1 . I have always had pets. My first animal friends were guinea pigs. And then I tried my best to persuade my parents to get a dog. For some reason they did not seem to believe I would walk the dog three times a day, no matter how hard I tried.

Then my mother said a friend’s cat had had kittens and we could go and get one. At first I was disappointed, but with time I learned to love our cat so much I have had cats ever since.

I just have to remember to bolt everything into place. If I don’t, things fly (they seem to get airborne when cats are around —the more expensive an object is, the more it seems to enjoy flying).

Also, watering plants is no problem. During the years all the plants have disappeared except the cactuses (仙人掌). They don’t seem to interest cats much. Nor do they need much water. It would be nice to get flowers, but I do advise against anyone bringing them to me. No matter what flower — it is considered a kitty snack.

Changing furniture is nice too. Cats help in letting us know when it is time to change the sofa. Either when the fabric starts to look like Einstein’s hair that has been combed with cats’ paws (爪子), or when no amount of vacuuming (用吸尘器打扫) helps in revealing the original color of the couch, thanks to the generous donation of cat hair. A soft sofa is nice, sure, but it sort of gets a bit embarrassing when, all our guests leave the house with fur-trousers.

I could go on and on to tell you more interesting stories between us next time!

1. Why did the author’s parents turn him down when he wanted to have a dog?

A．They didn’t favour dogs.	B．They didn’t think he could attend dogs well.
C．They had already had a pet.	D．They thought dogs might mess the house up.

2. Which of the following can explain “bolt everything into place” underlined in paragraph 3?

A．Keep everything fastened.	B．Keep everything organized.
C．Have everything prepared.	D．Have everything repaired.

3. What can we infer about the plants from paragraph 4?

A．They are replaced by new ones.	B．They are sent to the guests.
C．They are mostly eaten by the cats.	D．They are frequently watered.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To complain about his cats.	B．To share fun experiences of petting cats.
C．To compare his different pets.	D．To introduce his skills for keeping pets.

2 . Passionate Volunteer Language Educators for International Global voyage Wanted

The Global English Español Training Programme (GET) is Peace Boar’s English and Spanish school. On our voyages, this programme is run by international teams of passionate volumeter teachers who inspire our students to use language to make connections with people from all over the world.

GET is now accepting applications for English and Spanish language teachers for the 113^th Global Voyage. The applications must be submitted before August 1, 2023. All interviews will be conducted online and will take place between August 29, 2023 and September 2, 2023. For more information, download our application pack or send us an email.

Peace Boat and GET are keeping up-to-date with global COVID-19 developments. The safety of our passengers, volunteers, staff, and crew is most important.

Conditions of employment:

This position is for enthusiastic, highly motivated, dynamic individuals with a minimum of 18 months of full-time teaching experience. Applicants should be highly advanced speakers of English or Spanish, although it is not necessary to be a “native” or “first language” speaker. Certification, graduate degrees and or multi-language abilities are highly regarded-though not required. Please note: this is a volunteer position, but voyage expense are covered.

All successful applicants must be able to attend the pre-voyage ruling to be held in Tokyo roughly one week before the official departure date.

For Spanish teachers: Please note that all teacher relatexd GET Programme administrative activities and correspondence are conducted in English. All application material should be presented in English.

1. What is the applications deadline?

A．August 1, 2023.	B．August 31, 2023.
C．August 29, 2023.	D．September 2, 2023.

2. What is required of the appearance?

A．They must have full-time teaching experience.

B．They must have graduate degrees.

C．They have to pay for their voyage expenses themselves

D．They have to work with native speakers for over 18 months.

3. What should Spanish applicants pay attention to?

A．Learning about sea areas around Japan.

B．Taking a voyage around Japan before the departure date.

C．Keeping in close touch with GET administrative staff.

D．Writing their application material in English.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The “sour and spicy shredded (细丝) potato” is a typical home cooking dish in China which    1    (see) frequently at home and in restaurants because of the simple cooking method. Although it belongs to Sichuan cuisine, the dish now is    2    choice many diners can’t resist all over China. Its flavor can be flexibly adjusted by adding different    3    (amount) of peppers and vinegar. The only main ingredient (原料), potato, is    4    (reasonable) priced in all seasons. When cooked well, it    5    (look) bright and the potato shreds are clear and crisp with sour and spicy taste. It has won the love of the majority of people in China and been regarded    6    one of the best matches for rice. Here is the way of its cooking.

Wash the potatoes and remove the skin. Cut them into thin and similar shreds. Put in salt water for a few minutes    7    (remove) the starch (淀粉) and clean them well. Heat the oil in the pan. Add and fry green onion and dried peppers before adding the potato. Then add all the other ingredients    8    (include) white vinegar, peppers and salt. Fry the potato    9    it is well cooked. You should be    10    (care) that you do not overcook the potato.

4 . Miss Baugh taught seventh-grade social studies. She was the kind of teacher that perhaps everyone has had at least once: scary. In class, she always taught us to take school seriously. She had been teaching for a long time and I was as afraid of her as anyone, including the boys who were typically naughty in the back row.

But I also had a life outside of school and had just discovered cheap objects for pranks. One such prop had two parts: an ink bottle painted to look as though it had overturned, and a piece of shiny black metal shaped like a pool.

Of all the people I could have tricked, unexpectedly I chose Miss Baugh. At the beginning of the class, I opened her book and placed the props on one of the pages. Then I waited for the fun. When Miss Baugh saw the bottle and the spilled ink, she let out a little cry and looked for something to wipe up the ink with. The trick had succeeded beyond my expectations. But then I suddenly knew I had no control over what would happen next. When Miss Baugh tried to remove the ink with a paper towel, she discovered it was just a piece of black metal. She picked it up, her eyes sweeping the classroom with a deadly gaze. Then came the question: “Who did this?”

After some hesitation, I raised my hand. Miss Baugh fixed me with a stare that terrified me, and my classmates. And then, most unexpectedly, she laughed. “Well, it certainly fooled me!” she said. She returned the props to me, and for a few seconds a sweet little aged lady appeared right where Miss Baugh stood.

We got back to having a class. But something had changed for me. I began to realize that, if someone like Miss Baugh had a warm heart beneath that crusty surface, then other crusty people would probably do, too. That may have been the most valuable lesson I learned.

1. Which words best describe Miss Baugh according to paragraph 1?

A．Serious and experienced.	B．Easy-going and selfless.
C．Naughty and demanding.	D．Scary and narrow-minded.

2. What does the underlined word “pranks” probably mean in paragraph 2?

A．Bets.

B．Experiments.

C．Tricks.

D．Strategies.

3. What can we learn from paragraph 4?

A．Miss Baugh’s stare wasn’t as terrifying as before.

B．The author was given away and finally raised his hand.

C．Miss Baugh burst into laughter and gave the props back.

D．A little aged lady entered the classroom to give a lecture.

4. What valuable lesson did the author learn?

A．Crusty people can be easily changed.	B．Crusty people may be friendly to others.
C．Crusty people are difficult to get along with.	D．Crusty people are sensitive to others’ feelings.

5 . Photo Retouching Services

Fixthephoto offers online photo retouching (修图) services. Today we provide professional online retouching services of the highest level. Our retouchers make any kind of Photoshop work. Simply upload photos, write your requirements, and we’ll take care of the rest.

Photo Editing (编辑) Services We Provide:

Figure

Only $6 per photo. We will make portrait (肖像) photos look good and professionally edited. Our retouchers will improve body shapes and remove all unwanted imperfections.

Services included: color adjustment, skin smoothing, spots removal, and make-up correction.

Wedding

Only $0.25 per photo. Give a romantic feel to your photos. Our team will add highlights, adjust colors and improve the background fast.

Services included: color correction, smoothing out wrinkles on the skin and clothes and fixing lighting issues.

Product

Only $2.50 per photo. We will help you appeal to more customers. Our experts will skillfully edit your product photos and make them attractive.

Services included: background replacement, color correction, editing out shadows and noise reduction.

Jewellery

Only $5 per photo. Make your jewellery photos shine and look perfect. We will enhance jewels, replace background, make color correction and remove any unwanted objects.

Services included: background replacement, making the jewels look shiny, color enhancement, reflection removal and making metal surfaces smoother.

Use our online photo editing service, following just 4 simple steps:

1. Create an account and upload your photos.

2. Write detailed instructions and attach sample photos.

3. Get your edited photos back.

4. Accept the work or request changes.

Our photography retouchers will meet all your needs. You take photos, we edit.

1. How much will you spend if your portrait photo needs make-up correction?

A．$0.25.

B．$5.

C．$2.50.

D．$6.

2. Which two services provide background replacement?

A．Figure and Wedding.	B．Figure and Product.
C．Product and Jewellery.	D．Wedding and Jewellery.

3. What is the first thing you must do if you want to edit your photos?

A．Open an account on this website.	B．Upload your photos to retouchers.
C．Give a detailed self-introduction.	D．Take down your own requirements.

6 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the woman want to be when she was a student?

A．A doctor.

B．A teacher.

C．A lawyer.

2. Why did the woman hesitate to apply for the museum job at first?

A．It seemed a very difficult job.

B．Her mother advised her to wait.

C．She thought it might be boring.

3. What was the woman probably poor at?

A．Computers.

B．Languages.

C．Statistics.

4. What part of the job does the woman enjoy most?

A．Planning large exhibitions.

B．Writing descriptions of objects.

C．Talking to visitors about displays.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What did the man love most about Crete?

A．Its traditional villages.

B．Its coral rocks.

C．Its lovely beaches.

2. What did the man think of the hotel?

A．It was quite large.

B．It was well furnished.

C．It was worth the money.

3. Who did the woman travel with last month?

A．Her friends.

B．Her colleagues.

C．Her family.

8 . If you ask something of ChatGPT, an artificial-intelligence(AI) tool, you may immediately get the responses, completely certain and often wrong. The questions raised by technologies like ChatGPT cause much more tentative answers. But they are ones that managers ought to start asking.

One issue is how to deal with employees’ concerns about job security. Worries are natural. An AI that makes it easier to process your expenses is one thing; an AI that people would prefer to sit next to at a dinner party quite another. Being clear about how workers would redirect time and energy that is freed up by an AI helps foster acceptance. So does creating a sense of agency: research conducted by MIT Sloan Management Review and the Boston Consulting Group found that an ability to override an AI makes employees more likely to use it.

Arthur Jago of the University of Washington and Glenn Carroll of the Stanford Graduate School of Business investigate how willing people are to give rather than earn credit—specifically for work that someone did not do on their own. They showed volunteers something attributed to a specific person — an artwork, say, or a business plan — and then revealed that it had been created either with the help of an algorithm or with the help of human assistants. Everyone gave less credit to producers when they were told they had been helped, but this effect was more pronounced for work that involved human assistants.

The picture that emerges from such research is messy. It is also dynamic: just as technologies evolve, so will attitudes. But it is crystal-clear on one thing. The impact of ChatGPT and other AIs will depend not just on what they can do, but also on how they make people feel.

1. What should managers take into consideration when using technologies like ChatGPT?

A．Skills used for them.	B．Issues caused by them.
C．Accuracy ensured in them.	D．Alternatives discovered for them.

2. What can we learn about employees’ attitude towards AI from Paragraph 2?

A．They find it can make their work more complicated.

B．They think it is a threat for AI to replace them at work.

C．They consider it’s normal for AI to finish all their work.

D．They feel it’s vital for them to acknowledge its abilities.

3. What did the volunteers think of a task accomplished with AI algorithm?

A．They thought little of it.	B．They were unaware of it.
C．They spoke highly of it.	D．They felt envious about it.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．The limitation of AI.	B．The importance of Chat GPT
C．The relationship between AI and humans.	D．The practical application of Chat GPT.

9 . King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table
By Roger Lancelyn Creen

I loved reading when I was little. I think that’s the reason I love writing for children. My parents were both English teachers, and our home was full of books. Dickens was a family favourite. But the book that really fired my imagination was King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green, which my father read to me at bedtime when I was around 12.

Diary of a Nobody
By George and Weedon Grossmith

I’m a fool for a classic, and I’m so glad I finally came across Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith. It began life as a serial in Punch, with text by Ceorge and illustrations by Weedon. Put simply, it’s the funniest book I’ve ever read, and the model for so many brilliant first-person narratives like Adrian Mole and Bridget Jones. The short pitch is that it follows the social climbing of a London clerk, Charles Pooter but of course it’s so much more than that, poking fun at all things from middle class.

Exhalation
By Ted Chiang

It’s never too late to have your life changed by a book, and it happened to me again recently when I read Ted Chiang’s Exhalation. Ted Chiang wrote Story of Your Life, which inspired the sci-fi alien-visitation classic Arrival. I love that too, but each and every piece in Exhalation is its match in writing skills. If there are super-intelligent aliens in the galaxy seeking to communicate important truths, Ted Chiang may well be one of them.

1. What is special about the book King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table?

A．It describes a story of intelligent aliens.

B．It stimulates the author’s imagination of writing.

C．It helps the author to improve the writing skills.

D．It opens a window for the author to understand classics.

2. Who has drawn pictures for the book Diary of a Nobody?

A．Roger Lancelyn Green.	B．George.
C．Weedon Grossmith.	D．Ted Chiang.

3. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A diary.

B．A novel.

C．A guidebook.

D．A magazine.

10 . No matter where you go, you’ll notice something strange about trees—the fact that their bottoms are painted white. Generally speaking, the purpose of whitewashing is to protect trees from heat and insects.     1    . Let’s check them out!

Blocking the sun

You might sometimes notice that some tree trunks’ surfaces get dry and crack easily.     2    . Simply put, they are exposed to the burning sun and the temperatures change wildly between day and night. Fortunately, painting a tree’s trunk white is similar to adding sunscreen, which helps block the sun.

Heat protection

    3    .White paint reflects the heat and allows trees to spend more time on transpiration (蒸腾) and growing their fruits. Additionally, when trees are cooler, they have less stress, which makes their stomata (气孔) stay open a bit longer for the exchange of gases.

Defending against pests

More often than not, a tree’s surface will crack, allowing insects to creep inside.     4    . Therefore, people whitewash trees using latex paint and water, which prevents insects from climbing up trees and entering inside through the cracks.

    5    

Last but not least, the surface of trees is painted white to make them more visible, specifically for those on the side of the road. Why is that important? Because accidents involving trees are extremely common, especially during the night, when drivers can not see them much more clearly.

A．Stopping accidents

B．Improving visibility

C．Whitewashing is a good way to solve the problem

D．The cause of this phenomenon has already been found

E．Whitewashing helps young trees remain cool in spring

F．However, there’re many other reasons for whitewashing trees

G．Bacteria will feed on the tree’s inner parts, eventually killing it