1 . Imagine living in a cool, green city alive with parks and threaded with footpaths, bike lanes and buses which transport people to shops, schools and service centers in a matter of minutes.

This fancy dream is behind the idea of the 15-minute city, where all basic needs and services are within a quarter of an hour’s reach, improving public health and lowering vehicle emissions.

Artificial intelligence could help urban planners realize that vision faster, with a new study from researchers at Tsinghua University in China demonstrating how machine learning can generate more efficient spatial layouts (空间布局) than humans can.

Automation scientist Zheng Yu and his colleagues wanted to find new solutions to improve our cities which are fast becoming blocked. They developed an AI system to tackle the tough tasks of urban planning and found it can produce urban plans that outperform human designs by about 50 percent in three aspects: access to services, green spaces and traffic levels.

Starting small, Zheng’s team tasked their model with designing the urban area only a few square kilometers in size (about 3×3 blocks). After two days of training, the AI system searched for the ideal road designs and land use to fit with the concept of the 15-minute city and local planning policies and needs.

While the AI model has some capabilities that could extend its use for planning larger urban areas, designing entire cities will be more complex. Drafting a neighborhood consisting of 4×4 blocks contains twice as many planning decisions as designing 3×3 blocks, the researchers said. But automating even a few steps in the planning process can save huge amounts of time: the AI model can compute in seconds certain tasks that take human planners between 50 to 100 minutes to work through.

Rather than AI replacing people, Zheng and his colleagues think their AI system can work as an “assistant” to urban planners, who could generate concept designs optimized (优化) by the system, and reviewed, adjusted and evaluated by human experts based on community feedback.

1. According to the text, which of the following is NOT a benefit of the “15-minute city” concept?

A．Better public health.	B．Lower vehicle emissions.
C．Decreased access to green spaces.	D．Fast and convenient service.

2. Which major issue in cities did Zheng Yu and his team want to address?

A．High levels of pollution.	B．Limited access to public services.
C．Shortage of affordable housing.	D．Rising crowding and traffic problems.

3. What can be concluded from the text about the AI model’s capabilities?

A．It can design entire cities efficiently.

B．It takes longer to train for larger urban areas.

C．It can complete tasks much faster than human planners.

D．It is limited to planning only a few square kilometers at a time.

4. What’s the best title for this passage?

A．Designing better cities with AI

B．The 15-Minute City: A Dream or Reality?

C．Improving Public Health with Greener Cities

D．The Role of Machine Learning in Urban Design

2 . 4月 23 日是世界读书日(World Book and Copyright Day)。你将代表班级参加学校举办以世界读书日为主题的英文演讲比赛，请就以下要点写一篇演讲稿。内容包括：
1.阅读的意义；
2.你的阅读习惯。
注意：
1. 词数不少于 80 词；
2.不得出现真实的校名和人名；
3.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
4.开头已给出，不计入总词数。
Good morning, everyone!
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3 . 尽管我们做了充分的准备，这场突如其来的暴风还是打乱了我们的计划。
Although we ______________, the sudden storm still upset our plan.

4 . 当专注于音乐创作时，他常常会忽视掉身边发生的一切。
When ______________ music creation, he often overlooks everything happening around him.

5 . 这个古老的农庄属于一名军官，它的历史可以追溯到唐朝。
The ancient farm belonging to an officer ______________ Tang Dynasty.

6 . 由于水位上升，这些鸟儿的栖息地正在受到威胁。
The habitat of these birds ______________ on account of the rising water level.

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。

As I unzipped my lunchbox, the whole place was turned into a spicy curry (咖喱) dream. I immediately hid it under my seat, hoping no one would take notice.

Mom had really outdone herself with masala — our family’s all-time favorite dish back in India. But today, it wasn’t just about me and my lunch. A warm smile on his face, Ricky invited me, a new transfer student from India to New York city, for lunch.

“Ava, come sit here!” Ricky called out, gesturing towards a vacant seat.

As I made my way over, memories of those awkward lunchtimes when I studied in Kansas, one of the most conservative states, flooded back. I could still recall how everyone would wrinkle their noses and stare curiously when I unpacked my Indian food. It always made me feel like an outsider, like I didn’t belong.

Therefore, before my first day in this school, I had demanded my mom pack “normal” western-style food for me. I still remembered the look on her face upon hearing it, as she signed in disappointment and confusion, “Isn’t there a moment when you feel proud of your origin?” That was hurting, but not more hurting than others’ giggles and whispers. Honestly, long queues were common in Indian restaurants in New York city, a cultural melting pot, but I wouldn’t take that risk.

Unfortunately, this morning, Mom had forgotten to make sandwich or any “normal” food, so I had to bring leftovers from our dinner. At the thought of the possible oh-no-second (社死), I felt like being thrown into darkness.

However, before I came back to reality, Ricky noticed my sneaking (躲躲藏藏). “What do you have for lunch?” he asked, his eyes twinkling with interest. I tried to brush it off (搪塞), claiming I wasn’t hungry. But Ricky wouldn’t let it go, and before I could protest, he had the lid of my lunchbox open and I prepared myself for such familiar responses as “Ew” or “What is that?”

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。

However, I did not get what I was expecting.

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After school, I found Mom preparing sandwich for tomorrow’s lunch.

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8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What can tourists do tomorrow evening?

A．Watch Hollywood films.

B．Enjoy the beautiful pool.

C．See a theatre play.

2. Why are indoor activities arranged on the last evening?

A．The theatre is only available then.

B．The weather may be unpleasant then.

C．Tourists can relax before going home.

3. Where can tourists show their special skills?

A．In the dining hall.

B．In the reading room.

C．On the deck.

4. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To discuss an issue.

B．To do a promotion.

C．To introduce trip activities.

9 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. How much was Pigcasso’s record-breaking painting?

A．£14,000.

B．£20,000.

C．£40,000.

2. Which artwork broke the record for the highest selling price?

A．The Blue Elephant.

B．The Queen.

C．Wild and Free.

3. Who makes Pigcasso’s achievements?

A．A German farmer.

B．A talented painter.

C．An animal rescuer.

10 . Where is probably the man now?

A．At the airport.

B．On the bus.

C．In the hotel.