1 . Even to this day, I still remember the very moment when I waved my ping-pong paddle for the first time. With all the excitement and happiness, I actually felt slightly
My interest in ping-pong began at the end of
I turned to my coach who
The
| A．embarrassed | B．surprised | C．grateful | D．regretful |
| A．senior | B．junior | C．primary | D．evening |
| A．take up | B．take down | C．take off | D．take in |
| A．nuisance | B．priority | C．nightmare | D．major |
| A．scores | B．skills | C．courses | D．paddles |
| A．introduced | B．forbade | C．begged | D．forced |
| A．oldest | B．youngest | C．bravest | D．tallest |
| A．appeared | B．emerged | C．faded | D．enlarged |
| A．organization | B．competition | C．experience | D．existence |
| A．Additionally | B．Occasionally | C．Furthermore | D．Nevertheless |
| A．generous | B．mean | C．demanding | D．stubborn |
| A．admitted | B．recommended | C．promoted | D．invited |
| A．protected | B．prevented | C．dragged | D．controlled |
| A．charged | B．ordered | C．cheated | D．encouraged |
| A．depression | B．passion | C．exhaustion | D．expectation |
2 . The release of OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video AI tool last month was met with a mix of worries and excitement from researchers who are concerned about misuse of the technology. The California-based company showcased Sora’s ability to create photorealistic (超级现实主义的) videos from a few short text prompts (提示词), with examples including clips of a woman walking down a neon-lit (霓虹灯闪烁的) street in Tokyo and a dog jumping between two windowsills.
Tracy Harwood, a digital-culture specialist at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, says she is “shocked” by the speed at which text-to-video artificial intelligence (AI) has developed. A year ago, people were laughing at an AI-produced video of the US actor Will Smith eating spaghetti. Now some researchers are worried that the technology could upend global politics in 2024.
OpenAI, which also developed ChatGPT and the text-to-image technology DALL·E, first released Sora on 15 February, announcing that it was making the technology “available to red teamers to assess critical areas for harms or risks”. Red teaming’ refers to the process of conducting simulated attacks (模拟攻击) or exploration of a technology to see how it would cope with criminal activity, such as the creation of misinformation and hateful content, in the real world.
Sora isn’t the first example of text-to-video technology; others include Gen-2, produced by Runway in New York City and released last year, and the Google-led Lumiere, announced in January. Harwood says she has been “underwhelmed” by some of these other products. “They are becoming more and more ordinary in what they present to you,” she says, adding that the programs require very specific prompts to get them to produce compelling (引人入胜的，可信的) content.
Misinformation is a major challenge for these text-to-video technologies, Harwood adds. “We’re going to very quickly reach a point in which we are flooded with a barrage of (一连串) really compelling-looking information. That’s really worrying.”
1. Why did some researchers worry about the the release of Sora?| A．Because the videos Sora creates will be untrue. |
| B．Because Sora needs many prompts to create videos. |
| C．Because they are worried about the misuse of technology. |
| D．Because they don’t have ability to create videos themselves. |
| A．Overturn. | B．Update. | C．Overcome. | D．Disturb |
| A．Sora is the first example of its kind. |
| B．Sora may be helpful in real world. |
| C．Sora is flooded with misinformation. |
| D．Sora is an ordinary product of its kind. |
| A．The release of Sora raised questions. |
| B．Sora is a new t hreat to global politics. |
| C．Sora becomes a vital tool to create videos. |
| D．Misinformation is a major challenge for Sora. |
3 . In human behavioral science, bandwagon effect is a cognitive bias (认知偏见) where people assume that an idea or belief is true because many or most others believe in it or have adopted it. As many people already support the belief others also “join the bandwagon” and do not consider questioning the decision or if there is evidence supporting the same. Cognitive biases help people think and reason more quickly, but there is a high possibility of making mistakes.
For example, when talk shows in the west had hosts wearing suits, other people started following the same trend regardless of their working conditions and climate. In India, we have climates ranging from warm to extremely hot and moderately cold conditions. It never gets cold enough for an overcoat. Also, not all shooting locations have air conditioning facilities. Even though the “suit” is not the best fit for working and climatic conditions in India, people still wear it because it is recognized by many people as classy and suitable clothes for talk shows or outdoor media events.
One more fitting example for the bandwagon effect is a whole generation of teens all over the world going crazy over a “Korean” band because they were liked by many others. With all respect to the music they made and their popularity, teens were going crazy even though they didn’t understand a word of what was being listened to. Although the band was covering much needed and sensible subjects like bullying (霸凌), elitism (精英统治), and mental health, not all people following them got the true meaning of the songs. People got onto the “bandwagon” as they wanted to go along with the trend that was a hit throughout the world.
We can use various debiasing (消除偏见) techniques in order to avoid falling for the bandwagon effect. One is to consider alternative options that are not necessarily supported by the majority but may be a better choice. Give yourself some time to think and understand what is it that you really need which will allow you to make decisions in a less biased manner. It’s also important to remember that going with the crowd is not entirely bad. In many situations, it can be beneficial while making a decision, as long as you can do it in a way that allows you to make reasonable decisions.
1. What may people do if they fall for the bandwagon effect?| A．Trust every one around them. |
| B．Do as most people do. |
| C．Doubt people surrounding them. |
| D．Make reasonable choices. |
| A．All the hosts in talk shows wear suits. |
| B．Indian talk show hosts love suitable suits. |
| C．Following trend may make mistakes. |
| D．India weather is agreeable for outdoor media events. |
| A．They all love the members. |
| B．They all appreciated the lyrics. |
| C．Most of them follow the trend. |
| D．Most of them understand the songs. |
| A．Objective. | B．Favourable. | C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
4 . Australia may be better known for its beaches and natural wonders — and, of course, kangaroo s and koalas. But it is also a country rich in art and culture. From historical to contemporary art, including both local and international artists, there is a lot to be seen in Australia. Here is a selection of three Australian art galleries and museums to visit.
Art Gallery of New South Wales
Located in Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales is one of the largest art galleries in Australia. It was first founded as the New South Wales Academy of Art in 1872. Presenting nearly 40 exhibitions per year, the gallery holds a strong collection of Aboriginal (土著的), Asian, Australian, and Pacific art. European and contemporary art are also present, as well as photographic works.
Location: Sydney, New South Wales
Opening Hours: Daily, 10 a. m. — 5 p. m.(Wednesday s 10 a. m. — 9 p. m.)
Admission: Free entry (a few special exhibitions might require tickets)
Art Gallery of South Australia
The Art Gallery of South Australia holds one of the largest art collections in Australia: almost 47,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, ceramics (陶器), jewelry, and much more. The collection of Australian art is especially renowned, but European, Asian, and North American art are also represented. Located in Adelaide, the gallery welcomes around 512,000 visitors per year.
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Opening Hours: Daily, 10 p. m. — 5 p. m.
Admission: Free entry(charges may apply for some exhibitions)
Heide Museum of Modern Art
The Heide Museum of Modern Art is a museum of modern and contemporary art located in Bulleen, Victoria. It was founded by the couple John and Sunday Reed, who collected a broad range of art themselves. The Heide consists of three exhibition buildings that hold a collection of over 3,500 works in all media. Besides that, a sculpture park and Heide’s heritage-listed gardens can also be visited. Admission fees are required to enter the museum but entrance to the gardens is free.
Location: Bulleen, Victoria
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 a. m. — 5 p. m.
Admission: Adult-$20, free for children under 16 (other concessions can be found on the museum’s website)
1. What do Art Gallery of New South Wales and Art Gallery of South Australia have in common?| A．They were totally free to visit. |
| B．They were founded by private persons. |
| C．They are largest art galleries in Australia. |
| D．They have noted Australia and Asian art collections. |
| A．$ 20. | B．$ 60. | C．$ 40. | D．$ 32. |
| A．Writers. | B．Artists. | C．Archaeologists. | D．Photographers. |
5 . School Rules
All students are expected to read and learn the School Rules. These rules aim to make each each student aware of the value of self-control, orderliness and the need to develop a sense of responsibility for their own behavior and for the larger community of which they are a part.
Dress regulations
The school expects its students to wear their full school uniform correctly and with pride.
Punctuality, absence and illness
Should a student be ill during school hours, he is to go straight to the School Medical Center.
·Proper behavior is expected within and around buildings and on the sporting field at all times.
·Students are not to enter laboratories, language rooms, the Technics and music rooms until invited to do so by teachers.
·The riding of bicycles or skateboard is prohibited along the front drive.
·No knives, explosives or dangerous materials may be brought into the school or boardinghouses.
·Students are forbidden to interfere with fire safety equipment.
| A．Safety |
| B．Punishment |
| C．All students must be at school on time |
| D．Appropriate action will then be taken there |
| E．An automatic fine will be imposed if this occurs |
| F．Uniform and shoes will be clean and in good repair |
| G．Students riding bicycles must wear an approved bicycle helmet |
内容包括：
1.同学们的不同心仪职业；
2.你个人的职业展望及原因。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.开头如下：
Recently, a heated discussion about our future careers has been held in our class.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________China
Digital technologies have also been
Wang Changqing,
8 . Anne Sullivan was born on 14 April 1866 in Feeding Hills, Agawam, Massachusetts. Her family lived in extreme poverty. When she was five years old, Sullivan contracted the bacterial eye disease trachoma (沙眼), a painful infection that left her nearly blind. When she was eight, her mother died, and two years later, her father gave up his children as he could not raise them on his own.
Anne was transferred to the Perkins School for the Blind on 7 October 1880. Anne was terribly behind in her education, and the rough manners required to survive in the almshouse (救济院) made it difficult for her to fit in among a student group that was mainly composed of children of the rich. Yet, she soon closed the gap with her classmates with iron-willed determination. Sullivan underwent a series of eye operations that significantly improved her vision. In June 1886, she graduated as the best one of her class.
Sullivan arrived at Helen Keller’s house on March 5, 1887. Sullivan immediately began to tea ch Helen to communicate by spelling words into her hand, starting with“d-o-l-1” for the doll that she had brought Keller as a present. At first, the work was slow and frustrating; Keller had no understanding of connecting objects and words. However, after a month of Sullivan’s constant and patient efforts, there was a breakthrough. As Sullivan spelled the word water in one hand while running cool water over the other, Helen Keller made the connection that the gestures symbolized “water.”
Sullivan’s breakthrough in communicating with Keller came the next month when Helen realized that the motions her teacher was making on the palm of her hand while running cool water over her other hand symbolized the idea of “water.” Keller later recalled, “I stood still, my whole attention fixed upon the motions of her fingers. Suddenly I felt a misty consciousness as of something forgotten — a thrill of returning thought; and somehow the mystery of language was revealed to me.”Having released the genie (精灵) of language out of the bottle, Keller nearly exhausted Sullivan with her zeal to learn the names of the other objects in her world. Within six months under Anne Sullivan’s guidance, Keller learned 575 words.
It was no less a person than Mark Twain who described Anne Sullivan as a Miracle Worker. Sullivan not only conquered the darkness of her own early life but opened the world to a young girl cut off and alone. Anne Sullivan’s resolute spirit should inspire all of us.
1. What can we learn about Sullivan from the first two paragraphs?| A．She was deserted by her father because of her illness. |
| B．She couldn’t fit in the almshouse due to her bad manners. |
| C．She was the best student in the Perkins School for the Blind. |
| D．She went through a rough and tough childhood. |
| A．She was too frustrated to learn. |
| B．She was a slow language learner. |
| C．She could not interact with others. |
| D．She could not connect objects with words. |
| A．Interest is the best teacher. |
| B．A patient teacher is helpful. |
| C．Persistence is the key to success. |
| D．A good beginning is half done. |
| A．A Miracle Teacher: Anne Sullivan |
| B．Sullivan’s Determination to Teach |
| C．Keller’s Rough Journey of Learning Words |
| D．An Inspiring Language Learner: Helen Keller |
1. 描述经历；
2. 分享感受。
注意：
1. 词数80左右；
2. 题目已为你写好。
Learning A New Skill
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Learning Chinese calligraphy
As someone who paints, draws, and loves all
After taking the lesson, I now understand the difficulty of calligraphy and that it will take efforts and commitment
