1 . Artificial intelligence (AI) tools designed to operate at human levels have greatly expanded in popularity over the past year. These include OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Bard and Microsoft’s AI-powered search engine Bing. Such tools, also known as chatbots or generative AI, are computer-powered systems. They are designed to interact smoothly with humans and perform high-level writing and creative work.

In recent months, these tools have demonstrated an ability to produce high-quality work. This has led some technology experts to warn that generative AI systems could end up replacing workers in many industries.

This year, researchers at Harvard Business School and other organizations carried out an experiment. It aimed to test how well AI tools could help workers perform their usual duties or tasks. It involved more than 700 business advisors, called consultants, from Massachusetts-based Boston Consulting Group.

Harvard Business School recently published the results from the experiment in a working paper. The main findings suggest that AI tools like ChatGPT can greatly improve worker performance. For example, researchers found that, on average, workers who used OpenAI’s latest ChatGPT 4 tool completed 12 percent more tasks than non-ChatGPT users. Tasks carried out with help from the AI technology were completed 25 percent faster. And the team found the quality of work performed by consultants using ChatGPT 4 increased by about 40 percent.

However, the paper also noted areas where the performance of consultants using ChatGPT 4 dropped. The researchers said this was especially true with tasks the AI tool was not good at completing. “Of tasks the AI was good at, the experiment showed it significantly improved human performance,” the paper said. “But for tasks ChatGPT 4 was not right for, humans relied too much on the AI and were more likely to make mistakes.”

The team suggests one of the biggest barriers to companies effectively using AI is not knowing which tasks can be completed best with the technology. Finding this out will require businesses to carry out thoughtful research and training efforts in order to find the right mix of AI and human-level work.

1. What is a purpose of designing AI tools according to the text?

A．To perform low-level writing.	B．To replace technology experts.
C．To finish high-quality work.	D．To improve interpersonal communication.

2. Why does the author mention ChatGPT 4 in paragraph 4?

A．To explain the disadvantages of AI tools.

B．To show how well AI tools could help workers.

C．To forecast changes in the future working environment.

D．To compare the work performance between humans and AI tools.

3. What can be learned from the last paragraph?

A．Companies need to balance the work of AI and humans.

B．It is useless to train so many workers to learn to use AI.

C．It is easy to find the right mix of AI and human-level work.

D．Research on using AI effectively has been made by businesses.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．ChatGPT Can See, Hear and Speak Now

B．Ways to Improve Your Performance at Work

C．The Fast Development of Artificial Intelligence

D．AI Tools Help but also Harm Worker Performance

2 . 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。

Both my parents were good at gardening. Our family of ten depended on the food we grew in our huge vegetable garden. My mother canned (把……装进罐中) much of the produce for winter, and my father sold potatoes and cabbages to the local stores and schools. Our garden was the pride of the neighborhood.

But then, one summer when I was quite young, we had a problem. Someone was stealing our vegetables. My parents were quite surprised. “I don’t get it,” my father said. “If someone wants vegetables from us, all they have to do is ask. If they can’t afford to pay for them, they could just have them.”

Then one of the neighbors tipped us off that a single elderly man who lived a short distance from us was seen selling vegetables in a nearby town. Benny didn’t have a garden, had no regular job and lived in a small, poor house. My parents found out he was taking our vegetables to earn a few extra dollars. And later, they found it was true. My father decided to deal with this situation in his own way.

One day, he told my mother that he’d go to hire (雇用) Benny. My mother was surprised, saying, “We don’t have enough money to hire anyone. Besides, why would we hire the man who’s taking our vegetables?” My father replied that he was going to hire him to guard our garden. My mother was confused and didn’t think it would work.

My father explained, “Here’s what I think. Benny has got himself backed into a corner, and I’m going to give him a way out. I think he can’t refuse me. And he sure can’t take the vegetables that he’s guarding.”

When my father told him about the job, Benny was obviously a bit shocked. But Dad solved it pretty well. “Benny,” he said, “someone, probably some kid, has been taking vegetables out of our garden. I wonder if I could hire you to guard the garden.” Then Dad added that he would also have breakfast with us every day.

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。
Thinking for a moment, he gladly nodded and smiled, “All right.”
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dad then began to create a vegetable garden for Benny.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3 . Earhart was an American aviator.     1    . She had several excellent flights, including becoming the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean in 1928, as well as the first person to fly over both the Atlantic and Pacific. She passed away in 1939.

After seeing wounded soldiers returning from World War I, Earhart volunteered for the Red Cross.     2    . She developed a strong admiration for aviators, spending much of her free time watching the Royal Flying Corps practicing at the airfield nearby.

At a Long Beach air show in 1920, Earhart took a plane ride that changed her life. When she landed, she knew she had to learn to fly. She finally earned enough money to take flying lessons.     3    . She read everything she could find on flying and spent much of her time at the airfield. In the summer of 1921, she set out to make a name for herself in aviation.

In 1925, Earhart was forced to abandon her studies in Columbia University and found employment first as a teacher, then as a social worker.     4    , becoming a member of the American Aeronautical Society’s Boston chapter. She also invested a small amount of money in the Dennison Airport in Massachusetts, and acted as a sales representative for Kinner airplanes in the Boston area.

    5    . In 1929, she entered the first Santa Monica-to-Cleveland Women’s Air Derby, placing third. In 1931, she set a world altitude record of 18,415 feet. Between 1930 and 1935, Earhart set seven women’s speed and distance aviation records in a variety of aircraft.

Earhart’s life and career have been celebrated for the past several decades on “Amelia Earhart Day,” which is held annually on July 24—her birthday.

A．In April 1928, Earhart received a phone call from Captain Hilton

B．Earhart’s public image presented a somewhat shy woman

C．She gradually got back into aviation in 1927

D．Earhart aimed to become a respected pilot

E．She came to know many wounded pilots

F．She was the 16th woman to be issued a pilot’s license

G．She devoted herself to learning to fly

4 . As Aristotle said, no one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods. But have you ever made friends online? What exactly is an online friend? What’s the difference between an online friendship and an offline one?

A person you know only through the Internet (which includes social networking sites like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest) or email and will seldom, if ever, meet is considered an online friend. Online friendships can develop in places like forums (论坛), gaming sites, blogs, online groups or even from websites that help you meet friends.

An online friendship begins when two people bond with each other, just like an offline relationship. They may share photos, email each other, or chat on the phone finally. The friendship can become a source of support and provide emotional benefits even though the friends will never meet in real life.

Online friendships can be valuable during times when you lack (缺少) friends or have just moved to a new city or country. But in order for a friendship to be truly real, you need to communicate face to face. That isn’t to say that an online friendship can’t hold a special place in your heart or give you the kind of acceptance and support your desire. What it means is that this type of friendship will be very different. In an online friendship, people can hide their true personality. You’ll never see them lose their temper (脾气) or show you how they act when they’re tired or hungry. They have the choice to always show their best selves, always say the right thing and even avoid upsetting you with subjects they bring up during small talk or a deeper conversation.

An online friendship can feel very real. However, since you can hide behind the computer, it isn’t exactly the same as when you have friends you can meet in person.

1. Why does the author raise the questions in Paragraph 1?

A．To express his great doubt.

B．To introduce the topic for discussion.

C．To show the importance of online friends.

D．To get readers to care about the Internet.

2. What does Paragraph 2 tell us?

A．What an online friend is.	B．Different ways of making friends.
C．Different kinds of social networks	D．How to make friends on the Internet.

3. What does the underlined word “bond” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Fight.

B．Compare.

C．Contact

D．Love.

4. How does an online friendship differ from a real-life friendship?

A．It can’t become a source of support.

B．It takes more time and effort to keep.

C．It lacks communication with great depth.

D．It can’t tell what a person is really like.

5 . My real research started at the New York Botanical Garden. I met a person who is a paleobotanist (古植物学家), which means that he ________ prehistoric plants. My novel centers on Merwin and Louise, two little Sycamore ________ who began life during the Cretaceous Period.

Sycamore trees are called fossil species, which means they have been ________ since the time of the dinosaurs. They are ________ to modern trees we see in forests today. The Sycamore tree also makes those kind of seed balls, a little bit like a nursery (托儿所), like all these ________ in there together. In most of my stories. I write about children who get ________ from their parents and find their way in the world. That’s kind of what Sycamore seeds and other seeds do. They must ________ the plant that made them and go find a place to ________.

It was fun trying to ________ all the different places these two little seeds could go. I wanted them to go underwater. Drawing pictures underwater is so hard. ________ the whole scene with King Seaweed was really fun.

What surprised me the most was the idea that ________ are really communities. Trees communicate with each other with a mycelial (菌丝) system under the ground that ________ everything. It felt like there were interesting parallels (相似之处) with us, because we also live in ________, and we try to help each other. However, there are sometimes ________ from outside, and we have to find out ways to ________. Plants are doing the same thing

1.

A．cooks

B．studies

C．plants

D．keeps

2.

A．animals

B．children

C．birds

D．seeds

3.

A．alone

B．away

C．around

D．abroad

4.

A．familiar

B．junior

C．unnecessary

D．typical

5.

A．teachers

B．kids

C．parents

D．cleaners

6.

A．absent

B．safe

C．separate

D．tired

7.

A．break away from

B．go away with

C．look after

D．get in

8.

A．die

B．learn

C．sleep

D．grow

9.

A．search

B．dig

C．imagine

D．remove

10.

A．Writing

B．Enjoying

C．Dreaming

D．Controlling

11.

A．rivers

B．forests

C．oceans

D．companies

12.

A．expresses

B．revises

C．improves

D．connects

13.

A．communities

B．buildings

C．systems

D．nurseries

14.

A．qualities

B．greetings

C．difficulties

D．comforts

15.

A．lose

B．quit

C．challenge

D．survive

6 . The 187-foot-tall Tower of Pisa is famous all over the world mainly because it leans (倾斜). For many years, people believed that the tower’s designer intended it to lean. As it turns out, though, the tower’s lean is an accident caused by poor planning. The Tower of Pisa was constructed (建造) on a riverbed of sand and clay (黏土) that was not strong enough to support a building so tall and heavy.

Construction of the tower began in 1173. Because Pisa experienced several wars, the tower wasn’t completed until 1350. Only a few years after the construction started, people could see that the first three floors of the tower were already leaning. As the next three floors were added, builders purposefully built them with one side higher than the other to try to correct the lean. This resulted in the tower leaning in the opposite direction

Fortunately for the people of Pisa, the long delays (耽搁) during construction gave the structure time to settle and the ground to become compacted (结实的). This mad the foundation (地基) stronger over time, which is the main reason why the tower never fell over. For hundreds of years, the tower was indeed falling. It would lean one more inch about every 20 years. In the end, in 1990, it was closed to the public for fear that a large group of people at the top would weigh enough to make it fall down.

From 1990 to 2001, engineers from around the world helped balance the tower After several unsuccessful attempts at a solution, engineers finally came up with a plan that worked. They slowly removed ground under the high side of the tower. When they had finished, they had returned it to the position it held in about 1838—the tower had been straightened by nearly 16 inches. Except a sudden great disaster, such as a earthquake, engineers believe the tower is safe for another 300 years now.

1. What does the author try to explain about the Tower of Pisa in Paragraph 1?

A．Why it leans.	B．Why it was built.
C．Why it is famous.	D．Why it stopped leaning.

2. What can we learn about the Tower of Pisa?

A．It was completed in 1173.	B．It began to be built in 1350.
C．It was seen leaning after 1173.	D．It was repaired every 20 years.

3. What kept the Tower of Pisa from falling down according to Paragraph 3?

A．The special structure.	B．The timely protection.
C．The skill of the builders.	D．The long time of building.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．When does the Tower of Pisa lean?

B．Is the leaning Tower of Pisa falling?

C．When was the leaning Tower of Pisa built?

D．How did the leaning Tower of Pisa get its name?

7 . Giorgio Morandi was one of the greatest artists in the history of Italy. He was the eldest of five children born into a middle-class family in Bologna, Italy. His early love of art upset his father, who wanted his son to work with him in his export business. Morandi attempted the business unsuccessfully in 1906.

After that, Morandi entered the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts in 1907. He continued his study with the support of his mother when his father suddenly passed away in 1908, forcing him to support his mother and younger sisters. During that time, he was introduced to Cubism and Futurism, which influenced his early work.

After he graduated from the Bologna Academy of Fine Arts in 1913, Morandi continued his study by traveling around Italy, especially to the Venice Biennale. Those tours would finally prove important, as Morandi seldom traveled overseas after the 1920s, and much of his future exposure (接触) to painters came from published art works. He was especially interested in the work of Impressionists like Claude Monet, as well as following greats such as Georges Seurat and Paul Cezanne. He also traveled within Italy, especially to see galleries and exhibitions, and was far more well-traveled than some historical sources show him to be.

After Morandi finished his traveling, he returned home and lived with his family. For many years, Morandi kept a peaceful daily routine. And he did most of his work in his workshop, a small room in a flat he shared with his mother and sisters.

Life wasn’t easy for him at first, but he quickly established himself as an important modern artist. His skills of color, light and arrangement began to gain notice, shining in the face of current painting in the manner of abstraction (抽象). And he was named “one of the greatest painters living” by Roberto Longhi in 1934.

1. What did Morandi’s father think of his love of art?

A．He was against it.	B．He showed a great interest.
C．He had mixed feelings about it.	D．He was neither for nor against it.

2. Why did Morandi travel around Italy after graduation?

A．He needed to make money in this way.

B．He wanted to learn more about painting.

C．He chose to relax after studying for years.

D．He was looking for works of Impressionists.

3. What did Morandi like doing after returning to live with his family?

A．Learning different skills.	B．Keeping himself very busy.
C．Working quietly in his workshop.	D．Thinking for hours in his workshop.

4. What can we learn about Morandi from the last paragraph?

A．He was an important modern artist at first.

B．He didn’t like creating works of abstraction.

C．He was good at color, light and arrangement.

D．He didn’t become known until after his death.

8 . Kimbell Art Museum

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas has been called “America’s best small museum”. Since its opening in 1972, the museum has won high praise for a famous collection of masterpieces ranging from ancient to modern times.

Hours
Tuesday       10 am-5 pm
Wednesday        10 am-5 pm
Thursday       10 am-5 pm
Friday       Noon-8 pm
Saturday       10 am-5 pm
Sunday       Noon-5 pm
Monday       Closed
Holiday Hours
Christmas Eve        10 am-5 pm
New Year’s Eve        10 am-5 pm

We are closed on New Year’s Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

During extreme weather, we follow the Fort Worth Independent School District’s closure and delayed opening schedule. We will post alerts in the event of a closure. You can also visit Fort Worth ISD’s website or call us at 817-332-8451 for more information.

Admission

Admission to the Kimbell’s collection is always free.

                                   Special Exhibitions       Kimbell collection
Kimbell members       free       free
adults                           $18        free
seniors 60+                 $16        free
Students                      $16        free
children 6-11             $14        free
children under 6       free       free
Member Admission

Members receive free admission to all special exhibitions. Simply show your membership card when you reach the exhibition entrance. No reservations required. Please be aware that you may experience longer than usual wait times to enter the exhibition due to social distancing rules in the galleries, so please plan accordingly.

Half-Price Admission

We offer half-price admission to special exhibitions on Tuesdays from 10 am-5 pm and Fridays from 5-8 pm.

Half-price tickets are not available for purchase online.

Buy tickets at the Piano Pavilion Box Office.

Reduced Admission

The Kimbell Art Museum offers reduced admission for special exhibitions for K-12 Teachers, Active-Duty Military, and SNAP program recipients. Tickets are available only at the Piano Pavilion Box Office.

Group Tickets

Save $2 off each ticket when you purchase ten or more tickets for any Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. The group rate discount will be applied at checkout. Purchase online, email us, or call 817-332-8451, ext. 229 for more information.

1. According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．People can’t visit the museum on Christmas Eve.

B．People can visit the museum during extreme weather.

C．People can buy half-price tickets online.

D．People can visit the museum on New Year’s Eve.

2. Which of the following can enjoy Reduced Admission?

A．All the teachers.	B．Retired soldiers.
C．SNAP program recipients.	D．Children under 6.

3. How much should an adult member of tour group pay to visit the whole museum on Wednesday?

A．$2

B．$18

C．$16

D．$14

9 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Yangshuo county, a small town     1     (locate) in Guilin city in South China’s GuangXi Zhuang autonomous region, is famous for     2     (it) unique scenery of hill and rivers, featured with the typical karst landscape.

Yangshuo keeps and displays more than twenty thousand peaks and seventeen rivers,     3     is considered as a global reference area for the Karst feature and landscapes. Seen from a distance, the mountain peaks constitute a thick forest. Seen closely, each peak is     4     (fantastic) shaped, looking like a bamboo, a sword, a warrior and even     5     elephant or a tiger.

The best way     6     (enjoy) the majestic scenery of Yangshuo is to take a cruise along the Lijiang River. The boat trip down the river offers you gorgeous views and new surprises at every bend. And travelling in Yangshuo, a     7     (tradition) Chinese painting unfolds before your eyes, displaying the highest state of Chinese natural landscape. A spot on the Lijiang River at GuiLin     8     (adopt) as the backside scenery of the 20 RMB banknote since 1999.

    9     your next trip to Yangshuo, Why don’t you bring a 20-yuan note,     10     find this splendid scenery of South China Karst?

10 . Grapes are popular fresh fruit, and people also love to make them into wine, jam, juice, various candied fruit, jelly, vinegar, grape seed extract and grape seed oil. Grapes are very useful, and many countries have good growing conditions to grow them.     1     The following are some fascinating facts about one of the most common fruits.

Grapes are used to make synthetic leather.

In order to find more environmentally friendly synthetic leather, Vegea, an Italian company founded in 2018, has developed a product that can be completely recycled from the grape waste left over from winemaking.     2    , including vegan-friendly shoes, bags, and boxing gloves.

    3    

Grapes and their derivatives (raisins, wine, and grape juice)are poisonous to dogs: They can cause kidney (肾脏) failure, which can cause their final death.

The grapes you eat are different from the ones used for making wine.

    4     The seeds and thicker skins on wine grapes add more flavor and color to the wine, while their greater sweetness speeds up fermentation (发酵) process. Table grapes are usually larger and more palatable: juicy with firmer flesh and a less strong taste, with thinner skins and fewer seeds.

China leads the way in table grape production and consumption.

Thanks to its favorable climate and growing conditions, China has been growing grapes for more than 2000 years. Consumption is expected to increase from 11. 8 million metric tons in 2021-2022 to 12. 4 million metric tons in 2022-2023, making China the world’s largest consumer.

    5     The country’s table grape production in 2022-2023 is expected to reach 12. 6 million tons—more than half of the world’s grape production-making it the world’s top grape producer as well.

Grapes were probably the first fruit domesticated by humans.

In 2023, researchers published genetic evidence that grape vines (藤) were domesticated around 11, 000 years ago. As the scientists pointed out, “The grapevine was probably the first fruit crop domesticated by humans …It was one of the first globally traded goods.”

A．Grapes can be deadly to your pet.

B．Grapes can be unfriendly to your animals.

C．China doesn’t just consume a lot of grapes.

D．Therefore, grapes are one of the world’s most economically important crops.

E．The quality requirements of the ones you eat (table grapes) differ greatly from those required for wine production.

F．Grape leather is being used to produce a variety of products.

G．Grape leather is very useful.