1 . As more and more people speak the global language of English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic, other languages are rapidly disappearing. In fact, half of the 6,000-7,000 languages spoken around the world today will be likely to die out by the next century, according the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
In an effort to prevent language loss, scholars from a number of organizations — UNESCO and National Geographic among them — have for many years been documenting dying languages and the cultures they reflect.
Mark Turin, a scientist at the Macmillan Center, Yale University, who specializes in the languages and oral traditions of the Himalayas, is following in that tradition. His recently published book, A Grammar of Thangmi and Their Culture, grows out of his experience living, working, and raising a family in a village in Nepal.
Documenting the Thangmi language and culture is just a starting point for Turin, who seeks to include other languages and oral traditions across the Himalayan reaches of India, Nepal, Bhutan, and China. But he is not content to simply record these voices before they disappear without record.
At the University of Cambridge Turin discovered a wealth of important materials —including photographs, films, tape recordings, and field notes — which had remained unstudied and were badly in need of care and protection. Now, through the two organizations that he has founded — the Digital Himalaya Project and the World Oral Literature Project — Turin has started a campaign to make such documents, found in libraries and stores around the world, available not just to schools but to the younger generations of communities from whom the materials were originally collected. Thanks to digital technology and the widely available Internet, Turin notes, the endangered languages can be saved and reconnected with speech communities.
1. Many scholars are making efforts to ________.| A．promote global languages | B．rescue disappearing languages |
| C．search for languages communities | D．set up language research organizations |
| A．having detailed records of the languages | B．writing books on language users |
| C．telling stories about language speakers | D．living with the native speakers |
| A．The cultural studies in India. | B．The documents available at Yale. |
| C．His language research in Bhutan. | D．His personal experience in Nepal. |
| A．Write, sell and donate. | B．Record, repair and reward. |
| C．Collect, protect and reconnect. | D．Design, experiment and report. |
2 . Three French students，using the name “Obvious”， have produced the first artwork created mainly by a computer program to be sold at auction (拍卖). Using artificial intelligence (AI)，Obvious created 11 portraits (肖像画) of an imaginary family they called Belamy.
Obvious used 15,000 real portraits to train an AI program which has two parts.One part tries to create pictures that look real.The other part judges the work.If the portrait doesn’t look real enough，the first part goes back and changes its decisions until it comes up with a better picture.These decisions are controlled by an algorithm (计算程序). The students made many choices，helping guide the AI’s decisions.But even so，the painting is “signed”by the algorithm，instead of the students.
On October 25，Obvious’s picture，Edmond de Belamy，was sold at auction at Christie’s in New York.The final price for Edmond de Belamy was $432,500—about ten times more than Christie’s expected.
This is not the first AI artwork，just the first one sold at auction.In fact，many people are not impressed with the portrait.“The work isn’t interesting，or original，”says 19yearold Robbie Barrat.He should know.He wrote much of the program that created the pictures.
But he doesn’t like the idea of Obvious selling the picture.He thinks it’s too simple and gives a bad idea of what real AI artists are doing.He points out that he created many pictures like these over a year ago.
Obvious doesn’t hide the fact that it used Mr.Barrat’s work，or even that its portrait is not the best AI artwork ever.Pierre Fautrel of Obvious said，“...the goal of our project was to do something that was simple enough for...my mother or brother to understand.”
Obvious got the attention of Christie’s by selling another work，Le Comte de Belamy，for over $11,000 in February. One reason Christie’s chose to auction Obvious’s work is because AI art is unusual now.In the future it will be much more common.
1. What does Paragraph 2 mainly explain?| A．How Obvious made its decisions. |
| B．How Obvious named its AI artwork. |
| C．How Obvious’s AI program did paintings. |
| D．How Obvious got the idea to become AI artists. |
| A．It’s Obvious’s first AI artwork. |
| B．It’s Obvious’s best AI artwork ever. |
| C．It’s the first AI artwork highly praised. |
| D．It’s the first AI artwork sold at auction. |
| A．It is of little artistic value. |
| B．It is worth more than the price paid. |
| C．It is a good example of real AI artwork. |
| D．It is hard for common people to understand. |
| A．Worrying. | B．Enjoyable. |
| C．Meaningless. | D．Moneymaking. |
3 . I have always found the Chinese to be a very polite people. In particular, Chinese frequently compliment (称赞) foreign friends on their language skills, knowledge of Chinese culture, professional accomplishments, and personal health. Curiously, however, Chinese are as loath to accept a compliment as they are eager to give one. As many of my Chinese friends have explained, this is a sign of the Chinese virtue of modesty.
I have noticed a difference, though, in the degree to which modesty is emphasized in the United States and China. In the US, we tend to place more emphasis on “seeking the truth from fact”, thus, Americans tend to accept a compliment with gratitude.
Chinese, on the other hand, tend to reject the compliment, even when they know they deserve the credit or recognition which has been awarded them. I can imagine a Chinese basketball fan meeting Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. He might say, “Mr. Jordan, I am so happy to meet you. I just want to tell you, you are the best basketball player in the world; you’re the greatest!” to which Jordan would probably respond, “Thank you very much. I really appreciate it! I just to try to do my best every time I step on the court.” If an American met Deng Yaping, China’s premier pingpong player, he might say much the same thing: “Ms. Deng, you’re the best!” but as a Chinese, Deng would probably say, “No, I really don’t play all that well. You’re too much kind.”
Plainly, Americans and Chinese have different ways of responding to praise. Ironically, many Americans might consider Ms. Deng’s response the less modest, because it is less truthful—and therefore less sincere. Americans generally place sincerity above manners; genuine gratitude for the praise serves as a substitute for protestations of modesty. After all, in the words of one of my closest Chinese friends, modesty taken to the extreme is pride.
1. What does the underlined word “loath” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Polite. | B．Uncertain. | C．Curious. | D．Unwilling. |
| A．To note they do as much as they can each time they play against others. |
| B．To remind readers they are the best players in basketball and table tennis. |
| C．To explain they deserve the credit or recognition for their great contributions. |
| D．To show they as Chinese and Americans are different in accepting praise. |
| A．They think sincerity matters the most. | B．They think her reply is against the fact. |
| C．They think she is too modest to believe. | D．They think manners is more important. |
| A．Education. | B．Sports. | C．Culture. | D．People. |
4 . A few minutes of looking into a deep red light could have a dramatic effect on preventing eyesight decline as we age, according to a newstudy published this week in the Journals of Gerontology.
“You don’t need to use it for very long to start getting a strong result.” said lead author Glen Jeffery, a professor of neuroscience at University College London’s Institute of Ophthalmology. The study was small, an experimental study to test the concept. Researchers recruited 12 men and 12 women, whose ages ranged from 28 to 72. Each participant was given a small handheld flashlight that emitted a red light with a wavelength of 670 nanometers. They spent three minutes each day looking into the light over a period of two weeks.
The lights work on both cones (视锥细胞) and rods (视杆细胞) in the eye. Cones are photo receptor cells that detect color and work best in well-lit situations. Rods, which are much more plentiful, are retina cells that specialize in helping us see in dim light, according to the American of Ophthalmology. Researchers measured the cone function in subjects’ eyes by having them identify colored letters with low contrast. And they measured their eyes’ rod sensitivity by asking them to detect light signals in the dark.
There was a 14% improvement in the ability to see colors, or cone color contrast sensitivity, for the entire two dozen participants. Improvement, however, was most significant in study participants over age 40. For those ages, cone color contrast sensitivity rose by 20% over the course of the study.
That age group also saw significant increases in rod threshold, that is the ability to see in low light. Study participants under 40 also experienced some improvement, but didn’t see the same jump as older subjects. Younger eyes haven’t declined as much as older eyes.
“The retina ages faster than any other organ in your body.” Jeffery said. “From an evolutionary viewpoint, they fundamentally have never lived past 40. Now, of course, we regularly live well beyond that age, and need ways to care for the organs that have been the most likely to wear out earliest in life. But more studies are needed to prove it helps.”
1. What do we know about the study?| A．24 old people took part in the test. |
| B．Each participant has good eyesight. |
| C．All the participants were tested for their eyes’ cone and rod sensitivity. |
| D．The participants were asked to detect light signal in well-lit situation. |
| A．Cone sensitivity rose by 20% for those under 40. |
| B．Younger participants haven’t get any improvement. |
| C．Older eyes haven’t declined as much as younger eyes. |
| D．The participants over 40 have increases in the ability to see in the dark. |
| A．It’s easy to protect our organs. | B．He will carry out further research. |
| C．Our organs never last past 40 years. | D．The research has benefits many people. |
| A．Using a flashlight can improve people’s eyesight. |
| B．Looking into a red light can lead to good eyesight. |
| C．Declining eyesight can be improved by looking at a red light. |
| D．Light can raise eyes’ cone and rod sensitivity. |
5 . The grey squirrels(松鼠)and Mary Krupa became friends during Mary Krupa's first week at Penn State University. After seeing them running around, she wondered what they would look like with tiny hats on their heads. Today, everyone at the university knows her as the “Squirrel Girl".
Mary started bringing them food, and gradually they began to trust her. She managed to put a hat on a squirrel and take a picture. Thinking that her friends could use something to lift their spirits, she started posting those photos on Facebook. The response(回应)was greatly positive, and before long Mary and her squirrels became very famous on the Internet.
Growing up in a neighbourhood outside State College, Mary was always fond of birds and animals around her home, but she didn't communicate with people very much. She was later diagnosed(诊断)with Asperger's syndrome(埃斯伯格综合征)，but the squirrels changed that. “Being together with the squirrels is actually a good way to break the ice, because I'll be sitting here touching a squirrel and other people will come over and we'll just start like feeding the squirrels together and chatting about them," she said. “I am a lot more outgoing.
Perhaps you're wondering how Mary is able to get the squirrels to do what she wants for her photos. Actually, it has a lot to do with food. For example, whenever she wants them to hold or play with something, she puts peanut butter on a plate, and they'll grab(抓住)it. But getting to that part took a while. In the beginning, she would throw peanuts up the trees on campus and invite the squirrels to come down and get them, but they didn't want to approach(接近)her. She had the patience to earn their trust, though.
This year, Mary graduated with a degree in wildlife science. She wants to be a science writer and educate people about how to protect the environment. As for her furry friends, Mary plans to stay in the area and visit them as often as she can.
1. How did Mary manage to make the squirrels trust her?| A．By playing music for them. |
| B．By providing them with food. |
| C．By playing together with them. |
| D．By building a small house for them. |
| A．She is friendlier to others. |
| B．She is more interested in animals. |
| C．She is more outgoing than before. |
| D．She is more willing to share her secrets. |
| A．She is studying medicine in the university. |
| B．She is making a study on the life habits of squirrels. |
| C．She is very patient when getting close to the squirrels. |
| D．She likes animals because she can take photos of them. |
| A．The Squirrel Girl of Penn State University |
| B．How Mary Made Friends with Wild Animals |
| C．How Mary Helped Squirrels in Her Neighbourhood |
| D．Mary's Studying Experience in Penn State University |
6 . Jon Hoffman was sitting at a red light when he saw a man run out of a store carrying a plastic donation jar full of cash.Dressed in plain clothes，Jon Hoffman caught the man and pressed him against the hood(引擎盖) of his car. But Hoffman had trouble controlling the thief，and they got into a struggle.
“The detective has a military background，and he said he thought the suspect must have a military background，too，because he was able to break away so easily，” a local police spokesperson said.
The detective called out for help as a crowd gathered. Among those watching were Harvey and Kirby，two day laborers.
Harvey did what has become common these days—he took out his phone to shoot the video. “I hate to say it，but I thought that this policeman was doing something stupid，”Harvey said. “But when he asked for help，I thought，well，there wouldn’t be shooting if I got over there in time.” Harvey jumped into action，while he was still recording the video. So did Kirby.
“Harvey caught hold of the suspect’s arms，while Kirby seized his legs，and they were able to get the suspect to the ground to help Detective Hoffman put the handcuffs(手铐) on，”said the police spokesperson. The 27yearold suspect was charged with resisting arrest and other offenses. The charity jar he stole held less than$50.
“I’ve been on the wrong side of the law several times in my life，”Harvey said. “It feels good to be on the right side and do something positive.”
After the arrest，the three men got to know each other at a local steak house—Hoffman’s treat，as a thank you.
1. What made Hoffman call for help when arresting the suspect?| A．He was not on duty. | B．He couldn’t control the suspect. |
| C．He needed witnesses to support him. | D．He wanted to push the thief into the car. |
| A．He was ready to break the law. | B．He was out of work at that time. |
| C．He had a good military background. | D．He might have had some illegal deeds. |
| A．Grateful. | B．Prejudiced. |
| C．Skeptical. | D．Admirable. |
7 . Salvador Dali wasn’t exactly modest (谦逊的). And he’ll tell you so, too, face to face at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida. Here, the Spanish surrealist (超现实主义者) is alive and well, ready to talk to you in person about his art.
Well, sort of. This Dali is brought to life through the magic of artificial intelligence (人工智能). It’s a newly opened exhibition (展览) called "Dali Lives", and it is spread across the whole Dali Museum, which houses more than 2,000 Dali works in about 20,000 square feet of exhibit space. Three video boards showing a life-size Dali, standing 5’8” tall, form the exhibit — one at the museum gate, one on the third floor by the main exhibits (including Dali’s paintings and photographs, two technologically treated paintings allowing visitors to put themselves inside the paintings, and a special experience of "walking" through Dali’s 1934 painting "Archeological Reminiscence of Millet’s Angelus") and one in the gift shop on the way out. Each one offers a different experience when you push a doorbell on the board to get Dali’s attention.
The most surprising thing about "Dali Lives" is that you’re dealing with a version (版本) of the artist himself. It looks like Dali, it sounds like Dali, it is Dali. The museum worked together with the San Francisco advertising agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners to achieve this, feeding hundreds of news interviews and words from his written works into an artificial intelligence system to recreate the artist. The result was a living, moving version of Dali ready to converse with anyone there, answering their questions.
"Dali himself was at the forefront of technology and was always experimenting with and trying new things,"says Beth Bell, marketing director at the Dali Museum. "We think he would have loved these types of things. It’s in the spirit of Dali himself."
1. What can we know about Dali from the text?| A．He was a modest surrealist. | B．He once lived in St. Petersburg. |
| C．He produced lots of works of art. | D．He came up with the idea of “Dali Lives”. |
| A．Learn painting skills. | B．Get a surprising gift from Dali. |
| C．Watch lots of interviews with Dali. | D．Enjoy the magic of modern technology. |
| A．Live. | B．Talk. | C．Play. | D．Work. |
| A．The use of artificial intelligence. | B．The works of Salvador Dali. |
| C．An exhibition called “Dali Lives.” | D．The life of Salvador Dali. |
8 . Apple, a 34-year-old doctor, had been on call at Atlanta Medical Center for more than two days, with only a few hours’ sleep. And now tiredness was clouding her eyes as she drove to a meeting in Kentucky, nearly seven hours away. She tried turning on her CB radio, which enthusiasts used to warn one another about road conditions, but the airwaves (广播频道) were silent. Soon Apple’s car started to weave.
A 41-year-old trucker named Woody Key found a car ahead, drifting (漂移) off the road. Key shouted into his CB microphone (麦克风), “Four-wheeler, are you all right?”
Apple woke up. She talked on her CB radio. “I’m tired, and I’m lucky I’m still alive driving this tired. Thanks!”
“Call me Woodpecker, my CB nickname (昵称),” the trucker said. “I’m going to Kentucky. And you?”
“Kentucky.”
“I’ll travel behind and help keep you awake. What’s your CB nickname?”
“Dr. Froot Loops,” she told him.
As they drove, they shared stories, and the time passed quickly. They parted near the Kentucky state line. She thanked him for keeping her awake and safe on the long, dark road.
Years later, Apple found several doctors checking a person brought in from an accident. His head was badly hurt. She put both hands on his head, hoping to calm him. “It’s not your time to die!” she said.
Then, he asked for her name.
“Dr. Sherry Apple,” she replied.
“No ... your CB nickname.”
“How did you guess I have a CB?”
“... I know your voice ...”
“My nickname is Dr. Froot Loops.”
“Oh … It’s me … Woodpecker!”
It was her truck driver! She said, “It’s not your time, Woodpecker!” Then Key was rushed into the operating room.
The first days out of the operating room were very painful for Key. Often Apple would get home and find her phone ringing. Nurses, unable to calm Key, asked her to return. She always did.
About two months after his accident, Key was ready to leave the hospital. As he was leaving, he told Apple, “I don’t think I could have made it without you.” Apple’s eyes welled up. “And I wouldn’t have made it without you.”
1. What happened to Apple on her way to Kentucky?| A．She was called back to hospital halfway. |
| B．.She was disconnected from her friend. |
| C．She fell asleep as she drove. |
| D．She met with a car accident. |
| A．By giving her a lift. |
| B．By driving her car instead. |
| C．By talking with her by phone. |
| D．By keeping her eyes on the road. |
| A．He fought to survive. |
| B．He returned home quickly. |
| C．He stayed quite calm in the hospital. |
| D．He was looked after by Apple every day. |
| A．It was heart-breaking. |
| B．It was life-saving. |
| C．It was serious. |
| D．It was strange. |
9 . What killed King Tut? Historians and scientists have long believed that ancient Egypt’s most famous king was probably murdered. But a recent scientific study claims to have found a different answer to this more than 3,300-year-old mystery. A team of researchers now say that King Tut, the boy ruler, died of complications (并发症) from a broken leg.
Tut’s full name was Tutankhamun. He was just 9 years old when he became the ruler of Egypt in 1333 BC. His treasure-filled tomb was discovered almost a century ago. It was filled with royal riches, including a solid-gold coffin, a gold mask, and piles of jewelry.
Unfortunately Tut died at the age of 19. Many experts have thought that Tut was killed by one of his advisers, named Ay, who wanted to be king. But thanks to a major modern science project, it seems Ay is innocent.
Researchers set out to solve the mystery of King Tut’s death by using the tools of science, including DNA tests and electronic scans of his mummy (木乃伊). Scientist Carsten Pusch carried out the tests on Tut for the new study. He thinks a broken leg led to the young king’s death. More than 100 walking sticks were found in King Tut’s tomb. This supports the team’s findings. But how could a person die from a simple broken leg?
Pusch also found DNA evidence in Tut’s body that shows he had malaria, a disease carried by mosquitoes. Malaria seriously weakens the immune system (免疫系统).
Pusch and his fellow researchers believe the malaria and the bone disease together caused the king’s fracture (骨折) to become deadly. Finally, the young king was just too weak to recover. So effects of the disease combined with the bad luck of a broken bone — not a jealous adviser — are likely the real causes of King Tut’s death.
1. It has long been believed by historians and scientists that ______.| A．King Tut was the youngest ruler in the world history |
| B．King Tut was the richest ruler in the history of Egypt |
| C．King Tut was murdered by one of his advisers |
| D．King Tut was poisoned by one of his servants |
| A．died directly of a disease called malaria | B．died of complications from a broken leg |
| C．died of a simple cut in the broken leg | D．was bitten to death by deadly mosquitoes |
| A．testing the King’s immune system | B．studying the walking sticks found in the tomb |
| C．performing experiments on mosquitoes | D．applying DNA tests and electronic scan technology |
| A．a different answer to King Tut’s death | B．a famous boy king in ancient Egypt |
| C．a treasure-filled tomb discovered in Egypt | D．a team of researchers studying ancient tombs |
10 . You and your friends are settling into your seats. The new movie is about to start and you've got the snacks: soda and popcorn. Food is part of what makes the movies fun.
Just as the lights go out, you catch a slight smell of...tuna fish! You turn your head, searching for the source. Then you spot him: A guy is enjoying a tuna fish sandwich. How'd he get that here? You wonder. Then you remember how much you paid for your snacks.
What invites the unwelcome outside food is probably the price. Why pay $5 for a bag of M&MS when you can get them for a dollar at the corner store?
Earlier this year, a Michigan man decided to fight for his right to snack. Joshua Thompson is suing his local theater after it banned outside food. He argues the ban breaks a Michigan law that prevents businesses from charging extremely high prices. However, most legal experts believe Thompson has little chance of winning his case, though he does have a point: 85 cents out of every dollar of treats a movie theater sells is pure profit.
The truth is that movie theaters are more in the snack business than the movie business. A huge part of the ticket income goes to the Hollywood studio. This makes sense, since the studios have to pay the costs of movie production and advertising. But that often doesn't leave much cash for the theater, which also has its own running costs. If customers stopped buying food, owners would have to raise ticket prices even higher.
Of course, there's another reason to think twice before bringing food into the movies: It's against the rules. Breaking those rules can have unpleasant consequences too. Some theaters will kick you out if they catch you. Even without the threat of punishment, we should follow rules all the time—out of respect.
Here's a good idea: Eat before the movie.
1. What can we infer about the guy mentioned in Paragraph 2?| A．He prefers eating things in the dark. | B．He brought the sandwich from outside. |
| C．He showed little interest in the new movie. | D．He dislikes the food provided by the cinema. |
| A．He broke a Michigan law. | B．He is likely to lose the case. |
| C．He thinks cinema tickets are too expensive. | D．He was forbidden to have snacks at the theater. |
| A．how movie studios work with movie theaters | B．how movie theaters reduce their operating costs |
| C．why Hollywood studios must pay high costs | D．why snack sales are important to movie theaters |
| A．It is unacceptable. | B．It is convenient. |
| C．It is great fun. | D．It is lawful. |
