1 . Vehicles on our roads are now mostly petrol and diesel (柴油) cars, but their days cannot continue for much longer. A recent university study found that current electric cars could be used for 87 percent of daily car journeys in the US. That figure could rise to 98 percent by 2020.
One hurdle to the widespread adoption of electric cars has been “range anxiety” — drivers concerns about running out of electricity on a journey. While petrol stations are conveniently located across national road systems, the necessary network of electric charging stations is still being developed. That said, charging points are becoming increasingly common throughout the USA.
Attitudes towards electric vehicles have changed greatly over the last few years. Not that long ago, electric cars were met with distrust, and their high prices drove customers away. Thanks to improvements in battery capacity, recharging times, performance and price, the current generation of electric cars are starting to persuade picky consumers. Plug-in cars will soon give internal combustion engine (内燃机) models a run for their money.
As well as development on the road, electric vehicles are taking to the seas and skies. Electric boats are among the oldest methods of electric travel, having enjoyed several decades of popularity from the late 19th to the early 20th century before petrol-powered outboard motors took over. Now, the global drive for renewable energy sources is bringing electric boats back. Steps towards electric air travel are also being made, with Airbus and NASA among the organizations developing and testing battery-powered planes. The experiments could soon make commercial electric flight a reality.
Electric vehicles do not produce any emissions (排放). If the US could replace 87 percent of its cars with electric vehicles, it would reduce the national demand for petrol by 61 percent. However, because of the production processes and the generation of electricity required to charge these vehicles, they cannot claim (声称) to be completely emission-free. That said, as many countries continue to increase their use of renewable energy sources, electric vehicles will become even cleaner.
1. The underlined word “hurdle” in Paragraph 2 probably means________.| A．aim | B．difficulty | C．result | D．step |
| A．They were very poorly made. | B．They were not widely promoted. |
| C．They were expensive. | D．They couldn’t travel at a high speed. |
| A．To introduce the history of electric travel. |
| B．To explain why the world needs more electric cars. |
| C．To show why more people have interest in electric cars. |
| D．To describe different ways electric vehicles can be used. |
| A．Driving into a Cleaner Future | B．History of Electric Cars |
| C．Problems with Petrol and Diesel Cars | D．Best Means of Transportation |
2 . With the approaching of New Year, more and more visitors will come to China. Don’t know where you should go? Here are some places recommended for you.
Shanghai Expo Culture Park
The Shanghai Expo Culture Park will soon open its northern section to the public, in which the major attractions include a traditional garden that is similar in design to Shanghai’s famous Yuyuan Garden and a 400-meter avenue exhibiting the history of the area, while in the southern section lies a grand theater.
Macao Tower AJ Hackett Bungee Jump
The Macao Tower, 338 meters tall, is the world’s 10th highest tower, with a variety of activities, such as eating and entertainment. One of the activities which enjoy good fame is the bungee jump. The AJ Hackett Macao Tower Bungee Jump is 233 meters high, making it a Guinness World Record as the highest commercial (商业的) bungee jump in the world. Raise your arms and off you go!
Harbin’s Frozen World
For those who have never been to Harbin, there is an almost endless list of things to do. At Harbin Ice—Snow World, you can not only see the world—famous ice architecture, but also have great fun! You can have hotpot at the restaurants which are made of ice, enjoying the product of both ice and fire, go down the world’s longest ice slide (滑梯) and join in the popular Ice and Snow Electronic Music Festival to welcome 2024.
The winter is cold and the night is long, so why not go to the theatre? Harbin was listed by the United Nations as a “music city” in 2010. Harbin Grand Theater is where artistic souls defrost (化霜) a little to share their love of art.
1. Where should visitors go if they want to do extreme sports?| A．Shanghai Expo Culture Park. | B．The Macao Tower. |
| C．Shangha’s Yuyuan Garden. | D．Harbin Ice—Snow World. |
| A．Attend a famous music festival. | B．Play with both ice and fire. |
| C．Turn water into instant ice. | D．Learn to make ice architecture. |
| A．They have a high tower. | B．They have a long ice slide. |
| C．They have a grand theater. | D．They have traditional architecture. |
3 . A mother of nine who started medical school when her youngest child was 4 years old graduated with her degree and plans to be a neurosurgeon (神经外科医生).
Sarah Merrill, now 41, said her journey to medical school began at age 17. She then met her husband and got married. Merrill first thought about going to school part-time to get a degree, but later she decided to follow her dream of attending medical school. Certainly, it was a challenge. Speaking of her successfully returning to university, Merrill thought it was credited to her family largely. “When I was accepted at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine, we moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona,” said Merrill, who is moving to Indiana with her family to begin her residency (实习期) in neurosurgery. “In fact, they volunteered these movements. I know it was tough for all of us.”
Merrill and her children often have “homework parties” where they study for their own courses. Merrill’s choice has given a stimulus to her children. Merrill felt touched knowing her 11-year-old daughter wants to become a surgeon and overhearing her son tell his friends his mom’s going to be a cool brain surgeon, though he doesn’t understand that really.
Merrill’s next step into a neurosurgery residency will take her into a male-dominated field where only 5% of board certified neurosurgeons are women. Dr. Michele Halyard at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine said Merrill was known as a focused student. Halyard said, “If you can deal with nine children and keep your reason, the residency should be a piece of cake because no amount of stress will make you fail.”
Merrill had considered choosing a more family-friendly specialty, but, again, chose to dream big and follow her original pursuit. It’s the same advice she would give to all. “Set the goal that is what you’re really enthusiastic about, and it helps to think small. If you know what your priorities are, focus on the next step. Then you’ll get where you want to go.”
1. Why does Merrill speak of their movements?| A．To show the support of her family. |
| B．To stress her determination to be a doctor. |
| C．To reflect difficulties in attending college. |
| D．To describe the process of pursuing her dream. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．Inspiration. |
| C．Commitment. | D．Confusion. |
| A．Merrill will have more stress to handle. |
| B．Staying focused and sensible is key to success. |
| C．Being Mom makes Merrill a better doctor. |
| D．She is confident of Merrill’s being a neurosurgeon. |
| A．Starting with small things. |
| B．Getting your priorities right. |
| C．Being true to your passion. |
| D．Having the courage to dream big. |
4 . When the company OpenAI developed its new artificial intelligence (AI) program, ChatGPT, in late 2022, educators began to worry. ChatGPT could create text that seemed like a human wrote it. How could teachers discover whether students were using language created by an AI chatbot to cheat on a writing task?
As a linguist who studies the effects of technology on how people read, write and think, I believe there are other more pressing concerns besides cheating. These include whether AI, more generally, threatens student writing skills, the value of writing as a process, and the importance of regarding writing as a tool for thinking.
As part of my research on the effects of AI on human writing, I surveyed young adults in the U.S. about some issues related to those effects. One participant said that at some point if you depend on predictive text, you’re going to lose your spelling abilities. Enter “Was Rom” into a Google search and you’re given a list of choices like “Was Rome built in a day”. Type “ple” into a text message and you’re offered “please” and “plenty”. These tools complete our sentences automatically, giving us little chance to think about our spelling, and continuously asking us to follow their suggestions.
Evan Selinger, a philosopher, worried that predictive texting reduces the power of writing as a form of mental activity and personal expression. “By encouraging us not to think too deeply about our words, predictive technology may change how we deal with each other,” Selinger wrote. “We give others more algorithms (算法) and less of ourselves. Automation can stop us thinking and the resulting text didn’t feel like mine anymore.”
I asked ChatGPT whether it was a threat to humans’ motivation to write. The bot responded: “There will always be a demand for creative, original content that requires the unique viewpoint of a human writer.” It continued: “Writing serves many purposes beyond just the creation of content, such as self-expression, communication, and personal growth, which can continue to encourage people to write even if certain types of writing can be automated.”
I was glad to find the program had seemingly admitted its limitations.
1. What is the author’s main concern about ChatGPT?| A．Whether it will lead to students’ cheating. |
| B．Whether it will shape students’ writing style. |
| C．How students will make use of it at school. |
| D．What effects it will have on students’ writing. |
| A．Give us more creative ideas. | B．Make us write like a machine. |
| C．Encourage us to think more deeply. | D．Make us tend to ignore grammatical mistakes. |
| A．Writing will become completely automated. | B．Robots will work with humans in writing. |
| C．Robot writing will become more creative. | D．Human writing will still matter a lot. |
| A．What impact will AI bring to writing? | B．What is the future of modern literature? |
| C．How to improve writing with AI’s help? | D．How to apply AI technology to education? |
5 . Volunteer with Red Cross
Volunteering expands your skills and experience, increases your employability and is a way to stay active and engaged with the community. It’s also a way for you to give back to the community and help people who need a hand. Here are some of our community services:
Aged Care Services for older peopleOur social support and aged care services provide a range of support for older people.They can be matched one-on-one with a volunteer, receive regular caring welfare calls, be driven to appointments, be provided with a personal alarm or be delivered a healthy meal.We can also support them to access appropriate housing and care.
Homelessness ServicesRed Cross believes that everyone deserves a home that is safe, secure and affordable. In an average year, Red Cross helps 2,180 people to find housing, supports 1,360 people at risk of becoming homeless, and provides 43,400 meals for people experiencing hardship.
We support people who are at risk of losing their rental property by negotiating with landlords(房东) or finding more suitable accommodation. We also help clients to man age the potential issues which contribute to their housing problems, including income management,misuse of alcohol or other drugs.
We build life skills by supporting people who have been homeless to develop community connection and friendship through one-on-one matching with a volunteer, providing education and training support, and teaching first-aid skills. These new connections and skills make a big difference, helping people move out of cycles of homelessness.
Mental Health Support ServicesRed Cross provides mental health support services and programs that promote the participation of people with a men tal illness in the community and support the well-being of young people. Red Cross wants to support those people to be more independent, to improve their well-being and social connection, and to build their confidence and skills.
1. What support do Aged Care Services and Homelessness Services both provide?| A．Training support. | B．One-on-one service. |
| C．Regular welfare calls. | D．Free accommodation. |
| A．By teaching money management. |
| B．By maintaining friendship with landlords. |
| C．By finding suitable housing. |
| D．By developing community connection. |
| A．Cure of mental diseases. | B．Personality rebuilding. |
| C．Daily medical assistance. | D．Community participation. |
6 . Children should do housework. That’s a controversial (有争议的) idea, though not everyone will admit it. A few parents will say that their children are too busy for housework. Many more of us assign (分派) housework, or say we believe in them, but the housework just doesn’t get done.
That’s a problem. For starters, housework is good for kids. Being a part of the routine work of running a household helps children develop an awareness of the needs of others, while at the same time contributing to their emotional well-being.
One small study, done over a period of 25 years, found that the best predictor (预测) for young adults’ success in their mid-20s was whether they participated in household tasks at age 3 or 4. Those early shared responsibilities extended to a sense of responsibility in other areas of their lives.
But for all that their help matters, few kids are doing much around the house at all. In a survey of 1,000 American adults, 75 percent said they believed regular housework made kids “more responsible”. Yet while 82 percent reported having had regular housework growing up, only 56 percent of those with children said they required them to do housework.
Sports and homework are not get-out-of-housework-free cards. The goal, after all, is to raise adults who can balance a caring role in their families and communities with whatever lifetime achievement goals they choose. Housework teaches that balance.
What should you do when getting children to do housework? Accept no excuses. Don’t worry if you must repeat yourself again and again. If you’re spending more time getting the child to do this job than it would take to do it yourself, then you’re doing it right. Can a payment help? Maybe. But if you’re trying to teach kids to share the responsibility of a home, paying them for routine housework is not the right message.
1. What can we infer from the first paragraph?| A．Very few children get housework done. | B．Children are very busy with housework. |
| C．Housework is a must-do for parents. | D．Family members should respect each other. |
| A．Housework helps a man live a happy life. | B．A man’s success depends on his housework. |
| C．Housework benefits a sense of responsibility. | D．A child must start doing housework at Age 3. |
| A．Balance housework and study. | B．Help the child do housework positively. |
| C．Do housework by themselves. | D．Pay the child for housework. |
| A．Adults Do Less Housework in the US | B．Housework Matters to Children. |
| C．Parents Words Speak Louder | D．Children Need More Care at Home |
