1 . Roosters (公鸡) act differently when faced with another chicken rather than just their own reflection. This may mean that the birds can recognize themselves in a mirror, a key indicator of self-awareness. In the traditional mirror self-recognition test, which originated in1970, researchers place a mark on an animal’s body in a spot that it only see when seeing its reflection. They note if the animal touches the mark while examining its mirror image, which suggests it understands that what it sees represents its own body. Few non-human species have passed this test, but they include some great apes, dolphins, elephants.
However, results from the test are often variable.Sonja Hillemacher and her colleagues from the University of Bonn in Germany wondered if this was because there is little natural reason for many animals to find out such marks. So, they have tried to adapt the test to the natural behaviour of roosters. Roosters usually make loud noises to warn other chickens when they see predators (捕食者) but generally stay quiet when they are alone.
In the lab, they tested 68 roosters one by one in an arena divided by a wire net. They placed a bird on one side, and either left the other side empty or put another rooster in it. Then they added a mirror to the divider for some tests. The results showed that when a rooster was paired with another rooster, it raised the alarm more often than when it was alone, regardless of whether it could see its own reflection. When another rooster was present but hidden behind a mirror, few alarms were raised, showing that roosters can distinguish between reflection and reality through vision rather than smell or sound.
Since the birds acted similarly when alone and with a reflection, they may realize their reflection is of themselves, say the researchers. While the research suggests that roosters may recognize themselves in mirrors, it is too early to claim that chickens possess this ability.
1. What can we learn about the traditional mirror self-recognition test?| A．The test was improved in 1970. |
| B．Elephants failed to pass the test. |
| C．Most non-human species have passed the test. |
| D．Animals touching the mark show self-awareness. |
| A．Their sharp vision. |
| B．Their poor smell. |
| C．Their loud sound. |
| D．Their native behavior. |
| A．They sent fewer alarm before another rooster. |
| B．They showed more interest in their reflection. |
| C．They used vision to tell reality from reflection. |
| D．They were unable to recognize their reflection. |
| A．Roosters: Quiet Reflection-observers |
| B．Roosters: Possible Self-recognizers |
| C．Roosters: Clever Mark-checkers |
| D．Roosters: Brave Alarm-raisers |
2 . Improved mental health is on the agenda for many people in 2024 and being organized is the preferred method of realizing it.
Disorganization is often considered to have a negative impact on the way we see ourselves and the lives we lead. The studied downsides of living in a disorganized environment include memory problems, poor eating habits, and decreased self-control. “There’s an obvious link between increased stress and anxiety disorders and living in a messy space,” says Daniel Levitin, a behavioral neuroscientist (行为神经科学家) at McGill University.
“Disorganization brings a loss of productivity that is difficult to quantify (量化),” says Levitin. He points to the amount of time people lose looking for lost items, missing appointments, or falling behind at work or school because of disordered living. “The average person likely loses 5 percent of their time due to disorganization,” he says. “Take your annual salary, multiply that by 5 percent, and you can measure what disorganization may be costing you.”
Joseph Ferrari, one of the most recognized scholars on disorganization research, says that nearly every mental health downside that comes from disorganization can be improved by getting organized. “You’ll feel more energetic, enhance your productivity in the office, and greatly improve the quality of your life,” he says.
Tidy homes have been found to be a predictor of physical health. “Those whose houses are cleaner are more active and physically healthy,” says Libby Sander, an assistant professor of organizational behavior. Part of this is due to organized people being better at managing their time, but it’s also because research demonstrates that less clutter can help improve one’s diet. “Studies show an association between clutter and overweight,” says Libby.
Getting organized has also been shown to decrease one’s stress levels, increase personal efficiency, and even improve sleep. Another studied advantage of getting organized may be improving the quality of one’s relationships. Libby explains that relationships can be negatively impacted when too much clutter affects communication or distracts one’s brain from noticing important message from their partner. Research shows this can cause others to feel ignored, misunderstood, or unimportant.
1. What does Levitin say concerning living a disorganized life?| A．It has been well realized by people. |
| B．It’s many people’s New Year resolution. |
| C．It has an obvious impact on mental state. |
| D．It’s closely related to the living environment. |
| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By repeating other experts’ words. | D．By referring to previous studies. |
| A．decoration. | B．mess. | C．furniture. | D．light. |
| A．The Neuroscience Behind Healthy Minds |
| B．The Cost of Chaos — How Disorganization Affects Your Life |
| C．Mental Health in 2024 — Self-control as a Priority |
| D．Organize for Success — Boosting Health and Productivity |
3 . The maker of ChatGPT recently announced its next move into generative(有生产力的)artificial intelligence. San Francisco-based OpenAI’s new text-to-video generator, called Sora, is a tool that instantly makes short videos based on written commands, called prompts.
Sora is not the first of its kind. Google, Meta and Runway ML are among the other companies to have developed similar technology. But the high quality of videos displayed by OpenAI —some released after CEO Sam Altman asked social media users to send in ideas for written prompts —surprised observers.
A photographer from New Hampshire posted one suggestion, or prompt, on X. The prompt gave details about a kind of food to be cooked, gnocchi(意大利团子), as well as the setting —an old Italian country kitchen. The prompt said: “An instructional cooking session for homemade gnocchi, hosted by a grandmother —a social media influencer, set in a rustic(土气的)Tuscan country kitchen.” Altman answered a short time later with a realistic video that showed what the prompt described.
The tool is not yet publicly available. OpenAI has given limited information about how it was built. The company also has not stated what imagery and video sources were used to train Sora. At the same time, the video results led to fears about the possible ethical and societal effects.
The New York Times and some writers have taken legal actions against OpenAI for its use of copyrighted works of writing to train ChatGPT. And OpenAI pays a fee to The Associated Press, the source of this report, to license its text news archive(档案). OpenAI said in a blog post that it is communicating with artists, policymakers and others before releasing the new tool to the public.
The company added that it is working with “red teamers” — people who try to find problems and give helpful suggestions — to develop Sora. “We are working with red teamers who will be adversarially(对立地)testing the model,” the company said. “We’re also building tools to help detect misleading content such as a detection classifier that can tell when a video was generated by Sora.”
1. What makes Sora impressive?| A．Its artificial intelligence history. |
| B．Its extraordinary video quality. |
| C．Its ethical and societal influence. |
| D．Its written commands and prompts. |
| A．The company’s current challenge. |
| B．The company’s advanced technology. |
| C．The company’s problems in management. |
| D．The company’s efforts for Sora’s improvement. |
| A．Some disagreements over Sora have arisen. |
| B．Sora is the first text-to-video generator in history. |
| C．OpenAI CEO Altman wrote a prompt as an example. |
| D．All the details about how Sora was built have been shared. |
| A．Pessimistic. | B．Optimistic. | C．Neutral. | D．Cautious. |
4 . Manuel Teixeira has reunited with the rescue crews who helped save his life after a big tree fell on him while he was working in Massachusetts on March 9,2024.
Officers Kenneth Almeida and Aaron Swartz
Teixeira, 67,
Then, Almeida and Swartz
Almeida and Swartz were honored for their
"These officers saved this man's life by relying on the
Meanwhile, Teixeira is
| A．hurriedly | B．casually | C．surely | D．secretly |
| A．in danger | B．in peace | C．in sight | D．in charge |
| A．predicted | B．avoided | C．suffered | D．realized |
| A．indicated | B．determined | C．remembered | D．expected |
| A．doctor | B．nurse | C．officer | D．patient |
| A．warned | B．supposed | C．reminded | D．informed |
| A．arrived | B．returned | C．left | D．continued |
| A．appeared | B．worked | C．survived | D．waited |
| A．mentioned | B．suggested | C．included | D．exchanged |
| A．Temporarily | B．Naturally | C．Apparently | D．Eventually |
| A．making up for | B．making use of | C．giving way to | D．breaking away from |
| A．check | B．risk | C．rescue | D．experiment |
| A．arm | B．shoulder | C．hand | D．leg |
| A．efforts | B．advice | C．promise | D．profits |
| A．apology | B．application | C．recommendation | D．praise |
| A．change | B．opportunity | C．incident | D．idea |
| A．competing | B．volunteering | C．struggling | D．recovering |
| A．extra | B．easy | C．solid | D．convenient |
| A．major | B．quick | C．new | D．random |
| A．thankful | B．generous | C．proud | D．modest |
5 . Recently, I took him for a classic English afternoon tea at The Ritz Hotel. The thought of showing him a piece of authentic British life excited me for weeks, so when we finally sat down in the Ritz’s elegant tearoom, with the sound of a pianist in the background, I was thrilled.
I looked at the polished silver tea stand topped with finely cut sandwiches, freshly baked scones (烤饼), and mouthwatering pastries and teacakes. I was ready to dig in. Then I looked at Dad and a trace of nervousness flashed across his face. He carefully copied what I ate and how to use the knife and fork, and from time to time anxiously looked up at the waiter in his bow tie who was serving our table.
When we got to the scones, Dad took a big bite and remarked how delicious it was. He asked me to explain how the British eat scones, so I supplied him with details about the custom of breaking scones into small pieces, spreading cream and strawberry jam on top, before consuming each piece in one mouthful.
“Oh, why did you not tell me earlier?” Dad’s face turned red in embarrassment, suddenly realizing his mistake. For the rest of the scones session, he busied himself with neatly spreading the cream and jam like an obedient (听话的) child.
Suddenly, I felt a complex mixture of happiness, sadness and loneliness. Growing up, Dad was my hero, my mountain. I still remember flying into his arms after school at the kindergarten gate. Through the sound of his voice, I learned to feel and understand the world.
After moving to London alone, I have learned to achieve academic grades, found a job, and started a new life all by myself. But I did not fully realize how much I had grown up, until I saw how dependent Dad was on me in London. Although he is still a mountain in my heart, I realized I have in the meantime built a strong mountain of my own. And by being away from Dad’s protective wings I have come to understand more of myself and to find my own place in the world.
1. Why did the author take her father for a classic English afternoon tea?| A．The food in the restaurant was delicious. |
| B．She wanted her father to experience real British life. |
| C．Her father was deeply attracted by the elegant tearoom. |
| D．She intended to introduce an excellent restaurant to her father. |
| A．Disappointed and painful. | B．Embarrassed and desperate. |
| C．Nervous and cautious. | D．Sorrowful and helpless. |
| A．She had a happy childhood. | B．She had achieved a lot in academic area. |
| C．Her father was not her mountain any more. | D．She should be the person for her father to rely on. |
| A．An eating experience changed a father. | B．Eating with Dad strengthened our relationship. |
| C．Dining environment was vital for a restaurant. | D．Living alone enhanced a person’s independence. |
6 . In Lulea, a city in northern Sweden, the sun only shines around three hours a day in the winter months. People tend to stay warm at home and that can be very lonely. To help ease winter loneliness, the local authority is asking everyone to just say hello to each other. The new campaign is called Sag hej.
While the world is experiencing an increase in loneliness following the Covid-19 pandemic, in places that do not get a lot of sunlight during the winter months, the issues are exasperating.
“Loneliness and isolation are major problems at any time of the year and almost everywhere in the world right now,” Micael Dahlen, professor of wellbeing and happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics, said. “It comes with the times that we live in, with the lifestyles that we have, where we don’t necessarily encounter each other to the same extent that we used to. This increases in winter when we are outside less and socializing less,” he added.
While most people believe that loneliness is most common amongst seniors who tend to live alone, the opposite is true. It is actually rising in young people. A recent study published in the International Journal of Adolescence and Youth found that loneliness in young people has been increasing and this negatively impacts mental and physical wellbeing. Research about Lulea found that 45 percent of 16-to-29-year-olds were experiencing problems due to being lonely.
Asa Koski, who works for the city, came up with the idea of the Sag hej! campaign. She wants the city, which is undergoing rapid growth due to green industry jobs, to be a friendlier, more welcoming, and less lonely place for newcomers. “We don ’t just want that Lulea is going to grow as a city; we want Lulea to be a pleasant and safe and friendly city as well where there’s culture, leisure activities, and sport,” said Koski.
Many people agree that saying hello should be encouraged and believe that the more international the city becomes, the more people will become friendlier too.
1. Which word can replace the underlined word “exasperating” in Paragraph 2?| A．annoying | B．interesting | C．inspiring | D．surprising |
| A．Loneliness and isolation dominate people’s feeling. |
| B．Saying hello helps people deal with winter loneliness. |
| C．A lack of sunshine in winter contributes to loneliness. |
| D．People ’s lifestyles in winter increase their feeling lonely. |
| A．Seniors suffer more from loneliness. |
| B．There are more young people feeling lonely than seniors. |
| C．The phenomenon of loneliness is common in different age stages. |
| D．45 percent of 16-to-29-year-olds have problems because of loneliness. |
| A．Her job is connected with the city. |
| B．She has confidence in Lulea ’s culture. |
| C．She wishes the city to develop rapidly. |
| D．She expects the city to be a better place for newcomers. |
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：（1）每句不超过两个错误；（2）每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
As science fiction offers surprise and exciting, I had a strong urge to read The Three- Body Problem written by Liu Cixin. The book, first releasing as a series in Science Fiction World magazine in 2006 in China, turned out to be a hit.
The book described the story of Ye Wenjie and Wang Miao, two scientists on the not distant future. Ye joins a secret project to contact aliens. Meanwhile, Wang registers or logs on to an online video game called “Three Body”. It has influenced minds deeply that people are worried about the possibility of the earth being invaded by an advanced civilization.
Curiously, I was referred to an online forum and concluded that the concern is necessary, at least for now. Which is declared by scientists, the chance of life beyond the earth develops into superior intelligence is quite slim.
1. Which benefit of exercise is mentioned?
| A．Gaining weight. | B．Building muscles. | C．Improving sleep quality. |
| A．At the age of 18. | B．In their late 20s. | C．At the age of 40. |
| A．A teacher. | B．A trainer. | C．A doctor. |
| A．Doing regular exercise. | B．Staying in a good mood. | C．Keeping their brains active. |
9 . Qian Qihu, China’s top defense engineering expert, has once again moved many netizens with his charity—donating a total of 500, 000 yuan to help children living in poor conditions.
Qian, 87, was born in Kunshan, Jiangsu province. He is an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering and also the
Qian, together with his wife and Kunshan Underground Space Technology Research Institute,
Many beneficiaries have not only received
In 2019, Qian was
Qian has
| A．winner | B．loser | C．hero | D．celebrity |
| A．refused | B．received | C．renewed | D．registered |
| A．donated | B．collected | C．purchased | D．adopted |
| A．look into | B．worry about | C．focus on | D．care for |
| A．government | B．school | C．charity | D．profit |
| A．rich | B．poor | C．literary | D．broken |
| A．defeated | B．assisted | C．found | D．instructed |
| A．paying | B．earning | C．raising | D．funding |
| A．spiritual | B．virtual | C．financial | D．physical |
| A．model | B．teacher | C．leader | D．scholar |
| A．misled | B．lost | C．guided | D．attracted |
| A．contributions | B．predictions | C．destinations | D．congratulations |
| A．praise | B．aid | C．receipt | D．passion |
| A．convinced | B．ordered | C．honored | D．named |
| A．temporary | B．necessary | C．cautious | D．outstanding |
| A．returned | B．guaranteed | C．shown | D．awarded |
| A．appealing | B．promising | C．budgeting | D．totaling |
| A．for | B．against | C．with | D．on |
| A．seldom | B．once | C．almost | D．never |
| A．devotion | B．struggle | C．purpose | D．privilege |
10 . Cities, covering less than 2% of the earth ’s surface, greatly influence climate change, consuming almost 80% of the world’s energy and producing more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, net zero emissions (净零排放) by 2050, a target set at the COP26 conference, could be achieved faster using digital twins cities, according to a recent research.
Looking and behaving identically in their real—world physical environments, digital twins can help track, manage and reduce environmental damage rapidly. These replicas (复制品) link to networks of sensors that collect data from buildings, transport, air quality, and energy use, to see where emissions can be cut and efficiency improved. Similar technologies have been in use since NASA ’s Apollo moon mission in 1969, where computers and machine replicas were used to test and monitor spacecraft.
Research shows that digital twins can save cities more than $ 280 billion globally by 2030 through more efficient urban planning. Digital twin provider Cityzenith believes that net zero deadlines could be achieved 15 years earlier if the world ’s 100 biggest cities use the technology to decarbonize. “They are the perfect tool for managing and speeding up the energy transformation,” said CEO Michael Jansen. “We could get to net zero globally by 2035. ”
Over the past decades, big tech companies around the world, including GE Digital and Siemens, have developed software for replicating cities, including a district of Berlin, the island nation of Singapore, and the entire city of Shanghai in China. In the US, the Digital Twin Consortium is working to standardize how digital twins are built and share data. Technology company MX3D built the world ’s first 3D-printed stainless steel bridge and co-created its digital twin. CEO Gijs van der Velden believes twins will give us precise control over the built environment.
Recently, OpenAI also made advances in this field. On February 15, the company revealed its latest groundbreaking tech—Sora to the world. Sora is a text -to -video generative AI model. It can generate videos that matches the text prompt (文本提示) given to it in a few seconds. Experts believe Sora is likely to be applied in science and national defence in the future.
1. How does the author show the influence of cities on climate change?| A．By listing data. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing opinions. | D．By quoting research findings. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Doubtful. | C．Indifferent. | D．Objective. |
| A．Sora has been used in scientific research and military. |
| B．Gijs van der Velden has little faith in digital twins ’future. |
| C．Digital twins technology is developing rapidly around the world. |
| D．Few tech companies are involved in the study of replicating cities. |
| A．Big Cities Are to Blame for the Severe Environment Pollution |
| B．Digital Twins Can Save Cities Much Money Globally by 2030 |
| C．Digital Twin Cities Can Reduce the Pollution Impact of Large Cities |
| D．The Target of Net Zero Emissions Could Be Reached 15 Years Earlier |
