It was 40 years ago. One day, Emma came back to their apartment from work and realized that her husband, David, was extremely ill. He was throwing up and slurring (发音不清) his words. Immediately, Emma grabbed her purse and took him by taxi to the nearest hospital, on the Lower East Side of New York City. The minutes slowly passed as they waited to see a doctor.
They sat there for a couple of hours, and it was pretty clear that nobody was going to pay attention to David. So they rushed to a second hospital, where they were also ignored. Emma knew something was very wrong with David, so they went to a third hospital. As she told the receptionist what was happening, Emma sensed the person wasn’t going to treat their case with urgency.
Emma was on the edge of a breakdown. After three failed attempts to get help, she had reached her limit. She started to shout in the lobby (大厅). That’s when her unsung hero appeared.
That person was a young man with dark hair and a white physician’s coat. He came to Emma and said, “How can I help you? What’s going on here?” Emma explained what was happening to David, and that she was afraid it was serious.
The young man said, “You know, I just got done with my neurological residency (神经系统的实习期) up at Lenox Hill Hospital. I’ll take him in the back and look.” Within two or three minutes, the young man came out and said, “You are absolutely right. Something is very seriously wrong with your husband.”
The man told Emma to take her husband to Lenox Hill Hospital, and that he had called the doctor with whom he had done his residency.
“He’ll be waiting for you,” said the young man.
注意：1. 续写词数应为150个左右；2. 请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
But Emma began to cry, realizing she had no way of getting there, because she didn’t have any more cash for a taxi.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soon Emma and her husband arrived at the hospital.
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1. From which is the text probably taken?| A．A magazine. | B．A web page. |
| C．A book guide. | D．A shopping list. |
| A．Experienced authors. | B．Experts in group travel. |
| C．Reader’s Digest subscribers. | D．Publishers of Reader’s Digest. |
| A．£60. | B．£100. | C．£120. | D．£200. |
3 . It was a heartwarming turn of events on the special night. The Inner Finland Police Department successfully
The search initially focused on the city center, but the
At around 12:30 am that night, Kuha discovered a shoe
The success of this rescue mission was
| A．entertained | B．located | C．educated | D．trained |
| A．team | B．family | C．child | D．dog |
| A．announcements | B．equipment | C．explanations | D．assistance |
| A．established | B．reported | C．transformed | D．awarded |
| A．unknown | B．crucial | C．alternative | D．strange |
| A．passion | B．accident | C．breakthrough | D．challenge |
| A．constructed | B．restored | C．guarded | D．inspected |
| A．left behind | B．ran out | C．went back | D．paid off |
| A．burned | B．buried | C．dried | D．ruined |
| A．unresponsive | B．unbelievable | C．unapproachable | D．unchangeable |
| A．relief | B．envy | C．regret | D．sympathy |
| A．adjusted | B．credited | C．devoted | D．limited |
| A．temperature | B．spirit | C．smell | D．energy |
| A．completely | B．initially | C．similarly | D．ultimately |
| A．designed | B．discussed | C．celebrated | D．played |
4 . Researchers are training robots to perform an ever-growing number of tasks through trial-and-error reinforcement (强化) learning, which is often laborious and time-consuming. To help out, humans are now employing large language model (LLM) AI. A team at NVIDIA Research directed an AI protocol (协议) powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4 to teach a simulation (模拟) of a robotic hand nearly 30 complex tasks, including throwing a ball, pushing blocks, pressing switches, and some other seriously impressive abilities.
NVIDIA’s new “AI agent” Eureka uses GPT-4 by asking the large language model to write its own reward-based reinforcement learning software code. According to the company, Eureka doesn’t need complicated reminders or even pre-written patterns; instead, it simply begins experimenting with a program, and then follows any external human feedback.
In the company’s announcement, Linxi “Jim” Fan, a senior research scientist at NVIDIA, described Eureka as a unique combination of LLMs and simulation programming. “We believe that Eureka will enable robots to control items flexibly and provide a new way to produce physically realistic animations for artists,” Fan added. After testing its training protocol within an advanced simulation program, Eureka then analyzes its collected data and directs the LLM to further improve upon its design. The result is a protocol capable of successfully numbering a variety of robotic hand designs to operate scissors, turn pens and open cupboards within a physics-accurate simulated environment.
Eureka’s alternatives to human-written trial-and-error learning programs aren’t just effective—in most cases, they’re actually better than those authored by humans. In the team’s open-source research paper findings, Eureka-designed reward programs outperformed humans’ code in over 80 percent of the tasks—amounting to an average performance improvement of over 50 percent in the robotic simulations.
“Reinforcement learning has contributed to impressive wins over the last decade, yet many challenges still exist, such as reward design, which remains a trial-and-error process,” said Anima Anandkumar, an AI researcher. “Eureka is the first step toward developing new algorithms (算法) that integrate generative and reinforcement learning methods to solve hard tasks.”
1. Why is AI used for the training?| A．To simplify robots’ tasks. | B．To advertise OpenAI’s GPT-4. |
| C．To speed up the training process. | D．To recognize artists’ role in art creation. |
| A．Design reward programs. | B．Copy pre-written patterns. |
| C．Get complicated reminders. | D．Avoid human intervention. |
| A．It is still poor at the reward design. | B．It should learn from hard tasks. |
| C．It has few challenges to solve. | D．It is of pioneering significance. |
| A．Trial-and-error learning programs are promising. |
| B．Robots can finish complex tasks through learning. |
| C．Reinforcement learning improves robotic simulations. |
| D．AI can better teach a simulated robotic hand to perform tasks. |
5 . Learning often requires taking different risks, whether it’s the willingness to try something new or keep trying after a failed attempt. For children, it’s this process of learning how to take risks and becoming comfortable with failure that can help them grow and develop.
According to the research, children who viewed their parents as being supportive and reliable were more willing to take risks while learning. “
Here is what you, as parents, should remember.
Creating a supportive learning environment for your children often includes identifying what they struggle with and what they need.
One way to create reliability is to develop routines with your children.
| A．That is what they expect from their children. |
| B．Those routines should be developed by children themselves. |
| C．That consistent and positive attention can make a big difference. |
| D．Children from more stable backgrounds perform better in learning. |
| E．One way to do that is to track certain behaviors over time, looking for patterns. |
| F．The routines are less about how big or time-consuming, and more about their predictability. |
| G．However, encouraging children to take these risks can be an extremely difficult task for parents. |
6 . In 1972, Barbara Rieco penned a heartfelt children’s book that held her dream within its pages. Despite her best efforts, the manuscript (手稿) faced repeated rejection from publishers, leading her to eventually set aside her dream of becoming a published author.
Little did she know that, decades later, her grandson would turn the dream into reality. Chad Cooper, a production professional, decided to give his grandmother the ultimate Christmas gift — the publication of her treasured book. Visiting her in Baltimore for the holidays, he secretly took her original manuscript, along with the drawings for the book she had obtained from an artist years ago, and transformed them into a beautifully printed book.
On Christmas morning, as Barbara unwrapped the carefully crafted gift, she was overcome with emotion as she realized what the surprise was. The moment, captured and posted online by Chad, quickly resonated (产生共鸣) with viewers, and the video became a hit.
“This is probably the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me in my entire life,” Barbara said in the video, who also gave her grandson a big hug, with tears.
Chad’s thoughtful gesture didn’t just end with the surprise; he also included a link to the book on Amazon, making it available to the public. The response was nothing short of magic — within days, Barbara’s once-forgotten book skyrocketed to the top of Amazon’s bestseller list, earning the coveted spot as a best seller.
Chad filmed the reaction to that news and shared more updates. Barbara said she had been reading every single comment online and wanted to respond to them all but there were thousands of them.
“I’ve bought Barbara Rieco’s book even though I’m 21 and don’t even have kids. I’ve read it and I really like it,” said one viewer.
“My children enjoy reading the book and they recommend me to read it as well,” another viewer commented.
Barbara Rieco’s book, now accepted by a new generation of readers, continues to spread joy and inspiration.
1. What did Chad Cooper do for his grandmother?| A．He had her book published. | B．He drew for her new book. |
| C．He arranged an artist to meet her. | D．He helped finish her manuscript. |
| A．Calm and proud. | B．Lucky but regretful. |
| C．Delighted but worried. | D．Excited and grateful. |
| A．Dangerous. | B．Desired. | C．Empty. | D．Forgotten. |
| A．To reveal Barbara’s gift for writing books. |
| B．To show the popularity of Barbara’s book. |
| C．To tell the influence of reading on the young. |
| D．To highlight the value of Chad’s Christmas gift. |
7 . Have you ever left the house without a jacket on a warm day, only to regret overestimating your freezing weather tolerance? Instead of dashing back home for your coat, there may come time in the near future when you simply use an app to control your clothing’s level of insulation (隔热).
Created by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). FibeRobo is cheap, programmable, shape-changing smart fiber reliant on a liquid crystal elastomer (LCE). Among the uses, clothing filed with the new LCE fiber could adjust the structure to become more insulated in colder temperatures, and vice versa for warmer weather. With an additional ability to combine with electrically conductive threads, a wearer could directly control their FibeRobo clothing or medical wearables like compression clothing via wireless inputs from a controller or smart phone.
As detailed in a recent institute profile, LCEs are composed of molecules (分子) possessing liquid-like properties that can also arrange into periodic crystal formations once cool. Importantly, the team’s new LCE can be flexible between its phases at safe, comfortable temperature levels — an industry first.
The result is a fiber capable of contracting when exposed to heat, and self-reversing as temperatures drop without any external sensors or interwoven components. What’s more, FibeRobo is flexible and strong enough to use within traditional manufacturing methods like embroidery, weaving looms, and knitting machines.
“At the end of the day, you don’t want a top-class fiber.” Jack Forman, an MIT graduate student and paper lead author, said in a statement. “You want a fiber that, when you are working with it, falls into the gathering of materials — one that you can work with just like any other fiber material, but then it has a lot of exciting new capabilities.”
While many current smart textile (纺织品) projects are trying to reinvent how a person can interact with their clothing, these clothing enterprises perhaps may one day expand the number of clothes in your closet. Meanwhile, this newest version may actually downsize your wardrobe.
1. What does the author intend to do in paragraph 1?| A．Offer some examples to prove. |
| B．Lead the readers to the topic. |
| C．Provide background information |
| D．Summarize the main idea of the text. |
| A．It is shape-changing. |
| B．It contains liquid. |
| C．It is wearable. |
| D．It is cheap. |
| A．Unconcerned. |
| B．Doubtful |
| C．Opposed. |
| D．Hopeful. |
| A．FibeRobo: a Smart Fiber |
| B．LCEs: Unique Molecules |
| C．A Creative Application |
| D．A New-Style Enterprise |
Wearing Hanfu and sitting in front of a Chinese zither (筝), Peng Jingxuan, a young Chinese student, moves her fingers gently along the strings on a street in Paris, France.
Peng has shared more than 200
Chinese zither (筝), or guzheng, is an ancient musical instrument with 21-26 strings and a length of 1.63 meters. Peng
Considering her audience’s
9 . Shakespeare described sleep as “the main course in life’s feast, and the most nourishing”. New research suggests it may also be a key nutrient in defend us against Alzheimer’s disease.
Poor sleep has long been linked to Alzheimer’s, but the relationship is similar to the chicken-and-egg puzzle. It isn’t clear which came first. During deep sleep, the brain produces slow electrical waves and flushes out neurotoxins (神经毒素) including amyloid (淀粉样蛋白) and tau (微管蛋白) , two indicators of the disease.
Studies have shown that even one night of terrible deep sleep can lead to an increase of amyloid. A week of disrupted sleep can raise the amount of tau, which is especially insidious because over time it can strangle neurons from the inside out.
A study in the Annals of Neurology found that a sleep pill called suvorexant could reduce amyloid and tau in middle-aged adults with no cognitive problems. The two-night trial showed that amyloid dropped 10%to 20%, and a key form of tau 10%to 15%in people who received a high dose compared to a placebo (安慰剂) group. But these effects need to be studied over longer periods of time—including in older adults at higher risk of Alzheimers. But the study suggests that improving sleep quality among middle-aged adults could help reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s later in life.
What has puzzled neurologists, however, is that some people with high levels of amyloid who may appear to have Alzheimer’s based on brain scans nonetheless function normally. Neurologists assume that this is because some people have higher levels of “cognitive reserve.” which enables them to function normally despite neurological damage. But there’s another X factor, which scientists have struggled to identify. A new study suggests it may be sleep, and in particular deep sleep.
“Think of deep sleep almost like a life raft that keeps memory afloat, rather than memory getting dragged down by the weight of Alzheimer’s disease,” says Matthew Walker, a neuroscience professor at UC Berkeley.
1. What is the relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s disease according to the new research?| A．Inadequate sleep will indicate Alzheimer’s disease. |
| B．The disease may be prevented if we can sleep well. |
| C．Neurotoxins produced during sleep cause the disease. |
| D．A good sleep will raise the indicators of the disease. |
| A．It’s too early to use the sleeping pill to treat Alzheimer’s. |
| B．It’s advisable that adults turn to suvorexant to sleep well. |
| C．Suvorexant is a desirable pill to improve our sleep quality. |
| D．The amount of Amyloid and tau decreased due to placebo. |
| A．Researchers’ great confusion about the high levels of amyloid. |
| B．Low level cognitive reserve resulting in abnormal brain function. |
| C．Potential determinants related to the possibility of Alzheimer’s. |
| D．Neurologists’ assumption about our brain function and damage. |
| A．To advocate a healthy lifestyle among adults. |
| B．To emphasize the significance of sleep quality. |
| C．To demonstrate the crucial role of our memory. |
| D．To detail the damage brought by Alzheimer’s. |
The Year of the Dragon comes with inspiration for creativity and the power to bring big ideas
Designer Wang Zijian’s Dragon Out of Water, a creative tea infuser (泡茶器),shines on the wall at the exhibition of the winning works of the 2024 Global Zodiac Design Competition at the Beijing Overseas Cultural Exchange Center.
The item belongs to China Chic, or guochao, also
As a young designer, Wang hopes
