1 . The artificial-intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has shaken educators since its November release. New York City public schools have banned it from their networks and school devices. There is, perhaps surprisingly, one subject area that doesn’t seem threatened, It turns out ChatGPT is quite bad at maths.
“I’m not hearing maths instructors express concern about ChatGPT,” said Paul von Hippel, a professor at the University of Texas who studies data science and statistics. “I’m not sure it’s useful for maths at all, which feels strange because maths was the first-use case for the artificial-intelligence devices.”
ChatGPT’s struggle with maths is inherent in this type of AI, known as a large language model. It scans a large amount of text from across the web and develops a model that might be extremely effective for writing grammatically correct responses to essay requirement, but not for solving a maths problem.
In an email, I asked Debarghya Das, a search-engine engineer, why ChatGPT gets some simple questions right but others completely wrong. “Maybe the right analogy (类比) is if you ask a room of people, who have no idea what maths is but have read many hieroglyphics (象形文字), ‘What comes after 2+2,’ they might say, ‘Usually, we see a 4,’ That’s what ChatGPT is doing.” But, he adds, “Maths isn’t just a series of hieroglyphics. It’s the process of calculating.”
It isn’t great for pretending you know it through a maths class because you only recognize the mistakes if you know the maths. Another reason that maths instructors are less anxious about this innovation is that they have been here before. The field was upended for the first time decades ago with the general availability of computers and calculators.
“Maths has had the biggest revolution based on machinery of any mainstream subject,” said Conrad Wolfram, the strategic director of Wolfram Research. “In the real world, since computers came along, have maths, science and engineering gotten conceptually simpler? No, completely the opposite. We’re asking harder and harder questions, going up a level.”
Eventually, AI will probably get to the point where its maths answers are not only confident but correct. A pure large language model might not be up for the job, but the technology will improve. In general, however, AI, like computers, will likely ultimately be most useful for those who already know a field well. They know the questions to ask, how to identify the shortcomings and what to do with the answer. A tool, in other words, is for those who know the most maths, not the least.
1. What does the underlined word “inherent” in Paragraph 3 most probably mean?| A．Stable. | B．Practical. | C．Limited. | D．Natural. |
| A．Calculating requires some knowledge of hieroglyphics. |
| B．ChatGPT is good at solving mathematical questions by analogy. |
| C．Reading hieroglyphics prevents ChatGPT solving maths questions. |
| D．ChatGPT’s response is based on language models instead of calculations. |
| A．ChatGPT is useful to identify maths mistakes. |
| B．Technical revolution made maths easier to understand. |
| C．New technology will end up pushing the boundaries of maths. |
| D．ChatGPT has been banned from networks and school devices. |
| A．It will play the largest role for professionals in a field. |
| B．It will become confident to solve all the maths problems. |
| C．It will turn the maths field over again just like computers. |
| D．It will take the jobs from humans as the technology improves. |
2 . Have you ever bought a new car and started noticing the exact color and model of car everywhere? Has that type of car just become popular in your city? Were they there before? Or are you just going crazy?
You’re not going crazy. The reason you are now just noticing them is what psychologists call “priming”. Basically, the cars were always there. You just didn’t recognize them consciously. However, when that certain model of car becomes part of your conscious thinking, you start “automatically” recognizing all of the other cars that are the same, because you are already “primed” to do so.
The priming effect takes many forms. In one study, students were asked to walk around a room for 5 minutes at a rate of 30 steps per minute, which was about one-third their normal pace. After this brief experience, the participants were much quicker to recognize words related to old age, such as forgetful, old, and lonely. Reciprocal priming effects tend to produce a coherent reaction: if you are primed to think of old age, you would tend to act old, and acting old would reinforce the thought of old age. This research shows that the way we think influences the way we act, and the way we act influences the way we think.
A similar conclusion was reached by the American psychologist William James a century ago, but he emphasized the effect on feeling. “Actions seem to follow feeling, but really actions and feeling go together; and by regulating the action, which is under the more direct control of the will, we can indirectly regulate the feeling, which is not. Thus the path to cheerfulness, should our cheerfulness be lost, is to sit up cheerfully and to act and speak as if cheerfulness were already there.”
So, that’s it. If you want to be happy, just sit up and act happy. Based on these scientific findings, we can adopt certain priming effects to help make ourselves consistently happier.
One thing we have in common is our ability to think, and thus feel. Pleasant thoughts have been proven to produce the chemicals that make us feel happy, particularly thoughts and feelings of gratitude. When we purposefully go through and think about the things we’re grateful for and deliberately feel as much gratitude as we can, we are flooding our mind with the “happy chemicals”. Furthermore, by consciously thinking, feeling and expressing gratitude, we will not only be happier in the moment, we will be “primed” to recognize the things in our life to appreciate. Each time this happens, the “happy chemicals” will be produced. Do this every day and we will become consistently happier. This makes up for the momentary happiness we gain from eating chocolate or buying new clothes. More than that, combining thoughts of gratitude with happy acts like smiling and laughing will have a supplementary positive effect on our state of mind.
1. Which of the following is an example of the priming effect?| A．Walking much faster after attending a lecture about old age. |
| B．Donating money to the poor after seeing pictures of cute cats. |
| C．Learning about various types of cars after purchasing the first car. |
| D．Completing SO_P as SOUP rather than SOAP after seeing the word EAT. |
| A．Related. | B．Two-way. | C．Well-rounded. | D．Opposite. |
| A．Eating or shopping leads to consistent feelings of happiness. |
| B．Our will has greater control over emotions than over actions. |
| C．Happy chemicals make us think about the things we’re grateful for. |
| D．Practicing gratitude frequently prepares us for long-term happiness. |
| A．Prime Yourself to Be Happier |
| B．Share Happiness to Enhance Wellbeing |
| C．Why Gratitude Is Important in Psychology |
| D．How Happy Chemicals Affect People’s Thoughts |
3 . The teenage years are probably the most unsettled and stressful years in a person’s life. Teens experience significant physical, emotional, social and cognitive changes. And teens of today face more challenges as they go through more uncertain times of the 21st century.
As teens experience massive physical, social and emotional changes, the challenges are managing social expectations of ideal body images, developing their identity and finding their place in the world. In the past, a teen who was criticized for his or her larger figure or pimpled (有粉刺的) face, might feel embarrassed and dejected in school.
There have been many discussions about new technologies and ways of working, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and automation, which will impact future jobs.
| A．They can also be spread quickly by sharing with others. |
| B．Furthermore, social media has taken bullying to a new level. |
| C．The future has always been a dreamland for teens to anticipate. |
| D．Today, these same sufferings can be expanded by social media. |
| E．Social media, and technological advances are posing new challenges. |
| F．Additionally, social media is a strong tool for a teen to defend himself. |
| G．The challenge for a teen today is preparing for a largely unknown future. |
The word “spiritual” comes from the Latin spiritus, which means “breath.” Originally, that which was spiritual was simply that which was breathtaking. From this perspective, a spiritual experience is anything that is awe-inspiring. People of all religions—or none at all—can equally experience such awe-inspiring events. Spirituality doesn’t rely on a set system of teachings or beliefs; it is merely the joy of being present in the moment and experiencing the awe (敬畏) and wonder of living.
Definitions of ecospirituality include “an expression of the spiritual connection between human beings and the environment” and “understanding the interrelationships between all living beings on earth and recognizing their interdependency while appreciating their value for maintaining ecobalance.” Others feel ecospirituality is the connectedness between the science of ecology and spirituality. Put simply, it is the personal experience of spirituality in nature. Although definitions may vary, all point to a sense of oneness with nature, and address our basic need for reconnecting with the environment.
Although there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to ecospirituality, there are a few common concepts throughout the practice. Things like feeling connected with the universe, knowing the risks involved in creating an imbalance in the ecosystem, protecting nature—and most importantly—sensing a feeling of “awe” in learning about our environment and ecosystem are all included in ecospirituality. Embracing a way of life that honors all living beings on our planet is what ecospirituality involves.
At this point, you’re probably wondering what you can do to integrate ecospirituality into your life. And the answer is simple! Start with a daily gratitude practice, focusing on what you are grateful for in nature every day. This simple exercise will not only positively benefit your outlook on life, but it will also motivate you to take actionable steps in preserving Earth’s many gifts.
Once you have a solid gratitude practice in place, consider spending more time in nature. Studies show that something as simple as taking a mindful walk outdoors can reduce stress and overthinking. And remember to be mindful while participating in nature! The key to ecospirituality is to let our beautiful planet take your breath away. And how can you do that if you don’t stop to smell the roses?
1. What is spirituality?2. How does a daily gratitude practice affect people?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement, then underline it and explain why.
▷Ecospirituality involves various aspects such as experiencing a sense of connection with the universe and ignoring the risks of creating an imbalance in the ecosystem.
4. What else can you do in daily life to better connect with nature? (In about 40 words)
5 . The question of whether it is possible to dissociate the artist from their work has been debated for a long time. Even though positive critical reviews about an artist’s behavior can improve their artistic accomplishments, people should treat artists as individuals who have lived apart from their work.
One of the reasons is that even artists have shortcomings. Like any other human being, an artist can err, and we cannot be severely judgmental of every person that falls into error. Cancel culture with endless criticism is concerned more with how we should disregard the artists when they make mistakes than with how their weaknesses can be used by the artists to create art that is unique.
Perhaps Kevin Hart’s words support this thought. He asks, “When did we get to a point where life was supposed to be perfect? Where people were supposed to operate perfectly all the time?” When people start seeing artists as human beings, they’ll see them for who they are and review their behavior not on the basis of their art but on the basis of their humanity.
It should be also noted that there are works of art that are inspired by the artist’s experience. For example, the themes in the Harry Potter books are so connected with J. K. Rowling’s wicked worldview that it is virtually impossible to distinguish the two from each other. Since canceling artists based on their worldview would mean the reception to their art will suffer, artists become tense and unwilling to express themselves, which will kill creativity, eventually leading to the death of art. Comedians, singers or painters who should be integrating contemporary issues with their works become boring, and art stops functioning as the social mirror it ought to be.
An artist who makes mistakes still has art with intrinsic (内在的) value, benefiting entire communities or cultures. For instance, when Kendrick Lamar launched his album and frequently used the F-slur in one of his songs, there was much-heated discussion. He was entirely mistaken in using the F-slur, but as an artist, he still had a wide-reaching impact on society. Similarly, one can respect the late Michael Jackson because of how he impacted pop music and the inclusion of black musicians in mainstream media despite his personal weaknesses, opinions, worldviews and associations.
While these artists may engage in their terrible behavior, the art they produce today may serve as an example for others to produce outstanding work in the future. Some would refer to this process as a cycle. Good art should, therefore, be judged due to its value and not the value of the artist.
1. Which would Kevin Hart probably agree with?| A．People should perform perfectly all the time. |
| B．Artists’ shortcomings might be their inspiration. |
| C．If artists have weaknesses, we’d better cancel them. |
| D．Artists should be evaluated based on their humanity. |
| A．Artists will be unwilling to create any artwork. |
| B．Artists will stop concerning with contemporary issues. |
| C．Artists will lose their desire for expression and creativity. |
| D．Artworks are unavoidably inspired by artists’ experiences. |
| A．The artist may make some new words popular. |
| B．The artist’s opinions may provoke heated discussion. |
| C．The artist will benefit entire communities or cultures. |
| D．The artist’s art may give others ideas of artistic creation. |
| A．Judge Art Due to Its Value |
| B．Separate the Art From the Artist |
| C．Regard Artists as Human Beings |
| D．Stop Criticizing Artists’ Behavior |
7 . This passage is adapted from Jane Eyre by Charloue Bronte.
Seeing me, she recovered herself: she made a sort of effort to smile and expressed a few words of congratulations, but the smile disappeared, and the sentence was abandoned unfinished. She put up her glasses and pushed her chair back from the table.
“I feel so astonished,” she began, “I hardly know what to say to you, Miss Eyre. I have surely not been dreaming, have I? Sometimes I half fall asleep when I am sitting alone and fancy things that have never happened. It has seemed to me more than once when I have been in a doze (打盹), that my dear husband, who died fifteen years since, has come in and sat down beside me; and that I have even heard him call me by my name, Alice, as he used to do. Now, can you tell me whether it is actually true that Mr. Rochester has asked you to marry him? Don’t laugh at me. But I really thought he came in here five minutes ago and said that in a month you would be his wife.“
“He has said the same thing to me,” I replied.
“He has! Do you believe him? Have you accepted him?”
“Yes.”
She looked at me confused. “I could never have thought it. He is a proud man; all the Rochesters were proud; and his father at least liked money. He, too, has always been called careful. He means to marry you?”
“He tells me so.”
She surveyed my whole person: in her eyes, I read that they had there found no charm powerful enough to solve the mystery.
“It passes me!” she continued, “but no doubt it is true since you say so. How it will answer I cannot tell:I really don’t know. Equality of position and fortune is often advisable in such cases; and there are twenty years of difference in your ages. He might almost be your father.”
“No, indeed, Mrs. Fairfax!” I protested, annoyed, “he is nothing like my father! No one, who saw us together, would suppose it for an instant. Mr. Rochester looks as young, and is as young, as some men of twenty-five.”
“Is it really for love he is going to marry you?” she asked.
I was so hurt by her coldness and skepticism that tears rose to my eyes.
“I am sorry to make you unhappy,” continued the widow (寡妇), “but you are so young, and so little acquainted with men,I wished to put you on your guard. It is an old saying that’ all is not gold that glitters’; and in this case,I do fear there will be something found to be different to what either you or I expect.”
“Why? Am I a monster?” I said. “Is it impossible that Mr. Rochester should have a sincere affection for me?”
“No, you are very well; and much improved recently. and Mr. Rochester, I dare say, is fond of you.I have always noticed that you were a sort of pet of his There are times when, for your sake, I have been a little uneasy at his marked preference and have wished to put you on your guard; but I did not like to suggest even the possibility of wrong. I knew such an idea would shock, perhaps offend you; and you were so discreet (谨慎的) and so thoroughly modest and sensible, I hoped you might be trusted to protect yourself. Last night I cannot tell you what I suffered when I sought all over the house, and could find you nowhere, nor the master either. and then, at twelve o’clock, saw you come in with him.”
“Well, never mind that now,” I interrupted impatiently; “it is enough that all was right.”
“I hope all will be right in the end,” she said. “But, believe me, you cannot be too careful. Try and keep Mr. Rochester at a distance: distrust yourself as well as him. Gentlemen in his station are not accustomed to marrying their governesses.”
1. In this passage Miss Eyre’s feelings about her relationship with Mr. Rochester can be best described as ______.| A．grateful | B．incredible | C．sensitive | D．confident |
| A．Mr. Rochester is fond of Miss Eyre |
| B．Mr. Rochester will break Miss Eyre’s heart |
| C．Mr. Rochester should not marry his governess |
| D．Mr. Rochester and Miss Eyre are of the same social class |
| A．is brave enough to challenge the society to marry Miss Eyre |
| B．will treat Miss Eyre like a governess after marriage |
| C．is incapable of loving Miss Eyre for his whole life |
| D．may not be sincere about his marriage proposal |
8 . What are pillows really stuffed with? Not physically, but symbolically? The question occurred to me with the photos in the news and social media from the 50 cities around the world that staged public celebrations for International Pillow Fight Day. Armed with nothing more than bring-our-own sacrificial cushions, strangers struck heavily each other in playful feather from Amsterdam to Atlanta, Warsaw to Washington DC. But why? Is there anything more to this delightful celebration?
As a cultural sign, the pillow is deceptively soft. Since at least the 16th Century, the humble pillow has been given unexpected meanings. The Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu tells a famous story about a wise man who meets a depressed young scholar at an inn and offers him a magic pillow filled with the most vivid dreams of a seemingly more fulfilling life. When the young man awakens to discover that his happy 50-year dream has in fact come and gone in the short space of an afternoon’s nap, our impression of the pillow’s power shifts from wonder to terror.
Subsequent writers have likewise seized upon the pillow. When the 19th-Century English novelist Charlotte Bronte poetically observed “a ruffled (不平的) mind makes a restless pillow”, she didn’t just change the expected order of the adjectives and nouns, but instead she made unclear the boundaries between mind and matter — the thing resting and the thing rested upon.
It’s a trick perhaps Bronte learned from the Renaissance philosopher Montaigne, who once insisted that “ignorance is the softest pillow on which a man can rest his head”. On Montaigne’s thinking, intelligence and happiness confront each other forever in a pillow fight that only one can win.
With the words of Tang. Bronte, and Montaigne, we can perhaps more easily measure the attraction of the global pillow fight. Like a ritual of release, the annual international pillow fight amounts to a kind of cleansing, a brushing off of daily worries: an emptying of the world’s collective mind. Rather than a launch-pad for weightless rest, the pillow is a symbol of heavy thought: an anchor that drags the world’s soul down — one that must be lightened.
1. The example of Tang Xianzu is used to illustrate that ________.| A．pillows give people satisfactory dreams |
| B．dreams are always wonderful while the real world is cruel |
| C．people’s impression of pillows changes from wonder to terror |
| D．pillows symbolically convey the meaning in contrast to their soft appearance |
| A．wrote poems about pillows |
| B．regarded pillows as reflections of our minds |
| C．shared the same viewpoint as Tang Xianzu on pillows |
| D．was likely to have been influenced by the thoughts of the Renaissance |
| A．pillows give us comfort |
| B．pillows make people more intelligent |
| C．people with too many thoughts have less inner peace |
| D．people can easily fall asleep when they know nothing |
| A．Because it is a ritual release. |
| B．Because it makes life delightful. |
| C．Because it comforts restless minds. |
| D．Because it contains a profound meaning of life. |
Good Taste of Knowledge
The aim of education or culture is merely the development of good taste in knowledge and good form in conduct. The cultured man or the ideal educated man is not necessarily one who is well-read or learned, but one who likes and dislikes the right things. To know what to love and what to hate is to have taste in knowledge.
Nothing is more annoying than to meet a person at a party whose mind is crammed (填塞) full with historical dates and figures and who is extremely well-posted on current international affairs, but whose attitudes or points of view are all wrong. I have met such people. They do have great academic knowledge, but no good judgment or taste. Being knowledgeable is a mere matter of the cramming of facts or information while having good taste is a matter of artistic judgment. In speaking of a scholar, the Chinese generally distinguish between their scholarship (学术成就), conduct and taste..
An educated man, therefore, is one who has the right loves and hatreds. This we call taste, and with taste comes charm. Now, to have taste requires a capacity for thinking things through to the bottom, the independence of judgment, and the unwillingness to be affected by any form of power.
When a man is wrong, he is wrong, and there is no need for one to be impressed by a great name or by the number of books that he has read and we haven't.
Taste, then. is closely associated with courage. as the Chinese always associated dan (“胆”) with shi (“识”) And courage or independence of judgment, as we know, is such a rare virtue among humankind. We see this intellectual courage or independence during the childhood of all thinkers and writers who in later life amount to anything. Such a person refuses to be impressed by a philosophic vogue or a fashionable theory, even though it is backed by the greatest name. this is taste in knowledge.
No doubt such intellectual courage or independence of judgment requires a certain childish. nave confidence in oneself, but this self is the only thing that one can cling to. and the moment a student gives up-his right of personal judgment, he is m for accepting all the dishonest and insincere of life.
1. According to the author, what is the goal of education?2. Why is a well-read man not necessarily an educated one?
3. Please decide which part is false in the following statement: Intellectual courage or independence of judgment builds confidence in oneself; then underline it and explain why Intellectual courage or independence of judgment builds confidence in oneself.
4. Please name one person with the qualities of dan and shi in Chinese history and explain what about this person makes you think so. (In about 40 words)
