1 . The Double-Seventh Day refers to the seventh day of the seventh month on the Chinese lunar calendar.

In ancient times, the Double-Seventh Day was a festival especially for young women. Girls, whether from rich or poor families, would put on their holiday best to celebrate the annual meeting of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Parents would place an incense burner (香炉) in the courtyard and lay out some fruit as offerings. Then all the girls in the family would kowtow to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu and pray for ingenuity (灵巧).

In the Tang Dynasty about 1,000 years ago, rich families in the capital city of Chang’an would set up a decorated tower in the courtyard and name it the “Tower of Praying for Ingenuity”. They prayed for various types of ingenuity. Most girls would pray for outstanding sewing or cooking skills. Girls and women would gather together in a square and look into the star-filled night sky. They would put their hands behind their backs, holding a needle and thread. At the word “start”, they would try to thread the needle. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one who succeeded first. The ladies would also show off their fried cookies made in many different shapes. They would invite the Weaver Girl to judge who was the best. In the past these were important virtues for a woman.

1. The Double-Seventh Day is usually celebrated on ________.

A．July the seventh

B．New Year’s Day

C．the 7th day of the 7th month on the Chinese lunar calendar

D．the meeting day of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl stars

2. The underlined word “best” can be replaced by “________”.

A．best food

B．best skills

C．best clothes

D．best ingenuity

3. In the Tang Dynasty most girls would pray to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ________.

A．a good marriage	B．meeting the Cowherd or the Girl Weaver
C．high officials	D．outstanding sewing and cooking skills

4. Zhi Nu, the Weaver Girl, would bless the one ________.

A．who was the winner in the compition of threading the needle

B．whose family had a tower to pray in

C．who kowtowed to Niu Lang and Zhi Nu for ingenuity

D．whose family lay out most fruit as offerings

2 . Jason M. Allen of Pueblo West, Colorado, began experimenting with Al-generated (人工智能创作的) art this year. This summer, he saw people testing Midjourney, which uses a process to turn text into custom images. Finally, Allen got the idea to give one of his Midjourney creations to the Colorado State Fair. Several weeks later, while walking around the fairground in Pueblo, Allen found he had won, along with a $300 prize.

After his win, Allen posted a photo of his prize work online. It made its way to Twitter, where many people expressed their disapproving (反对的) attitude. “We’re watching the death of artistry” one Twitter user wrote. Another wrote: “I can see how AI art can be beneficial, but saying you’re an artist by generating one? Of course not.” Some artists stand with Allen, saying that using AI to create a piece was no different from using Photoshop or other tools and that human creativity is still required to generate an award-winning piece.

Controversy (争论) over new artmaking technologies is nothing new. Many painters feared the invention of the camera, which they saw as a debasement (降低) of human artistry.

What makes the new kind of AI tools different some people believe, is not just that they’re able to produce beautiful works of art with little effort, but how they work. “What makes this AI different is that it’s trained on working artists,” RI Palmer, a digital artist, tweeted last month. “This thing wants our jobs; it’s actively against the artist.”

Allen said he understood artists who feared that Al tools would put them out of work. But “People should only be unsatisfied with the technology itself,” he said. “The ethics (伦理学) isn’t in the technology. It’s in the people. And he strongly suggested artists deal with their fear of AI. “This isn’t going to stop,” Allen said. “Art is dead. It’s over. AI won. Humans lost.”

1. What did Allen do this summer?

A．He hosted a big fair.

B．He started to get to know AI.

C．He handed in an AI-generated piece and won.

D．He invited some artists to discuss the future of art.

2. How did some artists speak up for Allen?

A．By saying that his piece differed from ones created by other tools.

B．By saying that his piece was partly a result of his creativity.

C．By saying that his piece was a new form of art.

D．By explaining that AI could be beneficial.

3. As for creating art pieces with AI tools, RI Palmer was____________.

A．supportive

B．disapproving

C．regretful

D．uncertain

4. What advice did Allen give artists?

A．Try to accept AI tools.

B．Join in different art competitions.

C．Comment on artworks based on ethics.

D．Focus on their own artistic creations.

3 . Mid-Autumn Festival, a typical agricultural harvest and get-together festival, falls on lunar August 15. I disliked it not because it’s ___________ commercialized but because I’m an orphan (孤儿). However, a(n) _________ in my college changed my view.

Last year, finding I had little in common with my classmates, I felt _________. With Mid-Autumn Festival _________, my class decided to hold a Middle-Autumn Festival Eve Party. After all, this was a(n) ___________ occasion for them. On that day, we dressed up in beautiful custume, setting off to the ___________ together. To be frank, seeing the classroom ___________ with fancy lanterns, everyone seemed happy except me. After having moon-cakes, puddings and roast turkey, many activities ranging from singing to guessing riddles, went off. Everyone ___________ and clapped when the performers performed wonderfully.

Later, in spite of my unwillingness, I was still invited to _________ my group to join in the wrestling match. Unbelievably, I won. Given ____________, I was absolutely pleased. I was grateful to the organizers, taking advantage of this chance to express my __________ to them. From then on, I began to make friends with others. As time ____________, I had more faith in myself.

In brief,   I ____________ Mid-Autumn Festival now. I always __________ on joyful moments and merry atmosphere of that night, holding the belief that life’s ______________.

1.

A．originally

B．immediately

C．previously

D．horribly

2.

A．experience

B．atmosphere

C．belief

D．joy

3.

A．romantic

B．lonely

C．capable

D．selfish

4.

A．disappearing

B．harvesting

C．passing

D．approaching

5.

A．significant

B．inner

C．medium

D．autonomous

6.

A．church

B．wedding

C．classroom

D．branch

7.

A．awarded

B．decorated

C．removed

D．observed

8.

A．rolled

B．battled

C．surfed

D．cheered

9.

A．represent

B．greet

C．figure

D．prove

10.

A．features

B．envelopes

C．regions

D．congratulations

11.

A．talent

B．impact

C．respect

D．philosophy

12.

A．settled down

B．marched on

C．broke away

D．gave up

13.

A．charge

B．cure

C．enjoy

D．defend

14.

A．click

B．reflect

C．press

D．depend

15.

A．beautiful

B．effective

C．generous

D．legal

4 . The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1939- ), Canadian

Because of pollution, many women are infertile(不育的). New laws create the job of handmaid, a woman who can have babies for rich families. This is the story of Offred, a handmaid. Offred works for Fred and his family. She wonders if she can get away, and she has to hurry.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1903-1950), English

The novel is set in the future, but it is the year 1984. Winston Smith lives in London, part of the English country Oceania. There are three countries in the world: Oceania, Eurasia and Eastasia. Big Brother is the leader of Oceania. The government controls everything, even people’s thoughts.

Winston, a government worker, meets Julia, another worker, and they fall in love—a crime in Oceania. The government discovers their secret, and Winston and Julia must go to the Ministry of Love, a centre for enemies of Big Brother.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English

London, 600 years in the future. The Controllers are the rulers of the world. People don’t know war, disease or pain. They enjoy sports and spare time, but they are not free. The Controllers create babies in factories. Adults are divided into five social classes. When a man from a wild area of the world gets to London, he criticises the society. In the end, he has to choose between joining them or dying.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1920-2012), American

It is 24th century America. People can’t read or own books, as books are against the law. The population gets all their information from the television. Guy Montag is a fireman. Firemen don’t stop fires; they start them. They burn books at a temperature of 451 degrees. One day Montag meets young Clarisse, who makes him question the society he lives in. Soon Montag gets interested in the books he is supposed to destroy.

1. Which book describes Winston and Julia’s love?

A．The Handmaid’s Tale.

B．Nineteen Eighty-Four.

C．Brave New World.

D．Fahrenheit 451.

2. What can we learn about Brave New World?

A．It was written in 1894.

B．It is set in 24th century America.

C．It describes a society without freedom.

D．It predicts people’s perfect life in the future.

3. What do the four books have in common?

A．They are well-known historical novels.

B．They were all written by American authors.

C．They centre on the future government of America.

D．They are about imaginary places where life is hard.

5 . Born in Ryazan, Russia, the hometown of Russian poet Sergei Yesenin, Anastasia Podareva seems to be destined for a similar career.

Podareva, 28, has loved poetry since she was a girl, when her father would introduce her to works by great Russian poets such as Alexander Pushkin and, of course, Yesenin. Growing up, she wrote many poems in both Russian and English. After she came to China to study in 2013, the world of Chinese poetry opened up before her.

She soon gave herself a poetic Chinese name, Tang Xilan, with “tang” referring to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Chinese poetry entered a golden age, and both “xi” and “lan” are characters taken from The Book of Songs, the earliest collection of Chinese poetry. Her name means an orchid (兰花) that blooms in the morning.

“One thing that strikes me in reading and writing Chinese poetry is the power of the language-it’s melodious (悦耳的) and rhythmic,” says Podareva in My China Surprise, a video series produced by 21^st Century.

Over the past decade, Podareva has won awards in multiple poetry writing competitions, published her own Chinese poetry collections, and participated in Chinese Poetry Conference, one of the leading poetry-themed TV programs in China. On top of that, her most unforgettable memory is that one of her poems was turned into a song. And even better: She sang it herself. The poem, titled If, was written in early of 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

After witnessing China’s unity as it faced the pandemic, Podareva felt as one with the Chinese people. “I wanted to create something positive to help inspire and encourage people in times of difficulty,” she says. “Some people may praise China in a very straightforward way, but I prefer to express my feelings about the country through different styles of poems.”

1. What can we learn about Podareva before she came to China?

A．She fell in love with poetry.

B．She learned from Yesenin in person.

C．She became a famous poet in Russia.

D．She translated Russian poems into English.

2. Why did Podareva name herself “Tang Xilan”?

A．It dates from the Song Dynasty.	B．It showcases her success in China.
C．It relates to the Chinese poetry.	D．It has beautiful rhythm and melodies.

3. What is paragraph 5 mainly about?

A．Podareva’s poetry journey in China.	B．Podareva’s amazing talent in singing.
C．Podareva’s fight against the pandemic.	D．Podareva’s impression of Chinese poetry.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．People have trouble in gaining inspiration.

B．Podareva has deep love for Chinese people.

C．Poetry is the best form of showing emotions.

D．China’s unity was challenged by the pandemic.

6 . Driverless Automobiles-The Car That Parks Itself

Autonomous vehicles are arriving piecemeal, as more and more driving tasks are taken out of human hands. CARS that need no driver are just around the corner according to Google, which has been testing vehicles bristling with aerials and cameras on public roads in America. But Google does not make cars, so it will be up to firms that do to bring the _________ to market. And carmakers are a conservative bunch. Still, slowly and _________ the autonomous car will arrive, with the help of an increasing number of automated driving aids.

Volvo recently _________ one such feature: a car that really does park itself. Some cars already have systems that assist with parking, but these are not completely autonomous. They can _________ an empty parallel-parking space and steer into it while the driver uses the brake. The Volvo system, however, lets the driver get out and use a smartphone application to _________ the vehicle to park, then sends a message to the driver to inform him where it is. The driver can collect the car _________ or use his phone to call it back to where he dropped it off. Autonomous parking could thus be provided at places like shopping centres and airports, which are controlled areas in which automated vehicles can be _________ more easily than on open highways.

In the past, _________ for doing this have relied on car parks being fitted with buried guide wires that a vehicle can follow to an empty bay. That, _________, creates a chicken-and-egg problem: car-park operators will not invest in such infrastructure until there is a(an)__________ number of suitably equipped cars on the road. Drivers, conversely, will not want to buy self-parking cars if there is nowhere to use them. This means, as Mikael Thor, a Volvo safety engineer working on the project, __________, that for autonomous parking to work most of the technology will have to be in the car itself.

The Volvo test car, which looks like a(an) __________ car, therefore uses on-board GPS mapping, cameras with image-recognition software, and radar sensors to find its own way around a car park and __________ pedestrians and non-autonomous vehicles. Mr. Thor says the system is five to ten years from commercial deployment. If it proves a success then infrastructure might __________ it.

Driverless cars would also need to communicate with one another, to __________ safety. That, too, is coming. A number of carmakers are developing wireless networking systems through which vehicles can exchange data, such as their speed, their steering angle and even their weight, to forewarn anti-collision systems and safety devices if an accident looks likely.

1.

A．benefit

B．technology

C．reality

D．priority

2.

A．steadily

B．suddenly

C．surprisingly

D．necessarily

3.

A．delivered

B．transported

C．demonstrated

D．eliminated

4.

A．appoint

B．purchase

C．exchange

D．identify

5.

A．expect

B．instruct

C．advise

D．forbid

6.

A．in person

B．in advance

C．in general

D．in all

7.

A．forced

B．possessed

C．launched

D．managed

8.

A．prices

B．locations

C．designs

D．figures

9.

A．besides

B．though

C．likewise

D．furthermore

10.

A．limited

B．different

C．unsustainable

D．sufficient

11.

A．observes

B．experiences

C．suspects

D．assumes

12.

A．unique

B．original

C．imaginary

D．normal

13.

A．appoint

B．avoid

C．appreciate

D．advocate

14.

A．object to

B．stick to

C．adapt to

D．apply to

15.

A．escape

B．exclude

C．enhance

D．engage

7 . The New Technology and Travel Revolution

Technological advances have changed the way we travel, and these new developments promise an even more _______ and exciting experience. Do you want to know what it has _______ for us in the not-too-distant future?

Today, nobody _______ that technology and travel are the perfect combination. This _______ force also plays a crucial role in the way we travel. According to a Google Travel study, it is so _______ that 74% of travelers plan their trips on the Internet, while only 13% still use travel agencies to prepare them.

The cell phone has become our tour guide, travel agency, best restaurant locator, map, and more. It’s _______ during the entire purchase journey. In fact, according to TripAdvisor, 45% of users use their smartphones for everything having to do with their vacations.

This is why there’s a need to _______ corporate services and communications to these devices. KLM, for example, has already created an information service for passengers using Facebook Messenger. This system, once someone has made a _______, sends the user information regarding their ticket through Facebook Messenger as well as their boarding pass or updates about the _______ of their flight. This way, the user has all the relevant information about their trip in the palm of their hand using an app that they already use, ________ the need to download anything else.

Augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) have also entered the travel world, and the truth is that it’s a trend ________ all the possibilities they can offer. More and more companies use it to show users a cabin on a cruise ship or transport them, for a few seconds, to the Great Wall of China.

In addition, we’re all familiar with Siri and Alexa, the ________ assistants that meet all our needs: what’s the weather like today in my city, turn the radio on, open my email, and more. Hotels are now starting to ________ this “help” thanks to the arrival of virtual assistants that are ________ designed for this environment. IBM recently ________ Watson Assistant, an AI-powered virtual assistant that creates an interactive and personalized experience for consumers. This is the open technology that firms can employ and adapt to their needs. This way, the virtual assistant won’t be called Watson but instead, have the name that the hotel chooses.

1.

A．relative

B．extensive

C．interactive

D．positive

2.

A．in trouble

B．in store

C．in a box

D．in the middle

3.

A．doubts

B．greets

C．concludes

D．reasons

4.

A．individual

B．joint

C．separate

D．independent

5.

A．innovative

B．peculiar

C．prevalent

D．initial

6.

A．from all sides

B．side by side

C．on your side

D．by our side

7.

A．place

B．devote

C．direct

D．adapt

8.

A．recognition

B．reservation

C．support

D．revision

9.

A．status

B．statue

C．environment

D．stair

10.

A．regulating

B．restoring

C．eliminating

D．storing

11.

A．instead of

B．due to

C．contrary to

D．along with

12.

A．visual

B．digital

C．actual

D．virtual

13.

A．enlist

B．participate

C．attach

D．resemble

14.

A．specifically

B．generally

C．specially

D．equally

15.

A．altered

B．performed

C．launched

D．imposed

8 . With cities growing faster than ever, more and more _______ urban spaces are appearing all around the world. Dealing with the increase in these lifeless spaces has been a serious problem for almost every major city.

Valero Square is located in the center of the city’s downtown at a busy tram line station and next to a large market. With such a good location, the site should have been a(n) _______ area, but the reality couldn’t have been more _______ . While thousands of people move through the square every day, few stopped to spend time in the square. People would instead simply _______ without a second thought.

That was until the installation of a project titled “Warde”.

The installation is a cluster of giant red “flowers”, which open to 30 feet wide, on top of 30-foot-tall “stems”. The flowers can be filled with _______ . This inflation (膨胀) and deflation enable the flowers to open and close.

The new installation is difficult to neglect, but what is truly _______ is the way that these flowers interact with their surroundings. Standing under one of the flowers will cause it to open and stay _______ until you choose to leave, providing shade and _______ from the hot sun. Warde is also programmed to _______ to public transport service, springing to life as the trams arrive and depart from the square, ________ travellers not to miss their tram.

Temporary ________ projects such as Warde are being used more and more as a way to reengage communities with neglected spaces. ________ it’s still too early to say if Valero Square has been brought back to life by Warde, the project has certainly managed to generate increased public ________ in the space. ________ , Warde is an excellent example of how urban art projects can be a great tool for getting people to stop and really take notice of their ________ .

1.

A．rebuilt

B．monitored

C．neglected

D．resolved

2.

A．positive

B．memorable

C．enormous

D．lively

3.

A．ideal

B．different

C．complex

D．enjoyable

4.

A．hold back

B．turn up

C．pass by

D．look over

5.

A．air

B．traps

C．smog

D．pipes

6.

A．confusing

B．amazing

C．demanding

D．embarrassing

7.

A．faint

B．dense

C．still

D．separate

8.

A．vacancy

B．relief

C．tolerance

D．distance

9.

A．connect

B．shift

C．react

D．subject

10.

A．reminding

B．persuading

C．warning

D．urging

11.

A．investment

B．science

C．construction

D．art

12.

A．While

B．If

C．Considering

D．As

13.

A．relations

B．interest

C．trust

D．order

14.

A．In other words

B．In any case

C．In return

D．In addition

15.

A．surroundings

B．atmosphere

C．neighborhood

D．location

9 . Picasso’s reputation as a major 20th-century sculptor came only after his death, because he had kept much of his sculpture in his own collection. Beginning in 1928, Picasso began to work in iron and sheet metal in Julio González’s studio in Paris. Then, in 1930, he acquired the Chateau Boisgeloup (northwest of Paris), where he had room for sculpture studios. There, with his mistress Marie-Thérèse Walter as his muse, Picasso began working in 1931 on large-scale plaster heads. In the 1930s he also made constructions incorporating found objects, and until the end of his life Picasso continued working in sculpture in a variety of materials.

Picasso’s ceramics(陶瓷制品) are usually set apart from his main body of work and are treated as less important, because at first glance they seem a somewhat frivolous exercise in the decoration of ordinary objects. Plates, jugs, and vases, made by craftsmen at the Madoura pottery in Vallauris, were in Picasso’s hands reshaped or painted, gouged out, scratched, or marked by fingerprints and, for the most part, were rendered useless. In turning to craft, Picasso worked with a sense of liberation, experimenting with the play between decoration and form (between two and three dimensions) and between personal and universal meaning.

During that period Picasso’s fame increasingly attracted numerous visitors, including artists and writers, some of whom (Hélène Parmelin, Édouard Pignon, Éluard, and especially Louis Aragon) encouraged Picasso’s further political involvement. He contributed designs willingly (his dove was used for the World Peace Congress poster in Wroclaw, Poland, in 1949), which was from a sincere and lifelong sympathy with any group of repressed people. War and Peace, two panels begun in 1952 to adorn the Temple of Peace attached to an old chapel in Vallauris, reflect Picasso’s personal optimism of those years.

1. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Picasso only became famous after his death.	B．Picasso had a lot of his own collections.
C．In 1930 he began to make incorporating objects.	D．He started working in 1931.

2. What’s the possible meaning of the underlined word “frivolous”?

A．Not having any serious purpose or value.	B．Able to be used for a practical purpose.
C．Funny and ridiculous.	D．Expensive and elegant.

3. What may be the possible reason for Picasso’s artworks’ success?

A．Because Picasso kept a lot of his artworks after his own death.

B．Because Picasso had the ability to attract many visitors and writers.

C．Because Picasso’s artworks carried his sense of liberation and designed specially.

D．Because Picasso’s artworks are worth a lot of money.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Picasso’s Outstanding Sculpture

B．Why We All Love Picasso’s Art?

C．Picasso’s Works of Sculpture and Ceramics

D．Picasso’s In-depth Influence on Art and Politics

10 . Why would anyone want to write a poem? One reason to write a poem is to dig from yourself some thought, feeling, comprehension or question that you didn’t know was in you, or in the world. Other forms of writing, such as scientific papers, political analysis and journalism, attempt to record something known. Poetry is a release of something previously unknown.

Poetry opens our eyes and offers increase of reach. We live so often on a lonely island, separated from ourselves and others due to social or personal reasons. To step into a poem is to agree to risk. Writing takes down all protections to see what steps forward. Poetry is a trick of language, in which the writer is both magician and audience. You reach your hand into the hat and surprise yourself with a rabbit or memory, with unusual verbs or rhymes. Poems lead to revolutions of being. Whatever the old order was, a poem will change it.

What we want from art is whatever is missing from the lives we are living and making. Something is always missing, and so art-making is endless.

There is also the matter of connection. You can’t write an image, a metaphor (暗喻), a story, a phrase without approaching the shared world, without recognizing that your supposed solitude (独处) is at every point touching some others. You can’t read a good poem without recognizing your own face in the poet’s experience. It allows us to feel more strongly and accurately what is already present. Then it expands that and expands us.

Does art change anything by its existence or non-existence? I’d argue that art, if it is genuinely art, is a force for the good. That the rearrangement of words can reopen the potential of both inner and outer worlds — I cannot say why I feel this to be true, except that I feel it so when I read good poems.

1. How does the writer introduce the topic?

A．By listing numbers.	B．By giving examples.
C．By quoting a saying.	D．By making a comparison.

2. What is the similarity between poetry and magic?

A．They bring surprises.	B．They follow traditions.
C．They change the world.	D．They are arts of language.

3. What can a good poem do according to the text?

A．Criticize social reality.	B．Apply new expressions.
C．Bridge poets and readers.	D．Remind readers of the past.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards art?

A．Objective.

B．Favorable.

C．Unclear.

D．Doubtful.