1 . Abstract painter Harold Cohen had represented Britain at important festivals with his oil paintings and was seeking a new challenge by the end of 1960s. “Maybe there are more interesting things going on outside my studio than inside it,” he thought. Cohen turned from the canvas to the screen, using computers to find new ways of creating art. In the late 1960s, he created a program that he named Aaron. It was the first artificial intelligence software in the world of fine art, and Cohen first presented Aaron in 1974 at the University of California.

Now, with AI dominating the headlines, a new exhibition at New York’s Whitney Museum of American Art, “Harold Cohen: Aaron,” running through June 2024, draws attention to Cohen’s pioneering work. The Whitney is offering something deeper than most previous Aaron exhibits: a real-time experience, in which visitors can watch the software produce art.

Cohen seeded Aaron with all sorts of knowledge: about basic objects, physics, and fundamental techniques of drawing. Aaron uses this knowledge to follow instructions, complete tasks, and make decisions like human beings — a very different approach from today’s generative AI art programs, which don't draw from scratch (从零开始) but rather rely on databases of images. Versions of Aaron still generate output, but anything done after Cohen’s death in 2016 is not considered genuine.

The Whitney is showcasing two versions of Cohen’s software, along with the art that each produced before Cohen died. The 2001 version, Aaron KCAT, generates images of figures and plants and projects them onto a wall more than ten feet high, while the 2007 version produces jungle-like scenes. The software will also create art physically, on paper, for the first time since the 1990s. “It is absolutely thrilling,” said Christiane Paul, the museum’s director of digital art, “to have one of those remarkable treasures of digital art in the collection.”

1. What made Aaron created?

A．Harold’s curiosity.	B．The museum’s donation.
C．Visitors’ expectation.	D．The university’s support.

2. What can visitors do in the “Harold Cohen: Aaron” exhibition?

A．See the original 1960s version of Aaron.	B．Generate images with the help of Aaron.
C．Learn about the physical rules in art.	D．Observe Aaron creating art on the spot.

3. What makes Aaron different from modern AI art programs?

A．Its ability to assign tasks.	B．Its use of modern techniques.
C． Its capability to make choices.	D． Its dependence on existing database.

4. What is the text mainly about?

A．The masterpieces of digital art.	B．A new show of the art world’s first AI.
C．The latest technologies in the Whitney.	D．Harold Cohen’s impact on generative AI.

2 . Hawaii lawmakers are considering legislation (立法) that would require visitors to pay for a year-long license or pass to visit state parks. Josh Green is the state’s governor. He said, “We get between 9 and 10 million visitors a year, but we only have 1.4 million people living here.” He added, “Those 10 million travellers should be helping us sustain our environment.” Lawmakers still debating how much they would charge.

The governor campaigned in 2022 on the idea of having all tourists pay a $50 fee to enter the state. Legislators think this would violate US constitutional protections for free travel. They instead think visitors should pay to enter parks and trails. Either policy would be a first of its kind for any US state. Hawaii’s leaders are following the example of other popular tourist areas with similar fees or taxes. They include Venice, Italy, and Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands.

Hawaii State Representative Sean Quinlan is the leader of the House Tourism Committee. He said changes in the activities of travellers are part of Hawaii’s push. He said golf rounds per visitor per day have dropped 30 percent over the past 10 years while hiking has increased50 percent. People are also seeking out isolated places they have seen on social media. The state does not have the money to oversee and protect all these places, he said.

Most state parks and trails are currently free. Some of the most popular ones already charge, like Diamond Head State Monument. That trail leads hikers from the floor of a 300,000-year-old volcano up to the top. It gets 1 million visitors each year and costs $5for each traveller.

A bill currently before the legislature would require visitors over the age of 15to buy a yearly pass to visit forests, parks, trails or “other natural area on state land”. People who live in Hawaii would not need to pay.

1. What does the underlined word “violate” mean in Paragraph 2?

A．Break.

B．Establish.

C．Uphold.

D．Perfect.

2. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The decreasing number of tourists to Hawaii.

B．Advantages of Hawaii’s tourism resources.

C．The increasing financial burden of Hawaii.

D．One reason for wanting to charge tourists.

3. What can be concluded from the text?

A．None of the attractions in Hawaii charge fees currently.

B．The goal to charge fees is to limit the number of tourists.

C．Lawmakers are arguing about whether charging fees is legal.

D．Charging fees is beneficial for Hawaii’s natural environment.

4. What is the text?

A．A news report.	B．A travel guide.
C．A law textbook.	D．A promotional brochure.

3 . I had a great time with the film Turning Red, which follows Meilin, a thirteen-year-old girl who suddenly begins turning into a giant red panda.

The film was set in 2002 when I would’ve been around Meilin’s age. It was a joy for me to watch a film that I could relate to. The film illustrates the push-pull that many immigrant families face: how much of their culture to keep and how much to assimilate(融入). There are beautiful traces of Chinese culture throughout this film, including gorgeous food, time around the table, relationships with extended family, and more.

In the film, women in Meilin’s family suffer a curse(诅咒). As soon as they begin to blossom into womanhood, they transform into a giant red panda whenever they express any strong emotion. Thus, they have learned that emotional repression is the way to go. It was beautiful to watch this young girl choose the different path of emotional wellness instead of holding back her feelings.

It’s not a surprise that the director Domee Shi, who is around my age, chose this plotline. Many people my age are on that similar path Meilin finds herself on. We honor our parents and what they have done for us, but we’re also choosing to be more emotionally healthy and trying to live differently than we were taught.

The part of Turning Red I particularly loved is the ending. Though Meilin’s mom, grandma, and aunts see that it’s possible to integrate their red pandas into their lives, they don’t choose that path. Instead, they choose to bottle their pandas up once again. However, they do get a new perspective on this young, groundbreaking girl. It’s such a sweet reminder that not everyone can go on the same journey toward emotional health, and that’s okay.

If all of them had embraced their pandas, I think the ending would’ve felt incredibly cheese and taken away some of the power of the story. So we get a conclusion that is satisfying and heart-warming without being too much of a fairy tale.

1. Why did the author enjoy watching Turning Red?

A．She found a connection with the story.

B．She followed a life path similar to its director.

C．She adored the appealing design of the red panda.

D．She valued its emphasis on the beautiful Chinese culture.

2. What does the underlined word “repression” in the third paragraph mean?

A．Disturbance.

B．Control.

C．Wellness.

D．Expression.

3. What does the author think of the ending of the film?

A．Bittersweet.

B．Idealized.

C．Realistic.

D．Cheesy.

4. What is the central dilemma faced by Meilin in Turning Red?

A．“Can I embrace my true self?”

B．“Should I prioritize my family?”

C．“Can I uncover the curse’s secret?”

D．“Should I explore diverse cultures?”

4 . Health, as the old saying goes, is over wealth, so it’s of great significance to keep fit. You can take away our money, our house, or our clothes and we can survive.     1     That is why I eat healthfully, exercise regularly, and keep up my social life.

Eating healthfully is important to maintain one’s health. I try to avoid foods high in fat like French fries or cookies. I also try to limit the amount of animal protein I consume.     2     So, it is important to know how to cook these foods so that the nutrients are not lost in the cooking process.

Our muscles must continue to be strong to support our body as we age. Exercise helps the bones build density and helps us maintain our posture.     3     A regular exercise program of cardiovascular training and weight training is an important part of keeping us healthy.

    4     Studies have shown that people with a wide range of social contacts get fewer colds and recover faster from diseases than those who aren’t socially active. For the sake of health, I like to play and interact with my friends and I always feel better when I am with them than when I am alone.

By eating properly and exercising regularly, I can keep my body at an appropriate weight and can maintain my health. By spending time with my friends, I can keep my mind as well as my body happy.     5    

A．It can also strengthen our muscles.

B．Take away our health and we will die.

C．Friends are an important part of one’s health.

D．These are my three secrets to keeping a healthy lifestyle.

E．Besides, I always stay away from junk food which lacks nutrients.

F．By joining in relaxing activities, I can refresh myself to study well.

G．Instead, I eat lots of vegetables and fruit which are rich in fiber and vitamins.

5 . HOW TO DO HARD THINGS

It’s an inconvenient truth that the road to success isn’t a secret. Most of us know exactly what we need to do to improve our lives.     1     We prefer things that feel good and avoid things that we know are hard but most effective. Follow these tips to get hard things done with less struggle.

First, you need to make sure you know what the hard, but effective thing is in the skill or job that you want to improve.     2     It’s usually the thing that creates the output. For writers, it’s writing. For musicians, it’s writing a song. For athletes, it’s doing a workout.

Figure out your why. Make sure you know why you want to do this hard thing.     3     So figure out your why and frequently remind yourself of it. Write it down and put it where you can see it. The stronger your why, the better.

    4     Every day at a particular hour, you will do this hard thing. Pure focus, no multi-tasking. Take it easy at first and gradually lengthen the amount of time you spend on this. Enjoy it, too. You’re a winner and you can do it.

Leave the doubts behind. When you’re doing something hard, your brain will try to find ways to stop doing it. You’ll want to look things up or find easy ways of doing the hard thing. Don’t give in to these tempting arguments during your hard work sessions.     5    

If you keep improving yourself by doing hard things, you’ll be getting better at your targeted skill. So don’t spend too much time working around the hard task. Just do the hard thing instead.

A．This should be easy to figure out.

B．Change your thinking so the hard thing looks good.

C．But we don’t do those things because they are hard.

D．Make a commitment and turn the hard thing into a habit.

E．If you are not clear about it, you’ll lose motivation quickly.

F．Do whatever you want after or before, but stay focused during.

G．Life is hard sometimes, and you will have to do hard things at some point.

6 . There’s been an enormous amount of progress in language-generating AI over the past couple of years. OpenAI’s GPT-3, for example, is a language generator that’s been trained on 570 GB of text, and is able to write convincing essays. Google, of course, is working on language generators too, and its latest one helps you write like a legendary poet.

Google’s new AI tool, Verse by Verse, allows users to compose a poem using “suggestions” from classic American poets. The AI generates these suggestions based on what it’s collected from reading the poets’ oeuvres. That is, the program uses machine-learning algorithms (算法) to identify the language patterns of a particular poet’s work, then applies those to text it generates as the suggestions.

The tool works by allowing users to select from 22 American poets for the suggestions, including legends like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Allen Poe. After a user has selected up to three poets, they then pick the type of poem they’d like to write. The program offers various poetic forms, and even allows users to select the number of syllables per line.

Users then give the program a first line, and AI generates the rest of the poem. The AI makes suggestions line by line, however, making it more interactive than other top language generator s out there. As far as results, they’re interesting, but not nearly as impressive as GPT-3’s writings.

According to Google engineer Dave Uthus, “The system was trained to have a general understanding of what lines of verse would best follow a previous line of verse. So even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make lines that are relevant. The widely varying degrees of Verse by Verse output quality show that while good lyrical gems (宝石) may occasionally emerge, further work by the AI team remains to be done.”

1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?

A．To introduce a new AI tool for writing poetry.

B．To compare different language-generating tools.

C．To discuss the progress of langauge-generators.

D．To analyze the latest essays of OpenAI’s GPT-3.

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

A．Suggestions.

B．Works.

C．Messages.

D．Patterns.

3. What can the Verse by Verse tool do?

A．Collect poems for inspiration.

B．Give the program a starting line.

C．Generate different poetic forms.

D．Compose poems as good as GPT-3.

4. What is Dave Uthus’s attitude to the capability of Verse by Verse tool?

A．Doubtful.

B．Objective.

C．Puzzled.

D．Confident.

7 . Looking back, the memory of doctors, nurses and the conclusion of appendicitis (阑尾炎) was still clear. ______, nothing hurt more than three days with appendicitis. After a series of emergencies, I could merely lie ______ and beg my body to stop hurting.

All the ______ acquired from years of swimming was eaten away. Previously, I could swim miles daily. Now it was a(n) ______ to sit up and I couldn’t swim for almost three months.

When I finally returned to the pool, I struggled with my ______ ability. Race after race, I ______ my goals. Every time I ______ to enter the national competitions, I failed by a tiny amount.

Finally, I came to the last event that could ______ me for nationals. This was my last ______ : now or never. After so many failures, I couldn’t help being furious about recent events.

The race started, and I dived in, throwing the pain, ______ and anger I had experienced recently into the pool. My mind focused, self-limitation was ______ and I devoted all my attention and strength to my moves.

When I saw my time, a wave of ______ swept over me. I eventually ______ self-doubt and won what almost ______ from me. Nationals were waiting for me, and by no means would I let anything ______ my advancement.

1.

A．Normally

B．Frankly

C．Fortunately

D．Hopefully

2.

A．motionless

B．disappointed

C．unconscious

D．senseless

3.

A．experience

B．knowledge

C．muscle

D．honor

4.

A．option

B．effort

C．fantasy

D．embarrassment

5.

A．regained

B．fundamental

C．reliable

D．limited

6.

A．took notice of

B．fell short of

C．was aware of

D．ran away from

7.

A．attempted

B．applied

C．declared

D．determined

8.

A．train

B．sponsor

C．qualify

D．instruct

9.

A．enemy

B．performance

C．failure

D．shot

10.

A．strength

B．uncertainty

C．depression

D．criticism

11.

A．taken over

B．knocked down

C．given away

D．cut off

12.

A．sorrow

B．gratitude

C．confusion

D．relief

13.

A．overcame

B．understood

C．ignored

D．recognised

14.

A．benefited

B．resulted

C．originated

D．escaped

15.

A．see through

B．look over

C．hold back

D．account for

8 . Steph Morris is a talented UK artist who specializes in hyper-realistic drawings of sneakers (运动鞋). Her works are so true-to-life that even closeups of the drawings are ________ to distinguish from the real thing.

When it comes to sneaker ________, Manchester-born Morris is famous for her unmatched realism. She has always had a thing for sneakers, so pairing up this passion with her ________ talent just made sense. She didn’t ________ plan to make a living out of drawing sneakers. At first, she was more interested in ________ them, as she sought a career in sports. But a number of injuries forced her to ________ her option and come up with a plan B. She ________ a pencil and started drawing the things she ________ most.

“I’ve always loved sneakers since I was a ________so exploring that in my work is very ________.” Morris said. “It was actually a pair of sneakers that I drew to hang on my wall that got me here in the first place. It’s one of my favorite sneakers, and I collected many ________ growing up.”

While ________ as a graphic designer, Morris ________ a phone call from Reebok and was invited to a Future x Reebok event in New York. Since she couldn’t get any ________ off from work, she decided to just ________ her job and take up drawing full time.

1.

A．tiring

B．hard

C．relaxing

D．painful

2.

A．fans

B．stores

C．drawings

D．brands

3.

A．acting

B．athletic

C．musical

D．artistic

4.

A．eventually

B．fortunately

C．originally

D．obviously

5.

A．designing

B．advertising

C．washing

D．wearing

6.

A．ignore

B．reevaluate

C．discuss

D．maintain

7.

A．took up

B．threw away

C．sold out

D．turned in

8.

A．discovered

B．visited

C．loved

D．needed

9.

A．dreamer

B．kid

C．mother

D．failure

10.

A．surprising

B．boring

C．natural

D．stressful

11.

A．sheets

B．answers

C．paintings

D．pairs

12.

A．working

B．learning

C．talking

D．teaching

13.

A．missed

B．got

C．made

D．forgot

14.

A．information

B．business

C．money

D．time

15.

A．quit

B．find

C．record

D．enjoy

9 . Our old, artificial Christmas tree was in rough shape by the time we retired it. At least a decade had passed since my wife and I bought the tree, a medium-size fake tree with built-in lights, at a Target in Brooklyn and carried it on the subway to our tiny apartment. Over the years, we dragged that tree from apartment, jammed it onto a moving truck to Los Angeles and later packed the weathered box onto another moving truck, this time to Chicago and our current home. By the end, layers of duct tape (强力胶布) held the box together, the wear and tear of a decade of delivering holiday cheer.

Our little tree looked run down, but it was the only tree our family ever knew. It stands proud and glowing in the background of photos of me and my pregnant wife during our last Christmas in Brooklyn without children. Our oldest was born a month later during a January snowstorm. The tree shows up again in the next year’s photos, this time surrounded by holiday gifts for a boy about to turn 1. Then it appears in photos of our son and his 1-month-old brother, this time with California palm trees just outside the door. And in more recent photos, our tree lights up windows overlooking shining Chicago snow. This year, after much debate, we decided to retire our dear old tree, with its bent branches and the lights that had burned out years ago. Rather than feel depressed, we used the moment to launch a new family tradition: our first real Christmas tree.

So here’s a toast to all your family’s traditions—the old and the new. I hope you enjoy this issue, which we have filled with stories of seasonal joy and holiday cheer. Happy holidays!

1. Where is the author’s present home?

A．In Chicago.

B．In Brooklyn.

C．In California.

D．In Los Angeles.

2. Why did the author keep the old tree for so long?

A．His budget was tight.	B．He was attached to it.
C．It was in good condition.	D．It was environmentally-friendly.

3. Who is probably the author?

A．An editor.

B．A salesman.

C．A delivery man.

D．A home designer.

4. What can we learn from the story?

A．The finest diamond must be cut.

B．Out with the old, in with the new.

C．Old friends and old wine are best.

D．All things in their being are good for something.

10 . Confidence helps us take risks and push ourselves to excellence.It can also inspire more trust in other people and open doors that would remain closed otherwise.Here are a few ideas on how to build up your confidence.

Forgive yourself for your mistakes.

Try to remember that you’re only human.     1    . Try to forgive yourself for things you did in the past so you can move on. If you’re having trouble forgiving yourself for something, try asking if you’d forgive a friend for the same mistake.     2    .

Make a list of your positive qualities.

It might seem silly, but sit down and write out a list.Start with five things that you like about yourself and try to add something to the list every day. For example, you could write, “I’m kind, I’m loving, I’m passionate about art, I’m creative, and I’m a good friend.”     3    , try asking your loved ones what they like about you to get you started.

    4    .

Negative people tend to lower your confidence. Instead, spend time with friends and family members who inspire you and push you to be your best self. You’ll know someone is good to be around if you feel excited and happy to hang out with them.

Learn a new skill.

    5    . If you’ve never tried playing chess before, play a few online games to get the hang of it. If you aren’t the best cook, try making a dish you’ve never had. By doing so, you can improve your confidence slowly and steadily.

A．If you can’t think of anything

B．Then,use that forgiveness on yourself

C．Spend time with people who support you

D．Stop undervaluing yourself when you speak

E．When you express your idea in an insecure way

F．Do something outside of your own comfort zone

G．Everyone makes mistakes,and you’re no different