1 . In Japan, the new year began with disaster as a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck the Noto Peninsula (能登半岛) on the country’s western edge on Monday. More than 2,000 active fault lines (断层线) lie beneath Japan, making it one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world.

Many scientists have long considered earthquake forecasting to be impossible. But given recent improvements in artificial intelligence, some researchers have been studying whether that could change.

Last fall, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin increased such hopes for earthquake prediction with a seven-month trial in China. In all, the algorithm (演算法) successfully forecast 14 earthquakes, each within about 200 miles of its actual epicenter (震中). Meanwhile, it missed one quake and predicted eight that never happened. The trial was part of an international A.I.-design competition, one of a few such events held in recent years to advance earthquake prediction technologies.

Sergey Fomel, a geoscientist at UT Austin and a member of the research team, says in a statement. “We’re not yet close to making predictions for anywhere in the world, but what we achieved tells us that what we thought was an impossible problem is solvable in principle.”

Additionally, machine learning could help detect hidden patterns in data or collect more data to better inform earthquake forecasting, Hutchison writes for MIT Technology Review. For example, some researchers are showing how A. I. might use recordings from a specific seismic site to anticipate an earthquake’s magnitude. One team has built and trained neural networks to predict where aftershocks may occur after an initial strike. And others are using machine learning to identify and extract seismic waves—the vibrations that spread through the earth during tectonic activity (构造活动)—from other noises in the ground.

1. What’s the function of the first paragraph?

A．To explain a concept.	B．To introduce a new topic.
C．To supply a summary.	D．To provide an example.

2. What made some researchers optimistic about the earthquake forecasting?

A．The recent progress in theories.	B．The use of traditional methods.
C．The increasing number of earthquakes.	D．The advancements in artificial intelligence.

3. What do we know from the third paragraph?

A．The trial was conducted by Chinese.	B．The algorithm was totally successful.
C．A. I. shows promise in earthquake prediction.	D．The A. I. competition only focused on earthquakes.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Japan’s Vulnerability to Earthquakes	B．Helper in Predicting Earthquakes—A.I.
C．The Impossibility of Earthquake Prediction	D．International Efforts to Predict Earthquakes

2 . The law of supply and demand determines that an overabundance of anything will lead to a decrease in price. This rule applies not only to goods and services, but also to lifestyle and fashion trends.

In the 19th century, the primitive paintings of Picasso and Matisse shook up the positive image of the French bourgeoisie (中产阶级). In the 1970s, talented musicians with tailored costumes and egos were overshadowed by a band of punk rockers who sang about the harsh realities of ordinary life in poor urban areas.

I predict that this will also happen with beauty standards. The idealized version of life portrayed in fashion magazines will reach a turning point, as people become tired of unattainable perfection.

During my time in Washington D.C. in the 1990s, I had the opportunity to interact with numerous political celebrities. While chatting with former presidents or bumping into TV pundits (名嘴) in elevators, I also assisted former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, who was my boss’s boss. What struck me was how ordinary these people appeared in real life despite their public characters. Like everyone else, they grappled with insecurities and mood swings, even though they were constantly under the spotlight.

Yes, it was great to drop names on the phone to my friends. My father, of course, couldn’t understand why I would ever want to leave. “Because you’re not me and I’m not impressed,” I told him. We do not need to lead a luxurious life or make groundbreaking achievements to be content. Happiness can be found in living out the ordinary moments of an authentic life.

Most of us end up being ordinary people without doing anything that changes the world, but that does not mean our lives are meaningless. In fact, it is precisely this realization that leads to sustainable happiness because, when all is said and done, no one’s lifestyle is essentially better than any other’s.

1. Which of the following phrase can best replace the underline phrase in paragraph 4?

A．struggled with

B．put up with

C．came up with

D．fought with

2. What’s the author’s father’s attitude towards his decision to leave Washington D.C.?

A．supportive

B． indifferent

C．opposed

D．unimpressed

3. What does the author’s observation about political celebrities suggest?

A．They are just like ordinary people.

B．They lack the ability to lead a normal life.

C．They are not as successful as they claim to be.

D．They are not as intelligent as they appear on TV.

4. What does the author want to imply in the last paragraph?

A．People should strive for a better lifestyle.

B．No one’s lifestyle is inherently superior to others’.

C．People should be content with their own lifestyles.

D．People should critically evaluate other people’s lifestyles.

3 . When I pulled out a copy of The Lost Words, my seven-year-old son stared in amazement. When I opened it up, it spread across both of our laps. He read the inner title page aloud—“The Lost Words: A Spell Book”—and then looked up doubtfully. “It’s a spell book? Like a magic spell book?”

Indeed, that’s exactly what Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris set out to do when they made this book. They were responding to a decision by the Oxford Junior Dictionary to remove around 40 common words related to nature from its 2007 edition. They were replaced by words like blog, broadband, cut-and-paste and voicemail. The two creators saw this as a tragic loss for children.

Macfarlane wrote for The Guardian about a 2009 study from Cambridge University that found children were better at identifying Pokémon characters than common British plant and wildlife species. They had around 80% accuracy for Pokémon, but less than 50%for real-life species. The paper concluded children have the tremendous ability to learn about creatures, both natural and man-made, but are currently more inspired by made-up creatures than by “living ones”. So we need “to re-establish children’s links with nature”.

The Lost Words aims to do that. The book features 20 words, each with three-page spreads. First comes a word search, where a child can decode (破译) the letters and the name of the species, painted in gold. Next, there’s a poem based on each word, accompanied by a full-page painting. These are called “spells” rather than poems because they’re designed to be spoken out loud to bring back these words and creatures into the minds of children.

Eventually, there’s a full double-page watercolor illustration of the plant or animal in its native habitat. The book was published in 2017 and I’m sorry it’s taken me these years to discover it. But its message remains relevant. If there are young children in your life, this is a book well worth checking out of the library or adding to your collection.

1. What made Macfarlane and Morris create the book?

A．Their interest in nature.

B．The magic of the natural world.

C．The loss of many natural species.

D．Their concern about the practice of a dictionary.

2. What is the main idea of the third paragraph?

A．Kids know real species.	B．Kids have a learning talent.
C．Kids need to connect with nature.	D．Kids prefer Pokémon to real species.

3. Why are the poems in “The Lost Words” referred to as “spells”?

A．They contain magical elements.

B．They are meant to be recited aloud.

C．They help children learn new words.

D．They are accompanied by illustrations.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.

B．A short story.

C．A book review.

D．A research article.

5 . Imagine you need milk, so you go to the grocery store to pick some up, only to find there are dozens of options. These days, you have to make a decision on not only the percentage of fat you want, but also what source you want your milk to be coming from: cows, soybeans... You have no idea what milk to pick. There are so many choices that you are confused.

This phenomenon is known as the paradox (悖论) of choice and it is becoming a concern in the modern world, where more and more options are becoming easily available to us. While we might believe that being presented with multiple options actually makes it easier to choose one that we are happy with, and thus increases consumer satisfaction, having too many options actually requires more effort to make a decision and can leave us feeling unsatisfied with our choice.

The idea was popularized by American psychologist Barry Schwartz when he published his book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. Schwartz, who has long studied the ways in which economics and psychology intersect (交叉), became interested in seeing the way that choices were affecting the happiness of citizens in Western societies. He identified that the range of choices that we have available to us these days is far greater than that people had in the past; however, consumer satisfaction has not increased as much as traditional economics theories might expect.

Schwartz identified that the paradox of choice carries the most consequence for people that are maximizers. Maximizers, unlike satisficers, are concerned with making the best choice instead of simply making a choice that they are happy with. When there are many options available to maximizers, it becomes harder for them to determine which is the best, which can cause them to feel a great deal of regret after they have made a choice.

Instead of believing that freedom of choice is unlimited, Schwartz advocates that the role of psychology and behavioral economics should be to find the kind of limitations on freedom that can lead to the greatest level of happiness within society.

1. What’s the author’s purpose in mentioning buying milk in paragraph 1?

A．To lead in the topic.

B．To draw a conclusion.

C．To show that we have more choices when shopping.

D．To indicate that people pay greater attention to health when shopping.

2. What does the paradox of choice suggest?

A．More options mean less satisfaction.

B．Consumer satisfaction has greatly increased.

C．People are happy with more choices.

D．Modern people are happier than their ancestors.

3. What can be learned about satisficers?

A．They aim for the very best.	B．They tend to follow their feelings.
C．They often regret their decisions.	D．They have trouble making a decision.

4. What does Schwartz suggest people do?

A．Hold on to their beliefs.	B．Accept their own behavior.
C．Give up freedom.	D．Limit their own choices.

6 . Animal volunteering abroad is the perfect opportunity for animal lovers who want to do something good while traveling. Here are several programs.

Leatherback Turtle Ambassador

Our main mission is to protect endangered sea turtles such as the leatherback sea turtle and the green sea turtle. By working with locals and environmental education programs, we will be able to educate people on the importance of protecting the valuable sea ecosystem.

Location: Limon, Costa Rica

Requirements: Age: 18-50; Language skill: basic English

Fee: 266€ per week

Wildlife Shelter Carer

Every year, hundreds of thousands of native animals are injured or become sick, often because of interaction with people or pets. Our wildlife shelters have rescued sick, injured native wildlife and loved them back to health to be returned to the natural environment. Since we receive no funding from governments, the shelters rely on the donations of volunteers and the public.

Location: New South Wales, Australia

Requirements: Age: 18-50; Language skill: fluent English

Fee: 706€ per week

Thai Elephant Sanctuary

Our program helps domesticated elephants rescued from a life of working on the streets or logging and provides care to rescued elephant population. The program has won numerous awards for its ethical contribution to the assistance of Thai Elephants. The team have rescued dozens of elephants and given them shelters in beautiful, open spaces.

Location: Phetchaburi province, Thailand

Requirements: Age: 18-50; Language skill: fluent English

Fee: 647€ per week

Force-free Horse Sanctuary Assistant

Are you passionate about horses and eager to make a positive impact on horse welfare? Join our incredible Force-Free Horse Sanctuary Program, where you’ll become part of a devoted team caring for our beautiful horses. Through positive reinforcement and force-free horsemanship skills, you’ll help improve the lives of these magnificent animals.

Location: Atajate, Spain

Requirements: Age: 14-50; Language skill: basic English or basic Spanish

Fee: 392€ per week

1. Which program costs least per week?

A．Leatherback Turtle Ambassador.	B．Wildlife Shelter Carer.
C．Thai Elephant Sanctuary.	D．Force-free Horse Sanctuary Assistant.

2. What can you do in the program of Wildlife Shelter Carer?

A．Advocate protecting sea animals.

B．Attend to animals in poor condition.

C．Adopt endangered animals as your pets.

D．Acquire complicated horsemanship skills.

3. Where can you volunteer if you are a 15-year-old English speaker?

A．Limon, Costa Rica.	B．New South Wales, Australia.
C．Phetchaburi province, Thailand.	D．Atajate, Spain.

7 . Growing up, Maitri Wadher, a left-hander, has struggled to cope in a world made for right-handed people. From school desks to spiral notebooks that stop the natural flow of writing, Maitri has faced tough challenges from a young age. “My mother used to tie my left hand and make me eat with my right until a doctor warned that this could significantly affect my growth and confidence,” Maitri says.

This childhood experience had gnawed (折磨) at the back of her mind, pushing her to do something to ease the lives of fellow left-handers. In September 2018, she started The Left Out Store, which makes everyday products ranging from left-handed writing tools and scissors to kitchen tools for left-handed people.

Starting The Left Out Store wasn’t in the cards for Maitri for a very long time. The idea for The Left Out Store came to Maitri in just 20 minutes during a festival at St. Joseph’s Institute of Management, where she was a post-graduate student. She presented the rough idea to judges who later became sponsors, and they enthusiastically supported it. This encouragement gave her the push to make it a market research project to test the waters and explore the potential market.

Initially, Maitri faced a few hiccups. It took her quite some time to find vendors (小贩) and make them understand how to make the products. With everything in place, Maitri went through a tough time reaching customers. The first time she made a proper sale was at an exhibition at Lalit Ashok. “People were surprised at first, but gradually more left-handed people began approaching me, and said they relate to my struggles.” Since then, she has been regularly marketing her products at exhibitions, and keeps The Left Out Store active on social media.

1. What challenge did Maitri face as a left-hander while growing up?

A．Unfair judgement.	B．Lack of parents’ love.
C．Limited access to education.	D．Struggle with school tools.

2. How did Maitri turn her idea into a reality?

A．By seeking student sponsors.	B．By conducting market research.
C．By expanding the potential market.	D．By carrying out her long-thought plan.

3. What does the underlined word “hiccups” probably mean?

A．Barriers.

B．Threats

C．Complaints.

D．Oppositions.

4. What might be a suitable title for the passage?

A．A Left-Hander’s Struggles	B．Maitri’s Marketing Strategies
C．Maitri: A Social Media Celebrity	D．The Left Out Store: Maitri’s Journey

8 . Amish Country is one of Ohio’s most beautiful places. In addition to good food and shopping, you can also learn about Amish history and experience their culture through Amish home tours and buggy rides.

a buggy ride

Amish Heartland Tours

If you would like to learn about Amish life and culture while enjoying a tour of the beauty of Amish country, Amish Heartland Tours can make it happen, offering buggy rides, custom bus tours, and special “Backroad” experiences with meals in the homes of the Amish people. You will learn about the day-to-day life of the Amish from experienced tour guides and the local people themselves.

Tours last between 1 to 3 hours depending on your choice of destination and activities.

Yoder’s Amish Home

If you or your school group would like to learn more about the life of the Amish, a trip to Yoder’s Amish Home might be perfect for you. With guided tours of the house, property, and so on, you’ll learn about the history and lifestyle of the Amish up close.

Pet the animals in the old barn, learn a little German and meet their Amish teacher in their one-room schoolhouse, take a ride in a real Amish buggy, and enjoy a sweet treat from their bakery! Tours are led by local guides and last about 40 minutes.

Troyer’s Amish Tours

Experience the Amish Country with a personalized, and custom touch. Troyer’s Amish Tours offers several tours including 2 and 3-hour experiences, dinner in Amish homes, as well as special events. All of the tours are tailor-made with advance notice.

For the most memorable experience, use their online contact forms to plan your visit in advance.

Amish Heritage Tours

Amish Heritage Tours offers seasonally themed tours including many of the best things to do in Amish Country, with one to multi-day experiences including pick-up from your hotel, dinner, shopping, area theatre, and museums.

Plan your visit online in advance. Their website offers sample itineraries for each tour to make your stay rewarding and unforgettable.

1. Which tour is intended for school children?

A．Amish Heartland Tours.	B．Yoder’s Amish Home.
C．Troyer’s Amish Tours.	D．Amish Heritage Tours.

2. What is special about Troyer’s Amish tour?

A．It presents seasonally themed tours.	B．It features real Amish buggy rides.
C．It provides a museum experience.	D．It meets individualized needs.

3. What is the purpose of this passage?

A．To promote tours.	B．To introduce travel services.
C．To highlight a lifestyle.	D．To celebrate the local culture.

9 . My grandmother suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. Seeing her condition worsen over time, and knowing I could do nothing, created a feeling of ________ in me.

As the years passed and my understanding of the disease grew, my frustration turned first to anger, then resignation (顺从), and finally ________. Though the disease was bound to slowly eat away at her, there were ways to ________ its progress. Every night the two of us would sit together and ________ while my grandmother would count beans. The exercise could help to keep her mentally ________.

Gradually her counting became slower, and she would lose track of things more ________. While at night we would count beans, in the day I involved myself in studies of ________. My earlier feelings of despair gave way to ________; advances in genetic engineering offered the possibility that one day those like my grandmother could be cured, or ________ from developing Alzheimer’s in the first place.

Seeing my grandmother slip away ________ me to take biology courses to learn more about cells, the nervous system, and genetic information, which helped me better understand how our ________ of this disease has grown in the past decade. ________ I began to see new possibilities for preventing diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Nowadays, my grandmother cannot count beans anymore and doesn’t ________ me at all. Once she used to tell me stories and I whispered to her all my problems. Now I am a ________ to her. How I wish one day I could contribute to a future, where no child has to watch their grandmother count the ________ they have left together.

1.

A．regret

B．dilemma

C．annoyance

D．hopelessness

2.

A．pity

B．sympathy

C．tolerance

D．acceptance

3.

A．stop

B．slow

C．change

D．accelerate

4.

A．chat

B．sigh

C．think

D．complain

5.

A．strong

B．sharp.

C．busy

D．fresh

6.

A．easily

B．naturally

C．slowly

D．painfully

7.

A．nursing

B．biology

C．companion

D．psychology

8.

A．anxiety

B．calmness

C．optimism

D．indifference

9.

A．excused

B．defended

C．prevented

D．separated

10.

A．urged

B．forced

C．required

D．motivated

11.

A．concern

B．sympathy

C．knowledge

D．experience

12.

A．Instantly

B．Gradually

C．Temporarily

D．Accidentally

13.

A．miss

B．expect

C．notice

D．recognize

14.

A．listener

B．follower

C．stranger

D．watcher

15.

A．time

B．beans

C．money

D．stories