1 . Microsoft says it has used the natural language AI ChatGPT to control robots with simple text commands. The approach means people with no engineering experience will be able to instruct robots to carry out tasks.
Microsoft said the research was intended “to see if ChatGPT can think beyond text, and reason about the physical world to help with robotics tasks”. Robots are typically controlled by software that has been written by humans and sets out precise instructions, or else by some form of network AI that can learn to carry out tasks based on large numbers of examples.
Neither Microsoft nor Open AI responded to a request for comment on this, but Microsoft said ChatGPT allows a user to monitor the process. ChatGPT isn’t in direct, real-time control of the robot, but simply creates the code that controls it. Microsoft said ChatGPT output shouldn’t be used directly to control a robot without “careful analysis”, but experts warn that it is risky to even begin thinking about placing AI in control of physical machines.
Mark Coeckelbergh at the University of Vienna, Austria, says that regulations may be needed in order to set out where AI can be used and who is responsible should things go wrong. “It’s a very dangerous thing to just say ‘let’s give control of these computers to AI’,” says Coeckelbergh. “The problem with contemporary artificial intelligence is that it’s not transparent to the user. That’s a huge problem.”
Others were doubtful about the ability of language models to program robots for complex tasks. Kathleen Richardson at De Montfort University Leicester, UK, says that AI language models are convincing mimics (模仿者), but that their real ability — including their adaptability to control robots — is often overblown. “I think Microsoft, and most people who design robots, overstate what they can and can’t do,” she says.
1. What’s the purpose of the research conducted by Microsoft?| A．To prove ChatGPT’s capacity to carry out tasks. | B．To test ChatGPT’s ability to control robots. |
| C．To teach ChatGPT to give accurate instructions. | D．To identify the hidden problems of ChatGPT. |
| A．Curious. | B．indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Opposed. |
| A．It’s safe to use AI to control physical machines. | B．AI’s adaptability to control robots is reliable. |
| C．Regulations of AI use should be in place. | D．The problem with AI is still under debate. |
| A．ChatGPT tells robots what to do. | B．Power of ChatGPT is changing us. |
| C．Problems of ChatGPT need solving. | D．AI takes control of robots wisely. |
2 . Welcome to “Cash Poor Points Rich”, a new travel blog dedicated to sharing experiences with credit card points and miles to help you get big travel but for small spend. With the right planning and maximization of available resources, traveling as a college student may be easier than you think.
Chengdu, China
If visiting a place with happy locals is a priority for you, there’s no better city to hit than Chengdu. It is home to pandas and spicy things. Moreover, the city’s abundance of cultural and historical sights, together with its laid-back lifestyle, make itself one of the most attractive and livable large cities too. Past travelers have spent, on average,￥158 on meals and about a quarter of that on local transportation for one day.
Con Dao Island, Vietnam
Tourism is picking up in Vietnam lately, where you can travel for about ￥100 per day if you play your cards right. Con Dao Island Nation Park, a group of dramatic tiny islands off the southern coast, is a great destination to see sea turtles and other wildlife while exploring the area on foot. Its thick jungle will give you a good chance to uncover a paradise of your own.
Zakynthos Island, Greece
If you’re looking for an affordable European summer beach vacation, consider Zakynthos Island. Food is cheap and mouthwatering. There are plenty of free things to do, although the favorite is spending time on the beautiful beaches edged by electric blue water. There are countless options for swimming in the appealing sea, along with charming villages and museums to explore.
New Orleans, U. S.
New Orleans is an incredibly unique place in the U.S., full of fascinating history, absorbing culture, delicious food, and a constantly buzzing nightlife scene. There are actually a couple of hostels in and near the French Quarter that offer reasonable accommodation rates for students.
1. How much on average might be spent on meals and transportation in Chengdu per day?| A．￥13. | B．￥100. | C．￥158. | D．￥200. |
| A．Abundant cultures. | B．Free tourist attractions. |
| C．Impressive sea views. | D．Large museums. |
| A．It offers unique services for students. |
| B．Hostels there are clean and modern. |
| C．The price of hostels there is affordable for students. |
| D．It has the longest history in New Orleans. |
3 . “Mom.” Eric pulled gently at his mom’s sleeve. Eric’s mom turned to Eric briefly, showing him a hand gesture to wait before pointing at her work phone. Eric knew he’d be
He returned to the living room. Dad was also
Finally, Erie’s dad sat beside him on the couch. “I’m
“But you always say that, and it never
“We’ll make it up to you this weekend.” Mom entered the room and put a hand on his shoulder. “Santa will visit the mall to collect
Eric spent the next few days working on his letter to Santa. On Saturday morning, he woke up
Grandma smiled at him. “Your mom and dad had to work today, so they asked me to
“No, I don’t want to go anymore.” Eric turned away.
Late that evening, Erie’s parents came home. Grandma Annie said to them, “I know you both have to work very hard, but it’s important to make
Eric’s mom and dad looked at each other, feeling
After Grandma Annie
They
| A．staying | B．waiting | C．playing | D．waving |
| A．busy | B．free | C．relaxed | D．casual |
| A．nervous | B．glad | C．sorry | D．fine |
| A．lasts | B．functions | C．happens | D．ends |
| A．gifts | B．toys | C．books | D．letters |
| A．embarrassed | B．frightened | C．shocked | D．excited |
| A．expected | B．demanded | C．managed | D．agreed |
| A．search for | B．talk about | C．look after | D．take over |
| A．theater | B．park | C．mall | D．hospital |
| A．time | B．money | C．food | D．energy |
| A．disappointed | B．concerned | C．secure | D．guilty |
| A．resigned | B．appeared | C．argued | D．left |
| A．passed | B．wrote | C．noticed | D．sent |
| A．spread | B．handed | C．carried | D．picked |
| A．laughter | B．flames | C．tears | D．bloom |
4 . Just when I start to worry about the fate of the world, along comes a new generation of innovators who are making big changes in the way things are done.
Nikita Rafikov
Nikita is young, but he has big plans for the future, and he has the ideas to get him there. The 11-year-old developed a way to embed (嵌入) Green Fluorescent Proteins (GFP) into windows to create efficient lighting. GFP is the protein found in certain jellyfish that creates those cool bioluminescence (生物发光) cffects seen in nature photography. By embedding this protein into windows, Rafikov has found a way to light homes without the use of electricity.
Lynnae Shuck
After a positive volunteer experience at a nearby wildlife refuge, Lynnae wanted to find a way to teach more kids the role of refuges and give them more opportunities to help preserve them. So she carried out the Junior Refuge Ranger program where kids aged 8 participate in labs, habitat hikes, and birding expeditions to learn about conservation, endangered species protection, habitat restoration, and environmental awareness.
David Cohen
David Cohen’s big idea is the perfect example of how creative kids can be when they are allowed to think outside the box. Cohen was learning about earthworms in science class when he wanted to build a robotic earthworm, after which he wrote the code behind a prototype robot. By loading the robot with heat-sensing technology, GPS, and other life-saving programs, Cohen’s robot could be used to find and rescue people safely and efficiently.
Jai Kumar
Jai likes to invent things, especially things that provide simple solutions to everyday problems. The 12-year-old middle-schooler has created a gaming system for the senior as weil as an automatic light dimmer (自动变光装置) that senses sound levels in the school cafeteria. But what landed him on this list of eco-innovators is his window-mounted solar-powered air filtration device designed for developing countries where air pollution is very high. The device uses inexpensive components to purify the air before it enters the houses.
1. Who has made contributions to protecting wildlife?| A．Nikita Rafikov. | B．Jai Kumar. |
| C．David Cohen. | D．Lynnae Shuck. |
| A．Replace the heat-sensing system. | B．Provide light automatically. |
| C．Search and rescue people. | D．Accompany the senior. |
| A．The windows with GFP. | B．A solar-powered air filtration device. |
| C．An automatic light dimmer. | D．A game system. |
5 . Stephanie and Andrew McGuire of Brentwood, Tennessee don’t know how much time they have left with their little girl, Adalyn. Adalyn was just 3 years old when she was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), an aggressive brain tumor (肿瘤).
For the past year, Adalyn had bravely fought her brain tumor. She spent six weeks in the hospital getting 30rounds of radiation nearly every day. Even as she lost some of her hair, she insisted on wearing her “Princess Elsa” braids (辫子), modeled by her favorite character in Frozen. Her love of Disney princesses never ended, even as she fought for her life.
Her treatment options were done, and the family didn’t know what the future held, so they decided to celebrate Adalyn’s 4th birthday a few months early. They called upon their community to help, and they couldn’t believe the outpouring of support they received.
Tanya Sturm is the founder of Dreams & Wishes of Tennessee, a non-profit project that fulfils wishes for kids who relapsed from cancer and young adults just diagnosed. Their wishes are funded by donations and cost less than $2,500 each.
“Adalyn’s wish is to have a huge princess party,” Tanya wrote on the Internet. “She wants to build a snowman with Elsa, Anna, and Olaf. She wants to dance with Belle and she wants a princess dress, possibly a yellow one because that’s her favorite color right now.”
Before long, Tanya and her army of volunteers had put together a surprise fit for a princess! People quickly signed up to dress up as characters from Frozen and other Disney films, and the team arranged a kid-friendly menu selected by Adalyn.
“I put requests on social media and it was amazing how people wanted to help,” Tanya recalled. Adalyn was a little nervous at first, but as soon as she saw Olaf, she rushed to give him “a warm hug”. The party was held at a friend of the family’s home. Someone donated a yellow princess dress for the birthday girl, and princess-themed balloons decorated the halls. Over 40 people attended the party, and guests feasted on meatballs, hot dogs, cheese and so on.
1. What do the underlined words ”relapsed from” mean in paragraph 4?| A．Recurred. | B．Studied. | C．Defeated. | D．Treated. |
| A．To raise funds for treating seriously ill children. |
| B．To make seriously ill children’s wishes come true. |
| C．To achieve the dreams of sick children and adults. |
| D．To donate less than $2,500 to each ill person. |
| A．Favorable. | B．Intolerant. | C．Doubtful. | D．Ambiguous. |
| A．A medical paper. | B．A news report. |
| C．A travel brochure. | D．A life magazine. |
6 . Spending time in the great outdoors is a full-on sensory experience with nature’s views, endless skies, grand forests, the sounds of the wind and wildlife, and the warm feeling of sun-beams (阳光) resting on your face.
In fact, a recent study, published in the journal Ambio, found that nature doesn’t just smell good, and its fragrances make people feel good as well. The researchers from the University of Kent in the UK sent 194 participants to woodlands throughout the four seasons. The participants reported feeling relaxed and refreshed when they smelled what they described as “fresh air” or “earthy smells”. According to Earth. com, these smells awakened pleasant memories from their childhoods.
While it is well known that being in nature makes people feel good, this study was the first to focus on the olfactory (嗅觉的) aspect of the outdoors. The results showed that there may be more to smell than people give it credit for. The researchers wrote in the study, “We found smells affected multiple aspects of well-being with physical well-being discussed most frequently.”
The same study uncovered the relaxing effect of lack of smells, according to CBS News. People feel more settled in a smell-free zone, with this result possibly linked to the absence of bad-smelling urban smells, like pollution, that interfere (干扰、阻碍) with well-being. The study found that even the absence of pollution and unwanted smells that are associated with urban life was noticed by the participants to improve their physical well-being.
Dr Jessica Fisher, study co-author and postdoctoral research associate at Kent’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, said, “The study provides findings that can inform the work of practitioners, public health specialists, policy-makers and landscape planners looking to improve well-being outcomes through nature. Small interventions (干预) could lead to public health benefits. So, when it comes to enjoying a hike in the woods, a pienic under the open skies, or a day at the beach, it pays to keep one’s eyes and ears, but also one’s nose, open.”
1. Why is the study mentioned in paragraph 2 different from other similar ones?| A．It adopted innovative research methods. | B．It involved a number of participants. |
| C．It was supported officially. | D．It was the first to turn to studying the sense of smell. |
| A．Different smells have different functions. |
| B．No smell is better than a bad one. |
| C．Nature smells are necessary to people’s life. |
| D．Pleasant smells can improve people’s sense of smell. |
| A．To enjoy nature by their sense of smell as well |
| B．To participate in outdoor activities frequently. |
| C．To be exposed to natural smells as much as possible. |
| D．To be away from places with bad smells. |
| A．The Sounds of the Wind and Wildlife |
| B．A Scientific Study Applied to Our Real Life. |
| C．Smell of Nature Improves Well-being. |
| D．Pollution and Bad Smell are Associated with Urban Life. |
7 . Scientists in Israel have developed a gene-edited hen that could help avoid killing billions of male chicks every year. Male layer chicks are of no value to the egg-laying industry, since they’re not female and cannot lay eggs; and they’re unwanted by the meat industry, since they have the wrong body type and are not fast-growing broilers (肉鸡). An estimated seven billion male chicks are killed annually.
This is understandably troubling for many people, and various attempts to solve the problem have been proposed over the years. Mainly these focus on trying to identify a bird’s sex as early as possible so as to abandon it prior to development or hatching (孵化).
This latest development, however, takes it to another level by preventing the male chick from developing altogether. The “Golda” hen, as it’s called, has DNA edited into it that stops the development of male embryos (胚胎) when the egg is exposed to blue light for several hours. Female embryos are not affected by the light and hatch and grow as usual. They do not contain any of the edited material, nor do the eggs they lay, so consumers needn’t be concerned about consuming genetically modified (转基因) eggs.
The BBC explains how the gene-edited hens end up with all-female chicks. Females carry a W and a Z chromosome (染色体) (WZ). Males carry two Z chromosomes (ZZ). The Golda hen has a W chromosome and a gene-edited Z*chromosome (WZ*), preventing embryo development when exposed to blue light.
If WZ*+ZZ=WZ, +blue light=female chick hatches
If WZ*+ZZ=Z*Z, +blue light=male doesn’t hatch
The actual science is being kept under wraps, since the Volcani Institute plans to license its technology through a company called Poultry by Huminn. There is no peer-reviewed study yet. But the animal welfare organization Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) has been following the research closely for three years, visited the firm, and backs the development
CIWF’s Research and Education Team explained, “The great advantage of this gene-edit is that it appears to have no bad effect on animal health and welfare. Our current support for this technology is in principle, as the next important step is to see whether the hen and the female chicks she produces - who will lay eggs for human consumption-can go through a commercial lifespan without any unexpected issues arising.”
1. Why are a large number of male chicks killed every year?| A．Their meat tastes better. |
| B．They have high nutritional value. |
| C．They grow more slowly than female ones. |
| D．They can’t make profits for egg-laying industry. |
| A．Any of the edited material is contained in its female embryos. |
| B．It has raised consumers’ concern about its eggs’ nutrition. |
| C．Its female embryos are more affected by blue light. |
| D．Its male embryos won’t hatch or grow when exposed to blue light. |
| A．Their complex genes. | B．Their gene types. |
| C．Their hatching principle. | D．Their genetic composition. |
| A．Whether the gene-edited hens will cause unpredicted issues. |
| B．Whether the gene-edited hens will bring profits. |
| C．Whether the gene-edited hens will affect consumers’ health. |
| D．Whether the gene-edited hens will replace those without edited genes. |
8 . My son was entering Grade 1. He was a bit nervous because he knew his best friend would not be in his new class. I explained to him that even though his best friend would not be in his class, he would still have some of his old classmates.
On the first day of school when the class list was posted, I was shocked! My son had zero former classmates in his class. None. Not one.
How could this happen?
I asked my friend who works with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. She explained, “Many largely populated schools often shuffle (重组) the kids around each year to encourage new friendships.”
If schools are actively trying to place two best friends in different classes simply to shake things up, I think it is a blunder.
I was lucky enough to attend the same primary school all the way through. It was a small class and our group of students moved through each grade together. We felt like brothers and sisters. It was wonderful.
While it may be good to shake things up a bit in the older grades, it seems almost cruel (残忍的) to separate good friends in the younger grades without good cause.
One mom named Karen says that her son is always starting a new grade without any close friends. At first, she thought it was a good idea. Then she realized one thing—her son does not have a “best friend”, which makes her pretty worried. In fact, she thinks that he does not have any close friends because his classmates are always changing.
Part of a school’s responsibility is to provide a safe and comfortable space for children to learn and grow. If that environment is always changing—causing terrible results—perhaps it is time to rethink this practice.
1. The story in the first two paragraphs is used to ________.| A．offer some reasons | B．introduce the topic |
| C．show the author’s feelings | D．set an example |
| A．Mistake. | B．Reason. | C．Advance. | D．Improvement. |
| A．Smaller classes are better. | B．It’s important to have good friends. |
| C．Friendships should be developed at school. | D．It’s wonderful to have old classmates. |
| A．Objective | B．Surprised | C．Doubtful | D．Positive |
9 . A little girl created a perfect gift for her mother’s birthday. It was a drawing of a
For most people, that would be the
“I was sitting at my friend’s house and saw a man’s
The comments included one from Robert Alvarado. He wrote, “I can’t
“Eventually the letter made it home,” said Alvarado. “We are
| A．bird | B．card | C．cake | D．flower |
| A．received | B．destroyed | C．lost | D．posted |
| A．end | B．part | C．influence | D．cause |
| A．promised | B．invited | C．seen | D．called |
| A．paper | B．cash | C．bag | D．tool |
| A．proved | B．explained | C．realised | D．agreed |
| A．satisfied | B．frightened | C．shocked | D．moved |
| A．start | B．continue | C．brighten | D．ruin |
| A．obviously | B．extremely | C．especially | D．probably |
| A．photograph | B．arrival | C．conclusion | D．reply |
| A．forget | B．believe | C．understand | D．pretend |
| A．read | B．present | C．return | D．publish |
| A．ready | B．thankful | C．responsible | D．anxious |
| A．little | B．certain | C．useless | D．extra |
| A．helpful | B．beneficial | C．lasting | D．suitable |
10 . I’m a 34-year-old man, married, live in a nice house, and have a successful career as an educational consultant (顾问). But my life was not always so great. My learning disability made my school days very challenging from an early age. I went to a special school where I got plenty of extra help. Still, I suffered the rest of my school days in public schools.
My life improved greatly when I discovered art. The art world gave me a chance to express myself without words. I went to a workshop and gradually got good at making things with clay (黏土). Here I learned my first important lesson: disabled as I was in language, I could still be smart and well express myself with clay. And my confidence came along.
I got my next lesson from rock climbing. It was a fun thing but I was scared from the start. I soon noticed it wasn’t a talent thing; it was practice. So I did it more. After about five years of climbing, I found myself in Yosemite Valley on a big wall. I learned that if you fall in love with something and do it all the time, you will get better at it.
Later I decided to apply my previous experience to leaning how to read and write. Every day I practiced reading and writing, which I used to avoid as much as possible. After two hard years, I was literate (有读写能力).
Having gone through the long process with art, rock climbing, and reading and writing, now I’ve got to a point in my life where I know I am smart enough to dive into an area that is totally unknown, hard, but interesting.
1. What did the author think of his school days?| A．Great. | B．Successful. | C．Challenging. | D．Frightening. |
| A．Rock climbing. | B．Reading and writing. |
| C．Extra help in a special school. | D．The art of making things with clay. |
| A．Live and learn. | B．Practice makes perfect. |
| C．Everyone has his own strengths. | D．A good beginning makes a good ending. |
| A．Unknown. | B．Two years. | C．34 years. | D．About five years. |
