1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Is Banning Single-use Plastic the Right Option?

The harmful effects of using plastic are becoming increasingly apparent. Plastic does not decompose, but breaks down into smaller and smaller particles. It threatens our nature as well as our health. One popular solution to the problem is to prohibit single-use plastics. In the UK, supermarkets are being encouraged to set up plastic-free aisles, in which the food is displayed loose, and shoppers are encouraged to make more environmentally-friendly choices in packing and transporting their food.

Such plans are well-intentioned, but it may not be beneficial to eliminate(清除) the use of single-use plastic altogether. One of the fields where single-use plastic has a vital role is the food industry. When food or fresh goods are packed in plastic, they are protected and preserved, helping them remain fresher and keeping them from spoiling. Single-use plastic is also crucial in the medical industry. This is not just because of its low cost. It helps to prevent the spread of infection and that is the biggest benefit of the material in the medical field.

Replacing plastic with other materials is neither simple nor straightforward, mainly due to the challenge of finding an alternative that combines all the most desirable plastic properties. For example, glass products are a potential alternative, but cleaning them would be extremely expensive while increasing the risk to health. Another issue is that alternative materials to plastic are often more environmentally harmful than plastic. Take paper bags, for example. Research by the Northern Ireland Assembly shows four times more energy is required to manufacture a paper bag than a plastic bag. If people respond by simply using other materials, a ban on single-use plastic can end up making the problem worse.

Clearly there is a need to reduce plastic waste and its impact on the environment. However, simply banning their single use may not be the best option.

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2 . How to support a struggling friend

We’ve all been in situations like this, both big and small and everything in between: from missing the bus to work to struggling with the loss of a loved one. Common wisdom suggests that a problem shared is a problem halved. We really want to help, yet we don’t quite have the words or the tactics.

Research shows that many people don’t really know what works best to help their friends effectively.     1     A survey of the methods that people used to manage their friends’ emotions identified 378 distinct strategies. Given this large variety of strategies, it’s no wonder that deciding what to do when you have a friend in tears can be a little challenging.

The good news is that there are simple strategies you can learn that will help you provide more effective support to your friends.

Ask questions and really listen

Just as playing down a friend’s problem is unwise, so is trying to empathize too quickly. While this impulse is understandable and quite normal, it is also likely to go wrong.     2     So how might you best address the situation instead? A recent research suggests that it would be better to slow down and start by asking directly how your friend is feeling, rather than thinking about how you might feel in a similar situation.

A related technique to try is active listening, which is commonly used by therapists, and relatively simple to implement.     3     For example, your friend might spend some time explaining a series of stressful events across their week, describing arguments with their spouse, a mounting workload and some worries about debt, and you might respond by saying that it sounds like they are overwhelmed both at home and at work right now.

Don’t take charge

If your support is too directive and take-charge, it might make your friends feel like they aren’t able to handle things on their own, like a kid who needs their parent’s help to manage their problems.

Instead, it would have been better to ask them what they want, and how they might be able to change this situation, and then listen to them talk through their options one by one. In doing this, you provide a sounding board for them to take control of the situation on their own.     4     This will help them organise their thoughts and come to some solutions, without feeling like you did it for them.

A．One useful skill is to paraphrase what your friend is saying in your own words.

B．A friend who is going through hardship may benefit from a helpful gesture.

C．Part of the challenge is that there are just so many possible ways to intervene.

D．It’s important not to put too much pressure on your friend to talk.

E．Research has shown that we’re actually really bad at taking other people’s perspectives.

F．Your aim should be to facilitate the other person’s choices, rather than dominating them.

3 .

WHAT IS SCIENCE GAMES? With a focus on collaboration, connection, discovery, and fun, students in British Columbia will have an opportunity to participate in a 3-week science journey in July 2023! At Science Games, students from Grades 1–6 across BC explore science first-hand in an online group led by engineers and geoscientists. This interactive event hosted online gives students the chance to investigate the ways science affects their everyday lives. Diving deep into the world of innovation, participants will connect with other like-minded students and work together online to create their own solutions during each Saturday activity session. 2023 VIRTUAL PROGRAM SCHEDULE Date Division 1 (Grades 1–3) Division 2 (Grades 4–6) July 15, 2023 9:00 AM–11:00 AM 2:00 PM–5:00 PM July 22, 2023 9:00 AM–11:00 AM 2:00 PM–5:00 PM July 29, 2023 9:00 AM–11:00 AM 2:00 PM–5:00 PM 2023 SCIENCE GAMES REGISTRATION To participate in these sessions, your child must be signed up as a 2023 Science Games participant and pay a $25 + GST registration fee. If there is a financial barrier to your participation in the 2023 Science Games, you can apply for a bursary for a reduced rate. The online Science Games Bursary application form will be available when registration launches. Parents/Guardians can register their child/children as: Individual Participants Group Participants Please note: You can group registrations with a group code. The group size maximum is 3 participants so you can only share your code with 2 other Science Games participants. Science Games participants will also receive a package from Engineers and Geoscientists BC at the end of June. This package includes items that are necessary for participation in a particular Science Games activity. Have any other questions about Science Games 2023? Email us at sciencegames@egbc.ca.

1. According to the information above, Science Games is most probably ________.

A．a science website	B．a package of games
C．an online program	D．a group competition

2. What does the underlined word “bursary” probably mean?

A．Admission.

B．Reward.

C．Budget.

D．Scholarship.

3. Which of the following is TRUE about Science Games?

A．Each session of the virtual program will last two hours.

B．Students will conduct hands-on experiments with scientists.

C．Parents need to prepare activity materials for their children.

D．Each registration group can have no more than 3 participants.

4 . Andy smiled as he and his field day team stepped up to their last activity. They were in first place, and Andy could already feel the medal around his neck.

“How exciting!” Mrs. Emory said. “You two teams are tied with the highest score of the day.”

“Tied?” Andy said. “But we beat them at the relay race.”

“Yes, but that was their only loss,” Mrs. Emory said. “Your team also has one loss, so you are both tied for first place.”

Andy crossed his arms in front of his chest. He didn’t want to think about the balloon toss (抛). He’d been the first one to drop his balloon.

“This event is a hula hoop(呼啦圈) challenge,” Mrs. Emory said, handing everyone a hula hoop.

“Are we supposed to see how far we can roll them?” Andy asked. “No. Your challenge is to hula hoop for as long as possible. Once your hoop hits the ground, you will be disqualified. The last person hula hooping will win the event for their team.”

Andy’s eyes widened. He’d never hula hooped before. He looked at the rest of his team. Becky seemed confident and so did Cory. They only needed one person to do well in order to win.

“Can we start?” asked Rachelle, the other team’s captain. She must have done this before because she was excited about the challenge.

Mrs. Emory blew her whistle. “Begin!” Andy watched Rachelle and mimicked everything she did. But no matter how hard he tried, the hoop wouldn’t stay up. It dropped and fell to his ankles. He stepped aside and cheered for Becky and Cory who were the only ones left to battle Rachelle.

Becky sneezed and her hoop fell to the ground. Andy grumbled, but he started cheering even louder for Cory. Andy stared at Rachelle. She looked so relaxed. Her team was chanting her name, and it took Andy a moment to realize Cory had dropped his hoop.

The challenge was over, and Rachelle had won, which meant Andy’s team had lost. But Andy couldn’t help cheering for Rachelle as she continued to hula hoop. Rachelle was still hula hooping when Mrs. Emory gave out the medals. Andy wore his second-place medal with pride as he congratulated Rachelle, the true field day champion.

1. What can we learn about Andy from the first paragraph?

A．He felt the weight of the medal hanging from his neck.

B．He got the gold medal because he got the highest score.

C．He wanted to take off his medal so he could perform better.

D．He was confident about becoming the field day champion.

2. The underlined word mimicked could be replace by ________.

A．made fun of

B．imitated

C．criticised

D．cheered for

3. How did Andy feel when he received his medal?

A．Disappointed.

B．Angry.

C．Proud.

D．Confused.

4. What can be inferred from the passage?

A．Andy’s team beat the others in the previous activities.

B．Andy is a confident player and has good sportsmanship.

C．Andy didn’t cheer for Rachelle because he lost the game.

D．Andy’s team members had never hula hooped before.

5 . Have you ever had a song stuck in your head and, no matter how hard you tried, you could not get rid of it? The song played on and on, whether you were loading the dishwasher, weaving in and out of traffic, or attempting to _________ your mind at the start of yoga class.

Having a song stuck in one’s head, known as an earworm, is an experience that over 90% of us have on a _________ basis. We’re more likely to catch an earworm after we stop focusing, in moments when the working memory is _________, when we’re relaxed, when work is finished or when we’re a bit sleepy.

Certain songs are _________ than others, and so more likely to “auto repeat” in your head. There are certain musical characteristics that make songs more likely to become earworms, such as if the piece is repetitive, if there is a longer duration of certain notes, if _________ between the notes are smaller. _________, we know that mood can have an impact, with some people reporting that they always get the same earworm when they feel good, or people experiencing a fast-tempo earworm when they are _________. And of course familiarity with a song is a key _________. Songs that you don’t know very well are less likely to pop up as earworms.

If you’ve had enough of your earworm and need to stop it in its tracks, you would be well warned not to try to block the song out, but rather to _________ accept it. A determined effort to block the song out may result in the very __________ of what you want. According to psychologist Daniel Wegner, __________ the song may make your brain keep playing it over and over again. To get rid of an earworm, you may be best served by simply __________ it, accepting it, and leaving it alone to let this phenomenon ends up weakening itself little by little.

Some people try to __________ themselves from the song, and it works. You can try reading a book, listening to a different song or even playing an instrument. Others __________ the tune in question, because it is commonly believed that earworms occur when you remember only part of a song; hearing the entire song may stop it. Neurologists (神经学家) point out that it’s recommendable to chew gum to reduce the __________ of an earworm because jaw movement interferes with musical memory. However, it’s important to note that this phenomenon usually lasts less than 24 hours.

1.

A．burden

B．clear

C．alter

D．exploit

2.

A．trial

B．solid

C．voluntary

D．regular

3.

A．inactive

B．complicated

C．dynamic

D．uncertain

4.

A．catchier

B．slower

C．harsher

D．louder

5.

A．phases

B．intervals

C．rhythms

D．sessions

6.

A．Instead

B．Therefore

C．Otherwise

D．Additionally

7.

A．alert

B．pleased

C．remote

D．rigid

8.

A．criterion

B．consequence

C．concept

D．contributor

9.

A．readily

B．constantly

C．passively

D．critically

10.

A．opposite

B．fantasy

C．emphasised

D．equivalent

11.

A．integrating

B．converting

C．resisting

D．tolerating

12.

A．interrupting

B．acknowledging

C．stimulating

D．facilitating

13.

A．perceive

B．isolate

C．distract

D．identify

14.

A．seek out

B．act out

C．cast out

D．knock out

15.

A．proportion

B．intensity

C．integrity

D．preference

6 . 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. academic B. previously C. submit D. assessed E. classifier F. controversy G. subscribed H. detect I. typically J. access   K. labelled

OpenAI releases “not fully reliable” tool to detect AI generated content

ChatGPT has been creating waves across the internet with its writing ability and responses to requests. The use of ChatGPT has been full of     1     . There have been concerns that students can use this tool to     2     AI-generated work and claim it as their own.

OpenAI, the research laboratory behind ChatGPT, has released a tool designed to     3     whether text has been written by artificial intelligence, but warns it’s not completely reliable – yet. In a blog post on Tuesday, OpenAI linked to a new     4     tool that has been trained to distinguish between text written by a human and that written by a variety of AI, not just ChatGPT.

The tool could be useful in cases where AI was used for “    5     dishonesty” and when AI chatbots were positioned as humans, they said. But they admitted the tool “is not fully reliable” and only correctly identified 26% of AI-written English texts. It also incorrectly     6     human-written texts as probably written by AI tools 9% of the time.

“Our classifier’s reliability     7     improves as the length of the input text increases. Compared to our     8     released classifier, this new classifier is significantly more reliable on text from more recent AI systems.”

Since ChatGPT was opened up to public    9    , it has given rise to a wave of concern among educational institutions across the world that it could lead to cheating in exams or assessments. Lecturers in the UK are being urged to review the way in which their courses were     10    , while some universities have banned the technology entirely and returned to pen-and-paper exams to stop students using AI.

7 . 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.

The Great Voice Actor

Since the creation of animated (动画的) motion pictures, the use of actors supplying voices     1    (be) invaluable. Behind every famous cartoon character’s personality is the actor standing in the recording booth and     2     (stretch) their manner of speaking in unrecognizable ways. For some of these performers, the voices they’ve provided have far surpassed them as people in both recognizability and adoration.

Mel Blanc, known as “The Man of Thousand Voices”,     3     (regard) as the most prolific actor to ever work in Hollywood with over a thousand screen credits. He developed and performed nearly 400 distinct character voices. Whether in legendary shorts or lesser-known commercials, Mel Blanc walked so the voice actors of today     4     run.

Mel Blanc lent his voice to many classic characters, but the one he is best known for is Bugs Bunny. There is little that can be said about Bugs’ impact     5     hasn’t already been said for decades. The character is     6     helped launch Warner Bros. animation into the mainstream. Bugs was even the face of Warner Bros. Family Entertainment, appearing at the beginning of many films.     7     a character may not talk, that doesn’t mean a fair bit of voice acting isn’t involved. Mel provided the various noises of the beloved pet dinosaur, Dino, in The Flintstones. While obviously not as quotable as his caveman companions, every fan knows the excited bark of Dino when he sees his master, Fred, arrive home. In January 1961, at the age of 52, Blanc was severely injured in a car accident and had to tape his part at home with a microphone     8     (suspend) over his bed.

Mel Blanc paved the way for voice acting as a true art, though it’s a skill that often goes unrecognized when praise is focused on movies and TV. The characters we all love wouldn’t be where they are in the public eye without     9     who put a voice to them. Many recognizable or popular voice actors of our modern era have Blanc     10     (thank) for their start, and hope to reach his level of unmatched expertise at bringing countless characters to life the way no one else can.

8 . 听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。1.

A．To complain about the poor service.

B．To order a software for his office.

C．To negotiate a lower price.

D．To learn about the promotions of a product.

2.

A．It is a voice recognition software.

B．It is a sales management network.

C．It is a website monitoring tool.

D．It is a microphone manufacturer.

3.

A．The man didn’t get the discount because he was not ordering online.

B．The free microphones with the software are usually very good quality.

C．The man failed to order online because one of the servers went wrong.

D．The man does not need the microphone included with the software.

4.

A．By cash.	B．By credit card.
C．With prepaid card.	D．With membership card.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．To create jobs.	B．To increase sales.
C．To research markets.	D．To introduce products.

2.

A．Offering detailed information of the product.

B．Keeping the customers engaged.

C．Capturing the customer’s attention.

D．Initiating the customer to make a purchase.

3.

A．To evaluate the effect of AIDA.	B．To display how AIDA works.
C．To show how to make a movie.	D．To advertise the movie industry.

10 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。1.

A．Plant ecology.	B．The study of insects.
C．Marine biology.	D．The food chain.

2.

A．The threat of scientific progress.	B．The danger of chemicals pesticides(杀虫剂).
C．The possible causes of cancer.	D．The natural history of the sea.

3.

A．It led to a nationwide ban on the use of pesticides in US.

B．It received positive feedback as soon as it was published.

C．It accused chemical industry of spreading disinformation.

D．It laid the foundation for modern agricultural ecosystem.