1 . On Feb. 15, a new video model called Sora promises to create a video up to a minute long from a short text description. Just tell Sora your idea, and watch it make a video right before your eyes. Sora is described as “eye-popping”, “world-changing”, and “breathtaking, yet scaring.”
The videos from OpenAI’s Sora are full of details. One video of a Tokyo street scene shows that Sora has learned how objects fit together in 3-D: the camera goes into the scene to follow a couple as they walk past a row of shops. Sora knows how things should look in real life.
Sora looks at many videos and learns from them by breaking them into very small bits. It uses these bits to make a new video. The new video is grey at first and very messy. Then, Sora fixes the video until it looks good and smooth. Sora also gets help from ChatGPT, which turns the user’s short sentences into clear instructions. This helps Sora make the video just as you asked.
Sora may find “busy” pictures hard to understand. For example, when a person moves, things around them change. In one video created by Sora, a grandma blows the candle on a birthday cake, but the flame (火焰) doesn’t move. Sora may not be able to tell “left” from “right”.
OpenAI also says that Sora deals with occlusion well. But one problem is that they fail to follow objects when they are out of sight. For example, if a truck passes in front of a street sign, the sign might not reappear afterward.
In a video of a papercraft underwater scene, Sora has added what looks like cuts between different pieces of footage (镜头), and the model has kept the same style between them. But it’s not perfect. In the Tokyo video, cars to the left look smaller than the people walking beside them. They also pop (突然出现) in and out between the trees. “There’s some work to be done,” says Brooks. “For example, if someone goes out of view for a long time, they won’t come back.”
“Sora seems like a very important leap forward,” says Sam Gregory, a human rights organization that specializes in the use and misuse of video technology. “But there are two sides of the coin,” he says. “The meaningful abilities help many more people to be storytellers using video. And there are also possibilities for misuse.”
OpenAI has also realized the risks that come with a video model. The OpenAI team plans to draw on the safety testing. “We’ll need to get more feedback (反馈) and learn more about the types of risks that need to be solved with video before it would make sense for us to put Sora into use,” says Ramesh.
1. Which of the following words has the closest meaning to “occlusion”?| A．being seen | B．being followed | C．being covered | D．being dropped |
Perhaps it will be an imagination tool or a misinformation machine.
| A．Paragraph 4 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 2 | D．Paragraph 1 |
| A．the safety testing | B．the misuse of Sora |
| C．two sides of Sora | D．another video model |
| A．To encourage us to use Sora to make short videos. |
| B．To explain to us how to use Sora to create short videos. |
| C．To remind us to care about the problems and risks Sora has. |
| D．To introduce what advantages Sora will bring to our daily life. |
2 . Hilary Smith belonged to a good family. But by the age of twenty, he had spent all the money the good old family had. He then had some trouble with the bank and was put in prison. He escaped from the prison and ran to Australia at once.
Hilary did not like Australia, and Australia did not like Hilary. What he could do seemed to be one of two things: die or work. Then he remembered that he was not alone in the world. He had an aunt.
She was his father’s only sister, but his father used to say she brought no glory (荣耀) to the family. Hilary, of course, tried to discover what she had done. It seemed that she had failed to marry a nobleman. Instead, she had chosen a husband who was connected with “trade”. Of course, as soon as she became “Mrs. Parks”, her brother considered her dead. Later on, Mr. Parks died and left her a lot of money. But that did not bring her back to life in her brother’s opinion.
Hilary discovered his aunt’s address. Luckily she remained faithful and loyal to him even after she fell ill. So Hilary’s star shone again, and soon he moved into her house and lived as comfortably as a sailor who had just reached harbor. He had only about a six-pence in his pocket.
One thing was soon clear: his aunt was seriously ill, and nothing could cure her illness. Hilary was very worried. Fate had found a home for him, and was now going to throw him out of it. There was only one thing that could save him: her will (遗嘱).
“Will? ”she said, “yes, I have made one. That was when I was a girl and had not much money. I left all my money to some religious people. ”
“Didn’t you make another will when you were married? ”Hilary asked.
His aunt shook her head. “No, ” she said in a low voice. “There was no need. When I finally had a lot of money I found I had no relations. ”
On the next day he went to the public library and examined a book of law. It told him what he already believed. When a woman is married, an earlier will loses its value. A new will must be made. If no new will is made, the money goes to the nearest relation. Hilary knew that he was his aunt’s only relation. His future was bright.
After a few months had passed, Hilary’s problems became serious. He badly needed money. He had expensive tastes, and owed a lot of money to shopkeepers. They believed in him because his aunt was rich, but the debt was terrible.
Unluckily his aunt did not want to discuss money matters at all. In the end they had a quarrel about the small amount of ten pounds. Hilary was not very angry. He began to wonder about a new problem. Was it kind to want his aunt to live any longer? Was it not better for her to die now? While he was considering what to do, his aunt told him that she was going to send for her lawyer. So she was going to make a new will, Hilary thought. She might leave all her money to someone else. Soon he reached a clear decision. He must do a great kindness to the poor old woman.
One night when the old servant who had been nursing his aunt went off, he doubled the amount of some medicine. The total amount was too great and it could just put her to sleep forever.
“Thank you, ”his aunt took the glass from his hand with a grateful look. “I want, more than anything, to sleep, and never to wake up again. Is that what you wish, Hilary? Don’t blame (责怪) me if I have some doubts about what you intended to do. Sick people get these ideas, you know. One thing I ought to explain to you. Mr. Parks never married me. He already had a wife and couldn’t marry again. That made your foolish father very angry with me…Well, if I am alive tomorrow I shall make another will in your favor (赞成). If I die tonight, you’ll get nothing…. No, Hilary, don’t try to take the glass away. If you do that, I shall know, and I don’t want to know. Goodnight, Hilary. ”
Then, very carefully, she raised the glass to her mouth and drank.
1. From the story, we learn that Hilary’s aunt was ________.| A．careless about money | B．rude to her nephew |
| C．not easy to get along with | D．kind-hearted and wise |
| A．Because he thought she was a shame to the family. |
| B．Because she broke away from the family for a better life. |
| C．Because they lost touch with each other after her marriage. |
| D．Because she married a businessman with a wife against his will. |
| A．decided to call in a lawyer for his aunt |
| B．made a decision to put his aunt's life to an end |
| C．made up his mind to take good care of his aunt |
| D．would help his aunt to donate money to religious people |
| A．Hilary succeeded in escaping from the prison. |
| B．Hilary quarreled with his aunt about ten pounds. |
| C．Hilary’s aunt drank the medicine her nephew prepared for her. |
| D．Hilary’s aunt made a will to leave all her money to someone else. |
3 . What age does doukou nianhua refer to?
In one of his poems, Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu once compared girls around the age of 13 to cardamom (豆蔻) flowers in the bud (含苞待放). Since then, doukou nianhua has been used to describe teen girls of this age.
Ancient Chinese people liked to describe someone’s age using titles (称谓), rather than the exact number. For example, chuitiao, meaning “straight hair”, meant a hairstyle that was popular for very young children in ancient China. It was used for children from 3 to 8 years old.
Zongjiao, meaning “twisted horn”, was used to describe children from 9 to 14 years old. Back then, children would divide their hair into two halves and twist each half into a knot (结) on the top of their head, just like two horns.
Shufa, meaning to tie one’s hair up, was used for boys who had reached the age of 15. Boys would let down their “twisted horns” and tie up their hair in a bunch (一束) when they turned 15.
Ruoguan, or “junior cap”, was used for young men in their twenties. These men would go to a hat-wearing ceremony when they turned 20 to show that they had become adults.
The “year of independence” was when a man turned 30.
At the age of 40, one “will not become puzzled”.
When a man turned 50, he had reached the “year of understanding the mandate (命令) of heaven”, meaning to become aware of one’s fate and no longer make any useless efforts.
Finally, if you were lucky to live past one hundred years, really a long life, you would be titled qiyi (期颐).
1. At what age do children reach the stage described by chuitiao?| A．3 to 8 years old. | B．13 years old. | C．9 to 14 years old. | D．15 years old. |
| A．zongjiao. | B．shufa. | C．ruoguan | D．chuitiao |
| A．These titles are from poems. | B．These titles are for adults. |
| C．These titles are for children. | D．These titles stand for long life. |
| A．不惑。 | B．而立。 | C．知天命。 | D．期颐。 |
| A．Interesting ancient people. |
| B．People of different ages hope for different things. |
| C．Zongjiao, shufa, and ruoguan are titles for ancient people. |
| D．Different titles in ancient times. |
In our life, we should often be ready for change that will help us unlock (释放) our self-improvement power. However, we don’t always understand it. We think of unlocking our self-improvement power only when everything gets worst.
When do we realize (意识到) that we need to change diets? When none of our shirts and jeans would fit us. When do we stop eating candies and chocolates? When all of our teeth have fallen off.
Most of us will learn about unlocking our self-improvement power only when the whole world falls apart. We think and feel this way because it is not easy to change. However, change becomes more painful when we pay no attention to it.
Change will happen, like it or hate it. At one point or another, we are all going to finally unlock our self-improvement power, not because the world says so, but because we realize it’s good for ourselves.
Happy people don’t just accept change; they welcome it. Unlocking our self-improvement power means unlocking ourselves out of the box of thought that is just the way we are. It is such a poor excuse for people who fear change.
Jane always tells everyone that she is afraid of being around groups of people. Over the years, that is what Jane has believed. Every time a great crowd come, she steps back and locks herself up in a room. Jane not only believes in her story, but lives it!
If we look at things in a different way, we might have greater fun. Doing exercise three times a week would lead to a healthier life. Reading books every day would build up knowledge. And only when we are enjoying the whole process (过程) of unlocking our self-improvement power, will we realize that we can take things light and become happy.
1. What’s the writing purpose of Paragraph 1?| A．To tell a story. | B．To solve a problem. |
| C．To give an example. | D．To introduce a topic. |
| A．Always believe in herself. | B．Get on with people in a friendly way. |
| C．Unlock herself out of the box of thought. | D．Count the days until she is fully improved. |
We see the warning signs when things get difficult.
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
| A．Is It Important to Take Things Light? |
| B．Is It Necessary to Believe in Yourselves? |
| C．To Hold on to The Last Moment or to Give Up? |
| D．To Unlock Ourselves out of the Box of Thought or to Stay in It? |
5 . “I hate Tuesdays,” said Finn. “Tuesdays are the worst days now.”
“Wait and see,” said his mother. “You haven’t even met Miss Bea.”
Finn was starting piano lessons at 3:30 every Tuesday, right after school. That’s when his hands wanted to build his new Star-Blaster, a toy like Lego (乐高). Finn’s mother rang the doorbell. “Maybe she went shopping,” said Finn hopefully. But when the door opened, and there was Miss Bea, at home, with a warm smile.
“Hello there, Finn,” she said. “Come in.”
Miss Bea’s piano was black and shiny. Finn sat on the bench (长凳). His feet sure couldn’t run now. They couldn’t even touch the floor. He held on his Star-Blaster box. “That looks like a special box,” said Miss Bea. “Is it something new?”
“It’s going to be a Star-Blaster,” said Finn, “but I have to wait till I get home.” He tried not to look impolite when he said it.
“Ah, so you are a builder,” said Miss Bea. “That’s very good. I bet you can find out how this piano works. Why don’t you start by pressing (按) some keys?”
Finn pressed some white keys and then black keys. Then he pressed a white and black one at the same time. It didn’t really make a song, but Miss Bea said she liked it.
Then Miss Bea had a question. “If you were going to build a piano, how many pieces would you need?” Finn guessed all the way up to nine hundred fifty-seven, but it was “More-more-more.”
He tried sixty-eight zillion. “Not exactly,” laughed Miss Bea. “But it’s still a big number: ten thousand pieces.” “Whoa,” said Finn. “My Star-Blaster only has sixty-two. But it’s still going to be hard to put it together.” “But it will be worth (值得) it,” said Miss Bea, “Piano lessons are like that, too. You work and work to build a song. Your songs can be fast or slow, high or low, soft or loud.”
“I want to build a fast loud one,” said Finn. “You will,” said Miss Bea, “when your fingers learn to run and jump. But for now, our time is up.”
On the way home, Finn asked his mother how many songs there were to learn.
“There must be thousands,” she said, “especially (尤其) you practice.”
“Then I’d better start soon,” said Finn. He looked at all his fingers. “How many days,” he asked, “until Tuesday?”
1. How did Finn feel when he met Miss Bea at first?| A．Excited. | B．Afraid. | C．Worried. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．make him interested in playing the piano | B．ask him to work hard at the piano lesson |
| C．tell him it’s important to learn about the piano | D．let him know it’s difficult to build a piano |
| A．Finn still didn’t like Tuesdays. | B．Finn was going to be a great pianist. |
| C．Finn started to like the piano lesson. | D．Finn would build a piano by himself. |
| A．Tuesdays | B．A Boring Piano Lesson |
| C．Star Blasters | D．A Humorous Piano Teacher |
6 . Would you BET on the future of this man? He is 53 years old. Most of his adult life has been a losing struggle against debt and misfortune (不幸). A war injury has made his left hand stop functioning, and he has often been in prison. Driven by heaven-knows-what motives, he determines to write a book.
The book turns out to be one that has appealed to the world for more than 350 years. That former prisoner was Cervantes, and the book was Don Quixote (《堂吉诃德》). And the story brings an interesting question: why do some people find new energy and creativity to the end of their days, but others find them long before?
We’ve all known people who run out of steam before they reach life’s halfway mark. I’m not talking about those who fail to get to the top. We can’t all get there. I’m talking about people who have stopped learning on growing because they have taken in the fixed attitudes and opinions that all too often come with passing years.
Most of us, in fact, progressively narrow the variety of our lives. We succeed in our field of specialization and then become trapped in it. Nothing surprises us. We lose our sense of wonder. But, if we are willing to learn, the opportunities are everywhere.
The things we learn in maturity (成熟) seldom involve information and skills. We learn to bear (容忍) with the things we can’t change. We learn to avoid self-pity. We learn that however much we try to please, some people are never going to love us — an idea that troubles at first but is eventually relaxing.
With high motivation and enthusiasm (动机和热情), we can keep on learning. Then we will know how important it is to have meaning in our life. However, we can achieve meaning only if we have made a promise to something larger than our own little egos (自我), whether to loved ones, to fellow humans, to work, or to some moral concept.
Many of us regard “promise” with such “caring” jobs as teaching and nursing. But doing any ordinary job as well as one can is in itself an admirable promise. People who work toward such excellence — whether they are driving a truck, or running a store — make the world better just by being the kind of people they are. They’ve learned life’s most valuable lesson.
1. The passage starts with the story of Cervantes to show that ________.| A．loss of freedom stimulates one’s creativity |
| B．age isn’t a block (障碍) to achieving one’s goal |
| C．disability cannot stop a man fighting for success |
| D．misfortune prevents a man fighting against his fate |
| A．End one’s fight for freedom. |
| B．Waste one’s energy taking risks. |
| C．Miss the opportunity to succeed. |
| D．Lose the interest to continue learning. |
| A．A wise man can live without self-pity. |
| B．A strong-willed man can bear suffering. |
| C．A man is supposed to satisfy people around him. |
| D．A man should learn suitable ways to deal with life. |
| A．To stress the need of shouldering responsibilities at work. |
| B．To provide guidance on leading a meaningful adult life. |
| C．To tell the importance of having a strong will for learning. |
| D．To suggest a way of going after excellence in our lifelong career. |
7 . If you are already planning to visit Yunnan, see our festival tours.
The Torch (火把) Festival
Date: July/August (days 24 to 26 of the sixth lunar month)
Location: Lijiang
It is a traditional festival among the Yi, Naxi, and Bai minority groups (少数民族). According to the ancient rule of the Naxi people, the Torch Festival should last three days, and every family should light a big torch in front of their doors for the three days.
Recommended Tour: 3-Day Ancient Lijiang Tour
The Water Splashing (泼洒) Festival
Date: April 13 to 15
Location: Xishuangbanna
It is the most important festival celebrated by the Dai people of Xishuangbanna in southern Yunnan. It includes splashing water, lantern floating and other joyful activities.
Recommended tour: 6-Day Xishuangbanna Tour
The Horse Race Festival
Date: May/June (5th of the fifth lunar month)
Location: Shangri-la
Falling on the same date as the Dragon Boat Festival, it is the biggest gathering of Tibetans in Yunnan and usually lasts about 3 days. During the celebrations, traditional performances and competitions like horse racing and wrestling (摔跤) will be held.
Recommended tour: 8-Day Yunnan Tour of the Nu River and Tengchong
The Third Month Fair of the Bai Group
Date: April/May (days 15 to 21 of the third lunar month)
Location: Dali
It is one of the most important festivals celebrated by the Bai people in Dali in western Yunnan. During the March Fair, the streets of Dali Ancient Town are packed with people selling amazing minority items.
Recommended tour: 6-Day Yunnan Minorities Tour
1. The Torch Festival and the Water Splashing Festival have the same _______.| A．date | B．location | C．lasting time | D．traditional event |
| A．The Torch Festival. | B．The Water Splashing Festival. |
| C．The Horse Race Festival. | D．The Third Month Fair of the Bai Group. |
| A．An advertising leaflet. | B．A newspaper report. |
| C．An educational magazine. | D．A business research. |
8 . A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total, The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball. How much does the ball cost? If you answered 10 cents, you’re not alone—most people give the same answer (the correct answer is 5 cents). It’s an example of how we often rely on intuitive (直觉的) responses—answers we feel are true. People give answers that “pop into their mind,” says scientist Steven Sloman. We don’t spend much time thinking and checking whether the answer is right or wrong.
The bat and ball question helps explain why we often believe in fake news. “It is part of human nature to believe”, says Sloman. “But the trick with fake news is to know to verify”—in other words, to stop and question what you know.
In one experiment, Sloman invented a discovery called helium rain. They told a group of volunteers about it, but admitted they could not fully explain what it was. They then asked the volunteers to rate (划分等级) their own understanding of helium rain. Most volunteers rated themselves l out of 7, meaning they did not understand it.
The researchers then told another group of volunteers about the discovery. This time, they said that scientists could fully explain how it works. When asked to rate their understanding, the volunteers gave an average answer of 2. The scientists’ confidence gave the volunteers an increased sense of their own understanding, Sloman says.
Another explanation for the spread of fake news is “motivated reasoning,” writes Adam Waytz, a professor at the Kellogg School. We are naturally more likely to believe things that confirm our existing opinions. If you already have a negative (负面的) opinion about someone, you’re more likely to trust damaging stories about them. Over time, Waytz argues, “motivated reasoning can lead to a false social consensus (共识).”
So, in a world where misleading information is common, is there a way to protect ourselves? “I don’t think it’s possible to train individuals to verify everything that they face,” Sloman admits. “It is just too human to believe what you’re told.”
However, training people to care about fact-checking is important, he argues, especially in online communities. Think of the headlines and stories that are shared on your social media feed every day. Probably these fit in with your own worldview—but perhaps not all of them are true.
“Develop a standard in your community that says, ‘We should check things and not just take them at face value,’ Sloman says. “Verify before you believe.”
1. What does the underlined word “verify” mean in this passage?| A．take a close look at something |
| B．think about something for a long time |
| C．make sure something is true |
| D．express an opinion about something |
| A．You post a message online that gives your opinion about a news story. |
| B．You understand why your classmate is late every day because he has many excuses. |
| C．You don’t believe the negative news about a player because he plays for your favourite team. |
| D．You’re not sure if a story on social media is true, so you search online for more information. |
According to Sloman, studies show that knowledge spreads like a disease. “If everyone around you is saying they understand why a well-known person is lying, then you’re going to start thinking that you understand, too.” Sloman says.
| A．Paragraph 4 | B．Paragraph 5 | C．Paragraph 6 | D．Paragraph 7 |
| A．Supportive. | B．Against. | C．Worried. | D．Unknown. |
9 . People are trying to build “green buildings” that are friendly to the environment. They might not seem any different from common buildings. But let’s take a closer look.
Stay cool and warm. It takes a lot of energy to light rooms. It also takes energy to heat and cool buildings. So green buildings are designed to do all these things with much less energy. An energy-smart building starts with thick walls. Special insulation (隔热材料) inside keeps heat inside in winter and keeps heat outside in summer. This saves energy for heating and cooling. Some green buildings don’t need any radiators (散热器) or air conditioning at all!
Save the trees. What a building is made from can also help the planet. To save forests, some green buildings have bamboo floors instead of wood. Bamboo looks like wood, but it’s actually a grass. It grows back 20 times faster than a tree. Another way to build green is to use recycled materials. That saves the cost and reduces pollution of producing something new. Make better home. City planners like green buildings because they save money and they are healthier for the people who work and live inside. But you don’t need to build a whole new building. Simple changes like shading windows and planting trees can make any home greener—and a better Earth home for us all.
As more people become concerned (担忧的) about climate change, more buildings are going green. Experts are finding new ways to build green buildings. We also need to change our mind. Let’s take action now!
1. How does an energy-smart building save energy for heating and cooling?| A．It uses air conditioners. | B．It uses smart radiators. |
| C．It has special thick walls. | D．It has fewer room lights. |
| A．it is a recycled material | B．it grows back much faster |
| C．it can keep the room warm | D．it can save a lot of money |
| A．build a whole new green building |
| B．pay attention to climate change |
| C．make small changes to our home |
| D．use only gas to cook our meals |
10 . Do you like writing by hand or with a keyboard?
A new brain (脑) study at Norwegian University of Science and Technology shows that choosing handwriting instead of using a keyboard results in better learning and memory.
“When you write your shopping list or class notes by hand, you simply remember what you wrote better later,” said Audrey van der Meer, who did the study.
12 young grown-ups and 12 children took part in the study. Special machines were used to follow and record brain wave (电波) activities. Each person wore a special cap with over 250 electrodes (极) on the head, and was asked to write by hand and use a keyboard. The sensors (传感器) in the electrodes picked up the activities that took place in the brain. Each examination took 45 minutes for each person.
The results showed that the brain in both young grown-ups and children was much more active when writing by hand than when using a keyboard. According to Van der Meer, plenty of senses become active by holding a pen and putting it down on paper, seeing the letters written and hearing the sound made while writing. These build connection (关联) between different parts of the brain, opening the brain up for learning.
Van der Meer believes that the results let us know the importance of children being asked to draw and write at an early age, “Learning to write by hand is a slower course, but it's important for children to experience the tiring step of learning to write by hand,” she said.
The hand movements used to form the shapes (形状) of letters are helpful in several ways. “If you use a keyboard, you use the same movement for each letter. Writing by hand needs control (控制) of your fine motor (精细动作) skills and senses. It’s important to put the brain in a learning condition as often as possible,” Van der Meer added, For example, you might use a keyboard to write an article, but you should take notes by hand during a class.
1. Which is the correct order of the study?①Record and study the results.
②Put a special cap on each person.
③Find 12 young grown-ups and 12 children.
④Ask the people to write by hand and use a keyboard.
| A．②④①③ | B．③②④① | C．③④②① | D．②①④③ |
| A．You can remember what you write better if you use a keyboard. |
| B．Fewer people choose handwriting and more people use a keyboard. |
| C．The brain is more active when writing by hand than when using a keyboard. |
| D．It is easier to put your brain in a learning condition when you use a keyboard. |
| A．The letters you are learning to write, |
| B．The skills you use to write an article. |
| C．The sense experiences when you write by hand. |
| D．The different parts of the brain relative (相关的) to writing. |
| A．Ways to take notes by hand. |
| B．How to control your fine motor skills. |
| C．Examples of using a keyboard. |
| D．Why hand movements in writing are helpful. |
