1 . Thanks to artificial intelligence, education is more accessible and efficient than ever. To give you an overview of the industry, we round up some AI technology applied in education.
Duolingo
Duolingo provides listening, reading and speaking exercises in dozens of global languages, all the while providing aspects of gamification to keep users coming back. By applying AI, Duolingo’s lessons are paced and leveled specifically for each student according to their performance. It also uses data and machine learning to make course improvements, taking into consideration the differences of various languages.
Amira Learning
Amira Learning is a virtual learning application created to accelerate young students’ reading comprehension. Using AI technology, Amira has students read stories aloud and can assess oral reading fluency as well as identify areas for improvement. For teachers and parents, Amira also provides services such as student progress reports and dyslexia (阅读障碍) risk screening.
Blippar
Blippar’s products combine computer vision intelligence technology and augmented reality to enhance the way students learn in the classroom. The interactive materials bring subjects like geography, biology and physics to a visual space. For example, instead of reading about a volcanic eruption, the system shows students a virtual 3D model of the eruption process.
Nuance
Nuance makes speech-to-text software used by students and faculty to transcribe (转成) up to 160 words per minute. The technology is especially helpful for students who struggle with writing or have limited mobility. It also enhances spelling ability and word identification. Instructors use the software to dictate lectures for later use or quicken repetitive tasks like document and email creation.
1. Which platform uses gamification to engage users in language learning?| A．Amira Learning. | B．Blippar. |
| C．Nuance. | D．Duolingo. |
| A．Speech-to-text software. |
| B．Reading comprehension. |
| C．Computer vision intelligence technology. |
| D．Personalized language learning with gamification. |
| A．They focus on language learning. |
| B．They specialize in science subjects. |
| C．They use technology to aid learning. |
| D．They offer computer programming courses. |
2 . Plan a day-trip to Little Switzerland for some wintertime fun
Jim Thorpe, about 30 miles from Allentown, will hold its annual Winter Fest from Thursday, Feb. 15, through Sunday, Feb. 18. The celebration will feature ice carvings, live entertainment, train rides, horse-drawn carriage rides and a luminaria walk through its downtown area.
In honor of an Olympic gold medalist, who is buried in a grave on North Street, the mountain town changed its name to Jim Thorpe in 1954. Whichever side you land on, Jim Thorpe — known for whitewater rafting, cycling and music festivals — is a unique destination any time of year, with winter bringing its own unique pleasures.
The festival features concerts, yoga and horse and buggy rides. Mauch Chunk Opera House, 14 W. Broadway, will hold a Rush Experience tribute concert at 8 p. m. Friday. Tickets cost $ 24. On Saturday, an ELO and Jeff Lynne tribute concert will begin at 8 p. m. Tickets cost $ 37.
You can check out the yoga class at 10 a. m. Saturday with Stacey Valdez of Fairy Moon Yoga at 41 W. Broadway. Admission is $ 20. The class, suitable for all levels, is one hour and bring your own mat.
Also Saturday: various bands performing in Josiah White Park along with a live ice carving at 5 W. Broadway. The Jim Thorpe Trolley Company will offer trolley rides (weather permitting) on Saturday and Sunday. Or you can horse around on a carriage ride by Crystal View Carriage Company on Friday through Sunday. No reservations are being taken, so arrive early.
For something more scenic, catch a train ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway Thursday-Monday. Advanced tickets are highly recommended.
1. What do we know about the town Jim Thorpe?| A．It is located by the seaside. | B．It is named after an athlete. |
| C．It holds the festival twice a year. | D．It is a good tourist attraction only in winter. |
| A．$61. | B．$40. | C．$48. | D．$74. |
| A．To ride a horse to wander around. | B．To book train tickets ahead of time. |
| C．To reserve seats in Josiah White Park. | D．To take a taxi for something more scenic. |
Karl was Fred’s son. When his son was little, Fred’s wife passed away, so a mountainous responsibility landed on Fred’s shoulders. Fred was fond of and cared about his son so much that he raised his son with all his heart and soul. He taught him to walk, talk, read and write. He also taught him how to be a true and moral man. When Karl came home with an injury due to falling off his bike or something else, it would hurt Fred’s heart more than it would hurt the boy. Whenever Karl went down with a fever, Fred would sit beside him day and night, barely sleeping a wink (合眼). He always supported Karl in every aspect. Gradually, Karl grew up to become an adult.
How deeply Fred loved his son! However, Fred was unprepared for the day when his beloved son Karl told him he would leave and start his own business in a new city.
“But, Karl, you are too young to start a business,” Fred warned his son. “You still have a long way to go. I think you can help me manage the cafe my grandma left to me first. This way, I’d be able to teach you more about business.” But Karl was stubborn and wouldn’t follow Fred’s advice. “Dad, I am not a kid anymore, so allow me to determine my life. OK?” said Karl. One week later, Karl packed his things and left for the new city, leaving the sad and worried father behind.
Three months passed. One night, Fred got a call from his son. It was strange because Karl seldom called him up after he left for the new city. “Dad, I should have followed your suggestions and stayed at home. I went bankrupt (破产的) and I am in debt now,” Karl said. “I knew this would happen someday,” Fred painfully thought. He planned to help his son and made one of his most difficult choices. “Don’t worry, my son. Luckily, you will succeed to (继承) a huge amount of money from your uncle, soon,” Fred told Karl.
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。
“Oh, I am so fortunate,” said Kurl.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________On his way back home, Kar l was wondering how his father was.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . Lamar Giles is the author of several praised novels and short stories for young adults. His most recent novel is called The Getaway (Scholastic Press, 2022).
I recently spoke with Giles via video. Born and raised in Virginia, he has had a passion for writing, he told me, since he was a child. “It was just amusing to me,” he said.
Growing up in Hopewell, Giles experienced poverty and racism. He recalled a frightening moment when he and his friends were stopped by police officers. “They were pulling out really big, scary weapons,” Giles recalled, “threatening us for no reason, other than the fact that we were young, Black children.”
When Giles was in his early 20s, he met professional authors who showed him that he could make a living doing what he loved. At age 21, he saw one of his stories published in a little-known magazine. It took another decade for Giles to write and publish his first novel.
The challenges Giles met with when growing up proved to be a catalyst (催化剂) for his writing. “When something scares me, I’ll write about it,” he said. “If I write a story around it, it makes me feel better about the fear and anxiety.”
The author’s thriller (惊险小说) for young adults, Fake ID (Amistad Books for Young Readers, 2015), tells the story of Nick Pearson. The character, who is Black, faces racial profiling in his hometown, as Giles did. Nick is suspected of committing a crime because of his race and his “shady” neighborhood. In one scene, he is held at the county jail after being falsely accused by a governor of a state.
Giles is also a co-founder of We Need Diverse Books. The nonprofit organization promotes diversity initiatives in the publishing industry, supporting authors whose stories are often ignored. The goal, Giles said, is to enable all kids to see themselves in the books they read.
1. What does the underlined word “It” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Video. | B．Novel. | C．Passion. | D．Writing. |
| A．He tried his best to write books. | B．He lived in poverty and horror. |
| C．He lived under police protection. | D．He got along well with his friends. |
| A．They inspired him to write. | B．They changed his attitude to life. |
| C．They prevented him turning a writer. | D．They made him become strong-willed. |
| A．He was Giles’ best friend. | B．He devoted himself to writing. |
| C．He was wrongly imprisoned. | D．He founded a nonprofit organization. |
5 . The glass armonica (玻璃琴), also known as a glass harmonica or simply armonica, is a musical instrument that produces sound by rubbing glass with wet fingers. It was invented by Benjamin Franklin in 1761.
The instrument consists of a series of glass bowls of varying sizes, fixed straight on a spindle (轴). The glass bowls are arranged in order of size, with the largest bowl on one end and the smallest on the other.
Franklin came up with the idea after attending a concert in Cambridge. The performer was rubbing wine glasses to produce musical notes. Franklin thought that was not efficient. He decided to invent a set of musical instruments made of glass.
So, he hired a London glassmaker to construct 36 bowls to specific thicknesses and sizes. He fixed the bowls horizontally on a spindle with the largest bowl on one end and the smallest on the other. In this way the musician can play the glass bowls like a keyboard.
The glass armonica became prevalent during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Mozart and Beethoven both composed chamber pieces for it.
But by the 1820s, it was nearly a forgotten instrument in fears that it had the power to drive the listener mad. Some armonica players became ill and had to stop playing the instrument. They complained of muscle spasms (痉挛), nervousness, cramps, and dizziness. A few listeners were also affected. The instrument was actually banned in a few towns. “The armonica too inspires the nerves, drives the player into a troublesome depression and later into a dark and sad mood that is a method for slow self-destroying.”
However, no explanation or proof was ever really given to any of these claims. Franklin himself ignored all of the argument and continued to play the instrument until the end of his life.
1. How are the glass bowls arranged to form this instrument?| A．By their thickness. | B．By their shapes. | C．By their weight. | D．By their sizes. |
| A．A failed performance. | B．An unsuccessful concert. |
| C．An unusual performer. | D．A couple glasses of wine. |
| A．Fearful. | B．Popular. | C．Strange. | D．Tiresome. |
| A．Bad remarks about the instrument. | B．Terrible sounds made by the instrument. |
| C．Bans on this instrument everywhere. | D．This instrument’s great appeal to people. |
6 . “On the very first day of 2024, I saw the snow of Kilimanjaro, not from the novel written by Ernest Hemingway, but from the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro!” Xu Zhuoyuan, a 17-year-old mountaineer who’d stood on top of Mount Qomolangma last May, climbed onto the tallest peak in Africa, making herself the youngest Chinese girl that conquered it.
Xu’s passion for mountaineering was motivated by her father, who himself reached many peaks, including Mount Qomolangma. And her mountaineering journey began on a family trip to Xizang and Sichuan four years ago. For many years, Xu devoted herself to rigorous training. She went to the mountains in Yunnan and Sichuan every month, climbing peaks over 5,000 meters and doing daily physical exercises like running, swimming and rope skipping. All that hard work got her ready for the challenges she would face on Kilimanjaro.
Above 4000 meters on Mount Kilimanjaro, the climate is similar to a desert, with big temperature differences. The whole climb took 7 days, during which Xu faced unpredictable weather such as rain and strong winds. Staying warm and avoiding heat loss was the main challenge. Xu had to be very sensitive to any temperature changes and adjust her clothing accordingly. This climb was also a learning experience for Xu. She was climbing with Xia Boyu (aged 74), the first Chinese climber to summit Mount Qomolangma with an artificial leg, who’d inspired Xu a lot.
Mountaineering, Xu discovered, is not just about being strong physically; it is also a journey of self-discovery. “In climbing and life, it’s important to know when to let go of things that are weighing us down and how to re start when we feel ready,” she reflected.
1. What inspired Xu Zhuoyuan’s interest in climbing mountains?| A．A novel written by Ernest Hemingway. |
| B．A former trip to Mount Qomolangma. |
| C．Her father’s success in mountaineering. |
| D．Her family trip to Xizang and Sichuan. |
| A．Flexible. | B．Strict. | C．Casual. | D．Dangerous. |
| A．She was accompanied by a disabled climber. |
| B．There was a desert 4000 meters on Mount Kilimanjaro. |
| C．Weather condition was unstable above Mount Kilimanjaro. |
| D．Clothes adjustment was needed due to temperature changes. |
| A．Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro—A Chinese Girl’s Bravery. |
| B．Conquering New Heights —A Story of Passion. |
| C．Mountaineering—A Journey of Self-discovery. |
| D．Mount Kilimanjaro —A Destination of Inspiration. |
7 . Do you know that all sorts of adventures can happen in educational settings after sundown? Here’s a round-up of sites where the fun continues as night falls.
Ripley’s Aquarium
TORONTO, CANADA
Ever wondered how sweet your dreams would be while sleeping in an aquarium’s shark tunnel that holds around 2.9 million litres of water? You can find out during an Overnight Reef Adventure. Green sawfish, sand tiger sharks, Queensland groupers, and green sea turtles will be your companions for the night.
California Academy of Sciences
SAN FRANCISCO, US
This awe-inspiring museum in Golden Gate Park hosts regular Penguins + Pajamas Sleepovers. As the name suggests, pack your pajamas, grab a sleeping bag, and spend a night under the same roof as a colony of African penguins. You can explore a rainforest full of free-flying birds and foreign reptiles (爬行动物) before lights-out. There’s also a planetarium (天文馆) that’s truly out of this world.
Kennedy Space Center
FLORIDA, US
In the Kennedy Space Center, youth groups and visitors making private bookings can have after-hours opportunity to enjoy hands-on challenges, watch a 3D movie in an IMAX theatre, and go on a Q&A session with a former NASA astronaut who’s travelled into space. What’s more, you get to sleep either underneath a 110 m-long Saturn V moon rocket or beside the space shuttle Atlantis.
1. At Ripley’s Aquarium, what will visitors encounter?| A．Foreign reptiles. | B．African penguins. |
| C．Free-flying birds. | D．Sand tiger sharks. |
| A．Travelers seeking sea adventures. | B．Locals eager for outdoor activities. |
| C．Teenagers attracted by hands-on challenges. | D．Visitors interested in space and animals. |
| A．They are all located in the US. | B．They only open after sundown. |
| C．They all offer overnight experiences. | D．They all feature interactive sections. |
1. Why does the man want to talk with the woman?
| A．She has a problem at home. |
| B．She has had a quarrel with her classmate. |
| C．She doesn’t get on well with her schoolwork. |
| A．He’s the girl’s pet. | B．He’s the girl’s boyfriend. | C．He’s the girl’s neighbour. |
| A．To handle her feelings. | B．To help her to raise a cat. | C．To make up for her lost lessons. |
9 . Must-Reads of This Year and Beyond
Memphis, Tara M. StringfellowIt’s Stringfellow’s first novel, a story about three generations of Black women in the American South and their challenges, failures, joys, sorrows, and achievements. I had heard about this novel months before its release and looked forward to reading it, but I was excited with the extent of Stringfellow’s storytelling talent. The author shows great insight about Black women in America.
Very Cold People, Sarah MangusoIt follows a girl’s coming-of-age in the 1980s and 1990s. Set in a fictional town in Massachusetts, which is proud of its old history and rigid class structures, this is an unforgettable book about the loneliness of growing up in a place where you are deeply aware you don’t belong , but pretend that you do in order to survive.
The Star that Always Stays, Anna Rose JohnsonIt is set in the early 1900s. Johnson’s writing is gentle, unhurried and reflective—with touches of humor and heartbreak. She showcases Norvia, a courageous young hero fighting against universal daily-life challenges. This new release could be paired well with The Birchbark House series by Louise Erdrich.
Tell Me I’m an Artist, Chelsea MartinJoey, a college student from a lower-class family, feels out of her depth at art school, where wealth seems necessary for self-realization. To finish an experimental-film assignment, she has decided to remake the movie Rushmore without ever having seen it. The book perfectly deals with the problems of financial insecurity and artistic self-doubt.
1. Who does “I” refer to in the first part?| A．The book’s author. | B．The book’s reviewer. |
| C．The book’s publisher. | D．The book’s character. |
| A．Memphis. | B．Very Cold People. |
| C．Tell Me I’m an Artist. | D．The Star that Always Stays. |
| A．She wants a breakthrough in art. | B．She was born into a rich family. |
| C．She wrote the play Rushmore. | D．She’s directed many films in college. |
10 . AP at a Glance
Get an Overview of the AP ProgramThe Advanced Placement ® Program (AP) enables willing and academically-prepared students to pursue college-level studies while they are still in high school. The program develops college-level courses that high schools can choose to offer and corresponding AP exams that are administered once a year.
Fast Facts·AP courses are available in seven subject categories.
·Each AP course is modeled on a comparable introductory college course in the subject.
·Each course comes to an end in a standardized college-level assessment or an AP exam.
·AP exams are given in May each year at testing locations all over the world.
·Schools must be authorized by the AP Course Audit to offer approved AP courses and use the “AP” designation (名称).
AdvantagesTaking AP courses and exams can help students:
·Stand out on college applications. AP courses on a student’s transcript (学生成绩报告单) show that they’ve challenged themselves with the strictest courses available to them. And success on an AP exam shows that they’re ready for college-level coursework.
·Earn college credits and skip introductory courses in college. Most four-year colleges and universities in the United States, as well as many institutions in more than 100 other countries, grant students’ credit, placement, or both for qualifying AP exam scores.
1. Who are suitable to apply for the program?| A．Middle school teachers. |
| B．High school students. |
| C．Program designers. |
| D．Company administrators. |
| A．Study seven reports. |
| B．Earn enough credits. |
| C．Take a relevant exam. |
| D．Use the “AP” designation. |
| A．Getting a high school transcript sooner. |
| B．More foreign universities to be chosen from. |
| C．Studying more introductory courses in college. |
| D．Higher possibility of being admitted to a university. |
