1 . Would you take a trip if you couldn’t use your cellphone? A new tour company called Off the Grid is asking travellers to put their cellphones away and not even use them for photos. The company founder, Zach Beattie, is developing his business, using money he saved from a tech job at a mapping company. He’s hired guides for every trip but will help lead the first few himself.
The first trip is to Lisbon, Portugal, in July. It takes 7 to 10 days, with small groups of up to 16 people. Prices range from $1,500 to $1,650, including accommodations, meals and ground transportation. The plan includes at least three excursions (远足) and two social events, with an emphasis on unique experiences over bucket-list sightseeing. The tour also includes surfing lessons, yoga on the beach, a day of sailing and dinner with a local family.
“When you’re somewhere new, there’s a lot to see and a lot of cool and interesting people to meet,” Beattie said. “Your phone can distract (使分心) you.” The phone ban won’t be enforced quite as strictly as it seems at first glance. “We want it to be voluntary,” he said. “We’re not collecting phones and throwing them in a locked trunk. It’s held by you, but put in your pocket, and you state your intentions for the week, whether that’s checking your social media once or twice a day or a total blackout.”
Tour-goers also get a “dumbphone” without Internet access that’s loaded with numbers for group leaders and other participants, both for emergencies and to promote socializing. Participants may bring regular cameras, but Beattie is hiring a photographer for each tour so there will be plenty of photos to remember the trip. Once the trip is over, participants will have access to those photos for use in social media posts.
1. What can be learned about Zach Beattie?A.He set up his business at his own expense. |
B.He is always guiding every trip personally. |
C.He forbids tourists to take along cellphones. |
D.He used to earn his living in a tour company. |
A.The trip features sightseeing. |
B.Participants live in homestays. |
C.Air ticket is covered in the cost. |
D.Tourists experience water sports. |
A.Lock their phones in a trunk. |
B.Post their photos on social media. |
C.Free themselves from their phones. |
D.Shift their focus onto dumbphones. |
A.Take photos. | B.Access the Internet. |
C.Record the trip. | D.Contact group members. |
2 . Dorothea Dix was born in 1802 in Massachusetts. When she was 12 years old, she left her unhappy home to live with her grandmother in Boston. There Dorothea went to school and was so quick at her lessons that two years later she went back to Worcester, Massachusetts and taught in a school for little children. She was only fourteen and rather small for her age. Anyway, she proved herself a good teacher, and the children loved her and respected her. In 1821, she opened a school for girls in Boston.
Gradually, her health broke down, and she began to think that she could never work any more, but after a long rest in England, she came back to America and did something far greater than teaching. She went through the whole country where she first observed the inhumane treatment of the mentally ill. During Dorothea’s traveling for nearly two years throughout the state, and meeting similar conditions, she always spoke kindly to the ill-treated, but she spoke wrathfully to the men who ill-treated them. In January 1843, she submitted to the Massachusetts legislature (立法机关) a detailed report of her fully documented findings.
In the next 40 years Dorothea inspired legislators in 15 US states and in Canada to establish state hospitals for the mentally ill. Her continuous efforts directly affected the building of 32 institutions in the United States. When the Civil War broke out, she went straight to Washington and offered to nurse the soldiers without pay. She hired houses to keep supplies in and bought an ambulance. She gave her time, strength and money to her country.
Dorothea Dix has been called the most useful woman of America. She is an, American educator, social reformer and humanitarian whose devotion to the welfare of the mentally ill led to widespread reforms in the United States and abroad.
1. What do we know about Dorothea Dix when she was 19?A.She set up a school. | B.She lived with her parents. |
C.She went to school in Massachusetts. | D.She failed to become a good teacher. |
A.Patiently. | B.Fluently. | C.Angrily. | D.Quickly. |
A.The awards Dorothea Dix received in her life. |
B.The contributions Dorothea Dix made to her country. |
C.The support Dorothea Dix got from her family. |
D.The difficulties Dorothea Dix met during the Civil War. |
A.Humorous and well-educated. | B.Generous and warm-hearted. |
C.Proud and hard-working. | D.Romantic and open-minded. |
3 . Soap (肥皂) might seem like a reasonable way to avoid mosquito bites (蚊子叮) on the basis that if mosquitoes can’t smell you, they can’t bite you. However, a recent study has found that rather than protecting you, certain soaps might actually make you more attractive to mosquitoes.
In the study, conducted at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, four volunteers were asked to wear a sleeve before and after washing with four different brands of soap. The researchers then watched female mosquitoes as only females feed on blood landing on the fabric sample to show their preference. They found that some people washing with some brands of soap, increased their attractiveness to mosquitoes, while washing with other brands of soap tended to repel (驱除) mosquitoes. The repellent effect of some soap may be due to its coconut scent, as coconut oil is known to act as a natural mosquito repellent. The reason behind this attraction is believed to be related to mosquitoes’ sugar intake. When mosquitoes are not feeding on blood, they add their diet with plant juice or sweet water from flowers, “The fact we are taking those flowery and fruity smells and putting them on our bodies means that now the same object smells like a flower and a person at the same time,” said Clément Vinauger, who led the study. It would be like waking up and smelling the smell of coffee and bread, very attractive.
Interestingly, the effects of the soap varied among people, possibly due to the interaction (相互作用) between the soap and each person’s unique body scent. “It’s remarkable that the same person that is extremely attractive to mosquitoes when he is unwashed, but he becomes even more attractive to mosquitoes with one soap, and then become repellent to mosquitoes with another soap,” said Vinauger. Further research is needed to better understand the interaction between different soap and body scents, as well as to develop more effective mosquito repellents.
1. What has the study found?A.Soap attracts many mosquitoes. | B.Male mosquitoes feed on blood. |
C.Some plants drive away mosquitoes. | D.Not all soap can stop mosquito bites. |
A.By observing the mosquitoes’ behaviour. | B.By exploring the history of mosquitoes. |
C.By interviewing a lot of volunteers. | D.By examining old studies. |
A.To stress the importance of breakfast. |
B.To discuss their probable health benefits. |
C.To compare the difference of objects used in the study. |
D.To prove the attractiveness of some soap to mosquitoes. |
A.Health. | B.Chemistry. | C.Sports. | D.Tour. |
4 . The design theory behind a pair of tiny robots may one day find its way into environmental monitoring, as well as search and-rescue tasks. Modeled after a water strider (水黾), an insect, the two robots each weigh in at 8 and 55 milligrams, and may mark the smallest, lightest, and fastest fully functional micro-robots in the world, according to Washington State University (WSU).
Developed by a team of WSU researchers, the robots’ tininess largely relies on a material known as a shape memory alloy (合金). Although shape memory alloys change form when heated, they can “remember” their original shapes and return to them after cooling. Because of this, the two micro-robots do not require standard motors, and they use light and small ones instead of bulky moving parts.
Both the robots’ motors are each made up of two shape memory alloys, allowing them to move their fins as fast as 40 times a second while also lifting over 150 times their weight. “They’re very technologically sound. The development of the very lightweight robots opens up new possibilities in micro-robotics,” said Conor Trygstad, a material engineering PhD student and study lead author. “Although the robots are impressive when compared to other robots, the pair still fall behind their biological relatives’,” Trygstad said. They can currently move at a speed of about six millimeters a second; a water strider, by comparison, speeds along at about a meter per second. For now, the robots also require wired (连线的) power sources, thus seriously preventing any real-world applications for the moment.
Going forward, however, the team plans to copy other small insect species while also creating a new water strider robot which can move at a higher speed. Depending on using small batteries could also greatly increase the robots’ areas of use, If the breakthrough designs continue improving, similar micro-robots could one day be employed to monitor hard-to-reachor dangerous environments.
1. What is the inspiration for the two robots?A.A special monitor. | B.The lightest micro robot. |
C.An insect species. | D.A search-and rescue task |
A.Cheap. | B.Huge. | C.Cool | D.Fast. |
A.Both robots can identify sound. | B.Both robots need wireless power sources. |
C.Both robots work better than water striders. | D.Both robots have weaknesses besides strengths. |
A.Robots Are Saving Environment | B.Shape Memory Alloys Are The Key |
C.Human Beings Learn From Animals | D.Two Micro robots Can Play A Big Part |
5 . Dallas-based Knit Wits is made up of a group of grandmothers with a strong love for knitting (编织) who tum their love for crafting into a purposeful attempt. Meeting regularly, they pour their collective love into every stitch (针法) they make. The group has been working for over ten years, meeting every Friday, to support organizations that help others, locally and around the world. Over the years, they’ve crafted thousands of items insupport of the important things.
Recently the Knit Wits member Mary Ann Stover was inspired to have the group knit hats for infant (婴儿) patients with heart disease at Children’s Health Hospital. The hats, each a unique work of art, designed with holiday themes, reflect the skill of the Knit Wits. More importantly, the special of Knit Wits is its understanding of the emotional effect these small objects can have on the infants experiencing medical treatments.
Bealle, a certified child life specialist at Children’s Health Hospital, explained how the hats are making a difference to the tiny patients and their families. “Caregivers are able to wear the hats on their body to move their smells before placing the hats back on the infants, encouraging connecting and making the infants less stressful,” he said.
Throughout the infants’ admission, many holidays are celebrated. At times, some infants are seriously ill and unable to dress up for holiday photos the families have planned. Thanks to the donations from Knit Wits, the hospital team is able to prove the family with a suitable themed infant hat the family can use for their photos and holiday celebrations.
1. What do we know about the hats from paragraph 2?A.They centre on spiritual comfort. |
B.They have holiday food subjects. |
C.They are knitted by the caregivers |
D.They are worn on child parents’ birthdays. |
A.To hold an artistic activity. |
B.To see off the recovered patients. |
C.To relax the infants for treatments |
D.To welcome the arrival of various holidays. |
A.Why some holiday celebrations are held. |
B.What the hats can be used as on holidays. |
C.Why some special photos are important. |
D.What the hats can be matched with. |
A.Unsuccessful | B.Impractical. | C.Warm-hearted | D.Dishonest. |
6 . Last week, I sent the same request to ChatGPT, the latest artificial-intelligence chatbot from OpenAI. “Upon the Firth of Forth, a bridge doth stand,” it began. In less than a minute, the program had created in full a rhyming Shakespearean sonnet (莎士比亚十四行诗). Tools like ChatGPT seem poised to change the world of poetry — and so much else — but poets also have a lot to teach us about artificial intelligence. If algorithms (算法) are getting good at writing poetry, it’s partially because poetry was always an algorithmic business.
Even the most rebellious (叛逆的) poets follow more rules than they might like to admit. When schoolchildren are taught to imitate the structure of sonnet, they are effectively learning to follow algorithmic constraints. Should it surprise us that computers can do so, too?
But considering how ChatGPT works, its ability to follow the rules for sonnets seems a little more impressive. No one taught it these rules. It is based on a newer kind of AI known as a large language model (LLM). To put it simply, LLMs analyze large amounts of human writing and learn to predict what the next word in a string of text should be, based on context. One frequent criticism of LLMs is that they do not understand what they write; they just do a great job of guessing the next word.
When a private verse by Dickinson makes us feel like the poet speaks directly to us, we are experiencing the effects of a technology called language. Poems are made of paper and ink — or, these days, electricity and light. There is no one “inside” a Dickinson poem any more than one by ChatGPT. Of course, every Dickinson poem reflects her intention to create meaning. When ChatGPT puts words together, it does not intend anything. Some argue that writings by LLMs therefore have no meaning, only the appearance of it. If I see a cloud in the sky that looks like a giraffe, I recognize it as an accidental similarity. In the same way, this argument goes, we should regard the writings of ChatGPT as merely imitating real language, meaningless and random as cloud shapes.
When I showed my friends the sonnet by ChatGPT, they called it “soulless and barren.” Despite following all the rules for sonnets, the poem is predictable. But is the average sonnet by a human any better? If we now expect computers to write not just poems but good poems, then we have set a much higher bar.
1. What is the main idea of paragraph 1 and paragraph 2?A.ChatGPT will make a difference to poetry based on algorithms. |
B.There is no doubt that AI can copy the grammatical rules of poetry. |
C.Poetry guidelines provide a possibility for AI’s poetry writing. |
D.There is a similarity between algorithms and poetry. |
A.ChatGPT is trained to follow the rules by LLMs. |
B.ChatGPT can analyze and predict human languages. |
C.ChatGPT is technologically supported by LLMs. |
D.ChatGPT itself learn to follow the rules. |
A.He talks about cloud to describe the meaninglessness of AI’s poetry. |
B.He tells of Dickinson to describe the meaninglessness AI’s poetry. |
C.He mentions cloud to suggest its close relationship with AI’s poetry. |
D.He refers to Dickinson to suggest her close relationship with AI’s poetry. |
A.Acceptable and favorable | B.Amazed and admiring |
C.Indifferent and uncaring | D.Doubtful and uneasy |
One of the most remote destinations on the planet, Antarctica is not an easy (or affordable) endeavor. Perhaps the difficulty is part of the attraction — the seventh continent remains on the top of many travelers’ wish lists. The striking white desert, with its dramatic, snowy peaks and vibrant turquoise waters, as well its exotic wildlife, including Emperor penguins and Weddell seals, is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
HawaiiHawaii is underrated. To be sure, it is a gorgeous place, with breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, and every beach seemingly prettier than the next, but its beauty goes much deeper than its preternatural appearance. Extraordinary beaches — some even boast black and green sand (Papakolea Beach and Punalu’u Beach, respectively)—have their expected appeal, but visitors who take time to venture out and away from the coast quickly discover Hawaii’s charms are everywhere.
CanadaSkiing, surfing, hiking and Northern-lights sighting. Eclectic cuisine, world-class shopping, a diverse and rich culture. This is Canada. The 13 provinces and territories that make up the world’s second-largest country by total area. It has something wonderful for every type of traveler. Nature lovers take so lace in mountains, glaciers, waterfalls and Atlantic or Pacific coastlines while sophisticated palates nosh at Michelin-starred restaurants and hole-in-the-wall mainstays alike.
SingaporeTravelers don’t want to spend any more time in an airport than they have to. But Singapore’s Changi is not an ordinary airport. While the rest of the world was staying at home, Singaporean locals were paying to hang out at Changi, whether it was co-working in one of the lounges or camping alongside the world’s tallest indoor waterfall at the Changi Jewel, which opened in 2019.
1. Which place would you like to choose if you are an animal lover?A.Hawaii. | B.Canada. | C.Singapore. | D.Antarctica. |
A.It is the second most beautiful place in the world. |
B.It can almost satisfy all kinds of travelers. |
C.It has some extraordinary beaches. |
D.It attracts many locals. |
A.They can appreciate the world’s tallest indoor waterfall. |
B.They can experience Michelin-starred restaurants. |
C.They can decorate the lounges together. |
D.They can enjoy world-class shopping. |
8 . Have you ever taken photos by using mobile phones with selfie sticks (自拍杆)?
However, a pair of US artists from New Mexico, Aric Snee and Jutin Crowe believe they have invented a better one and they call it “selfie arm”.
The pair say it offers a far better experience than using a straight stick. The selfie arm makes people feel they are not alone when they take photos.
The “selfie arm” is made of fiberglass.
The project that they work on show the growing selfie stick phenomenon (现象) directly and the increasing need for narcissism (自恋) and Internet agreement.
A.This new invention is a small, useful, and clever-designed tool. |
B.And better yet in the future, it’ll take in a friendly way and never get angry or upset. |
C.It seems that they are together with their friends. |
D.For better or worse, they have taken the world by storm. |
E.It is lightweight and easy-taking. |
F.Thousands of “selfie arms” have been made. |
9 . Four Animation Studios(动画工作室)
Logo (图标) | ||||
Name | Pixar Animation Studios | Walt Disney Animation Studios | Dream Works Animation | Studio Ghib li |
Location | California, USA | California, USA | California, USA | Tokyo, Japan |
Introduction | Pixar was bought by Steve Jobs in 1986. Later in 2006 it was bought by Disney. | Walt and Roy founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in 1923. After years, Disney Animation has become the most famous one in the world. | In 1994, Steven, Jeffrey and David founded Dream Works. It belongs to Universal Pictures now. | Ghibli is one top animation studio in Japan. Many top animated films in Japan are produced by Ghibli. These works make it famous all over the world. |
Famous movies | Toy Story Finding Nemo | The Lion King Big Hero 6 | Shrek Kung Fu Panda | Castle in the Sky My Neighbor Totoro |
A.Studio Ghibli. | B.Dream Works Animation. | C.Walt Disney Animation Studios |
A.Toy Story | B.Kung Fu Panda | C.Castle in the Sky |
A.in 1923 | B.in 1986 | C.in 1994 |
A.It is a part of Universal Pictures. |
B.Its logo is a kid sitting on the moon. |
C.It is a very famous studio in Japan. |
A.tell us how cartoon movies are made |
B.give us information about some films |
C.introduce some famous cartoon studios |
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