1 . Reading involves looking at illustrative symbols and expressing mentally the sounds and ideas they represent. Concepts of reading have changed _______ over the centuries. During the 1950’s and 1960’s especially, increased attention has been devoted to _______ the reading process. Although experts agree that reading _______ a complex organization of higher mental _______, they disagree about the exact nature of the process. Some experts, who regard language primarily as a code using symbols to represent sounds, _______ reading as simply the decoding (解码) of symbols into the sounds they stand for.

These authorities _______ that meaning, being concerned with thinking, must be taught independently of the decoding process. Others maintain that reading is inexplainably related to thinking, and that a child who pronounces sounds without _______ their meaning is not truly reading. The reader, _______ some, is not just a person with a theoretical ability to read but one who _______ reads.

Many adults, although they have the ability to read, have never read a book in its ________. By some experts they would not be ________ as readers. Clearly, the philosophy, objectives, methods and materials of reading will depend on the definition one uses. By the most ________ and satisfactory definition, reading is the ability to ________ the sound-symbols code of the language, to interpret meaning for various ________, at various rates, and at various levels of difficulty, and to do so widely and enthusiastically. ________, reading is the interpretation of ideas through the use of symbols representing sounds and ideas.

1.

A．specifically

B．dramatically

C．abstractly

D．ridiculously

2.

A．understanding

B．translating

C．defining

D．substituting

3.

A．involves

B．concentrates

C．specializes

D．analyzes

4.

A．opinions

B．effects

C．manners

D．functions

5.

A．view

B．look

C．reassure

D．agree

6.

A．support

B．argue

C．attempt

D．compete

7.

A．interpreting

B．saying

C．reciting

D．reading

8.

A．in addition to

B．for example

C．according to

D．such as

9.

A．completely

B．carefully

C．publicly

D．actually

10.

A．part

B．whole

C．standard

D．straight

11.

A．applied

B．granted

C．classified

D．graded

12.

A．instructive

B．doubtful

C．certain

D．complicated

13.

A．strike

B．illustrate

C．define

D．unlock

14.

A．purposes

B．degrees

C．stages

D．steps

15.

A．On the other hand

B．In short

C．By the way

D．So far

2 . Algorithms in the Criminal Justice System

Some of the best or at least sharpest, minds on the planet are devoted to guessing what we might buy next, and showing us advertisements for it. Often the results are unbelievably inaccurate; sometimes they are amazingly precise. Would we _________the same kind of technology to predict what crimes we might next commit? That is the question raised by the latest report by campaigners at Liberty on the _________of the police’s use of big data and machine learning.

From my perspective, when big data are used to determine the course of the criminal justice system, they could _______. Because machine learning can only detect patterns in the data that it is given, any bias in the original sample will only be _________. So if past practice has been to prejudice against women or minorities, any algorithm fed on previous experience will _________this pattern, but this time with the apparent authority of science behind it. And because modern machine learning techniques are hard to understand, even to their programmers, a computer cannot easily be made to _________its own reasoning in the way that police officers can.

The civil liberties group says it found at least 14 police forces in England and Wales are using or have used software to predict crimes in particular areas; three are attempting to use the same technology on individuals in order to predict their likelihood of _________. It makes obvious sense to concentrate police resources where they are most needed, and this is especially true after the staff cuts are imposed. _________, it is easy to see that the use of such software can bring about unjust discrimination. Because crimes are detected more often where there are police to keep an eye on them, the areas in which police are concentrated will _________suggests that they need more police sent to them, and so on.

Society does have a vital interest in being able to predict who is most likely to remake a crime, and to help them away from __________. But the idea that algorithms could substitute for probation officers or the traditional human intelligence of police officers is __________. Of course, such human judgments are sometimes unreliable. But training an algorithm on the results of previous mistakes merely means they can be made without human intervention in the future. The strongest single __________of whether a young man will end up in jail is whether his father did so. People live down to society’s expectation, and we all lose as a result.

The more data is collected and shared through the state’s various systems — not just the police, but schools, the welfare system and even, increasingly, the NHS — the __________it will be for anyone to escape such stereotyping. The risk is a loss of liberty with no corresponding gain in efficiency. The damage this has done cannot be repaired by technology alone. Machines can make human __________very much worse. They cannot be trusted to __________human responsibility.

1.

A．develop

B．introduce

C．improve

D．trust

2.

A．implications

B．interactions

C．downsides

D．principles

3.

A．play a huge part

B．raise much concern

C．do great damage

D．win much applause

4.

A．removed

B．increased

C．estimated

D．reported

5.

A．continue

B．cease

C．spread

D．explain

6.

A．assess

B．ensure

C．strengthen

D．lose

7.

A．relearning

B．reoffending

C．restarting

D．reworking

8.

A．Therefore

B．In addition

C．However

D．Indeed

9.

A．on end

B．with doubt

C．at random

D．in turn

10.

A．distraction

B．starvation

C．depression

D．temptation

11.

A．doable

B．ridiculous

C．widespread

D．innovative

12.

A．weapon

B．evidence

C．foundation

D．predictor

13.

A．harder

B．easier

C．later

D．earlier

14.

A．advances

B．arrangement

C．misjudgments

D．attempts

15.

A．define

B．weaken

C．require

D．eliminate

3 . Directions: After reading the passage below, fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent and grammatically correct. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word; for the other blanks, use one word that best fits each blank.

Is It Dangerous for Micro plastics to Be in the Body?

A new study suggests invasive medical procedures may be an overlooked route of micro plastics exposure, raising concerns about the potential health risks of plastic     1     (get) in the body.

Based on heart tissue samples collected from 15 people who underwent heart operations, scientists discovered tens to thousands of individual microplastic pieces in most tissue samples analyzed—although the amounts and materials     2    (vary) between participants. According to the analysis, a fraction of the plastic pieces identified had a diameter too large to likely enter the body through inhalation(吸入) or ingestion (食入), which indicated that the heart operation     3    (it) may “permit direct access of micro plastics to the bloodstream and tissues.” The researchers cited previous scientific investigation showing that micro plastics have been detected in the air in operating rooms and could directly enter a patient organs are exposed to the air during surgery. The types of plastics    4    (detect) might also offer evidence that micro plastics could be introduced during surgery.

“Previous studies have shown that micro plastics have been found in a number of human tissue samples — blood, lungs, breast milk, feces — which     5    (believe) to come from food, water supplies, or by inhalation,” says Dr. O'Toole, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky. “The importance of this study seems to be that routine medical procedures may introduce them as well.”

    6    micro plastics get into the body, some scientific evidence has highlighted potential health hazards. An analysis looking at 17 previous reports    7    (involve) the impact of micro plastics on human cells, determined that ingesting micro plastics may contribute to cell death, allergic response, and damage to cell walls.

“Chronic exposure may also lead to health problems associated with inflammation (炎症), such as diabetes or liver disease,” says O’Toole. “The danger to one’s health may depend on    8    long these particles have been in the heart. If just introduced during the procedure, micro plastics are probably not    9    immediate concern, but they may cause long-term problems if not cleared.”

While the health implications are still unknown, and limiting exposure in our modern society maybe difficult, avoiding plastic packaging and plastic products when possible might reduce some risk.

4 . 得知不能使用家电，他们才发现没有省力的设备，做家务十分困难。(until; inform)(汉译英)

5 . Just as it was leaving, Mr. Taylor rushed out and ran after it ____________________, but it was impossible to stop the thieves. (根据句意填空)

6 . Directions: Fill in the blanks to make the sentences coherent and grammatically correct. Use the proper form of the phrases given in the box. Each phrase can only be used once and there is one phrase more than you need.

bring … to life     be capable of       run out of       apart from adapt … from     be likely to     suffer from       on occasion

1. Once a black hole has formed, it can absorb additional matter like nearby gas and dust, or __________ they can even consume entire stars and solar systems.
2. Let’s explore some of the technologies from science fiction that _________ through the joint efforts of extraordinary scientists so far.
3. The film is based on a 1920 stage play that __________ the Bram Stoker novel.
4. The mouse of the computer sometimes works, but sometimes doesn’t. That’s probably because it __________ batteries.
5. Wolves were once the most widely distributed land mammal (哺乳动物) __________ humans.
6. America __________ a nationwide teacher shortage now due to stresses from pandemic and culture war.
7. I feel like I have to prove myself __________ being a Manchester United player.

7 . The Four-day Work Week

If Liz Truss can reduce a whole premiership to seven weeks, why can’t a standard working week be squashed into something shorter? A six-month pilot (试点) scheme, in which around 3,300 workers from 70 companies are testing out a four-day workweek, is due to conclude this month.     1     Like previous such experiments, it is likely to be praised as a success. A mid-point survey by the trial’s organisers — researchers at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge and Boston College — found that the transition had worked well for 88% of surveyed companies.

    2     In particular a four-day week forces firms to think harder about time management. Most businesses in the trial have encouraged employees to leave meetings when they are not contributing, and to be more selective about accepting invitations. Daryl Hine of Stellar, an asset-management company in London, calls this a “diary detox”. This also extends to reducing commutes.

Of the participating organisations, 46% reported maintaining overall output at the same level, and 49% said it had improved.     3     Its HR department has goals for response time to emails; its staff are given so-called net promoter scores, which track how colleagues rate their services. On both counts, they have made “rare” leaps, says Sharon Platts, the company’s chief people officer. Participants say that their employees feel more motivated.

Becoming a four-day operation can be hard in a five-day world, however. Bookishly, an online shop, chose Wednesdays off to avoid having three days in a row when packages are not mailed out; people are warned about the new schedule before they order.     4    

More tests are on the horizon. In January South Cambridge shire District Council will become the first British local authority to try out a four-day week. The lessons learned are likely to be valuable even if the idea does not spread.

A．Sceptics might observe that the companies involved are self-selecting.

B．Advocates say a shorter week delivers a better work-life balance without hurting overall output.

C．The trial’s largest company, Outcomes First Group, tracks indicators for its 1,027 participating employees.

D．The scheme holds useful lessons about productivity.

E．Platten’s, a fish-and-chip shop in Norfolk, gives its 50-or-so employees two days on and two days off to cover the week.

F．But customers are not always prepared to wait, so most firms in the scheme have tried to spread staff more thinly.

8 . As is the fate of anyone running a hotel in Kerala these days, Bijoy George is a man with too much to do. Before pandemic-caused lockdowns began in 2020, he managed 40 employees at the Eighth Bastion Hotel in the charming historic quarter of Kochi, a bustling coastal city. Now that business is back to pre-covid levels he needs the same number of staff again. But he has only 20 workers. His plight is shared with every other hotel, café and bar. It is a result of the state’s hospitality (招待) employees moving all together in large numbers to Qatar, not to watch football but to take up employment tied to the World Cup.

As the start of the competition approaches on November 20th, workers are quitting at a rate Mr. George says he has never seen in his 22 years in the business. Qatar, a country with a population of under 3m, will have welcomed more than 1.5m visitors before the matches conclude on December 18th. That means finding staff to run all the new hotels that have been built along with other venues that have been pressed into service to profit from the sports fans.

Kerala has long been a significant source of hospitality workers for Qatar and other Middle Eastern countries. Its state government provides good schools with English-language instruction but few jobs. More than 2m people, 17% of its working population, already work overseas, largely in the Gulf.

The appeal of Qatar is straightforward. Starting salaries approach $1,000 a month, more than six times the level for similar jobs in Kerala. To replace those who have left, Kerala’s employers have been casting their nets wider. Recruiters have been extending their searches to many other Indian cities. But that means the most common word on name-tags pinned to the breast pockets of workers is “trainee”.

Among the many skills that need to be taught, says Mr. George, is smiling at customers — the failure to do so a result of shyness among those new to the workforce. The danger is that after a week or so when confidence grows, even these employees may slip away to the Gulf.

Most contracts run for three months, concluding at the end of December, not long after the World Cup final. Returning workers will be welcomed back with open arms. Filling the gaps is even more important as Indian tourism and weddings have restarted. The reunions, though, may be short-lived. The game these workers will have learned from the World Cup is how to be paid better. That means leaving India.

1. The underlined sentence in paragraph one implies that __________.

A．other hotels, cafes and bars will share Bijoy’s 20 employees

B．other hotels, cafes and bars will have to lay off some workers

C．other hotels, cafes and bars also send the workers to Qatar

D．other hotels, cafes and bars also find it hard to employ enough workers

2. Which of the following DOESN’T contribute to hospitality workers in Kerala taking up jobs in Qatar?

A．Millions of tourists have to be served during the World Cup.

B．Hospitality workers are in high demand with new hotels and venues open for business in Qatar.

C．Qatar provides good education and English training for potential workers in Kerala.

D．The salaries of similar jobs in Kerala are much lower than those in Qatar.

3. Which of the following difficulties do Kerala’s employers face due to lack of workers?

A．Kerala’s employers have to take on new employees in Asian cities.

B．Many of the new employees will pin their name tags to their breast pockets.

C．The new employees will not greet the customers as a result of shyness.

D．The new employees may soon follow the trend of going to the Gulf.

4. What makes the reunions between Indian workers and employers probably a short-lived one?

A．Jobs outside India can provide Indian workers with a more decent life.

B．It will soon be the off season for Indian tourism and weddings.

C．Another grand occasion will soon begin in the Gulf.

D．The workers only sign short-term contracts with the employers in India.

9 . Directions: Complete the following passage by using the words in the box. Each word can only be used once. Note that there is one word more than you need.

A. address       B. challenges       C. imaging       D. monitor       E. navigate       F. operations       G. respond H. setting        I. short               J. successive     K. worth

Satellites Can Help Us Fight Climate Change

At the beginning of 2021, President Joe Biden exclaimed that “science is back” as we continued our efforts to     1     the COVID emergency. That phrase continues to ring true across the federal government. Science and its applications are being used at every agency to deal with public health     2    , build new transportation infrastructure, inform policy decisions and tackle the climate crisis.

Recently the Interior Department’s U.S. Geological Survey assumed     3     of Landsat 9 from NASA, which built and launched it in 2021.This satellite is designed to     4     Earth’s land, water and other natural resources. Landsat missions support environmental sustainability and climate resilience. The Landsat program, which launched in July 1972, has helped us understand our planet and the changes that are occurring on it. That partnership has propelled research and observation forward through the launch of     5     Landsat satellites, each replacing its predecessors and working in tandem with new capabilities and strengths.

I attended the historic launch of Landsat 9 in California. It was nothing     6     of amazing. I toured the mission control center and met a young scientist from the Navajo Nation living far away from home. She uses Landsat     7     to see her home from many miles away, and with such data, she enables her community to manage water resources in the face of a changing climate. This is the power and beauty of science at work.

All around the globe, scientists are using Landsat and other imagery to interpret what is happening on Earth today and to compare it with the 50 years’     8     of data the Landsat program has collected.

This science-based program and those like it across federal agencies are powerful tools in our efforts to responsibly manage our resources. Their prioritization helps to demonstrate the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to lead with science. So, too, the resources provided through the president’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act will be key to the development of longer-term sustainability measures as we     9     to climate change, including building more resilient communities and protecting our natural environment.

Landsat NEXT is the upcoming mission we will develop with NASA to power better science and decision-making for the next 50 years. Science is indeed     10     us on a path to a brighter future.

10 . American people appreciate ________ beforehand when you wish to pay a visit to them.

A．your calling

B．you call

C．you to call

D．that you call