It was a special Saturday evening. Hardly had I finished my work and left my office building at 9:00 pm when it rained cats and dogs. In order to get home earlier, I dashed into the rain without hesitation. Out of my expectation, I noticed a man wandering around my car, the moment I approached the parking lot.
Shaking with cold in the heavy rain, he was looking around every few seconds as though to be waiting for somebody. It was at that moment that it occurred to me that I had forgotten to roll the car window up and that was exactly where I left my wallet. In a flash, I got a big breath.
So I couldn’t help speeding up and at the same time called out to the man, expecting that he didn’t take the money and make a run with it, as after a busy day’s work, I was too tired to catch up with him.
“Are you the owner of the car?” the man asked in a shaking voice, but raindrops on the roof of my car made his voice unclear.
“And who the hell are you?” I replied with an unfriendly expression as if he was a thief who was caught stealing my wallet.
The man went on to tell me that he was a beggar, begging around the nearby buildings where I worked every day and familiar with every face and every car here. “This morning, several young men walked up plotting to take the wallet in your car. I came over and frightened them away, pretending to call the police. Thus the bad boys were scared to run away immediately. I had been waiting for you here since then so that the car and your wallet would be secure,” added the man.
When the man gave me a clear explanation of what had happened earlier, I was astonished to cover my open mouth with my hands.
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。
Standing in the rain, I couldn’t believe my ears.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Why didn’t you take the money?” I asked him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Looking over the top of the book, I glanced across at the new girl named Rochelle. She only joined our class at the beginning of the week. It must be hard starting a new school in the middle of the year.
At last, the bell went for the end of the day. I spotted Rochelle running towards a tall woman who must be her mum. Then I saw a surprising thing. Rochelle’s mum was waving her arms round and making shapes with her fingers, and Rochelle was doing the same with hers. It was like they were talking to each other with their hands. Oh, could her mother be deaf? My mind was filled with questions.
The next day, I was reading this week’s words when I felt a tap (轻拍) on my shoulder. I looked up and Rochelle was standing in front of me. “Shall we test each other?” she asked, pointing to my spelling book.
“Yes, of course,” I replied. But I was still wondering how to ask the questions that had been tumbling (翻腾) around in my head since yesterday.
“So, um, that hand thing you did with your mum…”
“Signing.”
“Yeah, signing. Is it because she’s, um, deaf?”
“Yes, both my parents are deaf, so I communicate with them through sign.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. That must be really difficult.” I could tell by the frown on Rochelle’s face that I’d said something wrong, but I didn’t know what. “So, did your parents need someone to help them look after you when you were a baby?”
“Of course not,” Rochelle got annoyed. “Why would being deaf mean they can’t look after me? Being deaf doesn’t mean they’re stupid,” she was almost shouting. “In fact, they’re much cleverer than most people I know.” Hearing that, I got bet all over. I didn’t say her parents were stupid. But before I could explain, the bell went and she strode (阔步行走) out of the classroom. I hurried after her, but when I tried to speak to her, she kept her back to me as if I were her enemy.
注意：(1)续写词数应为150个左右;
(2)请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
After school, I saw Rochelle and her mother moving their hands quickly.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________All of a sudden, Rochelle was coming over to me, with her eyes watery and red.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________3 . More American businesses are starting to use artificial intelligence(AI)tools to come up with new ideas and to deal with customers.
Mattel is known for making children’s toys. The company recently used an AI image generator (生成器) called DALL-E to come up with ideas for new Hot Wheels toy cars. The used vehicle seller CarMax is using ChatGPT to gather thousands of customer comments. The social media service Snapchat has added a chatbot (聊天机器人) to its messaging service. And Instacart, a delivery service, now uses ChatGPT to answer food questions. Even the Coca-Cola company plans to use AI to help create new marketing content. It has not said exactly how it plans to use the technology. But the move shows that businesses are under pressure to use the tools that many of their employees and customers are already trying on their own.
Some experts warn that businesses should carefully consider possible harms to customers, society, and their own companies before choosing to use AI tools in the workplace. Chaire Leibowicz works at The Partnership on AI, a nonprofit group. The group recently released recommendations for companies producing AI- generated images, audio and other media. “I want people to think deeply before deploying this technology” Leibowicz said. “They should play around. . . but we should also think, what purpose are these tools serving in the first place?”
While text generators like ChatGPT can make the process of writing emails and marketing documents faster and easier, they also appear to present misinformation as fact. And image generators like DALL-E are trained in copying widely available digital art and photography. This has raise copyright(版权)concerns from the creators of those works.
“It is safer to use AI tools as a ‘thought partner’ but still people as the creator of final products,” said Anna Gressel. She works at the law company Debevoise & Plimpton, which advises businesses on how to use AI.
1. Which company made creative products with Al tools’ help?| A．Instacart | B．Matel | C．CarMax | D．Snapchat |
| A．People rely too much on technology in their daily life. |
| B．AI tools are widely used to help businesses grow. |
| C．AI tools have an effect on improving business conditions. |
| D．Customers are more and more connected online. |
| A．presenting confidently | B．promoting successfully |
| C．debating publicly | D．applying effectively |
| A．AI tools should just be humans’ assistants. |
| B．The use of AI tools should be forbidden. |
| C．A business should partner with a law company. |
| D．Copyright concerns are unnecessary |
We were very poor. To help support the family, Grandma would go to the mountains to dig wild vegetables, and then sell them. In this way, Grandma had to spend the whole day in the mountains. After she came back from collecting a lot of wild vegetables, she had to pick them until late night. Early in the morning, my grandma would take the vegetables, walk through the mountain road, and go to the market to sell them.
I hated Grandma digging wild vegetables all day long, because as soon as I finished my homework, I had to help her pick vegetables. And this dirty work often made my fingers black. In that case, no matter how hard I washed my hands, the dirty black color couldn’t be washed away, which made me very upset. My grandma noticed I hated the black color so much; she once suggested using bleach and iron filings (漂白剂和铁屑). It worked. However, it really hurt so I refused to try them again.
One day, something unexpected happened.
“Everyone, you need to invite your parents to school. OK?” the teacher said to us, “the school requires students to bring your parents to school, mainly to discuss your school work.”
Of course it didn’t matter to other classmates, but I… Grandma was the only one who could come to school with me, Hearing what the teacher said, I sighed (叹气) helplessly, “Oh…” The worn-out clothes, the slightly hunched (弓背的) back, and the most terrible thing was the dirty black color on Grandma’s fingers!
I couldn’t tell how worried and frightened I was and I didn’t know what to do. Anyway, I didn’t want the teacher to see the color of my grandma’s fingers. I came home with an unhappy face and said hesitantly (犹豫地): “Well, Grandma, the teacher asked parents to go to school tomorrow.”
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。
I couldn’t help stealing a look at her hands.
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The next afternoon, a classmate told me my grandma was in the teacher’s office.
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In a quiet suburb of Northern California, a diligent (勤奋的) high school student named Sarah had always been devoted to her academics. However, she found herself with some free time on her hands as the school year came to an end. It was then that she was struck with an idea—why not use this spare time to give back to her community?
With a newfound sense of purpose, Sarah set out to look for ways she could make a difference. She noticed that the local park was in need of some repairs and restoration, but the city lacked the budget to tackle the necessary redecoration. Regardless of some challenges, Sarah decided to take matters into her own hands. She gathered her classmates and engaged with the local businesses to provide donations, materials, and equipment needed for the restoration project. With a clear goal in mind and a team of eager volunteers, they rolled up their sleeves and began the heavy task of cleaning up the park. Everyone worked tirelessly, day after day, in the California sun.
Meanwhile Sarah had another idea in her mind. Seeing so many families in the area had been affected by the economic downturn, Sarah knew she had to do more to help. She partnered with local businesses and launched a food drive to support struggling families. Her efforts brought back hope to many families who had been struggling to make ends meet.
As Sarah and her team faced numerous obstacles (障碍) throughout the restoration project, Sarah made sure to maintain a positive attitude and gathered her classmates to keep going at the same time. One day, while painting the park’s broken fence, one of the volunteers called out, “Sarah, why are we even doing this? It’s never going to look good again.” It was a moment of upset feelings. Sarah approached the volunteer. She placed her hands on the volunteer’s shoulder and said, “I don’t expect this to be easy, but we can’t give up. We have an opportunity to help our community and make it a better place. That’s what makes it worth the effort. Don’t you think so?”
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。
Her words had a powerful effect on the team.
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There were challenges along the way, but she never lost her determination.
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Snowball came into our lives one winter. Since the moment my dad brought him home, they have formed a close relationship. While Snowball was still young，my dad began training him. A good herding (牧放牲畜) dog is necessary for our farm where cows are raised, so Dad began preparing him for the role. Snowball’s determination to please my dad was amazing. Watching them herd cows together was interesting.
One summer morning when Snowball was six, he herded our cows out of the corral (畜栏). When the cows walked around and ate grass, my mom and I left home to visit my grandma. And as usual, Snowball sadly watched as my dad left for work in the truck. Although Snowball wished to go along, he made no move toward the truck, knowing he shouldn’t leave.
That afternoon, Snowball walked back to the roadside, lay down under a tree and patiently looked down the road, waiting for my dad to return. When finally seeing my dad’s truck back, he stood up right away. Moments later, my dad pulled up beside the tree. As my dad got out of the truck, Snowball ran to him, voicing his joy. And he danced happily around my dad.
Then, it was time for Snowball to herd the cows into the corral. All the cows, except a yellow one, were successfully herded into the corral. This yellow cow refused to go in, though Snowball did his best to herd it. Probably it was because the extreme heat of the day had made this cow angry. When it had no patience anymore, the cow turned and suddenly charged (进攻) at my dad, who was standing nearby. Catching Dad off guard, the cow knocked him to the ground. My dad wanted to go into the nearby truck but his legs got injured. While he was trying to stand up, the cow looked at him in preparation for charging again. Just then, Snowball rushed to help my dad.
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。
Showing teeth and looking at the cow, Snowball stood bravely in front of my dad.
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Before long, my mom and I returned home and learned what had happened.
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My daughter Marissa loves to dance and is quite a good dancer. She inherited her dancing ability from my wife Angela.
Angela encouraged Marissa to dance from a very early age. I recall fondly how she would swing our daughter around the living room over and over to the song “Dancing Queen”. The two of them filled our living room with laughter and joy each time they danced together. Because of that, our daughter has always loved all types of dance, and she took classes in Irish dance, hip-hop, jazz and more.
I love music, and I will dance occasionally, but my dancing is awful! Every time I try to dance, two things get in the way: my feet.
A couple of years ago, Marissa was a bridesmaid in a wedding that my wife and I attended. It was a beautiful wedding on a bright spring day. At the reception, my daughter was dancing away. I was sitting at a table minding my own business when she talked me into dancing with her. That means she begged me to get off my chair and out on the dance floor.
When we got out on the floor, the DJ’s music took over my body. The problem was that it missed my hips and feet. I tried my best. As I began moving to the beat, I gave myself a silent encouraging talk. I thought of that famous phrase: Dance like no one is watching. That didn’t work! Everyone was watching. My brother-in-law was laughing so hard that I thought he would fall off his chair.
I tried my best to keep up with my daughter’s moves. Unfortunately, I was always at least two steps behind. She was performing a move, and I was just a fool! Her “Hips Don’t Lie”, and my hips didn’t even know what to say. If she was the dancing queen, then I would have been the court jester (小丑). I think you get the picture.
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。
Despite my poor dance moves, we had a good time.
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Dance gives us so many smiles.
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8 . If job seekers knew companies were using AI to fill open positions, would it stop them from applying for the job? The answer, according to a recent study, is yes — sometimes.
The researchers found that in certain instances, like the screening (筛选) of applications, participants usually accepted some degree of automation. But in other instances, like interviews, automation could stop job seekers from applying for a position.
Companies facing recent labor shortages are increasingly turning to AI as a way to facilitate and speed up the hiring process. AI can be used in tasks such as screening job candidates, checking professional licenses, and interviewing candidates.
The new research suggests that using AI in hiring could be quite opposite. For instance, in one part of the study, participants were shown fictional job postings and then asked if they intended to apply for the position. The researchers found that if the job posting said that AI was used both to screen applicants and to conduct interviews, participants’ intention to apply for the position averaged 2.77 on a six-point scale. If AI was used only for the screening process, participants’ intention to apply averaged 3.73.
In another experiment, the researchers also found that study participants saw pros and cons in the use of AI in interviewing. When told the hiring would be fully automated, some participants expected the whole hiring process to be more consistent (始终如一的) in its judgments. But others tended to believe that they had less voice in the final outcome. Overall, the study results suggest this concern tends to outweigh the appreciation of AI’s lack of bias (偏见) at the interviewing stage.
A mixed approach may be a way to get the best of both worlds. Participants may have been more open to automation earlier in the hiring process because they could see some benefits from using AI — such as less-biased decisions. But during the later stages applicants expect personal interaction, to give them an opportunity to sell themselves and to learn more about the company.
1. Why do companies increasingly turn to AI in hiring?| A．To attract more applicants. | B．To boost hiring process. |
| C．To pick out top candidates. | D．To solve labor shortages. |
| A．Screening job candidates. | B．Interviewing candidates. |
| C．Grading professional licenses. | D．Predicting final outcomes. |
| A．Less AI involvement. | B．Lack of consistent judgments. |
| C．Less-biased decisions. | D．Lack of personal interaction. |
| A．Hi-tech is a two-edged sword. |
| B．AI finds its way to hiring process. |
| C．Automation may discourage job seekers. |
| D．A mixed approach should be adopted in hiring. |
10 . More than 140 sign languages are used today, primarily by deaf communities around the world. Like spoken languages, each sign language has its own grammar, vocabulary and other special features. For example, American Sign Language is unintelligible（无法了解的）to British Sign language. In fact, American Sign language has more in common with French Sign Language, largely because French educators played a key role in helping get deaf schools founded in the United States during the 19th century.
There haven’t been a lot of comparisons of sign languages. University of Texas, Austin linguist Justin Powers and his colleagues aim to address that information gap. In order to study the question of sign language evolution, they first collected a database of manual alphabets from dozens of different sign languages around the world. So a manual alpha-bet is kind of a subsystem within a sign language that is used to represent a written language. And there’s a hand shape that corresponds to each letter.
To uncover relationships between the alphabets% the researchers used the same methods that biologists use to figure out relationships between different species, based on their DNA. The methods grouped sign languages in this study into five main European lineages（谱系）. And those were Austrian origin, British origin, French origin, Spanish and Swedish. Power says manual alphabets from Austria, France and Spain could date back to one-handed manual alphabets from 16th- and 17th-century Spain. But each of those lineages evolved independently of each other.
The study also confirmed the French origins of American Sign Language and those of other countries, including Mexico, Brazil and the Netherlands. Surprisingly, the Austrian manual alphabet influenced sign languages as far away as Russia. But while this lineage has largely died out, remains of it live on in Icelandic Sign language today.
Power says future research comparing the vocabularies of different sign languages could provide even more clues about how they’ve changed over time. Understanding how sign languages evolve would tell us a lot about the way that language, in general, evolves.
1. What can we know about American Sign Language?| A．It was created by French educators. |
| B．It is less related to French Sign language. |
| C．It was further developed before the 19th century. |
| D．It has little in common with British Sign Language. |
| A．Every letter means a hand gesture. |
| B．It is used to replace the written language. |
| C．Every letter is the same as the normal alphabet. |
| D．It is used together with the shape of mouth. |
| A．Worrying. | B．Astonishing. |
| C．Moving. | D．Disappointing. |
| A．The changes of different sign languages. |
| B．The evolution of different sign languages. |
| C．The meaning of researching sign languages. |
| D．The vocabulary of different sign languages. |
