B．The encouragement from his mother.
C．His passion for tiny things.	D．The experience of building an ants’ nest.

2. What does it take to finish a sculpture according to paragraph 2?

A．Complex and unique design.	B．Precious materials.
C．Great patience and caution.	D．Vivid imaginations.

3. What does the underlined sentence imply about the Alice in Wonderland sculpture?

A．It is one of the milestones.	B．The author failed to find it at last.
C．It is housed in a wonderland.	D．The author remembers it forever.

4. What does the author say about his autism?

A．It inspires nearly all kids.	B．It happened to him in adulthood.
C．It contributes to his creations.	D．It was the consequence of failure.