1 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Do note that there is one word more than you need in each passage.

A. nesting       B. signals       C. accessible     D. overnight       AB. decisively       AC. illiterates AD. literally       BC. unaware       BD. motivated       CD. accused     ABC. terrifying

The good news is that today’s teenagers are greedy readers and productive writers. The bad news is that what they are reading and writing are text messages.

It’s an unmissable trend. Even if you don’t have teenage kids, you’ll still see other people’s offspring wandering around, their eyes averted, tapping away, totally     1     of their surroundings. Take a group of teenagers to see the eight wonders of the world. Chances are that they’ll     2     be texting all the way, even if it means missing all those awe-inspiring moments. Show a teenager Jan Vermeer’s The Girl with a Pearl Earring. You might get a quick glance before a buzz     3     the arrival of the latest SMS.

Now before I am     4     of throwing stones in a glass house, let me confess. I probably send about 50 texts a day, and I receive what seem like 200. But there is difference, I also read books. It’s a quaint old habit I picked up as a kid, in the days before cellphones began     5     in the palms of the young.

According to a survey carried about in 2019, half of today’s teenagers don’t read books except when they’re made to. What is more     6     to me as a high school teacher is the fact that almost two-thirds of high school freshmen read for pleasure for less than an hour per week. Nearly half of seniors don’t read for pleasure at all.

Why does this matter? Because, to some extent, this texting craze can and will produce a large number of cultural    7     who are cut off from the civilization of their ancestors if we don’t take some necessary measures.

So how can we encourage our teenagers to read books? Whether in the classroom or at home, one of the best ways to promote reading is by reading together. Another way to encourage reading is to help teenagers set a goal to read a certain number of books or read books from a certain genre. This will help them stay focused and     8     to read. For instance, if your child loves playing football, read the storybook related to football. Or if your child loves going on walks, take along some picture books to read along the way. By making reading more     9     and fun, we can foster a love of reading in them.

But don’t expect children to fall in love with reading     10    . When it comes to reading, trust the process.

2 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Do note that there is one word more than you need in each passage.

A. advantageous       B. programming       C. fashion       D. fueled        AB. advanced AC. sacrifice       AD. capped       BC. habitually       BD. appetite       CD. likelihood ABC. unnecessarily

Eating a calorie-rich diet brought us humans a great advantage: time. We spent less of the day obtaining food. We saved countless hours of needless chewing. Instead, we invested time in doing the things that make us human: we started to     1     tools, erect structures, share stories, create myths and play games.

Calories made humanity possible. Calories are what     2     our big brains. Our calorie-rich diet didn’t reinforce the compulsion to eat, it released us from a food-gripped existence. Just because we require calories does not mean our basic     3     compels us to over-consume them, for the same reason that requiring oxygen does not compel us to perpetually hyperventilate. Yes, it may be     4     to carry extra calories in time of famine, but this assumes an overly simplistic view of our evolutionary past.

Out there in nature, carrying extra body weight brings serious, even deadly, disadvantages. To the evolving primate, greater body mass means slower acceleration and a(n)     5     in the ability to change speed and direction quickly. Back when we were prey—when our ancestors were     6     eaten by big cats, pythons and even eagles—our ability to nimbly start, stop and turn was crucial for survival. To a predator, a fat human was not only easier to spot and easier to catch, it made for a bigger, better meal. To the prey we hunted, a fat human was easier to evade and outrun. Carrying too much fat also increases the     7     of injury and death due to the forces and loads involved in maintaining a larger body. To put it in the simple arithmetic of evolutionary fitness, being     8     fat didn’t increases an individual’s chances of passing on their genes. It actually reduced them.

As we became more     9     there were even more reasons to refrain from overindulgence. Food had to be shared with other members of the tribe, then the village, then the town, especially with children, whose dependence on adults for resources lasts an eternity compared with other species. Otherwise, the human species would have died off long ago, if we really were slaves to a never-ceasing     10     for calories.

All of these have left us with the following paradox: Why were humans generally able to resist vastly over-consuming calories up until about fifty years ago?

Quoted from Mark Schatzker’s The End of Craving

3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passages coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Back then, I was a very nervous new father. I didn’t know     1     to feed my son, how hard to pat his back to burp him, or whether it was okay to let him sleep as long as be wants. I bought myself lots of books about parenting, only     2     (find) that there were so many new things to learn that I inevitably begun to feel overwhelmed.

My friend May, a soon-to-be mother herself,     3     (sense) my anxiety and, to calm me down, texted me one night saying, “No book can be a substitute for your own sensitive contemplation and careful observation. Books can be     4     small additional value, but no more. Just listen to your son and he’ll teach you how to be a father.”

That struck me a lot because I grew up in a time when most of the parents, including my own, believed that children     5     be seen and not heard. Naturally, I thought he was nothing and only grownups were worth something. The idea     6     children do not know anything but will do so, and are not capable of doing anything but will learn, made me live in a permanent state of expectation. For the sake of tomorrow, I failed to respect     7     might amuse, sadden, amaze, anger, and interest him today. For the sake of tomorrow, I stole years of his life.

Things changed for me when I got down on my knees, waiting for my son to open up. Once I came down to his level, I found I didn’t even     8     ask questions. I just listened. He granted me permission to gaze into his pockets to see all his cherished collections: bird’s feathers, colored stones and oddly-shaped leaves. He also discussed with me about his grand plan to travel to the South Pole with the girl in his class     9     happened to want to marry him. We both knew our relationship was built on mutual respect and trust.

Now, seven years later after my son’s birth, I still marvel at May’s simple wisdom. Being there listening to my son has not only rescued     10     from “those best parenting books one cannot afford to miss” but also from over-evaluating and over-obsessing about him. Simply put, my son has taught me to be a father. I have affection for what he is today and respect for what he can become in the future. All I need to do is to listen.

4 . How to Appreciate Impressionist Paintings

The Impressionist Movement began in the late 19th century as a group of rebellious young artists based in Paris looked for new ways to use light and color. Known for painting quickly and spontaneously (自发地), Impressionists explored how the viewers’ eye interprets objects.

And when would be a better time than now to see with your own eyes some of the best impressionist masterpieces as dozens of paintings by Monet are on display in Shanghai?     1    

Consider the subject matter. Impressionist painters broke away from the standard subject matter of royalty, mythology and historical realism.     2     Impressionists departed from the norm by painting ordinary people engaged in everyday activities.

Examine the light sources. The exploration and translation of light onto the canvas (画布) was the core of Impressionist painting. Look particularly at unusual displays of light, such as filtering through tree branches or reflecting off water.

    3     Unlike the traditional schools of painting, which were careful to smooth the paint, impressionists used short, strong strokes and were unconcerned if the brush stroke was visible. Observe how the brush stroke reflects light.

Observe the colors in the painting. Impressionists painted with many colors, mostly in bright shades. Rather than mixing colors before applying to the canvas, they placed the colors directly on the canvas and allowed the viewer’s eye to mix the colors.     4    

Allow the eye to view the painting as a whole. Rather than look at each item in the painting, look for an overall mood and feeling, determine which emotion the painting arouses, such as peacefulness, exhaustion or joy.

A．Follow the painter’s footprints and you will find Impressionism easier to understand than you think.

B．Even if you know nothing about Impressionism, these instructions will help you develop an appreciation for Impressionist paintings.

C．They revealed what the world was like from children’s perspective.

D．Note also that there is little use of black, which makes the painting brighter.

E．Instead, they concentrated on the modern world, particularly landscapes.

F．Look at the artist’s technique.

5 . 听下面一段长对话，回答小题。1.

A．To ask for her help.	B．To apply for the entry for the competition.
C．To take back his copy of drawing.	D．To confirm the name of his tutor.

2.

A．Improving the designs of saving energy.

B．Designing a typical domestic kitchen appliance.

C．Developing a new use for the existing technology.

D．Adopting different approaches to existing problems.

3.

A．They don’t sell well.	B．They don’t look appealing.
C．They often cost too much.	D．They vary in appearance.

4.

A．To push a button.	B．To turn on the dishwasher.
C．To decorate the pool.	D．To break the glass.

6 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．They expect to see receivers’ happiness.

B．They regard them as fashionable appliances.

C．They want to show their taste in gift choices.

D．They value the feelings delivered by the gifts.

2.

A．Their appearance.

B．Their packaging.

C．Their price.

D．Their usefulness.

3.

A．Write it on the wish list.	B．Tell givers directly what we want.
C．Follow a gift-giving process.	D．Browse Amazon to buy it.

7 .

A．The movie theatre isn’t popular in London.

B．Londoners should have seen foreign movies.

C．Londoners had better learn foreign languages.

D．There is a great demand for foreign movies in London.

8 .

A．They both prefer e-textbooks.	B．The man is expecting printed textbooks.
C．The woman is against the use of tablets.	D．Neither of them needs tablets.

9 . One of the first things that happens when you publicly declare yourself a feminist is that you start getting asked a lot of questions. If you’re anything like me, these probes into your_________ beliefs will leave you a mumbling mess. I have read enough books and academic essays on feminism to _________ a fairly substantial library, and yet as soon as I’m asked to sum it up I started sweating and string together a few _________ sentences before loudly shouting ‘because Beyonce’ and running to get another drink.

To save you from this _________ fate I have put together a collection of the feminist comebacks I wish I’d thought of in the moment. Rip out this page, keep it in your pocket and whip it out next time you’re stuck with a drunk man at a party. Because it will come into _________.

WHAT EVEN IS ‘FEMINISM?’

Great question! It’s actually something I’m really passionate about. Feminism is a centuries-old social movement fighting for the_________ of the sexes. Inter-sectional feminists believe that all people are _________ to the same rights, and they fight to end all discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, ethnicity, religion or lifestyle.

THIS FEMINISM IS POLITICAL _________ GONE MAD! CAN’T YOU TAKE A JOKE?

Great question! Thanks for checking! You’re mistaken. I love jokes. I’ve got one for you ...

Knock, knock!

Who’s there?

Annie.

Annie who?

Annie thing you can do I can do for 18.4% less pay!

Ha, ha, ha. But, jokes aside, political correctness gets a bad rap (恶评), but all it really _________ is minority groups asking that they not feel marginalized and hurt by everyday conversation or the media. I love comedy - in fact it is one of my favourite things. But I’m afraid that jokes that offend women, people of colour, disabled people, trans people or others in the LGBTQ community just aren’t _________ to me at all. Let’s chat when you come up with some better material, preferably something that doesn’t offend my friends!

I’M A MAN AND SOMETIMES I FEEL LIKE ALL THIS FEMINISM IS MAN-HATING. CAN MEN BE FEMINISTS?

Great questions! I’m sorry that a(n) _________ of the feminist movement in the mainstream media has led you to feel this way. Of course men can be feminists.

The sad fact is that we’ve all been socialized from birth to accept sexism as a part of life and, as a result, women can actually be just as _________ as men. Institutionalized sexism hurts men as well as women. It tells men that they aren’t allowed to show _________, that they have to be successful and powerful in order to succeed, and that they aren’t allowed to like the colour pink!

Feminism is the fight to _________ all these things and also to ensure that women are given fundamental human rights like education and reproductive freedom. Feminists truly believe that if we lived in a world without gender-based oppression, we’d all be so much happier. So even if you’re only joining for purely_________ reasons, we’d love to have you as a part of the gang!

Quoted from Scarlett Curtis’ Feminists Don’t Wear Pink and Other Lies

1.

A．irrational

B．cultural

C．spiritual

D．political

2.

A．fill

B．manage

C．access

D．construct

3.

A．complicated

B．reassuring

C．unintelligible

D．consistent

4.

A．unknown

B．embarrassing

C．ultimate

D．cruel

5.

A．handy

B．shape

C．view

D．force

6.

A．equality

B．battle

C．development

D．definition

7.

A．attached

B．entitled

C．restricted

D．used

8.

A．LIBERTY

B．PERFORMANCE

C．CORRECTNESS

D．SENSITIVITY

9.

A．boils down to

B．steers away from

C．takes advantage of

D．puts up with

10.

A．offensive

B．silly

C．flat

D．funny

11.

A．update

B．misconception

C．interpretation

D．milestone

12.

A．tough

B．realistic

C．logical

D．sexist

13.

A．emotions

B．ambitions

C．courage

D．aggressiveness

14.

A．promote

B．embrace

C．overcome

D．cultivate

15.

A．noble

B．understandable

C．obvious

D．selfish

10 . Facing AI extinction

In a recent White House press conference, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre couldn’t suppress her laughter at the question: Is it “crazy” to worry that “literally everyone on Earth will die” due to artificial intelligence? _________, the answer is no.

While AI pioneer such as Alan Turing cautioned that we should expect “machines to take control”, many contemporary researchers _________ this concern. In an area of unprecedented growth in AI abilities, why aren’t more expects weighing in?

Before the deep-learning revolution in 2012, I didn’t think human-level AI would emerge in my lifetime. I was familiar with arguments that AI systems would insatiably seek power and resist shutdown — and obvious _________ to humanity if it were to occur. But I also figured researchers must have good reasons not to be worried about human _________ risk (x-risk) from AI.

Yet after 10 years in the field, I believe the main reasons are actually cultural and historical. By 2012, after several hype cycles that didn’t pan out, most AI researchers had stopped asking ‘what if we succeed at replicating human intelligence’, _________ their ambitions to specific tasks like autonomous driving.

When concerns resurfaced outside their community, researchers were to quick to dismiss outsiders as _________ and their worries as science fiction. But in my experience, AI researchers are themselves often ignorant of arguments for AI x-risk.

One basic argument is by analogy: humans’ _________ abilities allowed us to out-compete other species for resources, leading to many extinctions. AI systems could likewise deprive us of the resources we need for our survival. Less _________, AI could displace humans economically and, through its powers of manipulation, politically.

But wouldn’t it be humans wielding AIs as tools who end up in control? Not necessarily. Many people might choose to deploy a system with a 99 per cent chance of making them phenomenally rich and powerful, even if it had a 1 per cent chance of _________ their control and killing everyone.

Because no safe experiment can definitively tell us whether an AI system will actually kill everyone, such concerns are often dismissed as unscientific. But this isn’t an excuse for ignoring the risk. It just means society needs to reason about it in the same way as other complex social issues. Researchers also emphasize the difficulty of predicting when AI might _________ human intelligence, but this is an argument for caution, not complacency.

Attitudes are changing, but not quickly enough. AI x-risk is admittedly more _________ than important social issues with present-day AI, like bias and misinformation, but the basic solution is the same: regulation. A robust public discussion is long overdue. By refusing to engage, some AI researchers are neglecting _________ responsibilities and betraying public trust.

Big tech sponsors AI ethics research when it doesn’t hurt the bottom line. But it is also lobbying to exclude general-purpose AI from E. U. regulation. Concerned researchers recently called for a(n) _________ in developing bigger AI models to allow society to catch up. Critics say this isn’t politically realistic, but problems like AI x-risk won’t _________ just because they are politically inconvenient.

This brings us to the ugliest reason researchers may dismiss AI x-risk: funding. Essentially every researcher (myself included) has received funding from big tech. At some point, society may stop believing reassurances from people with such strong conflicts of _________ and conclude, as I have, that their dismissal betrays wishful thinking rather than good counterarguments.

1.

A．Comfortingly

B．Unfortunately

C．Accidentally

D．Luckily

2.

A．express

B．feel

C．downplay

D．highlight

3.

A．threat

B．boost

C．disgrace

D．contribution

4.

A．extinction

B．health

C．resource

D．exposure

5.

A．abandoning

B．cherishing

C．frustrating

D．narrowing

6.

A．arrogant

B．irresponsible

C．ignorant

D．biased

7.

A．cognitive

B．physical

C．linguistic

D．emotional

8.

A．deliberately

B．abstractly

C．frequently

D．fundamentally

9.

A．tightening

B．exercising

C．maintaining

D．escaping

10.

A．assist

B．surpass

C．collect

D．evaluate

11.

A．obvious

B．urgent

C．questionable

D．private

12.

A．legal

B．financial

C．professional

D．ethical

13.

A．investment

B．pause

C．research

D．initiative

14.

A．take place

B．grow up

C．sink in

D．go away

15.

A．interest

B．religion

C．taste

D．law