1 . In the 1960s and 1970s, some writers and university professors called themselves “futurists”. These futurists tried to forecast the future.     1     The problem was that none of these futurists were scientists or engineers. So, while they knew the future would have more powerful computers, they had no clue what these computers would look like, what they could do, or what impact they would have on our lives.

    2     Having said that, we can make some good guesses about future technology by looking at current scientific and technological advances. We can also ask the real experts: the scientists and engineers who are bringing us these advances.

Because so much of our daily life will be integrated with computers, virtual reality will become an actual, real reality for many of us. This virtual world will at times seem as real as — if not more real than — the actual world around us. Without leaving home, you will be able to take tours of foreign countries, or even get a medical exam by a doctor in another city.

    3     There is already, for example, technology which will allow blind people to see using cameras and deaf people to hear using microphones that are connected to their brains. Future technology will allow people to defeat all sorts of physical disabilities.

Much research is being done to unlock the human mind. Using technology that is being developed now, people in the future may be able to not just read someone else’s mind, but also record their thoughts like one would record a movie.     4     For example, robot hands are being developed for people who have no hands. These artificial hands are connected to a person’s nerves so that the person’s brain tells the hands what to do.

As a result of such advances, in the future, some people who are badly injured may become more robot than human.     5    

We should all eagerly view the future as a great adventure — a new world waiting to be explored. Who knows exactly what we will find?

A．Speaking of medicine, people with brain injuries will be able to find new hope.

B．That is, their brains will control their robotic body parts so they can live their lives normally.

C．Only a few of their predictions were right, and all of them missed the computer revolution.

D．Artificial hands are made stronger and faster than human ones and work very well.

E．Some other research involves using robotic technology to replace human functions.

F．Many new parts will be made to replace broken human body ones.

G．This should make us hesitate before we try to predict the future.

2 . With prices r________(包括)from hundreds to tens of thousands of yuan, his whimsical pieces of art have attracted collectors worldwide. (根据中英文提示单词拼写)

3 . Mobile devices use facial recognition technology to help users quickly and securely unlock their phones, make a financial deal or access medical records. But facial recognition technologies that use a specific user-detection method are highly vulnerable (脆弱的) to deepfake (深度伪造) attacks.

Researchers found that most applications using facial liveness verification (活性验证) don’t always detect digitally processed photos or videos made to look like alive version of someone else, also known as deepfakes. Applications that do use these detection measures are also much less effective at identifying deepfakes than what the app provider has claimed.

“In recent years we have observed rapid development of facial verification technologies,” said TingWang, a principal investigator on the project. “Meanwhile, we have also seen significant advances in deepfake technologies, making it fairly easy to make live-looking facial images and videos at little cost. We thus ask the interesting question: Is it possible for attackers to misuse deepfakes to fool the facial verification systems?”

Wang’s research is the first systematic study on the security of facial liveness verification in real-world settings. Wang and his team developed a new deepfake-powered attack framework, called LiveBugger. They evaluated six leading commercial facial liveness verification applications. The researchers found that all four of the most common verification methods could be easily bypassed, which proved that the development of deepfake technologies raises a great threat to the commonly used technology. Thus Wang suggested matching lip movements with a user’s voice to analyze both audio and video instead of using a static image of a user’s face. “Facial liveness verification has been applied in many important situations, such as online payments, online banking and government services,” said Wang.

“Additionally, an increasing number of cloud platforms have begun to provide facial liveness verification, which significantly reduces the cost and lowers the barrier for companies to use the technology in their products. Therefore, the security of facial liveness verification is highly concerning.”

1. The wide use of facial recognition technology is encouraged by all the facts EXCEPT _______ .

A．its convenience to unlock phones	B．its easy access to our medical records
C．its combination with deepfake technology	D．its security concerning our financial deals

2. What can we learn about LiveBugger?

A．It is a destructive computer virus.

B．It is a facial liveness verification application.

C．It creates popular live-looking facial images and videos.

D．It is a framework testing facial liveness verification applications.

3. What is Wang’s attitude toward facial liveness verification?

A．Worried.

B．Negative.

C．Supportive.

D．Doubtful.

4. Which serves as the best title for the passage?

A．LiveBugger: an attack framework powered by deepfakes

B．A discovery that may cause panic in the world of technology

C．Deepfakes reveal vulnerabilities in facial recognition technology

D．Measures have to be taken to improve facial recognition technology

4 . It will benefit me as an i__________ (个人), but in terms of family life, things like that, it wasn’t too appealing. （根据中英文提示拼写单词）

5 . If staying optimistic (乐观) is something you struggle with, you`re certainly not alone. Here are five ways you can frequently practice to be optimistic.

Be present every day

The majority of negative thoughts are about the past and future, which can`t be changed. To be present, you need to exactly figure out whether they are in the past, present or future and bring them back into the moment.     1    

Give thanks

The thoughts of giving thanks can help improve your body functions and overall happiness. Start by writing down at least three things you`re thankful for each day.     2     This practice could transform into a formal habit of recalling things you`re grateful for and writing them down.

Laugh out loud

Laughter really is fantastic medicine. Loud laughs can calm the brain`s stress center. Watch one of your favorite TV plays or even try laughter yoga. It might be a good choice to reach out to others for help to laugh out loud.     3     It can help lift your mood during difficult times.

    4    

Acts of kindness can increase your sense of well-being. Even something as simple as giving someone a smile can leave you both feeling happier. Challenge yourself to do at least one kind thing for someone else each day, such as buying a stranger a cup of coffee or donating to a cause that matters to you.

Find time to exercise

Exercise produces pleasurable brain chemicals and relieves bad emotions. When you participate in physical activities that bring you joy, your thinking will clear. If it’s hard to find time to get to the gym, there are many exercise videos you can follow online.     5     Then you’ll likely feel more positive afterward.

A．Pay it forward.

B．Acquire spiritual strength.

C．Try to focus on what’s in front of you.

D．The main goal is to break a sweat and do it regularly.

E．It’s unavoidable to feel unhappy with ups and downs all the time.

F．Doing that helps you recognize the little good things surrounding you.

G．Having a positive network of friends or family can really make a difference.

6 . 32°N adaptive glasses, created by Deep Optics using pixelated liquid crystal (PLC) lenses (像素化液晶镜片), work as both protective eyewear and adaptive reading glasses.

PLC lenses appeared as early as 2017, but only recently did the company create an interesting pair of eyeglasses that could, in theory, become the only pair of glasses a person would need. That`s because the adaptive concept of the glasses allows wearers to adjust their purpose with a single slide of the frame (框架). For stylish sunglasses, simply slide backward on the right frame, and to put them into vision correction mode, you just slide back to the original place. Additionally, the lens power can be changed from 0 to 2.5 diopters (屈光度), and the built-in battery offers up to 48 hours of power.

“Our special technology actively corrects vision using PLC lenses,” Deep Optics explains. “The lenses perform like human eyes, allowing the wearer to see what they want when they want. Our technology adds no extra weight or size.” The lenses are set in frames containing a distance meter on the bridge, which measures the distance from the wearer`s face to objects. The meter then sends a signal to adjust the diopters of the lenses. This adjustment can happen quickly, letting the user focus from one object to another clearly and accurately in 14 milliseconds.

At $849 per pair, 32°N glasses are not cheap, but they do relieve you of the need to carry two pairs of eyeglasses with you. No more changing between reading and distance glasses, as after adjusting the liquid crystal lenses to your needs, all you have to do is a slide on the right frame to change their focus between close and far distances.

These adaptive sunglasses are a giant step forward, ridding the need for single-use lenses. And 32°N glasses are not just primary designs that may or may not make it to the market. They are already available, despite their high price. Still, if liquid lenses become more mainstream, the price is certain to come down in the future.

1. What does paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．How the lenses are fixed.	B．How the lenses work.
C．How the lenses bear more weight.	D．How the lenses are created.

2. Which words best describe 32°N glasses?

A．Heavy but effective.	B．Costly but multi-functional.
C．Creative but easily-broken.	D．Energy-saving but inflexible.

3. What can we know about 32°N glasses from the last paragraph?

A．They haven`t reached consumers.	B．Theyllcurewearers eye illnesses.
C．They have replaced the old sunglasses.	D．They`re a breakthrough in the glasses industry.

4. In which section of a website may the text appear?

A．Education.

B．Sports.

C．Science.

D．Entertainment.

7 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1. What will the man do with his girlfriend on Qixi Festival?

A．Go to a movie.

B．Go to a concert.

C．Eat at a nice restaurant.

2. According to the woman, what would be a special gift?

A．Asong.

B．A poem.

C．A piece of jewelry.

8 . 学校英文报“科技创新发明”栏目征稿介绍你想进行的发明。请你以“My Hi-tech Smart Pen”为题向该栏目投稿。
内容包括：
1.发明目的   2.功能及作用。       
注意：词数：80个左右。
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9 . For most of us, running a marathon is hard enough. Spanish athlete Eric Domingo Roldan is a man who did not think running a marathon was enough of a _________. Instead, on November 8, 2021, he attempted to _________ his mum in the Barcelona Marathon.

Completing the race was not _________ for him. To make things even _________, he wanted to break the world record for “the fastest marathoner pushing a wheelchair (轮椅)”. Such a _________ was difficult to achieve, but Eric had a special _________. He wanted to develop _________ and educate people about multiple sclerosis (多发性硬化症), the disease his mother had dealt with for more than 17 years.

Their first attempt was _________ in the Seville Marathon back in 2020. But instead of _________, they trained harder and Eric promised to __________ in 2021. The conditions were __________ this time. Eric was in his home city, so he made a strong __________. Then he hit halfway in 1 hour 26 minutes, well on track for the record. “I was feeling __________ from the first kilometer until the last, as my mum never stopped __________ and supporting other runners, and that was the best part of running together,” he shared. “To cross that line meant we did what we __________ after going through the hardest time of our lives.”

1.

A．benefit

B．chance

C．risk

D．challenge

2.

A．amaze

B．push

C．honor

D．respect

3.

A．possible

B．important

C．enough

D．helpful

4.

A．harder

B．worse

C．clearer

D．faster

5.

A．standard

B．position

C．purpose

D．goal

6.

A．problem

B．reason

C．result

D．personality

7.

A．fitness

B．fairness

C．awareness

D．business

8.

A．unsuccessful

B．incomplete

C．unnecessary

D．impracticable

9.

A．standing by

B．carrying on

C．falling behind

D．giving up

10.

A．recover

B．return

C．relieve

D．reply

11.

A．similar

B．difficult

C．favourable

D．unknown

12.

A．start

B．change

C．decision

D．connection

13.

A．nervous

B．concerned

C．calm

D．happy

14.

A．asking

B．cheering

C．passing

D．reminding

15.

A．needed

B．liked

C．promised

D．suggested

10 . Every year, hundreds of international students travel thousands of miles to study hard in China, leaving their homes and native languages behind. As some of them devote themselves to Chinese language study at Tongji University in Shanghai, one unique task helps them bridge the miles that lie in between — writing a letter home in Chinese.

The letter- home activity has become an annual tradition in Tongji’s pre-university Chinese program. After months of studying vocabulary, grammar, and composition, students from all over the world are tasked with writing a letter to their families, entirely in Chinese.

“At first, this activity was operated in a few classes. But when other students saw the letters on show, they began to write home letters on their own,” explained Zong Qian, director of the International School of the university.

As the letters started coming in, the teachers were impressed and touched by the students’ efforts to express emotions across cultures. “We realized that these letters offered a special window into the students’ experiences and growth in China,” said Zong. “The letters were very moving to read.”

Chipo Bard Shanzuwa Chintu from Zambia wrote about her adjustment to life in Shanghai: “I think Shanghai is beautiful and safe. Learning to write Chinese characters is very challenging but rewarding.” Neth Chanranuth from Cambodia described his progress after settling in: “Time flies and my Chinese language ability has improved a lot. I’ve gradually adapted to life in China.”

For the students, letters are a more special way of communication. Once they are received, that physical paper held in hands becomes a lasting memory one can revisit again and again.

1. What unique task are the international students asked to do at Tongji University?

A．Learn Chinese vocabulary.	B．Study grammar and composition.
C．Write a letter home in Chinese.	D．Join in the pre- university program.

2. What can we infer about the letter-home activity?

A．It took some efforts to get promoted.

B．It was run in all the classes at first.

C．It offered students a common way to communicate.

D．It contributed little to international students’ growth.

3. What did Zong Qian say about the students’ letters?

A．They showed little effort.	B．They were difficult to read.
C．They were very touching.	D．They lacked cultural expressions.

4. How did Neth Chanranuth feel about his study in Chinese?

A．Disappointed.

B．Satisfied.

C．Worried.

D．Surprised.