Over 5 million shared bikes in China are using services offered by Beidou Navigation Satellite System. These shared bikes all use Beidou-based positioning chips.
The chips have high qualities. They can deal with information accurately and quickly. They provide a better user experience and easier management for the local companies. Now, several new models of shared electric bikes with Beidou-based chips have also started to be produced and put into market. Besides positioning and navigation, the chips will help users and bike companies record user speed and battery condition of an electric bike. The possible crimes during the bike using will also be recorded.
In fact, years ago, shared bike companies began to use positioning chips which worked well with both GPS and Beidou services. After the Beidou system became completely in use in the summer of 2020, shared bike companies started to install Beidou-based chips on more bikes in more areas. The latest chips which are popular with bike companies are smaller and have more advantages over the old types.
Since 2000, a total of 59 Beidou satellites have been sent into space from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province. After the final satellite was sent in 2020, the system was completed and started providing global services. Beidou Satellite System is designed and developed by China. China has built the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) into a top-class system with cutting-edge technologies, pioneering design and powerful functions, according to a white paper published on Friday by the State Council Information Office. It is one of four global navigation networks, along with the United States’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo.
According to a research in 2022, by the end of 2021 the total value connected with satellite navigation and positioning services in China was 469 billion yuan, a 16.3 percent increase year on year. More than 500,000 Chinese people now work at around 14,000 China’s companies and organizations doing business connected with Beidou and other satellite navigation and positioning services.
1. What does the writer want to tell us in Paragraph 2?| A．The history of shared bikes. | B．The qualities of shared bikes. |
| C．The producers of Beidou-based chips. | D．The advantages of Beidou-based chips. |
| A．stand for | B．turn off | C．hand in | D．put in |
| A．By explaining reasons. | B．By listing some numbers. |
| C．By comparing conditions. | D．By introducing backgrounds. |
| A．Competitions Lead to the Better Products | B．Users Know How to Improve the Products |
| C．Service Increases the Sales of the Products | D．Technology Shapes the Future of the Products |
Located in the middle of the Egyptian desert is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Apart from being an unbelievable achievement, it also serves as the final resting place for the great Pharaoh Khufu. It has been standing for centuries and attracted travelers from all over the world. A survey shows one third people from America, one quarter people from Europe and two sevenths people from Asia hope to take a vacation to the great wonder. Yet, one question which has puzzled all of us is how this amazing wonder was built.
Many people don’t believe that humans were technologically advanced enough in ancient Africa to build such a large and highly advanced building. This brought about many crazy theories that the pyramids were built by a race of giants or even aliens from outer space. Another popular theory suggested that the pyramids were built by an army of poor slaves.
Modern technology and some recent findings have helped make it clear. An explorer accidentally found a tomb containing some written information about the builders. The records show that the workers were paid and well-fed, and came from poor families in Egypt. Further analysis made it clear that people considered it an honor to work on the pyramids, and the builders were treated with great respect. In fact, anyone who died while working on the pyramids was given the honor of being buried in the tomb near where the pharaohs lay.
To avoid exhaustion, the builders worked for about three months and then were allowed to stay at home to have a rest. A recent researcher shows that fifteen thousand people could have completed the building in about ten years. An analysis of the bones of the builders shows their work was extremely hard, as most of them were hurt badly. But thanks to their unbelievable effort, the human has an amazing wonder that should stand the test of time.
1. According to the survey, people from ________ most like to visit the Great Pyramid of Giza.| A．Asia | B．Africa | C．America | D．Europe |
| A．To show how wise the people of that time. | B．To attract people to visit the ancient country. |
| C．To be the tomb for the Great Pharaoh Khufu. | D．To remember the people who built the wonder. |
| A．Some new findings about the modern technology. |
| B．New information about the builders of the Pyramids. |
| C．How ancient people built the unbelievable wonder. |
| D．The builders of the Pyramids had a better life than we thought. |
| A．It lies in the center of Egyptian desert. |
| B．About 1,500 people built it for 10 years. |
| C．We still don’t know who built the great wonder. |
| D．It was one of the Seven Wonders of ancient Egypt. |
Without the Internet or phones, communicating long distance is limited. Yet throughout history, cultures have developed ways to produce messages that travel miles. Morse Code is a system of communication. It uses patterns of signals to send and receive messages, often with a machine called a telegraph.
A telegraph is a machine that creates different signals from different messages. These signals are then changed into electrical current. They are sent across a wire. They can travel long distances, such as across the country or ocean. Another telegraph receives these signals. The machine changes the signals back into the original message.
In Morse Code, there are three types of signals. They are dots, dashes, and pauses. Dots (•) are the short noises or flashes of light. Dashes (━) are longer noises or flashes of light. Spaces (____) are the pauses. Patterns of these signals represent letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. In Morse Code, letter A is one dot and one dash, letter E is one dot, letter I is two dots. As for consonants, letter C is one dash, one dot, one dash and one dot, letter D is one dash and two dots, Letter T is one dash.
Morse Code was invented in the United States by Samuel Morse during the 1830s. People soon realized that the code could not transmit all messages in other languages. To fix this problem, a newer version called the International Morse Code was developed. International Morse Code is simpler and more exact. For example, the original Morse Code could only represent a few of the letters. The International Morse Code, on the other hand, is for all letters.
1. According to Paragraph 2, how does the telegraph work?①The signals are sent across a wire.
②The signals are changed back to letters.
③Another telegraph receives these signals.
④The telegraph changes signals to electricity.
| A．①④②③ | B．①④③② | C．④①②③ | D．④①③② |
| A．Cat. | B．Act. | C．Eat. | D．Ted. |
| A．It became very popular. | B．People stopped using it. |
| C．The telephone was invented. | D．A newer version was created. |
| A．To explain a secret message. | B．To introduce a type of phone. |
| C．To show a way to communicate. | D．To tell stories of an old machine. |
 | The year 2023 is filled with unusual holidays. Share them with your parents, teachers and friends. |
 | Fry An Egg On The Sidewalk Day (July 4) Have you heard the expression “It’s so hot you could fry an egg on the sidewalk”? It has been around for a long time, perhaps since a newspaper on June 11, 1899, according to the Library of Congress. No one knows who asked people to try this on July 4 (it is often very hot on that day). But Oatman, Arizona, takes it seriously. Each July Fourth, the Solar Egg Frying Competition in Oatman, Arizona, offers a prize for the best sun-cooked egg. |
 | Wonderful Weirdos Day (September 9) Austin, Texas, takes pride in being weird — doing things differently. A group of local people suggested an unofficial holiday encouraging everyone to do the same. To celebrate, be a little weird. Wear strange clothes or try an unusual hairstyle. And do it, as Austinites do, with pride. |
 | National Cocoa Day (December 13) People in South America started making chocolate from cocoa thousands of years ago. The drink they made was not very sweet, though. Spanish explorers later added sugar to it and brought it back to Europe. On December 13, have a cup of cocoa, and don’t forget the marshmallows. |
| A．Texas. | B．Austin. | C．Arizona. | D．South America. |
| A．June 4. | B．June 11. | C．September 9. | D．December 13. |
| A．Dates of some surprising holidays. | B．Important holidays in the US. |
| C．Places for celebrating different holidays. | D．Reasons to celebrate a few holidays. |
Cathy Hackl’s son wanted a party for his 9th birthday. He wanted to hold the party on Roblox, a website where users can play and create games. Roblox is part of the metaverse. This is a virtual-reality space. There, users can interact with other people and digital environments. Virtual reality is a three-dimensional simulation of a real-life image or environment. “They hung out and played, ” Hackl said, “Just because it happens in a virtual space doesn’t make it less real.” The term metaverse has become popular. Today, people are spending more of their lives in virtual spaces.
The word metaverse comes from a science fiction book from the 1990s. But the metaverse has been around longer than that. Online communities have existed since the 1980s. We enter the metaverse through a screen. This could be through virtual reality(VR). It could also be through augmented reality(AR). Augmented reality covers computer-generated images on the real world. These experiences create a greater blending of our virtual and real lives. But these two worlds already cannot be separated and we don’t even need any headsets, such as VR glasses. Think about the Didi Taxi app. It uses location data to tell drivers where their cars are.
The metaverse is an expansion of the Internet. There are lots of Internet problems to solve already. Still, many people say it has real benefits. They say it can increase social networks and improve mental health. Hackl is a metaverse expert, and she’s African. She says, “You can encourage a lot more people to join and build social relations.” For those already spending part of their life in the metaverse, that building has begun.
Carrie Tatsu runs a business in the metaverse. But she wants her kids to spend time in the real world. “It’s so important for humans to be with humans in real life, ” she said, “I think as kids grow up in this space, it’s important for them to take part, go smell a flower here, walk on a trail, have a real conversation with a friend. Even though you can simulate that, the simulation is not the same. ”
1. How does the writer lead in metaverse in Paragraph 1?| A．By telling stories. | B．By listing numbers. |
| C．By describing people. | D．By comparing facts. |
| A．Changing. | B．Entering. | C．Mixing. | D．Reaching. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Metaverse: virtual spaces online. | B．Metaverse: a science-fiction book. |
| C．Metaverse: a popular computer game. | D．Metaverse: businesses on the Internet. |
In a world where technology is king, it is getting more and more difficult to keep up with the ‘R’s— VR. AR, MR, (iPhone) XR and the list goes on.
Many people have trouble telling the differences between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) . AR and VR mean that we experience something that isn’t there, but it feels like it is. As a result, it is easy for users to be blown away and wonder what is real and what is not. In short, at the heart of AR and VR are two very similar technologies. Both offer experiences to users, most widely used in areas such as online shopping and as part of psychological treatments.
_______ The main difference lies in the way of transport. Simply put, VR ‘transports’ the user to another world instead of the real one. It uses computer technology to create a 3D environment. Users not only view a screen in front of them, but also use as many senses as possible, such as vision, hearing, touch, even smell. VR is used widely in many theme parks, like Disneyland. Imagine opening your eyes and seeing a new world created by the computer all around you; you can move in this environment and even communicate with it. That’s what VR is like. For example, VR has the power to make users feel as if they are falling. So sometimes while playing games, users become nervous and even scared.
AR, does not shut out the real world, but adds digital graphics to a live view often by using the camera on a smartphone. Users would not be ‘transported’ to another world but instead, they would see graphics created by computers with what they see in real life. AR makes it possible to create many interesting apps, such as the navigation. It does not, change the whole view of what users see. unlike VR.
Thanks to new technology and successful games, AR and VR users already have a lot of choices. AR and VR are both powerful technologies which are still relatively new to many users. However, they have already begun to shake things up in the gaming world. The worlds of AR and VR aren’t just here: they’re getting bigger and better by the day.
1. Both AR and VR _______.| A．are only used in online shopping | B．improve psychological treatments |
| C．create unreal environments for users | D．let users experience something already there |
| A．In a way, AR and VR create different worlds for users. |
| B．Besides, AR and VR will be widely used in different areas. |
| C．What’s more, AR and VR offer their users different games. |
| D．However, AR and VR can be quite different in many ways. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
| A．Technology is king. | B．Thanks to technology. |
| C．Get close to AR and VR. | D．The development of AR and VR. |
“Am I an ‘I’ person or an ‘E’ person?” It is a popular topic among young people around China today. Many people are crazy about it so that they take a personality test named Myers-Briggs test to find out the answer.
Many people find the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Test Indicator) useful. It groups people into 16 types, which start with the letter “I” or “E”, such as “ENTJ, INFP” or more. “E” is short for “Extroversion” while “I” is for “Introversion”. “I’m an ‘E’ person. I should go to the party and make more friends. ” “I’m an ‘I’ person. I’d like to work by myself. I could be a writer in the future. ” They believe different types can help them make decisions for activities, jobs or even life choices more quickly.
But there are also problems. Some people take the test for a second time and get different results. Some people find it hard to answer some questions. “I like watching TV by myself. But I also enjoy playing with friends. Am I an ‘I’ or an ‘E’? ”
When you take a personality test, you may think, “Oh, that’s me.” That’s because the descriptions are generic. They can be used to describe many people. Research has found that over 50% of people get a different score when they retook the MBTI just five weeks later. Personalities can change with time, and they are not black-or-white, scientists say. You may be introverted now but become extroverted when you get older. Or, you can be both an “I” and an “E”. Don’t label yourself! Studies have also shown that the test is not real at telling people’s success in different jobs. So, don’t take it too seriously.
1. MBTI is a test _______.| A．without a hot topic | B．with the same answer |
| C．about young people in China | D．for your personality type |
| A．like to read books in the library on vacation |
| B．like to cook simple meals at home on weekends |
| C．like to watch movies with a pet dog on Friday night |
| D．like to celebrate different festivals with different people |
| A．common | B．special | C．clear | D．simple |
| A．To introduce what MBTI is. | B．To tell whether MBTI is useful. |
| C．To explain how people use MBTI. | D．To list how many people use MBTI. |
8 . Recently, an online poll was held to choose the New Seven Wonders of the World. Over 100 million people voted. Here are four of the seven winners.
 | Chichen Itza, Mexico This was an important city for the Mayans. It was built between about 700 CE and 1000 CE. A symbol of Mayan culture, it was a centre for business in things like cloth, honey and salt. Most photographs show a 24-metre high pyramid. It’s amazing for tourists to see it in person. |
 | Christ the Redeemer statue, Brazil Built between 1922 and 1931, the statue has become a well-known sight of Brazil. The statue is about thirty metres high and the arms measure 28 metres end to end. Designed by a Frenchman and built by a local artist, it attracts thousands of visitors every year. |
 | The Colosseum, Italy This famous amphitheatre, built between 70 CE and 80 CE, was used by the Romans for about 500 years for all kinds of public performances. Now it is almost a complete ruin, as a result of earthquakes and the passage of time, but some parts can be visited. The Colosseum has become one of the most famous buildings of Italy. |
 | The Great Wall, China This amazing structure was built over a period of more than two thousand years, ending in the 16th century. It was built in order to keep out the enemies of Mongolia on the other side. The Great Wall is not actually just one continuous wall, but a succession of many different ones. At around 6, 500 kilometres, it’s one of the longest man-made wonders on the planet. |
1. According to the passage, ________ is the newest building.
| A．The Colosseum, Italy | B．Chichen Itza, Mexico |
| C．The Great Wall, China | D．Christ the Redeemer statue, Brazil |
| A．Chichen Itza is a center of tourists. |
| B．Christ the Redeemer statue was built by a Frenchman. |
| C．The Colosseum is used for all kinds of public performances now. |
| D．The Great Wall of China is one of the longest man-made wonders in the world. |
| A．IT. | B．Society. | C．Travel. | D．Business. |
A Swiss radio station called Couleur 3 recently did an experiment on air, testing robot-created content and voicing.
During the 13-hour experiment, listeners heard the cloned voices of five human presenters. The station’s programming also included music created by AI. The program told listeners about the experiment every 20 minutes like this, “AI is taking your favorite radio by storm,” a voice said. “AI is here to surprise and shake you. And for that matter, this text was also written by a robot.”
The Swiss station’s director, Multone, said that Couleur 3 was able to do the experiment because it is already known for doing unusual things. He thought it as a lesson on how to live with AI. “I think if we become ostriches...we put our heads in the sand and say, ‘Multone, there’s a new technology! We’re all going to die!’ then yeah, we’re going to die because it (AI) is coming, whether we like it or not. We want to know it well so we can then put limits on it.”
Music that aired during the experiment was mostly created by AI methods. Besides, human-sounding robot voices provided false short news stories which were too imaginative to be believed. These included a story about one-month ban on spaceship flights over Geneva because of noise complaints. Another talked about the opening of the first underwater restaurant in Lake Zurich, while another told that ________.
There was a lot of discussion about whether to go on the experiment. He said he would stop the project if his team was not fully supportive. The station said it received hundreds of messages, with some supporting and others going against it. One person disliked the unfunny jokes. One considered the project a waste of time for a station that gets money from the government.
Multone said about 90 percent of listener reactions suggested the experiment was a good idea. But at the same time, many listeners pointed, “You can feel these are robots, and there are fewer surprises, less personality.”
1. Who wrote the text to tell the listeners about the experiment?| A．AI. | B．Multone. | C．Human presenters. | D．Ostriches. |
| A．keep away from the new technology |
| B．become ostriches in front of AI |
| C．think of the technology as their favourite |
| D．know how to get on well with AI |
| A．a new coffee shop would be open next month |
| B．visitors from other planets came to Switzerland |
| C．there would be heavy rain tonight and tomorrow |
| D．the government made new rules to improve the traffic |
| A．An experiment on AI voices | B．Are human presenters good or not |
| C．An imaginative radio station | D．People’s opinions on AI presenters |
My choice for a modern wonder of the world is the Simplon Tunnel in Switzerland. It’s actually two tunnels-railway tracks run through both of them.
They’re each almost twenty kilometers long. They’re not the longest tunnels in the world now, but they were when they were built, back in the beginning of the 20th century. The first one was started in 1898 and opened in 1906.The other one was started in 1912 and was opened in 1921, so each one was taken about eight years to build. The first tunnel was built by drilling in both directions-when the two drill-holes met in 1905, they were only two centimeters out of alignment. In those days, that was a tremendous achievement.
While it was being built, about 3,000 people worked on the construction every day. The working conditions weren’t very good-for example, it was often very hot inside and more than sixty people died during the building of the tunnel.
The tunnel joins Switzerland and Italy, and it has helped to make the travel between the two countries a lot easier than it was before. Now, people can put their car on the train and take it through the tunnel, so they don’t have to drive over the Simplon Pass.
I think this was a great thing to build all those years ago and it has made a big difference to the whole of that part of Europe.
1. The two tunnels took about ________ years to build.| A．eight | B．sixteen | C．twenty | D．forty |
| A．fantastic | B．natural | C．simple | D．general |
| A．About 3,000 people died during the building. | B．The tunnel connected France and Italy. |
| C．Cars can't be put on the train through it. | D．It was difficult to construct the tunnel. |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
