1 . Flinging brightly coloured objects around a screen at high speed is not what computers’ central processing units were designed for. So manufacturers of arcade machines invented the graphics-processing unit (GPU), a set of circuits to handle video games’ visuals in parallel to the work done by the central processor. The GPU’s ability to speed up complex tasks has since found wider uses: video editing, cryptocurrency mining and most recently, the training of artificial intelligence.

AI is now disrupting the industry that helped bring it into being. Every part of entertainment stands to be affected by generative AI, which digests inputs of text, image, audio or video to create new outputs of the same. But the games business will change the most, argues Andreessen Horowitz, a venture-capital (VC) firm. Games interactivity requires them to be stuffed with laboriously designed content: consider the 30 square miles of landscape or 60 hours of music in “Red Dead Redemption 2”, a recent cowboy adventure. Enlisting AI assistants to churn it out could drastically shrink timescales and budgets.

AI represents an “explosion of opportunity” and could drastically change the landscape of game development. Making a game is already easier than it was: nearly 13,000 titles were published last year on Steam, a games platform, almost double the number in 2017. Gaming may soon resemble the music and video industries in which most new content on Spotify or YouTube is user-generated. One games executive predicts that small firms will be the quickest to work out what new genres are made possible by AI. Last month Raja Koduri, an executive at Intel, left the chip maker to found an AI-gaming startup.

Don’t count the big studios out, though. If they can release half a dozen high-quality titles a year instead of a couple, it might chip away at the hit-driven nature of their business, says Josh Chapman of Konvoy, a gaming focused VC firm. A world of more choices also favors those with big marketing budgets. And the giants may have better answers to the mounting copyright questions around AI. If generative models have to be trained on data to which the developer has the rights, those with big back-catalogues will be better placed than startups. Trent Kaniuga, an artist who has worked on games like “Fortnite”, said last month that several clients had updated their contracts to ban AI-generated art.

If the lawyers don’t intervene, unions might. Studios diplomatically refer to AI assistants as “co-pilots”, not replacements for humans.

1. The original purpose behind the invention of the graphics-processing unit (GPU) was to ________.

A．speed up complex tasks in video editing and cryptocurrency mining

B．assist in the developing and training of artificial intelligence

C．disrupt the industry and create new outputs using generative AI

D．offload game visual tasks from the central processor

2. How might the rise of AI-gaming startups affect the development of the gaming industry?

A．It contributes to the growth of user-generated content.

B．It facilitates blockbuster dependency on big studios.

C．It decreases collaboration between different stakeholders in the industry.

D．It may help to consolidate the gaming market under major corporations.

3. What can be inferred about the role of artificial intelligence in gaming?

A．AI favors the businesses with small marketing budgets.

B．AI is expected to simplify game development processes.

C．AI allows startups to gain an edge over big firms with authorized data.

D．AI assistants may serve as human substitutes for studios.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．The evolution of graphics-processing units (GPUs).

B．The impact of generative AI on the gaming industry.

C．The societal significance of graphics-processing units (GPUs).

D．The challenges generative AI presents to gaming studios.

2 . The Fight against Fast Furniture

Fast furniture is a term that refers to furniture that is produced cheaply and quickly. These items are often bad for the environment because they are made from materials that break easily and need to be replaced often.     1    

To help protect the environment, a movement to move away from fast furniture has begun. Many companies are joining the fight by finding cleaner ways to manufacture furniture. For example, IKEA has agreed to switch to using renewable or recycled materials for their furniture by the year 2030.     2    

There is also a push to encourage shoppers to buy more used furniture for their homes. Small businesses that help transform old chairs and sofas into completely new products have even popped up recently. At the end of the day, consumers will play the most important role in the fight to end fast furniture. Shoppers should try to think more about the long term when preparing to purchase new furniture. They should stay away from furniture that is made from cheap materials like fiberboard or plastic because they will often fall apart after a few years.     3    

A much better alternative is furniture made from real wood because it won’t break as easily. If wood furniture is damaged, it can often be repaired to last longer. High-quality metals are another good material, as they are durable. If the furniture is no longer fit for use, these metals can still be recycled and used to make new products.

    4     So, the next time you buy furniture, think about whether it’s something that will last a long time or it’s just fast furniture that will break soon and go into the trash.

A．It has also designed a special program that lets people return used furniture pieces to its stores so they can be fixed and used again by consumers.

B．This would help to reduce overall waste, as it would extend the life cycle of old furniture items.

C．Although these items may cost less initially, they are more expensive because they will need to be replaced sooner than traditional pieces of furniture.

D．This creates a lot of pollution, as the furniture ends up buried in landfills where it can harm the soil.

E．Homeowners are looking for furniture that is kinder to the environment.

F．By choosing furniture that’s made to last, we can help reduce waste and protect the environment.

3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.   

Bob’s problems began during his formative years. His parents got divorced when he was young, and neither of his parents wanted to raise him or his brother and sister, so he     1     (bring) up by a foster family chosen by a social worker in the community.

Unfortunately, his foster father was a strict authoritarian and often beat him. Bob rebelled against this strict upbringing, and by the time he was eight years old, he     2     (run) wild, stealing from shops and playing truant. When he reached adolescence, sometime around his thirteenth birthday, he had already appeared in court several times, charged     3     juvenile crimes. The judge blamed his foster parents,     4     (explain) that children needed responsible parents and guardians who would look after them properly. The foster father didn’t agree with the judge and objected to this, pointing out that Bob’s two brothers and sister were well-adjusted children who behaved at home and worked well at school.

This has raised some interesting questions about the modern family system.     5     it is true that parents should not be too lenient with children by letting them do     6     they want,     7     too over-protective by sheltering them from the realities of life, it is also true that they should not be too strict. It has also highlighted the disadvantages of the modern nuclear family     8     the child has only its mother and father to rely on or the single-parent family, in which the mother or father has to struggle particularly hard     9     (support) their dependents.     

In fact, many people believe that we     10     return to traditional family values and the extended family: extensive research has shown that children from these families are generally better behaved and have a better chance of success in later life.

4 . A cure for the future in the past?

For over fifty years, the people of Britain have relied on the welfare state to make sure they have adequate health services. But now the National Health Service is sick. Government _____ and underfunding are forcing hospitals to close, and waiting lists for treatment are getting longer. Under such circumstances, it is no surprise that more people are turning to private (but expensive) healthcare.

For some, however, there are _____. They are turning their back on modern pills, tablets and resorting to other conventional medicine. It seems paradoxical, but in an age of microchips and high technology, traditional medicine, the old-fashioned cures that our grandparents relied on, is making a _____.

Consider these case studies:

Maude is 76 years old and has been suffering from arthritis for almost ten years. “The pain in my joints was almost _____, and my doctor referred me to a surgeon at the London Hospital. I was told that I needed _____, but would need to wait for at least two years before I could have the operation. In _____, I started having massage sessions. To my surprise, these were very therapeutic, and while they didn’t cure the disorder, they did _____ it to some extent”.

Ron is 46. His high-powered city job was _____ for a series of stress-related illnesses, and the drugs he took didn’t work well on the nervous strain. “I read about _____ which involve the whole person rather than the individual symptoms, but I had always doubted about such kind of medicine for all diseases. However, my friend _____ a dietician who told me that part of my problem was diet-related. Basically, the food I was eating was _____ to my disorder. She gave me a list of foods that would provide the right vitamins and minerals to keep me in good health. At the same time, she advocated a more _____ lifestyle-running, swimming, that kind of thing. I’ m a bit of a couch potato, and this kind of lifestyle I had lived was _____ the problem. Now I feel great!”

So is there still a place in our lives for modern medicine? While it is true that some infections and viruses may be _____ by turning to traditional medicine, more serious illnesses such as cancer need more extreme measures. We do need our health service at these times, and we shouldn’t stop _____ in its future. But we mustn’t forget that for some common illnesses, the cure may lie in the past.

1.

A．support

B．restrictions

C．cutbacks

D．concern

2.

A．programs

B．alternatives

C．measures

D．scales

3.

A．comeback

B．living

C．change

D．mess

4.

A．unique

B．uncertain

C．universal

D．unbearable

5.

A．permission

B．surgery

C．supervision

D．strength

6.

A．condition

B．desperation

C．general

D．particular

7.

A．protect

B．recover

C．relieve

D．treat

8.

A．eager

B．grateful

C．famous

D．responsible

9.

A．treatments

B．sources

C．spirits

D．comments

10.

A．supervised

B．declared

C．recommended

D．tempted

11.

A．contributing

B．adapting

C．subjecting

D．objecting

12.

A．moderate

B．active

C．negative

D．suitable

13.

A．identifying

B．investigating

C．estimating

D．worsening

14.

A．prevented

B．empowered

C．indicated

D．restored

15.

A．undertaking

B．invading

C．investing

D．evolving

5 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Digital Nomads (游牧人)

How would you like to answer your work emails from a beachfront café in Thailand or a coffee shop in Portugal? If that appeals to you, being a digital nomad might be for you. Digital nomads can literally work from anywhere as their jobs are online. Digital nomads rely on portable devices with wireless Internet capabilities such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Typically, they work from coffee shops, restaurants, co-working spaces, apartments or internet cafés — places with an Internet connection.

Worldwide, statistics show the number of digital nomads hit 35 million in 2021. So what is it that makes the lifestyle of digital nomads so fascinating? First and foremost, digital nomads get to live in different countries and cultures while they work, providing them with opportunities to have adventures and experience new things. These folks have also found the most flexible means of online incomes, allowing them to head out at a moment’ notice and go where they please. “I’m free,” says Nimisha Walji, “I can go where the wind takes me and live any place I choose! If I feel like a change, I can pursue that in a matter of days, sometimes hours.”

You may think that being a digital nomad is all sunshine and rainbows. It is not necessarily so. Job finding is one of the hardest tasks for the digital nomad, given that they have no permanent home, no office address, and no one knows them. To apply for a job, they need to find the employer and persuade him to hire them. Most of the employers hire from their own city, and that’s why it’s so hard for a nomad to find a job. Access to stable Wi-Fi and adequate workspace can be difficult. If someone struggles to stay focused at home, there can’t be a worse place than a fascinating holiday location. Few people can manage to be productive faced with the temptations and distractions. It seems that living the life of a digital nomad isn’t for everyone.       

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . PAUL HEMINGTON, 57, is the Assistant Operations Manager at Cheddar Gorge（切达峡谷） and Caves cheddargorge.co.uk

I moved to SOMERSET mainly for my family. My daughter was getting married and I didn’t want to live six hours away, so we made the move. Once we moved, we were made unneeded and it was a mad race to get work. I ended up at here at Cheddar Gorge and Caves.

Cheddar Gorge is like nothing else in the UK. It’s a unique phenomenon, because although there are other caves in the country, you don’t have the gorge elsewhere. This is a major geological feature, it’s three miles long and there’s just this natural, raw beauty. I can sit at my desk in guest services and look out at part of the gorge. It’s amazing.

The Cheddar Gorge spirit is strong. You know, not having worked here or heard about the area, you come here and it gets under your skin in the right way. You become part of it, it becomes part of you. I’m very passionate about it. And there’s the amazing wildlife, the geology, the prehistory — Cheddar Man is still one of the greatest finds in the UK.

Every day at Cheddar Gorge and Caves is different. You’ve got the rock sports side of things, the climbing, the caving. We take people through the caves on tours and we have pre-history, which we do with the museum, whereby we have schools come in and do demonstrations with them. We will dress up as genuinely as we can to reproduce the time period of the Cheddar Man, which is the Mesolithic period, so 10,000 years ago. We do fire lighting, for example, and hopefully it’s inspiring to the young people! It’s really cool to be in the museum garden and have part of the gorge as the background while you’re doing it, so you can really submerge yourself in that moment.

My favourite spot is when you go past the peak on the walk and you can look back down into the gorge or across to the reservoir. The view is amazing. Yes, you can see pictures of it, but honestly you have to be there to fully appreciate it. You might hear some buzzards or see some sheep or goats while you’re up there, just to enhance the experience!

1. PAUL HEMINGTON originally moved to Cheddar Gorge to __________.

A．settle down in the countryside	B．be closer to his daughter
C．land a job as a tour guide	D．take part in a competitive race

2. The underlined phrase “gets under your skin” is closest in meaning to _________.

A．affects you deeply	B．bothers you greatly
C．increases your strength	D．improves your skin condition

3. Which of the following falls into Paul’s job descriptions?

A．He goes to the school to give lectures on pre-history.

B．He demonstrates to young people how to climb rocks.

C．He participates in recreating the scenes in the Mesolithic period.

D．He decorates the museum garden to make it look like the gorge.

4. What does PAUL HEMINGTON talk about in this article?

A．How he adapts to the local way of life.

B．What major local attractions are worth seeing.

C．Why Cheddar Gorge ranks first as a natural wonder.

D．What makes Cheddar Gorge so special to him.

7 . 4 Ways to Get That Vacation Feeling in Two Days

Going on vacation every week? It might sound like the _________ dream. But a simple mindset _________ can make it happen—no travel involved.

A few years ago, Holmes and her colleagues began _________ the importance of taking vacations. In a series of experiments, Holmes’ team _________ 441 U.S. workers to either spend the weekend like any other, or treat it like a vacation. When they were back at work on Monday, people who had adopted a vacation mindset reported being happier and less stressed.

“What was somewhat surprising is that the effect wasn’t driven by people spending time all that _________,” Holmes says. “It was this mindset that allowed them to be more present, _________ being in “doing” mode, it allowed people to settle in and be in the moment.

We asked people to share their favorite tips for adopting a vacation mindset at home.

1. Get creative about _________ time

Not everyone has Saturday and Sunday off work and actually some people often find their weekend schedules fully _________. You could still apply the philosophy. For example, devote an hour on Sunday morning to the _________, but protect the rest of the weekend as your vacation time.

2. Reflect on priorities

Focus on what makes a vacation different from a __________ weekend. “Does it mean turning off your email notifications? Spending money carelessly? “Maybe it means being able to spend time with people you don’t normally get to see, or giving yourself a break on a workout,” Holmes says. “It’s helpful to make a list of those things and be able to __________.”

3. Act like a __________

Decision scientist Nika Kabiri recommends doing something totally new so you can disconnect from the same old routines __________ your life. Among her favorite ideas: Drive to a part of town you’ve never been to before, go for a stroll, and grab lunch at the first cute café you see. “The spontaneity（自发性）is what makes experiences like this feel vacation-like,” Kabiri says.

4. Don’t put extra pressure on yourself

Treating your weekend like a vacation doesn’t mean it needs to be a complicated affair. If your “vacation” encounters a few problems or lasts for only a few hours—don’t worry. “It doesn’t have to be all or nothing,” Kabiri says. “Don’t put pressure on yourself to have this ‘perfect vacation.’” It’s __________ to be fun. __________, there’s always another one just a few days away.

1.

A．unattainable

B．inharmonious

C．incomplete

D．unprofessional

2.

A．study

B．shift

C．trend

D．proposal

3.

A．representing

B．ranking

C．exploring

D．predicting

4.

A．persuaded

B．challenged

C．motivated

D．instructed

5.

A．practically

B．literally

C．identically

D．differently

6.

A．In light of

B．Regardless of

C．In favor of

D．Instead of

7.

A．telling

B．killing

C．making

D．changing

8.

A．cleared

B．packed

C．removed

D．dominated

9.

A．laundry

B．recreation

C．movies

D．picnic

10.

A．regular

B．dramatic

C．primitive

D．peaceful

11.

A．identify with

B．depend on

C．follow through

D．substitute for

12.

A．resident

B．master

C．tourist

D．neighbor

13.

A．facilitating

B．governing

C．revealing

D．polishing

14.

A．proved

B．defined

C．described

D．meant

15.

A．Plus

B．Hence

C．Still

D．Finally

8 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box. Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A.wrestling   B. approaches   C. preoccupied D. experimenting   E. dynamically F. bound   G. moderate   H. applies   I. inadequate   J. unitedly     K. integrity

Dare to be Dull

A big part of why spontaneous (即兴的) speaking feels so challenging is the desire to always say the right thing in the right way at the right time. But that leads to unnecessary self-evaluation and criticism, consuming precious mental energy and preventing you from     1     engaging in the moment. I often advise people to follow a spontaneous comedy saying: “Dare to be dull.” That is, don’t feel you are       2     to give an exceptional performance. Recognize that there is no single “correct” way to answer a question, give feedback or welcome a colleague —only better or worse       3    .

Another popular saying also       4     here: “Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good.” Listeners are more likely to trust you when you speak like a man of       5     rather than an actor or a robot. For example, research shows that the most effective speech includes     6     use of fillers such as “um” and “ah.” So when you need to speak spontaneously, refocus your attention on your listeners instead of       7     with your inner critic. Attempting to serve their needs will take your mental spotlight off yourself, relieving the pressure you feel. Tell yourself that     8    , making mistakes, and learning during spontaneous interactions are normal.

Micah, a student of mine, was fearful that his class contributions would be seen as     9    . To avoid embarrassment, he planned and rehearsed the points he wanted to make. But because he was always working to remember them and find the right time to use them, he was     10     and failed to get the most out of discussions. With my help he focused on silencing his inner critic. He began offering more ideas, sometimes imperfectly formed, and in just a few weeks he became less anxious and more confident.

9 . Directions: Fill in each blank with a proper word chosen from the box.   Each word can be used only once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. backfire B. compensate          C. extend   D. impressive       E. meaningful F. measure G. needle   H. overall   I. perceive J. punishment   K. typically

Why You Shouldn’t Exercise to Lose Weight

Many of us are lacing up our sneakers and starting (or restarting) exercise regimens (练身计划) in hopes of shedding unwanted pounds. Unquestionably, aiming to be more active is good. But if the main reason is to lose weight, your New Year’s resolution could very well     1    .

For starters, exercise — at least the kind most of us do — is     2     ineffective for weight loss. Take walking, for example. A 150-pound person who walks briskly for 30 minutes will burn, on average, around 140 calories. That’s equal to one can of soda — not exactly a great return on your investment of time and effort. It’s much easier just to skip the soda.

Studies     3     show that doing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as walking for 30 minutes a day, five days a week — the amount recommended for good health — typically produces little or no weight loss by itself.

When moderate exercise is added to diet, the results are equally not     4    . Pooling data from six trials, researchers found that a combination of diet and exercise generated no greater weight loss than diet alone after six months.

In studies where exercise has produced     5     weight loss, participants burned at least 400 to 500 calories per session on five or more days a week. To achieve that, sessions need to go well beyond what most of us are willing or able to do. And even if we manage to exert that much effort, our bodies often     6     by boosting appetite and dialing down metabolism, effects that over time limit how many pounds we shed.

Perhaps the biggest problem with exercising to drop pounds is that it turns physical activity into     7    . How many times have you heard someone say (or said yourself) “I’ll need to do extra exercise” after eating too much during the holidays or at a celebratory dinner?

The point is that we’re more likely to     8     exercise positively and actually do it when we focus on our well-being rather than our weight. The incentive may be an improved mood or less stress. Others may find that exercise makes them feel physically and mentally stronger.

Of course, the benefits of physical activity     9     well beyond these. It’s been shown to reduce the risk of multiple diseases. It can also improve sleep and boost energy.

By all means, striving to exercise regularly in the new year is perhaps the most important thing you can do for your health. But to improve the odds of success, focus on how movement helps you feel better physically and emotionally — and forget about how it moves the     10     on the scale.

10 . Decoding Your Emotions

Almost all of us can remember a time when we were angry with a friend or anxious about going to a job interview. We experience such a wide range of emotions in everyday life, and these can influence the decisions we make — important decisions, such as whether we should quit a job, to the more trivial like what we’re going to have for dinner.     1     We have to figure out whether they’re feeling happy or sad, fearful or angry, jealous or amused, and determine how to respond while handling our own emotions.

Emotions are controlled by many different chemicals, or neurotransmitters and electrical impulses.     2     Between two nerves is a small gap called synapse, where neurotransmitters carry messages between the gaps. Depending on the neurotransmitters that are released and not released this chemical and electrical surge provides us with the capability of feeling emotions.

Emotions have been studied as far back as the 4 century BC. The Greek philosopher Aristotle attempted to identify the number of core human cmotions. During the 1970s, psychologist Paul Ekman identified six basic emotions — happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise and disgust-these provide the basis for more complicated emotional experiences we have.     3     Since then, the number of human emotions has continued to be a subject of debate, with some suggesting that there are only four emotions, while others suggesting 27, and some say there are infinite number as long as you can express them.

    4     For example, in Japanese culture it is considered offensive to display negative emotions in front of another person. Americans, however, are encouraged to express their emotions regardless of the person present. Despite the cultural differences, our emotions play a crucial role in guiding us through life, affecting the decisions we make and the ways we connect with others. Our emotions are what makes us human. By expressing our emotions-and comforting others in their of need — we strengthen our relationships, and provide a source of comfort to one another.

A．Electrical impulses are sent along a nerve, which connect to many more nerves.

B．Emotions also decides the way we interact with our family, friends and colleagues and even ourselves.

C．In fact, the way we express our emotions can vary across cultures.

D．Based on the study, distinct cultural backgrounds’ contributing to different emotions has its reasons.

E．Ekman later expanded his list of basic emotions to include shame, guilt and relief.

F．Additionally, emotions have long-lasting impacts on our interpersonal relationships too