1 . Jenna had a secret. Her mum is the head teacher of her school. She didn’t want anyone to know this as her classmates would think that she got special treatment. Not even her friends knew about it. When her friends asked to go to her house, she just refused and said that her parents didn’t allow her to invite guests.
“Bring Your Mum to School” day was coming. Jenna usually told her friends in the past that her mum was out of town. “What does your mum do?” her friends asked. “She is a researcher, so she travels a lot.” Funnily enough, Jenna’s mum was always at “Bring Your Mum to School” day at her high school. A teacher once asked her, “Do you have a daughter?” Jenna’s mum said, “Yes, she is in college now.”
Jenna was very close to getting an A in her calculus (微积分) class. There was only one exam left. Jenna would have to get 100% on the exam to push her grade to an A. The teacher offered the students extra credits (附加分) if they brought their mum to the class on the “Bring Your Mum to School” day. Jenna told her mum that she wanted to tell everyone about their relationship. Jenna’s mum agreed. On “Bring Your Mum to School” day, Jenna brought her mum to her calculus class. She felt her heart was beating fast. She was afraid her classmates would not talk to her because she had told a lie. “Hi, our head teacher. What brings you here?” asked the calculus teacher. “I’m Jenna’s mum,” she answered. All the students in the classroom were surprised and they told Jenna she had a cool mother.
1. Why did Jenna refuse to take her friends to her home?| A．She tried to hide her mum’s identity. | B．She didn’t like her friends. |
| C．Her parents didn’t welcome guests. | D．Her house was too far away. |
| A．She is quite funny. | B．She likes travelling. |
| C．She lied about her daughter. | D．She dislikes the school day. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Proud. | C．Worried. | D．Calm. |
| A．Jenna’s Classmates | B．Jenna’s Secret | C．An Interesting Lesson | D．A Head Teacher |
2 . I discovered Ruskin Bond’s book in a library and was drawn into his world at once. After that day, I
A few weeks later, a letter arrived from him. It said:
Dear Radhika,
Thank you for your letter. I can imagine what a(n)
Ruskin Bond
I no longer have the letter with me, having lost it during one of my moves.
| A．put out | B．searched for | C．showed off | D．packed up |
| A．travel | B．agreement | C．relationship | D．discussion |
| A．disappeared | B．changed | C．failed | D．died |
| A．story | B．spirit | C．expression | D．wish |
| A．experiencing | B．reporting | C．controlling | D．causing |
| A．plans | B．needs | C．feelings | D．dreams |
| A．decided | B．promised | C．refused | D．hesitated |
| A．discovered | B．understood | C．saw | D．described |
| A．regularly | B．specifically | C．simply | D．totally |
| A．long | B．important | C．busy | D．difficult |
| A．advice | B．safety | C．peace | D．comfort |
| A．Therefore | B．Otherwise | C．However | D．Moreover |
| A．similar | B．special | C．familiar | D．open |
| A．honesty | B．kindness | C．ability | D．courage |
| A．attitude | B．chance | C．culture | D．memory |
3 . New England Rails &Trails
DAY1: ARRIVE BOSTON
Upon arrival in your Boston Area hotel, enjoy a Welcome Dinner.
DAY 2: BOSTON — NORTH CONWAY
Enjoy a Boston City Tour featuring Boston Common, the Old State House, Beacon Hill and Old Ironsides. Later leave Boston and arrive in the picturesque North Conway area for a two-night stay.
DAY3: MT. WASHINGTON COG RAILWAY
This morning motorcoach to board the historic Mount Washington Cog Railway. Enjoy breathtaking views during your three-hour rail experience aboard the world’s first mountain-climbing Cog Railway to the top of the highest peak in the Northeast, Mount Washington. Enjoy the evening at your own pace.
DAY 4: NORTH CONWAY — BURLINGTON
This morning motorcoach along one of New England’s most popular scenic drives, the Kancamagus Highway. Later visit the Billings Farm & Museum, a modern working dairy farm and museum of Vermont life in the1890’s. Then arrive in Burlington for a two-night stay in the famous and historic Vermont mountain town.
DAY 5: VERMONT SIGHTSEEING
Visit the Shelburne Museum, located in Vermont’s scenic Lake Champlain Valley & one of the nation’s finest, most unconventional museums of art. Later visit the home of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, founded in 1978 in a gas station in Burlington. Enjoy a brief factory tour and the creative flavors. Late afternoon return to your hotel.
DAY 6: BURLINGTON — PORTLAND, MAINE
This morning visit a Maple Sugar Farm to taste some Vermont Maple sweets and learn about the sugaring process. Later enjoy the amazing New England scenery enroute (在途中) to the Maine Coast. Arrive in scenic Portland, Maine for one night stay.
DAY7: PORTLAND — BOSTON — FLIGHT HOME
Today enjoy a scenic Casco Bay Cruise past lovely Victorian cottages on the shorelines of Little & Great Diamond Island. In the afternoon, travel to Boston & fly home with wonderful memories of your New England experiences.
1. How long will tourists stay on the Mount Washington Cog Railway?| A．2 hours. | B．3 hours. | C．1 night. | D．2 nights. |
| A．In Boston. | B．In Portland. | C．In Burlington. | D．In North Conway. |
| A．Day 2. | B．Day 4. | C．Day 6. | D．Day 7. |
4 . Billionaire Elon Musk on Wednesday announced that he has formed a new artificial intelligence(AI) company, xAI, which has employed researchers from Google, OpenAI and other top technology companies. The goal, Musk tweeted, is “to understand reality.”
xAI is a separate company from Musk’s other businesses, such as Tesla and Twitter, but will work closely with them, according to the new company’s website.
Musk isn’t a novice to AI since Tesla uses the technology in its cars. While xAI didn’t mention what projects it will be working on, the company noted that its team of 11 researchers are drawn from top tech companies such as Microsoft Research, OpenAI and Google.
Musk suggested that the reason he picked July 12, 2023, to announce the start of xAI is connected with a science fiction (科幻小说) classic, Douglas Adams’ “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” In his tweet, he noted that adding the date 7-12-23 equals 42, which the work of the fiction famously assumes is the answer to life.
“The goal of xAI is to understand the true nature of the universe,” the xAI website states.
The company said it will be advised by Dan Hendrycks, director of the Center for AI Safety. Hendrycks pointed out where AI could cause problems. “AIs could be used by bad people to make new deadly bioweapons (生物武器),” Hendrycks said in May. “Or people could make AI that tries to hurt people on purpose. If this AI was really smart, it could be a big danger to all of us.”
The first time xAI was shown to the public was after Musk talked about it in April to the former Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Musk told Carlson that OpenAI’s ChatGPT was a bit biased (有偏见的) and that he wanted to create a different tool that would be a super honest AI that tries to learn how everything in the world works.
The new company reflected (反映) Musk’s long-voiced concerns about a future in which AI systems could present a risk to human existence. The idea, Musk said, is that an AI that wants to understand humanity is less likely to destroy it.
1. What does the underlined word “novice” in paragraph 3 mean?| A．Boss. | B．Coach. | C．Partner. | D．Beginner. |
| A．He chose the date to remember a friend. |
| B．He was influenced by a number in a book. |
| C．It was suggested by a writer at his invitation. |
| D．It was the decision of all the 11 researchers of xAI. |
| A．It is quite worrying. | B．It is money-making. |
| C．It will not be smarter than humans. | D．It can be used to punish bad people. |
| A．It will take time to create a new AI. | B．OpenAI’s ChatGPT has its advantages. |
| C．Creating an honest AI is his dream. | D．It is hard to change people’s ideas of Al. |
5 . “What are you doing?” my fifth-grade teacher asked as I bent over the side of my desk. “I’m
“Unpack your assignments (作业). You still have five minutes. We
Having no choice, I
I cannot remember how many times per day she would say, “Use your time wisely.” It worked. It became second
At age ten, I didn’t
| A．picking | B．showing | C．packing | D．searching |
| A．explore | B．repeat | C．check | D．work |
| A．amazed | B．serious | C．anxious | D．confused |
| A．secretly | B．suddenly | C．unexpectedly | D．unwillingly |
| A．solved | B．discovered | C．mastered | D．faced |
| A．disappeared | B．dropped | C．rang | D．broke |
| A．quickly | B．naturally | C．directly | D．extremely |
| A．language | B．nature | C．choice | D．assignment |
| A．adventure | B．mystery | C．curiosity | D．practice |
| A．right | B．ready | C．attractive | D．unique |
| A．teenager | B．school | C．adult | D．campus |
| A．forgive | B．pass | C．care | D．understand |
| A．familiar | B．important | C．common | D．special |
| A．credit | B．requirement | C．lesson | D．duty |
| A．measuring | B．treasuring | C．saving | D．imagining |
6 . I’ve been having trouble concentrating on one thing. It made school difficult for me. When everyone else in the class was focusing on tasks, I could not.
In my first literature class, Mrs. Smith asked us to read a story and then write on it, all within 45 minutes. I raised my hand right away and said, “Mrs. Smith, you see, the doctor said I have attention problems. I might not be able to do it. ” She glanced down at me through her glasses, “You are not different from your classmates, young man.”
I tried, but I didn’t finish the reading when the bell rang. I had to take it home.
In the quietness of my bedroom, the story suddenly all became clear to me. It was about a blind person, Louis Braille. He lived in a time when the blind couldn’t get much education. But Louis didn’t give up. Instead, he invented a reading system of raised dots (点), which opened up a whole new world of knowledge to the blind.
Wasn’t I the “blind” in my class, being made to learn like the “sighted” students? My thoughts spilled out and my pen started to dance. I completed the task within 40 minutes. Indeed, I was not different from others; I just needed a quieter place. If Louis could find his way out of his problems, why should I ever give up?
I didn’t expect anything when I handed in my paper to Mrs. Smith, so it was quite a surprise when it came back to me the next day — with an “A” on it. At the bottom of the paper were these words: “See what you can do when you keep trying?”
Inspired and touched, I began to keep trying hard in my study and struggled against attention problems. I believe one can find his way out of difficulty with determination (决心) and efforts.
1. Why didn’t the author finish his reading in class?| A．He missed several classes before. |
| B．He was not a bit interested in literature. |
| C．He was unable to concentrate on his task. |
| D．He was used to doing his homework at home. |
| A．Impatient. | B．Encouraging. |
| C．Disappointing. | D．Careless. |
| A．You can never be too old to learn. |
| B．Do not judge a book by its cover. |
| C．One good turn deserves another. |
| D．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
7 . For four long years, Owen Connors had to spend his Saturday afternoons playing rugby(橄榄球) at school. He’d be out there in all weathers. As a teenager, he
The boy would walk home in the dark,
“It was the exact
For some reason, Owen had
Owen doesn’t eat Guinness pie very often in Munich. Recently he tried to make one with his mum and daughters — it was a(n)
“I’d like to show my kids more of that kind of food,” Owen said.
1.| A．missed | B．hated | C．wasted | D．ignored |
| A．taken | B．seated | C．covered | D．buried |
| A．joy | B．pain | C．courage | D．concern |
| A．invited | B．served | C．moved | D．greeted |
| A．opening | B．tracking | C．pulling | D．hitting |
| A．graceful | B．warm | C．classic | D．unique |
| A．make | B．enjoy | C．remember | D．imagine |
| A．silently | B．calmly | C．nervously | D．comfortably |
| A．opposite | B．result | C．reward | D．choice |
| A．call | B．smell | C．type | D．role |
| A．often | B．still | C．even | D．never |
| A．new | B．busy | C．ordinary | D．modern |
| A．curiosity | B．demand | C．desire | D．emotion |
| A．amusing | B．similar | C．important | D．amazing |
| A．success | B．attempt | C．challenge | D．opportunity |
8 . “Half the park is after dark” is more than a clever saying; it’s a way of life — especially for Tyler Nordgren. He’s an artist, astronomer and national park lover who invented the expression and illustrated (加插图) the accompanying poster (海报) series for the national parks. The printed pictures show the midnight blue sky with the vastness (浩瀚) of the Milky Way. They usually picture a star-lit silhouette (轮廓) of one of the park’s driving attractions, and most posters will mention “See the Milky Way” or “Half the Park Is After Dark.”
Unfortunately, the night sky, or the actual night sky, isn’t something most people get to experience fully. According to a recent study, over 80 percent of the world cannot see the whole night sky because of light pollution. From streetlights to buildings to giant advertisements — think Time Square in New York— artificial light illuminates (照亮) the night sky, stealing the stars from us. This is why Nordgren encourages us to get away from light pollution and experience the true starry sky in a national park.
“Think about all the history and all the people who ever looked up at the stars and wondered about the universe. That’s something that we no longer have today,” says Nordgren. “Get out into nature, and see the universe beyond our own atmosphere. And when you see that, you feel awe (敬畏),” says Nordgren. According to a 2018 study, experiencing awe can increase feelings of humility (谦逊) — making one kinder, more modest and more positive. One can feel this sense of awe after hiking a mountain or seeing the Milky Way.
Imagine experiencing a national park after dark. As the sun goes down, the park empties. Many park visitors return to their campsites or hotels, and now the park is quiet and peaceful. ”This is a great time to experience some of the park’s best features,“ Nordgren says. ”Your eyes will most likely adjust, but bringing a flashlight is always a good idea. It’s always wise to make sure you’re not hiking near cliffs (峭壁) in the dark and be aware of what sort of wildlife may be in the park.”
1. What is shown in the posters?| A．The night sky above national parks. |
| B．The crowdedness of national parks. |
| C．The life of national park lovers. |
| D．The promise to the protection of national parks. |
| A．New York’s nightlife is very busy. |
| B．Stars are the wonders existing beyond technology. |
| C．City life without artificial light is hardly possible. |
| D．Stars can hardly be seen in the night sky because of light pollution. |
| A．Experiencing awe is helpful. |
| B．Positive people tend to hike a mountain. |
| C．It is difficult to see the Milky Way nowadays. |
| D．People are becoming increasingly disconnected from nature. |
| A．His concerns. | B．His humor. | C．His suggestions. | D．His expectation. |
9 . The days of having to remember your ID could soon be a thing of the past. The famous tourist town of Wuzhen, China, is now using facial recognition technology to act as its entry pass through the gates of the attraction. The system uses cameras to notice people as they approach the entry, and checks these against a database of registered visitors within a few seconds. The technology is thought to be up to 99. 77 percent accurate and able to distinguish people better than a human.
Wuzhen is a popular tourist town with visitors going there in large numbers to see its stunning river system and museums. Baidu, a web firm often referred to as “Chinese Google”, created the system. When people now check in to their accommodation, they will have their photo taken and uploaded to a central database upon leaving and re-entering the town, the system will re-check that they are still a guest at a hotel, before allowing them back in.
The technology is being used to track the 5,000 visitors that stay in the town’s hotels every day. Yuan Qing lin, director of the Institute of deep Learning at Baidu, told The Verge, “With our technology, you don’t need to give your ID. When you are approaching a gate, it will take a photo of you and compare that photo to the database.” Wuzhen used to monitor its visitors using a ticket-entry system, but this could easily be abused. It was discovered that some people were sharing their tickets to avoid paying.
Baidu’s system is based on neural networks, which can process huge amounts of data-more than one billion faces. As well as recognizing faces, the system can discover facial movements, so it can’t be fooled by holding a mask. Baidu is also using the software for employee entry at its Beijing headquarters.
1. What can be learned about the facial recognition technology from the passage?| A．The technology could soon be a thing of the past. |
| B．The technology can match visitor’s faces with those in the database. |
| C．The technology can be over 99.77% accurate. |
| D．The technology is being used to track where the 5000 visitors are going. |
| A．humorous | B．awkward | C．attractive | D．funny |
| A．Chinese tourist town Wuzhen is using facial recognition. |
| B．Baidu, a web company, is using the recognition system. |
| C．Facial recognition is widely used in China. |
| D．Wuzhen is a popular tourist town with many visitors going there to see the system. |
10 . Seventy miles inland from the Bering Sea, the villages of Akiachak, Akiak and Tuluksak formed the Yupiit School District. This year, this district was allowed to operate on an academic calendar according to seasonal harvests.
It starts a week later than other districts, and classes finish 10 days earlier. They make up the difference with an extra half hour of instruction each day. Students can now take part in the fall moose (驼鹿) hunt and the spring migratory bird harvest. The strategy is to pass along traditional knowledge that cannot be gained in the classroom.
On a cloudy day this June, teachers met students at a large cutting table near teacher housing near the river. Originally, the morning catch of salmon (鲑鱼) was supposed to be processed at a nearby community fish camp, but those plans were scrapped because a black bear was hanging around.
Evelyn Esmailka explained the differences between salmon and other fishes to the children. After this lesson, they boarded boats to go fishing for salmon on the river. The order of the day was making sure that every student got a chance to take part in the harvest.
Barron Sample was in charge of it. “For some of them, it’s the first time actually out here on the river doing this, and the first time they’re actually pulling a net,” Sample said. The boat was one of three owned by the school district. “There’re three schools in our school district: Akiak, Tuluksak, and us, Akiachak. So, in a little competition, like, how many did you catch today?” Sample said.
While the first drift only yielded two fish, the second brought in around a dozen of various fish. The students screamed in delight as the struggling salmons were picked from the net, landing with a bang in a plastic box.
During the narrow window when fishing was allowed, the village of Akiachak felt like a deserted town. But along the river, the fish camps buzzed with activities as families processed the day’s harvest in a way that has changed little over the centuries.
1. What are students of the Yupiit School District expected to do?| A．Embrace traditional native knowledge fully. |
| B．Attend an extra class for half an hour. |
| C．Harvest their academic achievements. |
| D．Learn about the migration of birds. |
| A．Discussed. | B．Abandoned. | C．Approved. | D．Introduced. |
| A．Exhausting. | B．Dangerous. | C．Competitive. | D．Knowledgeable. |
| A．The local quiet lifestyle. | B．The education of surviving skills. |
| C．The summer camp activities. | D．The way of processing fish. |
