1 .

①AI is used in many ways to make our lives better. For example, AI-powered robots can help doctors perform surgeries with more precision. AI can also help teachers by giving special lessons to students based on their learning speed and style. In our homes, smart speakers and home assistants can control lights, play music, and even tell us the weather.

②However, when it comes to disinformation (虚假信息), “Social media took the cost of spreading to zero, and AI takes the cost to zero,” says Renee DiResta of the Stanford Internet Observatory. Large language models such as GPT-4 make it easy to produce misleading news articles or social-media posts in a huge number.

③And AI can produce mor than text. Cloning (克隆) a voice using AI used to require minutes, or even hours,of sample audio. Last year, however, researchers at Microsoft created VALL-E, an AI model that is able to clone aperson’s voice from just a three-second clip (片段) of them speaking, and make it say any given text.

④OpenAI, the American company behind GPT-4, has developed a similar tool, Voice Engine, which canclone any voice from a 15-second clip and no one can find the difference. It has not yet released (发布) to public, because of its possible risks to the society.

⑤Similarly, Sora, from Open AI, can produce surprisingly realistic videos of up to a minute according to the given text. Open AI has not released Sora to the public, partly because it could be used to create disinformation. Another worry is that many people will lose their jobs in the video industry because of Sora.

⑥Though all of this is worrying, it is worth remembering that not all parts of the technology are bad. AI, it turns out, can be used for fighting disinformation as well as producing it. Anyway, it’s time to think about how we use AI. We need to make sure it’s used responsibly and for the good of everyone. Plus, who knows? Maybe one day, you could be the one creating the next big thing in AI!

1. How does the writer lead in the topic in the beginning?

A．By telling a story.	B．By asking questions.
C．By giving examples.	D．By comparing facts.

2. Which sentence is closest to the writer’s attitude (态度) towards AI?

A．AI is very useful in our daily life.

B．Voice Engine and Sora are the most useful AI.

C．Although there may be problems, the future of the AI is still bright.

D．People should take good use of AI no matter it is good or bad.

3. What can we know about Voice Engine according to the passage?

A．It’s a tool that can clone any voice.	B．It is produced before GPT-4.
C．It can also produce videos of one minute.	D．It won’t cause any risk to the society.

4. What’s the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3 .

When you’re taking an airplane, you’ll notice the soft clouds look lighter than air. But don’t be fooled —those clouds are much heavier than you think. So how much does a cloud weigh? And how can we weigh a cloud?

Clouds are mainly made of millions of tiny water droplets (小滴), so we can know the weight of a cloud by weighing the water in it. To do that, we need to know the size of the cloud and also the density (密度) of the droplets.

Margaret LeMone, a scientist from the US, has weighed the water in a grey cumulus (积云) cloud. First, she has found out that an average cumulus cloud is about 10m³ in size, considering it as a cube (立方体). Besides, the weight of water within 1m² of a cumulus cloud is about 0. 5 gram. In other words, the density of the droplets is around 0. 5g/m³. So the cloud weighs about 500 tons, nearly the weight of 100 elephants!

Of course, ___▲___. For example, cirrus (卷云) clouds are much lighter, because they have far less water. A dark thunderstorm cloud is a lot heavier, about two million tons of water. This cloud also contains much more water, which is why they can produce so much rain.

But if clouds are so heavy, why do they stay aloft? In fact, the wind helps a lot. These droplets are small enough to stay on even the lightest wind. If they get together, they can come down as rain and snow. Each raindrop is only 2mm across. So don’t worry! Those small raindrops spread out the weight enough and 500 tons of water doesn’t fall down on your head all at once.

So, the next time you see a little cloud passing overhead, just remember: 100 elephants.

1. What did Margaret LeMone do to weigh a cloud?

A．She compared the cloud to a ball.

B．She researched the size of the cloud.

C．She weighed the air inside the cloud.

D．She chose a cirrus cloud as an example.

2. Which of the following can be put into A in Paragraph 4?

A．other scientists do some similar studies

B．the research can be improved in the future

C．there are some difficulties to weigh a cloud

D．different types of clouds have different weights

3. What does the underlined phrase “stay aloft” probably mean?

A．Remain in the air.	B．Look soft and light.
C．Seem small in size.	D．Change shapes often.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．Beautiful Sky with Colourful Clouds

B．Clouds as Heavy as Elephants High up

C．Clouds in the Shape of Animals in the Sky

D．Interesting Experiments of Weighing Clouds

4 . Kia ora! Are you a culture lover? If yes, take your bag and visit New Zealand! There you can discover Maori culture!

“Kia ora!” is a way to greet Maori. It doesn’t just mean “hello”—it also means life and health. It can be used to say “thank you” or “cheers” too. When Maori meet important guests, instead of handshakes, they do a hongi —touching their noses two or three times.

Maori are famous for kapa haka, which is a powerful combination (组合) of songs, dances and chanting. It is performed by Maori during special festivals. Pukana is an important facial (脸部的) expression of these dances. For Maori, pukana means opening their eyes and mouths wide. Though the expression may seem scaring, it is not a sign of anger but may express strong and deep-felt feelings.

Besides, Maori have a form of body art, known as tattoos (纹身) . And the facial tattoos have special meanings because Maori believe the head is the most important part of the body. For example, men receive mataora on their faces as a symbol of high positions in society. Moko kauae are received by women on their lips and chins. A moko shows a woman’s position and abilities in her community. It is a tradition passed down over many years from the ancient.

Today, Maori traditions are still celebrated all over New Zealand. In the country, you will always feel the alive Maori culture, which influences the life of the whole nation.

1. What do Maori do to greet each other?

A．They say kia ora.	B．They shake heads.
C．They talk about hongi.	D．They cheer loudly.

2. Which of the following pictures shows pukana?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. To Maori, what special meanings do facial tattoos tell?

A．How old the persons are.	B．When the persons were born.
C．Where the persons come from.	D．How important the persons are.

4. What’s the main purpose of the passage?

A．To give advice on meeting Maori.	B．To introduce the alive Maori culture.
C．To tell the influence of Maori dances.	D．To describe the famous Maori festivals.

5 .

Welcome back to Word Up, our new programme about languages. This week, let’s learn about ideograms, pictograms and logograms. IDEOGRAMS They are symbols of ideas or thoughts. For example, symbols of numbers and maths are ideograms. “1, 2, 3” stand for “one, two, three” or any other language system of counting. “+” always means “addition”, and “=” always means “equal”, no matter what language you use!                                                                                                                                          PICTOGRAMS They are pictures. They show the words they stand for. People use them to communicate, too. A new system of pictograms is still developing today. Can you guess what it is? That’s right —emoji! Do you know the pictograms below?    LOGOGRAMS They are the symbols that stand for words or parts of words. Logograms may look like what the words mean, but many of them do not. Chinese characters are also logograms. Some of them have changed over time from pictograms, as shown here.

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Maths.

B．Rules.

C．Pictures.

D．Languages.

2. Which of the following is a pictogram?

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. How does the programme help readers understand better?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By telling stories.
C．By giving examples.	D．By showing reasons.

6 . ①700 years before the Wright brothers began experimenting with human flight, the Chinese had already got its secrets—with kites.

②Kites may have been invented in China as early as 500 B.C.E. While some kites were flown for fun, other kites provided key technologies for daily life. Chinese fishermen used kites to carry their lines far out to sea. Sailors used them to take a measurement of the wind.

③The Chinese craftsmen were very clever! They made their kites from bamboo and silk, and they came in all kinds of cool shapes, like 80-foot-long dragons. These kites showed off ancient China’s great technology. Their wings and tails could even move! As Chinese engineers experimented to make the kites fly even higher, they discovered the science of aerodynamics (空气动力学). They made the wings of their kites work like airfoils (机翼)—the same design used in modern planes.

④And the man-carriers were the most amazing Chinese kites. Ancient Chinese people may have made them a common sight by the 1200s. The kites were much larger than a small airplane. They were made from strong bamboo poles tied together and then covered with silk. During wars, Chinese scouts used man-carrying kites to fly high in the sky and spy on their enemies—similar to modern spy planes.

⑤In the late 1200s, the Italian businessman and explorer Marco Polo was amazed by what he saw in China, and he wrote a detailed description. When he returned to Italy, most people refused to believe him. They could not imagine that a person could fly.

⑥Centuries passed before Europeans learned the secrets—often by flying kites imported from China. In 1804, an English engineer, Sir George Cayley, built the first model airplanes. He used kites to make the wings. About 100 years later, American inventors, including the Wright brothers, also found ideas for their flight experiments by flying kites first.

1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly tell us?

A．How people made kites.	B．When kites were invented.
C．What kites were used for.	D．Where kites were invented.

2. Why are modern planes mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．To describe the popularity of ancient Chinese kites.

B．To get readers to learn about the history of Chinese kites.

C．To show the excellent skills of kite making in ancient China.

D．To tell the differences between modern planes and Chinese kites.

3. Which is the correct order of the following events?
a. Sir George Cayley built the first model planes.
b. Ancient Chinese made large man-carrying kites.
c. Marco Polo told Italians about Chinese amazing kites.
d. The Wright brothers did flight experiments by flying kites first.

A．b-c-d-a

B．b-c-a-d

C．c-d-a-b

D．c-b-a-d

4. What’s the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

7 .

①Wool is a great natural material that has been used by humans. It comes from the soft coat of sheep. Humans have been wearing wool for over 12,000 years. Today, more than 1.3 billion sheep around the world are used each year for woollen products, like sweaters and scarves.

②Why do so many people like woollen products? One of the great things about wool is that it is a fantastic insulator. This means it keeps us warm when it’s cold outside. It also has tiny air pockets that trap (锁住) heat, making it perfect for those cold days.

③Another advantage of wool is that it is breathable. It allows air to pass through, keeping us cool in the summer as well. Unlike other materials, it can prevent us from overheating, and make us feel comfortable.

④Wool is not only warm and breathable, but it is also durable (耐用的) and long-lasting. It’s strong enough for outdoor activities like hiking or playing in the snow. Woollen clothes can be passed down from one generation (一代) to another, creating a beautiful connection between family members.

⑤Making wool products requires a lot of efforts and a series of processes, which start with cutting. The sheep farmers cut the wool off the sheep completely by hand in spring. Don’t worry: cutting is safe and painless for the sheep, just like getting a haircut! After the cutting, hundreds of kilos of wool are packed together. Once the wool is collected, it goes through a process called scouring. It means wool is washed to remove any dirt and oil. Then the wool is made into yarn (毛线), which is used to make different woollen products. After the yarn is coloured, skilled workers make it into various products.

⑥Wool is made into all kinds of woollen products after processing and is used widely in our daily life.

1. How does the writer show that wool is a great material in Paragraph 1?

A．By telling stories.

B．By explaining ideas.

C．By showing facts.

D．By comparing reasons.

2. What is the advantage of wool according to the passage?

A．It can be used for a long time.	B．It can stop air from passing through.
C．It can produce and give out heat.	D．It can be made into products easily.

3. Which picture correctly shows “scouring”?

A．

B．

C．

D．

4. Which is the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

8 . Eczema (湿疹) is a disease which influences children and teenagers much more often than adults.

The symptoms (症状) of eczema are different among people, such as dry, itchy (发痒的) skin with redness, or sores. Eczema can happen on any part of the body, such as hands, feet, knees, face and neck. The condition can last for more than one year. Most children will not get eczema as they grow up. However, some people have eczema again when they get older. This means that they need a long-lasting treatment.

Why do people get eczema? Your genes (基因). Doctors found that if both parents have eczema, their child is 3-5 times more likely to have one as well. Meanwhile, some doctors found that kids who live in cities may have the higher possibility of getting eczema than those who live in the country. Other causes of eczema include types of soap, dry wintertime air, and some clothes that make the skin uncomfortable.

Eczema can have a large effect on a person’s life. The itchy feeling of eczema can be so serious that it keeps many patients awake at night, which makes them more tired and nervous during the day. The itchiness can also make it hard to focus on work or school. Also, if viruses get under the skin, sometimes they can cause more serious diseases. So people with eczema are more likely to get ill than people with healthy skin. Finally, people may lose confidence because of looking different.

There are plenty of ways to treat eczema or to stop it from getting worse. The most important is to make sure to use moisturizers (润肤膏) often. They moisturize the skin and prevent it from getting dry. When moisturizer does not work, doctors may tell patients to take medicines to help with eczema. If those ways can’t help patients at all, doctors will suggest other treatments like light therapy (疗法), which uses specific waves of light by machine. But if you do have eczema, avoid hot showers or baths to keep the skin from getting itchy. Remember to keep clear of some clothes like sweaters. Now you can help others learn about eczema too!

1. Eczema ________.

A．makes people’s skin wet	B．needs a short-time treatment
C．influences people of all ages	D．happens on certain parts of the body

2. According to the passage, what problem can eczema cause?

A．Patients’ genes may be changed.

B．Patients suffer from sleeping loss.

C．Patients look at others differently.

D．Patients move away from the country.

3. Which of the following about treating eczema is TRUE?

A．Sunlight can stop eczema from spreading.

B．Moisturizers are helpful to make patients better.

C．Wearing sweaters will make people comfortable.

D．People can take hot showers to stop itchy feelings.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Eczema and Its Symptoms	B．Eczema: A Way to be Beautiful
C．New Discoveries in Health	D．Eczema: A Great Enemy of Skin

9 . It’s common to see the coffee art, but have you seen the art in a cup of tea? This kind of tea art is called Dian Cha, a main tea drinking method in the Song Dynasty. The process of making it is not easy but people really enjoy Dian Cha especially because of the nice patterns on the surface of the tea.

The tea art begins with adding hot water over the fine powdered (粉末的) tea. This action creates a paste (糊状物) on the tea. Then add more water while whisking (搅动) it by hand with a bamboo whisk. It usually requires whisking about 200 times before the thick foam (泡沫) appears. Then, one can begin drawing. But drawing on the tea foam is not the same thing as drawing on the paper. One may use the hard teaspoon against the soft foam, which requires great attention. Unlike normal spoons, the teaspoon used in Dian Cha is quite thin and has a pointed end to help to draw, just like a pen.

In the Song Dynasty, many famous people regarded Dian Cha as an important free-time activity. Emperor Song Huizong even wrote a book called Treatise on Tea which included some details of tea-whisking. According to the book, good tea should be white and fine. The better the tea was, the whiter it should be, and the longer the foam should last.

In 2019, Dian Cha was listed as a cultural heritage (遗产) in Zhenjiang, China. A growing number of people now want to learn and spread this traditional skill. Han Zheming, a designer from Shanghai, has created nearly 200 images on the tea and put the process of Dian Cha online. “I want more people to understand and appreciate the beauty of Dian Cha.” Han says.

1. What is Dian Cha popular for?

A．Its long history.	B．Its patterns on the tea.
C．Its special taste.	D．Its tea-making process.

2. During the process of Dian Cha, ______ is used to draw on the tea foam.

A．

B．

C．

D．

3. Which of the following about Dian Cha is TRUE?

A．Better tea has much less foam.

B．Han Zheming tries to spread this tea art.

C．It was chosen as a cultural heritage in Shanghai.

D．Many famous people wrote Treatise on Tea together.

4. The passage is probably taken from a magazine about ______.

A．art and culture

B．sports and health

C．life and history

D．nature and travel

10 .

Walking on Guanqian Street in Macao, you can see tourists buying gifts in shops down the street. Members of tour groups are taking photos in front of the beautiful wall paintings on each side. Fashionable cafes along the street are crowded with coffee lovers.

To attract (吸引) more tourists and achieve new development of cultural tourism, what special efforts has been the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government making?

The Macao SAR government is eyeing its rich historic heritage (遗产) to attract more tourists. It is trying to revive historic areas that few tourists know. “The government has successfully developed several special places for tourists in recent years.” says Cheung Kin-chung, president of China Travel Service (Macao) Lid.

Taking the Lai Chi Vun shipyards as an example, Cheung says, “Shipbuilding was once very important in Macao’s development. Although the industry of building ships has declined (衰退), the old factories offer a chance to show Macao’s history.” Now they have become a living museum. There are exhibitions about the history of the shipyards. But the shipyards are also a place where local musicians perform. Tourists can both learn about history and experience modern life there.

Macao is also building itself as a “City of Performing Arts”. This has become a new step on its way to developing cultural tourism. With many nice places for concerts and performances, Macao holds lots of art events for tourists around the world to enjoy this year. During the Chinese Theater Cultural Festival, they could get a taste of traditional Chinese operas like “The Legend of the White Snake”.

As a place where Chinese culture meets foreign cultures, Macao provides varied cultural experiences. Supported by the Macao SAR government, “Fado Nights” concerts were held from March 29th to May 5th. It allows tourists to enjoy Fado, a traditional Portuguese musical form. In the concerts of the festival “Encounter in Macao”, Fado is included into Chinese music, creating a new form of performance. This art form shows tourists a mixed culture of China and Western countries.

In addition, the Macao SAR government has offered some special travel products and services. Together with travel companies, it has introduced many new guided tours for tourists to discover Macao. According to different festivals and events, the government has designed “My Treats For You” of special travel offers, including cheaper plane tickets, hotel rooms, as well as show tickets.

1. How does the writer lead in the topic of the passage?

A．By comparing facts.	B．By listing numbers.
C．By giving an example.	D．By showing an opinion.

2. What does the underlined word “revive” probably mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Make a report on.	B．Bring new life to.
C．Offer information to.	D．Give special praise to.

3. Which fact best shows Macao’s effort to attract tourists through its mixed culture?

A．“Encounter in Macao” was held.	B．“My Treats For You” was designed.
C．“Fado Nights” concerts were held.	D．“The Legend of the White Snake” was performed.

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．New Fun Activities for You in Macao	B．Macao Becomes A Hot Place for Traveling
C．All You Must Know Before Visiting Macao	D．Macao Welcomes Tourists in Different Ways