1 . 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 |
2 . In early October, Travis Gienger transported an enormous pumpkin (南瓜) from his home in Minnesota to the World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in California. His pumpkin set the record for the biggest one ever grown in North America. How do competitive growers get their pumpkins to grow to massive sizes?
Gienger, who teaches horticulture (园艺学) at Anoka Technical College, begins growing his pumpkins in mid-April, starting with seeds that he grows indoors for the first few weeks, when Minnesota’s soil is too frosty.
Depending on the variety, pumpkin plants can grow up to a dozen fruits on a single vine (藤曼) . But to maximize size, growers remove all but one or two of these pumpkins in order to decrease each individual fruit’s competition for resources.
But what exactly happens inside a pumpkin as it grows? Two factors drive natural growth: cell division and cell expansion. Cell division accounts for most of the growth at the beginning of a fruit’s life. This period lasts for about 20 days in pumpkin plants.
A.Biology has the answers. |
B.Genetics also influences pumpkin growth. |
C.The following tips will give you a head start. |
D.Once it warms up, the plants are transferred outside. |
E.When it stops, cell expansion will then come into play. |
F.Growers extend the growth period for as long as possible. |
G.Growers also remove the weeds in the area for the same reason. |
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. |
Jiangsu, known for its unique blend of innovation and preservation, is a true treasure. I was
My first stop was Suzhou.
Actually, the mindset of modernization with deep respect for the past isn’t only unique to Suzhou
7 . In today’s digital era, social media users are increasingly coming across fake news online. This leads to the pressing issue: What causes people to fall for misinformation on the Internet?
According to researchers at the Penn State College of Information Sciences and Technology, users can easily fall into an echo chamber (回声室)—a sort of virtual space where users consume only one-sided news, eventually distrusting any opposing views. “We all tend to agree with the group opinion. Hence, people naturally get together with others who hold the same opinion,” said Dongwon Lee, one of the researchers. “But if you’re not cautious, there is a high risk of falling into an echo chamber.”
To prevent this phenomenon, the researchers have crafted a novel tool, a game named ChamberBreaker, to help players resist echo chambers and reduce the rate of fake news spread. The fundamental approach employed by ChamberBreaker centers around a decision-making procedure that mirrors the creation of echo chambers. In ChamberBreaker, a player is tasked with trying to have community members fall into an echo chamber. To begin, the player is randomly assigned a situation that focuses on a health, political or environmental issue, and is presented with six pieces of news on that topic. Then, the player selects news that could cause the other members to fall into an echo chamber while at the same time maintaining their trust. If successful, the community members will fall into an echo chamber and the player will witness the resulting negative effects on the community.
After developing ChamberBreaker, researchers tested it with over 800 subjects to see if it raised awareness of echo chambers and changed news consumption behaviors. The researchers found that those who played ChamberBreaker were significantly more likely to state their intention to observe online information from more diverse perspectives and showed an increased awareness of the echo chamber phenomenon.
Ultimately, the researchers hope that their methodology can excite a greater interest in the scientific and scholarly study related to information consumption. The application of tools like ChamberBreaker, which focuses on fostering analytical reasoning, may lead us towards a more informed online community.
1. What can be learned about an online echo chamber?A.It encourages well-judged views. |
B.It gathers like-minded individuals. |
C.It functions as a virtual reality platform. |
D.It serves as a tool for identifying fake information. |
A.Assignment of situations. | B.Trust-building exercises. |
C.News selection strategy. | D.Community impact assessment. |
A.The results of scientific testing. |
B.The theoretical framework of the game. |
C.The description of the game procedures. |
D.The common challenges faced during gameplay. |
A.Reducing news inquiry. | B.Encouraging passive reading. |
C.Strengthening prejudiced views. | D.Enhancing critical thinking. |
8 . The California sea otter (海獭), once hunted to the edge of extinction, has staged a thrilling comeback in the last century. Now, scientists have discovered that the otters’ success story has led to something just as remarkable: the restoration of their declining coastal marsh (沼泽) habitat.
Elkhorn Slough, a coastal marsh within Monterey Bay, had been experiencing severe damage. The root cause was a growing population of shore crabs, which fed heavily on the marsh plants, weakening the structural integrity of the habitat. Coastal marshes like these are not only natural defenses against storm waves but also serve as important carbon storage areas and water-cleaning systems.
The conservation-driven comeback of the sea otter has been crucial. California’s coastlines were once alive with sea otters. Sadly, they were nearly wiped out at the hands of fur traders. In the 1980s, conservation efforts aided these otters in re-occupying large areas of their former range. Now, Elkhorn Slough has the highest concentration of sea otters in California, with a population of about 100. By naturally feasting on crabs, the otters have helped a significant regrowth of plant life. Brent Hughes, a scientist working alongside Angelini, led a three-year study. Their findings were clear: in areas with sea otters, crab numbers fell markedly. This led to a resurgence in plant growth, which in turn stabilized the soil and lowered the rate of soil washing away.
As the sea otter population continues to restore, their positive impact on coastal ecosystems is likely to increase. It not only showcases the sea otter as a central species—a species that has a significant effect on its natural environment—but also highlights the essential nature of top predators (捕食者) in preserving ecological harmony. “My honest reaction was—this could become a classic in the literature,” says scientist Lekelia Jenkins. She reveals marsh restoration also helps people by reducing flooding. “Suddenly, sea otters go from just cute things we like to something that can protect our livelihoods and our properties.”
1. What change did the disappearance of sea otters bring about?A.Fewer predatory crabs. | B.More coastal plant life. |
C.Better water-cleaning effect. | D.Worse coastal ecological balance. |
A.Barrier. | B.Advancement. | C.Expansion. | D.Revival. |
A.To highlight the importance of coastal marshes. |
B.To introduce a new research study on sea otters. |
C.To demonstrate the practical benefits of sea otters. |
D.To emphasize the need for increased conservation efforts. |
A.The necessity for controlled hunting. |
B.The interconnectedness of the ecosystem. |
C.The drawbacks of wildlife reintroduction. |
D.The need for human intervention in nature. |
9 . US Army veteran (退伍老兵) Mazyck remembers when doctors told her she would never walk again. She’d been paralyzed from the waist down after a serious accident while parachuting in 2003.The doctors never said anything about floating, though. In 2021,she got to do just that.
Mazyck was one of 12 participants in a Zero G flight, organized by the group AstroAccess. This type of flight recreates the weightlessness that astronauts experience without going all the way to space. Flying over the Pacific Ocean off Southern California, the modified 747 jet airplane made 15 steep dives and climbs, allowing the flyers multiple periods of weightlessness.
The experience left Mazyck feeling joyful. “The flight was something that I would have never in my wildest dreams thought I would’ve experienced,” she says, “especially the floating, the weightlessness.”
Traditionally, strict physical requirements have prevented disabled people from becoming astronauts. AstroAccess is working to make space accessible to all. “Space removes the barriers between people; now is the time to remove the barriers to space itself,” says Mazyck, “It is sending a message to people who have historically been excluded from STEM that not only is there room for you in space, there is a need for you.”
During the flight, she says, the participants did experiments and made observations. They took note of things that people without certain disabilities might not realize are issues. For example, people who couldn’t grip with their legs needed another way to hold themselves still while weightless. The group also experimented with signaling lights for the deaf and with ways of using braille (盲文) for the blind.
These types of issues are easy enough to address. Now is the time to make space accessible — before space tourism or space settlements become commonplace. “I am so proud and elated about what’s happening here,” Mazyck adds. “We are paving the way for the future.”
1. What do we know about AstroAccess?A.It redesigns jet airplanes. | B.It offers weightlessness experience. |
C.It provides physical treatment. | D.It trains the disabled to be astronauts. |
A.Astronaut experience. | B.Steep dives and climbs. |
C.Weightlessness periods. | D.Trials and observations. |
A.Generous and determined. | B.Caring and persistent. |
C.Courageous and optimistic. | D.Ambitious and innovative. |
A.Paving the Way for the Future | B.Disabled Americans Make It to Space |
C.Making Space a Place for Everyone | D.US Veterans Experience Zero G Flight |
10 . Cork is a light brown material harvested from the cork oak tree. Cork is lightweight, strong and resistant to water.
The cork oak tree is native to the western Mediterranean coast of Europe.
Because cork oak trees are not killed during harvest, they can live for as long as 200 years. Also, used cork products can be recycled and used again. This makes cork a valuable renewable resource.
A.After drying, the cork is ready to be cut. |
B.Harvests only happen once every nine years. |
C.Cork has even found a use in making rockets. |
D.It is best known for keeping liquids from spilling. |
E.Cork can be shined and used to cover floors and walls. |
F.The largest cork oak forests in the world are in Portugal. |
G.The wine industry has been a major supporter of cork production. |