1 . Here are some highly recommended books for readers to choose.
Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? by Lizzie Damilola Blackburn $23.92
Lizzie Damilola Blackburn’s first published novel is incredibly relatable for anybody whose family members frequently question their relationship status. In Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? a thirty-something Nigerian woman attempts to find herself a wedding date and learns some valuable lessons about life and love.
Violeta by Isabel Allende $ 25.76
Isabel Allende’s expansive collection of works continues with Violeta — the story of a woman named Violeta Del Valle who gives readers a front-row seat to historic moments of the 20th century, from the Spanish flu to the Great Depression to the women’s rights movement, as she recounts the highs and lows of her 100-year life in a series of letters to her grandson.
The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen $15.64
Loved Leah Konen’s All the Broken People? Prepare yourself for her newest thriller (惊悚小说), The Perfect Escape, which is about a group of friends whose girls’ weekend goes wrong when they land themselves in deep trouble in the Catskills and one of them goes missing.
Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner $24.84
Talk about suspense! Katherine Faulkner’s Greenwich Park, told from three angles, centers on a pregnant woman who meets another mom-to-be who couldn’t be more different from her. As their friendship develops, they realize they may be more connected than they think.
1. What can we know about Lizzie Damilola Blackburn?| A．She is a new rising novelist. |
| B．She has never written a book before. |
| C．She is good at creating romance novels. |
| D．She aims at sharing valuable lessons through writing. |
| A．Violeta. | B．Greenwich Park. |
| C．The Perfect Escape. | D．Yinka, Where Is Your Huzband? |
| A．A news report. | B．An advertisement. |
| C．A book review. | D．A reading guidance. |
2 . Some libraries use unique architecture to encourage visitors to settle down with a new book, or use roving (流动的) libraries to bring books to hard-to-reach populations. However they achieve it, these novel libraries are keeping the magic of reading alive.
Macquarie University Library (Sydney, Australia)Featuring a green roof, this building, made from recycled materials, was designed to imitate the look of a eucalyptus tree. It is also an art form, using robot cranes to bring requested books to the front desk.
The Camel Library Service (North Eastern Province, Kenya)To deal with low literacy rates in the desert of Kenya, the government created a roaming library composed of nine camels bringing books to villages. The library travels four days a week serving the region’s disadvantaged people.
Bishan Library (Singapore)With glass pods of various colors sticking out of the building randomly, this library, built in 2006, is meant to create comfortable yet airy nooks (角落) for reading throughout the building. At the same time, a more wide-open children’s room on the basement level invites interaction while preventing noise from filtering (过滤) upward.
Seikei University Library (Tokyo, Japan)Libraries are usually known for their quiet atmosphere, but this one encourages conversation. Pritzker Prize-winner Shigeru Ban designed the library with space-age, free-standing soundproofed pods (系统) to respect those who need uninterrupted study, while also being beneficial to other methods of learning; they serve as perfect spots for study groups and lively discussions.
1. Who would probably choose to visit Macquarie University Library?| A．Animal lovers. | B．Talkative people. |
| C．Noisy children. | D．Environmental protectors. |
| A．Bishan Library. | B．Seikei University Library. |
| C．Macquarie University Library. | D．The Camel Library Service. |
| A．They ban lively group discussions. | B．They have special sound-proof design. |
| C．They provide a space for kids to read. | D．They win prizes for designing in architecture. |
3 . In Singapore, it seems like art can be seen at every turn. Throughout the year, festivals, live performances, and concerts add to the vibrancy (活力) of the creative community. Here are some of the biggest art festivals.
SINGAPORE ART WEEK
When: January
Over the course of 10 days, this massive visual art celebration organizes more than 130 art events at museums, galleries, independent art spaces, and public places across Singapore from the city center to the heartland neighborhoods. Visitors can have discussions with artists, and attend art exhibitions and workshops that explore art and culture in Asia. Whether you’re interested in Sudanese architecture or cute Japanese paintings, there’s an event for everyone.
ART SG
When: January
During the biggest art fair in Southeast Asia, more than 150 of the world’s best galleries will showcase their collection of more than 1,000 artists at the Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Center. From 12-15 January, this large-scale art show highlights paintings, sculptures, and photography from galleries like the influential Gagosian and London’s White Cube.
SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS
When: May
This annual performance art festival pushes the boundaries of physical and virtual spaces and explores The Anatomy of Performance through music, film, dance, musicals, and plays. The festival’s lineup includes a broad range of programs from local and international artists, ranging from orchestral performances to different styles of modern and traditional dances.
SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL
When: August
For one week each August, the Bras Basah. Bugis district lights up for this multi-dimensional art festival, with more than a dozen light installations (装置), stage shows, and theater performances. The National Museum of Singapore sponsors the event. It also acts as a major venue for various performances and demonstrations along with the Singapore Art Museum and the Peranakan Museum.
1. What can visitors do at SINGAPORE ART WEEK?| A．Go to workshops. | B．Watch virtual performances. |
| C．Admire Japanese architecture. | D．Appreciate the works from Gagosian. |
| A．Four days. | B．Ten days. | C．A week. | D．A month. |
| A．ART SG. | B．SINGAPORE ART WEEK. |
| C．SINGAPORE NIGHT FESTIVAL. | D．SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS. |
4 . ChatGPT has quickly become popular around the world because of its advanced conversational abilities. It can answer questions, do translations, give the main idea of articles and even write codes (代码) for a computer program. It is as good as a human inside a computer.
ChatGPT is making life very convenient. A time might come when people hand it some articles and it makes a well-made report. That could, however, mean job losses. After all, if a computer program can write codes, then it would make a programmer lose his job.
That may be a worry, but it is still too early to worry about that. ChatGPT has more advanced learning features, but it still follows the same technological way. Its biggest advantage lies in the ability to turn words into a language from an ocean of data, but it's still not that creative. AI can quickly draw a picture, but that picture will be based on pictures that it has seen. It can also write books about the future, but the books will be based on articles about the future that it has read.
In comparison, a human brain imagines the future and then tries hard to realize it. AI can imagine a future with faster spaceships, but it can't imagine a world of space as humans can.
So there is no need to worry too much. By being creative there will be plenty of chances for humans to win over AI.
1. What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．The world. | B．ChatGPT. | C．A computer. | D．A program. |
| A．By telling stories. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By listing numbers. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．It has its own creativity. |
| B．It has conversational abilities. |
| C．It has more advanced learning features. |
| D．It has the ability to turn words into a language. |
| A．Sports. | B．Science. | C．Education. | D．Business. |
5 . Thanks to a generous and kind soul, this winter is not cold any more. A Stockton teen will make sure seniors are staying warm and unforgotten during the holiday season, because dozens of elders across the nation are getting socks for Christmas — they couldn’t be happier about it.
Elle Gianelli, 17, is a student in high school, but most of her friends are elders. She has been making colored socks with silly designs for years, sending them to seniors in nursing and care homes to brighten up their day.
It all started from the closer-than-close friendship she has with her grandmother, which taught the value of spending time with elders. “I’m a grandma’s girl, I love love love my nana,” Gianelli said. On putting forward the idea, she was supported by her family and friends. Later, she was encouraged by her teachers who started the project Socks for Seniors when she was in her 7th grade, and she has so far lighted up 92 care homes in 48 states.
But as Christmas approaches, she’s making efforts to prepare her surprise in order to send boxes of silly socks to elders in all 50 states in time for the big day. “I know most people have toys for babies and things for kids but they always seem to forget about elders,” Gianelli told CBS. “Maybe they don’t have family or maybe they live super far away and they’re only getting something like a postcard.” To make sure that elders’ toes and hearts remain warm this holiday season, Gianelli is hoping to raise $10,000 through GoFundMe for a big sock drive. So far, with still 19 days to go before Christmas, she has received 95% of her total in donations.
1. What’s elders’ feeling on getting the socks?| A．Overjoyed. | B．Embarrassed. | C．Confused. | D．Frightened. |
| A．Teachers’ guidance. | B．Christmas project. |
| C．Love for her grandma. | D．Encouragement from friends. |
| A．She also has toys and things for kids. | B．She will send socks to seniors in 48 states. |
| C．She still has 19 days to prepare the surprise. | D．She has raised $10,000 through GoFundMe. |
| A．Warm Gifts From a Teen. | B．The Wishes of the Elders. |
| C．A Special Relationship. | D．A Wonderful School Project. |
| A．She is not in the mood. |
| B．She likes talking during a movie. |
| C．She doesn’t want to go out with him. |
