1 . If you look at the dynamic “Global Temperatures” map on NASA’s website, you can see the historic temperature change over time across the planet as the timeline goes from 1880 to the modern day. By 2019, the entire planet is in red, orange, and yellow colors, indicating temperatures much higher than the historical average in every country and human inhabitance.
If the timeline went to 2023, the map would look even worse. That’s because the summer of 2023 was the hottest ever, according to ocean monitors. July was the hottest month in recorded history. Next July could be worse. Unless we do something quickly, we face dealing with more and more dangerous and expensive natural disasters in the future.
Forest fires sent smoke from Canada across the North American continent, causing New York City to have the worst air quality in its recorded history. Heavy rainstorms fell on Vermont and the Northeastern United States in just a couple of days in the middle of July, which exceeded the amount that area would usually receive in two months and caused extreme damage to homes and businesses. Around the same time, flash flooding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania — north of Philadelphia — killed nearly a dozen people.
Erich Fischer, a researcher specializing in climate studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, is concerned that natural disasters could get much worse in the future—and in ways we cannot predict. He called for a “strike for climate justice,” which actually took place on Sept. 15, 2023. “The strategy needs to be twofold (双重的) . We need to decrease carbon emissions as much as realistically possible. That is already happening with people using electric cars and other green technologies. At the same time, we also need to find ways to predict the risk of natural disasters ahead of time,” said Erich Fischer.
1. Why does the writer mention the data on NASA’s website in paragraph 1?A.To explain a concept. | B.To introduce a topic. |
C.To provide a solution. | D.To make a prediction. |
A.The severity of natural disasters. | B.The worst air quality in New York City. |
C.The extreme damage by flash flooding. | D.The cause of the forests fires in Canada. |
A.He advocated a twofold strategy. |
B.He suggested forbidding carbon emissions. |
C.He required people to use more electric cars. |
D.He emphasized the awareness of climate changes. |
A.The Hottest Month in History | B.Natural Disasters in the World |
C.Extreme Weather Could Get Worse | D.Green Technology Would be Needed |
2 . Top 4 must-see ancient villages in Beijing
Beijing is a world-famous historical and cultural city with a history of more than 3, 000 years. The rich and profound ancient village culture found in and around the city remains an important part of the capital’s history and culture. Below we recommend 4 must-see ancient villages in the Beijing area as the 2024 May Day holiday approaches.
Lingshui villageLocated in the northwest of Mentougou district, Lingshui village was formed in the Liao and Jin dynasties. The ancient dwellings in Lingshui village are a model of rural residential buildings during the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911) in northerm China, and their original appearance is well preserved. Tourists can explore over 120 folk houses, alongside many cultural relics in the village.
Shuiyu villageShuiyu village is in Fangshan district. The village was built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. With 600 houses and more than 100 sets of courtyard houses from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the original cultural ecology of the village has been well maintained. Facing both north and south, the village is laid out in a circular shape, forming a unique architectural style.
Sangyu villageSangyu village lies in the north of Mentougou district, Beijing, next to Lingshui village. Prior to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) , Sangyu village was called Sanyu or “encountering” in English, named for the three water channels that meet in the village. Dense mulberry tree forests surround the entire village, and when they bear fruit, purple mulberries light up the village valley.
Malan villageMalan village, which means “horse stable” in English, had a history of keeping horses that dates back to the Ming dynasty. The ancient buildings in Malan village are made of stone and mud. When building and repairing houses in the village, people try their best to maintain their original appearance. There is also an exhibition hall, a row of old houses, as well as 12 gate bridges in the the village.
1. Which village is designed round according to the text?A.Lingshui village. | B.Shuiyu village. |
C.Sangyu village. | D.Malan village. |
A.They are models of rural buildings. |
B.The houses are made of stones and mud. |
C.Their original appearance are well maintained. |
D.They were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties. |
A.Nature. | B.Agriculture. | C.Geography. | D.Tourism. |
3 . Defeating Daniil Medvedev in New York on Sunday, Djokovic, one of the greatest tennis player, bagging 24 Grand Slam (大满贯) singles titles, equalized the record held by Australian Margaret Court, the same number of singles titles in the all-time count.
With the victory, Djokovic became the oldest US Open men’s singles champion in the Open Era. In total, he has 10 Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons, four US Opens and three Roland Garros titles, making him the only man to win all four majors at least three times. “When I realized that, I started to dream new dreams and set new goals. I never imagined that I would be here talking about 24 Slams,” he said afterwards.
Djokovic reached all finals in the Grand Slams in 2023, and the only loss was at Wimbledon, when Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, 20, brought home the champion after an intense battle lasting four hours and 43 minutes.
Djokovic, at 36, shows few signs of losing physical edge. He stays healthy, keeps exceptional skills and always desires to win more. Capturing his first Grand Slam in 2008, Djokovic bagged half of his 24 major titles after he turned 30.“One of the biggest lessons I have learned probably mentally throughout my career is that even if you find a formula (方案) that works, it’s not a guarantee, and actually most likely it’s not going to work the next year, so I keep reinventing myself and always trying to find better ways to win,” said Djokovic.
For Djokovic, who always gets tough when the going gets tough, 24 is just a number that he can go beyond. “I’ll continue to prioritize Grand Slams as my most important tournaments and where I want to play the best tennis. That will stay the same in the next season, or I don’t know how many more seasons I have in my legs,” he added, “So, let’s see.”
1. What does the underlined word “equalized” in the first paragraph probably mean?A.Set. | B.Broke. | C.Levelled. | D.Approached. |
A.He won 12 Grand Slams in his thirties. |
B.He won all the finals in the Grand Slams in 2023. |
C.He attached the same importance to all the matches. |
D.He is the oldest men’s singles champion in the open era. |
A.Losing physical edge. | B.Attending more Grand Slams. |
C.Following a good formula. | D.Finding flexible and proper strategies. |
A.Confident and emotional. | B.Ambitious and devoted. |
C.Aggressive and stubborn. | D.Enthusiastic and generous. |
Chinese movie Pegasus 2 is a 2024 sports comedy-drama
1. How long did Zara Rutherford spend in flying around the world?
A.Around three months. | B.Around four months. | C.Around five months. |
A.Become pilots. | B.Enter art field. | C.Support Girls Who Code. |
A.Her visa difficulty. | B.A natural disaster. | C.Her health condition. |
A.32. | B.41. | C.52. |
1. What do we know about the rooms at Kerry Hotel?
A.They are of modern design. |
B.They have great lake views. |
C.They have no tubs in the bathrooms. |
A.In Kerry’s Kitchen. | B.In Kerry’s Pantry. | C.In the Horizon. |
A.It has a tennis court. | B.It has an outdoor pool. | C.It is kid-friendly. |
A.Boss and secretary. | B.Husband and wife. | C.Hotel clerk and customer. |
1. In which country was the fish first found?
A.The US. | B.Australia. | C.Austria. |
A.Its age. | B.Its size. | C.Its habitat. |
A.The museum receives no visitors today. |
B.Biologists want to replace the fish. |
C.The species is endangered. |
I was helping my mother in the kitchen when I heard a terrible noise struck from above. I rushed to the upper floor to check out. There was nothing but a wet footprint on the floor.
“What’s happening?” my mother asked.
“Nothing, just the sound of lightning.” I knew something strange had happened, but I ignored it as my mother was suffering a cardiac (心脏的) disease. “We’d better close the windows. Maybe rain will pour down,” I showed a relaxing expression but thought back about that footprint. It was so familiar, but I could not remember where I had seen it.
“David, can you help me take the cooking pot in the attic (阁楼)?” my mother requested. “Oh, please! I am afraid of the dark,” I answered.
My mother said that I was like my father. Oh, you want to know what happened to my father? He was an engineer. Last month, he went to the oil platform in the middle of the sea at Jerteh, Terengganu. He said he went there for only 4 days. But 2 weeks had passed, and he still didn’t come back. My mother called the management office in Jerteh but was told they hadn’t seen him since they last saw him on his way to the seashore from the oil platform.
Speaking of my father, my mother looked sad. “Today was our Anniversary Day, but he was missing.”
But back to the main point. I investigated the footprint in my room. And when I looked up, the window was opened. I walked towards it and looked out. Nothing. I closed the window and lay down on my bed. “Ouch! What is this?” I asked myself.
There was a small box on my bed. I wondered what was inside it. I opened the brown box. There was a necklace, made of pure gold. Why was there a gold necklace in my room?
Suddenly, my room became dark. My terrible fear towards the darkness was to the limit. I grabbed a flashlight and turned it on.
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。
Just at that time, the house bell rang.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________I shouted excitedly, and called my mum down.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________9 . Peter worked at a grocery store. Recently, he
Although the job was boring, there were times Peter especially
The children began to cry and Angela tried to
The next day Angela returned to the store and explained to Peter, “Thanks for your kindness. It really
“Well, I am
Angela was grateful for Peter’s help. Peter’s actions and
A.watched over | B.put aside | C.took up | D.gave up |
A.shopping | B.schooling | C.travelling | D.housing |
A.enjoyed | B.expected | C.deserved | D.imagined |
A.quiet | B.noisy | C.dirty | D.crowded |
A.interest | B.impression | C.attention | D.feelings |
A.decide | B.afford | C.promise | D.expect |
A.calm | B.save | C.encourage | D.protect |
A.continuing | B.preferring | C.offering | D.preparing |
A.toys | B.food | C.clothes | D.drinks |
A.improves | B.wastes | C.changes | D.means |
A.tough | B.positive | C.unique | D.natural |
A.hardly | B.basically | C.slightly | D.completely |
A.efforts | B.words | C.requests | D.suggestions |
A.troubles | B.rights | C.styles | D.choices |
A.impress | B.rescue | C.remind | D.comfort |
10 . 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 |