1 . Book Week Scotland 2023
Book Week Scotland, launched in 2012 by the Scottish Book Trust, is a yearly event that brings people of all ages and backgrounds together to celebrate the joy of reading. It lasts for a week and includes various events that highlight the transformative power of reading. This year, it will be held from November 15 to 19, themed with the social work profession.
Events
Social Work Past, Present& Future | Monday 15th November 16:00~17:00 Join us to look at how social work has changed overtime. Hosted by Sarah McMillan, this session will link to a discussion and reflection on social work over the past years. |
Poetry Helps Workshop | Thursday 16th November 16:00~17:50 It’ll be led by Dr Samuel Tongue, a widely published poet. In this relaxed workshop, we shall first read some poems about social issues and then work through a few simple exercises to produce poems of our own. |
Poetry for Practice Workshop | Saturday 18th November 10:00~14:00 In this workshop, Dr Ariane Critchley and Dr Autumn Marsh will work with practitioners to explore poetry to enhance reflection and creativity within social work practice. There will be an opportunity to read poems, share poems and even write poems, both online and offline. |
A.It is targeted at professional writers. | B.It is a yearly celebration of reading. |
C.It has a history of less than a decade. | D.It promotes books about social work. |
A.The historical development of social work. |
B.Sarah McMillan’s career as a social worker. |
C.Stories of Scottish People in the social changes. |
D.The connection between books and social work. |
A.They are led by well-known poets. | B.They will be broadcast live online. |
C.They encourage poets to share poems. | D.They involve reading and writing poems. |
2 . It was May 1945 when what would become one of America’s most popular home-cooking techniques first entered the English dictionary. In her cookbook, How to Cook and Eat in Chinese, 55-year-old Chinese immigrant (移民) Chao Yang Buwei described a process common in her homeland, where cooks would cut meat and vegetables into small bites and tumble (翻滚) them rapidly together over heat. “The Chinese term for the technique, ch’ao, cannot be accurately translated into English,” Chao complained. For short, she decided, “We shall call it ‘stir-fry.’” The term soon made its way into the American language and has since taken on a life of its own.
Chao came to cooking unexpectedly. A doctor by profession, she gave up her medical career to move to the United States in 1921 after her husband, the famed linguist (语言学家) Chao Yuanren, was offered a job at Harvard. Bored at home and only able to speak a little English, she turned to cooking dishes that reminded her of China: soups with mushrooms and pork flavored with soy sauce.
She eventually agreed when a friend begged her to write a cookbook. Chao’s eldest daughter helped her translate recipes from Chinese to English, before her husband put the finishing touches on the language, often adding phrasing that even Chao recognized as awkward. This stylistic conflict resulted in a cookbook that Chao was “ashamed to have written,” as she declared in an author’s note.
The cookbook succeeded, going into multiple printings by the end of 1945, though critics largely overlooked the anger in Chao’s words. English-language Chinese cookbooks had been published as far back as 1911 in the United States, but Chao’s was the first that refused to westernize Chinese cooking. She may have given America a well-worn phrase, but she knew that some aspects of the immigrant experience resist translation. Chao’s contribution to American food culture should have been enough to make her into headlines, but the New York Times did not even honor her with an obituary (讣告) upon her death. How many other cooking pioneers like Chao, immigrants who didn’t silence their difference in order to gain broad approval, still await rediscovery?
1. Which of the following is true about “chao”?A.It is a cooking technique used only in America. |
B.It quickly found a place in the American language. |
C.It was accurately translated into “stir-fry” by Chao. |
D.It means mixing together small pieces of materials. |
A.Her interest in cooking. |
B.Her profession as a doctor. |
C.Inadaptability to life in America. |
D.Encouragement from her husband. |
A.Consistency in writing style. |
B.Refusal to westernize Chinese cooking. |
C.Success in pleasing the American taste. |
D.Reflection of western culture. |
A.Chao’s cookbook was largely overlooked by critics. |
B.Chao followed the same trend as other cookbook writers. |
C.Chao isn’t the only immigrant that deserves giving credit to. |
D.Chao gained popularity for her unwillingness to silence her differences. |
Please accept my application for the internship (实习) you posted through ABC College’s Career Services Office. I would love the opportunity to work as an editorial assistant for your company. After reading the job description, I believe I am a well-qualified candidate for the position.
You state that you are looking for someone with strong writing skills for publishing press releases and other informational materials. As an English major, a writing tutor, and an editor of my school paper, I have considerable experience in both writing and editing and have built up a highly relevant skill set. And my attention to detail and commitment to a future career in the publishing business will make me an excellent editorial assistant.
I meet your requirements that applicants should be both academically successful and resourceful. I am a double major with a 3.99GPA (平均学分绩点). I have demonstrated resourcefulness while working for Sarasota Reads, a program that involves discussing literature with children. For example, I have come up with numerous creative ways to engage them in the novels that we read together.
I am confident that my writing skills, academic record, resourceful nature, and office experience make me a qualified candidate for an internship with your company. I have attached my résumé (简历), along with a recommendation from Jim Greenspan, . my supervisor (导师) at the Career Services Office. I would appreciate an interview opportunity to discuss a potential position with you further. Thank you so much for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Annie
1. Whom might the letter be intended for?A.Interviewees. | B.Employers. | C.Journalists. | D.Supervisors. |
A.Technical skills. | B.Cultural backgrounds. |
C.Outgoing personality. | D.Related experience. |
A.Emotional and simplified. | B.Formal and sincere. |
C.Informal and detailed. | D.Persuasive and humorous. |
4 . Rejection doesn’t always hurt. Sometimes rejection may
This year football fans have been watching to see how Joe would
Joe became the Heisman Trophy
Joe’s story reminds us that there are
A.follow | B.lead | C.create | D.clear |
A.study | B.perform | C.train | D.join |
A.tough | B.fun | C.attractive | D.easy |
A.accepted | B.remembered | C.rejected | D.ignored |
A.bench | B.stand | C.team | D.stage |
A.chance | B.resource | C.potential | D.enthusiasm |
A.signed up for | B.applied to | C.attended to | D.searched for |
A.fan | B.adviser | C.learner | D.winner |
A.similar | B.smooth | C.multiple | D.flat |
A.costs | B.takes | C.makes | D.offers |
A.theory | B.training | C.rejection | D.excuse |
A.achieving | B.planning | C.announcing | D.explaining |
A.affect | B.emphasize | C.estimate | D.acknowledge |
A.active | B.negative | C.possible | D.predictable |
A.interpret | B.imagine | C.explore | D.escape |
5 . OpenAI’s automated AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT has taken the internet by storm, but not without creating a few issues on the way. With writers, marketers, and seemingly everyone else in between using ChatGPT to generate content, companies worldwide are staring down a tsunami of AI-generated content, With issues of safety and stolen contents constantly swirling around ChatGPT and its output, OpenAI has now released GPT-Classifier, a tool designed to detect whether the text you’re reading was generated by ChatGPT or one of its other GPT tools.
GPT-Classifier attempts to figure out if a given piece of text was human-written or the work of an Al-generator. While ChatGPT and other GPT models are trained extensively on all manners of text input, the GPT-Classifier tool is fine-tuned on a dataset of pairs of human-written text and AI-written text on the same topic. In other words, the GPT-Classifier attempts to compare similarities between known human text and known AI text to find inconsistency that reveal the source writer.
While the idea of easily spotting AI-generated text will be music to the ears of editors and educators, OpenAI has warned that its classifier is not fully reliable.
A test of the GPT-Classifier spotted a human-generated example and marked it very unlikely to be AI-generated, and also correctly indicated that a ChatGPT-generated piece on USB issues was possibly AI generated. Currently, GPT-Classifier correctly identifies 26%of AI-written text while labeling 9%of human text as AI-written. OpenAI also notes that the tool’s accuracy typically improves as the length of the input text increases. For now, although GPT-Classifier is up and running and available for testing, it’s best to take its labeling with a pinch of salt
Even with the GPT-Classifier’s limitations, the demand for reliable ChatGPT detection is likely to see many people turn to this tool. OpenAI’s commitment to building and releasing a free GPT detection tool is important because as more students, Writers, programmers, and others use AI-text generation tools, understanding and detecting this input will become vital.
1. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?A.GPT-Classifier’s components. | B.GPT-Classifier’s vast datasets. |
C.GPT-Classifier’s high productivity. | D.GPT-Classifier’s working principle |
A.Accept with certain doubt. | B.Reform with sufficient testing. |
C.Judge with reasonable grounds. | D.Classify with multiple attempts. |
A.GPT-Classifier wipes out users’ belief in AI. |
B.GPT-Classifier demands more students’ trust. |
C.GPT-Classifier meets diverse growing needs. |
D.GPT-Classifier has a limited range of services. |
A.Critical. | B.Opposing. | C.Tolerant. | D.Approving. |
6 . Biomedical breakthroughs sometimes happen in the most unlikely places. Take the deep sea for an illustration. Under extreme conditions, at times of no oxygen, microbes (微生物) not only survive there, but they thrive. This incredible adaptation offers insight into how life evolved billions of years ago and how modern humans may be able to fight infections and diseases — tests used to diagnose (诊断) some viruses were developed with the help of enzyme (酶) separated from microbes found in ocean.
“We’ve found marine microbes that produce antimicrobials — basically chemical weapons that help them fight off other organisms and resist viruses,” says Virginia Bdgcomb, a microbiologist investigating deep-sea bacteria. These microbes feed on tough substances and produce antimicrobial chemicals.
The deep sea has already given us chemicals to treat certain cancer or nerve damage. Breakthroughs have also come from the ocean depths in the form of diagnostic tools.
The pathway to developing tests started back in 1969 when some heat-loving microbes were found in the depth of 5000 meters beneath the sea. By mid-1980s, the humble microbes
had enabled a major advance in the emerging field of genetics, Scientists found that their enzymes remained stable enough to make millions of copies of a single DNA sequence (序列) in just a few hours, essentially upgrading geneticists’ tools.
“A lot of people think of the deep sea as a desert,” Virginia says. “To our naked eye, it looks like there’s nothing there but there’s huge potential. What I can do as a science researcher is record the remarkable diversity of microbes and make their gene sequence available, which may help lead to treatment or diagnostic tool in the future.”
“We need to have people constantly exploring the fascinating habitats in order to continue uncovering a new page of medically-relevant enzymes,” Virginia says. “This is tough, but I do hope people realize that the more we can learn about microbes, the better off we are.”
1. What does paragraph 1 aim to tell us ?A.The need to deal with infections and diseases. |
B.Incredible conditions for microbes to survive. |
C.Biomedical inspirations from undersea microbes. |
D.Significant breakthroughs of human development. |
A.develop adaptability even in tough conditions |
B.merely enhance our understanding of diseases |
C.lead to progress in tools to test stable enzymes |
D.present us with treatment for common cancers |
A.More awareness of microbes will benefit humans. |
B.The deep sea microbes may help us with desert issues. |
C.Researchers’ future task is to record medical treatment. |
D.We should explore more habitats to free us from microbes. |
A.Chemical weapons against viruses |
B.Finding answers in the deep ocean |
C.A look back at research in microbes |
D.Future ways to upgrade human DNA |
7 . To help you plan a memorable 2024 winter vacation trip with the best travel experiences, we specifically designed Featured China Winter Tours including winter-featured destinations suitable for in-depth exploration. Travel with us!
Xishuamgbanna
Nicknamed “Litle Thailand”, Xishuangbanna owns awe-inspiring scenery, unique Dai minority culture and an all-year-round pleasant climate.
What to do:
●Enjoy tropical botanical landscape, and experience an exciting walk on the “air corridor” hanging 100 meters above the original rainforest.
●Visit local markets and step into some best-preserved Dai villages and royal gardens.
Chengdu
Whether you want to enjoy a short break in Chengdu, or extend to the impressive sites in its west, you are spoiled with many choices.
What to do:
●Get to Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda to see over 100 giant pandas.
●Travel a little further to Huanglong National Park. During the winter season, it’s less visited and full of poetic atmosphere with all previous colors turning into silver. To relieve altitude (海拔) sickness, you need sleep well and keep a calm mood.
Harbin
Having the most bitterly cold winters among major Chinese cities with average daytime temperatures as low as —13°C, Harbin is referred to as “Ice City”.
What to do:
●Visit Ice and Snow World to appreciate ice snow sculptures, enjoy the featured architecture capped with snow, or take part in some activities on the ice.
●Add two days to China Snow Town, where you can immerse (沉浸) yourselves in the fairytale world and enjoy various snow activities. Since the shuttle bus to Snow Town is subject to change in winter, please check out the link for real-time schedules.
1. What can you do in Xishuangbanna?A.Get inspiration from scenery. | B.Admire the beauty of local plants. |
C.Walk in the rainforest directly. | D.Volunteer to preserve Dai culture. |
A.High altitude landscape. | B.Mild winter temperature. |
C.Plentiful historical sites. | D.Multiple selected attractions. |
A.A website. | B.A fairytale. | C.A yearbook. | D.A newspaper. |
8 . 10-year-old Jack created a plastic minifigure (人偶) that looks much like him. Fondly named “Mini Jack,” the toy was carried with him wherever he went.
One day, after arriving at school, Jack
In order to
After learning about the
Once reunited with the minifigure, Jack was filled with joy and placed him in a
A.eagerly | B.unwillingly | C.unhappily | D.respectfully |
A.gratitude | B.sadness | C.inspiration | D.loneliness |
A.pass on | B.pay for | C.pick up | D.get back |
A.detailed | B.abstract | C.imaginative | D.mysterious |
A.message | B.poster | C.word | D.logo |
A.Damaged | B.Lost | C.Sold | D.Injured |
A.toy | B.money | C.news | D.picture |
A.story | B.backpack | C.poster | D.letter |
A.nervous | B.doubtful | C.ashamed | D.annoyed |
A.Unusually | B.Besides | C.Undoubtedly | D.However |
A.curious | B.supportive | C.moved | D.excited |
A.secretly | B.shyly | C.immediately | D.patiently |
A.trust | B.wisdom | C.sharing | D.response |
A.in place of | B.in spite of | C.at the cost of | D.for the purpose of |
A.convenient | B.public | C.distant | D.safe |
9 . New research implies that even a small amount of exercise might do help to older people with light memory problems. Patients have long been advised to do physical activity to help keep their brains healthy. But the U.S. government-supported research marks the longest study of whether exercise makes any difference once memory starts to decline.
Researchers found around 300 inactive older adults with memory changes called mild cognitive impairment (MCI) (轻度认知障碍). In the research, the participants were divided into two groups and half of them did aerobic exercises, while the rest did stretching and balance movements that raised their heart rates a little. After a year, testing of mental activity showed neither group had worsened, said lead researcher Laura Baker of Wake Forest School of Medicine. By comparison, similar MCI patients in another long-term study of brain health — but without exercise experienced cognitive decline over a year.
Maria Carrillo is the Alzheimer’s Association chief scientific officer. She said earlier research has found regular physical activity of any kind may reduce damaging inflammation and increase blood flow to the brain. She added that the new study is especially interesting because the COVID-19 pandemic began halfway through the study. That meant the study participants became socially isolated. Social isolation has long been known to increase people’s risk of memory problems.
It is a difficult time for dementia (痴呆症) research. Doctors are not sure about prescribing (开处方) a high-priced new drug called Aduhelm. The drug is supposed to be the first to slow the progression of dementia but it is not yet clear if it really helps patients. Researchers last month reported another drug that works similarly failed in an important study. There is growing urgency to find whether exercise might offer at least some protection. Baker will lead an even larger study of older adults to see if adding exercise to other steps such as a healthy diet, brain games and social activities may reduce the risk of dementia.
1. What’s the purpose of the new study?A.To identify the causes of declining memory in older adults. |
B.To explore the influence of exercise on elders’ memory. |
C.To develop effective medicines for elders with MCI. |
D.To figure out ways to slow the aging process. |
A.Professional background. |
B.Previous physical condition. |
C.Diet plan. |
D.Exercise type. |
A.Doubtful. | B.Negative. | C.Positive. | D.Indifferent. |
A.Conduct further research on how to reduce the risk of dementia. |
B.Organize a wide variety of social activities for older people. |
C.Develop a new drug to help patients with brain diseases. |
D.Find out how to lower the price of Aduhelm. |
10 . The change caused by increased scientific funding during the 20th century is remarkable. Thomas Edison electrified the world from his industrial lab at Menlo Park, and the Carnegie Foundation was the major supporter of Edwin Hubble. Advances in science during the Second World War—from the development of radar to the atom bomb — encouraged governments and companies to increase their funding.
However, a growing amount of work shows that the reward has fallen even as more money is spent on research. One explanation for this is that the way science is funded is out of date. The rate at which funding applications are approved has fallen. Two-fifths of a top scientist’s time is spent on things other than research, such as looking for money. Risky ideas are often put aside. It is time to make another change.
The first step is to try new things. More money could fund promising people rather than specific projects, encouraging researchers to take risks. Countries should also learn from the best practices of others. American funders give over three times more to science than the European funders do. Europeans might benefit from learning from others’ practices.
More important still is to find ways to measure what is working and what is not, and then adapt accordingly. Governments might consider appointing leading scientists or chief economists to do the data analysis in various scientific fields. One interesting idea is to keep a close eye on the projects that they do not fund, and track how they perform.
None of this will be easy. Scientific funders say they want to experiment, but they also face pressure to support research that can be easily explained, to keep politicians happy. In some cases more money may be the only solution. Still, the economic returns to research are so large — at least ten times the original investment — that fixing the system is well worth the effort. Like science itself, the way of funding it must also progress.
1. Why does the author mention Thomas Edison in Paragraph 1?A.To praise the inventor’s achievement. | B.To explain the change with examples. |
C.To compare scientific breakthroughs. | D.To transform the funding for science. |
A.Most scientists are devoted to research. | B.Funding for research is less rewarding. |
C.Funding applications get fast approved. | D.Scientists should look for more money. |
A.Support people with risky ideas. | B.Invest money in specific projects. |
C.Analyse the data to earn money. | D.Let go of the unfunded projects. |
A.Unclear. | B.Negative. | C.Doubtful. | D.Approving. |