Fenghuang Ancient Town in the Xiangxi Tujia and Miao autonomous prefecture (辖区) in Hunan province has witnessed the revival of diverse customs and traditions in two typical festivals.
This year, the Flower-Jumping Festival kicked off on May 26 in Shanjiang township inFenghuang,
It has been a national intangible cultural heritage event and illustrates the long history of Miao culture. During the festival, Miao residents in splendid costumes
The Ganqiu Festival, another traditional Miao festival celebrating the approaching autumn, is a time
The festivities are part of Xiangxi’s local culture, which expresses respect for the Miao
2 . There’s been an enormous amount of progress in language-generating AI over the past couple of years. OpenAI’s GPT-3, for example, is a language generator that’s been trained on 570 GB of text, and is able to write convincing essays. Google, of course, is working on language generators too, and its latest one helps you write like a legendary poet.
Google’s new AI tool, Verse by Verse, allows users to compose a poem using “suggestions” from classic American poets. The AI generates these suggestions based on what it’s collected from reading the poets’ respective oeuvres. That is the program uses machine-learning algorithms (算法) to identify the language patterns of a particular poet’s work, then applies those to text it as the suggestions.
The tool works by allowing users to select from 22 American poets for the suggestions; including legends like Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, and Edgar Allen Poe. After a user has selected up to three poets, they then pick the type of poem they’d like to write. The program offers poetic forms including free verse and quatrain (四行诗), and even allows users to select the number of syllables per line.
Users then give the program a first line, and AI generates the rest of the poem. The AI makes suggestions line by line, however, making it more interactive than other top language generators out there. As far as results, they’re interesting, but not nearly as impressive as GPT-3’s writings.
According to Google engineer Dave Uthus, “The system was trained to have a general understanding of what lines of verse would best follow a previous line of verse. So even if you write on topics not commonly seen in classic poetry, the system will try its best to make lines that are relevant. The widely varying degrees of Verse by Verse output quality show that while good lyrical gems (宝石) may occasionally emerge, further work by the AI team remains to be done.”
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To introduce a new AI tool for writing poetry. | B．To compare different language-generating tools. |
| C．To discuss the progress of language-generators. | D．To analyze the latest essays of OpenAI’s GPT-3. |
| A．Suggestions. | B．Works. | C．Messages. | D．Patterns. |
| A．Help users appreciate poems. | B．Give the program starting lines. |
| C．Generate different poetic forms. | D．Compose as good poems as GPT-3. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Objective. | C．Puzzled. | D．Confident. |
3 . Contemporary Art Fair
On July 18, 2024 the Artist Project will celebrate its 9th year with a three-day art fair at theBetter Living Centre, Exhibition Place, Toronto. From collectors to designers, visitors can explore and discover works of art from 250 contemporary artists from Canada and abroad—allowing guests the unique opportunity to communicate and buy art directly from the artists.
Highlights:
Art Chats: this popular conference series will offer a range of engaging talks hosted by leading art experts.
● Art Battle Canada and the Artist Project have teamed up to bring a 20-minute live artist competition right to the show floor. Members of the audience will vote for their favourite painting and later participate in a charity auction (拍卖) to take the work home.
Emerging Artists Competition: Devoted to the development of students, new graduates, and self-taught artists, the Artist Project will be giving recognition to 20 emerging artists through this competition that will aim to provide an opportunity for young artists to launch their artworks to a public audience.
When:
Early Access Preview: Thursday, July 18, 5:00 p. m.—10:00 p. m.
Opening Night Party: Thursday, July 18, 7:00 p. m.—10:00 p. m.
Artist Project Show: Friday & Saturday, July 19-20, 11:00 a. m.—8:00 p. m.
Artist Project Show: Sunday, July 21, 11:00 a. m.—6:00 p. m.
Where:
Better Living Centre
195 Princes’ Boulevard, Exhibition Place, Toronto, ON
Ticket Information:
Adult admission: $ 15 Door, $ 14 Online
Group adult tickets: (10+people) $10 Each, online only
Youth admission: (13-17) $10
Children 12 or under: free
Website:www.theartistproject.com
1. What can visitors do on the art fair?| A．Vote for their favourite artist. | B．Enjoy works of art of ancient artists. |
| C．Purchase art works directly from artists. | D．Compete with young artists in live painting. |
| A．July 18,5:00 p. m.—10:00 p. m. | B．July 21,7:00 p. m.—10:00 p. m. |
| C．July 22, 11:00 a. m.—6:00 p. m. | D．July 20, 11:00 a. m.—8:00 p. m. |
| A．$14. | B．$15. | C．$24. | D．$25. |
4 . How to overcome travel anxiety
If you want to travel, there shouldn’t be anything getting in your way.
To cope with travel anxiety, you need to figure out specifically what is making you feel anxious about your trip. Is it that you’ll be on the road for hours, that there would be things out of your control, or that you would have to be surrounded by a lot of people at an airport? Once you understand what causes your anxiety, you can ensure to plan ahead for the best ways to handle it.
Plan out your trip in as much de tail as possible.
One reason for anxiety when travelling is that you’re out of your comfort zone and won’t have full control over everything. To help ease that anxious feeling, try to make detailed travel arrangements. That will give you a sense of control. But it’s equally as important to think of alternative plans.
Have with you things that bring you joy.
Things that generally bring you joy can be extremely useful in distracting you from your negative feelings.
Don’t forget your physical health.
| A．Predict what challenges you might face. |
| B．Understand where your anxiety originates. |
| C．Sometimes, however, there can be problems. |
| D．Thus for anything that could not go as planned, you’re prepared. |
| E．Being physically active is a great way to reduce feelings of anxiety and stress. |
| F．The more you know about your upcoming trip, the more you’ll know what to expect. |
| G．These can include physical items like a book to read, or a game to occupy your attention. |
In the small town of Riverdale, life was never easy for 17-year-old Emily. Her family had faced financial struggles since her father’s business went down, leaving them in debt. To make matters worse, Emily's mother had fallen ill, adding medical bills to their list of concerns. Despite these challenges, Emily refused to let adversity define her. She worked tirelessly after school to support her family and kept up with her studies, determined to secure a scholarship for college.
One day, as she was browsing the internet for potential scholarship opportunities, Emily came across an article about a local charity event that offered a full scholarship to the winner of a talent competition. Without hesitation, she decided to enter the talent competition. Emily was an accomplished pianist, having practiced piano for hours every day throughout her childhood. She poured her heart into practicing for the competition, hoping it would be her ticket to a better future.
On the day of the competition, Emily felt a mix of nerves and excitement. She watched as other contestants showcased their talents—some sang, others danced, and a few of the contestants played instruments. When it was her turn, Emily took a deep breath and began to play. Her fingers moved gracefully over the keys, and the melody filled the room. She was nearly absorbed in the pieces that she had practiced hundreds of times. As the last note echoed, the audience erupted in applause.
The judges discussed for a while before finally announcing the winner. To Emily’s dismay, she didn’t win the scholarship. The judges praised her performance but said they were looking for something “different” this year. Emily left the event feeling defeated, wondering when she would ever escape her difficult circumstances.
Despite not winning the scholarship, Emily realized that sometimes, when one door closes, another opens. Her perseverance and determination had led her to a path she never could have imagined.
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。
As she walked home, lost in thought, a stranger approached her.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Emily was overjoyed and gratefully accepted the judge’s offer.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________6 . Dexter lives in Ouray, Colorado, where, for the past few years, the two-footed dog has been turning heads wherever he goes. His owner, Kentee Pasek, says
When Dexter was a puppy, he escaped his yard, dashed into the
Pasek ran in to get a cup of coffee, came out and
In the six years since, Dexter has become a full-blown celebrity,
The whole thing isn’t considered as a
| A．walking | B．jumping | C．climbing | D．riding |
| A．performance | B．experiment | C．adaptation | D．promise |
| A．crowd | B．playground | C．subway | D．traffic |
| A．understood | B．assumed | C．realized | D．recognized |
| A．shelter | B．walking-stick | C．wheelchair | D．bench |
| A．finally | B．luckily | C．surprisingly | D．occasionally |
| A．covered | B．changed | C．forgot | D．grabbed |
| A．recorded | B．imagined | C．supported | D．observed |
| A．starring | B．admiring | C．waving | D．shouting |
| A．teachers | B．followers | C．designers | D．websites |
| A．peaceful | B．popular | C．humorous | D．beautiful |
| A．gesture | B．problem | C．routine | D．joke |
| A．positive | B．calm | C．serious | D．crazy |
| A．secrets | B．troubles | C．mistakes | D．chances |
| A．carried out | B．put away | C．dressed up | D．knocked down |
注意：1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Tom,
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
要点：
1.介绍急救知识的重要性；
2.自行选择一种需要实施急救的情况（e. g. burns, choking, bleeding, drowning…），简要介绍处理步骤和急救实用建议。
注意：
1.词数80左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：Heimlich manoeuvre（海姆立克式操作法）；CPR心肺复苏
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
1. 活动时间、地点；
2. 活动过程；
3. 活动意义。
注意：
1. 写作词数应为80词左右；
2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
10 . That artificial food dyes (染料) are unhealthy is not news. Some are known to cause hyperactivity (多动症) in some children, affecting their ability to learn. But regulatory agencies (监管机构) around the world don’t necessarily agree on which food dyes are a problem, or why. That may soon change. A 2021 peer-reviewed report by California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment concluded that artificial food dyes “cause or worsen neurobehavioral (神经行为的) problems in some children” and that the current levels that are regarded safe for consumption by the federal government are too high.
California is now considering requiring warning labels on food products and dietary supplements containing the seven most commonly used artificial dyes. The warning label requirement would put California on par with the European Union, which since 2010 has required food products containing certain artificial food dyes to carry warning labels about their negative effect on activity and attention in children.
Artificial dyes are used in foods for one reason: to make products look prettier. Bright colors make candies appealing, especially to kids. But dyes are also in chocolate cake mixes, salad dressings and other products that don’t seem to cry out for a color boost.
In Europe, it was the 2010 label lawmaking that triggered (引发) companies’ decisions to reformulate. “If you’re a company, you do not want to put a warning label on your product.” says Lefferts, an environmental health consultant. Warning labels are why European Starburst Fruit Chews are now colored with natural products, not the artificial dyes that brighten their North American counterparts (同类商品).
Given that artificial food dyes are used far more than needed, we need to be more cautious. After all, we don’t dye fresh fruits and vegetables, but we do dye candy and sprinkles, points out Joe Schwarcz, a chemistry professor at McGill University in Montreal. “The foods in which you find food dyes are foods that are poor in nutrition,” he says. “If you limit foods that contain food dyes, you automatically make your diet better.”
1. What can we learn about artificial food dyes from paragraph 1?| A．A 2021 report confirmed their negative effects. |
| B．The fact that they are harmful is newly revealed. |
| C．Regulatory agencies consider them a serious problem. |
| D．The Federal government thinks their current standard too high. |
| A．In opposition to. | B．In line with. | C．Ahead of. | D．Behind. |
| A．Food companies will stop coloring their products. |
| B．More fresh fruits and vegetables will appear in the market. |
| C．Food companies may replace artificial dyes with natural products. |
| D．It will be hard to find packaged foods without warning labels of dyes. |
| A．Approving. | B．Neutral. | C．Tolerant. | D．Concerned. |
