1 . 
China Daily’s digital employee (员工) Yuanxi and Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes’ official virtual carto on character (敦煌莫高窟官方虚拟卡通人物) Jiayao together introduced an interactive digital platform (数字化互动平台) that hosts a virtual copy of the Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave to the world.
The platform was developed together by the Dunhuang Academy (研究院) and the Chinese tech company Tencent. It uses gaming technologies to show the historical scenes of the Library Cave in the digital world.
The Library Cave in Mogao Grottoes was discovered in 1900, with more than 60,000 cultural relics (文物) from the 4th century to the 11th century undearthed (出土). It was one of the most important discoveries in the 20th century.
On the platform, visitors can role-play and “time travel” to ancient dynasties and talk with eight historical figures (人物). The public can enter the platform through the Digital Dunhuang website and its WeChat program.
In the digital age, the model of “culture + technology” is used to promote (促进) the development of Chinese culture. The digitalization rate (数字化率) of China’s valuable cultural relics has been more than 70 percent, according to the 2022 China Digital Collection Industry Research Report reported by iResearch.
Institutions (机构) such as the Palace Museum have also set up online digital services of their own.—Artificial intelligence (AI) technology allows the public to see the inside of the buildings through the Palace Museum’s WeChat program.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism has also encouraged the development and transformation (转型) of cultural relics by digital ways. China Central Television has created a series of digital collections with different Dunhuang themes, such as the Dunhuang divine deer (神鹿) Youyou. It was created according to the image (形象) of the nine-colored deer from Dunhuang murals (壁画). The public can see the divine deer on CCTV’s own digital platform.
Digital collections cater to (迎合) the habits of young people. They not only protect the cultural relics but also bring the public closer to China’s “excellent traditional culture”, reported Dunhuang Art Institute.
Su Bomin, director of the Dunhuang Academy, told Xinhua that more efforts will be made to discover new forms for showing cultural relics and offer the public cultural experiences to develop Dunhuang culture.
1. On the interactive digital platform for the Mogao Grottoes’ Library Cave, visitors can ________.| A．talk to the designer of the digital Library Cave |
| B．play video games named historical characters |
| C．play role-playing games set in ancient times |
| D．design digital caves showing historical culture |
| A．To show the latest gaming technologies. |
| B．To help cultural institutions make money. |
| C．To encourage people to explore new forms of digital collections. |
| D．To promote the development of Chinese culture. |
| A．Worried. | B．Hopeful. | C．Excited. | D．Serious. |
| A．Experiencing History Online | B．Showing Digital Collections |
| C．Creating Mini Programs | D．Introducing Gaming Technologies |
2 . Marconi, an Italian inventor, who gave us the radio, probably didn’t know how much his great invention would have done for the world in the years to come. Radio has perhaps done as much as any other communication tool. Things of the world can be reported to people everywhere a few seconds after they happened. Travelers in out-of-the-way places, ships at sea, and even astronauts round the earth are able to keep in touch with each other by radio.
Television is another important invention. It lets us see as well as hear the actor. Since it was invented, TV has done a great deal in the life of people everywhere. Many programs are now televised on TV.
Perhaps the most modern invention is “Telstar”, a “star” moving round the earth. It makes it possible for the people all over the world to be closer than ever before. Now on TV a family in Chicago can watch a car race in Italy, a table tennis competition in Beijing or a volleyball match in Japan as these events are actually happening!
1. How many inventions does the writer mention in the article?| A．One. | B．Two. | C．Three. | D．Four. |
| A．不合适的 | B．偏僻的 | C．尽力的 | D．繁华的 |
| A．He is just an Italian inventor. | B．He invented many useful tools. |
| C．His invention has done much for the world. | D．He helped people exercise a lot around the world. |
| A．To show programs like a TV. | B．To help people go to the moon. |
| C．To give light to the earth at night. | D．To help send radio or TV information to the world. |
3 . Many people dream of traveling into outer space. However, spending too much time in space may cause health problems. That’s why astronauts shouldn’t spend more than six months on the International Space Station (ISS) at a time.
Muscle (肌肉) and bone loss(骨质损失). In a weightless environment, astronauts don’t need to use their muscles to support themselves. So their muscles start shrinking (萎缩). To keep their muscles strong, astronauts need to exercise for about two hours each day on the ISS.
Sleep disorder (紊乱). In space, the sun rises every 90 minutes. It is hard for astronauts to get used to this light-dark cycle (循环) when they sleep. Also, they need to sleep in a sleeping bag that is fixed to a wall. It is uncomfortable. Now astronauts have individual (单独的) sleeping pods (睡眠舱) that help shut out some of the light. Still, studies have found that most astronauts only sleep about six hours each night, even though they should have eight and a half hours.
Brain changes. Scientists have found that the position of the brain changes during spaceflight. This can influence how the brain deals with how we see, stay balanced (平衡) and move around. That’s why some astronauts can’t control their movement and balance after returning to Earth. Scientists have also found that astronauts may get used to this change after going on more spaceflights. But they still need to do more research.
1. When astronauts don’t use their muscles in space, _______.| A．they should eat much meat | B．their muscles start shrinking |
| C．they need to exercise all day | D．they can’t support themselves |
| A．the weight | B．the temperature | C．the light | D．the air |
| A．his muscle shrinks | B．he can’t sleep well |
| C．he doesn’t have any research | D．the position of his brain changes |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
4 . ①Could you imagine being in a car driven by a computer, not a human? Recently, China has made a big step toward self-driving technology. Since August, driverless taxis can run on roads in Wuhan, Chongqing and Shenzhen.
②Why do we develop self-driving cars? Self-driving cars have many advantages. They use computers to sense the things around them and make better use of space. This means fewer crowded roads and better parking of cars. For disabled or blind people, self-driving cars can also help them get around more easily.
③According to US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, more than 1.35 million people are killed on roads around the world. Many more are hurt in accidents. Self driving cars could reduce road accidents by 90 percent and save governments a lot of money. The main cause of car accidents is human error (错误). By using computers, self-driving cars don’t make poor decisions or lose attention like humans do.
④But self-driving cars aren’t perfect. If something unexpected on the road happens, self-driving cars can’t react as fast as a human driver can. Also, during weather events like heavy snow, self-driving cars wouldn’t see the lines on the road easily. It might lead to an accident. The car’s computer system would be broken by someone, causing it to crash or change its direction.
⑤It’s clear that there is a lot of work to do to make self-driving cars a common sight on our roads. And China is taking the lead in making this happen.
1. According to the passage, it is ________ to develop self-driving cars for disabled or blind people.| A．difficult | B．creative | C．helpful | D．unnecessary |
| A．Self-driving cars would cause 90 percent road accidents of all. |
| B．Self-driving cars would cause 10 road accidents among 100 ones. |
| C．90 percent of self-driving cars would cause road accidents. |
| D．Self-driving cars could reduce the number of road accidents from 100 to 10. |
| A．how self-driving cars work |
| B．why self-driving cars were invented |
| C．what we should do to use self-driving cars safely |
| D．that self-driving cars bring both convenience and problems |
A． | B． | C． | D． |
5 . Going to museums is one of the ways for us to entertain (使快乐) ourselves. But should museums charge a fee (收费)?
Museums are there for enjoyment and they are for education as well. We can gain a lot of knowledge about history and art by visiting museums. Everyone should be able to visit and learn from it. If entry fees are charged, not everyone will be able to afford them.
Also, some people have pointed out that museums can attract more visitors if they are free to visit. When people have to pay for tickets, they often choose to go to the movies or go shopping instead.
However, others argue that museums should not be free to visit. The maintenance fees that come from protecting paintings and valuable exhibits can be very high. The money that is made from selling tickets can be used to pay these fees. Also, museums are places for people to get knowledge and enrich themselves. They’re not just tourist attractions for people to visit and take pictures at. Chen Dong, a worker in a city museum, “People will value the special opportunities (机会) if they have to pay for their visits.”
To sum it up, although there are clear arguments on both sides, I think museums should be free. At the end of the day, the most important function of museums is to spread culture and knowledge. Local governments or organizationss can take responsibility to provide museums with financial support (资金支持).
1. What does visiting a museum bring us?| A．Enjoyment and knowledge. | B．Pressure and knowledge. |
| C．Enjoyment and choices. | D．A large fee. |
| A．赞助费 | B．生活开支 | C．门票收人 | D．维护费用 |
| A．care about the chances to visit | B．get something special |
| C．learn much knowledge | D．get more chances to visit |
| A．Is Visiting a Museum Helpful? | B．Should Museums Charge a Fee? |
| C．What Do You Learn from Visiting a Museum? | D．How Can You Choose a Museum to Visit? |
Let’s sit in the “Green” seats!
Are you looking forward to next year’s Olympic Games? Paris 2024 promises to be a “green” event. Its organizers have found a new way of going green: In some of the venues (场馆) in Seine-Saint-Denis (塞纳—圣但尼省), about 11,000 seats are made from recycled plastic.
The seats were produced by recycling company Lemon Tri and a few partners (合作伙伴). They collected plastic waste and turned it into small pieces. These pieces were then mixed together and heated. After that, they were compressed (压缩) in machines. The results was black or white plastic sheets with flecks (斑点) of color. These sheets were then sanded (打磨), cut and assembled (组装) into seats.
Are these seats of good quality (质量), you may ask? Don’t worry! A number of tests have been carried out on them. There were a UV resistance (抗紫外线) test, a fire resistance test, and more. People will be able to sit safely in the chairs and enjoy the excitement of the game!
The seats were made from about 100 tons of plastic waste. About 80 percent of the plastic came from local recycling bins (箱). Local schools also collected about five million colored soda bottle caps and they were used in the making of the seats.
The seats not only help the environment, but also educate people about recycling.
Augustin Jaclin is the co-founder of Lemon Tri. “Our kids put their bottles in the bins,” he said. “Next year, they’ll sit on the seats made from these bottles. This will teach them to recycle more in their daily lives!”
1. Why is the Paris 2024 Olympics a green event?2. What helps to make sure of the safety of the chairs?
3. Where did the material of the seats mostly come from?
4. Where else do you expect to see the green seats? Why?（Write 30 words or more）
7 . People forget to take out the rubbish sometimes. It happens. But when the rubbish is finally taken out the next day, there are always smells left in the house. What should you do to make them go away?
Many people in this situation will reach for an air freshener (空气清新剂). Air fresheners are an easy and quick way to make the room smell better. An air freshener fights bad smells in two basic ways.
The first way is by hiding the smell. This kind of air freshener covers up the bad smell with a stronger smell. However, it does not make the bad smell go away. Instead, it covers it up with something else.
The other kind of air freshener fights bad smells in the air itself. The air freshener uses chemicals to “clean” the air. Instead of simply covering up the bad smell, the air freshener works to eliminate the bad smell.
If you are worried about using chemicals in your house, you may not want to use an air freshener at all. In this case, your best choice may be to open up the windows or turn on a fan—and, of course, to remember to take out the rubbish more often!
1. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?| A．The rubbish. | B．The house. | C．The air freshener. | D．The bad smell. |
| A．cover up | B．turn up | C．grow up | D．clear up |
| A．①②/③④/⑤ | B．①/②/③④⑤ | C．①②/③/④⑤ | D．①/②③/④⑤ |
| A．Food & drinks. | B．History & society. |
| C．Information technology. | D．Living environment. |
8 . Have you heard of the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon)? This year, it was held in Chengdu from October 18 to 22. WorldCon is the biggest sci-fi event (盛会) in the world. It has been held since 1939. This was the first time the event had been held in China.
During the event, the winners of this year’s Hugo Awards were announced (宣布). The awards are very famous in the science fiction world. They are voted on by members of WorldCon. Chinese sci-fi writers and artists enjoyed a big night on October 21.
The Space-Time Painter (《时空画家》) won the award for the best novelette (短中篇小说). It was written by part-time writer Hai Ya (海涯). “I’m very lucky,” he said. “It’s like my dream shining into reality.” He hopes that his works can make more people think about technology, time and art.
Besides that, Zhao Enzhe won the best Professional Artist (最佳职业艺术家) award. The artist has worked in the game industry for more than 20 years. He has been making covers for China’s Science Fiction World magazine for a long time. The magazine is the best-selling one of its kind in the world.
In addition, China’s Zero Gravity Newspaper (《零重力报》) won the best Fanzine (最佳粉丝杂志) award. Four works by Chinese writers were shortlisted (最终入围) for the Best Short Story award.
Over the past years, a lot of Chinese science fiction works have been translated into many different languages. They have attracted (吸引) more and more readers around the world. The influence of Chinese science fiction keeps growing!
1. What do you know about WorldCon?| A．It usually lasts for 5 days. |
| B．It is the biggest event in the world. |
| C．It has a long history of over 90 years. |
| D．It was held in China for the first time this year. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Seven. |
| A．different languages | B．more readers |
| C．Chinese Sci-fi works | D．the Hugo Awards |
| A．Chinese Sci-fi Shines at Hugo Awards |
| B．The World Science Fiction Convention held in China |
| C．Winners of this year’s Hugo Awards |
| D．The influence of Chinese Sci-fi keeps growing |
9 . When ChatGPT came out last November, Olivia Lipkin, a copywriter (文案写手) in San Francisco, didn’t think too much about it. Over the next few months, however, Lipkin found herself with less and less work to do. In April, she was fired with no explanation. She realized why she lost her job when she heard managers talking about how using ChatGPT was cheaper than hiring (雇用) a human writer.
Lipkin was not alone. Eric Fein, a 34-year-old man in the U. S. state of Illinois, ran a writing business for ten years. He became jobless this March. All his clients (顾客) told him they no longer needed his services because they were turning to ChatGPT. Fein asked his clients to reconsider. He warned them that ChatGPT couldn’t write with his level of creativity. His clients said they understood, but it was far cheaper to use the chatbot (聊天机器人) than to pay him. Fein’s business was gone almost overnight.
Economists predict (经济学家预测) that AI systems like ChatGPT could replace hundreds of millions of jobs in the future. But for those who write social media posts and ads, the effect is already here. Experts say that even the best AI systems can’t match the writing skills of a human. It doesn’t have a personal voice or style. Besides, it often gives the wrong answers. But for many companies, the cost savings are worth the drop in quality. Indeed, companies that have replaced human workers with chatbots have run into trouble. CNET, a technology news site company, once used AI systems to write articles. The results, however, were full of mistakes. They required a lot of corrections. And the U. S. National Eating Disorders Association Company once replaced its helpline (求助热线) staff with chatbots. But it had to stop using the technology after it gave people harmful advice.
After being replaced by ChatGPT, Fein and Lipkin took a same path. Fein decided to do a new job that AI can’t do. He is now an air-conditioning technician (空调技术人员) after training. And Lipkin wanted to work as a dog walker. “I’m taking a complete break from the office world.” She says. But she doesn’t work now.
1. When did Olivia Lipkin lose her job?| A．Last November. | B．34 years ago. | C．In April. | D．This March. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Many. | D．None. |
| A．By accident. | B．By training. | C．By mistake. | D．By chatting. |
| A．AI systems maybe replace many jobs, but they can’t replace all. |
| B．Don’t believe in any experts and economists’ posts and ads. |
| C．It is nice to take a complete break from the office world. |
| D．Humans mustn’t have a personal voice or style. |
10 . ①Worried about the climate? There’s plenty to do to help your local environment. And small actions can make a difference. Here are five ideas to get you started.
②Count the birds
Get closer to nature by becoming a citizen scientist. You could count birds, butterfliers or even flowers in your garden. There are lots of citizen science projects to take part in. It’s fun group activity, and your data can help scientists better understand our environment.
③ ▲
Soil and water are some of the most important resources on our planet. By picking up litter in your area, you can prevent plastics and other materials from polluting the land, parks, beaches and rivers.
④Grow local to eat local
Planting more fruit and nut trees and vegetables can create a local food supply. Eating locally can reduce carbon emitted by importing food from abroad.
⑤Set up a library of things
Internet shopping has made it easier to buy new things at the click of a button. But where is it all going to end up? First it will clutter (凌乱地塞满) your house, then it’ll clutter the planet. Setting up a library of things can encourage local people to share everything from tools to toys.
⑥Reclaim (收回) the streets
Reducing car pollution is one of the ways we can reduce CO2 emissions and improve air quality. Close your street for kids to play on the road safely for three hours a week. Getting more people riding a bike is also a great way to reduce pollution. Start a community club in your area to help people be confident.
1. The underlined word “make a difference” in the passage can be replaced by “________”.| A．have an influence | B．make sense | C．succeed | D．change everything |
| A．Organize activities | B．Save water and soil | C．Pick up litter | D．Pollute the planet |
| A．Count birds to be scientists. |
| B．Set up a library of tools and toys. |
| C．Grow and eat locally. |
| D．Close your street for kids to play on the road safely for three hours a month. |
(①＝Paragraph 1, ②＝Paragraph2, ... )
A． | B． | C． | D． |
