1 . Over a decade ago, the science fiction series Black Mirror showed a story about using artificial intelligence to bring back loved ones. Thanks to technological advancement, the latest AI technology brings hope of recreating loved ones through virtual form.
Recently, it was revealed that renowned musician Tino Bao had created a digital version of his daughter, who in 2021 passed away due to a rare disease at the age of 22. With the help of Xiaoice, Microsoft Asia’s AI branch based in China, Bao was able to recreate his daughter Bao Rong as an AI-powered virtual figure. Tino Bao, his family and the team went to great lengths to piece together pictures, audio-visual recordings, and narrated memories of Rong. After thousands of trials and errors, they presented the life-like digital human who speaks in both Mandarin and English. Bao has finally launched a company to bring the technological miracle to other families experiencing such loss.
However, this technological achievement has also been accompanied by many controversies. The idea of bringing back a loved one through AI may seem comforting. Still, researchers caution that constantly interacting with an AI version of a deceased loved one could potentially affect the natural grieving process, leaving individuals stuck in a state of denial. This could lead to prolonged grief and other mental health issues. Furthermore, there’s a risk that people may become overly dependent on the technology, prioritizing their interactions with the AI version over forming new, real-life relationships.
With the case of Bao Rong out in the open, AI resurrection (复活) has become a business. From simple “talking pictures” that sound nothing like the loved ones to deep fake videos of actors speaking with the faces of those who passed away, the lower end of the market is more “artificial” than “intelligent”. Therefore, it is crucial to establish proper regulations and ethical standards to ensure that the use of AI-resurrection technology is safe and responsible.
1. Why does the author mention Black Mirror?| A．To advertise Microsoft’s virtual products. |
| B．To lead to the discussion about AI resurrection. |
| C．To prove the predictive power of science fiction. |
| D．To highlight the advancement of artificial intelligence. |
| A．The popularity of AI-resurrection technology. |
| B．Reasons for making a digital version of Bao Rong. |
| C．Challenges of developing a life-like digital human. |
| D．The process of creating an AI-powered virtual figure. |
| A．It still has some technical limitations. |
| B．It helps people build new real-life relationships. |
| C．It can be a person’s obstacle to recovering from sadness. |
| D．It enables individuals to preserve good memories of loved ones. |
| A．Strengthen the management of the technology. |
| B．Apply the technology to making pictures and videos. |
| C．Put the technology into the market as soon as possible. |
| D．Educate the public about the potential risks of technology. |
2 . Scientists have long believed that Mars was wet around three billion years ago and then lost much of its water. But a new study presents evidence of water activity from about 700 million years ago, posing a new puzzle about Mars and its history for scientists to crack in their future studies.
The new study is based on data from China’s Zhurong rover (“祝融号”火星车), part of the Tianwen-1 mission that touched down on the surface of Mars in May 2021. In particular, the scientists used data the rover gathered during its first 92 Martian days, at its landing site in Utopia Planitia. Yang Liu, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), and his colleagues analyzed data from three different instruments on Zhurong. Those instruments studied minerals that suggest the presence of a large quantity of liquid water at the site about 700 million years ago, which scientists previously thought was dry.
“This is a very interesting result. We have very little recorded evidence of young liquid water systems on Mars. And for the ones we have, they were usually in the form of salt minerals,” says Dr. Scheller, a scientist at the California Institute of Technology. He explained Zhurong’s instruments spotted water molecules locked away in the rock, which was different from other young liquid water environments that have been observed.
“One of the major things we’ll have to find out and that I look forward to seeing from the Zhurong rover is how extensive these ‘young’ water-bearing minerals are,” Dr. Scheller said. “Are they common or uncommon in these ‘young’ rocks?” Zhurong has now covered about two kilometers during its more than 350 Martian days and has analyzed a range of features on its travels, meaning more new Martian insights are likely still to come from the rover.
NASA has so far sent its Mars rovers to ancient landing sites, dating back to more than 3.7 billion years ago. Zhurong is not just an extra set of wheels on Mars, but a powerful suite of instruments exploring a new, geologically young site to open new windows of opportunity for research on Mars.
1. What does the underlined word “crack” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Keep. | B．Doubt. | C．Solve. | D．Create. |
| A．The inaccuracy of data gathered on Mars. |
| B．Functional limitations of instruments on Mars. |
| C．Main reasons for the failure of the Tianwen-1 mission. |
| D．The misconception of past thinking about Martian water. |
| A．The result has been recorded by many scientists. |
| B．Zhurong’s wide analyses will bring more surprises. |
| C．Salt minerals are younger than water-bear ing minerals. |
| D．Young water-bearing minerals are common in young rocks. |
| A．Ancient. | B．Common. | C．Alarming. | D．Promising. |
3 . Steps Towards Unlocking Your Inner Wisdom
At the core of your life lies sense, a powerful force that exists within. Knowing how to follow your sense can help you guide your life.
●Seek loneliness and stillness. In a world filled with noises, finding inner peace requires silencing the noise around you.
●Develop self-awareness.
●
●Take action with intention. Once your sense gives guidance, trust yourself enough to act on it on purpose.
| A．Explore the unknown. |
| B．Stay away from unfamiliar paths. |
| C．You need to find a place free from any interruption. |
| D．It is better to think about high-pressure decisions first. |
| E．Learn how to believe in your sense by making small choices. |
| F．Raising your sense requires a deep understanding of yourself. |
| G．And insights gained from your sense can affect everything you do in life. |
4 . Insider Flight Tips for Your Journey
Anyone can book a trip, but not everyone can plan an ultimate adventure that is affordable, accommodating and fun. At www. tripinsiders. org, we aim to provide you with the best insider secrets in the travel business. And on this website, we also offer a state-of-the-art travel comparison tool to make planning easier than ever. Here are some insider tips that we'd like to share with you about flights.
Look for Glitch (小故障) Fares
Online booking systems for airfare don’t come without a pricing mistake every once in a while. Follow deal-minded travel sites and blogs to learn about pricing mistakes that work in your favor. This is the most useful if you live near a major airport and have a flexible schedule.
Consider Alternate Airports
Some major cities have more than one airport, so make sure to check them all for the cheapest fares. For example, if you’re planning to visit the Bay Area of California, check for rates in both San Francisco International Airport and Oakland International Airport.
Cross the Border by Land
Domestic flights are often cheaper than international ones, so if you live near a border and want to fly to a neighboring country, you can save by crossing the border by land and then catching a domestic flight. For example, Toronto residents may save by crossing the American border into Buffalo and then flying to another American city.
Use a Digital Luggage Scale
There’s nothing more frustrating than learning that your bag is too heavy to fly or that it’ll cost you extra when you arrive at the airport. Digital luggage scales are great for making sure that you’re not going over the baggage limit with your new souvenirs.
1. What is the main purpose of www.tripinsiders.org ?| A．To recommend travel websites. | B．To fund the travel business. |
| C．To advertise a travel agency. | D．To uncover travel business secrets. |
| A．Selecting airports. | B．Flying the border. |
| C．Carrying more baggage. | D．Having a fixed schedule. |
| A．They cover all aspects of a trip. | B．They help travelers save money. |
| C．They merely apply to businessmen. | D．They are only for Toronto residents. |
5 . My father once told me some advice. “The advice,” he said, “was that if after the first 50 pages of a book you don’t get
A reader, he suggested, needs a little
I like to think my father’s readerly advice can be
| A．tired | B．attracted | C．convinced | D．informed |
| A．try | B．copy | C．send | D．remember |
| A．patience | B．imagination | C．strength | D．courage |
| A．perfect | B．regular | C．obvious | D．particular |
| A．continue | B．enjoy | C．stop | D．practice |
| A．permit | B．beg | C．force | D．cheat |
| A．especially | B．objectively | C．fortunately | D．partly |
| A．characteristic | B．expression | C．prejudice | D．recognition |
| A．various | B．unreal | C．priceless | D．unchanging |
| A．used | B．told | C．assessed | D．hidden |
| A．idea | B．chance | C．stage | D．competition |
| A．meetings | B．operations | C．improvements | D．delays |
| A．attitude | B．urge | C．smile | D．struggle |
| A．appreciate | B．record | C．rescue | D．care |
| A．in brief | B．on earth | C．at least | D．in addition |
6 . “Many rules of bee society—from collective and individual interactions to raising healthy young bees—are adjusted by temperature, so we take advantage of that for this study,” explains Rafael Barmak, first author of a paper published recently.
“Previous studies on the thermal (heat-related) behavior of honeybees in winter have relied on observing the bees or controlling the outside temperature,” adds Martin Stefanec of the University of Graz. Now, scientists have developed a robotic system that can be built into a honeybee hive (蜂箱), which enables scientists to change the temperature from within the colony (蜂群), copy the thermal behavior of bees there, and study how the winter colony actively adjusts its temperature.
It’s challenging to study bees in winter since they are sensitive to cold, and opening their hives risks harming them. But thanks to the robotic system, scientists were able to study three experimental hives located at the Artificial Life Lab in Austria, while controlling them from a public research university in Switzerland. Inside the device, a central processor organized the sensors, which created a quick picture of the bees’ collective behavior, sent commands to the actuators (制动器) and passed on data to the scientists. That demonstrated the system could be used to study bees without entering the hives or without even cameras.
By gathering data on the bees’ position and creating warmer areas in the hive, scientists could encourage bees to move around in ways they would never normally do in nature during winter when bees tend to gather together to conserve energy. For example, scientists could direct bees colony toward a food source or discourage it from dividing into too small groups, which could threaten its survival.
The scientists were able to prolong the existence of a colony following the death of its queen by distributing heat energy via the actuators. Bees are one of the most important pollinators (传粉者), and their survivability has become a growing environmental and food security concern as pollinators’ global populations have declined.
1. What is the underlying logic behind the robotic system?| A．Bees’ sensitive response to heat. |
| B．Bees’ preference to live in groups. |
| C．Temperature adjustment of bee society. |
| D．Different work assignments of the bee colony. |
| A．It can provide inner heating remotely. |
| B．It can open the hives automatically. |
| C．It can absorb outside heat constantly. |
| D．It can send real-time data through its camera. |
| A．To design better hives. | B．To increase bee biodiversity. |
| C．To enhance bee survivability. | D．To learn how to distribute energy. |
| A．A Robotic Group—a Bee Individual Colony |
| B．A Robotic System—a Hidden Window to Bees |
| C．The Thermal Sensor—a Barrier to Cold Climate |
| D．The Bee Society—the World’s Most Important Insects |
7 . On Christmas Eve, two little ducks were found frozen on a pond in Smithville, Ohio. They flapped their wings, fruitlessly struggling to free themselves on the ice until two locals spotted them and helped set the animals free. The two ducks were later named Olaf and Elsa, characters from Disney’s Frozen, and sent to an animal rescue organization.
“Every year in springtime, particularly at Easter, many people buy ducklings on impulse as gifts, often for their kids. People associate baby animals like ducklings, chicks, and bunnies with springtime,” says John Di Leonardo, an anthrozoologist. “But months later, animal rescuers routinely see a rise in abandoned ducks in local parks and ponds.”
Elsa and Olaf’s tough situation highlights the reason why domestic ducks always show up in local parks and ponds. Assuming they can live, their case is pretty similar to going to Yellowstone National Park and seeing a wolf and such like. “Oh, if this wolf can live well, my dog can do too,” says Adison Smith, president of Wasatch Wanderers Animal Rescue. “Those ducks lack hunting instincts, and many quickly starve to death or fall sick. A majority cannot fly because of small wings. They don’t migrate, so they can’t survive winter. They’re literally sitting ducks for predators (捕食者),” John Di Leonardo adds.
Since the issue is largely due to a lack of awareness, Adison Smith has started a campaign and hung more than 50 signs in a dozen cities to remind parkgoers that getting rid of pet ducks tends to be disastrous to them and can be illegal by the state law, “Our goal is to get the problem at its source,” Adison says. Most people tend to buy ducklings at stores for less than a dollar each, or kids take them home from school hatching projects.
“Though most abandoned ducks live short, miserable lives, Olaf and Elsa are an exception — they’ll spend their remaining days at Lasa Sanctuary in Wooster, Ohio, in a shelter with other ducks, clean hay, and protection against predators,” John Di Leonardo says.
1. Why did Olaf and Elsa appear on a frozen pond on Christmas Eve?| A．They starred in the film Frozen. | B．They practised their hunting skills. |
| C．They escaped from an animal shelter. | D．They were abandoned by their master. |
| A．Animals share a lot in living habits. | B．Pet ducks are less adaptable in the wild. |
| C．Yellowstone is a great place for wildlife. | D．Animals can get along well with each other. |
| A．Increasing the selling prices of ducks. |
| B．Reminding people to save our resources. |
| C．Educating people about the animal protection. |
| D．Appealing for the establishment of new animal laws. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Easeful. | C．Restricted. | D．Exhausted. |
The Sixth Silk Road (Dunhuang) International Cultural Expo
With “Connecting the World: Cultural Exchanges and Mutual Learning among Civilizations” as
At the Expo, cultural performances “Meet Dunhuang” presented fine Silk Road literature and art together,
The Belt and Road Initiative was put forward.
When I was seventy-one, my granddaughter Crystal’s husband Peter lost his job. Despite his efforts, he struggled to find a new job. He seemed to lose confidence in himself.
When I visited Australia, I aimed to support them through this challenging time, but Crystal wanted me to have some fun. She suggested snorkeling (用通气管潜泳)along the coral reef, convincing me that I would love the experience.
I had swum only in pools where my feet could touch the bottom. Previously in Hawaii, I had tried snorkeling and panicked in the deep water, but this time, I wanted to try again. My dream of exploring the coral reef and the desire to boost Peter’s spirits motivated me.
Crystal patiently taught me snorkeling in a pool. With great efforts, I finally mastered the skills, which excited me and amazed Peter. “We can overcome our challenges,” I smiled. Seeming to know I was encouraging him, Peter smiled back and said, “I guess so, Grandma.”
The big day came when I had to snorkel in the sea. Crystal and Peter both decided to come for security reasons. “You’ll be fine,” Crystal told me. “I’ll stay right by you. Even if you’re in trouble, I can help you out of it.”
On a sunny afternoon, we set off from the shore. When Peter stopped the boat, Crystal and I put on our equipment.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；
2. 请按如下格式作答。
My heart raced as I stared at the deep sea water.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon, I noticed the coral reef and many beautiful fish.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I was not sure why my dad and my uncle always disagreed with each other in the beginning. They spent many Sundays sitting at opposite ends of the table, arguing about everything. I didn’t think they got along well.
When I was eighteen, I got a call in my college dorm that my dad was having a health problem. My mom picked me up at midnight, so I could be there the next day when my dad was scheduled to transfer(转移) to a better hospital. I didn’t sleep that night, not a while. I was nervous and almost crazy when we arrived at the hospital early the next morning before the transfer.
That morning, as my mom and I walked down the hallway of the hospital, we could see straight into my dad’s room. A tall man wearing a stylish suit stood beside my father’s bed with his back to us. In surprise, my mom said to me, “How nice it is for a doctor to come by to see your dad so early in the morning.” The man was quiet and still, looking down, but he was holding both of my dad’s hands in his own. It seemed not to be a typical doctor’s behavior.
“It’s not a doctor,” I whispered softly to my mom. When the man turned around, we found that it was my uncle. However, little did I know I would continue to reflect on that quiet moment for decades. And it would be the beginning of something truly wonderful.
The hours that followed were some of the most hardest time of my youth. My dad had a serious stomach problem and had to be in hospital for quite a long time. My uncle stayed with us the entire time. For one thing, my uncle tried every way to get my dad to eat something. For another thing, he brought me healthy snacks and made sure I actually ate them even though I had no appetite. When my mother and I were scared that my dad’s illness would get worse, my uncle was always by our side.
注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Throughout those difficult days in the hospital, I watched my uncle in a new light.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________From then on, the relationship between my dad and my uncle became closer.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
