1 . Overtourism Is For Real: How Can You Help?

Travel promotes understanding, expands our minds, makes us better people, and boosts local economies and communities, but the rapid growth of travel has led to overtourism in certain regions and destinations.     1     Certainly not. The loss of what travel offers would be unacceptable in today’s world. Here are some tips on making wise decisions to minimize pressure on the places we visit and improve our experience.

●Choose mindfully. Overvisited destinations are that way for a reason: they’re special. With so many online posts featuring the same places, it’s easy to feel like you’re missing out. Go somewhere only when the landscape, culture or food deeply draws you.     2    

●Get creative. The best way to ease pressure on over-touristed destinations is to go somewhere else. Though overtourism is described as a problem affecting the entire world, it’s actually concentrated to a small number of extremely popular spots. That means you have tons of less-visited options to choose from.     3     Why not try a regional alternative or check out a popular destination’s lesser-known sights?

●    4     Minimize impact and maximize experience by skipping major holidays or rush hour. You’ll compete with fewer tourists, save money, experience a different side of a popular place, and boost the economy when tourism is traditionally slower.

Visiting a place that others call home is a privilege (荣幸). Do your part to preserve what makes a destination special in the first place.     5     You may be amazed how much closer you’ll feel to the people there.

A．Visit during off-peak times.

B．So, should we stop traveling?

C．Travel for you and no one else.

D．Can overtourism be avoided then?

E．You can still find relatively undiscovered places.

F．You’ll find yourself virtually alone, or close to it.

G．Consider giving back to the communities you’re visiting.

2 . English businessman Richard Branson made history on July 11, 2021 as he and three other crewmates became the world’s first space tourists. The flight was made by a spacecraft named VSS Unity that was built by Branson’s company, Virgin Galactic. The flight lasted slightly more than an hour, and took Branson and crew to an altitude (海拔) of 53.5miles above the Earth, just a little above the boundary (边界) of space which lies 50 miles above the Earth.

At that height, the atmosphere turns into the black of outer space and the Earth becomes a bent ball of blue. Travelers also exhibit weightlessness as there is no gravity, the force that keeps our bodies walking on the Earth’s surface. Therefore, Branson and his fellows were able to float around in VSS Unity while enjoying the views. They were able to do that for three minutes before the spacecraft began its downward journey. It landed back at Virgin Galactic’s space port in New Mexico, United States, which is the same place from where it had taken off 90 minutes before.

On landing back, Branson said, “I have dreamt of this moment since I was a kid but honestly, nothing could prepare you for the view of the Earth from space. It was just magical. I’m just taking it all in, and it’s unreal.”

July 11’s flight is the start of space tourism for one and all. In early 2022, customers who can afford a ticket for a quarter of a million dollars can line up for a seat on a trip to space. And guess what — they will have a choice of spacecraft. Jeff Bezos, who owns a famous company, is all set to launch himself into space on July 20 on board a spacecraft built by his new branch company Blue Origin. Blue Origin will also carry tourists to space.

1. What is Richard Branson famous for?

A．His success in tourism.

B．His company of Virgin Galactic.

C．His spaceship named VSS Unity.

D．His first commercial space travel in history.

2. What does Branson think of his space travel?

A．Unbelievable.

B．Adventurous.

C．Regrettable.

D．Worthless.

3. What do space tourists have to do?

A．Take a spacecraft of Virgin Galactic.

B．Pay $250,000 for the rocket tour.

C．Pass the fitness test for astronauts.

D．Line up for a position in Blue Origin.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Humans will move to other livable planets.

B．Ordinary people will soon land on the moon.

C．Private rocket space travel is growing gradually.

D．Some companies abandon their proper business.

3 . Computer scientist Pascale Fung can imagine a bright future in which AI helpers like ChatGPT bridge language barriers. In that world, Indonesian store owners fluent only in local dialects might reach new shoppers by listing their products online in English.

“It can open opportunities,” Fung says—then pauses. She’s spotted the bias (偏好) in her vision of a more interconnected future: The AI-aided shopping would be one-sided, because few Americans would bother to use AI translation to help research products advertised in Indonesian. Fung, director of the Center for AI Research at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who herself speaks seven languages, sees this bias in her own field. Fung would like to see Al change that, not further strengthen the primary position of English.

Fung is part of a global community of AI researchers testing the language skills of ChatGPT and sounding the alarm about evidence that they are significantly less capable in languages other than English. “One of my biggest concerns is that we’re going to exacerbate the bias for English and English speakers,” says Thien Huu Nguyen, a University of Oregon computer scientist. “People are going to follow the norm (标准) and not think about their own identities or culture. It kills innovation.”

The AI systems are good at translating other languages into English, but they struggle with rewriting English into other languages. Nguyen’s study reports that tests on ChatGPT in March showed it performed substantially (基本上) worse at answering factual questions or summarizing complex text in non-English languages and was more likely to fabricate (捏造) information. “This is an English sentence, so there is no way to translate it to Vietnamese,” the robot responded inaccurately to one question.

At a US conference, Senator Alex Padilla of California asked Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT’s creator, OpenAI, which is based in the state, what his company is doing to close the language gap. About 44 percent of Californians speak language other than English. Padilla, who also speaks Spanish, is questioning about the systems delivering fair linguistic (语言的) outcomes without big shifts in strategies by their developers.

1. What’s Fung’s attitude to the non-English language skills of ChatGPT?

A．Optimistic.	B．Dismissive.
C．Doubtful.	D．Unclear.

2. What does the underlined word “exacerbate” mean in Paragraph 3?

A．Restrict.

B．Worsen.

C．Encourage.

D．Disturb.

3. What is in line with Nguyen’s study regarding ChatGPT?

A．It struggles with turning English to other languages.

B．It performs better in translating into English.

C．It excels in non-English language translation.

D．It tends to invent information in translations.

4. What’s the most suitable title for the text?

A．ChatGPT: Exposing linguistic bias

B．ChatGPT: AI Translation Revolution

C．ChatGPT: Bridging Language Barriers

D．ChatGPT: Leaving Non-English Out in AI

4 . Who can imagine life today without an Automated Teller Machine (ATM)? They are available in considerable numbers throughout the world.

The first ATM was the brainchild of an enterprising Turkish-American inventor Luther George Simjian. When the idea of an automated banking machine struck him, he registered 20 patents before any bank agreed to give it a trial run. It is easy to assume that the inventor of such a popular machine was laughing all the way to the bank.     1     Within six months of its operation in New York in 1939, the device was removed due to lack of customer acceptance.

It was not until 1967, nearly 30 years later, that Barclays Bank, in a careful launch, rolled out a self-service machine in London, England, which proved successful.     2     The first cash machine relied on customers’ use of prepaid tokens (代币) to get envelopes with a fixed amount of cash inside.

    3     The banks’ principle was seemingly customer service. But it would be foolish to minimize the many advantages that cash machines provided to the banks themselves. By the late 1970s, the highest fixed cost for the average large bank was its branches. The greatest variable cost and loss to profits were its staff. Bank accounts swiftly recognized that self-service operations could reduce bank branch staff cost by70 percent.

Experts quickly determined that public acceptance of ATMs counted on convenience, simplicity, speed, security and trust.     4     For maximum efficiency, ATMs had to be located near public transport or in a shopping mall, not at a branch. The busier and more crowded the location, obviously, the better. Now, roughly 75 percent of all cash provided by banks to their customers comes from cash machines.     5    .

Public acceptance of deposits (存款) by machine was significantly slower than customers’ usage of ATMs for withdrawals. In general, it seems that customers sometimes still prefer and trust an over-the-counter transaction (交易) for deposits.

A．Location, in particular, was a key factor.

B．His cash machine, however, didn’t prove durable.

C．The device was relatively primitive, at least by today’s standards.

D．However, cash machines posed some interesting, unanswered questions.

E．An interesting factor was the issue of bio-statistics for customer identification.

F．Devices originally dismissed by the public are now recognized as essential institutions.

G．Soon afterwards, many other banks became admittedly champions of the cash machine.

5 . What’s your first memory? Whatever it is, you’re bound to treasure it. But can we actually trust them? Nothing about memory is simple. Memory is malleable. What we remember is not necessarily what happened. A memory is not a recording. It’s more like a dramatic reconstruction and one that we can keep changing without realizing it.

For any experience to be remembered, it has to be encoded (编码). This encoding is not any kind of direct translation, though. It’s a rich and complex process that creates associations and meanings. We might be remembering something very similar, but slightly changed and colored by our own sets of associations.

Psychologist Elizabeth Loftus produced groundbreaking research on eyewitness testimony (证据). Her work showed that memories can easily be influenced, even after they’ve been created. For example, if two eyewitnesses talk with each other, their memories of events often change, absorbing what they’ve heard from the other one — but they won’t realize this has happened. Similarly, witnesses who are shown an image of an innocent person, can sometimes stick it onto their memory of the actual event — a process known as unconscious transference (无意识的转移). It is estimated that around 70% of wrongful convictions (定罪), later overturned by DNA evidence, are due to mistaken eyewitness testimony.

In some cases, memories can even be deliberately created and implanted. The Lost in the Mall experiment took a test group of subjects and talked to them in depth about key childhood memories while also adding an invented one — the experience of having been lost in a shopping center. It was found that between a quarter and a third of subjects not only accepted this new memory as genuine but enriched it with specific details.

Most of us have certain key memories of being a very young child. But research suggests that they’re highly unlikely to be actual memories due to the way memory is stored in the baby brain. Your precious first memory may well not be a real memory, and we’re all perhaps living in our imaginations more than we realize.

1. What does the underlined word “malleable” in paragraph 1 mean?

A．Trustworthy.

B．False.

C．Easily changed.

D．Deeply impressive.

2. Which will influence the memory of eyewitnesses?

A．Powerful DNA evidence.	B．Pictures stuck in their memory.
C．Reduced accuracy of convictions.	D．Exchanged information between them.

3. What can we learn about “The Lost in the Mall” experiment?

A．It was designed to investigate mistaken eyewitness testimony.

B．Its subjects could recall specific details of a shopping center.

C．Its subjects made believe that they had been lost in a shopping center.

D．It demonstrated that invented experiences could be fixed in one’s memory.

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

A．The Unreliable Nature of Memory.	B．Revised Eyewitness Testimony.
C．Reflection on Sweet Childhood.	D．An Exploration of Truth and Fiction.

6 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

As I unzipped my lunchbox, the whole place was turned into a spicy curry (咖喱) dream. I immediately hid it under my seat, hoping no one would take notice.

Mom had really outdone herself with masala — our family’s all-time favorite dish back in India. But today, it wasn’t just about me and my lunch. A warm smile on his face, Ricky invited me, a new transfer student from India to New York city, for lunch.

“Ava, come sit here!” Ricky called out, gesturing towards a vacant seat.

As I made my way over, memories of those awkward lunchtimes when I studied in Kansas, one of the most conservative states, flooded back. I could still recall how everyone would wrinkle their noses and stare curiously when I unpacked my Indian food. It always made me feel like an outsider, like I didn’t belong.

Therefore, before my first day in this school, I had demanded my mom pack “normal” western-style food for me. I still remembered the look on her face upon hearing it, as she signed in disappointment and confusion, “Isn’t there a moment when you feel proud of your origin?” That was hurting, but not more hurting than others’ giggles and whispers. Honestly, long queues were common in Indian restaurants in New York city, a cultural melting pot, but I wouldn’t take that risk.

Unfortunately, this morning, Mom had forgotten to make sandwich or any “normal” food, so I had to bring leftovers from our dinner. At the thought of the possible oh-no-second (社死), I felt like being thrown into darkness.

However, before I came back to reality, Ricky noticed my sneaking (躲躲藏藏). “What do you have for lunch?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with interest. I tried to brush it off (搪塞), claiming I wasn’t hungry. But Ricky wouldn’t let it go, and before I could protest, he had the lid of my lunchbox open and I prepared myself for such familiar responses as “Ew” or “What is that?”

注意： 1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

However, I did not get what I was expecting.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

After school, I found Mom preparing sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . Aptitude Tests Recommendations

Aptitude tests are helpful to job seekers of all ages. While career quizzes explore your values and work style, aptitude tests provide a more objective evaluation of your skills, helping you select a career you’re most likely to succeed in. Below are some of the best aptitude tests out there.

Clifton Strengths

The Clifton Strengths program was created based on research around leadership. The research in question pointed to common strengths among successful leaders, like strategic thinking, adaptability and communication. To complete the test, you must answer around 150 questions, each within 20 seconds. Allen Cheung, a tech blogger, notes that CliftonStrengths is more valuable than your average career test because it includes “tricky questions which aren’t as easily gamed”.

Red Bull Wingfinder

Developed and tested out by psychology experts, the Red Bull Wingfinder assesses your thinking under pressure. Questions include image sorting, logic puzzles and leadership-related questions. Once you complete the test, you’ll receive a nine-page report and career coaching tailored to your results.

SEI Development Report

The SEI Development Report is an extensive EQ aptitude test that has timed right-and-wrong answers that assess eight fundamentals, including emotional literacy, emotional management and empathy. At the end, you’ll receive a 20-page report with recommended courses on workplace EQ development.

CareerOneStop

While it only takes a few minutes to complete, the CareerOneStop Skills Assessment will help you rank both your technical and soft skills. The career suggestions at the end can be sorted by relevance, annual wages, and job outlook, coupled with with professional coaching or consultation improve your skills.

1. What do aptitude tests mainly assess for job seekers?

A．Their work ethics.	B．Their career interest.
C．Their preferred work style.	D．Their professional competence.

2. What is a unique feature of Clifton Strengths?

A．It evaluates leadership skills.	B．It is developed by experts.
C．It includes challenging questions.	D．It offers a comprehensive report.

3. Which test suits a job seeker who prefers categorized suggestions and career coaching?

A．Clift on Strengths	B．Red Bull Wingfinder
C．SEI Development Report	D．CareerOneStop

8 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The Mount Changbaishan Geopark, along with five other Chinese geoparks,     1     (recognize) as a Global Geopark by UNESCO on March 27. The number of Global Geoparks in China has increased to 47, making     2     the country with the most such geoparks in the world.

“China is rich in geological heritage, with a broad distribution and a complete range of geological types,” Ren Fang,     3     expert with the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, told People's Daily. “It is one of the first countries worldwide to propose and establish national geoparks.”

China set up national-level geoparks and began applying for Global Geopark status in 2003 in response to UNESCO's initiative     4     (establish) the Global Geoparks Network (GGN) . In 2004, Beijing witnessed the First International Conference on Geoparks,     5     17 European geoparks and eight Chinese geoparks joined the GGN. The network aims to promote best     6     (practice) and high standards for the conservation of geological heritage and the promotion of     7     (sustain) regional economic development.

The Mount Changbaishan Geopark, newly     8       (add) to the GGN network, is situated in Jilin Province and is home     9     the “millennium eruption,” a massive volcanic event that occurred roughly1, 000 years ago. Renowned for its Quaternary volcanic landforms, the park, spanning 2, 723 square km,     10     (feature) giant compound volcanic cones, ancient eruptions and their deposits, and the splendid Tianchi lake. With over 380 craters, it boasts the highest number, greatest density, and widest distribution of volcanic rock types in East Asia.

9 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Wang De, who is a blacksmith by trade and an inheritor of the 500-year-old art of dashuhua that     1     (literal) means “creating tree flowers”,     2     (live) in Yuxian county of Zhangjiakou.

Wang and his assistants put     3     over a dozen dashuhua performances for villagers and tourists as part of Spring Festival celebrations each year. The folk artist hopes the revival of the tradition can bring more visitors to his hometown of Zhangjiakou.

Dashuhua is a traditional form of fireworks performance that takes place during certain festivals.     4     (create) molten iron fireworks, waste iron is melted to 1,600℃ and thrown against a cold wall. The mix bursts into sparks that look like glittering tree branches.

But the high-risk tradition is still only reserved for     5     brave. Due to the nature of the performance-handling superheated coal and molten iron, it’s easy for performers to suffer injuries. During a performance a few years ago, Wang suffered severe     6     (burn) on his leg and took two months to recover.

There are only four people     7     (leave) in China who have mastered the ancient practice, three of     8     are either middle-aged or elderly. Both Wang’s father and grandfather were blacksmiths. Wang said     9     was his responsibility to pass this craft on to the next generation. Otherwise, it will be lost.

The art of dashuhua requires extraordinary courage, skill and     10     (strong). Now, The molten iron fireworks performance has become a major tourist attraction.

10 . 阅读下面短文, 在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Li Hongbo is a Chinese artist who makes     1     (incredible) complicated and stretchable paper sculptures, drawing on a rich history of traditional Chinese folk art. For thousands of years, paper     2     (use) to create lanterns, festive decorations and children’s toys.

“There is a Chinese saying, ‘Life is as fragile as paper,’ ” says Li. “It has had a huge impact     3     me.” Painstakingly constructed, each artwork opens out like the bellows (风箱) of an accordion(手风琴),     4     (reveal) a beautiful honeycomb pattern hidden between each layer. His works might be read as a visual challenge to     5     above-mentioned saying, arguing instead that, while life may indeed be as fragile as paper, there’s     6     (strong) in numbers.

Some of his larger artworks are made from 7,000 to 8,000 pieces of paper, all carefully     7     (glue) together at specific points by hand, resulting in a block     8     can move, bend and expand. Then this block     9     (carve) into shape with various tools.

These exceptional 3D paper sculptures are vivid and     10    (fascinate), showcasing Chinese craftsmanship, creativity and innovation.