1 . In one horrible film plot, AI eventually outsmarts humans and takes over computers and factories. In another, large language models (LLMs) of the sort that power generative AI like ChatGPT give bad guys the know — how to create destructive cyberweapons.
It is time to think hard about these film plots, not because they have become more probable but because policymakers around the world are considering measures to guard against them. The idea that AI could drive humans to extinction is speculative — no one yet knows how such a threat might materialise and no common methods exist for determining what counts as risky. Plenty of research needs to be done before standards and rules can be set.
Governments cannot ignore a technology that could change the world deeply. Regulators have been too slow in the past, but there is danger, too, in acting hurriedly. If they go too fast, policymakers could create global rules that are aimed at the wrong problems and are ineffective against the real ones.
Because of the computing resources and technical skills required, only a handful of companies have so far developed powerful “frontier” models. New hurried regulations could easily block out competitors to the “handful of companies”, especially because these companies are working closely with governments on writing the rule book. A focus on extreme risks is likely to make regulators careful of open-source models, which are freely available and can easily be revised.
The best that governments can do now is to set up the basic systems to study the technology and its potential risks, and ensure that those working on the problem have enough resources. As AI develops further, regulators will have a far better idea of what risks they are guarding against, and consequently what the rule book should look like. A fully mature body could eventually take shape. But creating it will take time and reflection.
1. What does the first paragraph function as?| A．An argument. | B．An explanation. | C．A lead-in. | D．A comment. |
| A．He believes it is a realistic possibility. |
| B．He considers it fictional and unworthy for policymakers to pay attention to. |
| C．He views it as an uncertain threat that needs more research. |
| D．He perceives it as a seemingly reasonable situation that requires serious consideration. |
| A．Competition in this area is prevented. | B．The development of AI is restricted. |
| C．AI will be applied to a limited degree. | D．The public will be misled about danger. |
| A．AI: a Real Threat? | B．Don’t Rush into Policing AI |
| C．AI: Humans’ Friend or Enemy? | D．Time for Government to Regulate AI |
2 . Double rainbows are one thing, but a double aurora (极光)? They can happen, though some kinds are rare. One particular red-and-green aurora is especially confusing. Now, images taken by amateur astronomers may help reveal its secrets.
Citizen scientists living in Canada and Finland used cameras to document an unusual combination of auroras in the night sky. Physicists have studied those images to learn what may have caused the unusual light show.
Alan Dyer was outside his home in Strathmore, Canada, when the dancing Northern Lights caught his attention. He grabbed his camera and started filming. "I knew I had something interesting," says Dyer. At first glance, the double aurora looks like a floating slice of watermelon. The green aurora is well-understood. The fruity looking red st rip is more mysterious. Scientists have known about these red auroras for decades. But there's no agreement on how they form. One idea is that Earth's magnetic field can heat up certain areas of the atmosphere. That heat could knock particles (粒子) around, like in proton (质子) rain.
Researchers had seen these two types of auroras occur together before. But it was always mysterious, says Toshi Nishimura, a space physicist at Boston University. After looking at satellite observations along with the images taken by Dyer and others, Nishimura and his team concluded how the two phenomena might be related. The key is the thin rays in the red aurora. They mark the paths of electrons falling through the Earth's magnetic field. That means electron rain appears to cause the red aurora, just as proton rain causes the green one. Both get powered by the solar wind. But the electrons carry less energy than the protons, so they make for a more reddish color.
Electron rain might not be the only way to produce the stable red auroras, though. The results show that what's going on is more complicated than researchers had thought. The auroras Dyer saw could be danger zones for radio communication and GPS systems, says Nishimura.
The citizen scientists who took the photos were a critical part of the new findings, Nishimura says.
1. Where is the text probably taken from?| A．A news report on astronomic discoveries. |
| B．A blog about sky phenomena. |
| C．A review of aurora research. |
| D．A brochure of aurora tours. |
| A．They are fully understood by scientists. |
| B．They were first spotted by Alan Dyer. |
| C．They are related to Earth's magnetic field. |
| D．They are generated from proton rain. |
| A．The path it travels along. | B．The energy particles carry. |
| C．The wavelength of rays. | D．The source of solar wind. |
| A．Photography drives scientific research. |
| B．The double aurora is a threat to GPS system. |
| C．Satellite observations lead to aurora discoveries. |
| D．Citizen scientists help explain the double aurora. |
3 . In the flood of innovative solutions that have emerged in the last several years to save the world from plastic pollution, Tom Szaky’s solution may be one of the most audacious (大胆的). Szaky has presented a concept that dates to the turn of the last century-returnable, refillable containers. The idea was introduced to the world by Coca-Cola in the early 1920s, when coke was sold in expensive glass bottles that the company needed to be returned. They charged a two-cent deposit (押金), roughly 40 percent of the full cost of the soft drink, and got about 98 percent of their bottles back to be reused 40 to 50 times. Bottle deposit programs remain one of the most successful methods ever invented for recovering packaging.
Szaky launched Loop, an online delivery service that uses serviceable, reusable containers. The bold part of his venture-or risk, if you are one of his financial backers-is that Loop pushes far beyond the common returnable beverage bottles and sells more than 300 items, from food to laundry liquid, in containers of various sizes and made from various materials. His signature product is Häagen- Dazs ice cream that is packed inside a smooth, heat-barrier stainless steel bucket guaranteed to prevent its contents from melting.
Slightly messy in jeans and a coat, Szaky looks every bit the common entrepreneur. He dropped out of Princeton University 17 years ago to become an innovator in the garbage business. Then, he founded TerraCycle, a company near his college. He figured out a way to recycle cigarette ends, and a long list of other non-recyclable things. Then, he became more interested in restoring the circularity of that earlier era and eliminating the disposability from packaging altogether.
Loop is part of the recovery of refillable things as a serious option for plastic waste. The beverage industry is expanding its use of returnable bottles; an Oregon brewery claims to have started the United States’ first state-wide refillable beer system. More significantly, efforts like Loop’s to reinvent packaging for products that don’t fit easily into the refillable category have attracted startups and some of the world’s largest corporate players.
1. How is the Coca-Cola’s bottle deposit program?| A．It’s costly. | B．It’s effective. |
| C．It is a complex process. | D．It remains questionable to many people. |
| A．It struggles to get financial support. |
| B．It covers a wider range of businesses. |
| C．It mainly gains profits from Häagen-Dazs ice cream. |
| D．It was the first to propose using steel containers to store beverages. |
| A．Creative and ambitious. | B．Self-disciplined and outgoing. |
| C．Hardworking and careful. | D．Responsible and kind-hearted. |
| A．To make good use of the waste. | B．To cover his college fees. |
| C．To cooperate with more corporate players. | D．To expand his influence in his college. |
4 . Hummingbirds occupy a unique place in nature: They fly like insects but have the bone and muscles of birds. According to Bo Cheng, a professor in Mechanical Engineering at Penn State, hummingbirds have incredible agility (敏捷) when flying through the air, which is why their flight behavior is often mimicked in the design of drones and other flying vehicles.
Using a new modeling method, Cheng and his team gained new insights into how hummingbirds produce wing movement, which could lead to design improvements in flying robots. “We essentially analyzed how the muscles and skeleton (骨骼) work in hummingbirds to flap the wings,” said Cheng. “The traditional methods have mostly focused on measuring the activity of a bird or insect during natural flight or in an artificial environment where flight-like conditions are reproduced. But most insects and, among birds specifically, hummingbirds are very small. The data that we can get from those measurements are limited.”
The researchers employed various methods to inform and adjust their model. With this model, they uncovered previously unknown methods of hummingbird wing movement. The discovery was that hummingbirds tighten their shoulder joints in both the up-and-down direction and the twisting direction using various smaller muscles.
“It’s like when we do fitness training and a trainer asks us to tighten our core to be more agile,” Cheng said. “We found that hummingbirds are using a similar kind of procedure.” They tighten their wings in the twisting and up-and-down directions but keep the wings loose along the back- and-forth direction. So their wings appear to be flapping back and forth only while their power muscles, or their flight engines, are actually pulling the wings in all three directions. In this way, the wings have very good agility in their motion.
While Cheng stressed that the results from the new model are predictions that will need confirmation, he said that it has suggestions for technological development of flying vehicles. “Even though the technology is not there yet to fully mimic hummingbird flight, our work provides essential methods for informed mimicry of hummingbirds hopefully for the next generation of agile flight systems.”
1. What’s the limitation of previous studies on hummingbird flight?| A．Insufficient records. |
| B．Inaccurate measurements. |
| C．Few bird species for research. |
| D．Lack of suitable test environments. |
| A．They tighten their wings for balance in flight. |
| B．They use twisting motions to get flight power. |
| C．They keep straight flight by controlling small muscles. |
| D．They flexibly adjust wing movements in different directions. |
| A．Unclear. | B．Approving. | C．Doubtful. | D．Negative. |
| A．The impact of drones on hummingbirds’ survival |
| B．Identifying hummingbird species through flying patterns |
| C．A new approach to studying hummingbirds’ muscle system |
| D．Studying hummingbirds to advance future flying vehicles |
5 . Trans-Siberian Railway
About the tour
Board our private train, the Zarengold, and start a 15-day journey from Beijing to Moscow via Ulaanbaatar on the world’s most famous railroad. An unforgettable adventure will wait for you. Set this dream of a lifetime on the tracks with our private train and experience Russia, Mongolia and China in the safest and most comfortable manner.
The historic route between Beijing and Moscow is the central part of the trip. The exciting days of your journey are delivering three of the world’s largest countries directly to your compartment (车厢). Sit back to fully enjoy the great changes of scenery and Europe’s and Asia’s most excellent landscapes!
Highlights
● Visits to the Great Wall of China and Ming Tombs
● Traditional Mini-Naadam celebrations, including Mongolian horse-riding shows
● Rides on the panoramic (全景的) railway tracks along Lake Baikal with photo stops
● Traditional Russian welcome ceremonies
● Moscow city tours including a guided visit to the Kremlin
● Professional tour guides offering a special understanding of Russian, Mongolian and Chinese culture
View Dates
15 May 2022 - 29 May 2022 (15 days)
12 Jun. 2022 - 26 Jun. 2022 (15 days)
31 Jul. 2022 - 14 Aug. 2022 (15 days)
26 Aug. 2022 - 09 Sept. 2022 (15 days)
18 Sept. 2022 - 02 Oct. 2022 (15 days)
What’s included
| TRANS | ● Overnight private train ● Transfers in Moscow and Beijing |
| ACCOMMODATION | ● Overnight private train accommodations for 9 nights ● Hotel accommodations for 5 nights |
| LUGGAGE | ● Luggage service at train stations |
| FOOD & DRINKS | ● All meals on the train except meals at hotels |
What’s not included
● Cancellation and travel insurance are not included in the price of the tour but can be organized
● Airport transfers
1. What can we know about the tour?| A．It covers places outside Europe and Asia. |
| B．It’s a year-round trip popular with Asians. |
| C．It’s a cross-border trip with impressive scenery. |
| D．It can be adjusted according to tourists’ requests. |
| A．Visit the Kremlin. | B．Clean the Ming Tombs. |
| C．Walk along Lake Baikal. | D．Ride a horse in Mongolia. |
| A．Airport transfers. | B．Luggage storage. |
| C．Private tour guides. | D．All meals in the tour. |
6 . In a world of music streaming services, access to almost any song is just a few clicks away. Yet, the live concert lives on. People still fill sweaty basements to hear their favorite musicians play. And now neuroscientists might know why.
Concerts are immersive social experiences in which people listen to and feel the music together. They are also dynamic — artists can adapt their playing according to the crowd’s reaction.
It was this last difference that led neuroscientists, from Universities of Zurich and Oslo, to study the brain responses of people listening to music. In the experiment, participants lay in an MRI (核磁共振) scanner listening to the music through earphones, while a pianist was positioned outside the room. The pianist was shown the participant’s real-time brain activity as a form of feedback. In the recorded condition, participants listened to pre-recorded versions of the same tunes.
The scientists were interested in how live music affected the areas of the brain that process emotions. In the live condition pianists were instructed to change their playing in order to drive the activity in one of these regions known as the amygdala.
The results, just published in the journal PNAS, showed that live music had far more emotional impact. Whether the music was happy or sad, listening to the pianist playing in a dynamic way generated more activity in both the amygdala and other parts of the brain’s emotion processing network.
The study was far from reconstructing the real experience of a concert, and the authors noted that the live music ended up sounding quite different from the recorded tracks, which may have driven some of the differences in participant’s brain activity. Some musical acts now attempt to recreate the real concert experience with everything but the artist — ABBA Voyage is a social, immersive show performed entirely by pre-recorded hologram avatars (全息图). But without Benny’s (a member of the band) ability to read the mood of the room, it will never quite match the real thing.
1. What caused the scientists to study music listeners’ brain response?| A．People’s preference to recorded music. | B．The important social function of concerts. |
| C．The changeable characteristic of live music. | D．The easy accessibility of streaming services. |
| A．By clarifying a concept. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By analyzing previous data. | D．By referring to another study. |
| A．It offers a more traditional and raw sound. | B．It engages the brain’s emotion centers more. |
| C．It fosters a sense of community and shared energy. | D．It guarantees a deeper understanding of the music. |
| A．The artists will be replaced by technology soon. |
| B．The immersive audio makes live music special. |
| C．The study recreated the experience of a real concert. |
| D．It is vital for musicians to read the audiences’ mind. |
7 . Spiders are master builders, expertly turning silk into complex 3D webs that serve as their home and hunting ground. To gain a deeper understanding of their world, scientists have translated the structure of a spider’s web into music.
“The spider lives in an environment of vibrating (振动的) strings,” says Markus Buehler, the project’s principal investigator. “They don’t see very well, so they perceive their surroundings by detecting vibrations, which have different frequencies.” Such vibrations occur, for example, when the spider stretches a strand of silk during construction or when the wind or a trapped fly moves the web.
The researchers scanned a natural spider web to capture 2D cross-sections and reconstructed its 3D network using a mathematical model. They assigned different frequencies of sound to strands of the web, creating musical “notes” that they combined in patterns based on the web’s 3D structure to generate music. Then they made a harp-like (像竖琴的) virtual instrument and played the spider web music in several live performances around the world, creating an inspiring harmony of art and science.
To gain insights into how spiders build webs, the researchers also scanned a web during construction, transforming each stage into music with different sounds. “The spider’s way of ‘printing’ the web is remarkable because no support material is used, as is often needed in current 3D printing methods,” Buehler says. This knowledge could help develop new 3D printers that work like spiders, enabling them to construct complex structures without using additional materials for support.
The team is also interested in learning how to communicate with spiders in their own language. They recorded web vibrations produced when spiders performed different activities, such as building a web, communicating with other spiders or sending signals to admirers. “Now we’re trying to generate signals to basically speak the language of the spider,” Buehler says. “If we expose them to certain patterns of vibrations, can we affect what they do or can we begin to communicate with them? Those are really thrilling ideas, and I believe they could be achieved in the near future.”
1. What do we know about spiders?| A．They have good eyesight. |
| B．They adapt to surroundings quickly. |
| C．They spin a web similar to a musical structure. |
| D．They sense the environment through vibrations. |
| A．Steps to create spider web music. |
| B．Ways to recreate a web’s 3D network. |
| C．Challenges of combining music with science. |
| D．The potential applications of 3D printing methods. |
| A．3D printers can construct complex structures. |
| B．Spiders’ vibration patterns vary with activities. |
| C．Spiders build webs without using additional materials. |
| D．The web-building process can be translated into music. |
| A．Hopeful. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncertain. | D．Disapproving. |
8 . Whales are known for their majestic (雄伟的) songs that travel through the ocean depths, but the reasons behind this behavior have long puzzled scientists. Recent research reveals this mystery, suggesting that whales possess a unique voice box that enables their powerful voice, a feature not found in other animals.
In a study published in the journal Nature, Coen Elemans and his team from the University of Southern Denmark examined the voice boxes. By conducting experiments, the researchers identified the tissues responsible for producing sound.
Whales, whose ancestors were land-dwellers around 50 million years ago, have developed their voice boxes over millions of years to adapt to underwater communication. Unlike humans and many other mammals (哺乳动物) , whales lack vocal cords and instead have a unique U-shaped tissue in their voice boxes. This specialized structure allows them to intake large volumes of air and generate sounds by pushing this tissue against a cushion of fat and muscle, a mechanism essential for their deep-sea sound.
The significance of this research is highlighted by Jeremy Goldbogen, an associate professor at Stanford University, who describes it as the most comprehensive study to date on how whales vocalize. He emphasizes the need for further exploration to these marine giants. For instance, humpback whales are known for their sound that can travel vast distances across oceans, serving as a form of communication within whales.
Joy Reidenberg, a whale expert, says, “More experiments are needed to confirm the study’s conclusions and understand how these creatures use their voice boxes to communicate in the ocean.”
1. What does the research find?| A．Whales may make sound underwater. |
| B．Whales communicate in a special way. |
| C．What brings about whales’ strange behavior. |
| D．What makes whales’ loud sound possible in the ocean. |
| A．Paragraph 3. | B．Paragraph 4. | C．Paragraph 5. | D．Paragraph 2. |
| A．Mysterious. | B．Ineffective. | C．Inadequate. | D．Creative. |
| A．Evolution Of Whale Communication Skills | B．Research On How Whales Make Sounds |
| C．How Whales Communicate Underwater | D．How Scientists Research Whales’ Sound |
9 . Early one morning, servers at an Egyptian restaurant began their usual preparations for the day. They laid out rows of desserts. But the offerings weren’t for customers. Instead, within an hour, staff from an organization called Tekeya had arrived to take away 135 portions of perfectly eatable dishes. The desserts — made a day earlier — weren’t considered fresh enough to eat.
Throughout Egypt, which boasts a rich culinary (烹饪的) history, such views aren’t uncommon. Now, though, with a global reflection on the food chain and its role in the climate crisis, attitudes in Egypt are slowly changing.
The restaurant is one of around a dozen across the Egyptian capital that Tekey’s staff visits each day in a quest to stop fit-for-consumption food from being dumped. Restaurants pay a small annual fee that allows them to alert Tekeya’s staff whenever they have unsold food. Personal users of Tekeya’s app can then buy that food at half price, or either the restaurants or the users can request Tekeya to deliver the food to a food bank or charity of their choosing. In total, up to 40 plates are saved from going to the trash each day.
“I’ve seen several platforms helping fight food waste across Europe. It’s uplifting to find one that does the same here in Egypt, ” says the manager, who has been using the app for three years.
In 2019, Menna Shahin had an idea particularly inspired by a festival, which brings about both celebration and waste. “I would put so much thought into how to deal with food responsibly without harming the environment, and how to minimize my excess (过度的) usage,” Ms. Shahin says. “I thought to myself, why not assist everyone to deal with their excess food wisely?”
Ms. Shahin ended up co-founding Tekeya along with her husband, Max Hartzen. By Tekeya’s second year, some 10, 000 discounted meals were ordered during one month, with users choosing to donate roughly a quarter of those to charities.
1. Why were the desserts in paragraph 1 not for customers?| A．They were sold out. | B．They were not eatable. |
| C．They had gone sour. | D．They were not fresh enough. |
| A．Thrown away. | B．Kept up. | C．Squeezed out. | D．Tracked down. |
| A．How a festival is celebrated. | B．How waste comes about. |
| C．How Tekeya is originated. | D．How food is dealt with. |
| A．It takes ages to see its effect. | B．It has produced good results. |
| C．It needs to be widely applied. | D．It has received sharp criticism. |
10 . Four Universities in Northern Part of China
Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) is a renowned institution located in the heart of China’s capital, Beijing. Established in 1940, BIT has grown into a comprehensive university offering a wide range of disciplines, including engineering, science, management, humanities, and law. With a strong emphasis on practical application and innovation, BIT has become a leader in research and development, contributing significantly to China’s technological advancements.
China University of Political Science and Law (CUPL) is a prestigious institution dedicated to legal education and research. Founded in 1952, CUPL has played a crucial role in shaping China’s legal system and fostering legal professionals. With a focus on interdisciplinary studies and practical training, CUPL prepares students for careers in law, public administration, and international relations.
Dalian University of Technology (DUT) is located in the coastal city of Dalian, known for its strong engineering programs and research initiatives. Established in 1949, DUT has become a key player in China’s industrial and technological landscape. With state-of-the-art facilities and a commitment to innovation, DUT collaborates closely with industry partners to address real-world challenges and drive economic development.
Northeast Normal University (NENU) is situated in the city of Changchun and is recognized for its excellence in teacher education and liberal arts. Founded in 1946, NENU has a long-standing tradition of producing outstanding educators and scholars. With a focus on fostering critical thinking and cultural exchange, NENU offers a diverse range of programs in education, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences, making it a vibrant hub for intellectual exploration and academic excellence in Northeast China.
Each of these universities represents a unique facet of China’s educational landscape, contributing to the nation’s development and global competitiveness in different ways. From technological innovation to legal expertise, from engineering excellence to liberal arts education, these institutions play a vital role in shaping the future of China and the world.
1. What do DUT and BIT have in common?| A．Their research focus on social sciences. |
| B．They are located in provincial capital. |
| C．They both emphasize the innovation. |
| D．They are both comprehensive universities. |
| A．Excellence in engineering programs and research. |
| B．Strong emphasis on practical application and innovation. |
| C．Outstanding achievements in teacher education and liberal arts. |
| D．Commitment to addressing world challenge and driving economic development. |
| A．Beijing Institute of Technology |
| B．China University of Political Science and Law |
| C．Dalian University of Technology |
| D．Northeast Normal University |
