2 . There is no doubt that artificial intelligence—or AI—has become an important part of our lives. It is no longer just a thing of science fiction: it’s an incredible technological breakthrough that has changed the way we live. But there are fears that AI has become too intelligent and could be a threat to humanity.

This claim might sound extreme, but a letter signed by more than 1,000 technology experts, including Tesla boss Elon Musk, called on the world to press pause (暂停) on the development of more advanced AI because of the risks. Estonian billionaire Jaan Tallinn, for example, who helped develop communication app Skype, thinks we should be cautious. Also The Future of Life Institute, a not-for-profit organization, says that there should be a temporary pause to control the speed of advanced AI development and that “AI systems with human-competitive intelligence can cause profound risks to society and humans.”

This negative view is supported by a report by investment bank Goldman Sachs that says AI could replace the equivalent of 300 million full-time jobs. But it may also mean new jobs and a productivity bonanza. We may argue that AI such as chatbots can help us. State-of-the-art ChatGPT, for example, has been helping some students write assignments. AI is allowing computers to think or act in a more human way. And machine learning means computers can learn what to do without being given evident instructions. The technology is impressive, but as it starts to think for itself, will it outsmart us?

However, the founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, has called on governments to work with industry to “limit the risks” of AI. He says, “Just as the world needs its brightest people focused on its biggest problems, we will need to focus the world’s best AIs on its biggest problems.” If this happens, maybe humanity will have a future.

1. What is the major fear that AI causes?

A．It will change our life completely.	B．It will cause many job losses.
C．It will be too intelligent to control.	D．It will replace many other technologies.

2. What did the technology experts demand?

A．Slowing the development of AI.	B．Stopping the using of AI.
C．Building a not-for-profit organization.	D．Helping develop communication app Skype.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “bonanza” in paragraph 3?

A．Increase.

B．Innovation.

C．Problem.

D．Expense.

4. Why does the author quote Bill Gates’ words?

A．To call on joint efforts of government and industries.

B．To expect Bill Gates’ company to make the best AIs.

C．To encourage more talented people to work with Bill Gates.

D．To express an optimistic attitude towards the AI development.

4 . Life is hard－even harder than anyone thought it would be. When you were younger, you dreamed of the world being your playground, and you were told that you could do anything and be anyone you wanted. Somehow, though, things haven’t been the smooth sailing that   you wanted them to be. The world seems to go against you, and the last thing you want to hear is “Cheer up!”

Still, there’s a couple of things you might not notice about your situation. Next time you’re down, maybe the following will provide motivation.

Firstly, not everything is bad. It’s a well-accepted fact that bad news makes for sensational (极好的) television ratings. The fact is that something negative catches a lot more attention than something positive, and that’s because it’s easy to see things in a negative light. However, that shouldn’t distract you from the bigger picture.

Resist the tunnel vision that results from constant negativity. Remember that even though there’s lots of really nasty stuff going on, you’re surrounded by some pretty awesome stuff as well.

You should also remember other people aren’t you. No one likes being compared to another person. What makes it even worse, if that’s even possible, is when you do it to yourself.

Stop comparing yourself to another person and you’ll realize that you’re much more awesome than you give yourself credit for.

Lastly, failure isn’t where the game stops. So you tried something new, but you didn’t follow through. Frustrated at yourself, you stop trying. As a result, your quality of life goes down terribly. You’ve given up on it, though, because you don’t see the point (since you failed the first time).

Now, you’re an adult. The things you are trying are much more complicated than five-year-old you. However, your behaviour shouldn’t change in the slightest－when you fail in something, that’s just more information in your data bank. You know that method doesn’t work, so try another one! And another one after that! Do this until you figure it out. Giving up is for losers, and you sure aren’t one of those.

1. The author mentioned bad news in order to show that .

A．bad news makes people see things in a negative light

B．bad news is more likely to catch people’s eyes

C．bad news attracts people to see positive things

D．bad news has a negative effect on television ratings

2. What does the underlined part “nasty stuff” in Para. 4 probably mean?

A．Unstable emotions.	B．Important events.
C．Amazing incidents .	D．Something unpleasant.

3. How should we view failure according to the passage?

A．We will change our behaviour.

B．We will keep trying the old method.

C．We should learn from failure.

D．We should think in a more complicated way.

4. What is the passage mainly about?

A．It inspires us to learn from negative experiences.

B．It compares negative and positive experiences.

C．It criticizes those who are affected by bad experiences.

D．It discusses how negative experiences affect others.

5 . A good way to study may help your academic results and make the leaning process more enjoyable. For many people, studying with friends is a very effective way to improve your learning outcomes. To find out why, take a look at some of the benefits it offers.

Stop Procrastinating

Procrastinating can mean that you don’t leave yourself enough time to complete your work. Typically, this means you’ll hand in work at the last minute and not perform at your best. For students, procrastination can be a major barrier to success. When you have a study partner, you’ll keep each other accountable. With regular joint study sessions, for example, you’ll be less likely to put off doing your work and achieve better results because of it.

Understanding New Concepts

When you’ re learning now material, things can come to a standstill if you don’t understand the concepts or theory behind it. Fortunately, two heads are better than one. When you can share your ideas and understanding with other people, you can help them advance. Similarly, you can benefit from your friends’ knowledge and insight when you’re struggling to understand a new topic or subject.

Testing Each Other

Tests are an easy and effective way to determine what you know. Of course, it can be difficult to test yourself, and someone who doesn’t know the material might not ask the right questions, which is why a study partner is the perfect person with whom to share tests!

Staying Active

When you become hopeless, it can be hard to concentrate. Due to this, staying active is essential when it comes to getting the grades you’re capable of and reaching your potential. If you have a study partner, you’ll have his or her encouragement and help to rely on.

1. What docs “Procrastinating” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Looking for things.

B．Making up stories.

C．Putting things off.

D．Giving up things.

2. Why is the study partner the best to share tests?

A．They spend most time with you.	B．They know what to ask you.
C．They can encourage you to study.	D．They can learn from your mistakes.

3. Who is the text intended for?

A．High school students.	B．The general public.
C．Educational experts.	D．College teachers.

6 . Hospice (临终安养院) services benefit only about one person in three who dies in the US. “There are still over one million Americans who die each year without receiving hospice services,” according to a report produced in 2003. And for most who do get hospice care, their time in hospice is so short that staff members often lack the opportunity to provide the best care for their physical and emotional needs.

There are several reasons that more patients do not go into hospice care earlier. One is that Medicare (医疗保险) doesn’t cover the cost of patients’ life-extending treatment if they enter hospice. Medicare also requires that the doctor referring someone for hospice care must declare that the patient is expected to die within six months. As a result, some doctors hesitate about making an early referral to avoid being accused of cheating. Finally, there are simply not enough hospice centers and services available to meet the needs of dying patients throughout the country.

Many patients still have some concern over how hospice works. The philosophy of hospice is to neither accelerate nor postpone death. As Dr. Matt Kestenbaum, a hospice director, put it: “We let nature take its course, and we give patients all the things they need to be comfortable.”

Dying “naturally” in hospice does not deny patients the treatment for common diseases like blood clots. Hospice expenses are automatically covered by Medicare and most insurers provide hospice coverage as well.

Choosing hospice care does not mean patients lose the services of their personal doctors. They can return to regular insurance benefits when they leave hospice care because their condition improves or they want a therapy the hospice does not provide.

One thing bothering doctors is that patients will lose hope if they go into hospice. But the goal should be to refocus hope on what might be realistically achieved in the time remaining. A patient who enters hospice can have the opportunity to spend quality time with family and friends and settle unfinished business.

1. Why don’t many patients go to hospice earlier?

A．Because patients have to stay in hospice for a long time.

B．Because Medicare requirements aren’t in favor of hospice.

C．Because doctors can’t predict how long patients will live.

D．Because most hospice services are far away from patients.

2. What is the aim of hospice services?

A．To extend patients’ life.	B．To ease patients’ sufferings.
C．To reduce patients’ costs.	D．To settle patients’ business.

3. What concern might patients have about entering hospice?

A．They will lose treatment for common diseases.

B．Hospice can’t provide the treatment they need.

C．Doctors may give them unrealistic hope.

D．They will be separated from their family.

4. What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?

A．To criticize America’s Medicare system.

B．To explain why hospice is unpopular.

C．To introduce the way hospice works.

D．To popularize hospice services.

7 . ChatGPT, a new chatbot model developed by US-based AI research laboratory OpenAI, has quickly become a hit globally due to its advanced conversational capabilities,

It can write emails, computer codes, even academic papers and poems, and has passed a number of tests within seconds. Academicians worldwide are discussing whether AI should be used in education. Some universities have banned it. The New York City’s Department of Education, for example, banned the chatbot from its public school devices and networks, with some people warning that it could encourage more students to cheat, especially in exams.

Many more welcome this app, claiming that, like most technological advances and groundbreaking innovations in history, ChatGPT is a powerful tool for the development of higher education.

Embracing AI as early as possible is advisable. Higher education institutions should make preparations for including AI in their syllabus (教学大纲). They can start by offering related courses, because by understanding how it works, they can make better use of it. Besides, students with good knowledge of AI are more competitive when it comes to getting a good job, as an increasing number of jobs are being done by computer programmes-some in cooperation with humans, AI-powered education technologies can be adopted to make the learning experience more suitable for each student based on his or her strengths and weaknesses. As for professors, AI can free them from doing some dull tasks so they can concentrate on teaching and interacting with students.

Since we cannot avoid ChatGPT and other AI-powered applications from entering the field of higher education, we should make collective efforts to ensure they have a positive impact on society and the future of education Despite AI helping make learning much more interesting and enjoyable, humans need to work very hard to win the race with technology.

1. Why do some higher education institutions forbid ChatGPT?

A．ChatGPT can write emails and computer codes quickly.

B．Some professors might not perform their duties properly.

C．Students would have conversations with each other via it.

D．Students might seek help from it in completing the exams.

2. What is the author’s attitude towards AI applications in education?

A．Fearful.

B．Disapproving.

C．Supportive.

D．Uncertain.

3. How can AI benefit students of higher education?

A．It offers students an increasing number of jobs.

B．It personalizes students’ learning experience.

C．It equips students with competitive skills to cooperate with humans.

D．It handles uninteresting tasks so students can better focus on learning.

4. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．We should guard against AI apps.

B．AI will be more widely used in education.

C．The future of education relies on AI apps.

D．Humans will be left behind by technology.

8 . Time and time again, you hear someone ask why anyone would want to keep an “ugly” building or a building that is dirty and clearly in need of work or such a simple, uninteresting building. I guess you could say we preservationists look at buildings through a different lens that can see the swan in the ugly duckling. Looking back on the years of dirt and neglect, we’ll realize that it’s our job as preservationists to teach people about the lessons learned from our historic resources. This is no doubt something we can always work harder on.

Take the Queen Emma Building for example. While people may remember that building being named as one of the ugliest buildings in town, the angle from which a preservationist will view the building is that it is uniquely constructed with an artistical brise-soleil to block the sun. The designer used standard concrete bricks to form a decorative wall. Unfortunately, the brise-soleil was removed in 2011, making the building look like many of the contemporary buildings in town.

Sometimes people remember a beautiful site that was replaced by a “horrid” piece of architecture and can’t get over their anger, even when that building becomes an important part of our story. This is particularly true in San Francisco, where many preservationists themselves dislike anything newer than the Victorian1 era. Yes, it was a tragedy (悲剧) that many failed to appreciate the Victorian buildings and let many get torn down several decades ago, but those losses also tell another important story. It tells the story of the 1950s and 1960s when there was hope for a more equal society with inexpensive housing for the working class. Should that history be wiped from our memories?

Preservation is not just about keeping pretty, well-kept buildings, but is meant to convey parts of our history. Our history, our collective history. Not just the history of huge events of World War Il or Statehood, but the story of how everyone used to go to a certain corner market or how the people lived in the segregated (隔离的) plantation town and ultimately enjoyed a more egalitarian (平等主义的) living. Our history cannot be told only in buildings that meet someone’s criteria of beauty; sometimes our history is painful, but no less important.

1. What can we learn about preservationists from Paragraph 1?

A．They prefer ugly buildings to beautiful ones.

B．They pay great attention to modern buildings.

C．They are devoted to repairing famous buildings.

D．They focus on the value rather than the appearance.

2. What does the author think of removing the brise-soleil of the Queen Emma Building?

A．It’s confusing.

B．It’s pleasing.

C．It’s regrettable.

D．It’s unbelievable.

3. Why were many Victorian buildings in San Francisco torn down?

A．To wipe the history of the Victorian era.

B．To make land available for cheap housing.

C．To work off the deep anger of the working class.

D．To restore the architecture before the Victorian era.

4. What might be the best title for the text?

A．Are ugly buildings worth preserving?

B．Is preservationists’ work meaningless?

C．Why do architects make ugly buildings?

D．What buildings are of historical value?

9 . When my two boys have free time, they want to go to the mall. No, they aren’t shop-a-holics (购物狂). They want to go to gaze at sneakers.

These aren’t the sneakers you find in Foot Locker. They are limited editions—usually Nikes—that range in price from $250-$900 or more. There’s the Chunky Dunkys, a collaboration between Nike and ice cream maker Ben and Jerry’s. And the Space Jam Jordans. And dozens of other pairs of shoes, all of which they know by name and all of which are very, very expensive.

That made me wonder: How did this sneaker culture develop? After all, when I was a kid, I wanted Jordan brand shoes too. But they cost $100 and I would wear them until they fell apart. Now, my boys long for shoes that cost ten times that and if they got them, they would never even think of scuffing them up by wearing them.

It all started during the Industrial Revolution, when the very wealthy began to find they had leisure time on their hands, Elizabeth Semmelhack, who runs the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, told me.

“These’ nouveau riche (暴发户)’ industrialists wanted to show that they had arrived. And so, the ancient game of tennis was revived.” explained Semmelhack, “But the problem with lawn tennis—one, the lawns of lawn tennis are extremely expensive, so they didn’t want people to run around in leather shoes. And two, when you play on lawn, you can get your feet wet. So rubber soled shoes, the sneaker, was invented as something that the wealthy could wear as they pursued these wealthy pleasures. Besides, rubber was, at the time, quite expensive, so having shoes with rubber soles was seen as a status symbol.”

But for most of us, sneakers were something you wore—not something you collected. With the development of internet, older versions of shoes could be purchased and collected. And sneaker companies, Nike especially, leaned into the trend.

1. What is the Chunky Dunkys?

A．It’s a company’s name.

B．It’s a kind of ice cream.

C．It’s a kind of limited edition sneaker.

D．It’s one of the author’s kids’ name.

2. Why did the author mention his experience as a kid?

A．To show he was poor when he was a kid.

B．To encourage his children to wear cheap shoes.

C．To give an example about the development of sneaker culture.

D．To show Jordan brand shoes have been popular for a long time.

3. What can we know from Semmelhack’s words?

A．Rubber soled shoes could prevent feet from wetting.

B．These ‘nouveau riche’ industrialists created lawn tennis.

C．Leather shoes were more expensive than rubber soled shoes.

D．The very wealthy were busy with their work during Industrial Revolution.

4. What does the author’s attitude towards collecting sneakers?

A．Objective.	B．Critical.
C．Favourable.	D．Unconcerned.

10 . ________

“Practice makes perfect” is a very popular expression. However, can we take this saying literally? Many scientific studies have sought to either prove or disprove this idea. So does enough practice literally lead to perfection, or at least to a level of expertise?

One popular theory is that if a person practises for at least 10,000 hours, they will reach “perfection”—or, in other words, become an expert in their field. This theory was made famous by Malcolm Gladwell in his 2008 best-selling book, Outliers: The Story of Success. He claimed 10,000 hours of practice to be “the magic number of greatness”. He gave the examples of the music group The Beatles and Microsoft co-creator Bill Gates. Although they all seemed to have lots of natural talent, they also clearly put in over 10,000 hours of practice before they became successful.

However, Gladwell’s book has been said by many to be too simplistic and generalising. Gladwell’s work was largely based on research done by Anders Ericsson, who argued that Gladwell misinterpreted his research. Firstly, Ericsson stated that 10,000 hours was an average figure. Some people, for example, needed far fewer than 10,000 hours, and others many more. More importantly, Ericsson said that just practising a lot was not enough; the type and quality of practice was also essential. He went on to explain the importance of “deliberate practice”, which is when a person practises a specific part of a skill in depth rather than practising a skill as a whole. Deliberate practice is said to be much more effective, albeit more tiring.

Despite the theories mentioned above, many other studies argue that practice alone is far from enough. In fact, a more recent study from Princeton University stated that practice only accounted for up to 26% of reaching an expert level. So what are the other factors that contribute to people becoming experts ?

Many people say that natural talent has a large influence on becoming an expert. Another natural factor is physical superiority, which is especially evident in sports. For instance, many baseball players in America have amazing vision that allows them to see the ball much sooner than others do. So no matter how much a “normal” person practises, it is very hard for them to be as good as someone who has natural talent or physical superiority and who also practises.

And how about other factors that go into creating an expert? Many say IQ, personality, attitude, and starting age are decisive factors, too. It is also important to note that becoming an expert doesn't equal instant success. Success also relies on social factors, environmental factors, and even just being in the right place at the right time!

In conclusion, practice may not make perfect, but deliberate practice has been shown to lead to significant improvement. Based on Ericsson's research, here are some tips on how to practise effectively: be motivated; make specific and realistic goals; work outside your comfort zone; be consistent and persistent; ask for others’ opinions; and, of course, get plenty of rest! For those wanting to become an expert in something, remember that being motivated is key—enjoy what you do and follow your passions.

1. What examples did Gladwell use for his claim?

A．Many scientific studies.

B．His own learning experience.

C．Many baseball players in America.

D．A music group and the Microsoft co-creator.

2. Why did Ericsson disagree with Gladwell?

A．Because he did a scientific studies.

B．Because he found deliberate practice less effective.

C．Because he agreed with the influence of the natural talent.

D．Because he thought the type and quality of practice was also essential.

3. What did a recent study from Princeton University show?

A．Practice only accounted for a small share in reaching an expert level.

B．Attitude and starting age are decisive factors to become an expert.

C．Twenty-six percent of the tested subjects can gain success.

D．It is very hard for a “normal” person to be a natural talent.

4. What can be the suitable title for this text?

A．A new scientific discovery

B．Does practice really make prefect?

C．Advantages and disadvantages of making practice

D．The more you practice, the more success you will receive.