1 . Flinging brightly coloured objects around a screen at high speed is not what computers’ central processing units were designed for. So manufacturers of arcade machines invented the graphics-processing unit (GPU), a set of circuits to handle video games’ visuals in parallel to the work done by the central processor. The GPU’s ability to speed up complex tasks has since found wider uses: video editing, cryptocurrency mining and most recently, the training of artificial intelligence.
AI is now disrupting the industry that helped bring it into being. Every part of entertainment stands to be affected by generative AI, which digests inputs of text, image, audio or video to create new outputs of the same. But the games business will change the most, argues Andreessen Horowitz, a venture-capital (VC) firm. Games interactivity requires them to be stuffed with laboriously designed content: consider the 30 square miles of landscape or 60 hours of music in “Red Dead Redemption 2”, a recent cowboy adventure. Enlisting AI assistants to churn it out could drastically shrink timescales and budgets.
AI represents an “explosion of opportunity” and could drastically change the landscape of game development. Making a game is already easier than it was: nearly 13,000 titles were published last year on Steam, a games platform, almost double the number in 2017. Gaming may soon resemble the music and video industries in which most new content on Spotify or YouTube is user-generated. One games executive predicts that small firms will be the quickest to work out what new genres are made possible by AI. Last month Raja Koduri, an executive at Intel, left the chip maker to found an AI-gaming startup.
Don’t count the big studios out, though. If they can release half a dozen high-quality titles a year instead of a couple, it might chip away at the hit-driven nature of their business, says Josh Chapman of Konvoy, a gaming focused VC firm. A world of more choices also favors those with big marketing budgets. And the giants may have better answers to the mounting copyright questions around AI. If generative models have to be trained on data to which the developer has the rights, those with big back-catalogues will be better placed than startups. Trent Kaniuga, an artist who has worked on games like “Fortnite”, said last month that several clients had updated their contracts to ban AI-generated art.
If the lawyers don’t intervene, unions might. Studios diplomatically refer to AI assistants as “co-pilots”, not replacements for humans.
1. The original purpose behind the invention of the graphics-processing unit (GPU) was to ________.| A．speed up complex tasks in video editing and cryptocurrency mining |
| B．assist in the developing and training of artificial intelligence |
| C．disrupt the industry and create new outputs using generative AI |
| D．offload game visual tasks from the central processor |
| A．It contributes to the growth of user-generated content. |
| B．It facilitates blockbuster dependency on big studios. |
| C．It decreases collaboration between different stakeholders in the industry. |
| D．It may help to consolidate the gaming market under major corporations. |
| A．AI favors the businesses with small marketing budgets. |
| B．AI is expected to simplify game development processes. |
| C．AI allows startups to gain an edge over big firms with authorized data. |
| D．AI assistants may serve as human substitutes for studios. |
| A．The evolution of graphics-processing units (GPUs). |
| B．The impact of generative AI on the gaming industry. |
| C．The societal significance of graphics-processing units (GPUs). |
| D．The challenges generative AI presents to gaming studios. |
2 . Roald Hoffmann, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, poet and playwright (剧作家), is a tireless advocate of the wonders of science and the beauty of chemistry. Hoffmann successfully shares his understanding of science with the public at large through literature, educational television and even the stage. Here is an article he wrote:
Around the time of the Industrial Revolution, science left poetry. Nature and the personal became the main playground of the poet. That’s too bad for both scientists and poets, but it leaves lots of open ground for those of us who can move between the two. If one can write poetry about being a tree, why not about being a scientist? It’s experience, a way of life. It’s exciting.
The language of science is a language under stress. Words are being made to describe things that seem indescribable in words — equations (方程式), chemical structures and so forth. Words do not, cannot mean all that they stand for, yet they are all we have to describe experience. By being a natural language under tension, the language of science is inherently (内在地) poetic. Emotions emerge shaped as states of matter and more interestingly, matter acts out what goes on in the soul.
One thing is certainly not true: that scientists have some greater insight into the workings of nature than poets. Interestingly, I find that many humanists deep down feel that scientists have such inner knowledge that they don’t. Perhaps we scientists do, but in such carefully circumscribed pieces of the universe, poetry flies high, all around the tangible (有形的), in the deep dark, through a world we reveal and make.
It should be said that building a career in poetry is much harder than in science. In the best chemical journal in the world, the acceptance rate for full articles is 65%, for communications 35%. In a routine literary journal, far from the best, the acceptance rate for poems is below 5%.
Writing has become increasingly important to me. I expect to publish four books for a general or literary audience in the next few years. Science will be involved, but only as a part, a vital part, of the risky project of being human.
1. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．A way of life. | B．The Industrial Revolution. |
| C．The main playground of the poet. | D．The separation of science from poetry. |
| A．Humanists never use it. | B．It shows scientists’ emotions. |
| C．It is a special way of description. | D．Its words stand for everything. |
| A．Comparative analysis. | B．Giving examples. |
| C．Cause-effect analysis. | D．Process explanation. |
| A．The Life of Roald Hoffmann | B．Roald Hoffmann’s Views on Science and Poetry |
| C．The Difference of Nature and Art | D．The Development of Science Language |
“I challenge you to a hundred-meter race,” my opponent, Julius, declared. He had beaten me countless times during practice, but I wanted to prove him wrong for a change. “That’ll wipe the smile off his face!” I thought, even as fear started to pour in my stomach. He was well-known around the school for being the fastest runner on the track-and-field team, while I tailed behind in second place- a respectable position, but not yet good enough to surpass (超过) him. Nevertheless, I shook his hand and said, “Challenge accepted!” However, negative thoughts flooded my mind. Would I be able to win? After all, Julius’ speed of light would guarantee a sure win!
Soon, all my friends and the teachers had gathered around to watch the challenge. “Oh no, I will lose and be embarrassed in front of the whole school!” I spoke in a low voice. Nevertheless, I turned my worried expression into a determined smile. To keep myself from sinking into self-doubt, I did some stretches and jumping jacks to warm up my body.
Finally, the crucial moment arrived. The referee(裁判)fired the starting gun and we took off like a shot. Adrenaline(肾上腺素) rocketed through my body as I launched myself forward. True to my expectations, Julius caught up with me easily and was in the lead! “No way will I lose! Victory, here I come!” I motivated myself as anger coursed through my body. As the race progressed, my eyes locked onto Julius, his athletic form effortlessly moving ahead. His quick steps and strong focus showcased his impressive skills. Yet, I refused to let doubt consume me. A fierce fire burnt within, fueled by a mix of unwillingness to admit defeat and anger. How dare he assume he was unbeatable? With every step, my determination solidified(变坚定), and my resolve to surpass him strengthened.
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。
“Faster!” I screamed and in that instant, I felt like Superman.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________“Yi Rou! Yi Rou! Yi Rou!” The whole school was cheering my name!
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________1. What did the girls learn during the hike?
| A．How to climb rocks. | B．How to read a map. | C．How to make friends. |
| A．Their academic performance. |
| B．Their former outdoor experiences. |
| C．Their intention of participating in the programme. |
| A．To offer girls more opportunities. |
| B．To help girls challenge themselves. |
| C．To encourage girls to study hard. |
Wind on the Hill | Dream | A Match | |
| Subject | |||
| Images | |||
| Rhymingwords | |||
| Rhetorical devices |
China will
Through years of efforts, China has effectively protected 90 percent of
I used to think her job easy,but
She hugged the caring twins tightly,
a.Because of human activities, the number of some rare animals
b. Because of human activities, the number of some rare animals
