1 . OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, had some big changes in its leadership (领导层) in November. It’s not just drama (戏剧性场面) of one company—it made people worried about the development of the field as a whole.
On Nov 17, OpenAI said on its website that Sam Altman, one of its founders and CEO, would leave. However, many workers didn’t agree with this. More than 700 out of about 770 OpenAI workers signed a letter to ask the company to bring Altman back. In just five days, Altman was back as company CEO again.
OpenAI was started in 2015 by Altman and others as a non-profit (非营利性的) research organization. They didn’t want to be driven by a need to make money. Instead, they wanted to make AI tools that could help everyone. In 2019, OpenAI changed a bit. They made a part of the company start to make money for investors (投资人). But the non-profit part keeps control of the business, even going so far to fire (开除) its top boss.
The different opinions of the board (董事会) members toward AI development might be one reason for the drama. According to The New York Times, the people who fired Altman are more worried about AI and called for more rules to keep it in check. Altman, however, saw the further development of AI as more important.
The OpenAI drama “shows how fragile (脆弱的) the AI ecosystem (生态系统) is right now”, Johann Laux, an expert in the UK, told AP. The ecosystem is about all kinds of things related to AI, such as technologies and regulations (监管). They need to keep up with the fast development of AI.
Also, according to AP, many experts think it should be governments, not big tech companies, to decide on rules for AI. Enza Iannopollo from research company Forrester said to AP that Altman’s return stopped the board from trying to introduce more rules about AI’s ethical (伦理的) problems. The lesson is that companies alone can’t make AI safe for everyone, Iannopollo said.
1. OpenAI was set up in the first place to _______.| A．develop helpful AI tools | B．make big money |
| C．build an AI ecosystem | D．control the AI field |
| A．he called for more rules on AI | B．he paid less attention to the rules on AI |
| C．he was against the development of AI | D．he sided with most investors |
| A．The profit-driven part. | B．The investors. | C．The non-profit part. | D．The government. |
| A．incomplete | B．strong | C．fast-growing | D．standing still |
| A．OpenAI will stop running without Sam Altman. |
| B．Competition is common inside big companies. |
| C．AI safety depends on the joint efforts of many sides. |
| D．Altman’s return will lead OpenAI to an uncertain future. |
2 . Entomologists, scientists who study insects, are working with other scientists to learn why bee colonies (群体) are dying in the United States. They call the problem “colony collapse disorder”.
Amateur beekeepers in Fort Wayne, Indiana are working to learn about honeybees and how to keep them alive.
Bees are needed to produce one third of our food. That is why Megan Ryan is worried about their survival. Earlier this year, she created an apiary, a place where groups, or hives (蜂房), of honeybees are kept. “Our hives are full of what’s called Italian honeybees.”
Italian bees are popular because they are not as aggressive as other kinds of bees. And they reproduce faster than other kinds of honeybees. In just four months, the apiary has grown from 10,000 to 70,000 bees in each hive.
Alex Cornwell is also a beekeeper. He says over the past ten years, both American and European hives have lost more than one fourth of their population.
“It’s unknown what colony collapse disorder is caused by specifically, but it could be a combination of anywhere from pesticides (农药) to mites (小虫) to pathogens (病原体).”
Every time they visit the apiary, Ms. Ryan and Mr. Cornwell record information about the bees. “We would share it with the DNR (Department of Natural Resources), other beekeepers—any conservation effort, any organization that would like our records and we freely share those.”
They also teach people about beekeeping. They want people to begin their own hives. “You don’t have to be a scientist that has a degree in order to teach people and help people learn about bees and that’s the amazing part about beekeeping—anybody can do it.”
About 100 people have said they want to learn more about creating their own hives. Ms. Ryan and Mr. Cornwell say they will start a program to teach migrant workers about beekeeping so they can take that knowledge with them wherever they work.
1. What is “colony collapse disorder”?| A．Scientists working with entomologists. | B．Bees dying in the United States. |
| C．The way to keep bees alive. | D．The dying of bee colonies. |
| A．are important insects | B．are all living in hives |
| C．produce much food for humans | D．create apiaries in groups |
| A．produce young | B．produce honey |
| C．make a copy | D．build a hive |
| A．Because of the use of pesticides. | B．Because of some kinds of mites. |
| C．Because of some kinds of pathogens. | D．It is still unknown. |
| A．They teach people about beekeeping. |
| B．They want people to have a degree in beekeeping. |
| C．They ask migrant workers to take bees wherever they work. |
| D．They create bee hives for migrant workers. |
3 . After a long day, you may want to pet your cat to relax. A new device (设备) can now give you that same feeling even if you don’t have a cat!
Scientists at Cornell University, recently made a brush-like device, reported New Atlas, an online science website. Wear it on your arm and it can slowly move a piece of soft fur back and forth along your skin. It feels just like touching a furry (毛茸茸的) cat.
Scientists made this device to help people deal with stress. Past studies showed that touching either humans or animals can lower people’s heart rate (心率) and blood pressure, and allow people to relax. Why is that?
According to the science website Wired, this comes from evolution (进化). Primates (灵长目动物) spend about 15 percent of their waking hours grooming one another. They do this to make friends and trade food with others. Chimps (大猩猩) have been found to share food with those that groomed them earlier in the day. Touch is the basis (基础) of this act of kindness.
As humans evolved into the most social animals, touch became a more powerful way to show our ties with others. Many studies found that a hug or a pat can make our body produce oxytocin, a chemical (化学物质) that makes us more trusting, more generous (慷慨的), and friendlier, while also lowering our blood pressure.
The designers of the device also made a system that can detect users’ stress levels. Then it can automatically (自动) start to work when needed. They even want to use the design in the armrest (扶手) of the theater seat. The armrest will touch you while you are watching the movie, and its emotion (情绪) will change with the story in the film.
1. How does the brush-like device work to make users feel relaxed?| A．It brushes people’s arms to clean their skin. |
| B．People move the fur on the device back and forth. |
| C．The soft fur on it moves slowly back and forth on people’s arms. |
| D．The fake furry cat on the device touches people’s arms slowly. |
| A．To give suggestions on people’s social activities. |
| B．To prove that humans evolved from primates. |
| C．To show that humans differ from other animals. |
| D．To show the importance of touch. |
| A．It helps people keep fit so they can feel good about themselves. |
| B．It is the best way to show friendliness and kindness. |
| C．It works through a kind of chemical which can influence people’s feelings. |
| D．It can change people’s body temperature and make them feel warm. |
| A．the emotion of the movie | B．the emotion of the armrest |
| C．the emotion of the movie watcher | D．the emotion of the film’s story |
| A．The price of this kind of new armrest. |
| B．Other good ways to deal with stress. |
| C．More uses of the detecting system and the armrest. |
| D．Other recent inventions by scientists at Cornell University. |
4 . When you walk into the small Australian town of Coober Pedy, you may be surprised by what you can see. It’s just barren land there!
So why even call it a town? There are more than 4,000 people of 48 nationalities. However, all of the people live underground!
Coober Pedy was set up in 1915, following the discovery of opals(猫眼石). The town is sometimes called the “opal capital of the world,” because it is the largest opal mining(矿) area in the world.
Because of the desert climate, people came to realize that while working under the ground was easy, living above it was not. The solution was to move underground, by changing old mines into homes and setting up the world’s first and most likely, only underground town.
As years have gone by, the homes have become bigger. There are now also some hotels for tourists. They come from all over the world just to see this unusual town. Coober Pedy is probably best known for its unique style of underground living.
While the structures may be located underground, they are in no way worse than those that lie above. Not only do their walls have the color of beautiful red, but also the structures have all the modern equipment like walk-in closets, modern kitchens and televisions. And the town also has gift shops selling opal jewelry, a couple of museums and even a church!
Besides, Coober Pedy is also a favourite among filmmakers. And it has appeared in a series of movies such as Pitch Black, Red Planet and Opal Dream.
1. What does the underlined word barren probably mean?| A．too remote | B．too poor | C．too narrow | D．too hot |
| A．Because more than 4,000 people lived there. |
| B．Because it was “opal capital of the world”. |
| C．Because opals was found there. |
| D．Because many visitors came there. |
| A．What’s in the structures. | B．Where do residents(居民) live. |
| C．How residents live underground | D．What the underground town is like. |
| A．how famous Coober Pedy is | B．how busy Coober Pedy is |
| C．how beautiful Coober Pedy is | D．how rich Coober Pedy is |
5 . 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 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. We see the warning signs when things get difficult.
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 out self-improvement power, we will realize that we can take things light and become happy.
1. What’s the writer’s purpose of writing Paragraph 2?| A．To show that health is the most important. | B．To explain we will meet trouble in life. |
| C．To tell problems are not realized at times. | D．To show we learn lessons when experiencing pain. |
| A．Always believe in herself. | B．Unlock herself out of the box of thought. |
| C．Get on with people in a friendly way. | D．Count the days until she is fully improved. |
| A．Don’t improve ourselves until things get worst. |
| B．People change when they find it easy to do that. |
| C．If you welcome change in life, you’ll make it better. |
| D．Process of self-improvement makes life worse. |
| 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? |
Walking in the city is very different from walking in the park. A small psychology study suggests urban environments can slow your step and possibly increase your mental load.
The first of the two experiments in the new study focused on people’s way of walking and cognitive load. During this trial, participants were fitted with sensors and a dozen motion control cameras were set up to watch them repeatedly walk down a 15-metre room at their natural speed. The wall opposite them showed an image of either a nature scene or a city scene.
| A．A walk through nature does the opposite, though. |
| B．They said they couldn’t concentrate properly after walking. |
| C．After each, participants were asked to rate their discomfort. |
| D．The reason is that urban environments are more distracting. |
| E．The second dug into some higher-level cognitive processes. |
| F．The study includes two experiments with two different approaches. |
Appreciating where you live
欣赏你住的地方
I’ve always thought my house is in the worst possible place. I live on the edge of town. My little community of twenty-something houses is about 800 meters away from any other community.
Every night, my parents drive home along a rather lonely, forest-lined road to get home. It’s hard for me to carpool with classmates and their parents. But yesterday, I found it is fantastic to live where I do.
Yesterday, the whole state of New Jersey, where I live, experienced a snowstorm. When I woke up in the morning, my backyard was a blanket of snow. Everything seemed so clean, as if nature had decided to cover everything and started anew. As I stood by the glass door to have a look, a family of deer galloped past my yard. It was like a scene taken out of Bambi!
But that was just the beginning. My family keeps a package of bird feed next to the porch. Every now and then, my mom leaves some feed on the porch for birds to eat. Later that day, while I was eating lunch, I noticed a flash of red in front of the window. Two of the most brilliant cardinals sat on two wooden posts outside my window, pecking away at grains of feed. Their bright red coats stood in contrast to the whiteness outside. The scene took my breath away.
When my parents came home that night, I reported to them my findings from the day.
“You know,” my mom said, “If we lived anywhere else, you wouldn’t be able to see any of this.”
She was right.
I always dreamed of living and working in a large city when I grow up. But now, I also cherish the quiet beauty that a suburban backyard offers.
1. Why did the writer use to think his house was in the worst possible place?| A．Because it was too big. | B．Because it was too small. |
| C．Because it was too far away. | D．Because it was too close to a store. |
| A．It rained heavily in the morning . | B．There was a snowstorm in the whole state. |
| C．The sky was clear and the sun was shining. | D．There was a thunderstorm in the afternoon. |
| A．He thinks his house is in the worst possible place. |
| B．He is indifferent about where he lives. |
| C．He cherishes the quiet beauty that his suburban backyard offers. |
| D．He is planning to move to a larger city. |
| A．When it was hard for them to carpool with classmates. |
| B．When their parents drove home on a lonely, forest-lined road. |
| C．When they saw a family of deer on their street. |
| D．When their mom reminded them that they would not see these things if they lived in a city. |
| A．In the forest. | B．Along the lonely road. | C．On the window. | D．Behind the community. |
Never too old to learn
活到老学到老
Very few of us become smooth in another language by studying it in high school.
I went to university and then moved across the country, had a hard job, married and raised children. I made an effort to keep the little bit of French that I learned in school, but finally realized that this was pointless. I fully realized that new languages are best learned when young, and that our abilities in that regard go down with age.
However, just before my 50th birthday, I signed up for French classes. After I was tested to see which group I belonged in, I was placed at almost the starting level. When I looked around at my first Saturday morning class, I was struck by how many of the students were learning French as a third, fourth, or even fifth language. I used to think it was impossible to learn a new language, but some people can learn them easily. I discovered that some language skills weaken as we get older.
While I’d always thought of myself as a quick learner, that was no longer the case. I learned new words very slowly. What I learned one week seemed to slip away as soon as I learned the next skill. I looked up the same words and language structures over and over again.
Now, a couple of years in, I can listen to the news in French and catch 90 percent of it on the first try, read a novel if the language is not too difficult, and hold up my end of a conversation if it doesn’t go too fast.
I can still achieve many things, who knows what?
I’ve learned so much beyond grammar and vocabulary. I’ve met people from around the world and all walks of life who have the courage to make fools of themselves in order to learn something new. I’ve been taught by patient teachers from many corners of the world, including France, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Africa.
Listening to the news as it is presented to the people of France, I have a new understanding of how something can look completely different from another view. I’ve learned that a language is not just a set of words, but a way of thinking.
But most of all, I’ve learned that it really is never too late to learn something new.
1. When did the writer first realize that new languages are best learned when young?| A．In high school. | B．In university. | C．After moving across the country. | D．After having children. |
| A．They were all beginners. |
| B．They were all older than the writer. |
| C．They were all learning French as a second language. |
| D．They were all learning French as a third, fourth, or fifth language. |
| A．It was easy for everyone. | B．It was impossible for everyone. |
| C．It was easy for some people. | D．It was impossible for the writer. |
| A．Remembering new words. | B．Understanding grammar. |
| C．Speaking with native speakers. | D．Reading scientific novels. |
| A．It is easier for young people to memorize new vocabulary. |
| B．Old people are less patient with themselves to learn new things. |
| C．Our abilities to learn a language go down with age. |
| D．Young people are more motivated to learn new languages. |
Celebrate beauty of Lantern Festival
庆祝元宵节
Many traditional Chinese festivals remind us of the aromas of special foods. As zongzi are to Dragon Boat Festival and mooncakes are to Mid-Autumn Festival, yuanxiao—sweet dumplings made of sticky rice flour—are special to Lantern Festival.
Lantern Festival falls on the 15th of the first lunar month, marking the end of the Spring Festival celebrations. This year, it falls on March 2.
Apart from the round-shaped yuanxiao, another beloved part of the celebration is the lanterns, which come in almost every possible size and shape. In old times, riddles were pasted onto them so that people could try to solve them while looking at the beauty of the lanterns. However, both tradition and handicraft have become less popular among young people.
Lantern Festival was at its height in the Tang and Song dynasties. It was a day of great fun back then. In the evening, people went into the streets with all kinds of lanterns, watching lion or dragon dances, eating yuanxiao and setting off firecrackers.
The festival also provided a chance for unmarried young girls to go out freely in search of their true love, since they weren’t normally allowed to do so. The famous Song Dynasty poet Ouyang Xiu recorded this romantic tradition with the well-known line: “Atop the willow tree hangs the moon; my date comes in the evening soon.”
1. Besides eating yuanxiao, what other tradition is popular during Lantern Festival?| A．Setting off fireworks. | B．Solving riddles on lanterns. |
| C．Watching movies. | D．Eating mooncakes. |
| A．Tang and Song. | B．Ming and Qing. | C．Qin and Han. | D．Sui and Tang. |
| A．Fun and beauty. | B．Romance and poetry. | C．Explanation and education. | D．Food and drink. |
| A．To admire their stars. | B．To become a poet. | C．To search for true love. | D．To enjoy nice food. |
| A．月上柳梢头，人约黄昏后。 | B．床前明月光，疑是地上霜。 |
| C．海上生明月，天涯共此时。 | D．明月几时有，把酒问青天。 |
10 . “They tell me that you’d like to make a statue of me—is that correct, Miss Vinnie Ream?”
The deep, gentle voice helped calm the nervous girl. Asking a favor of the President of the United States was no casual matter, especially for a seventeen-year-old girl.
“Yes, sir,” she replied, her dark eyes meeting his. “I wouldn’t have dared to ask you, but my teacher, Mr. Mills, says I am ready. I plan to make it in an admirable manner.”
President Lincoln smiled. “Painters, sculptors—they’ve all tried to make the best of this ordinary face, but I’m afraid there’s not much hope. What did you have in mind, Miss Ream? A bust (半身像)?”
Before Vinnie could say yes, the President hurried on, a shade of apology (道歉) in his voice. “Of course—I shouldn’t have asked. A full-length pose would be much too big a project for a young woman your size.”
Vinnie’s face turned red. She realized she looked like a child, with her tiny figure. “Small does not mean weak, sir,” she defended herself. “I was born in the country of Wisconsin. I’ve driven teams of horses and carried water. Making a full-length clay (粘土) figure would not use up my strength completely—and that is what I plan to do!”
The President’s eyes, brightened at her show of spirit. “Sorry, madam, I have not realized how strong you are as I didn’t know your background.”
But his smile disappeared gradually as he rubbed his beard with bony fingers, in thought. “Miss Ream,” he sighed, “I’d like to let you do it, but as you know, we are in the middle of a war. How could I possibly take the time to pose for a sculpture now? I hardly have a minute to myself.”
Vinnie glanced around and noted the size of his office. “I work quickly,” she said. Her voice was soft but confident as she pointed to the corner near the windows. “If I were to bring my day here and work for three hours every afternoon, I could complete most of the project while you are at your desk.”
The President seemed to consider her idea seriously. He got up and shook Vinnie’s hand warmly, “I’ve heard that you are a talented young woman, and I have found you charming and intelligent as well. I cannot make my decision immediately, but you will hear from me soon.”
The very next day, Vinnie received an invitation from the President.
1. The meaning of the underlined word “casual” in paragraph 2 is most close to “________”.| A．easy | B．strange | C．serious | D．meaningful |
| A．her experience from other projects | B．her happy childhood in the country |
| C．the heavy work she had done before | D．the skill she picked up in Wisconsin |
| A．achieve effects of natural lighting | B．keep all her tools within easy reach |
| C．watch the President in a right position carefully | D．avoid making the President’s work in trouble |
| A．Devotion requires great interest. | B．Experience helps to be excellent. |
| C．A strong-willed heart can reach his goal. | D．Ups and downs make one strong. |
