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However, in the 17th century when Francis Bacon (1561-1626) suggested that this type of thinking was the way to gain knowledge, he was going against the views of the day. Although Bacon held an important rank in King James’ royal court of England, his true interest was not the day-to-day, slow and inefficient working style of the government, but the worthy search for knowledge. This was certainly not the interest of most people in his days. At that time, people believed more in the church than in facts, and people like Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), who proved the idea that “the Earth is not the centre of the universe”, were often punished by the church with no one coming to their defence. The church and many people tended to ignore the facts and didn’t want to challenge what they had always comfortably believed. In fact, when Galilei proved that the Earth was not the centre of the universe, instead of believing him, people chose to believe views that were almost 2, 000 years old!
It is not surprising that people wanted to believe these primitive ideas as they had been put forward by the great philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE). He said that the Earth must be the centre of the universe because it felt like the Earth was standing still. Galilei disagreed. At first, people approved of his studies and urged him to continue, but later when he proved Aristotle wrong, they grew angry and put him in prison. They didn’t want to abandon what they’d always thought as true. And this is still often true today. People make the assumption that if someone important and respected says that something is right, then it must be so. But even though Aristotle was a great man who inspired many great scientists and philosophers after him, he was wrong at times. And Galilei also made mistakes. He is now known as the father of astronomy but he believed that the Earth moved round the sun in a perfect circle. He was wrong.
1. What was Bacon’s true interest?| A．The worthy search for knowledge. | B．The interest of most people in his days. |
| C．The important rank in royal court of England. | D．The efficient working style of the government. |
| A．Because they believed more in church than in facts. |
| B．Because they didn’t want to challenge what they had always believed. |
| C．Because they didn’t want to give up what they’d always thought as true. |
| D．Because they chose to believe the views put forward by great philosophers. |
3 . Jennifer DeStefano answered a call from an unknown number only to hear a man threatening her 15-year-old daughter’s life and demanding money, as well as the sound of her daughter crying for help. But while she kept him on the phone, her friends managed to reach her daughter, discovering that she was, in fact, free and well on a skiing trip in Arizona. The voice used on the phone was cloned.
A brief sample (样本) of a voice can be used to train an AI model, which can then speak any given text sounding like that person. Now the dangers are starting to be talked aloud.
ElevenLabs, an AI start-up, offers users the chance to create their own clones in minutes and the results are disturbingly accurate. When generating a playback, the system allows users to choose between variability and stability (稳定性). Select “variability”, and the voice will have a lifelike intonation (语调), including pauses like “er...”. Choose “stability”, and it will come across more like a calm and unemotional newsreader. Taylor Jones, a linguist and consultant, took a careful look at the quality of ElevenLabs’s clone of his voice in a video. A low-tech test, a “conversation” with his own mother, fooled the woman who raised him.
For several years, customers have been able to identify themselves over the phone to their bank and other companies using their voice. This was a security upgrade, not a danger. Not even a gifted voice actor could fool the detection system. But now the banks are forced to change in order to prevent crime.
Creative industries could face trouble. Voice actors’ skills, trained over a lifetime, can be copied in seconds. But some actors may, in fact, find cloning congenial. One actor, who has lost much of his voice to throat cancer, was delighted to have his voice restored for his new movie. Others may be spared the trouble of heading for the studio for retakes. Another industry that will have to deal with the rise of clones is journalism. Secret recordings have long been the contributor to the big news. Now who will trust a story based on an audio clip (音频片段)?
1. How does the author lead in the topic?| A．By telling a story. | B．By explaining a concept. |
| C．By making a guess. | D．By making a comparison. |
| A．To analyze the use of voice cloning. | B．To draw readers’ attention to AI. |
| C．To prove ElevenLabs’s achievements. | D．To show the danger of voice cloning. |
| A．Annoying. | B．Shocking. | C．Suitable. | D．Inventive. |
| A．AI Technology: Good or Bad? | B．AI-based Voice: A Potential Risk |
| C．Cloned Voice: Who to Blame? | D．Voice Cloning: A New Phenomenon |
A. It is called rucking, a term from ruck marching, which is a skill that militaries around the world have long used for training.
B. Rucking involves walking with a weighted backpack. It’s an easy way to strengthen your heart and muscles without hurting the joints (关节).
C. Anyone who walked to school with a backpack full of books has already tried an exercise routine that is getting popular in the fitness world.
D. Even people eager for more exercise should progress slowly. Shoes that fit well can help you avoid additional foot pressure and safely walk on an uneven land.
E. As with any new physical activity, newcomers should start rucking with slow and stable steps. If you don’t have basic conditioning, try walking the expected distance with a very light pack first. Then slowly add more weight.
5 . With growing awareness of the gender gap in STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) fields, where women hold only 27% of jobs, Chinese researchers have explored a cause influencing women’s participation in STEM careers. They studied how teen girls can be influenced by their own peers who believe the inaccurate stereotype (刻板印象) that boys are better at math.
The study found that when surrounded by peers holding this stereotype, middle-school girls scored lower on math tests. This influence even persisted into college, impacting women’s math performance and self-confidence. The researchers suggest dealing with this issue during the middle school period to reduce the negative impact on women’s long-term STEM engagement.
Middle school is considered a critical developmental stage where teens are forming a stronger sense of self separate from their parents. This change often makes teens more likely to be influenced by the opinions of their peers. It’s also a period when, objectively measured by standardized tests, girls on average have better math skills than boys. However, teens may not realize it.
In some middle schools in China, the researchers studied the potential role of peer-pressure beliefs of the gendered math stereotype. In classrooms where the belief that “boys” natural ability in studying math is greater than that of girls” was significantly higher than the standard, girls’ later performance on math tests was lower than the results for boys. Moreover, girls in these classrooms were less likely to participate in math-related out-of-class activities. They were also less likely to feel that their teachers paid attention to them and offered praise, leading to lower math-related self-confidence.
The researchers conclude that preventing the harm from gender math stereotyping requires a change of the social environment for children and young adults, in addition to focusing on changing girls’ attitudes and choices.
1. What is the focus of the study?| A．Inaccurate stereotype of STEM. |
| B．Women’s participation in STEM. |
| C．Teen girls’ academic performance. |
| D．Gender stereotype’s influence on girls. |
| A．Girls do better in math than boys. |
| B．Teens have strong self-confidence. |
| C．Teens are experiencing a key stage. |
| D．Girls are easily affected by their peers. |
| A．score high in standardized tests |
| B．be often praised by math teachers |
| C．show low confidence in math tests |
| D．take an active part in school’s math club |
6 . When Laura Smith was 14 years old, she volunteered at a nonprofit food community organization. As she was filling bags with donated (捐赠) food, she noticed something that didn’t seem right: Canned and packaged goods were plentiful, but she saw nothing fresh or green to give to families in need. She thought it would be great to change that. She wanted to start a garden on part of her parents’ farmland to provide families with home-grown produce.
While being proud of her, Laura’s father expressed worry about the workload involved. Laura had raised rabbits and lambs before, but she had never tried growing vegetables on such an extensive level. However, he soon realized that his daughter was ready. Laura did a lot of research online to find out what worked and what didn’t, which plants needed shade, which needed more water, and when was the best time to harvest each crop.
In spring 2021 Laura planted 15 types of vegetables on a land of 5,000 square meters. When the first green shoots appeared, it was an exciting feeling. Yet, that’s where the real work began. “Our summers are very hot and dry, so I had to water every day,” said Laura. Throughout the summer, she checked her plants daily for weeds and watered them by hand, using two water tanks attached to a farm vehicle to continually refill her watering can.
Laura was soon ready to harvest and weigh her first crops-the first batch weighed 40 pounds. She then packaged them and donated the products to eight local groups. “It felt really good to know that anyone who wanted fresh vegetables could get them,” Laura said.
Over the past two years, Laura has donated more than 8,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables. “Laura’s confidence and generous hand in helping those in need have made a greater impact than she could have imagined,” said Remi Freeman, an official from one of the charity groups. “It helps our mission to end hunger, and also demonstrates the selflessness and kindness that is so wonderful to see in younger people.”
1. What inspired Laura to start a garden?| A．Her interest in gardening. |
| B．Her parents’ expectations. |
| C．Lack of fresh produce in the donated food. |
| D．Poor quality of canned and packaged food. |
| A．The money needed. | B．The amount of work. |
| C．Her farming knowledge. | D．Her working experience. |
| A．Laura’s hard work. | B．Laura’s ambitious plan. |
| C．The poor weather condition. | D．The skills needed for farming. |
| A．A Great Gardening Dream |
| B．A Journey to Green Living |
| C．A Close Study on Organic Food |
| D．A Harvest of Growing Kindness |
7 . 10-year-old Jack created a plastic minifigure (人偶) that looks much like him. Fondly named “Mini Jack,” the toy was carried with him wherever he went.
One day, after arriving at school, Jack
In order to
After learning about the
Once reunited with the minifigure, Jack was filled with joy and placed him in a
| A．eagerly | B．unwillingly | C．unhappily | D．respectfully |
| A．gratitude | B．sadness | C．inspiration | D．loneliness |
| A．pass on | B．pay for | C．pick up | D．get back |
| A．detailed | B．abstract | C．imaginative | D．mysterious |
| A．message | B．poster | C．word | D．logo |
| A．Damaged | B．Lost | C．Sold | D．Injured |
| A．toy | B．money | C．news | D．picture |
| A．story | B．backpack | C．poster | D．letter |
| A．nervous | B．doubtful | C．ashamed | D．annoyed |
| A．Unusually | B．Besides | C．Undoubtedly | D．However |
| A．curious | B．supportive | C．moved | D．excited |
| A．secretly | B．shyly | C．immediately | D．patiently |
| A．trust | B．wisdom | C．sharing | D．response |
| A．in place of | B．in spite of | C．at the cost of | D．for the purpose of |
| A．convenient | B．public | C．distant | D．safe |
1.
2.
3.
4.
| A．Health. | B．Education. | C．Employment. |
| A．Have an interview. |
| B．Raise some money. |
| C．Receive some training |
10 . Maya Lin, designer and sculptor, has created some of the most iconic works and spaces with the belief that art can address important issues. Her latest projects are no different, from museums to sculptures for Presidential centers.
Lin, 62, grew up in Ohio, the daughter of college professors who were Chinese immigrants. As a 21-year-old student at Yale University, she gained national prominence when her entry won a design competition for the new Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Her winning design — two black granite (花岗岩) walls engraved with the names of US service members who died in the Vietnam War (1954-1975) or remain missing — is considered one of the most influential in modern architecture.
Lin went on to design the 1989 Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama, and dozens of other projects globally, all with social and environmental justice in mind. She told The Wall Street Journal she uses facts in her art. She said, “I am going to present you with what the story is, but I am not going to draw the conclusion for you.” Currently underway is Lin’s plan for the new Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. Lin said she wants it to be a celebration of Chinese American stories and contributions to the country.
Lin is also designing a sculpture to honor former President Barack Obama’s mother, who died in 1995, at the Obama Presidential Center in Illinois. When Obama awarded Lin the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, he called her work “physical acts of poetry, each reminding us that the most important element in art or architecture is human emotion.”
1. What is Maya Lin’s principle to make her creation?| A．Art is to lead to reputation | B．Art is a physical act of poetry. |
| C．Art is to create something distinguished. | D．Art can be a medium to approach affairs. |
| A．US soldiers’ sacrifice in the Vietnam War. |
| B．The influence of the Vietnam War on America. |
| C．The bloody and cruel scenes of the Vietnam War. |
| D．Vietnamese soldiers’ fearless fight in the Vietnam War. |
| A．Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. |
| B．Civil Rights Memorial in Montgomery, Alabama. |
| C．Museum of Chinese in America in New York City. |
| D．Obama Presidential Center in Illinois. |
| A．Designing with talents |
| B．Stirring up emotions in art |
| C．Becoming a great Chinese immigrant |
| D．Creating the most influential architecture |
