1 . Users of Google Gemini, the tech giant’s artificial-intelligence model, recently noticed that asking it to create images of Vikings, or German soldiers from 1943 produced surprising results: hardly any of the people depicted were white. Other image-generation tools have been criticized because they tend to show white men when asked for images of entrepreneurs or doctors. Google wanted Gemini to avoid this trap; instead, it fell into another one, depicting George Washington as black. Now attention has moved on to the chatbot’s text responses, which turned out to be just as surprising.

Gemini happily provided arguments in favor of positive action in higher education, but refused to provide arguments against. It declined to write a job ad for a fossil-fuel lobby group (游说团体), because fossil fuels are bad and lobby groups prioritize “the interests of corporations over public well-being”. Asked if Hamas is a terrorist organization, it replied that the conflict in Gaza is “complex”; asked if Elon Musk’s tweeting of memes had done more harm than Hitler, it said it was “difficult to say”. You do not have to be a critic to perceive its progressive bias.

Inadequate testing may be partly to blame. Google lags behind OpenAI, maker of the better-known ChatGPT. As it races to catch up, Google may have cut corners. Other chatbots have also had controversial launches. Releasing chatbots and letting users uncover odd behaviors, which can be swiftly addressed, lets firms move faster, provided they are prepared to weather (经受住) the potential risks and bad publicity, observes Eth an Mollick, a professor at Wharton Business School.

But Gemini has clearly been deliberately adjusted, or “fine-tuned”, to produce these responses. This raises questions about Google’s culture. Is the firm so financially secure, with vast profits from internet advertising, that it feels free to try its hand at social engineering? Do some employees think it has not just an opportunity, but a responsibility, to use its reach and power to promote a particular agenda? All eyes are now on Google’s boss, Sundar Pichai. He says Gemini is being fixed. But does Google need fixing too?

1. What do the words “this trap” underlined in the first paragraph refer to?

A．Having a racial bias.	B．Responding to wrong texts.
C．Criticizing political figures.	D．Going against historical facts.

2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．Gemini’s refusal to make progress.	B．Gemini’s failure to give definite answers.
C．Gemini’s prejudice in text responses.	D．Gemini’s avoidance of political conflicts.

3. What does Eth an Mollick think of Gemini’s early launch?

A．Creative.

B．Promising.

C．Illegal.

D．Controversial.

4. What can we infer about Google from the last paragraph?

A．Its security is doubted.	B．It lacks financial support.
C．It needs further improvement.	D．Its employees are irresponsible.

2 . “Anxiety.” The very word invites discomfort. Its effects—shortness of breath, pounding heart, muscle tension—are outright upsetting. But, as a clinician, I find that we tend to miss out on many valuable opportunities presented by this human emotion. In and of itself, anxiety is not deadly, nor is it a disease. Quite the contrary: it is an indicator of brain and sensory health. Once we accept that it is a normal, though uncomfortable, part of life, we can use it to help us.

We all know working out at the gym is hard. By nature, a “good workout” is uncomfortable, since it involves pushing our physical strength past what we can easily do. The sweet spot of exercise is always a somewhat challenging experience. Similarly, if you want to be emotionally stronger, you need to face some tension. For example, one effective treatment for fear is exposure therapy (疗法), which involves gradually encountering things that make one anxious, reducing fear over time.

Humans are social creatures. When my patients learn to open up to their partners about their anxieties, they almost always report a greater sense of emotional closeness. Also, as international relationship expert Sue Johnson teaches, when we express our need for connection during challenging moments (e.g., “I’m having a hard time right now and could really use your support”), it creates greater connection and turns our anxiety into love.

From time to time, we find ourselves at the end of our rope. Our responsibilities pile up, our resources break down, and we feel uncomfortably anxious—what we’re experiencing is called stress. Simply put, the demands placed upon us outweigh our available resources, just like a set of scales (天平) going out of balance. Focusing on work and pretending everything is OK only leads to disastrous results. Medical treatment for stress may function for a while, but it tends to make things worse in the long run. The only solution to deal with stress is to do the mathematics to balance the scales.

1. What does the author say about anxiety?

A．It is an invitation to diseases.

B．It indicates stable mental health.

C．It costs us many valuable chances.

D．It is a natural emotional expression.

2. Why does the author mention “good workout” in paragraph 2?

A．To prove how exercise influences emotions.

B．To suggest an effective way to challenge limits.

C．To explain how anxiety builds emotional strength.

D．To show a positive connection between mind and body.

3. What is paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The key to closeness is partners’ support.

B．Sharing anxieties improves relationships.

C．Humans are defined by their social nature.

D．Expressing feelings keeps us off anxieties.

4. According to the last paragraph, how can we deal with stress?

A．Devote more energy to our work.

B．Increase resources available to us.

C．Seek professional medical treatment.

D．Master advanced mathematical skills.

3 . One Saturday morning my brother and I went to play tennis near a school building. Actually, we played very well and we were ______ the ball higher and faster each time.

Suddenly, something ______ happened - the ball got out of ______ and went crashing through one of the upstairs windows. We looked around and no one was in ______.

I asked my brother ______, “ Now what should we do?” “ Well,” my brother ______, “no one will know whose ball it is and no one saw us. Let’s go home.” I ______ after a brief hesitation.

As soon as we arrived home, we told our father what had happened. We thought we were lucky and wise. However, his response was ______ to our expectation. “ Well, I will go to the school janitor (门卫) and see what we need to do.” And then he left immediately.

We were waiting at home, ______ and uneasy. About an hour later, our father ______. “ Well, I talked to the school janitor and he was ______ when I told him what had happened. He said many windows had been broken, but we were the first ones to ______ that we were responsible. He said the school budget ______ window repair, so we will not have to pay for the window.”

He could see our relief as he continued, “ I am proud of your kids for having the ______ to tell me what happened.”

From this incident, we discovered that admitting our mistakes and taking the ______ is always the right choice.

1.

A．hitting

B．catching

C．getting

D．throwing

2.

A．interesting

B．impossible

C．familiar

D．unexpected

3.

A．control

B．reach

C．power

D．order

4.

A．place

B．sight

C．distance

D．position

5.

A．excitedly

B．casually

C．nervously

D．patiently

6.

A．suspected

B．responded

C．informed

D．indicated

7.

A．opposed

B．doubted

C．ignored

D．agreed

8.

A．contrary

B．similar

C．proper

D．beneficial

9.

A．curious

B．desperate

C．upset

D．confused

10.

A．left

B．returned

C．began

D．continued

11.

A．delighted

B．surprised

C．grateful

D．generous

12.

A．admit

B．confirm

C．propose

D．believe

13.

A．sets down

B．puts off

C．takes over

D．allows for

14.

A．confidence

B．wisdom

C．courage

D．ambition

15.

A．conditions

B．situations

C．circumstances

D．consequences

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

The Right Decisions

Lisa looked at her watch outside of the gift store and knew that in half an hour her mother would be standing on the doorsteps of their house waiting. She had to make up her mind or go home without a proper birthday gift.

“What should I do?” Lisa asked herself. “I owe Mr. Chapman five dollars for a science fair display board tomorrow.” That caused a serious, uncomfortable problem. If Lisa bought the tiny cactus (仙人掌) for her mother’s birthday, she would have money for the science board. If she bought the more expensive cut flowers, she wouldn’t.

Upon stepping into the gift store, the beautiful flowers immediately caught her eye. Lisa knew her mother would adore the flowers, so without another thought, she grabbed them.

Mrs. Mills, the store manager, smiled at Lisa when she came to the counter to purchase the beautiful flowers. “Wow, I wonder who will be gifted those beautiful flowers, Lisa,” she asked with a smile.

“It’s for my mother’s birthday, Mrs. Mills,” Lisa replied, returning a smile. The price tag (价签) said the flowers cost $5.30, and Lisa gave Mrs. Mills a ten-dollar bill.

Upon stepping out of the store, Lisa looked down at the flowers in her left hand — the afternoon sun made them brighter in color. She was glad she had made the right decision. Then, her eyes looked down upon her right hand, where the change that Mrs. Mills gave to her lay. To her surprise, she saw a five-dollar bill inside. Mrs. Mills definitely had made a mistake and she had been given too much money!

Lisa was caught in a dilemma. A voice inside told her to keep the money, so she could have amazing flowers for her mother and five dollars for Mr. Chapman’s science board. But another voice told her it was dishonest to keep the extra money, and Mrs. Mills would be held responsible for the mistake.

注意：
1. 续写词数应为150左右;
2. 请按如下格式在相应位置作答。
Lisa stood still for a few minutes and finally returned to the gift store and went inside. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“I’m sorry, Lisa. I did make a mistake, but the mistake is with the price tag,” Mrs. Mills said. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5 . “I WANT A MOUSE!” said my grandma. She was 80 years old and sounded quite determined. She was a very enthusiastic reader. In her later years, she had to deal with the language of the digital age. I can only imagine her bitterness at constantly meeting the sentence, “Find more information at the click of a mouse.” And so now you understand why my grandma wanted a mouse.

According to the WHO, the number of people over 60 years will nearly double between 2015 and 2050. We live in glorious times of fast-changing technology. It seems as if we have a million passwords to remember, and a lot of settings to navigate. People who lose some memory ability as they grow older may be disadvantaged. Digital citizenship is a real skill. Mobile apps are like an appendage (附属品) to everything we do. Even our basic needs can be met at the click of a button. This is a real struggle for old folks who did not grow up glued to their screens!

I am sure grandma would say, “At the click of a button, I wish to call, read and watch — without having to spend so much time navigating.” Phone manufacturers and mobile app developers, of course, should take note. It will be of great help to the older people if the settings are more self-explanatory, with few fancy technical terms that require a separate dictionary to understand.

My grandma’s trouble might bring back some memories for you. Remember when you had your grandparents take you on a long winding walk, stopping at every flower, butterfly or an ant under a rock, and patiently listening to your countless questions along the way. They gave you the gift of their patience and time in your curious, exploratory childhood. Now it might be time for you to give them the gift of a little time and patience in return as they click and navigate to where they want to go in a digital world. It’s the old folks’ turn to ask the questions.

1. Why does the author’s grandma want a mouse?

A．To confirm information.	B．To reduce her boredom.
C．To follow the fashion.	D．To meet her practical needs.

2. From the underlined sentence, we know that grandma is _________.

A．curious and passionate	B．ashamed and regretful
C．annoyed but eager	D．impatient but satisfied

3. What does the author mean by mentioning childhood experiences?

A．We should not forget our grandma’s upbringing.

B．It’s high time that we should repay our grandma.

C．Our grandma is in desperate need of health care.

D．We had a happy childhood even without a mouse.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．A digital return gift of time	B．A great need in digital age
C．My grandma’s embarrassment	D．My digitally diligent grandma

6 . 近日, 中国的传统节日春节被确定为联合国假日。请你为广播站写一篇面向全校师生的英文发言稿, 分享这个好消息。内容包括：
1. 告知消息内容；
2. 说明它的意义；
3. 表达你的感想。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 涵盖要点, 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 不得出现真实姓名和校名；
4. 请在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Dear teachers and fellow students,

I’m delighted to share with you some great news now.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thanks for your listening.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

It was my job to watch my younger brother, Jack, and sister, Kelly, as we walked home from school.

“I’m tired,” Kelly whined “and hungry.” “Me too,” added Jack So we stopped to rest. “What do you think Mama is cooking?” I asked. “Noodles!” Kelly said. “Barbecue!” said Jack “Come on.” I stood up. “We need to keep walking.”

At a busy corner, I noticed a street banner, reading “First Walking Race to Jasan Park! Climb the Mountain to Win a Washing Machine.”

It might be fun to race. But could I walk fast enough to win?

At home, Mama was working in the kitchen. We had only a single burner stove, so it often took ages to prepare a meal. Sometimes when father came back from work, Mama was still cooking with the single burner stove.

Afterward, Mama and I washed dishes. When Mama pulled out two metal laundry tubs, her smile disappeared. I knew doing laundry hurt Mama’s back and knees. Mama heated a kettle of water on the single burner stove and filled a tub. She filled the other with cold water. Then kneeling, Mama began scrubbing shirts.

Then we carried the wet laundry to the flat roof, where Mama hung it to dry. On roof tops all over the city, clothes and towels danced in the wind. I loved being on the roof with Mama, but I wished we hadn’t had so much housework. Then I would have had more time to play with friends.

How I wish we would have a washing machine! Both Mama and I would be happy.

I remembered the banner and told Mama about it. Mama sighed, ”Maria, many people will enter that race. You can not expect to win.”

On the race day, I woke up early. I laced up my shoes and put on a head band. Mama kissed the top of my head. “Be careful and be safe. Just keep walking!” Mama said.

At the foot of the mountain, large crowds of people gathered.

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。

Then the race began.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

With the big cardboard box aside, I rang the doorbell of our house.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8 . No matter how friendly your tone is or how honey sweet you are in a conversation, when you use one of these two words (or both) in your sentences, the message to your conversation companion is “You are wrong”.     1     They are “no” and “but”.

These words don’t say, “Let’s discuss this” or “I’d love to hear what you think about this” to people. They say, “You are wrong and I am right.” If your conversation companion is also eager to win at any cost, you will have a potential battle on your hands. The result?     2    

Are you interested in a little test to see how competitive your co-workers are? Try this. For one week, keep a scorecard of how many times each person uses “no” or “but”.     3     And, if you explore a little deeper, you’ll see patterns emerge. For instance, some people use these words to gain power. You’ll see how much people hate it, consciously or not, and how it stifles(抑制)rather than opens up discussions.

    4     Practically without even thinking, I keep count of their use of these two little words. It’s such an important indicator! If the numbers pile up in an initial meeting with a client, I’ll interrupt him or her and say, “We’ve been talking for almost an hour now, and do you realize that you have responded 17 times with either ‘no’ or ‘but’?” This is the moment when a serious talk about changing behavior begins.

If this is your interpersonal challenge, you can do this little test for yourself just as easily as you can to judge your co-workers. Stop trying to defend your position and start monitoring how many times you begin remarks with “no” or “but”.     5     For example That’s true, but...”. Another expression is “Yes, but...”.

A．I use this technique with my clients.

B．Why do people like to say these two words?

C．What are these conversation stopping words?

D．Nothing more can happen that will be productive.

E．It’s human nature to like being accepted and recognized.

F．You will be shocked at how frequently these words are used.

G．Pay close attention to when you use these words in sentences.

9 . A former starchitect (明星建筑师) who designed villas for Pakistan’s celebrities now rebuilds villages completely destroyed by natural disasters.

October 2005, a catastrophic earthquake claiming some 79, 000 people in Pakistan reduced the villages to ruins in mud. Yasmeen Lari, a then-65-year-old architect was there to help lead the reconstruction of settlements. Working with volunteer architects and engineers from Pakistan and abroad, she started drawing plans for earthquake-resistant homes.

Over the following decades, Lari designed various houses and devices inside. Lari’s shelters, inspired by traditional designs and made with sustainable materials such as bamboo, mud and lime (石灰) that are sourced locally first, can better withstand disasters. Bamboo homes on stilts (柱子) allow water to flow through, while cross-bracing (交叉支撑) provides strength and flexibility during earthquakes. Lari’s insistence on low-cost, zero-waste and zero-carbon buildings reflects her commitment to the planet.

This sustainable inspiration has fuelled many of Lari’s designs, which now include household innovations. For instance, more than 80, 000 of her well-received limecrete and smokeless cookstoves were built. The device, which won a UN World Habitat Prize in 2018, costs about E8 to make and is fuelled with agricultural waste. The stoves stand higher than flood levels, making them safer than smoky, open cooking fires on the ground.

Now at age 83, Lari is still fizzing with ideas about zero-carbon designs, skills building and self-sustaining villages.

1. Which can best describe Yasmeen Lari?

A．Insistent and conventional.	B．Productive and stubborn.
C．Innovative and committed.	D．Economical and academic.

2. What is an advantage of Lari’s shelters?

A．They accommodate homeless villagers.	B．They are all made of local materials.
C．They follow traditional designs.	D．They are resistant to earthquakes.

3. What do we know about the stove Lari designed?

A．It costs a lot.	B．It generates smoke.
C．It gains popularity.	D．It burns animal waste.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．From architect to humanitarian	B．The greatest architect ever
C．Rebuilding destroyed villages	D．Designing household devices

10 . My parents have a boxer dog called Boris which is as badly behaved as his name might suggest. He is known to ________ on a chair at the kitchen table expecting full ________. Whenever the dishwasher is being stacked, he likes to add a personal prewash to the ________.

Even my mother might ________ that Boris is the worst-behaved dog she has ever had, but on the plus side, he is very ________.

The sofas and chairs in their sitting room are covered in books-not because my parents love to read, but in an attempt to ________ the dog climbing on the furniture. ________, any human who wants to sit on a sofa has to ________ a library of books. I’ve suggested a removable cover would be more attractive, or training, but it’s too late for that.

The story between my parents and Boris is repeated across our community. Usually, our gang of dogs gathered almost daily, ________ did we. A group of folks of different ages, backgrounds and interests—all ________ by our dogs. Friends are therefore made through dogs, creating a ________ that lasts far beyond the lifespan of our canine(犬的)family. Sunny, Jess and Archie have all ________ now, but the friendship between us humans remains.

I have met so many people whose daily ________ with their group of dog have been their mainstay and helped them deal with ________. They are medicine for the_________. Dogs are actually man’s best friends.

1.

A．get up

B．come up

C．put up

D．sit up

2.

A．love

B．food

C．service

D．massage

3.

A．plates

B．meals

C．meats

D．vegetables

4.

A．complain

B．worry

C．explain

D．conclude

5.

A．greedy

B．naughty

C．lovely

D．proud

6.

A．observe

B．prevent

C．notice

D．keep

7.

A．Fortunately

B．Naturally

C．Incredibly

D．Consequently

8.

A．deliver

B．rearrange

C．carry

D．equip

9.

A．as

B．or

C．nor

D．also

10.

A．provided

B．supported

C．united

D．surrounded

11.

A．barrier

B．bond

C．border

D．belief

12.

A．gone

B．grown

C．slept

D．cloned

13.

A．run

B．housework

C．dialogues

D．walks

14.

A．difficulties

B．loneliness

C．relationships

D．troubles

15.

A．body

B．diseases

C．soul

D．sufferings