1 . Do you know that it only takes an algorithm (算法) to turn you into a Pablo Picasso? All you need to do is follow three simple steps: choose, provide and create. To be more specific, choose an AI Art Generator, provide the generator with your preferred requirement and hit the “create” button. Even ordinary people without any painting skills can do it well.
Chinese netizens have been amazed and amused by the results created by AI art generators. Some platforms providing AI painting services gained more than 600,000 users in a single day in November, with people aged 25 and under accounting for more than 60% of new users.
Jia Yunfan, a 26-year-old digital artist, has been embracing the novel AI movement. He said, “I was trained as an oil painter ever since I was young. But canvas (油画布) and the realistic style are just too classic and I used to be only defined as a painter. Newly emerged art forms like AI paintings can help artists reach global audiences and broaden their artistic field.” An illustrator Huang Ge from Shanghai said illustrators need time to create and they are expensive to hire, but with AI tools, hundreds of pictures can be generated every day.
However, the trend has again caused some panic about whether AI is gradually replacing human beings. “Art’s values lie not only in representation but also the artist’s mind and emotional contributions. Yet this is lacking in AI art. The warmth and inspiration in human’s creations are irreplaceable,” Ding Daoshi, an analyst said.
A more urgent issue is that there is no consensus of the ownership of AI art. Some users have openly sold some AI paintings and have earned money, but it is still a gray area about whether these artworks belong to users, the digital tool developers or even the AI itself.
Ding noted that the various sides should get together to debate the issue and come up with some accepted regulations as soon as possible because AI is already sticking deeply into every aspect of the lives of human beings.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What is the first paragraph mainly about?
| A．The development of AI paintings. |
| B．The classification of AI artworks. |
| C．The popularity of digital paintings. |
| D．The procedure in creating AI artworks. |
| A．It promotes his art career. | B．It reduces his cost in creation. |
| C．It maintains his painting style. | D．It improves his work efficiency. |
| A．Complaint. | B．Result. | C．Agreement. | D．Discussion. |
| A．Who owns the copyright of AI art. |
| B．What to do to ensure the quality of AI artworks. |
| C．How to tell human’s creations from AI paintings. |
| D．Whether AI paintings can replace traditional paintings. |
(以下是B种题型)
5. How do people create AI artworks?
6. Who are the major new users of the AI painting services?
7. What can’t be replaced by AI art according to Ding Daoshi?
8. What does paragraph 5 mainly talk about?
2 . For a period of time in the early 80s, I watched I Dream of Jeannie reruns every afternoon in the empty time between school and supper. But I always felt a little deflated when the closing theme came on, since it meant that I had to wait an entire day for the next episode.
Decades later, thanks to the modern technology, on-demand viewing and an endless supply of content now allow us to find exactly the entertainment we want, when we want it. My own kids happily binge-watch (刷剧) Fresh Off the Boat, just as I dreamed of doing with Jeannie.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about a disadvantage of our just-for-you world. My kids miss out on all the things that are not just for them. Looking back, some of my more memorable discoveries as a child came about only because I didn’t have access to entertainment that I would have preferred.
When we would visit our aunts, my sisters and brothers and I didn’t have tablets to keep ourselves occupied while the adults chatted. So we would read whatever we could find. I looked forward to Sunday afternoons at Aunt Rose’s so that I could catch up on aliens (外星人) and Hollywood stars in Weekly World News. These things — none of which were aimed at my tastes — were all that was on offer. However, they brought me so much enjoyment.
Electronic searching now takes us directly to what we seek. We are less likely to come across things that have nothing to do with what we are looking for. But finding something by accident is powerful in its purposelessness. It’s nature throwing things up against a wall to see what sticks. It’s the force that drives evolution.
Getting exactly what you want all the time sounds great. But as anyone who is familiar with fantasy stories knows, there’s always a catch.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What does the underlined word “deflated” in paragraph 1 mean?
| A．Depressed. | B．Thrilled. | C．Convinced. | D．Ashamed. |
| A．Latest tablets. | B．Brothers and sisters. |
| C．Various reading materials. | D．Pleasant conversations. |
| A．It contributes to the evolution. |
| B．It’s absolutely beneficial to adults. |
| C．It’s a blessing of this modern world. |
| D．It takes unexpected joy away from people. |
| A．What was on offer in the early 80s |
| B．What our kids miss out in a just-for-you world |
| C．How adults had fun with inaccessible entertainment |
| D．How anxious-to-please Internet changed the future of kids |
(以下是B种题型)
5. What is the main idea of paragraph 2?
6. Where did the author get memorable discoveries as a child?
7. What is the advantage of finding something by accident according to paragraph 5?
8. What does the author think of fantasy stories?
3 . In a year that has been characterized by the restriction, there are two activities I have found myself doing more of: running and writing.
At first glance, these two passions seem to be completely opposite. When I write, I’ll retreat (缩进) into my head, where I dig memories, ideas, characters to shape into stories. When I run, I’ll fully inhabit my body. The sounds and feelings of physical effort—foot strike, heartbeat and sweat—drown out the thoughts.
Despite their differences, though, there are similarities. Running and writing are both things we do alone. They both demand at times that we dig deep, keep going and never give up. I’ve also found that running can be complementary to writing. If I’ve been sat for hours, there’s nothing more restorative than getting out for a run. Sometimes when I’m least expecting it, solutions to tricky twists present themselves and ideas drop in as if the movement of running has itself shaken things into place. On the other hand, running especially long-distances has taught me to be brave, to look inside myself to see if there’s more to give. It has also taught me patience.
I’m far from the first runner to notice that running can help the writing process. Reflecting on her writing methods in an article in The New York Times, author and lifelong runner Joyce Oates wrote: Running seems to allow me, ideally, to have an expanded consciousness in which I can imagine what I’m writing as a film or a dream. I can’t say there is an expanded consciousness when I put on my trainers after a hard day’s writing, but there’s some evidence that working up a sweat can also fire up the imagination.
It’s not clear what’s behind the creativity though increased oxygen to the brain has been shown to help cognitive processes, so there’s no reason to think it’s useless. Whatever the link between running and creativity is, next time I find myself struggling to find the right words in the face of a deadline, I’ll run for it.
1. What does running contribute to the author’s writing process?| A．Exhaustion and challenges. | B．Relaxation and consciousness. |
| C．Affection and physical benefits. | D．Inspiration and creative solutions. |
| A．Really helpful. | B．Clearly different. |
| C．Negatively related. | D．Potentially dangerous. |
| A．She is stressed over struggles and deadlines. |
| B．She challenges the claim that running improves creativity. |
| C．She is determined to find out why running helps creativity. |
| D．She will keep running in order to help her writing process. |
| A．What I Have Learned From Running |
| B．Running May Fire up the Imagination |
| C．Differences Between Running and Writing |
| D．Science Says Running Is Good for One’s Health |
6. What did the author learn from long-distance running?
7. Why did the author mention Joyce Oates?
8. How does running influence the author’s writing?
4 . It was an accident. I brought a salad to a holiday party and the hostess gave me back the wrong spoon. It looked out of fashion, with a tiny snowflake engraved(刻)on the handle, unclean, nearly dull from use.
My home was lacking in teaspoons since my four-year-old son had a habit of clearing tableware(餐具)into the litter after meals and I lacked money for new spoons. So I held onto the spoon.
My two kids like arguing over everything and anything. I wasn’t happy about telling them to use the snowflake spoon. The moment it hit the placemat(餐具垫), it got a sideways look from my daughter Veronica, then six. “This isn’t ours,” she said.
I held it up like an exhibit. “Listen,” I said. “This is a special spoon. See the magic snowflake? Isn’t it cute?” I placed it in front of her. “I want you to use it.”
Next thing you know, four-year-old Louis asked why he didn’t get the special spoon. After that, the kids had to take turns eating with the special spoon. Years into negotiations over who got to use the special spoon, I finally admitted to the kids: enough already. It’s not actually special. I only said that so you wouldn’t refuse it in favor of our other teaspoons. But I was too late. By then, the snowflake spoon had gained its place in the drawer.
When my family condition improved, I brought home some new spoons. “What are you going to do with the old one?” asked Veronica. “It is special, and you’re not throwing it away,” she said. I felt deeply moved. At that moment, I realized I’ve created words that will bring unforgettable memories for my kids. I created “The Special Spoon”.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What can we learn about the special spoon?
| A．It was new when the author got it. |
| B．It was given to the author by mistake. |
| C．It was intended as a gift for the author. |
| D．It was loved by the daughter at first sight. |
| A．The spoon was refused by Veronica. |
| B．The spoon was thrown into the drawer. |
| C．The kids believed and competed for it. |
| D．The kids thought it was nothing special. |
| A．It was valued by the two kids. |
| B．It was replaced by the new ones. |
| C．It made the author richer and richer. |
| D．It inspired the author to create more spoons. |
| A．The Story 1 Told About the Special Spoon |
| B．Why I Lied to My Kids About the Spoon |
| C．The Most Beautiful Spoon I Have Ever Got |
| D．How I Created a Little Magic for My Family |
(以下是B种题型)
5. Why did the author lack spoons?
6. What was Veronica’s attitude towards the spoon at the beginning?
7. What does the underlined word “negotiations” in paragraph 5 mean in English?
8. What did the Special Spoon bring to the author’s family?
Wildfires are a natural occurrence in forest ecosystem. To some extent, small wildfires can help the forest ecosystem work better by burning unwanted natural fuel, like fallen leaves and branches. Because if natural fuel piles up in forests, it will spark hot, intense and fast-moving fires, which brings more risks of the outbreak of disastrous natural fires.
As researchers study the perfect balance between allowing natural fires to burn and preventing them from threatening human life, some believe sheep offer a better way to retard the fast spread of a wildfire. Cuyama Lamb, an agriculture company, pulls its weight, currently running about 700 sheep that graze(放牧) on the grass. Working with the company, the fire department directs the sheep to the area in most need of natural fuel clearance. Their job is one thing: eat. The space the sheep clear can create a “burn break” that stops a wildfire in its track. The sheep are more efficient and cost-effective than using machines to do the same task, and they can get to places that technology can’t.
Schneider, the founder of the company, hopes the sheep allow Californians to “have a healthy relationship with fires” in the future. “We aren’t going to save the world by grazing a few sheep up on the hillsides, but we can work with others and do something for the world. Doing this, I believe we will have a sustainable future,” she said.
(以下是A种题型)
1. How can wildfires benefit the forest ecosystem?
| A．They provide more natural fuel. |
| B．They contribute to the diversity of plants. |
| C．They keep a balance between human and nature. |
| D．They avoid disastrous fires caused by natural fuel. |
| A．Stimulate. | B．Prevent. | C．Predict. | D．Distinguish. |
| A．To create a firebreak. | B．To replace the fire fighters. |
| C．To improve the local farming. | D．To bring down tree-planting cost. |
| A．How to Protect the Ecosystem | B．How to Fight Against Wildfires |
| C．A Biological Way in Firefighting | D．A Successful Company in Agriculture |
(以下是B种题型)
5. What can cause disastrous natural fires according to paragraph 1?
6. Where are sheep the most useful according to the text?
7. What advantages do sheep have in firefighting?
8. What does “this” refer to in the last paragraph?
6 . Kate Wilson, a 16-year-old girl from England, holds up a book and smiles. “This is Day One of my reading The Little Prince,” she says. Then the video jumps forward. “And now”, she sighs deeply, her face covered with tears, “I end up crying so much that I have to change my shirt”.
This is BookTok, a collection of TikTok book-related videos on the short video platform. It has been an official reading community since April 2020. Bookworms gather on the platform to share their reading experiences by editing a video carefully at the length of less than 3 minutes. They “play”, “read” and “recommend” their favorite books, or recommend treasure writers who have never been discovered. It may sound like a simplified way to talk about books, but the most appealing point is that they can visually record videos to share the feelings of reading moment, and arouse a strong emotion, which written reviews cannot express instantly. So BookTok offers book lovers special reading experiences.
It has also driven a wave of old book sales in the market. A list of bestsellers from 20 years ago has been dug out, which most readers have never heard of. In fact, many of the books like It Ends With Us should not have been forgotten. On Amazon, BookTok is so influential that it has been added into the titles of books themselves. For instance, the novel It Ends With Us: BookTok made me buy it! is now riding high in the top 100. Under its influence, old titles were returning to the bestseller charts. Therefore, BookTok is devoted to bringing these classic books back.
Eventually, a great book finds its faithful readers. Thanks to BookTok, not only can more original works be appreciated, but the authors can attach more importance to literary creation. It is BookTok that offers such books “a second lease of life”.
(以下是A种题型)
1. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
| A．The importance of reading. | B．The influence of great books. |
| C．An example of using BookTok. | D．A story of a teenager booklover. |
| A．Users can apply editing skills. |
| B．Bookworms can gather regularly. |
| C．It can give instant book reviews visually. |
| D．Users can share reading experiences freely. |
| A．BookTok is added into their titles. |
| B．Book publishers find a new market. |
| C．They' re recommended by the treasure writers. |
| D．BookTok brings them back to people’s attention. |
| A．Classics Back to Life | B．Young People 's Favorites |
| C．A New Market for BookTok | D．A Platform for Visual Reading |
(以下是B种题型)
5. Where does Kate share her feeling of reading The Little Prince?
6. How do the bookworms share their reading experiences on BookTok?
7. What benefit does BookTok bring to the novel It Ends With Us?
8. Why do we say BookTok offers books “a second lease of life”?
7 . Free solo climbing is a risky form of rock climbing where the climber makes the climb alone without ropes or any other protective things. In June 2017, Alex Honnold completed an ultimate free solo climb up El Capitan, a 3,000-foot wall in Yosemite National Park.
On a freezing November morning in 2016, Alex determined to take up a challenge-a free solo climb of the world’s most famous vertical（垂直的）cliff. Every step, he had to be extra careful to keep the balance. All the time he had to shine his headlamp on the cold, smooth part of stones to decide where he could next place his foot. Unlike parts of the climb higher up that Alex could climb with his strong fingers, this lower part he must manage with a perfect balance of fine skills and confidence.
Every move tied people’s hearts. The cameraman said. “Every time I got no response, I thought Alex was bailing. But it turned out that I was wrong-He was still moving on.”
More physically challenging parts wait for him to climb up with his feel and hands pressing the rock. The Free blast is the most frightening part. In 2016, after several failures, Alex knew he would try again. His foot tap-tap-tapped against the wall as if he was feeling his way into the huge rock, but he wouldn’t turn back this time. And then, he stood on the top and he made it!
People view free soloing differently. Critics regard it as risky, considering the long list of those who’ve died attempting it. Others, myself included, recognize it as the sport's truest expression. Such was the attitude of Austrian climber Paul Preuss, the father of free soloing. He believed that the spirit of mountain-climbing was to master a mountain with wonderful physical and mental skill.
1. Why is the headlamp mentioned in paragraph 2?| A．To prove how dark the environment is. |
| B．To indicate how risky the free soloing is. |
| C．To share the great pleasure of a solo climber. |
| D．To introduce the location of the mountain climber. |
| A．Alex was climbing. |
| B．Alex was giving up. |
| C．Alex was struggling. |
| D．Alex was being saved |
| A．A great dream is limitless. |
| B．Wisdom is better than force. |
| C．Gains can't make up for losses. |
| D．Strong will leads to a smooth path. |
5. What did Alex need to climb the lower part?
6. What does "turn back" mean in paragraph 4?
7. How does Paul Preuss feel about free soloing?
8 . Blue Sheep, native to the Himalayas, lends its name to a small handicraft(手工艺品)store in downtown Chengdu. Rachael Pinniger, a 75-year-old woman from the UK, opened the store offering a wide range of handmade items. All of them are made by people with disabilities or serious diseases in remote areas of China. They are too poor to have their illnesses treated. While many of them are skilled in making traditional crafts, they have no market for their handmade products.
The most important thing is to help these people to be accepted into society. That’s not necessarily something the government can do. Rachael thought, “It’s up to all of us to give them a sense of confidence and self-respect.”
That inspired Rachael to open a store to help these disadvantaged people bring their crafts to the market so that they could make money and receive effective treatment. She spent nearly all of her life savings collecting products from them. Now, belts, wallets, and scarves...various beautifully designed and produced handicrafts can be found at Blue Sheep. More than 700 people have benefited from Rachael’s shop, although she has had to struggle for years to make ends meet in this very limited market. Despite financial pressure, she has continued to extend her market by encouraging her overseas friends to buy the products as home decorations or gifts. She collects feedback(反馈)from customers and gives the craftsmen suggestions on how to improve their products.
As a world traveler, Rachael has no plans for her next destination. At the moment, she will continue to try her best to keep the shop going so that she can help more people get through their hard times. Mother Teresa’s words “I can’t change the world, but I can change the world of one person,” have always been her motto(座右铭). “Anytime we can help one person; it makes life worthwhile, even if it’s not the world.” said Rachael.
（以下是A种题型）
1. What is Rachael’s purpose of opening the store?
| A．To preserve Chinese traditional handicrafts. |
| B．To give customers craft-making experiences. |
| C．To provide help for disadvantaged craftsmen. |
| D．To inspire the people who lack confidence. |
| A．By raising money from volunteers. |
| B．By increasing the price of products. |
| C．By turning to the government for help. |
| D．By seeking help from her overseas friends. |
| A．Proud and delicate. |
| B．Caring and determined. |
| C．Cooperative and humorous. |
| D．Ambitious and professional. |
| A．To bring Mother Teresa into public focus. |
| B．To praise the great minds of Mother Teresa. |
| C．To prove the importance of Rachael’s ability. |
| D．To stress the influence of great people on Rachael. |
（以下是B种题型）
5. What is the name of Rachael’s store?
6. What kind of people did Rachael help?
7. What does the underlined “That” in paragraph 3 refer to?
8. Will Rachael travel to her next destination soon? What’s her current plan?
9 . In the 1960s, the Born Free Foundation got the world’s attention with the story of Elsa, the lioness. The book and fiIm brought a new love of nature ever since. Elsa was raised by a British couple, George and Joy Adamson, in the Meru National Park in Kenya in the 1950s. Because Elsa’s mother died in 1956, the Adamsons had to care for the cub (幼兽). They taught her to hunt and live on her own and eventually released her back into the wild in the park. Then the Adamsons left for England.
After one year, they returned to the park, hoping to find Elsa. They happily discovered she hadn’t forgotten them. Inspired by their story, the Born Free Foundation was started in 1964 to help wild animals.
The story of Elsa played a huge part in raising awareness of the conservation (保护) of wildlife, especially the lion, to an international audience. The Meru National Park became an important conservation site, attracting thousands of tourists each year to see the wildlife. But a few years later, things changed entirely. Wars broke out in Kenya. Poachers (偷猎者) began taking over the park. As a result, animals were killed and eventually most of the animal populations were wiped out.
In 1989, Kenya government took action to solve the problems. The Kenya Wildlife Service was started. Their solution was to slowly reintroduce animals back into the park. Members of the Born Free Foundation also helped to restore the park to the state it was in when Elsa wandered (闲逛) free. In this way, they continued the good work that the Adamsons had started many years before. Through these measures, the animals, including the lions, once again thrive and wander free there.
（以下是A种题型）
1. What do we know about the Born Free Foundation?
| A．It is a government organization. | B．It was started by the Adamsons. |
| C．It aims to help wild animals in England | D．It was set up after the story of Elsa was known. |
| A．Poachers’ control of the park. | B．More and more national parks. |
| C．The large number of visitors each year. | D．The growing population of the wildlife. |
| A．Get killed | B．Disppear suddenly. | C．Increase greatly. | D．Be driven out. |
| A．Uninterested | B．Doubtful | C．Passive. | D．Positive. |
（以下是 B种题型）
5. What did the Adamsons do to help EIsa?
6. Why did the Adamsons come back to the park again?
7. What happened to the animals in the park after the war broke out in Kenya?
8. What did the government do to solve the problems?
10 . According to a 2010 report, up to 14 million tons of plastic from 192 nations went into the sea that year. That's more than twice the weight of the Pyramid of Khufu (胡夫金字塔). Plastics stay forever in landills, waterways and the oceans, and sea animals. An amount of (大量的) plastic is harmful to sea animals. Much plastic trash is washed up on the shore, which does harm to the environment.
Angela Haseltine Pozzi didn't like seeing that on the beach near her home in Bandon. She wanted to call on her community to clean it up. So she started an organization called Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea. Since 2010, more than 10.000 vonlunteers have collected 21 tons of trush from Oregon's 482 kilometers of shoreline. Using plastic from the beach cleanup, Ms. Pozzi and her staff and many volunteers create sculptures of sea animals.
Ms. Pozzi gives credit to everyone who helps. However little it is, their effort is highly thought of. Some people have picked up the plastic, and others have sorted the items by color. Still others have washed each piece of plastic trash. Ms. Pozzi is responsible for the detail work. More than 70 works of art have been created. Four travelling exhibits have displayed the sculptures in more than 18 places. Most sculptures are about 19 feet tall and take from six months to a year to complete. One of the first is Henry the Giant Fish, a 15-foot-long fish made of used bottle caps, toys and lighters, which received a great honor.
The Washed Ashore sculptures, hopefully, will make people aware of how so much plastic ends up in the oceans. Now, the Washed Ashore team is working on a sculpture of a dolphin, with plans for more sculptures. "Until we run out of plastic on the beach, the work will continue." Ms. Porzzi says.
（以下是A种题型）
1. Why is the Pyramid of Khufu mentioned in paragraph 1?
| A．To present the harm of the trash. |
| B．To show the amount of the plastic. |
| C．To describe the shape of the sculpture. |
| D．To prove the popularity of the Pyramid |
| A．Praises.. | B．Trusts. |
| C．Organizes. | D．Influencs |
| A．The first sculpture needs improvement. |
| B．The plastic on the beach will be used up. |
| C．More plastic has entered the ocean since 2010. |
| D．Teamwork leads to the success of the sculptures. |
| A．Art to Save the Sea |
| B．Trash on the Shore |
| C．Specal Sculptures on Display |
| D．Ms. Pozzi,a Talented Artist |
（以下是B种题型）
5. What does "that" refer to in paragraph 2?
6. Why did Ms.Pozzi start the Washed Ashore?
7. How long does it take Ms. Pozzi's team to finish a sculpture?
8. How can the sculptures help protect the oceans?
