1 . Businesses are finding more uses for virtual reality (VR) as the technology develops.

VR is no longer only for gaming or enjoyment. An American company called Blue Goji is using VR to improve one’s health by making exercise more fun.

Blue Goji has offices in Austin, the capital of Texas. The company showed its workout machine called the Infinity treadmill (跑步机) at the South by Southwest festival. A person using the treadmill wears a virtual reality headset when exercising. Before starting, the user is connected to a belt to prevent falls. Then, the user plays a VR game while running on the machine. The game can transport the user into the virtual world, where he or she can be racing against virtual people.

The cost of the hardware and the computer software program is $12,000. That means much for most people. But Kyra Constam of Blue Goji says the virtual reality treadmill is ideal for places where people go to exercise, like high-end gyms or recreation centers.

Recently, Leonardo Mattiazzi tested the Infinity treadmill. Mattiazzi said he had a strong feeling to actually get running and do something that pushed his limits. He said the experience was more interesting than running inside the gym without actually going anywhere.

Constam noted that a lot of VR experiences cause motion sickness (晕动病) because people are in motion during the game, but not moving in real life. But when the user is moving on the treadmill and in the game, the chances of motion sickness are reduced. She said there is generally a learning curve for VR. The first time users feel lost, but the more you do it, the more you get used to it.

After carefully studying the users experiences, Blue Goji plans to begin selling the Infinity treadmill to the public.

1. What are users most likely to do after running on the Infinity treadmill?

A．Make more new friends.	B．Gain more useful skills.
C．Be fonder of exercising.	D．Prefer playing computer games.

2. What do we know about the Infinity treadmill?

A．Users can not run on it.	B．It is too expensive for most people.
C．Users can race against anyone.	D．It can be bought in high-end gyms.

3. How did Leonardo Mattiazzi feel about the Infinity treadmill?

A．Satisfied	B．Disappointed.
C．Doubtful.	D．Indifferent.

4. What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To promote a new company.

B．To call on people to take more exercise.

C．To introduce a new application of virtual reality.

D．To discuss the relationship between life and modern technology.

4 . It’s 1:30 am in Kenya’s populated north, and 50 people are lying on their backs on the shore of a dried-up river, staring up at the night sky. These stargazers have travelled 250 miles to Samburu to _________ the Perseid meteor shower(英仙座流星雨). They are not _________: Every few minutes, arrows of light shoot _________ the sky like silent fireworks.

The Star Safari is organized by a Kenyan astronomer(天文学家), Susan Murabana, who has brought a 50 kg, 170 cm-long _________to allow the group to view Mars and deep-sky objects. But here in Samburu, where _________ pollution is minimal, the Perseid meteors — visible with the naked eye (裸眼) — _________ all the right boxes.

Every two months, Murabana and her husband put their equipment on to the _________ of their truck and _________ to rural communities, where they help up to 300 children to view the planets and learn about constellations(星座) and the _________ of astronomy. Her primary mission is to give __________ an opportunity that she wishes had been available to her.

“There is a common misconception in Kenya that astronomy in general is hard, boring, and only for boys,” she adds. “I’d like to __________ young ladies that it’s not right and that they, too, can become astronomers,” says Murabana.

“When I started this work, I was a lone ranger and I wanted to change that.” She says. __________by a similar outreach activity, which lighted her __________ for astronomy in her early 20s, Murabana set up her own outreach program after her online master’s degree in astronomy in 2011.

She __________ Dr Mae Jemison, the first black woman in space, as a role model. “I hope that one day, those small actions can make a butterfly effect that __________ the first African woman in space.”

1.

A．witness

B．protect

C．sweep

D．search

2.

A．surprised

B．satisfied

C．disappointed

D．sorrowed

3.

A．across

B．into

C．toward

D．throughout

4.

A．helicopter

B．telescope

C．cellphone

D．camera

5.

A．water

B．light

C．sound

D．soil

6.

A．tick

B．kick

C．stick

D．pick

7.

A．wheel

B．roof

C．mirror

D．window

8.

A．set up

B．set down

C．set back

D．set off

9.

A．harms

B．papers

C．ruins

D．basics

10.

A．kids

B．guys

C．girls

D．teenagers

11.

A．warn

B．teach

C．beg

D．realize

12.

A．Promoted

B．Comforted

C．Moved

D．Inspired

13.

A．passion

B．imagination

C．impression

D．depression

14.

A．referred

B．recommended

C．regarded

D．requested

15.

A．attracts

B．preserves

C．challenges

D．produces

6 . 阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Since Japan began releasing nuclear-contaminated (核污染) wastewater into the Pacific Ocean on last Thursday despite little     1     (approve) from the international community, Chinese netizens have expressed their anger and concern, with a large number of them     2     (say) that they would no longer go to Japanese restaurants.

According to the spokesperson, the actions of the Japanese government are contradictory to international conventions (公约) and experts say that the influence of Japan’s release of wastewater     3     the safety of people throughout the world is unpredictable. As       4     consequence, many domestic Japanese restaurants say that they will adjust their product lines, and seafood will be selected from domestic sources or imported from other coastal countries. Some even say that they will seek     5     (develop) other new cuisines (菜肴).

“The Chinese government will take necessary measures to     6     (firm) protect the marine environment     7     Japan is determined to go on with its discharge (排放) plan.” said a majority of Chinese, among     8     are those living and studying in Japan now. In a poll (民意调查)     9     (conduct) on Sina Weibo, more than 200, 000 netizens urge Japan to cancel its wrong decision and address the wastewater in a responsible manner. “We don’t want August 24, 2023 to be a disaster day for marine environment and we hope that the issue     10     (give) priority to and dealt with as soon as possible. If Japan does not change course, it must bear the historic consequence for this decision.”

7 . 阅读短文内容，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

I     1     (be) always full of confidence about Hamlet before I saw The Revenge of Prince Zidan — the Peking Opera version of Hamlet. First, the opera brought a     2     (complete) new sound to my Western ears, beginning with an orchestra playing traditional Chinese instruments, one of     3     was an instrument with two strings     4     (call) jinghu. Then, I was surprised when the main characters came on stage. The costumes and masks were     5     (amaze). Although the     6     (perform) sang in Chinese, the music, exaggerated movements and mime helped get the meanings     7     the audience. The voices sounded really unique. So high were some of the female voices     8     I was sure they could break glass! And the stage was really simple.     9     (use) some special techniques, the opera had transformed a small stage into the whole universe. What I liked most was how the characters moved on stage. It was so dazzling and energetic that I wasn’t sure if the characters were performers     10     athletes! Feeling the strong emotions of love, anger, fear and grief in the performance. I could easily recognise the theme of Hamlet.

9 . Predicting extreme weather events is a challenging business. Changing climate conditions have increased the frequency of severe storms, floods, and heatwaves, along with larger wildfires. As a result, scientists are using artificial intelligence (AI) techniques for more accurate forecasts that help to reduce damage and save lives.

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have worked together with meteorologists (气象学家) to analyze more than 50,000 weather satellite images to quickly identify storms. They found comma-shaped (点状) cloud formations that often lead to severe weather such as high winds and thunderstorms. Computers were then taught using computer vision and machine learning to automatically detect these clouds from satellite images, with almost 100 percent accuracy, in less than a minute.

By refocusing meteorologists' attention on potential storm cloud formations the AI tool helped predict 64 percent of severe weather events and beat established detection systems. Senior meteorologist Steve Wistar said it let forecasters find storm formations in a sea of cloud data. “ The calling of our business is to save lives and protect property, ” he said. “ The more advance notice we give to people that would be affected by a storm, the better we're providing that service.”

Using AI techniques generates highly accurate and inexpensive forecasts for hours or days ahead. Negative impacts from climate change on weather are being felt everywhere. The US National Climate Assessment says frequent severe events will affect communities across the nation. There were 20 billion dollar weather disasters in 2021 alone, including wildfires, winter storms, floods, and tornadoes. “And average costs associated with extreme weather events in the United States have increased steadily since 1980,” said Renny Vandewege, a company's vice president of weather operations. “ These have costly impacts on cities’ basic services, housing, human livelihoods, and health. AI helps us to calculate that risk and can be used as a preventive measure.”

1. Why do scientists use AI techniques for extreme weather forecasts?

A．To prove AI techniques' accuracy.	B．To prevent the occurrence of disasters.
C．To obtain weather satellite images.	D．To reduce impacts of disasters and save lives.

2. What can we know from paragraph 2 and paragraph 3?

A．Most cloud formations can lead to severe weather.

B．Computers can finish its predicting task in less than a second.

C．Established detection systems help forecasters find storm formations.

D．The AI tool has better predictive power than established detection systems.

3. Which statement will Renny Vandewege probably agree with?

A．City services should be improved at all costs.

B．AI may help people reduce the cost of living.

C．The US spends most on dealing with extreme weather.

D．AI is the only measure to predict natural disasters.

4. What is the suitable title for the text?

A．The Future Will See More Uses of AI

B．AI Has Entered Every Corner of Our Life

C．AI Helps to Predict Extreme Weather and Save Lives

D．Extreme Weather Will Claim More Lives in the Future

10 . As we all know, swimming is great fun. But it often comes with ________. Drowning (溺水) is a real possibility even for the most ________ swimmers. However, this dangerous situation can be changed with watchful eyes. This summer in Florida, two young men helped to ________   one drowning death.

Griffin Emerson, a 6-year-old child, swam in an apartment block’s pool. He enjoyed the pool’s ________area. But he began to   ________ toward the deeper part slowly, struggling to keep his head above water. All that came about as no one else, including his mother, seemed to ________ him. Griffin’s frightening ________ in the water happened over the course of a full minute, ending up with the child going down to the ________ of the pool.

However, one young man, Noah, did find Griffin in the pool. He told his friend Weston to call 911 at once. And Noah ________ to jump into the pool to ________ the 6-year-old.

Noah made it to Griffin, caught him and ________ him to the surface and then to the side of the pool. Before the emergency services’ arrival, Noah and Weston tried their best to ________   life-saving steps.

________, a few minutes later, Griffin recovered his breath. Griffin’s mother was ________ to Noah and Weston for their heroic actions. But the two young men thought it was no big deal and hoped that this act of kindness would be ________.

1.

A．challenge

B．attention

C．danger

D．limitation

2.

A．curious

B．ordinary

C．powerful

D．experienced

3.

A．prevent

B．identify

C．protect

D．suffer

4.

A．quiet

B．narrow

C．shallow

D．separate

5.

A．run

B．move

C．jump

D．climb

6.

A．recognize

B．notice

C．seek

D．persuade

7.

A．struggle

B．complaint

C．adventure

D．escape

8.

A．side

B．center

C．bottom

D．corner

9.

A．hurried

B．regretted

C．continued

D．assumed

10.

A．catch up with

B．keep track of

C．come across

D．check on

11.

A．tied

B．directed

C．held

D．pulled

12.

A．recall

B．describe

C．perform

D．explain

13.

A．Strangely

B．Fortunately

C．Obviously

D．Surprisingly

14.

A．familiar

B．patient

C．generous

D．grateful

15.

A．paid forward

B．brought in

C．looked into

D．settled for