I sat in the breakfast corner with my four-year-old son, Matthew, trying to ignore the ache in my stomach. I was still recovering from a surgery. I hoped for strength and happiness. But the future seemed so hopeless.
Matthew jumped up from his spot on the kitchen floor. “Bird!” he shouted, rushing to the sliding door. Sure enough, there was a white dove seated on a rubber tree. It sat there a few moments, and then flew away. I’d never seen one in our neighborhood before.
When I dragged myself to the kitchen the next morning, the dove was back. This time it was with a mate carrying twigs (嫩枝), “Look, Matthew,” I said, pointing to the tree. “They’re going to make a nest.” The doves flew in and out of the courtyard all week, building on the top of the rubber tree. Matthew could hardly contain his excitement. Every morning, he’d run into the kitchen and take his spot by the sliding glass door, talking to the birds while they worked. As much as I was grieving (感到悲伤), I couldn’t help but look forward to the doves’ visits too. We watched their progress as if it were a real-life soap opera unfolding before us. Gradually, my pain disappeared, replaced by joy.
Then it all went wrong. The courtyard was a safe enough spot for a nest, but the rubber tree’s broad, thin leaves were far from stable. One night, a strong wind blew through, throwing the doves’ nest to the ground. I heard the twigs break apart. Nothing good ever lasts. I wouldn’t blame the doves if they never came back. But they returned. And they paid no attention to the pi le of sticks that had once been their nest. They started again from scratch, though the wind destroyed all their hard work. The next day, and the next, they renewed their efforts, as if nothing had happened.
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。
Paragraph 1: I knew I had to do something for the poor creatures.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Paragraph 2:“The birds were back!” Matthew announced.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________2 . Binge-watching (刷剧) is when a person watches more than one episode of a show in a row. With developments in the speed and connectivity of the Internet, increases in technology and the rise of on-demand entertainment companies, people can now have their favorite shows stream (流播) directly to their television at their convenience.
This behavior is nothing new. In fact, binge-watching has been officially listed in dictionaries since 2015. The entertainment companies recognize this behavior and many take steps to encourage it. Often, instead of releasing each episode on a week-by-week basis, an entire series will become available concurrently. Once the episode finishes, many platforms will display pop-ups with “you might like” suggestions, or will automatically play the next episode.
However, recent research suggests that out of the more than half of British adults who watch more than one episode of a show back-to-back (一集接一集地), almost a third have admitted missing sleep or becoming tired as a result; and 25% have neglected their household chores (家务活). Next we’ll be missing work!
Bingeing has other connections — binge eating, binge drinking and binge smoking. All of them are often associated with a lack of control and a possible route to addiction. Lindsey Fussell, consumer group director, said, “The days of waiting a week for the next episode are largely gone, with people finding it hard to resist (抗拒) watching multiple episodes around the house or on the move.” If people find binge-watching hard to resist, are we witnessing the birth of a new type of addiction?
The countless number of information and entertainment that television and online media can bring us is, many would say, a good thing. However, when the activity begins to bleed into other areas, causing us to stop functioning, then it becomes a problem. So, what’s the answer? Moderation! Neither a tiny amount, nor too much. After all, as the old proverb says, “A little of what you fancy does you good.”
1. How did the writer develop the first paragraph?| A．By giving a definition. | B．By telling a story. |
| C．By listing some examples. | D．By analyzing the cause and effect. |
| A．For convenience. | B．At the same time. |
| C．In detail. | D．Free of charge. |
| A．people can’t control their feelings | B．people can’t resist the temptation of Bingeing |
| C．people have no patience to do work | D．people are addicted to waiting for a new episode |
| A．To keep online media from stopping functioning. |
| B．To enjoy entertainment as much as possible. |
| C．To learn life lessons from the episodes. |
| D．To watch episodes in a moderate way. |
| A．To change an appointment. |
| B．To ask about work. |
| C．To arrange a trip. |
4 . “Woman reading book, under a night sky, dreamy atmosphere,” I type into Deep Dream Generator’s Text 2 Dream feature. In less than a minute, an image is returned to me showing what I’ve described.
Welcome to the world of AI image generation, where you can create what on the surface looks like top-rank artwork using just a few text prompts (提示). But closer examination shows oddities. The face of the woman in my image has very odd features, and appears to be holding multiple books. And, while there’s an initial thrill at seeing an image appear, there’s no creative satisfaction.
AI image generation could influence everything from film to graphic novels and more. Children’s illustrators were quick to raise concerns about the technology. They say AI-generated art is the exact opposite of what art is believed to be. Fundamentally, art is all about translating something that you feel internally into something that exists externally. Whatever form it takes, true art is about the creative process much more than it’s about the final piece. And simply pressing a button to generate an image is not a creative process.
Beyond creativity, there are deeper issues. To create images from prompts, AI generators rely on databases of already existing art and text. This could lead to the creation of images that are intentionally meant to imitate the style of other artists, without their agreement. There is an argument that AI generators work no differently to humans when it comes to being influenced by others’ work. However, a human artist is also adding emotion and nuance (细微差别) into the mix. AI doesn’t do the same — it can only copy.
The increasing use of AI will also lead to a devaluing (贬低) of the work of artists. There’s already a negative prejudice towards the creative industry. People will begin to think that their “work” is as excellent as that created by someone who has spent a career making art. It’s nonsense, of course. You can use your mobile phone to take a nice picture of your daughter, but you are no match for professionals.
1. What does the writer think of his image creation?| A．Exciting. | B．Appealing |
| C．Unsatisfying. | D．Shocking. |
| A．The creating process. | B．The final work. |
| C．Personal feelings. | D．External forms. |
| A．The styles of human artworks and AI ones. |
| B．Human artists’ influence on AI generators. |
| C．Different means used in human and AI art creation. |
| D．The drawbacks of drawing from existing art and text. |
| A．Art is the mirror of life. | B．Rome is not built in a day. |
| C．No man can do two things at once. | D．Don’t judge a book by its cover. |
5 . Very few people can say that they have achieved all that they are capable of. But what is it that is preventing you from fulfilling your potential (潜能)?
It is easy and natural to settle into a rut (墨守成规). Why try something new when you are already doing that you are good at?
Let’s face it — your friends and family are really nice people but they are not challenging you to achieve more. Spend more time with high flyers and positive thinkers who understand ambition and achievement. Share some of your thoughts, dreams and challenges with them.
| A．High achievers go further. |
| B．This means that they run the risk of failure. |
| C．All successful people have strong self-belief. |
| D．They can take comfort in modest achievements. |
| E．You waste a lot of time every day on low value activities. |
| F．They will encourage you and give you the direct advice you need. |
| G．It is really very hard to make progress if you have no ambition for your life. |
6 . Despite an ever-higher bar to grab the attention of students in large lecture hall, Tatiana Erukhimova, who teaches physics at Texas A&M University, has managed to get her students, as well as future generations, excited about the science.
Known as “Dr. Tatiana”, the professor performs physics tricks with boundless energy and enthusiasm in her videos. A range of everyday objects are used in her experiments, from pingpong balls and toilet paper to marshmallows, bicycle wheels and hair dryers. Videos of her dramatic demonstrations have received hundreds of millions of views across social media platforms.
However, things aren’t always easy. When she first started teaching college freshman classes two decades ago, she also struggled to grab the attention of her students. “I did not grab their attention on the first day-that was my mistake.” she says. “I missed this opportunity to bond with them from the very beginning, and then it took me a while to find my voice.”
By the second semester, she found her footing, adjusting her approach to get her students engaged. The key, she says, has been to make herself approachable and her instruction personal. And, of course, add showy demonstrations. “These demonstrations often help students to connect these abstract concepts with real life.” she says.
Physics department head Grigory Rogachev says Erukhimova’s work has helped bring visibility to the department, with about 2. 5 million subscribers on its department’s YouTube page, which has translated to a boost in research funds and physics major applicants.
As a leader in a STEM field in which women are underrepresented, she’s become a role model for some. Afiya Dhanani attended Texas A&M University after seeing Erukhimova’s videos online. “Watching Dr. Tatiana do the experiments online, especially since she was a female leader. Was more inspiring for me to even go into physics.” Dhanani said in an interview with CBS Mornings. That’s all Erakhimova says she can hope for -making physics less forbidding and more exciting.
1. What does Erukhimova’s online videos feature?| A．Rare materials. | B．Energetic presentation. |
| C．Plain demonstration. | D．Professional explanation. |
| A．All that glitters is not gold. |
| B．Sharp tools make good work. |
| C．First impressions are make or break. |
| D．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit. |
| A．It leads more students to change their majors. |
| B．It makes more people to know about the department. |
| C．It helps the department translate more research papers. |
| D．It attracts more physics professors to join the department. |
| A．Inspirational. | B．Underestimated. | C．Cooperative. | D．Ambitious. |
7 . According to a new Agriculture Department report, U.S. forests could exacerbate global warming because they are being destroyed by natural disasters and are losing their ability to absorb planet-warming gases as they get older. The report predicts that the ability of forests to absorb carbon will start declining after 2025 and that forests could release up to 100 million metric tons of carbon a year as their emissions from decaying (腐烂) trees are beyond their carbon absorption. Forests could become a “substantial carbon source” by2070, the USDA report says.
The loss of carbon absorption is caused in part by natural disasters such as wildfires, tornadoes and hurricanes, which are increasing in frequency and strength as global temperatures rise. The disasters destroy forests, destroying their ecosystem and decreasing their ability to absorb carbon, according to Lynn Riley, a senior manager of climate science at the American Forest Foundation. Aging forests also contribute. The report found that older, mature trees absorb less carbon than younger trees of the same species, and U.S. forests are rapidly aging.
This trend is likely to continue, as forests come under increasing threat from climate change and exploitation (开采). The typical tropical forest may become a carbon source by the 2060s, according to Simon Lewis, a professor in the school of geography at Leeds University. “Humans have been lucky so far, as tropical forests are cleaning up lots of our pollution, but they can’t keep doing that forever,” he said. “We need to cut down fossil fuel emissions before the global carbon cycle starts working against us.”
U.S. forests currently absorb 11 percent of U.S. carbon emissions, or 150 million metric tons of carbon a year, equal to the combined emissions from 40 coal power plants, according to the report. The loss of forests as natural carbon absorbers will require the U.S. to cut emissions more rapidly to reach net zero. “As we work to decarbonize, forests are one of the greatest tools. If we were to lose that tool, it means we will contribute that much more in emissions,” Riley said.
1. What does the underlined word “exacerbate” in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Address. | B．Measure. | C．Relieve. | D．Worsen. |
| A．The impact of rising global temperatures on forests. |
| B．The reasons for forests’ declining ability to absorb carbon. |
| C．The key role of forests in the ecosystem. |
| D．The consequences of frequent natural disasters. |
| A．Planting younger trees on a large scale. | B．Limiting the exploitation of forest resources. |
| C．Reducing fossil fuel emissions. | D．Dealing with decaying trees in time. |
| A．To show the carbon emissions from coal power plants. |
| B．To stress the significance of forest protection. |
| C．To offer suggestions on forest management. |
| D．To present the efforts made to reach net zero. |
8 . When you picture doing a science project, you might imagine looking through a microscope or building a model volcano. But science projects can be done anywhere. Many teens get inspired from playing musical instruments to doing gymnastics. All it takes to transform your favorite activities into a science project is identifying a problem you want to solve.
Elizabeth, 14, who is in seventh grade at Davis Drive Middle School in Cary, N. C, designed a program. Her method is based on the golden ratio (比例). This ratio is often used to create pleasing parts in artworks. The ratio also appears in nature. Elizabeth’s data storage strategy helps computers write data evenly (均匀地) across memory devices. This could help such devices last longer.
“As long as I can remember, I’ve been an artistic person,” Elizabeth says, “In fourth grade, my art teacher taught us about the golden ratio. And at that point it was just, you know, something to use when we were painting.” But last year, Elizabeth had to replace the memory in her own computer, thinking the golden ratio might work in information storage, too. Elizabeth tested her golden-ratio technique by running programs on a computer.
But before this project, Elizabeth had no coding experience. To prepare, she spent months reading a textbook on how to code. She says, “It wasn’t like an ‘ah-ha’ moment. Writing programs is such a boring process. But it was just exciting to explore and see the computer actually just doing stuff that I told it to do after those hours.”
“Don’t limit yourself,” Elizabeth adds, “One of the biggest challenges you face is changing your mindset. I never thought that science or computer science would be my kind of thing, but after learning a bit about programming, I found that it was actually a new way to express myself. Words, painting, now programming.”
1. What can we learn about science projects according to this passage?| A．They can come from different hobbies. | B．They will inspire teens to find solutions. |
| C．They need skills in building models. | D．They may involve great imagination. |
| A．Strengthening memories. | B．Storing information. |
| C．Creating fine works. | D．Protecting nature. |
| A．Imagination is the source of creation. | B．Laugh it off when facing difficulties. |
| C．Well begun is half done. | D．Every effort will pay off. |
| A．Expressing doubts. | B．Making promises. |
| C．Offering advice. | D．Giving response. |
It has been 26 years since my army friend Dan and I packed picnic food and T-shirts inside his blue car, and drove past the military police at McClellan’s main gate.
Armed with weekend passes and new dollars from our first week’s pay at our Army Reserve summer camp, we were on our way to Florida. We had thought a weekend at the beach would be just what we needed to recover from days of hard tasks.
The May weather was delightful. And with the music being played, we drove into Birmingham and decided to stop to phone our mothers and wish them happy Mother’s Day before continuing our journey south to Florida.
Picking up my phone and reaching my mother at home, I learned she had just returned from grocery shopping. I could tell by the tone in her voice that she was disappointed I wouldn’t be spending her special day with the family. “Have a nice trip and be careful. We’ll miss you,” she said.
When I hung up, I could tell by Dan’s face that he was suffering from the same guilt that was troubling me. To deal with our guilt, we discussed and then decided to buy our moms flowers and ask delivery men to send the flowers to them.
Pulling into the parking lot at a flower shop, we each scribbled (匆匆书写) a note to go with the flowers that would remove our guilt of spending our only free weekend on the beach rather than with dear old Mom.
We waited while the clerk assisted a little boy who was selecting flowers, obviously for his mother. We were anxious to pay for our flowers and be on our way. Finally, this little boy picked up many beautiful carnations (康乃馨) for his mother. At that time, we didn’t know his dear mom had already passed away.
The little boy smiled with pride as he turned to me and held up his selection while the clerk rang up his order.
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。
“I’m sure my mama would love these flowers,” he said.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Then, we paid for our flowers and dropped our notes in the dustbin.
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10 . How to Plan a Panda Tour
There are many places to see lovely giant pandas in China. But the four panda bases around Chengdu are the best places to see giant pandas. Which one is best for you depends on how much time you have and what kind of experience you want to have.
If you just want to see giant pandas, we recommend you go to Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base. You can see pandas at all different ages from the oldest to the newborns. This base is huge but usually crowded. You can finish your trip in one day.
If you want a deeper panda experience, there are three recommended activities.
Join in a Panda Volunteer Program
Giant panda volunteer programs are available in three panda bases. Dujiangyan is the best place for a one-day program. If you want a less crowded environment, consider Wolong and Bifengxia, though they require 2 and 3 days respectively. Your work would include weighing and cleaning bamboo, making cakes for pandas, watching pandas being fed, and cleaning pandas’ enclosures (围栏).
Join in a Red Panda Volunteer Program
Unlike with giant pandas, you can have a zero-distance encounter with red pandas—you can feed a group of them without a fence in between. If you are interested in red pandas, you can join in our red panda volunteer program.
Hike Into the Habitat of Wild Pandas
If you are a lover of pandas and outdoor activity as well, consider having a hike in wild panda habitat in Wolong. Go panda tracking, and see if you will be lucky enough to see a wild panda.
1. What is recommended for just a look at pandas?| A．Getting involved in a panda volunteer program. |
| B．Visiting Chengdu Panda Breeding and Research Base. |
| C．Hiking into the habitat of wild pandas. |
| D．Joining in a red panda volunteer program. |
| A．Help prepare food for pandas. | B．Feed pandas personally. |
| C．Give pandas a bath. | D．Enjoy delicious cakes. |
| A．Seeing the beauty of Dujiangyan. | B．Learning to set up pandas’ enclosures. |
| C．Encountering a wild panda. | D．Playing with red pandas. |
