1 . How Gratitude Makes You Happier
Choosing to be thankful may well be an easy and accessible way to boost your happiness. We usually think of happiness as a subjective sense of well-being, a feeling of joy and satisfaction. But more than just an emotion or fleeting (短暂的) feeling, happiness also includes a deep sense of meaning, worth and purpose in life.
Research has shown gratitude has far-reaching effects on our physical health. When people are thankful, they’re more likely to exercise, eat better, and take care of their health. Much evidence points to lower stress, reduced pain and improved immune systems as a result of being thankful.
Gratitude has a strong positive impact on psychological well-being as well. It increases self-esteem, enhances positive emotions and makes us more optimistic.
Scandinavians themselves are determining their levels of happiness. They are appreciative of a functioning society where they have economic security and social institutions support everyone. Yet, there is something else. They value “moderation”, a just enoughness.
| A．Scandinavians may spend a lot of the winter in darkness. |
| B．Gratitude supports happiness in ways related to all of these. |
| C．They don’t chase happiness or work overtime for months at a time. |
| D．Gratitude is the feeling of being grateful and wanting to express your thanks. |
| E．Just like a muscle, thankfulness is something we need to exercise more often. |
| F．When we feel deep happiness, our bodies are producing all sorts of wonderful chemicals. |
| G．Even better blood pressure and positive effects on the heart have been linked to gratitude. |
2 . Many economists predict 2024 will be the time shoppers tighten their belts. That doesn’t mean people will stop spending, say retail (零售) analysts. But it will change what they choose to buy. With a slowing job market, global consumers are likely to move away from more high-priced purchases and focus instead on smaller, less expensive treats.
The economic uncertainty means that consumers are becoming more discriminating about their purchases, says Ethan Chermofsky, senior vice president of marketing at intelligence platform Placer. ai. “There are the things we decide are necessary, and then there’s another category of things that aren’t necessary but that we consider affordable luxuries, he says. This desire for these “affordable luxuries” is common in difficult economic times. Some economists refer to the phenomenon as the “lipstick index”: a small economic increase led by budget-minded consumers seeking out relatively affordable splurges (挥霍), like small cosmetics (化妆品).
Analysts at Deloitte say consumers will spend on little luxuries like specialty coffees and snacks as well. Additionally, stressed-out shoppers are prioritizing small splurge purchases for wellness and personal care.
As retailers see shoppers turning to little luxuries, they’re offering more and more of them. Target, for example, has staked a flag in what they refer to as “affordable joy”, which includes a selection of self-care and cosmetic products, along with wellness-centric beauty products. Beyond diversifying their offerings, stores are also bringing in luxury-feeling products at lower price points to appeal to more consumers.
Ethan says not every shopper will shift their spending to little luxuries-but even those who are still longing for the “must-haves” of social media will also look to get a deal. They want the feeling of purchasing lower-priced affordable treats. To get these goods, shoppers are likely to tap into the re-sale market for designer items at a more reasonable price. They want things that make them feel good about themselves-they just want to do it without breaking the bank.
1. What can affordable luxuries be?| A．Inexpensive daily necessities. | B．High-end products. |
| C．Reasonably-priced designer items. | D．High-priced purchases. |
| A．The strategies retailers use. | B．The joy businesses offer. |
| C．The competition stores face. | D．The products consumers buy. |
| A．Social-media deals. | B．World-famous brands. |
| C．Second-hand bargains. | D．Budget-friendly pleasures. |
| A．Lipstick Index: Where Does It Lead Us? | B．Must-have Treats: A Future Spending Trend |
| C．Affordable Joy: Will We Fall Into The Trap? | D．Little Luxuries: A Driving Force Behind Consumption |
Restoring the Old Book
Song Jing, who is a 34-year-old “book doctor”,
At the moment, Song and her colleagues are working on restoring a copy of Yongle Dadian, an encyclopedia
In the past, restorers had to rely on their experience to determine the materials appropriate
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1. 简要描述图表；
2. 你认为教师是否会被人工智能取代；
3. 你的理由。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80个左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
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5 . The possibility of self-driving robot cars has often seemed like a futurist’s dream. Well, the future is apparently now. The California Department of Motor Vehicles began giving permits in April for companies to test truly self-driving cars on public roads. The state also cleared the way for companies to sell or rent out self-driving cars. It’s hard to predict when driverless cars will be everywhere on our roads. But however long it takes, the technology has the potential to change our transportation systems for better or for worse, depending on how the transformation is regulated.
While much of the debate so far has been focused on the safety of driverless cars, policymakers also should be talking about how self-driving vehicles can help reduce traffic jams, cut emissions and offer more convenient, affordable mobility options. The arrival of driverless vehicles is a chance to make sure that those vehicles are environmentally friendly and more shared.
Do we want to copy — or even worsen — the traffic of today with driverless cars? Imagine a future where most adults own individual self-driving vehicles. Instead of walking a few blocks to pick up a child or the dry cleaning, they send the self-driving minibus. The convenience even leads fewer people to take public transport — an unwelcome side effect researchers have already found in ride-hailing (叫车) services.
A study from the University of California suggested that replacing petrol-powered private cars worldwide with electric, self-driving and shared systems could significantly reduce carbon emissions and cut the cost of transportation by 2050, which sound pretty appealing. The first commercially available driverless cars will almost certainly be fielded by ride-hailing services, considering the cost of self-driving technology as well as responsibility and maintenance issues. But driverless car ownership could increase as more people become comfortable with the technology.
Policymakers should start thinking now about how to make sure the appearance of driverless vehicles doesn’t extend the worst aspects of the car-controlled transportation system we have today. The coming technological advancement presents a chance for cities and states to develop transportation systems designed to move more people, and more affordably. The car of the future is coming. We just have to plan for it.
1. As for driverless cars, what is the author’s major concern?| A．Safety. | B．Side effects. | C．Affordability. | D．Management. |
| A．help deal with transportation-related problems | B．provide better services to customers |
| C．cause damage to our environment | D．make some people lose jobs |
| A．Shared. | B．Replaced. | C．Employed. | D．Reduced. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Positive. | C．Disapproving. | D．Sympathetic. |
6 . Deepfake: synthetic (合成的) media, including images, videos, and audio, is generated by Al technology to show something that does not exist or events that have never occurred.
Examples of deepfakes have been widely spread, including a video of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg giving a speech about his company’s plan, and a video of Elon Musk dancing and talking about the power of dreams, etc.
It’s easy for AI to produce such deepfakes using two different deep-learning algorithms (算法): one that creates the best possible clone based on a real image or video and another that detects whether the copy is fake (伪造的) and, if it is, reports on the differences between it and the original. The first algorithm produces a synthetic image and receives feedback on it from the second algorithm and then adjusts it to make it appear more real; the loop is repeated as many times as it takes until the second algorithm does not detect any false imagery.
Deepfakers often have evil motives, including creating misinformation and generating confusion. They tend to demean, terrify, and annoy, and have targeted not only celebrities but ordinary citizens as well.
Most of the academic research surrounding deepfakes focuses on the detection of huge amount of deepfake videos emerging online. One detection approach is to use algorithms to identify inconsistencies in deepfake videos. For example, an automatic system can examine videos for errors such as irregular blinking patterns of lighting. However, these approaches have been criticized because deepfake detection is characterized by a “moving goal post” where the production of deepfakes is changing and improving while detection tools are always on the way of catching them up.
However, education and medicine are two of the fields that may benefit from deepfake technology. In the classroom, historical speeches could be deepfaked to offer immersive and engaging lessons. In health care, it can improve the accuracy with which tumors (肿瘤) are spotted, making them easier to treat. Its use also permits using synthesized data instead of that from real patients to avoid privacy concerns.
1. How does AI create a deepfake video according to the passage?| A．By copying and combining the fake images. |
| B．By constantly teaching itself to perfect the output. |
| C．By acquiring feedback from multiple sources. |
| D．By repeatedly generating realistic images from scratch. |
| A．Ever-evolving deepfake techniques. | B．Insufficient academic basis on detection solutions. |
| C．A massive number of false videos online. | D．Limited availability of detection tools. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Critical. | C．Objective. | D．Unconcerned. |
| A．Potential threats: AI’s new playground | B．Deepfake: Human’s another helping hand |
| C．Artificial Intelligence: A piece of fake | D．Detecting deepfake: An ongoing battle |
7 . When you think of a map, is north on the top or the bottom? Usually, maps are designed with north on top, though when we think about it, there is no logical reason for this bias (偏见). After all, there is no up or down in space. So what is wrong with south, east or west being on the top of the map? The answer is: nothing at all. In fact, north-up maps only became the norm in the last few hundred years.
Ancient Egyptian maps had south at the top because the Nile River flows downhill from mountains in the south to the Mediterranean Sea in the north. Mecca was to the south of most early Muslim civilizations, and south-up maps were designed so that viewers would look up to see Mecca. Medieval Christian maps had east at the top, as they believed the Garden of Eden was in the east. The only early maps that had north at the top were those of early China because the emperor lived in the north.
North seems to have settled at the top of maps during the 16th century, largely thanks to a Flemish mapmaker, Mercator. Mercator was a great admirer of an early Greek mapmaker, who, for reasons now unknown, put north at the top of maps, so Mercator did, too. When Mercator’s world map became the standard map to navigate the oceans, north up became standard as well.
What is the implication of this north-view of the world? Psychologically, people tend to think of up as good and down as bad. Just think of words and phrases like “upmarket”, “upbeat” and “moving up in the world”, and how they contrast with their opposites. Because north is so consistently put at the top of maps, people now think of north as good, too.
Several attempts have been made in recent years by introducing south-up maps to the market. These maps not only give us a chance to see the world differently, but also give everyone the chance to see themselves on top.
1. What can we learn from the first two paragraphs?| A．North-up maps were rare in ancient times. |
| B．Deciding up or down in space is ridiculous. |
| C．Mecca maps were based on a legend. |
| D．The south-up map first appeared in ancient Egypt. |
| A．An illogical reason. | B．The spread of Mercator’s maps. |
| C．People’s preference for up. | D．An age-old tradition in Greece. |
| A．Cautious. | B．Supportive. | C．Uncaring. | D．Disapproving. |
| A．To criticize a phenomenon. | B．To compare various facts. |
| C．To correct a cultural bias. | D．To argue for a viewpoint. |
Known as the roof of the world, the Tibet Autonomous Region has witnessed steady progress in economic and
To promote
“This international tourism and cultural expo aims to build a professional and international exhibition platform to showcase the
At the event, six scenic counties—Markham, Bomi , Metog , Tsona, Dingri and Burang—were highlighted, offering a diverse range of natural
Tibet welcomed 288.4 million visitors from all over the world from 2012 to 2022,
1. Where are the speakers?
| A．At a travel agency. | B．At a train station. | C．At school. |
| A．By car. | B．By plane. | C．By train. |
| A．Italy. | B．Germany. | C．France. |
1. Why is the baobab’s trunk really fat?
| A．It is shaped by people. |
| B．It stores a large quantity of water. |
| C．It must be strong enough to support the tree. |
| A．About 12 metres. | B．About 15 metres. | C．About 30 metres. |
| A．Shops. | B．Wildlife habitats. | C．Bus shelters. |
