1 . There was a time when the major concern with AI safety had been the one evil super intelligence, reflected in the movie “The Terminator”. However, the game “Tacoma” takes a different approach. It assumes that there will be numerous AGI (artificial general intelligence) in the world and that any AGI, even a safely designed one, in the wrong hands at the wrong time could cause live« to be lost. That's the future that a growing number of AI safety experts are worried about.
This is not a new idea. In the book “Engineering a Safer World,” MIT professor Nancy G. Leveson addresses common misunderstandings about safety-critical systems engineering: engineering systems whose failure could lead to human loss. Such safety-critical technologies include aviation, nuclear power, automobiles, heavy chemicals, biotechnology, and, of course, AGI.
So what can be done?
Technology isn’t always the solution. A famous example is the invention of sonic radars (声波雷达) that were supposed to help ships detect nearby obstacles, but which only increased the rate of accidents. Why? Captains sailed faster, thinking they could get away with it thanks to the new safety technology.
Instead of technologies, Leveson's book suggests, we should be making organizational changes. Additionally, Leveson suggests, among many complicated guidelines, organizations should be aware that safety guidelines will inevitably become lax over time. As a consequence, measures should be carried out to prevent potential disasters.
What lessons can we draw from concern with AI safety? The answer may lie in recent disaster narratives (叙述), which remind us that, especially in limes like this, we shouldn't forget the potential for other disasters. Public conscience really does matter. And if we're all better at thinking about safety we citizens, maybe we really can prevent disasters.
1. Why does the author mentioned “The Terminator” in the first paragraph?| A．To arouse readers' interest in The Terminator. |
| B．To introduce the topic of concern with AI safely. |
| C．To mention the similarity between “The Terminator” and “Tacoma”. |
| D．To make readers recall the evil super intelligence reflected in the movie. |
| A．Because captains seldom used them. |
| B．Because the radars failed to work properly. |
| C．Because captains depended on them too much. |
| D．Because the ships couldn't detect nearby obstacles. |
| A．Safe. | B．Important. |
| C．Unreliable. | D．Unnecessary. |
| A．Disaster prevention Lessons from AI. |
| B．Safety problems in modern society. |
| C．Engineering development in modern days. |
| D．Future applications of artificial intelligence. |
2 . Many college students turn to ADHD（注意缺陷障碍）medicine during the exam week, which is regarded as “smart drugs” that will help their academic（学术的）performance. The thinking is that if the drugs help students with ADHD improve their focus, they should provide the same benefit for people who don’t have the disorder.
But a new study shows that drugs can actually damage brain function of healthy students who take the drug hoping to boost their intelligence. “It’s not a smart drug which will suddenly improve their ability to understand information they read,” said Lisa Weyandt, a professor at the University of Rhode Island.
To test whether this effect is real or not, researchers organized 13 students to take part in two five-hour study sessions（一段时间）in the lab. The students took the standard 30mg ADHD drugs before one session, and a sugar pill before the other. Students on ADHD drugs did experience an increase in their blood pressure and heart rates. “The medicine was having an effect on their brain,” Weyandt said. The students also showed an improvement in their ability to focus, the researchers found.
However, students on ADHD drugs experienced no improvement in reading comprehension, reading fluency or knowledge reviews, compared to when they’d taken a sugar pill. “We read aloud stories to them and asked them to recall information from the stories, ”she said. “That didn’t improve.”
Worse, the ADHD drug actually harms students’ memory. It’s often misused because people pull all-nighters and they’re tired, and they think it’s going to keep them awake. Maybe it does, but it’s certainly not going to help their academic work. The brain is still developing until the mid to late 20s. It’s important to keep it healthy. There’s also a chance that ADHD drugs could endanger a student’s heart health.
1. Why do some college students take ADHD drugs?| A．To improve their sleeping. | B．To get higher marks. |
| C．To make them feel relaxed. | D．To treat brain disorder. |
| A．Analyze. | B．Affect. |
| C．Improve. | D．Understand. |
| A．They became more focused. |
| B．Their blood pressure was reduced. |
| C．Their reading fluency was greatly raised. |
| D．They could remember better and more quickly. |
| A．In a drug instruction. | B．In a biology textbook. |
| C．In a travel magazine. | D．In a news report. |
3 . Killer whales, or orcas, are known for their severe attacks on sea animals but they have never posed a threat to humans. However, since late July, the normally social animals have been intentionally attacking sailboats off the coasts of Spain and Portugal.
The strange behavior first surfaced on July 29, 2020, when a 46-foot boat was repeatedly attacked for almost an hour by nine orcas, causing the boat to rotate(旋转) 180 degrees and having its engine switched off. Since then, over 30 more similar incidents have been reported. On September 23, 2020, Spain's government banned boats of less than 50 feet in length from sailing in the 60-mile stretch of the Atlantic coastline between Ferrol and the Estaca de Bares Cape, where the attacks have been occurring.
Researchers across the world are trying to explain the orcas' behavior. Some believe it could be a result of the overfishing of the bluefish tuna - the orcas' primary food source -which has left the area's killer whales starving and unable to feed their babies. "I saw them look at boats carrying fish. I think they know humans are somehow related to food shortages, "says Ken Balcomb, senior scientist at the Center for Whale Research in Washington, USA. The environmentalists believe the sudden increase in boat traffic and fishing activities, after months of absence due to restrictions on human activity last spring, could also be contributing to the agitation.
However, Alfredo López, a biology professor in Galicia, Spain, thinks the attacks are defensive measures the orcas adopted to protect themselves against boat injuries. The researcher came to this conclusion after looking at the of the videos of a few incidents and noticing that two of the young killer whales involved had serious injuries. Hopefully, the experts will be able to find a way to restore the harmony between the animals and the humans soon.
1. What do we know about orcas in paragraph 1?| A．They are friendly to humans. | B．They have changed their behavior. |
| C．They are famous for hunting skills | D．They have met tough living conditions. |
| A．Ken Balcomb. | B．The environmentalists. |
| C．Alfredo López. | D．Spain's government. |
| A．The attacks. | B．Food shortages. | C．The overfishing. | D．Human activities. |
| A．How do killer whales attack humans? |
| B．Why Are Killer Whales attacking Boats? |
| C．How can we live in harmony with animals? |
| D．Why are boats banned from sailing on the sea? |
4 . The best and most-commonly used sources for the pills we have are oily fish like salmon（畦）， mackerel and sardines. Many environmentalists fear that some species are being over fished for this purpose. We may have an endless voracity for fish oil, but we don't have an endless supply of fish.
Menhaden, which is described as “a big-headed, smelly, foot-long fish" , is in great danger. Although prized for dinner in the 18th century, the species has become the unknown victim of the fish oil business 9 which presents us with potential sea fish. Menhaden filter-feed almost entirely on algae （海藻）and is especially good at changing it into-3 fatty acids, which make them a good target for fish oil companies.
One particular company, Protein of Houston, has been fishing 90 percent of the country' s menhaden. It's become such a big problem that 13 of the 15 Atlantic states have banned the company * s boats from their waters. Yet the company is still allowed to fish in North Carolina and Virginia, as well as federal waters; the company * s efforts result in the removing of half a billion menhaden every year.
Aside from running out a public natural resource for a company，s private profit, the damage to the ecosystem is cause for alarm. The muddy brown color of the Long Island Sound is the direct result of lacking water nitration （过滤）一a job that was once done by menhaden.
Menhaden keep the ocean waters of the Atlantic and Gulf coasts clean. A menhaden filters four to six gallons of water of algae in a minute, which prevents underwater dead zones.
Measures should be taken to avoid the over fished situation. Plant seeds such as flax seed, chiaseeds, hemp seeds, and sesame seeds — and particularly their oils — are good vegetarian sources of omega-3 fatty acids, although the mix of specific acids is different from which one can get with fish.
1. Why does menhaden become a good fish for companies to make pills?| A．It is good at forming-3 fatty acids. |
| B．It feeds mainly on the harmful algae. |
| C．It is well-known for its rich protein. |
| D．It is relatively easy for companies to catch. |
| A．trouble | B．shortage |
| C．resource | D．appetite |
| A．To grow more plants for their seeds to make oil. |
| B．To use some substitutes instead of more fish oil. |
| C．To call on the government to make laws in fishing. |
| D．To take part in more activities to protect the environment. |
| A．The broken natural ecosystem. | B．The process of making fish oil. |
| C．Bad effects of fish oil making. | D．How to use natural resources. |
5 . Just over 12 months ago I gave myself a challenge: give up spending on all but the essentials for a whole year. It hasn't always been easy, but a year on I am wealthier and wiser. Embarrassingly, I have also realized just how much money I've squandered down the pub, in restaurants and through mindless shopping.
Free of any financial worries, I was spending without thinking. Stuck in a cycle of consumerism, I was struggling in vain to spend my way to happiness. Giving up spending for a year was an extreme approach but I wanted to taste extreme frugality (节俭), shake up my spending patterns and overpay my mortgage (按揭) instead of shopping. I could continue to pay my bills, including mortgages, broadband, phone bill, charity donations, life insurances, money to help my family and basic groceries.
It was not easy, especially in the first few months. There were lows, such as when I missed my favourite jazz concerts and hit films. There have also been some awkward moments when I've turned up to a friend's house for dinner empty-handed. I did a lot of washing up at my friends' houses in return this year.
I did find new ways to live, however. Using sites such as Eventbrite I have been to film screenings, wine tasting evenings and theatre productions for free. Living in London I have a wealth of free cultural activities on my doorstep and I've been to more art exhibitions this year than ever before. I even managed a free holiday, cycling the Suffolk and Norfolk coast and camping on beaches. It's something I'd never done before and probably wouldn't have, were it not for the challenge.
The last 12 months have taught me what things I really need. I can honestly say I'm happier now. I've gained confidence and skills, done things and met lovely people I wouldn't have otherwise done or met.
1. What does the underlined word “squandered” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Saved. | B．Wasted. | C．Donated. | D．Earned. |
| A．try to form a virtue of frugality | B．change her former spending habits |
| C．pay off her mortgage as soon as possible | D．reserve money for her everyday bills |
| A．She did a lot of washing and cooking in pubs. |
| B．She tried cycling and camping for the first time. |
| C．She explored more cultural activities in London. |
| D．She attended concerts and wine evenings for free. |
| A．Discouraging | B．Challenging | C．Beneficial | D．Embarrassing |
6 . When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair weather (晴天) friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).
Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries, to think of ways to be helpful. He is, also a good listener.
At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.
Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time? I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favour, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble > he will not run away from me.
There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special, A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humour, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.
When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!
1. If you have fair weather friends, what will happen to you?| A．You will become rich |
| B．You can be sure that you get real friends |
| C．You will be refused when you get into trouble |
| D．They will give you all that they have when you need help |
| A．Honesty. | B．Reliability. |
| C．Understanding. | D．A sense of humour. |
| A．Cloudy. | B．Unusual. | C．Unhappy. | D．Pleased. |
| A．the qualities of a friend | B．where to choose friends |
| C．how to get along with friends | D．the importance of having a friend |
7 . Personality is the pattern of thoughts, feelings and behaviors unique to a person. People tend to think of personality as fixed. But according to psychologists, that’s not how it works. “Personality is a developmental phenomenon,” said Brent Roberts, a psychologist at the University of Illinois.
That’s not to say that you’re a different person each day you wake up. “In the short term, change can be barely detectable,” Roberts said Individuals’ levels of each personality trait tended to stay consistent within each decade of life. But those decades add up. “Throughout all those years, our personality is still changing, but slowly,”Roberts said. “It’s something that’s subtle,” he added. “You don’t notice it on that five-to-10-year time scale, but in the long term, it becomes pronounced.”
In 1960, psychologists surveyed over 440,000 high school students, 1952 of whom were tracked down and given the same survey fifty years later. The results, published in 2018 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, found that in their 60s, participants scored much higher than they had as teenagers on questions measuring calmness, self-confidence, leadership and social sensitivity. There’s good evidence that the average self-control of a30-year-old is higher than a 20-year-old. At the same time, people who are relatively self-controlled at 18 also tend to be relatively self-controlled at age 30.
So why do we change so much? Evidence suggests it’s not dramatic life events, such as marriage, the birth of a child or loss of a loved one. Some psychologists actually suggest these events strengthen your personality as you bring your characteristics with you to that particular situation.
`“Instead, changing expectations placed on us—as we adjust to university, starting a family—slowly wears us in, almost like a pair of shoes,” Roberts said. “Over time you are asked in many contexts across life to do things a bit differently,” he added. “There’s not a user handbook for how to act, but we unconsciously follow the way we are supposed to behave in these situations. So we adapt.”
1. What do we know about personality from paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?| A．Individual personality has a lot in common. |
| B．Personality develops slowly in the long run. |
| C．Every day personality is a new phenomenon. |
| D．Short-term change in personality can be detected. |
| A．Obvious. | B．Skeptical. | C．Steady. | D．Rewarding. |
| A．Clearly a 30-year-old tends to lose temper more easily than a 20-year-old. |
| B．440,000 high school students surveyed in 1960 were traced fifty years later. |
| C．Participants behave more calmly and confidently in their 60s than as teenagers. |
| D．People who are relatively self-controlled at 18 are surely not self-controlled at 30. |
| A．Dramatic life events. |
| B．Changing expectations on others. |
| C．Different contexts across life. |
| D．Constant adaptation to situations. |
8 . For some students, there's nothing better than sitting back during school breaks with some friends, family and a couple scary movies, not having to worry about homework. There are also students (such as myself) who get anxious during school breaks because we don't have anything to do. Over fall break I got a slight head start on my homework, wrote an article for this paper, did some laundry and other chores and slept about 10 hours every day. And I still found myself feeling bored.
During breaks many students take the opportunity to camp while it's still warm outside, or ski if it's not. But you know what's happening to the people who make a habit of avoiding homework or productive activities over breaks? They're messing up their sleeping patterns, by procrastinating and then cramming in homework that's suddenly due in two days, and finally wishing the break could last a little longer.
This is why we should make it a point to do homework over short breaks. I'm not saying that professors give students a 10-page essay to write or have them finish an entire book during a break — I'm just encouraging students to make use of time to get ahead.
Breaks are for family, friends and oneself. Doing a lot of homework during breaks can make one feel burnt out, but it will benefit everyone to take some time to catch up or get ahead so that when the break ends and we have to pull ourselves back to reality, we're not left hoping uselessly for a longer break.
When teachers give you homework over fall break, they' re forcing you to use your break the way you should. A break is meant to give you the gift of time, and it should be used wisely. Work today so you can party tomorrow. Party today and you'll be hating the work tomorrow.
1. What do we know about the author during school breaks?| A．She doesn't just want to get relaxed. | B．She never gets bored due to her study. |
| C．She tries to keep herself as busy as possible. | D．She enjoys the life without homework anxiety. |
| A．Depending on. | B．Turning to. | C．Picking out. | D．Putting off. |
| A．One should avoid parties over school breaks. |
| B．Studying properly over school breaks reduces stress. |
| C．School breaks are for students to relax rather than study. |
| D．Students should do much homework during school breaks. |
| A．To show the importance of homework. | B．To explain why school breaks are useful. |
| C．To tell us how we should spend school breaks. | D．To give us some tips on how to study at home. |
9 . A new wave of psychological research is pioneering Virtual Reality （VR） lo treat medical conditions from social anxiety to Alzheimer’s disease.
Riding a wave of interest in mental health tech, companies creating VR content for treatment are receiving a flood of attention and funding. And,while VR has been used successfully to treat post-traumatic stress disorder （PTSD） since the 1990s, these new programs address a much broader range of conditions.The library of Palo Alto–based Limbix, for instance, includes VR content designed to treat issues including alcohol addiction and teenage depression. Barcelona-based Psious offers treatments for eating disorders.
Today’s VR content is primarily designed to aid exposure treatment, a treatment for anxiety disorders in which patients are exposed to the “threats” they’re worried about in a safe, controlled environment, eventually learning that the “threats” are not actually very dangerous. For example, someone who fears heights might visit taller buildings under the guidance of their doctor, while someone with PTSD might revisit painful memories.
VR allows doctors to create a safe and controlled environment inside a VR headset. It’s a far safer, quicker and less expensive option. Using VR also gives doctors much more control over the intensity（强度）of their patients’ experiences,which can lead to better treatment outcomes, said Stephane Bouchard, a professor at the University of Quebec. VR treatment patients can also do things they couldn’t do in the real world. “In one of our studies, we asked patients who are afraid of heights to actually jump from a cliff,” Bouchard said.
However, not all VR treatment content is created equal. “Some companies show videos of VR environments that are incomplete, untested and definitely haven’t been tried out by psychologists,” Bouchard said. Clearer rules and standards will make it easier for patients and doctors to identify products that work.
1. What problems can VR be used to treat according to the passage?| A．Social anxiety, PTSD and alcohol addiction. |
| B．Sleeping disorders, deafness and computer addiction. |
| C．The fear of heights, blood pressure and eating disorders. |
| D．Alzheimer’s disease, heart attack and teenage depression. |
| A．Benefits. | B．Results. | C．Causes. | D．Methods. |
| A．Worrying. | B．Uncertain. | C．Promising. | D．Passive. |
| A．Criteria of VR treatment. |
| B．Wide use of VR treatment. |
| C．Problems VR treatment are facing. |
| D．Reasons why VR treatment standards are needed. |
10 . An interactive map was published by the tourism website Smoky Mountains. It is intended for fall foliage (枝叶) fans. It will help them make the most of the colorful season.
The map draws on various data. It includes rainfall and temperature forecasts. It includes average daylight exposure. It predicts the timing of leaves’ color change across the United States.
Users can view weekly forecasts. They select date, which are listed below the map. Shades of green overtake the map when users click September 7. Shades of orange, red and brown appear by October 19. They indicate the arrival of near peak or peak foliage in the northern and western US. By November 30 all but the southernmost parts of the US are past peak point.
“The predictive fall leaf map helps potential travelers determine the precise future date when the leaves will peak in each area of the United States,” said Wes Melton. He is one of the data scientists who created the tool. “We believe this will enable travelers to take more meaningful fall vacations, capture beautiful fall photos and enjoy the natural beauty of autumn.”
The researchers refine the tool every year. This is the sixth version of the map with more and better functions. It builds on sources such as historical and forecasted temperatures. It looks at leaf peak trends and peak observation trends. These help produce the final product.
Chlorophyll is the chemical responsible for turning leaves green. Plants stop producing it when fall approaches and the days get shorter. This process exposes pigments (色素), which creates the beautiful colors associated with fall foliage.
Early October will likely mark the start of this year’s leaf-watching season thanks to the warm weather. Tourists seeking red and golden leaves should pack their bags soon and prepare to enjoy the view.
1. What do we know about the interactive map?| A．It shows how much rain falls in each area of the US. |
| B．It predicts when leaves become colorful across the US. |
| C．It forecasts what the weather is like in each area of the US. |
| D．It indicates how much sunlight each area of the US receives. |
| A．Musicians. | B．Physicians. | C．Engineers. | D．Photographers. |
| A．Improve. | B．Invent. | C．Employ. | D．Study. |
| A．Poor nutrition. | B．Dry weather. | C．Pigments. | D．Chlorophyll. |
