1 . The release of OpenAI’s Sora text-to-video AI tool last month was met with a mix of worries and excitement from researchers who are concerned about misuse of the technology. The California-based company showcased Sora’s ability to create photorealistic (超级现实主义的) videos from a few short text prompts (提示词), with examples including clips of a woman walking down a neon-lit (霓虹灯闪烁的) street in Tokyo and a dog jumping between two windowsills.
Tracy Harwood, a digital-culture specialist at De Montfort University in Leicester, UK, says she is “shocked” by the speed at which text-to-video artificial intelligence (AI) has developed. A year ago, people were laughing at an AI-produced video of the US actor Will Smith eating spaghetti. Now some researchers are worried that the technology could upend global politics in 2024.
OpenAI, which also developed ChatGPT and the text-to-image technology DALL·E, first released Sora on 15 February, announcing that it was making the technology “available to red teamers to assess critical areas for harms or risks”. Red teaming’ refers to the process of conducting simulated attacks (模拟攻击) or exploration of a technology to see how it would cope with criminal activity, such as the creation of misinformation and hateful content, in the real world.
Sora isn’t the first example of text-to-video technology; others include Gen-2, produced by Runway in New York City and released last year, and the Google-led Lumiere, announced in January. Harwood says she has been “underwhelmed” by some of these other products. “They are becoming more and more ordinary in what they present to you,” she says, adding that the programs require very specific prompts to get them to produce compelling (引人入胜的，可信的) content.
Misinformation is a major challenge for these text-to-video technologies, Harwood adds. “We’re going to very quickly reach a point in which we are flooded with a barrage of (一连串) really compelling-looking information. That’s really worrying.”
1. Why did some researchers worry about the the release of Sora?| A．Because the videos Sora creates will be untrue. |
| B．Because Sora needs many prompts to create videos. |
| C．Because they are worried about the misuse of technology. |
| D．Because they don’t have ability to create videos themselves. |
| A．Overturn. | B．Update. | C．Overcome. | D．Disturb |
| A．Sora is the first example of its kind. |
| B．Sora may be helpful in real world. |
| C．Sora is flooded with misinformation. |
| D．Sora is an ordinary product of its kind. |
| A．The release of Sora raised questions. |
| B．Sora is a new t hreat to global politics. |
| C．Sora becomes a vital tool to create videos. |
| D．Misinformation is a major challenge for Sora. |
2 . A study from the University of Montreal and the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, published in Frontiers in Medicine, found that regular virtual visits to museums could help seniors stay mentally active and come with a host of additional health benefits. That's because these digital connections can make retirees feel less lonely and isolated (孤立的).
Social isolation has been associated with the risks for heart disease and the decline of recognition abilities in seniors and the pandemic (疫情) increased the risks due to the need for seniors to stay home and isolate, according to a press release from the university.
The researchers investigated the potential benefits of weekly virtual visits for a three-month period. The participants were people aged 65 nd older who lived in Montreal. Half of the participants took part in online visits and a discussion afterwards, while the control group did not participate in any cultural events at all. The group who participated in the virtual visits showed improvements in their quality of life. "Our study showed that art-based activities may be an effective intervention (干预), "lead author Dr. Olivier Beauchet, a professor at the University of Montreal, said in the press release. "On a world scale, this participatory art-based activity could become a model that could be offered in museums and arts institutions worldwide to promote active and healthy aging."
The initiative reflects approaches recommended by the World Health Organization to manage certain diseases, according to Beauchet. For instance, the WHO launched the Aging and Health Program in 2015that included using community-based organizations to promote culture as a key component of improving health. Traditionally, these sorts of preventive health activities have taken place in schools, community centers, and workplaces. "While these are suitable locations that reach a great number of people, there are additional organizations and sectors that could become partners in public health research and practice development," Beauchet said. "Museums are among such potential partners. They are aware of the needs of their communities and are consequently expanding the types of activities they offer."
1. According to the study, which one is a benefit of regular virtual museum visits for seniors?| A．Improved physical health. | B．Reduced loneliness and isolation. |
| C．Complete cure for heart diseases. | D．Enhanced cognitive abilities. |
| A．Skeptical. | B．Indifferent. | C．Supportive. | D．Opposed. |
| A．They showed little improvement in their quality of life. |
| B．They exhibited a decline in their cognitive abilities. |
| C．They reported feeling more socially isolated. |
| D．They demonstrated an enhanced sense of well-being. |
| A．Museums primarily focus on displaying artworks and have no role in public health research. |
| B．Museums can become valuable potential partners in public health research. |
| C．Museums should replace traditional health institutions in conducting public health research. |
| D．Museums are only suitable for promoting health awareness among younger generations. |
In the small town of Riverdale, life was never easy for 17-year-old Emily. Her family had faced financial struggles since her father’s business went down, leaving them in debt. To make matters worse, Emily's mother had fallen ill, adding medical bills to their list of concerns. Despite these challenges, Emily refused to let adversity define her. She worked tirelessly after school to support her family and kept up with her studies, determined to secure a scholarship for college.
One day, as she was browsing the internet for potential scholarship opportunities, Emily came across an article about a local charity event that offered a full scholarship to the winner of a talent competition. Without hesitation, she decided to enter the talent competition. Emily was an accomplished pianist, having practiced piano for hours every day throughout her childhood. She poured her heart into practicing for the competition, hoping it would be her ticket to a better future.
On the day of the competition, Emily felt a mix of nerves and excitement. She watched as other contestants showcased their talents—some sang, others danced, and a few of the contestants played instruments. When it was her turn, Emily took a deep breath and began to play. Her fingers moved gracefully over the keys, and the melody filled the room. She was nearly absorbed in the pieces that she had practiced hundreds of times. As the last note echoed, the audience erupted in applause.
The judges discussed for a while before finally announcing the winner. To Emily’s dismay, she didn’t win the scholarship. The judges praised her performance but said they were looking for something “different” this year. Emily left the event feeling defeated, wondering when she would ever escape her difficult circumstances.
Despite not winning the scholarship, Emily realized that sometimes, when one door closes, another opens. Her perseverance and determination had led her to a path she never could have imagined.
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。
As she walked home, lost in thought, a stranger approached her.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emily was overjoyed and gratefully accepted the judge’s offer.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________4 . How to overcome travel anxiety
If you want to travel, there shouldn’t be anything getting in your way.
To cope with travel anxiety, you need to figure out specifically what is making you feel anxious about your trip. Is it that you’ll be on the road for hours, that there would be things out of your control, or that you would have to be surrounded by a lot of people at an airport? Once you understand what causes your anxiety, you can ensure to plan ahead for the best ways to handle it.
Plan out your trip in as much de tail as possible.
One reason for anxiety when travelling is that you’re out of your comfort zone and won’t have full control over everything. To help ease that anxious feeling, try to make detailed travel arrangements. That will give you a sense of control. But it’s equally as important to think of alternative plans.
Have with you things that bring you joy.
Things that generally bring you joy can be extremely useful in distracting you from your negative feelings.
Don’t forget your physical health.
| A．Predict what challenges you might face. |
| B．Understand where your anxiety originates. |
| C．Sometimes, however, there can be problems. |
| D．Thus for anything that could not go as planned, you’re prepared. |
| E．Being physically active is a great way to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. |
| F．The more you know about your upcoming trip, the more you’ll know what to expect. |
| G．These can include physical items like a book to read, or a game to occupy your attention. |
5 . I’ve always wanted to attend a music festival. But as a person with autism (自闭症), the
We arrived at the festival last Thursday afternoon only to be faced with a(n)
The next afternoon, volunteers guided us to a disabled viewing stand. It was a(n)
I was surprised to see how the power of music could
All in all, I
| A．warning | B．thought | C．experience | D．embarrassment |
| A．excited | B．disappointed | C．frightened | D．inspired |
| A．Therefore | B．Nowadays | C．Instead | D．However |
| A．relative | B．band | C．parent | D．friend |
| A．endless | B．unusual | C．striking | D．horrible |
| A．ceremony | B．point | C．atmosphere | D．branch |
| A．treated | B．introduced | C．directed | D．arranged |
| A．bags | B．performances | C．diseases | D．feelings |
| A．continued | B．refused | C．escaped | D．stopped |
| A．on hand | B．in charge | C．ready | D．willing |
| A．reasonable | B．informal | C．lively | D．hopeful |
| A．hosts | B．artists | C．workers | D．volunteers |
| A．understand | B．improve | C．control | D．move |
| A．Foreigners | B．Enemies | C．Neighbors | D．Strangers |
| A．remembered | B．confirmed | C．enjoyed | D．missed |
Sora: OpenAl will now let you create videos from verbal cues
Artificial intelligence leader OpenAI introduced a new AI model called Sora which it claims can create “realistic” and “imaginative” 60-second videos from quick text instructions. In a blog post on Wednesday, the company said Sora is capable of generating videos up to 60 seconds in length from text instructions,
This is the latest effort from the company behind the viral chatbot ChatGPT,
Sora
For now, OpenAI said Sora is still a work
① 活动的目的(experience hard working)、时间(last Sunday morning)和地点(in a community near the school);
② 活动内容(clean up the streets and parks; visit the elderly in the community);
③ 活动的感受。
注意：
① 词数100词左右;
② 可适当加入细节，使内容充实、行文连贯。
A Meaningful Social Practice
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________8 . In human behavioral science, bandwagon effect is a cognitive bias (认知偏见) where people assume that an idea or belief is true because many or most others believe in it or have adopted it. As many people already support the belief others also “join the bandwagon” and do not consider questioning the decision or if there is evidence supporting the same. Cognitive biases help people think and reason more quickly, but there is a high possibility of making mistakes.
For example, when talk shows in the west had hosts wearing suits, other people started following the same trend regardless of their working conditions and climate. In India, we have climates ranging from warm to extremely hot and moderately cold conditions. It never gets cold enough for an overcoat. Also, not all shooting locations have air conditioning facilities. Even though the “suit” is not the best fit for working and climatic conditions in India, people still wear it because it is recognized by many people as classy and suitable clothes for talk shows or outdoor media events.
One more fitting example for the bandwagon effect is a whole generation of teens all over the world going crazy over a “Korean” band because they were liked by many others. With all respect to the music they made and their popularity, teens were going crazy even though they didn’t understand a word of what was being listened to. Although the band was covering much needed and sensible subjects like bullying (霸凌), elitism (精英统治), and mental health, not all people following them got the true meaning of the songs. People got onto the “bandwagon” as they wanted to go along with the trend that was a hit throughout the world.
We can use various debiasing (消除偏见) techniques in order to avoid falling for the bandwagon effect. One is to consider alternative options that are not necessarily supported by the majority but may be a better choice. Give yourself some time to think and understand what is it that you really need which will allow you to make decisions in a less biased manner. It’s also important to remember that going with the crowd is not entirely bad. In many situations, it can be beneficial while making a decision, as long as you can do it in a way that allows you to make reasonable decisions.
1. What may people do if they fall for the bandwagon effect?| A．Trust every one around them. |
| B．Do as most people do. |
| C．Doubt people surrounding them. |
| D．Make reasonable choices. |
| A．All the hosts in talk shows wear suits. |
| B．Indian talk show hosts love suitable suits. |
| C．Following trend may make mistakes. |
| D．India weather is agreeable for outdoor media events. |
| A．They all love the members. |
| B．They all appreciated the lyrics. |
| C．Most of them follow the trend. |
| D．Most of them understand the songs. |
| A．Objective. | B．Favourable. | C．Critical. | D．Indifferent. |
9 . Want a relaxing but fun challenge at home?
Puzzles come in a huge range of sizes and difficulty levels. For beginners, a 100-piece puzzle is usually a good starting point.
For a real test, puzzles that have 1,000 pieces or more are a tough task and it’s best to complete them with friends or family if you can. Choosing a scene that interests you, such as a favourite film, sport or location, can help keep you interested and determined to work to the final piece. You can get fun educational puzzles, too.
Some of the best places to pick up puzzles are charity shops. They’re often on sale for less than £5. Once you have completed a puzzle, it’s nice to exchange it with a friend.
| A．So others can have a go. |
| B．You can’t beat a good puzzle. |
| C．Some companies make personalized puzzles. |
| D．However, a good start doesn’t always lead to a good result. |
| E．Most people like to start by getting the four edges of a puzzle laid out. |
| F．It can get you used to sorting out how the shapes, patterns and colors go together. |
| G．For example, you may try a map of the world or historical timelines. |
10 . In recent years breakfast cereals (谷物) seem to have lost their appeal. Many contain things that
Now, the manufacturers are boasting a(n)
Cereal firms have tried many ways to cope with customer’s
Makers are also spending to help their main brands. Kellogg has put more fruit in its Special K Red Berries cereal. General Mills plans to
For now, cereal-makers can take
| A．anxious | B．regular | C．satisfied | D．potential |
| A．demand | B．standard | C．reputation | D．disrespect |
| A．continuity | B．distinction | C．turnaround | D．equivalent |
| A．compete | B．succeed | C．protest | D．refuse |
| A．shrinking | B．promoted | C．inexhaustible | D．intellectual |
| A．declined | B．regretted | C．diversified | D．patented |
| A．changed | B．embarrassed | C．acquired | D．replaced |
| A．doubted | B．fled | C．ignored | D．wandered |
| A．conceal | B．receive | C．remove | D．expect |
| A．distant | B．traditional | C．mysterious | D．profitable |
| A．boost | B．review | C．reject | D．describe |
| A．responsibility | B．comfort | C．charge | D．action |
| A．failed | B．risen | C．paused | D．mattered |
| A．Warm-hearted | B．Fun-loving | C．Would-be | D．Health-conscious |
| A．reliable | B．wealthy | C．famous | D．intelligent |
