1. 你最喜爱的美食；
2. 你喜爱该美食的原因。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
My Favourite Chinese Food
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The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games took place at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on September 23rd. A total of 886 athletes participated in the ceremony, among
The ceremony was
President Xi said China looks forward to working
3 . Editors of newspapers and magazines often go to extremes to provide their reader with unimportant facts and statistics. Last year a journalist had been instructed by a well-known magazine to write an article on the president’s palace in a new African republic. When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refuse to publish it. The article began: “Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president’s palace”. The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him to find out the exact number of steps and the height of the wall.
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but the took a long time to send them. Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press. He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply. He sent yet another fax informing the journalist that if he did not reply soon he would be fired. When the journalist again failed to reply, the editor reluctantly published the article as it had originally been written. A week later, the editor at last received a fax from the journalist. Not only had the poor man been arrested, but he had been sent to prison as well. However, he had at last been allowed to send a fax in which he informed the editor that the he had been arrested while counting the 1,084 steps leading to the fifteen-foot wall which surrounded the president’s palace.
1. Why did the editor act as he did?| A．Because he wanted an excuse to fire the journalist. |
| B．Because he had not read the article beyond the first sentence. |
| C．Because he was dissatisfied with the factual content of the article. |
| D．Because he wanted to please the president of the new African republic. |
| A．Because it took him a long time to count all the steps. |
| B．Because he had not been allowed to fax the information he had obtained. |
| C．Because he did not realize how soon the magazine would go to press. |
| D．Because he had been arrested before he had had time to obtain the facts. |
| A．Because his activities must have appeared suspicious. |
| B．For having gone to extremes to provide unimportant facts. |
| C．For climbing the palace wall in order to measure its height. |
| D．Because the article was published in its original form. |
4 . Food festivals are a common occurrence in the UK and take place in all sorts of places and at all sorts of times. Whatever your taste, there’s a food festival to match — no matter how specialized.
1. Meatopia
This three-day, London-based festival takes place at the end of August and is a meat lover’s paradise. In addition to a range of legally sourced meat products, from juicy burgers to tender steaks, attendees can listen to live music, watch butchery demonstrations, and attend informal meat-based workshops.
2. The National Honey Show
If you have a sweet tooth, then it could be that the National Honey Show, which started in 1921 and is the largest event of its kind, is the place for you to be. This three-day event attracts many local entries who showcase their sweet golden honey, some of which is sold globally.
3. The Orange Sauce Festival
Have you heard about a festival that is devoted only to orange sauce? Held in Cumbria, this sweet, fragrant festival has been running for 3 years. What attracts people most is a competition to find the best homemade orange sauce. There are thousands of participants from over 30 different countries across the globe, bringing their local snacks to share here.
4. The Ginger and Spice Festival
If you’d prefer something with a little more kick to it, then you could attend The Ginger (姜) and Spice Festival held in Market Drayton. Unlike other food festivals, it celebrates its town’s historic connection to Robert Clive, who returned from India with ginger. Because of this, they specialize in baking gingerbread, but also sell a range of traditional spices from mild to hot.
1. What do Meatopia and the National Honey Show have in common?| A．Both of them last for three days. | B．Both of them hold workshops. |
| C．Both of them originated from London. | D．Both of them have a long history. |
| A．The Meatopia. | B．The Ginger and Spice Festival. |
| C．The National Honey Show. | D．The Orange Sauce Festival. |
| A．It has something to do with a historic figure. |
| B．The ginger used in the festival is from India. |
| C．It sells spicy food. |
| D．The food is cooked by Robert Clive. |
5 . Five years ago, I was a trail ride leader at a holiday farm in Victoria. My favourite horse was a warmblooded called Holly, a chestnut mare. Aged seven, she was graceful,
One day, as we headed back from a ride on the beach, Holly and I were
At the bottom of the hill as we rounded a corner, Holly
I have heard that horses have a better sense of
Holly then
| A．ill-behaved | B．sweet-natured | C．awkward | D．troublesome |
| A．solution | B．reaction | C．problem | D．difficulty |
| A．frightened | B．delighted | C．touched | D．attracted |
| A．chasing | B．leading | C．following | D．pushing |
| A．proceeded | B．preferred | C．hesitated | D．refused |
| A．evidence | B．truth | C．signals | D．symbols |
| A．sped | B．rushed | C．escaped | D．slowed |
| A．rabbit | B．horse | C．monster | D．snake |
| A．turn | B．case | C．chance | D．time |
| A．sealed | B．planted | C．fastened | D．frozen |
| A．achievement | B．direction | C．smell | D．sight |
| A．performed | B．denied | C．ignored | D．demonstrated |
| A．Unfortunately | B．Undoubtedly | C．Thankfully | D．Instantly |
| A．fell off | B．went back | C．came out | D．stepped forward |
| A．responsible | B．regretful | C．grateful | D．available |
6 . People solve some new problems readily without any special training or practice by comparing them to familiar problems and extending the solutions to the new problems. That process, known as analogical reasoning (类比推理), has long been thought to be an ability only humans have. But now people might have to make room for a new kid on the block.
Psychologists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) claim that, astonishingly, the artificial intelligence (AI) language model GPT-3 performs about as well as college undergraduates when asked to solve the sort of reasoning problems that typically appear on intelligence tests and standardized tests.
But the psychologists raise the question: Is GPT-3 copying human reasoning as a by-product of its massive language training data set or using a fundamentally new kind of cognitive (认知的) process? They also say that although GPT-3 performs far better than they expected at some reasoning tasks, the popular AI tool still fails completely at others. “It can do analogical reasoning, but it can’t do things that are very easy for people, such as using tools to solve a physical task,” says Taylor Webb, a UCLA postdoctoral researcher in psychology.
Webb and his colleagues tested GPT-3’s ability to solve a set of problems inspired by a test known as Raven’s Progressive Matrices, which ask the subject to predict the next image in a complicated arrangement of shapes. To enable GPT-3 to “see” the shapes, and make sure that the AI tool had never met the questions before, Webb transformed the images into a text format that GPT-3 could process.
The psychologists asked 40 UCLA undergraduate students to solve the same problems. Surprisingly, not only did GPT-3 do about as well as humans but it made similar mistakes as well. GPT-3 solved 80% of the problems correctly — well above the human subjects’ average score of just below 60%, but within the range of the highest human scores.
1. What is analogical reasoning usually considered?| A．A simple learning skill. | B．A unique human ability. |
| C．A vital thinking process. | D．A solution to any problem. |
| A．Its system has some limitations. | B．Its application hasn’t been popular. |
| C．It needs to be trained for these tasks. | D．It is good at copying human reasoning. |
| A．To add difficulty to the questions. | B．To enable GPT-3 to see the results. |
| C．To guarantee the foreignness of the tasks. | D．To test GPT-3’s ability to identify text. |
| A．It will replace humans in some cases. | B．It rarely makes mistakes like humans. |
| C．It is able to do things very easy for people. | D．It runs undergraduates close in reasoning. |
7 . This winter, the U. S. state of California received unusually large amounts of rain and snow. Now, people worry that some areas will flood as the snow in the Sierra Nevada Mountains melts (融化).
Ron Caetano lives about half-way between the cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco. He is preparing to leave in case his community, called the Island District, floods.
More than 100 years ago, the Island District area was under a large lake named Tulare Lake. At one time, Tulare Lake was the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River. But reservoirs (水库) and watering systems for agriculture caused it to disappear. However, in very rainy years, farmland can still get covered with water.
Experts say reservoirs near the area will likely receive three times more water than they can hold this year. That means officials must increase the amount of water they release (释放) from the reservoirs. If too much water is released, the area might flood.
The Island District has organized a community network to help prepare for floods. People are placing sandbags close to elderly neighbors’ houses to block possible flooding. And they are looking at reports from water officials, county officials, and from each other.
California has had very dry weather in recent years. Both cities and farm communities acclaimed this year’s winter rains. If the weather gets warmer slowly, the snow will not melt quickly and there may be little or no flooding. But if the weather gets hot quickly, that will bring trouble from too much melting snow.
Officials announced plans to close parts of Yosemite National Park because of threats of flooding. The park is about 270 kilometers east of San Francisco in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Nicholas Pinter is with the University of California, Davis Center for Watershed Sciences. He said the lake’s size has always changed because of California’s weather. He described the surrounding area this way. “It has been an engineering problem all along,” he said. “This is a bathtub (浴缸) with no way out.”
1. What made Tulare Lake disappear?| A．Lack of rainfall. | B．Natural disasters. |
| C．Human behaviors. | D．Climate warming. |
| A．Feared. | B．Prevented. | C．Stored. | D．Welcomed. |
| A．The government can help them escape. | B．The weather will gradually get warm. |
| C．There will be more rain there. | D．Officials won’t let off water. |
| A．It is difficult to deal with the flood. | B．It is easy to keep the snow water. |
| C．The surrounding area is unfit to live. | D．The lake is already overflowing. |
8 . I arrived home from work, my mind racing. I was scheduled to perform an experiment using a pricey piece of equipment, but I had spent the whole day worrying about the experiment which was on the top of my agenda (日程), and I amazingly longed to shut off my anxious thoughts. So after dinner, I made a cup of hot chocolate, stretched myself on my sofa, and opened a page. Almost instantly, my mind left behind the details of experimental design and stepped into a land of monsters, magic dust, and man-like bears comprising a wonderful world distinct (不同的) from my daily life. It was exactly what I needed.
Growing up, I was virtually never a big fan of novels. My classmates would be crazy about the latest Harry Potter book, while my copy sat collecting dust on a shelf. Instead, I would choose to read through the reference books related to my academic fields for better grades. After I started graduate school, extracurricular reading didn’t appeal to me at all but I spent most of my time on campus digesting research papers and textbooks and my mind couldn’t handle processing fact-filled nonfiction books at home, too. So I knew that I needed to find a way to enjoy reading again.
To help me stick with it, I made a New Year’s resolution: I would read two fiction books per month for the entire year. The result was an almost instant appreciation of fiction, along with many unexpected results including ones that have benefited my schoolwork.
What surprised me the most was how much I learned. Some of the best books I read were historical fictional stories happening in a realistic historical setting. I learned about life in different countries, as well as struggles people there faced during difficult periods in their histories. The books have helped me build sympathy and understanding, with an unexpected benefit: I’ve started to think more deeply about the diversity of issues in the scientific community and could serve it, heart and soul.
1. What did the author do to wipe out the anxiety?| A．He drowned it in chocolate. | B．He conducted an experiment. |
| C．He slept on the sofa leisurely. | D．He escaped into a fantasy world. |
| A．Reading novels was a waste of time. |
| B．Reading a good book was time well spent. |
| C．He was too busy to take good care of his books. |
| D．The Harry Potter book wasn’t as good as expected. |
| A．More sympathy went out to him. |
| B．His moral values were strengthened. |
| C．He learned much about religious diversity. |
| D．He gained new insight into his academic fields. |
| A．Reading: A Lifelong Hobby | B．The Power of Research Papers |
| C．Novels: Love at Second Sight | D．The Benefits of History Reading |
9 . More than half of the world’s population live in cities, and by 2050 the UN expects that proportion to reach 68%. This means more homes, roads and other infrastructure. In India alone, a city the size of Chicago will have to be developed every year to meet demand for housing. Such a construction increase is a bad sign for dealing with climate change, because making steel and concrete, two of the most common building materials, generates around 8% of the world’s CO2 emissions (排放). If cities are to expand and become greener at the same time, they will have to be made from something else.
Wood is one of the most promising sustainable alternatives to steel and concrete. It is not, however, everyday wood that is attracting the interest of architects.
Rather, it is a material called engineered timber. This is a combination of different layers, each designed to meet the requirements of specific parts such as floors, panels and beams (横梁). Designers can use it to provide levels of strength like steel, in a product that is up to 80% lighter. In addition, engineered timber is usually made into large sections in a factory for future use, which reduces the number of deliveries to a construction site.
According to Michael Ramage of the University of Cambridge, a wooden building produces 75% less CO2 than a steel and concrete one of the same size. However, if building with wood takes off, it does raise concern about there being enough trees to go round. But with sustainably managed forests that should not be a problem, says Dr Ramage. A family-sized apartment requires about 30 cubic meters of timber, and he estimates Europe’s sustainable forests alone grow that amount every seven seconds. Nor is fire a risk, for engineered timber does not burn easily. Besides, fireproofing layers can be added to the timber. All in all, then, it looks as if wood as a building material may get a new lease of life.
1. Why is India mentioned in paragraph 1?| A．To point out the severe pollution. |
| B．To predict the population increase. |
| C．To indicate the high degree of urbanization. |
| D．To show the great need for building materials. |
| A．It is produced at a low cost. |
| B．It hardly appeals to architects. |
| C．It helps save energy in transportation. |
| D．It possesses greater strength than steel. |
| A．Becomes cheaper. | B．Gains popularity. |
| C．Requires less work. | D．Proves sustainable. |
| A．People should make future cities more attractive. |
| B．It’s important to live in a world with less emission. |
| C．Building sustainable cities with woods is possible now. |
| D．Let’s grow more trees for future building |
Tom was born and grew up in Milan. Until he was 13 years old, he never wanted to leave his hometown. But last year, Tom’s father’s investment went bad， wiping out the family and sending his parents to prison. As a teenager under 16 years old, Tom was forced to go to Newcastle in the northeast of England to stay with his uncle Lawrence.
Tom had a lot of difficulties in the new environment. He didn’t like the food in England. Nobody could forecast the weather in Newcastle. He had to start learning the second foreign language in his new school. Pocket money was not enough as usual. Almost every subject was a challenge for him. Most importantly, he had no friends. It seemed nobody knew him and he knew nobody in the school.
On an early summer evening, when Tom was going home alone from school as usual, a man called him from behind. Tom turned around and saw Andy, his PE teacher, standing in front of him.
“You know, the school will have a swimming competition next month. There will be all kinds of races. Will you participate?” Andy asked.
Tom took a look at Andy with doubt and answered, “You sure? Me? No, I won’t. I can swim, but I’m slower than a snail.”
Andy smiled and then said, “Yes. Indeed. You are, in breaststroke(蛙泳)，in backstroke, and in butterfly, but not in freestyle. So join the freestyle race! 200-meter freestyle is the game suitable for you.”
Tom was speechless at that moment. He had never known someone in the school was observing him and caring for him.
“I don’t think I can win anything.” Tom was still a little puzzled.
“But you may get more recognition and consequently you can make some friends. That is more important than prizes,” Andy responded immediately.
Having hesitated for a while, Tom agreed to have a try.
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。
Every afternoon for the next month, Tom trained really hard.
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Tom dived into the pool confidently like other competitors.
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