1 . “The news is ... there is no news.” With those words, outside St Mary’s Hospital in London awaiting the birth of Prince George in July 2013, my reporting for the BBC went viral on the Internet. Not for what I was saying but the way I was saying it. The helpless look. The depressed tone. Viewers could relate to me. Because they are human. And so am I.

Fedha is not human. Yes, the fair-haired woman looks human. This week she was introduced as the first presenter in Kuwait who works by artificial intelligence. “What kind of news do you prefer? Let's hear your opinions,” she says in Arabic. AI newsreaders actually never make a cock-up of their jobs. They can skip the mispronunciations, the complaints over foundation colours in makeup, and even the stresses over too-weak hairspray.

To examine the problems that may come with an AI newsreader, I thought I would turn the tables and ask Genie — the chatbot powered by ChatGPT. “They may struggle with delivering the news in a way that is appealing to viewers,” Genie says. I get that. As far as delivering the news is concerned, the face and voice behind it matters.

My ChatGPT friend also tells me that there are concerns about the potential for AI newsreaders to be used to spread false information, as they may not be able to determine the correctness of a story’s source. Not just in the delivery of news, but in its content. AI is already involved in the spread of “untrue news” — and that will only get worse. At a time when trust in news providers is reducing, the next few years threaten to be very challenging if that trust is to be regained.

One of the main concerns about AI newsreaders is that they lack the human touch and emotion. I have delivered some of the biggest stories. Whether it be an air attack or the death of a major figure, it's not just the words that matter. You need to look and sound right. An AI newsreader cannot convey (传达) a reaction to a breaking story.

1. How did viewers react according to paragraph 1?

A．They found the reporting confusing.	B．They felt excited about the reporting.
C．They considered the author unprofessional.	D．They knew the author’s thoughts and feelings.

2. What does the underlined part “make a cock-up of” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Talk about.	B．Make a fool of.
C．Keep an eye on.	D．Mess up.

3. What does Genie think of AI newsreaders?

A．They may deliver misleading news.	B．They can locate the source of a news story.
C．They interact with viewers in an improper way.	D．They wear the same facial expressions as humans.

4. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To voice his doubt about AI newsreaders.	B．To share his experience of being a reporter.
C．To introduce an AI newsreader called Fedha.	D．To show ChatGPT's impact on news reporting.

2 . 假定你是李华，常州希望中学的学生会主席。国际博物馆日（5月 18日）即将来临，学生会将举办一系列相关活动以丰富同学们的课余生活，拓宽视野。请你代表学生会写一个国旗下讲话发言稿，号召同学们多去博物馆。
内容可以包括：1.博物馆的益处。2.号召同学们多去博物馆。
字数在 80—120之间，也可以适当增加信息。
Distinguished teachers and my fellow students,

Good Morning! I’m Li Hua, president of the Students’ Union.

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That’s all! Thank you and have a good day!

3 . Around 1830, the Romantic period slowly arose from the delicate form of the Classical period, expanding orchestral（管弦乐的）forces to express emotions and extra-musical ideas they had never expressed before. How was this possible?     1    

Romantic Period Sound

If you expect the music to have a regular, eight bar phrase（乐节）, think again. It might have irregular phrases to throw you off course, like in Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’ Symphony No. 8.     2     It may well be that composers like Mahler jump to an unexpected musical ending, like in his Symphony No. 2. If in doubt, be prepared to forget anything and everything you previously thought about music, and expect to be surprised, attracted, and amazed by the unexpected twists and turns of the Romantic period.

Romantic Instruments

As music grew more expressive, the standard orchestral instruments just weren’t rich enough for many Romantic composers. So, more were added, including the contrabassoon, bass clarinet and piccolo, xylophones, drums, celestes, harps, bells, and triangles.     3     Listen to how Tchaikovsky makes use of various instruments in the ‘Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy’ in his ballet, The Nutcracker.

Romantic Pieces

Despite often being marked as a Classical period composer, Beethoven’s style really covered the two periods. His later works are pretty expansive, conjuring（变戏法般的）life, death, joy, peace, and even the concept of a universal brotherhood in the symphony of all symphonies, his choral Symphony No. 9, written in 1824.     4     It was a one-movement work evoking a story or poem, like Debussy’s dreamy Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune or Dukas’ Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

    5     They also expanded the orchestra to express the full range of human emotion through music. But, understandably, this over-indulgent expression had its critics（批判者）who favoured absolute music-music for music’s sake, without a programme or story-and these critics led music into the ever-diverse 20th Century period.

A．Beethoven is the originator of the Romantic period.

B．Learn more and listen to the best pieces with our guide.

C．The period also saw the development of the tone poem.

D．When it comes to the Romantic period, the bigger, the better.

E．To make a conclusion, they had more free time to write music.

F．If you thought the piece would end in the key it started in, think again.

G．To summarize, romantic period composers used ever-increasing subject matter in their works.

4 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

What had seemed like a good idea two weeks ago was turning into one of the most unforgettable experiences of Katie’s life. She looked through the heavy black curtains and then quickly turned her head back into the backstage. “She’s out there,” Katie breathed to Mila and Renee. “They’re all out there.”

“They,” of course, were the five members of The Crystal Wolves, the greatest rock band in the world. Lead guitarist and singer Eddie Kaye was arguably the most well-known band member, but he was nothing compared to Molly Lee, the band’s bassist and only female. Katie opened the curtains again, marveling(惊叹)at the fact that THE Molly Lee, wearing a surprisingly cool pair of tortoiseshell eyeglasses, was actually in Katie’s hometown.

Just the thought of it made Katie feel extremely excited.

The Crystal Wolves were touring(巡回演唱)the Midwest, and they were looking for a local act to give an opening act (主要节目前的垫场) for them at the theatre that evening. Katie, Mila, and Renee had practiced again and again over the past two weeks.

Katie slung her bass (低音吉他) over her shoulder and silently ran through their song in her head, pressing her fingers to the appropriate strings and tapping her foot to the beat. There were three bands ahead of them. The first two groups were quite good, especially the pop band of some college students. This brought Katie into worries. But the third group’s boring song lifted Katie’s spirits, and a feeling of confidence settled into the base of her spine(脊柱)as the third band ahead of them walked down the stage. Heads up and shoulders back, Katie and her friends took the stage to a handful of applause.

The performance was not satisfactory. Before they knew it, Katie, Mila, and Renee were hustled(催促)down the stage by an impatient stage manager wearing a large headset. The three sat in a comer for an painful hour before the final votes were tallied (计算).

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。

It turned out that the winner was not them but the pop band of college students.

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“You guys deserve an opening act too,” a cheerful female voice said over Katie’s shoulder.

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6 . It was dinner time, yet I hadn’t finished my work for the day. Cheery people who were enjoying their holiday time buzzed around me. But with my head down and headphones in, I had interacted with very few of them. The day passed more like a fast-forwarded video than something that I actually fully experienced.     1    

This was my first week living the digital nomad lifestyle. I had left my corporate role and found freelance (自由职业的) writing work online to afford me the freedom to travel.     2     With enthusiasm, I expected my attitude would also change. Instead, the first surprising realization of my travel journey had hit: despite changing my formal suits to casuals, I was the exact same person I had been at home.

I had prepared excitedly, surfing online about digital nomadism.     3    While you might expect finances to be the biggest killer of this lifestyle, unrealistic expectations are the death blow that I hear about most often. After six years abroad, realism is now the primary message I share.

    4     Instead of an office room, you’ll work from a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean or a sunny rooftop in the heart of Marrakesh. Instead of waiting at the coffee machine next to complaining colleagues, your daily coffee run will lead you down dusty cobblestone streets into tiny cafes. These dreams exist and are waiting for you once you clear customs.

But that’s not all that’s waiting for new digital nomads.     5     At-home life and life on the road can at times feel shockingly similar, or, if bad work habits take over, even worse. It’s an important expectation to understand before you set out on your digital nomad lifestyle: your surroundings will change, but you take you everywhere that you go. No matter how ultra-light you pack.

A．And my surroundings looked different.

B．But this wasn’t at a tiring nine-to-five office job.

C．This was a typical day back in my office I managed to escape.

D．New surroundings may also make you fully engaged in your work.

E．Should you choose to become a digital nomad, your environment will change.

F．You’ll still wake up with emails in your inbox and to-dos begging to be handled.

G．Yet somehow I unknowingly over-consumed expectation and under-consumed realism.

7 . 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

I met Gunter on a cold, wet and unforgettable evening in September. I had planned to fly to Vienna and take a bus to Prague for a conference. Due to a big storm, my flight had been delayed by an hour and a half. I touched down in Vienna just 30 minutes before the departure of the last bus to Prague. The moment I got off the plane, I ran like crazy through the airport building and jumped into the first taxi on the rank without a second thought.

That was when I met Gunter. I told him where I was going, but he said he hadn't heard of the bus station. I thought my pronunciation was the problem, so I explained again more slowly, but he still looked confused. When I was about to give up, Gunter fished out his little phone and rang up a friend. After a heated discussion that lasted for what seemed like a century, Gunter put his phone down and started the car.

Finally, with just two minutes to spare we rolled into the bus station. Thankfully, there was a long queue (队列) still waiting to board the bus. Gunter parked the taxi behind the bus, turned around, and looked at me with a big smile on his face. "We made it," he said.

Just then I realised that I had zero cash in my wallet. I flashed him an apologetic smile as I pulled out my Portuguese bankcard. He tried it several times, but the card machine just did not play along. A feeling of helplessness washed over me as I saw the bus queue thinning out.

At this moment, Gunter pointed towards the waiting hall of the bus station. There, at the entrance, was a cash machine. I jumped out of the car, made a mad run for the machine, and popped my card in, only to read the message: "Out of order. Sorry."

注意：
（1）续写词数应为150个左右；
（2）请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。

I ran back to Gunter and told him the bad news.

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Four days later, when I was back in Vienna, I called Gunter as promised.

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8 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. When will the event be held?

A．From January 12th to February. 10th.

B．From January 10th to February 12th.

C．From January 12th to February 12th.

2. How much should a couple with a child of 8 pay for their entrance?

A．$20.

B．$10.

C．$30.

3. Which event is new this year?

A．A flower show.

B．A fancy dress competition.

C．A winter sport.

4. Where will the food shops be?

A．In the center of the site.

B．Next to the entrance.

C．Beside the amusement rides.