1 . Technology seems to discourage slow, immersive reading. Reading on a screen tires your eyes and makes it harder for you to keep your place. Online writing tends to be more skimmable than print. The cognitive neuroscientist Mary Walt argued recently that this “new norm” of skim reading is producing “an invisible, game-changing transformation” in how readers process words. The neuronal circuit (回路) that sustains the brain’s capacity to read now favors the rapid absorption of information.
We shouldn’t exaggerate this danger. All readers skim. From about the age of nine, our eyes start to bounce around the page, reading only about a quarter of the words properly, and filling in the gaps by inference. So far, the anxieties have proved to be false alarms. “Quite a few critics have been worried about attention spans lately and see very short stories as signs of cultural decline,” the American author Selvin Brown wrote. “No one ever said that poems were evidence of short attention spans.”
And yet the Internet has certainly changed the way we read. For a start, it means that there is more to read, because more people than ever are writing. And digital writing is meant for rapid release and response. This mode of writing and reading can be interactive and fun. But often it treats other people’s words as something to be quickly harvested as fodder (素材) to say something else. Everyone talks over the top of everyone else, desperate to be heard.
Perhaps we should slow down. Reading is constantly promoted as a social good and source of personal achievement. To a slow reader, a piece of writing can only be fully understood by immersing oneself in the words. and their slow comprehension of a line of thought,
The human need for this kind of deep reading is too tenacious for any new technology to destroy. We often assume that technological change can’t be stopped and happens in one direction, so that older media like “dead-tree” books are kicked out by newer, more virtual forms. In practice, older technologies can coexist with new ones. The Kindle has not killed off the printed book any more than the car killed off the bicycle. We still want to enjoy slowly formed ideas and carefully-chosen words. Even in a fast-moving age, there is time for slow reading.
1. What would Selvin Brown probably agree?| A．The culture is on the decline. | B．Online writing ruins immersive reading. |
| C．Worries of attention spans are unnecessary. | D．Reading poems is important to attention spans. |
| A．It lays the foundation for fast reading. |
| B．It counts on regular interaction with the readers. |
| C．It requires writers to give up traditional writing modes. |
| D．It causes too much talking and inadequate deep reflection. |
| A．Slowly-changed. | B．Fast-advanced. | C．Deep-rooted. | D．Rarely-noticed. |
| A．Slow Reading: Here to Stay | B．Immersive Reading: So Wonderful |
| C．Reading Habits: Constantly Changing | D．Digital vs Print: A Life-and-Death Struggle |
2 . Placed before you are two pots. Each contains 100 balls. You are given a clear description of the first pot’s contents, in which there are 50 red balls and 50 black balls. The economist running the experiment is tight-lipped about the second, saying only that there are 100 balls divided between red and black in some percentage. Then you are offered a choice. Pick a red ball from a pot and you will get a million dollars. Which pot would you like to pull from? Now try again, but select a black ball. Which pot this time? Most people choose the first pot both times, despite such a choice implying that there are both more and fewer red balls than in the second pot.
This fact is known as the Ellsberg paradox after Daniel Ellsberg, who called the behaviour hate uncertainty. It reveals a deeper problem facing the world as it struggles with climate change.
Ignorance of the future carries a cost today: uncertainty makes risks uninsurable, or at the very least expensive. The less insurers know about risks, the more capital they need to protect their balance-sheets against possible losses.
Insurance is a tool of climate adaptation. Indeed, insurance calculators have as big a role to play as activists in the fight against climate change. Without insurance, those whose homes burn in a wildfire or are destroyed by a flood will lose everything. Insurance can also be a motive for corrective action. Higher insurance expenses, which accurately reflect risk, stimulate people to adapt sooner, whether by discouraging building in risky areas or encouraging people to move away from high fire risk land. If prices are wrong, society will be more hurt by a hotter world than otherwise would be the case. Politicians considering financial aid for home insurance on flood plains ought to note.
1. The experiment of the two pots shows that ___________.| A．instinct sometimes works better than reasoning | B．most people prefer predictability to uncertainty |
| C．people are willing to take risks to get a reward | D．it is impossible to always make the right decision |
| A．It raises people’s awareness of climate change. | B．It prevents people from taking risks. |
| C．It motivates people to adapt to risky environment. | D．It helps climate refugees to relocate. |
| A．Opposing | B．Supportive | C．Uncertain | D．Ambiguous |
| A．Prevention is better than remedy | B．Improving forecast can reduce uncertainty |
| C．Uncertainty pushes up the price of insurance | D．Speedy action is urgently needed for climate change |
3 . In the annals of human history, few subjects have generated as much excitement, debate, and guess as artificial intelligence (AI). This revolutionary technology, which enables machines to perform tasks that once required human intelligence, has the potential to transform every part of our society, from healthcare and finance to transportation and entertainment.
At its heart, AI is all about data. Massive amounts of data are fed into algorithms that learn from this data, allowing them to make predictions, recognize patterns, and even make decisions. This “machine learning” is the driving force behind many of the AI applications we see today, from virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa to more advanced systems like IBM’s Watson, which can analyze vast amounts of information to assist doctors in diagnosing diseases.
The transformative potential of AI is undeniable. In the medical field, for instance, AI can assist in early detection of diseases, predict patient outcomes, and even suggest treatment options. In finance, algorithms can predict stock market trends, and provide personalized financial advice. In transportation, self-driving cars equipped with AI systems promise to reduce accidents, ease traffic jams, and transform urban landscapes.
However, with great potential comes great responsibility. The rise of AI has caused debates about is ethical implications (道德含义). The machines are only as good as the data they are fed, and there’s a growing concern about biases (偏见) being built into AI systems. For instance, facial recognition technologies, used in everything from unlocking phones to police monitoring cameras, have come under check for misidentifying individuals based on race or gender.
Moreover, the widespread adoption of AI could lead to significant job displacement. While new roles and industries might emerge as a result of AI, it is not sure that these will pay off the jobs lost. This could increase income inequalities and causes difficulties to social systems.
Another major concern is the “black box” nature of AI. Many AI systems operate in ways that even their creators don’t fully understand. This can be problematic, especially in critical applications like healthcare or criminal justice where understanding the logic behind a decision is important.
Then there’s the potential for AI to be weaponized. In the hands of evil actors, AI could be used to spread misinformation, control public opinion, or even engage in internet warfare. The global community must come together to set standards and regulations to prevent such misuse.
On the brighter side, many experts believe that by setting the right frameworks and investing in education and retraining, we can use the power of AI for the greater good. By fostering (促进) a culture of continuous learning and staying abreast (并排的，并肩的) of technological advancements, society can benefit from the promise of AI while avoiding its potential dangers.
In conclusion, artificial intelligence stands as one of the most profound inventions of our time. While it offers vast opportunities, it also poses significant challenges that we, as a society, must welcome. As we stand at this technological crossroads, our choices will determine whether AI serves as a benefit or a harm for humanity.
1. Which of the following best describes the method by which machines acquire the capability to perform tasks that traditionally required human intelligence?| A．By programming predefined rules. |
| B．Through user interactions every day. |
| C．By ingesting and processing vast amounts of data. |
| D．Via regular software updates from developers. |
| A．By citing numerous statistical data. |
| B．By presenting both the positive potential and the challenges of AI. |
| C．Through personal experiences. |
| D．By focusing on the negative effects of AI. |
| A．The Rise of Virtual Assistants: Siri and Alexa |
| B．Understanding the Mechanisms Behind AI Algorithms |
| C．Artificial Intelligence: Charting the Course for Tomorrow’s Tech |
| D．Balancing the Potential and challenges of AI in Modern Society |
| A．AI has already replaced most human jobs and is the leading cause of unemployment. |
| B．The global community has taken measures to prevent AI misuse. |
| C．The operation of many AI systems is easily understood by their creators. |
| D．The solving to the dilemma brought by AI needs collective efforts of our society. |
4 . Imagine you need milk, so you go to the grocery store to pick some up, only to find there are dozens of options. These days, you have to make a decision on not only the percentage of fat you want, but also what source you want your milk to be coming from: cows, soybeans... You have no idea what milk to pick. There are so many choices that you are confused.
This phenomenon is known as the paradox (悖论) of choice and it is becoming a concern in the modern world, where more and more options are becoming easily available to us. While we might believe that being presented with multiple options actually makes it easier to choose one that we are happy with, and thus increases consumer satisfaction, having too many options actually requires more effort to make a decision and can leave us feeling unsatisfied with our choice.
The idea was popularized by American psychologist Barry Schwartz when he published his book, The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less. Schwartz, who has long studied the ways in which economics and psychology intersect (交叉), became interested in seeing the way that choices were affecting the happiness of citizens in Western societies. He identified that the range of choices that we have available to us these days is far greater than that people had in the past; however, consumer satisfaction has not increased as much as traditional economics theories might expect.
Schwartz identified that the paradox of choice carries the most consequence for people that are maximizers. Maximizers, unlike satisficers, are concerned with making the best choice instead of simply making a choice that they are happy with. When there are many options available to maximizers, it becomes harder for them to determine which is the best, which can cause them to feel a great deal of regret after they have made a choice.
Instead of believing that freedom of choice is unlimited, Schwartz advocates that the role of psychology and behavioral economics should be to find the kind of limitations on freedom that can lead to the greatest level of happiness within society.
1. What’s the author’s purpose in mentioning buying milk in paragraph 1?| A．To lead in the topic. |
| B．To draw a conclusion. |
| C．To show that we have more choices when shopping. |
| D．To indicate that people pay greater attention to health when shopping. |
| A．More options mean less satisfaction. |
| B．Consumer satisfaction has greatly increased. |
| C．People are happy with more choices. |
| D．Modern people are happier than their ancestors. |
| A．They aim for the very best. | B．They tend to follow their feelings. |
| C．They often regret their decisions. | D．They have trouble making a decision. |
| A．Hold on to their beliefs. | B．Accept their own behavior. |
| C．Give up freedom. | D．Limit their own choices. |
5 . In general, the society is becoming one of giant enterprises directed by a bureaucratic (官僚主义的) management in which man becomes a small, well-oiled cog in the machinery. The oiling is done with higher wages, well-equipped factories and piped music, and by psychologists and “human-relations” experts; yet all this oiling does not change the fact that man has become powerless, that he does not wholeheartedly participate in his work and he is bored with it. In fact, the blue-collar and the white-collar workers have become economic puppets who dance to the tune of automated machines and bureaucratic management.
The worker and employee are anxious, seemingly because they might find themselves out of a job or they would say that they are unable to acquire any real satisfaction or interest in life. In fact, they feel desperate as they live and die without ever having confronted the fundamental realities of human existence as emotionally and intellectually independent and productive human beings.
Those higher up on the social ladder are no less anxious. Their lives are no less empty than those of their subordinates. They are even more insecure in some respects. They are in a highly competitive race. To be promoted or to fall behind is not a matter of salary but even more a matter of self-respect. When they apply for their first job, they are tested for intelligence as well as for the right mixture of submissiveness and independence. From the moment on they are tested again and again by the psychologists, for whom testing is a big business, and by their superiors, who judge their behavior, sociability, capacity to get along, etc. This constant need to prove that one is as good as or better than one’s fellow-competitor creates constant anxiety and stress, the very causes of unhappiness and illness.
Am I suggesting a return to the pre-industrial mode of production or to nineteenth-century “free enterprise” capitalism? Certainly not. Problems are never solved by returning to a stage which one has already outgrown. I suggest transforming the social system from a bureaucratically managed industrialism in which maximal production and consumption are ends in themselves into a humanist industrialism in which man and full development of his potentialities — those of all love and of reason — are the aims of social arrangements. Production and consumption should serve as means to this end, and should be prevented from ruling man.
1. By “a small, well-oiled cog in the machinery”, the author expresses the idea that man is _________.| A．an essential part of society with irreplaceable functions |
| B．expected to work in reasonable harmony with the rest of society |
| C．an unimportant component of society, though functioning smoothly |
| D．responsible for the smooth running of society and business operations |
| A．they are filled with an overwhelming fear of being unemployed |
| B．they don’t have any genuine satisfaction or interest |
| C．they have to face the fundamental realities of human existence |
| D．they lack a sense of independence and productivity |
| A．caution | B．obedience | C．commitment | D．optimism |
| A．To introduce the production mode of our ancestors. |
| B．To show the problematic situation in society. |
| C．To argue for full development of human potentials. |
| D．To help people escape production and consumption. |
6 . Even when you have confidence in yourself, your goals will sometimes seem out of reach. When that happens, get hold of the people who
When I was younger, I
Early in my
Even now, I
| A．refer to | B．depend on | C．learn from | D．believe in |
| A．quit | B．struggled | C．regretted | D．argued |
| A．responsibilities | B．dreams | C．opportunities | D．doubts |
| A．stopped | B．admitted | C．allowed | D．considered |
| A．tracked | B．recommended | C．accompanied | D．encouraged |
| A．serious | B．possible | C．hard | D．necessary |
| A．request | B．unwillingness | C．inability | D．attempt |
| A．difficulties | B．options | C．aims | D．standards |
| A．career | B．experiment | C．business | D．recovery |
| A．foolishly | B．simply | C．wisely | D．bravely |
| A．original | B．familiar | C．typical | D．positive |
| A．looking into | B．taking down | C．dealing with | D．pointing out |
| A．introduce | B．remind | C．guarantee | D．warn |
| A．experience | B．describe | C．compare | D．limit |
| A．probably | B．fortunately | C．obviously | D．importantly |
7 . A man recently connected with me on LinkedIn and sent me this note: “Let me know if you ever need a writer.” I guess he’s a writer? I don’t know. But I do know this phrase “Let me know if you ever need a.” shows up a lot, in my inbox and surely yours, too. I’ve come to think of it as the eight most deadly words in selling oneself because that phrase is the death of opportunity.
Let’s consider the approach. These people are being standoffish. Rather than selling themselves, they’re shifting the burden onto someone else to make the sale. If I need a writer, I should reach out to them. If I need a story, I should ask them for an interview. If I need a customer service solution, I should ask them for details. “Let me know if you ever need a ... ” sounds like an invitation, but it’s really a shrug.
Imagine the situation where I’d assign (分派工作) a story to the writer who used the nine words, “Let me know if you ever need a writer.” I would have needed a writer. Just any writer. Just anyone who can string words together. I would have needed to be in a panic, so desperate for someone to contribute to our magazine that I’d stopped thinking about great writers or good writers, or even serviceable writers and simply settled for a writer. This isn’t a situation that exists. The world is full of good options! We are not living in times of shortage. If we need a job done, there are plenty of qualified people to do it. Our question is: Who’s the best?
If you want to create opportunity for yourself, answer that question convincingly. The first thing to do is show someone you are the opportunity. Hiring you can help them. We also need to stop hiding behind ourselves. Get out in front! Sell yourself and your amazing abilities. Understand someone’s problem, and explain exactly why you are the solution. Avoid saying “Let me know if you ever need a ... ” Instead, start with: “Let me explain how I can help you.”
1. What do we know from the author’s experience?| A．We’d better start our own careers as early as possible |
| B．The author prefers to hire his employees on Linkedln. |
| C．The phrase “Let me know if you ever need a ... ” is polite. |
| D．Many people use the wrong opening sentence to sell themselves. |
| A．Frank and open. | B．Unfriendly and proud. |
| C．Unsure and sensitive. | D．Concerned and confident. |
| A．The author is in desperate need of a writer’s help. |
| B．There are very few great writers available nowadays. |
| C．Anyone who can string words together is a good writer. |
| D．The author isn’t interested in the writer using the nine words. |
| A．A Better Way of Selling Yourself. | B．Full Preparations Matter Most. |
| C．Good Jobs Wait for No Man. | D．Politeness Makes Difference. |
8 . With the invention of the Internet, humanity is now experiencing an adventure toward technological advancement. Nowadays, technology assists us with everyday tasks such as driving, grocery shopping and even dating. Technology is so closely connected to our lives that it’s easy to overlook one important question: When technology really starts to control the world around us, what comes next?
Many experts and workers are scared that automation will take jobs from people who need them and give those jobs to robots. I understand their concern. However, if robots are outperforming us at our jobs, then what do humans have left to offer? We have the emotions and imagination that make us human. A machine might work faster than a person, but that’s because humans built the machines that way. That, itself, is an amazing accomplishment of the human imagination. We are talented, passionate creatures, who do not deserve to be trapped in miserable jobs anymore!
By now, I hope you’re curious to hear which occupations we should focus on in the future. The obvious answer is jobs in technology and robotics. Tech-related jobs will continue to be in big demand, and people who work in these fields will continue to become more important. We should be grateful to them for doing work to take us higher as a society. Besides, we should also focus on jobs in the arts and entertainment. It may sound crazy, but what could better reflect the creativity of the human mind than the arts? I believe technology has opened up our world, allowing us to share our imaginations with everyone!
So, we must ensure that future generations know that we mean it when we say, “follow your dreams.” Welcome to the 21st century: what a time to be alive! There has never been a better time to be yourself, and I can only see it getting even better from here.
1. Why does the author end paragraph 1 with a question?| A．To present a fact. |
| B．To illustrate a problem. |
| C．To ask for approval. |
| D．To arouse thinking. |
| A．Emotional comfort. |
| B．Passionate companion. |
| C．Technological support. |
| D．Competitive opponent. |
| A．They have opened up our world. |
| B．They help people realize their dreams. |
| C．They will be in great demand in the future. |
| D．They can demonstrate the innovation of human. |
| A．Narrative and serious. |
| B．Persuasive and positive. |
| C．Descriptive and critical. |
| D．Informative and objective. |
9 . The rise of robots has raised the possibility of future where there is simply less work for humans to do. To tired workers, a world where all had a bit more leisure time sounds rather nice. Yet what really matters is how work will be distributed across the workforce.
The recent past show there is no reason to believe it will be evenly spread. The length of the average working week in the UK has declined steadily from about 59 hours in the mid-19th century to 32 hours in 2009. But averages hide a lot.
While trends among women have been stable, there have been big shifts among men. Males in well-paid full-time employment are now working slightly longer hours on average than two decades ago. Meanwhile, men in full-time employment at the bottom of the wage ladder are working much less.
On top of that, the number of low-paid men who work part-time has increased sharply. Twenty years ago, one in twenty men with low hourly wages worked part-time; today it is one in five. Analysis by the Institute for Fiscal Studies shows this phenomenon is only happening among the low-paid. In better paying jobs, part-time men are still fairly rare. Gender roles within families might tend to be similar too. Low-paid men maybe choosing to shoulder more childcare responsibilities so their parents can return to work.
Yet it is clear that the distribution of work will matter to people. Britain has both over employment and underemployment problems: Official data show 3.4m people in Britain want to work more hours while 3.2m want to work few hours for less pay. The underemployed are likely to be waiters or cleaners. The over employed are most likely to be doctors or chief executives. This indicates an economy where demand and supply of skills are out of sync.
Nobody knows for sure how the next wave of automation will shake up demand for different skills. Perhaps doctors will gain the free time they desire. Others might find themselves in greater demand. But short of developing a much better system for training people quickly for the jobs the economy needs, it seems likely that in the future—as now—there will be too much work for some, and too little for others.
1. What can be inferred from the first two paragraphs?| A．The development of robots will get rid of human’s work. |
| B．Future leisure time will be allocated evenly across the workforce. |
| C．UK has taken some measures to stop the decline of working hours. |
| D．The average may not accurately indicate the steady decline of working hours. |
| A．Fair. | B．Imbalanced. | C．Stable. | D．Uncertain. |
| A．Part-time men have increased only among the low-paid. |
| B．More well-paid men are choosing to work part-time. |
| C．Part-time men rarely shoulder childcare responsibilities. |
| D．Low-paid men are to blame for the low employment. |
| A．The total amount of human labor will be decreased. |
| B．Better training system will be built across the world. |
| C．Robots contribute to uneven distribution across the workforce. |
| D．The number of low-paid men who work part-time has increased. |
10 . Life is not always smooth and easy. Sometimes we may encounter adversity, such as illness, loss, failure, or conflict, which test our resilience and courage. In these situations, we may feel lonely and helpless, and lose confidence and hope. However, we are not alone. We have our family members, who can play a significant role in helping us overcome adversity.
Family is the most intimate and trustworthy group of people in our lives. They share our blood and genes, and have a deep bond with us. They know our strengths and weaknesses, our joys and sorrows, our dreams and fears. They care about our well-being and happiness, and are willing to sacrifice for us. They can offer us unconditional love and acceptance, which can heal our wounds and soothe our pain.
Family is also the most supportive group of people in our lives. They have a long history and rich culture, and have a profound impact on our values and beliefs. They can teach us important lessons and skills, such as honesty, responsibility, cooperation, and perseverance. They can also provide us with various resources and assistance, such as money, information, advice, or connections. They can help us cope with challenges and difficulties, and find solutions and opportunities.
Family is also the most inspiring and motivating group of people in our lives. They have their own stories and achievements, and have a great potential for growth and development. They can set examples for us to follow and admire. They can also challenge us to improve ourselves and pursue excellence. They can encourage us to explore our interests and talents, and follow our passions and goals. They can support us in our endeavors, and celebrate our successes and contributions.
In summary, family is an indispensable part of our lives, especially when we face adversity. They can play a positive role in many aspects, such as giving us love and acceptance, teaching us lessons and skills, providing us with resources and assistance, setting examples for us, challenging us to improve ourselves, encouraging us to follow our passions, supporting us in our endeavors, celebrating our successes. Therefore, we should appreciate our family members and express our gratitude and affection to them.
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．We face difficulties and challenges in life. |
| B．Adversity challenges our strength and bravery. |
| C．We feel hopeless when we face the problems. |
| D．Families provide support in time of adversity. |
| A．We have the same blood type as our family members. |
| B．Family members are willing to give up their lives for us. |
| C．We are genetically and emotionally close to our family members. |
| D．We have little in common with family members. |
| A．Honesty. | B．Responsibility. | C．Cooperation. | D．Competition. |
| A．By restating his opinion. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By asking questions. | D．By offering his suggestions. |
