2 . At 111, Dr Edith Kaufmann was the second oldest person in the UK. I met her when I _________ a care home for the elderly in London six years ago. I didn’t realize it would be the start of a close _________, where the age gap was eight decades.

At first sight, I was _________ by her self-confidence. Her doctorate (博士学位) told me she was intelligent and _________. From the beginning, I never felt as if Edith and I _________ conversation. Edith could have a full conversation with me about anything, and that her memory stretched back so easily, _________ even small things which took place 100 years ago.

She was also _________ . She loved dancing as a child and I recall, only a few weeks before her death, she laughed _________ when I played the waltz (华尔兹) and we _________ hands and danced along to the music. Although towards her later years she was __________ to a wheelchair, she still participated in the exercise classes.

As I __________ Edith each week, I realized that I was going as much for me as I was for her. I learnt to take the words of __________ when I could get them. When I have __________ over the years, and small decisions have weighed on my mind, I have __________ nothing more than the opportunity to regain my perspective on life and what actually __________.

1.

A．studied

B．volunteered

C．relaxed

D．lectured

2.

A．cooperation

B．attention

C．friendship

D．encounter

3.

A．struck

B．embarrassed

C．stressed

D．upset

4.

A．sharp

B．kind

C．bossy

D．helpful

5.

A．started

B．enjoyed

C．needed

D．lacked

6.

A．explaining

B．confusing

C．recalling

D．forgetting

7.

A．artistic

B．literary

C．capable

D．active

8.

A．repeatedly

B．precisely

C．worriedly

D．heartily

9.

A．held

B．shook

C．raised

D．clapped

10.

A．devoted

B．restricted

C．addicted

D．introduced

11.

A．missed

B．called

C．visited

D．pushed

12.

A．praise

B．wisdom

C．greeting

D．thanks

13.

A．succeeded

B．dreamed

C．failed

D．progressed

14.

A．provided

B．appreciated

C．expected

D．created

15.

A．matters

B．differs

C．exists

D．happens

3 . I’ve spent much of my life dealing with written and spoken words. Now I’m a technologist making use of natural language processing for human good. Given that I work in artificial intelligence (AI), I’m realizing something dangerous happening. Machines are ruining the way we communicate.

AI voices are normalized and yet cold, no matter which accent (口音) you set your Siri or Amazon Alexa into. It’s difficult to normalize language to be inoffensive because sometimes we do make people feel uncomfortable or even make them annoyed. Yet this is exactly what we’re asking artificial intelligence to do for us on a billion - person scale. Once these rules are carried out by machines, they’re unavoidable and create much bigger issues.

We notice that there is an active desire to only include standardized language in AI - powered tools in an attempt to avoid including potentially harmful or offensive language. And these AI-powered tools are exactly what we use to complete our thoughts almost at any given time. They are everywhere — in our emails, word processors, and web pages. The machines are pushing us into a common tongue, and we accept it as a matter of convenience. But what’s the cost? We’re trading uniqueness and accuracy for convenience. We’re also handing the power of acceptable speech to machines not people.

In the real world, people don’t communicate like a Wikipedia (维基百科) article. We use tone (语气), humor and facial expressions. We can tell where people were born based on their accents and wording. Humans are truly unique, and our communication is constantly changing. So we should demand AI systems that promote individuality and uniqueness. We should demand to know how AI is developed and the data used to build it. Because we all deserve this.

1. What is the function of paragraph 1?

A．To illustrate the function of communication.

B．To introduce the impact of AI on language.

C．To share the author’s working experience.

D．To stress the importance of AI on language processing.

2. What does the underlined word “inoffensive” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Hateful

B．Valuable

C．Harmless

D．Beneficial

3. How can we promote AI voice?

A．AI voice should be legalized.	B．AI voice should be modernized.
C．AI voice should be standardized.	D．AI voice should be personalized.

4. What’s the author’s tone in the passage?

A．Praising.

B．Humorous.

C．Concerned.

D．Objective.

4 . Climbing, I once thought, was a very manly activity, but as I found my way into this activity, I came to see that something quite different happens on the rock.

Like wild swimming, rock climbing involves you into the landscape. On the rock, I am fully focused. Eyes pay close attention, ears are alert, and hands move across the surface. Unlike walking, where I could happily wander about absent-mindedly, in climbing, attentive observation is essential.

As an arts student studying English literature, I discovered a new type of reading from outdoor climbing. Going out on to the crags (悬崖), I saw how you could learn to read the rocks and develop a vocabulary of physical movements. Good climbers knew how to adjust their bodies on to the stone. Watching them, I wanted to possess that skillful “language”.

My progress happened when I worked for the Caingorms National Park Authority.Guiding my explorations into this strange new landscape was Nan Shepherd, a lady too. Unlike the goal-directed mindset of many mountaineers, she is not concerned with peaks or personal achievement. Shepherd sees the mountain as a total environment and she celebrates the Caingorms as a place alive with plants, rocks, animals and elements. Through her generous spirit and my own curiosity, I saw that rock climbing need not be a process of testing oneself against anything. Rather, the intensity of focus could develop a person into another way of being.

Spending so much time in high and st ony places has transformed my view on the world and our place in it. I have come into physical contact with processes that go way beyond the everyday. Working with gravity, geology (地质学), rhythms of weather and deep time, I gain an actual relationship with the earth. This bond lies at the heart of my passion for rock climbing. I return to the rocks, because this is where I feel in contact with our land.

1. What does the writer find important in climbing?

A．Balance.	B．Concentration.
C．Determination.	D．Perseverance.

2. What does the writer learn from Nan Shepherd?

A．Climbing goes together with nature.

B．Every mountain top is within reach.

C．The best climber is the one having fun.

D．You can not achieve high unless you change.

3. What does the underlined word“it”in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Time.

B．Transformation.

C．The world.

D．My view.

4. Why does the author like rock climbing?

A．It challenges her to compete with men.

B．It allows her a unique attitude toward rock.

C．It teaches her how to possess a new language.

D．It makes her feel connected with the earth.

5 . Some years ago, I was stuck on a crosstown bus during the rush hour. The bus was full of cold, tired people_______with one another. Two men_________at each other for being too crowded. An old woman got on, and nobody offered her a _______. Anger was in the air, no_______could be found here.

As the bus approached Seventh Avenue, the driver’s words came from the speaker. “Folks,” he said, “I know you’ve had a(n) _________day and that you are not feeling well, but I will_________. When each of you walks by before getting off, drop your___________into my palm(手掌), My route goes right by the Hudson River, into which I’ll_________them.”

Everyone burst out laughing, their faces shining with_______. The passengers who had been ignoring(忽视) each other’s________suddenly grinned (咧嘴笑) at each other.

At the next stop, just as________, the driver held out his hand, a palm up, and waited. All the________passengers performed the gesture of dropping something into his palm. The driver__________the same action at every stop that followed.

Occasionally we may sink into a grey world, but someone can________it like a ray of light, showing us hope. What if we are the light?________, anyone has the power to shine on others’ dark days.

1.

A．pleased

B．puzzled

C．impressed

D．annoyed

2.

A．waved

B．smiled

C．roared

D．shot

3.

A．clue

B．seat

C．ride

D．choice

4.

A．kindness

B．function

C．courage

D．safety

5.

A．hard

B．average

C．important

D．fruitful

6.

A．work out

B．show up

C．help out

D．check in

7.

A．moments

B．troubles

C．errors

D．tips

8.

A．forget

B．remember

C．keep

D．throw

9.

A．anger

B．stress

C．joy

D．pride

10.

A．attraction

B．existence

C．admiration

D．appreciation

11.

A．ordered

B．promised

C．requested

D．reported

12.

A．chatting

B．coming

C．sitting

D．exiting

13.

A．repeated

B．designed

C．announced

D．updated

14.

A．access

B．explore

C．balance

D．brighten

15.

A．However

B．Additionally

C．Actually

D．Finally

6 . The University of Arkansas offers an exciting campus life that is culturally, intellectually and socially enriching. Every semester offers opportunities to attend musical performances, theater productions, art exhibits, poetry reading and hundreds of other events.

Registered Student Organizations

On our campus, you will find 380 Registered Student Organizations (RSOs), from special interests to professional groups: It is easy and rewarding to get involved. Students are able to create, budget, plan and govern their own organizations and events. Current RSOs can be academic, professional or grounded in special interests. And if you don’t find one you like, you can even start your own.

Arts and Culture

From art galleries and symphonies to film series and rock concerts, the University of Arkansas has a multitude of events and facilities to enrich your educational experience. The Multicultural Center exists to enhance the University of Arkansas academic experience by preparing students for life in a diverse society.

Center for Community Engagement

The Center for Community Engagement (CCE) offers service programs for students, student groups and staff. Programs include food programs, mentorship and several volunteer opportunities through the Volunteer Action Center. CCF. serves as a catalyst (催化剂) between the campus and the community through the core values of being Relationship Focused, Student Driven and Service Minded. It also supports a network of student leaders, local agencies and University of Arkansas departments to create sustainable solutions through leadership experience, collaboration and service.

1. What can you do if you get involved in RSOs?

A．Get a financial reward.

B．Run organizations on your own.

C．Carry out events as required.

D．Conduct studies with professors.

2. What role does CCE mainly play?

A．It serves students and their parents.

B．It enriches students’ volunteer experiences.

C．It connects the campus and the community.

D．It creates solutions with support from the Internet.

3. In which column of the university website can you probably find the text?

A．Academics.	B．Student Life.
C．Cost & Aid.	D．School Visits & Fairs.

7 . When I was young, I used to hate running. In fact, I wouldn’t have become a(n) ________ if it weren’t for my former classmate Jane. She had been a(n) ________ runner for many years. After our graduation, she wouldn’t stop talking about how much she ________ it.

So she picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to join her at the ________. Just a few months later, she signed up for a five-kilometer race for both of us. I ________ about doing it for it was just too soon.

But on the race day, there I was.

The gun went off. Thousands of runners ________. The first kilometer was tough. I was already breathing ________and painfully aware of the group of runners ________ past me.

After another minute, I saw the three kilometer ________. All I could think of was that I was dying.

I ________ a corner, and saw both sides of the street ________ with people watching the race, all cheering the runners on: I willed my legs to ________ going.

Then I looked up and saw the clock. The ________ ticking away gave me an incentive (激励). I knew that if I ________finished this race, I would achieve something. So, I ________ up and made it.

1.

A．visitor

B．expert

C．coach

D．runner

2.

A．competitive

B．common

C．brave

D．anxious

3.

A．hated

B．trained

C．missed

D．admired

4.

A．track

B．race

C．field

D．stadium

5.

A．hesitated

B．puzzled

C．cared

D．brought

6.

A．slipped away

B．went away

C．pushed forward

D．came over

7.

A．mildly

B．shallowly

C．gently

D．heavily

8.

A．running

B．bending

C．reaching

D．pacing

9.

A．symbol

B．mark

C．pattern

D．campaign

10.

A．rounded

B．found

C．made

D．got

11.

A．stuck

B．crowded

C．provided

D．seated

12.

A．enjoy

B．start

C．keep

D．stop

13.

A．seconds

B．titles

C．sounds

D．competitors

14.

A．also

B．actually

C．just

D．unfortunately

15.

A．got

B．came

C．stayed

D．straightened

8 . Josefa Marin went to New York from Mexico in 1987, supporting her daughter back home with the $140 a week she earned at a sweater factory. With that small income, she had to collect recyclables, trading in cans for five cents each.

When the clothing factory closed down in the late 2000s, she became a full-time recycler, picking up cans and bottles to make ends meet.

Marin’s story is not unique. Millions around the world make a living from picking through waste and reselling it — a vital role that keeps waste manageable. In New York City, the administrative department collects only about 28 percent of the cans that could be recycled. Rubbish collectors, however, keep millions of additional recyclables out of landfills every year.

Yet collectors are ruled out by government policies. The United States Supreme Court in 1988 stated that household garbage is public property once it’s on the street. That enables police to search rubbish for evidence, but that protection hasn’t always been extended to recyclers. And in places like New York City, which is testing city-owned locked containers to hide garbage from rats, containers are made clearly inaccessible for collectors.

“There’s value in the waste, and we feel that value should belong to the people, not the city or the corporations”, says Ryan Castalia, director of a nonprofit recycling and community center in Brooklyn.

Recognized or not, waste pickers have long been treated with disrespect. Marin recalls an occasion when someone living next to a building where she was collecting cans threw water at her. “Because I recycle doesn’t mean I am less of a person than anyone else,” she says. It’s a pity to see that the government doesn’t stand by the garbage collector’s side, either.

Fortunately, some governments are starting to realize that protecting the environment and humanity go hand in hand. Brazil classified waste picking as an official occupation in 2001. In 2009, Colombia’s government granted the right to collect valuable garbage. The U.S. is slowly catching on too. After all, to the government, the garbage is garbage, but to the collectors, it’s something they make a living on.

1. What is the author’s purpose of telling about Marin?

A．To highlight waste collectors’ role.

B．To reflect the unemployed’s hardship.

C．To praise her devotion to her daughter.

D．To show the seriousness of unemployment.

2. How does the author show the importance of waste pickers’ work in paragraph 3?

A．By citing reference.	B．By contrasting.
C．By giving definitions.	D．By cause-effect analysis.

3. What would Marin agree with?

A．No job is noble or humble.	B．Business is business.
C．The early birds catches worms.	D．One good turn deserves another.

4. Which of the following is the best title for the text?

A．Who owns our garbage?	B．How can we end poverty?
C．Who takes blame for waste?	D．How should we recycle rubbish?

9 . A driverless train took its first trip around Hamburg, Germany in 2021 and may greatly improve transportation in the city. Acknowledged as the world’s first, the train created by Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn (DB) officially went into service in December.

This is part of a large modernization project for the city’s S-Bahn urban rail. There were no changes to the tracks, as the autonomous (自动的) trains run on the same network as the current trains that have drivers operating them.

“The railroad has arrived in the digital future and Digital Rail Germany may become a reality. With automated rail operations, we can offer our passengers a significantly expanded and improved service,” said Dr. Richard Lutz, CEO of DB. “The new trains can transport up to 30 percent more passengers and operate on time, and they will be more energy-efficient. They are also encouraged for environmental protection reasons.”

The trains receive signals via radios. There will be drivers present when there are passengers on board but they will only supervise (监督) the run and the passengers. There are now plans to digitize Hamburg’s S-Bahn system entirely by the end of the decade and the government has already decided to put money into new trains and infrastructure improvements.

Autonomous transportation technology is being used in taxis by Waymo, which started as the Google self-driving project in 2009. Other companies that are working on driverless cars include Tesla,GM, Nissan, and Zoox. These cars have to find their ways on roads with the help of GPS technology but driving on a track is much simpler and safer. “The new technology has already been officially approved and, since it features open interfaces (接口), it can immediately be used by operators worldwide for all types of trains,” said Dr. Roland Busch, CEO of Siemens. Maybe it’s time for the new autonomous revolution.

1. What’s special about the new trains created by Siemens Mobility and DB?

A．They share tracks with traditional ones.

B．They use new driverless track systems.

C．They make long-distance trips much safer.

D．They still require human drivers’ operation.

2. What does Dr. Richard Lutz mainly want to express in Paragraph 3?

A．The new trains greatly change the German lifestyle.

B．The digital railroad is spoken highly of by passengers.

C．The new trains benefit both people and the environment.

D．The digital railroad has promoted the development of tourism.

3. What’s the government’s attitude to the development of the new digital technology?

A．Worried.

B．Favorable.

C．Doubtful.

D．Disapproving.

4. What’s the main idea of the last paragraph?

A．Operators have responsibility for ensuring fully autonomous driving.

B．Germany’s design of trains needs to be further improved.

C．American companies see an increasing demand for self-driving taxis.

D．The digital technology has a big potential market.