1 . Eight scientists were awarded the 2023 Future Science Prize, also called “China’s Nobel Prize”, the first Chinese non-governmental science award jointly initiated by groups of scientists and entrepreneurs (企业家). Since the establishment in 2016, a total of 35 scientists have been awarded the Future Science Prize so far.
Chai Jijie and Zhou Jianmin received the Future Science Prize in life sciences for the discovery of resistosomes (抗原小体) and explanations of their molecular structures and functions in plant immune responses against pathogens (病原体). Understanding of resistosome functions will lead to better methods for controlling plant disease and therefore have enormous importance for global food security.
Chai said that he felt extremely honored, excited and happy via a video call at the press conference. He emphasized that this recognition was not only for himself but also for the team’s years of hard work. “My cooperation with Professor Zhou has lasted for nearly 20 years. Our partnership has been productive and enjoyable, and I believe our cooperation will carry on,” he said.
During the video call, Zhou remarked that the Future Science Prize is grounded in the national context. It is heartening to see that the prize places greater emphasis on supporting agriculture.
Zhao Zhongxian and Chen Xianhui received the Future Science Prize in physical sciences for their influential breakthroughs in the discovery of high-temperature superconducting materials and systematic advancements in elevating the transition temperature. Notably, both Zhao and Chen conducted systematic studies to show the underlying physical mechanisms of high Tc materials, positioning themselves at the forefront of superconductor research for several years.
He Kaiming, Sun Jian, Ren Shaoqing, Zhang Xiangyu received the Future Science Prize in mathematics and computer science, for their extraordinary contributions to artificial intelligence by introducing deep residual learning (深度残差学习).
The 2023 Future Science Prize Week and the Award Ceremony were held in Hong Kong from October 14 to 17.
1. For what were the eight scientists awarded?| A．Their never-ending pursuit of knowledge. |
| B．Their long-term partnership in researches. |
| C．Their remarkable contributions to science. |
| D．Their intense efforts to overcome barriers. |
| A．Vision. | B．Passion. | C．Ambition. | D．Cooperation. |
| A．Their discovery is ground-breaking. |
| B．Zhao and Chen have a long way to go. |
| C．Research is certain to be rewarded. |
| D．The real value cannot be overestimated. |
| A．To appeal to many more people to innovate. |
| B．To reveal the recipe for their great success. |
| C．To encourage us to be committed to science. |
| D．To introduce the 2023 Future Science Prize. |
2 . Does a happy person live longer? Many studies have convinced us that happiness brings good health, which has resulted in an increasing demand for speakers and products encouraging positive thinking. However, being happy does not promise that one is going to be healthy. There are other factors that influence one’s health and long life such as a person’s genes or even a person’s socio-economic condition.
Some research even suggests that positive thinking can be dangerous. Positive thinking, when taken to the extreme, can cause a person to be separated from reality. For example, a person who thinks that staying happy and positive can help him recover from an illness like cancer but later fails to recover from it, may blame himself for not being happy. In this case, positive thinking may potentially make the victim disregard other factors. Sometimes the pursuit of happiness is even associated with serious mental health problems such as depression.
All types of happiness are not good for us either. For example, pride, a pleasant feeling, can sometimes rob us of the ability to empathize with others or understand another’s viewpoint. This anti-social behavior can cause people around us to turn away from us, and this could, in turn, make us feel lonely and do harm to our mental and even physical health.
Moreover, unpleasant feelings can be beneficial to a person’s well-being. Researchers believe that unpleasant feelings can help us make sense of our challenges and experiences in a way that supports psychological well-being. For example, if I have behaved badly towards my good friend, the feelings of guilt and sadness might motivate me to apologize and ask for forgiveness. The rebuilding of a broken relationship can be a lift to one’s mental well-being.
In trying to experience happiness, we should remember that seeking for happiness as an end in itself can be self-defeating, and does not necessarily lead to better health. After all, one will surely experience setbacks and conflicts in life. Instead, learning to cope with negative emotions with a realistic positive attitude is key to a person’s good health.
1. What’s the writer’s opinion in this passage?| A．Negative thinking can be dangerous. |
| B．Staying happy can bring good health. |
| C．Unpleasant feelings cannot be beneficial. |
| D．Happiness cannot ensure one’s good health. |
| A．When we use it with a realistic attitude to solve problems. |
| B．When we focus on it as an only determinant of happy life. |
| C．When we think it one of the necessary factor for good health. |
| D．When we realize it may rob us of the ability to understand others. |
| A．They rebuild a broken relationship. |
| B．They lead to self-reflection and personal growth. |
| C．They help keep the problems and challenges away. |
| D．They prevent long-term negative effects on mental health. |
| A．An ultimate goal. | B．An individual plan. |
| C．A final decision. | D．A great start. |
3 . Human responses to moral dilemmas (道德困境) can be influenced by statements written by the artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT, according to a study published in Scientific Reports. The findings indicate that users may undervalue the extent to which their own moral judgments can be influenced by the chatbot.
Sebastian Krigel and colleagues asked ChatGPT multiple times whether it is right to sacrifice (牺牲) the life of one person in order to save the lives of five others. They found that ChatGPT wrote random statements arguing both for and against sacrificing one life, indicating that it is not biased towards a certain moral stance (立场).
The authors then presented 767 U.S. participants, who were on average 39 years old, with a dilemma whether to sacrifice one person’s life to save five others. Before answering, participants read a statement provided by ChatGPT arguing either for or against sacrificing one life to save five. Statements were from either a moral advisor or ChatGPT. After answering, participants were asked whether the statement they read influenced their answers.
Eighty percent of participants reported that their answers were not influenced by the statements they read. However, the authors found that the answers participants believed they would have provided without reading the statements were still more likely to agree with the moral stance of the statement they did read than with the opposite stance. This indicates that participants may have underestimated the influence of ChatGPT’s statements on their own moral judgments.
The authors suggest that the possibility for chatbots to influence human moral judgments highlights the need for education to help humans better understand artificial intelligence. They propose that future research should design chatbots that either decline to answer questions requiring a moral judgment or answer these questions by providing multiple arguments and warnings.
1. What are ChatGPT’s answers to a certain moral stance?| A．changeable. | B．valuable. | C．creative. | D．simple. |
| A．They admitted the power of ChatGPT. |
| B．They were interviewed by a moral advisor. |
| C．They were affected by ChatGPT unknowingly. |
| D．They were presented with different moral dilemmas. |
| A．Different findings of the study. | B．Future possibility for chatbots. |
| C．Major focuses of future education. | D．Solutions to the impact of chatbots. |
| A．ChatGPT Tends to Cause Moral Panics. |
| B．ChatGPT: Is It Likely to Affect Our Life? |
| C．ChatGPT:Why Is It Making Us So Nervous? |
| D．ChatGPT Can Influence Human Moral Judgments. |
4 . There are close to 7, 000 languages spoken on Earth. However, it’s estimated that by the end of this century, up to 50% of them may be lost.
It’s commonly thought that majority languages tend to be valued for being useful and for promoting progress, while minority languages are seen as barriers to progress, and the value placed on them is seen mainly as sentimental (感情用事的). But is sentimentality really the only motivation for preserving language diversity?
Speakers of endangered languages often live in remote areas with unique landform. It is quite common for these languages to distinguish between hundreds more types of plants and animals than those known to modern science. For example, in Southeast Asia, some tribes have discovered the medicinal properties of over sixty-five hundred plant species. This has led to many of landmark achievements in medicine.
It was once believed that the limits of one’s language defined the limits of one’s thought. This theory, called the Sapir-Wharf hypothesis (假说), has been largely rejected in favor of the improved version, which assumes that the language we speak does not set the limits of our thoughts, but it does direct our focus in certain ways. For example, English is a tense-based language. It’s nearly impossible to talk about doing something without specifying the time — i. e. I went to the party(past), I’m going to the party(present), or I’ll go to the party (future). This differs from Chinese, where it’s perfectly reasonable to say, “I go to the party” without defining the “when”. Thus, part of the richness of language is that it allows us to organize the world in so many unique ways.
Some languages categorize the world in ways so different from our own that they are difficult to conceptualize (概念化). The United States employed native Navajo speakers to create a system of message coding during the Second World War. The Japanese were never able to break it, and the “code talkers” are often cited today as having helped decide the outcome of the war.
As we’ve already seen, minority languages are valuable for many practical reasons. In conclusion, I’d say the short answer is yes — dying languages are certainly worth saving!
1. What do people tend to think of minority languages?| A．Valueless. | B．Time-honored. | C．Informal. | D．Stable. |
| A．We can discover drugs in a much safer way. |
| B．We don’t have to rely on modern medicine. |
| C．We can acquire a broad knowledge of nature. |
| D．We can learn how to protect plants and animals. |
| A．To correct the Sapir-Wharf hypothesis. |
| B．To prove the value of minority languages. |
| C．To show wars’ role in preserving a language. |
| D．To explain ways to conserve some languages. |
| A．Are majority languages worth valuing? |
| B．Are we willing to save dying languages? |
| C．Should endangered languages be saved? |
| D．Is the future of minority languages bright? |
5 . Generative A.I., the software engine behind ChatGPT, is seen as an exciting new wave of technology. But companies in every industry are mainly trying out the technology and thinking through the economics. Widespread use of it at many companies could be years away.
Generative A.I., according to forecasts, could sharply boost productivity and add trillions of dollars to the global economy. Yet the lesson of history, from steam power to the Internet, is that there is a long lag between the arrival of major new technology and its broad adoption — which is what transforms industries and helps fuel the economy.
The investment craze is going on right now. In the first half of 2023, funding for generative A.I. start-ups reached $15.3 billion, nearly three times the total for last year. Company technology managers are sampling generative A.I. software from a host of suppliers and watching to see how the industry develops.
In November, when ChatGPT was made available to the public, it was a “Netscape moment” for generative A.I., said Rob Thomas, IBM’s chief commercial officer, referring to Netscape’s introduction of the browser in 1994. “That brought the Internet alive,” Mr. Thomas said. But it was just a beginning, opening a door to new business opportunities that it took years to create.
In a recent report, a timeline for the widespread adoption of generative A.I. application was presented. It assumed steady improvement in currently known technology, but not future break-throughs. Its forecast for main-stream adoption was neither short nor precise, a range of 8 to 27 years. The broad range is explained by plugging in different assumptions about economic cycles, government regulation, company cultures and management decisions. “We’re not modeling the laws of physics here; we’re modeling economics and societies, and people and companies,” said Michael Chui, a partner at the McKinsey Global Institute. “What happens is largely the result of human choices.”
1. How are the companies reacting after the introduction of generative A.I.?| A．Adopting the new technology widely. | B．Making a high profit from the technology. |
| C．Staying cautious about the new technology. | D．Postponing generative A.I.’s wide adoption. |
| A．The arrival of major new technology. | B．The broad adoption of new technology. |
| C．The lag between the major technologies. | D．The invention of steam power in history. |
| A．To show the Internet came alive in the 1990s. |
| B．To mention A.I. has brought important benefits. |
| C．To explain the present situation is just a beginning. |
| D．To prove the new business opportunities are enormous. |
| A．It needs steady improvement instead of break-throughs. |
| B．It should model the laws of physics and economics. |
| C．It will be widely adopted in over 3 decades. |
| D．It is influenced mostly by human factors. |
6 . Over 7,000 species around the world are considered endangered. That number doesn’t even include the plants, animals, and other lifeforms that are listed by some scientists as vulnerable, critically endangered, or extinct in the wild.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) maintains the most-comprehensive list of endangered species around the world. The Red List of Threatened Species, as it’s called, judges each species on five different standards for an in-depth scientific approach. According to the IUCN, an endangered species is one that meets any one of the following criteria (标准): a 50%-70% population decrease over 10 years, a total geographic area less than 5,000 square kilometers, a population size less than 2,500 adults, a restricted population of 250 adults, or a statistical prediction that it will go extinct within the next 20 years.
Though the IUCN’s Red List covers a wide range of what qualifies as an endangered species, it doesn’t quite say how a species reaches those low points. Prepare to feel guilty: the most common factor when it comes to species decline is human intervention. Loss of habitat, the introduction of a foreign species into the environment, hunting, pollution, disease, and loss of genetic variation (基因变异) are all causes of species decline and most often are a result of human activities. Take the bald eagle for example: the rise in human population and urban development of North America limited the animal’s habitat; an increase in hunting the eagles for sport lowered their population size; and the use of the pesticide DDT on farms harmed the animal’s reproductive capabilities.
But even though humans are the number one cause of species decline, classifying species as endangered encourages action to reverse the effects of human intervention. Conservation efforts by the US Fish and Wildlife Service criminalized (使非法) the hunting of bald eagles and the use of the pesticide DDT in the mid- to late 20th century. The effect was positive, as bald eagles have been on the rise and were taken off the endangered species list in 1995.
1. Which of the following species can be considered endangered?| A．One that will go extinct within the next 50 years. |
| B．One whose population size is less than 5,000 adults. |
| C．One whose habitat is less than 2,500 square kilometers. |
| D．One whose population decreases 20% over twenty years. |
| A．The causes of species decline. |
| B．The disadvantages of the pesticide. |
| C．A list of worldwide endangered species. |
| D．Common features of endangered species. |
| A．To show its rareness. |
| B．To blame humans for its decline. |
| C．To stress its importance in nature. |
| D．To show the meaning of ranking it endangered. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Health. | C．Science. | D．Education. |
7 . Earlier studies suggested that fatigue from virtual meetings stems from mental overload, but new research from Aalto University shows that sleepiness during virtual meetings might actually be a result of mental underload and boredom.
“I expected to find that people get stressed in remote meetings. But the result was the opposite —— especially those who were not engaged in their work quickly became drowsy during remote meetings, “says Assistant Professor Niina Nurmi, who led the study.
The researchers measured heart rate variability during virtual meetings and face-to-face meetings,examining different types of fatigue experiences among 44 knowledge workers across nearly 400 meetings. The team at Aalto collaborated with researchers at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health,where stress and recovery are studied using heart rate monitors. “We shadowed each subject for two workdays, recording all events with time stamps, to find out the sources of human physiological responses,”Nurmi says.
The study also included a questionnaire to identify people’s general attitude and work engagement. ”The format of a meeting had little effect on people who were highly engaged and enthusiastic about their work. They were able to stay active even during virtual meetings. On the other hand, workers whose work engagement was low and who were not very enthusiastic about their work found virtual meetings very tiring. “
It’s easier to maintain focus in face-to-face meetings than virtual ones, as the latter have limited cognitive cues and sensory input. “Especially when cameras are off, the participant is left under-stimulated and may start to compensate by multitasking,” Nurmi explains. Although an appropriate level of stimulation is generally beneficial for the brain, multitasking during virtual meetings is problematic. Only highly automated tasks, such as walking, can be properly carried out during a virtual meeting.
“Walking and other automated activities can boost your energy levels and help you to concentrate on the meeting. But if you’re trying to focus on two things that require cognitive attention simultaneously, you can’t hear if something important is happening in the meeting. Alternatively, you have to constantly switch between tasks. It’s really taxing for the brain,”Nurmi says.
1. How does Niina Nurmi feel about the result of the research?| A．Confused. | B．Confident. | C．Surprised. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．Observed. | B．Interviewed. | C．Employed. | D．Analyzed. |
| A．Limited sensory input increases stimulation. | B．Turning off cameras boosts task switching. |
| C．Automated tasks stimulate constant switches. | D．Too little stimulation can cause multitasking. |
| A．How remote meetings differ from face-to-face ones. |
| B．Why cognitive attention in virtual meetings decreases. |
| C．What role a person’s personality plays in remote meetings. |
| D．Where the problem with the present meeting formats lies. |
8 . Sleeping in a noisy room isn’t only distracting (使人分心的), and it can also harm your health. Although researchers have known for decades that longterm loud noises can harm us, it’s only recently become recognized as a widespread problem.
In a new review of previously published studies, researchers from Germany and Denmark took a look at the ways in which noises, such as an airplane passing by or jackhammer digging in the ground, can affect our hearts. Perhaps the most obvious impact of a loud sound while you are sleeping is that it can wake you up. But, even if you don't remember hearing the noise or you don’t physically get out of bed, it can disrupt you in ways you may not realize.
“Noise is not just causing annoyance, but it actually makes us sick,” said Dr. Thomas Münzel, a professor at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz. “Regardless of where the sound is coming from, if it gets louder than 60 decibels (分贝),it can increase the risk of heart disease.”
When our body hears these noises, it reacts with a stress reaction. In this case, these sudden and unexpected noises cause hormones(荷尔蒙) to speed up and eventually damage the heart. Although the chance that a single noise will affect you is unlikely, it’s the continuous exposure (接触) to the sound that can finally affect you.
“But our heart health isn’t the only cause for concern. Long-term noise may also raise the risk of type 2 diabetes (糖尿病), depression, and anxiety disorders,” he warns. In the future, Münzel plans to examine how noises from cars, planes, and other vehicles affect the brain. But despite the amount or the depth of research he conducts, it’ll take the help of politicians to improve the effect of noise on our health.
“Politicians have to take into account, in particular, the new findings,” Münzel said, “As for aircraft noise and airports, it is important to make new laws and set new lower noise limits that protect people living close by the airport instead of the owners of the airport.”
1. What do researchers from Germany and Denmark find?| A．Noise does little harm to people who are asleep. |
| B．Noise can cause people’s memory to get worse sharply. |
| C．Noise has been a widespread concern for a long time. |
| D．Noise louder than 60 decibels may cause heart disease. |
| A．Defeat. | B．Harm. | C．Attract. | D．Discourage. |
| A．Politicians should take action to handle noise pollution. |
| B．Münzel will continue other studies on brain diseases. |
| C．Benefits of airport owners are more important than health. |
| D．Attention should be paid to heart health and other diseases. |
| A．Who Is to Blame for Noise Pollution | B．What Should Be Done to Stop Noise |
| C．How Münzel Carried Out His Research | D．How Noise Pollution Harms Our Body |
9 . “One more viewer, one less fraud victim.”With this slogan, a new Chinese film—“No More Bets”—has become a hit by tackling the issue of rampant(猖狂的) overseas cybercrimes.
Inspired by tens of thousands of real fraud cases across China, the movie offers a profound insight into the complex web of overseas cyber fraud, featuring realistic description of the industry’s inner workings.
No More Bets, directed by ShenAo, starred by ZhangYixing, JinChen and other actors revolves around a group of individuals who are tempted by lucrative(赚钱的) overseas job offers, only to fall into the trap of an overseas fraud scheme. They finally find themselves trapped in fraud factories, but are forced to engage in criminal activities to survive. The film unfolds from the perspectives of criminals, victims, and the police.
Online fraud has grown rampant in China over the last few years. According to the Xinhua News Agency,authorities resolved around 464,000 cases of telecommunications and online fraud in 2022, arresting 351 gang leaders and key members of criminal groups. Additionally, the Cyberspace Administration of China blocked799,000 overseas websites involved in fraud and 38,000 IP addresses. Recent data from the Chinese Anti-FraudCenter reveals that younger generations are now the primary target of online fraud. Despite being well-educated,many lack the necessary caution to be careful about increasingly complicated online scams(骗局).
At the same time, No More Bets led to widespread debate about overseas cyber fraud on social media, where dozens of people shared their experiences of being tricked by lucrative job offers. Many viewers also praised the film for educating people and helping prevent others from being cheated. It’s not one of those films where fans are just promoting it for box office numbers. It’s going to have a lasting social impact and pro found significance.
1. What can we learn about the movie?| A．The plot is based on a true fraud case in China. |
| B．The movie is the first to dig deeply about cybercrimes. |
| C．The victims have to give in to the criminals to survive. |
| D．The movie is developed focusing on the angle of the police. |
| A．To illustrate criminals’ scams. |
| B．To show government’s effort. |
| C．To reveal the severe situation. |
| D．To prove the movie’s importance. |
| A．Its great story and quality. |
| B．Its educational significance. |
| C．Its high box office numbers. |
| D．Its famous director and stars. |
| A．Be Cautious about Overseas Cybercrimes |
| B．One More Viewer, One Less Fraud Victim |
| C．The Success of Chinese Anti-Fraud Movies |
| D．No More Bets:China’s New Runaway Hit Film |
10 . Rachel Maclean’s toy shop on Ayr high street appears like any other in a town centre at first sight. Step inside and you will notice that familiar promotional entreaties (恳求) are backwards: Don’t Buy Me, Nothing Must Go. Everything is upside down and nothing is for sale.
Matilda Coleman, six, picked up one of the toys—a blonde-haired, blue-eyed Disney princess(公主), and turned her upside down. Underneath the skirt was a pale-faced witchy (女巫的) version. The girl liked it, and then was confused that the toy wasn’t available to buy. Maclean’s work playfully breaks the grasp that consumer culture has on modern minds.
“What art can do best is to make you look at things that you’re very used to in a different way,” said Maclean (b.1987), a Glasgow-based multi-media artist who has rapidly established herself as one of the most distinctive voices in the UK. “Sadly the decline of our city centres is something that is common these days, so I want to bring people into a space where they can reflect on it in a fun way.”
“When the shop first opened, everyone was interested in finding out what it was,” said Parker, a local teenager. “It has lots of different themes about identity, consumerism, capitalism, but they are silent messages and everyone has different thoughts about it.”
Maclean has taken over this former butcher’s shop in Ayr as part of Jupiter Plus, a new arts and education initiative, which aims to reluyenate empty high street shops in towns and cities in Scotland with free art exbibitions and workshops for young people. People’s immediate joy at seeing something happening in here is abivious and it drives conversations about how they remember the high street and how the space could be used again.
1. Why is Matilda Coleman mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To illustrate consumer culture. | B．To show the girl’s passion for toys. |
| C．To erase doubts about Maclean’s work. | D．To highlight the features of Maclean’s shop. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By using quotes. |
| C．By making comparisons. | D．By sharing experiences. |
| A．Expand. | B．Refresh. | C．Replace. | D．Surround. |
| A．She has a creative mind. | B．She respects others’opinions. |
| C．She makes profits in a different way. | D．She draws public attention to education. |
