1 . Quantum ( 量子 ) computers have been on my mind a lot lately. A friend has been sending me articles on how quantum computers might help solve some of the biggest challenges we face as humans. I’ve also had exchanges with two quantum-computing experts. One is computer scientist Chris Johnson who I see as someone who helps keep the field honest. The other is physicist Philip Taylor.
For decades, quantum computing has been little more than a laboratory curiosity. Now, big tech companies have invested in quantum computing, as have many smaller ones. According to Business Weekly, quantum machines could help us “cure cancer, and even take steps to turn climate change in the opposite direction.” This is the sort of hype ( 炒作 ) that annoys Johnson. He worries that researchers are making promises they can’t keep. “What’s new,” Johnson wrote, “is that millions of dollars are now potentially available to quantum computing researchers.”
As quantum computing attracts more attention and funding, researchers may mislead investors, journalists, the public and, worst of all, themselves about their work’s potential. If researchers can’t keep their promises, excitement might give way to doubt, disappointment and anger, Johnson warns. Lots of other technologies have gone through stages of excitement. But something about quantum computing makes it especially prone to hype, Johnson suggests, perhaps because “‘quantum’ stands for something cool you shouldn’t be able to understand.” And that brings me back to Taylor, who suggested that I read his book Q for Quantum.
After I read the book, Taylor patiently answered my questions about it. He also answered my questions about PyQuantum, the firm he co-founded in 2016. Taylor shares Johnson’s concerns about hype, but he says those concerns do not apply to PyQuantum.
The company, he says, is closer than any other firm “by a very large margin ( 幅度 )” to building a “useful” quantum computer, one that “solves an impactful problem that we would not have been able to solve otherwise.” He adds, “People will naturally discount my opinions, but I have spent a lot of time quantitatively comparing what we are doing with others.”
Could PyQuantum really be leading all the competition “by a wide margin”, as Taylor claims? I don’t know. I’m certainly not going to advise my friend or anyone else to invest in quantum computers. But I trust Taylor, just as I trust Johnson.
1. Regarding Johnson’s concerns, the author feels ________.| A．sympathetic | B．unconcerned | C．doubtful | D．excited |
| A．His dominance in physics. | B．The competition in the field. |
| C．His confidence in PyQuantum. | D．The investment of tech companies. |
| A．Open. | B．Cool. | C．Useful. | D．Resistant. |
| A．Is Johnson More Competent Than Taylor? |
| B．Is Quantum Computing Redefining Technology? |
| C．Will Quantum Computers Ever Come into Being? |
| D．Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype? |
2 . I’ve reached the turn-around point of the day’s kayaking (皮划艇) trip. Sweat runs down my cheek as I
Solo outings had never
In October 2022, I decided to
Pride
Adventuring alone has become like medicine for me! It’s also pushed me to go
| A．dip | B．raise | C．point | D．slip |
| A．exhausting | B．awesome | C．surprising | D．terrible |
| A．crossed | B．lost | C．cleared | D．occupied |
| A．available | B．crucial | C．tough | D．common |
| A．admissions | B．circumstances | C．connections | D．relationships |
| A．bring up | B．take up | C．pull up | D．put up |
| A．appreciate | B．collect | C．cut | D．sweep |
| A．ashamed | B．scared | C．aware | D．tired |
| A．time | B．effort | C．room | D．money |
| A．myth | B．regulation | C．definition | D．truth |
| A．pulled | B．looked | C．coursed | D．carried |
| A．occasionally | B．initially | C．constantly | D．instantly |
| A．visited | B．swam | C．rowed | D．admired |
| A．within | B．into | C．beyond | D．through |
| A．emerged | B．ballooned | C．surrounded | D．encountered |
3 . In our information-driven society, shaping our worldview through the media is similar to forming an opinion about someone solely based on a picture of their foot. While the media might not deliberately deceive us, it often fails to provide a comprehensive view of reality.
Consequently, the question arises: Where, then, shall we get our information from if not from the media? Who can we trust? How about experts- people who devote their working lives to understanding their chosen slice of the world? However, even experts can fall prey to the allure of oversimplification, leading to the “single perspective instinct” that hampers (阻碍) our ability to grasp the intricacies (错综复杂) of the world.
Simple ideas can be appealing because they offer a sense of understanding and certainty. And it is easy to take off down a slippery slope, from one attention-grabbing simple idea to a feeling that this idea beautifully explains, or is the beautiful solution for, lots of other things. The world becomes simple that way.
Yet, when we embrace a singular cause or solution for all problems, we risk oversimplifying complex issues. For instance, championing the concept of equality may lead us to view all problems through the lens of inequality and see resource distribution as the sole panacea. However, such rigidity prevents us from seeing the multidimensional nature of challenges and hinders true comprehension of reality. This “single perspective instinct” ultimately clouds our judgment and restricts our capacity to tackle complex issues effectively. Being always in favor of or always against any particular idea makes you blind to information that doesn’t fit your perspective. This is usually a bad approach if you would like to understand reality.
Instead, constantly test your favorite ideas for weaknesses. Be humble about the extent of your expertise. Be curious about new information that doesn’t fit, and information from other fields. And rather than talking only to people who agree with you, or collecting examples that fit your ideas, consult people who contradict you, disagree with you, and put forward different ideas as a great resource for understanding the world. If this means you don’t have time to form so may opinions, so what?
Wouldn’t you rather have few opinions that are right than many that are wrong?
1. What does the underlined word “allure” in Para.2 probably mean?| A．Temptation. | B．Tradition. | C．Convenience. | D．Consequence. |
| A．They meet people’s demand for high efficiency. |
| B．They generate a sense of complete understanding. |
| C．They are raised and supported by multiple experts. |
| D．They reflect the opinions of like-minded individuals. |
| A．Simplifying matters releases energy for human brains. |
| B．Constant tests on our ideas help make up for our weakness. |
| C．A well-founded opinion counts more than many shallow ones. |
| D．People who disagree with us often have comprehensive views. |
| A．Embracing Disagreement: Refusing Overcomplexity |
| B．Simplifying Information: Enhancing Comprehension |
| C．Understanding Differences: Establishing Relationships |
| D．Navigating Complexity: Challenging Oversimplification |
4 . I am an active playgoer and play-reader, and perhaps my best reason for editing this book is a hope of sharing my enthusiasm for the theater with others. To do this I have searched through dozens of plays to find the ones that I think best show the power and purpose of the short play.
Each play has a theme or central idea which the playwright(剧作家) hopes to get across through dialogue and action. A few characters are used to create a single impression growing out of the theme. It is not my intention to point out the central theme of each of the plays in this collection, for that would, indeed, ruin the pleasure of reading, discussing, and thinking about the plays and the effectiveness of the playwright. However, a variety of types is represented here. These include comedy, satire, poignant drama, historical and regional drama. To show the versatility(多面性) of the short play, I have included a guidance play, a radio play and a television play.
Among the writers of the plays in this collection, Paul Green, Susan Glaspell, Maxwell Anderson, Thornton Wilder, William Saroyan, and Tennessee Williams have all received Pulitzer Prizes for their contributions to the theater. More information about the playwrights will be found at the end of this book.
To get the most out of reading these plays, try to picture the play on stage, with you, the reader, in the audience. The houselights dim(变暗). The curtains are about to open, and in a few minutes the action and dialogue will tell you the story.
1. What do we know about the author from the first paragraph?| A．He has written dozens of plays. | B．He has a deep love for the theater. |
| C．He is a professional stage actor. | D．He likes reading short plays to others. |
| A．Stating the plays’ central ideas. | B．Selecting works by famous playwrights. |
| C．Including various types of plays. | D．Offering information on the playwrights. |
| A．Control their feelings. | B．Apply their acting skills. |
| C．Use their imagination. | D．Keep their audience in mind. |
| A．A short story. | B．An introduction to a book. |
| C．A play review. | D．An advertisement for a theater. |
5 . Today, poetry and science are often considered to be mutually exclusive(互相排斥)career paths. But that wasn’t always the case. The mathematician Ada Lovelace and the physicist James Clerk Maxwell were both accomplished poets. The poet John Keats was a licensed surgeon. Combining the two practices fell out of favor in the 1800s. But translating research into lyrics, haiku, and other poetic forms is resurging(再现)among scientists as they look for alternative ways to inspire others with their findings.
“Poetry is a great tool for questioning the world,” says Sam Illingworth, a poet and a geoscientist who works at the University of Western Australia. Through workshops and a new science-poetry journal, called Consilience, Illingworth is helping scientists to translate their latest results into poems that can attract appreciation from those outside of their immediate scientific field.
Stephany Mazon, a scientist from the University of Helsinki in Finland, joined one of Illingworth’s workshops. In the workshop, she was grouped with other scientists and tasked with writing a haiku, a 17-syllable-long poem, which spotlighted water, a fluid that featured in all of the group members’ research projects. “It was a lot of fun, and surprisingly easy to write the poem,” Mazon says. She plans to continue writing. “We do a disservice(伤害)to ourselves to think that scientists can’t be artistic and that art can’t be used to communicate scientific ideas,” Mazon says.
That viewpoint is echoed by Illingworth, who thinks science communication initiatives are too often dominated by public lectures with their hands-off PowerPoint slides. “Actually, when science communication involves writing and sharing poems, it invites a two-way dialogue between experts and nonexperts,” he says. Scientist-poet Manjula Silva, an educator at Imperial College London, agrees. Poetry provides a way to translate complex scientific concepts into a language that everyone can understand, Silva says.
Scientists and poets are both trying to understand the world and communicate that understanding with others. The distinction between scientists and poets is less than people might think. We’re all just people with hopefully really interesting things to say and to share.
1. What is the purpose of mentioning the celebrities in paragraph 1?| A．To display they were talented. |
| B．To confirm they were out of favor. |
| C．To encourage different career paths. |
| D．To show poetry and science can be combined. |
| A．Promote a new science-poetry journal. |
| B．Inspire outsiders to pursue their careers in science. |
| C．Encourage science communication through poems. |
| D．Get scientists to exchange ideas about the latest research. |
| A．Conventional. | B．Effective. | C．Innovative. | D．Complex. |
| A．Scientists Take on Poetry |
| B．Scientists and Poets Think Alike |
| C．Poetry: A Great Tool to Question the World |
| D．Science Communication: A Two-way Dialogue |
6 . If you want to know something about British life, their spirit, and even their humor, watching some classic British films will certainly help. Here are some recommended to you.
Notting HillAfter the success of his film Four Weddings and a Funeral, writer and producer Richard Curtis captured the essence of being British in 1999’s Notting Hill. Set against the background of affluent (富足的) West London, the film became popular for its charming and funny portrayal(刻画) of a British nobody trying to impress a Hollywood star.
The Full MontyThis 1997 film is a Sheffield-based comedy about six unemployed men who form a group to make money for a better life. Despite its hummer, the film dives deeper into some serious issues surrounding working-class culture. The Full Monty is an uplifting film that gives an insight into the work and life of the working class in Britain.
TrainspottingDanny Boyle’s 1996 comedy-drama Trainspotting is about a group of Scots in the 1980s, based on the book by Irvine Welsh. With a cast of truly great actors including Ewan MeGregor, the tale impressed the audience globally. It rapidly became a critical success.
Monty Python’s Life of BrianFeaturing a jam-packed cast of comedic stars. Monty Python’s Life of Brian tells the story of a young man who is in a case of mistaken identity. The film reflects the unusual and wonderful British sense of humour. As a film guaranteed to entertain, Monty Pythons Life of Brian is not to be missed by those looking for an insight into what makes the British laugh.
1. What can the audience learn about by watching The Full Monty?| A．Hardships of comedic stars | B．Daily life of people in West London |
| C．Unique experiences of some Scots. | D．Life of the British working class. |
| A．A comedy film. | B．A science fiction film. |
| C．An action movie | D．A horror movie. |
| A．Notting Hill. | B．The Full Monty. |
| C．Trainspotting. | D．Monty Python’s Life of Brian. |
7 . Fortunately, the days of being spread on thick baby oil and lying in the sun to get you skin yellowish-brown—or more likely burnt—are long over. Many sunscreens work by filtering (过滤) the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays to keep them from reaching skin cells and causing the DNA damage that can lead to wrinkles and skin cancer. But in recent years, the safety of some of those filtering chemical ingredients, particularly oxybenzone (氧苯铜), has been in question.
A 2019 study published in JAMA found evidence that oxybenzone is absorbed into the bloodstream, leading to concerns about whether it might affect functions of our body. Oxybenzone has also been detected in breast milk for newborn babies. Because of concerns about higher intake in children, doctors from the American Academy of Pediatrics advise against sunscreen with oxybenzone for kids.
The Environmental Working Group, an activist organization that monitors chemical safety, has called for a ban, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers sunscreens with oxybenzone safe. “It’s uncertain,” says Deborah S. Sarnoff, president of the U.S. Skin Cancer Foundation. “Just because you’re absorbing the chemical doesn’t mean it’s dangerous.” Further study is required.
But oxybenzone is a risk to coral reefs. Hawaii and the U.S. Virgin Islands have banned the sale of sunscreens with oxybenzone. In a 2022 study published in Science, researchers found that some certain sea plants, when exposed to sunlight, turn oxybenzone into energy or something needed in a way that damages and kills corals.
Some companies have been trying to stop using oxybenzone gradually in stages, and many big brands offer oxybenzone-free options. For anyone who is pregnant or breastfeeding, or simply looking to avoid these chemical filters, Dr. Sarnoff recommends mineral sunscreens, which contain mainly physical barriers.
1. What is the advantage of sunscreen?| A．It gets your skin yellowish-brown. | B．It stops wrinkles and skin cancer. |
| C．It keeps UV rays from harming you. | D．It prevents skin cells from DNA damage. |
| A．They don’t want children to absorb more oxybenzone. |
| B．They don’t want oxybenzone to hurt babies’ functions. |
| C．They know oxybenzone can affect children’s bloodstream. |
| D．They know oxybenzone has been found in newborn babies. |
| A．Coral reefs in Hawaii were damaged or killed by sunscreens. |
| B．More research is needed to prove the danger of oxybenzone. |
| C．Some organizations have already banned the use of sunscreens. |
| D．Mineral sunscreens are much safer than those with oxybenzone. |
| A．The findings about sunscreens with oxybenzone. |
| B．Questions on safe use of oxybenzone raised by doctors. |
| C．Discussion on safety of oxybenzone between organizations. |
| D．Effects of sunscreens on humans and plants in recent studies. |
8 . “Anyone knows single parents who can’t afford to get their child’s hair done for school? I will braid (编辫子) it for free!”Brittany Starks wrote on a Facebook post.
She decided to offer her hair braiding services after a family friend delivered backpacks full of school supplies, clothing and shoes for Cayden and Ceniyah in early August. “At the time, I didn’t have anything for my kids to start school,” said Starks, who is in between homes and staying with her mother. “It meant so much to me.”
The unexpected gift made a big difference to Starks and her children, and it motivated her to pay it forward. Starks, who works two receptionist jobs, also braids hair part-time. “The hair-braiding process involves washing, blow-drying, and finally dividing the hair into small sections and braiding it. It also requires multiple supplies — including combs, brushes, hair jam and additional pieces of hair to weave in. It costs anywhere from $150 to $400 at a salon (美发厅), depending on the style,” Stacks explained. “But it can last for months and is a huge timesaver in the mornings.”
When she wrote the Facebook post, she assumed only a handful of people would reach out,but before she knew it, she had 35 appointments booked. Her Facebook inbox was suddenly full of messages from single parents, whose stories of hardship and financial challenges mirrored her own.
“There’s a huge need for this. I could really relate to a lot of the women who reached out, and it made me realize that what I was doing was really important,” said Stacks. “What got me the most was seeing the kids smile.” Given that there was less than two weeks before the start of school, Starks knew she needed to enlist help.
1. What got Brittany Starks to offer her hair braiding service?| A．A post on Facebook. | B．Her friend’s timely help. |
| C．Her mother’s advice. | D．A trip to her kids’ school. |
| A．It’s a bit dear. | B．It’s time-wasting. |
| C．It’s an easy job. | D．It’s a mother’s duty. |
| A．Rather disturbing. | B．Beyond expectation. |
| C．Far from satisfactory. | D．Very disappointing. |
| A．She is single with one child. | B．She is ambitious and arbitrary. |
| C．She is in need of helping hands. | D．She is free from financial worries. |
9 . With a broad smile on her lips, 15-year-old Sirin rushed to her mom to show off her new painting. But her mom raised her eyebrows, and spoke in a hushed tone, “Shh... honey.. don’t shout. I am busy with a(n)
Holding her oil painting, she
Hearing this, she stormed off to her own bedroom, slammed the door and
At this very moment, Sirin could no longer
When back from school the next day, Sirin was surprised to see her beautifully-decorated
Though everything came and went, mutual
| A．important | B．empty | C．pleasant | D．insignificant |
| A．grinned | B．frowned | C．trembled | D．whistled |
| A．amused | B．annoyed | C．shocked | D．thrilled |
| A．hid | B．planted | C．threw | D．settled |
| A．feeling | B．stroking | C．seizing | D．scratching |
| A．unusual | B．ridiculous | C．impolite | D．dishonest |
| A．incident | B．accident | C．anecdote | D．event |
| A．hold onto | B．hold back | C．throw away | D．pick up |
| A．in spite of | B．in favor of | C．instead of | D．on account of |
| A．help | B．match | C．exception | D．luck |
| A．attentively | B．unwillingly | C．surprisingly | D．regretfully |
| A．poster | B．painting | C．portrait | D．note |
| A．Recalling | B．Supposing | C．Declaring | D．Imagining |
| A．nodded | B．shook | C．cleared | D．ducked |
| A．trust | B．dependence | C．understanding | D．admiration |
10 . Will the AI chatbots eat search engines’ lunch? For more than 20 years, search engines have been the Internet’s front door. Google has dominated the field in most of the world. But nothing lasts forever, particularly in technology.
Just ask IBM, which once ruled business computing, or Nokia, once the leader in mobile phones. Both fell behind because they didn’t follow big technological transitions. Now another tech innovation might announce a similar shift—and a similar opportunity. ChatGPT has put itself on centre stage, by letting people chat with an AI directly. ChatGPT can write essays in various styles, explain complex concepts, summarize texts and answer questions. And it can collect, process and combine knowledge from the web: for example, listing holiday spots that match certain criteria, or suggesting menus or schedules. If asked, it can explain its reasoning and provide details. Many things that people use search engines for today, in short, can be done better with chatbots.
Will ChatGPT help students cheat better? Yes, but as with many other technology developments, it’s not a simple black and white situation. Decades ago, students could copy encyclopedia entries, and more recently, they’ve been able to search the Internet and explore into Wikipedia entries. ChatGPT offers new abilities for everything from helping with research to doing their homework for them. Many ChatGPT answers already sound like student essays. Ask the new artificial intelligence tool ChatGPT to write an essay about the cause of the American Civil War and you can watch it produce a persuasive term paper in a matter of seconds.
It can even (narrowly) pass a number of exams. It scored 60% on the United States Medical Licensing Examination, 70% on an exam for lawyers, 78% on New York state’s high school chemistry exam’s multiple choice section, and ranked the 40th on the Law School Admission Test.
A high school teacher concluded ChatGPT already writes better than most students today. He’s torn between admiring ChatGPT’s potential usefulness and fearing its harm to human learning: “Is this moment more like the invention of the calculator, saving me from the boredom of long division, or more like the invention of the player piano, robbing us of what can be communicated only through human emotion?”
1. What is the reason why some tech companies fail to develop?| A．The sharp rising market cost. | B．Their shift to other business fields. |
| C．The negative impact of local economy. | D．Their failure to keep pace with tech changes. |
| A．Play the piano. | B．Write various articles. |
| C．Schedule a holiday trip. | D．Explain complex concepts. |
| A．To explain a rule. | B．To make a prediction. | C．To illustrate a fact. | D．To clarify a concept. |
| A．Objective. | B．Positive. | C．Negative. | D．Ambiguous. |
